At this moment, Anian felt that she hadn't read enough books, as she couldn't think of any suitable words to beautify the young man who might end up crippled.

After all, the young man before her might not even have the chance to use both hands to eat in the future.

Anian pulled out a silver needle from his left hand, but even with the needle removed, the meridians were on the verge of being completely ruined.

If he could lift his hand to eat, it would be thanks to Anian's excellent medical skills.

As for the other major acupoints with needles still in them, it was likely that even moving would be difficult.

The blood qi had already started to stir within his meridians.

And it wasn't just his hands and feet that were immobilized; his lower body was also sealed by the silver needles.

Theoretically...

Anian had never seen this young lad before; he must be new to the Demon Suppression Bureau. The demoness was always so aloof and hadn't even introduced him to everyone.

If she had known, Anian would have tried her best to remove the needles from his lower body, wouldn't she?

Moreover, she didn't know what kind of mission he was on, but it was certainly not without danger.

"At least the kid is still alive, right?" Anian could only comfort the demoness of the Demon Suppression Bureau in front of her with these words.

Zhao Wanqing's hand unconsciously touched the short knife at her waist. She didn't turn to look at Anian behind her, and the comfort seemed to have the opposite effect.

In a cold tone, she asked, "Did you insert these silver needles?"

"No... but don't overthink it. Without these needles, the kid would have been gone long ago," Anian quickly replied. "I've checked; these needles were inserted not long ago."

Zhao Wanqing nodded slightly, agreeing with Anian's explanation.

Then she drew the short knife from her waist, gently probing the meridians, and the blood qi within the young man's body instantly surged toward the newly introduced spiritual energy.

Zhao Wanqing's expression remained unchanged as she took out a talisman from her waist, quickly attaching it to the blade. After absorbing some of the blood qi, she immediately put the talisman away.

Then Zhao Wanqing gently sealed the wound again.

She wasn't a professional physician and wasn't skilled at dealing with the blood qi entangling the already perforated meridians.

Handling the blood qi wasn't difficult for Zhao Wanqing, but doing so without damaging the meridians was extremely challenging.

She only needed some of the blood qi.

Zhao Wanqing took one last look at her unconscious brother, then quickly turned and left:

"Please take care of him, Doctor Anian."

"Just doing my job," Anian replied with a gentle shake of her head.

After Zhao Wanqing left the medical room, she headed straight to the archives room.

Her brother had been assigned to Team Two, and Zhao Wanqing hadn't informed anyone at the Demon Suppression Bureau. Could someone have taken the opportunity to retaliate against her?

Zhao Wanqing quickly searched through her brother's attendance records and soon found the file for this mission.

Investigating the disappearance case in Wang Family Village.

The team leader was an experienced member Zhao Wanqing had heard of.

Since her brother was fished out of the river, the Demon Suppression Bureau had already sent people to search the river to see if anyone else had fallen in. They had also dispatched another team to Wang Family Village to look for people.

The Demon Suppression Bureau's response was swift and efficient.

Zhao Wanqing quickly dismissed the possibility of retaliation. After all, the experienced member's life was uncertain, and at least her brother's life was still intact.

However, Zhao Wanqing also understood that relying solely on the Demon Suppression Bureau might not uncover the truth.

Even if they did, the efficiency would likely not be high.

If it were a demon beast causing trouble, the Demon Suppression Bureau would naturally send people to handle it.

But this was clearly a human-caused disaster, a malicious attack, which would inevitably be investigated more slowly.

After all, humans are far more cunning than demon beasts.

Moreover, the Demon Suppression Bureau was very busy, and there weren't many investigators.

Now, she had to open another line of investigation herself.

After taking the file in hand, Zhao Wanqing quickly turned and headed straight for the street.

——————

Bamboo-Jade Courtyard.

In front of Yaoqin were numerous books, and a dark red Blood Qi Spirit Stone was supported by a formation ritual.

She held a book in her hands, reading carefully while cautiously manipulating the ritual, attempting to reverse the blood qi's erosion of the spirit stone.

But soon, the spirit stone burst into a dark red glow, shattering the ritual she was trying to control.

Yaoqin looked slightly frustrated. "Damn it..."

Aling, the maid standing by, softly advised:

"Miss... take a break. You haven't rested in a long time. Is that scoundrel's matter really that important?"

Yaoqin raised her slender, fair hand to gently rub her forehead.

"Alright, I understand. You can go out first."

Aling understood from her words that this wasn't about wanting to rest; she clearly wanted to get rid of her so she could continue her research.

"Miss..."

"Please leave," Yaoqin's tone remained unchanged.

Aling, feeling helpless, sighed and left the room.

After the maid left, Yaoqin closed her eyes to rest for a moment before starting to set up the ritual again.

It had to be said that as Chu Xingchen's cultivation level increased, the tasks he entrusted to her became increasingly difficult...

This spirit stone wasn't something Yaoqin could easily handle, even with many books in the sect to reference.

But it was, after all, something he had entrusted to her.

Another attempt ended in failure, as expected.

As the ritual was once again disrupted, the Blood Qi Spirit Stone fell onto the table, making a crisp sound.

Though her spirits were somewhat dampened, there was at least some progress.

However, failure was not new to Yaoqin, and she quickly adjusted her mindset, preparing to continue her research when the maid's voice came from outside the door.

"Miss, Miss Zhao wants to see you."

Yaoqin replied casually, "I'm busy, not seeing anyone."

There was a brief silence outside the door before the maid's voice came again:

"Miss, she says it's urgent."

Yaoqin took a deep breath, put the spirit stone into her sleeve, and said:

"Let her in."

As her words fell, the door was pushed open.

Yaoqin looked up.

Standing at the door was Zhao Wanqing, her expression slightly somber, the usual confidence in her eyes had faded significantly.

"I'm busy lately. Say what you need and leave."

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Zhao Wanqing stepped in, cupped her hands, and said, "I need your help with something."

"No time," Yaoqin replied almost instantly.

What did these people take her for? They all came to her with their problems. Couldn't they learn to solve them themselves?

Zhao Wanqing seemed not to hear, taking out a talisman sealed with blood qi and placing it on the table:

"I need you to help me find out the origin of this blood qi. It attacked people from the Demon Suppression Bureau. In the future, if you need anything, I won't refuse."

Blood qi?

Initially uninterested and ready to dismiss Zhao Wanqing, Yaoqin's gaze instinctively fell on the talisman on the table upon hearing this.

Could it be?

Yaoqin hesitated slightly before reaching for the talisman.

As spiritual energy flowed into the talisman, Yaoqin instantly sensed the violent blood qi within.

Yaoqin clenched the talisman tightly, her eyes shut in anger. "I understand. I'll send someone to notify you when I have results."

Zhao Wanqing was surprised by Yaoqin's straightforward agreement.

Before coming, Zhao Wanqing had prepared herself to be turned away.

What puzzled Zhao Wanqing was Yaoqin's expression, as if she knew something about the blood qi.

However, Zhao Wanqing trusted the sect behind Yaoqin and had confidence in Yaoqin's stance.

"Thank you."

Zhao Wanqing cupped her hands and quickly left without lingering.

She still had many things to do now.