Chapter 607: Needles

A relatively familiar ceiling broadened in Liam’s vision when he opened his eyes. He was in an underground hall, but not his own, and that was just the tamest confusing detail about his predicament.

Liam felt warm, almost hot, but in a cozy way. His body and mind were light, unburdened and strangely smooth. It was as if all their functions were working better.

The pleasant sensation tried to come to an abrupt end when Liam spotted the thin silver needles stabbed all over him. There were dozens of them, be it on his arms, torso, shoulders, legs, and even head.

’What even-?’ Liam gasped, but his own mind halted the thought as a realization descended. He could see his condition so perfectly because he was stark naked.

Things didn’t even end there. Liam saw no blood anywhere. All his injuries had also closed, barely leaving still-fading marks. His skin was spotless, with one specific area seemingly having received a special treatment.

’Why are you so bright?’ Liam wondered. His hygiene had greatly improved due to alchemy and Grace’s hobbies, but the friend between his legs was almost shining now.

To be fair, the question was superfluous. Liam still felt the lingering pressure on his skin, as if he had gone through a thorough scrubbing. The vile stench had survived, but he was undeniably clean.

Actually, it was more accurate to say that Liam had been cleaned.

The culprit was still on the scene, not even trying to hide her crime. Rachel hummed happily while playing with Liam’s hair, supporting his head on her firm lap.

"Honey, you are awake!" Rachel cheered. "Your stamina is incredible. I thought you would have needed another day."

"What is this?" Liam questioned, reaching for a needle on his chest.

"Don’t," Rachel gasped, grabbing Liam’s hand before it could mess with the needles. "Acupuncture can be dangerous if you don’t know what you are doing."

"Acupuncture?" Liam repeated.

"It’s an ancient art," Rachel explained. "Known by few, practiced by even fewer. The needles allow deeper interactions with a body, be it to stimulate or damage it."

To prove that point, Rachel let go of Liam’s hand, reaching for the same needle he had targeted. She spun it lightly, pouring some Qi into it, immediately triggering a reaction.

The warmth inside Liam intensified without causing discomfort. He breathed deeply as a wave of vitality washed over him, lighting up all his receptors.

Liam was familiar with the experience. It was similar to what his body-enhancing pills caused, but the effect was brief, ending even before Rachel let go of the needle.

"Incredible," Liam instinctively praised. It was exactly because he knew what it took to create those effects that he was shocked to see Rachel mimic them with mere needles.

"My Honey is the incredible one," Rachel chuckled. "Acupuncture can only bring out what the body already has, and you have so, so much."

Rachel’s tone had grown suggestive near the end, her dazed gaze glued to Liam’s polished, standing friend.

"Help me understand something," Liam said, the gears in his brain having switched. "Are you a physician? Is this your trade?"

Liam had just started to know Rachel. She was both serious and playful, mature and bratty, with a touch of reckless wildness to her. Actually, that probably was more than a touch.

Still, Liam had no idea of Rachel’s skills. Admittedly, he had never asked. It wasn’t even a bias toward her lifestyle as a sheltered troublemaker. He had dismissed that side of her mostly because she was a rooting expert.

"I have many trades," Rachel revealed, the question distracting her from Liam’s groin, bringing veiled bitterness. "I’m the Dark Heaven Tribe’s daughter after all, its most prized jewel. I must be more than a pretty face to deserve such a title."

Rachel noticed Liam’s serious look, so she wore a cheeky smile, lowering her head toward his and lightening the mood. "Even one as pretty as mine."

Caresses landed on Liam’s head as Rachel straightened. She ran her fingers through his hair while diverting her gaze in thought.

"Since my main purpose was to be someone’s wife," Rachel explained, "I educated myself in all that concerns that role. I studied fashion, etiquette, hospitality, seduction, childbearing, cooking, and more."

Liam wouldn’t disregard those fields as inferior, not after Grace had hypnotized him with her elegance. Still, he frowned at the flaw he spotted.

"Father dear would be the happiest if I stayed his spoiled little daughter," Rachel chuckled at Liam’s frown, understanding where it came from. "I sought Mother dear’s guidance in secret."

"Why?" Liam asked. He understood the value in the practice. Even Grace had been of the same mind, but Rachel just didn’t need to engage in it.

"So that when I found a suitable match for the Tribe and me," Rachel responded, "I would be certain to seduce him and keep him loyal. My beauty can attract experts beyond my noble parents, but it’s not enough to make them side with them."

Despite the similarity, Rachel’s stance was antithetical to Grace’s. The latter had been almost resigned to using herself as currency since that was the way of the world, and she had no other choice. Instead, Rachel’s willingness came from a position of utter devotion to her Tribe’s well-being.

"That’s you, Honey," Rachel giggled, poking Liam’s forehead. "All I’ve learned is to serve you."

The joke barely entered Liam’s ears. He was too caught in his evolving image of Rachel to mind it. Her character was truly admirable.

"I also knew my suitable match would have been stronger than me," Rachel continued. "With dangers being so common in the Great Quiet Desert, I focused on healing arts I was in a unique position to learn."

Rachel pointed at the needles. "The intent in each needle is part of the inscriptions’ fundamentals. Their arrangement follows patterns from formations’ sub-branches. I can also perform special massages that can ease Qi deviation, though I still have much to learn."