Quick disclaimer: I have NO medical knowledge or know how what so ever so there may be some inaccurate information about how acupuncture works. This is my own interpretation of things so please don't judge me too harshly.
"Lihua wake up, we've got a busy day ahead of us." I hear Lan Wangji say as he pulls the curtains away from the windows.
I groan grumpily and try to cover my face with my pillow, forgetting that pillows in ancient china weren't flat and puffy, but rather rectangular and shaped like bricks. The early morning sunlight filtering in through the windows makes my eyes sting and just makes me want to stay in my nest of blankets even longer. When they mentioned that they got up at the crack of dawn every morning, I didn't think that they'd actually mean it.
"Five more minutes…" I mumbled sleepily. "Don't want to get up…'s warm and comfy here…"
"I know you want to stay in bed just a while longer, but we've got things to do today. Come on, breakfast will get cold if you don't get up."
I feel him moving the pillow away from my face and helping me sit up in the cot. I blearily blink a few times and stretch while letting out a yawn. When I used to wake up for work every morning, it was usually at 6 or 7 o' clock in the morning, not at 5. The last time I ever woke up this early was to take the early morning subways to school downtown, and even then I'd be napping on the trains.
"Morning Wangji-gege…and Xian-gege…" I groan as I stifle another yawn with my hand and rub the sleep out of my eyes.
"En. Good morning to you too Xiao-hua." He replies with a smile as I turn sideways and grab my cane from beside the cot.
The smell of breakfast cooking in the kitchenette fills the Jingshi with delightful smells and aromas that makes my stomach gurgle as he helps me out of my sleeping robes and into a fresh set of clothes that he's set aside. Beside me, I hear Wei Wuxian letting out a long drawn out yawn and the bed creaking as he gets up and shuffles towards a screen in the corner of the bedroom to change. Because my hair is so shortly cropped, it doesn't take that long to tame it in a manageable style and put some hair clips in it.
"I TAKE IT THAT YOU'RE NOT USED TO WAKING UP THIS EARLY IN THE MORNING?" Pipes up Meng Yao with a hint of amusement in his voice.
"No, I haven't woken up like this in a long time. And even then, I'd still be exhausted afterwards. Sometimes in the middle of the day when I was still in college, I'd fall asleep in front of a computer and wake up in a puddle of drool!"
"WHAT IS A...COM-PUT-ER?" he asks, trying to pronounce the word.
"Oh right, you don't have those in this world do you?" I ask. "To make a long story short, it's a device you use to not only let you talk with people in another country, but to also write words without using having to use ink."
"A DEVICE THAT LETS YOU CONTACT PEOPLE IN OTHER COUNTRIES AND WRITES WORDS WITHOUT HAVING TO USE INK… IT ALMOST SOUNDS LIKE AN IMPOSSIBLE DREAM COME TRUE." He muses.
"I don't want to hear that from someone that lives in a world fueled by magic!" I grumble internally. "You already have magical pouches that lets you store infinite amounts of items in tiny spaces and people that can ride swords like it's nothing! A computer pales in comparison to those items!"
I plop myself down on a stool and sleepily start stuffing my face with a meat bun in the middle of the table, still freshly steamed and piping hot from being taken off the stovetop. The aroma of freshly cooked ground pork mixed with scallions, Napa cabbage and fresh herbs is enough to make me forget how sleepy I am and instead on how empty my stomach is.
"Oh wow…" I mumble as I rip off a piece of the fluffy and sweet exterior and pop it into my mouth. "This is so good! "
Wei Wuxian sauntered over to the table and places a kiss on Lan Wangji's cheek before taking a seat next to him. Lan Wangji smiles at him before taking a sip of his tea and watching him tuck into a bun.
"I'm glad you like my cooking so much. You didn't look like you had much of an appetite yesterday, so I was worried that I might have made something that didn't suit your tastes."
I stop mid-bite and look at him with a shocked expression. Had I accidently made him worry about me again? No, I vowed to stop dwelling on things! Perhaps if I explained myself, he'd understand.
"Oh no no no! Wangji-gege's cooking is very delicious!" I say while waving my hands around frantically. "I-I was just sleepy! "
I wolf down the rest of my bun and proceed to polish off my cup of tea in one fell swoop. I almost choke from the food going down my windpipe but manage to compose myself before I make them worry.
"See? Nothing to worry about! All gone!" I say while showing empty hands.
Wei Wuxian laughs before polishing off his bun and downing the rest of his tea.
"Looks like you've got yourself another fan of your cooking Lan er-gege~" he says playfully while wiggling his eyebrows at him.
After breakfast, it's time for us to go our separate ways. Wei Wuxian pulls Lan Wangji into an embrace by his neck before he kisses him on the lips.
"Have a nice day at work." He says into his ear. "We'll visit you later in the afternoon during sparring lessons."
We both wave to him before he walks off in the opposite direction. He's got classes to teach today, leaving me all alone with Wei Wuxian. A pinging noise goes off in my head, making me wonder what message I'll be getting today.
"OBJECTIVE: SCOUT THE CLOUD RECESSES AND LOOK FOR POSSIBLE ESCAPE ROUTES. CHANCES OF SUCCESS: 75%. ACCEPT? YES/NO"
I pick yes without any hesitation. If I was going to be studying there, I may as well figure out my surroundings. We pass by the other residences on the property and make our way up to a simple cottage with a dark tiled roof and wooden walls. There's a plaque above it that says something I can't read just yet. Wei Wuxian knocks on the door with one hand.
"Yes?" replies a muffled female's voice from inside "Give me a moment! I'll be right there!"
We hear footsteps shuffling around before the door slides open, revealing a tall and beautiful woman standing before us in the doorway. She's wearing the standard female Gusu Lan robes without an outer robe and her light brown hair is done up in a messy bun, held in place with a jade hair stick. She looks like she hasn't slept in days and she's wearing an apron covered in unknown stains. Another pinging noise goes off in my head.
"ACCESSING DATABASE. CHARACTER PROFILE FOUND. NAME: LAN YUE. COURTESY NAME: LAN JINGHUA. AGE: CLASSIFIED. OCCUPATION: GUSU LAN HEALER."
"Oh! Wei-Xiong, welcome back! What can I do for you?" she asks. "Did you or another disciple get injured?"
"Oh no Hua-jie! That's not why I'm here today!" he says jovially. "I brought with me a guest! Xiao-hua, why don't you say hello to this nice jiejie?"
She takes a moment to notice me and crouches down to meet me at eye level. I suddenly feel self conscious and hobble behind Wei Wuxian's leg, peeking out nervously from behind him.
"You'll have to excuse her, she's a bit shy around new people." He says while gently coaxing me out from behind him. "It's okay, she's not going to hurt you. Hua-jie is going to help you with your injuries today."
"Um…h-hello" I say nervously.
"Hello there yourself little one," She says with a tired smile. "Will you mind telling me your name?"
"L-Lihua ma'am."
"Oh stop, you don't need to call me ma'am!" She says as she leads us inside the cottage. "You can call me Jinghua-jiejie if you want!"
"Is Wen Ning here today?" he asks as he shuts the door behind him.
"Oh A-Ning? Yes he's in. He's just helping me take inventory today. Winter's just around the corner and I want to make sure that I don't have to make multiple trips into Caiyi town to purchase more ingredients. You know how troublesome it is to walk through the mountains when it's covered in snow."
The inside of this hut smells of various medicinal herbs and concoctions. Various medical texts and scrolls are scattered throughout the floors as well as the tables. It reminds me of those shops I'd sometimes pass by in Chinatown that sold all sorts of ingredients for traditional medicine. The smell was so overpowering that I'd thought I'd pass out from it alone. Wei Wuxian gives Jinghua a thorough rundown of what happened that night he found me. When he's done, she has a concerned look on her face before looking over at me.
"Oh you poor thing!" she says. "May I take a closer look at you?"
I reluctantly nod while she takes me to another part of the cottage with a curtain and an examination table. She sits me down on the table before doing her usual routine of checking my vitals. She then helps me with taking off my clothes and shoes, followed by removing my bandages. Most of the cuts on my legs and back have healed. The bruises around my shoulder and ankle are still very ugly shades of purple, but some areas are now starting to turn yellow.
"Looks like you really went through the wringer that night…" she murmurs. "A-Ning! Could you please come in here? And bring that tray of acupuncture needles with you too!"
I hear a shuffling of footsteps followed by the clattering of various objects being placed on something metallic. Moments later, I hear the very familiar rattling of heavy chains dragging along the floor. I look up and my eyes widen when I see who it is. It was that fierce corpse from that night carrying a tray with acupuncture needles in a cup and disinfectant in a small bowl with him. A pinging noise goes off in my head.
"ACCESSING DATABASE. CHARACTER PROFILE FOUND. NAME: WEN NING. COURTESY NAME: WEN QIONGLIN. AGE: UNKNOWN, DECEASED. OCCUPATION: ASSISTANT HEALER AND RIGHT HAND MAN TO WEI WUXIAN."
I feel very nervous when he looks over my way. Even though he had carried me out that night, I still remember my trauma of being chased by legions of the undead and want to run as fast as I can. My fight or flight response is kicking into high gear, and I want to find the nearest hole to hide in. Though I really couldn't at the moment due to one: having a sprained ankle and two: being topless, with only a pair of bloomers on. I wasn't about to go outside and flash every single person in the Cloud Recesses. I watch him place the tray on a side table and crouch down to meet my eyes.
"It's okay Xiao-hua," I hear Jinghua say. "A-Ning is my helper. Despite how scary he looks, I assure you that he won't hurt you."
When I do get a better look at him, I realize how fine and delicate his features are despite being undead. Unlike the fierce corpses that had tried to kill me, I'm glad that he has pupils that aren't covered in a milky white film. Instead, he has dark eyes that reveal warmth and a gentleness that any other corpse wouldn't have within them. I blush when I remember that I'm currently sitting half naked in front of him. How many people in this world have already seen me in various states of undress now?
"Y-you're from that night aren't you?" he asks me with a stutter.
I nod at him slowly. He gives me a relieved smile and places a hand on my own.
"I'm g-glad you're doing better today. I got scared when you s-suddenly started burning up in my arms. It was a good thing we got you to the village doctor in time."
He places the tray off to the side on a smaller table and ties his sleeves back, exposing his muscular arms.
"I'm going to turn you on to your side so it might hurt a little. B-bear with me a little okay?"
He helps me lie on my side while he covers me with a white cloth to keep me warm and to preserve my modesty. I wince when my shoulder begins to flare up with pain again. The smell of alcohol burns my nose as I feel him disinfecting and sterilizing my shoulder and back with cotton pads. Jinghua has taken one of the needles and is infusing it with something, making it glow with a soft blue and white light before returning to normal.
"What is she doing with that needle?" I ask Meng Yao.
"SHE'S INFUSING IT WITH SPIRITUAL ENERGY." He replies "IN ADDITION TO USING IT TO GO ON NIGHTHUNTS AND TO FIGHT, IT'S HOW CULTIVATORS HEAL INJURIES AND WOUNDS IN THIS WORLD. BUT THAT'S ONLY IF THAT PERSON YOU'RE HEALING ALSO HAPPENS TO BE A CULTIVATOR AS WELL. NORMAL CIVILIANS LIKE YOURSELF CAN'T USE SPIRITUAL ENERGY SO TEMPORARILY TRANSFERRING IT INTO THINGS LIKE AN ACUPUNCTURE NEEDLE HELPS WITH ACCELERATING HEALING AND NOT LEAVING BRUISES BEHIND WHEN THEY FINISH A SESSION."
I wince when I feel a pricking sensation in my shoulder, followed by a dull ache. A rush of what feels like electricity flows into my body, making me feel very warm and tingly. Then I feel another prick, and another. Before I know it, my entire shoulder is covered in needles, each depositing a small amount of spiritual energy into me. Some of the needles are twisted carefully back and forth, causing me to whimper in pain. Wen Ning lends me a clammy yet comforting hand to grip onto as more needles are inserted into my back. Some needles are jabbed into my ankle, causing me to cry out in pain as I feel a surge of spiritual energy rush up my leg.
"Shh… It's okay," Wen Ning says quietly as he smoothes my hair out with his other hand. "It'll be over soon."
Some of the cuts begin to vanish, like they were never there. The aching in my shoulder starts to dissipate little by little, as if the needles were siphoning the pain away. After some time, they're removed from my body and Wen Ning helps sit me up, dress my body in fresh bandages and put an undershirt on. He then helps me off the table and leads me to another part of the cottage.
Wei Wuxian is sitting in a chair waiting for me to arrive. We're both shown various physical exercises on how to strengthen and repair the damage done to my body. Most of them make my injured limbs hurt, and I can't do most of them without falling over but they do help a little, even if I'm not too good at doing them. Thankfully some of the exercises including ankles can be easily done in the comfort of a chair. At the end of our session, Wen Ning gives me a piece of candy in a wrapper and an affectionate pat on the head telling me what a good job I did. Jinghua vanishes inside the cottage and comes back out with a bag filled with many medicinal herbs inside.
"Make sure you take this medicine on a full stomach twice a day. It'll help with reducing pain and swelling. And please do those exercises every morning if you want your injuries to get better soon."
I nod at her as Wei Wuxian takes the bag and stuffs it into his sleeve. I'm due to come in again for another session next week, though I'm not sure if I can handle the thought of having needles put into my body again. We wave goodbye to them before we move onto our next destination.