Who said the eldest daughter is crazy? She's clearly a woman of high rank and influence in the

The main gate finally opened, and Helian Jing came out first. He had changed into a dark blue casual outfit, his black iron face shield was neatly fastened, and his hair was tied up again. He looked no different from usual.

But after he came out, he didn't leave immediately. Instead, he turned to the side and stood by the door, reaching out to hold onto the door panel, as if waiting for someone to walk slower.

As Xi Yueli stepped out the door behind him, the sunlight fell directly on her face. She had changed into a light blue casual dress, and her hair was tied up with a gold and jade hairpin, the Nine Heavens Hairpin that He Qingshuang had given her the night before.

Her steps were a beat slower than usual, as if she had just woken up and was not fully awake, with a thin layer of blush still on her cheeks.

After He Qingshuang finished cracking the last melon seed under the osmanthus tree, she clapped her hands, stood up, and gestured with her chin toward the two of them: "You two are quite generous. The entire mansion has been waiting for you, and we've gone through two rounds of tea."

Xi Yueli walked over and sat down on the stone bench opposite He Qingshuang. She took the warm tea offered by the butler, took a sip, and asked in a slightly hoarse voice, "When about the fragments?"

"Now." He Qingshuang wiped her hands, which had been cracking melon seed shells, with a handkerchief. The smile on her face faded slightly, revealing a serious expression beneath. "While the Nine Heavens Hairpin has just been put on, and your strength is at its peak today, the longer it is delayed, the larger the cracks will become in your soul."

She stood up and walked towards the side hall of the main courtyard. After taking two steps, she turned back to look at Helian Jing and said, "Young Master Lian, please go to the back alley and invite that person in."

Helian Jing's eyebrows twitched slightly. He didn't ask anything and turned to head towards the courtyard gate.

A moment later, he led a young man in an old, moon-white robe through the moon gate and into the room.

The man was slender, half a head shorter than Helian Jing, with a gentle face and a natural curve at the corners of his mouth. He looked like someone who had been dealing with herbs for many years. He walked at a leisurely pace, as if strolling in his own yard.

When He Qingshuang saw him, the smile that had faded returned to her lips. Leaning against the doorframe of the side hall, arms crossed, she nodded slightly to the young man: "You came quite quickly."

The young man stopped in front of her, glanced down at her figure leaning against the doorframe, and said in a sullen, overly warm voice, "You said you wanted to extract my soul today, how could I dare not come?"

As he spoke, he glanced at Xi Yueli, his gaze lingering for a moment on the Nine Heavens Hairpin in her hair before he looked away and took out a roll of slender silver needles and a dark red porcelain bottle from his medicine box.

"My name is Shen Du. I was abducted by Miss He... halfway through my journey. I was responsible for helping her recuperate, and today I will act as your protector."

Looking at his gentle and mild demeanor, and then at He Qingshuang's domineering posture leaning against him, Xi Yueli smiled slightly and turned to Helian Jing, saying, "Doctor Lian, look at her, she's so easy to boss around."

Helian Jing stood beside her, his voice neither loud nor soft: "You kept me on your toes for half the night, and this morning I had to go to the back alley to find someone—aren't you good enough to order around?"

Xi Yueli's ear tips burned a little more in the sunlight, and she turned her face away, no longer looking at him.

The door to the side hall was closed, the windows were shut, and the candles were lit. Shen Du laid out the silver needles in a row on the table, poured the medicine from the dark red porcelain bottle into the copper cup, and a bitter medicinal fragrance rose up.

He Qingshuang sat cross-legged on the low couch, and Xi Yueli sat opposite her. There was a small dark red velvet cushion between their knees. The cushion was decorated with intricate patterns, which Shen Du had drawn overnight.

"Once it begins, it cannot be interrupted." Shen Du's voice was a bit deeper than before, his gentle tone had mostly disappeared, revealing the certainty that only someone who has dealt with medicine and stones for many years could possess.

"Pain is inevitable, just bear with it. If either of you can't hold on any longer, this formation will be ruined, and you'll have to wait seven days for the next one."

He Qingshuang rolled up her sleeves to her elbows, revealing her slender white arms, rested her wrists on her knees, and looked at Xi Yueli across from her, curving her lips slightly: "I've been waiting for you for a long time, come on."

When Shen Du's silver needle fell, the air in the side hall suddenly tightened.

The first needle pierced the center of He Qingshuang's forehead, and she felt as if something was pulling her from the inside out, causing her back to straighten abruptly.

The second needle landed on Xi Yueli's Fengchi acupoint on the back of her neck, and her body trembled as if a string had been pulled taut from both ends.

Helian Jing stood three steps away from the couch, his hands hanging at his sides, his fingers clenching and unclenching.

Shen Du's hands were as steady as a ruler nailed to a table, each stitch landing with perfect angle and force, yet a fine layer of sweat had already seeped from his forehead.

The silver needles gradually formed a complete circle on the dark red velvet mat between the two of them. When the last needle fell, He Qingshuang's pupils suddenly dilated for a moment and then focused again.

Her body fell backward, her back slamming into the cushions on the couch. Her breathing was rapid and shallow, and her face turned mostly white.

Xi Yueli sat opposite her, her gaze shifting from unfocused to clear in a single breath. Then she leaned forward slightly, as if something was settling steadily deep within her consciousness.

He Qingshuang's memories completely overlaid on the map in Xi Yueli's consciousness that had already been mostly filled by Fu Yuan.

After all the silver needles were in place, Shen Du took a half step back, reached out and supported He Qingshuang's leaning body, letting her lean into his arms.

He placed his fingers on her wrist to check her pulse, taking five breaths, then let out a half-relief and turned to look at Helian Jing across the bed: "Your woman is alright."

Helian Jing had already squatted down beside Xi Yueli, reaching out to support the back of her neck. Her breathing had stabilized, and her complexion was slowly regaining its color.

He Qingshuang leaned against Shen Du's chest for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, her complexion slowly returning to a warm glow from its paleness.

Her eyelids twitched, and then she opened her eyes. She first looked at Shen Du, the corners of her mouth curving slightly, then turned her head, her gaze falling on the figure opposite her, still resting in Helian Jing's palm with his eyes closed.

"She's still not awake?" He Qingshuang's voice was hoarse, and the last syllable of her words was weak.

Helian Jing glanced at her, his fingers tightening slightly as he gripped the back of Xi Yueli's neck: "How long will it take for the Nine Heavens Hairpin to help her fuse?"

He Qingshuang straightened up, and Shen Du placed a cushion behind her back.

"I wore that hairpin for three years and know its nature. When the fragments first enter her body, it will first suppress all the turbulent things and slowly press them down. It will only let her wake up after the three layers of fragments in her soul have settled into their respective positions."

"Two days? Three days?"

"As early as tomorrow. If there were any gaps left when her souls merged before, it might take longer."

He Qingshuang looked at his eyes, which were filled with something, and suddenly smiled. "Young Master Lian, there's no use in being anxious. The Nine Heavens Hairpin has its own rules. No matter how much you glare at it, it won't speed things up."

Helian Jing looked down at the closed-eyed face in his arms, remained silent for a few moments, then picked Xi Yueli up from the edge of the bed and turned to walk towards the side door of the side hall.

Shen Du's voice came from behind him: "Don't move her before she wakes up, don't expose her to drafts, and don't give her any other medicine. When the Nine Heavens Hairpin is working, any foreign objects will disrupt the order."

Helian Jing didn't stop walking, but he turned his head slightly and said, "I understand."