It’s normal to have skills in Wangwang, right?

Chapter 404 Healing, Palpitation

The afternoon sun in Germany slanted through the clean glass windows of Tezuka's apartment, casting geometric shadows of light and dark across the wooden floors and minimalist furniture. Dust motes stirred in the air, adding to the afternoon's tranquility.

Inside the apartment, a handsome young man with meticulously combed short brown hair sat upright on the sofa. His phoenix eyes behind his gold-rimmed glasses were calm, and his thin lips were habitually pursed. The lines of his profile appeared even clearer and sharper under the light and shadow, like a carefully sculpted marble statue, exuding a cold and self-disciplined beauty.

His left sleeve was rolled up to his shoulder, revealing his arm, which had developed smooth muscle lines due to long-term training.

Liu Lingyin had just completed a meticulous set of myofascial release and acupressure. At this moment, she opened the needle bag she carried with her, and several fine gold needles shimmered faintly at her fingertips.

"Next, we'll use acupuncture to help unblock the deep meridians and guide the flow of qi and blood, preparing for the medication. You might feel some soreness and distension," Liu Lingyin explained, her voice steady.

Tezuka nodded slightly, his jawline tightening for a moment: "Mm."

Liu Lingyin inserted the needles quickly and steadily, selecting acupoints with precision. The golden needles were inserted into specific acupoints, sometimes shallow, sometimes deep. As she twisted and lifted the needles, Tezuka could feel a strange sensation, sometimes sore, sometimes numb, sometimes distended, spreading along the needle tip deep into the arm and even to the shoulder and neck.

His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, his breathing remained steady, but his body relaxed even more, as if he were surrendering himself completely to the treatment. Throughout the entire process, his facial expression hardly changed, maintaining that calm and composed serious demeanor, with only a thin layer of sweat beading on his forehead revealing that he wasn't entirely without sensation during the process.

About twenty minutes later, Liu Lingyin removed the gold needles one by one, disinfected them, and put them away. Tezuka felt his arm was a little warm, and seemed to feel a bit more relaxed than before. However, when he saw Liu Lingyin take out a small glass bottle, about five centimeters tall, containing a thick black paste, from her bag, an indescribable, almost instinctive sense of vigilance suddenly gripped him.

The ointment was a pure black, with a thick, sticky texture, and it gleamed with an ominous glow in the sunlight streaming through the window.

Tezuka's heart skipped a beat uncontrollably in his chest, which had always maintained a calm and self-disciplined demeanor, before quickening slightly.

A chill crept up his spine without warning, and he could even feel the muscles in his back tense slightly, almost breaking out in a cold sweat. He had always believed in science and data, but at this moment, this almost sixth sense-like feeling of unease was intense and real.

"This is..." he began, his voice lower than usual.

Liu Lingyin picked up the medicine bottle, her expression more solemn than ever before: "I named it 'Black Jade Ointment' (bad at naming, again based on color), and I specially improved it. Its effects far surpass those of conventional medicines; you could even say it can cure you completely."

Upon hearing this, Tezuka looked at Rinne's smiling face with some disbelief, as if trying to find a trace of joking on her face, but there was none.

Liu Lingyin paused, looked directly into Tezuka's eyes, and spoke in a serious tone that was almost solemn:

"However, the medicine is potent, and the side effects are correspondingly obvious. The more severe the injury, the greater the reaction. It forcibly 'breaks up' the unhealthy tissue state and 'urges' new, healthy tissue to grow and repair rapidly. This process... can be very uncomfortable. That's why I first used acupuncture to guide your blood and alleviate the pain as much as possible, but it cannot be completely avoided."

She looked directly into Tezuka's eyes and added, "Moreover, it is most effective when the person is fully conscious and of sound mind, and it also avoids accidents. Otherwise, I would have considered other methods long ago."

The implication is that there is no other choice but to endure it.

Tezuka fell silent. His phoenix eyes, behind his glasses, were as deep and cold as a still pool, fixed on the small bottle of black ointment, as if assessing a battle he had to face. A few seconds later, he slowly exhaled, resting his left arm flat on the sofa armrest, the muscles taut and defined.

"I understand. Let's begin." The voice regained its usual calmness, even carrying a hint of determination.

Liu Lingyin said no more, and used a small, sterilized scraper to scoop out a small amount of dark, viscous ointment from the bottle.

The ointment emitted a peculiar mixed scent, with both the bitter fragrance of herbs and a subtle, pungent irritation.

She gently applied the ointment to the old wound area and key meridian pathways on Tezuka's arm, then used a scraper to spread it evenly and slowly with a special technique, allowing the ointment to penetrate as much as possible.

At first, it was just a cooling sensation on the skin. But soon, after only about ten seconds, a change occurred.

First came a needle-like pain, dense and numerous, drilling from the surface of the skin where the ointment was applied into the depths of the muscle, as if countless tiny flames were being ignited at the same time.

The pain escalated rapidly, no longer just a superficial ache, but a sharp burning and tearing sensation that penetrated deep into the bone marrow, muscles, and even nerve endings.

Tezuka's body jolted violently, tensing uncontrollably, his previously steady breathing instantly becoming heavy. He clenched his back teeth, his jawline taut in a sharp arc, and the fine sweat on his forehead instantly gathered into large beads, sliding down his handsome but now pale cheeks.

That's not all. Following the excruciating pain came an unbearable tingling and itching sensation, as if millions of ants were frantically gnawing and crawling under the skin and between the bones, trying to break free.

It's like injured tissue being brutally torn apart and crushed by an invisible force, and then forcibly glued together and grown at an astonishing speed.

The three extreme sensations of pain, numbness, and itching intertwine, like the cruelest punishment, testing the limits of human endurance.

"Well……!"

A muffled groan, suppressed to the extreme, finally escaped from Tezuka's clenched teeth. His right hand, which was at his side, gripped the sofa cushion tightly, his knuckles turning white.

Sweat quickly soaked the ends of his hair on his forehead and the back of his clothes.

That usually calm, composed, and exceptionally handsome face was now furrowed, the corners of his eyes were slightly red from the pain he was enduring, and his thin lips had lost all color, pressed tightly into a stiff line.

Behind the gold-rimmed glasses, the phoenix eyes were constricted, and intense pain surged within them, yet the eyes still struggled to maintain the last shred of clarity and resilience, without wavering or begging for mercy.

He seemed to be using all his willpower to wage a silent and brutal battle against the pain that had seeped into his bones.

Liu Lingyin took a clean towel and held it in her hand, her eyes fixed on his reaction, filled with reluctance, yet she knew she couldn't soften her heart now. The medicine had to be fully absorbed; the process couldn't be interrupted.

"Tezuka, hang in there! The most intense phase of the drug's effects will probably last for a few minutes."

Her voice was soft and comforting, “I know this is hard to endure… but once you get through it, those stubborn old wounds deep in your arm will be truly and completely healed. Endure it, and you will be fully recovered and able to return to the field without any worries.”

Finally, the words "arena" seemed to possess a special magic, piercing through layers of painful fog and reaching the deepest part of Tezuka's consciousness.

The court... back on that familiar court, swinging the racket without any burden, chasing that ultimate goal...

Just as he was about to be overwhelmed by pain, those words were like a ray of light breaking through the dark clouds. Behind his glasses, his phoenix eyes, which had been somewhat unfocused due to the intense pain, suddenly burst forth with an extremely bright and astonishing light! In that light, there was a desire to escape the pain, a determination to return to the peak, and even more so, a burning belief ignited by those words, almost burning away all the pain!

He gasped for breath, his clenched right hand nearly tearing the sofa cushion apart, and his left arm trembled even more violently. But he gritted his teeth, suppressing the roar of pain that threatened to burst from his throat. Sweat poured down his face like rain, but he seemed oblivious to it; all his willpower was focused on one thing—endure it!

Time passed slowly amidst the extreme torment. Liu Lingyin kept wiping his sweat with a towel, whispering words of encouragement. Tezuka's body was like a bowstring stretched to its limit, taut and trembling, yet it never broke.

He didn't know how much time had passed; perhaps only ten minutes, but it felt like an eternity. The raging, numbing, and itchy pain in his arm, which had seemed to be devouring him, finally began to recede slowly like a tide.

Tezuka slumped back against the sofa, utterly exhausted, his chest heaving as he gasped for breath, as if he had just been pulled from the water, his body soaked to the bone. His face was as pale as paper, his lips trembling slightly, as if he had lost the strength to even lift a finger.

Liu Lingyin watched as the sweat rolled down Tezuka's forehead, almost forming small puddles, and saw his right hand, which was gripping the sofa armrest so tightly that his knuckles were white to the point of being almost transparent, due to extreme restraint. She couldn't help but feel more tenderness and pity for this young man who was so responsible at such a young age and had tormented his body to such an extent.

She sighed silently, picked up a clean, soft towel from the side, and leaned slightly closer.

Tezuka's eyes were closed at that moment, but his chest was still heaving rapidly.

Suddenly, he felt a gentle touch on his forehead—a cool towel, carefully wiping away the beads of sweat.

Then came a very close, warm breath with a fresh, slightly sweet scent, gently brushing against his forehead, brow bone, and skin that was particularly sensitive due to sweat.

The scent was different from the pungent odor of the ointment, and also different from the usual air in the apartment. It was light and warm, carrying an indescribable, reassuring sweetness, like the scent of grass glistening with dew on a summer morning, with a faint, subtle herbal fragrance unique to her. This scent came suddenly, piercing through his dazed state, which had not yet fully recovered from the excruciating pain, and was so clear that it could not be ignored.

Almost simultaneously, Tezuka felt his heart, which had been racing and pounding due to the pain, suddenly lose its rhythm and become faster and heavier, as if a string had been gently plucked by this breath!

"Thump, thump, thump—"

The clear and powerful throbbing of his heartbeat struck his eardrums, making him feel even more disoriented than when he was enduring the pain. A strange, warm current, mixed with a hint of panic and burning heat, suddenly rushed through his heart, bringing a slight shiver.

Is this a side effect of the medication?

Or is it because of... physiological relaxation after extreme pain?

Tezuka's thick, damp eyelashes fluttered a few times before he slowly opened his eyes. His vision was initially blurry due to sweat and the brief moment he had closed his eyes, but it quickly became clear.

What came into view was Liu Lingyin's profile, so close to his. She was intently wiping away his sweat, her lips slightly pursed, her eyes filled with lingering concern and a gentle sense of relief.

The warm, golden glow of the setting sun streamed in through the window behind her, giving her delicate facial contours a soft, fuzzy edge, and even revealing the fine downy hairs on her cheeks.

Too close...

He was so close that he could see his own pale reflection in her clear almond-shaped eyes; so close that he could feel the subtle air currents from her movements; so close that her sweet scent enveloped him even more clearly.

My heart skipped a beat, out of control.

Tezuka's body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment.

My usually calm and composed mind, like an iceberg, was suddenly stirred by a small pebble, creating ripples of unfamiliar emotion.

He instinctively wanted to look away or lean back to create some distance, but the lingering feeling of exhaustion and some deeper pull that he himself hadn't yet figured out kept him rooted to the spot.

Liu Lingyin was unaware of the turmoil surging within him at that moment.

She carefully wiped the sweat from his forehead, then gently wiped his sweat-dampened temples, before stepping back slightly, turning the towel over, and softly asking:

"Is the back of your neck sweaty too? Do you need to wipe it?"

Her voice pulled him back from that unfamiliar, fluttering feeling.

Tezuka's Adam's apple bobbed very slightly as he avoided her clear gaze, lowering his eyes again to conceal the complex emotions surging deep within them.

He nodded very slightly, his voice still hoarse, but calmer than before: "...Mm."

Liu Lingyin then went around to his side and gently wiped the sweat-soaked skin on the back of his neck and around his collar.

Her fingertips occasionally brushed against his skin unintentionally, the coolness of the towel combined with her own warmth, the sensation so distinct that Tezuka's breath, which had just begun to settle, caught in his throat again.

He closed his eyes, forcing himself to focus on the lingering, intense pain in his left arm, which was gradually being replaced by a warm, aching sensation, trying to rationally analyze his body's current feelings.

The rapid heartbeat might be due to the aftereffects of the pain stress response? The slightly erratic breathing might be due to physical exhaustion and a shift in attention?

...However, in some corner of my heart, there seemed to be a faint voice wanting to refute, but I dared not say it out loud.

Tezuka closed his eyes, feeling the subtle, vibrant sensation in his left arm that was different from anything he had felt before.

When he slowly lifted his heavy eyelids, his usually calm phoenix eyes, beneath their weariness, ignited an unprecedented, burning hope and fervor, like a wildfire spreading.

After wiping her down, Liu Lingyin put the towel aside and handed her the glass of warm water: "Drink some more water, slowly. You need to rest now so the medicine can be fully absorbed. I'll stay here and watch over you for a while."

Tezuka took the water glass, and the moment their fingertips touched, the warm touch made his fingertips curl slightly.

He lowered his head and took two sips of water. The cool liquid slid down his dry throat, slightly calming the heat in his body, but it failed to completely quell the unfamiliar ripples in his heart.

After Liu Lingyin took his pulse, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and smiled brightly, saying, "Congratulations... you're fully recovered!"

Tezuka took the water glass with his still slightly trembling hand, his fingertips icy cold.

He tried to regulate his breathing and looked at Liu Lingyin. Sweat-dampened bangs clung to his smooth forehead. Although his expression remained unchanged, it made him less cold and more gentle than usual.

"...Thank you."

His voice was terribly hoarse, yet exceptionally clear and firm.

Those two simple words contained so much—the endurance of this pain, the hope for recovery, and deep gratitude for the help of those before him.

The sunlight outside the window had turned into a warm gold, gently enveloping the apartment.