Chapter Eleven: Concealing the Accident (Part One)

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Never before had someone else's vital energy entered his dantian; this was an entirely new experience for Zhao Li. Yet, Christine's vital energy felt curiously different, devoid of any distinct attribute. At least for now, Zhao Li sensed no rejection between her energy and his own body or qi.

Fortunately, Zhao Li had already undergone several rounds of qi compression, so the pressure from this influx of energy was still within what his meridians could bear. However, the sudden saturation of his meridians with this unfamiliar energy nearly disrupted the cyclical flow of his own qi. The foreign power, arriving ahead of his internal energy, rendered his own efforts almost futile. Christine, to her credit, had tried to be responsible; she must have carefully calculated where Zhao Li's qi had reached before lending her aid from behind. It was only Zhao Li's own efforts to conceal his secrets through misleading words that led Christine to miscalculate.

External assistance could be a blessing—but not always. His dantian had never before accepted qi at this stage of the cycle, and the energy Christine infused was so vast that it was hard to imagine such overwhelming force coming from a woman who appeared so delicate.

Yet, no matter how mighty, foreign energy could not be absorbed by the dantian as readily as one's own cultivated qi. Though there was no rejection, absorption was slow.

This created a familiar scenario: it was like a highway where cars advanced quickly, but the toll booth worked sluggishly, causing a long line of vehicles to pile up behind it, the jam worsening by the minute.

Such was Zhao Li's current state. His meridians were packed with this congested energy, and the flow of qi behind it could not advance. However, as he was still in the midst of circulating his energy, he could neither speak nor express his discomfort—he could only let Christine proceed as she wished.

At last, Christine noticed something was wrong with Zhao Li: sweat poured down his body, and he seemed completely paralyzed. She hurriedly stopped, but by then, nearly five minutes had passed since she had begun transferring her energy to him.

Zhao Li, however, had clearly slipped into a state even Christine could not comprehend, startling her on the spot. Had she given him too much qi at once, overwhelming his ability to bear it?

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Judging by Zhao Li's condition, Christine became increasingly convinced that this was indeed the case. She could not help but grow anxious—if she had indeed acted too hastily, she might have been trying to force growth before its time. Zhao Li’s meridians had limited capacity; if too much qi surged in at once, he could be seriously injured.

Though her own qi, with its healing properties, would not conflict with any other type of qi, damage caused by overwhelming the meridians was not something her medical energy could heal. She had simply been impatient, hoping to speed up the young man's training, never imagining that her efforts would backfire so disastrously.

Now, Zhao Li's ordeal was known to no one; even Christine, a military doctor, could offer no help. All that could be done was to rely on Zhao Li himself, hoping he could swiftly refine the foreign energy and relieve the burden on his meridians. Christine could only watch helplessly as Zhao Li continued to sweat, powerless to intervene.

Enduring the discomfort, Zhao Li knew he could not give up. With immense self-control, he manipulated his own qi, slowly squeezing Christine's energy aside, creating a small opening at the center of her overwhelming force for his own qi to pass through.

Christine’s qi, though vast, lacked the continued support of an external force, and could not contend with the persistent surge of Zhao Li’s own energy.

It took Zhao Li a full two hours of painstaking effort to finally force his qi through the many barriers of Christine's energy and return to his dantian.

When Zhao Li opened his eyes, he found Christine and Instructor Arnold both watching him anxiously. Seeing him awaken, they both breathed long sighs of relief. At least Zhao Li had not coughed up blood or fallen into an endless sleep—it was a stroke of luck amid misfortune.

The first thing Instructor Arnold asked was, "How do you feel? Is there anything unusual?" Realizing the question was awkward, he quickly added, "I mean, are you alright?"

Zhao Li nodded, then shook his head, making Arnold so anxious he began to stamp his feet. "Well, are you alright or not?"

"I don't know," Zhao Li replied honestly. "There's a large section of Officer Christine's qi in my meridians, blocking my flow. Circulating my energy is extremely difficult."

"Damn it!" Arnold turned his anger on Christine. "Do you have any idea what you’re doing?"

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Christine, the medical officer, knew she had made a mistake. Now she stood silently to the side, her beautiful eyes fixed on Zhao Li, her face full of unspoken grievance. She was on the verge of tears, making it almost impossible for anyone to scold her.

"Quick, check Zhao Li’s condition and make sure nothing is wrong." At this point, Christine was completely flustered, but Arnold remained composed and gave a decisive order.

Zhao Li did not resist, nor did Christine object. Soon, a basic examination was complete. Seeing the results, all three of them breathed a small sigh of relief.

Physically, Zhao Li was fine—at least on the surface. The only concern was the foreign qi in his meridians. This blockage made his circulation difficult, but it was not insurmountable. Given time, Zhao Li’s dantian would absorb all the foreign energy, and there would be no further problems.

Facing Christine, who had erred, Arnold could not help but lecture her again. "I know you’re impatient to get noticed by your superiors, but there’s no need to use such methods! If something had gone wrong, you could have ruined the future of this very promising young man. Have you thought about that, Officer?" From the title, it seemed Christine’s rank was even higher than Arnold’s.

At this moment, Christine had no intention of retorting. She knew she had indeed done wrong, and there was no fault in Arnold’s words. She was still young, and her thinking was too simplistic. After a brief scolding, Arnold said no more, simply taking Zhao Li and leaving the infirmary.