"No... no problem, I'm fine..."

As Xu Fan spoke, he reached his hand towards his own cheek. Mu Qingyan backed away several meters in panic and said, "Xu Fan, the food is going to burn, I, I'm going to the kitchen..."

"Strange..."

Xu Fan looked at Mu Qingyan curiously, shook his head, and then walked towards the living room.

At that moment, Duoduo was sitting in the living room, working on the homework assigned by her teacher.

As an excellent high school student, guiding a primary school student with homework was naturally not a problem. Seeing the little girl approach him with hopeful eyes, pointing at a difficult question in her homework book, Xu Fan coughed and picked up the book.

After a brief glance, Xu Fan wrote on a piece of scrap paper, "Duoduo, homework is a verification of your learning. You absolutely shouldn't just ask others if you don't understand. While I could indeed write the answer right away, I don't advise doing that."

"Even if it's wrong, you should write it yourself, and after the teacher has marked it, then you can come and ask me, understand?"

After writing down these words, Duoduo read them word by word, and after finishing, appeared somewhat puzzled but returned to her seat to ponder the question again.

"Huh, who came up with this BS question..."

"Alright! Dinner's ready!"

Sitting in the living room, it didn't take long before Mu Qingyan had prepared all the dishes, and Xu Fan, pulling Duoduo along, sat down at the dining table together.

"Qingyan, this is... a bit too lavish..."

Looking at the table filled with no less than ten dishes, Xu Fan opened his mouth in surprise.

He didn't know how Mu Qingyan had honed her culinary skills; Xu Fan had already visited the best Chinese restaurants in Jinling.

"I would've thought it was New Year's today."

"Pfft, you're just talking nonsense."

Pleased by the compliment, Mu Qingyan playfully gave Xu Fan a look and said, "It's a rare good day today, of course, I have to prepare more food to reward you."

"But New Year's isn't too far off either. If you don't mind, you could come over and celebrate it with me."

With only about a month left until New Year's, seeing Mu Qingyan looking at him with anticipation, Xu Fan smiled and said, "We'll see when the time comes."

Since leaving Banan Village, Xu Fan had spent almost all his New Year's abroad. Now, with New Year's not far off, he couldn't help but think of those folks at White Crescent.

He wondered if they, busy carrying out missions, had the time to think about how to spend the holiday.

Feeling somewhat melancholic, Xu Fan picked up a drink from the table and suggested, "Qingyan, it's almost New Year's, let's toast to those soldiers, those warriors!"

"Um..."

Unsure why Xu Fan suddenly felt this way, Mu Qingyan paused for a moment, then raised her glass and smiled, "Sure, to those struggling through the season, not just soldiers, but also workers, online writers."

As she spoke, Mu Qingyan seemed to remember something and muttered, "I've been reading a novel by an author named Candlelight Blue Mountain. If he's still updating during the New Year, I'll definitely reward him to thank him for his efforts!"

"Oh?"

Surprised to hear that Mu Qingyan also read novels, Xu Fan raised his eyebrows, took a sip of his drink, and said, "Candlelight Blue Mountain, that name sounds just a tad less handsome than me. I'll have to check it out too."

"Puff."

They chatted and ate from a table full of dishes until eight or nine in the evening before finishing. Once Qingyan had cleaned up the dinner table, Xu Fan said, "Qingyan, let's start now."

With their stomachs full and satisfied, it was time to get down to business. Qingyan nodded, then made some hand signs to Mu Xiaoduo.

She was probably telling Duoduo not to fear the pain that would come later. Xu Fan noticed this, smiled, and said, "Qingyan, don't worry, there won't be any pain."

He would never allow such a sweet little girl to suffer any pain. After instructing Duoduo briefly, he asked her to lie down on the bed.

"Qingyan, don't disturb me later."

Xu Fan then took out a box of Silver Needles and cautioned Qingyan.

What he held in his hand were the Green Bee Needles recorded in the "Hanging Pot Scripture."

The Green Bee Needle, made from the tail needle of a green-tailed bee combined with some rare medicinal herbs as documented in the "Hanging Pot Scripture," was known for its remarkable effectiveness against complex illnesses.

Although the bee needle contained bee venom, the stimulation of acupuncture points combined with the effect of the venom had a beneficial influence on the nerves.

First, Xu Fan used the Green Bee Needle to block Duoduo's nerves to prevent pain. Then, using the method of applying the needles sequentially, he punctured her Baihui, Yamen, Ting Gong, Ting Hui, Ermen, and other acupuncture points.

Duoduo's hearing was unimpaired, and her eardrums were intact. By stimulating her nerves with the Green Bee Needle over time, recovering her hearing was just a matter of course.

Once her hearing was restored, her speech functions would recover as well.

By this time, half of the Green Bee Needles in the box had been used. Xu Fan then, twisting the remaining needles, continued to puncture points like Qi Sea, Guanyuan, and Shuang Wailing consecutively.

Merely using Silver Needles wouldn't suffice for a quick recovery, so to cure the little girl swiftly, Xu Fan expended a good deal of his Inner Strength.

Seeing Xu Fan's forehead dripping with sweat, Qingyan felt pity and tenderly wiped his forehead with her hand.

"Qingyan, thank you."

Moved by such consideration, Xu Fan smiled at Qingyan and explained, "Qingyan, we can remove the needles in another two hours."

"Given Duoduo's current condition, she should fully recover in about a month. After that, we just need to teach her how to speak, and she'll be able to talk like a normal person."

"Xu Fan, I really don't know how to thank you…"

Qingyan was genuinely touched by everything Xu Fan had done. She had thought the world heartless, having taken everything she loved, but now it seemed that perhaps the heavens were not as unkind as she had imagined.

"Xu Fan, Duoduo! She says she can hear sounds!"

At that moment, Mu Xiaoduo, lying on the bed, made hand signs to Qingyan, who covered her mouth excitedly and couldn't stop the tears from flowing.

"Qingyan, isn't this a good thing? Why are you crying…"

Xu Fan, unable to bear seeing her like this, gently patted Qingyan's shoulder. Even though she was crying from happiness, Qingyan's demeanor still evoked sympathy.

The Inner Strength contained in Xu Fan's Qi Sea, honed through the practice of the Inner Techniques from the "Hanging Pot Scripture," had healing capabilities, and combined with the Green Bee Needle, it could produce effects in a short period of time, something not entirely miraculous.

However, according to Xu Fan's experience, Duoduo should currently only be able to hear faint sounds; a full recovery would still take some time.

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