Fire Cups and Fading Scars
She let out an annoyed snort.
"If you’re done talking..."
"I am."
"...Then hurry up."
Julian picked up the first fire cup.
Using a small flame, he briefly heated the air inside before swiftly pressing it against the center of her back.
Pop.
The cup instantly sealed itself against her smooth skin.
Felberta felt a brief wave of warmth followed by a firm but comfortable pulling sensation.
It felt as though invisible fingers were gently lifting the tension from beneath her skin.
"It doesn’t hurt?" Julian asked.
"No."
"Good."
He repeated the process with steady, practiced movements.
Heat.
Seal.
Gentle suction.
Each cup found its place along carefully chosen acupuncture points.
Warmth gradually spread through her back as the rhythmic pressure eased muscles she hadn’t even realized were tense.
By the time the fifth cup had been placed, her shoulders already felt lighter.
The seventh eased the stiffness around her spine.
The tenth completed the pattern.
As another warm cup settled into place, Felberta couldn’t suppress the soft sound escaping her lips.
"Mmm..."
The sensation was strangely soothing.
Anyone outside the room who heard that voice without knowing what was happening would probably think Julian and she having passionate night.
Julian stepped back to admire the arrangement before casually picking up the remaining two cups.
"How about a few cups on your soft ass?"
Felberta immediately froze.
"What for? Is that part of the treatment?"
"Not really."
Julian looked unusually serious.
"I just think making an arrow pointing downward on your ass would look nicer."
"..."
"..."
"I’ll kill you!!!"
Her furious voice echoed throughout the bedroom.
Julian immediately raised both hands in surrender.
"Alright, alright. I was joking."
Seeing genuine irritation filling Felberta’s beautiful crimson eyes, he wisely decided not to push his luck any further.
In the entire Silverhaven City, he was probably the only person bold enough to tease the woman who suffered from severe androphobia.
Anyone else would have been thrown out long ago.
Julian simply enjoyed the thrill of teasing a tigress.
Death is like the wind!
Always by my side!
Once enough time had passed, Julian carefully removed each fire cup.
Dark circular marks appeared across her fair back as the toxins and stagnant blood had been drawn toward the surface.
He gently rested both hands against her back.
"Next comes the massage."
His voice had completely lost its playful tone.
Now it was calm and focused.
Using techniques recorded within the Miracle Medicine Record, Julian pressed along specific acupuncture points while carefully guiding the circulation throughout her nervous system.
Every movement was steady.
Every push was deliberate.
His palms carried just enough warmth to relax her muscles without causing discomfort.
Felberta slowly closed her eyes.
What amazed her was something she had never thought possible.
Normally, if a man touched her for more than a single second, unbearable itching would spread across her body before triggering a violent allergic reaction.
But now...
As Julian’s hands moved gently across her back, there wasn’t the slightest trace of discomfort.
Instead...
Her body gradually relaxed.
The lingering tension she’d carried for years quietly melted away.
Even her eyelids began to feel heavy.
The warmth reminded her of distant memories from childhood.
Back then, she often struggled to fall asleep.
Whenever that happened, her father, Dario Ashbourne, would quietly sit beside her bed and gently stroke her back until she peacefully drifted into sleep.
---------------------------
Nearly twenty minutes passed in quiet concentration.
Julian D’Aurelius’s hands never stopped moving.
Following the guidance recorded within the Miracle Medicine Record, his palms alternated between firm pressure and slow, controlled kneading. Every movement traced a different path across Felberta’s back, gradually working around the dark circular marks left by the fire cups.
His thumbs pressed carefully along the muscles beside her spine before easing outward toward her shoulders.
Whenever he encountered a tight knot, he slowed down, applying just enough pressure for the stiffness to loosen without causing pain.
The muscles beneath his hands gradually softened.
The warmth from the massage spread through her entire back, flowing from her shoulders down toward her waist and extending to her supple, soft ass like a gentle current.
Julian quietly observed the changes.
The tension on her body is disappearing much faster than I expected.
Her body has been carrying this stress for years...
His gaze briefly swept across her graceful posture.
Even lying still, Felberta carried herself with natural elegance.
Her long black hair spilled across the pillow like silk.
Her shoulders were slender yet strong.
She lay naked on the bed, her body fully exposed from head to knee, with only her long legs tucked beneath the thin blanket.
Her narrow waist flowed naturally into the soft curve of her hips and the full swell of her buttocks, while the gentle rise of her breasts pressed against the sheets, their shape visible beneath the fabric’s light drape.
The curve of her spine, the dip of her lower back, the smooth expanse of her thighs—all of it lay open to the warm lamplight, vulnerable and unguarded in the quiet of the room.
For a brief moment, Julian couldn’t help smiling.
She’s beautiful...
But what’s even rarer is her character.
She acts cold because she’s protecting herself.
If life had treated her more gently... she’d probably smile a lot more.
The thought lingered only for an instant before he returned his full attention to the treatment.
He continued working methodically, using the heel of his palm to guide the circulation around the cupping marks while his fingertips stimulated several acupuncture points one after another.
The soreness in his hands gradually began to build.
After nearly thirty minutes of continuous work, Julian flexed his fingers with a helpless smile.
Being a healer was truly exhausting.
He even felt he might have gotten the order wrong.
I probably should’ve done the massage before the cupping therapy.
No matter how beautiful a back is, it becomes unsightly after cupping.
The tactile sensation and the view during the massage are worlds apart.
By now, Felberta’s breathing had become slow and even.
Her shoulders had completely relaxed.
The tension that usually accompanied every touch from a man was nowhere to be found.
She looked as though she might drift off at any moment.