After a bit, Mirabe finally pulled her hand back, but her brow was still knotted with worry. "Have you been taking any medstely?"


    "No," James replied, noticing her expression. "Is there something wrong?"


    Mirabe squinted slightly, staying silent for a moment. In theory, James''s old ailment shouldn''t have resurfaced because when she treated him with acupuncture before, she had sealed off the stagnant energy. Unless her method was undone, there shouldn''t be any issues. But now, without any medication, it was odd that the problem had emerged.


    Mirabe raised her head and cast a sideways nce at James. "Got a lot of enemies?"


    "Hmm?" James was puzzled by the sudden question.


    Mirabe clicked her tongue softly, not saying much, and patted James on the shoulder. "Remember to send me the money."


    With that, she didn''t wait for James''s response and got up from the sofa, striding towards the door.


    James was left speechless.


    Soon after, Mirabe came back, holding her set of silver acupuncture needles. "Let''s head upstairs; I''ll give you a few needles."


    James looked at Mirabe. Though she spoke nonchntly, he could sense the seriousness in her tone and nodded. "Alright."


    They went upstairs.


    Once James had stripped andy down, Mirabe began the acupuncture treatment. His condition had been triggered but hadn''t yet started to affect his bodily functions, which was a lucky catch. A couple more days, and things could''ve gotten tricky.


    Thirty minutester, Mirabe removed thest needle. "How do you feel?"


    "Much better." James slowly sat up, grabbing his shirt from beside him. "What''s going on with my health, then?"


    He had been feeling off the past few days but chalked it up to being busy and not sleeping well, which was why he''d called Mirabe for some aromatherapy advice.


    "Looks like your old issue might being back," Mirabe said,


    cleaning and putting away the- needles. She turned to face James, sharing her thoughts. "I think someone used a drug to trigger it."


    His condition couldn''t bepletely cured, though she managed to suppress it with the Stevenson family''s special acupuncture technique. But that didn''t mean it was 100% foolproof against@ retapse. If someone used a drug specifically targeting his condition, a re-up was possible. However, thanks to her acupuncture, even if it recurred, it wouldn''t be too severe.


    "A drug?" James''s brow furrowed slightly.


    Mirabe nodded. "Yep, think about whether anything weird''s been up with your


    diettely, or if someone''s got it out for the Shepherd family?"


    James thought for a moment. "My diet seems fine."


    Mirabe raised an eyebrow. "It''s easier to dodge a bullet you seeing than a sneaky one."


    "Isn''t that why I have you?" James said, fastening thest button on his shirt and looking at Mirabe with a light-hearted tone.


    Mirabe, not engaging with his remark, grabbed her needle case and headed out.


    James followed her at an easy pace as they left the room.


    Downstairs, Mirabe nced at the aromatherapy kit she''d brought, resting on the coffee table. "You should hold off on using that for now. Some of the ingredients aren''t great for your current state."


    "Got it," James nodded.


    Seeing that he was taking her advice, Mirabe felt relieved and suggested, "Since someone''s trying to mess with your condition, maybe you can turn the tables on them."


    James gave his girlfriend a meaningful look, their thoughts aligning perfectly.