Matters of the body couldn’t be solved in a day, but life still had to go on.

After a few days of recovery, Chu Xinghui’s health had mostly returned, and he was pulled away by Cheng Yu to help with some work.

Lately, Cheng Yu had been selling pills in crowded parts of the city and had actually managed to talk a few steady customers into trusting him. Now, clients were starting to come to him for pill refinement. As Cheng Yu’s first friend and partner in Beiyue, Chu Xinghui was responsible for helping him find supplementary materials and when necessary, protecting him.

Chu Xinghui didn’t mind—after all, Cheng Yu paid him very generously.

That day, Chu Xinghui had just returned from dealing with a cultivator who had tried to use a trade as cover for a robbery and murder attempt, when he saw a beautiful young woman sitting in the courtyard talking with Xie Liufeng.

When she saw Chu Xinghui enter, she looked him up and down, then turned back to Xie Liufeng and asked: “Is this the one I’m supposed to examine?”

Xie Liufeng nodded: “Yes, it’s him.”

Chu Xinghui caught a strong herbal scent and vaguely guessed her purpose. He gave her a respectful bow and politely asked: “And you are?”

The woman smiled gently and introduced herself: “My surname is Xie, Xie Tinglan.”

Her smile bore a certain resemblance to Xie Liufeng’s, which made Chu Xinghui feel a bit more at ease. He respectfully called her: “Senior Xie.”

Xie Liufeng clicked his tongue in mild dissatisfaction: “We share the same surname, but she gets called ‘senior’ right away. I’ve never heard you call me that.”

Chu Xinghui glanced at him but said nothing.

He did acknowledge Xie Liufeng as a senior and a guide—but privately… he seemed to prefer calling him by name.

Xie Liufeng had only been teasing and quickly got to the point: “Senior Xie, please wait a moment. Before we begin, I have a few words for this child of mine.”

He looked at Chu Xinghui and motioned with his eyes: “Xinghui, come with me.”

Chu Xinghui followed obediently.

*

The two of them walked into the nearby woods.

Chu Xinghui followed quietly, waiting for Xie Liufeng to speak.

Xie Liufeng didn’t waste time and explained things clearly: “The poison in your body has been with you since birth. I remember the Sect Leader’s wife from Lingxiang Sect, Qin Xueyi, was poisoned more than ten years ago, though few know what kind of poison it was. When I asked Xie Tinglan for help, I had her investigate Qin Xueyi’s poisoning. According to what she found, the poison shares traits with several known toxins and is extremely difficult to identify. So, before she diagnoses you, I have to ask—are you willing to tell her that Qin Xueyi may be your biological mother?”

He looked at Chu Xinghui: “This decision must be yours. I won’t speak on your behalf.”

Chu Xinghui hadn’t expected that question and was stunned for a moment. Then he answered seriously: “If she’s someone you trust, then she’s someone I trust too. Besides, even village children know—you can’t hide an illness from the doctor.”

He thought for a moment and added: “Also… you making the decision for me doesn’t count as overstepping.”

Xie Liufeng laughed, both amused and exasperated: “What nonsense is that? If I can make your decisions, then you can make mine too?”

Chu Xinghui thought about it, suddenly tempted. He looked up at Xie Liufeng.

Xie Liufeng gently tapped him on the head and shook his head with a smile: “Don’t even think about it. I’m a jobless wanderer with nothing to decide.”

He was quite self-aware about his lifestyle.

“All right, since you’ve made your choice, I’ll go tell Xie Tinglan.”

*

When they returned to the courtyard, Xie Tinglan was watching the black bird sleeping in its nest.

When she saw them come back, she casually asked: “This creature…”

Xie Liufeng explained: “Not ours. It came on its own. Do you recognize its true form?”

Xie Tinglan shook her head, bent down to pick up a few feathers, and said: “If you don’t know what it is, I definitely don’t. But it seems… a bit extraordinary. I’ll take these feathers back. Maybe they’ll be useful in alchemy.”

After some casual small talk, Xie Liufeng’s expression turned serious as he explained Chu Xinghui’s background to her.

After hearing the full story, Xie Tinglan gave Chu Xinghui a long look.

She had heard rumors that the Sect Leader of Lingxiang and his wife had lost their firstborn son. Why this child was here now, and why he would choose silence after learning of his origins… it was strange. Still, this was ultimately a personal matter. As a healer, she only cared about the illness, not the secrets behind it.

She raised her brows and recalled a lie Xie Liufeng had told her: “Didn’t you say the two things you asked of me weren’t related?”

Xie Liufeng remained utterly composed: “Connections aren’t fixed. Yesterday they were unrelated, today, they suddenly are. It happens.”

Knowing his nature, Xie Tinglan didn’t bother arguing. She turned to Chu Xinghui and said kindly: “Come on, let’s go inside. I’ve prepared the tools. To get accurate results, I’ll need to stimulate some of the poison in your body using spiritual power. Don’t worry, the process is controllable. It’ll just be a little uncomfortable. Can you handle that?”

Chu Xinghui nodded: “I can. Thank you, Senior.”

*

Xie Tinglan brought him into the room and began the diagnosis.

Xie Liufeng, for once, stayed quiet, watching from the side and occasionally lending a hand.

After two hours, Xie Tinglan finally withdrew her spiritual power with a solemn expression.

Her face shifted several times, as though she didn’t know what to say.

Seeing this, Chu Xinghui spoke up: “Please speak freely, Senior.”

Xie Tinglan rubbed her temples and sighed: “You know your origins, but I suppose you don’t know much about your mother’s poisoning?”

Chu Xinghui nodded: “Does my condition relate to what happened back then?”

Xie Tinglan began telling the story from the start: “About twenty years ago, seeking a breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage, Qin Xueyi entered an ancient secret realm with her partner, Mu Chengjin, the Sect Leader of Lingxiang. They were attacked by an unknown ice-attribute beast. Qin Xueyi was infected with a cold poison never before seen in the cultivation world. They sought help from the Danding Sect. But even my master couldn’t find a cure—he could only ease the symptoms temporarily.

“Two years later, Qin Xueyi told my master she planned to have a child with Mu Chengjin and would stop taking any medicine for safety. The poison in her body was already hard to control. Pregnancy under such conditions was extremely dangerous. My master wrote to advise against it, but she replied that she knew she didn’t have long to live and wanted to leave a child behind.”

“Shortly after, their child disappeared. Lingxiang Sect claimed Qin Xueyi’s grief affected her health, and she went into closed-door isolation. Two years later, she came out completely recovered.”

“My master was shocked. He knew curing her was impossible and even brought gifts, hoping to learn how she’d done it. But the couple never answered his questions. He assumed they archived some hidden fortune and felt regret for not knowing more.”

“Now, seeing you… I finally understand.”

She hesitated briefly but then said the conclusion: “The child wasn’t born out of love, but as a vessel. They transferred the poison to the fetus through the mother-child bond… No wonder they kept the truth about their firstborn so secret.”

Because that child had been doomed from the start.

She looked at Chu Xinghui again but said no more.

His innate ice spiritual root gave him some resistance to the poison—otherwise, he wouldn’t have survived to now.

He had a heavenly spiritual root, the best talent for cultivation. At his age, he had already broken through to Foundation Establishment. He was on par with the most elite disciples raised by top sects with endless resources. If he kept progressing, he would have limitless potential.

But now, this truth nearly cut off his path forward.

She had raised many disciples and felt deeply for young people. Seeing a boy like this go through such tragedy made her feel deeply sorry.

Xie Liufeng stood silently beside them, fingers slightly curling.

He said nothing—just picked up the outer robe Chu Xinghui had taken off earlier and draped it back over his shoulders.

Chu Xinghui, surprisingly, was much calmer than they had expected.

He had no memories of his parents, so there were no emotional ties. As for the harm done by those two… he felt little resentment.

And with this past now revealed, a lot of confusing things from that book he had read finally made sense.

He had been an abandoned pawn—a blemish on his parents moral record. As long as he existed, the couple might be reminded of what they had done. Not wanting him back, or treating him coldly even if he returned, was only natural.

People talked about blood ties, but sometimes, parent and child shared only blood, not fate.

With that realization, he quickly accepted the truth.

What he cared about was something else: “Senior Xie, did you just say… the poison is still incurable?”

Xie Tinglan was quiet for a moment and then gave a softer explanation: “This is the second time the Danding Sect has seen this cold poison. There are still records of partial treatment. If you stop advancing and maintain your condition, living beyond an ordinary mortal’s lifespan is very possible… With that much time, an opportunity may eventually appear.”

Chu Xinghui lowered his lashes, quietly thinking for a while.

After a long pause, he nodded, his face still calm: “Understood. Thank you, Senior.”

Xie Liufeng looked at him and patted Xie Tinglan on the shoulder: “Cousin, I’ll trouble you to step out for now. I want a private word with Little Xinghui.”

 

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