Recalling You Di's unique and absolute physique, Qiānniǎo offered no further rebuttal.
They all knew that if anyone within the Xiaoluo Secret Realm could understand the nature of the Mysterious Man, it could only be Dānqīng Lǎozǔ.
After all, the old patriarch had cultivated for tens of thousands of years. His experience and knowledge were beyond comparison to anyone else's.
Dānqīng Lǎozǔ gazed at the Mysterious Man lying quietly on the bed. After a long while, he finally shook his head and said, "This person has either mistakenly consumed something bizarre or experienced some strange event. Between heaven and earth, there exist far too many inconceivable and unknown mysteries. What we know is but a drop in the ocean. What exactly happened to this man, even this old one cannot determine for now."
"Ancestral Patriarch, how should we handle him then?"
"He is, after all, still alive. Let him stay for now. Xuěhuān, in the coming days, help regulate his Physical Body. See if it can be restored."
Xuěhuān shook her head slightly. "His Physical Body is in such a dreadful state. The hope of recovery is likely very slim."
"We must still try."
"Very well, I will do my best."
In the days that followed, Xuěhuān began attempting to regulate the Mysterious Man's Physical Body. Though she had prepared herself mentally and held little hope, when she actually began the treatment, she realized she had still underestimated the strangeness of his Physical Body.
All manner of formations, all kinds of immortal pills, all sorts of divine abilities, and various nourishing methods.
Xuěhuān employed nearly all the medical arts she knew, yet she failed to regulate the Mysterious Man's Physical Body. She couldn't even unblock a single acupoint clogged by inexplicable impurities.
Three years passed in a flash. The Mysterious Man's Physical Body remained as chaotic as ever. Impurities resembling rust filled every acupoint, every meridian, every drop of blood within his body. His Physical Body truly seemed to have rusted over, immovable like an ancient, stubborn stone.
This situation did not make Xuěhuān give up; instead, it ignited her competitive spirit. She spent her days researching how to regulate it.
Three years passed.
Dānqīng Lǎozǔ continued as usual, expounding the Dao to the descendants of the Xiaoluo Secret Realm.
However, among these descendants, Qiānniǎo's figure was absent.
The reason was simple. Qiānniǎo had always yearned intensely for the Great Desolate. After diligently cultivating for two years, she successfully achieved the Golden Immortal realm at the age of fifteen. On the very day of her breakthrough, she excitedly clamored to go out and gain experience.
Qiānniǎo was too young, her mind not yet mature. Dānqīng Lǎozǔ worried she would cause trouble while gaining experience outside, so he used various excuses to confine Qiānniǎo for another year. By the time Qiānniǎo turned sixteen, she could no longer be restrained. Dānqīng Lǎozǔ had no choice but to allow her to follow the seniors of the Xiaoluo Secret Realm on an external expedition.
Having yearned for the Great Desolate for so long, Qiānniǎo was naturally very excited and thrilled on her first outing. Everything seemed fresh and new. Fortunately, she was protected by a hundred seniors from the Xiaoluo Secret Realm along the way, so no trouble arose.
With the first time came the second. In just two short years, Qiānniǎo went on over ten external expeditions. She gradually matured from an initially naive young girl, at least no longer exclaiming excitedly during outings like she did in the first few times.
Dānqīng Lǎozǔ had thought that once Qiānniǎo got over this novelty, her yearning for the Great Desolate would diminish. To his surprise, after ten or twenty expeditions, Qiānniǎo's longing for the Great Desolate not only didn't decrease but grew stronger. What gave Dānqīng Lǎozǔ even more headaches was that every time this girl returned from an expedition, she would recount the interesting things she encountered outside, embellishing them like mythical tales, to the descendants of the Xiaoluo Secret Realm.
Listening to her, the little ones grew restless, itching to follow Qiānniǎo to the Great Desolate to see the world.
Regarding this,
Dānqīng Lǎozǔ had nothing but headaches. He could do nothing about Qiānniǎo.
Finally, one day, the thing Dānqīng Lǎozǔ feared happened. During one of her external expeditions, Qiānniǎo disregarded the advice of the Secret Realm's elders, got into a dispute with idlers from another Secret Realm, and not only fought but also injured the other party.
Since ancient times, the Xiaoluo Secret Realm had lived in peace, avoiding conflict. It was precisely for this reason that the Xiaoluo Secret Realm had survived in the vast Great Desolate.
Qiānniǎo fighting with immortals from another Secret Realm over resources already violated the rules of the Xiaoluo Secret Realm. Injuring others made it even more serious.
When Dānqīng Lǎozǔ learned of this, he was furious. He not only severely punished Qiānniǎo but also ordered her into Seclusion for reflection, forbidding any further external expeditions.
No matter how Qiānniǎo pleaded, it was useless. She could only enter Seclusion for reflection.
As days passed, the descendants of the Xiaoluo Secret Realm gradually grew into adults. Of course, during this time, new little lives were also born within the Secret Realm.
Thus, nine years passed.
Over these nine years, Xuěhuān continued her attempts to regulate the Mysterious Man's strange Physical Body. But it was merely an attempt. The Mysterious Man's Physical Body showed no improvement. It looked exactly the same after nine years as it did nine years prior. Nine years ago, Xuěhuān couldn't unblock a single acupoint on his body; nine years later, she still couldn't.
From initially holding no hope, to gradually having her competitive spirit ignited, nine years passed, and that once-ignited competitive spirit had been exhausted. If there had been even the slightest change, she wouldn't have given up. But the key was that over nine years, no matter how she tried to regulate it, the Mysterious Man's strange Physical Body showed no change whatsoever. Finally, Xuěhuān despaired, utterly despaired. Even if she didn't want to, she had no choice but to give up.
What to do after giving up?
Send him away from the Xiaoluo Secret Realm?
Let him fend for himself?
That didn't seem quite right, as he was, after all, still alive.
After discussion, Dānqīng Lǎozǔ finally placed the Mysterious Man in a stone cave within the Xiaoluo Secret Realm. He personally set up numerous formations within the cave to nourish the Physical Body. In Dānqīng Lǎozǔ's view, given the circumstances, this was all the Xiaoluo Secret Realm could do now. Whether he lived or died depended on the Mysterious Man's own fortune.
Xuěhuān would visit the stone cave periodically to see if there were any changes in the Mysterious Man's strange Physical Body.
However,
Besides Xuěhuān, there was another person who also visited the stone cave periodically.
It was none other than Qiānniǎo.
Ten years had passed. The once lively and adorable little girl had long since grown into a graceful and beautiful young immortal maiden. However, since being punished with Seclusion for reflection, Qiānniǎo could no longer be lively. She was sullen and unhappy all day. In the past, she could at least tell her younger siblings stories of her expeditions. But now, those younger siblings had all grown up and started going on their own external expeditions. The elders of the Secret Realm were either cultivating or in Seclusion, busy with their own affairs. She couldn't find anyone to confide her grievances to.
So, she could only come to this Mysterious Man, who might never wake up, to pour out the grievances in her heart.