"I...
Could I examine your physical body?"
Finally, unable to restrain her intense curiosity, Huadiexianzi asked softly.
"Wanting to examine my physical body isn't impossible, but..." Gu Qingfeng looked at her and asked, "What's in it for me?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the Xiaoluo Secret Realm wondered if they had misheard.
Who was Huadiexianzi?
She was the renowned medical immortal known throughout the Dual-Pole Celestial Domain, peerless in medical skill, hailed as one who could work miracles and even bring the dead back to life. Since Huadiexianzi practiced medicine to aid the world, she never charged any fees, and the number of people seeking her treatment each year was countless.
Countless individuals begged for Huadiexianzi to treat them. And now, with Huadiexianzi taking the initiative to offer, this fellow actually dared to demand benefits?
Since ancient times, it had always been the medical immortal who received benefits. When had a patient ever demanded them?
Qianniao scolded, "Little Drunkard, have you gone mad? Huadiexianzi is kind-hearted. Seeing you pitiful, she's offering to treat you on her own accord. How can you demand benefits?"
Mu Lingyao also said, "Aren't you getting a bit carried away? Sister Huadie treating you and not charging any fee is already generous enough. You actually dare to ask for benefits!"
"Young lady, you can't put it that way. If I were the one actively seeking treatment, then you charging benefits would be justified. But I didn't ask Huadiexianzi to treat me, did I?"
Gu Qingfeng leisurely sipped his wine and teased, "Moreover, this master's physical body is an Indestructible Body, hailed as the supreme existence between heaven and earth. It's a rare treasure. How can I let you look at it for free?"
"An Indestructible Body?
Pah!
How come I can't tell yours is an Indestructible Body?"
"Young Lady Lingyao, have you ever seen an Indestructible Body before?"
"I..." Mu Lingyao was momentarily speechless. She truly had never seen an Indestructible Body. Not only had she not seen one, she hadn't even heard of one, only reading about Indestructible Bodies in some ancient texts. They said an Indestructible Body was deathless, undying, indestructible, unperishable, with a lifespan matching the heavens, eternal and everlasting.
"This young lady admits she hasn't seen an Indestructible Body. However, just because I haven't seen one doesn't mean I'm easily fooled. Let me tell you, no matter what kind of fortune-bestowed body it is, it possesses an aura of fortune. But what aura of fortune do you have on you?"
"Don't believe me? Suit yourself."
"You... this guy!"
Mu Lingyao gritted her teeth in frustration. If it were anyone else, she wouldn't bother. But this person was Gu Qingfeng—someone without cultivation who had scared four Taibai Golden Immortals to death and survived in the harsh environment of the Liúshā Small Secret Realm. This made Mu Lingyao far too curious.
Perhaps because Huadiexianzi was also filled with curiosity about Gu Qingfeng's physical body, she asked, "You...
What benefits do you want?"
"What benefits?"
Gu Qingfeng rubbed his chin, thinking carefully for a moment, then said, "Can't really think of anything I want right now."
"After I examine your physical body, if I can treat it, I will heal you for you. Is that acceptable?"
"Not needed."
"Oh?
You don't wish to cultivate anew?"
"No."
At this, even Huadiexianzi couldn't help but frown. This was the first time she had encountered someone who, after losing all their cultivation, didn't want to cultivate again. She asked, "Why?"
"I'm not worried about food or drink. What would I cultivate for?"
"The purpose of cultivation isn't merely about food and drink."
"Then what is it for?"
"To champion justice and aid the world through medicine."
"Sorry, I don't have such lofty ideals."
"To roam the vast wilderness, pursue the mysteries of the great Dao, and explore the true meaning of life."
"Then I'm even more sorry. I have no interest in the mysteries of the great Dao, nor in the true meaning of life."
"Even if not for others, for yourself to live a better life, shouldn't you cultivate?"
"I think I'm living quite well already."
"Don't you have any dreams?"
"My dream is to eat until I'm full, sleep until I'm satisfied, then eat again—just like now."
"Then what's the point of you being alive?"
"What's the point?
There's no point. Just muddling through, living one day at a time. When the day comes that I can't live on anymore, I'll die and that'll be that."
"So you're alive just waiting to die?"
"Exactly. I'm alive just waiting to die."
"Heh!"
Huadiexianzi let out a soft laugh, staring blankly at Gu Qingfeng.
She had asked many people before why they cultivated.
Most cultivated for survival, for a better life, for themselves and their families.
Some cultivated for various dreams—perhaps to become a medical immortal aiding the world, or a famous hero, or a hegemon ruling a region, or to wander the world with a sword, or roam the vast wilderness, and so on.
Not only was this the first time she had heard someone not want to cultivate, it was also the first time she had heard someone say they were alive just to wait for death.
What kind of person wouldn't want to cultivate?
And what kind of person lived only to wait for death?
Huadiexianzi truly couldn't figure it out.
Could it be this person had some unbearable past experiences, leaving him heartbroken and self-abandoning?
But Huadiexianzi looked and looked; no matter how she observed, the fellow before her didn't seem like someone heartbroken and self-abandoning.
She gazed at Gu Qingfeng for a long while before finally speaking, "Alright. If you don't wish for me to examine your physical body, I won't force you."
"Heroic big brother, did you have some special experience in the past that made you develop this world-weary mentality?"
"World-weary?" Gu Qingfeng asked, "Do I look world-weary?"
Mu Lingyao stared at Gu Qingfeng, looking him over again and again, then shook her head. "No!"
"So then?"
"So then, why won't you let Sister Huadie examine your physical body? And saying you don't want to cultivate anew—who doesn't want to cultivate anew? I think you're just making excuses. Are you afraid that after Sister Huadie examines your physical body, she'll discover your secret?"
"Secret?
What secret?"
Gu Qingfeng laughed. "What secret could I possibly have?"
"Enough, stop pretending."
"What am I pretending?"
Looking at Mu Lingyao's smug face, Gu Qingfeng was genuinely puzzled. He asked, "Just what are you trying to say?"
"Don't think this young lady doesn't know."
"Know what?"
"On the floating island, you used a puff of spiritual smoke to disperse a Vajra Earth Fiend Tiger Immortal Martial technique, shattered Li Zhengshi's immortal spirit, and scared four Taibai Golden Immortals to death. You must have some unspeakable secret on you."
"Oh ho! You actually saw through that?"
"Hmph hmph!
So it really is like that! But what exactly is your secret? Tell me."
"Since it's a secret, how can I let you know?"
"You're really no fun! This young lady saved your life, you know."
"Young lady, you can't say that. Even if you hadn't caught me back then, I wouldn't have died from the fall."
"I don't believe it. Fall for me right now and let me see."
"Why would I fall on purpose for no reason? Do you think this master has nothing better to do?"
"I don't care. Since you can't prove it, this young lady is your life-saving benefactor."
At that moment, Qianniao spoke up, "Sister Lingyao, what Little Drunkard says is true. His physical body is very strange. I used all my strength and couldn't budge Little Drunkard an inch. Even if he fell from the floating island, he wouldn't die."