Three Methods  

Fan Li listened to Princess Chang Le and couldn't help but fall into deep thought. No wonder, even though his injured foundation had healed, his own cultivation was still laborious.

The original host suffered a double blow. Not only the injury to his foundation, but also an injury to his spirit.

"Please, is there a way to heal the Heavenly Harm?" Fan Li directly asked Qing Qiu.

This feeling was strange. In theory, Qing Qiu was his enemy, but Fan Li couldn't produce even a little hostility towards her. On the contrary, he felt very close to her.

Qing Qiu didn't disappoint him, directly answering the question. "The Heavenly Harm secret technique requires a similar threshold for casting as curing. Aside from using one of the spirits as a sacrifice, it also has special requirements for fate and destiny. The caster, victim, and healer must all possess the same destiny type.

To use a Confucianism and Daoist practitioner as an example, they are all Literary Arts fate types. Therefore, Confucianism and Daoist practitioners can only cast Heavenly Harm against those with a similar disposition but are ineffective against other types. They also can't cure others."

After listening, Fan Li immediately fell silent.

Destiny Type?

His was the Son of Heaven destiny type.

So, as Fan Family suspected, it really was the previous emperor of Chu who wronged him?

'The original host, Fan Li, had an auspicious sign of 'Clouds, Dragons and Tigers' at birth, destined to be a person of high status. And with the Fan merchant group already holding immense power, no wonder he would be viewed with jealousy by the previous emperor.' 

Fan Li was rendered somewhat speechless. Seeking to heal his spirit injury required finding a master with the Son of Heaven destiny type?

Such harsh conditions!

Under heaven, aside from the reigning emperor and imperial bloodlines, who would dare admit to such destiny?

Once discovered, they would likely encounter the wrath of the three nations' emperors joining forces against them!

When the original host Fan Li young, his destiny leaking from the 'Clouds, Dragons and Tigers' omen was most likely due to a mole planted by the previous emperor inside the Fan Family.

"What destiny type are you?" Qing Qiu asked, "If we possess the same type, I can heal you."

Fan Li was conflicted whether to laugh or cry.

He truly wished they had similar destiny types, but there was absolutely no chance.

Qing Qiu spent her life cultivating in the Pure Land, nearly unsullied by the mundane world. How could she have the Son of Heaven destiny type?

Fan Li shook his head, "Thank you for your kind intentions, but our destinies are definitely different. Please, if I encounter someone of the same destiny type as myself in the future, how should I ask them to save me?"

"There are at least three methods to heal," Qing Qiu said.

Hearing this, Fan Li immediately became spirited. As expected of one of the Brahma Sound Pure Land's Sage Ruler's, possessing extremely broad insight.

"First, the other person would need almost immeasurable attainment, at least 1st rank in the Great Vehicle Realm. Then, with the cost of falling by an entire major realm, they can cure your spirit injury."

Fan Li bitterly smiled.

Falling by a major cultivation realm?

From 1st rank Great Vehicle Realm to 1st rank Harmonization/Unity?

In the whole world, his eldest brother, third brother and younger sister were probably the only ones willing to pay such a massive cost for his sake. But none of them possessed the Son of Heaven destiny type.

Qing Qiu continued, "The second method is finding the caster themselves to cure you. At the cost of sacrificing another of their spirits, they can cure you without damaging their own cultivation attainment."

Fan Li repeatedly shook his head upon hearing that!

Aside from the former Chu emperor already dying, even if he still lived, there was no way he would cure Fan Li!

Humans have three souls and seven spirits. The secret technique capable of injuring another by sacrificing a single spirit, who would carelessly use it if not absolutely necessary? So how could the caster possibly be willing to waste such a technique?

The three souls are fetus soul, free soul, and ghost soul, respectively governing life, fortune, and calamity.

The seven spirits are corpse dog, hidden arrow, bird yin, swallowing thief, non-poison, filth removal, smelly lung representing joy, anger, sadness, fear, love, hate and desire.

'People have three souls and seven spirits before being called people. The myriad creatures cultivated into human form, so people are called the head of all spirits.

Heaven's Way uses the heavenly calamities to temper cultivators. Those qualified can then rank among the immortals.

Injuring me at the cost of sacrificing one spirit means sacrificing the chance to ascend to immortality, all because you want to suppress my growth. How vicious, that former Emperor of Chu!'

Fan Li cupped his fists asking, "Qing Qiu, please teach me the third method?"

Upon hearing, Qing Qiu actually fell silent for a moment. A flash of what seemed like embarrassment appeared on her peerless, tranquil beauty of a face.

"The third is finding a person of the opposite sex with the same destiny type. As long as your spirits fuse and your body and mind unite as one, there is a chance to eliminate the spirit injury."

For a moment, Fan Li was too slow to react. He blurted out, "What do you mean spirits fuse and body and mind unite?"

He had just finished speaking when he immediately understood.

Fan Li's weather-beaten old face turned bright red as he finally grasped why Sage Ruler Qing Qiu's expression could also show embarrassment.

"Hahahahaha!!!"

Princess Chang Le, evidently more knowledgeable than Fan Li, broke down into an uncontrollable laughter at his silly behavior.

The louder her laughter grew, the more awkward Fan Li felt, but he didn't realize that during her hysterics, a fleeting something flashed through the princess's eyes.

Just when Fan Li was about to dig out a two bedroom one living room residence, Princess Chang Le finally shut her mouth.

'Hm? Qing Qiu just said that she was willing to cure me. But how does she plan on healing me? Using the first method, or the third method?'

Fan Li absolutely wasn't a narcissist, believing the Sage Ruler of the Brahma Sound Pure Land would hold feelings of love and longing for himself. He considered casually for a moment and immediately knew that Qing Qiu must be referring to the first method.

Still, this surprised Fan Li!

Qing Qiu was a 7th rank Great Vehicle Realm master. Since she was willing to help him, wasn't that tantamount to falling cultivation realms from 1st rank Great Vehicle Realm to 7th rank Harmonization Realm?

Even the Brahma Sound Pure Land's iron-clad law insisted on, at most, ensuring a person under investigation's safety. There was no need to go so far, right?

Fan Li felt conflicted whether to laugh or cry. He really couldn't comprehend Qing Qiu's thought process.

Yet Qing Qiu, as if having seen through his mind: "I know secret techniques. As long as you've cultivated to a certain stage before, even if your realm falls later, you can still recover to your peak state within ten years."

"Holy sh*t..."

Fan Li helplessly admitted that nothing was impossible in this wide world. A realm that ordinary people couldn't achieve in their entire lives, Qing Qiu could easily recover?

"You shouldn't be surprised. Back when I entered the Pure Land, the nine Sage Rulers were also willing to accept me as a disciple, yet I chose Sage Ruler Qing Qiu against all reasoning. Do you really think my eye for people is that poor?"

At Fan Li's side, Princess Chang Le softly whispered into his ear with a warm, gentle voice that stifled Fan Li's chest.

The princess continued, "Just now... were you imagining something naughty?"

"Absolutely not!" Fan Li immediately answered.

The princess burst out in a 'kekeke' wicked laugh and said, "What did I just say? You immediately denied it, clearly acting guilty. Teacher, he's so bad!"

Fan Li truly wished he could dig a hole to hide away in right now.

Yet Qing Qiu remained indifferent as always, completely ignoring Princess Chang Le's teasing.

***

Within the Grand Chu Imperial Palace, in the Chengming Hall, Xiang Ning was reviewing official documents.

Empress Dowager Li and Xiang Chong arrived at the Chengming Hall without prior notice.

"Mother, is there something you need?" Xiang Ning set down his pen but didn't stand to offer a bow. Instead, his gaze directly focused on Xiang Chong.

Last time, when Xiang Chong was appointed a fifth-rank minor official, he had to wear official attire when entering the palace. In the presence of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, Xiang Chong, donned in the fifth-rank official robe, unavoidably seemed somewhat lowly.

Xiang Chong blushed, opening his mouth to speak, "Mother has come to see you, and you don't even stand to greet? Is there another unfilial daughter like you under the heavens?!"

Xiang Ning glared in anger!

Due to the Blood Phoenix Sage Ruler incident, they hadn't openly confronted each other, but there was an unspoken understanding not to expose each other's weaknesses.

The Chengming Hall still had palace maids and eunuchs attending, including some newcomers. Xiang Chong's words, however, plainly revealed her identity, indicating that the visitor had ill intentions!