Altered Physique

Wang Si just woke up from the strange respite he had gone through. Truth be told, his appearance did somehow restore youthful vigor. He looked fresh as if he was a bath in some mysterious divine lake that could extremely enhance vitality.

When he looked around, he was slightly shocked to see the Book of Rituals on the floor. 'Why is this here?' he exclaimed in his mind and then realized that Wang Aija was standing near his opened door.

"Grand Physician Wang Si, h-how are you?" Out of her stupor, Wang Aija hastily spoke after she saw him looking at the door. "I--- It seems like you have rested w-well, Grand Physician."

"Oh. I did fall asleep... Like it was the longest sleep I have ever gotten for a long time," Wang Si responded and stood straight. His right foot made a subtle movement and kicked the Book of Ritual underneath his bed. "I think, I will inspect more manuals to check a possible solution to the illness. Do you need anything, Great Herbalist Wang Aija?"

"N-No. Earlier, you looked so tired. I just thought of checking you. It's good that you have rested. Then, I'll be at the Huayuan Herbs Garden first," Wang Aija responded and slowly walked out of the room.

Wang Si watched her retreating figure until he lost sight of her. Only then did he carefully bend his body and picked the Book of Ritual underneath his bed.

"Did I happen to accept the ritual connection before I fell asleep? I can't remember but..." Wang Si whispered and examined the book with his hand. He also stared at the imprint on his index finger. "It's impossible for me to commit such a grave mistake," he slightly shook his head and hide the book again. After a while, he went out of his room and strolled the hallway as if nothing happened.

However, he suddenly halted his steps after he sensed the aura of Huan Xue. Wang Si turned in the direction of the ward and hastily entered the room where Qiaolian occupied.

"Master Huan Xue, you are here," Wang Si politely greeted and suddenly noticed the figure lying in bed. For some reason, he suddenly felt his spine turn cold as he sensed chilling energy within Qiaolian's inner core. "Oh? What happened to Lady Xue? ---- AH! Mias-Miasma!?"

"Grand Physician, you can sense the miasma?" Huan Xue spoke softly and turned his face slightly to look at

Wang Si quickly dashed forward and tap Qiaolian's pulse. His eyes constricted as he subconsciously spoke, "Why is this?"

"Wh-What do you mean, Grand Physician?" Huan Xue inquired after hearing the bewildered tone of the old physician.

"Lady Xue's physique and internal organs are starting to be altered by her consciousness... B-But, no matter how powerful a martial cultivator is, there is no way its physical body could be transformed. Unbelievable..." Wang Si murmured while his hands continued to tap Qiaolian's wrist.

Huan Xue's expression remained calm while he stared at Qiaolian's face once more. "Master Xia had told me that her body is protecting her from pain."

"That's indeed the case. Altering a physique would be extremely painful," Wang Si nodded his head and sighed. Unbeknownst to him, the dark veins on his index finger suddenly pulsed. This sudden stir was unnoticeable as it created a rhythm of pulse on Qiaolian.

"Oh! She is starting to regain her pulse! Incredible!" Wang Si exclaimed, without knowing that it was the energy in his index finger that caused the pulse of Qiaolian to restart.

He put his hand on the side and faced Huan Xue with a small smile on his face. "Master Huan Xue, Lady Xue must be a special cultivator partner of yours. Even if her body had stopped beating, I can sense her consciousness."

"Me too. I could sense her," Huan Xue responded with a solemn expression on his face.

"Her willpower is really strong enough to control her body. The only method that I have known to deal with the miasma in the inner core is that it should be refined to sustain the golden elixir field. But in her case, she is not refining the miasma. Instead, it is her body that is altering her internal organs to adapt and accommodate the miasma," Wang Si explained and looked away.

Wang Si could not help but recall how Qiaolian had casually mentioned to him the imprint on his index fingers before. He secretly took a deep breath and move to the side.

"Her body is altering her internal organs? Or is the miasma affecting her consciousness?" Huan Xue somehow felt worried. What if Qiaolian failed to refine the miasma and it was affecting her consciousness instead? She might wake up as a demon!

Seeing a glint of worry in Huan Xue's eyes, Wang Si simply nodded his head. "No need to feel trouble, Master Huan Xue. It seems like Lady Xue is territorial and talented in cultivation. Let me give a simple demonstration of her willpower."

"Then, thank you, Grand Physician," Huan Xue replied and somehow recalled the lady that wore a plain white dress in Wang Si's room.

"Hmm... You see... If a cultivator owns a garden and its plant started to extend its branch and then goes out of the fence, most of the time, gardeners simply trim the plant or cut the branch to keep it in place. It is the usual way to protect the plant away from trouble. But, in fact, those who are capable won't intervene the growth of the plant. Instead, they would move their fence farther and let the plant grow freely. Lady Xue's willpower is the same. Since her consciousness cannot refine the miasma, her body will just alter its internal organ to let that power of the miasma grow freely. In this way, she can utilize the miasma too without feeling pain."

"Oh... Will Qiaolian's consciousness be affected by the miasma, Grand Physician? Master Xia mentioned something earlier to me," Huan Xue spoke with full of seriousness in his tone.

"Perhaps, Venerable Elder Xia is worried about the power of the miasma corrupting the consciousness of Lady Xue. That is possible for other cultivators. But, for her, it's impossible. As I've sensed, she is territorial. This miasma won't be able to influence her consciousness," Wang Si spoke with full of certainty.

Then, just a split second, another realization dawned upon him. "C-Consciousness... Ahh! I think I already know how to cure the illness!" Wang Si clapped his hand and grinned widely. "We need to heal the consciousness of the wine merchant and his boatman! I just have to examine all our books that are related to consciousness recovery. Master Huan Xue, I shall take my leave first. I will definitely bring good news later about how to solve this Hex Mile of Tears formation!"