NOVEL NEXT Chapter 334: Mara-Struck Longevity
"Master…"
"Ren…"
At this moment, Dan Heng, Stelle, Tingyun, and Phantylia also discovered Ren's presence. He simply made a shushing gesture with his index finger. The four did not make a sound.
Ren was not only observing the pulse diagnosis. He was also observing the abnormality in Bailu's body. There was a feeling extremely similar to Talulah.
After a good while, Bailu took her hand away and blew warm air on it.
"Your illness is truly strange. Your pulse is almost nonexistent. Normally, this would mean…" She hesitated, unsure whether to continue.
"That my life is short?" Jingliu said softly.
"Bah, bah, bah! Please do not make professional diagnoses on behalf of a medical practitioner."
"Your situation, however, is different. Your superficial vital signs are lifelike, but when I took your hand, it was like grasping a piece of ice. Yet, between your meridians, it's like an underground river flowing, pulsing incessantly."
Bailu exclaimed, "This young lady has truly never encountered such a peculiar illness! I must research it. Can you come for regular check-ups?"
Jingliu shook her head. "I'm very sorry, Dragon Lady, but I may be leaving the Luofu soon."
Bailu sighed. "Alas, what a pity. No matter what, you must drink plenty of hot water."
"I'll write you a prescription for Soul-Returning Righteousness Powder. While these ingredients cannot cure the illness, they can nourish your vital energy and stabilize your mind."
However, Jingliu refused. "No need. Even if the Dragon Lady's medical skills are divine, she can do nothing about the destiny of the long-life species."
The destiny of the long-life species?
Bailu clasped her small hands and observed her. "Mara-Struck? But you don't look like it to me. Recently, I've treated patients who weren't afflicted by it, but they were either incoherent or their bodies mutated and looked terrifying. I don't see any strange growths on you."
After the Xianzhou people were blessed by Abundance, they became a long-life species. Mara-Struck was the calamity brought by this longevity. The manifestations were not singular; there were five symptoms: "Disfigurement," "Defilement," "Wrath," "Transformation," and "Unrecorded." The most common was "Transformation," where the body begins to grow mutated organs.
Jingliu, who was very clear about her state, said calmly, "I made a deal and barely managed to prolong my life. Although I can still think for now, my mind has reached its limit."
"That being said… I still have many unfulfilled wishes and unsettled grudges."
Bailu noted, "Ah, you are very aware of the root of your problem. Alas, I can't help with matters of the heart. However, the Medical Classic says that calming the heart brings peace to the body. If you can forget the past, there's still room for recovery."
Jingliu understood this principle, but… "It's truly regrettable. Among all emotions, hatred is the strongest. I chose it, I held it tight, and I use it to sustain my existence."
She slightly raised her hand, loosely grasping the sunlight. "All I can hold onto now are the sword in my hand and the regrets of the past. If I were to give up even these, I fear… I would completely fall into nothingness."
"Thank you for your advice, Dragon Lady. Meeting you once is worth a hundred times any medicine." A slight smile played on her lips as she seemed to be gazing at Bailu through her blindfold.
"Hmm…" Facing this, Bailu was also very helpless.
"Dragon Lady, I have a question: Can a healer heal herself?" As the atmosphere grew silent, Ren suddenly spoke up.
"Huh! When did you get here? I didn't see you!" Bailu, who had been engrossed in the diagnosis, was startled.
"Just as the Dragon Lady was taking the pulse, I observed and had this question."
After pondering for a moment, Bailu shook her head. "Hmm… I don't know. I've never paid attention to that. It always feels more difficult, and I have no experience in that area."
Ren smiled slightly. "Then it seems the Dragon Lady doesn't know she has an ailment herself. How about I help you with a diagnosis?"
"Ah?" Upon hearing this, Bailu quickly felt her entire body but found nothing.
"Lord Ren, what do you mean?" Jingliu asked, her words carrying a hint of urgency.
Ren did not answer, instead waiting for Bailu's reply.
Bailu examined herself for a while but still couldn't figure it out. "Perhaps it's true that a healer cannot heal herself." She tilted her small head up. "Come on, let's see your medical skills."
Shaking his head, Ren said, "I am not a doctor. I have no medical skills. I merely detected an abnormality in your soul."
With that, the golden starlight of his Dominator Eyes bloomed. Dominate souls. Separate souls.
A white ball of light condensed on Bailu's body, detaching from her.
"Wow!" The moment the light ball detached, Bailu's body lost its balance, but Ren's left hand supported her. The white light ball landed steadily on his right hand.
Everyone was confused about what that object was. This confusion did not last long before turning into shock.
Ren gently pushed, and the white light ball began to stretch and transform. Finally… it actually transformed into a white, ethereal, closed-eyed Foxian maiden.
The moment they saw this maiden, Tingyun and Stelle were only slightly shocked.
Jingliu and Dan Heng, however, blurted out simultaneously, "Bai Heng!"
Hearing the sound, the Foxian maiden's ears twitched. Her snow-white tail also swayed behind her. Her closed eyes slowly opened. Seemingly sensing the glaring sunlight, she even used her right hand to block it.
Only after seeing everything clearly did she tilt her head in confusion. "Yingxing? Jingliu? Where… is this?"
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