At the gray-robed elder's rebuke, the smile vanished completely from Chu Yunfei's face.
He glanced at the elder, then turned to leave.
"If you don't believe me, forget it."
His voice was colder than the frost filling the courtyard.
"Let her keep suffering."
He offered neither explanation nor argument.
His steps were so decisive that he did not seem to be sulking. Rather, he truly seemed to have no intention of getting involved anymore.
The gray-robed elder froze for a moment.
Only when Chu Yunfei reached the rear courtyard's threshold did he realize that the boy really meant to leave.
He was not letting go in order to reel them in.
Nor was he deliberately driving up the price.
The gray-robed elder's expression darkened. Just as he was about to speak, a weak voice came from behind him.
"Wait."
The voice was quiet, yet it brought Chu Yunfei to a stop.
The speaker was none other than Wen Jiao.
She lay curled on the ground, a thin layer of frost already covering her shoulders.
Every breath carried a faint tremor.
Yet she still held her head up, staring fixedly at Chu Yunfei's back.
The Heavenly Yin Baleful Intent Physique.
A youth she had only just met had exposed, in a single remark, the secret that had plagued her for twenty whole years.
It could not possibly be mere coincidence.
Over the years, the Pill Pavilion had sought out renowned physicians everywhere for her, only to receive the same two words every time.
No cure.
Chu Yunfei might be the one opportunity she had yet to seize.
"You just said..."
Wen Jiao clenched her teeth, enduring the agonizing pain in her meridians.
"You could treat me."
"Please give it a try."
Chu Yunfei turned his face slightly, glancing at her pale features from the corner of his eye.
"Sorry."
"I'm in a bad mood now. I don't feel like treating you."
The gray-robed elder's beard shook violently.
"Boy, don't push your..."
"One thousand spirit stones."
Wen Jiao interrupted him.
She saw the situation clearly.
Since Chu Yunfei had been willing to stop, there was still room for negotiation.
It was merely a matter of price.
Chu Yunfei turned around and gently shook his head.
One thousand low-grade spirit stones was indeed no small sum.
But they wanted him to take on an ancient physique that had all but vanished for that paltry number of spirit stones?
Who were they trying to fob off?
Wen Jiao's heart sank.
The Yin Baleful Intent within her battered her meridians again. She gave a muffled groan, her lips already turning blue.
"Five thousand."
This time, she did not probe any further.
"Five thousand low-grade spirit stones. As long as you can cure my condition completely, they're all yours."
Five thousand!
The gray-robed elder's expression shifted slightly.
That sum of spirit stones was enough to make most Qi Condensation Realm martial artists risk their lives. Even for the branch pavilion, it was no trifling amount to throw away at will.
At last, some of the coldness faded from Chu Yunfei's face.
He walked back over and gave Wen Jiao a brilliant smile.
"Since you're showing sufficient sincerity, Fellow Daoist Wen, five thousand it is."
The corner of the gray-robed elder's eye twitched.
A moment ago, he had claimed to be in a bad mood.
The moment five thousand spirit stones appeared, his mood immediately improved?
The boy changed his face faster than turning the pages of a book!
Chu Yunfei did not care in the slightest.
His temper was one thing; spirit stones were another.
He could make an enemy of anyone, but not of cultivation resources.
He glanced at the gray-robed elder.
"However, I don't like having anyone present when I treat a patient."
"Have him leave."
"Young miss, you mustn't!"
The gray-robed elder's expression changed, and he immediately stepped in front of Wen Jiao.
"We know nothing of this boy's origins, and his methods are equally unclear."
"If he's left alone with you and harbors ill intentions..."
He did not finish the rest.
But his meaning was already clear.
Wen Jiao was at her weakest right now. If Chu Yunfei had some ulterior aim, she might not even be capable of resisting.
Chu Yunfei folded his arms, his tone cold.
"If you're that worried, forget it."
"I can do without earning these five thousand spirit stones."
With that, he made to turn away again.
The gray-robed elder nearly passed out from anger.
Why did this boy threaten to leave at every turn?
"Uncle Yao."
Wen Jiao raised her head. Though her voice was weak, it still carried the authority of someone long accustomed to a position of power.
"Withdraw."
The gray-robed elder stiffened.
"Young miss..."
"I said, withdraw."
Wen Jiao did not raise her voice.
But the resolve in her phoenix eyes permitted no questioning.
Uncle Yao remained silent for a moment before finally stepping aside.
"Yes."
As he walked past Chu Yunfei, his steps paused briefly.
The next instant, a voice suppressing its anger rang directly inside Chu Yunfei's mind.
"Boy, you'd better truly have some ability."
"If you dare play any tricks and harm the young miss in the slightest, even if it costs me my life, I'll make you unable to live or beg for death."
Chu Yunfei remained expressionless, not even lifting his eyelids.
He had heard far too many threats like that in his previous life.
Those who could actually carry them out usually did not speak at such length.
Uncle Yao gave a cold snort, then turned and left the rear courtyard.
Only after his figure had disappeared completely did Chu Yunfei walk up to Wen Jiao.
Wen Jiao was about to speak when her wrist suddenly tightened.
Chu Yunfei had already crouched down and seized her icy wrist.
The movement was natural, without the slightest hesitation.
"You..."
Wen Jiao instinctively tried to pull free.
But the next instant, a strand of gentle, warm power flowed from Chu Yunfei's palm into her meridians.
Hum!
The Yin Baleful Intent rampaging everywhere stalled all at once.
That power was not scorching, yet it carried an indescribable sense of suppression. Wherever it passed, the previously violent Yin Baleful Intent actually retreated.
It was as though it had encountered some natural nemesis.
Even the cold Qi entrenched in her lower abdomen was pushed back into its original place, bit by bit.
Wen Jiao's body trembled slightly.
The agonizing pain in her meridians, like blades of ice slicing through her, actually began to weaken.
The pain had been at full intensity.
In the blink of an eye, only sixty percent remained.
And it was still diminishing!
Wen Jiao abruptly raised her head, staring at Chu Yunfei in disbelief.
It really worked!
During every previous attack, the Yin Baleful Intent had tormented her for at least a day.
Whether she took pills or had a powerful expert forcibly suppress it, they could barely protect her heart meridians and could not alleviate the pain at all.
Yet Chu Yunfei had quieted the Yin Baleful Intent simply by holding her wrist.
This was no coincidence.
He really could treat it!
Wen Jiao stared at their joined hands, her breathing gradually quickening.
"What exactly is the power inside you?"
"Just focus on the treatment. Don't go prying."
Chu Yunfei released her hand.
That gentle, warm power withdrew with it.
The Yin Baleful Intent inside Wen Jiao, which had only just settled down, immediately showed signs of rising again.
Her expression changed slightly.
"What are you doing?"
"That was only temporary suppression."
Chu Yunfei stood up, his gaze passing over the blue baleful markings between her brows.
"The Yin Baleful Intent inside you has accumulated for too long. It's already pressing toward your heart meridians along the meridians in your back. To properly channel it away, we need somewhere quiet."
"Otherwise, if we're disturbed and the Yin Baleful Intent backlashes, you could die on the spot."
Wen Jiao's heart tightened.
She asked no further questions and slowly stood, supporting herself on the stone table.
Though her body was still somewhat weak, after that suppression, she could at least walk normally.
"Follow me."
She led the way.
Chu Yunfei followed her through the rear courtyard to a spacious, elegant room.
The room was furnished with extreme simplicity.
White gauze hung down, orchids bloomed, and a faint, delicate fragrance drifted through the air.
Wen Jiao closed the door, then casually set up a soundproof barrier.
Only after doing all this did she turn to look at Chu Yunfei.
Within her cool phoenix eyes was now a trace of complexity that even she had not noticed.
Wariness.
Curiosity.
And a thread of hope she could not suppress.
"What should I do next?"
Chu Yunfei glanced around the room, then looked at her.
"The Yin Baleful Intent is entrenched in several major acupoints along your back."
"If I guide Qi through your clothes, the slightest deviation will send the cold baleful intent rushing into your heart meridians."
An ominous premonition suddenly rose in Wen Jiao's heart.
The next instant, Chu Yunfei spoke calmly.
"Unfasten your top."
Wen Jiao froze in place.
She wondered if she had misheard.
"What did you say?"
"Unfasten your top."
Chu Yunfei tipped his chin up.
"I need to start guiding the Yin Baleful Intent out through the Gate of Life on your back."
A blush swiftly rose on Wen Jiao's pale face.
The flush spread from her cheeks to the roots of her ears, even tinting her fair neck a faint pink.
In all her years, she had never let a strange man see her body.
Much less undressed for treatment.
"Isn't there another way?"
"There is."
Chu Yunfei answered without the slightest hesitation.
Wen Jiao's eyes brightened slightly.
"What is it?"
"Keep enduring it."
"Wait until the Yin Baleful Intent ruptures your heart meridians, then have someone collect your corpse."
Wen Jiao: "..."
The tiny spark of hope that had just risen was snuffed out on the spot.
She bit her lip and glared at Chu Yunfei in embarrassment and anger.
"You had better not be lying to me."
"Fellow Daoist Wen, five thousand spirit stones only buys my saving your life. It doesn't buy my dying alongside you."
Chu Yunfei frowned and urged her on.
"If you want treatment, hurry up."
"The Yin Baleful Intent could run rampant again at any moment. Stop dawdling."
The more he acted as though this were perfectly natural, the more Wen Jiao's suspicions faded.
Could it really be necessary for the treatment?
Wen Jiao fell silent for a moment before finally making her decision.
Before that, however, a thread of icy presence locked onto Chu Yunfei.
Even in her extremely weakened state, that killing intent remained as sharp as a blade.
"Close your eyes."
She spoke coldly.
"No peeking."
"Otherwise..."
She left the rest unsaid.
But the frost gradually forming in the room had already said it all.
Treating her was acceptable.
Certain boundaries could not be crossed by anyone.
The chill jolted Chu Yunfei, and he hastily raised both hands.
"Calm down."
"I'll close my eyes. I promise I won't look."
Wen Jiao stared at him for several breaths. Only after confirming that his eyes were tightly shut did she slowly turn around.
The room fell quiet.
Only the faint rustling of fabric remained.
It was very soft.
Yet exceptionally distinct.
With his eyes closed, Chu Yunfei found the delicate fragrance at his nose all the more noticeable.
Images also surfaced uncontrollably in his mind.
How was this treating an illness?
It was clearly a test of his Dao heart.
The rustling of clothes gradually stopped.
Chu Yunfei's Adam's apple bobbed.
In the end, he still failed to suppress his curiosity and secretly opened his eyes a sliver.