Chapter 118: A Mere Trifle

On the small path through the medicinal field, Xu Zhe stroked his chin, studying Chu Xiaotong once more with a serious gaze.

After verifying their identities through the aura of Qu Hongxiu and Gu Jia'er, and conducting a round of questioning, he finally believed that the Chu Xiaotong before him was the real one.

"Time is truly a butcher’s blade. To think back then, how domineering my Brother Tong was. Who would have thought that one day she would also..." Xu Zhe looked up at the sky, filled with deep emotion.

He shut his mouth abruptly before he could finish his lament, seeing the malicious look on Chu Xiaotong’s face—a look that suggested she was on the verge of exploding.

"Brother Tong is the eternal god!" Xu Zhe quickly shouted the slogan.

"Shut up!" Chu Xiaotong snapped, annoyed.

She had begun to doubt the authenticity of the recording she heard earlier. This kid didn't seem like the person described in the recording at all! All that talk about missing her until his hair fell out, suffering mental torment... does he look like that at all? That old man! How dare he play tricks on me! Chu Xiaotong immediately linked the voice to the balding old man, knowing full well she had been deceived.

"Ahem, Chu... Xiaotong, what are you doing? This is the first time Xu Zhe has seen you since his awakening; it’s only natural for him to be cautious. Don't be so fierce with him," Gu Jia'er interjected softly, her voice gentle. She cast occasional glances at Xu Zhe, a trace of shyness flitting across her eyes.

Xu Zhe did not notice; had he, he would surely have written a refusal letter on the spot. He didn't see anything wrong with Chu Xiaotong’s temper either; in his memory, this girl was hot-tempered but had no ill intentions. On the contrary, Gu Jia'er’s words sounded suspiciously like she was trying to sow discord. Could Li Chungang have been right? Was Gu Jia'er the one deceiving him earlier? Xu Zhe frowned and looked at Gu Jia'er with suspicion.

"Holy Master Gu, since when did you become such a 'green tea'?" Qu Hongxiu asked, looking at Gu Jia'er with disdain.

"What nonsense are you spouting, child? I’m just comforting your master," Gu Jia'er retorted with a roll of her eyes. This girl played on the Spirit Net all day and even understood green tea memes. But so what? Since your master has such a massive advantage, how could I compete if I didn't use some tactics? Besides, what's wrong with being a 'green tea'? It’s the most effective way to deal with a straight-laced man! Gu Jia'er looked at Xu Zhe triumphantly, but her expression stiffened when she saw his frown. Does he not buy this act? It wasn't like this back in the crystal coffin. You dog of a man, are you going to disown me after getting what you wanted?

"What’s going on?" Chu Xiaotong sensed Xu Zhe’s expression and, realizing something was amiss, asked immediately.

"I said earlier that I had three things to do at the Divine Pill Grotto. The third was to come and ask Gu Jia'er about a few matters," Xu Zhe said in a deep, serious tone.

The others were slightly stunned, and the atmosphere suddenly turned heavy.

"Ask me?" Gu Jia'er was also confused, sensing that the situation had taken a turn.

"You mentioned earlier that you entered the Immortal Burial Valley with Wang Jianguo and the others, and that Li Chungang was aware of it, right?" Xu Zhe asked.

"That's right," Gu Jia'er blinked and nodded.

"I have seen Li Chungang, and he said he was not aware of it," Xu Zhe said flatly, his eyes fixed on Gu Jia'er.

"What?" Gu Jia'er’s eyes widened in shock. "How is that possible? He provided us with anti-poison pills and even discussed the routes through the Immortal Burial Valley with us. How could he not have known?"

"That is why I came to ask you to clarify, to see which one of you is lying," Xu Zhe said calmly. He could detect no flaws in Gu Jia'er’s expression; her shock did not seem feigned.

"I have no reason to lie to you. Li Chungang must be the one lying, or perhaps the person you met was a fake Li Chungang," Gu Jia'er insisted.

Xu Zhe shook his head slightly and looked at Chu Xiaotong. "What do you think?" He wasn't sure who to trust between Li Chungang and Gu Jia'er, but he knew he could trust Chu Xiaotong.

"I wasn't aware of them going to the Immortal Burial Valley back then, either. I only heard about it later," Chu Xiaotong said, shaking her head.

Xu Zhe caught a deeper meaning in her words. She hadn't said Gu Jia'er was trustworthy, nor had she vouched for Li Chungang.

"However," Chu Xiaotong continued, "I know someone who definitely knows."

"Who?"

"Your ex, Lin Keyi."

"Her..." Hearing Lin Keyi's name, Xu Zhe was only slightly startled; he felt no particular emotion.

"Right, exactly! Lin Keyi knows. Her Jade Pool Holy Land is in the West Kun Continent; she must have known we entered the Immortal Burial Valley. Since Li Chungang saw us into the valley, she must have seen it too," Gu Jia'er said with great certainty.

"That is true. I also learned of their entry into the Immortal Burial Valley from Lin Keyi, but she did not mention Li Chungang, so I don't know the specifics. But we cannot ask her now; she has entered the Tiangang Pool for seclusion and won't be coming out anytime soon," Chu Xiaotong added.

"Never mind then, it’s not urgent," Xu Zhe shrugged, feeling a bit more inclined to believe Gu Jia'er. If he met Li Chungang again, he would try to trick the truth out of that guy.

"Aren't you curious about what Lin Keyi went to do?" Chu Xiaotong suddenly asked.

"Didn't you say she went into seclusion?" Xu Zhe was taken aback.

Chu Xiaotong paused. She had expected Xu Zhe to ask more about Lin Keyi, but his indifferent reaction was quite unexpected. Lin Keyi had once said that Xu Zhe was different from what she imagined, and now Chu Xiaotong began to feel the same. Xu Zhe was indeed different. Though he looked familiar, as if he were still the same Xu Zhe from years ago, there seemed to be something missing. A sense of humanity? Chu Xiaotong shook her head inwardly; she couldn't put her finger on it. She only felt that while Xu Zhe was normal when talking to her, he was unusually calm—almost indifferent—when it came to others, even Lin Keyi. It was an apathy that wasn't worn on his sleeve or hidden in his heart, but rather a subconscious neglect in his speech and manner. To use an inappropriate phrase, it was the neglect of "a great man who forgets things easily." But he had only been awake for dozens of days; how had he become a "great man"?

"Xu Zhe, come to the Vermilion Bird Camp with me after we leave. I have something to discuss with you," Chu Xiaotong said through a sound transmission, her expression unchanged. She felt it was necessary to have a proper talk with him.

"Alright." Xu Zhe nodded calmly. They hadn't seen each other in so long; they certainly needed to talk. But before that, he had to treat her illness.

"Give me your hand, let me check the specific injuries." As he spoke, Xu Zhe grabbed Chu Xiaotong’s wrist.

Chu Xiaotong didn't pull away this time, letting him hold her wrist. Soon, she felt a wisp of pure, flawless spiritual energy flow from her wrist into her meridians, then plunge directly into her dantian with surgical precision.

"You really know medicine?" Chu Xiaotong asked in surprise. She had assumed Xu Zhe only knew a little and didn't understand the severity of her injuries, so she let him check just to make him realize it was hopeless. Who would have thought he would be so skilled? He seemed to know the meridians perfectly, his spiritual energy instantly finding the exact location of the damage in her dantian.

"How do you know everything? How long have you been awake, and you..."

"Don't talk. Just circulate your energy quietly and let me see," Xu Zhe scolded.

"You..." Chu Xiaotong snorted in defiance but immediately shut her mouth, obeying him. With a thought, she raised the spiritual energy in her dantian. Though her temper was fiery, she always calmed down the moment Xu Zhe became serious—a tacit understanding or habit that had existed since childhood.

Qu Hongxiu and Gu Jia'er stood by, dumbfounded. Qu Hongxiu, in particular, was completely bewildered. If Uncle Xu was 'Old Devil Xu,' then in her eyes, her own master was a super-invincible peerless she-devil—hot-tempered and fearless. Even the demon kings of the Demon Realm would turn and run at the mention of her name. Yet, she was being suppressed by Uncle Xu? This is not right! You two are not acting right! Qu Hongxiu stared at them with wide eyes.

By now, Xu Zhe had withdrawn his spiritual energy, his expression stern, appearing quite angry.

"H-how is it?" Chu Xiaotong asked, surprisingly feeling a bit guilty.

"What have you been doing? This is it for the Tribulation Transcendence stage?" Xu Zhe glared at her, rebuking her. "Are you tired of living? Burning your core lifeblood to break your limits? Look at the state of your dantian! And your meridians are broken in several places, yet you don't care, just using spiritual energy to bridge them? Are you insane? And this physical body of yours..."

"Wait, stop, don't say anymore," Chu Xiaotong’s face changed drastically as she hurriedly shouted. She was truly frightened this time. Xu Zhe had only used his spiritual energy to probe her dantian, yet he had discovered so many injuries—problems only she knew about, which even Gu Jia'er had failed to detect after multiple checks. The fact that he even mentioned her physical body made Chu Xiaotong realize something, so she quickly cut him off. She gave him a strange look and asked, "Can it be cured?"

"Yes, it’s a trivial matter," Xu Zhe nodded.

Chu Xiaotong: "???"

A trivial matter? If it’s a trivial matter, then why are you scolding me?