Ren Zu walked calmly along the path that led to the courtyard of his father's residence. His expression remained completely serene, and his black eyes showed no emotional ripple whatsoever. After not finding Xia Qingyue and Feng Xue'er in the palace, he learned from the maids that the two had come to visit his parents, so he decided to come there immediately. The Little Demon Empress chose not to accompany him, as she wanted to enter seclusion as soon as possible to consolidate her breakthrough. Thus, after a brief intimate moment of farewell between the two, they parted...
His gaze remained tranquil as he crossed the silent courtyard. The gentle morning breeze slowly swayed the surrounding trees, scattering leaves across the stone ground.
At that moment—
A female voice slowly echoed within his mind.
"Ren Zu…"
The voice was low, cold, and carried a slight hesitation. It was Jasmine's voice. She remained silent for a few seconds before finally asking:
"…Do you really not know how to cure Yun Che?"
She had obviously asked that question because she had never heard of the Light Element Profound Art he had used earlier when he regenerated Yun Che's lost limbs and prevented him from dying. It was something she had never seen before or even heard mentioned in her entire life. Furthermore, he had also demonstrated a rather frightening level of medical knowledge. And since she herself could not think of any solution to Yun Che's current situation, she imagined that he probably knew some way to deal with it... No, she held a certain hope that he might be capable of doing so...
She had not mentioned or included such a condition in their previous agreement because, deep down in her heart, she believed that curing Yun Che was simply impossible. She did not want to risk ruining the cooperation between them by imposing a demand she knew from the beginning could not be fulfilled. Moreover, the two of them still did not know each other completely, and she needed him in order to have at least a chance of recovering her own body. Since he was strong and extremely mysterious, she was careful not to act arrogantly. Although she had considered asking for that as part of the agreement, she ultimately decided not to.
Deep down, she also understood the delicate position they were in. Despite cooperating, the two were, in theory, in a relationship of equals. She depended almost entirely on him to achieve her objective, while he practically did not need her for anything. In other words, within that partnership, she was clearly the more dependent side. Precisely because of that, she needed to act cautiously and avoid making demands that might irritate him or make him lose interest in helping her.
In the end, she was fortunate to encounter Yun Che in a condition where he also needed her in order to become stronger. Because of that, the relationship between the two of them ended up balancing out somewhat. In this way, she finally possessed a small advantage in the negotiation. After all, while she depended on him to recover her body, Yun Che also needed her to increase his own strength. This made the cooperation between them cease to be entirely unilateral, unlike what it currently was with Ren Zu...
Ren Zu's steps did not stop; he continued walking as if nothing had happened. After a few seconds of silence, he calmly replied through the spiritual connection.
"When I healed your disciple… I had already analyzed the condition of his body. In that situation… there was not much I could do. That profound art merely restored his physical body and prevented him from dying."
"Even if I were the best physician in the Primordial Chaos, I would not be able to reverse the complete loss of the Profound Veins. He is in a state as if he had never been born with Profound Veins. If they had merely been damaged or crippled, it would be relatively easy to heal them… but they simply no longer exist. It is as if his body has become something strange, almost alien to this world. The worst part is that when his arms were severed and his legs were destroyed, whoever did it also deliberately damaged the nerves of each limb in an irreversible manner. My Profound Art could have solved that problem… but at that moment, I was unable to do so."
Jasmine's voice immediately grew heavier.
"…So there's no solution?"
Ren Zu thought for a moment before answering.
"…I didn't say that. Perhaps… there is a way. But I'm not certain yet. So don't have too many expectations."
The spiritual connection fell silent for a few moments.
Then Jasmine finally responded.
"…I understand."
Naturally, he could cure something like that with extreme ease, but that would defeat the purpose of having done all this... Letting out a sigh, he gently pushed the door open and entered, walking calmly toward the room.
The instant he appeared at the entrance, two female figures moved almost at the same time.
"Husband!"
Both Xia Qingyue and Feng Xue'er immediately approached.
Feng Xue'er's eyes quickly swept over his body, examining him anxiously.
"Are you alright?" she asked with evident concern.
Xia Qingyue was also observing him carefully. Although her expression remained calm, her eyes revealed a faint trace of worry.
"You had lost consciousness earlier, and Sister Caiyi said you were fine..." she said softly. "Is your condition really stable now?"
Ren Zu smiled gently, raising a hand to reassure them.
"I'm fine. There's no need to worry. It was only temporary exhaustion. I've already fully recovered."
Before either of them could respond, Mu Yurou hurried over, her face marked by anguish. She grabbed his arm tightly, as if afraid he might disappear.
"Zu'er… please… help Che'er…" Her voice trembled, nearly breaking.
For Mu Yurou, Yun Che was the son she had never had the opportunity to see grow up. For years, she believed she had lost any chance of ever seeing him again, always fearing the worst possible fate. Therefore, when the heavens finally gave her the chance to have him back in her life, even if only for a few months, she cherished every moment. In that short time since he returned to his family, she had been able to experience the joy of caring for a son of her own blood. It was not that she loved him more than Ren Zu—certainly not—but the feeling was different. There was something special about knowing that young man had been born from her own blood. That was why seeing him now in that state, unable to move and having given up on living, tore deeply at her mother's heart. At that moment, all she could do was cling to hope and beg for any miracle that might save him...
Yun Qinghong also stepped forward, his face serious and filled with deep concern. He placed a hand on Mu Yurou's shoulder, but his eyes never left Ren Zu.
"Zu'er… you also fell unconscious after the battle. We were very worried. I'm sorry we weren't by your side at that moment. Your mother and I were divided about what to do and even thought of bringing you here, but the Little Demon Empress said she would take you to the Palace and take care of you… But now that you're here… please examine Che'er."
Unlike Mu Yurou, Yun Qinghong tried to remain calm. As the head of the family and as a father, he needed to stay rational even in such a difficult moment. Even so, behind his controlled demeanor lay deep concern. He knew the chances of saving Yun Che were small, but he could not simply give up while someone capable of trying still existed...
"Husband… please. He is the Big Brother Yun I told you about. Is there anything we can do? Can you use that profound art that healed so many people that day?" Feng Xue'er murmured, her voice low and filled with mixed emotions. Although she no longer harbored the feelings she once had for Yun Che, he was still someone important in her life... Because of that, she could not help but feel a certain guilt for not trying to help him in such a fragile moment.
That was what had brought her there after everything—Yun Che was still an important memory of her youth. Even though her life had followed another path and her feelings had changed, the memories of everything they had lived through still existed. Precisely because of that, seeing him in that condition awakened within her a strange mixture of pity, guilt, and compassion...
Xia Qingyue maintained her composure, but her black eyes fixed on Ren Zu intensely.
"This Qingyue also asks… if there is any way… please try to save him."
Even though there were no longer any feelings left in her heart for Yun Che, he had still been the one who helped her open her Profound Entrances and reach the Profound Emperor Realm more quickly. It would be ungrateful of her not to try to help him now. She herself had no means to do anything, but her husband might possess a solution. For her, the situation was more a matter of principle than emotion. She no longer loved Yun Che, but she acknowledged the debt she had owed him in the past. Helping him now was simply the right thing to do...
Ren Zu let out a deep sigh, the sound heavy with resignation.
"I promise… I will try my best."
He walked to the bed, taking a dark wooden chair from his spatial ring with a simple gesture of his hand and placing it beside it. He sat down calmly, his steady gaze resting on the pale and empty face of the young woman lying there.
Yun Che remained motionless, his eyes fixed on the ceiling, without any sign of life or reaction.
Ren Zu leaned slightly forward.
"Hello, older brother… or rather… older sister now, I suppose."
No reaction.
Yun Che's lifeless eyes remained empty, as if the words had never reached him.
Ren Zu was not shaken. He extended his hand and took her thin, cold wrist. His fingers wrapped gently around the pale skin as he closed his eyes. A subtle wave of pure and extremely refined spiritual energy flowed from his body, entering her wrist like a calm and luminous river. His spiritual sense spread through her body like a delicate web...
It was not every day that you had the opportunity to analyze the body of the "chosen one of destiny" of this world. He wanted to be sure that if he left him alive, he would not need to worry. Although, his current state was worse than death...
…Was there really a need to do all this?
The entire room fell into absolute silence.
Mu Yurou held her breath.
Yun Qinghong watched with clenched fists.
Xia Qingyue and Feng Xue'er kept their eyes fixed on him, waiting, yearning for any sign of hope.
Ren Zu remained like that for long minutes. Then, finally, he opened his eyes.
"It's worse than I imagined…" he murmured, more to himself than to the others.
But loud enough for everyone to hear.
Mu Yurou covered her mouth with her hands as her eyes filled with tears once more.
The heavy silence dominating the room was broken again by a voice within Ren Zu's mind.
"…So?" Jasmine asked, her low, cold voice echoing through the spiritual connection. "Did you find anything you can do?"
Ren Zu did not answer immediately. His eyes were still fixed on Yun Che's motionless body as his spiritual sense slowly retracted, like a tide returning to the ocean.
After a few seconds, he replied mentally:
"…There is something I could do."
Jasmine's eyes lit up slightly.
"Then—"
"But only partially."
Those two words were enough to make her fall silent.
Ren Zu continued calmly:
"Her brain—or his? Well, I'll call her 'her'... has suffered extremely specific damage. When the limbs were destroyed, whoever did it did not merely mutilate the body… they also deliberately damaged certain areas of the brain. There is a region responsible for transmitting and coordinating motor signals to the limbs. That area was irreversibly destroyed."
Jasmine frowned slightly.
"…So? You said you could partially solve the problem..."
"Yes… I could reconstruct part of those connections…" Ren Zu replied. "But the human brain cannot withstand two complete reconstructions of this type at the same time. If I fully restore the connections responsible for the arms… the ones responsible for the legs will never be recoverable again."
He paused briefly before concluding.
"And if I restore the legs… the arms will remain useless forever."
Jasmine's mind fell completely silent.
It was a cruel choice: arms… or legs.
Neither option truly "saved" Yun Che.
A few seconds later, she asked in a lower tone:
"…Is there no way to restore both?"
"…No." The answer was simple. "His brain no longer has enough structural integrity to support both systems simultaneously."
Jasmine fell silent again.
Her expression within the space of the Sky Poison Pearl became extremely complicated. She had hoped for a miracle.
But this… was not exactly a miracle...
At that moment, Mu Yurou could no longer hold herself back. She stepped forward, her hands trembling as she looked at Ren Zu with reddened eyes.
"Zu'er…" Her voice was weak. "You… found a way?"
Ren Zu slowly lifted his gaze toward her.
He did not try to hide the truth.
"There is a possibility."
Mu Yurou immediately clung to that hope.
"Then save him!"
But Ren Zu raised his hand slightly, stopping her.
"Listen first."
The room fell silent again.
He spoke calmly, explaining far more simply than he had to Jasmine.
"Sister Yun's brain suffered severe and irreversible damage beyond the reach of any medicine in this world. The areas that control the movements of the arms and legs were destroyed."
Mu Yurou turned pale.
"I can restore one of them… but not both."
Yun Qinghong's eyes slowly narrowed.
"…Explain."
"If I reconstruct the connections responsible for the legs, he will be able to walk again. But his arms will remain permanently useless."
He paused briefly.
"If I restore the arms, he will be able to move his hands again… but he will never walk again."
The entire room fell into deathly silence.
It was far too cruel a choice...
Yun Qinghong let out a heavy sigh. Although his son's life was important, he also understood the cruel reality of the world they lived in. In that world, strength was everything. If Yun Che survived but remained completely crippled and unable to cultivate, he might end up suffering even more than if he had died. Therefore, after a few seconds of hesitation, he asked a simple yet extremely important question:
"…And… the Profound Veins?"
Ren Zu shook his head slightly.
"They disappeared completely. That cannot be restored."
Those words fell like a final sentence.
Mu Yurou's eyes filled with tears again.
Yun Qinghong slowly closed his eyes for a moment, absorbing the reality.
Feng Xue'er lowered her gaze.
Even Xia Qingyue remained silent.
But Ren Zu had not finished yet.
He looked at Yun Che again. The young woman's eyes remained completely empty, without any reaction. Then he spoke calmly:
"There is another problem."
Everyone looked at him.
"Her mental state…" His voice became colder. "The will to live has completely disappeared. Even if I restore the arms or the legs… there is no guarantee that she will even try to live. In fact, there are only two real solutions to this situation."
"The first… is to end his suffering."
The words were spoken with frightening calmness.
Mu Yurou immediately covered her mouth in horror.
But Ren Zu continued:
"The second… is to force him to continue living." His gaze returned to Yun Che. "Even if that means he will depend entirely on other people for the rest of his life."
The silence in the room remained heavy after Ren Zu finished speaking. No one seemed to know what to say. His words had been too clear, too cruel for anyone to react immediately.
It was Feng Xue'er who finally broke the silence. She slowly lifted her head and looked at Ren Zu. Her eyes were confused, as if she were still trying to understand everything he had said.
"Husband… why those two options?" she asked softly. "Why… end his suffering… or force him to live like that?"
Ren Zu remained silent for a few seconds before answering. His gaze was still resting on Yun Che's empty face.
"Because the problem is not only her body." He raised his hand and pointed lightly toward Yun Che's head. "The brain also suffered damage."
Xia Qingyue's brows furrowed slightly.
"What kind of damage?"
Ren Zu replied calmly:
"Almost her entire brain is damaged. The parts responsible for intellect were damaged to such an extent that she is incapable of properly understanding things, which basically makes him… an idiot."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"Additionally, there seem to be abnormal impulses in her brain that drive her to perform certain strange actions, and these impulses are slowly increasing over time. Most likely, within a few days, she will begin wanting to do completely absurd or meaningless things. To her, these actions will seem perfectly logical… but to you, they will appear merely foolish or pitiful."
"Another area of the brain that was severely damaged is the one responsible for the perception of reality. That is why he is in this vegetative state now. It is not merely a lack of will to live; his brain is so compromised that the reality around him probably feels distant, almost like a dream from which he cannot truly awaken. Furthermore, even if he still possesses some memories, the parts of the brain responsible for associating memory and emotion were also affected. That means that even when he recalls something from the past, he likely can no longer feel the emotions connected to those memories. To him, they are merely empty images, without any real sensation behind them."
This was, in fact, the explanation behind the effects of the gender-changing pill Yun Che had been forced to swallow. However, the real effect of that drug was not to eliminate all emotions completely, but mainly those related to women. Even so, the damage it caused to his brain ended up being so severe that it affected other mental functions as well. In simple terms, Yun Che's brain could still store memories, but it had lost much of its ability to feel anything from them. It was like looking at an old painting: he could still recognize what he was seeing, but he could no longer feel joy, sadness, or any real emotion connected to it. Of course, the exception was men—she could now only feel emotions and fall in love with men.
As for the near-vegetative state Yun Che was in, it was not caused solely by the physical damage to his brain. In fact, the main reason was the effect of the last pill he had been forced to swallow. That drug had directly affected his mind, plunging his consciousness into a kind of deep stupor. This happened because, under the pill's influence, Yun Che had experienced countless "lives" and different scenarios within his own mind, as if he had lived innumerable experiences in a short period of time. After going through all of that so intensely, his already foolish mind simply could no longer completely distinguish what was real and what was not. As a result, his consciousness withdrew, leaving him in that apathetic, almost vegetative state...
There were several other, more detailed explanations, but he would never tell anyone and had only used medical terms to explain Yun Che's condition to the others. So, setting that aside...
Feng Xue'er slowly lowered her gaze.
Even Xia Qingyue remained completely silent.
Ren Zu continued:
"And that is exactly why I suggested those two options. Living like this… can it truly still be called living?"
He paused briefly before continuing, his voice remaining calm.
"Furthermore, there is another matter. His body has undergone a complete sex change, from man to woman. That is not something I can reverse. Even if I could restore other parts of the body, that kind of alteration is beyond what I can correct." His gaze remained indifferent as he concluded. "And, to be honest… most men would never be able to accept something like that. Especially someone who always had so much pride in his own masculinity..."
"Killing him would be a mercy that, deep within her mind, she is begging for at this very moment..." He paused briefly before continuing. "Even if I restore the arms or the legs, he will still fully understand his own condition. He will know that he has lost his Profound Veins. He will know that he can never cultivate again. And he will also know that he will depend on other people for the rest of his life."
Mu Yurou's fingers began to tremble.
"And in that mental state… he will probably try to end his own life."
The entire room fell silent again.
Yun Qinghong remained still for a few seconds, as if absorbing every word. Then he slowly let out a heavy sigh. His shoulders seemed to sink slightly, and his expression aged several years in that instant.
"…So there is nothing we can do."
His voice came out low and tired.
But Ren Zu shook his head slightly.
"No."
Everyone looked at him again.
"There is one thing."
Mu Yurou immediately lifted her head, her eyes full of hope.
Ren Zu continued calmly:
"I can use a Profound Art to alter certain functions of his brain."
Xia Qingyue looked at him with one eyebrow raised.
"Alter?"
"Yes."
Ren Zu explained:
"I can plant in her mind the inability to take her own life. After that, I can reconstruct the connections responsible for the arms." He looked at Yun Che again. "In that way, she will still be able to move her hands. She will be able to eat by herself, hold objects, and perform simple tasks. But the legs will remain completely useless. In other words… she will live the rest of her life in a wheelchair. And that is all I can do... So, what will you decide...?"
The silence in the room lingered for a few moments after Ren Zu finished speaking. No one seemed willing to break it first.
The words he had spoken were far too heavy.
Mu Yurou trembled slightly, tears still running down her face. Her eyes were fixed on Yun Che's motionless body, as if she feared that if she blinked, he would disappear again.
Then, finally, she spoke.
"Do it…" Her voice came out low and trembling, but firm. She stepped forward, gripping the edge of the bed tightly. "Zu'er… please… do it."
For her, there was no choice to be made. It did not matter if Yun Che would never walk again, it did not matter if he would have to live dependent on others. As long as he was alive, he would still be her son. Losing him was far worse than that...
Yun Qinghong remained silent for a few seconds.
His eyes slowly passed over Yun Che's motionless body before returning to Ren Zu. Deep in his heart, he perfectly understood what that decision meant. His child would never return to the person they once were. There would be no Profound Veins. No cultivation. And countless other limitations would remain.
But even so…
He closed his eyes briefly before speaking.
"…Do it." His voice was heavy but resolute. "If that is the only way… then do it."
Feng Xue'er lowered her head in silence. Since those were Big Brother Yun's parents, only they had the right to make that decision. Therefore, she did not interfere. Even so, in her heart, she had already prepared for the worst. If they had decided that the best choice would be to end the suffering of the girl lying in the bed… then she would have interfered.
Xia Qingyue also said nothing.
Ren Zu observed all of them for a few seconds before finally nodding slightly.
"I understand."
He then slowly extended his hand.
A gentle wave of profound energy began to flow from his body. Unlike ordinary profound energy, that aura was pure and extremely refined. A golden glow slowly began to gather in his palm, like tiny particles of light.
In the next instant, hundreds of minuscule golden stars appeared above Yun Che's motionless arms. Each one shone like a tiny glittering crystal. The particles of light floated slowly above her pale skin before beginning to sink into her body...
The process was silent.
For any physician or cultivator in that world, such a thing would simply be impossible.
But for him… it was merely a simple procedure.
In just a few seconds, all the golden light disappeared.
Yun Che's arms were completely restored.
But he had not finished yet. He raised his hand again. This time, two fingers slowly extended toward Yun Che's forehead.
Then—
He gently pressed between her brows.
The instant he did so, a profound symbol appeared on Yun Che's pale skin.
It was an extremely complex golden mark composed of delicate lines intertwined like an ancient seal.
The mark glowed briefly.
Then it vanished.
That was when something finally changed.
Yun Che's empty eyes trembled slightly. It was the first real reaction since he had been brought to that bed.
Mu Yurou immediately stepped forward.
"Che'er…?"
Yun Che's pale lips slowly moved. The voice that came out was low, hoarse, and completely devoid of emotion… almost like a corpse trying to speak.
"…Mother."
Mu Yurou froze.
Her eyes widened completely.
Then, with difficulty, Yun Che slowly moved his lips again.
"…Water."
___________________
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