Han Xuhan's heart was in turmoil as the implications behind her words hit him.
So the Celestials were fighting among themselves over conflicts of interest, and his terrible Physique was one of the outcomes of such a conflict?
Heavens!
"How do I know if my Physique is a result of this infighting in the Heavenly Court?" he asked, not quite believing how she was speaking of such an immense scale of power so casually.
"You don't, at least not now. There'll be ways to tell if your cultivation level reaches a considerable height. For now, your concern lies in how to achieve that." Lady Caizhi's answer was somewhat expected.
"And how do I do that?" he asked patiently.
"By changing your body, of course! Your current body can naturally no longer function as the body of a cultivator. So change it!"
"..."
Han Xuhan wore a sour expression as he matched her unblinking stare. A long moment passed in silence.
"Why do you look so displeased with my suggestion, youngling?" she finally broke the silence.
"What exactly was my reaction supposed to be? Delighted? Enlightened?" Han Xuhan said rather rudely.
Lady Caizhi sighed.
"Maybe! You should be delighted because it's a simple solution to your problem, and you should be enlightened because you hadn't thought of the idea before."
"Oh no, I was offered a similar solution, actually," Han Xuhan spoke in an unenthusiastic tone. "The offer was to turn me to the path of ghost cultivation which doesn't rely on meridians at all! Suffice to say, I refused!"
"I'm not telling you to change into a ghost, youngling! Just change the body, and possess a new one capable of cultivation. It's fairly common among my people. The privileged children who are unable to cultivate due to their unsuitable bodies buy suitable bodies at sky-high prices. It is a huge market in the Superbeast community!"
"Well, I don't know how much you know about human markets, but bodies aren't sold for permanent possessions there. Nor is the concept seen as a righteous practice," Han Xuhan said.
The Spirit Beast Society sounded so wild. What an odd practice!
Lady Caizhi laughed derisively.
"Cultivators as desperate as you never really follow the righteous path, youngling. I wonder how long you'll stick to those obsolete mortal ways of thinking. It just makes you lot look hypocritical."
"Are you saying you're not a member of the righteous faction of the world? Are you siding with the demonic practitioners?" Han Xuhan asked with an evil smile.
"No, I'm saying that my interpretation of the righteous path is different from you humans. If a poor person wants to sell the blessing he was provided with by a Celestial, why should someone deprived of such a blessing not take it? He is blessed with a rare Physique, while whoever purchases his body is blessed with rich parents. His Physique, his choice! Why would you look down on it?"
Han Xuhan could not answer her. But there was an innate sense of rejection in his heart as he entertained the idea.
It was odd. He had always been fairly open-minded back on Earth. Why was the mere concept of body possession inciting so much distaste in his heart?
Maybe it was the result of the PTSD he had gotten from his adventure in the Holy Land of Laws. Brother BB's body possession scheme had sure left a deep imprint in his mind!
"Not interested right now, I take it? Forget it, you're not the first one to refuse the solution due to your prejudice." Lady Caizhi waved her palm lightly. "In that case, I cannot help you. There's another way...perhaps, but it's even more problematic than the first one."
"I'd like to hear it, though," Han Xuhan said.
Lady Caizhi rolled her eyes. "I know you would. That's why I summoned you here. Let's discuss the topic you were brought here for."
Han Xuhan's mind was brought back into focus by those words. What did she mean by that?
"Now that you understand the origin of rare Physiques, let's talk about the situation Mu Ran and Qing Ya were in during their childhood. Qing Ya's Physique is known as the Twin Devil Physique, while Mu Ran's Physique was titled The Dragon Reverend Physique. But do you know that Mu Ran's current Physique is no longer the same one as before?"
Han Xuhan swallowed a gulp audibly. Lady Caizhi smiled thinly.
"It seems like you do. His current Physique is the result of an artificial fusion, forced by a pill formula and a Dao formation beyond our comprehension. Do you realize the implications of that?"
Han Xuhan chose not to answer her, much to her annoyance.
"For your understanding, I'll explain it as simply as possible. He used the Ageing tree leaves to forcefully increase the speed of Qing Ya's physical maturity. This, in turn, forced her innate Physique to manifest earlier than the proper mental development required to adjust to the changes. This created an imbalance between her body and mind. By the time our master discovered it, it was too late. This...poisoning had been going on for years without her notice. Mu Ran's carelessness near the end revealed his scheme to master. She could do nothing but observe, curious to see his plan play out.
Mu Ran took advantage of the illness of Qing Ya's body and mind to propose a solution to her family. He claimed to possess a secret technique passed down in his family, the basics of which he revealed partially. Even someone as illustrious and knowledgeable as our sect master was shaken by the profound principles of the Heavenly Dao hidden in that small portion he revealed that day. Despite knowing that he was perhaps the one behind her illness, nobody could do anything but agree to his proposal."
Han Xuhan raised a hand to interrupt her.
"Why did your...master not propose the solution you offered me? Why not have her possess a different body?"
Lady Caizhi chuckled.
"I finally realize why you're so stubborn to see the truth out in the open. You're a bit too clever for your own good. You've somehow forged a beneficial relationship with him, haven't you? Any serious allegations made against him are sure to hurt that relationship! Hah, just like I said before, humans are too stubborn to see the truth when it is against their wishes."
"You're avoiding the question," Han Xuhan scowled.
"The reason master did not propose that solution is...you need to choose a spirited beast as your new body. Our possession technique doesn't work between two humans. So if Qing Ya wanted to survive, she'd need to cast aside her humanity and change into a spirited beast. A child doesn't have the mental capacity to understand how it will affect her life when she grows up, and our master knew better than to try to convince her. The smallest bit of regret around that possession could permanently destroy her potential as a cultivator, giving birth to heart demons and special tribulations during breakthroughs."
"But she allowed Mu Ran to execute his scheme?" Han Xuhan snorted.
"She allowed it, yes. Because, firstly, Mu Ran's method did not really affect Qing Ya physically, or spiritually. She would stay the same after the process. And secondly, Qing Ya and her family took an immediate liking to his solution."
Han Xuhan could no longer hide the curiosity burning his thoughts. Leaning forward with bright gleaming eyes, he asked, "And what was this solution?"
"I've told you already. The solution he proposed was to 'steal' and 'absorb' her Physique. That was how the concepts were summarized in his technique. He robbed her of the blessing of a Celestial, fused her Physique with his own to boost his cultivation potential, and this left her as an ordinary little girl, devoid of any particular specialty. Out of pity and anger at herself for not being able to stop him, the Guildmaster decided to take her in as a disciple, separating her from your martial brother. Had she not suffered enough in his hands? That audacious brat even had the idea to take her in as a concubine! Truly hopeless! Truly a scourge! He deserved a painful death for his crimes, but alas..."
Han Xuhan felt suffocated facing her tirade. But still, he did not move back an inch. In a struggling tone, he pointed out the most illogical part of her explanation.
"Since your master had the proof of his transgression, why did she not confront him? Why are you putting on this righteous air now?"
"Because..." Lady Caizhi trailed off, looking hesitant. But seemingly having made her resolution, she continued.
"Because she couldn't."
"...What? Why?!" Han Xuhan said, flabbergasted.
"She wouldn't say. But from what I know, she spent a few years in recuperation after she returned from that town. Evidences say she suffered spiritual injury...that's all I know."