Chapter 76

Xu Yan knocked on the door for a while, and Zhu Youxiang poked her head out: "Young Master, you came to see me in the middle of the night. Is there something urgent?"

"Exactly! Xuan Yun, these past two days, my body has been feeling very strange, as if I'm sick!"

"Young Master is sick?" Hearing this, Zhu Youxiang's eyes lit up, suddenly showing great interest. She asked, "Young Master, what exactly has been wrong with your body these past two days?"

At first, Xu Yan felt a bit embarrassed—after all, the other party was a beautiful girl, and he had to tell her about unseemly things like vomiting, diarrhea, and breaking out in a dirty sweat. Xu Yan was indeed a bit hesitant. But seeing Zhu Youxiang's bright eyes and serious expression, Xu Yan put aside his embarrassment and detailed the abnormalities in his body to her. Then he asked, "Xuan Yun, do you think I can continue learning the art of cultivation in this condition?"

"You? Sick?" Zhu Youxiang sized Xu Yan up and then laughed, "Young Master, I think you are quite normal right now. There's nothing to worry about."

Hearing this, Xu Yan almost jumped off the sofa: his vomiting and diarrhea, and his inability to eat or drink, were considered normal by Zhu Youxiang!?

"Xuan Yun, don't joke with me. I've had diarrhea for two days, breaking out in strange sweats, and I can't eat or drink. If this continues, I'm afraid I'll die of exhaustion and starvation!"

"Young Master, rest assured. As you said, you've been vomiting and having diarrhea for two days, and you haven't eaten or drunk anything. But do you feel weak or hungry or tired?"

Xu Yan was taken aback and then realized: indeed, he hadn't felt any hunger or thirst for two days, nor did he feel tired or sleepy. Instead, he felt energetic and clear-headed, more so than when he was well-fed and well-rested. This didn't seem quite right, did it?

"Exactly! Xuan Yun, what's going on?"

"Actually, the abnormalities in Young Master's body are not due to illness but are a normal reaction as your body adjusts after the bone-washing and marrow-cleansing process. You should know that after the bone-washing and marrow-cleansing, all your meridians have been opened, and the spiritual energy has started to flow within you. At this time, your body will naturally expel the long-term waste, impurities, and toxins accumulated in your body and resist the formation of new impurities.

As you can see, sweating, diarrhea, and vomiting—this period in the cultivation stage is called the fasting period. This is a normal reaction of the body's self-purification, and there's no need to worry about it."

Hearing this, Xu Yan felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders and let out a long sigh. But he suddenly thought of something and asked, "But Xuan Yun, you said that cultivation means not eating, but I've seen you eat!"

Zhu Youxiang laughed, "Actually, the fasting period is just the initial stage of cultivation, a phase where the body expels toxins and impurities and purifies itself. This is just a preparatory stage and won't last long, usually just three to five days, depending on the individual. So Young Master, you don't need to worry. The fasting period will soon be over. After this stage, when you enter the qi-induction and qi-cultivation stages, your body will naturally return to normal functions. You can eat when you want, and your body will accept it. If you don't want to eat, you can fast for ten to fifteen days without any problems.

People often think that cultivators don't eat, but that's a misunderstanding. We cultivate to seek longevity, and enjoying food is one of life's great pleasures. If we lost the pleasure of eating and lived on air and wind, cultivation would be quite meaningless. Even my teacher, the Lonely Sword Saint, who has reached the peak of the yuan ying stage, often puts aside his dignity and shares delicious food with us, enjoying it to the fullest.

However, as the cultivation realm gradually improves, cultivators will eat less and won't feel hungry. But when we want to eat, we can still eat like ordinary people."

Xu Yan was enlightened but was most concerned about Zhu Youxiang's statement: the fasting period would be over in just three to five days. Even if it was a hellish ordeal, it would be over in just three to five days, which gave him something to look forward to.

So, in the following days, Xu Yan stayed at home, waiting for the fasting period to pass. Fortunately, although he couldn't leave home, his days weren't too hard to bear. With his computer and internet, he could surf the web and play games, which helped pass the time.

These days, because Xu Yan hadn't gone to class for several days, the school had contacted him once. The person who contacted him was his counselor, a young graduate, Teacher Li.

Teacher Li called and said politely, "Xu Yan, the teachers of several courses have reported that they haven't seen you in class for the past few days. Your classmates and dorm mates also said they haven't seen you for several days. You haven't been seen for several days. Is everything okay? Is there anything wrong with your health?"

Hearing Teacher Li's gentle voice, Xu Yan was a bit touched. In modern society, people are indifferent, and even in the sacred place of education, universities are increasingly profit-driven. Xu Yan often saw news about students disappearing for half a year without the school administration knowing. In comparison, his gentle and responsible counselor, Teacher Li, was truly exceptional.

Xu Yan told Teacher Li that he had been suffering from gastroenteritis, vomiting and diarrhea, and a bit of a cold, and he was too unwell to go to school. He asked the teacher to forgive him.

Hearing this, Teacher Li pondered for a moment, "Oh, that serious? Have you been to the hospital, Xu Yan?"

"Oh, yes, I've seen a doctor, and they gave me medicine and an IV. They said it's acute gastroenteritis and advised me to rest at home for a couple of days. Teacher, it's nothing serious, so you don't need to worry about me."

"Oh, I see. Where do you live? I can come and visit you, bring you some food to comfort you."

"Uh, Teacher, thank you, but there's no need. I live off-campus, and my room is a bit messy. I don't want to trouble you. Teacher Li, don't worry. It's not serious, and I'm feeling much better now."

Teacher Li clearly breathed a sigh of relief, "I'm glad you're okay. Rest at home and take care of yourself. I'll inform your teachers about your absence, so you don't need to worry about attendance. Rest well, take your medicine on time, and get better soon. When you return to school, work hard to catch up on the missed classes. I won't keep you from resting. Take care.

Remember, if you have any difficulties, come to me. I'm not much older than you, and we're both young. You can consider me your close friend and share anything with me."

After hanging up with Teacher Li, Xu Yan felt a bit melancholic. He remembered that when Zheng Qiuyi brought the police to find him, Teacher Li had tried hard to protect him and help him. Now, with a simple lie, Teacher Li believed him completely and even helped him take leave from other teachers.

It's rare to see such a responsible and caring teacher nowadays! Thinking about lying to such a caring teacher, Xu Yan felt a bit guilty. He thought that when he returned to school, he should bring some gifts to visit the teacher.

But before Xu Yan could think about what gifts to bring, his phone rang again. It was Liu Yang, the fat guy. Xu Yan pressed the answer button and heard Liu Yang's voice in the receiver, "Hey, Yanzi, it's me, Fat Master! Did you hear that?"

Xu Yan said irritably, "I know it's you, Fat Master! I'm not feeling well today. If you have something to say, say it. If not, go to bed early."

"Hey, Little Yanzi, you've grown up, daring to talk to Fat Master like that—Hey, Little Yanzi, I heard you haven't been to class or back to the dorm for several days. You've been missing for a while?"

"Uh? How did you know?"

"Are you kidding? Fat Master is all-knowing and all-powerful, knowing the past and the future, understanding the heavens and the earth, and knowing human affairs. In this big campus of Shudu, how can anything escape Fat Master's notice?"

Liu Yang first boasted greatly and then revealed the truth, "—Uh, Yanzi, your class teacher, Teacher Li, asked me about your situation. How could I not know?"

Xu Yan realized, "Oh, I see. Yes, I've been feeling unwell these past few days, vomiting and diarrhea. The doctor said it's acute gastroenteritis, and I'm resting at home."

Liu Yang laughed mischievously in the receiver, "Acute gastroenteritis? Yanzi, I bet it's not your stomach that hurts, but your heart."

Xu Yan had a bad feeling and said sternly, "Fat Master, what do you mean by that?"

"Ha, Yanzi, everyone in the class and the department is talking about it. They say you're heartbroken because a pretty girl from the International Trade Department dumped you, and you're now at home, crying and healing your wounds!"

Hearing this, Xu Yan was stunned. He instinctively denied it, "Fat Master, don't spread rumors. Even if we're close, I can still sue you for defamation—Who told you this?"

"Ha, Yanzi, you're still trying to deny it. Everyone in the class and the department knows. Some even say you've found a beautiful place to jump into a river, or that you've cut your wrists at home. Yanzi, tell Fat Master the truth. What did Gong Xueting say to you that night? Did she really give you a 'good person card'?"

"Nonsense!" Xu Yan was furious, "Who the hell spread this rumor? I'll strangle them when I get back to school! Fat Master, tell me where this rumor came from."

At this point, Xu Yan finally understood why Teacher Li had been so gentle and understanding when she called, believing his gastroenteritis without even asking for a doctor's note or medical records, and immediately agreeing to help him take leave from other teachers, even comforting him so kindly—she clearly saw him as a heartbroken loser who was hiding at home, preparing to commit suicide.

Liu Yang couldn't pinpoint the source of the rumor, but he said that the details of this rumor were very rich and didn't seem like a typical rumor. It was well-detailed, and even the fact that Xu Yan was drunk that night was known.

Liu Yang said, "I think the person who spread this rumor was someone who was there that night. Many details were clearly stated, such as when we sent the girls back to their dorms, and when Gong Xueting talked to you at the girls' dorm. The rumor is so detailed, Yanzi, think about it, who is the most likely person?"

"Who is the most likely person?"

Xu Yan thought about it for two seconds and gave up: that night, there were four or five people from Gong Xueting's dorm, three teachers, Gong Xueting's senior, and the big-mouthed Liu Yang. With so many people involved, it was inevitable that someone noticed the subtle situation between him and Gong Xueting—Chen Yaoyu, for example, had noticed. Everyone present, except himself, was a suspect—and even if the rumor was traced, it wouldn't help much.

The person who spread the rumor couldn't be traced, but Liu Yang told Xu Yan another thing, "Yanzi, I have something to tell you: this morning, when I went to my computer class, I ran into your Gong Xueting."

"Hey, Fat Master, what do you mean by 'your Gong Xueting'? She's her, and I'm me. We have nothing to do with each other, so don't say such things."

"Ha, you're just trying to distance yourself! Don't you want to know what Gong Xueting said to me?"

"Pfft, what could she say? Probably something like, 'Fat Master, have you eaten? Your belly looks even rounder.' I don't care, but suddenly I have a feeling—did you two talk about me?"

The receiver transmitted Liu Yang's sinister laugh, "Exactly, Yanzi, you're so smart! Do you want to know what our dear Xueting said to me? Just treat me to a real dragon meal—uh, forget it, that place is a sore spot for you, so let's go to the Lotus Flower Restaurant instead. Treat me to a big meal, and I'll tell you everything, every detail, no holds barred. Deal?"

"Ha, Fat Master, you can talk or not, what's the big deal!" Xu Yan felt his heart beating fast but pretended to be indifferent, "Gong Xueting and I have nothing to do with each other. I don't care what she says. Fat Master, if you want to extort, you've picked the wrong person."

The receiver transmitted a sinister laugh, and Liu Yang said, "Ha, I see! Our great hero Yanzi has reached the realm of emptiness and non-attachment, cutting off all emotional ties. Fine, I'll leave it at that. Rest well at home, and get better soon. Goodnight!"

"Hey, Fat Master! Tell me clearly..."

Before Xu Yan could finish, the receiver was already dead, and Xu Yan was stunned for a moment before realizing that Liu Yang had hung up.

"What a jerk, always thinking about eating. I hope he chokes on his food!"

Xu Yan cursed, hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't resist his curiosity—