Chapter 25

Song Qing Shi and An Long vigorously debated on medical topics such as human anatomy, physiological hygiene, proctology, and lacerations. The discussion soon escalated into a heated scholarly dispute. Although neither had experience with men, Song Qing Shi cited relevant treatment cases with sound reasoning. An Long, unable to substantiate his own theories, found himself steadily losing ground.

An Long persisted: "In the realm of immortals, there are many devoted same-sex couples, such as Moon-Gazing Immortal and Wu Ling Immortal. Their love runs deep and they are inseparable. If the experience is so painful, why would Moon-Gazing Immortal willingly endure it?"

Song Qing Shi countered: "Because Moon-Gazing Immortal loves Wu Ling Immortal and can't bear to see him in pain."

Unable to rebut, An Long asked, "Why do you think that?"

"That's just how I see it," Song Qing Shi responded earnestly. "It's a mere laceration. It's endurable. A man should be strong for the person he loves; he shouldn't make them suffer."

An Long found this almost hilariously naive and had to suppress his laughter to maintain a serious expression, struggling to keep his 'wolfish' grin at bay.

The younger Qing Shi was incredibly endearing. Unfortunately, the two types of spiritual flames within him were troublesome. The Red Lotus Dark Fire required spiritual power to control, while the Netherworld Wraith Fire needed spiritual power to suppress. Any binding or controlling spells and artifacts were ineffective on him.

What a pity! If not for that, An Long would have already spirited him away to Wan Gu Sect and wooed him at leisure.

An Long stifled his laughter, stating seriously: "Continuing this discussion is pointless; such matters require practical experience for clarification."

Song Qing Shi found this to be reasonable.

"Don't look at me," An Long pointed out, showing off his imposing frame and menacing tattoos. "Anyone daring enough to lay a hand on me hasn't even been born yet."

Song Qing Shi also found this to be reasonable. Given An Long's appearance, temperament, and physicality, nobody would dare approach him, let alone do such things to him.

An Long sincerely suggested, "Why don't you try it out yourself?"

Song Qing Shi hesitated.

"I wouldn't recommend experimenting with just anyone," An Long gave a reliable analysis. "If the experience is as painful as you speculate, you risk losing control of your poisonous flames, which would be very dangerous. It's best to choose someone with enough strength and understanding of your character."

Song Qing Shi rebutted, "I have confidence in my control over the Netherworld Wraith Fire. As long as my spiritual power is active, I can keep it in check, even if I pass out."

An Long, barely containing his unseen wagging tail, earnestly said, "With your renown as the Divine Medicine Master, who would dare touch you? Do you have any friends in the immortal realm willing to undertake such an endeavor? Or should I sacrifice myself for science and help you figure out what it feels like?"

Although An Long's tone seemed strange, his logic and analysis were sound.

Song Qing Shi pondered for a full quarter-hour before ultimately rejecting the proposal: "No."

As a medical student, he felt no shame in discussing matters of this nature. After all, it's one of the three primary human instincts and the basis for reproduction. Nor did he find same-sex relationships shameful, considering that nearly every species in nature has displayed homosexual behavior, even his lab mice. So, he was open to discussing topics like this, much like discussing historical treatments for venereal diseases or challenges in obstetrics with his senior classmates. Moreover, modern relationships come and go, and many people cohabit before marriage. He was single only because he was engrossed in his medical studies, not out of some misplaced sense of purity.

His refusal was based on simple reasoning: An Long was a straight man. It was unnecessary to compel someone who liked women to sleep with a man. Moreover, his upbringing was strict, and he didn't condone toying with emotions. He believed that one should take responsibility for their actions, whether it's with a man or a woman, always with the end goal of marriage or becoming Daoist companions.

Therefore, he had absolutely no desire to take responsibility for An Long!

Being good friends was enough. Keeping him at home would lead to the collapse of Medicine King Valley.

Seeing Song Qing Shi hesitate, An Long sensed an opportunity. In his eagerness, he lost some of his natural poise, revealing a hint of enthusiastic anticipation.

Song Qing Shi became suspicious: "You're not trying to trick me again, are you?"

An Long had deceived him too many times for Song Qing Shi to maintain any semblance of trust.

An Long quickly denied it: "No!"

Song Qing Shi thought about it carefully and presented a new point: "Your reaction just now seemed like you have something up your sleeve, like you're waiting to make fun of me."

Confronted with his murky past, An Long had no rebuttal.

Song Qing Shi felt he might have been fixating on the wrong issue. It shouldn't be about how painful the act is, but rather how excruciating it could be with someone you don't care for. He decided to drop it: "Never mind, this doesn't seem reliable. It was hasty and impulsive of me. Let's not bring it up again."

An Long felt like the meat he was about to grab had flown away, leaving him to sulk in the corner.

Hao Long, the snake, slithered over from somewhere, climbing up Song Qing Shi's waist to snuggle, completely ignoring his despondent owner.

Song Qing Shi was about to pet it when he sensed Yue Wu Huan waking up. He hastily removed the snake and tossed it onto An Long before rushing back.

Failing to win his master's attention, Hao Long was utterly flabbergasted.

An Long patted its head, consoling it: "Don't be sad."

　...

When Yue Wu Huan woke up, he sat dazedly by the bedside for a while. His breathing had improved significantly, but his thoughts were still muddled—bits and pieces of memories swirled together, a jumble of emotions filled with real-life disappointments and illusions of happiness. He was yearning for that person, to the point of nearly going insane.

Trembling, he slowly stood up and approached the mirror, staring blankly at the mole under his eye. A peculiar thought crossed his mind.

Would he revert to the version of himself in the illusion—someone cherished by that person—if that mole were gone?

He glanced back at the room, noticing all potentially harmful objects had been removed. So he shattered the porcelain box on the table, picked up a shard, and meticulously gouged at the beauty mark beneath his left eye. His hand was shaky, the shard not quite sharp, but it didn't matter; he felt no pain, was unaware of the warm blood trickling onto his fingertips. Gazing into the mirror, he stabbed again and again, finally succeeding in removing the mark, which he joyfully placed in his palm.

The door opened, and his young man appeared before him, bathed in dazzling sunlight.

His face lit up with an expectant smile as he obediently said, "Qing Shi, you're back?"

As soon as Song Qing Shi opened the door, he was met with a visage smeared with blood, clutching a shard of porcelain. He was so shocked that he almost fell to his knees.

All he did was lightly touch that beauty mark! Was it really necessary to gouge it out?

Song Qing Shi rushed forward, snatching away both the makeshift weapon and the bloody tissue, before tending to the injuries on his face.

Yue Wu Huan's careless actions had marred almost half of his perfect face, yet he continued to smile at Song Qing Shi, gently reassuring, "Don't worry, I'm fine."

With a quivering voice, Song Qing Shi kept on comforting, "Yes, you're fine, you're fine. You have a wood-based spiritual root; you won't scar."

He wasn't sure whom to comfort: the man before him or himself.

Scars weren't a big deal, but what could be done when the spirit had already collapsed?

Song Qing Shi felt like he was on the verge of breaking down as well.

"Are they really going mad?" An Long peeked out with Hao Long, wondering if he didn't offer something precious as compensation, he might never be welcome in the Medicine King Valley again. "What can someone so mentally unstable accomplish? What stupidity am I committing by getting involved with him?"

An Long plunged into deep self-doubt.