Su Wen ate calmly, his expression unchanged, quietly channelling the restorative properties of the stew and tea into refining his organs and blood.
Du Yue stole a few more glances at him while she ate, thinking to herself: 'Not only is the food he cooks super tasty, but it's got medicinal properties too. Plus, he's a genius cultivator who's mastering both body and spirit cultivation. He's already comprehended the Grade 2 Sword Intent and Space Intent, and he's actually trying to merge them? …Grandma told me that he is a genius physician and alchemist, and writes good poetry, Is this guy some kind of Immortal living in disguise just trying out the mortal life?'
Su Wen, completely oblivious to her intense monologue, finished his food and asked Du Yue, who was thankfully out of her daze now, "I'll be checking your injuries in half an hour. If you have anything to do, you can do it now. For the next four hours, you'll need to focus on refining the medicine I give you, and then I'll check on you again in the afternoon."
He headed straight for the herb garden, plucked a leaf from the Spiritvine herb, and went into the Alchemy Room. He flipped on the safety formation, set his black treasure cauldron in the centre of the pit, and got to work. He pulled out the Spiritroot herb, Spiritvine herb, and a few other minor herbs to refine the two pills Du Yue needed for today. Luckily, he still had plenty of Spiritroot herb left, enough for a few more days.
Once those pills were done, he quickly cleaned the cauldron using his Soul Sense. Then, he pulled out the Green Lotus Petals he got from James's back in the village and immediately started refining a new batch of pills butt this time, for his own soul cultivation.
As Su Wen finished refining his pills and emerged, Du Yue was already waiting for him in the courtyard. She had been somewhat nervous moments before, but upon meeting his calm eyes, which were full of confidence, she immediately calmed down. For reasons she couldn't explain, she felt willing to place her complete trust in this man whom she had only met the previous day.
Su Wen approached her and knelt down on his knees, as she was seated in a chair. He nodded and extended his palm. Du Yue met his gaze and, without hesitation, gave him her hand. Su Wen held her soft hand in his left, and gently touched her wrist with his right. His heart rate momentarily quickened, a reaction he swiftly suppressed.
This time, he directly employed his Soul Sense to peer into her body, leaving Du Yue utterly stupefied.
"Y–You broke through to Foundation Establishment?? Wait, no, you're a Soul cultivator?!"
Su Wen shot her a smug little smirk.
"Well, you didn't ask," he said, sounding way too pleased with himself. "I would've told you."
Then he puffed up his chest just a bit, zero shame, full pride.
"I stayed in Qi Refinement on purpose for over a year. Wanted to walk the extreme of that realm."
Du Yue just stared at him like he'd sprouted horns. 'He stayed in Qi Refinement on purpose? For an entire year?? Not only is he walking all three paths, but he could've already broken through to Foundation Establishment last year… which means by now he might've even been a Golden Core cultivator.'
She couldn't stop the whisper that slipped out. "Monster…"
Su Wen nodded like she'd just given him the highest compliment.
"Exactly. Now you get how amazing I am. You should start showing some respect to this Young Master of the Mountain."
Du Yue snorted. "Narcissist."
But yeah… she didn't refuted either.
"Alright, calm down now. I have a beauty to heal," Su Wen said righteously.
He immediately used his Soul Sense to probe her body once more. As his Soul Sense entered, the cold sensation erupted again, though this time he met with little resistance. 'Her Yin Qi also requires nourishment, as it has been largely depleted by her body's efforts to heal the injuries caused by the Heavenly Tribulation,' Su Wen muttered under his breath.
As his Soul Sense peered within, Du Yue felt a tingly sensation spread through her, which quickly turned into a warm feeling, causing her face to deepen with a blush.
"As expected, your situation is quite severe, affecting not only your meridians but also your internal injuries from the tribulation," he stated after a few minutes.
"For now, my primary goal is to repair your meridians, specifically the ones which are merely blocked and not excessively damaged. This will allow me to complete a full Qi circulation within your body. The remaining, more damaged meridians can then be slowly repaired later."
"Next, I will employ my Sword Intent to carefully purge the remaining Heavenly Tribulation power from your body. I will then utilize your restored meridian circulation to transfer the medicinal properties directly to the injured areas."
He paused for a moment, then said, "This process may be lengthy, but it is the most advantageous treatment for you, as it will significantly strengthen your body. You may even be able to simultaneously refine your Skin, Muscles, Bones, Organs, and Blood. That leaves only the Brain and Heart, which you can refine separately later, thus enabling you to achieve the Sevenfold Body Refinement."
He looked up at her, his voice softening in a way that somehow made it hit harder.
"This method's going to hurt. A lot. But honestly? As a cultivator, you're better off getting used to that kind of pain now rather than later. Sometimes pain's the thing that pushes you into a new level of strength."
He didn't rush her. He just stayed there, holding her wrist lightly, waiting for her answer.
Du Yue hadn't expected this at all, not the gentle warning, and definitely not the fact that he planned to use her injuries as a stepping stone for her cultivation. She came here worried about the permanent damage… and he was talking about helping her break into the very first major physical realm, the Sevenfold Martial Body Refinement.
The realization left her a little breathless.