Chapter 9 The Assistance of the Big Beauty

Ever since that suffocating "healing" experience at the hot springs, Li Lianhua had wished he could dig a hole and bury himself, or drive the Lotus Tower to the ends of the earth. However, Di Feisheng clearly had no intention of letting go of the source of his "difficult and complicated illness."

Di Feisheng regarded that "abnormal reaction" as a difficult martial arts problem that needed to be solved urgently, and Li Lianhua was his only research subject and question-answerer.

He would suddenly appear beside Li Lianhua while she was brewing medicine, and ask in a serious tone with a blank expression, "Li Lianhua, I've searched the classics and found no record of internal energy interaction causing abnormal expansion of Qi and blood three inches below the Dantian in the lower abdomen. You are a master of medicine, do you know what the root cause of this problem is?"

Li Lianhua's hand trembled, and the medicine jar was almost knocked over. His face instantly turned red, and he gritted his teeth: "...I don't know! Alliance leader, you should ask the Medicine Demon!"

"The Medicine Demon knows nothing about this." Di Feisheng frowned, obviously having asked before, "This matter seems to be only related to you. Do you need to observe the experiment more closely?" As he spoke, he actually took a step forward.

Li Lianhua was so scared that she stepped back repeatedly, grabbed a handful of dry herbs and stuffed them into his hand: "The leader's blood is too strong! Reduce the internal heat! Clear away the heat! Drink more hot water! Don't ask me again!" After saying that, she almost trotted back into the building and slammed the door.

Di Feisheng held the handful of herbs and stood there, his brow furrowed, becoming even more confused. "Reduce internal heat? Clear away heat? Could this really be a form of insanity?"

Di Feisheng began an all-round, no-dead-angle "observation" of Li Lianhua, trying to find the pattern that caused his "abnormality".

Li Lianhua was drying medicinal herbs in the yard, and Di Feisheng was standing not far away with his arms folded, staring intently at his every movement of bending and standing up, trying to analyze which posture would cause fluctuations in his qi and blood.

Li Lianhua was making a fire and cooking by the stove, while Di Feisheng was leaning against the door frame, intently watching his cheeks and neck, which were red in the firelight, and the lines of his arms, which he occasionally raised to wipe the sweat off.

Even when Li Lianhua was just sitting and reading, Di Feisheng would suddenly approach, reaching out to check his pulse or forehead without warning, under the pretext of "monitoring whether you have triggered the source of my internal energy fluctuations."

Li Lianhua was highly nervous about this "close research." Every time the sound of the flute approached, his entire body stiffened, like a frightened bird. However, the other person's expression was always one of serious academic inquiry, leaving him with no legitimate reason to vent his anger, and he could only hold it in until it hurt.

What made Li Lianhua want to die on the spot the most was Di Feisheng's "curiosity for knowledge" regardless of the occasion.

Once, several leaders of the Sigu Sect (Qiao Wanwan, Xiao Zijin, etc.) came to discuss with Di Feisheng the next step of exploring the altar. They were discussing the matter in a temporary tent.

As an "accompanying doctor", Li Lianhua was forced to sit in the corner and listen, trying to reduce her presence as much as possible.

As Di Feisheng listened, his gaze suddenly fell on Li Lianhua again, as if he was reminded of the problem that had troubled him for a long time. He completely ignored Xiao Zijin who was speaking and suddenly spoke to Li Lianhua. His voice was not loud, but it was clearly audible in the quiet tent:

"Li Lianhua, yesterday while you were bathing, I practiced my Qi outside the tent, but no abnormal reaction occurred. Does this prove that this disease requires contact with your skin to be triggered?"

"Puff!" Ji Hanfu, who was drinking water, spat out a mouthful of water.

Xiao Zijin's words came to an abrupt halt, and her expression was as if she had been struck by lightning.

Qiao Wanwan suddenly opened her eyes wide, looked at the sound of the flute, then looked at Li Lianhua who instantly curled up into a ball and wished she could crawl into the crack in the ground, her cheeks quickly turned red.

There was deathly silence in the tent.

Li Lianhua was red from head to toe, like a cooked shrimp. He stood up suddenly, the chair made a harsh friction sound, and he could not speak clearly: "You...what nonsense are you talking about! I...I suddenly remembered that there is still medicine stewing on the stove! Goodbye!" After saying that, he almost stumbled out of the tent with his hands and feet together, and his back was full of "shame and anger".

Di Feisheng frowned even more as he watched his reaction. He turned to the stunned crowd in the tent and said with genuine confusion, "I'm just verifying the facts. Why is he doing this?"

Xiao Zijin/Ji Hanfo/Bai Jiangqun: “…” (Inner thoughts: Is this something we can listen to?!)

Qiao Wanwan: "..." (her face flushed, her eyes extremely complicated)

After many times of "observation" and "data analysis", Di Feisheng seemed to have determined that getting close to Li Lianhua, especially touching her skin, was the only effective way to "relieve" that strange restlessness.

So he became more "direct".

Li Lianhua was squatting on the ground sorting the medicine basket when Di Feisheng would suddenly come over, squat next to him, and his arm would "inadvertently" be pressed against his arm.

When Li Lianhua sat on the shaft of the cart and hurried on his way, Di Feisheng would fly over and sit next to him without saying a word, their shoulders touching, and they could even feel each other's body temperature.

Li Lianhua slept on the floor in the building at night (he was determined not to let Di Feisheng enter the inner room). Di Feisheng would suddenly push open the door in the middle of the night, stand beside the floor, look down at him, as if thinking about whether to lie down and "experiment" to see if sleeping together could "cure" the disease.

Li Lianhua was always frightened out of her wits, jumping up from the mat, hugging her pillow and looking at him in horror: "Alliance Leader Di! What do you want to do now?!"

Di Feisheng said calmly, "Let's experiment. Perhaps if I stay close enough, I'll adapt and even recover."

Li Lianhua: "...Please find someone else to test it on!!" (Like the Medicine Demon?!)

One is annoyed by the strange reactions and strong attraction of his body but doesn't know how to deal with it, so he can only "study" and "relieve" it in the most straightforward way; the other knows it well but is extremely embarrassed, and tries desperately to avoid the other's "straight ball" harassment.

The way the two of them interacted became extremely strange and hilarious, leaving the subordinates of the Jinyuan League and the people from the Sigumen standing by stunned. Their gossipy spirits were burning, but they didn't dare to ask any more questions.

And Di Feisheng, on this rugged road leading to "understanding human emotions and desires", relying on the persistence of a martial arts fanatic, is groping forward in a ridiculous way, ignorantly but firmly, causing Li Lianhua a lot of trouble.

Jiao Liqiao, the Saintess of the Golden Mandarin Duck Alliance, possessive of Di Feisheng, had long since learned, through spies planted near the Alliance Leader, bits and pieces of information about the hot springs that day, as well as the Leader's recent "abnormal" behavior. She was particularly furious when she heard that the Leader had actually had a "normal male reaction" to the ailing Li Lianhua, then overjoyed—this proved that the Leader wasn't heartless or devoid of desire, but simply hadn't yet grasped the truth!

She dressed up carefully, wearing a bright red gauze, with a graceful figure and a fragrant smell. On a moonlit night, she found Di Feisheng patrolling alone outside the camp.

"Your Majesty~" Jiao Liqiao's voice was so sweet it looked like honey dripping from it. She slid in close, as soft and boneless as a snake, her delicate fingers boldly caressing Di Feisheng's firm chest. Her eyes flickered, filled with blatant temptation. "I heard that Your Majesty has been feeling unwell recently. Would it be okay for Qiao Qiao to help you... with your worries and troubles?"

She pressed almost her entire soft body against him, her red lips breathing out orchid-smelling air, trying to ignite the iceberg in front of her.

However, Di Feisheng's reaction was completely the opposite.

The moment Jiao Liqiao approached, his brows suddenly furrowed, not in confusion, but in undisguised disgust and irritation! An instinctive feeling of rejection, similar to being touched by a disgusting poisonous insect, arose spontaneously.

"Get out of here." His voice was icy, filled with extreme impatience and even a hint of murderous intent. He swung Jiao Liqiao's hand away with such force that she stumbled and nearly fell.

The charming smile on Jiao Liqiao's face froze instantly, and she looked at Di Feisheng in disbelief. She could feel that, far from being moved by him, the pressure around him had actually dropped even lower. The disgust in his eyes was so clear that it pierced her heart.

"Your Majesty..." She was unwilling to give in and tried to get closer again, her voice filled with grievance, "You can be so close to Li Lianhua, but why are you so...?"

"Li Lianhua?" Di Feisheng caught the name, and his thoughts immediately shifted from the current irritation to the problem that had been plaguing him for days. He compared his current feelings—Jiao Liqiao's proximity only made him nauseous, while Li Lianhua's proximity triggered a strange and intense restlessness.

This sharp contrast made him even more confused.

Seeing him distracted, Jiao Liqiao thought she had a chance. She bit her lip and flirted more openly, "Your Majesty, you are a man of integrity. It's perfectly normal for you to react like that... It's a sign of a man's virility, meaning you want... you want to pamper someone... Qiao Qiao is willing to do it for you..."

Her words were explicit and suggestive.

Di Feisheng suddenly came to his senses, as if he had been enlightened!

Male virility? A normal reaction? Wanting to pamper someone?

These words strung together were like a bolt of lightning, splitting the fog in his martial arts-obsessed mind!

So... that wasn't a case of possessedness, or a collision of internal energy, but... a normal physiological reaction?!

And the reason why I only have feelings for Li Lianhua...

Jiao Liqiao looked at his eyes, which had suddenly become sharp and dazed, and her heart was burning with jealousy. She blurted out without thinking, "Could it be that Your Majesty's reaction was really only directed at Li Lianhua?! He's a man, and a consumptive, so why..."

"Shut up!"

Di Feisheng interrupted her harshly, but his eyes were surprisingly bright, and an unprecedented and extremely complex emotion exploded in his heart - shock, confusion, realization, and a secret throbbing that he himself had not even noticed.

He stared at Jiao Liqiao intently, as if trying to confirm something with her: "You said... this is a reaction that only occurs to certain people?"

Jiao Liqiao was frightened by the terrifying light in his eyes and nodded subconsciously: "Of course... When the heart has desires, the body will move..."

What do you want in your heart?

To Li Lianhua?

Di Feisheng was completely stunned.

Therefore, his inexplicable restlessness, his uncontrollable desire to get closer, and the abnormality that could only be alleviated (actually, exacerbated) by being close to Li Lianhua... were not caused by the poison, nor by the collision of martial arts...

But it’s because... he wants Li Lianhua?

The impact of this conclusion on him was far greater than being possessed by a demon!

He violently pushed away Jiao Liqiao, who was still trying to entangle him, without even glancing at her instantly pale face. He turned and strode away, with only one thought in his mind:

Go find Li Lianhua!

He wanted to see him immediately! He wanted to confirm this "reaction" in front of him again!

Meanwhile, Li Lianhua, restlessly praying for Di Feisheng to stop coming back to her in the Lotus Tower, had no idea that a storm of "research," based on a new understanding and more direct and intense, was roaring towards him. Jiao Liqiao's "assistance" had, by accident, pushed Di Feisheng's naive obsession in a more specific, yet more dangerous, direction.