"You killed a bear."
"It was a suicide. The bear was depressed."
Gu Ling stared at Jiang Fan from across her workbench. The air in the Frost Forge Pavilion was colder than usual, likely reflecting her mood.
"It was a Stage 5 Iron-Hide Bear," Gu Ling pressed, tapping a crystal tablet that displayed the autopsy report. "Its throat was crushed by a precise, high-velocity impact. Its claws were severed. It didn't trip, Jiang Fan. It was dismantled."
Jiang Fan, currently lying on a pile of wolf pelts he had dragged into the corner to make a nest, shrugged.
"Nature is a mystery, Senior Sister. Anyway, did you call me here to interrogate me about wildlife safety, or is my commission ready?"
Gu Ling sighed, the frost in the air dissipating slightly. She spun her wheelchair around, the mechanical spider legs on the back clinking softly against the stone floor.
"You are infuriating," she muttered. "But yes. Since you seem determined to never lift a finger, I realized a normal sword is useless for you. You'd probably use it as a walking stick."
"Walking sticks are useful. They reduce leg fatigue by 30%."
"Be quiet. I made you this."
She waved her hand. A wooden box on the table slid open.
Inside rested a Folding Fan.
It looked like a scholar's accessory, made of black spirit-wood with silver silk making up the fan blades. It looked elegant, harmless, and lightweight.
"A fan?" Jiang Fan raised an eyebrow. "Am I joining a poetry club?"
"Pick it up."
Jiang Fan reached out. As soon as his fingers touched the wood, the fan hummed. It didn't feel like wood; it felt like a dormant beast.
"It's called the 'Gale-Shadow Fan'," Gu Ling explained, her eyes lighting up with the pride of an inventor. "I embedded a Micro-Levitation Array in the spine. If you let go of it, it won't fall. It will hover by your shoulder."
She flicked her finger. "Open it."
Jiang Fan flicked his wrist. SNAP.
The fan opened. The silver silk shimmered.
"Now, inject a tiny bit of Qi."
Jiang Fan pushed a wisp of energy into the handle. Instantly, the silver silk edges sharpened, glowing with a razor-thin aura. The gentle breeze form the fan suddenly felt like a collection of invisible knives.
"The ribs are made of Cold-Iron," Gu Ling said. "It can block a sword strike. The silk is woven from Razor-Spider thread. It can cut through rock. But the best part..."
She grinned. "It has a 'Sentry Mode'. If you leave it hovering, it will automatically block projectiles aimed at your face. You don't even have to hold it."
Jiang Fan looked at the fan. It was sleek. It was deadly. It required zero effort to use.
"I love it," Jiang Fan said solemnly. "I shall name it 'The Air Conditioner'."
Gu Ling choked. "You will not call a Master-Rank artifact 'The Air Conditioner'!"
"Too late. The bond is formed." Jiang Fan let go of the fan. True to her word, it didn't fall. It floated lazily next to his ear, gently fanning him with cool air.
"Perfect."
The business was done, but Jiang Fan didn't leave immediately. He watched as Gu Ling turned back to her forge.
She was working on a heavy breastplate, lifting it with her telekinesis. But as she worked, Jiang Fan noticed something.
Every few minutes, she would stop. Her hand would drift down to her paralyzed legs, rubbing her knees with a grimace of frustration. Her movements, usually fluid, were stiff. She shifted constantly in her chair, as if trying to find a position that didn't hurt.
Jiang Fan sat up from his pile of pelts.
"Your circulation is bad today," he observed bluntly.
Gu Ling stiffened. Her hand snapped away from her legs. "I'm fine. The cold weather just makes the joints ache."
"It's not just the cold," Jiang Fan stood up—a rare occurrence—and walked over to her. The hovering fan followed him like a loyal pet. "I've been watching you. You use Qi to force your muscles to stay toned so they don't atrophy, right? That's why your legs aren't withered."
Gu Ling didn't look at him. "It's a standard medical technique. If I don't, the muscle tissue will die. It... is unpleasant."
"Unpleasant? It's like being electrocuted 24/7."
Jiang Fan leaned against the workbench. He didn't look at her with pity. He looked at her like a mechanic looking at a faulty engine.
"What's your maintenance routine?"
Gu Ling blinked, caught off guard by the clinical question. "My... routine?"
"Yeah. Do you stretch? Massage? Or do you just blast them with Ice Qi and hope for the best?"
"I... I use a meridian-clearing mantra every morning," Gu Ling admitted quietly. "But since I have no sensation, I can't tell if I'm overdoing it until the bruising appears."
She hated talking about this. She hated admitting weakness. But Jiang Fan's tone was so casual, so devoid of judgment, that the words just slipped out.
"That's stupid," Jiang Fan said.
"Excuse me?" Gu Ling's eyes narrowed.
"Using Qi is too harsh. You're traumatizing the tissue." Jiang Fan tapped the armrest of her chair. "You need external stimulation. Physical movement without the stress."
He hesitated for a second, then opened his System Shop interface in his mind.
He had 700 IP left after the bear fight. He browsed the [Medical / Blueprint] section.
Search: Physical Therapy.Result: [Blueprint: Percussive Massage Gun (Spirit Powered)] - 200 IP.Result: [Item: Self-Heating Knee Pads] - 50 IP.
"System, buy the pads. And download the blueprint into my brain."
[ Purchase Confirmed. ]
Jiang Fan reached into his robe (Inventory) and pulled out a pair of thick, black knee pads. They looked ordinary, but they radiated a gentle, smokeless heat.
"Here," he tossed them onto her lap.
Gu Ling stared at them. "What are these?"
"Thermal-pads. They use a passive fire array to generate heat, but I modified it to penetrate deep into the tissue. Put them on."
"I don't need your charity, Jiang—"
"It's not charity. If you're in pain, you craft slower. If you craft slower, I wait longer for my gadgets. Put them on."
Gu Ling glared at him, then looked down at the pads. Her legs were throbbing today—a deep, cold ache that went into the bone.
She hesitantly picked up the pads and strapped them around her knees.
"Inject a tiny bit of Qi," Jiang Fan instructed.
She did.
Instantly, a warm, soothing sensation wrapped around her joints. It wasn't the burning heat of fire magic; it was a deep, permeating warmth that felt like a hot bath. For the first time in hours, the tension in her lower back released.
Gu Ling let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Her shoulders dropped two inches.
"Oh," she whispered.
"Better?"
"It's... acceptable," she said, though her hand lingered on the warm pads. "It alleviates the stiffness."
"Good." Jiang Fan grabbed a piece of charcoal and sketched a quick diagram on her table. "Also, stop using Qi to shock your muscles. I'll draw up a design for a device—a vibrating hammer—that can massage the deep tissue. You can build it yourself. It'll stop the bruising."
Gu Ling watched him sketch. The diagram was strange—a T-shaped device with a reciprocating head—but the mechanics were sound.
She looked at the messy drawing, then at the warm pads on her knees, and finally at the boy who was currently checking his fingernails, looking bored again.
"Why?" she asked.
"Why what?"
"Why do you care? You're lazy. Helping me requires effort."
Jiang Fan paused. He looked at her.
"I like comfort," he said simply. "Pain is uncomfortable. Seeing other people in pain is second-hand uncomfortable. So, fixing your pain makes me more comfortable."
He shrugged. "Selfishness. Pure and simple."
Gu Ling stared at him. It was the most ridiculous logic she had ever heard. And yet, looking at the warm pads, she couldn't help but feel a strange warmth in her chest, too.
"You are a strange man, Jiang Fan."
"I'm a visionary. Now, if we're done bonding, I'm going to go test out 'The Air Conditioner'."
He turned to leave.
"Wait," Gu Ling called out. Her voice was sharper now, back to business. "You can't leave yet. I have one more thing for you."
"A pillow to match the bed?" Jiang Fan asked hopefully.
"No."
Gu Ling pulled a scroll from her sleeve and floated it over to him. It was sealed with the official Sect stamp.
"Since you are now equipped with a Master-Rank weapon..." Gu Ling smirked, a mischievous glint returning to her eyes. "You are ready for next week."
Jiang Fan opened the scroll.
[ OFFICIAL SECT SUMMONS ][ Participant: Jiang Fan (Outer Sect) ][ Event: The Annual Inner Sect Promotion Tournament ][ Sponsor: Elder Gu Ling ]
Jiang Fan froze.
He read it again.
"Tournament?" he whispered. "Fighting? In front of people? repeatedly?"
"You defeated a Stage 5 Bear," Gu Ling said, crossing her arms. "The Sect Master is curious. I told him you were my... research project. He wants to see if you're worth investing in."
"I don't want investment! I want sleep!"
"Too late," Gu Ling leaned back in her chair, looking very comfortable thanks to the knee pads. "If you refuse, you'll be expelled for disobeying a direct order. But don't worry..."
She pointed at the fan floating by his head.
"The fan does most of the work. Think of it as... AFK farming. But with an audience."
Jiang Fan looked at the scroll. He looked at the fan. He looked at Gu Ling's smug face.
He groaned, a long, soulful sound of despair.
"I hate this sect," he muttered. "I really, really hate this sect."
[ System Alert: New Quest Received! ][ Quest: Dominate the Tournament ][ Objective: Reach the Top 3 without sweating. ][ Reward: "Pocket Dimension (Home Base)" ]
Jiang Fan paused.
"Wait. A Pocket Dimension?" he asked the air. "Like... a private house that no one can enter? Where I can sleep forever?"
[ System: Affirmative. ]
Jiang Fan's expression changed instantly. He snapped the fan shut and struck a dramatic pose.
"Gu Ling," he said seriously. "When does this tournament start? I have some faces to slap."