"What do you mean by the problem solving itself? Are you saying there's no longer any reason to seal my meridians? That there was never really a problem to begin with?"
Confusion and disbelief warred within me, a storm of relief struggling to outpace the panic still rooted in my chest.
The thought that I wouldn't have to seal my meridians after all sent a rush of exhilaration through my veins, almost tangibly lightening the air around me. The craving within me, that restless, insistent hunger for cultivation, seemed to recoil in agreement, withdrawing its pressure like a tide retreating from the shore.
Yet, even as relief swelled, concern coiled quietly at the edge of my mind. Death energy still circulated within me—cold, potent, invisible—a silent predator steadily gnawing at the fragile thread of life. Was it gone? Had it somehow stopped harming me? The question gnawed, leaving my pulse slightly jagged despite the hope forming in my chest.
Doctor Guyang's calm gaze met mine, the weight behind his words demanding patience, demanding reason. I forced myself to still my racing heart and listen, to resist jumping to conclusions.
"Before that, Young Lord, do you remember when I told you about your constitution, being born with reverse meridians?"
"Yes, of course," I said cautiously. "We were just discussing that earlier. What does this have to do with what I asked?"
He drew a slow breath, as if the words themselves carried weight heavier than iron. "Well, Young Lord… the thing is, you're not the only person with this constitution. There have been numerous cases of people with the same constitution, yet all of them remained untreatable."
My heart skipped. Untreatable. Those words hung in the air like a blade suspended over my head. The implication was staggering, almost suffocating. I had assumed my condition—my Reverse Body—was a solitary anomaly, a secret torment I bore alone. Now, the breadth of it pressed down on me with tangible force.
"??!!"
I had never imagined others shared this curse—or fortune, depending on how one viewed it. My mind raced, trying to piece together fragments of knowledge, piecing together why Doctor Guyang had so readily accepted my fabricated story of discovering the Reverse Qi Flow Method in an unknown grave. Now it made sense: he had assumed the grave belonged to someone of the same constitution, someone who had devised a method tailored to overcome the deadly limitations of the Reverse Body.
"Because of these numerous cases, the constitution was eventually named. It was deemed worse than both the 'Lunar Yin Body' and the 'Solar Yang Body,' and thus it was called the 'Reverse Body.'"
"…Reverse Body," I whispered, the name heavy in my mouth, heavy in my mind. I had heard it mentioned in scholarly texts during my years of study but had dismissed it as irrelevant—something too dreadful, too cursed, too hopeless to concern myself with. That I had instinctively avoided it now seemed almost prophetic, as though some hidden instinct had screamed at me to steer clear, to avoid even glimpsing the shadow that hung over my own fate.
"When we named it as such, there were reasons behind it. Some of them you already know, but there are others you have yet to learn."
"Yet to learn?" My chest tightened involuntarily. There was more lurking in the darkness, something I had avoided confronting for years. Dread, familiar and thick, pooled in my stomach, yet I forced myself to meet it. I had survived regression; I had faced fear before and emerged alive. This was no different. I could endure. I would endure.
"It was discovered that people with this constitution often die before reaching the age of twenty."
"Twenty?!!" The word tore from my throat, raw and unfiltered. The room seemed to contract, the air heavier, each heartbeat thudding violently as if rebelling against the revelation.
"Yes. It was found that death energy circulates through their bodies instead of life energy, reducing their lifespan and causing numerous severe symptoms."
Shock and disbelief coiled tightly around my mind, a vice squeezing every rational thought. To live only twenty years… and here I was, straining for power, pushing myself relentlessly, unaware that every step forward could have hastened the end. The knowledge gnawed at the edges of my relief, threatening to drag me into despair.
Yet, something didn't add up. I had lived thirty-five years in my previous life. I had survived beyond the supposed limit. Something had been holding death at bay—my qi blockages? My body's peculiar resilience? The question pressed insistently against my mind.
"Then… does that mean I only have five years left to live?!"
Panic flared, unrestrained, my hands trembling as my pulse thundered in my ears. The thought of squandering a second chance at life, having barely begun anew, clawed at me like a living thing.
Doctor Guyang remained calm, his measured demeanor a stabilizing counterpoint to my fraying composure. "Calm down, Young Lord. Allow me to explain further."
I swallowed, forcing my frantic breath to steady, though the adrenaline still hummed in my veins. Step by step, I allowed him to guide me, grounding me with facts, with reasoning.
"Yes. When I first discovered your constitution, I believed you would die before reaching the age of twenty. That is why I chose to hide the truth, so you could live with a false hope of tomorrow. But all of that changed today."
"Changed? What changed?" My voice wavered, but not with weakness—rather with the tremor of anticipation, of hope barely restrained.
"When I examined your body before sealing your meridians, I noticed something different. It became something unlike before."
The weight of his words pressed on me, heavy but promising. I had always respected him as a doctor, but now I understood the depth of his care. He had concealed the truth to shield me from despair, yet never hindered my pursuit of cultivation. He had allowed me to reach, to strive, to live. And now, there was hope he had uncovered something beyond comprehension, something extraordinary.
"Different? What's different about my body now compared to before?"
"Before, your condition fit every symptom of the Reverse Body. But today, while the symptoms remain similar, they are vastly different."
"Similar, but vastly different? What do you mean?" My mind reeled, struggling to grasp the paradox.
"Previously, your body suffered from death energy circulation far less only because of your qi blockages. After you broke through them, I expected you to suffer immensely, just like the others who weren't fortunate enough to have qi blockages."
'So there were cases like mine… except they didn't have qi blockages. That must have been devastating.' My chest tightened at the thought.
"But after examining your body more closely, I discovered that it doesn't react to death energy the same way as the others or even like living beings in general."
"???!" My heartbeat skipped violently. That aligned with what I had already sensed—the strange vitality, the electrifying vigor, the paradoxical fusion of death and life energy coursing through me.
"Your body responds differently. Death energy normally weakens a person and damages their health. But for you, instead of harming you, it causes you to flourish just as life energy would."
"??!!" The room spun slightly as the weight of his words sank in. My breath caught, a mixture of shock and exhilaration coiling tightly in my chest. My body—my cursed Reverse Body—was no longer a death sentence. It was something new, something fertile with possibility.
'So… I can cultivate freely?' The thought struck me like a revelation, filling every fiber of my being with a heat that was neither fear nor desperation, but raw, uncontainable hope.
"I can't say with absolute certainty yet, as further examination is needed. But yes, you no longer need to worry."
"YES!!" Relief erupted, a roaring tide that lifted years of tension from my chest. I could feel my heartbeat settling into a steady rhythm, the mental burden of sealing my meridians vanishing instantly.
Yet anticipation lingered. The question that had been clawing at me all this time demanded an answer. "Then… does that mean I can cultivate freely now?"
"There is something else you need to know about your cultivation."
My chest tightened anew. Even in hope, caution raised its head. "There's more?"
He nodded slightly, his gaze calm but sharp. "While different, the principle remains the same. But your cultivation speed is far faster than normal, making it very reminiscent of a Heavenly Body."
Heavenly Body. The words hit me like a thunderclap. It was said that the cultivation speed of a Heavenly Body was ten times that of an ordinary person. My mind whirled at the implications—my constitution, my Reverse Heavenly Body, now carried potential previously unimaginable.
"You must be mistaken. Perhaps it's just the leftover qi herb energy—"
"Do you think I can't tell the difference between herb reliance and true talent? Are you doubting my skills as a doctor?" His sharp gaze pinned me briefly, forcing a sheepish retreat of my doubts.
"I apologize for doubting you." I exhaled, conceding, but still marveled at the impossibility of it all.
The realization settled in: first, my Reverse Body no longer shortened my life. Now, I possessed talent comparable to a Heavenly Body. The world felt simultaneously smaller and infinite, filled with uncharted potential.
"Then, Doctor Guyang… does this mean I have overwhelming talent?"
"Of course not. Talent alone doesn't guarantee success."
"Then… is there something else?"
"Yes. You are the first of your kind. This condition deserves its own name."
A responsibility pressed upon me, heavy and profound. I would name it, carve it into history, leave my mark on a world that had long treated my body as a curse. The name had to capture the essence, the paradox, the hope.
After careful thought, I spoke. "The Reverse Heavenly Body."
Doctor Guyang's lips curved in approval. "A fine name indeed."
I exhaled, gratitude flooding me. "For that I thank you for giving me the chance to live the life I always wanted."
"It is my duty. I wish you success for your future endeavors."
We exchanged mutual respect, a quiet acknowledgment of survival, discovery, and trust. Yet before I could leave, he raised a hand, remaining seated, sipping his green tea.
"Is there anything else?"
"I have a small favor to ask of you before I go."
Dread flickered in my chest—not the sharp terror of death, but a subtle, uncomfortable tension. I already knew what he meant: a full examination, exposure, scrutiny. Memories of childhood vulnerability, of invasive examinations, rose sharply.
"What do you want?" I asked cautiously.
"I wish to study your body so that I could understand this condition and identify others who may have it like you."
'Of course!' My internal sigh of anticipation collided with a twinge of discomfort. This was necessary. It was inevitable. And yet… I braced myself for the unpleasantness of exposure.
I weighed my options carefully. Cooperation could yield results not just for me, but for countless others who had suffered in previous generations. I would endure, but only on my terms.
"Fine. I'll grant your request."
"Great! Then shall we begin the—"
"Only if you're willing to offer something in return."
The sudden insistence caught him off guard. "What?!"
I smiled faintly, steeling myself. If I were still naive, I might have submitted out of trust alone. But I was no longer that boy. I had leverage. I had experience—albeit not in cultivation, but in circumstance.
"Then I'll offer you a crate of gold coins for three days of examination."
"Then that's a no."
"Then just two days!"
"Still no."
"Then just one day!"
"…No. Did you honestly think I have a problem with money?"
The moment he realized my intent, bargaining began in earnest, and yet I held firm. The jade plaque was the prize, the real leverage I sought.
"Fine! I'll give you my token in exchange for three days of examination."
SLAM! The jade token hit the table. LIFE… DEATH… etched in stark relief. A single command to the Life and Death Doctor himself.
My pulse surged with triumph. A safety net, a tool of unimaginable value, a tangible reward for enduring discomfort.
"Ahem. Alright, but only one day, and it must be today. That's my final offer."
"Tsk… damn brat. Fine, it's a deal."
With a nod and controlled breath, I accepted, my mind already preparing for the examination, for the discomfort, for the necessary path ahead. I would endure. I would survive. I would master this Reverse Heavenly Body.