Chapter 18: I Am a Divine Doctor, Do You Believe It?

Xiao Che knew Xia Qingyue's true profound strength was at Primary Profound Realm Level 10, a fact Xiao Yulong was entirely unaware of. Xia Qingyue, truly enraged, had used at least seventy percent of her profound strength in that strike. As she watched Xiao Yulong fall, she calmly withdrew her hand and stated, "It seems Young Master Xiao is not particularly adept at sparring. Please go."

Xiao Yulong, sprawled on the ground, was completely bewildered. He had confidently believed that with his Profound Realm Level 3 strength, teasing Xia Qingyue would be effortless. He never imagined that after just one brief encounter, before he could even register what had happened, he would find himself lying disgracefully on the ground. His eyes widened in shock as he noticed two bloody front teeth on the ground before him.

Xiao Yulong quickly stood up, his face contorted in a spasm. He was keenly aware of how utterly disheveled he looked. As the Young Master of the Xiao Sect, he had never in his life experienced such humiliation—especially not in front of the woman he admired most and desperately desired. Yet, Young Master Xiao, being who he was, forced down the metallic taste of blood in his mouth and even managed a surprisingly gentle and elegant smile. "Miss Xia, your Primary Profound Realm Level 10 profound strength truly lives up to its reputation. My casual probing just now seems to have underestimated you. This time, however, Miss Xia, you must be careful."

With two front teeth gone, air whistled through Xiao Yulong's mouth as he spoke. Having delivered his words, he raised both hands, immediately mobilizing all his profound strength. He naively believed that his earlier significant loss was solely because he had attacked casually, while Xia Qingyue had struck with unreserved, full force. How could his Profound Realm Level 3 profound strength possibly fail against a mere Primary Profound Realm Level 10 Xia Qingyue?

Xiao Yulong advanced, taking three missteps, then thrust out both hands, aiming directly to entangle Xia Qingyue's arms. His move instantly drained Xia Qingyue's patience, intensifying her disgust. Her right arm swung out abruptly, and as her red sleeve billowed, a subtly icy profound energy slammed violently into Xiao Yulong's face.

This profound energy did not incorporate the Ice Cloud Art, yet it was absolutely more than Xiao Yulong could withstand.

With a resounding "thud," Xiao Yulong's right cheek immediately caved inward. He was sent flying backward, spinning like a top through the air for at least seven or eight rotations before crashing heavily outside the courtyard. Three more bloody teeth dislodged and fell, two of them striking Xiao Yulong's face directly.

"The sparring session is concluded. You may leave," Xia Qingyue stated, her gaze unwavering, her voice as clear and cold as ice.

Xiao Yulong's entire right cheek was inflamed and crimson, as if stained with blood. By now, even a fool would have understood that his Profound Realm Level 3 profound strength was utterly useless against Xia Qingyue. Clutching his throbbing right cheek, he stood up, cast a terrified glance at Xia Qingyue, then, breathing heavily, he stumbled away without uttering another word.

Xiao Yulong made his way to the infirmary. Just as he was about to step inside, he saw Xiao Che emerging, holding a medicine pot in his left hand and a package in his right. Upon seeing Xiao Yulong, Xiao Che immediately approached him with a look of eager concern: "Brother Yulong, what brings you here? Oh my! Brother Yulong, your face... What in the world... what happened?"

Upon seeing Xiao Che, Xiao Yulong clenched his jaw, let out a cold snort, and stormed directly into the infirmary. Moments later, the chief pharmacist of the Xiao Sect, Xiao Gu, exclaimed in shock and dismay from within: "Young Master... What in the... Who would dare to inflict such a vicious attack on you!"

"It's nothing... I just accidentally fell while cultivating in the back mountains..." Xiao Yulong's voice was tinged with clear pain. Naturally, he was too humiliated to admit that his current predicament was due to Xia Qingyue teaching him a lesson for harassing her.

"This is fine?! Your cheekbone is significantly fractured, five teeth are missing, and three more are at least half shattered... These will never grow back!"

Xiao Che hadn't gone far, but the words that reached his ears sent a chill down his spine.

This woman... she's incredibly ruthless!

The Heart-Slaying Powder that nearly poisoned him was almost certainly from Xiao Yulong. He had originally planned to use Xia Qingyue to give him a minor lesson... but this was no minor lesson! This was practically beating someone to death!

The thought of how he had used his grandfather as an excuse to hold her hand earlier that morning sent an involuntary shiver down Xiao Che's spine.

Upon returning to his small courtyard, Xiao Che found Xia Qingyue standing quietly in the center. Seeing him, she calmly remarked, "Xiao Yulong was here."

"Ah, yes, I know. I just saw him at the infirmary," Xiao Che replied cautiously, carefully observing Xia Qingyue's expression.

Xia Qingyue paid him no further mind, closing her eyes slightly as a layer of icy profound energy coiled around her body.

"Wife Qingyue, may I ask you something?" Xiao Che took a small step forward and inquired.

Xia Qingyue remained motionless, offering no response.

"What exactly is your profound strength level?" To have beaten Xiao Yulong so disgracefully, you must be at least Profound Realm Level 5! Profound Realm Level 5 at sixteen... if that news got out, Cloud's End City would be in an absolute uproar.

Xia Qingyue still offered no movement, showing absolutely no inclination to answer him.

Feeling ignored, Xiao Che looked frustrated. From Xia Qingyue's demeanor, it was evident she was quietly cultivating the Ice Cloud Art, the unique profound skill of the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace. He ceased speaking, set down the items in his hands, leaned back, crossed his arms, and leisurely observed the tranquil Xia Qingyue.

He watched her for a full fifteen minutes.

Xia Qingyue typically remained in her private chambers. When cultivating the Ice Cloud Art, she always practiced in solitude, completely undisturbed, save for her master occasionally offering guidance. Being stared at so intently by a man was an entirely unprecedented intrusion.

Although she stood with closed eyes, focusing her mind and circulating the Ice Cloud Art throughout her body, she could still feel Xiao Che standing there, watching her without cease—his gaze barely shifting for a moment. That insistent stare repeatedly swept over every part of her body, making it impossible for her to fully calm her mind; she felt a pervasive unease. After all, she was only a sixteen-year-old girl, and expecting her to achieve true mental tranquility was an unfair demand.

For a full fifteen minutes, Xiao Che remained, staring directly at her. Xia Qingyue finally lost her patience. Her beautiful eyes opened, and she turned her head, saying coldly, "Why are you constantly staring at me?!"

"I'm waiting for you to speak to me first," Xiao Che replied with an innocent expression.

Xia Qingyue suddenly felt an urge to kill.

"Ahem, actually, I have something very important to tell you. I was just afraid of disturbing your cultivation, so I had to keep waiting," Xiao Che said, straightening up with an expression of complete sincerity.

"...What is it?" Xia Qingyue asked, barely suppressing her anger.

"Right, it's like this." Xiao Che's expression turned serious. He took a few steps closer to Xia Qingyue and began to speak confidently: "This morning, when I held your hand... Hey, hey! No, don't move! I'm talking about something serious, truly serious!" Seeing the sudden flash of killing intent in Xia Qingyue's eyes, Xiao Che hastily retreated several steps, his expression turning cautious—Xiao Yulong's pitiful state was a stark warning. Thankfully, Xia Qingyue didn't actually strike. Xiao Che let out a small sigh of relief and continued, "When I held your hand, I also took your pulse and found it to be quite problematic, very problematic indeed."

His words caused not the slightest ripple in Xia Qingyue's eyes; she simply didn't believe him.

While she had indeed felt him subtly checking her wrist when he held her hand that morning, he was, after all, the notoriously frail Xiao clan male known throughout Cloud's End City. What could he possibly know about pulses?

Yet, Xiao Che's subsequent words caused a slight tremor in Xia Qingyue's heart.

"Every day at 3 AM, do you wake up from your sleep? And for the next thirty minutes, your entire body feels icy cold, with aching limbs?"

Xia Qingyue's gaze flickered, and she subconsciously asked, "How do you know that?"

Xiao Che continued, "And also, ever since you began cultivating the Ice Cloud Art, after each profound strength breakthrough, for approximately two or three days, do you experience a cold body, aching limbs, loss of appetite, and difficulty sleeping at night?"

Xia Qingyue's eyes trembled violently once more... because every single detail Xiao Che mentioned was perfectly accurate!

"And..." Xiao Che moved, walking toward the courtyard gate until half his body was concealed behind it, then he stated gravely, "Your last... ahem... period... was it approximately seven or eight days late?"

Xia Qingyue was speechless.

Sensing no murderous aura from Xia Qingyue, Xiao Che cautiously stepped back inside from behind the gate. "Do you believe me now?"

"How do you know?" Xia Qingyue asked, her brow slightly furrowed.

"Your pulse!"

"You can read pulses?"

"If I told you I'm a divine physician, would you believe me?" Xiao Che said with a sincere expression.

"If you're going to joke, go bother your aunt," Xia Qingyue said, turning her gaze away expressionlessly.

Of course, Xiao Che didn't expect Xia Qingyue to believe him; it would be utterly shocking if she did. "These are all very serious symptoms. Aren't you going to ask how to remedy them?"

"There's no need," Xia Qingyue stated coldly. "The Ice Cloud Art is the exclusive profound skill of the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace, possessing boundless mysteries. When one first begins cultivating it, the body struggles to adapt to the cold profound energy, leading to a certain degree of negative side effects. This is common knowledge within the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace; all disciples, including our masters and grandmasters, have experienced this. Once the Ice Cloud Art reaches a certain realm, these negative reactions naturally vanish completely."

"Hmm, you're not wrong," Xiao Che nodded in profound agreement, then chuckled and remarked, "However, I finally somewhat understand why entering the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace requires abstinence from all desires and relationships... It's because women from the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace cannot conceive children, even if they were with men. Such news would greatly tarnish the Ice Cloud Immortal Palace's reputation, so it's better to simply forbid their disciples from seeking partners, thus keeping this rather disgraceful secret perpetually hidden."

Xia Qingyue's slender eyebrows shot up, and her gaze abruptly turned icy cold. For the first time, she felt genuine anger towards Xiao Che. "Silence! I can tolerate your nonsense... but I absolutely forbid you from insulting my sect! If you utter another word of such slander, I will never forgive you!"

Xiao Che, who had previously maintained a cautious and timid demeanor, now showed not a hint of fear. Instead, he smiled faintly and calmly stated, "I am perfectly aware of whether I have spoken incorrectly. I can also tell you this: the stronger one's profound strength, the longer their lifespan. However, judging from your pulse, I can assert with absolute certainty that, at an equivalent level of profound strength, the lifespan of those from your Ice Cloud Immortal Palace is nearly one-third shorter, or even more, than those from other sects!"

"Am I right, or am I wrong?"

Xiao Che's words struck Xia Qingyue like a clap of thunder, causing her beautiful eyes to contract momentarily.