Chapter 359: Human Worldly Fireworks

Xu Shenghua slowly came to, finding himself lying on a sickbed. A warm, damp towel rested on his head, which throbbed as if it would split open. Millions of voices seemed to roar and shout in his mind, accompanied by a persistent, buzzing metallic hum in his ears.

His head felt as though it would explode, the ripping pain so intense he wished he could chop it off, kick it away, and send it flying as far as possible!

He couldn't help but groan. From the outer room, Jing Yan's voice asked, "Young Master, are you awake?"

Jing Yan hurried in, a faint medicinal scent clinging to her. She looked at him with a mix of surprise and joy.

"I lost," Xu Shenghua stated, his expression wooden.

Jing Yan quickly replied, "Young Master, you've been asleep for quite some time. I was just preparing your medicine..."

"How long was I asleep? Where are we?" Xu Shenghua asked, his mind hazy, the booming sound of his heartbeat resonating in his head.

"We're still in the capital city. Young Master, you've been asleep for over two days."

Jing Yan helped him sit up, propped against the bed. She explained, "Sister Yu Liu heard there's a highly skilled divine physician in Yan Kang's capital city, so she rushed out to invite him."

Xu Shenghua attempted to raise his hand, but suddenly let out a muffled groan, as if his head had been suddenly struck by a blade.

"Young Master, it's best not to move, or even entertain any thoughts!"

Jing Yan quickly explained, "Young Master, you were caught in that scoundrel Qin's rhythm, involuntarily following his lead. He attacked while you defended, putting you at an immediate disadvantage. Furthermore, due to your cultivation method, you needed to constantly use divine abilities to counter his attacks, which led to immense brain fatigue. Even thinking uses brain power. Now that your brain is injured, it's best to rest and quietly await the divine physician's arrival."

Xu Shenghua closed his eyes, refraining from speaking or moving further.

He recalled the situation: Qin Mu had initially used the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon to deplete some of his brain power. After Xu Shenghua saw through that, Qin Mu then applied psychological pressure, drawing him along with his own rhythm.

As they walked, a silent battle of momentum had already begun, with Qin Mu holding the offensive. The moment Qin Mu's killing intent stirred, Xu Shenghua immediately sensed the potential attacks he might face. He swiftly altered his movements and vital qi flow, adopting a corresponding defensive stance.

His cultivation method was remarkably ingenious, allowing him to create counter-abilities based on his opponent's attacks. However, Qin Mu never actually attacked, so Xu Shenghua's divine abilities were merely formulated, not unleashed.

And so, Qin Mu's relentless attacks of momentum continued. Xu Shenghua constantly defended, and in a mere two hundred *li*, his mental energy was completely depleted. His brain couldn't cope, and his body gave out, causing him to repeatedly vomit blood. His consciousness collapsed, and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Qin Mu stopped then, but had he continued walking, Xu Shenghua would have been dragged along, forced to vomit all his blood, until his mental energy was utterly exhausted, his brain died, and he became a lifeless corpse before he would have stopped!

It was a complete and utter defeat.

For the first time, Xu Shenghua experienced such a crushing defeat, and a hint of bitterness welled up in his heart. It was truly the first time he had ever known such a feeling.

From outside, Yu Liu's voice called out, "Yan Zi, come out for a moment!"

Jing Yan quickly walked out, saying, "The Young Master is awake, but still can't move. Has the divine physician arrived?"

"Yes, he's here, but..."

As Jing Yan stepped outside, a gasp escaped her lips. "How is it you again?!" she exclaimed in disbelief.

Yu Liu's wry chuckle reached them. "I'm even more surprised than you are," she said, "but I had to practically beg him to come..."

Xu Shenghua opened his eyes. Weakly, he said, "Please, let the divine physician come in."

The door curtain parted, and Qin Mu walked in, offering a slight smile. "Brother Xu," he greeted.

Xu Shenghua stared at him, stunned, as a sudden, intense pain shot through his head. Qin Mu quickly stepped forward, taking out several Spirit Buddha Pills for him to consume. He smiled and said, "It's best not to experience such violent emotional fluctuations. I've encountered your condition before; mine was due to practicing a cultivation method that led to physical exhaustion, almost killing me. Yours is from excessive mental and brain fatigue, beyond what your body could bear. Actually, your injuries aren't severe. With gradual recuperation, you'll be completely fine in a month or two. However, if I treat you, you'll recover in half a day."

After taking the Spirit Buddha Pills, Xu Shenghua felt significantly more comfortable. Although his head still ached, the pain was no longer as severe. Gradually, he regained control of his limbs, his body once again feeling like his own.

"You're a divine physician too?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

"I wouldn't call myself a divine physician," Qin Mu replied, "but my medical attainments rank second. If you search throughout Yan Kang, you won't find anyone with better medical skills than me."

Qin Mu diagnosed him for a moment, then wrote down a prescription, instructing Yu Liu to procure the ingredients. He smiled and said, "With the recuperative power of my spiritual medicine, your body's deficiencies will be fully restored in just two or three days. Victory and defeat are common in warfare, and equally so for us cultivators; there's no need to dwell on it."

Xu Shenghua stared intently at him, then suddenly sighed. "In some respects, I am indeed inferior to you. You defeated me with strategy, yet I find no resentment within me towards you. I descended to this realm on my master's command to kill you, intending only to return to the High Heavens afterward. I never imagined I would come to consider you a friend."

Qin Mu sighed. "A Hegemon Body is hard to find. However, in the end, you and I remain enemies; friendship between us is impossible."

A silence fell between them.

Not long after, Yu Liu returned with the medicinal ingredients. Qin Mu immediately refined them into spiritual pills and administered them to Xu Shenghua.

Xu Shenghua swayed as he got out of bed, his body still trembling slightly. He frowned and asked, "I can clearly feel my physical injuries healing, so why am I still so unsteady? My hands are still shaking..."

Qin Mu pondered for a moment, his eyes lighting up. He chuckled, "I know precisely what ailment you have. Come with me." With that, he rose and headed outside.

Xu Shenghua tried to follow him, but his body swayed precariously, his legs trembling. Yu Liu and Jing Yan quickly rushed to his side and helped him out of the room.

As a disciple of the High Heavens, Xu Shenghua's accommodations naturally couldn't be too shabby. Inns were too noisy, so they had leased a rather elegant and quiet courtyard residence.

Qin Mu led him to the street, glanced around, and his eyes lit up. He chuckled, "The perfect remedy is right here."

Xu Shenghua froze, as did the two women beside him. Qin Mu had already settled at a table in front of a noodle stall and addressed the owner: "Ten bowls of noodles, in the largest bowls you have. For the first bowl, no spice, no oil, just a touch of salt. And, by the way, add an egg when you knead the dough. What are you staring at? Sit down!"

Yu Liu and Jing Yan frowned, glancing at the dilapidated noodle stall. It was set up directly on the street, exposed to dust and commotion from passersby. The patrons were burly, rough-looking men, clearly laborers from the countryside who had come to the capital city for work.

They had never eaten at such a humble noodle stall. On ordinary days, they would consider even a glance at such a place to be unclean.

One must understand that the High Heavens were lofty and sacred, a realm of gods and immortals. What they ate and drank were rare delicacies, rarely seen in the mortal world, and the cleanliness was beyond imagination—truly, not a speck of dust would ever cling to them.

The noodle stall owner, too, was a burly, rough man, pulling noodles with his bare hands and slapping them loudly as he worked—hardly a picture of cleanliness.

Yet, Xu Shenghua sat down, panting slightly.

Yu Liu and Jing Yan reluctantly took their seats as well, meticulously wiping the oily residue from the table with their towels. They frowned, realizing the grease simply wouldn't come off. They felt restless, even the stools beneath them seemed to exude an oily film.

Xu Shenghua, however, appeared composed, waiting for his noodles.

The first bowl arrived: clear soup egg noodles served in a large basin-sized bowl. The noodles were pulled to a uniform thickness, resembling strands of white jade nestled in the center of the broth, topped with a sprinkle of green onions.

Xu Shenghua gazed at the noodles, unsure how to begin eating.

Qin Mu handed him a pair of chopsticks. Xu Shenghua looked bewildered, fumbling with them, poking them into the bowl but unable to pick up any noodles. In the High Heavens, he had never used chopsticks; his sustenance came from spiritual pills and celestial dew, untouched by the ways of the mortal world.

Xu Shenghua observed the people eating noodles at the surrounding stalls and gradually grasped the technique for using chopsticks, attempting to mimic them.

"Eat slowly," Qin Mu advised.

Qin Mu said with a smile, "You've been starving for days, and eating too quickly can harm your stomach and intestines. What you're experiencing is essentially 'hunger sickness.' Your excessive mental exertion caused your brain to draw all the energy from your body. When you fainted, you were already at your limit of starvation, and then you went without food for two more days. It would be strange if you *weren't* dizzy, disoriented, and weak-limbed. Have some noodle soup first; it will aid your digestion."

Xu Shenghua obediently slurped down the noodle soup.

Noodles were also served to Qin Mu, Yu Liu, and Jing Yan. The two women maintained their composure, but Qin Mu paid them no mind, liberally drizzling chili oil onto his bowl and eating with obvious relish.

Xu Shenghua had already finished his first bowl, watching them expectantly.

Qin Mu quickly said, "Let it digest a bit first, then you can have a second bowl later."

Xu Shenghua obediently remained seated. After Qin Mu finished his meal, three empty noodle bowls already sat on the table. Qin Mu nodded and chuckled, "Brother Xu, you may continue."

Xu Shenghua immediately began eating, mimicking Qin Mu by drizzling a layer of chili oil on his noodles. Soon, steam was rising from his body as he ate.

By the time Yu Liu and Jing Yan finished their respective bowls, Xu Shenghua had consumed seven bowls in total. He then slumped back, utterly content.

Yu Liu and Jing Yan exchanged glances. Young Master Xu had never behaved so impolitely before—to slump like that!

"This Human Emperor truly has a bewitching influence," the two women thought, exchanging uneasy glances. "If Young Master spends more time with him, he might even start picking his feet and smelling them!"

Qin Mu rose and asked, "Brother Xu, do you happen to have any Great Abundance coins?"

Xu Shenghua looked blankly, shaking his head. "Yu Liu always handled the payments," he replied.

Yu Liu's expression grew troubled. She whispered, "Young Master, we ran out of money buying the medicine just now. I had to use my hairpin as collateral at the pharmacy just to get all the ingredients..."

Qin Mu took out a Great Abundance coin, approached the counter, and paid. He shook his head, remarking, "I truly don't know how the three of you have managed to survive until now. This meal is on me. Brother Xu, let's get up. You've just eaten so much; a walk would do you good."

Xu Shenghua rose. Yu Liu and Jing Yan immediately moved to assist him, but Xu Shenghua shook his head. "No need to help me," he said. "I truly did have 'hunger sickness,' but I'm fine now. I can walk on my own."

The four of them strolled leisurely, unhurried.

Yu Liu couldn't help but worry: "Is this Human Emperor planning to walk Young Master to death again?"

They arrived outside the capital city, and Qin Mu led him once more towards the Supervisory Factory. Xu Shenghua's eyes flickered. "Brother Qin, why have you brought me back here?" he asked.

Qin Mu chuckled, "Don't misunderstand. While you were unconscious these past two days, the base of the Sun-Shooting Divine Cannon has been forged and assembly has begun. I need to install the base and conduct final adjustments to ensure there are no flaws in the cannon platform. Oh, and by the way, when will you be paying for my medical consultation? My house calls are quite expensive."

Xu Shenghua let out a muffled grunt. "No money!" he declared.

"In that case, Brother Xu..."

Qin Mu's eyes gleamed. He leaned closer, a mysterious smile playing on his lips. "Have you ever heard of the Heavenly Saint Cult?"