Chapter 491: I Can Help You (Second Update)

The youth carried an untamed wildness about him, looking like a young, ferocious beast.

Chu Liuyue's gaze drifted lightly across the jade slab and landed on him.

Their eyes met.

"Qiang Wanzhou?" Chu Liuyue was the first to speak, a smile on her lips.

The youth nodded.

Chu Liuyue was somewhat surprised.

The boy looked as if he had come from the frontier or the desolate marshes; she hadn't expected him to have such an elegant name.

The name and his temperament were worlds apart.

"My name is Chu Liuyue."

The youth glanced at her. "I know."

He had heard so many people calling her name just now; he had heard it clearly.

Chu Liuyue froze for a moment, then couldn't help but let out a laugh.

This youth didn't seem as cold and heartless as he appeared on the surface. On the contrary, he seemed to possess a certain... childish simplicity?

"I need your help."

Qiang Wanzhou spoke bluntly.

Chu Liuyue leaned back into her chair with interest. "Oh? What kind of help?"

Ordinary people wouldn't easily ask a stranger for help, yet he spoke with such righteous confidence; it was a rare sight.

"I want one of your Fire Seeds."

The smile on the corners of Chu Liuyue's mouth stiffened slightly.

"What did you say?"

Looking at her expression, Qiang Wanzhou frowned slightly.

"I won't ask for your help for nothing. In return, I can be your attendant for ten days."

Chu Liuyue opened her mouth. "Do you even know what you're saying?"

"Twenty days."

"It's not a matter of how long the time is, it's—"

"Thirty days. That is the maximum."

"..."

Chu Liuyue rubbed her temples, feeling a bit of a headache coming on.

This kid looked quite capable of fighting earlier; why did his brain seem a bit... off?

"Qiang Wanzhou, right? Come here and sit down first."

Just as Qiang Wanzhou was about to shake his head, Chu Liuyue preempted him

"If you don't sit down to talk, I won't agree!"

Qiang Wanzhou shot her a look, then finally walked over to the adjacent seat and sat down.

Chu Liuyue took an seemingly unintentional glance and discovered that his posture was actually very standard—back straight, shoulders poised, radiating an imposing aura, as if he had specifically trained for it.

If one ignored his tattered clothing, his every movement and stance made him look like a noble young master raised by a great aristocratic clan.

Once seated, he looked directly at Chu Liuyue, clearly waiting for her answer.

Chu Liuyue sighed inwardly and held up her fingers

"First, that is not how one asks for help. Second, even if you agreed to be my attendant for a year, I would have no interest. Third... do you even know what a Fire Seed is?"

Qiang Wanzhou's cold, arrogant gaze swept over her fingers.

"First, I am the one asking for help, so naturally, it will be done my way. Second, I said at most one month; a year is absolutely impossible. Third, I know what a Fire Seed is. You are a Heavenly Physician, so naturally, you have a Fire Seed."

Chu Liuyue's eyes widened slightly.

"Who told you that as long as someone is a Heavenly Physician, they have a Fire Seed?"

Qiang Wanzhou was full of wariness. "Someone told me, of course."

Chu Liuyue pressed a hand to her forehead.

"That person lied to you! Only top-tier Heavenly Physicians can condense a Fire Seed! At my current level, it is impossible no matter what. As for this favor, I'm sorry, I cannot help."

Qiang Wanzhou stood up abruptly, his face clouded with anger.

"Who are you calling a liar!?"

Chu Liuyue was startled; she hadn't expected such a strong reaction from him to those words.

It seemed that the person who told him this was very important to him?

"Ahem, I didn't mean it like that. I meant that you don't seem to understand much about Heavenly Physicians. Regarding this matter, I truly am powerless. However, there are many excellent Heavenly Physicians in Xiling; you can go look for them."

Seeing that Chu Liuyue's expression was sincere and didn't look like she was lying, Qiang Wanzhou stopped fuming.

"I don't need other Heavenly Physicians. Only you can help me."

He said stubbornly.

Chu Liuyue did not respond immediately.

The flames she manifested were indeed different from others.

Could it be that Qiang Wanzhou was after that!?

A so-called Fire Seed is condensed from a Heavenly Physician's original power transformed into flame.

When a Heavenly Physician places a Fire Seed into another practitioner's body, the latter can use their own original power to continuously nurture the Fire Seed to grow, allowing them to manifest flames during combat as well.

As the practitioner's realm increases, the Fire Seed within them grows accordingly.

Some can even completely merge with the power of the Fire Seed in the end, becoming a Heavenly Physician themselves!

This is also a method used by those who wish to become Heavenly Physicians.

But how easy is it to condense a Fire Seed?

Creating such a thing consumes an immense amount of a Heavenly Physician's original power and energy, yet the success rate is extremely low.

For a Heavenly Physician, refining a Fire Seed is essentially a thankless and exhausting task.

No one is willing to refine a Fire Seed for someone else for free.

But in Qiang Wanzhou's eyes, this matter seemed to be something very simple.

Looking at his stubborn expression, Chu Liuyue felt a headache coming on.

It seemed quite difficult to persuade him...

"You are unwilling to help me?"

Qiang Wanzhou asked, as if realizing it late.

Chu Liuyue spread her hands helplessly. "I'm sorry, it's not that I don't want to help, it's that I truly cannot."

Yet Qiang Wanzhou stated firmly

"You are unwilling to help me."

This time, it was a statement of fact.

Chu Liuyue's eyes flickered.

But Qiang Wanzhou said nothing more; he simply turned his head to look toward the arena.

His expression remained as indifferent and calm as ever, as if he didn't care much about the matter.

Chu Liuyue, however, suddenly felt a surge of curiosity. She leaned in closer and asked in a low voice

"Why do you want a Fire Seed? Your martial talent is so outstanding; there is no need for you to become a Heavenly Physician."

Qiang Wanzhou glanced at her. "I am not trying to become a Heavenly Physician."

"Then what do you want a Fire Seed for?" Chu Liuyue was even more confused.

Qiang Wanzhou paused. "I need a Fire Seed to sustain my life."

As he spoke, a flash of loneliness swept across the youth's youthful, arrogant face.

"I am looking for someone, but I haven't found her yet. I am afraid that before I find her, I will already be dead."

His tone was very flat.

However, Chu Liuyue noticed that when he spoke of his own impending death, there was no emotional fluctuation, yet when he mentioned not being able to find that person, he revealed a hint of irrepressible sadness.

It was as if that person was more important than his own life.

Chu Liuyue's heart stirred slightly.

"Is that person very important to you?"

The expression on Qiang Wanzhou's face had already returned to normal. Hearing this, his lips pressed together slightly and his jaw tightened as he said firmly

"She is the most important person to me."

It felt as if something soft had brushed against the depths of Chu Liuyue's heart.

She said nothing more, merely leaning back into her chair and looking toward the arena as well.

The two remained in silence, as if they had already moved past the matter.

Time passed bit by bit.

The names on the black jade slab grew fewer and fewer.

More and more people were being carried off the arena.

When the competition was halfway through, Chu Liuyue finally spoke in a soft voice

"I can help you."