The next afternoon, inside the Number One People's Hospital of the Lin City in Tian Nan Province.
Outside of the ICU stood a man and a woman. The man was in a black outfit and wore his hair loose over his shoulders. He had a handsome face and a pair of eyes that shone with azure-colored flames.
The charm of the young man was scintillating, making his appearance glow like the nascent sun, arresting the bypasser's attention. Many young nurses pretended to have a need to pass by him a few times, just to take a few more glimpses at his handsome features.
"He is so handsome! Much better looking than members of the K-Pop band!" An attractive looking nurse said as she ogled the young man.
"Indeed. He looked much more handsome than the actors on TV. It would be so awesome if he was my boyfriend." Another nurse with a large bosom was nearly drooling.
"Tsk… You? Didn't you see that pretty girl standing beside him? She is quite famous in Lin City: an attractive young CEO. She managed over billions of assets, although she is not even thirty yet. You think you can snatch her pretty boy?" Someone recognized the girl standing beside the young man, so she sneered at the girl with large bosoms.
It was Chen Fan and Lu Yanwu they were gossiping about.
Chen Fan had spent one night reflecting on his achievements and then left Lin Xi Province with Lu Yanwu first thing in the morning. They arrived in Lin City on the same day. Lu Yanwu still found it hard to believe that they could have traveled such a long distance in such a short time.
The Medicine God Valley Sect was far from Lin City and was separated by treacherous mountain paths. It would take her at least two to three days to get out of the mountain. However, Chen Fan had carried her on her back and got out of the mountain in less than half an hour. Each step Chen Fan took seemed to have covered a few dozen meters.
Afterward, Chen Fan didn't take a plane to get to Lin Zhou, instead, he kept on carrying the girl on his shoulder and ran on the highway. He ran as fast as an F4 formula race car and was able to cross any hurdle on their way with ease. In less than half a day, he had trekked across a few provinces and arrived at Lin City.
"He is definitely not a mortal. Running over thousands of kilometers in half an hour, yet he is not at all out of breath." So thinking, Lu Yanwu looked to Chen Fan in surprise.
She didn't know that covering such distance was simply a stroll in the park for someone who had gained a Connate Body. One with a Connate Body didn't need to breathe nor eat, instead, he absorbed Spirit Qi from nature to sustain his physical form. Therefore, Chen Fan could keep going for days without feeling any exhaustion. If not because of the dead weight on his shoulders, he should have arrived at Lin City a few hours ago.
"But this guy had really improved his looks a lot in three months." Lu Yanwu recalled the warm and fuzzy feeling she felt when she was held tight in the arms of Chen Fan. She had always been labeled as a strong and strident woman, but the thought had brought out the fangirl in her. She couldn't help but glance at Chen Fan surreptitiously, blushing.
Chen Fan felt the girl's infatuation toward him and he was not impressed. "Seems like I have underestimated how attractive the Connate Body was to the mortal's simple eyes. I will have to adjust a bit on my face, or cover it up with spells."
Features on a Connate Body were perfectly shaped and perfectly arranged. Even an average looking girl in the world of cultivation could be considered stunningly attractive in the mortal world. Having gotten used to so many gorgeous faces, none of the girls Chen Fan met on earth after his rebirth were able to pique his interest.
"Miss Lu, Yanxue's condition has stabilized. You can come in now."
The door to the ICU swung open and a group of exhausted doctors emerged. The head of the doctors said to the girl.
"Ok, thank you. Chief Physician Liu." Lu Yanwu managed a smile while Chen Fan stormed into the room.
He had been probing the situation inside the infirmary using his Divine Sense. He couldn't help furrowing his brows after he saw Lu Yanxue for the first time in three months. Her blooming beauty gone and her body had been reduced to a bag of bones. Although she was covered under layers of thick duvets, her hair was frost ridden.
Her round face had shriveled and looked like someone had stretched a piece of thin skin over a skull.
Lu Yanwu followed Chen Fan into the infirmary. Tears welled in her eyes as soon as she laid her eyes on the sister who she spent so much time with when they were children. Although they went their own ways after they grew up, the bond between the two never weakened.
"Xiao Xue, look who has come to see you."
Lu Yanwu lowered her head to the bedside and called out to her sister quietly.
Despite the difficulties, the scrawny girl managed to open her eyes. When she saw Chen Fan, her eyes lit up with joy first, and then she panicked. "Sister Yanwu, why did you bring him here? I am so ugly right now…"
"You wouldn't be like this if not for him! Why do you care what he thinks of you!" Lu Yanwu flung back at her.
Lu Yanxue kept her silence and tucked her chin under the blanket to hide her bony face. All the while, her eyes didn't leave Chen Fan, it was as if she tried to imprint the boy's image in her mind so that he will forever stay within her mind.
Chen Fan stood beside the thick back and looked indifferent. He watched the poor girl quietly and intently.
She had been alive and active, bursting with energy and sometimes full of attitude. Even when she was given as a gift to Chen Fan, she managed to plaster on a smiley face and told him that it was much better to be his mistress than be the wife of a douchebag playboy.
Chen Fan didn't have any feelings for her back then and didn't intend to accept her into his life. Therefore, he had opted to promise her a happy life and to give her an edge in her family so that she could finally make a decision for herself, getting married, have kids and live a normal life.
However, Chen Fan's promise seemed to have fallen through the cracks. Lu Yanxue looked like a dying old hag, her life hung on by a thread. It was a far cry from living a happy life.
Chen Fan had never liked this girl, and neither did he care about her, therefore, he had taken his time to get here. However, when he finally met Lu Yanxue in person, he felt a fit of anger start to burn inside of his chest.
The anger was all too familiar to Chen Fan.
He felt it when his dignity was trampled on, and he had to watch his friends and family suffer yet couldn't do anything.
"I want all of you out of here."
Chen Fan said lightly.
"The patient is in critical condition, she could die at any moment. We need to have doctors on duty in this room —"Chief Physician Liu refuted.
"Get Out!"
Chen Fan's tone was still even and calm, but he had raised his volume a few notches.
Before Chief Physician Liu could waste more time, Lu Yanwu grabbed hold of his arm and dragged him out of the room. She knew that Chen Fan was going to cure Lu Yanxue. She wouldn't have believed in Chen Fan's power if she had not seen Chen Fan's display of godly power at the valley and experienced Chen Fan's incredible running speed first hand.
"King of Elixirs said he had reached the Immortal State. Could that be true? It had to be… that would explain his sudden improvement in his appearance." Lu Yanwu's mind raced.
Even as she stepped out of the room, she heard Chen Fan's voice come up behind her:
"Three days later, I will accept Lei Qianjue's challenge and fight him at the shore of West Lake."
"What?" Lu Yanwu was startled by the announcement. She turned back to look at Chen Fan and saw Chen Fan had already put a palm over Lu Yanwu's dry scalp. She didn't want to interrupt the treatment, so she managed to rein in her curiosity and left the room.
"He said he would fight Lei Qianjue in three days, does that mean he can cure Xiao Xue in less than three days?"
After Lu Yanwu reminded the doctors not to interrupt Chen Fan, she hurried home. She was to deliver Chen Fan's announcement to her family and to the entire Martial arts world in China.
Meanwhile, inside the ICU…
Chen Fan stroked Lu Yanxue's forehead gently. Lu Yanxue was shy before Chen Fan. She said with a disheartened voice: "You must think I am ugly now, you will never like me again…"
"The appearance is only skin deep. Don't think too much about it." Chen Fan said lightly.
"But… but I hope that you will forever remember me as a beautiful girl." Lu Yanxue suddenly found the courage to hold Chen Fan's gaze and she said: "I had felt it! You already love someone else and you will never be with me. But… I wager that if I die for you, at least you will remember me for the rest of your life.
"At least, I will have a spot in your memory and in your heart, will I?"
Chen Fan was touched deeply by the girl's words. A hint of a tear flashed in his eyes and disappeared. "Is that why you riled up Lei Qianjue on purpose?"
"Lei Qianjue will not let me get away with being your girlfriend even if I hid in a hole. The entire Lin City knows that I am your girl." Lu Yanxue cracked a smile. "Well, enough of this sad talking. I want to tell you that I am happy to see you before I die."
So saying, her gaze on Chen Fan grew soft. "Did the illness wreak my vision? You seem far more handsome and even taller than three months ago. You look just like my prince charming! That's just perfect! I will leave the world with a perfect image of you in my mind. You know, you always looked handsome to me ever since we first met. "
"You are not going to die." Chen Fan's voice changed a little as his face grew more serious.
He locked his eyes with Lu Yanxue and said with all the seriousness he could muster: "As long as I, Chen Beixuan is here, you will not die. Even if you did, I will find your soul and bring you back alive with another body.
"That is my promise to you. I promised you to live happily ever after, and I will not break it."
So saying, he started his Dharmatic Art and Divine powers.
A powerful wave of Yi Wood Spirit Qi shot out from his hands and they formed symbols in the air. These symbols were ancient and carried the primordial energy that was as old as time. This symbol rearranged in themselves the air and formed a green Talisman Inscription.
The Talisman was covered by countless jittering symbols that haphazardly layered on top of each other. It was as if there was a whole new world teeming with life and energy among the countless horizontal and vertical strokes.
"Wood Element Talisman Inscription!
"The Inscription of Perpetual Life!"
This was the highest rank wood element spell a cultivator could unleash. It could heal any damage and grow tissues and flesh on a bone. Chen Fan had gained the Azure Thearch Longevity Body, and therefore he could unleash any Wood Element spells at will. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to use this spell until he had reached the Divine Sea level.
"I told you, you won't die!"
Chen Fan pressed both hands down on the girl. Under Lu Yanxue's incredulous stare, The Inscription of Perpetual Life let out a green glow that channeled the energy of creation into her body. She felt she was dropped in a hot tub and was surrounded by comforting warmth that only a loving mother could offer.
The shriveled up muscles on her body started to regain volume, as life and color slowly returned to her face.
A green light loomed in the ICU, rendering it a green heaven of life and creation.
Meanwhile, explosive news came out of the Lu family and it quickly became viral in the martial arts world.
"Chen Beixuan is back."
"He will fight Lei Qianjue at the West Lake in three days, on August fifteenth."
The Martial arts world in China was shocked!