"You are familiar with the concept of demonic pollution, correct?"
Ryen paused to organize his thoughts, his gaze resting on Baizhu.
The physician offered a slow, heavy nod.
Ryen spread his hands. "Your soul is practically a concentrated mass of demonic pollution. Only the absolute thinnest sliver retains any human properties."
"Judging by the temporal progression of this corruption, it appears to have taken root when you were very young."
Baizhu blinked, his voice dropping to a low murmur. "During my childhood, a plague swept through my village... It was my master who pulled me back from the brink. That was also when my body became afflicted with these relentless ailments."
"Your master possessed truly remarkable skill to salvage you from that..." Ryen chuckled, his eyes drifting downward to cast a long, meaningful look at Changsheng. "However, if we are speaking objectively, your survival relies heavily on sheer luck. You must thank..."
Baizhu's breath caught in his throat. A sudden realization washed over him, and he stole a quiet glance at the white snake, who remained completely silent.
Two adepti had forged a pact upon Mt. Yaojun in the ancient past. One had sunk into the depths, much like tea leaves settling at the bottom of a cup.
The other had lost the ten fingers used to harvest those leaves, discarding all past memories alongside them.
Lost ten fingers...
The Medicine Lord...
In that single, crystalline moment, all the fragmented pieces aligned in Baizhu's mind.
"In summary, that childhood plague was no simple outbreak. To put it bluntly, it was likely a massive eruption of demonic pollution. You were incredibly unfortunate to be caught in its path."
"Your physical deterioration is being continuously accelerated by the corruption festering within your soul. Let alone healing potions and dimensional milk, how could such mundane items possibly cure an affliction tied directly to the malice of a demon god?"
Ryen gestured openly, studying Baizhu with a look of genuine marvel.
In a certain sense, Baizhu was the most cursed, yet simultaneously the most blessed mortal Ryen had ever encountered.
His misfortune lay in being thoroughly saturated by demonic pollution, rendering his condition entirely incurable by mortal medicine.
His fortune lay in encountering Changsheng and his master, who had forcibly anchored his fading life to the mortal coil.
It was difficult to definitively categorize him as lucky or unlucky.
"If you had pursued your hypothetical methods of achieving immortality, you would have mutated into a mindless, rampaging abomination."
"When that happened, Xiao would have been the one dispatched to dispose of you."
Ryen concluded his assessment softly. Baizhu offered a slight nod, yet as he analyzed Ryen's relaxed posture, his own pulse began to settle.
"Teyvat possesses no cure. But what of your world, Mr. Ryen?"
Baizhu discarded all pretense, posing the question directly.
When standing on the precipice of life and death, dancing around the subject was nothing but hollow hypocrisy.
Ryen clearly held the keys to immortality, but right now, purging the disease was the absolute priority.
Otherwise, he might simply close his eyes one night and never open them again.
"How do you wish to be cured?"
Ryen fired the question back. Baizhu froze, completely stunned.
After a prolonged silence, his eyes clouded with confusion. "Are there... multiple methods to treat my condition?"
"Naturally." Ryen rolled his shoulders. "My world completely bypasses the constraints of logical reality. I have an abundance of methods to heal you."
Baizhu fell silent. He had spent decades being tortured by agony, repeatedly told his condition was beyond salvation. Yet here, he was being casually asked to pick his preferred method of recovery.
What had all those years of agonizing medical research been for?
A dazed, almost surreal expression settled over Baizhu's features. "Could you... elaborate?"
Ryen began counting off on his fingers. "The simplest approach is to head over there and consume an Enchanted Golden Apple. Xiao's severe karmic debt was entirely eradicated by that exact method."
"If one fails, you eat two. If two fail, you eat three."
"We can manufacture hundreds of Enchanted Golden Apples in a matter of minutes. You can eat them as casually as your daily meals."
"Regardless of whether the rot is physical or spiritual, an Enchanted Golden Apple will forcefully purge it. Every single ailment will be eradicated."
"The second option is to have Zhongli intervene. Rex Lapis possesses a Healing Staff. A single pulse of its magic will guarantee your immediate recovery, though you will have to request his assistance personally."
"The third method involves the Totem of Undying you overheard. However, it is not an artifact that passively grants eternal life as you imagined."
"Equipping a Totem of Undying merely provides absolute immunity to all lethal damage, excluding natural aging."
"As long as you hold it, the moment your illness finally pushes you to the brink of death, you will instantly resurrect in perfect condition. Every trace of disease will be purged, restoring you to your most pristine, healthy state."
"Azhdaha's severe erosion and loss of sanity were cured through this exact mechanism."
"If you are impatient, you can simply equip a Totem of Undying and end your own life. Triggering the artifact will instantly eradicate the affliction."
"The fourth method comes into play if you actually perish. We possess Totems of Resurrection. This is how the fallen adepti were restored to life."
"The fifth option is my personal intervention. Imaginary energy can rewrite reality itself. Let alone demonic pollution, I could simply reverse your personal timeline to a point before you ever contracted the illness."
"Those are the five methods I can think of off the top of my head. There are others, but I cannot be bothered to list them."
"So, I ask again. How do you wish to be cured?"
Baizhu remained completely silent.
This was akin to a starving man watching several lavish pies fall directly from the heavens.
And then being politely asked to choose the most fragrant one to consume.
A moment ago, he had been teetering on the edge of starvation, willing to gnaw on bitter roots just to survive.
Now, a grand feast of five absolute miracles was laid out before him for his personal selection.
Such a profound sense of euphoria...
Baizhu had never experienced anything like it in his entire life.
For a long moment, he lacked the capacity to formulate a proper response.
The suffocating shadow of death had been instantly obliterated. Now, the choice was his.
Drawing a deep, shuddering breath, Baizhu spoke in a hushed tone. "I am a physician. I understand perfectly well that every consultation requires a fee."
"May I ask what the cost is for these five methods?"
Ryen snapped his fingers, a bright smile crossing his face. "Brilliant!"
"However, I have no need for mundane currencies like Mora, nor is there any material resource in Teyvat that I truly covet."
"These five methods may sound distinct, but strictly speaking, curing your condition requires utilizing assets from my world, alongside Liyue's resource stockpiles."
"Therefore, you must provide two separate payments."
Baizhu nodded without hesitation. He was already standing at death's door; worldly possessions meant absolutely nothing. As long as he could be cured, he was willing to surrender anything.
"Firstly," Ryen began softly, noting Baizhu's braced posture. "You are exceptionally intelligent and highly capable. To independently engineer a hybrid of dimensional milk and healing potions without any external guidance is a staggering feat."
"Liyue is currently starved for top-tier research talent of your caliber."
Ryen cast a brief glance toward Ningguang, his lips curving into a light smile. "If you wish to be cured, you must dedicate your value, your technical expertise, and your intellect to Liyue."
"It is a perfectly equitable exchange."
"Crafting an Enchanted Golden Apple requires hundreds of tons of gold. Totems of Undying and Totems of Resurrection are even rarer artifacts tied directly to the concepts of immortality and revival."
"You understand their immense worth."
"Even Zhongli's Healing Staff was secured only after the Millelith painstakingly explored dangerous dimensions, risking their lives to obtain it."
Hearing this, Ningguang and the others smoothly averted their gazes, inspecting the far walls of the parlor.
Gold...
Liyue's current stockpiles exceeded several hundred thousand tons. In fact, they had grown too lazy to even mine the rest.
Totems of Undying...
The mob farms generated over a thousand per day.
Zhongli's staff was an even more absurd exaggeration. They had simply marched into the Twilight Forest, bombarded the boss arenas with explosives, and retrieved the loot without a single scratch.
Perhaps the Totems of Resurrection were slightly scarce.
However, Ryen was actively securing a flawlessly loyal, highly productive asset for Liyue. Ningguang and her peers certainly had no intention of exposing the truth.
Even if it did not benefit the harbor, they would always support their man's narrative.
Baizhu, naturally, was completely ignorant of these staggering production rates.
"Hundreds of tons of gold. Immortality. Resurrection. The personal intervention of Rex Lapis..."
Baizhu pressed his lips together in dismay, a bitter smile surfacing. "To speak truthfully, even the simplest requirement of a hundred tons of gold is a sum I could never produce, even if I liquidated every single asset to my name."
"As for the concepts of immortality and resurrection... I dare not even dream of their price."
"Since resources of such magnitude are required, the only acceptable currency I can offer is my own intrinsic value."
"If Mr. Ryen genuinely believes my intellect is worth hundreds of tons of gold, I consider it an absolute honor."
"Is this the consultation fee owed to Liyue?"
Ryen offered a slight nod.
While Baizhu's primary obsession was immortality, his prowess in medical and pharmaceutical research was truly peerless.
In this specific domain, even Albedo could not match his raw talent.
His value was astronomical. Having him dedicate his full effort to Liyue's advancement would bring Ningguang endless satisfaction.
"As I stated earlier, while these items belong to Liyue's reserves, they originate entirely from my world."
"Therefore, demanding a separate fee for myself is perfectly reasonable, is it not?"
Ryen looked at Baizhu with a cheerful grin. The physician nodded deeply. "It is only natural."
"Excellent!" Ryen clapped his hands decisively. "I also mentioned that you possess nothing of material value that I desire. The only exception..."
Ryen reached out, gently rubbing the top of Qiqi's head. "I demand full custody of Qiqi. From this day forward, she stays with me."
Ningguang and the other women simultaneously pressed their fingers against their temples, exhaling heavy sighs.
There it was.
The moment Ryen declared he required a personal fee, they had instantly predicted this exact outcome.
Ryen possessed virtually zero worldly desires within Teyvat. Nothing held his interest.
If he actually wanted something, they would have procured it for him long ago.
The singular treasure Baizhu possessed that could possibly capture Ryen's attention...
Was the adorable little zombie daughter, Qiqi.
After all, Ryen was an absolute fanatic when it came to adopting daughters.
With Qiqi being so exceptionally precious, Ryen failing to scoop her up and pamper her relentlessly would mean he had been replaced by an imposter.
Baizhu stared, his serpentine eyes widening in sheer shock. "Qiqi?"
Ryen poked Qiqi's cheek, his gaze overflowing with pure, unfiltered warmth.
Truthfully, the little zombie's skin was cold to the touch and lacking in softness.
Ryen, however, did not mind in the slightest. Qiqi was so wonderfully obedient and adorable; it was impossible for her to possess any flaws.
Losing a pity roll to Qiqi in the gacha game might induce agonizing groans, but when faced with the genuine article in reality, who could resist fiercely spoiling such a perfect daughter?
Once he officially secured custody of Qiqi, he would simply pull Yaoyao into the Minecraft world alongside her.
Ryen would instantly ascend to the peak of human achievement, reigning as the ultimate victor in life with four perfect daughters and one floating pet.
The mere thought of two daughters sitting in his lap, two daughters clinging to his back, and Paimon napping peacefully on his shoulder...
Was there any scenario in the entire universe more heartwarming and flawless?
Ryen's determination to secure Qiqi's custody was absolute. Baizhu had to surrender her, whether he wanted to or not!
Recognizing the immovable resolve burning in Ryen's eyes, Baizhu offered a hollow smile. "Placing Qiqi under your care is undoubtedly the better path for her. I can barely manage my own failing body. While I have strived to care for her, my underlying motives have never been pure."
"Qiqi will experience a far brighter future by your side. I have no objections."
Ryen clapped his hands together with a sharp crack. "Deal! Consider your illness cured!"
Without another word, completely ignoring the elaborate spread of dishes that had just been served, Ryen rose abruptly from his seat.
"We depart immediately. We are heading to my world to eradicate your disease, and to see if there is a method to restore Qiqi's memory."
Hu Tao, who was currently gnawing on a crystal shrimp dumpling, snapped her head up, her eyes wide with bewilderment. "Are we in such a massive rush? This Director has barely eaten anything!"
"Curing my precious daughter's condition cannot be delayed for even a single second!"
Ryen shot back without hesitation. He scooped Qiqi up with his left arm, and smoothly tucked an utterly innocent-looking Yaoyao under his right.
From this day forward, Ryen's grand empire of adopted daughters had officially expanded once more.