Passing through the fragrant front hall of the "Food is Heaven" Inn, the scene in the backyard was like another world entirely.
The aroma of food was kept out by an invisible wall.
In the air, only the tranquility of plants and the soft whisper of the breeze remained.
The courtyard was tidily kept, with firewood stacked like a wall and cured meats hanging from the eaves.
A massive camphor tree spread its dense green canopy, sheltering the stone table and stools beneath.
Everything seemed so quiet and serene.
A young Pandaren leaned back in a lounge chair under the tree, staring blankly at the sky.
His fur was clean, and his features were delicate; he should have been in the prime of his youth.
Yet his eyes were like a withered well that no amount of light could ever illuminate.
His presence had been diminished to the absolute limit, as if the world had pressed its mute button on him, leaving even his breathing so faint it was nearly imperceptible.
Scattered beside him were the gnawed remains of bamboo shoot husks, with a fresh bunch lying within reach.
But his motions of reaching, chewing, and spitting out the pulp were as mechanical as a routine, devoid of the slightest trace of enjoyment.
That was not eating.
That was merely a program to maintain vital signs.
He was Pan Wenhuo.
"Wenhuo."
Pan Ironpaw's call was as gentle as a breeze, incapable of stirring even a single ripple.
The Pandaren on the lounge chair gave no reaction, as if those two words were not calling his name.
Pan Big-Ladle covered his face in anguish, a desperate groan escaping from between his fingers.
Lin Xiyue frowned, lowering her voice as she spoke to Lin Qingyue, "Sis, this is worse than I thought."
"He's not just lazy. This is nothing short of a... still-breathing corpse."
"No, he's not lazy."
Lin Qingyue walked forward slowly, her sharp gaze sweeping over every detail.
"He's been drained of all 'Desire'."
Her gaze fell upon the ground beside the lounge chair.
There, a row of kitchen knives was laid out neatly, each one polished to a mirror-like shine, their cold glint reflecting Pan Wenhuo's numb face.
A truly lazy person would never cherish their tools so much.
He had simply been extinguished by some powerful Power of Rules, which had snuffed out every flame of "aspiration" in his heart, leaving only the barest instinct for survival.
"Master Lin, could you... could you please..."
Pan Big-Ladle's voice trembled, his eyes pleading as if clutching at a final straw.
Lin Qingyue turned back and gave him a reassuring look.
She decided to test the waters first, to see exactly what this so-called "Sin of Sloth" curse was made of.
She extended her right hand, bringing her index and middle fingers together.
A pure and rational Holy Light condensed at her fingertips.
"[ Purification Art (Modified Ver.): Sage Mode ]."
A soft pink aura shot from her fingertips, silently enveloping Pan Wenhuo's head.
The next second, a sudden change occurred.
In the lifeless pupils of Pan Wenhuo on the lounge chair, a waterfall-like stream of data actually began to refresh.
His scattered focus instantly converged!
His gaze became clear and rational, even revealing a philosopher's profoundness, as if he could see through the essence of all things.
He slowly sat upright.
He looked down at his hands, stained with bamboo shoot juice.
Then he turned his head to look at the messy pile of bamboo shoot husks beside him.
His brow furrowed deeply.
He adjusted the non-existent glasses on the bridge of his nose, leaned forward slightly, and, in a tone devoid of emotion as if proclaiming the truth, began a self-analysis:
"From a physiological perspective, consuming only bamboo shoots will lead to a severe deficiency in protein, fat, and various micronutrients. In the long run, this will inevitably impair bodily functions and shorten the life cycle."
"From the perspective of realizing life's value, my current act of 'lying still' is a meaningless expenditure of time, with efficiency approaching zero, and thus constitutes a tremendous waste of life itself."
"From the perspective of Family honor and professional development, neglecting the ancestral 'Blazing Ladle' ultimate technique and ignoring the 'Feast of a Hundred Flavors' is an extremely foolish and irresponsible act."
"A comprehensive assessment shows that my current state has a hundred harms and not a single benefit."
Such a clear and logical self-criticism left Pan Big-Ladle and Pan Ironpaw's jaws nearly touching the ground.
Immediately after came a torrential flood of ecstatic joy!
"He's alive! He's come back to life!"
Pan Big-Ladle was so moved his eyes brimmed with tears, and his fan-sized palms flailed in the air, not knowing where to land. "Master Lin is truly a divine being!"
Pan Ironpaw's face was also full of shock. She had never imagined a spell could instantly make a ruined man so... full of wisdom.
However, just as they thought Pan Wenhuo was about to stand up and take the ladle again for a royal comeback, the atmosphere shifted abruptly.
After completing his profound self-analysis, Pan Wenhuo took a long, long sigh.
That sigh was filled with the weariness and emptiness of a sage who had seen through the world.
"Sigh..."
He leaned back, falling heavily back onto the lounge chair and returning to his original posture.
Only his gaze had changed from the previous "empty" look to one of "no will to live" after seeing through the mortal world.
"I understand all the reasons, and I comprehend the logic."
"But the mere thought of standing up, washing vegetables, chopping, heating the wok, and controlling the fire... just makes me feel so tired."
"The universe will ultimately end in heat death. Life is but a chaotic disturbance in the process of increasing entropy. Whether I struggle or not, it has no effect on the macroscopic world."
"Sigh, I'll just lie down."
"At least this will slow down my metabolism, buying the universe a tiny... tiny bit more time."
"..."
Dead silence filled the room.
The ecstatic joy on Pan Big-Ladle's face froze, as if frozen by Su Wan's Ice Element magic, turning him into a comical meme.
Pan Ironpaw kept her mouth agape, forgetting to close it.
Lin Xiyue's eyes twitched wildly as she leaned in and whispered to Lin Qingyue:
"Sis, does your spell... have some hidden side effect? How did he reach this level of laziness? He's practically attained Buddhahood!"
Su Wan and Xia Lian also wore strange expressions, wanting to laugh but not daring to.
Lin Qingyue rubbed the space between her eyebrows, a curious smile playing at the corner of her lips.
She looked at Lin Xiyue, who couldn't understand any of this, and gave an answer that struck the very soul:
"Because knowing you're wrong doesn't mean you have the motivation to change."
Sage Mode could grant absolute rationality, but it could not ignite the fire of desire.
When a person lacks even the desire to act, the clearest of truths is nothing more than wind in their ears.
The first treatment had failed in an unexpected way.
"Master Lin..."
Pan Big-Ladle's voice was choked with sobs, his expression even more desperate than before.
"Don't panic."
Lin Qingyue waved her hand, signaling him to calm down. "This isn't a big problem. On the contrary, it shows we're heading in the right direction. The root of the problem isn't cognition, but motivation."
She turned to Pan Big-Ladle, changing her approach and guiding him like an experienced physician:
"Boss Pan, think carefully. When did he start acting like this? Did anything unusual happen before that?"
Pan Big-Ladle strained to remember, the fat on his face creasing into deep furrows.
"Something unusual... Oh! That's right!"
He slapped his thigh hard, as if remembering something.
"About three months ago! The boy heard some news from somewhere, saying that the 'Vermilion Bird Ruins' deep in the Great Southern Swamp contained the legendary 'Sun Fireseed,' which could take a chef's fire control to the absolute limit!"
"He went absolutely wild back then, sneaking off there all by himself. He stayed in the ruins for seven days and seven nights! When he came back, he was so incredibly fired up. Every single day, he'd drag me into researching new dishes, claiming he'd grasped the true essence of fire control. His cooking skills truly soared during that time!"
As Pan Big-Ladle said this, his face fell again.
"But the good times didn't last. Once that manic energy wore off, he became like a lamp that had burned all its oil, growing wilter and lazier by the day, until he ended up like this ghastly mess..."
The moment the words "Vermilion Bird Ruins" were spoken.
Buzz
The professional interfaces of Lin Qingyue and her three companions simultaneously shimmered with a scorching glow.
A searing stream of data surged into their vision, illuminating a quest and updating its progress.
[ Exclusive Squad Trial Quest: Trial of the Celestial God ]
[ Current Progress: Clues to Celestial God: Vermilion Bird have been obtained! ]
[ Quest Hint: The forgotten flame awaits its successor in the depths of the swamp, one who can withstand its blazing will. ]
An unexpected windfall!
The four of them exchanged a subtle glance, their hearts burning with excitement.
It was truly a case of having a pillow delivered just as one feels sleepy.
Curing "laziness cancer" had somehow led them to a crucial clue for an epic quest.
Lin Qingyue silently memorized the location of the Vermilion Bird Ruins, deciding to make it their next exploration target immediately after the Feast of a Hundred Flavors was concluded.
But for now, the treatment had to continue.