Chapter Forty: Karmic Retribution

With the attitudes and positions of both sides clearly established, the purpose of this meeting had been perfectly achieved. Xiao, suffering from severe social anxiety, prepared to take his leave immediately after the farewell.

However, before he could unleash his "Windwheel Whirl," he heard the young man beside him speak in a pleasant, melodious voice:

"There, the necessary social pleasantries are finally out of the way. Now, I’d like to discuss some personal matters. I wonder if the Great Sage might stay a little longer?"

Xiao paused. "..." Was the real conversation only just beginning?

"That is no problem. 'Great Sage' is but an empty title; just call me Xiao."

"In that case, Xiao, you can just call me Lin Feng. There’s no need for formal titles; your constant use of 'Your Excellency' just now made me feel quite uncomfortable."

When speaking from the perspective of an unknown god to a representative sent by Liyue, Lin Feng naturally could not be too casual. But now that the business was concluded, he could no longer suppress his inner nature as a slacker.

Xiao thought, "..." Are all gods like this?

The stark contrast between his private demeanor and the formal meeting reminded him of the Geo Archon when he took his vacations.

"Then... Lin Feng, for what purpose do you ask me to stay?"

Xiao was puzzled by Lin Feng's warmth. Burdened by karmic debt, he was accustomed to solitude, even among the adepti; rarely did anyone ever ask him to stay.

"Xiao, relax a little. You don't have to be so serious."

"I have never liked being a riddle-monger, so I’ll get straight to the point: simply put, I want to help you rid yourself of that karmic debt clinging to your body."

Lin Feng had no intention of beating around the bush and spoke with blunt directness.

"..."

"..."

Although Lin Feng’s words were clear and unambiguous, a brief silence fell over the scene.

"I appreciate your good intentions, but this is the consequence of my own actions; it is not right for others to bear it."

"Entangled for thousands of years, the remnants of fallen gods have long since seeped into my marrow. Even the most profound arts of the adepti are powerless to turn the tide."

After a long silence, Xiao finally spoke.

"Hey, come on now. You’re such a great adeptus, so don't look so hopeless. How will you know if you don't try?"

"I have a friend who, at first, was just as skeptical as you. In the end, she was crying her eyes out and burying herself in my arms. I just hope you won't be like that later."

Lin Feng leaned close to Xiao and familiarly draped an arm over his shoulder. Only after doing so did he realize a sad truth: because his current body grew at such a slow pace, he was only a tiny bit taller than Xiao.

Lin Feng thought, "..." Damn, I think I’m the one who’s going to start crying first. What should I do?

"…I do not wish to cause you trouble. Wasting time on me is meaningless."

"But if you insist, I am willing to try once more."

Xiao did not mind the hand on his shoulder. Recalling the instructions of the Geo Archon, he decided to cooperate with this mysterious deity—after all, things could hardly get any worse.

"That's good. Sit there and don't move. If nothing goes wrong, it should be done quickly."

Seeing Xiao agree, Lin Feng breathed a sigh of relief.

He had truly been afraid that the other party would refuse. If that had happened, his grand ambition of "farming gold from an old-timer" might have remained a distant dream.

He guessed that Zhongli must have put in a good word for him. Otherwise, in his previous life, this situation would be like a quack doctor without a medical license crawling out of a sewer and telling a high-ranking national leader, "You are sick, but I can cure you!"

It would have been a miracle not to be thrown out.

Lin Feng’s confidence stemmed from his "Modifier." Through this accident, he realized that the device was bound to his consciousness, and his body was merely a tool for providing energy.

Confident, Lin Feng opened Xiao’s status panel:

[Individual Info: Yaksha — Xiao]
Level: 96-10 (A battle-hardened Yaksha who has survived for thousands of years. Relying on his race and martial prowess, he dares to challenge even gods, but his power is currently in decline due to karmic debt; he is no longer as formidable as he once was.)
Element: Anemo
Traits: Yaksha Body (MAX), Adeptal Arts (9), Bane of All Evil (9), Windwheel Whirl (9), Lemniscatic Wind Cycling (9), Martial Arts: Polearm (9)... God’s Curse, Ensnared by Grudges, Enveloped in Bloodlust
Emotion: Low
Affinity: 50 (You cherish life, respect the Geo Archon, and do not shy away from the grudges surrounding him. Your various actions have left a favorable impression on Xiao.)

Lin Feng was not surprised by Xiao’s combat power. After all, he was an ancient relic who had lived for two thousand years, and with the innate battle-instincts of the Yaksha, Xiao likely wouldn't fear even some of the weaker gods he had fought during the Archon War.

However, that was all in the past. Xiao was now burdened with so many negative status effects that this was the first time Lin Feng had ever seen a level modifier that was negative.

After estimating the energy reserves within his own body, Lin Feng felt reassured.

Although his projection was filled with a massive amount of Ley Line energy, the power required by the Modifier was locked onto his own life force; it refused to accept anything else, whether it was elemental energy or divine power.

Even more strangely, this lock ignored the constraints of distance; it seemed the transfer of energy did not rely on physical channels, but was stubbornly fixed to his own small frame.

The reason Lin Feng dared to make such a bold claim in a situation that even the Geo Archon could not handle was due to a feature in the Modifier he had almost forgotten: "Data Modification."

Because this function consumed a huge amount of energy and seemed only capable of deleting traits, Lin Feng, who had rarely suffered from any negative status effects, had always considered it useless.

But upon seeing Xiao, Lin Feng realized that there were indeed people in this world who were not human and yet were covered in negative status effects.

Because Xiao was so incredibly powerful, Lin Feng was unsure how many negative traits he could delete with his energy. However, for any single choice, the Modifier signaled that it was operable. Lin Feng pondered: if he had to choose one out of three, which one should he remove?

He opened the trait information:

God’s Curse: The remnants of a dead god have turned into a curse, seeping into the marrow and eroding both body and mind.
Ensnared by Grudges: The souls of the defeated have turned into eternal hatred; venomous whispers circle the ears, never ceasing day or night.
Enveloped in Bloodlust: The true nature of a Yaksha, once subdued, is incited by the remnants of gods to turn into bloodlust toward all living things. The more intense the battle, the easier it is to lose one's sanity.

Lin Feng thought, "..."

How miserable. This mountain of negative buffs that eroded the mind—if it weren't for the fact that Liyue's adeptal arts emphasized cultivating the heart and clarifying one's nature to suppress the delusions within, anyone else would have long since fallen into becoming a demon.

He analyzed it briefly. The God’s Curse was undoubtedly the core, destroying both mind and body in every aspect. The latter two were more focused on mental states; given Xiao’s mental cultivation and the Geo Archon’s medicinal prescriptions, the problem wasn't huge if only suppression was required.

"Let's go with the first one." Having made his decision, Lin Feng sat on the ground and placed his hands on Xiao’s shoulders.

"Data Modification—Delete trait: 'God’s Curse'."

Lin Feng chanted silently in his heart. As a familiar sense of weakness washed over him, the projection of the Ley Lines dissipated around Xiao, leaving behind a pile of objects that looked like purple books.