This celestial master cultivates both physical and magical arts; why did you provoke him?

On a rainy afternoon.

Xia En received a phone call from an unfamiliar number.

The voice on the other end of the phone was a woman's, hoarse and tired, carrying a long-suppressed despair.

"Excuse me, are you Master Xia Enxia?"

"it's me."

"My name is Zhou Min. I...I need your help."

Xia En noticed the tremor in her voice. "What is it?"

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

It was so long that Xia En thought she had died before she finally spoke.

"My daughter...she's sick. Very sick. The hospital says...it can't be cured."

Her voice broke, "She's only seven years old."

Xia En's fingers tightened slightly as she gripped her phone. "What illness?"

"Leukemia. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He's been undergoing chemotherapy for six months, but it's not working. The doctor says... he has at most two months left."

Xia En paused for a moment, then asked, "How can I help you?"

"I've heard... you can perform rituals. You can cure illnesses and avert disasters."

Her voice suddenly became urgent, "I know this may sound superstitious, but I've reached a dead end."

"I've tried everything, been to every hospital, and spent all my money. I..."

She couldn't continue.

Xia En was silent for a few seconds. "Where are you?"

Hematology Department, Jiangzhou First People's Hospital

I'll go tomorrow.

"Really?" A glimmer of light suddenly appeared in Zhou Min's voice.

"real."

Xia En said, "But I need to make it clear to you beforehand. Performing rituals can ward off illness and disaster, but it can't cure every disease. I can only try, I can't guarantee anything."

"I understand. I understand," Zhou Min said repeatedly. "No matter the outcome, thank you."

After hanging up the phone, Xia En sat on the edge of the bed and remained silent for a long time.

Fang Zijian poked his head in from the doorway. "What's wrong?"

"I'm going to the hospital tomorrow. There's a child with leukemia."

Fang Zijian was stunned for a moment. "Leukemia? This... a religious ceremony can cure leukemia?"

Xia En did not answer.

He was just looking at the rain outside the window, his eyes were very calm, but Fang Zijian had known him for so long, and for the first time he saw something indescribable in his eyes.

It wasn't exhaustion, it wasn't helplessness, it was a very deep sense of powerlessness.

The next day, at the Hematology Department of Jiangzhou First People's Hospital.

The corridor was filled with the smell of medicine, mixed with a kind of indescribable bitterness.

The walls were covered with faded health posters, and the light bulbs emitted a stark white light.

The light shone on everyone's face, making their complexion appear even paler.

Shaun walked through the corridor, his steps light, but he could feel the gazes around him.

Those eyes held curiosity, doubt, and a faint glimmer of hope.

Zhou Min was waiting for him at the door of the ward. She was in her thirties, but looked like she was fifty.

His hair was dry and yellow, his eyes were sunken, and his face was completely bloodless.

She was wearing a faded sweater with frayed edges on the cuffs.

Upon seeing Xia En, she quickly approached him and tightly grasped his hands.

"Master Xia, thank you for coming."

Her hands were icy cold, with prominent knuckles like withered branches.

"Take me to see the children."

Xia En said.

The ward is a six-person room, but the other five beds are empty.

They weren't discharged; they were transferred to another hospital or went home.

On the innermost bed lay a little girl. She was very thin, so thin that you could see the shape of her bones.

She had lost all her hair and was wearing a pink woolen hat with a kitten embroidered on it.

Her face was very small, about the size of a fist.

Her skin was so white it was almost translucent, and you could see the veins underneath.

She closed her eyes and breathed very lightly, as light as a feather.

Zhou Min walked to the bedside and gently took her hand.

"Xiaoyu, Mommy's here. A big brother has come to see you."

The little girl slowly opened her eyes.

Those eyes were big and bright, like two stars.

She looked at Xia En, at the article "This Celestial Master Cultivates Both Physical and Magical Arts, Why Did You Provoke Him?": A resounding success with rave reviews! A slight smile played on her lips. She gave a very faint smile and said, "Hello, brother."

Xia En stood by the bed, looking down at her.

He didn't speak, but simply reached out and gently placed his hand on her forehead.

A slight warmth emanated from my palm, along with a very faint, very faint breath.

It's like a lamp that's about to go out; a gust of wind could extinguish it.

He closed his eyes.

The magic flowed from his palm like a warm river, slowly seeping into the little girl's body.

He sensed it.

Those diseased cells, those white demons that were devouring her life.

They raged in her blood, took root in her bone marrow, and spread to every organ in her body.

Lin Jie used his magical golden threads to explore the cause of the disease, attempting to remove the diseased cells, but they were too numerous, too deep, and too stubborn.

He opened his eyes and withdrew his hand.

Zhou Min looked at him nervously, "How is it?"

Shane paused for a moment. "I need to prepare some things. Come back tomorrow."

He turned and walked out of the ward.

Fang Zijian followed behind and saw that Xia En's hands were trembling slightly.

It wasn't because of overdrawn magical power, it was because of something else.

"Shane, are you alright?"

Xia En did not answer.

He walked quickly out of the hospital, stood at the entrance, and looked up at the sky.

The rain has stopped, but the clouds are thick and the sun is not visible.

"That child..." Fang Zijian asked cautiously, "Can he be cured?"

Xia En remained silent for a long time.

"Her illness was not caused by evil spirits. It's a problem with her own body. Rituals can exorcise evil, avert disasters, and ensure peace, but they cannot reverse the damage to her cells."

Fang Zijian's heart sank. "Then you..."

"But I can try another method."

Xia En turned to look at him. "Using a talisman array, combined with magical power, to clear the diseased cells from her body. This isn't a traditional ritual; it's a... new method that combines modern medicine and Taoist magic."

Fang Zijian was stunned. "Will this work?"

"I don't know," Shane said, "but I have to try."

That night, Shane locked himself in his room and didn't come out all night.

Fang Zijian peeked through the crack in the door and saw him sitting at the table with dozens of talismans spread out in front of him and a medical textbook, "Hematology," next to him.

He flipped through the book while drawing talismans, each one different, and he drew each one slowly and carefully.

As dawn broke, Xia En came out of his room.

His eyes were bloodshot, but his gaze was bright.

He held seven talismans in his hand, each emitting a faint golden light.

"Let's go," he said.

Fang Zijian quickly followed. "You have a plan?"

"Yes, but success cannot be guaranteed."

What is the success rate?

Xia En paused for a moment. "Thirty percent."

Fang Zijian's heart sank.

In the ward, Xiaoyu had just finished taking her medicine.

She frowned, her little face scrunched up, because the medicine was very bitter.

Zhou Min wiped her mouth gently and softly.

Xia En walked to the bedside, squatted down, and looked Xiao Yu in the eye.

"Xiaoyu, your brother is going to give you a treatment today. It might be a little uncomfortable, but it won't hurt. Are you scared?"

Xiaoyu looked at him, her big eyes filled with trust, not fear.

"Don't be afraid. My brother is a good person."

Xia En smiled.

He pasted seven talismans on seven different sides of the bed.

There was one at the head of the bed, one at the foot of the bed, one on the left, one on the right, one above, one below, and one pasted on Xiaoyu's forehead.

"Ms. Zhou, please wait outside for a moment," he said.

Zhou Min hesitated. "I..."

"No outsiders can be present during the treatment. It will affect the stability of the rune array."

Zhou Min gritted her teeth and walked out of the ward. Fang Zijian followed her out and gently closed the door behind her.

Only Xia En and Xiao Yu remained in the ward.

Xia En stood by the bed, his hands forming a mudra.

The seven talismans lit up at the same time, their golden light intertwining to form a complex light array above Xiaoyu's body.

The light array slowly rotated, resembling a blooming golden lotus.