The information that Qiu Yunru was found was few and far in between. Between asking Li Chenyuan questions about his illness and his research, Qiu Yunru came to this conclusion:

  It was indeed a curse from a demon. The demonic qi that surged around Li Chenyuan's head had to be the source of his pain. Seeing as it was a hereditary curse, the only method to remove it would be to find that original demon and beg them to release Li Chenyuan.

  This option would inevitably be near-impossible. Since Li Chenyuan himself didn't know any information on who that demon was, what it even looked like, or where it could be found, it would require a great stroke of luck to even find that demon in the first place. Then, there was the entire matter of begging them to remove the curse! Who even knew what the original crime was? What if it was something that even a son seven generations later should be punished?

  The second option was to not remove the curse fully, but to alleviate Li Chenyuan's pain and help him manage it.

  This was more manageable. With daily qi circulation and cleansing, herbal tinctures, and the use of various talismans around his room, the demonic qi could be suppressed and prevented from surging. In this way, most of his migraine attacks could be avoided, unless they were so severe that they broke through all of this preparation. Even so, they would be less painful than before.

  In the end, Qiu Yunru quickly gave up on the first option and went with the second.

  Surprisingly, Li Chenyuan wasn't bothered by this.

  "It would be almost impossible to remove," He said matter-of-factly. "So Qiu-shixiong is right. It's better to focus on mitigating the effects than getting to the root, when getting to the root is impossible."

  What a practical kid!

  So, from then on, Qiu Yunru came to Li Chenyuan's dorm room daily before the break of dawn to circulate his qi.

  He also made up a story about how he needed certain ingredients from Fan Yao Peak for alchemical experimentation and to help Li Chenyuan learn the art of alchemy. This way, he could get ingredients to make tinctures for this kid.

  Since He Yongliang seemed to adore Li Chenyuan and agreed to most things when it came to him, this time was no different.

  He Yongliang flicked his fan with a smile in his eyes. "All right. This master hopes that you teach Chenyuan well. Perhaps teach him to maintain his health?"

  Qiu Yunru froze at this comment.

  Teach him to maintain his health...?

  Did their Shizun already know about Li Chenyuan's condition?

  He quickly BS'ed a respectful answer: "Of course, Shizun. Since Li-shidi has an interest, this disciple will teach him the basics of alchemical medicine."

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Then he ran off.

  "Li-shidi," He asked awkwardly when he found Li Chenyuan meditating on the training grounds. "Is it possible you've told Shizun about your illness?"

  Li Chenyuan shook his head. He looked a little pale suddenly.

  "I haven't. But..."

  "But...?"

  Li Chenyuan pursed his lips. "He may already know. After all, my father had it. Since he was my father's sworn brother, he might know something."

  With that, he turned away from Qiu Yunru and prepared to meditate once more, signaling the end of the conversation.

  If Qiu Yunru was a bit more of a stickler, he might have spit blood. As rude as ever, not caring that even his shixiong was here and just continuing his activities, ending the conversation without a word or a nod!

  Instead, he was shocked for another reason.

  So Li Chenyuan had known that their Shizun was his father's sworn brother--which meant that he must know their Shizun killed his father!

  However, he didn't want to ask this directly. What's more, Li Chenyuan had immediately turned away and stopped talking, which gave Qiu Yunru the distinct impression that he didn't want to talk about this anymore.

  What a confusing mess! Qiu Yunru didn't know what to think!

  After going to the alchemical shed to crush some herbs and make himself a little extra healing solution for times of need, Qiu Yunru had thought long and hard. Whenever he did something with his hands, he always felt he had a clearer mind to think.

  He came to this conclusion:

  This kid must have known the whole time. However, never having known his father, he might not even care that much! So, it wasn't a big deal to him to study under a Shizun who had his father's blood on his hands.

  There was now only the question of whether he knew what kind of person his father was. Perhaps he did, and so he cared even less?

  Qiu Yunru mashed the dried ginseng into the mortar relentlessly, sweat dripping down his forehead.

  This was his playthrough, wasn't it? It was his own second life! So why was he spending so much time agonizing over the politics and thoughts of someone else's over-complicated origin story?!

  In the end, he decided that he had thought about it quite enough. He made himself some tea and went and drank it in his room, sighing mournfully over his own situation.

  Having escaped a life of studying medicine, he had somehow still found himself jumping through mental hoops to study something until his brain hurt. Only, now it was the life of an AI NPC!

  He really needed to focus on himself more!

  _____

  That night as he lay in bed, Qiu Yunru thought of his past life.

  It was rare for his thoughts to stray this way anymore, but they did every so often. Sometimes, it was with a sense of nostalgia, and sometimes, it was with a sense of gratitude that he was now somewhere else.

  Tonight, he thought of some other games he had liked to play alongside Spring Blossoms, Autumn Fruits. There was that farming simulation, and that one where he had played as an android trying to save humanity...

  As he lay there, a sudden, foreign thought entered his head.

  The sensation was like someone shoving a nail into a crevice in his brain, only without any pain.

  These people...Fang Hai, Lei Ruolan, Pan Fa...do they really care about me at all?

  Qiu Yunru suddenly felt a little sick.

  He sat up and put a hand over his heart to find it beating wildly. The thoughts went on, crawling further into his brain like ants:

  Fang Hai, isn't he always jealous and trying to pull me down with him? Pan Fa, isn't he over-idolizing me? What will he do when I fail? Lei Ruolan, doesn't she hate me to the core?

  What was this? Qiu Yunru's mind raced, and he clutched at his stomach.

  These thoughts certainly weren't his own!

  ...Right?

  After a few moments, the thoughts grew quieter and subsided completely. He let out a breath, falling back onto the bed, only to find that his whole body was sweaty.

  What a strange few minutes...

  Since he had always been very particular about getting into bed while sweaty, he decided to get up and go out to the hot springs for a moment. Besides, if his mind was playing tricks on him, it would be better to get some fresh air.

  He'd really never felt like this before, though. It was unsettling.