The rest of the meal at the table had less mutual flattery and began having laughter and joy.

  Bai Qi also adjusted his attitude, no longer treating Xia Li simply as Liu Xiaoxiao's benefactor, but truly getting to know him as a mentor and friend.

  "Speaking of which, Big Brother Xia, are you really not planning to regrow your missing parts? Since you cultivate martial arts, you should understand that bodily deficiency is a major obstacle to the martial path."

  Bai Qi wanted to help Xia Li regrow his missing parts. For the Medicine King Inheritor, making Xia Li regrow a right arm, eyes, and nose wasn't difficult.

  "No need. My current state is exactly what my path requires."

  "Big Brother Xia, don't tell me you cultivate the Grafting Path? That's heretical! Extremely harmful!"

  Bai Qi clearly knew quite a lot, immediately realizing what kind of path would require keeping the body incomplete.

  "Senior Brother Bai, what is the Grafting Path?"

  Liu Xiaoxiao asked with concern at this point.

  "It's refining and grafting body parts from demon beasts or powerful beings onto oneself. This path is extremely evil—cultivate it far enough and you end up looking neither human nor ghost."

  After Bai Qi finished speaking, Liu Xiaoxiao looked at Xia Li, about to offer advice, but Xia Li waved his hand to stop her.

  "My path isn't grafting. It uses exquisite craftsmanship to forge body parts like spiritual treasures for use."

  "So it's the Puppet-Body Path. Though it's not heretical, it's still a side path with no long-term future."

  Bai Qi immediately understood Xia Li's meaning. This method existed in the cultivation world too, but was similarly an undignified minor path he looked down on.

  "When the day truly comes that I can't advance further, I'll naturally consider removing the puppet-body and regrowing flesh. For now, my path's puppet-body is far more powerful than flesh."

  "I see... I understand."

  Bai Qi nodded. Xia Li had things figured out—that was good. He was just offering friendly advice.

  "Though speaking of puppet-bodies, Medicine King Sect has research in that area too. When we encounter people who can't afford the cost of flesh regeneration, we offer puppet-body substitutes. I have some I made before—let me find one..."

  Before long...

  Bai Qi retrieved a wooden hand from his storage ring and handed it to Xia Li. Xia Li took it and scanned it with his Heaven Chip.

  The wooden hand's hardness was acceptable, could channel spiritual energy, but had extremely poor sensitivity. Besides mimicking hand functions, it had no other uses.

  To the Heaven Chip, it was pure garbage.

  "No thanks, not necessary..."

  Xia Li awkwardly returned the wooden hand. This thing probably couldn't even grip a blade steadily—hanging on his shoulder would only be a burden.

  Earth's prosthetic technology was integrated with the Heaven Chip. Only prosthetics connected to the Heaven Chip were truly powerful.

  "Alright, seems my craftsmanship isn't up to Big Brother Xia's standards. So, what's your purpose in coming to the Savage Continent?"

  Bai Qi asked about Xia Li's purpose, wondering if he could provide some assistance.

  "Seeking an item."

  "Convenient to say?"

  "Not convenient."

  "Anything you need my help with?"

  "Not at the moment."

  Xia Li truly didn't need Bai Qi's help with anything. But seeing Bai Qi's expression of wanting to do something, Xia Li smiled and extended his hand.

  "But I could use some high-quality medicines for emergencies. If Daoist Friend Bai finds it convenient..."

  "Convenient, very convenient!"

  Bai Qi immediately produced many medicine bottles and handed them to Xia Li.

  "As the Medicine King Inheritor, what I least lack is medicine. Use these first, Big Brother Xia!"

  "Alright. Then what about you two? What brings you to the Savage Continent?"

  "I'm accompanying Junior Sister Liu on a sect mission. She needs to find a medicinal herb unique to the Savage Continent. I didn't feel safe, so I followed."

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  "Don't tell me you snuck out?"

  Xia Li gave Bai Qi a long look. This kid was really risking his life chasing a woman. The Savage Continent was dangerous—Xia Li knew that much.

  Ordinary people going there actually weren't in much danger—just needed to be careful. But humans of status and reputation who went there faced serious trouble.

  He might think his Nascent Soul cultivation was enough to handle many problems, but once the demon tribe recognized his identity, they'd likely immediately issue a kill order.

  How could the demon tribe pass up the opportunity to kill a human genius?

  "Well..."

  Bai Qi didn't say more, which meant he really had snuck out.

  "Liu Xiaoxiao, what about you? Are you really so lacking in resources that you had to come to the Savage Continent? Medicine King Sect isn't known for combat—you don't need battle merits to prove yourself. And with Bai Qi looking after you, you're not lacking resources. Why are you here?"

  Xia Li looked at Liu Xiaoxiao. Her purpose in coming to the Savage Continent was definitely more than just completing a sect mission.

  "Actually... Brother Jingfeng is in the Savage Continent. He joined the demon tribe. He even got me a demon sister-in-law. He invited me to join—it's the only way to get revenge..."

  Liu Xiaoxiao lowered her head, embarrassed to admit her true purpose. For revenge, she could betray her own race.

  Bai Qi sighed upon hearing this but didn't criticize Liu Xiaoxiao.

  Since Heaven Alliance gained power, internal strife among humans had intensified. Many driven to desperation had gone to the demon tribe.

  And the demon tribe's attitude toward defectors was genuinely sincere—nothing to complain about—making many defectors truly devoted to the demon tribe.

  Heaven Alliance made humans lose virtue, while the demon tribe grew increasingly virtuous. With this waxing and waning, humanity was in danger.

  "So that kid actually went to the demon tribe..."

  Xia Li hadn't expected Liu Jingfeng to now be thriving among the demons, even getting married.

  "Senior Brother Bai, Big Brother Xia, please don't blame Brother Jingfeng. He had no choice."

  Liu Xiaoxiao knew that on the level of greater righteousness, both she and Liu Jingfeng were absolute traitors. Any cultivator with humanity in their heart would kill them on sight upon meeting them.

  Abandoning racial righteousness for personal vendettas.

  But all things had their cause and effect. The true abandoners of racial righteousness were others.

  "The demon tribe isn't necessarily a bad destination. If Heaven Alliance's dominance is a crime, then those who allowed Heaven Alliance to dominate share some blame. Staying uninvolved is fine..."

  "But having a tumor growing on your body and ignoring it as long as it hasn't reached your head—such a patient makes even the best doctor shake their head."

  "A healer's benevolent heart has some who can be saved, some who cannot. But those unwilling to save themselves, who refuse to be saved—what's left to save?"

  Xia Li's current attitude toward this world's humanity was just that—he was staying uninvolved too. None of his business.

  Push him too far and he'd go to the demon tribe as well.

  Even if the demon tribe eventually burned bridges, at worst he'd return to Earth and never come back.

  He was always just a passerby. This world's future had to be grasped by this world's people themselves.

  "Even so... one should still try to save!"

  Bai Qi spoke up.

  As Medicine King Sect's inheritor, the Medicine King's benevolent heart meant healing the world. He couldn't stand by and watch a patient die.

  "But if the patient doesn't want to live, how can you save them?"

  Xia Li countered.

  "Has the patient asked their own body? The hands want to live, the feet want to live, the five organs and six viscera all want to live!"

  "Since the brain won't make the decision, then change the brain! It's not like I haven't performed head transplants before."

  Bai Qi's attitude was resolute.