Chapter 8 Woman with Unique Body

Cindy stared at Ryan with the curiosity of a child and asked, "Are you Ryan?" Cindy was indeed curious about Ryan. After all, the Howells had once been the first prominent family in Fregend, second only to the Rileys and the Solomons. And back then, Ryan had been known as Fregend's number one heir, until the Howells suddenly collapsed, and Ryan's parents and sister tragically died. From being the most eligible heir to losing everything overnight, his story was legendary. Ryan nodded at Cindy. He was also intrigued. When did Fregend get such a stunningly beautiful girl? Three years ago, as Fregend's number one heir, he had crossed paths with countless heiress and socialites, yet he had never seen someone like her. Not only was she incredibly beautiful, but her aura was equally impressive. What piqued Ryan's curiosity was the faint trace of martial arts energy he sensed from this woman. Although she hadn't formally become a martial artist or cultivated inner energy, she had definitely come into contact with martial arts techniques. What astonished him, however, was that her physique appeared to match the Returning Spirit Body described in The Grand Compendium of Herbal Lore. This physique was particularly intriguing. The compendium specifically noted that the Returning Spirit Body could also be referred to as the Zero Body. What this meant was that with this body, even if one absorbed the spiritual energy from the world during cultivation, it would simply return to zero within the body and couldn't be stored or converted into inner energy. This explained why Cindy, despite carrying the aura of a martial artist and having practiced martial arts techniques, hadn't managed to cultivate inner energy or become a true practitioner. However, The Grand Compendium of Herbal Lore also clearly stated that the Returning Spirit Body could be healed. Moreover, once healed, a Returning Spirit Body would absorb spiritual energy from the world at a much faster rate than an ordinary person, making it far more suited for martial arts cultivation. Of course, healing the defects of a Returning Spirit Body was difficult. At the very least, one would need to reach the level of a Sacred Healer to have any chance of success. According to the old man's explanation, the level of medical expertise was divided into three levels: Healer, Grandmaster Healer, and Sacred Healer. The rank of Sacred Healer was so rare that over the course of thousands of years, only a handful had ever reached it. Ryan was a late-Grandmaster Healer, still some distance away from becoming a Sacred Healer. Even so, he was still one of the most skilled medical practitioners in Celestia. In fact, Ryan believed that if he focused his efforts, it wouldn't take long for him to reach the level of Sacred Healer. After all, over the past three years, he had devoted only a small portion of his time to medicine, with the majority of his energy spent on martial arts. I can't fully resolve the issues with her Returning Spirit Body for now, but I can certainly ease the pain she suffers every full moon night, the aching in her energy core, the freezing cold in her body, the feeling of being on the brink of death. I can easily improve that. But, she's a stranger to me. Why should I care? Ryan thought to himself. He had no desire to play the role of a savior. Ever since the night he was buried alive three years ago, his heart had grown much harder. "You're being quite rude," Cindy said, frowned. Ryan's intense gaze on her after sitting down made her uncomfortable. "Oh," Ryan simply responded, picking up the wine glass on the table and taking a sip. "Joel is coming. You don't seem afraid," Cindy said with a faint, almost teasing tone, as though she were eager to watch a show. "Why should I be afraid?" Ryan raised an eyebrow in response. As soon as the words left her lips, Joel had already arrived in front of Ryan. "Bro, it's been three years! How have you been?" Joel said with a wide, radiant smile, making it seem as though he and Ryan were long-lost friends, reunited after years apart. Ryan merely offered a faint smile, not particularly interested in speaking. Hmm, what's there to say to a dead man? "Limbs broken, skull crushed, unconscious, and buried alive, and yet, you managed to survive. You lucky little bast*rd, you've got some serious luck on your side!" Joel leaned in, lowering his voice as he stood close to Ryan, his tone filled with cruel excitement. "But you know what? I'm actually happy you're still alive." Ryan's expression remained unchanged, his smile never faltering, as though the words had no effect on him. "Your beloved woman is going to marry me today. Tonight, I am going to play with her to death in our bedroom. I promise you, when I have had enough fun, I will kill her!" Joel became even more excited. He clenched his fists. Veins bulged slightly on his face and his face turned a little red. Although he lowered his voice, Cindy, who sat at the same table, still overheard him. A flicker of disgust flashed in her beautiful eyes. She couldn't hide her disdain for someone like him. Cindy glanced at Ryan, secretly hoping he would at least throw a punch at Joel. Even if he were pushed and thrown out of the hall by the Kanes' bodyguards afterward, she would still see him as a man. In fact, if Ryan did take that step, she might even lend him a hand.