Lighting a Fire Against the Wind Only Burns Oneself

In an office within the examination building, everyone gathered with grave expressions, discussing the pressing issue before them.

The alarming numbers on the test reports all pointed to one brutal truth—Su Cheng's body was undergoing death and regeneration at an unprecedented rate. If no solution was found, he might not even last seven days.

Ji Qingyi turned to Gu Ruoxue and asked bluntly, "The comparative analysis results are out—it's the Life Elixir. You've had those items for so long; surely you've tested a few. Aside from the Life Elixir, are there any others that might be useful? Any leads?"

Gu Ruoxue shook her head, her tone laced with helplessness. "Due to limited conditions, my tests on the Life Elixir mainly focused on its efficacy for external injuries. It worked well—anything short of severed limbs could be healed. But considering the non-renewable nature of the resource and safety concerns, I didn’t conduct large-dose tests. Oral experiments on animals didn’t show similar side effects. So, I never expected such severe consequences from a high oral dosage."

From the blood samples, they had noticed the familiar pink hue of the Life Elixir. Gu Ruoxue then checked her stock and found a third of the elixir missing.

Still, for thoroughness, she took a drop for testing, and the results confirmed the virus matched the elixir’s composition. There was no doubt—Su Cheng had consumed the Life Elixir.

"...Damn it!" Ji Qingyi slammed her fist on the table, her face darkening like storm clouds.

Liu Qingyue quickly tried to soothe her. "Young Mistress, it’s not hopeless yet. I’ve already instructed the hospital team to contact top medical institutions worldwide, asking for their assistance in analyzing the samples. We’ll find a treatment as soon as possible."

Ji Qingyi nodded, her gaze sharp as a blade. "Every second counts—not a moment can be wasted! Su Cheng’s life is at stake; there’s no room for error!"

"Understood!" Liu Qingyue responded respectfully before swiftly leaving the office to make arrangements.

Li Guanqi pulled her thoughts away from the mythological descriptions in her book and murmured, "What’s really going on? Why did Su Cheng suddenly become so reckless? Could it really be, as he said, because of some dream about a sun god?"

"Stop fantasizing!" Ji Qingyi cut her off impatiently. "A sun god? That’s pure nonsense! In my opinion, he probably got his hands on some shady method and pushed his body to this state!"

Her anger flared as she scolded Su Cheng with frustration. "He’s so unreliable—one moment he’s promising to rest and recover, the next he’s throwing all medical advice out the window! All for that insignificant archery competition!"

"Given his personality, I’m not entirely surprised by this outcome," Gu Ruoxue said coldly. "Extreme people like him tend to disregard others’ words. You should be grateful that this situation isn’t completely beyond saving."

"Still, what’s his motive?" Li Guanqi asked, puzzled. "To prove his strength? Or is it related to Cornelia? She’s just gone back to her hometown for school temporarily—it’s not like she’s dying. What difference does a day or two make? Is it worth risking his life?"

"Perhaps the dream of the future spurred him," Gu Ruoxue mused, resting her chin on her hand. "Giving him a sense of responsibility and purpose?"

"There’ll be plenty of time to lecture him later. Any other ideas? If not, let’s go drag him out." Ji Qingyi interrupted them.

"I do recall one test result," Gu Ruoxue said, standing up. "When applying the elixir to animals injured during intense exercise, the healing effect seemed slower than in other cases. Maybe we can find a breakthrough there."

She walked toward the door first. "For now, let’s go get him."

...

Examination Building, Waiting Area

The silence was broken by approaching footsteps.

Su Cheng leisurely stepped out of the examination room and was met with the complicated gazes of the four girls. He froze briefly but quickly regained his composure, forcing a relaxed smile. "No need to worry. Like the changes this morning, this is just a miracle beyond scientific explanation. Isn’t it a stretch to analyze it with modern medicine?"

Yet, the four remained silent, simply staring at him.

A female attendant approached and bowed to Ji Qingyi. "Young Mistress, the equipment is ready. Shall we escort the young master over?"

"Lead the way," Ji Qingyi nodded, then glanced at Su Cheng, who stood frozen. Her tone was controlled but cold. "Come with us."

Su Cheng had no choice but to follow, wondering what they were scheming.

...

Soon, they arrived at the fitness area in the courtyard.

To Su Cheng’s surprise, the equipment here was professional and comprehensive—more like a fully equipped gym than a simple park setup.

"Drink this," Liu Qingyue handed him a vial. "Don’t ask what it is. If you want to compete, you’ll do as we say."

The other three girls sat nearby, watching intently as if waiting to witness him drink it.

Su Cheng sighed and downed the liquid in one go. The moment it went down, a searing pain flared in his mouth—only to vanish instantly.

"What was that? Felt like capsaicin?" Su Cheng eyed them suspiciously, but they merely observed his reaction without answering.

"What’s gotten into you all? Why the secrecy?" He scratched his head in confusion.

"Get on the treadmill," Liu Qingyue pulled him over without explanation.

"You claimed your physique has improved drastically, right?" she asked. "Then let’s test your endurance. Show us how strong you’ve really become."

"Endurance test?" Su Cheng blinked, then grinned at Ji Qingyi. "Easy. Since the vice president’s acting so high and mighty, how about the club president lets me spar with her?"

Yet, the four girls remained expressionless, offering no response.

"Here, hydrate first." Li Guanqi stepped forward with a water bottle, opening it and bringing it to his lips herself.

The intimate gesture stunned Su Cheng. Even more surprising was that no one objected—as if they’d all silently agreed to it.

Had they reached some kind of consensus?

Su Cheng didn’t dwell on it and gulped down the water.

Just as he was about to hand the bottle back, Liu Qingyue suddenly started the treadmill—at maximum speed.

Amidst the roaring sound of machinery, Su Cheng's legs began moving at an astonishing speed on the treadmill.

Just as the others were about to leave, Su Cheng called out to them.

"Hey, how long do I have to keep running?" Despite his legs becoming a blur on the treadmill, Su Cheng himself showed no signs of discomfort, appearing completely at ease.

Liu Qingyue paused but didn't turn back. "One hour," she replied flatly.

With that, the four girls walked over to a nearby pavilion and took their seats. Soon, a butler brought over fruits, snacks, and tea, but no one touched them. The atmosphere was icy.

The Ji family's servants fixed their gazes on Li Guanqi.

Meanwhile, Gu Ruoxue was intently observing Su Cheng's condition, occasionally jotting notes in her notebook. Under the scrutinizing stares of the two servants, Li Guanqi grew visibly uneasy.

"Junior, you should understand what I mean," Liu Qingyue said calmly, glancing at Su Cheng, who was still sprinting on the treadmill.

"I know," Li Guanqi replied, lowering her voice. "But I have a condition."

The Ji family servants frowned in unison.

"Go ahead," Liu Qingyue responded, her expression unchanging.

"I can tell you the contents of the book," Li Guanqi said, raising her head with resolute determination. "But in exchange, you must explain everything to me. I want to know the truth behind all this!"

The servants exchanged silent glances, communicating wordlessly.

After a moment, Ji Qingyi spoke. "Given our current relationship, I can't reveal everything at once. But a fair exchange is acceptable. As a gesture of goodwill, I’ll tell you one thing—whether it's your amnesia or ours, the mastermind behind it all is Su Cheng."

The words struck Li Guanqi like a thunderbolt, leaving her dizzy. Instinctively, she turned to Gu Ruoxue, who was known for never lying, her eyes pleading for confirmation.

"She's right," Gu Ruoxue said, setting down her pen and meeting Li Guanqi's gaze with a solemn nod.

"Then... I understand," Li Guanqi bit her lip. "I’ll share the contents of the book with you chapter by chapter, but I won’t hand over the book itself. I haven’t read beyond today’s chapter either—the book instructs to read only one chapter per day."

"How principled of you now," Liu Qingyue scoffed. "Yet when you broke our agreement about the ring’s information and secretly went to find Su Cheng, leading to this mess, where was your integrity then?"

Li Guanqi lowered her head in silence.

Liu Qingyue waved a hand, signaling her to begin.

Taking a deep breath, Li Guanqi recounted the story of the "Sun God" from the book in detail. The Ji family servants closed their eyes, listening intently, while Gu Ruoxue recorded the narration and highlighted key points in her notebook.

The four girls exchanged theories, analyzing the deity’s origins, hoping to uncover clues about Su Cheng’s true motives from the first chapter.

Su Cheng ran on the treadmill for a full hour.

Afterward, they put him through other high-intensity cardio exercises—high knees, jump rope, aerobics, and more.

By the time morning had passed, the doctors took Su Cheng away for another round of tests.

In the waiting area, the girls sat in silence, anticipating the results.

Finally, a doctor rushed out, holding a blood sample.

"Miss, the results are in!" he exclaimed urgently. "After this morning’s intense exercise, the viral activity in the young master’s body has decreased slightly! This proves that physical exertion does help expel the virus!"