Gu found the Returning Spring Palm in the restricted manual room and checked the index before opening it. He turned the pages one by one, checking the diagrams and the final section for missing leaves. The sequence was complete.
“Does this restore a damaged lung?” Yan asked.
“It heals living tissue by transferring lifespan from the practitioner,” Gu said. “It cannot clear alchemical residue. A physician has to identify what needs repair.”
Qinghe read the diagnostic notes Fan had given Ning. “The current priority is cleansing the residue, not forcing tissue repair. The palm may help later, if the breathing passages respond to treatment.”
Ning sat at the table with her own schedule. “How much lifespan?”
“The manual describes the cost but does not give a fixed number,” Gu said. “It depends on the damage and the practitioner’s transfer.”
“Will it hurt Yan?”
“Most cultivators feel the loss as weakness or shortened breath,” Gu said. “The normal cost is lifespan, not a temporary ache.”
