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Good day, one and all. For those who don't know, my name is Baizhu. I come to you with a very specific and perhaps unusual request. In particular - a request to those here who are, in some way or another, considered to be immortal in their own world.

I would appreciate if anyone willing would come by the Research Centre and supply me with a physical sample for research I am currently undertaking. This is of course entirely voluntary; there is no need to be alarmed.

If anyone with any concerns would prefer to speak with me face to face before coming to the centre please respond accordingly. I have put aside more than enough time for this eventuality.

Thank you for your attention.

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As you like.

[He smiles a little. Baizhu might be hiding many things but a demon emperor uncle is not one of them, and with this network post he has been far more open than he ever usually is about his aims when it comes to his personal research.]

I must thank you for coming. I was beginning to expect more torches and pitchforks than actual volunteers.

[Some people replying had been very... emphatic about their disapproval. Not that it was going to stop him.]

I can see people getting nervous about it.

[Shang Qinghua shrugged in a 'what can you do' gesture.]

There've been folk who tried to take shortcuts to immortality in my world before. Don't know of any who managed it, but it usually wasn't through friendly means. Wouldn't doubt it'd be the same in other worlds.

But whatever. What do you need me to do?

[What can you do, indeed... He just feels fortunate that some people chose to take him at his word. It's not always easy for people to do, especially when it concerns matters such as immortality.]

Ah, just sit down. I hope needles don't bother you.

[No need to make a crude cut and bleed over a bowl here! How to properly use a needle for this kind of purpose was one of the first things Baizhu turned his mind to learning.]

If you start feeling faint, just stay where you are.

As long as they're not acupuncture needles. Those give me the creeps, and my doc back home is way too fond of them.

[What he wouldn't give for some modern medicine sometimes, but it wouldn't have fit in the setting... Sigh. Shang Qinghua plonked himself down in the chair, arranging his sword to be out of the way.]

I'll be good. I'm used to losing blood.

Acupuncture needles do? Really?

[He's used them before, but this is not the kind of situation that would require them. Rather than anything like an acupuncture needle he picks up a syringe and heads over to sit down beside the other man.]

Can you please push up your sleeve.

[But his mind goes back to what Shang Qinghua said...]

Is it the act of leaving the needle in your skin that distresses you so?

And the number of them.

[He untied his bracer before gathering the one sleeve up to bare his arm, holding it out for the other man.]

Plus you can do some nasty things with a needle and a bit of qi if you know what you're doing. Mu-shidi wouldn't, but tell that to my nerves.

Oh, you are quite right...

[Qi being the very energy that Baizhu works with himself when it comes to healing more serious illnesses and other issues, he immediately understands the concern. It is not Baizhu's personal leaning - doing ill with what power he can wield - but had he that kind of personality he certainly could.

He quickly wraps a slim length of cloth around the man's upper arm to raise the veins in the crook of his elbow, then gently inserts the needle into the most likely spot. His first attempt strikes true and he lets out a soft hum as he carefully withdraws a small vial of blood.]

Marvellous. [All that practice paid off. Baizhu lightly presses a small folded square of gauze to the puncture as he withdraws the needle and sets it aside.] My apologies for any discomfort. You are not the first person here that I have heard speak of qi.

[Shang Qinghua winced a bit when the needle went in, pointedly directing his eyes anywhere but.]

I've had worse.

There are a couple other folk around that seem to be from worlds pretty similar to mine. Cultivators and the like, right?

[Baizhu nods at the question.]

I do not know it by such a name but it does seem to be of a similar kind of healing. That should be all I need.

[He gives the vial of blood a small shake then smiles again.]

Would you like to see what it looks like under a microscope?

It's used for more than just healing, but otherwise that sounds about right.

[Hops up from the seat.]

And sure!

All right, just give me a moment...

[It doesn't take long for him to apply a drop of blood to the slide and slip it into the microscope. Once he's done, he steps back and gestures for his companion to look into the eyepiece.]

You can use the knobs on the side here to change the focus and the zoom. It's quite fascinating.

Don't worry, I've used one of these before. It's just been a long time.

[Try a whole other life ago. It took a bit of trial and error to get it right before he got a clear view, whistling under his breath.]

Never did see my own blood like that before.

[Baizhu nods, stepping back to give the man a little bit of space. It's funny, how easily he gives a bit of ground on letting someone in on what he's doing when they aren't being pushy about it... but it does track for the kind of person that he is. Even he won't deny how strongly he guards his own privacy.]

Fascinating, isn't it? I would have never had the opportunity without the level of technology here.

[His head tilts slightly as he smiles.]

I cannot help but wonder just how much there is left for me to learn.

No microscopes where you're from then?

[He leaned back from the device.]

Can't say I know enough to tell if anything's different between mine and someone who isn't immortal. My expertises are in logistics, not biology.

Nothing this advanced.

[Nothing where he could see everything with such unparalelled detail. Not in Liyue, at least! Perhaps they had such things in Sumeru but he could not imagine that they would easily relinquish one to him if he even had the funds to purchase one.

Baizhu taps his lower lip thoughtfully.]

And I will admit that I am learning as I go. Some differences are more easily seen than others. Shall we compare mine?

Sure, why not? You've got me curious about it too.

[Certainly doesn't have anything like a microscope where he's lived for the last sixty or so years, but started in a much more modern world.]

[Baizhu lets out a soft hum and quickly looks across the various things he has placed about before he comes across a small instrument with a short needle attached to it. He pricks the tip of his finger with a small grimace, pressing a good-sized bead of blood onto a fresh slide before slipping it in under the microscope.

He has a quick look first, pausing as he scrutinises what he sees, then he steps back to let the other man have a look as well.]

What do you think?

[Shang Qinghua waited until Baizhu moved out of the way before leaning in to look through the microscope again.]

Honestly, I can't really tell the difference. Did you notice anything?

Mm... I believe I do.

[Baizhu, with his various ailments and fragile health, has a near-comically high white blood count compared to someone healthy. That was something that was noticed by him immediately, though soon dismissed as irrelevant when he realised what it meant.]

Do you see that in my sample, there are a higher number of the larger cell types? It isn't entirely relevant to my research, but you might find it curious regardless.

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ergghhhh I lost this tag somehow T^T

No worries!

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