Chapter 23: You Are My Faith (IV)

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Chapter 23: You Are My Faith (IV)

The man who had been invaded by demonic energy suddenly returned to normal, astonishing everyone present. One of the clergy ordered a bowl of Blessed Water to be brought over and had him drink it. Blessed Water could detect whether demonic energy remained within a person’s body. A small amount would be directly purified, while a larger amount would cause intense pain.

However, Blessed Water had virtually no effect on King-level Apostles.

The man drank the Blessed Water and immediately looked refreshed. The clergy exchanged bewildered glances. Although they had no idea what had happened, they nevertheless announced that all the demonic energy in his body had been removed.

The man’s family burst into tears of joy and thanked the clergy profusely.

The clergy: Actually, we’re pretty confused too…

Shang Ke’s body had gone rigid, and he was desperately suppressing the urge to let his teeth chatter. Absorbing demonic energy was basically like eating some horrifying dark cuisine. That wonderfully “refreshing” combination of agony was enough to leave him savoring the “aftertaste” for days.

Kaiser stared thoughtfully at Shang Ke. Was I seeing things just now? It looked like the demonic energy from that man flowed toward Shang Ke…

“Daddy?” Pupu sensed that something was wrong and tugged at his hair in confusion.

“I’m fine.” Shang Ke practically squeezed the words out through clenched teeth.

“Come on, there’s nothing else to see.” Youri ran over and planted one hand on Kaiser and the other on Shang Ke, pushing both of them toward the exit.

Shang Ke staggered from the push and nearly fell. Kaiser immediately caught him, a trace of puzzlement flashing through his eyes.

Vidora couldn’t resist muttering sarcastically, “For a man, his constitution is awfully weak.”

Her voice was quiet, but everyone was close enough to hear.

Shang Ke remained silent, his face hidden beneath his hood. Kaiser and Youri found it awkward to say anything either, so the group left the Hall of Light together.

Shang Ke walked extremely slowly. The other three would already be far ahead while he was still trailing behind at a leisurely shuffle. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to walk faster. The demonic energy he had just absorbed had stirred up the previously subdued energy already inside him. Every so often, it would “tease” his willpower and “stimulate” his body, leaving him aching, numb, and in pain all at once.

Shang Ke once again had to thank the System for putting him through that inhuman torture in his first world. At least it had trained him to become exceptionally good at enduring abuse.

What a deeply moving fact—enough to make him weep bitterly on the inside.

At that moment, Shang Ke noticed several lower-ranking apostles who had been hovering around them for some time. He might not have noticed ordinary people following them, but the aura of a lower-ranking apostle stood out to him like ghostly flames in the darkness.

He was already in a foul mood, and now these people actually had the nerve to come looking for trouble.

The oppressive aura belonging to a King-level Apostle suddenly erupted from Shang Ke. Vast, icy, and terrifying, it conveyed one very simple message: Scram!

The lower-ranking apostles all jolted simultaneously and looked around in terror. They couldn’t locate the “final boss,” but they understood that this area had already been marked as the territory of something far above them. Not daring to linger, they immediately changed direction and vanished into the crowd.

Kaiser’s footsteps paused. Strange. I definitely sensed people following us just now. How did they disappear in the blink of an eye?

The group lost whatever enthusiasm they had left for sightseeing. Once they finished buying everything they needed, they returned to the inn.

Teacher Gwyn had successfully collected the bounty and divided it among his students. As promised, Shang Ke received a share as well. It was only thirty gold coins, but that was enough to support him and Pupu for quite some time.

The next day, the group set out for the imperial capital.

What had happened at the Hall of Light left Kaiser with an unanswered question. Throughout the journey, he began paying especially close attention to Shang Ke’s every move.

It didn’t take long for Kaiser to notice several oddities. Shang Ke was not thin or frail-looking, yet his stamina was abysmal. After walking only a little farther than usual, exhaustion would begin to show. His endurance was worse than an ordinary person’s, yet he neither looked ill nor appeared injured. His figure was well proportioned, with clearly defined muscles that suggested he had received physical training before. For some unknown reason, however, his reactions and movements always seemed slightly sluggish.

Setting those peculiarities aside, Shang Ke was genuinely easy to get along with. He was gentle and remarkably skillful with his hands. Even when Vidora threw the occasional sarcastic jab at him, he merely smiled and let it pass.

After secretly observing him for several days, Kaiser had nearly given up on finding an answer. Then, one day, they happened across another person suffering from demonic invasion. At last, Kaiser’s suspicions were confirmed.

Shang Ke crouched beside the victim and placed a hand on him. Then Kaiser saw strand after strand of demonic energy slowly flow into Shang Ke’s body.

Shock flashed through Kaiser’s eyes, though nothing showed on his face. Once all the demonic energy had been absorbed, the victim recovered completely—exactly like the man they had encountered at the Hall of Light.

Kaiser had never known that there was any method besides the power of faith capable of curing someone invaded by demonic energy, and this method came at the cost of taking the suffering into oneself.

After Shang Ke finished absorbing the demonic energy, his already dark eyes became almost unnaturally black. His complexion turned translucently pale, while his lips remained an unusually vivid red. The contrast gave him an almost bewitching beauty.

Seeming to notice Kaiser staring, Shang Ke tugged his hood lower, concealing most of his face until only those crimson lips remained visible.

Kaiser’s pupils contracted. At last, he understood why Shang Ke had suddenly become so weak at the Hall of Light: he had taken the agony of demonic invasion upon himself in another person’s place.

Kaiser thought it was madness. Everyone knew that demonic invasion brought more than physical agony. It tortured the will and tested a person’s faith. The slightest lapse could allow darkness to swallow them whole and turn them into a slave of the Devil’s Tree. No one willingly drew demonic energy into their own body because everyone had weaknesses and darkness buried within them, and no one could guarantee that endless torment would never shake their will or faith.

And yet Shang Ke was doing exactly that. From the look of things, he had probably been doing it for a very long time.

Kaiser could not sense any demonic energy coming from Shang Ke. To him, that suggested only one possibility: all the demonic energy Shang Ke had absorbed had already settled completely within his body, reaching the density associated with a King-level Apostle.

Could he be an apostle of the Devil’s Tree? Kaiser’s expression changed slightly, but he quickly rejected the idea. If Shang Ke truly were an apostle, why would he secretly help others remove their demonic energy? Moreover, every time he saved someone, he became weak for a period afterward. That was clearly the result of an intense struggle between his own will and the demonic energy inside him.

Shang Ke’s poor stamina wasn’t because his body itself was weak. It was because an enormous amount of demonic energy was imprisoned within him. If anything, Kaiser concluded, Shang Ke must possess an unimaginably powerful will and extraordinarily steadfast faith.

Kaiser looked at Pupu and felt even more certain of his conclusion. She lived closely with Shang Ke, yet not only had she failed to pick up even a trace of demonic energy, she possessed an exceptionally pure power of faith.

No apostle of the Devil’s Tree would willingly keep a believer capable of harming them at their side—not even if that person were family. Apostles, particularly King-level Apostles, were believed to have completely abandoned conscience and emotion from the moment they fell.

“Daddy.” Pupu stared worriedly at the weakened Shang Ke. Unable to express her concern in words, she could only clutch tightly at his sleeve.

“I’m fine.” Shang Ke stroked her head and smiled. “Come on. Feed Daddy a little fruit.”

Pupu hurriedly pulled a pearl-sized wild berry from her pocket, stood on tiptoe, and stretched her arm as high as she could to reach his mouth.

Shang Ke bent down slightly and took the berry into his mouth. “Very sweet.”

Pupu immediately broke into a delighted smile.

Kaiser’s gaze softened at the sight. Then he noticed Shang Ke’s faintly trembling fingers and a bead of sweat sliding along his jaw. His brows drew together. Quietly moving behind him, Kaiser placed a steadying hand around his waist and said softly, “Sit down and rest for a while.”

“Rest again?” Vidora complained. “We’ve already lost plenty of time because of him.”

“Vidora, Shang Ke isn’t in good health. There’s nothing wrong with taking a little extra care of him,” Youri chimed in.

“Care? Even I’m a woman, and I’m not half as delicate as he is.” Vidora gave Shang Ke a contemptuous glare.

Doru and Fred also had their reservations about Shang Ke. Although he was genuinely a good person, a man with such poor stamina hardly seemed manly in their eyes.

The cold-faced beauty Amy, on the other hand, said nothing. She merely gave Shang Ke several long, thoughtful looks.

“Let’s keep moving. Don’t delay the journey because of me.” Shang Ke took Pupu by the hand and smiled at the others.

Over the next two days, the group encountered several more people suffering from demonic invasion. Some cases were mild, while others were severe, but without exception, Shang Ke cured every one of them.

And with every person he cured, he grew a little weaker.

Every time Kaiser thought Shang Ke was finally about to collapse, he somehow endured. His body trembled, but his resolve never did. Even with unsteady steps, he continued following the group without wavering.

Kaiser had never truly admired anyone in his life, but Shang Ke’s tenacity genuinely moved him.

“Ah, we’re finally back!” Vidora cheered when the imperial capital’s Imperial Capital appeared before them.

Relieved smiles appeared on everyone else’s faces as well.

Teacher Gwyn said, “Come back to the academy with me to check in first. After that, you’ll have three days off.”

“Yes!”

The students headed toward Light Hymn Academy in high spirits, passing several other groups of classmates who were also returning to school.

Shang Ke followed them onto the academy grounds. Osari’s memories of this place ran especially deep. Both the happiest years of “his” life and his most devastating failures had originated here.

“Shang Ke, you and Pupu wait for me in the garden for a bit. I’ll go check in and be right back.” After giving those instructions, Kaiser headed into the academic buildings.

Shang Ke sat on a garden bench and taught Pupu how to weave decorative cords while they waited for Kaiser.

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out nearby.

“Look! It’s Lord Tylor!” a girl cried excitedly. “Ahhh! He’s still as handsome as ever!”

At the name “Tylor,” Shang Ke raised his head and followed the sound. A tall man was striding into the academy. His short golden hair shone as brilliantly as the sun, while his red eyes resembled a ghostly moon stained with blood. He wore a fitted combat outfit over a powerful, well-built physique. Long legs carried him forward in black boots, every stride stirring the air and sending the hem of his clothes snapping behind him.

He was the kind of man who would become the center of attention wherever he went.

Tylor passed directly in front of Shang Ke without looking to either side. The force of his stride stirred a gust that lifted the edge of Shang Ke’s hood and sent several exposed strands of black hair fluttering.

And then Shang Ke noticed it: in the center of Tylor’s right palm was a black mole.

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