Volume 1, Chapter 44 – Waking Up

“Locking down the city? Since when?” Shi Lan asked.

“The order came down just today.”

“How long will it last?”

“Until the City Lord’s Residence issues a release.”

Shi Lan frowned slightly and left, helpless.

In Twin Moon City, if you wanted to find a place with plenty of meat, there was nowhere else to go but the restaurants.

Under the shopkeeper’s squinting, smiling gaze, Shi Lan once again observed a moment of silence for his own purse.

When he returned to the clinic, Shi Lan told Du Baisheng about the city lockdown.

“Even if we wanted to leave now, it’s too late,” Du Baisheng sighed softly.

“I’ll go to the City Lord’s Residence tomorrow and see what’s really going on. We can talk it over after that,” Shi Lan offered a word of comfort.

…

The sun sank behind the western hills, the setting light as red as blood.

Shi Lan stood at the clinic door, looking at the vast stretch of blood-red clouds on the horizon, and for no clear reason felt a wave of unease in his heart.

“Brother Shi Lan, the person you brought back is awake.” Du Yue’er jogged over to Shi Lan’s side and spoke up.

Hearing this, Shi Lan hurriedly turned and went back into the clinic.

Rеαԁ оո KatRеαԁіngСаfе

Shi Feng lay on the bed with his eyes half open, feeling an unprecedented weakness spreading through his body, making him want nothing more than to close his eyes and sink back into sleep.

“Shi Feng, Shi Feng? How do you feel?”

Hearing the voice calling by his ear, Shi Feng forced his eyes open a little wider and turned his head toward Shi Lan.

Shi Feng’s throat worked for quite a while before he finally rasped out a single word, dry and hoarse. “Water…”

Shi Lan was just about to turn around to pour some when Du Yue’er brought over a cup of warm water.

Murmuring his thanks, Shi Lan took the cup, helped Shi Feng sit up, and fed the water to him.

After he finished drinking, Shi Lan yanked over the bedding from the other bed, stuffed it behind Shi Feng’s back, and propped him up to lie comfortably.

“Feeling better?”

“Thank you for your concern, Young Master. It’s nothing serious,” Shi Feng forced a smile.

Du Baisheng, who had just walked up to the bedside, heard that “Young Master” and gave Shi Lan a long, deep look.

Shi Lan shook his head. “Just call me Shi Lan from now on.”

Shi Feng fell silent and didn’t answer.

Du Baisheng stepped forward to check Shi Feng’s pulse. Somewhat surprised, he said, “There isn’t the slightest sign of your injuries improving, yet you’ve already woken up. How strange.”

No one knew his own injuries better than Shi Feng. They were serious, but not enough to threaten his life.

Rеαd оո КatReаԁiոɡСаfе

However, without healing pills, it would be hard to recover within a year or even half a year. The meridians in his body were badly damaged; right now he couldn’t even draw in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to restore himself.

After learning about their current situation, Shi Feng pondered for a moment before speaking:

“The Demon-Suppressing Army definitely has pills that can heal injuries. If you really pass the selection, Shi Lan, you might have a chance to obtain some. Once I recover a bit, I can take you all out of here.”

Shi Lan nodded. For now, this was their only option.

“If things can’t be done, don’t force it. We can think of another way then,” Shi Feng reminded, looking at Shi Lan.

“I understand.”

With his body badly injured, just saying a few sentences was enough for fatigue to surge over Shi Feng again.

Seeing this, Du Baisheng had Du Yue’er hurry to cook a bowl of medicinal porridge to nourish his blood and qi, then fed it to Shi Feng.

After finishing the porridge, Shi Feng once again sank into a deep sleep.

After dinner, Du Yue’er pulled Shi Lan over to the wooden table, untied the bandages, and got ready to change his medicine.

When she saw the wound, Du Yue’er couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, “How did it heal this fast?”

What had originally been a wound deep enough to see bone was now much shallower, with tender new flesh sprouting. For an ordinary person to reach this stage, it would take at least ten days to half a month.

Shi Lan’s cultivation had already reached the seventh stage of the Body Tempering Realm, and the Jade Tempering Art had stepped into its third level. This system-produced Body Tempering cultivation art had already begun to transform his physique.

After changing the medicine, Shi Lan lay down on the bed. His mind sank into the virtual space. Since he had no idea what form tomorrow’s selection would take, it was best to make some preparations in advance.

…

Rеαd оn КаtReaⅾіոɡCαfе

After spending the night in the virtual space, Shi Lan got up, washed, and then, facing the morning light, walked toward the City Lord’s Residence.

Along the way he saw many people all heading in the same direction. Clearly, most of them were just there to watch the excitement.

In less than a quarter of an hour, Shi Lan arrived in front of the City Lord’s Residence.

On the open ground before the main gates, a square platform nearly a zhang high had been erected overnight.

On top of the platform stood a black stone block nearly as tall as a person. Other than that, there was nothing else.

A ring of black-armored soldiers surrounded the platform, keeping the onlookers three zhang away.

Just after dawn, a figure flashed up onto the high platform—a middle-aged man in white robes.

From the murmurs of the crowd around him, Shi Lan learned that this was Nie Yangze, the City Lord of Twin Moon City.

“I won’t beat around the bush today. If you believe you’re capable of entering the City Lord’s personal army, come up onto the platform yourselves.” As Nie Yangze spoke, he raised his hand, clenched his fist, and struck the stone beside him. His arm then sank into the stone to the base as if plunging into tofu.

“Anyone who can leave a fist imprint five inches deep in this stone will receive a reward of one hundred gold and may enter the personal army.” Nie Yangze withdrew his hand. The stone shifted slowly, almost like a living thing, and within a few breaths it had returned to its original state.

Watching this rather uncanny scene, Shi Lan’s gaze sharpened slightly. He understood inwardly that this gold would not be easy to take.

“City Lord, may I ask how many people you’re recruiting for the personal army this time?” a young man in his early twenties asked.

“I won’t turn anyone away,” Nie Yangze replied calmly.

“City Lord, what if the fist imprint is deeper than five inches?” a burly man in the crowd shouted.

Reaⅾ оո ΚatReaԁіnɡСafе

“Leave a fist imprint six inches deep and you’ll receive five hundred gold. Seven inches, one thousand gold. As for one foot deep… that’ll earn you ten thousand gold!”

As soon as Nie Yangze finished speaking, the crowd drew in a collective breath. Quite a few people’s eyes went bloodshot as they grew eager to try. Wasn’t this practically giving money away?

“Let me make the ugly part clear first. Anyone who comes up to try and fails to leave at least a two-inch-deep fist imprint will not only receive no reward, but will be heavily punished. I don’t like people who lack self-awareness.”

With that, Nie Yangze flashed off the high platform.

Two black-armored soldiers carried a wooden table up onto the platform. On it were neatly arranged brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

A little while later, a squad of black-armored soldiers came forward carrying more than a dozen wooden chests. When the chests were opened, a flood of golden light forced its way into the onlookers’ vision.

Neatly stacked gold ingots shone with a tempting luster under the rising sun.

“I’ll go first!”

The burly man who had spoken earlier flushed red and shouted loudly as he pushed through the crowd and stepped out.

The black-armored soldiers didn’t stop him and moved aside to let him pass.

Seeing someone be the first to step up, everyone else quieted down, watching intently.

The burly man had a towering frame and corded muscles; one look told you he was someone with considerable strength.

The spectators thought back to how Nie Yangze had, as if it were nothing, driven his entire arm into the stone. In their hearts, they all felt this man was sure to walk away with some gold. As for how much he would get—that was another question.