Chapter 87
Luo Shizhen pulled a lollipop out of his pocket to replenish his sugar levels.
Even though the Fenghuang had already flown away, he did not emerge immediately. After all, who knew if this High-Rank Bizarre would pull a “u-turn” and come back for a surprise attack?
Of course, Luo Shizhen wasn’t just waiting idly; he adjusted his team comms and checked in with Sui An.
“Sui-laoshi, can we come out now?”
Despite having just finished a battle with a High-Rank Bizarre capable of rebirth, Sui Anās voice remained as steady and languid as ever.
“You can. With that Bizarreās current strength, it can’t harm you.”
Luo Shizhen immediately announced the good news to his companions and took the lead in stepping out of the protective circle formed by spiritual power.
He walked quickly toward Sui An and the others. By his side, the threads of Sui Anās spiritual power did not return to their master; instead, they drifted light as airborne serpents around Luo Shizhen, maintaining a protective stance.
Hua Yi caught sight of this immediately and gave Sui An another look that screamed “you pervert.”
Sui An ignored him completely.
Luo Shizhen, however, was very familiar with Sui-laoshiās spiritual power. During their daily training, whenever he was exhausted, it was these very threads that carried him back. Far from feeling uncomfortable, he actually felt more at peace.
The young man, who seemed exceptionally lively to his elders, ran up to Sui An.
“Teacher, was that a Fenghuang? Did it really just undergo a trial by fire and rebirth?”
“It should be a Fenghuang. It indeed was rebirth after death. However, its combat strength weakened after dying; itās likely that with every death, its power will drop further.”
Sui An patiently explained to Luo Shizhen, “When it tore through the sky, I sensed the presence of Qi. These High-Rank Bizarres, just as Yongzhou analyzed, possess different abilities much like Awakeners.”
Luo Shizhen looked up at the sky. By now, the original rift had already closed.
“Was it a space-time teleportation?”
“Not certain yet. We’ll only know once the combat footage is sent back to Yongzhou for analysis.”
Listening to Sui Anās patient and gentle tone, Hua Yi kept his gaze fixed on Luo Shizhen.
Was it him?
The person who had caused Sui An to change?
Was it this young, vibrant Purifier who was like a rising sun, someone who had yet to feel the agony of being a high-rank Awakener?
It appeared so, but Hua Yiās heart still felt it was unlikely. After all, Luo Shizhen was still below Rank 5; his strength was nowhere near the level required to purify a high-rank Awakener.
Hua Yi walked past Luo Shizhen, instinctively glancing at the soft whorl of hair on the boy’s head, and came to a stop beside the blackened, withered wood.
Well, “beside” it, though he still kept a bit of distance. Because right now, everything within a five-meter radius of the withered wood was basically enveloped in thick pollution.
The higher a Bizarreās rank, the more troublesome the pollution. The blood shed by the Fenghuang had fueled this contamination.
The originally green grass wilted rapidly, and many tiny black insects crawled out from the ground, having been driven out from their deep burrows by the pollution only to die in agony.
Zou Linās corpse was as dead as could be, but abandoned in this pollution-filled environment, his scorched, dry fingers suddenly twitched.
Claws grew at a terrifying speed, fangs sprouted from his mouth, and a layer of white fur began to bloom across his body, growing out layer by layer from every inch of him.
Luo Shizhen was talking to Sui An when the Qi on his body suddenly began to drift out excitedly.
He immediately turned his head, only to see a white-furred Jiangshi leaping into the air, its body stiff and moving without any leverage.
“Ah!”
Luo Shizhen jumped in fright. “A Jiangshi!”
Even as he was startled, he quickly drew the knife from his waist.
If there was one Bizarre Luo Shizhen feared most, it was a Jiangshi. Mostly because he had truly watched too many zombie movies.
The Qi essence was originally quite excited, but after sensing its host’s emotions, it wavered, swaying between excitement and a display of fear.
The spiritual power protecting his side seemed to sense his tension as well. It shot out instantly, striking the neck of the white-furred Flying Jiangshi.
The spiritual power, which usually looked like soft yarnāeven weaving “beds” for students to rest onāstill looked quite weightless as it moved. Yet in less than half a second, the Flying Jiangshiās head was severed from its neck and tumbled to the ground.
Sui An patted Luo Shizhenās tensed shoulder. Seeing him jump from the touch, he couldn’t help but chuckle.
Luo Shizhen seemed naturally suited for combat; during combat classes, no matter how grueling the training or how troublesome the Bizarres released, he could immerse himself in the training with total seriousness. Although he was clumsy at the start, Luo Shizhen had a stubborn streak; even when he was exhausted, he would practice the taught content over and over again after the session ended.
This was the first time Sui An had discovered that Luo Shizhen actually had a Bizarre he was afraid of.
However, he did not continue to shield the boy from contact just because he was afraid. Instead, after killing the white-furred Flying Jiangshi, he rested a hand lightly on the young Purifierās shoulder and said in a relaxed tone:
“Every Jiangshi has a period of weakness right after they are born. If you discover a newly born one that hasn’t had the chance to drink human blood, thatās the best time to strike. Once theyāve tasted human blood, you have to choose between attacking or retreating based on their rank.”
“The way a Jiangshi infects people might look like it’s through teeth and claws, but in principle, it’s still pollution. Since you’re a Purifier, as long as you discover that you or your teammates have been tainted by a Jiangshiās pollution, clearing it immediately removes the risk of infection.”
Under the familiar, instructional tone, Luo Shizhenās nervous mood gradually calmed down. He even took a few steps forward to inspect the state of the Flying Jiangshiās body.
“This one… it looks like a white-furred Flying Jiangshi?”
Once he recovered, he remembered what he had been taught in his books.
Sui An felt the boy’s shoulders relax and withdrew his hand. “Correct. A white-furred Flying Jiangshi, Rank 4. However, it was just born and hadn’t consumed any blood, so it could only exert Rank 2 abilities at most. This is why our country enforces mandatory cremation; it prevents at least 98% of Jiangshi from appearing.”
Luo Shizhen had already entered “study mode,” his brain seriously recording the information while his gaze remained on the Flying Jiangshiās unrecognizable face.
Nearby, Hua Yi snapped a photo, as all of this had to be uploaded to the mission report. Simultaneously, he was flipping through the records on Zou Lin. As he read, he couldn’t help but click his tongue.
“Dating a Bizarre is one thing, but cheating on one? Thatās some real courage.”
However, the report indicated that the Bizarre known as Qin Huang had likely known about Zou Linās infidelity for a long time. After all, just last month, the person Zou Lin was cheating with had even called Him to stake a claim. Yet it wasn’t until this morning that the other party, Zheng Du, was suddenly attacked and killed at home.
“It seems this Bizarre was quite tolerant. He actually put up with the lover’s affair for a whole month before killing him.”
Sui An glanced at Hua Yi. “Don’t talk about such things in front of the student.”
Hua Yi gave a scoff. The student was fine watching him slaughter a Flying Jiangshi, but he couldn’t hear about a history of infidelity?
But facing such a massive area of pollution, he wasn’t in the mood to bicker with Sui An. He loosened his joints and reached his hand out toward the pollution.
Black mist billowed up, intent on entering Hua Yiās body.
During the battle just now, his clothes had been singed by flames, and a large portion of the combat gear on his upper arm had burned away, revealing a firm, powerful limb. Consequently, as the black mist followed his palm and climbed up his arm, the sight of black, tattoo-like patterns surging over his originally smooth skin and twisting in layers was easily revealed.
Hua Yi closed his eyes. His normally healthy complexion turned pale, and cold sweat began to bead on his forehead.
Luo Shizhen, who had been huddling next to Sui-laoshi to observe the Flying Jiangshi, was stunned by the sight.
“Hua-laoshi, what are you doing?”
Hua Yiās deep blue eyes were hidden under long lashes. Even though his forehead was damp with sweat from the pain of the pollution entering his body, his pale lips still curved up into an indifferent, airy smile.
“Can’t you tell? Iām swallowing it.”
“If I don’t swallow this pollution, at least three more mid-to-high rank Bizarres will appear this month.”
In reality, Hua Yi usually swallowed the Bizarres along with the pollution. Devouring abilities usually allowed for fast ranking up because one could advance by consuming Bizarres. However, swallowing a Bizarre along with its pollution naturally meant enduring a great deal of suffering.
In a situation like this, where there was only pollution and no Bizarre, swallowing it offered no chance to rank up. Yet leaving the pollution behind would cause even more havoc later.
Hua Yi was used to it. Since it was going to hurt either way, he might as well neutralize the pollution and make the pain worth something.
Suddenly, his arm was grasped by a pair of warm hands belonging to a young man.
Hua Yi was startled. He opened his eyes and saw Luo Shizhen looking at him with worry.
“Hua-laoshi, you look like you’re in a lot of pain. How about you let me do it?”
His tone was soft, but the strength in his hands was considerable as he pushed Hua Yiās hand down, stopping him from continuing to swallow the pollution.
“Oh, right. You’re a Purifier.”
Hua Yiās gaze finally stopped landing on the whorl of hair on Luo Shizhenās head and instead looked at his face.
“Student, this is pollution left by a High-Rank Bizarre. Can you handle it?”
He hadn’t forgotten Luo Shizhen was a Purifier, of course, but using the abilities of an Energy User was incredibly taxing on the mind and spirit. A single slip-up could lead to being affected by the pollution itself. Therefore, Purifiers usually followed their teammates and only purified them.
Luo Shizhen didn’t think it was difficult at all. “I can.”
“Hua-laoshi, have you forgotten? Iām a mutant Purifier.”
Simultaneously, the Qi essence on Luo Shizhenās body flowed down naturally, like a fish entering the sea, and dove into the pitch-black pollution to devour it.
The white python acted like a swimming dragon, darting here and there, swallowing everything in its path. The sapling, meanwhile, acted like a real tree, taking root in the earth and absorbing the surrounding pollution.
Luo Shizhen could feel that his “appetite” seemed to have grown. If this had happened before, he certainly wouldn’t have been able to digest so much pollution, but now, Luo Shizhen felt he could give it a try.
The young Purifier smiled at the older Guardian.
“Hua-laoshi, let me do it. Iām a Purifier; clearing pollution is what Iām supposed to do.”
“Yesterday the Principal said he would give us two days off. If I can’t finish the purification today, I can just roll out a sleeping bag here and continue tomorrow after I’ve rested. Itās no problem to leave this to me.”
Hua Yiās long golden hair swayed gently in the wind. He narrowed his eyes slightly, gazing at the student before him.
“Do you know that even if you’re a Purifier, overusing your ability can be very painful?”
Luo Shizhen looked blank, just as expected, and shook his head. “I didn’t know.”
Hua Yi let out a laugh. Just as he thought. Yongzhou was still like this, terrified of scaring low-rank students and keeping such information strictly under wraps.
But Luo Shizhen added seriously, “But since I’m a Purifier, I should feel better than you do, right, Hua-laoshi?”
Hua Yi froze. “What?”
“Hua-laoshi, you are a Devourer. When you swallow pollution, you have to rely on your body to forcibly digest it. But I’m a Purifier; I have purification protection. So, the pain I feel will definitely be lighter than what you experience.”
Luo Shizhen had his own set of logic. When he was acting as Doctor Zhen Shiluo, he had once used his Qi to enter a patient’s body and saw that the pollution was afraid of the white mist that represented purification.
That meant he could completely allow his Qi to enter and protect his body when he felt the pollution attacking. Just like when he treated his patients.
Luo Shizhen hadn’t tried it before, and he felt this was an opportunity. Even if it failed, it would be fine; it would only hurt for a little while, and he was very good at enduring pain.
If the pain Hua Yi felt was 80%, then as a Purifier, he would surely be better off than Hua Yi. Even if Luo Shizhen felt 70%, by that calculation, it was much more “cost-effective” for him to do the purification than for Hua Yi to forcibly swallow it.
It was the same logic as buying groceries: if one bundle of green onions was fifty cents and another was thirty, you would naturally choose the latter.
Whatās more, he was a Purifier. They had been taught in school that clearing pollution was a Purifierās duty. His 40,000 yuan monthly salary was earned for this kind of work.
An offensive-type like Hua-laoshi should use his combat power in battle, not in forcibly swallowing pollution and then enduring the pain of it attacking his body.
With determination, Luo Shizhen pushed Hua Yiās hand all the way down. He reached out and separated a strand of Qi essence, pulling the pollution that he could reach away from Hua Yiās arm and into his own body.
His movements were smooth and fast, as if he had practiced them a hundred times, carrying a sense of predatory snatching.
Hua Yi could clearly feel that familiar sensation of his internal organs being battered rapidly receding with Luo Shizhenās movements.
The young student stepped in front of him. After finishing the absorption of the pollution he had just swallowed, the boy turned around, leaving Hua Yi with only a back that stood firmly against the pollution.
The nineteen-year-old’s frame was not yet fully grown; though he had perfectly developed muscles, compared to his elders, his stature was not particularly broad. Because of the tightened combat gear, his waist appeared even narrower and more powerful.
Yet he stood there with incredible stability, as if protecting someone, rooted to the spot.
“Leave this to me.”
“Hua-laoshi, please go and rest.”
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