I Contracted Myself

Awakeners often battle in the wild, inevitably getting injured and scarred.

Male Awakeners see scars as badges of honor; unless the scars are particularly unsightly, they usually don't bother removing them. But female Awakeners are different. Even if they get injured and scarred, they will seek out familiar healers to remove the scars once they return to Mingzhu City.

Mingzhu City has many healing-type Awakeners who can remove scars, so it's not a difficult task.

Zhang Ping didn't know what Liu Sishan had been through, nor why she kept her scars.

But as a member of the Sweep Team, Liu Sishan would find it easier than most Awakeners to remove scars if she wanted to. Thus, Zhang Ping speculated there were two possibilities for why Liu Sishan kept her scars.

One possibility was that Liu Sishan didn't want to remove the scars herself.

The other possibility was that the scars on Liu Sishan's face were not simple and couldn't be removed by ordinary means.

As the saying goes, "Do not advise others to be kind without knowing their suffering."

Zhang Ping was not Liu Sishan, so he merely mentioned his ability in passing. If Liu Sishan wanted to try removing the scars, she would naturally talk to him.

If she didn't want to remove the scars, he wouldn't force her. After all, it was Liu Sishan's own choice.

In his eyes, Liu Sishan was a strong young woman. Although she was only nineteen, she was steady and reliable, never throwing tantrums. She was a qualified comrade and a trustworthy partner.

As for romantic feelings, there were none.

He preferred petite and cute girls, and Liu Sishan was not his type.

Back at the safe house.

On the bed, Liu Tiefeng was already sound asleep. Zhang Ping used Nether Mist to support himself, silently floating to Liu Tiefeng's side. He transformed his right hand into pure blood and gently touched Liu Tiefeng's severed arm with a blood finger.

His blood slowly seeped into the capillaries through the pores of the severed arm.

Once his blood mixed with Liu Tiefeng's, he could control the blood to start healing Liu Tiefeng's injuries.

The sensation was peculiar. He didn't need any medical knowledge. Closing his eyes, it felt like seeing countless broken walls, and all he had to do was repair them one by one.

Liu Tiefeng had many internal injuries.

Especially the injury to his waist, which, although healed, was not perfectly repaired in Zhang Ping's view.

He consumed his own blood, continuously treating Liu Tiefeng. Gradually, Liu Tiefeng's breathing became steady and smooth, and his furrowed brows slowly relaxed.

After repairing all the internal injuries, Zhang Ping's gaze fell on the severed arm.

This was Liu Tiefeng's most severe injury.

Zhang Ping knew that the amount of blood from just one of his arms was not enough to treat such an injury. So, he transformed his entire body into pure blood, slowly permeating into Liu Tiefeng's blood vessels.

This felt completely different from before.

He found he could sense Liu Tiefeng's breathing, heartbeat, and even some of the blood circulating. He knew how long Liu Tiefeng could live. If nothing went wrong, he even knew how Liu Tiefeng would die.

In fact, when he first met Liu Tiefeng, he had used the Appraisal Skill on him.

At that time, Liu Tiefeng's attributes were:

【Name: Liu Tiefeng】

【Race: Human】

【Affiliation: Investigation Team (Retired)】

【Potential: None】

【Lifespan: 86】 (Subtracting age gives the actual remaining lifespan)

【Rank: Intermediate Awakener】

【Level: 18】

【Talent】

【Binding Golden Rope: Consumes a certain amount of stamina to control gold, transforming it into ropes to bind targets. The stronger the mental strength, the stronger the binding force.】

【Advanced Skill】

Find the original at "pawread dot com".

【Intermediate - Multiple Golden Ropes: Consumes more stamina to control three golden ropes simultaneously】

……

But according to Zhang Ping's current judgment, Liu Tiefeng's actual remaining lifespan was only 5 years.

Based on the appraisal results, Liu Tiefeng was currently 74 years old and should have about 12 years left. This meant that Liu Tiefeng's injury had cost him 7 years of his lifespan.

Knowing this, Zhang Ping felt deeply troubled and resolved to heal Liu Tiefeng's severed arm, no matter the cost.

The Pureblood Body could repair physical damage.

With enough blood, theoretically, even if someone only had their head left, he could regenerate their entire body.

At this moment, new flesh began to grow from Liu Tiefeng's severed arm. The bandages wrapped around the wound were gradually pushed aside and broken by the newly grown arm, like a tree branch sprouting new shoots.

Zhang Ping didn't need to understand the distribution of blood vessels or the structure of bones. He just needed to continuously provide blood, and Liu Tiefeng's body would naturally repair the wound.

When Liu Sishan re-entered the room, Liu Tiefeng's severed arm had mostly healed, with only a hand yet to grow.

Liu Tiefeng had long since woken up. The regrowth of his arm was both painful and itchy, making it impossible for him to sleep.@@novelbin@@

"Young lady, what kind of potion did you give me? Why is my hand growing back?" he asked immediately upon seeing Liu Sishan.

Liu Sishan replied, "Zhang Ping is treating you."

"Zhang Ping? Where is he?" Liu Tiefeng asked in surprise.

Liu Sishan smiled slightly, "You'll know in a moment."

"What exactly is Zhang Ping's ability? He can eat fire, and now he can heal," Liu Tiefeng asked curiously.

Liu Sishan replied, "You can ask Zhang Ping that question."

Although she admired Liu Tiefeng's actions, she hadn't completely let her guard down around him.

In fact, she didn't trust anyone completely. Her loyalty was to Mingzhu City, and she protected Mingzhu City. Even with the most respected Situ Shibai, she had reservations and didn't trust him absolutely.

Half an hour later, Liu Tiefeng's hand had also regrown. However, the arm was too young and tender, completely mismatched with his body.

It felt like he had been given the arm of a twenty-something-year-old.

Then, a large amount of blood seeped from the arm, causing him to feel dizzy. As he adapted, he saw the blood on the ground gradually forming a human shape.

Zhang Ping's arm turned into flesh and blood, and then a large amount of Nether Mist emerged from the arm. He dressed himself under the cover of the mist before dispersing it.

"Zhang Ping, were you just inside my body?" Liu Tiefeng finally understood what had happened.

Zhang Ping nodded and smiled, "Yes, Grandpa Liu. Check if this arm is okay. It's a new ability I just acquired, and it can be used to treat your injuries."

"What exactly is your ability? You can swallow fire, control fire, emit smoke, and turn into blood. Are you... a legendary mimic?" Liu Tiefeng asked in astonishment, not caring about his arm.

Zhang Ping replied with some frustration, "My ability is a bit complicated and hard to explain. It's somewhat different from a mimic, but similar in that I can acquire more abilities over time."

"Then your ability must be... Infinite Grade!" Liu Tiefeng's eyes widened in shock as he looked at Zhang Ping.

An Infinite Grade ability user.

Liu Tiefeng's emotions grew increasingly intense as he looked at Zhang Ping.

Mingzhu City hadn't seen an Infinite Grade ability user in over two hundred years. He never expected to see a living, breathing, young Infinite Grade ability user.

This was a treasure for Mingzhu City.

He immediately realized why Liu Sishan had appeared to save him; she was protecting Zhang Ping.

If this were a few thousand years ago when nations still existed, Zhang Ping would undoubtedly be considered a national treasure.

Every Infinite Grade ability user was a national treasure!

"Grandpa Liu, don't get too excited. Take deep breaths and calm down. Don't get too worked up."

Seeing Liu Tiefeng's flushed face, Zhang Ping hurriedly stepped forward to calm him, patting his back and speaking nervously.

"I'm fine. I just never thought I'd live to see a new Infinite Grade ability user. Remember, there are countless abilities among Awakeners. Even if you're an Infinite Grade, you might encounter tricky enemies. Never reveal your Infinite Grade status unless you're absolutely sure," Liu Tiefeng said seriously, his face still flushed.

Previously, he had seen Zhang Ping as the heir to the Liu family's forging skills, his junior. But now, in his eyes, Zhang Ping had become the pearl of Mingzhu City, a future guardian who could bring happiness to countless people.

Zhang Ping nodded, "I understand."

"Good, good, good. Mingzhu City finally has a 'true pearl' again," Liu Tiefeng said happily.

After the extreme joy and sorrow, he insisted on chatting with Zhang Ping for a while until he was too exhausted and fell asleep again. Zhang Ping sat by the bed, keeping watch.

……

Hanhai Academy.

Chen Xueli sat in his room, holding a long sword.

Since his granddaughter Chen Junting went missing, he had maintained this state, as if preparing for something.

"Mr. Chen, everything is packed. Are we leaving tonight?" A servant quietly entered the room and asked softly.

Chen Xueli opened his eyes, sighed wearily, and asked, "Still no news of Junting?"

"..." The servant lowered his head, not answering, but the silence spoke volumes.

Chen Xueli pondered for a moment and said, "Then we'll leave Mingzhu City through the secret passage. Prepare to depart."

"Yes!" the servant replied.

The entire Hanhai Academy mobilized, with many people leaving Mingzhu City through the secret passage, bringing their families along.

Although Hanhai Academy was similar to a martial arts school, it functioned more like a sect. The students were selected directly from the orphanage and raised by the academy from a young age, making them extremely loyal to the academy.

"Teacher, why must we leave?"

In the secret passage, Chen Xueli led the way with his long sword, followed by a middle-aged disciple who asked reluctantly.

Hanhai Academy had been established in Mingzhu City for over 150 years. Leaving now meant abandoning everything in Mingzhu City, and their future was uncertain. They didn't even know their next destination.

Out of the 1,645 people in Hanhai Academy, how many would survive to reach their destination?

The cost was too great.