Awakening (Please vote)

Awakening (Please vote~)

"City lockdown? When did that happen?" Shi Lan asked.

"The order just came down today."

"How long will the lockdown last?"

"Until the City Lord's Estate orders it lifted."

Shi Lan frowned and left reluctantly.

In Twin Moon City, the only places where she could find large quantities of meat were the restaurants.

Under the shopkeeper's beaming gaze, Shi Lan once again mourned the state of her purse.

Back at the clinic, Shi Lan told Du Baisheng about the lockdown.

"Even if we wanted to leave now, it's already too late." Du Baisheng sighed.

"I'll go to the City Lord's Estate tomorrow and find out what's going on. We can discuss it afterward." Shi Lan offered a few words of comfort.

The sun sank in the west, and the dying light was red as blood.

Shi Lan stood at the clinic entrance, gazing at the vast, blood-red clouds on the horizon. For no reason she could name, a wave of unease stirred in her heart.

"Brother Shi Lan, the person you brought back has woken up." Du Yue'er ran over to Shi Lan and spoke.

At that, Shi Lan hurried inside the clinic.

Shi Feng lay on the bed, his eyes half open. A weakness unlike anything he had ever felt spread through his body, making him wish he could close his eyes and drift back to sleep.

"Shi Feng, Shi Feng? How are you feeling?"

Hearing the voice calling to him beside his ear, Shi Feng struggled to open his eyes a little wider and turned his head toward Shi Lan.

Shi Feng's throat worked for a long while before he rasped out a single word: "Water..."

Shi Lan was about to turn and pour some water when Du Yue'er handed her a cup of warm water.

After thanking her, Shi Lan took the cup, helped Shi Feng sit up, and fed him the water.

When he had finished drinking, Shi Lan pulled the quilt from the other bed, propped it behind Shi Feng, and helped him lie back down.

"Feeling any better?"

"Thank you for your concern, young master. It's nothing serious." Shi Feng managed a faint smile.

Du Baisheng had just reached the bedside. Hearing Shi Feng call her "young master," he gave Shi Lan a long, thoughtful look.

Shi Lan shook her head. "From now on, just call me Shi Lan."

Shi Feng fell silent and said nothing.

Du Baisheng stepped forward to feel Shi Feng's pulse, looking somewhat surprised. "Your injuries show no sign of improvement, yet you've already woken up. How strange."

Shi Feng knew his own injuries better than anyone. They were severe, but not life-threatening.

However, without healing pills, it would take a year or more to recover. The meridians inside him were badly damaged, and he couldn't even absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to restore himself.

After learning their current situation, Shi Feng thought for a moment before speaking.

"The Demon-Suppression Army must have pills that can heal injuries. If you really pass the selection, Shi Lan, you may have a chance to get some. Once I've recovered a little, I can take you all away from here."

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

"If things don't work out, don't force it. We can think of another way then," Shi Feng reminded her.

"I understand."

Shi Feng was badly injured, and after a few words, exhaustion began to wash over him.

Seeing this, Du Baisheng told Du Yue'er to hurry and cook a bowl of medicinal porridge to replenish his blood and vital energy. He had Shi Feng drink it.

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

After dinner, Du Yue'er led Shi Lan to the wooden table, unwrapped the bandages, and prepared to change her dressing.

When she saw the wound, Du Yue'er looked surprised. "How could it have healed so quickly?"

The wound had been deep enough to expose the bone, but now it had grown much shallower, with tender pink tissue sprouting over it. An ordinary person would have needed at least ten days to half a month to heal this far.

Shi Lan had reached the seventh level of the Body Tempering Realm, and the Jade Forging Art had entered its third stage. This body-tempering technique produced by the system had begun to transform her constitution.

After her dressing was changed, Shi Lan lay down and let her mind sink into the virtual space. She had no idea what kind of selection awaited her tomorrow, so it was best to prepare in advance.

After spending a night in the virtual space, Shi Lan got up, washed, and headed toward the City Lord's Estate in the morning light.

Along the way, Shi Lan saw many people hurrying toward the City Lord's Estate. Most of them were clearly there to watch the excitement.

In less than half a quarter of an hour, Shi Lan arrived outside the City Lord's Estate.

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

A black stone almost as tall as a person stood on the platform. Apart from that, it was bare.

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

Just after the hour of the Rabbit began, a figure flashed onto the raised platform. It was a middle-aged man dressed in white robes.

From the surrounding people's discussion, Shi Lan learned that the man was Nie Yangze, the City Lord of Twin Moon City.

"I won't beat around the bush today. Anyone who believes they're capable of joining the City Lord's private army, come up onto the platform." As Nie Yangze spoke, he raised his fist and pressed it against the stone beside him. His arm sank into the rock up to the shoulder as easily as if he were plunging it into tofu.

"Anyone who can leave a fist mark five inches deep in this stone will receive a hundred gold and may join the private army." Nie Yangze withdrew his hand. The stone rippled as if alive, returning to its original shape within moments.

Watching this strange sight, Shi Lan's gaze sharpened. She realized that earning that gold wouldn't be so easy.

"Lord City Lord, may I ask how many people the private army is recruiting this time?" a young man in his twenties asked.

"We'll take everyone who comes," Nie Yangze replied flatly.

"Lord City Lord, what if the fist mark is deeper than five inches?" a burly man in the crowd called out.

"A six-inch-deep fist mark earns five hundred gold; a seven-inch-deep mark earns a thousand. Anyone who leaves a fist mark a foot deep..." Nie Yangze paused. "Will be rewarded with ten thousand gold!"

As soon as Nie Yangze finished speaking, the crowd let out a collective gasp. Many people's eyes reddened as they eagerly eyed the platform. Wasn't he practically giving the money away?

"I'll make this clear before anyone tries. If you come up and fail to leave a fist mark at least two inches deep, you won't just go unrewarded—you'll be severely punished. I have no patience for people who don't know their own limits."

After speaking, Nie Yangze flashed away from the platform.

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

Not long afterward, a squad of black-armored soldiers carried over more than a dozen wooden chests. When they opened them, a flood of golden light spilled into the onlookers' view.

Neatly stacked gold bricks gleamed enticingly in the newly risen sun.

"I'll go first!"

The burly man who had asked the earlier question flushed red and shouted. He shoved his way through the crowd and stepped forward.

The black-armored soldiers did not stop him. They stepped aside to let him pass.

Seeing that someone had volunteered to be the first to crack the crab shell, the others quieted down and watched with rapt attention.

The burly man was powerfully built, his muscles knotted. At a glance, he looked like a man with plenty of strength.

The onlookers recalled how Nie Yangze had effortlessly plunged his entire arm into the stone. They all felt certain the burly man would be walking away with gold; the only question was how much.

Thanks to "How Do You Come Up With a Good Name" and "SSR-233" for the tips! Thank you~