Holy Healing

Time seemed to freeze for a moment.

But only for a moment.

Irin quickly felt ashamed that, just a moment ago, her mind had gone completely blank and she had actually believed the young man's words.

"Pfft. I didn't take you for someone with a knack for telling jokes."

"What, you don't believe me?" Liao Ji asked in return.

Irin gave a disdainful snort.

"The Ash Emperor? Do you mean someone who carefully steps over corpses, afraid of getting filth on his clothes, or someone whose breathing falls out of rhythm as soon as the stench of blood fills the air? Or maybe a rookie who doesn't even know how to tie someone up?"

Liao Ji had to admit he might have underestimated this female scavenger.

His first impression of her had been that she was a loudmouth who swore up a storm.

But he hadn't expected that Irin had noticed all the unconscious little mannerisms he'd picked up as a modern person.

Perhaps she could guess what he was thinking right now.

"Hmph. Don't underestimate a scavenger's eyes. They're how we make our living, after all. I'm pretty good at reading people. Someone like you is just like those pampered young masters from the upper class in the base cities. Cut from the same cloth."

"Oh, wait. I almost forgot—you're better than them, at least. You're pretty innocent, and a virgin who stiffens up and gets nervous when a woman gets close or touches you."

At the end of this, Irin shot Liao Ji a taunting look, as if getting back at him for all the things he'd done to her earlier.

Liao Ji didn't try to defend himself. He just spread his hands with a helpless look.

"Fine, I was just joking. But I really am from five hundred years ago—from the Old Wasteland Era, as you call it. And I have a close connection to the Ash Emperor. In the end, for some reason, I was, uh, put into hibernation in this stone coffin."

Judging by the expression on the female scavenger's face, his explanation had clearly convinced her, at least in part.

After all, it perfectly explained why he'd asked so many questions about the "common knowledge" of this world.

And for Irin, the idea of someone from five hundred years ago was shocking, but not impossible to accept. There was already a living example.

The five former bodyguards at the Great Emperor's side, now the most powerful figures in the world, had also come from the Wasteland of the old era.

That was why so many madmen still secretly longed to become Corrupted—including prominent figures in the base cities. They craved not only the immense power, but also the youthful vitality and extended lifespans—centuries long—that the Corrupt Calamity brought.

"I really have been talking to an antique from five hundred years ago this whole time," Irin murmured.

But she soon grasped the important point and hurriedly asked Liao Ji to confirm, "You said before that you can control the Corrupt Calamity, and that later, you can even turn me back into an ordinary person!?"

"That's right. Whether in the fight just now or during this conversation, have you felt even the slightest effect from Corrupt Calamity infection? That's the best proof, isn't it?"

After Liao Ji said this, Irin fell into a memory.

It wasn't that she'd never seen a Corrupted. On the contrary, she would never forget what happened "that night" for as long as she lived. That was why she was so certain now that Liao Ji hadn't been lying: she really was different from the other Corrupted.

"All right. We can keep chatting once we get out of this godforsaken place."

Just as Irin had said.

Liao Ji couldn't stand the corpses scattered throughout the underground chamber or the stench that had completely filled the place any longer.

He walked over to Irin and untied her.

But when Liao Ji saw that the female scavenger's already-tattered trench coat had been torn in several more places, revealing the bloodied wounds underneath, he stopped.

She'd probably gotten these injuries while chasing the kobolds earlier. They weren't serious, and her body's enhanced physical condition as a Corrupted had already let the wounds scab over. Still, without proper treatment, they would likely leave scars on her skin.

From where Liao Ji stood, he could see plenty of similar scars on Irin's body. When she noticed him looking, she didn't seem to care. It seemed that, to scavengers, scars weren't anything worth worrying about.

But still.

This was a good chance to try it out.

After glancing at [Holy Healing] in his skill list, Liao Ji focused and placed his hand over Irin's wound. As the female scavenger looked at him in confusion, he silently murmured in his mind:

"Holy Healing."

In an instant, a brilliant but gentle white light blossomed from Liao Ji's palm and enveloped the female scavenger.

Irin had never felt so warm. It was like soaking in a spring, as the white light flowed over every inch of her skin like a gentle stream.

It washed away her fatigue and eased her tense, anxious feelings. Her mind went blank, and her spirit seemed to drift among the clouds.

Then a tingling itch spread across several parts of her body. The sensation was strange, like electricity passing through her. Irin couldn't help wanting to let out a moan of pleasure.

Meanwhile, in the world outside, black substances were constantly being forced out through the skin of the female scavenger basking in the holy light. They were impurities and grime from inside her body, and now they vanished completely in the light.

The whole process didn't last long—only about ten seconds.

But when the light faded from Liao Ji's hand, Irin's spirit was pulled down from the clouds and back into reality. She wasn't the only one surprised. Even Liao Ji was taken aback.

Under the effects of his [Holy Healing], not only had the female scavenger's several new wounds healed completely, but even her old scars had disappeared.

Of course, the most astonishing thing was—

Irin looked down in disbelief at her hands, which had grown at least a shade fairer, then touched her face. Her skin felt soft, supple, smooth, and delicate.

She hadn't felt skin like this since she was fourteen. After losing her father and becoming a scavenger on the Black Cave Plains, she had never felt it again.

"You..."

With a mix of confusion, bewilderment, and complicated emotions, Irin looked at the black-haired young man in front of her, the one from five hundred years ago.

After finishing untying the female scavenger, Liao Ji held out his hand to Irin, who was still sitting dazed on the ground.

"Liao Ji. That's my name. And yours?"

Irin instinctively wanted to ask, "Don't you already know?" After seeing so many incredible things from the young man, she no longer intended to wonder how he'd learned her name.

But in the end, she took a deep breath.

"Irin."

Then Irin grabbed Liao Ji's hand and let him pull her to her feet.