Wound Recovery

Bei Bei and Tang Ya had actually arrived a long time ago. They couldn't very well be late for something they'd arranged with their juniors, and besides, they had nothing better to do. As third-year students, they were stuck in an awkward middle ground: they lacked the novelty of Huo Yuhao and the other freshmen, but didn't have the upperclassmen's coursework and special assignments either. They were the most bored of all. Their course load was also the lightest, and they had nearly finished all their liberal arts classes. Liberal arts here meant all the written courses, while science referred to practical training and other courses related to combat. Physics was considered a science subject too. Soul guidance, which had recently been added to the curriculum, used to be taught after the third year, but had now been moved into the liberal arts curriculum.

The dean had made the decision and announced it outright, without consulting anyone or making preparations first. So the textbooks weren't ready yet. This was certainly good news for the Soul Guidance Department, but even if it encouraged them to take initiative and not slack off, there was no way they could put together textbooks in such a short time. They would just have to wait and see.

Perhaps the two of them had come here with romance in mind. Xu Sanshi had arrived quite late too, and for much the same reason. It was a little embarrassing to talk about, so it was enough for his peers like Bei Bei to know. He'd been teased about it for years and barely cared anymore, but he'd feel awkward if juniors like Huo Yuhao found out. Having something so embarrassing become widely known was more than his thick skin could take. He would put it off for as long as possible and try to preserve his lofty image as an upperclassman. Of course, Xu Sanshi didn't know that Bei Bei had already given Huo Yuhao a brief explanation. Huo Yuhao said he didn't understand, but respected it.

As Xu Sanshi made his way there, he was still trying to think up a reasonable excuse for being late. But when he reached the meeting place, he no longer had anything to worry about: Huo Yuhao was even later than he was. Before he could feel pleased, the expressions on Bei Bei and Tang Ya's faces made him realize something was wrong. His mood sank from delight to concern.

"Sorry I'm late. Where's that kid Huo Yuhao? Why's he even later than me? I didn't think he was the type to be late."

Tang Ya answered anxiously, "Exactly. Little Yuhao isn't like that. Could something have happened to him on the way?"

"Then hurry up and look for him! What are you waiting for?"

"Where should we look, and how do we contact him if we find him—or if we don't?" Bei Bei asked calmly in return. They couldn't just rush off to look for someone without thinking it through, especially with so few of them. There was no way they could search all of Shrek City for one person. The best option was to ask the Shrek Patrol Team for help. As a student at Shrek Academy, Huo Yuhao would surely have that advantage. The only question was whether they should wait here. What if he was only a little late? Asking the patrol team for help would then be unnecessary.

"Let's wait a little longer. If he hasn't arrived in an hour, we'll ask the patrol team for help," Bei Bei concluded.

Before Bei Bei had even finished speaking, a figure stepped out of the alley and came into view. The sight of him was horrifying: he was covered in blood, and it kept dripping as he walked. His clothes weren't just stained red; some white matter was smeared across them too. The three young scions of prominent families knew enough to be shocked. At most, they'd heard descriptions of such things. They'd killed a few Spirit Beasts themselves, but their elders had handled most of it. This was far beyond what they could stomach.

The figure stumbled as he walked, clearly out of strength, his head lowered so they couldn't see his face. Yet his height made it obvious he was underage. They all felt a sense of familiarity, but none dared believe the guess forming in their minds.

The blood-soaked figure suddenly looked up. "Help me out, please. I really don't have any strength left."

Now they could be sure: it was Huo Yuhao, no matter how much they didn't want to believe it. They hurried to support him, not caring that his blood was getting on them. Anyone trained to reach their level would have a strong disposition. The Sun Moon Empire and Evil Soul Masters were both lacking in this regard.

"Where are you hurt, little junior? Who did this to you? Never mind—let's get you treated right away."

Huo Yuhao clutched Bei Bei's arm with all his might and used the last of his strength to say, "Elder Brother, I'm fine. I'm just exhausted. I need food—a lot of food."

Huo Yuhao didn't have a single injury on him. Even a tiny scratch would have been an insult to Electrolux's power. As for where the blood that made him look so terrifying had come from, it was a little embarrassing. After regaining control of his body, he hadn't had time to understand its condition. He'd immediately tried to use more power than he could handle, and things had gone wrong: his body had lost coordination and he'd fallen over. Unfortunately, there'd been some things on the ground. His clothes had soaked them right up.

After resting for a while, he'd finally gotten a little strength back. He'd struggled to his feet, tried not to think about his awful situation, and focused entirely on getting to the meeting without being late. Hunger had clung to his body the whole time. No matter how powerful Electrolux was, using power still required energy. Huo Yuhao didn't have to provide the spiritual power, but the energy in his body was another matter. The fact that such an unreasonable burst of speed had drained him so badly was already incredible. What more could he ask for?

Finally, after Wang Yi and Tian Meng had laughed at him, he left his Shrek Academy identification details at the scene. No one there would likely dare touch them. Wang Yi had suggested this, and Huo Yuhao didn't understand why, but he was used to handing over the reins of his brain by now. It was so much easier. He couldn't understand why so many people in novels resisted their families' arrangements. Having Wang Yi give him advice already made him feel lucky. He couldn't even imagine how wonderful it would be to have his family arrange everything for him; that was beyond his imagination.

By the time he reached the final stretch, hunger had nearly driven Huo Yuhao mad. Fortunately, he still had enough strength to explain what was wrong with him.

Not long afterward, Huo Yuhao was eating at the remote restaurant that had cost him so much energy to reach. For some reason, the moment he smelled the food, his seemingly exhausted strength suddenly returned. He sprang up and started eating with gusto, wolfing it down so fast that everyone around him stared.

The high-energy food hit his stomach, and the Green Aura immediately went to work, converting it at astonishing speed and supplying Huo Yuhao with a steady stream of strength. Only after he finished eating did he have enough energy to look around. One glance nearly scared him—the meal had been expensive. But when he glanced at Xu Sanshi, he relaxed. At least he didn't have to worry about paying for it.

Only then did he explain what had happened, though his account differed slightly from the truth and didn't quite explain his hunger. But none of that mattered anymore. Huo Yuhao had truly sensed the presence of death back then. Even though he knew nothing had happened, he still felt as if he'd narrowly escaped death.

It was good to be alive.