Holy Hand Saves the Heavens · A Pluck of the Strings Averts the City's Peril

Long Jinyu turned at the sound, only to see Doctor Luo walking over with quick strides.

"Hm? Doctor Luo? Why are you... I thought I told you to look after Senior Sister Ma... Ouch!"

Before he could finish, someone flicked the back of his head with just the right amount of force.

He rubbed his head and turned back, meeting a pair of burning phoenix eyes.

Ma Xiaotao was standing behind him, her cheeks still flushed with the faint color of recovery, yet her eyes had regained their usual brilliance as she looked at him with a hint of reproach.

"Senior Sister?! You... you've recovered?"

"Mm..." Ma Xiaotao replied. Her gaze swept over his slightly pale face, and her tone softened involuntarily. "Thanks to you, I... I've recovered very well. Besides, how could I be absent when it comes to saving people? Look at you, you're so weak you'd fall over in a breeze. How could I rest easy letting you go alone?"

Alone?

Liu Tao: "???"

Medical staff: "???"

"Oh, right, then..." Long Jinyu felt a warmth in his heart, but just as he spoke, he let out a startled cry the next second: "Hey, hey, hey--!"

Without another word, Ma Xiaotao leaned down, scooped him up by the back of his knees with one arm and supported his back with the other. With a bit of force, she lifted him into a standard bridal carry, tapped her feet, and flew toward the Rescue Airship.

"Senior Sister! What are you doing?! Put me down! Men and women should keep their distance! In front of all these people, what kind of—"

Long Jinyu's ears turned beet red. His limbs felt awkward, and he struggled to get down; being carried like this in front of so many people was truly shameful.

"Shut up!" Ma Xiaotao's own ears were burning, but she tightened her grip, the corners of her lips curling up. "You're shy now? It's not like I haven't carried you before. Haven't you been carried enough already?"

Long Jinyu choked, recalling that due to certain "unavoidable factors," he indeed had been carried quite a bit...

But was that the same situation as now?

He weakly defended himself: "Cough, cough... well, was any of that my choice? Didn't you always..."

Ma Xiaotao didn't speak; she simply moved the hand behind his back to his side, pinched a small patch of soft flesh, and gave it a slight twist.

"Ouch! My mistake, my mistake! Senior Sister! Senior Sister Ma! Good sister! Stop pinching! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!" Long Jinyu instantly turned into a coward, twisting his body back and forth.

"Hmph~" Ma Xiaotao finally released him, satisfied.

Amidst the commotion, the faint, warm fragrance of fire lingering on her body filled Long Jinyu's nose, and his tightly wound nerves and physical exhaustion eased in a strange, wonderful way. He quietly adjusted to a more comfortable position and settled in with peace of mind, secretly feeling pleased:

It seems... I really do prefer being pampered by a big sister. Being carried by Senior Sister Ma is much more comfortable than carrying her!

Once on the airship, Ma Xiaotao carefully placed him in a seat and handed him a fully charged Soul Guidance Milk Bottle. "Here, this is an oral Milk Bottle I got from Doctor Luo. You've expended too much energy; recover quickly. We'll need your life energy to save people later."

"An oral Milk Bottle? There's an oral version of this thing? I've never heard of it. Is this some black technology from the Medical Pavilion?"

Long Jinyu took the bottle, slumped into Ma Xiaotao's warm embrace, and greedily absorbed the pure soul power from the Soul Guidance Milk Bottle, feeling his parched meridians finally receive a touch of nourishment. "Okay, thank you, Senior Sister~!"

While recovering, he didn't forget his duties and nodded to Liu Tao nearby: "Vice Dean Liu, there's no time to lose. Let's depart immediately."

Liu Tao responded at once: "Master... Dean, rest assured. The moment you forced the Evil Soul Master to retreat, I already arranged for several elite medical teams to head out first."

"Good, well done." Long Jinyu praised, while asking the System in his heart: System, what are the scan results? How are Tang Ya and the others?

[Scan complete.]

[Explosion site: Outside the gates of Shrek Academy.]

[Total number of people affected by the explosion: 100+, Deaths: None, Near-death: 7, Seriously injured: 23...]

[Status of host-designated individuals: Xu Sanshi and Bei Bei are seriously injured, Tang Ya is unconscious, ..., Jiang Nannan and Huo Yuhao have minor injuries.]

No one died? And no one was captured? Thank goodness! Long Jinyu's heart, which had been hanging in his chest, finally settled. As long as they are still here, there is hope! System, guide me to those seven who are in critical condition immediately...

[Request rejected. The host only needs to fully unleash the Self-Created Soul Skill—"Dragon Bath Spring Rain"—to heal all physical wounds on the scene. At that point, the Medical Pavilion only needs to focus on subsequent mental nourishment and conditioning, greatly reducing the pressure.]

Oh, right! Long Jinyu realized, patting his still-dizzy head. My head is still a bit foggy; I didn't think of that for a moment. Strange, why do you feel like you've gotten smarter?

[Illusion. This System has always been very smart.]

Long Jinyu: ...Bragging without even blinking?

"Right, kid." Ma Xiaotao's voice interrupted his exchange with the System.

"Hm?"

"I didn't expect that mimicry skill of yours to be so heaven-defying," Ma Xiaotao looked at him, her eyes filled with curiosity and a hint of confusion. "But why did you let those Evil Soul Masters go? Why didn't you just kill them all?"

Hearing this, Long Jinyu nearly choked on the soul power from the Milk Bottle, his eyes widening: "???"

"Senior Sister... you're giving me way too much credit," he said, laughing through his tears. "Is there a possibility that I'm only at level forty-something and couldn't possibly beat any of those Titled Douluo? Mimicking their aura and soul rings to scare them was my absolute limit. If I had actually fought them, wouldn't the ruse have been exposed?"

"Even those three Soul Ancestor-level enemies I took down were only because they had already been heavily wounded by the Yanhuang Guard, and I just picked up the scraps. I'm not stupid; if I could actually beat them, I would have wiped them all out long ago. How could I possibly let a tiger return to the mountain?"

Ma Xiaotao blinked, then laughed. "That's true, I forgot you're only a Soul Ancestor. A Soul Ancestor causing this much trouble—once you become a Titled Douluo, won't you be able to reach the heavens?"

Long Jinyu couldn't help but laugh: "Senior Sister... isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?"

Just then, the airship shuddered slightly and came to a halt.

"We're here?" Long Jinyu immediately sat upright.

Liu Tao's voice came through the communicator: "Dean, we've been blocked. It seems the previous rescue team was also stopped here."

"Blocked?" Long Jinyu frowned.

"Listen, people on the ship! Stop the vessel immediately and come down for inspection!"

A booming voice echoed from outside. Through the porthole, one could see that the area was already surrounded by the Shrek City guard squad.

"A sudden emergency has occurred within the city. By order of the Sea God Pavilion Master, the relevant area is under lockdown! No outsiders are permitted to approach, with the exception of academy students!"

Liu Tao opened the hatch and stepped out, speaking in a clear, resonant voice: "City Lord Shi Xing, trust you have been well? My greetings. We heard that Shrek Academy had come under attack and came specifically to provide support. Why the obstruction?"

The man outside was none other than the current City Lord of Shrek City, Shi Xing. Upon recognizing Liu Tao, his tone softened: "Dean Liu? Is it really you? Didn't your Medical Pavilion also come under attack? How is it that..."

Liu Tao explained, "We were indeed attacked, but thanks to the Dean's good fortune, the enemy has been repelled. With the crisis slightly abated, we followed the Dean's orders and rushed here immediately to support the academy. Treating the wounded brooks no delay."

"I see! It was a case of the floodwaters washing away the Dragon King's temple!" Shi Xing's voice carried both apology and admiration. "Dean Liu, your pavilion's righteousness is commendable. On behalf of Shrek, I thank you! Please, pass through!"

With the obstacle removed, the ship accelerated again, soon arriving at the main gate area of Shrek Academy, which had been reduced to a scene of utter devastation.

Flames, smoke, cries of agony, and busy figures... it formed a tragic, harrowing picture.

The Medical Pavilion's rescue team quickly took over the on-site treatment, working in close coordination with Shrek's own healing-type Soul Masters.

Long Jinyu stepped out of the cabin with Ma Xiaotao's support, his heart tightening at the sight before him. He did not hesitate; enduring the crushing mental exhaustion, he flew into mid-air, and a brilliant green light erupted from him!

"Dragon Bath Spring Rain--!"

A rain of life-giving green light fell, covering the entire disaster zone. Wherever the light touched, the wounds on the victims healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, their pain rapidly fading, and even foreign objects embedded in their bodies dissolved under the nourishment of the life energy. The scene, previously filled with wailing, was instantly enveloped in a warm and peaceful aura.

"Quick! Take advantage of this!" Liu Tao immediately directed the medical staff to step forward, moving the stabilized wounded onto the ship in an orderly fashion, preparing to take them back to the Medical Pavilion for deeper mental treatment and observation.

Releasing Ultimate Life on such a massive scale, even with a Milk Bottle to replenish soul power, placed a tremendous burden on his mind.

Long Jinyu felt his vision go black, his body swaying as he nearly collapsed. Seeing this, Ma Xiaotao immediately reached out to wrap her arm around his waist, letting him lean against her.

"If you can't hold on, don't force it!" Her tone was chiding, but her grip was steady and strong.

Long Jinyu leaned against her shoulder, closing his eyes for a few seconds. Though his head throbbed as if he had just finished an impossibly difficult math exam and his thoughts were in chaos, he knew the crisis was far from over and forced himself to keep thinking.

It seems... that Holy Son is indeed using the lives of civilians and students to threaten Shrek, forcing them not to easily dispatch high-level combatants to support other areas. Long Jinyu's eyes were cold. Good, very good. You've truly disgraced... the Xia people. You'd better not let me catch you.

The Soul Guidance Bomb was planted at the academy gate. There's no reason someone of Mu En's caliber wouldn't have noticed... unless this thing is also a product of the system?

Forget it, dwelling on that is useless. The point is...

He felt a deep sense of exhaustion; this feeling of being forced to react passively was terrible.

"Kid." Ma Xiaotao's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Your face looks terrible. Stop thinking and get some rest! Even if the sky falls, Elder Mu and the others will hold it up."

Long Jinyu shook his head, his voice raspy. "No... if Elder Mu and the others really had a way, why would they have been so delayed in supporting the Medical Pavilion?"

Ma Xiaotao was stunned. Upon reflection, it was indeed true, and she fell silent. "Then... at least sit steady, don't fall." She held his arm, letting him lean more of his weight onto her.

Long Jinyu leaned against her obediently, his gaze sweeping over the busy rescue scene and the terrified civilians in the distance, a sense of agitation rising in his heart again.

The point is... there is at least one more such bomb, perhaps even more... if even Mu En can't find them, what should I do? He rubbed his aching temples hard. Stupid brain, think! If I don't find them, how many more innocent people will suffer? I'm truly done with this; one day it's wind, the next it's rain—can't I just have one peaceful day?

He looked up, staring blankly at Ma Xiaotao's profile, which was filled with worry.

Suddenly, he slapped his thigh.

Ah! I'm such an idiot! Why not fight magic with magic, and use the system to defeat the system?

He immediately shouted in his mind, with a touch of desperate intimacy:

System... oh no, my dearest, most precious System Treasure!

[Present!]

The system's response seemed a fraction faster than usual.

[This Treasure is here!]

Quick! Scan the entire Shrek City immediately! Find everything that doesn't belong in this world, anything suspicious, especially things with explosive energy! Mark their locations!

[Command received! Full-scale scan initiated--!]

[Scan complete! Three remaining hidden explosives found, coordinates marked. Structural analysis complete: all are trigger-type Soul Guidance Bombs equipped with a 'Concealment Field'. The core energy circuits are fragile; violent removal or remote soul skill impact may trigger a sympathetic detonation.]

Hearing the system's successful prompt, Long Jinyu felt a surge of energy and nearly wept with joy, saying in his mind with the most sincere tone possible:

System Treasure! You are absolutely amazing this time! You've been a huge help! I swear, I will never badmouth you behind your back again!

[Of course, when this Treasure takes action... wait!]

The system's voice spiked, sounding somewhat exasperated.

[What did you just say, you brat?! You've been badmouthing me behind my back this whole time?!]

Long Jinyu felt a pang of guilt and quickly tried to make amends: No, no! I meant I was praising you! Yes, absolutely praising you! Heaven and Earth are my witness! He tried to change the subject. Good Treasure, now is not the time to dwell on this. Quick, keep it brief, how do I disarm them? I really can't hold on anymore, I feel like I'm going to pass out any second.

[Hmph! I'll believe you for now!]

The system knew his state was dire and didn't press the issue, quickly providing a plan.

[The plan is simple: use your spatial attribute for micro-manipulation. No need to touch the bomb itself; just open a tiny spatial channel at the marked coordinates and suck the bomb directly into the void turbulence. The energy fluctuation will be kept to a minimum and will never trigger a detonation. Given your current state and proficiency, precisely executing three micro-spatial teleports is your limit. You must act immediately!]

Throw them directly into the void? That's a great plan! Clean and efficient! Long Jinyu braced his remaining mental strength, not daring to delay.

Leaning against Ma Xiaotao, his previously limp hands were raised with great difficulty, his fingers slowly forming a strange and complex hand seal, tiny silver light particles beginning to flow from his fingertips.

Ma Xiaotao: "???"

Ma Xiaotao, who had been carefully supporting him, sensed something amiss.

She felt the body that had been completely relaxed and leaning against her suddenly tense up. Although the movement was subtle, she was close enough to feel it with absolute clarity.

She looked down to see Long Jinyu's eyes half-closed, his brows furrowed from extreme focus and mental exhaustion. His face was frighteningly pale, yet his fingers were moving slowly in an incredibly intricate pattern, stirring up faint, hidden spatial fluctuations that made her heart skip a beat.

"Kid? You..."

Ma Xiaotao instinctively wanted to interrupt him. His current state was clearly the result of him forcibly pushing some kind of ability; this was far too reckless!