Madblood Clan

The moment they entered the foot spa, they washed their feet for three straight days.

Three days!

Over those three days, Wu Zhong basically did nothing serious. He just ate, drank, and had fun.

They even rented a luxurious full-floor apartment overlooking Star City's largest shopping district, with the liveliest pedestrian street right downstairs.

KTV lounges, bars, foot spas... everything was there.

Not only was Endless Summer in no hurry to leave, he had them rest up there and party to their hearts' content.

At the foot spa downstairs, Endless Summer topped up five hundred thousand in one go. The manager practically ran circles around them.

After getting their feet washed, they went drinking at a bar. After drinking, they went singing at a KTV.

Good lord, they really went all out.

On the first day, Wu Zhong was deeply shocked. He did not understand why, but with outsiders around, it was not convenient to question him on the spot.

He had never expected Yang Chunsha to be such a wild player either. Rather than feeling reserved, she was the most excited one there.

"I come to this street in Star City all the time."

Yang Chunsha directly called over some beautiful companions. Good lord, there were so many pretty girls that it made his head spin.

The moment the door opened, a fragrant breeze rushed in first.

With a broad sweep of Yang Chunsha's hand, girls in short skirts of every color filed in. Their charming smiles were like colorful lights suddenly illuminating the private room. There were more than a dozen of them, filling every empty seat around Wu Zhong.

Wu Zhong's body stiffened, and he did not even know where to put his hands.

A beautiful girl naturally sat close beside him, her soft arm pressed against his. "Handsome, is this your first time having fun here? Don't be nervous. Play some games, have a few drinks. The most important thing is to have fun..."

Dice cups began to shake, their crisp rattling mixing with coquettish laughter and playful chatter.

At first, Wu Zhong remained disciplined. Worried about an attack by the ghosts and gods, he did not drink and merely huddled in a corner watching them play.

But introverts were all extroverts' toys.

The girls laid it on thick. One moment it was, "Brother, you can really hold your liquor." The next it was, "Brother, I can tell you're a man who does big things. You're so calm and steady." Then one of them fed him a slice of fruit. "Brother, have something to line your stomach, or I'll feel bad for you."

Even though Wu Zhong did not like drinking, he still had to drink in the end. A few cups were unavoidable.

"When are we leaving? I want to sleep." Wu Zhong urged them several times.

Yang Chunsha jumped onto the table and shouted, "Sleep with your aunt! Get up and party!"

Wu Zhong had not expected Yang Chunsha, who had previously seemed so aloof and cool, to become this crazy once she started drinking.

Most outrageous of all, Endless Summer, who had always seemed composed and unfathomable in Wu Zhong's eyes, was singing until his face and neck turned red.

The image of "cold, ruthless Summer" in Wu Zhong's heart completely shattered.

Wu Zhong spent the entire night on edge, yet Night Wanderer actually did them a favor and did not come disturb them at all, even under those circumstances.

He could not help but wonder whether Brother Xia was fishing.

Was he waiting for Night Wanderer to walk into the trap so he could kill him back to the respawn point, shake off the tracking, and then leave?

Come to think of it, that was a viable plan.

Otherwise, Night Wanderer would know wherever they went, which was far too uncomfortable.

Unfortunately, Night Wanderer did not seem stupid enough to fall for it and held back from appearing.

That night, Wu Zhong carried the dead-drunk Yang Chunsha and followed Endless Summer back to the apartment.

He had wanted to take the chance to ask him about it, but it turned out that Endless Summer had rented the place only for them. He himself teleported away in an instant!

Wu Zhong was speechless. After being on edge all night, he eventually went to sleep without worry... he trusted Brother Xia.

Sure enough, nothing happened. The alcohol actually helped him sleep better, and he slept dreamlessly through the night.

He woke up the next day full of energy, then went straight back to eating, drinking, partying, and soaking in foot spas.

After repeating that for three days, Yang Chunsha finally grew tired.

Worth mentioning was that the sky had cleared, and the strong winds had died down.

According to Endless Summer, the Mount Lu cyclone had already been sealed. Unit 985 was indeed capable. Skyfire Squad had probably arrived and used Best Metal to lock down the cyclone.

The disaster had been quelled, and Xunyang City's crisis had been resolved. Wu Zhong finally breathed a sigh of relief.

That night, with the weather improving, they did not go out to party. Instead, they ate some late-night snacks and chatted in the apartment.

Yang Chunsha lay on the floor eating skewers, her legs propped up against the floor-to-ceiling window, so lazy she looked like she was having cramps.

"Brother Wu, you really can't let loose. When you're having fun, you should have fun properly!"

"Otherwise, who knows? Maybe one day you won't get to have fun anymore."

Wu Zhong said, "We're still being hunted, girl."

Yang Chunsha laughed. "Don't panic. Didn't you see your Brother Xia partying too? He must have a backup plan. If the ghosts and gods dare come, they'll just be delivering themselves to him."

"As for Unit 985, we're just eating, drinking, and having fun normally. How could they possibly know?"

Wu Zhong copied her and lay on the floor. "You seem pretty familiar with this, partying like you've forgotten yourself. I take it you do this often?"

Yang Chunsha opened a bottle of beer and took a drink. "There's too much pressure in our line of work. Danger and lies are everywhere."

"I don't have any grand ambitions. I just live for the moment."

"Think about it. If you spend several days worrying yourself sick and still die in the end, wouldn't that be a loss?"

"Besides, I was living perfectly well before you people dragged me aboard this pirate ship. You're not even going to let me vent a little?"

Wu Zhong somewhat understood. The reason he could not tell what Yang Chunsha was really like was because she always wore a mask.

Living like that was exhausting, especially when tomorrow might never come.

People in the Calamity Realm were probably mostly like that. Just as pirates, mercenaries, and explorers throughout history had always needed feasts and revelry.

After thinking it over, Wu Zhong felt a little tempted to let loose and have fun.

Every day, he watched the streets glitter with neon lights and indulgence.

The bars along the entire street stayed open until dawn, and during the day sanitation workers carted away truckloads of empty bottles.

He wanted to experience this dazzling world too.

After living all these years, he had hardly ever had any fun. His happiest memory was going to an amusement park and riding a roller coaster.

When Yang Chunsha heard that, she burst out laughing, leaned close to his ear, and shouted. The hot, alcohol-scented breath made his ear itch. "How about I treat you to something a little more adult?"

Wu Zhong raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Yang Chunsha got excited and pulled him to his feet. "Come on, come on. You'll know when we get there."

"Hey... what... no... hey... I'm tired. I don't want to go out..." Yang Chunsha dragged Wu Zhong all the way to the door and had practically pulled him outside.

That was when Endless Summer teleported back...

Wu Zhong immediately stopped, shook off Yang Chunsha's hand, and ran back. "Brother Xia, when exactly are we leaving?"

"Are we really just going to keep partying here?"

Endless Summer seemed to have confirmed something and was in a very good mood.

He sat in a chair by the window, looking out at the glittering, decadent city nightscape as he lit a cigarette.

"What? Is having fun so bad? Would you rather someone were hunting you down?"

Wu Zhong shook his head. "No, but I feel uneasy. Shouldn't we at least get moving first?"

Endless Summer chuckled. "Forcing our way out is certainly one option. It's not impossible, but right now is when their screening will be most thorough."

"If I were Unit 985, I'd inspect every traveler trying to leave."

"So for now, it's better not to leave."

Wu Zhong was stunned. "Huh? We really aren't leaving?"

Endless Summer tapped the windowsill with his fingertips. "We're at the center of the storm right now. Better to respond to every change by staying still."

"Unit 985 will have a hard time imagining that we settled down in nearby Star City."

Wu Zhong grumbled inwardly, Of course not. They'd never imagine we came to Star City to get our feet washed.

Endless Summer continued, "Now that we've changed our appearances and have entirely new identities, we'll just live normally and wait for the right opportunity."

"If we don't make trouble, we won't make mistakes. The greatest concealment is hiding in plain sight. Unit 985 can forget about finding us."

Wu Zhong agreed. Being able to stay near his hometown for a while longer was certainly a good thing.

But he still had concerns. "The Day-and-Night Patrol Gods are getting stronger by the day. We can't just drag this out forever, can we?"

Endless Summer nodded. "That's why, while we stay here and wait for an opportunity, you can grow stronger too."

"Only when your strength improves will we have enough options. Otherwise, you're just a burden to me."

Ashamed, Wu Zhong nodded solemnly. "I'll listen to you, Brother Xia."

"You want to help Brother Wu become an Awakened? But there aren't any channels for that in Star City." Yang Chunsha was curious.

Then the woman stared at Endless Summer with an odd expression. "Don't tell me... Brother Xia, you're Pavas? You plan to personally..."

Endless Summer shot her a glare. "What nonsense are you talking about!"

"Hmph. I've invited a friend to come help me. He's from the Madblood Clan."

Yang Chunsha immediately sat upright, her eyes filled with both fear and anticipation.

"The Madblood Clan? The legendary disease-sucking ghosts?"

Endless Summer nodded. "That's right. Little Wu has Mental Bastion, so becoming one of the Madblood Clan suits him well enough."

"Huh? What does the Madblood Clan do?" Wu Zhong felt a little nervous.

Yang Chunsha pursed her lips. "You can think of them as vampires, except they're vampires who specifically suck up mental illnesses to grow stronger."

"What?" Wu Zhong exclaimed. "You want me to become a vampire, and one that specifically drinks the blood of psychiatric patients?"

Endless Summer explained, "Not the blood of psychiatric patients. They suck the mental illnesses themselves..."

"There are countless types of mental disorders in the world. There are roughly nineteen major categories, and hundreds of specific diagnoses when broken down further."

"These illnesses are food for the Madblood Clan. After consuming them, they can recover from injuries or improve their physical abilities across the board, especially their cellular activity."

"To put it simply, cellular activity is vitality. Increasing it can grant longevity."

Wu Zhong's eyes widened. No wonder they were called the Madblood Clan.

They were much like vampires, both being long-lived beings that consumed a certain kind of thing.

It was just that what these people consumed was a little abstract—mental illness?

"If I suck away a patient's mental illness, will they recover?"

Endless Summer gave a sound of affirmation. "Of course. It'll be as if they never had the illness."

Wu Zhong thought, That powerful?

But something felt wrong. "Then... what's the price?"

Endless Summer looked at Wu Zhong with some satisfaction. "There is indeed a price."

"The so-called disease-sucking is actually the transfer of those mental illnesses onto the Madblood Clan."

"And those illnesses become absolute effects!"

"Human medicine, magic, and immortal arts can no longer suppress, relieve, or cure them."

"Things like social anxiety disorder, ADHD, illness anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, anorexia nervosa, bulimia, or binge-eating disorder aren't too bad."

"But if it's schizophrenia, intellectual disability, major depressive disorder, mania, antisocial personality disorder, or something similar, then it'll be miserable."

Wu Zhong's mouth twitched. "No... th-this..."

"So you trade your brain for your body?"

Endless Summer burst out laughing and said Wu Zhong had summarized it perfectly.

"Isn't that exactly it? The Madblood Clan are generally insane and mentally obsessive, but physically powerful and brimming with vitality."

"Of course, it doesn't matter if you have sufficiently strong mental resistance."

"But mental-resistance effects are exceedingly rare. Those in the world who possess such effects are as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. And there are even fewer with a Mental Bastion like yours. You can essentially absorb mental illnesses without limit."

Wu Zhong swallowed. For the first time, he felt that he might actually be pretty impressive.

So the most useful part of his ability was Mental Bastion, which could resist all mind-distorting effects at no cost.

"So it turns out the most useful part of my trait isn't opening and closing doors, but the Mental Bastion that comes with it."

"Combined with the Madblood Clan, it's a perfect match. I'd be a Madblood Clan member with practically no cost."

Endless Summer turned and stared at him. "That's right. That's how absolute traits are."

"Sometimes, a trait that seems useless can prove tremendously useful in an area you never expected."

"Sometimes, what humans think is a side effect may actually be the main effect, just like the example of Eternal Thirst Syndrome I mentioned before."

Yang Chunsha looked at Wu Zhong with envy.

She knew how rare a Mental Bastion with no side effects was.

She had never even heard of anyone possessing one. Even those with versions that came with some price had mostly become big shots.

Wu Zhong understood now. No wonder Endless Summer's attitude toward him had clearly improved after he explained how a person could escape Unit 985 Base.

Not only had he immediately given Wu Zhong a prosthetic arm for protection, he had also made Yang Chunsha listen to him from then on.

Later, he had spent a huge sum to acquire the Skin-Changing Outfit Set to ensure Wu Zhong's safety.

At first, Wu Zhong had thought it was truly because he possessed some talent for containment, as Endless Summer had said. But now, it seemed that the Mind Gate effect had probably earned him a great deal of credit?

Wu Zhong was secretly delighted. He was finally going to grow stronger.

He would even become a long-lived being, one with incredible cellular activity and high vitality. His ability to stay alive would improve enormously.

"Brother Xia, when will your friend arrive?"

Endless Summer shrugged. "He'll arrive tomorrow, but don't get happy too soon. I only said he'd come help me. I never said he'd definitely help you become one of the Madblood Clan."

"That guy has obsessive-compulsive disorder, sleep disorders, severe nicotine addiction, alcohol dependence, and a whole pile of bizarre mental illnesses."

"Anyway, even for my sake, you'll have to drink with him until he's satisfied first... Once he's drunk enough, everything becomes negotiable."

Wu Zhong stared wide-eyed. He had to drink with a vampire whose vitality was incredibly strong?

Th-this... wouldn't he drink himself to death first?