Jia Yi Awakens

After a three-hour flight, Wu Ming and the two women landed at Capital Airport at eleven in the morning.

Once he had collected his equipment through a special channel, he led Ruan Qingzhu and Zhu Hongyu toward the arrivals area. Before long, he spotted someone holding a sign that read "Wu Ming."

"Are you from the Xingyi Martial Arts Hall? I'm Wu Ming."

Wu Ming stepped forward and asked.

"Mr. Wu, you're here!"

The person meeting them was a young man who looked about twenty. His eyes lit up when he saw Wu Ming. "The hall master sent me to pick you up. Please follow me."

"By the way, I'm Jia Mengyun, from a branch of the Jia Family's fourth generation."

"The person you've come to save is Jia Yi, my younger cousin." Jia Mengyun had clearly been briefed before coming and knew who they were.

With time running short, he quickly led the three of them to the parking lot and found the hall's vehicle. Jia Qingshan evidently knew about Wu Ming's weapon and had sent an SUV specifically for them.

After stowing their luggage, the three climbed in. Jia Mengyun swung the wheel, drove out of the airport, and sped down the airport expressway.

After a while, Wu Ming noticed that they weren't heading into the city but continuing west. "Isn't the Xingyi Martial Arts Hall in the city?"

"Land in the city costs a fortune. Our martial arts hall takes up a fair bit of space, and we couldn't afford the rent."

"Fortunately, our great-grandfather left us a residence near West Mountain," Jia Mengyun explained. "It covers more than an acre, so the family turned it into a martial arts hall. We disciples live and eat there."

"I see." Wu Ming nodded and asked no more.

About an hour later, the SUV turned onto a narrow asphalt road. The outline of West Mountain was faintly visible ahead in the sunlight, but Jia Mengyun did not enter the scenic area. He turned onto a side road instead.

After a few minutes, old walls began appearing along the roadside, with the occasional dry vine poking over the top.

Jia Mengyun slowed down and stopped before an unassuming gate.

Through the window, they could see a wooden plaque above it bearing five large characters: Capital Xingyi Martial Arts Hall.

Honk, honk.

Jia Mengyun sounded the horn twice. The gate slowly opened, and he hit the gas, driving inside before parking at the edge of a training ground.

"We're here. Let's get out."

"You can leave your luggage for now," Jia Mengyun said. "Please come with me to the dormitory. The hall master is waiting for you."

"Okay." Wu Ming knew why. He nodded. "Let's go. Saving him comes first."

The four got out, and Jia Mengyun led them into a low, three-story building beside the training ground. They went up to the second floor and stopped at the room at the end of the corridor.

Jia Mengyun knocked softly and said with great respect, "Hall Master, Mr. Wu and his companions are here."

"Mm. Let them in. You can go back to training." A steady voice came from inside.

Jia Mengyun's face fell, but he did not dare protest. He nodded to Wu Ming and the two women, then headed downstairs.

Wu Ming thanked him and pushed open the door.

The next instant, a strong smell of Chinese medicine wafted out, making both women wrinkle their noses.

Wu Ming walked in without flinching and quickly surveyed the room. It was plainly furnished: apart from a private bathroom and a balcony, there were only two beds and an old wardrobe. There wasn't even an extra chair.

A frail boy lay unconscious on one bed. On the other sat a middle-aged man in a dark gray Zhongshan suit. He was not particularly broad, but he held his back ramrod straight.

A small stove stood before him, topped with a clay pot of simmering medicine. The man held a pair of bamboo chopsticks and gently stirred the herbs inside.

The scene looked ordinary, yet Wu Ming's gaze sharpened. He could sense tremendous vitality within the man. If he wasn't a Quasi-Martial Artist, he was extremely close!

Even allowing for the changes the virus had made to his genes, he had only recently undergone his transformation. To have trained his body to this level already—he truly deserved his reputation as a top Xingyi Quan master.

Wu Ming marveled inwardly, and his anticipation for this form of Internal Martial Arts rose another notch.

Collecting himself, he asked calmly, "Are you Hall Master Jia Qingshan?"

"I am."

The middle-aged man stopped stirring and looked up at the young man in the doorway. He couldn't help but marvel. What tremendous vitality!

As a master of Internal Martial Arts, Jia Qingshan had long since brought his Xingyi Quan to its peak. After the virus infected him, it had taken him very little time to push his physical abilities to a new limit.

Even so, he could sense that his own vitality fell far short of the young man's. Yet nothing in Wu Ming's bearing or movements suggested he had ever trained in Internal Martial Arts.

With vitality like that, he could overwhelm masters of Internal Martial Arts through sheer physical strength. If he learned Xingyi Quan's fighting techniques as well, how formidable would he become?

Jia Qingshan fell silent. He had to admit that Wu Ming's extraordinary talent made him want to take the young man under his wing.

But he knew what mattered most right now. He stood and smiled. "Wu Ming, it's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for traveling all the way to the Capital with the medicine."

"A life is at stake. I couldn't delay."

Wu Ming shook his head slightly and took a special-effect pill from the medicine box. "Please save him first, Hall Master. We can discuss learning Xingyi Quan afterward."

Jia Qingshan looked at him for a long moment, then nodded. "All right."

Taking the pill, Jia Qingshan sat beside the bed. Rather than immediately administering it, he gently pried open the boy's teeth and placed the pill at the back of his tongue.

Then he supported the back of the boy's neck and pressed his fingers together, pushing slowly down the outside of his throat. His movements were steady and precise.

Within seconds, the pill slid down the boy's esophagus and into his stomach.

Wu Ming's eyes brightened. He could tell there was more to Jia Qingshan's method than a simple physical motion. It involved a sophisticated technique.

Wu Ming instinctively extended his Spiritual Force to examine Jia Yi's condition. Though he could not see inside the boy's body, he could clearly sense from the outside that his vitality was gradually stirring.

The special-effect pill was plainly working at once, unlike what had happened when Ruan Qingzhu took it.

Color soon returned to Jia Yi's pale face, and his breathing gradually evened out. Though he had yet to wake, everything was moving in the right direction.

This went on for nearly an hour.

No one spoke. Ruan Qingzhu and Zhu Hongyu stood quietly by the door, while Jia Qingshan remained at the bedside, his eyes never leaving his nephew's face.

Then the virus inside Jia Yi seemed to reach a critical point and suddenly began driving his Gene Evolution at a furious pace.

Everyone present had undergone a similar transformation. They knew that if Jia Yi made it through this stage, the road ahead would be clear.

Jia Qingshan seemed to have expected it. He picked up the bowl of Chinese medicine cooling beside the bed, supported the back of Jia Yi's head, and used the same technique as before to pour all of it down his throat.

As the medicine reached his stomach, it was like throwing a bundle of firewood into a furnace. The flames surged and roared through the final barrier.

The next instant, Jia Yi's breathing deepened abruptly. His chest rose and fell more forcefully, and his heartbeat grew steadily stronger.

Seeing this, Jia Qingshan finally smiled in relief.

Sure enough, just seconds later, the boy's fingers twitched faintly. His breathing steadied, and his vital signs returned to normal.

Then the frail boy slowly opened his eyes.