"Uncle Qiang!"
In the safe house, Zhang Ping suddenly opened his eyes. Only after seeing his surroundings did he realize it had just been a dream.
He had just had a nightmare. He dreamed that Qiu Qiang had been surrounded by countless Living Corpses. Though Qiu Qiang struggled with all his strength, he was ultimately torn apart bit by bit by the Living Corpses.
Before dying, Qiu Qiang had shouted at him, "Little Zhang, if I die in battle, remember to take good care of Uncle Liu!!!"
Then Zhang Ping had jolted awake.
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, then suddenly realized something. How long had he been asleep?
"Sis Sisi, how long was I asleep?"
He looked at Liu Sishan, who was sitting cross-legged nearby, and asked softly.
Liu Sishan opened her eyes and replied, "You slept for sixty-seven minutes."
"So, around an hour." Zhang Ping patted his face and muttered to himself.
Despite only taking a one-hour nap, much of his physical and mental exhaustion had recovered. He was in far better shape than before.
He closed his eyes, and in the next moment, his attention shifted to Blood Serpent. What he saw was a full bosom, a fair jade-like neck, and a pretty chin.
The rabbit was actually being held by a female Awakened.
Realizing this, he looked elsewhere and spotted Qiu Qiang in the distance.
Thankfully, although Qiu Qiang had a fresh burn mark on his cheek, he had not lost any limbs like in the dream.
Zhang Ping controlled Blood Serpent as it slowly seeped out of the rabbit. The female Awakened had been arranging the distribution of supplies when she felt something warm and wet on the back of her hand. Looking down, she was immediately startled.
Just as she was about to call someone over, the blood rapidly seeped into her body. At the same time, she heard Zhang Ping's voice. "Don't be afraid. It's Little Zhang."
"You're... the little hero who housed his ability inside that rabbit?" the female Awakened immediately realized and asked.
Awakened were well-informed, and over the past few days, they had already figured out the full story.
It was Zhang Ping who had first discovered the Living Corpses and sent the news back to Mingzhu City, giving everyone time to prepare.
Otherwise, if the city had been attacked by so many Living Corpses without warning, Mingzhu City would definitely have fallen with only those initial few hundred adventurers defending it.
The consequences would have been unimaginable.
In fact, many Awakened had remembered this favor in their hearts.
"Hero is too much. I only did what I should have done. The true heroes are all of you who are defending Mingzhu City," Zhang Ping said humbly, without taking credit.
He had merely been the one to discover the Living Corpses earlier than others.
But the ones truly holding back the Living Corpse assault were all the Awakened on the city walls. They were the ones defending Mingzhu City with their blood and lives.
The female Awakened thought even more highly of Zhang Ping. She gave a tired but gentle smile and asked, "Have you transferred your ability into me? Is something important happening?"
"Ah, no, no. I was just too tired earlier and accidentally fell asleep for a while. I was worried about the situation in the city, so as soon as I woke up, I couldn't help shifting my attention over here. Sister, please continue doing what you need to do. I'm just observing the situation in Mingzhu City from a different angle," Zhang Ping said, slightly embarrassed.
The female Awakened nodded. "All right. Thanks for the effort. If you get any news, remember to tell me immediately."
"Okay!"
Zhang Ping agreed.
Then, the female Awakened continued coordinating supplies while he looked around.
From her perspective, he could see much farther than he could through the rabbit, and he could see far more as well.
The entire city was permeated by an air of fear. Others could not see it, but he could see thick purple mist swirling above Mingzhu City.
Whether Awakened or ordinary people, everyone hid unease deep in their hearts.
The Awakened were simply stronger. They stepped forward and stood on the front lines, defending the city with their lives.
After watching for a while and confirming that Mingzhu City would not be in danger anytime soon, and that the scene from his nightmare had not appeared, he shifted his attention back to his main body.
When his attention shifted from the female Awakened back to his main body, he was surprised to find that his Mental Strength had recovered considerably again.
Although he had felt much better after resting, it was like he had completed several exam papers in a row—his thoughts were nowhere near as lively as usual.
But now, he had recovered significantly, even feeling as though he had taken another short nap.
"Could it be because..."
Zhang Ping looked at Liu Sishan. Sensing his gaze, Liu Sishan opened her eyes with a puzzled expression.
"Sis Sisi, can I enter your body for a while?" Zhang Ping thought for a moment before asking.
Liu Sishan did not misunderstand. She nodded and said, "You can."
As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeve and revealed her fair wrist.
Zhang Ping directly underwent Transformation into his Pure-Blood Form and rapidly seeped into her body.
"Did you discover something new?" Liu Sishan asked.
Zhang Ping answered, "It seems that compared to men, entering a woman's body allows me to rapidly restore Mental Strength."
He felt extremely comfortable now.
Blood Serpent was too far away, so the sensation had not been obvious. But with his main body inside Liu Sishan, the feeling was especially pronounced and completely different from being inside Liu Tiefeng's body.
Liu Sishan's body felt warm, making him a little sleepy.
His blood instinctively repaired the hidden injuries in Liu Sishan's body. At the same time, as it circulated through her bloodstream, he seemed to be strengthened as well. Not only had he consumed very little Pure Blood, but he had actually replenished some.
Wasn't this... dual cultivation?
Liu Sishan also noticed the Transformation in her body. Her lower back had always troubled her, aching faintly whenever she went too long without rest. But after Zhang Ping entered her body, she felt a warm sensation in the hollow of her waist, and that subtle pain vanished.
Then the warm current continued circulating through her body with her blood, and she felt the day's exhaustion rapidly fading away.
Both her physical strength and Mental Strength recovered at a greatly increased rate.
She stood up, feeling utterly refreshed. Unable to resist, she stretched lazily, as though she had endless strength to spare.
"Zhang Ping, if you develop this ability properly, it might not be inferior to the Pure Water Body." After carefully sensing her condition, she smiled faintly.
"Sis Sisi, it's so warm and comfortable inside your body," Zhang Ping replied lazily.
"..."
The corner of Liu Sishan's mouth twitched slightly. There was nothing wrong with the words themselves, but why did they sound so strange?
"Sis Sisi, something's wrong outside. I'm coming out!" Zhang Ping suddenly transmitted.
Then a large amount of blood flowed from Liu Sishan's wrist and fell to the ground. The blood underwent Transformation into a human shape, swiftly walked to the crack in the door, and peered outside.
"That is..."
Zhang Ping stared in surprise at the dense mass of Living Corpses in the distance, as well as the enormous palace they were pulling.
It was a palace made of stone. Several hundred powerful Living Corpse bulls carried it from beneath, while numerous Living Corpses in front pulled iron chains, dragging the palace forward bit by bit.
"I'm afraid that's the true culprit behind this Living Corpse assault on the city." Liu Sishan walked to Zhang Ping's side, looking solemnly at the towering palace.
The palace alone showed that Awakened were manipulating this Living Corpse attack from behind the scenes.
"Sis Sisi, how about we test them?" Zhang Ping asked hesitantly.
His hesitation was not because he feared for his own safety, but because he was worried about implicating Liu Tiefeng.
The problem was that this palace was too mysterious.
If they could find out who was inside the palace, or even Appraise the other party's attributes, it would be an immense help to Mingzhu City.
On one side was Mingzhu City, and on the other was Liu Tiefeng. He could not make up his mind.
"No. The captain said that tonight, we should focus on observation and not act rashly." Liu Sishan did not give him time to continue hesitating and decisively refused.
She said seriously, "The captain's arrangements must be the result of careful consideration. Don't worry. The captain loves Mingzhu City no less than you do."
"Besides... this situation reminds me of a case file I read before." She frowned and tried hard to recall it.