Warmth

"Uncle Qiang!"

In the safe house, Zhang Ping suddenly opened his eyes. Only after seeing his surroundings did he realize it had merely 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 might, he was ultimately torn apart bit by bit.

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?

"Sister Sisi, how long did I sleep?"

He looked at Liu Sishan, who was sitting cross-legged not far away, and asked softly.

Liu Sishan opened her eyes and replied, "You slept for 67 minutes."

"So, about an hour." Zhang Ping patted his face and muttered to himself.

But after only an hour's nap, much of his physical strength and energy had returned. He was in far better shape than before.

He closed his eyes, and in the next moment, his attention shifted to the blood snake. Then he saw a full chest, a fair jade-like neck, and a pretty chin.

The rabbit was actually being held by a female Awakened.

Coming to his senses, he looked elsewhere and spotted Qiu Qiang in the distance.

Thank goodness. Though Qiu Qiang had gained a fresh burn mark on his cheek, he had not lost any limbs like in the dream.

Zhang Ping controlled the blood snake to slowly seep out of the rabbit's body. The female Awakened had been holding the rabbit while arranging the distribution of supplies. Feeling something warm and wet on the back of her hand, she looked down and was instantly 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 placed his ability inside the rabbit?" the female Awakened immediately realized and asked.

The Awakened had well-informed channels, and they had long since figured out the whole 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 so many Living Corpses had suddenly attacked the city, the few hundred adventurers there at the start would never have been enough to hold Mingzhu City.

The consequences would have been unimaginable.

In fact, many Awakened had kept this favor in their hearts.

"I wouldn't call myself a hero. I only did what I should have done. The real heroes are all of you who are defending Mingzhu City," Zhang Ping said modestly, without claiming credit.

He had merely been the one to discover the Living Corpses earlier than others.

But the ones truly resisting the assault of the Living Corpses were all the Awakened on the city walls. They defended Mingzhu City with their blood and lives.

The female Awakened's impression of Zhang Ping improved further. Though she looked somewhat weary, she gave him a gentle smile and asked, "Have you transferred your ability into my body now? 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 another angle," Zhang Ping said somewhat sheepishly.

The female Awakened nodded. "Mm, thanks for the effort. If you receive any news, remember to tell me immediately."

"Okay!"

Zhang Ping agreed.

Then the female Awakened continued coordinating supplies, while he looked around.

From the female Awakened's perspective, he could see much farther than he could through the rabbit, and he could see far more things as well.

The entire city was filled with 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 harbored unease in their hearts.

The Awakened were simply stronger. They stepped forward and stood on the front lines, guarding the city with their lives.

After watching for a while and confirming that nothing would happen to Mingzhu City anytime soon, and that the scene from his nightmare had not occurred, Zhang Ping shifted his attention back to his main body.

After shifting his attention from the female Awakened back to his main body, he was surprised to discover that his Mental Strength had recovered considerably again.

Though he had felt much better after resting, it was like having completed several exam papers—his mind was nowhere near as lively as usual.

Yet now, he had recovered a great deal. He even felt as though he had taken another short nap.

"Could it be because..."

Zhang Ping looked at Liu Sishan. Sensing his gaze, she opened her eyes with a puzzled expression.

"Sister Sisi, can I enter your body for a while?" Zhang Ping thought for a moment before asking.

Liu Sishan did not misunderstand him. She nodded and said, "You can."

As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeve, revealing her fair wrist.

Zhang Ping directly transformed into his Pure-Blood Form and swiftly seeped into her body.

"Did you discover something new?" Liu Sishan asked.

Zhang Ping replied, "It seems that compared with men, entering a woman's body allows me to quickly restore my Mental Strength."

He felt very comfortable now.

The blood snake was too far away, so the sensation had not been obvious. But with his main body inside Liu Sishan, the feeling was extremely pronounced. It was completely different from entering Liu Tiefeng's body.

Liu Sishan's body felt pleasantly warm, making him a little sleepy.

His blood instinctively repaired Liu Sishan's hidden injuries. At the same time, as it circulated through her body, he himself seemed to be strengthened. Not only did he consume very little Pure Blood, he was actually replenished.

Wasn't this... dual cultivation?

Liu Sishan also noticed the changes in her body. She had always had an old problem with her waist; if she went too long without rest, it would faintly ache. But after Zhang Ping entered her body, she felt a warm sensation at the small of her back, 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 fade away.

Both her physical strength and Mental Strength recovered at a greatly increased rate.

She stood up, feeling full of vigor. Unable to resist, she stretched lazily, as if she had endless strength to use.

"Zhang Ping, if you develop this ability properly, it may not be inferior to the Pure Water Body." After carefully sensing the state of her body, she smiled faintly.

"Sister Sisi, your body is so warm. It feels so comfortable," Zhang Ping replied lazily.

"..."

The corner of Liu Sishan's mouth twitched slightly. There was nothing inherently wrong with that sentence, but it somehow sounded strange.

"Sister Sisi, something's wrong outside. I'm coming out!" Zhang Ping suddenly transmitted to her.

Then a large amount of blood flowed out through Liu Sishan's wrist and fell to the ground. The blood took human form, quickly walked to the crack in the door, and looked outside.

"That is..."

Zhang Ping stared at the densely packed Living Corpses in the distance, as well as the enormous palace they were pulling, and said in surprise.

It was a palace made of stone. Several hundred sturdy bull-like Living Corpses carried it from below, while many more Living Corpses at the front pulled iron chains, dragging the palace forward bit by bit.

"I'm afraid this is the mastermind behind this Living Corpse siege," Liu Sishan said gravely as she walked to Zhang Ping's side and looked at the towering palace.

The palace alone showed that Awakened were controlling this Living Corpse siege from behind the scenes.

"Sister 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 dragging Liu Tiefeng into it.

The problem was that the palace was too mysterious.

If they could probe what kind of person was inside the palace, or even use Appraisal to determine the other party's attributes, it would be an enormous help to Mingzhu City.

On one side was Mingzhu City; 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 firmly 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—only more."

"Besides... this situation reminds me of a case file I read before." She frowned, trying hard to recall it.