Meeting Zheng Kun again

Could this be a seed? Once the thought arose, he could no longer suppress it; instead, it grew stronger and stronger. He was a man of action, and since the idea had occurred to him, naturally he had to try it. He immediately sat cross-legged in a corner of the room, calmed his mind, focused, and channeled his ability to try to make it sprout. But the instant his ability entered the black stone, he felt something was wrong. It was as if there were an enormous black hole inside it: his ability fell into it without so much as a sound, with none of the feeling of impending growth that radish and cabbage seeds gave him. What chilled him most was that once his ability entered the black stone, it slipped out of his control and was sucked dry in an instant. No matter how he struggled, he could not escape that suction until not a trace of ability remained in his body.

He opened his eyes, his head drenched in sweat. The sun had not even set, yet it felt as though a lifetime had passed. In the courtyard, Zhang Yi was practicing with his machete, while Zhang Ruiyang ran and hopped along behind Li Muran, doing who knew what. Only Meat Tower Chen lay off to one side, quieter than he had ever been for fear of disturbing his cultivation.

"Brother Shao, what's wrong?" The moment he opened his eyes, Meat Tower Chen sensed it. Looking over and seeing his sweat-drenched head and pale face, he could not help asking in concern.

Nan Shao did not even have the strength to speak. He shook his head very slightly, picked up the Corpse Crystal beside his leg, and closed his eyes again to absorb it. To his relief, his ability had not disappeared. Moreover, absorbing the Corpse Crystal this time went much more smoothly than the first time. Once he finished, he could clearly feel the energy surging inside him, unlike the first time, when he had merely felt full of vigor.

Pondering the difference and what had caused it, he slowly opened his eyes, only to jump in fright. Zhang Yi and the others had all gathered around him and were staring at him without blinking.

"Uncle Pumpkin..." Zhang Ruiyang cried out. He seemed to want to throw himself at him, yet also seemed worried about something. He hesitantly crawled two steps forward, then stopped again.

"What's wrong?" Their reactions left Nan Shao utterly confused.

"Are you all right?" Zhang Yi asked, studying his complexion carefully by the light of the candle they had lit.

"I'm fine." Nan Shao was even more bewildered.

Li Muran stood up and returned to the bedroom.

Chapter 26: Meeting Zheng Kun again

"Little Chen said earlier that you didn't look too good... As long as you're all right." Zhang Yi let out a relieved breath and explained.

Only then did Nan Shao realize they had been worried about him. Warmth filled his heart, and he smiled. "Something really did nearly go wrong just now." He then told them about the black stone's effects and the changes in absorbing the Corpse Crystal, concluding, "What I'm not sure about now is whether that improvement came from the black stone or from cultivating after exhausting my ability."

Meat Tower Chen's eyes shone as he listened. As soon as Nan Shao finished, he spoke up. "Brother Shao, let me try." In terms of age, he was actually two or three years older than Nan Shao, but Nan Shao had a more imposing presence, so calling him "brother" did not bother him in the slightest.

Nan Shao had already wanted him and Li Muran to help verify it, so this was exactly what he had hoped for. He immediately stood up and placed the black stone in his hand. Yet Meat Tower Chen held it for ages, straining until his face turned red, without producing any reaction. In the end, he could only open his eyes dejectedly. "I'm a mutant, so maybe it doesn't work on me. Let Little Sister Muran try." As he spoke, he called loudly for Li Muran twice.

Li Muran came out of the bedroom. She had already heard their conversation, so she did not pretend otherwise. She took the black stone straight from Meat Tower Chen's hand and sat cross-legged on the spot. About half an hour later, she opened her eyes, returned the black stone to Nan Shao, and said, "It doesn't work." A moment later, she added, "I can't channel my ability into it." It was only after absorbing a Corpse Crystal that she had sensed the ability within her body, and channeling it was somewhat difficult, which was why she had taken so long. Unfortunately, the moment her ability touched the black stone, it was repelled, with none of the sensation of encountering a black hole that Nan Shao had experienced.

"For now, it seems it only works on your ability," Zhang Yi said after a moment's silence. Then he reached out and patted Nan Shao's shoulder. "Be careful. Better to go slowly than rush. Put stability first."

Nan Shao murmured his agreement. Afterward, he spent the entire night studying the black stone's uses and discovered that it could absorb an endless amount of ability channeled into it from outside. He, however, could not endlessly absorb Corpse Crystals to replenish and improve his ability. After absorbing the third Corpse Crystal, he felt an uncontrollable pain spread throughout his body and did not dare continue.

"How did you end up like this?" Dawn came early, and Zhang Yi woke as soon as he moved. One look at him left Zhang Yi startled.

"Like what?" Nan Shao asked blankly. Before he had finished speaking, he suddenly felt a stickiness on his palms. Raising his hands, he saw that they were covered in blood. He hurriedly stood and went to the bathroom. In the little mirror hanging on the wall, he saw blood all over his face and neck, though not in the quantities a wound would produce. It was more like bloody sweat.

Zhang Yi followed him and stood in the bathroom doorway, watching him look in the mirror. "What happened? Are you hurt somewhere?"

Nan Shao rolled up his sleeves and trouser legs to check himself while describing what he had felt during his cultivation. Finally, he said, "Maybe my body can't handle cultivation at that intensity. It's fine, but I'll need water to clean myself up properly. I can't go out like this." Reeking of blood like that, wouldn't he be a living target for zombies?

Zhang Yi had no choice but to make several extra trips, trading for plenty of water so Nan Shao could wash his face, wipe down his body, and change into the clothes they had brought back from the public bathhouse. There were clothes in the cave behind the mountain as well, but their original owner must have been rather small. Apart from Li Muran and Yangyang, who was still growing, none of the three grown men could fit into them.

Their movements had long since alerted Li Muran and Meat Tower Chen. Li Muran passed the bathroom doorway and casually left him with a remark. "Brother Shao, if the water isn't too dirty, you can soak your clothes in it and give them a scrub."

Meat Tower Chen immediately exclaimed in an exaggerated fuss, "Oh, Brother Shao, how did you manage to get yourself into this state without even leaving the house? Good thing you weren't outside, or that would definitely have been quite a spectacle."