Chapter 158: Frail and Delicate

"First, restore your spirit and achieve soul condensation at the very least. Only then can you absorb the information within the empty crystal's phantom, decipher the innate talent, and reshape your physical body."

What was lost must be regained from the source.

Xiao Nan vaguely understood this principle in his heart.

If he wanted to recover his body at the fastest possible speed or even become stronger, he had to deal with the chaotic spatial energy currently roaming and rampaging inside his body.

Although this energy had already been absorbed by the bronze mirror, his physical body had been deeply contaminated because it had been in contact with so much of it and had drawn upon that massive energy to unleash his sword strike.

In scientific terms, this was a case of high-level genes infecting low-level genes, with high-level energy repelling low-level power.

Without a doubt, spatial energy was a very advanced form of power.

Compared to the fundamental power of the Bear Barbarian's vital blood within Xiao Nan's body, it was incomparably stronger.

The wild and violent genes of the Bear Barbarian were being melted and devoured bit by bit at this moment. The spatial genes were growing, but they lacked a systematic structure and could not form a rational, cohesive whole.

This was the current state of Xiao Nan's physical body.

In the eyes of others, his spirit was nearly exhausted, and his bodily blood and vital energy were in utter chaos.

His foundation was practically destroyed.

Coupled with his strikingly handsome face, pale to the point of lacking a trace of color, and a few strands of black hair resting across his eyelids, this state of weakness was truly enough to sadden the listener and move the beholder to tears.

***

Returning to the hospital, Xiao Nan enjoyed a very different kind of treatment.

It wasn't that his material circumstances had changed significantly, but rather the influx of visitors.

The bedside was crowded with floral baskets, fruits, and other gifts brought by well-wishers. His ears were filled with an endless stream of advice, mostly urging him to rest and recover peacefully in due time.

Although some of the elders still maintained their pride and refrained from saying overly sentimental words, Xiao Nan could perceive a sense of relief and gratitude in their eyes.

Who was unaware of what happened on that day?

Had Xiao Nan not turned the tide at the very last moment, these people might not have faced absolute doom, but given how Yuanjiang City was on the verge of being divinized, how much better could their fates have been?

If not subjugated, they would have been slaughtered.

Especially Su Yuxing, Zhang Yi, and the others, whose families and roots were firmly planted in Yuanjiang City and who had lived there for generations, felt an unspeakable wave of gratitude mixed with a trace of shame.

When they thought about how they had trained tirelessly, finally managing to attain some level of cultivation, only to end up being played in the palm of a barbarian god's apostle...

While feeling a lingering fear, they inevitably harbored a profound sense of powerlessness.

Principal Sun Zhongli had come to visit as well. He did not arrive empty-handed, coming instead as a representative of the school and the Higher Education Alliance.

"This sum of money is a special contribution award, given in recognition of your tremendous contribution to the Higher Education Alliance, and for preserving the school's reputation and the lives of numerous students..."

Xiao Nan had been unaware of this award and was quite surprised by the figures attached to it.

Yuanjiang No. 1 High School was an obscure martial arts high school in a small city, but the Higher Education Alliance certainly was not.

Whatever those people let slip through their fingers was more than enough to feed him until he was completely full.

Five million imperial coins.

According to Sun Zhongli, barring any unforeseen circumstances, once the newly appointed governor of Yuanjiang assumed office in a couple of days, a city safety award on behalf of the government would also be issued.

The exact amount remained unknown.

Yet, considering that a newly appointed official would inevitably want to make a statement, there was no way the reward would be smaller than that of the Higher Education Alliance.

The individuals within the Imperial Arbitration Committee were heavyweights; not only were their methods ruthless, but their financial resources were vast.

Aside from the replacement of the city lord, there was also the Special Affairs Bureau. He had heard that Bureau Chief Gu Junshi was likewise facing isolation and interrogation alongside City Lord Ouyang Ming and others on serious charges of dereliction of duty, and his prospects looked grim.

They had brought this upon themselves.

With an incident of such magnitude occurring in Yuanjiang City and nearly burying the entire populace, officials like them could not possibly evade responsibility.

***

"Haha, kid, I'm still waiting for you to pursue my daughter; you can't be looking this frail."

Zhang the Bearded, wrapped up like a mummy, extended a palm as wide as a cattail-leaf fan, intending to deliver a hearty slap on the shoulder.

Yet, halfway through the motion, a soft cough sounded from nearby.

It was Qin Shuang.

Reacting as if by reflex, he quickly withdrew his hand and offered an awkward, ingratiating smile. "I forgot. I almost forgot. You're injured even worse than I am, can't be touching you."

Qin Shuang maintained a blank expression, paying no mind to whatever other inappropriate nonsense Zhang Yi might have been about to utter.

She simply took Zhang Xiaorou's hand, sat down beside them, and said softly, "Xiao Nan's condition has already improved slightly; the vital blood within his body is slowly reconverging, and his meridians were just severely ruptured before... The provincial preliminary examinations are coming up, hopefully, this won't delay them."

Though Zhang Xiaorou was nominally in the hospital to take care of her father, she actually spent the vast majority of her time in Xiao Nan's room.

Eventually, Tan Qiuyi and young Xiao Bei realized that they simply had no opportunity to intervene.

Qin Shuang guarded the place every day, expending a massive amount of vital blood energy three times a day to guide Xiao Nan's circulation through his meridians.

She was the best person for this task; even throughout the entire Yuanjiang First People's Hospital, no doctor could manage vital blood energy with greater mastery than she did.

Whenever Zhang Xiaorou wanted to step in and offer a little help, Qin Shuang never refused.

However, she would occasionally tell Zhang Xiaorou that her martial arts prowess was still insufficient and that she needed to cultivate and study diligently, otherwise she wouldn't be of any help in the future.

After a few such conversations, Zhang Xiaorou would invariably find herself obeying and returning to her classes.

Watching secretly from the side, Xiao Nan sometimes found the whole dynamic rather miraculous.

He discovered that although Qin Shuang's outward appearance was ice-cold, deep down, this young woman possessed an astonishing degree of tolerance—or perhaps it could be called gentleness.

When he thought about it, it made complete sense. She had cultivated the family's Rippling Waves Heart Scripture to the point of rapid advancement; it was simply impossible to argue that her innermost nature lacked softness.

Even her mother, Su Yuxing—despite her blustery, fiery, and domineering persona—was not truly unyielding at heart.

If she were not this way, how could she have tolerated those old men of the Qin family who lacked any real strength yet endlessly nagged and gossiped?

She would have found a reason long ago to make them vanish from the face of the earth.

***

On this particular afternoon, after being fed a small portion of food, Xiao Nan lay resting on his hospital bed.

Due to his lack of mobility, he had spent most of these past few days in this manner.

For the most part, he still relied on intravenous drips to deliver nutrients directly into his bloodstream to sustain his body's requirements.

The meals were requested by Xiao Nan specifically to satisfy his palate.

During this time of day, Tan Qiuyi would go home to take care of household matters, and little Xiao Bei had to rush off to school.

As for Qin Shuang, because of sheer exhaustion, she would take a brief nap in the neighboring room.

Her insistence on conducting the circulatory guidance three times a day was not without effect.

At least Xiao Nan's physical recovery speed had increased slightly; the wandering vital blood was gradually returning to its proper channels, and those severed meridians were slowly reconnecting.

Sunlight streamed across one side of the hospital bed, where specks of floating dust drifted in and out of visibility, and the air was filled with an atmosphere of profound tranquility.

With his eyes half-closed, Xiao Nan appeared to be resting, but his consciousness had actually sunk deep into the bronze mirror space.

After three days of nurturing, he felt he had finally found the method to condense his spiritual power.