/
Lei Zhongyuan was able to tell how anxious Xiang Ning’s teammates were just by looking at their expressions.
“There’s one piece of good news—he’s conscious. But don’t get too excited yet. While it’s true he’s awake, he lost all of his cultivation and is now a powerless human. He may not be able to accompany us anymore. Try not to talk about it in front of him.” Lei Zhongyuan’s voice was calm, so much so that others shuddered at how calm he was.
“Instructor Lei.
”
“Are you kidding?”
“Xiang Ning is still alive. Can’t he accompany us at least?”
Their hearts felt as cold as if a blizzard had swept past. They knew that losing one’s cultivation meant that their life as a martial artist was over.
“Can’t we treat him? If we lack the resources, or if the doctors aren’t skilled enough, I’ll go find the most advanced technology and the best doctor for him! I will not allow you to say that we have no way to fix him!” Lu Shiyu’s tears streamed down her face.
“I’m sorry.
” Lei Zhongyuan hung his head. Truth be told, he had also been upset when he’d learned of Xiang Ning’s condition. He was still his student! Would the citizens of Marsh City forgive him?
“Fine, since you can’t treat him, I’ll bring him somewhere else!” Everyone turned their heads when they heard Lu Shiyu’s proposal. None of them doubted her, as the technology on Azura was indeed better than Earth’s. It was a well-known fact.
Everyone seemed to agree.
Just then, the nurse in charge of Xiang Ning’s medication walked out of the ward. “The patient’s awake. You can go in now.”
Everyone tried to squeeze into the ward and the nurse howled at them, “What the fuck are you doing? Line up!”
A bizarre scene unfolded. Seasoned warriors and martial artists quietly lined up like little chicks as they shuffled into the ward. As they entered the ward, they saw Xiang Ning lying motionless on the bed. Fang Rou fiercely held back her tears; she didn’t want him to see her crying. He was strangely sensitive about her emotions.
“Yo, you guys came to see me?” Xiang Ning grinned when he saw their familiar faces.
His cheery face reminded everyone of a young boy just recovering from a cold. His face was gentle as it basked in the sunlight. Everyone’s fatigue from hunting beasts over the past few days was washed away as they saw that he was alright.
“Xiang Ning, are you feeling better?” Fang Rou squeezed out the words.
“Yeah, I feel fine. Never better.” Xiang Ning chuckled. His face had a couple of band-aids. Everyone felt their hearts hurt a little when they saw through his obvious lie.
Li Zimo slowly lifted his head and said, “Let me go and buy you breakfast.”
The room fell silent after he left. “Xiang Ning, don’t worry. I’ll make sure you are treated.”
“Oh? Don’t worry about it. I feel fine.” Xiang Ning was still softly smiling like a dork.
“But—” Wu Rui didn’t even finish his sentence when Xiang Ning cut him off.
“I know. I want to go home.” Xiang Ning softly exhaled as he stared at his sister. He knew that his cultivation had been destroyed. As long as he didn’t use his Refresh technique, he would forever be crippled. His body could no longer cope with strenuous activities. But he didn’t activate the technique as he gazed at her. It had been a long time since he’d had the time to properly spend time with her like the good old days.
He silently apologized to everyone in his heart. He wanted to be selfish just this once, to bring his sister to see the world. That was originally his intention, which was why he took her with him, but due to various reasons, he hadn’t found a chance to do so. Please forgive my selfishness just this once.
I want to go home. A single sentence echoed through the ward. Everyone froze as they heard it and a single thought crossed their mind. He’s missing home. He wants to return to Marsh City.
Thinking back, Xiang Ning had never once slacked off even for a single day. There were so many things he’d had to do every day.
“Ok. Let’s go home, brother.” Xiang Xiaoyu walked toward him, her eyes already swollen from all the crying.
Xiang Ning felt his heart sink and gently patted her head.
No one said anything. None of them asked about the upcoming tournament and what they should do.
Xiang Ning was the one who broke the silence.”Wu Rui, this is your best chance to catch up. And the rest of you, don’t you dare slack off. I’ll return, don’t doubt it. I haven’t even left yet. Please forgive my selfishness this time. I need to rest.” He had already thought things through. After killing the tier six beast, he had earned enough points for his team to place first. There was no way for the second-place team to catch up unless they killed a tier six beast as well. Alternatively, they could kill at least a hundred tier five beasts, or a thousand tier four beasts.
Thanks to the stampede, the tournament had been delayed and Xiang Ning finally had a chance to rest.
The sound of knocking came from the door. Everyone turned and saw the old general walking in.
Theft is never good, try looking at bit.ly/3iBfjkV.
“General!” Lei Zhongyuan immediately saluted. The rest followed suit.
The old general was very serious. His back was straight, a single box held in his hands. Lei Zhongyuan saw what was happening and pulled the students away from Xiang Ning’s bedside.
The old general and two other personnel approached Xiang Ning.
“General.
”
“No need to get up.” The old general smiled as he opened the box. “Young man, you earned this.”
Xiang Ning took the box and saw a single medal nestled in the box. A broken sword was meticulously engraved on the medal.
“Broken Blade Knight!” Lei Zhongyuan let his voice out. It was a medal that only the top personnel within the Federation could confer. There were only a handful of candidates every year, and it’d been years since one had been awarded to someone.
To think that Xiang Ning could receive such a prestigious honor as a Broken Blade Knight! But Lei Zhongyuan would rather not have it if it meant destroying his cultivation.
Xiang Ning didn’t know what it was, but he kept it anyway. He thought it was pretty.
“Young man, if you need any help in the future, just show the medal to any civil servant and explain to them. They’ll help you solve it.” The old general made sure Xiang Ning was fine before leaving.
Xiang Ning nodded. This should be some kind of military medal, I think? He didn’t know much about it, nor did he need it.