Chapter 215
Tang Yu’an carried Xie Chaori onto the vehicle.
Fortunately, after being tempered by the Physique Egg, he had become more resistant to heat and cold, and his strength had significantly increased. Carrying a grown man was no longer a problem for him.
Xie Chaori was severely injured. The moment the spirit worm was removed, he immediately fell into a critical state, just before complete petrification.
Tang Yu’an placed him on the sofa inside the vehicle, first casting a Purification Spell, then tending to his wounds and wrapping them with intermediate healing bandages.
Since he often had to bandage Zhou Qi, he had become quite skilled at it.
Gradually, the barely-breathing Xie Chaori regained a hint of color in his face.
His health had been restored to 80%, but due to the internal injuries, he was still losing blood every moment. Only the healing potion could fully heal his wounds and stop the bleeding.
After finishing the treatment, Tang Yu’an finally let out a sigh of relief.
He stepped out of the vehicle again. Seeing that although Zhou Qi hadn’t improved at all, his heartbeat was still strong, he decided to leave him for now and drove Xie Chaori to the Desolate City Haven.
At the moment, he had no energy to take care of Xie Chaori, so he planned to entrust him to Old Li.
Although he hadn’t interacted much with Xie Chaori, the man was a friend of Chi Hao, so his character shouldn’t be too bad. Besides, with the Night Stay Rule in place, there was no need to worry about him causing trouble.
If he disobeyed and secretly left before they returned, Tang Yu’an would fire him and erase his memory.
Old Li checked Xie Chaori’s condition and nodded.
Then, he examined Tang Yu’an and, noticing the slight redness in the boy’s eyes, asked with concern, “Where’s Zhou Qi?”
“He’s fine,” Tang Yu’an replied. “Grandpa, we might have to leave for a while.”
Old Li nodded. Even a massive flood couldn’t trap these two kids, let alone now that the disaster had passed.
“How long will you be gone?”
“Probably a few days. If anything happens, contact me through the store channel. I’ll come back as soon as I see the message.”
Hearing this, Old Li frowned.
“Are you sure Zhou Qi is okay?” he asked again.
Tang Yu’an felt a lump in his throat, but he quickly shook his head and firmly said, “He’ll be fine.”
Brother Qi always said that his wishes came true.
So if he believed Brother Qi would be okay, then he would be!
Old Li’s gaze held a trace of worry. From Tang Yu’an’s response, it was clear that something had gone wrong.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of the sanctuary’s affairs,” Old Li assured him.
With A’Lian’s help now, his workload had eased considerably. She was diligent and had a natural talent for management.
Old Li then looked at Xie Chaori. “You said he’s also an employee?”
“Yes,” Tang Yu’an nodded. “We took on a mission to rescue him.”
Old Li glanced at Tang Yu’an before nodding.
“I’ll take him to Room 501. It’s best not to expose the teleportation array for now.”
“Okay, Grandpa, I’ll leave him to you! I’m heading out now!”
*
Soon, Tang Yu’an used the teleportation array to return to the RV. Stepping out, he saw that Zhou Qi’s stone statue was still in the same place. At some point, Black Pearl had crouched beside him.
Tang Yu’an walked over and reached out to touch Zhou Qi’s cheek again.
Still warm, and his heartbeat was still strong…
His status bar remained the same as before, displaying [Spirit Worm Devouring Body].
Tang Yu’an was deeply worried, but he had no idea how to help him. Last time, he could use water and ice to cool him down, but now Zhou Qi’s entire body was petrified…
Remembering that Light Healing had been effective, he cast a Light Blessing on Zhou Qi.
Unfortunately, Light Healing could only be used three times a day, and he had already used all his charges…
Thinking of something, Tang Yu’an quickly opened the interface and sent a video call request to Gu Qianli.
Teacher Gu was an earth-element cultivator—maybe he could provide some advice?
As Tang Yu’an anxiously waited, the call was soon answered, and the blue-robed man with a jade hairpin appeared on the screen.
“Teacher Gu! Please help us!”
Gu Qianli was visibly surprised. “What happened? Don’t panic, tell me slowly.”
Tang Yu’an said urgently, “My brother swallowed a spirit worm, and now he’s turned to stone!”
He adjusted the camera angle so that Gu Qianli could see Zhou Qi’s condition.
Gu Qianli wasn’t sure what kind of spirit worm he was referring to, but…
“Does he still have a heartbeat?” he asked.
“Yes!” Tang Yu’an replied. “And his body still feels warm.”
“As long as there’s life, there’s hope!”
Gu Qianli thought for a moment. “The most important thing now is to protect his heart. If his heart turns to stone, then it will be extremely difficult to save him.”
“Protect his heart?”
Tang Yu’an recalled that after casting Light Healing on Zhou Qi, the petrification process had slowed significantly. He quickly nodded and made a mental note.
“I’ll find a way! Is there anything else I can do?”
“Let me think…” Gu Qianli pondered briefly before saying, “Right! Wood counters earth. Take him to a place rich in wood-element energy immediately. It should help slow the petrification process!”
“Zhou Qi has five elemental roots, which means he can absorb wood energy. If he still has some consciousness and can operate his cultivation technique, he might have a chance of survival!”
Over the past few days, they had been talking regularly, and Gu Qianli had gotten a good understanding of their situation.
Hearing his words, Tang Yu’an felt like he had finally grasped a lifeline.
“Alright! I’ll take him there right away!”
“Thank you, Teacher Gu! I’ll end the call now, I’ll contact you tomorrow!”
“Okay, go quickly.”
Tang Yu’an ended the video call and looked at Zhou Qi again, his mind filled with uncertainty.
The personal storage could not hold intelligent life forms, so the remote retrieval skill was naturally useless in this situation.
And Brother Qi was tall and strong, and after turning to stone, he was even heavier. What if he got bumped during the transport?
That was his brother’s body—if it got damaged, it would truly hurt him!
Tang Yu’an struggled for a while but quickly came up with an idea. He first wrapped Zhou Qi in a down jacket, then stuffed a wooden spirit crystal into his coat pocket.
The Green Gem vine entwined in Tang Yu’an’s hair grew and extended on its own, gently wrapping around Zhou Qi, drawing out the spiritual energy from the wooden crystal to envelop him.
Seeing this, Tang Yu’an’s nose tingled slightly.
“Thank you, Green Gem,” he gently patted its leaves.
A vine sprouted and, imitating him, lightly patted his head, as if comforting him.
Tang Yu’an forced a small smile, then brought over an ordinary cargo crate, removed the partitions, and lined it with cotton and down as cushioning.
Next, he wrapped Zhou Qi’s stone body completely with cotton cloth and cotton padding. After making these preparations, he carefully moved him into the crate, then added another layer of cotton and down on top.
It should be fine for such a short time, right? It shouldn’t suffocate Brother Qi?
Thinking this, Tang Yu’an quickly closed the crate and then cast a lightening spell on it.
That way, it would be much easier to transport!
He carried the crate to the RV.
Thankfully, the side door of the cabin could be opened, so he didn’t have to go through the driver’s seat, making it easier to load the crate inside.
If they were in the grocery shop form instead, it would’ve been much harder to carry Brother Qi up to the attic.
Black Pearl had already jumped into the RV first. It stared at the crate, its tail swaying behind it, eyes filled with a hint of hostility.
However, after glancing at Tang Yu’an, it didn’t make any attacking moves.
Very quickly, Tang Yu’an transported Zhou Qi to the swimming pool, then used the teleportation array there to reach the small house in the alternate dimension.
Right now, it was summer in the alternate dimension, the season when vegetation was at its peak, and wood-elemental spiritual energy was at its most abundant.
Tang Yu’an first moved the crate to the courtyard, then opened the construction interface and extended the fence toward the giant tree forest.
He extended it about 500 meters before stopping, then carried the crate on his back and used a flight spell to reach the giant tree forest.
Thanks to the protective barrier, the aggressive animals were kept outside the fence, and even the plants inside were gentle and harmless.
After checking that there was no danger, Tang Yu’an finally moved Zhou Qi out of the crate.
He touched Zhou Qi’s cheek again and pressed his ear to his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Once he confirmed that Zhou Qi was still alive, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Sensing the commotion, Yuan Bao, Wang Cai, and Yin Bi, who had been playing and hunting in the giant tree forest, ran back.
“Woof woof!”
With the pets comforting him, Tang Yu’an’s mood finally improved a little.
Green Gem had been wrapped around Zhou Qi extended one of its tendrils into the soil, and its leaves emitted a soft green glow.
Even though Tang Yu’an had no wood-elemental talent, he could still sense a surge of life-filled energy gathering around them.
Green Gem was drawing in wood-elemental spiritual energy.
Watching this, Tang Yu’an felt a bit relieved. Now, he could only hope that Teacher Gu’s advice would work…
He stayed beside Zhou Qi, watching over him carefully.
It wasn’t until the next day, when he confirmed that Zhou Qi’s condition hadn’t worsened, that he finally relaxed.
The cooldown period for Light Healing was up, so he cast the spell on Zhou Qi again.
This time, he focused more intently than ever before, observing the fluctuations of light-elemental energy.
He carefully sensed it, trying to comprehend Light Healing the way he had mastered the flight spell.
Only by mastering the skill himself would it truly belong to him. Otherwise, being limited to three uses per day was far too passive.
After casting Light Healing three times, Tang Yu’an once again pressed his ear to Zhou Qi’s chest to listen to his heartbeat.
The previously weakening heartbeat seemed to have grown stronger.
Tang Yu’an let out a relieved sigh.
That was good. Light Healing should indeed be able to protect Brother Qi’s heart meridian, just as Teacher Gu had said.
After eating something, Tang Yu’an sat beside Zhou Qi and continued to reflect on the feeling of casting Light Healing.
Before he knew it, a whole week had passed.
Tang Yu’an had finally made some progress in light-elemental cultivation—he could now summon a small orb of light, similar to Purification.
Of course, this orb was only useful for illumination and had no healing properties yet.
But Tang Yu’an wasn’t discouraged. The fact that he could produce light meant he had taken his first step in mastering light-elemental energy.
He continued practicing with his cultivation technique, never missing a day of casting Light Healing on Zhou Qi three times, using those brief moments to further his comprehension.
The summer forest was hot and humid, and it often rained, so he had the construction robot build a small shelter.
Every day, besides casting Purification to keep Zhou Qi clean, Tang Yu’an would carefully wipe down his body with a cotton cloth.
When he couldn’t sleep at night, he would come over and hug Zhou Qi, pressing his ear to his chest to listen to his heartbeat.
And then…
He would reach into his clothes and feel his chest and abs.
Every time he did this, Zhou Qi’s body temperature would rise, and his heartbeat would speed up significantly.
Was this also a way to stimulate Brother Qi’s life force?
Tang Yu’an wasn’t sure, but after confirming that it didn’t seem to cause any harm, he developed a habit of doing it.
Even though Zhou Qi had turned to stone, his body was still firm and smooth, with a gentle warmth to it. Touching it actually felt quite nice.
Of course, he was only doing this to help Brother Qi, not because it felt good to touch.
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“Brother Qi, you have to get better soon.”
After he had his fill of touching, Tang Yu’an leaned against Zhou Qi’s chest, whispering words of encouragement.
“You have to defeat the spirit bug and wake up.”
With this hope in his heart, Tang Yu’an continued watching over Zhou Qi, day after day.
In the blink of an eye, another month had passed.
Finally, under immense pressure, Tang Yu’an successfully comprehended Light Healing and was no longer restricted by cooldown times.
Since he had just mastered it, he could only cast it three times a day for now.
Adding in the system’s three casts, that totaled six times per day.
“I need to work even harder…”
So, in the days that followed, Tang Yu’an continued devoting all his time to light-element training.
During this month, Zhou Qi remained the same—his entire body as hard as stone—but his body temperature had gradually returned to normal.
When Tang Yu’an touched his abs, he even noticed that Zhou Qi’s ears seemed to turn slightly red.
This change filled Tang Yu’an with joy.
The petrification process was not as violent as being burned by fire. Instead, it was like unraveling silk—slow, yet torturous.
But at least, Brother Qi was still alive, and his condition was improving day by day.
*
Desolate City Haven
While five weeks had passed in the alternate dimension, only 28 hours had gone by in the main world.
With the effects of the intermediate healing potion and medical bandages, Xie Chaori finally regained consciousness.
He opened his eyes and, seeing the unfamiliar surroundings, a deep confusion filled his face.
Memories of what he saw before passing out gradually surfaced in his mind.
Was it those two young men who saved him?
But how did they rescue him from the dangerous center of Desolate City? And where was he now? How were there electric lights here?
Moreover…
As he examined his body, Xie Chaori felt a strange emptiness within him, as if he had lost something significant that had been with him for a long time. This unsettling feeling left him deeply uncomfortable.
Before he could check his condition further, footsteps approached.
Xie Chaori’s back tensed, and he looked over cautiously, only to see an elderly man walking in from outside.
“You’re awake.” Old Li, noticing his movements, spoke first.
“Did you save me?” Xie Chaori asked.
“I don’t have that kind of ability,” Old Li chuckled. “It was our shopkeeper.”
“Those two kids?” Xie Chaori said.
Old Li studied him for a moment before saying, “If they were able to pull you out of the center of Desolate City, you might not want to dismissively call them ‘kids.’”
From Xie Chaori’s injuries, Old Li had already made a bold guess about where he had been rescued from.
Sure enough, Xie Chaori did not deny it.
“Apologies, I just woke up, and my mind isn’t fully clear.” He quickly apologized.
“Our boss not only saved you from such a dangerous place but also treated your wounds and fed you an extremely expensive potion. That’s the only reason you’re alive right now,” Old Li stated.
Listening to the old man’s words, Xie Chaori couldn’t explain why, but a deep respect and gratitude surged in his heart.
Thinking back to his earlier dismissive attitude, he felt an overwhelming sense of regret—he wanted to slap himself for being so thoughtless.
“May I ask where Boss An is now? I’d like to meet him and thank him in person!” Xie Chaori said earnestly.
Seeing the shift in his attitude, Old Li nodded in satisfaction.
“Boss An is very busy and doesn’t have time to see you right now,” he replied. “Maybe you’ll have a chance in the future.”
Xie Chaori showed a hint of disappointment.
Seizing the moment, Old Li asked, “You’re also an employee of the Mysterious Merchant, aren’t you?”
Xie Chaori hesitated, feeling somewhat cautious, but eventually, he nodded.
After all, he could tell that this elderly man was likely a colleague as well.
“Have you ever met the Divine Envoy?” Old Li asked.
Xie Chaori shook his head—he had only heard the voice, but it had been processed into a mechanical tone, likely quite different from reality.
“That means your employee level should be quite high if the Divine Envoy personally assigned Boss An to rescue you,” Old Li continued.
Hearing this, Xie Chaori’s face showed a hint of embarrassment.
Uh… actually, he was still Level 0.
Of course, he quickly concealed his reaction, but Old Li had already caught the subtle shift in his expression.
Raising an eyebrow, Old Li chose not to expose him.
Instead, he asked, “You can read and write, right?”
Xie Chaori nodded.
Old Li handed him a booklet and said, “Sign your name on this.”
Xie Chaori took the booklet and, after reading it, couldn’t help but twitch at the corners of his mouth.
It was an IOU.
He was required to generate wealth worth one million points for Desolate City Haven before he could leave. Otherwise, Store No.1 would report him to the Divine Envoy and have him fired.
Xie Chaori didn’t think one million points was excessive—it was, after all, the price of his life.
He felt he was worth that much.
He just hadn’t expected them to be so direct about it.
Shouldn’t people normally just remember the favor and repay it in the future?
Faced with this question, Old Li smiled slightly and said, “Mixing emotions with money always leads to problems.”
Xie Chaori: “…”
Alright, that was fair. They didn’t really have any personal relationship, after all.
He examined the IOU more closely and noticed it didn’t seem to have any real binding force.
He asked, “What happens if I get fired?”
“You will forget everything about the Peace Grocery Store,” Old Li replied flatly.
Xie Chaori froze.
“The Mysterious Merchant, the system panel, the forum… I’ll forget all of it?”
“Yes,” Old Li nodded.
“…”
Xie Chaori was silent for a moment, then picked up the pen and signed his name on the IOU.
He had struggled to finish his elementary education and barely passed the small exam. If getting fired meant he would forget everything…
No, that would be too cruel for him!
“Don’t worry, I’ll generate wealth worth one million points for Desolate City Haven before leaving… Wait a minute, you mean we’re still in Desolate City?”
Xie Chaori finally realized something was off.
Old Li retrieved the booklet, pausing when he saw the name.
He didn’t answer Xie Chaori’s question right away. Instead, he narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, “What is Xie Shan to you?”
Xie Chaori was stunned. “Huh? You know my grand-uncle?”
“So you’re Xie Hai’s grandson?”
“You know my grandfather?”
Old Li studied Xie Chaori again. Seeing that his expression didn’t seem fake, he sighed with a slight smile and nodded. “So, you’re the son of an old acquaintance.”
He pulled over a chair, sat down, and poured Xie Chaori a glass of fruit juice.
Xie Chaori hadn’t expected to meet someone in Desolate City who knew both his grandfather and grand-uncle. His attitude immediately became more respectful.
“Are they still alive?” Old Li asked.
“Grandfather passed away two years ago… but Grand-Uncle is still in good health. He always wanted to explore the wastelands, but we younger ones wouldn’t let him.”
“I see,” Old Li nodded, then asked again, “How is the Xie family doing now?”
“In the fortress, we still hold some influence,” Xie Chaori replied. “But… we’re not as powerful as we used to be.”
Old Li nodded but didn’t believe a single word from this young noble.
“Of course, gathering one million points worth of resources is still within our means…”
Xie Chaori grinned. “How about this? For my grand-uncle’s sake, could you let me return to the fortress? I promise to come back with enough supplies!”
Old Li gave him a cool glance.
“Do you know what kind of relationship I had with Xie Shan?” he asked.
Xie Chaori had a bad feeling but still braced himself and asked, “What kind of relationship?”
“He owes me a life,” Old Li said casually, as if commenting on the weather.
Yet his words sent cold sweat running down Xie Chaori’s back.
Having been around all sorts of people since childhood, he could tell—this old man was a dangerous character.
Xie Chaori forced out an awkward laugh and stiffly changed the topic. “Let’s talk about money instead.”
He was afraid that if they kept talking about favors, it might cost him his life.
Old Li nodded. “Get some rest first. There’s no rush to pay the debt.”
Xie Chaori quickly expressed his gratitude.
Watching Old Li leave, he waited a while before clutching his wound, getting up, and limping to the balcony to look outside.
Originally, he just wanted to check the location of this place, but when he saw the fertile fields, livestock farms, and factories outside, he was completely stunned.
Since when did Desolate City have a place like this?
Had he been in the city center for two or three months… or two or three years?!
Wait a minute—was he hallucinating? Why did it look like robots were building walls?!
Had Desolate City become this advanced already?
*
Alternate Dimension
Tang Yu’an had no idea how shocked Xie Chaori was. While Xie Chaori had been awake for just over half an hour, an entire day had passed in the alternate dimension.
As night fell, Tang Yu’an picked up a broom and swept the ground near Zhou Qi, then fetched some water to wipe Zhou Qi’s stone-like face and hair.
After finishing, he hung a lantern on the shed and pulled up a chair to sit beside Zhou Qi.
Placing his palm on Zhou Qi’s chest, he summoned the last bit of his strength to cast Light Healing for the seventh time that day.
As the light faded, Tang Yu’an was completely drained.
He hugged Zhou Qi’s statue, leaned against him to rest, and habitually slipped his hand under Zhou Qi’s clothes to feel his abs.
But wait…
Why did they feel softer than before?
Tang Yu’an looked up and was shocked to see that Zhou Qi’s face was no longer petrified. His cheeks were tinged with a reddish hue, and he was staring at him with a mix of suppressed frustration and gritted-teeth restraint.
