Chapter 017: Are We Going to Die Here...
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Has Cheng Shan encountered danger? Ying Shu suddenly sat up.
Her younger brother and sister’s health was still uncertain, and her grandfather was still partially paralyzed.
If something happened to Cheng Shan, without the supply of elixirs, how could she help her family recover?
Therefore, Cheng Shan absolutely must be safe.
Without hesitation, Ying Shu clicked ‘Yes’—she was willing to go and rescue Cheng Shan.
[Please proceed to No. 999 Ginkgo Alley within thirty minutes, Purgatory Secret Realm.]
The words “Purgatory” alone evoked a sense of dread.
Before leaving, Ying Shu instructed Ying Yu and Ying Xing to take good care of Xixi, then she rode a shared electric bike toward Ginkgo Alley.
Along the way, she kept planning how to save Cheng Shan.
After all, her level and skills were low; the people she was facing were cultivators. Relying on herself alone, she not only wouldn’t be able to rescue Cheng Shan but might also die there. Therefore, she needed to improve her strength, though for now, she could only upgrade her skills.
She currently had only five skills. The Clairvoyant Eye and the Eight Trigrams Ear were not very effective against enemies. She could only upgrade her Wood, Spatial, and Mental abilities, but she wasn’t familiar with these three powers.
Ying Shu sent a voice message to Su Xining: “Su, if I want to protect myself and my friends, which skill should I upgrade first?”
Su Xining replied immediately: “All three of your powers become very strong in later stages, but if you want to use your abilities now to protect yourself and your friends while also harming enemies, it’s best to upgrade the Mental power. Its attack strength is consistent from start to finish and can hit multiple targets. Wood and Spatial powers initially serve mainly as support. Of course, if your enemies are ordinary people, you can start with Wood, using plants to fight and heal yourself. As for Spatial powers, you need to comprehend them deeply to develop new skills, so you’ll have to spend time exploring.”
After hearing her advice, Ying Shu decisively upgraded her Mental power.
[Ding—]
[1000 Merit Points deducted. Congratulations, your Mental power has reached Level 2.]
[Ding—]
[3000 Merit Points deducted. Congratulations, your Mental power has reached Level 3.]
After spending 4000 merit points, she had 1700 merit points left.
To be safe, she also upgraded her Wood power to Level 2.
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“Ying Shu, are you in trouble? If you can’t handle it, you must call the police—don’t try to handle it alone,” Su Xining sent a concerned voice message.
Ying Shu didn’t want her to worry: “I’m not in trouble. I just have too many powers, and the spiritual energy on Blue Star is very scarce. It’s impossible to cultivate all at once, so I was asking which to prioritize.”
Su Xining relaxed: “Then you can cultivate Wood. Your family is injured, and you can treat them.”
“Okay.” Ying Shu asked, “Su, you explained Wood and Spatial powers last time, but you didn’t mention what Mental powers can do.”
Su Xining quickly replied: “At Level 1, Mental powers can only attack those with weak spiritual seas, causing headaches. At Level 2, you can use mental telekinesis to move or alter objects by thought—for example, using an enemy’s weapon against them.”
“At Level 3, you gain Mental Control and Mental Impact. Mental Control forcibly changes or commands others’ will, thoughts, or emotions, or issues orders. Mental Impact strikes an opponent’s spiritual sea with mental energy and can also shield against powers or spells.”
It sounded simple, but to the untrained Ying Shu, it was overwhelming. Facing unknown dangers soon, how could she use these powers?
Before she could ask further, she arrived outside Ginkgo Alley.
The alley was darker and more ominous at night, with faint moonlight casting a mysterious glow on the walls.
As the shared electric bike entered the alley, its headlights suddenly went out.
Ying Shu’s vision went black. When light returned, she found herself inside a large mountain cave.
A wide hole had been cut into the cave’s ceiling, letting moonlight spill into the darkness. A harsh, labored breathing echoed, revealing the owner’s severe injuries.
[After crossing into the cultivation world for over a thousand years and carefully practicing, finally reaching the Nascent Soul stage, I thought I would one day return to Blue Star and reunite with A Yu and Xiao Jia. But tonight, I’m going to fall here.]
Ying Shu: “...”
It was as if the voice spoke directly into her ear—clear and intimate, likely the person’s inner thoughts.
“Doctor Cheng, I am Ying Shu.”
The breathing faltered.
Cheng Shan, hiding in the shadows, heard the familiar voice and the impossible name in this world, blinking in disbelief.
[Ying Shu?]
“Doctor Cheng, where are you?”
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Cheng Shan poked his head out from a half-meter-wide crevice and saw Ying Shu dressed in modern clothes.
He called out urgently, “I’m here!”
Ying Shu looked up and saw Cheng Shan hiding twenty meters above in the crevice.
She quickly dropped the shared bike and ran over.
“Doctor Cheng, are you alright?”
Cheng Shan used a spell to lift her into the crevice, panting: “Why did you come now?”
“I received a system message saying you were in danger, so I came to rescue you.”
“Rescue me?” Cheng Shan scoffed, “How can you, a powerless person, rescue me? With your ability to see through lies? You…”
He suddenly widened his eyes, staring at Ying Shu.
“You have cultivation? At the peak of Qi Refining? How did your cultivation grow so fast in such a short time? Does time flow faster on Blue Star?”
No, that couldn’t be.
He and Ying Shu had compared time before—they were equal in both worlds.
He had been here over a thousand years, but only a month had passed on Blue Star because he traveled back over a thousand years in time.
“You… cough cough…”
Cheng Shan couldn’t hold back a coughing fit. He coughed until a mouthful of fresh blood spat out.
Ying Shu hurriedly asked, “Are you okay?”
“My spiritual energy is depleted, my organs severely injured, all my elixirs used up, and my talismans and magical tools nearly gone. Do you think I’m okay?”
Cheng Shan no longer pretended in front of her and weakly leaned against the rock.
“Before they find us, you should leave quickly.”
“I came because of the mission. I’m afraid I can only leave after completing it.”
Cheng Shan sneered, “Then you’ll have to suffer dying here with me.”
Dying here…
Ying Shu was silent but her mind raced to find a way out.
At that moment, a voice came from outside: “Cheng Shan, we know you’re in there. If you come out quietly, we’ll keep your body intact.”