Chapter 1098
An old friend from Bo City
The edges of Zhang Xiaohou's scar began to peel off.
What was revealed after peeling off was brand new, intact skin.
The skin grew and spread at a visible rate, covering the gruesome scar that was twenty centimeters long and deep enough to expose the bone.
Just a few breaths.
The almost disfiguring scar on Zhang Xiaohou's face disappeared.
At the same time, the bewilderment that had lingered in his eyes for ten days also disappeared.
Those empty eyes eventually coalesced into a single point of clear light.
He slowly raised his hand and touched his face.
He looked at his palm, then looked up at He Yu across from him, whose face was streaked with tears.
Lips move.
"Light rain."
His voice was hoarse, as if he hadn't spoken for a very long time.
"Little Hou!!!"
He Yu threw herself into his arms and burst into tears.
Zhang Xiaohou patted her back awkwardly, his eyes reddening.
I'm sorry for making you worry. I'm so sorry.
Su Xiaolu knelt on the ground, completely dumbfounded.
She is studying medicine.
She knew better than anyone else present what that scar meant.
With severed nerves and skull defects, she exhausted all her knowledge from the past ten years and tried every medicinal herb she could find, but could only barely prevent the wounds from worsening.
And Fu Ye.
He just pointed casually.
"Teacher Fu Ye!"
Zhang Xiaohou broke free from He Yu's embrace, staggered a few steps, and knelt down with a thud.
He didn't say anything nice.
He simply kowtowed heavily, his forehead pressing against the rough, barren earth, his voice muffled and deep.
Fu Ye paused for a moment.
Then he continued walking forward.
Zhang Xiaohou remained kneeling on the spot, not getting up for a long time.
He Yu walked over, knelt beside him, and took his hand.
Mo Fan stood there, gazing in the direction where Fu Ye had disappeared, and let out a long breath.
-
evening.
Ancient capital, military shelter square.
Xie Sang led more than 30 surviving villagers to complete the registration for entering the city and are now queuing to receive relief food.
Su Xiaoluo and Hong Jun helped several sick elderly people stand in a long line in front of the temporary medical tent.
Everything went smoothly, even to the point of being unrealistically calm.
Just then, the space in the center of the square suddenly distorted.
A large group of people appeared out of nowhere in the center of the square.
The elderly, children, and women.
They were covered in dust and dirt, dressed in rags, and carrying quilts, water bottles, and half-eaten black bread.
The elderly woman at the head of the group, her back hunched, looked around blankly. Her cloudy old eyes caught sight of the towering northern city wall in the distance, and also of the dumbfounded young officer.
She stood there stunned for a long time.
Then, she knelt down, trembling.
"It's the well god."
Her voice was old and broken, as if she had used up all her strength.
"The well water god has appeared!"
The surrounding villagers gradually came to their senses and knelt down in disbelief.
The square erupted in chaos.
The officer on duty loudly inquired about their origins, the registrar frantically counted the number of people, and the refugees whispered and discussed amongst themselves.
Some say it was a military rescue operation, while others claim to have witnessed the miracle of the wellhead glowing.
But many of the elderly people there said that the "well water god" had appeared.
The survivors of Luohua Village couldn't explain it either.
All they knew was that it was dark, stuffy, and cold down in the mine, and then there was light, and that's how they ended up there.
Liu Wangshi.
The elderly woman at the head of the group knelt in the center of the square, repeatedly chanting, "It's the well water god. It's the well water god who protects us."
The soldiers and refugees around her just thought she was too frightened and confused.
But at the edge of the square, three people did not laugh.
Mo Fan.
Zhang Xiaohou.
He Yu.
They stood there, watching the group of elderly people who had escaped death, watching them kneel in gratitude to the non-existent "well water god," and an indescribable emotion welled up in their hearts.
Zhang Xiaohou stood beside Mo Fan, the scars on his face completely gone, leaving only his new skin gleaming faintly in the sunlight.
He was silent for a long time.
"Do you think this might have been done by Professor Fu Ye?"
Mo Fan turned to look at him and suddenly smiled.
"Damn it," he said.
"Some people show off for others to see."
He paused, looking in the direction where Fu Ye had disappeared.
The prejudice he once held against Fu Ye for seeing through his identity vanished without a trace at this moment.
"Some people are really good at showing off."
-
In a quiet private room of a teahouse in an ancient capital.
Fu Ye put down his teacup. Outside the window were the endless gray-tiled roofs of the ancient capital, and the faint outline of the northern city wall in the distance.
Liu Ru reported softly.
"Sir, all the villagers of Luohua Village have arrived at the shelter. Liu Wangshi, 73 years old, Chen Yougen, 68 years old, and Zhao Wushi, 70 years old—all 73 people are safe and sound."
"Ah."
Fu Ye remained silent for a moment.
That's just how the world is; being alive is the greatest fortune.
Liu Ru lowered her head and said, "Yes."
He picked up the teacup and drank it all in one gulp.
Then he got up and walked towards the door of the private room.
"Let's go, the matter in the ancient capital is not over yet."
Liu Ru and Liu Xian followed immediately.
The night streets of the ancient capital are not bustling; there are few pedestrians after nightfall, and most shops close early.
Fu Ye led Liu Xian and Liu Ru along at a leisurely pace.
As Fu Ye passed a small restaurant that was still lit up, he paused slightly.
Through the half-open wooden window, he saw several familiar figures.
The second floor of the restaurant, a private seat by the window.
Mo Fan was holding a wine glass and chugging it down his throat, his face beaming with the exhilaration of surviving a close call.
"Xiao Hou, you have no idea, during the ten days you were missing, He Yu almost called my phone non-stop! She called twenty-five times a day!"
Zhang Xiaohou smiled憨憨地, the scars on his face had long since disappeared, and now in the candlelight, he only had a rosy glow from surviving a disaster.
He held He Yu's hand tightly, their fingers intertwined, as if letting go would mean losing her again.
He Yu's cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn't pull her hand away. She just glared at Mo Fan reproachfully.
"Stop talking nonsense, there aren't that many."
Where?
Mo Fan let out a strange cry.
"My phone call logs are still there! Do you want me to show them to everyone?"
He Yu was so embarrassed that she tried to snatch his phone, but Zhang Xiaohou just laughed, his eyes crinkling with laughter.
Zhou Min watched them commotion, her chin resting on her hand, a faint smile playing on her lips, tinged with a hint of nostalgia and melancholy.
She came all the way from the Ancient Capital Magic Academy after receiving He Yu's call.
Nearly two years have passed since we parted ways in Bocheng. Our former classmates have scattered to the four winds, so it is truly remarkable that we were able to reunite in this ancient capital.
Mu Bai sat next to her, still with that aloof and distant demeanor, but the gloom in his eyes seemed to have faded a bit.
He poured himself a cup of tea and sipped it slowly, listening to Mo Fan and Zhang Xiaohou's banter. Occasionally, the corners of his mouth would curl up slightly, only to be quickly pursed again.
Zhao Kunsan and Wang Sanpang squeezed together at the other end of the bench.
Zhao Kunsan had lost some weight and gotten a bit darker, but his quick wit was still there. He was vividly describing the appalling food in their college cafeteria to Wang Sanpang. (End of Chapter)