Chapter 70: Spirit Spring

Chapter 70: Spirit Spring

Shenchi didn't dare to set the car's temperature too high, fearing that the sudden change upon exiting would be too much for their bodies to handle.

Ming Jing carefully placed the child in the backseat. The baby pouted, and Ming Jing quickly patted him gently, then meticulously adjusted the swaddling blanket around him.

Shenchi also climbed into the backseat. It was spacious, and Shenchi unfolded the car's table, taking out a steaming pot of fish soup, two dishes of stir-fried vegetables, a plate of rice, and some utensils from his spatial ability.

Shenchi couldn't eat these foods after giving birth, but he hadn't prepared any porridge either. He simply scooped a bowl of fish soup and took out two boiled eggs.

Ming Jing swallowed hard, sat up straight, and recited a Buddhist chant, marveling at how wonderful abilities were.

While eating, Ming Jing asked, "Brother Shen, do you have dual abilities too? Is this an evolved version of spatial ability?"

Spatial abilities, though rare, did exist. Their safe zone had two such individuals, one at level three and another at level two. They could only store items and transport large equipment. Abilities like Shenchi's were merely theoretical.

Shenchi hesitated. He didn't want to reveal his rebirth, but if he admitted his spatial ability was special, where was the level five crystal core?

Cao Kun placed a piece of deboned fish in Shenchi's bowl and said, "If you don't want to say it, you don't have to."

Ming Jing nodded, "That's right, Brother Shen. Everyone has secrets. If you tell us, we'll listen; if not, we won't pry. It's fine."

Shenchi drank a few sips of the soup and then spoke, "I do indeed have dual abilities. Spatial is my primary ability, and I awakened ice ability later. I'm not sure why I have both. Before upgrading, my space allowed me to enter three times a day, each time for no more than four hours."

Ming Jing looked at Cao Kun and nodded knowingly.

Shenchi suddenly reached out and grabbed Cao Kun's hand, who looked at him seriously. After a moment, Shenchi shook his head; he still couldn't bring others into the space.

Ming Jing asked, "Were you testing whether you could bring someone into the space?"

Shenchi nodded, "After the upgrade, there appeared a pool in the space... I fell in and couldn't get out for a while. An'an was born in the water."

Cao Kun frowned slightly. He had read Shenchi's book and knew that water births could help reduce pain and stress during childbirth, but he still found it hard to imagine Shenchi enduring it alone in the vast space.

Cao Kun asked worriedly, "Are you feeling any discomfort?"

Shenchi shook his head, "Everything went smoothly."

Apart from the unexpected zombie wave, everything else had gone well. He initially thought he couldn't give birth naturally and would need a cesarean section. Xia Yi had also mentioned the risks of natural birth, which could easily lead to both mother and child dying. Due to hormonal issues, even a cesarean would be riskier for him than for others.

But he managed to deliver the child after just a few hours of labor, with no apparent complications.

"Substantial objects can appear in the space!" Ming Jing recited a Buddhist chant and said mysteriously, "This water is no ordinary water."

Shenchi recalled the sensation in the water and agreed with Ming Jing. Water births require warm water, ideally between 35 to 38 degrees Celsius, but the pool's water was cool yet made him feel comfortable.

"Didn't you notice anything different about the pool water?"

Shenchi replied, "I haven't had a chance to examine it closely. I'll check it again tomorrow." He wasn't sure if there were still limits on entering the space, so he wanted to wait until they were in a safer place to test it.

As they ate, they discussed what happened after Shenchi disappeared:

Cao Kun, seeing Shenchi vanish, became frantic. He overused his ability, igniting a raging fire all over his body, and without concern for being infected by zombies, tackled the relentless level four zombie, holding it tightly and burning it with his flames. Other zombies, lower in level, burned to ashes like moths drawn to the flame.

The remaining soldiers formed a human wall, blasting the mountain to provide an escape route for the convoy behind them.

Ming Jing, due to continuously controlling five level two zombies, exhausted his ability and collapsed against a tree, muttering, "I don't exist, I don't exist," before falling asleep.

Shenchi asked Ming Jing, "What is your ability? Is it related to mental power?"

Cao Kun was curious, "When did you awaken it?"

Ming Jing finally stopped chanting and grinned, looking like a college student again, "My ability is probably mental power. I fainted on the day of the snow in June. My senior brother took care of me for three days. When I woke up, I felt my sixth sense was more acute. As the country revealed the existence of abilities, I confirmed my awakening. The more I used my ability, the more I could 'hear' their craving for blood. Controlling them was just a theory, but it worked."

Cao Kun pointed at him, "You sneaky little guy, hiding such a powerful ability! Monks don't lie, you know?"

Ming Jing defended himself, "I didn't lie. I never said I didn't have an ability."

Cao Kun thought about it and realized Ming Jing never explicitly said he didn't have an ability; he just kept quiet.

"Why didn't you upgrade before?"

Ming Jing paused for a moment, "Because I didn't want to absorb crystals."

After eating, they changed their coats, and Shenchi brought out several blankets, telling them to rest while he kept watch.

"Let's sleep together. With the zombie wave just passing, we should stay alert," Cao Kun said, pulling Shenchi under the blankets and tucking him in. Then he gently brushed the hair from Shenchi's cheek and whispered, "You've been through a lot."

Shenchi felt a lump in his throat, turned his head, and didn't mind the intimate gesture. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Cao Kun didn't lie down. He couldn't sleep, his head aching but his mind clear.

In the middle of the night, An'an's cries woke everyone up. Someone turned on the light. Shenchi was about to get up when Cao Kun said, "I'll take care of it. You stay put, or you might catch a chill."

Shenchi watched as Cao Kun picked up the child first, checked if the diaper needed changing, and prepared milk for the baby. Shenchi asked, "Have you been awake all night?"

"How could I? I'm not a god who doesn't need sleep," Cao Kun said. "Let's change the diaper. Hand me the scale, please."

Shenchi retrieved the scale from his spatial ability.

Using his ability, Cao Kun maintained the baby's body temperature, heated the scale slightly, and placed the child on it—5 pounds 2 ounces.

"Heh, pretty accurate."

Shenchi suddenly asked, "Did you upgrade?"

"Yes," Cao Kun said, clumsily but carefully changing the diaper. "I absorbed the level four crystal core without consulting you. Don't be angry."

Shenchi shook his head, hesitating before asking, "Are you feeling guilty?"

Cao Kun's movements paused as he said, "Yeah."

Shenchi: "Don't do that."

Cao Kun took a deep breath and laughed, saying, "Your way of comforting people is quite unique." He then asked Shenchi if he was hungry, mentioning that he had only had some soup a few hours ago.

Shenchi shook his head, "Pour me a glass of water."

Ming Jing held the blanket, looking at Cao Kun, then at Shenchi. Lowering his gaze, he saw Ping An in Cao Kun's arms staring at him with her big black eyes, so he pouted and blew a kiss.

The next morning, the world outside the car was covered in white snow, which had buried half of the SUV. With just a slight use of his fire ability, Cao Kun melted all the snow, leaving not a single drop of water behind.

From a cabinet where he stored essentials, Cao Kun retrieved rice and brown sugar to make a pot of plain porridge and a small pot of brown sugar porridge. He also cooked some pork liver.

Shenchi changed Ping An's diaper, fed her milk, and played with her for a while until the child smiled, though silently, with a reserved demeanor.

Cao Kun glanced over occasionally, finding the scene particularly beautiful.

Ming Jing was brushing his teeth, washing his face, and drying his hair. In truth, he wanted to take a bath too, but the weather was too cold; any water splashed out would freeze instantly.

He looked at Brother Kun, thinking he needed to find a place today for him to help heat water and warm the house. Suddenly, he noticed Cao Kun smiling foolishly, with his dimples clearly visible.

Ming Jing glanced at Shenchi in the car and deliberately said, "Brother Kun, why are you so happy just making porridge?"

"Go on, brush your teeth, or they'll freeze," Cao Kun replied, carrying the prepared porridge and pork liver in thermal containers into the car for Shenchi. He then picked up Ping An and continued feeding her.

The child ate the last bit distractedly, her dark eyes fixed on the outside. Fortunately, the car windows were tinted, protecting her eyes from harm.

Shenchi went out to brush his teeth, wash his face, and tidy himself up. Cao Kun remotely provided warmth, so the water did not freeze, remaining comfortably warm.

The three of them drank their porridge. Cao Kun and Ming Jing each had two bowls of porridge and two flatbreads, which they had bought in the safe zone and were quite filling.

Ping An kept staring at them while they ate, eventually sticking out her tongue, tasting it, and then pulling it back in.

The three adults exclaimed "Oh oh" as if seeing something rare. Ming Jing laughed, "Is the little one craving food?"

After breakfast, Cao Kun took care of the baby, coaxing her to stick out her pink tongue again. Meanwhile, Shenchi and Ming Jing absorbed crystal cores. There had been too many zombies yesterday, and they hadn't had time to collect many cores, so both were absorbing level-two cores.

Then Shenchi entered the space to check on the pool.

The pool was crescent-shaped, about five meters long and not very deep. The water was clean and clear, showing no signs of yesterday's aftermath.

Shenchi scooped some water with his hand and smelled it. It tasted fresh and cool, very refreshing.

He took a sip, remembering that he had accidentally drunk some when he fell in yesterday and felt fine, so he wasn't worried.

As expected, the water was sweet and refreshing.

Shenchi filled a cup with water from the pool and left the space. Like soil, items from the space could be brought out.

Ming Jing examined the cup carefully, tasted the water, and marveled that it was even better than the natural spring water from the temple's backyard. Astonishingly, the water had been out for a while yet hadn't frozen!

They looked at Cao Kun, who raised his hands to indicate he hadn't done anything. He took the cup, drank a sip, and found it truly refreshing. He poured some water onto his hand, which didn't feel cold.

Ming Jing also dipped his finger into the water, and the result left him speechless. More astonishingly, a scratch on Cao Kun's hand slowly disappeared right before their eyes!

Cao Kun immediately made a cut on his fingertip and immersed it in the water. Blood seeped out, and the new cut slowly healed, though it took much longer.

Cao Kun examined his finger closely; there was no sign of the injury, and the blood stain in the cup gradually vanished.

Shenchi watched all this unfold, realizing it wasn't just his imagination.

"Amituofo, this must be the Spirit Spring..." Ming Jing exclaimed, hurriedly taking out his wooden fish to tap it, trying to calm his excitement.

Author's note:

Happy Children's Day, little fairies "flower" (╯^╰) "flower"