Chapter 87: A Lifetime’s Wish Fulfilled

Chapter 87: A Lifetime's Wish Fulfilled

As Yao Huan entered the living room, Qi Shuhong, who was sitting on the sofa chatting with Shen Lan, was stunned. She murmured to herself, "Dr. Zhou is actually a student of Mr. Yao Huan?"

Shen Lan, hearing this, turned to her and asked, "What do you mean?"

Qi Shuhong replied, "You grew up abroad, so you might not know. Mr. Yao is a master of traditional medicine, a top-tier expert, a national treasure... His acupuncture skills are extraordinary..."

Without further explanation to Shen Lan, she stood up with a warm smile and enthusiastically greeted Yao Huan: "Hello, Mr. Yao! You once gave a lecture at our school, and I asked you a question. I wonder if you still remember..."

Shen Lan: "..."

Qin Sheng, who had just parked the car and walked in, was carrying a roasted suckling pig: "The roast pig is here! There's also a box of seafood in the car. Someone go get it! Everyone, come and help, hurry up, let's eat!" Behind him, Zhu Zhuan was holding a roasted duck and a string of barbecued pork, smiling broadly.

Qin Sheng was startled to see a long table over ten meters long suddenly appear in the hall: "Wow! This is great! Where did you get it?"

Li Ming explained, "From the sales office. We saw there were many people for dinner today, so Anchen and I went to carry it over. We joined a few long tables together to make it more lively."

Soon, the table was laden with dishes as people sliced roast duck, carved the suckling pig, and portioned the barbecued pork. In addition to the hearty dishes and seafood brought by the Qin brothers, a variety of fresh vegetables also took center stage.

Dishes like braised pork with green beans, shrimp and winter melon stew, sour bamboo shoots with sweet potato leaves, pumpkin shoots in century egg broth, garlic water spinach, hand-torn lotus white, chive omelet, pumpkin pancakes, and fried potato strips were served. Almost everyone who could cook had contributed something.

It had been a long time since they had enjoyed such authentic home-cooked food and relaxed so much. The table buzzed with laughter and lively chatter. Zhou Yun took the opportunity to introduce Yao Huan to everyone, and Guan Yuanfeng had the special forces members introduce themselves. Shen Lan also introduced the psychics from Cangshan. Most of them were young, and they quickly got along.

Yao Huan had a pleasant conversation with Zen Master Xinhai and Taoist Master Yunyin. Yao Huan was particularly interested in their methods of cultivating psychic abilities and even joked about how difficult Tai Chi was to master.

Taoist Master Yunyin cheerfully said it wasn't difficult at all and offered to teach Yao Huan if he was interested.

Zen Master Xinhai, on the other hand, subtly suggested that the Buddhist Lion's Roar could also be quite helpful in cultivating psychic abilities: "I possess wood psychic abilities. Every morning, I practice the Lion's Roar. At dawn, I choose a quiet place, sit cross-legged, focus my mind, and concentrate on my lower abdomen. I inhale deeply and let out a clear roar like a sudden thunderclap. This is the true method of the Buddhist Lion's Roar."

He casually picked up a glass, held it before him, closed his eyes briefly, then suddenly opened them and exhaled with a thunderous shout: "Break!"

The glass shattered instantly, falling into a deep basin below.

Everyone at the table was stunned by the earth-shattering roar and the sight of the glass breaking. They all burst into applause and cheers!

Zen Master Xinhai, beaming with energy, said, "After practicing this every day, I can feel my psychic energy flowing endlessly, filling every part of my body. My spirit is rejuvenated. I recommend Professor Yao to try it too. It will surely prolong your life and benefit both body and mind."

Zhou Yun, sitting next to Yao Huan, curiously asked, "Master, can I also try practicing the Lion's Roar with you?" It sounded simpler than Ba Duan Jin, and if it really worked, it could be promoted in the Wood Psychic Guild.

Zen Master Xinhai shook his head: "You can't."

Zhou Yun was surprised: "Why not?"

Zen Master Xinhai solemnly replied, "Confucianism emphasizes moderation, Taoism focuses on balance, and Buddhism advocates emptiness. To practice the Lion's Roar, one must abstain from desires. Otherwise, the energy will scatter, and it will harm the body instead. You're still young and surely can't abstain from desires. It's better to practice other methods."

Zhou Yun: "..."

The table burst into laughter: "Hahaha, so this technique is not for the young!"

Zen Master Xinhai said, "Young people can try the Yi Jin Jing, which focuses more on external strength. It trains both strength and energy, strengthening the outside and purifying the inside, cleansing the marrow and transforming the tendons. I have the twelve postures of Yi Jin Jing, and I can teach you later."

Sitting next to Zhou Yun, Guan Yuanfeng noticed his ears turning red and struggled not to laugh. However, he considerately peeled a shrimp for him and asked Yao Huan, "Professor Yao, are you staying in Beiming tonight? Why not sleep here?"

Qin Mu said, "He won't be going back. Mr. Yao often goes to Nanshan Herb Garden to study mutated herbs and stays for days without returning to Beiming. So when I went to pick him up at the City Lord's residence, City Lord Gong even sent some fruits along."

Guan Yuanfeng then said, "Then he can sleep in Zhou Yun's room. Zhou Yun can sleep in my room tonight."

Yao Huan happily agreed, "That's fine, but Zhou Yun is a bit of a clean freak. For a long-term stay, it's better to find another place for me. What about my medical books? You always regret not having enough books when you need them. They've planted many mutated herbs, and I often want to refer to the ancient prescriptions in those books."

Guan Yuanfeng felt a twinge of guilt: "They're all stored in Central Base. I'll have someone send them over as soon as I get back. This time, due to the urgency of the operation, I didn't have time to bring them along and came straight from the mountains."

Yao Huan nodded only then: "Remember this, don't forget."

Zhou Yun said, "I still have some electronic versions that I scanned for you before, Teacher. I'll copy them to an e-ink tablet tomorrow for you to look at, and it'll be easier to search."

Yao Huan nodded, then glanced at Guan Yuanfeng, realizing that his student was trying to cover for Captain Guan, and couldn't help but chuckle inwardly: "You're quite good at making up for Captain Guan. You haven't even told me what good things you found in Yanling yet."

At this, Zhou Yun's spirits lifted, and he spent the rest of dinner enthusiastically discussing the valuable herbs they had discovered with Yao Huan.

After dinner, the members of the special forces team cleaned up the table and dishes. Zhou Yun invited Yao Huan to his room, and then one by one, he had the patients from Cangshan come up for pulse readings and consultations.

Qi Shuhong then pleaded, "These friends of mine were previously treated by me. I know their conditions best and have done some examinations. I also have records of their illnesses and symptoms, which I can provide for your reference, Teacher Yao." Then she cautiously made a request: "Could I sit in on the consultations, Teacher Yao?"

Yao Huan was somewhat surprised: "Of course, you're quite eager to learn, young lady. Let's start with you."

He then instructed Zhou Yun: "You take the pulse first, then write the prescription for me to see." This was a test for him. Counting his past life, Zhou Yun hadn't been tested by his teacher in a long time, especially since he had dabbled in various fields in both lives, picking up all sorts of miscellaneous knowledge, which made him quite nervous.

Fortunately, he was experienced in dealing with his teacher: "Wait, let's do a test strip first."

He took out a stack of test strips, unwrapped one, and after collecting a drop of blood from Qi Shuhong, he applied it to the test strip and waited for the reaction.

Yao Huan's eyes lit up: "Is this the test strip you mentioned?"

Zhou Yun replied, "Yes, you see, Dr. Qi has water psychic powers." He held up the test strip, where a blue stripe was clearly visible: "Psychics can make the test strip change color quickly."

Yao Huan's interest was piqued: "What about ordinary people?"

Zhou Yun handed him a test strip: "It's slower and fainter. Let me test you, Teacher."

After a while, the test strip showed a faint purple color, and Zhou Yun was surprised: "Teacher, you actually have an affinity for lightning."

Yao Huan was pleased: "Isn't that great? Isn't Captain Guan also lightning-affiliated? He seems quite impressive."

Zhou Yun recalled the lightning-affiliated Crystal Core that Guan Yuanfeng had previously acquired, which was likely still in their possession. But they still needed more data to support their findings.

Qi Shuhong was astonished: "Dr. Zhou, you actually have test strips that can detect elemental affinity?"

Zhou Yun said, "Yes, I tried making them, but they're still unstable and not suitable for public disclosure."

Qi Shuhong quickly assured him: "Don't worry, I'll definitely keep it confidential." But her eyes slightly reddened: "If this had existed earlier, so many people might not have died."

Zhou Yun took her pulse: "If that were the case, Li Xiong would truly be invincible. Technology in the hands of evil people is a disaster."

Qi Shuhong thought about it and agreed, sighing: "That's true."

Yao Huan dismissed the idea with a scoff: "People like them only know how to steal and rob; how could they possibly develop any technology? Hurry up and take the pulse, no more chit-chat. Don't think just because you've developed an affinity test strip that I won't check your basic skills."

Zhou Yun concentrated, holding his breath as he silently counted the pulse beats.

One by one, he diagnosed, observed, inquired, and felt the pulse, then wrote prescriptions. Yao Huan then personally took the pulse, examined the patients, and reviewed Zhou Yun's prescriptions one by one, commenting on them. By the time they finished, it was already late at night.

Zhou Yun, worried about his teacher's health, even though he saw that Yao Huan was still in high spirits, urged him to rest first. Only then did he come to Guan Yuanfeng's bedroom. Guan Yuanfeng had just finished showering and asked him, "Just finished? Hurry up and wash up, then sleep. The water's hot enough. Comet has been fed and is sleeping downstairs, no need to worry about him."

Zhou Yun grabbed his suitcase: "I'll head up to the 30th floor to sleep."

Guan Yuanfeng frowned: "Why go there so late? It's been ages since you last slept there; you'd have to clean up again. I've already prepared the bed here—it's a spacious two by two-point-two meters. Sleep here comfortably. What if your teacher needs you during the night?"

Zhou Yun paused, his gaze lingering on Guan Yuanfeng's figure clad in a camouflage tank top and shorts, his Adam's apple bobbing. Finally, he conceded, "Alright, I'll trouble you for tonight then."

After he finished showering, Guan Yuanfeng was still leaning against the headboard, engrossed in a book.

Drying his wet hair, he asked, "What are you reading?"

Guan Yuanfeng replied, "A paper on the tactical application of psychics, from a military magazine. Why did you take so long in the shower?"

Zhou Yun: "..." He retorted, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"

He sat on the other side of the bed and picked up a book, but Guan Yuanfeng suddenly turned off the light with a snap: "I was waiting for you. Don't read anymore, it's bad for your eyes. It's late, go to sleep."

Zhou Yun: "..."

He lay down. Fortunately, it was hot, and Guan Yuanfeng only covered himself with a towel blanket, leaving a thin air-conditioning blanket for him. To save energy, they usually didn't turn on the air conditioner unless the temperature became extreme.

His eyes adjusted to the darkness, and he turned to see Guan Yuanfeng with his eyes closed, his facial features sharp and well-defined, his tall figure beside him exuding a strong presence and radiating heat. He silently reminded himself: Stay calm, stay cool.

After tossing and turning a few times, Guan Yuanfeng couldn't help but ask, "What are you thinking about? Can't sleep? Is it too hot? I'll turn on the air conditioner."

Zhou Yun mumbled, "No need, it's not the heat. I'm just thinking about the conditions of the people in Cangshan."

Guan Yuanfeng asked, "Is it that complicated? How's Ge Chen?"

Zhou Yun replied, "Their psychics were artificially activated. Although they have an affinity for their psychic abilities, there are still some side effects."

Guan Yuanfeng seemed interested in the topic. Seeing that Zhou Yun was clearly unable to sleep, he decided to keep him company and moved closer: "I don't seem to feel any side effects?"

Zhou Yun felt Guan Yuanfeng's breath on his forehead and was slightly distracted: "That's why I'm thinking about the differences."

Guan Yuanfeng asked, "What are their side effects?"

Zhou Yun explained: "For example, Brother Ge, his emotional fluctuations affect his body temperature. When he's angry or nervous, his body temperature tends to rise, and he needs to use ice packs or showers to cool down. Dr. Qi and Hua Rou, both with water-based psychics, have become sensitive to cold. Even in this hot weather, they feel their hands and feet are cold. After overusing her water-based psychics, Hua Rou feels an imbalance of internal fluids, leading to dehydration and electrolyte disorders."

"Zhang Guangming's vision has weakened, and he has developed light sensitivity. At first, he thought it was dry eye syndrome, but later realized it might be a side effect."

"Shen Lan, with earth-based psychics, feels stiffness in his joints after multiple earth manipulation sessions. He needs more time to recover the flexibility and strength of his muscles and joints."

"Master Xinhai, with wood-based psychics, feels emotionally detached, experiencing emotional numbness. He used to be compassionate, but now he often feels indifferent. He initially thought it was numbness from being in the drug den for too long, but after discussions, he realized it might be pathological. He said that after using the *Lion's Roar*, he feels better, but if he meditates for too long, he feels like wood or stone, devoid of emotions or desires."

Guan Yuanfeng pondered: "What about the Taoist priest with lightning-based psychics? What are his side effects?"

Zhou Yun said, "His nervous system seems affected. He occasionally experiences brief paralysis or loss of control. His heart also seems to have some issues, occasionally overloading, so we need to run an electrocardiogram on him."

He looked at Guan Yuanfeng and asked, "Is there... something you're not telling me? Are you feeling unwell?"

Guan Yuanfeng smiled: "Didn't you check my pulse every day before? If there was a problem with my heart, wouldn't you have noticed?" He reached out, placing Zhou Yun's hand on his chest, and said, "See, my heart is fine."

Zhou Yun: "..."

Under his palm, Guan Yuanfeng's chest felt as hard as steel, radiating heat, with his heart beating powerfully.

Zhou Yun withdrew his hand: "Once we have the equipment ready, I'll give you a full check-up before you return to Central Base."

Guan Yuanfeng said, "Alright. By the way, what about Zhao Yi? Why did he go blind? What kind of Crystal Core did the drug lord transplant into him?"

Zhou Yun replied, "A dark-based one. After the transplant, he reportedly developed a high fever, and after it subsided, he lost his vision. At the time, no psychic abilities were detected. They were apparently trying to create a zombie king by transplanting a dark-based Crystal Core from a zombie king. When he went blind, they thought it had failed and just locked him up in a cell."

Guan Yuanfeng was surprised: "So, like Qin Mu, he has dark-based psychics?" He recounted what Zhao Yi had said earlier in the evening and reminded Zhou Yun: "It seems he can 'see' things through some method."

Zhou Yun said, "Yes, they admitted it today. They later discovered that when someone holds him, he can 'tune into' their thoughts. If the thoughts are very strong, he can even share their vision and see what they see."

Guan Yuanfeng said, "So that's how it is. It seems they initially had Zhao Yi approach you to see if we harbored any ill intentions."

Zhou Yun replied, "Probably. I don't remember what I was thinking at the time, but I definitely didn't have any ill intentions."

Guan Yuanfeng asked, "So what exactly is the dark-type psychics?"

Zhou Yun explained, "From Qin Mu's ability to summon dark-type creatures, it seems likely to be a mental-type skill. This child, after going blind, must have been very anxious, desperately wanting to know the thoughts and opinions of those around him, which is why he developed this skill on his own. He probably has great potential."

Guan Yuanfeng inquired, "Can the child's eyes still be treated?"

Zhou Yun answered, "He went blind after a fever. It's possible that the virus damaged his optic nerves, or it could be a corneal perforation. We'll need further examination. My teacher said they would take him to the medical clinic in Beiming City later to have an ophthalmology expert examine him. For now, we can only use acupuncture and topical treatments to help."

"His side effect is that excessive mental concentration makes him very sensitive, easily fatigued and anxious. He also sometimes confuses others' thoughts with his own, overly empathizing with their negative emotions. But since he was previously in a drug den, they only thought it was a stress reaction."

Guan Yuanfeng said, "Take it easy. No need to stress out. I definitely don't have these issues, so you can rest assured."

He suddenly reached out and pulled Zhou Yun closer, wrapping an arm around his waist. Zhou Yun felt his arm, strong as iron, pulling him back until his back pressed against Guan Yuanfeng's chest, and his whole body stiffened: "What are you doing?"

Guan Yuanfeng steadied his shoulder and said, "You were about to fall off the bed. Move to the middle. The bed is big enough; don't worry about crowding me."

After saying this, he suddenly got up and turned on the air conditioner with the remote in the dark: "I'll turn on the air conditioner for you. You're so hot. Aren't you a water-type?"

He then walked over and closed the floor-to-ceiling windows, drew the thin curtains, and thoughtfully pulled the air-conditioned blanket over Zhou Yun: "Sleep now." He added, "My situation is different from theirs. I think it's because you took such good care of me nutritionally back then."

"They were captured and imprisoned for experiments. It was the apocalypse, and they were treated as experimental materials, so they probably didn't get much nutrition. Before the apocalypse, even ordinary people needed nutritional supplements after surgery to boost immunity. Isn't it possible that their bodies didn't have enough energy to activate the psychics, yet they were forcibly implanted with Crystal Cores that didn't belong to them? The Crystal Core needs energy to function, so it probably drained what little energy they had left."

Guan Yuanfeng looked down and saw that even with the lights off, Zhou Yun's eyes were still wide open, staring intently at him. He was a bit speechless and covered Zhou Yun's eyes with his hand: "Close your eyes and talk. Don't listen so seriously. I'm just rambling; it might not be accurate. Just take it with a grain of salt."

"When I use my psychics, I can feel that the Crystal Core and the psychic energy throughout my body are in harmony. It's the power source of the psychics, enhancing the functions of the body, but it also draws energy from the meridians to grow itself. Could it be that they didn't have enough nutrition, their own energy was insufficient, so they couldn't supply and feed the Crystal Core, and were forced by the drug lord to overuse their abilities?"

"Didn't you hear them say that Li Xiong set up an arena, making psychics fight mutated creatures for entertainment? In life-and-death battles, their abilities kept growing, but they didn't have enough time to train and rest, and their nutrition was probably insufficient. They might have only relied on absorbing the Crystal Core to replenish their abilities, while also suffering from drug addiction and psychological trauma. It's no wonder they had side effects."

"I've noticed that the psychics under my command balance their use of abilities with rest. Although they're not as powerful as those in Cangshan who are constantly in life-and-death situations, I haven't heard any of them complain about side effects."

"I myself feel that my psychic energy flows smoothly and effortlessly, with no discomfort at all. Don't worry unnecessarily."

Zhou Yun felt the dry, calloused hand covering his eyes. He blinked, his throat dry, the warmth of the palm and Guan Yuanfeng's unintentional gesture making his mind wander. He felt his body getting even hotter: "Hmm, what you're saying makes sense..."

His mind was foggy, the blood rushing from his head to other parts of his body, as if a fuse had been lit, making him crave more: "Maybe that's why the dark-type Crystal Core's energy was too much for Zhao Yi, a child with insufficient energy... So... his side effects are more severe than others..."

Guan Yuanfeng didn't have any side effects because when the apocalypse first hit, the energy of the mutated creatures' Crystal Cores wasn't that strong. The electric eel's Crystal Core he carefully selected was probably only second-tier, while the wind-type was third-tier... Guan Yuanfeng's physical condition was originally quite good, having been well-trained before, and although he lost a limb, his foundation was solid.

Thinking about it, he had been too bold and arrogant back then, daring to implant dual-type Crystal Cores directly. If something had gone wrong, if the surgery had failed, or if he had ended up like those artificially activated psychics in Cangshan, with side effects he couldn't handle... The thought alone made him shudder.

He couldn't help but recall the scene of operating on Guan Yuanfeng—his firm abdomen, broad chest, and back... His mind involuntarily flashed to the last time he saw Guan Yuanfeng's weathered body submerged in liquid in his previous life.

No matter what, Guan Yuanfeng was much stronger now than in his previous life, his body clearly in much better condition than that one in the liquid, and he was alive, lying beside him, with a normal body temperature, a strong heartbeat, dual-type abilities, able to talk and fight, and even joke with him.

Thinking of this, he felt a long, secret joy welling up in his heart. No one knew just how lucky and content he felt. This life was enough: "As long as you're okay."

His voice was muffled, a bit incoherent. Guan Yuanfeng, thinking he was just sleepy, felt the gentle flutter of eyelashes against his palm before they stilled. He lifted his hand, adjusted the blanket, and after seeing the room temperature drop, adjusted the air conditioner before lying down to sleep.

But perhaps because of everything that had happened recently, he had a dream. In the dream, Zhou Yun was treating him, patiently and gently rubbing the protruding part of his kneecap with his fingers, massaging for a long time before his hand moved up to the skin of his thigh, lightly caressing. He felt very hot, unbearably hot, but it was a pleasant, tingling warmth. He lifted his leg, urging Zhou Yun to keep massaging him, thinking in his dream that Zhou Yun's hands were still too light, lacking strength.