CHAPTER 405: CHAPTER 103: PRESCRIPTION & REUNION

"Cultivation?" Zhou Ziang leaned against the table with his arms crossed, his expression unchanged, and his tone hovering between affirmation and denial.

"Last time, at the basketball court, you helped me." Xiao Xian wasn’t foolish. Revealing her identity was like showing her hand. She cautiously moved her chair a few centimeters backward, lifted her head, and met Zhou Ziang’s gaze without showing any sign of weakness.

Despite the differences in height, physical strength, or even Spiritual Power between them, it didn’t mean she was at a disadvantage in terms of aura.

"Oh, you greedily absorbed my Spiritual Power, causing turmoil in it. This time, your Spiritual Power is virtually exhausted. Zhu Xiaoxian, you really are a troublemaker," Zhou Ziang appreciated her current demeanor, amazed that she could maintain her composure under his scrutiny, which was no easy feat.

"You know the cause of my illness? You were definitely teasing me just now. Then you must have a way to help me, to restore my Spiritual Power," Xiao Xian sighed. She had to admit, Zhou Ziang was a very formidable person, much more imposing than he seemed when playing street basketball.

"A way? Do you want me to help you channel the Spiritual Energy like last time?" From above, Xiao Xian’s face appeared even smaller. Her skin, pale from illness, was almost translucent. Beneath her sparkling eyes, her pink lips moved gently. Zhou Zi Ang coughed and looked away.

"Channel the Spiritual Energy?" Xiao Xian repeated, and a memory that had short-circuited in her brain last time suddenly burst forth.

The two of them hovering mid-air, embracing, and then... Xiao Xian’s face drastically paled, swallowing saliva; she had even initiated by sticking her tongue into Zhou Ziang’s mouth. Was that channeling Spiritual Power?

"There’s no need to overreact. This time is different from the last, I can’t help you," Zhou Ziang’s face couldn’t hold up under Xiao Xian’s stunned expression.

What kind of expression was that? After all, that was his first kiss, and she had initiated it. But words like these, Zhou Ziang would never say out loud.

"Oh, that’s good. No, wait, what should I do? These past few days I’ve... lost my appetite, felt weak in all my limbs, and even lost several kilograms. If this continues, how can I go back and face my aunt and uncle, let alone meet my grandfather and the villagers back home? Everyone says Beijing is the capital, with good food and accommodations." Xiao Xian was unsure if she felt relieved or frustrated. Zhou Ziang had become her lifeline, and now even that lifeline was announcing its demise. What should she do?

Things hadn’t reached the point of despair yet. Racking her brain, Xiao Xian thought of someone, Mei Nian’s face flashed by, and she involuntarily shuddered.

"You must have family, right? Don’t they have a way? What about your parents?" Ziang looked at the much haggard Xiao Xian. His chest felt stuffy.

He somewhat regretted it. Compared to that time playing street basketball, having undergone a genetic and Spiritual Power transformation in the Underground Biopark, his internal Spiritual Power became murkier. His robust body could suppress that force, but for the frail Xiao Xian, that Spiritual Power wasn’t medicine but poison.

Zhou Ziang had already confirmed Xiao Xian’s identity as a Cultivator, and according to the information previously given to him by Locke, the Spiritual Power inside her was extremely pure, unaltered by any artificial means, likely belonging to the Natural Cultivation lineage. If it was Natural Cultivation, then there should be family traditions or elders she could rely on.

Xiao Xian fell silent, sitting abruptly. For some reason, after hearing Zhou Ziang’s words, her heart soured, and she stammered, "They can’t help."

Zhuo Feng and his wife, and Zhu Shijun were unable to aid her. If she were an ordinary person who fell ill, she could go to a doctor, take medicine, or have surgery as needed. At worst, she could ask: "Doctor, how long do I have to live?"

"Then find someone who can help you, or else...," Zhou Ziang pondered for a moment, "I’ll help you." For Zhou Ziang, there were many reasons for Spiritual Power depletion, but only one way to restore it. The best solution was to replenish the Spiritual Power directly.

"No," Xiao Xian said upon hearing his words, unable to sit still any longer, "I can solve it on my own."

She and Zhou Ziang were neither relatives nor friends; there was no reason for him to exert himself. Zhu Shijun’s teachings to her were clear: repay even a small kindness profoundly. Last time, she had ended up owing him.