Chapter 526: Seen A Ghost
It might be due to the shock from the way Meng Chao had killed the three former Reaper Squad members instantly, due to how he had earned the villagers’ trust by risking his heart when he helped them save the pregnant lady, or it might be due to how the situation had already far surpa.s.sed what the villagers understood and could handle, so they did not reject Meng Chao’s suggestion. Instead, they just looked at Ms. Mulian with uncertainty.
“We’ll listen to him.” Su Mulian made a snap decision. “Right now, the village is in trouble. Everyone, hurry up and look for a place to hide. Trust me. We’ll be fine.”
“That’s right. We should spread out and help Ms. Mulian lure those pursuers away!”
“Those people aren’t good people. They’re definitely here for Ms. Mulian. We’ll take Ms. Mulian’s flag and run away so that they won’t be able to find her!”
Someone finally understood the situation.
The people bowed deeply to Su Mulian and helped the injured up before they disappeared into the black smoke.
Su Mulian was just about to speak when Meng Chao held her wrist.
“Let’s go. Those people won’t be confused by the villagers for long. They will definitely catch up to us. You don’t have to worry about the villagers’ safety.” As Meng Chao spoke, he cast a glance at A’Ji, who came out of the black smoke. “Did you find the underground tunnel?”
When he was saving the pregnant lady, A’Ji did not stand by and do nothing. He went off to search for a path that would allow them to escape underground.
A’Ji had boasted that since he was born and bred in Leprosy Village, he knew all the underground shelters, sewers, secret resource transportation channels, ventilation pipes, and everything else in Leprosy Village.
Even though they could not guarantee that the enemies would not be able to catch up to them, at the very least, if they fought in the dark, cramped, and complicated underground maze, it would minimize the enemy’s advantage of numbers.
With A’Ji leading the way, Meng Chao grabbed Su Mulian and opened a manhole cover before he went inside.
He used three hand grenades to set up a trap in a corner under the manhole cover.
Then, they started running at full speed. They ran through the twists and turns in the black maze for half an hour before they stopped at an abandoned underground waste treatment center.
They did not hear anyone chasing after them.
Based on A’Ji’s words, there were three forks ahead, and they could use them to escape at any moment.
Meng Chao relaxed; he could no longer suppress his wounds.
The progress of the Middle Stage Healing Skills was stuck at 55%. More than ten minutes had pa.s.sed since it was first stuck, and it did not go up by even one percent.
Every time he breathed, the wound on his chest seemed to become bigger, and blood poured out in streams. It was as if his wound was a dam, and his blood was about to charge out of it like a flood.
He grunted and fell forward.
He first knelt down on one knee before he fell limp. His burning cheeks touched the cold floor. Even though the coa.r.s.e gravel tore b.l.o.o.d.y gashes on his skin, his sense of pain was very weak. It slowly left his shattered body together with his other senses.
“Uncle!”
A’Ji ran to him with wide eyes.
When the boy saw the terrifying wound on Meng Chao’s chest clearly and could even see Meng Chao’s beating heart through a layer of flesh so thin that it was like a cicada’s wings, he cried out in shock.
“M-Ms. Mulian, please save him!” A’Ji pleaded. “Uncle might be from the outside world, but he’s a good person... Alright, he’s not a completely good person, but he won’t do bad things to our village! I think!”
Su Mulian looked over and knelt down beside Meng Chao to observe his wounds seriously.
Then, she placed her hands on Meng Chao’s mangled chest. Her jade-green eyes shone with a green light that was as gentle as a spring breeze.
She murmured a nursery rhyme that no one understood, but somehow, Meng Chao found it familiar.
Ripples spread out of her vitality magnetic field.
After the green light melted away like ice, it turned into warm springwater and flowed into Meng Chao’s heart.
Once more, he sensed surging vitality gush out of every one of his cells.
The powerful healing was just like the first time he spent contribution points in exchange for healing. It brought him great comfort and stimulation.
It was as if all his blood vessels, nerves, and spirit meridians had turned into plants growing in spring.
The roots surrounded his organs and continued pumping spirit energy into them, which filled them with life.
The “shoots” rapidly grew and became entangled with each other in the depths of his wound, and soon, they completely surrounded his heart.
Meng Chao blinked, unable to believe what he saw.
He noticed that scabs had already formed on his wound!
“This is... amazing...”
Earlier, he had watched it from the side, but this time he experienced it personally, and even if Meng Chao had the memories from his previous life and had witnessed countless mysterious powers in the Other World, he was still shocked by Su Mulian’s healing skills.
‘This doesn’t make sense. How could there be a healing ability that’s even stronger than the healing provided by Kindling?’
However, while the fatal wound on his chest started healing, Su Mulian became weaker and in a lot of pain.
Her brows creased tightly, and her eyelashes fluttered a little. She bit her lips gently, and cold sweat drenched her cloak. It seemed like she was using all her strength to suppress the great pain.
Besides, with the sharp senses of a Heaven Realm superhuman, Meng Chao sensed a ripple that was interfering with the circulation of his vitality magnetic field flowing from his body into Su Mulian’s vitality magnetic field.
‘That’s right. This also happened when she healed the pregnant lady.
‘As the pregnant lady was rescued from the throes of death, Su Mulian looked to have suffered a fatal blow.’
Meng Chao’s mind raced, and he thought of an unbelievable possibility. He asked in shock, “Y-You can transfer other people’s injuries into your own body?”
Su Mulian was slightly stunned.
It seemed like she did not expect that the secret she had been hiding for more than ten years would be found by an outsider she had never met before.
She did not know how to answer him, so she only lowered her head and continued to quietly heal Meng Chao’s wound.
Or rather, she was transferring his injury to her own body.
A’Ji was a smart boy, and he was adept in observing expressions, so he guessed what was going on. He was just as shocked as Meng Chao and stuttered, “Ms. Mulian, a-are you bearing Uncle’s injuries for him? Could it be that your healing ability is actually a skill for you to transfer wounds? You healed so many people in the past. Did you transfer all their injuries to your own body?”
“It’s not as over the top as you think it is.”
When she saw their intense and sharp gazes, Su Mulian’s seemingly merciful and aloof sh.e.l.l finally cracked. She shook her head slightly and explained, “I have indeed awakened to healing-related abilities and learned some medical skills. I don’t need to transfer injuries when it comes to normal illnesses or injuries. It’s only when the injury is especially bad or when we’re in an urgent situation that I will occasionally use my second ability.”
“But Uncle’s chest wound looks scary!” A’Ji’s eyes turned red, and he spoke anxiously. “The pregnant lady just now also had a fatal wound, right? You transferred all of these severe wounds to yourself! How could you stand it, Ms. Mulian?!”
“It’s fine. My physical const.i.tution is better than that of a normal person, and my regeneration ability is dozens of times better than that of a normal person.”
Su Mulian’s face was pale, but she continued smiling and speaking nonchalantly. “To normal people, certain ailments might be severe wounds or terminal ailments, but I just need to rest for a little while to get better.”
“...”
Meng Chao and A’Ji looked at each other, and they saw the deep puzzlement and shock in each other’s eyes.
They just thought that Ms. Mulian was a doctor with great medical skills or had inborn healing abilities.
They did not expect that she was a little living Buddha born to save those who were suffering.
Even though she said that she only occasionally used this ability, most of the villagers in Leprosy Village were born with all sorts of congenital diseases or various mutations. The pain they had to bear in their daily lives was much greater than what the people outside had to suffer.
And Su Mulian transferred the pain of many villagers into her own body.
Meng Chao could not understand her mindset, but it did not stop him from becoming respectful.
His resolution to do everything he could to protect Leprosy Village and not let the Vortex destroy the place became stronger.
“Ms. Mulian, you also healed my wounds before... I-I’m A’Ji, do you remember me?” Murky tears started welling up in A’Ji’s eyes, which were shining with a silver light. “I was working with Boss Feng, and he crushed the bones in my hands and fingers before he sent me to you to treat them. D-Did you transfer the pain of my crushed bones into your body? Was that why it felt so comfortable?
“But why? You didn’t know me. You can’t even remember me right now. Why did you do that at that time?”
Su Mulian opened her mouth, but she did not know how to explain it.
There were plenty of things that she did because she sincerely wanted to do it. They were difficult for her to explain with just a few words.
Su Mullian stared at the boy’s teary gaze and thought about it for a long time before she decided to explain things to him. “The people living in our village have unique mutations and abilities.
“Some people said that mutation is a curse the G.o.ds gave us. Then, are abilities that are different from everyone else’s blessings given to us from the G.o.ds?
“Be it curses or blessings, deformities, mutations, and supernatural abilities are all things that we’re born with. They intersect together and form our fates. We can’t be separated from them.
“If that’s the case, instead of grumbling about this to the G.o.ds and hating our appearances and fates, it’s better to do everything we can to bring out the fullest of our abnormal abilities. Perhaps that is our real fate.
“The G.o.ds gave me the ability to save people, so I will save them. That’s all.”
A’Ji wanted to grab Su Mulian’s hand, because they were trembling in pain, but he was also ashamed of his own ugly appearance. “Ms. Mulian, a-aren’t you... in pain?” he asked in a quivering voice.
“I’m okay.” Su Mulian smiled softly. “Let me tell you a secret, A’Ji. There is a limit to pain. You’ll be fine once you get used to it.”
When Meng Chao heard this, he could not bear letting this girl continue treating him.
In any case, he was already almost fully recovered, so he decided to lift Su Mulian’s wrist and push himself up.
“You’re not completely healed yet!” Su Mulian cried out.
“It’s fine. My regeneration abilities are also much better than those of the average person. Let me handle the rest!”
Meng Chao grinned and looked at the bottom corner of his vision. The golden flames had intersected with each other to form the progress bar for the Middle Stage Healing Skill.
After being healed by Su Mulian, his body was filled with surging vitality, and his healing progress was instantly pushed above 90%.
He felt refreshed and comfortable. Even if five b.l.o.o.d.y Slaughter Gao Yangs came at him, he could kill them with one slash.
He rubbed his face with his hands, and the blood, grime, gashes, and swollenness went away.
He poured some medical gel on his palms and wiped off the mud crust, blood, and stains on his face, and it returned to normal.
He swung his fists and heaved a long sigh.
He thanked Su Mulian sincerely.
A’Ji could now see Meng Chao’s true appearance, and he could not help but cry out in surprise. “Huh, Uncle, you’re actually this young?
“Wait... You look really familiar. Are you that... that person... that one from Monster University?”
Su Mulian was naturally able to see Meng Chao’s face.
Her eyes went wide, and she screamed as if she had seen a ghost and moved instinctively backwards.