"I had no idea that fight was so dangerous... It's all my fault. I was too careless and just held you back."
Shao Qiming still blamed himself, occasionally glancing at Su Zhou's left hand, which had been empty then but was now perfectly intact. But Su Zhou was unconcerned. "It wouldn't have mattered even if you were careful. It was my fault for being a little dazed. I didn't snap out of it and act immediately. Otherwise, that car would have never even made it into the woods. Both of them would have died right there on the road."
"Alright, that's pretty much the gist of what happened in Shan Country. Now, I have something very important to tell you."
"I'm listening."
Shao Qiming had always been a good listener, both as a student and a friend. Su Zhou chose his words carefully for a moment before saying bluntly, "Qiming, your frailty isn't something you were born with. It comes from someone else's Curse."
"That pneumonia you had as a child wasn't your fault at all. It was caused by someone who summoned a Resentful Soul to possess and Curse you."
Shao Qiming didn't quite process it when he first heard this. It was only after Su Zhou calmly repeated himself that he narrowed his eyes slightly and set down the paper in his hand.
"You're saying the pneumonia I had as a child wasn't because I was born frail, and those Dark Shadows weren't coming to reap my soul because they saw I was dying. They *are* the reason I've been sick, and the effects are still lingering even now, right?"
Shao Qiming's voice was calm. He showed no signs of anger, simply exhaling and saying faintly, "So that's how it is. It's not entirely implausible."
After saying this, he tilted his head back, leaning against his chair and staring silently at the white ceiling.
'Frailty. The affliction that had plagued him for half his life. No matter what he did or wanted to do, this fragile body was always the obstacle in his path—his greatest and most desperate trial.'
'He couldn't eat too much. Exercising could make him faint. There were countless drinks he couldn't have, and he was always on medication. Even prolonged mental exertion was too much for his body to handle. The slightest change in the weather left him struggling to breathe, his movements restricted. It felt like he was practically housebound all year round.'
'He had lived this way for nearly ten years.'
'He had often wondered why. He'd considered reasons that shifted the blame, like his parents' genetics, and he'd also entertained self-recriminating thoughts, like not having taken care of his body as a child. He'd thought about it all, blamed himself for it all, but none of the answers mattered. His body was just that bad, as if it were some cosmic joke.'
'And he had almost come to accept it.'
'But now! Someone—his own best friend—was telling him!'
'None of this was his fault, or his parents' fault... It was all because of a 'Curse.' A Curse from an outsider.'
"Tch." Staring at the ceiling, Shao Qiming let out a soft laugh. "This world is pretty interesting, isn't it?"
Su Zhou had no intention of keeping his friend in suspense. He waited for him to calm down a little before continuing, "It's not just you. Aunt Wen's muscle atrophy was caused by the same kind of Resentful Soul. And the quantity... it's horrifying. At least, far more horrifying than what's affecting you."
"SNAP!"
This time, Shao Qiming couldn't remain calm. He subconsciously snapped the pencil in his hand, hissing through gritted teeth, "What?!"
Su Zhou didn't reply. After several deep breaths, Shao Qiming's agitation gradually subsided. He met his friend's gaze, his fist clenching and unclenching, before finally exhaling and asking grimly, "I believe you. How do we fix this?"
"It's actually not that difficult. Here, feel for yourself."
Su Zhou wasn't one to beat around the bush. He took out a small bag containing a few wood slivers and pressed it directly against Shao Qiming's chest. In that instant, a flash of supremely pure and holy light shone. Shao Qiming's lungs, which had always felt as if something was weighing them down and making it difficult to breathe, suddenly felt clear.
A cleansing breeze stirred.
In that single, simple instant, everything changed.
'How could he describe it? It felt as if his entire body had been submerged in icy water, the oppressive cold a constant companion, day in and day out. He'd even grown used to it.'
'But in a flash, a warmth like sunlight coursed through his veins, making Shao Qiming shiver involuntarily. With that shudder, the pervasive, gloomy chill scattered, coalescing behind him into a bleak, gray cloud of misery that was visible only to those with Spiritual Vision.'
'He could faintly hear wailing, smell the stench of blood, and feel something frigid recede from deep within him... It was like being born anew.'
"This 'Holy Artifact' can disperse the sinister energy and stop the Curse from worsening."
At this moment, the edges of Su Zhou's pupils shimmered with a violet-blue Spiritual Light, as deep as the Abyss. He had already confirmed that the sinister energy pooled inside Shao Qiming's body had been completely cleared away. All that remained was the black origin point, the Source, still stubbornly hidden deep within his flesh and blood. He closed his eyes, then opened them again, ending his Spiritual Vision. "But if we want to completely Purify your Curse and restore you and Aunt Wen to normal health, I'll need to successfully undergo Spirit Awakening and become an 'Awakener.'"
"Of course, Aunt Wen's case is a bit more troublesome. But it's not that hard, really. We just need to find a chance to get Aunt Wen to wear a piece of jewelry made from a Holy Artifact and enchanted with an Orbit. Once she's wearing it, forget about the Curse of an Evil Spirit—it would suppress and Purify even a Great Demon."
"It really works!" Still dazed and struggling to keep up with the rapid pace of events, Shao Qiming subconsciously took the wood slivers Su Zhou offered. He took a few experimental deep breaths. Sure enough, the grim, painful sensation he was used to wasn't there.
"This... this feeling..."
This was enough to make the normally calm young man's eyes instantly redden. His heart was a whirlwind of joy, grief, anger, and resignation—gratitude toward Su Zhou, hatred for the one who cast the Curse, a host of incredibly complex emotions brewing within him. It was an overwhelming mix that left him speechless.
After a long moment, Shao Qiming, having gradually calmed down, looked up. He carefully placed the seemingly unremarkable wood shavings into an inner pocket. Then, he looked at Su Zhou, his gaze so bright and intense it seemed it could start a fire. "Tell me, Azhou. What do you need to do to achieve Spirit Awakening?"
"I could actually do it right now."
Su Zhou was always direct and didn't hide anything. "However, if I want to achieve a 'Perfection' level advancement, I'll need a lot of money to buy materials. Things like Silver, Gold, Mercury, and some Gemstones... It's going to take a fair bit of cash."
"Was that from the 'existence' that's helping you...? How much money?"
Understanding his friend's implication immediately, Shao Qiming acted with the efficiency of a computer program. The instant Su Zhou finished speaking, he had his phone out and was logging into his online bank. "If money can solve it, it's not a real problem. And between us, do we really need to worry about this? Cut the crap."
"Two hundred..."
Su Zhou had originally intended to just give a base price, but then it occurred to him that he didn't really have any connections. If he tried to buy everything himself, the price might be inflated. He hesitated. "No... three hundred thousand?"
"I'll just transfer you five hundred thousand, then—on second thought, no."
Shao Qiming had been about to transfer the money without another thought. 'The adult eldest son of an incredibly wealthy merchant family, a top student at the provincial level who never caused any trouble... you think he wouldn't have that kind of pocket change?'
But then he considered that Su Zhou probably didn't have the right channels to acquire these things. He shook his head and put his phone down. "Just tell me the quantities of the materials you need. I'll get them ready for you. Let me know when you need them, and I'll have them sent over directly. From now on, I'll take care of any and all materials you need."
"Hey, that's fantastic!" Su Zhou was overjoyed. 'Given his personality, this was a difficult topic for him to bring up. Who would have thought his friend would just offer to cover everything?' "Thank you for your generous sponsorship, Lord Tycoon!"
'Is this what it feels like to be a sugar baby? Pfft, how can you call it that between bros? This is the helping hand of friendship!'
"Don't thank me, Azhou." Shao Qiming placed his broken pencil and phone on the table beside him and smiled. "I'm helping myself, too."
The smile was as brilliant as gold.
And just like that, it was settled.