In the Xin Xia Federation, among its 29 grand Heroic Cities, Starlight City ranked in the upper-middle tier.
The entire city was divided into the Upper and Lower City Districts. South Cross Street, located in the Upper City District, served as the border with the Lower City District, making it arguably the liveliest place in all of Starlight City.
The Guardian Beast Shop named "Evolution," where Zhong Yi was, enjoyed excellent business despite being located at the very end of South Cross Street.
However, neither Zhong Chenghuai nor Zhong Ling had the heart to manage the shop's business. All their attention was focused on the young man lying in bed.
"Uncle Huai, the Healer who came earlier said the Young Master would wake up after a few hours of rest. It's already the second day, and there's still no sign of him waking up. Should I go find another Healer to take a look?"
As she spoke, Zhong Ling's eyes were brimming with tears. She was still tightly clutching Zhong Yi's Six-Fold Communication Device in her hand.
Even after a whole night, it was clear she still harbored a grudge against the netizen who had posted that thread.
Zhong Chenghuai's hair was already white with age. After a sleepless night spent watching over the bed, he looked as if he had aged five years since yesterday.
"The Young Master hasn't activated his Soul Base. Not only has he not awakened a Lifebound Guardian Beast, he hasn't even formed a Contract with any other Guardian Beast. His physical condition makes it difficult for him to withstand a second treatment."
As citizens residing in Starlight City's Upper City District, they were entitled to three treatments per year.
But because Guardian Beast Masters with an affinity for Healing Element Guardian Beasts were relatively rare, medical care was an extremely scarce resource.
Even if Zhong Ling applied again using their medical eligibility, the Starlight City medical center would only dispatch a doctor who had a Contract with a Poison-removing Green Butterfly.
The medical bureau wouldn't waste high-level medical resources on a patient bitten by a Mortal Beast Level Ghost Shadow Thorn Spider.
Both he and Zhong Ling had been brought from the Lower City District to the Upper City District by Zhong Yi's parents to be their servants. After the accident that claimed his parents' lives, the two of them became Zhong Yi's Servants.
Servants brought from the Lower City District were not considered residents of the Upper City District. This meant that even if they had the money, they couldn't hire a Healer from the medical center who had a Contract with an Extraordinary Level Healing-type Guardian Beast.
"We'll wait one more hour. If the Young Master still hasn't woken up, I'll go to the Lower City District and find an Extraordinary Tier Healer."
Hearing this, Zhong Ling subconsciously glanced at Zhong Chenghuai's left leg. Even though it was covered by his trousers, the image of a damaged Beast Pattern surfaced in her mind.
The Lower City District was fraught with danger and often haunted by the Bizarre. A Guardian Beast Master like Zhong Chenghuai, whose Lifebound Guardian Beast's Origin was damaged, was the Bizarre's favorite kind of food.
Before Zhong Ling could even say, "Uncle Huai, I'll go to the Lower City District to find a Healer for the Young Master," the young man on the bed opened his eyes.
Zhong Yi had been able to hear Zhong Chenghuai and Zhong Ling's conversation all along, and he could also sense their emotions.
He knew perfectly well how worried they had been about him for the past dozen or so hours.
The transmigrated Zhong Yi had completely merged with the boy from this world who was also named Zhong Yi. Having received his memories, Zhong Yi had no doubt about the loyalty of the old man and the young girl.
Their relationship was less like that of a master and his Servants, and more like family.
After Zhong Yi's parents died, the two of them had been the ones taking care of him and doing their utmost to support this Guardian Beast Shop named "Evolution."
After waking up, Zhong Yi's soul had been nourished by the Soul-Controlling Flower, leaving his mind feeling refreshed and clear, but his body was extremely weak.
The Soul-Controlling Flower in Zhong Yi's soul had barely bloomed and was in a state of extreme craving for Energy.
If he didn't provide Energy for the Soul-Controlling Flower, it would enter a state of dormancy.
Zhong Yi pushed himself up with his hands, sitting upright on the bed. His movement immediately caught the attention of the old man and the young girl standing guard by his side.
"Young Master, you're finally awake!"
"Waaah, Young Master... *hic*... Waaah..."
Seeing Zhong Yi awake, the deep frown on Zhong Chenghuai's face relaxed, replaced by a look of pleasant surprise.
Zhong Ling, on the other hand, burst into tears, her sobs soon punctuated by hiccups.
It was hard to tell if it was the sudden release of pent-up tension or simply tears of joy.
While crying, Zhong Ling poured Zhong Yi a glass of water. Just 14 years old, she was about to lift the glass to Zhong Yi's lips as she usually did.
But Zhong Yi took the glass from her directly, drank half of it, and gave a weak smile.
"Uncle Huai, Xiaolingdang, I'm sorry to have worried you."
Hearing Zhong Yi speak, both Zhong Chenghuai and Zhong Ling looked momentarily stunned.
Ever since that accident, while Zhong Yi could move on his own, a brain injury had left him silent. It was unclear whether he was just unwilling to talk or had lost the ability to speak. He hadn't said a single word to Zhong Chenghuai or Zhong Ling, and there was virtually no emotional interaction.
After the initial shock, even Zhong Chenghuai couldn't help his eyes from welling up with tears.
"Young Master, you've finally recovered!"
Zhong Yi nodded and said with conviction.
"That's right. I've recovered!"
"Uncle Huai, Xiaolingdang, you've both worked hard all these years."
At this, Zhong Yi paused for a moment before continuing.
"Uncle Huai, I need you to prepare some fresh Mortal Beast corpses for me."
Zhong Chenghuai was extremely surprised by the request, having no idea what Zhong Yi needed Mortal Beast corpses for.
Occasionally, when a Guardian Beast in the shop died, Zhong Chenghuai and Zhong Ling would freeze the body in cold storage and then take it to the market to sell.
These corpses would be processed and made into feed for various types of Guardian Beasts.
Normally, unless a Guardian Beast Master came from an exceptionally wealthy family, they would rarely feed Guardian Beast Remains directly to their contracted Guardian Beasts.
Although he didn't know what Zhong Yi was planning, Zhong Chenghuai immediately said.
"Young Master, what kind of Mortal Beast Remains do you need? I can purchase them for you."
Zhong Yi thought for a moment before replying.
"You don't need to be picky about the type, but make sure they're fresh. Buy as many Mortal Beast Remains as you can."
The Soul-Controlling Flower needed to absorb Life Energy and Soul Energy. Life Energy primarily came from flesh and blood.
If the soul of a Guardian Beast wasn't extracted by special means after its death, a portion of it would remain in the body.
Zhong Yi had asked Zhong Chenghuai to buy a large quantity of Mortal Beast Remains without being picky about the type because he wanted to test the Soul-Controlling Flower's palate.
Although the current Zhong Yi had no real power, as the inheritor of this Guardian Beast Shop at the South Cross Street Intersection, he was actually quite wealthy.
Over the past few years, Zhong Chenghuai and Zhong Ling's conservative management of the Guardian Beast Shop had amassed a great fortune, more than enough for Zhong Yi to use and even squander.
In the upcoming process of feeding the Soul-Controlling Flower, Zhong Yi also needed to figure out the relationship between himself and the flower.
It was the seed of the Soul-Controlling Flower that had brought him to this world. Judging from the emotions the flower was showing him, their relationship wasn't a Contractual Relationship, but it also wasn't as simple as symbiosis.
Instead, a bond had formed that was almost like a fanatical and paranoid kinship.
This relationship made the bond between Zhong Yi and the Soul-Controlling Flower even closer than a Contractual Relationship!