Chapter 352: A Dream, Leaving No Trace

"Trial Project settlement:..., Experience Points +9000."

"... You'er, you aren't young anymore, yet you're still all alone. Mother is worried for you. Without a woman by your side to care for your warmth and cold, to mend your clothes and wash them, to serve you tea and meals, it's just too lonely."

"No one knows, do they? You are Du Yan Lu Zhigang. Zhou You, you hide yourself so deeply..."

"City Gate Guard, death before surrender, sworn to sweep away all evil spirits in the world, to guard the empire for the superiors."

"Come to Fucheng another day, I'll be the host, you be the guest!"

"A mere ant, yet you dare to look at me!"

Zhou You felt like he was running a fever—that was right, a fever—burning until his brain was muddled and his limbs were limp.

His throat felt as if he had swallowed burning charcoal, or perhaps swallowed razor blades; it was dry, scorching, stinging, his esophagus split into seven or eight pieces.

Ever since he began practicing martial arts, he rarely fell ill. This was definitely not a cold or flu, but the influence brought by the Curse of Fire.

He could consider himself lucky; after being weakened by the small tripod, the destructive power of the Curse of Fire that had latched onto his body was reduced by ninety percent.

If it had been the original power, with Zhou You's Primary Martial Master physique, even with a few trump cards, he would not have escaped the doom of the high temperature attacking his body, being steamed until his skin and flesh were thoroughly cooked.

The weakened Curse of Fire was still quite fierce when targeting the fragile parts of his body.

"Hoo, hoo, hoo!"

Without realizing it, Zhou You had already drunk dry two streams and was currently lying by a pool in the jungle, gulping down water.

Smoke billowed from the top of his head, and the water he drank quickly seeped out of his pores; the heat it carried away was a mere drop in the bucket.

He wiped his eyes, and the water vapor condensed from the mist vanished, but his vision remained blurred.

The only thing he could see was the interface; he was already 1000 meters away from the caravan, so even if the Curse of Fire erupted, it would not endanger his parents and companions.

"Could it be that only by using Zang can I avoid the doom of the Curse of Fire?"

Zhou You thought it over and over, but none of his trump cards were effective. The Curse of Fire was released by a dying Great Martial-level Great Potential Charm, and it was the most vicious curse and revenge against an enemy.

With his current realm, he was not yet capable of extracting the Curse of Fire from his body.

However, Zang was no small matter; the price paid before using it was an unknown, and the consequences were hard to estimate.

He sighed softly, shook his head, raised his hand, and extended a finger to tap his forehead.

Water vapor condensed, the temperature plummeted, and frost covered his head and cheeks; the bone-piercing cold slightly lowered the high temperature brought by the Curse of Fire.

The Ice Marrow Finger, which was enough to freeze stones until they cracked, could only provide temporary relief; as time passed, the temperature continued to rise.

"It must be forty or fifty degrees now. A Martial Master's body really isn't human. If it were an ordinary person, burning like this, they would have died long ago!"

Zhou You sighed endlessly. In a daze, he encountered a wave of refugees with eyes reddened by hunger; seeing his weak body, they actually attempted to take him down to eat his flesh.

A moment later...

The ground was littered with corpses, covered in sunken fist marks, emitting a charred scent; the wounds were already cooked through.

Zhou You touched his forehead; the temperature was even higher. The Ice Marrow Finger was like drinking poison to quench thirst; every time he suppressed the Curse of Fire, it would surge and erupt again afterward, his body temperature rising degree by degree.

"Sigh!"

Zhou You exhaled, the air current boiling and clumping together, flying more than ten meters away. An unlucky bird was caught in it, and when it landed, its feathers were gone, and the entire bird was cooked.

He felt his backside getting hot; it turned out that because he had been sitting for too long, the heat could not dissipate, and it had actually ignited the turf beneath him.

He sighed, hoping not to set this forest on fire, and decided to go elsewhere to find a water source to continue cooling down!

He stumbled out of the jungle.

His eyelids were as heavy as lead, yet he saw a figure slowly approaching.

Alertness rose in Zhou You's heart. This was his most vulnerable moment; only being alone was safe. If he encountered anyone else with ulterior motives, he would inevitably be in danger.

"Master Zhou, why are you here?"

A familiar female voice rang out. Zhou You's vision brightened briefly, and he recognized the visitor as Bao Shuixian. He felt an inexplicable sense of relief and sat on the ground panting, "It's nothing, you go first. I have some issues here, don't let me accidentally hurt you."

Once he sat down, the last bit of strength he was barely holding onto dissipated, and he could no longer stand up.

"Perhaps I can help!"

Bao Shuixian spoke, but it broke Zhou You out in a cold sweat, "The Curse of Fire, you are not lightly injured!"

How did she know about the Curse of Fire! Zhou You broke out in a cold sweat, his mind becoming clear. How did Bao Shuixian appear here all alone, and why did she happen to encounter him just when he was at his weakest?

"Come here!"

Zhou You gathered his breath, brewing the strength for a counterattack to protect himself.

Bao Shuixian was very obedient, walking to Zhou You's side and reaching out to support his arm.

The next moment, Zhou You suddenly exerted force, twisting his arm in the opposite direction to lock Bao Shuixian's arms, lifting his leg to pin her slender waist, using all his remaining strength to suppress her beneath him.

"Speak, what is your evil intent?"

Bao Shuixian was slightly startled and explained gently, "Master Zhou, I have no malice. Only I can undo your Curse of Fire."

She smiled helplessly, "You can continue to pin me down; I will not resist."

This posture was truly somewhat intimate; their limbs were intertwined, their chests and abdomens pressed close, at a dangerous zero distance on the verge of sparking a fire.

Zhou You exhaled, letting it be; he had no strength left anyway.

A wave of high heat surged to his head, his limbs went limp, and he completely slid to the ground, becoming a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

"Master Zhou, in this world, only I will not harm you."

Bao Shuixian's gaze grew increasingly tender, so tender it seemed as if it could drip water; her tone was like a murmur, like dream-talk.

Muttering to herself, she said, "When we met again, you were already a Martial Master; this talent is truly rare."

"If you weren't entangled by the Curse of Fire, I wouldn't have had the chance to borrow your seed."

"The Human Seed Sect excels at Yin-Yang Harmony and nurturing the powerful. This method of mine to neutralize the Curse of Fire will allow both you and me to get what we wish."

"Please remember, I am no loose woman, and you are no ant!"

Zhou You only felt that she had been talking the whole time, but he could not hear what she was saying clearly; his whole body was unbearably hot.

At the moment when he was uncomfortable to the extreme, he suddenly plunged into a mysterious realm, his whole body feeling refreshed; the heat that had filled his body and was nearing the point of explosion was suddenly and completely vented in an instant.

It was truly like a dream, as happy as an immortal.

When he woke up, it really seemed as if he had had a dream; the surroundings were empty, without another soul in sight.

Zhou You took a breath and looked at his own body; he was fresh and clean, as if he had just finished bathing.

A sense of loss suddenly rose in his heart, as if he had lost something, yet also as if he had lost nothing at all.

Suddenly, he slapped his forehead; no wonder it felt unusual, the Grudge Fire was gone.

The Grudge Fire that had plagued him had been pulled out by the roots, with not a trace remaining in his body, and his physical and mental state had returned to normal.

Perhaps because the contrast between before and after was too intense, Zhou You felt that his current state was even better than before he had been afflicted, with a vibrant vitality hidden within his body that was indescribably wonderful.

He sat where he was, pondered with a solemn expression for a moment, then got up and left to catch up with the family caravan.

Two or three miles away from him.

"."

Bao Shuixian clutched her lower abdomen, her eyes full of tenderness and expectations for the future.

Beside her, Bao Tiefeng was expressionless, "Gongliang City has fallen; next, we go to Wanxiu Mountain to seek refuge with your brother."

The father and daughter rested for a moment before setting off on their journey once again.

(End of this chapter)