Chapter 575: I Happen to Need Your Help

"Relax, I think only I and it can sense it. How did you do it? Did you develop this ability while training to perceive emotions? Quick, tell me—we don't have much time."

Ju Wuying pressed further, glancing at a battered cellphone in her hand.

Zhang Su spotted the countdown on the phone—it had just over two minutes left, likely set to five minutes when they started talking; damn, this girl really sticks to her principles.

"What's the rush… You're right—I've been using your method to train my emotional perception, and then… after a fierce battle, it suddenly clicked. I can now perceive others' emotions and even infect them with my own—but my perception's still a bit off, occasionally inaccurate."

Zhang Su mixed in his confusion with a mix of truth and fiction, while crouching down to brush the Corgi's fur—silky, smooth, and delightfully soft to the touch.

Ju Wuying listened intently, her clear eyes locked on Zhang Su's, and after a moment of thought, she said seriously, "Throughout the history of the Ju clan, there's never been a recorded case of such an ability. I can only say—you're a genius born of heaven."

"Even geniuses have their troubles…" Zhang Su accepted her sincere praise with obvious satisfaction, smirking, "Tell me…."

Beep-beep, beep-beep.

Ju Wuying turned off the countdown and shrugged awkwardly, "Time's up. I've held you up—hurry to the lab."

"To hell with that! You're done asking, but I haven't even asked my questions yet!" Zhang Su leaned against the tree, pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and added, "There's something bothering me—think about it with me."

"You're wondering how to control the fact that your emotions unintentionally affect those around you, right?"

Ju Wuying said calmly.

Zhang Su choked on his smoke, holding it in his lungs for two full seconds before exhaling—thankfully, his mental resilience had improved, or he'd have been coughing violently just then.

"You really only perceive others' emotions and nothing else?"

In that instant, Zhang Su wondered if she truly had mind-reading abilities—how else could she know his exact dilemma? This was insane!

Ju Wuying shook her head, a faint smile tugging at her lips: "That's a logical inference based on your ability. If I were you, I'd be equally troubled."

"Exactly—I'm feeling frustrated right now. I have to constantly suppress my emotions; it feels so unnatural."

Zhang Su sighed helplessly—sometimes, abilities are burdens too.

Ju Wuying nodded. Earlier, when she first met Zhang Su, she'd always sensed something off about him—his emotional responses seemed dull. Back then, she hadn't understood why, but now it all made perfect sense.

"How do you want to control it? Want to try drinking? Alcohol can numb the soul."

Ju Wuying pulled out a flask from her shoulder bag and handed it to Zhang Su.

Zhang Su shook his head, pushing the flask back, smiling: "If I'm numb, how can I even function? I want to ask—do you think my emotions infecting others might work through some mechanism? No, let me rephrase…."

"Hmm… What do you think is the pathway, the medium—yes, the medium—or more directly, what part of the body could possibly serve as the emotional emission source?"

After a long, tangled explanation, he finally articulated his question clearly.

"Emotions… transmission… medium… emission source…"

Ju Wuying opened the flask, took several hearty swigs, capped it, and put it back in her bag—then suddenly her eyes lit up as she pointed to her own.

"Eyes!"

"Eyes?"

"Yes! I believe the gaze most clearly reveals inner emotions and thereby influences those nearby—think about it, isn't that true?"

Ju Wuying's eyes sparkled. Zhang Su stared at her intently and slowly nodded: "Mm, I can feel how confident you are in your judgment. Indeed, the eyes are the windows to the soul. If that's the case…"

Thinking of this, Zhang Su tightly closed his eyes and said, "Go ahead—feel it."

He then summoned intense emotions within himself, striving to feel excited and energized. After four or five seconds, he asked with his eyes still shut, "How's it going?"

"Good news—you're no longer emitting anything."

"Really?"

Zhang Su abruptly opened his eyes, his face glowing with uncontainable joy—he'd found the real switch!

"Now I'm emitting again!"

Ju Wuying's face twitched slightly, clearly struggling to resist Zhang Su's overwhelming emotional surge.

"What about this?"

Zhang Su raised his hands to cover his eyes, but kept them open: "How's that?"

"The impact is weakening…" After two or three seconds, Ju Wuying said, "Gone. Completely gone."

"Hahaha!"

"Wang!"

Zhang Su burst into laughter, and beside him, the Corgi, sensing his joy, barked happily too.

So the organ transmitting emotions was the eyes—and blocking visual contact with the outside world shut off the emission source. Now that he knew this, things were much easier.

Without Ju Wuying's help, Zhang Su might have eventually figured it out himself—but until then, he'd have been tormented, possibly causing unnecessary trouble! "Got any sunglasses? Get me a pair to test!"

Zhang Su extended his hand—if sunglasses could suppress his ability, it would be perfect.

"Why would I have something like that?" Ju Wuying spread her hands, then pulled a strip of black cloth from her small waist pouch: "How about this?"

Zhang Su stared at the three-foot-long black cloth, his mouth twitching in disbelief: "Why the hell do you carry this around?"

"To train my perception," Ju Wuying replied, tying the cloth over her eyes as she demonstrated: "It's even more effective than closing them."

"Ah… I see…" Zhang Su awkwardly rubbed his nose—he'd completely misunderstood. Then he added, "This won't work for me—I'll check the storage later; there must be sunglasses there! Hey, you've solved a huge problem for me—thanks! I don't even know what to give you as a reward."

Ju Wuying was already a unique figure in the camp—second only in combat strength, living in a big house, with unrestricted access to alcohol—she already had more privileges than most.

"Actually, I do have something I need help with…"

"Huh?" Zhang Su blinked—he'd just been being polite, never expecting her to actually have a request. But since she'd helped him so much, he grew serious: "What is it? Say it. As long as it's not too much, I'll handle it."

Ju Wuying glanced at the time—perhaps feeling she'd already delayed him too long—she didn't hesitate, pulling a folded A4 sheet from her bag and handing it to Zhang Su.

"What's this?"

Zhang Su felt a flicker of curiosity, silently hoping it wasn't some love confession—that would've been awkward. He unfolded it, relaxed instantly: it depicted a stunningly detailed samurai sword, with the Chinese characters "Ju Yihe" signed beside it.

(End of Chapter)