Chapter 795: Sudden Awakening (2/2, Requesting Subscriptions)

Jing Yan let out a shriek, his mouth gaping wide.

His face was twisted in terrified panic, yet he dared not move, fearing that any sudden motion might cause him to bite through the transparent tube in his mouth—his heart would then be utterly exposed, and he would die.

"Chen… Chen!!"

He didn't even dare utter the full two characters, only frantically shouting Chen's name.

As for why he didn't shout Fang Yue's name, it was because apart from having higher combat power than everyone else on the ship, Fang Yue was otherwise unremarkable—especially when it came to strange phenomena—Chen was the true authority.

"Ye Ge! Hold Jing Yan steady! Stick your fingers into his mouth and pry it open—don't let him bite down!"

Chen snapped out of his daze and barked orders immediately.

Fang Yue didn't hesitate—he rushed to Jing Yan's side, gripped his body to keep him still, held his mouth open with his fingers, pinned him down completely, then turned to Chen with a grave expression.

"What's going on here? Can Jing Yan still be saved?"

"Probably not too bad—if it's only the amount of one fish…"

Chen's tone was uncertain, his gaze evasive—this made Fang Yue's heart sink.

"Should I try administering a pill first?"

Who says pills can only restore blood? They can't cure strange curses? But at least they can temporarily keep Jing Yan alive.

"No! I still have confidence—let me try. Even if I fail, it won't harm Jing Yan's life."

Saying this, Chen grabbed a nearby red-eyed strange fish, pressed its head against Jing Yan's exposed heart, and slowly pushed it in.

A bizarre scene unfolded!

The red-eyed fish's mouth, as if merging with water, effortlessly pierced through the outer layer of Jing Yan's heart, bubbling out a series of tiny bubbles—dudu du.

"Aaahhh!!"

Jing Yan, firmly restrained by Fang Yue, writhed uncontrollably, emitting muffled groans, his face contorted in agony.

As the bubbles inside his heart gradually multiplied, the heart began to slowly float upward.

Chen tossed aside the strange fish, picked up the floating heart, and shoved it into Jing Yan's mouth.

Ooooh?!

Jing Yan shuddered violently, as if something had been forcibly jammed down his throat—but Fang Yue held him fast.

And though the heart should have been large, it slid in with impossible smoothness—swish! —slipping past his lips, sliding down his esophagus, and moments later, like a bubble, it pierced through the inner flesh walls, returning to its original position… with a sharp, clear *pop*, it collided with his true heart, shattering like foam board and spreading into a thin membrane that coated Jing Yan's heart.

Jing Yan's eyes widened instantly.

"I—I have two hearts?!"

Chen shook his head slightly: "No. The one inside you is your real heart. The one expelled was seeded by fish eggs—it's still the red-eyed fish's egg, merely shaped like your heart and imbued with strange properties."

Jing Yan immediately understood.

"So I'm not actually in danger? If the external heart is damaged, my internal one won't be affected…"

"Who said that?" Chen glanced at him and continued: "The red-eyed fish's egg-heart, though an imitation, —if destroyed, your internal heart will likely perish too. It's a one-for-one death curse. Of course, that's just my hypothesis—based on dissections of various organs. This is merely a temporary solution. If we reach Jingcheng, you must still consult a professional physician."

Hearing this, Jing Yan grew tense.

"I—I'll check my personal status in the system."

Carefully opening his personal status, Jing Yan's expression visibly relaxed.

"It's fine—I'm not cursed. This thing's either been cured by you, or it's just a minor issue."

Chen frowned in confusion: "Really? So simple…?"

Fang Yue released Jing Yan's restraint and shook his head slightly: "Don't place too much trust in the 'system.' Some things must be seen to be believed… When we reach Jingcheng, I'll arrange a full-body medical checkup for you."

"Don't trust the 'system'?"

"Ye Ge, what do you mean by that?"

Both looked puzzled, but Fang Yue offered no further explanation—only said: "It's still uncertain, but you should know this much. By the way, Lin Ling told us to clean the red-eyed fish from the stern. Since Jing Yan's fine, let's go now."

Saying this, Fang Yue led the way.

Just now, when Jing Yan faced certain death, Fang Yue had genuinely been frightened.

He needed to recover his strength quickly—otherwise, he couldn't even protect those around him, let alone rescue Captain An Dong'er and the others.

"Tonight, when the Night's Breath activates, I'll start cramming pills like crazy!"

【Yes! Pill cramming!】

【We're all pill bottles!】

【Pill-bottle people, pill-bottle souls—pill bottles are the elite!】

Sheep… Sheepskin parchment?!!

Fang Yue, who had just stepped forward, froze in place.

After a moment of stunned silence, his face lit up with ecstatic joy.

You're awake! You're back!!

【Yes! The great and noble Sheepskin Parchment has returned!!】

【By the way, how many years have I slept?】

Years?

Fang Yue's expression flickered with surprise.

Why say "how many years"? You only slept two or three days.

【Two or three days? Impossible! After my 【Overclock Boost】, my energy drain was unprecedented—far greater than any previous awakening. It exceeded my limits.】

【Before I passed out, I calculated it—I should have needed about a hundred years to awaken.】

【I even thought I'd regret seeing you as an old man! But I only slept a few days?】

【This can't be right… What happened during my slumber?】

What happened… Oh right!

A flash of inspiration struck Fang Yue, and he immediately recalled how the fragment of the Exquisite Eight-Elephants Jade Flute had been absorbed by the parchment.

The only thing was, this had happened after the parchment had fallen into a deep slumber, so the parchment itself had no idea about it at all?

Even the devouring of those Ghost Stones was merely a function of the parchment itself, and had nothing to do with the parchment's consciousness.

He told the parchment about the matter of the Exquisite Eight-Elephants Jade Flute fragment.

In Fang Yue's mind, the image of a cute girl with wide, staring eyes immediately appeared, looking extremely shocked and excitedly thrilled.

【Ahhhhhhh!】

【That guy actually was willing to be absorbed by me!?】

【I was only joking earlier, did it take it seriously?】

【Hey hey hey, you're inside me right? Come out and talk to me!】

【Hello? Hello hello hello? Hello hello hello? Moshi moshi? Annyeong haseyo… you dead thing, get out here!】

Fang Yue looked at the cute girl in the image in his mind with a strange expression — she had been speaking nicely just a moment ago, but then suddenly the style completely changed, and she put her hands on her hips and let out a furious shout.

(End of chapter)