“I’m going to wake up early, you guys keep an eye on her first, I have something to take care of outside,” Gu Shan said, then pushed his wheelchair and headed out. But before he made it more than a few steps, Murong Hai stopped him.
“Gu Shan, now is not the best time to head out. With your disabled legs, even if you go out, you won’t be able to get anything good from that person.”
“I can’t kill him now, but he can’t do anything to me either. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have just disabled my legs instead of taking my life.
I know I can’t kill him now, but I also can’t let him off easy. We might as well go down together!” Gu Shan said with killing intent in his eyes. Murong Hai didn’t know what to say to dissuade him for a moment.
Other than Lin Zaozao, he had never seen Gu Shan get angry or show any emotion for anyone. Now that Gu Shan had made up his mind, how could he persuade him otherwise!
Just as Murong Hai was at a loss, Ye Yi walked over to Gu Shan’s side. He looked at Gu Shan, took out a gold medal from his pocket, and placed it in Gu Shan's hand.
Gu Shan looked at the gold medal in disbelief.
This is...
“Are you letting me go now?”
Ye Yi nodded solemnly.
“But except for me, no one can help you make your final move. If you can’t finish your game, you won’t survive either.”
Ye Yi looked at Gu Shan and shook his head lightly. Then he took out another identical gold medal from his pocket and placed it in Lin Zaozao’s hand.
Ye Yi’s actions shocked everyone. He had handed the initiative over to Lin Zaozao.
Gu Shan looked at the medal in Lin Zaozao’s hand, then at his own. He didn’t know whether to feel sad or happy.
The freedom he had always longed for was now in his grasp. But now he couldn’t bear to leave.
After some thought, Gu Shan wheeled over to Lin Zaozao, took the medal from her hand along with his own, and returned them both to Ye Yi.
“Ye Yi, I, Gu Shan, am true to my word. I will definitely fulfill my promise to help you. I won't leave now.
But you have to promise me that no matter what happens in the future, never get Zaozao involved again.”
Ye Yi nodded solemnly.
“Alright, all of you get out. I want to be alone with her,” Gu Shan said coldly.
Upon hearing Gu Shan’s words, Ji Fantian and the others looked at each other and left Lin Zaozao’s room.
When the room was quiet, Gu Shan held Lin Zaozao’s hand and looked sadly at the extra flesh on her belly.
He had thought that by helping him heal, it wouldn’t cause Lin Zaozao any harm.
But it had happened several times now that after Lin Zaozao helped someone, her body would show abnormalities or suddenly gain a lot of weight.
The fact that she had gained so much weight today must be related to her detoxifying those people.
All the disabled people here knew clearly that whenever Lin Zaozao took the opportunity to tease them, she was secretly healing them.
Yet they had always accepted her help gratefully without ever thinking of helping her in return.
Not only that, they had doubted her identity many times, tested and followed her, but never truly believed in her.
To be fair, Zaozao was just a girl barely old enough to marry. Yet after marrying these disabled men, not only did she not look down on them one bit, but she also maintained a positive attitude towards life.
Faced with the killing aura that constantly weighed down on a cripple like him, she would still smile sweetly at him.
It was as if in her eyes, he, Gu Shan, was just an ordinary man - no contempt, no fear.
All he saw was him being regarded as an equal. A feeling he had never experienced before.
The shards of his former self found unexpected warmth here.
So as long as he lived, Gu Shan was determined never to let go of Lin Zaozao.
Gu Shan looked around Lin Zaozao’s room. Although the roof had been repaired and new furniture added, when Zaozao came back from town last time, apart from buying furniture, she only bought two sets of black clothes for herself. Her current attire was even worse than that of a servant.
Hiding the heartache in his eyes, Gu Shan said coldly towards the shadows,
"Shadow, send someone to the Baobao Building in Lancheng and buy more clothes and jewelry for Zaozao. Remember, get her several night luminous pearls. Her room is too dark."
As soon as Gu Shan finished speaking, a shadow flashed across the corner of the room. After the figure left, Gu Shan took off his shoes and lay down next to Lin Zaozao, listening to her loud snores. This time, Gu Shan didn’t block his senses. He held Lin Zaozao’s hand with his eyes closed, falling asleep peacefully.
It wasn’t until the afternoon that Lin Zaozao finally awoke from her slumber. Not because she had slept enough, but because she was woken up by the urge to pee.
When she opened her eyes, she felt someone lying next to her. Lin Zaozao turned her head to look - it was Gu Shan.
She had gotten so round that Gu Shan's thin body looked frail in comparison as he lay beside her bloated self.
Looking at Gu Shan's lifeless legs, Lin Zaozao couldn't help asking the system in her mind.
[System, has my reward been upgraded to level two?]
[That's right, host. Your reward has been upgraded to level two. The level two marrow-washing liquid and beauty fluid is twice as effective as the level one versions.]
[System, now that my rewards have improved, has my ability to transfer illnesses also increased?]
[No. Your ability to transfer illnesses will not change due to improved rewards.]
[I see! I thought my ability to transfer illnesses would also improve along with the rewards!]
[Host. Although your ability to transfer illnesses has not increased, you can help more people transfer illnesses to upgrade your rewards.]
[System, no matter how much my rewards improve, if I give my rewards to others, my punishment will be greater, right?]
[That’s right, host. After all, the system's things don't belong to this world. If you give your system rewards to others, you have to pay the price.]
[Alright, I understand.]
Looking at the peacefully sleeping Gu Shan, Lin Zaozao stretched out her chubby hand to grasp his wrist. But just as she was about to help Gu Shan transfer his illnesses, he pushed her hand away in his sleep.
"Zaozao, don't touch me."
Hearing Gu Shan’s rejection, Lin Zaozao was confused for a moment.
Did Gu Shan despise her?
Perhaps Gu Shan could tell that the confusion on Lin Zaozao's face was too obvious. He quickly explained,
"Zaozao, I know you have a way to relieve others of their illnesses. But from my observation over this period, I discovered that every time you help someone, it causes you harm.
For example, the two cups of water you gave to Lin Wuwu and Lin Wanwan last time, healing Xiao Taohua's injuries, and detoxifying Zhao Yingmei’s men today.
Zaozao, I can't let my own health be restored at the cost of your well-being. So don't transfer my illnesses for me anymore."
Gu Shan’s words surprised Lin Zaozao, but also reassured her at the same time. She carefully poked Gu Shan's shoulder and asked,
“Gu Shan, you found out about my abilities?”
“Yes! I suspected you the first time you helped me. The second time you transferred my illnesses for me, I was certain.”
“Damn, how are you so shrewd? I remember I was using the guise of the deity when I made contact with you.”
“Zaozao, as someone who practices martial arts, I’m extremely sensitive to changes in my own body. Before you transferred my illnesses for me, I was tortured by the toxins in my body every day to the point that death would have been better, and my waist and legs were completely numb.
But after you helped me a few times, my legs already had a subtle sense of feeling returning.”
“Really? Your legs regained some sensation? Let me see, how are your legs now?”
As she spoke, Lin Zaozao stretched out her hand to grab at Gu Shan's pants. But before she could even touch Gu Shan's pants, Gu Shan grasped her hand to stop her.
"Zaozao, I'm a man and you're a girl. What you're doing is not right," said Gu Shan, his face flushing red with embarrassment.
Seeing the bashful look on Gu Shan's face, Lin Zaozao felt rather awkward as she withdrew her hand.
I was too eager and forgot that Gu Shan is a grown man. In this world, when a woman acts so brazenly toward a man, she's committing indecent assault.
"Gu Shan, I just wanted to take a look at your leg, I didn't mean anything else. Oh right, Gu Shan, when I ordinarily help relieve someone's illness or injury, it doesn't cause me any harm.
If it did cause me harm, that would only happen if the other person's injury was especially severe, and I had no other choice.
Besides, helping others transfer their illnesses doesn't do me much harm, at most..."
Lin Zaozao lowered her head and looked at her plump belly, somewhat discouraged as she said,
"At most, I'd just gain some weight."
Hearing Lin Zaozao's despondent words, Gu Shan lifted his head to look at her chubby belly.
And she says this causes no harm?
Her stomach has already grown so large! If she continues to gain weight, once the excess body fat starts pressing down on her internal organs, it could endanger her life.
What's more, her snoring at night is already so loud. Now that Lin Zaozao's belly has grown even fatter, would she even be able to sleep at night?
Seeing the look of concern in Gu Shan's eyes, Lin Zaozao patted his shoulder reassuringly and said with some resignation,
"Gu Shan, don't worry. I know my limits whenever I help someone, I won't risk my own life to save another. After all, I've only just come of age, I haven't even begun to really live life yet! So there's no way I'd do something so foolish as sacrifice myself for others!
Besides, helping so many people can also be considered accumulating good karma!"
"Is that so?" asked Gu Shan dubiously.
"Of course it's true! Gu Shan, take a look at my face, do I look like a living bodhisattva to you?"
"No, you don't!"
"Well, there you have it, my darling Gu Shan. Just let big sis relieve you of your illness and pain!"
Gu Shan looked at Lin Zaozao's pudgy little hand grasping his own tightly, and felt the strange sensation in his body. But his own hand remained tightly clenched, not daring to let go.
He felt that when it came to Lin Zaozao, he was still too selfish a person.
Otherwise, knowing full well that Zaozao's words were filled with lies, he still asked her to help relieve his illness in hopes that his legs would recover sooner.
But if his legs don't heal, then how could he protect Zaozao's safety in this chaotic world that would soon descend upon them!
