Chapter 1317: Regain New Life

The accompanying personnel were thrown into a commotion upon hearing the important figure call out Lu Yang's name. Who was Lu Yang? He was the savior of Blue Star. Even children who didn't study history, or loafers who were politically insensitive and didn't know the current leader, knew his name. It could be said that without Lu Yang, Blue Star would have long become a zombie planet, or a captive of the Zhutian Civilization!

But the problem was, Lu Yang had died long ago fighting extraterrestrial beings. How could he be here, so young, and with an appearance that didn't match the photos in textbooks? Was the important figure suffering from senile dementia, blurring fantasy with reality?

Upon hearing Lu Yang's reply, the white-haired doctor rolled her eyes and instantly fainted, startling the accompanying personnel who rushed to help her up. Lu Yang, however, supported the doctor before they could, secretly injecting a tiny bit of spiritual energy to awaken her.

"Dr. Xia He, you're still so timid," Lu Yang said with a smile. When he first met the doctor, she was seemingly bold but actually timid. To toughen her up, Lu Yang often threw her into piles of zombies. He hadn't expected that after so many years, she would still be so timid.

The doctor, with hazy eyes, looked at the unfamiliar young face and heard the familiar, irritating tone. She was certain that the person before her was that scoundrel Lu Yang! She just didn't know why he had changed his appearance and was still so young. Anyway, ever since she had known Lu Yang, the rascal had been very strange. He had even told her before that he had two little people in his head, one called Blue Star Will and the other called Zombie Planet Will.

"Lu Yang, if you scare me to death, I won't let you off even as a ghost!" Xia He said through gritted teeth. It had been so long since she had felt such exasperation. In this world, the only one who could stir her emotions was probably Lu Yang.

"Don't worry, ghosts wouldn't dare come looking for me now," Lu Yang said. He was in a great mood seeing the doctor again.

"To see you one last time before I die, I can die without regrets," Xia He said, shaking her head with a smile. Her face was incredibly old; it was hard to imagine what a beautiful woman she had been in her youth. If she had seen Lu Yang ten years ago, she would have felt ashamed of her age, unwilling to appear before him, hoping his impression of her would always be young and beautiful. But now that her time was drawing near, seeing Lu Yang one last time was all she could ask for.

"With me here, you still think you'll die?" Lu Yang wasn't sad; he just found it amusing.

Xia He shook her head. "I know my body best," she said. "After seeing you, I feel much better than before. This must be a final surge of energy; I won't last much longer."

"...You're not going to die. Don't just lie there," Lu Yang said, pulling Xia He up with a jerk. This startled the accompanying personnel; they knew very well how weak Xia He was and that she couldn't withstand such rough handling. Yet Xia He was as if nothing had happened; her breathing had become much smoother. As a doctor herself, she knew better than anyone the abnormality of her body. This was definitely not a final surge of energy!

"W-what did you do?"

Lu Yang glanced at the wary accompanying personnel around them and said with a half-smile, "Are you sure you want to discuss it here?"

The accompanying personnel certainly didn't believe that the young man in front of them was Lu Yang. They thought Xia He was suffering from senile dementia and had been deceived by someone with ulterior motives. Outside, people had already begun to evacuate, and armed police had surrounded the area, searching for suitable sniper positions.

"Let's go to my house," Xia He said. However, the accompanying personnel showed no intention of letting them leave. Xia He was a bit troubled. She knew perfectly well what the accompanying personnel were thinking and suspected that even if she gave a direct order, they wouldn't step aside for her safety.

"You point the way, and I'll take you," Lu Yang said, cradling Xia He horizontally as if she were a sack of rice, and flew out of the museum, leaving the accompanying personnel and armed police dumbfounded. The armed police dared not open fire, fearing accidental injury to Xia He, and could only let them leave.

Xia He's eyes widened. This rascal, after so many years, could actually fly?!

"Where's your home?"

"Fly east!" Xia He said, pointing east with her arm. Being held horizontally by Lu Yang didn't bother her; instead, she felt a slight thrill. This reminded her of how Lu Yang used to drag her in and out of zombie hordes during the apocalypse.

After a few directions, Lu Yang quickly arrived at Xia He's home, which was a villa.

"You've done well over the years, living in a villa now," Lu Yang teased. "I'm still living in a cave."

Xia He sighed. "I originally wanted to live in a small house," she said, "but the government insisted it wasn't safe and arranged for me to live here."

"Do you live alone in such a big house?"

"Not exactly; nannies and security personnel are inside," she replied. "Oh no, I don't have a key." How could someone of Xia He's status carry keys? Before she finished speaking, Lu Yang took a step, passed through the wall, and entered the villa.

Xia He stared blankly. How did he do that?

"Where have you been all these years?" Xia He asked. After decades of not seeing him, Lu Yang had become even more mysterious.

Lu Yang waved his hand. "No hurry," he said. "I'll cure you first."

Xia He's body was riddled with ailments, like a torn sack, her life force rapidly draining away. More than an illness, it was old injuries accumulated from her reckless struggles in youth, which had resurfaced as she aged. Her earlier statement about dying wasn't a joke; she was truly at death's door. The fact that she was still alive was less a miracle and more due to sheer willpower that kept her hanging on.

Xia He's body couldn't withstand any strain. Any other cultivator would need to dilute elixirs, gradually condition her body, and cleanse her meridians and marrow, a process that would take days, even months. But for Lu Yang, it was simple. He activated the rudimentary form of the "Source-Tracing Dao Fruit" and tapped Xia He's forehead. A miraculous radiance spread from her forehead throughout her entire body. Wherever it passed, her skin became soft and white, reborn.

"T-this..." Xia He watched her body in astonishment. It was as if she had returned to her twenties, just like when she first met Lu Yang, with boundless energy throughout her body. She had tried her best to imagine Lu Yang's strangeness, but this method still overturned her understanding. Xia He had never dreamed she could return to her youthful appearance.

"How about it, Dr. Xia? Isn't my healing ability better than yours now?" Lu Yang asked. Xia He used to often bicker with him, mocking his ignorance of medicine. Now he could finally mock her back.

"What have you been through all these years?" Xia He asked, her expression complex. She couldn't help but recall how she had cried when Blue Star Will told her Lu Yang had died on Spirit Stone Planet. But at that time, she couldn't be too sad. Blue Star Will still needed her to organize human forces to deal with the zombies, which was also what Lu Yang had instructed Blue Star Will to do before his death. At that time, she could only suppress her grief, always appearing energetic and bustling in front of others. It was this stark contrast that had left her with chronic health issues.

Pfft, she had cried for nothing. That rascal Lu Yang owed her her tears back.

"That's a story that starts on the rainy second day of the second month, when I took the Dao Inquiry Sect's examination..."