Chapter 160: Chapter 160: Chicken Soup

Lu Xiao’s words ignited an unprecedented fighting spirit in Robin, filling him with hope and anticipation for the future.

His decision to stay in the S-Class Shelter and open a restaurant had actually been influenced by Lu Xiao. During one of his treatments, she had mentioned that perhaps one day, he could have a restaurant of his own.

At the time, he thought it was impossible. Everyone knew that for an S-Class male, entering the S-Class Shelter was like falling into an abyss, with no chance of ever seeing the light of day again. But now, Lu Xiao had appeared. She brought hope to all the males within the S-Class Shelter.

After Lu Xiao left, Robin couldn’t hold it in any longer and broke down crying. He wasn’t sad—quite the opposite. He was crying tears of joy.

He was overjoyed, feeling as if all the good fortune in his life had been spent on the single moment he met Her Excellency Lu Xiao.

She had not only given him a new lease on life, but also a purpose.

’I will not disappoint Her Excellency Lu Xiao. I will make pickled fish a famous dish known throughout the entire Empire!’

Lu Xiao never imagined that a single sentence from her could inspire such determination in Robin. It wasn’t until years later, when Robin stood before the media recalling the history of his pickled fish and publicly thanked Her Excellency Lu Xiao, that the world learned the great foodie Robin, too, had once been saved by her.

Just as they finished their meal, the officer in charge of guarding Regal came over to report that he had woken up.

Lu Xiao glanced at the time. “How long was he asleep?”

Their meal had taken over forty minutes. Including the time spent on other things, it had been nearly an hour.

The officer replied, “Fifty-five minutes and thirty-four seconds.”

This wasn’t far from Lu Xiao’s estimate, but the result was far better than she had initially expected.

’It seems this ’Drain and Purge Therapy’ is more effective than I thought.’

The principle behind this therapy was to rapidly drain the spiritual power from the patient’s Spirit Sea while simultaneously injecting a large amount of purification power, causing the two to displace each other.

Of course, the amount of spiritual power she could extract depended entirely on her own current abilities. This extracted spiritual power couldn’t be absorbed by her; it simply dissipated into the air.

In the instant their spiritual power was drained, the patient would briefly lose consciousness. However, once her purification power was injected, it would begin to repair their Spirit Sea, causing them to fall into a deep slumber. The duration of this sleep varied from person to person.

Lu Xiao had assumed that Regal, being in the High Stage, wouldn’t sleep for very long, so fifty-five minutes far exceeded her expectations.

It gave her the feeling that this treatment method might be a perfect fit for High-level S-Class males.

But the true test would be Regal’s condition after waking up.

Hearing this, the group didn’t linger in the restaurant. They returned to the door of Regal’s room and peered through the observation window. Inside, Regal was sitting on the floor, the expression on the human half of his face dazed and confused.

When he heard the noise outside and turned to look, his gaze was unfocused.

“Regal, can you hear me? How are you feeling right now?”

Lu Xiao’s gentle voice drifted in through the observation window, finally eliciting a response from the seated Regal. Color slowly returned to his hazy, gray pupils.

He then leaped to his feet and rushed to the door. “Your Excellency Lu Xiao, what you did just now… I think I fell asleep!”

When he woke up, he’d even wondered if he was hallucinating. Otherwise, how could he possibly think he’d been asleep?

The noise that had been screaming incessantly in his Spirit Sea was finally gone. Although his Half-beastification hadn’t improved, his Spirit Sea felt tranquil and calm. It was a level of comfort he hadn’t experienced in so long he couldn’t even remember the last time.

He looked at Lu Xiao with desperation in his eyes, and even the emotion conveyed by his beast-like eye was gentle.

He needed to hear a confirmation from Lu Xiao.

He had to know: was this all just a hallucination, a sign his condition was getting worse?

Lu Xiao didn’t disappoint him. She smiled and said, “It’s not a hallucination, Regal. You really were asleep. You slept for fifty-five minutes. The officer in charge of monitoring you recorded the time himself.”

“So it’s true… I actually fell asleep… It wasn’t a hallucination.” He looked at her, his voice trembling with hope. “Your Excellency Lu Xiao, are you saving me?”

Faced with Regal’s hopeful gaze, Lu Xiao spoke earnestly. “Regal, I want to save you very much, but my abilities are still limited. This is a treatment method I came up with, but I’m not certain it will lead to a better outcome. I need you to have faith in yourself. I won’t give up on you. Only if neither of us gives up can we beat this illness together, right?”

Lu Xiao’s words didn’t just inspire Regal; the officer and Admiral Hans, who were standing nearby, felt inspired as well.

’She’s an incredible speaker,’ they thought. If everyone had Lu Xiao’s determination, how could they fail to overcome the spiritual power disorder that had plagued males for so many years?

An expression of immense pride bloomed on Teacher Ai Li’s face.

’That’s our young woman from the Fifth Research Institute!’

Regal’s eyes reddened. There was so much he wanted to say, but he couldn’t get a single word out. After entering the High Stage, he had known with absolute certainty that he would never recover.

No High-level S-Class male had ever been cured and released from the S-Class Shelter.

He never imagined that the heavens would be so kind as to let him meet Lu Xiao.

Ever since their last encounter, he’d felt as if the gears of his fate had begun to turn.

Now, he had no doubt. If there was anyone in this world who could save them, it was Lu Xiao and Lu Xiao alone.

Even if the final outcome wasn’t what he hoped for, he felt he could depart this world happily and without any regrets.

Because there had been someone who held on to him, who wanted to heal him, to save him, to bring him hope for survival—someone who had never given up on him. That was enough!

Suddenly, Regal felt that he wasn’t afraid of anything anymore.

He began to laugh—a relieved, happy laugh. At that moment, he felt incredibly relaxed and free, as if a puzzle that had been troubling him for ages had finally been solved. He looked at Lu Xiao. “Thank you. No matter the outcome, I am willing to trust you.”

Sensing Regal’s transformation, surprise flashed in Lu Xiao’s eyes. She didn’t know what he had just come to realize, but she had a feeling it was a good thing.

“Thank you for your trust. But Regal, you must also have faith in yourself. We are all looking forward to seeing you walk out of this place. We want you to come see my clinic for yourself, and then one sunny afternoon, pack the luggage you came with and leave this place for good, returning to the life you once knew. I think that would be a wonderful thing to look forward to, and I firmly believe that day will come for you.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep