0p0 Chapter 378 I Cannot Distinguish Between Friend and Foe
Chapter 378 I Cannot Distinguish Between Friend and Foe
"You know, this is where all the members of the Lingquan Clan who have been infected by the Shadow."
After the successful capture of Octopus yesterday, and their return, I don't know if Cangji had given prior instructions, but no one from the aquatic tribe disturbed Lezhi and the others' rest.
The next afternoon, Cang Jin arrived with Cang Long, their purpose obvious. Cang Ji, probably impatient, arranged for Cang Jin to invite Le Zhi to a spacious building where all the patients with the shadowy figures had gathered, waiting for Le Zhi to make his move.
The house looks no different from other wooden and rattan houses on the outside, but when Lezhi went inside, he discovered that it was a completely different world inside.
Unlike a typical house, there are no walls or partitions separating functional areas. At first glance, what catches the eye is a vast open space with pools of various sizes arranged in a pleasing, staggered pattern. The ceiling is not completely enclosed; instead, it features numerous skylights and floor-to-ceiling windows, ensuring ventilation while also offering views of the outside scenery.
Some of the tribespeople who were summoned gathered in twos and threes in one pool, while most occupied a pool by themselves. In addition to these, there was a resting area on the other side of the hall with several huge clam shell beds, where some people who did not want to soak in the water rested.
As Cang Ji led his men in, the previously noisy room gradually quieted down. Their probing gazes shifted between the unfamiliar Le Zhi and Lei Xiu. Perhaps someone recognized Lei Xiu, because Le Zhi saw that person tilt their head, point at Lei Xiu, and say something.
Then, one person told another, and after almost everyone present knew Lei Xiu's identity, everyone's attention turned to him.
"Chieftain, you called us over so early in the morning, saying there was something you needed to discuss. What is it?"
Although they had some guesses about the origins of Lezhi, they still seemed a little incredulous. Some of the bolder ones, after much deliberation, chose to ask Cangji.
Cang Ji turned and met the eyes of the person who had asked the question. He didn't speak immediately, but instead scanned everyone in the room to make sure that most of them were paying attention to him before he spoke: "As you all probably already know, the newborn cubs of the Spirit Feather Clan last year can cure the Shadow Disease..."
As soon as he began to speak, a series of gasps were heard. Cang Ji's lips curled up slightly, and he paused for a moment, "You've probably heard about Cang Jin saving two friendly tribes a couple of days ago. This is Le Zhi, the Lingyu tribesman who can cure the Shadow Disease."
Cang Ji finished speaking in a few words, and before anyone could react, he turned to Le Zhi and said, "Le Zhi, everyone is here. Tell me how you want to start, or what you need."
Seeing Cang Ji discussing treatment plans with Le Zhi, everyone suppressed their excitement and didn't dare to interrupt. Their eyes were filled with undisguised hope and joy.
Lezhi didn't say a word from the moment she entered the house.
He had sensed the familiar shadowy presence outside the house. From the moment he felt the shadow, a familiar hunger surged within him.
He ate a third of the octopus last night and slept until almost noon today. Lei Xiu cooked all the lobsters, shellfish, sea urchins and other things they had collected along the way yesterday, plus the food they already had in stock, making for a very lavish brunch, but Le Zhi only ate about 70-80% full.
Having already taken a nap and expended a lot of energy, Lezhi originally planned to have a snack after waking up from her nap, when Cangjin and the others happened to arrive.
Between having a snack and getting some work done, Lezhi hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to get to work first. A little hunger could keep him alert. That's what he said, but in reality, he did stay alert on the way.
Raising her head, Lezhi didn't look at Cangji who had asked the question, but instead scanned the people in the room. Her eyes were unfocused, and her expression seemed as if she wasn't looking at her own kind.
A red line had somehow appeared around Lezhi's pure white pupils, making his eyes look somewhat eerie, but much better than when he was chasing Octopus yesterday.
Noticing something amiss in Lezhi's eyes, Cangji didn't receive a reply and was about to speak again when Cang Jin stepped forward to stop him. At the same time, Lei Xiu stepped forward and used his body to separate Lezhi from the people behind her.
He exchanged a glance with Cang Jin, and the two talked about something before going their separate ways a few seconds later.
Because Lezhi's abnormality was too obvious, the atmosphere inside the room gradually became uneasy. Fortunately, this situation did not last long; after about ten minutes, Lezhi had locked onto the presence of all the shadowy figures in the vicinity.
As his gaze focused, he finally saw the figure in his eyes.
"No need." Without any apparent context, only Lei Xiu realized that Le Zhi was answering Cang Ji's question.
Lei Xiu, who had become accustomed to Le Zhi's treatment process, quietly took the fur ball that Le Zhi handed him, then silently stepped back and stood with Cang Jin and the others.
"Lei Xiu, Le Zhi, this is..."
"It's obvious. Lezhi didn't say much, but he's confident."
Lei Xiu was very confident about this. After all, ever since Le Zhi discovered that he could restrain the shadow, he had never been at a disadvantage in his battles with the shadow. In addition, he had a vague premonition after the battle in the Endless Abyss.
Lezhi has become stronger again.
Meanwhile, Lezhi was in a daze. The energy within his body was clamoring to devour more energy, but Lezhi was somewhat troubled because he had just discovered a problem.
There is no doubt that he has become stronger since regaining consciousness, but he had only used a little energy in the battle against the octopus. In the battle, he could be as unrestrained as he wanted, but healing is different; it is a delicate task.
Lezhi had just tried it out when he discovered that his ability was now somewhat indiscriminate in distinguishing between friend and foe.
What to do? He wasn't like this before. Frowning, Le Zhi controlled the energy, making sure it didn't devour the energy of his clansmen along with the black shadows.
"It's possible, but the efficiency is too low." With a sigh, Lezhi withdrew her hand.
The clansmen closest to the door, who were naturally used by Lezhi for experiments, finally felt the dark shadows ingrained in their bodies loosen, but soon returned to normal. They opened their eyes in confusion and looked at Lezhi.
At this moment, Lezhi sat down directly on the spot, crossed his arms, and rested one hand on his chin, as if he were thinking.
"Lei Xiu, what's wrong with Le Zhi?"
Lei Xiu had never seen Le Zhi like this before. He had always easily dealt with the shadowy figures before, so was something wrong this time?
A chill ran through him. Lei Xiu didn't answer Cang Jin, but instead quietly knelt down beside Le Zhi. "Zhi Zhi, what's wrong? Is there a problem?"
“A little.” Lezhi turned and glanced at Lei Xiu, pinching his thumb and forefinger together to indicate the distance of one finger joint.
"Is there anything we can do to help?" This was a rhetorical question; if the tree spirits had a way to deal with the shadows, they wouldn't have let them get away like this. Lei Xiu said this simply to show Le Zhi his stance.
Healing the shadow of darkness is never a solitary endeavor. If problems arise, he can speak up, and everyone can work together to find solutions. Instead, he suffers alone like he does now.
Having understood Lei Xiu's implied meaning, Le Zhi curled her lips into a smile.
He glanced around the room. Everyone was quietly looking in his direction, their eyes filled with the unique hope and barely concealed tension of patients. They had been tormented by the shadowy figure for far too long. Now that they had finally seen a glimmer of hope for a cure, how could they not be nervous?
Lezhi braced himself with his arms behind his back, his gaze not falling on anyone, but floating in the air. Seeing this, Lei Xiu did not urge him. He remained in a half-squatting position, just accompanying Lezhi.
Without keeping everyone waiting for long, Lezhi suddenly sat up straight, took a deep breath, and then stood up and turned to walk towards Cangji.
"Clan Chief Cangji, we need to talk..."