Start with push-ups to gain experience

A faint smell of burning permeated the bedroom, mixed with a lingering stench.

Fang Cheng remained calm, retracting his fist and standing still, his breathing so steady that there wasn't even the slightest fluctuation.

It was as if he had just casually crushed a stink bug, not worth expending much effort at all.

He looked down at Li Jiajia, who was slumped on the floor.

The girl's eyes were closed, and the black veins on her face had completely disappeared.

Although her face was still pale, a faint trace of human color seeped from beneath her skin.

His breathing became even, clearly showing signs of improvement.

Apart from his right arm hanging limply, appearing dislocated, he was otherwise unharmed.

When he was deflecting the attack from the shadowy figure, Fang Cheng showed extreme restraint; it could be said that he didn't use even a fraction of his true strength.

Today, his physical abilities have long surpassed ordinary people, with both his strength and agility exceeding the human limit of 80 points.

This monster, terrifying to ordinary people, has surpassed the realm of ordinary humans in both speed and strength.

But in Fang Cheng's eyes, all of this was like child's play, easier to deal with than an adult beating a three-year-old.

If he hadn't controlled his strength, even a slight bump would have instantly smashed this fragile body into a pile of mud with his heavy fist.

Fang Cheng bent down, placed his left hand on Li Jiajia's shoulder, and his right hand on her dislocated wrist.

Following the direction of the radial joint, gently pull it outwards, then push it upwards.

"Click".

Precise bone repositioning.

Then, Fang Cheng lifted her up by the waist and gently placed her on the bed that was almost falling apart, and casually pulled a thin blanket from the side to cover her.

After doing all that, he turned and walked to the window, pulled open the blackout curtains, and pushed open the tightly closed glass window.

call--

A warm summer afternoon breeze rushed in, quickly dispelling the nauseating stench in the room.

The bright sunlight shone in without any obstruction, sweeping away the darkness that filled the room.

Fang Cheng narrowed his eyes, gazing at the towering buildings in the distance.

A moment later he turned around and called out towards the door:
"You may all come in now."

With a creak.

The bedroom door was immediately pushed open.

Ning Yue and Mr. and Mrs. Li hurriedly entered the room.

The three of them first glanced at the shattered wooden planks and cracked walls on the floor, then their gazes fell on the bed, looking at Li Jiajia who seemed to be fast asleep.

Ning Yue's eyes widened, she swallowed hard, her voice trembling slightly:
"Fang Cheng, Jiajia's mental illness... is cured?"

"Yes, it's all over now."

Fang Cheng nodded slightly and replied calmly.

Upon hearing this confirmation, the three of them, who had been tense for so long, suddenly relaxed, and what surged up in their hearts was an uncontrollable joy and excitement.

Old Li stood there, his body trembling slightly, his hands clenched into fists, and his eyes instantly turning red.

Ningyue's mother-in-law's eyes stung, and tears welled up in her eyes.

She rushed to the bedside, her trembling hands gently stroking her daughter's cheeks:
“My Jiajia…you’ve suffered so much these past few days, you’ve finally made it through…”

All the torment, worry, and heartache of the past few days turned into choked sobs at this moment.

Old Li, with tears welling in his eyes, immediately reprimanded him upon seeing this:
"What are you touching? Your hands are so dirty! Go to the bathroom and get a basin of hot water to wash our daughter's face!"

The mother-in-law wasn't angry at being yelled at; she just kept responding, hastily wiped away her tears, and hurriedly turned and ran outside.

"Yes, yes, I'll go fetch water right now!"

Ning Yue stood aside, looking at her old classmate's calm profile, her mind replaying the scene of Fang Cheng carrying the crazed Jiajia with one hand.

Surprise, awe, and deep gratitude—a mix of emotions mingled together.

She suddenly realized that she knew very little about this high school classmate.

There seemed to be a hazy mist between them, preventing her from seeing the other person's true appearance.

But she knew perfectly well that the tall, steady, and reliable man in front of her was no longer the thin, ordinary boy she remembered.

Old Li calmed down a little, quickly walked up to Fang Cheng, grasped his hands tightly and shook them vigorously, expressing his gratitude incoherently:
"Mr. Fang, thank you so much!"

"You are simply a great benefactor to our whole family. Without you, we really don't know how we would have survived..."

Fang Cheng waved his hand, indicating that he didn't need to be so polite:

“The evil spirit in your daughter’s body has just been expelled, and her vital energy has been severely depleted. She is currently very weak both physically and mentally, and will likely sleep for a long time.”

"During this time, let her rest well, eat a light diet, and make more soups to nourish qi and blood, such as astragalus and angelica stewed black chicken. Remember not to eat raw or cold food, and keep warm."

Old Li nodded repeatedly, keeping every word of Fang Cheng's medical advice firmly in mind.

Ning Yue's eyes flickered, and she looked at Fang Cheng with some surprise:

"I never expected that after being classmates for so many years, this is the first time I've known that you actually know medicine."

Fang Cheng smiled slightly and casually explained:

"I study on my own whenever I have free time."

He wasn't lying.

When he decided to take the path of physical training, he spent every day at the city library, borrowing a large number of books on medicine, human anatomy, and sports rehabilitation.

They know a lot about how to regulate qi and blood and nourish the body.

Of course, as for treating illnesses and exorcising demons, it's too complicated to talk about acupuncture and pharmacology.

It's more effective to just punch the lesion out directly.

As they were talking, the mother-in-law quickly carried a basin of steaming water and a towel back to her room.

She wrung out the hot towel and carefully wiped the black grime off her daughter's face.

Li Jiajia lay on the bed with her eyes closed, her eyelashes trembling slightly, and her brows furrowed, as if she were trapped in a deep nightmare.

Seeing her daughter's weak appearance, the mother-in-law felt heartbroken and burst into tears.

This time, however, all the tears were from joy.

Seeing the old lady unbutton her clothes, preparing to wipe her daughter's body, Fang Cheng turned his head away to look at Ning Yue, avoiding any appearance of impropriety.

"Let's go outside and talk."

"it is good."

Ning Yue understood and followed Fang Cheng out of the bedroom, gently closing the door behind them.

The two went to the living room.

Ning Yue stood in front of the sofa and, seeing that it was covered in dust, hurriedly wiped it vigorously with her sleeve.

Then he turned around and explained with a embarrassed look on his face:

"With so many big things happening at home lately, I haven't had time to clean up. It's a mess, I hope you'll forgive me."

"Sit down and rest for a while. I'll get you something to drink. Would you like tea or coffee? There's also cola and orange juice in the fridge."

As she spoke, she immediately turned around and strode towards the kitchen.

"No need to trouble yourself."

Fang Cheng raised his hand to stop her: "I have something to do later, I'll just chat for a bit and then leave."

Ning Yue stopped in her tracks.

She reached up and brushed a stray strand of hair from her ear, her gaze meeting Fang Cheng's eyes.

As a seasoned car salesperson, her greatest skill is reading people and situations.

Seeing Fang Cheng's solemn expression, she quickly realized his intention:

"You...do you have something you want to ask me?"

Fang Cheng nodded and, without beating around the bush, asked directly:

"As a doctor, I need to understand the root cause of the patient's illness in order to prevent the possibility of future recurrence."

"Do you remember exactly when Jiajia's illness started showing abnormal symptoms?" Ning Yue frowned slightly, carefully sorting through her memories.

"It was probably... around December of last year."

She looked up, her voice tinged with lingering fear:
"That weekend, she and her friends went on a picnic in the Xishan area, but they were caught in a rainstorm halfway there and got soaked."

"I developed a high fever that very night when I got back, and I was rushed to the hospital emergency room that night and stayed there for a whole week."

Ning Yue swallowed hard and continued recounting the details:

"After she was discharged from the hospital, we felt that her temper was getting weirder and weirder. At first, she became very neurotic and often hid in the dark to stare blankly. We just thought that she was in a bad mood after breaking up with her boyfriend."

"But then something really went wrong. One night I got up to get a drink of water and saw her squatting in front of the refrigerator, eating a piece of raw pork, her mouth full of blood."

"When I brought it up with her afterwards, she seemed to have amnesia and couldn't remember it at all."

“If it were just amnesia, that would be fine. The problem is that as time goes on, her condition is getting worse and worse. She is losing her mind, sleepwalking, going crazy and attacking others, and even not recognizing her own family.”

"Once, she almost choked me to death, but luckily my in-laws found out and stopped her in time..."

Recalling that scene, Ning Yue couldn't help but shudder, still looking lingering fear.

She spoke in great detail, as if afraid of missing any clue that might cause her sister-in-law's illness to relapse.

Fang Cheng stood to the side, listening quietly and nodding slightly.

"Last December..."

He silently counted down the exact time in his mind.

That happened right after that unusual explosion in Xishan.

He clearly remembers that the local television news broadcasted continuously for several days, highlighting the strange black rain that fell after the explosion.

At the time, the TV station even invited experts to come forward and refute the rumors, explaining them using various professional terms.

They say it's a chemical plant pollution leak, or a natural phenomenon where ashes from a forest fire fall with the rain.

Now, putting all the clues together, those so-called scientific explanations are utter nonsense, deliberately concealing the truth.

Li Jiajia's madness wasn't due to illness at all, but rather because she was possessed by the shadowy figure she had encountered before.

This monster, capable of parasitizing human bodies, most likely descended upon the world along with that black rain.

Just like the other world he once possessed, it also experienced eerie black rain and had the same parasitic monster.

Such similarities on both sides could not possibly be a simple coincidence.

"Fang Cheng".

Ning Yue's somewhat uneasy voice interrupted his thoughts:

"Jiajia's illness...will it relapse?"

"do not worry."

Fang Cheng regained his composure and replied calmly:

"The root cause of the illness has been completely eliminated. As long as you take good care of yourself as I told you, you will be able to return to a normal life soon."

"Thank you so much, really."

Ning Yue breathed a long sigh of relief upon hearing this, her eyes filled with sincere gratitude:

"I don't know how to thank you enough. By the way, didn't you say you wanted to buy a car? I'll contact the dealership right now..."

Fang Cheng interrupted her with a smile:

"We're old classmates, it was just a small favor, no need to take it to heart. I do have something to do today, I'll come to the store to talk to you in detail next time I have time."

Upon hearing this, Ning Yue stopped being coy and nodded seriously:
"Okay, I'll keep an eye out for a few available cars for you, and then I'll pick the one with the best value for money for you."

Fang Cheng smiled, then gave some instructions:
"If you encounter any emergencies, or if Jiajia's condition changes, you can call me anytime. You know my mobile number."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Fang Cheng declined the invitation from Mr. and Mrs. Li to stay for dinner and turned to leave.

Ning Yue insisted on seeing him downstairs, all the way to the entrance of the residential area.

The scorching summer sun shone on the asphalt road, sending up a faint trace of heat.
Ning Yue stood on the curb, watching Fang Cheng's Land Rover SUV slowly merge into the traffic.

The car gradually disappeared into the distance.

Her eyes held a hint of bewilderment and emotion.

Recalling the scene in the bedroom just now, where Fang Cheng suppressed the evil spirits with a flick of his hand like a god, her heart was still beating a little fast.

Throughout her three years of high school, she never truly got to know this quiet and refined male classmate.

Now, it seems he has entered a world that he could never reach or even imagine.

but……

Ning Yue's eyes flickered slightly, and a relieved smile unconsciously appeared at the corner of her eyes.

It's great to know such a strong and reliable old classmate.

Perhaps, it was the luckiest thing that ever happened to her.

....................................

Summer nights are the busiest time on Old Factory Street.

The noise from the food stalls downstairs and the clinking of beer bottles drifted into the tenement building through the windows.

"Chengcheng, I've lit mosquito coils for you. If you feel hot at night, just turn on the electric fan."

Li Biyun's admonitions echoed in the living room, accompanied by the broadcast of the local news channel on the television.

"Okay, Mom, you should go to bed early too."

Fang Cheng casually agreed.

He had just finished showering, with a towel draped around his neck and wearing a loose white t-shirt and shorts.

She ran her hand through her still-dripping short hair a couple of times before walking into the bedroom and closing the door behind her.

The door panel blocked out the sound from the living room.

Fang Cheng walked to the bedside and sat down, pulling the towel off his neck and throwing it on the back of the chair.

After leaving Ning Yue's house in the afternoon, he went to a nearby farmers' market and bought some pork ribs and vegetables.

As I walked downstairs carrying the plastic bag, I ran into my mother, who was returning from Wanghu Town.

The two climbed the stairs together. As always, the mother kept mentioning that meat prices had recently gone up again, while he chimed in with a smile.

As for his plans to buy a car, Fang Cheng didn't mention it at all.

My mother has been frugal for most of her life. If she knew that he planned to spend millions to buy her a luxury car, she would definitely be too heartbroken to sleep tonight.

Why not wait until Ningyue has completed all the paperwork for the new car, and then drive it directly downstairs?

By then, the die will have been cast, and I can simply find a reason to justify it. My mother may feel sorry for me, but she'll have no choice but to accept it.

Thinking of Ning Yue, Fang Cheng's thoughts returned to what had happened that afternoon.

The image of that dark shadow emerging from Li Jiajia's mouth resurfaced in my mind.

The explosion in Xishan, the appearance of ancient civilization relics, the arrival of black rain, and those insane mutants.

Two lines that were originally parallel are now converging in a way he could not have predicted.

The hidden dangers have already materialized in reality.

If this thing can reach Li Jiajia today, it could affect the bustling Old Factory Street tomorrow, and even involve her own family.

Therefore, one must be prepared and vigilant.

Fang Cheng took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed these complicated thoughts.

Thinking too much is useless; only by improving our strength can we cope with all changes.

He pulled his legs up, kicked off his sandals, and sat cross-legged on the bed.

Place your hands naturally on your knees, keep your back straight, and tuck your chin slightly in.

Fang Cheng closed his eyes and slowed his breathing.

The noise coming from outside the window quickly faded into the distance.

As he immersed himself in the inner world, he keenly sensed that something new seemed to be happening. (End of Chapter)