Whew, I was on a business trip today, and barely made it to post the update right after getting off the train.

Two days later, after Zhong Yun stubbornly insisted on seeing Yuan, he finally got his wish and returned to his dormitory. With the help of the Mi Jia ray, he made a full recovery in just one day.

Yang Siqing granted him a ten-day leave. Zhong Yun didn't waste a moment, pushing himself relentlessly in "simulated training." Having narrowly escaped death, he now craved immense power—more power than anyone else possessed.

Ten days later, the leave ended, and Zhong Yun rejoined the main contingent for training. Due to the exceptional performance of both Zhong Yun and Fei Liming, they were assigned to the strongest group.

Zhong Yun couldn't help but wonder: were he and the Fei family destined enemies from a past life? How could he never shake off this persistent shadow?

The training at the base was grueling, truly hellish, but for Zhong Yun, it wasn't a major issue. Thanks to Yuan's modifications, his physical constitution far surpassed that of ordinary people.

His performance astounded the instructors. He adapted immediately to such high-intensity physical drills. When Zhong Yun was injured, they had examined his body; there wasn't a single sign of hard muscle or calluses on his hands—nothing to suggest any prior physical training.

Even more astonishing was the recovery: no matter how brutal the training that day, even if he was left completely exhausted, he bounced back the next morning, full of vigor. His regenerative ability was jaw-droppingly powerful.

Life at the base was monotonous yet fulfilling. In the blink of an eye, two months slipped by.

Zhong Yun, originally quite fair-skinned, was now tanned dark. His lean physique was now sculpted with hard, bulging muscles. He looked entirely different from before. They said the army was a great crucible; this proved it true.

In the infirmary, Zhong Yun lay on a white cot, hands behind his head, leisurely whistling a tune. A white gauze pad covered his chest, already showing a faint damp patch of blood.

Across from him, Fei Liming was face down. He had removed his top, and a female nurse was blushing as she disinfected the wounds on his back.

For the past two months, Zhong Yun and Fei Liming had been regulars here. During training, both received "special attention" from the instructors, making injuries as common as daily bread.

"It's you two again!" Dr. Shui, entering from the doorway, couldn't suppress a flicker of anger upon seeing them. "You two are too much! Getting beaten up and covered in bruises every other day. And you're just kids; how can they bring themselves to hit you so hard?"

"Sister Yue, it’s not the instructors' fault. They do this for our own good," Fei Liming, still prone on the bed, defended his mentors.

Over the past two months, Fei Liming had grown quite familiar with Dr. Shui and had learned her name: Shui Lian Yue. He was no longer as shy around her, and calling her "Sister Yue" came quite naturally now.

"Hmph, what do you know," Zhong Yun scoffed. "A real man is forged through hardship. This little bit of pain means nothing."

Shui Lian Yue walked over to Zhong Yun with a smile. "I'm trying to help you, so don't dismiss a good intention." She gently pulled back the gauze covering his wound and inspected it. Hmm, not too serious.

With a slight flexing of her fingers, a faint, ethereal blue mist formed in her palm. She pressed it onto the wound. The flesh visibly began to crawl and knit together. In about a minute, the injury was completely healed, leaving only a reddish stain of blood on the skin to prove it had ever existed.

Seeing the wound closed, Shui Lian Yue turned to Fei Liming to examine his back. It was only abrasions, nothing severe. She instructed the nurse beside her, "Apply some special healing ointment. He'll be fine."

"Oh, right, wasn't your birthday a few days ago?" Zhong Yun called out to Shui Lian Yue, stopping her. "It's a bit late, but let me give you a gift." He began rummaging through his pockets.

"What? Sister Yue, your birthday? How did I not know?" Fei Liming exclaimed in surprise.

"How did you know my birthday?" Shui Lian Yue looked at Zhong Yun curiously. "I never told anyone; I always spent it alone."

Fei Liming grew animated. "Why didn't you say so sooner? We could have celebrated it together."

"I don't like crowds," Shui Lian Yue replied lightly.

"Found it." After a thorough search, Zhong Yun finally retrieved a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and tossed it toward Shui Lian Yue.

"What is this?" Shui Lian Yue caught it. It was a small square of white paper, creased slightly at the edges from being in his pocket.

She unfolded the paper and froze instantly. Her eyes, usually clear as a spring, widened dramatically. Noticing her expression, Fei Liming became curious, looked over, and let out a small gasp, "Ah, this is..."

On the creased white sheet, rendered with simple black lines, was a half-body portrait. At a glance, it seemed only a vague outline of a woman, as if viewed through mist.

But looking closer, a beautiful woman emerged clearly. Every line captured the woman's inherent grace flawlessly. She was a woman as clear and cool as flowing water. Fei Liming knew instantly it was Shui Lian Yue; her aura was so distinct, unlike any woman he had ever encountered. She was a pristine hibiscus rising from the water, pure without a speck of dust.

Fei Liming was utterly captivated, his gaze locked onto the drawing. As he stared, he suddenly felt the person in the drawing come alive, offering him a slight smile. That smile, like a blooming hibiscus, stole his breath away.

"Did you draw this?" The picture held Shui Lian Yue like a magnet, drawing her gaze inextricably.

"Just some casual doodling," Zhong Yun mumbled, touching the handheld auxiliary device on his wrist. "I rarely give gifts to women. Consider this repayment for saving my life. If you don't like it, just toss it anywhere."

"Casual doodling?" Fei Liming drew a sharp, cold breath. This was the lost Gālan Sketching technique, which his art instructor had mentioned. Gālan possessed an almost magical sketching method that could make drawings "come alive." He hadn't understood what "come alive" meant until now—he was witnessing it firsthand.

Zhong Yun was oblivious to Fei Liming's shock. It was merely an impulse, a pure desire to thank Shui Lian Yue for saving him, wanting to give her something unique. Constrained by the base's limited resources, he had recalled this interesting drawing style.

With his own skill level, he couldn't possibly create it, but with the help of the auxiliary device, he managed to produce something passable. Still, it was only good enough to fool an amateur. No matter how advanced the device, it was just a tool; it could capture the form of art but utterly fail to render even a sliver of its spirit.

Taking a deep breath, Shui Lian Yue carefully folded the drawing away. "Thank you for the gift. I love it."

Just then, the base's emergency assembly alarm blared. Zhong Yun and the still-recumbent Fei Liming shot up like two agile rabbits and sprinted toward the training field.

Within two minutes, everyone present at the base, excluding those on active training rotations, had assembled on the field. Ten minutes later, the personnel out training also returned.

Yang Siqing walked onto the stage with a solemn expression. Without preamble, she announced earth-shattering news.

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