The earth's energy is almost inexhaustible, and due to the attraction of the underground force, the energy in the earth is released even more intensely and joyfully, allowing Zhou Ziwei to absorb it into his body without any hindrance. Under these circumstances, his middle dantian, which had expanded several times over, quickly became full.
The energy absorbed in a massive earthquake is many times faster than that absorbed from a tsunami.
However, as Zhou Ziwei rose higher and closer to the ground, the force pulling him from below weakened, and the rate at which energy was released from the earth gradually slowed down.
When Zhou Ziwei rose to less than fifty meters above the ground, the force that had been desperately pulling him from below suddenly disappeared, presumably because it knew there was no hope and had given up completely!
As expected... that must have been the power emitted by an intelligent being, and definitely not some natural power vortex.
Zhou Ziwei was secretly alarmed, knowing that he had escaped a calamity this time, but he didn't know what had ambushed him from the depths of the earth.
He now felt like he had been reborn, but he no longer had the courage to dive down underground to explore its mysteries. Whatever that thing was... it seemed to be bound underground. Since it couldn't come out, why should he bother provoking it?
Zhou Ziwei sensed that Yu Xiaoru and her parents were suffering from severe oxygen deficiency after staying underground for so long, so he dared not stay underground any longer. He instantly released more of the earth's energy, making his body rise like a fish from the bottom of the water, dispelling the pressure from the earth itself. With a "whoosh," he finally broke through the soil, bringing Yu Xiaoru and her parents out of the deep underground as well.
With a "pop," the huge earthen-yellow energy shield that was still wrapped around the three people shattered under Zhou Ziwei's absorption. It turned into strands of pure energy, which Zhou Ziwei absorbed back into his body with a single finger. It was then transformed back into attribute-free energy and injected into his middle dantian.
"Don't move—" Zhou Ziwei emerged from the spot where the battle had been most intense, but the bandits who had attacked the military compound had already withdrawn, leaving only some soldiers cleaning up the battlefield.
Major Xu was the highest-ranking officer stationed in this military compound, but he was only a regular army officer, so he was not very clear about the inside story of this incident.
That's why he couldn't understand what was going on above. This time, in order to protect three ordinary people, the military actually dispatched two special forces battalions and three regiments of a regular unit at once, holding off more than ten enemy attacks, with countless casualties.
Because those who infiltrated the military compound were all highly skilled individuals, the military suffered far greater losses than the enemy. At least a hundred of Major Xu's soldiers died, and even more than thirty members of the two special forces brigades perished.
So many people died just to protect two seemingly ordinary old people and a woman. I really don't know who these people were.
The terrorists were acting like madmen, relentlessly using lives to deplete their forces in an attempt to kidnap these three people. Could these people be some kind of powerful figures? But in Major Xu's opinion, even if these people were relatives of national leaders, they shouldn't be of such high value that they could drive these exceptionally skilled terrorists to such madness.
What Major Xu found most unacceptable was that despite the deaths of so many men, their mission had ultimately failed—completely failed. The small houses, which were heavily guarded in the center of the military compound, suddenly exploded violently, turning them into ruins. He believed that even if the people inside had eight heads, they would all be blown to bits.
As the explosion rang out, the terrorists who were still charging forward outside immediately retreated like a tide, leaving behind a pile of corpses on the ground, some of their own soldiers and some of their own. The terrorists were indeed devoid of any humanitarian spirit; they retreated without the slightest hesitation, and none of them cared about the bodies of their comrades, leaving them all behind.
Major Xu discovered that the leaders of the two special forces battalions had actually sacrificed themselves in this battle, and he, who knew very little about the truth of the matter, had become the highest-ranking military officer present.
This military compound was his stronghold, so he had no choice but to personally take charge of the rescue, firefighting, and battlefield cleanup efforts.
Fortunately, no matter what, this matter should be over. Although the mission was a complete failure, it's good that it's over. Major Xu just hopes that this incident won't affect his future.
The sacrifice of the two special forces captains gave Major Xu a headache about how to report to his superiors, and he was also more curious about the background of the three people they had protected, who were worth so many people risking their lives to protect.
Just then, Major Xu witnessed something astonishing, something he had never seen before in his life. He watched as a large, yellowish-brown ball emerged from the ground, and along with the ball came a small child, a child who looked only five or six years old.
The way the child emerged from the ground was even more astonishing, because as the child moved his hands, the soil on the ground flowed to both sides, and the child's body kept emerging from the ground, rising up, and moving forward by paddling.
It felt as if... the thing he was moving on the ground wasn't soil, but a pool of clear lake water.
But just as the large, yellowish-brown ball and the child emerged from the ground, the soil that had been rippling like water instantly solidified, returning to its solid state.
When Major Xu saw the child reach out and touch the huge, yellowish-brown sphere, which then instantly disintegrated into a yellow gas that the child inhaled, he almost screamed in fright.
However, when he saw the three people emerging from the yellowish-brown sphere after it disappeared, Major Xu couldn't help but jump up in surprise and delight.
Seeing his men instinctively raise their guns at the people emerging from the ground in the same fright, Major Xu was startled. He rushed out and yelled at the men with guns, "Put down your guns...put down your guns...don't you want to live? They are our targets...anyone who dares to harm a hair on their head, I'll skin you alive!"
Although Major Xu was not entirely clear about the identities of these people, he knew one thing for sure: these people were definitely not people he, a mere major, could afford to offend. He immediately shouted for his soldiers to put down their guns and rushed forward. He glanced at the adults, who were all unconscious, while only the child, who looked to be only five or six years old, was still conscious.
He hesitated for a moment, then snapped to attention and gave the child a perfect military salute…
Zhou Ziwei looked up at Major Xu, who stood before him like a giant, and then at the three people beside him, including Yu Xiaoru. He was shocked to realize just how terrible his situation was.
Is this... considered rejuvenation?
Now look what's happened! Not only has he been reborn, but he's actually regressing in age, turning back into a child! Heavens above! How is he going to face his wives now? Uh... Although Zhou Ziwei feels that his body has shrunk, his manhood is still as functional as an adult's, both soft and hard. But... will his wives still accept this little kid as their man?
Volume 3, King of the City, Chapter 488: Love Knows No Age
Although Major Xu didn't know who Zhou Ziwei was, he saw Zhou Ziwei emerge from underground with the ease and freedom of swimming, and then saw Zhou Ziwei calmly and effortlessly absorb the huge, yellowish-brown light shield surrounding Yu Xiaoru and the other two with a single finger. Major Xu knew that this "kid" must be quite extraordinary. In any case, he wouldn't be as useless as his son, who always had snotty noses and tricked children into giving him lollipops.
"Young man, I am the person in charge here. My surname is Xu. May I ask who you are?" Major Xu walked up to Zhou Ziwei and politely extended his hand.
In fact, if it weren't absolutely necessary, Major Xu wouldn't want to deal with this seemingly murderous "kid." After all, no matter how extraordinary this kid might be, he was still just a kid. If he were too polite to him, he would lose face. If he really treated him like a child and ignored him, Major Xu was worried that this brat might suddenly use some powerful method to kill him in a fit of anger.
However, apart from this little brat, the other three people all appear to be unconscious. Major Xu wanted to know what exactly happened, why their place was bombed like that, and how the three of them were still alive...
Now that such a big thing has happened in the military sub-district under Major Xu's jurisdiction, he will definitely have to write a report and submit it. If he doesn't figure out what happened, how can he write the report?
Zhou Ziwei was very annoyed by Major Xu's use of the term "little kid" and felt an urge to jump up and slap him.
But looking down at his own little arms and legs, he felt that he couldn't really blame Major Xu. Who told him to become so small, like a preschooler? If people didn't call him "little friend," would they call him "sir"?
Zhou Ziwei chuckled wryly and rubbed his nose, saying, "Major Xu, right? You don't need to know who I am; your rank isn't high enough to know. Now... have someone prepare two clean rooms for me and carry those three people there. Then have someone prepare some things for me, oh... have someone write them down... ten cloves of garlic, one white radish, three qian of fennel seeds, licorice root..."
Ignoring Major Xu's astonishment, Zhou Ziwei rattled off a long list of medicinal herbs and common food seasonings, making it sound like a prescription, or perhaps... a cooking spice mix, leaving Major Xu somewhat bewildered.
Although Major Xu believed that the kid in front of him was most likely talking nonsense, before figuring out the kid's background, Major Xu still believed that it was better to do more useless work than to offend someone who might have a powerful background.
Anyway, all the things Zhou Ziwei mentioned were just cheap stuff. If you collected them all, it wouldn't even cost a hundred yuan. It wouldn't matter if you bought them and then threw them all in the trash.
Major Xu immediately ordered a soldier to run ahead, get into the military district's jeep, and go to the city to buy these items.
Although the military district had just experienced a fierce battle, and was filled with corpses and traces of the explosion, the district's compound was quite large, so finding a few clean rooms was not a problem.
After Major Xu had Yu Xiaoru and the others carried into the room, he asked some medical staff from the military district hospital to come and treat the three of them. However, Zhou Ziwei unceremoniously chased all the doctors away, leaving only a few pretty nurses behind. He asked them to help take off the three of their dirty clothes, wipe the dirt off their bodies, and then change them into clean hospital gowns.
Several female nurses did this kind of work, and even when they were helping Yang's father change clothes, they did not feel any inconvenience. On the contrary, when they saw Zhou Ziwei turn his head away and go to the outer room when they were about to undress Yu Xiaoru, the beautiful nurses were all stunned for a moment, and then they looked at each other and giggled.
"This kid is so funny, he even knows how to avoid suspicion... Hehe... Look at him, he looks like a gentleman, it's hilarious!" A nurse with a bulging chest, as if she were carrying two big watermelons, stared at Zhou Ziwei's back with bright eyes, then laughed so hard that her breasts bounced up and down, quite a sight. If Zhou Ziwei saw this scene, he would probably think of the tsunami he encountered at sea off the island of Japan.
To be honest... in some details, the scene really did have some similarities...
A pretty young nurse with a few freckles on her face covered her mouth and giggled, saying, "This kid is something else... If he were sent to act in movies, he'd definitely be a shining child star... Maybe even more famous than that... that Shi Shaolong... Hehe... That little monk is really adorable... When I watched his movie, I thought... If I had a boyfriend as amazing as him, even if he was younger, I'd be willing!"
"Pshaw, what's Shi Shaolong compared to me... I still prefer Hao Xiaowen, the chubby, lecherous little brat, he looks so cute I just want to hug him and take a bite!" Another slender nurse with a naturally captivating, slender waist said with a lovesick expression.
As Zhou Ziwei walked out, he heard the conversation of several female nurses inside. He stumbled and almost fell flat on his face.
What kind of world is this...? Have all the pretty girls started liking little kids these days? Ugh... no wonder so many eligible men can't find wives... apparently they're either married to old men or secretly in love with little kids. This... is really making it impossible for men in their twenties to live...
The orderly was quite fast. Several of the ingredients in the prescription Zhou Ziwei mentioned were not Chinese medicinal herbs or even spices, so it would take quite a bit of effort to buy all the ingredients on the prescription.
Fortunately, the orderly drove himself to the city; otherwise, traveling from one end to the other, it might have taken another two hours to get things done.
Zhou Ziwei took the large bag handed to him by the orderly, opened it, and looked through each item. Then he asked the orderly to take out a small notebook to write down what he had said. Only then did he solemnly instruct, "Please go to the cookhouse and find a few people to help process these medicinal herbs... Cut the white radish into slices, place them in an iron pot, and steam them over low heat for three minutes. Then take them out and extract the juice. Peel the garlic and crush it with a stone hammer. Remember, this process must not involve any metal utensils... Add a small amount of rice water to the fennel seeds and stir-fry them over low heat until they are fragrant and slightly charred..."
There were more than twenty kinds of medicinal herbs and some strange and unusual things, each of which had to be processed using special methods before it could be used. Zhou Ziwei had his own unique insights into the processing methods of each herb. One of the nurses had graduated from the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine at a military medical university and had some knowledge of traditional Chinese medicine. When she heard Zhou Ziwei explain the processing procedures of several herbs so perfectly and accurately, ensuring that the most effective parts of the herbs could be released perfectly, and the processing methods of many other herbs were things that she had never heard of before, she couldn't help but look at Zhou Ziwei with even more respect.
This nurse from the Traditional Chinese Medicine department was the same one who had a crush on Shi Shaolong. And you know what... this pretty girl probably has a more overflowing maternal instinct than most women, as she seems to have a stronger affinity for young boys than for handsome men. Seeing Zhou Ziwei speaking so logically and clearly, it's obvious that she has a deep understanding of Traditional Chinese Medicine principles.
Then her peach blossom eyes began to overflow with a strong sense of spring, which made the two nurses next to her feel a chill all over their bodies.
The busty girl and the freckled beauty usually got along very well, so when she sensed something was wrong, she immediately pulled the freckled beauty aside and began to patiently persuade her:
Girl, are you serious? Even if this little brat seems a bit different, there's no need to actually swoon over him, is there? How old is he? I don't even know if he's five yet. Even if you want to be romantic with him, he'd better be able to understand you first...
Although we live in an era where love reigns supreme, and people say that love knows no borders, heights, genders, or ages, what does a five or six-year-old know? To be more realistic... a kid's genitals are probably smaller than a peanut. How long will it take to raise that little bird into a big bird? And even if you have the patience to raise it, this young woman will probably be middle-aged by then. Will a young, handsome man still be interested in a woman with wrinkles around her eyes?
The freckled beauty blushed instantly upon hearing this, playfully punching the busty girl a few times. She then gave the busty girl's ample bosom a gentle pinch, pouting slightly, and said, "I didn't say I was really going to pursue this handsome guy. I just think he's fun and quite amazing. Hehe... I just think he's really incredible... How can someone so young know so much? I studied traditional Chinese medicine for four years at military medical university, and it seems like I didn't learn as much as he does... Wow... It's unbelievable! Do you think... this kid might be a reincarnated prodigy?"
"A reincarnated prodigy!" Upon hearing this, the busty girl's heart stirred. When she looked at Zhou Ziwei's slightly immature face, which was framed by eyes that seemed to have endured countless hardships, her soul was deeply moved. Her heart began to pound wildly at least twice as fast as usual.
The big-breasted girl's natural bodily reaction did not escape the eyes of the freckled beauty sitting next to her. Suddenly, she narrowed her eyes and said with a smile, "How about it, Sister Mimi, are you feeling all lovey-dovey too? Hehe... I told you... He's not like an ordinary child. Haven't you noticed? Apart from being small, short, and a bit cute, he doesn't act like a five-year-old at all, whether he's talking or doing anything."
Hearing this, even the slender-waisted nurse began to ponder in her heart. When she glanced at Zhou Ziwei again, the look in her eyes was no longer the teasing or doting look she usually gave to the children in the military compound. Instead, it was a look of curiosity and admiration.
Zhou Ziwei's hearing is at least ten times better than that of an average person, so even though the three nurses were whispering to each other from a distance, Zhou Ziwei could hear them all clearly.
He hadn't really taken the girls' comments to heart, at most feeling a little smug. He felt that he wasn't just ordinary handsome, but incredibly handsome to the core. Even now, disguised as a little kid, beautiful girls were still so fond of him. He couldn't bear to feel awkward or uncomfortable...
However, when he heard the freckled pretty girl say that she suspected he was a reincarnated prodigy, his heart suddenly stirred.
Zhou Ziwei had always wanted to regain his identity from his previous life and reunite with his parents, but... he was also worried that his parents would not be able to accept the bizarre things he had experienced.
He was trapped inside a bullet for three whole years after death, during which time he devoured the remains of countless ghosts before he was no longer afraid of the power of sunlight... If these things were really told, firstly, his parents might not believe it; secondly, even if they did believe it, what would they think of their son who had returned from the dead? They might even regard him as a ghost. So, even if his parents, out of consideration for their past relationship with their son, didn't show anything on the surface, wouldn't they harbor some resentment in their hearts?
If his parents are filled with fear or even disgust towards him, then even if he can reunite with them and live together again, what happiness can he find?
It was precisely for this reason that Zhou Ziwei, even though he had met his parents twice, still couldn't make up his mind and dared not reveal his true identity. At the time, he had only made up various excuses to delay as long as possible. But now, he had decided to take his parents and Yu Xiaoru with him and keep them by his side, not allowing any more accidents to happen to them. However, as for how to recognize his parents, he still couldn't make a final decision and dared not casually break the ice.
But now... the freckled beauty's words seemed to awaken Zhou Ziwei from his dream, giving him a new idea.
The idea of devouring ghosts or possessing another's body is too terrifying to be accepted by most ordinary people. Imagine if someone around you had devoured countless ghosts, could you still look them in the eye without fear?
However, compared to this exciting method of rebirth, the Buddhist concept of reincarnation is much gentler. Although it may still seem very strange to ordinary people, it does not evoke strong feelings of fear or disgust.
In the past, if Zhou Ziwei had run up to Yang's parents and said that he was the reincarnation of Yang Hongtao, Yang's father would probably have immediately rolled up his sleeves and slapped him hard twice.
Although Zhou Ziwei is younger than Yang Hongtao in his previous life, the age difference between them is only six or seven years at most.
In other words... under normal circumstances, when Yang Hongtao was executed in his previous life, Zhou Ziwei should have been twenty-two or twenty-three years old. How could you reincarnate into someone in his twenties?
But now... if Zhou Ziwei says that again, it's perfectly reasonable, and no one can find any fault with it.
Because… although Zhou Ziwei is still in his late twenties, almost thirty, his body, after being constantly tempered, broken down, and rebuilt underground, has now become that of a five or six-year-old child. Yang Hongtao was executed just over six years ago in his previous life, which perfectly matches Zhou Ziwei's current age. If Zhou Ziwei claims to be the reincarnation of Yang Hongtao after his execution, and that he died unjustly, thus gaining the sympathy of Yama or the Black and White Impermanence and retaining his memories of his past life… that should easily gain his parents' trust, and… prevent them from developing any aversion towards him!
Zhou Ziwei didn't plan to stay petite and delicate forever. If given the chance, he would try to regain his adult figure and appearance. However... since he had such good natural advantages, it would be a waste not to take advantage of them! As for what would happen if his figure grew bigger in the future... that was a matter for later. As the saying goes, there's always a way out. As long as he got through this hurdle, he would always find a way to fool them later. At worst, he could just tell the two old folks that the King of Hell had given him a magic pill that could instantly make him grow back to his youthful appearance.
And so, because of a few casual jokes from those infatuated nurses, Zhou Ziwei finally found a chance to reunite with his parents...
Volume 3, King of the City, Chapter 489: Past Life and Present Life
The cooks were quite efficient; in just over twenty minutes, they had processed all the odds and ends that Zhou Ziwei had asked the orderly to buy, strictly following Zhou Ziwei's instructions, and then returned them.
Zhou Ziwei carefully inspected everything and found that the preparation method for each item was exactly as he had instructed. He nodded and then asked the orderly to fetch a few cups.
They took a small amount of each of the dozens of processed medicinal herbs or other materials, carefully mixed them together according to strict proportions, and then vigorously stirred them with a chopstick.
Zhou Ziwei stirred the liquid extremely fast, yet the chopsticks barely made a sound against the cup's walls. Under his high-speed stirring, the viscous, multicolored liquid gradually blended together, eventually permeating each other and eliminating the various colors, suddenly becoming clear and transparent.
"Ah—" The nurses and orderly who were watching the commotion exclaimed in unison upon seeing this.
So many messy things mixed together, yet they became as clear as water. This was beyond people's common sense. So, to them, Zhou Ziwei's move seemed like magic, which was an eye-opener.
So when those pretty young nurses looked at Zhou Ziwei, their eyes became even more ambiguous and admiring.
Regardless of the purpose of this clear liquid, Zhou Ziwei's skill in preparing it is already remarkable. And for a child who looks only five or six years old to be able to do something so amazing, then... what else could he be but a child prodigy?
Seeing the looks in the eyes of those beautiful women, Zhou Ziwei rubbed his temples with a headache, then beckoned to the freckled beauty and handed her the glass of clear liquid, saying, "Feed them all with a spoon. Remember... no more than three spoonfuls per person, don't give them more, understand?"
"Oh...I understand."