Zhou Huai slowly opened his eyes.

Outside the window, it was pitch black.

Fine rain beat diagonally against the glass, merging into winding water trails.

He remembered that when he went to sleep, the sky was already dark.

Now waking up, the sky remained the same.

His throat was as dry as if it were on fire.

He wanted to raise his hand, but his arm felt as heavy as a thousand jun, completely refusing to obey.

His body was hollow, as if all his strength had been drained dry.

"Young Master, you're awake?"

An aged voice rang out within the room.

Zhou Huai turned his head.

Old Fu was walking over briskly from the sofa not far away.

The old man's eye sockets were deeply sunken and covered in bloodshot veins, obviously having not slept the entire night either.

"Old Fu."

Zhou Huai spoke, his voice as hoarse as two pieces of sandpaper rubbing against each other.

Old Fu hurriedly poured a cup of warm water, carefully handing it to his lips.

"Young Master, drink slowly."

The warm water slid down his throat, and the burning sensation finally eased slightly.

Zhou Huai leaned against the head of the bed, resting for a long while before he felt his body return to his own control.

Old Fu placed the water cup on the bedside table, looking at Zhou Huai's pale complexion with eyes full of heartache.

"You slept so soundly this time, no matter how you were called, you wouldn't wake up."

"You must have been starving for a long time, right?"

"I'll have someone bring over the food that has been kept warm in the kitchen for you right away."

As Old Fu spoke, he prepared to turn and head out.

"Wait."

Zhou Huai stopped him.

He frowned, and the feeling of something being wrong in his heart grew increasingly intense.

"Old Fu, how long did I sleep?"

Old Fu's footsteps paused, his body stiffening slightly.

He turned around, forcing a somewhat strained smile onto his face.

"Not very long."

"Young Master, you've been too tired lately, so sleeping a bit longer is only right."

Zhou Huai's gaze grew sharp, staring straight at him.

"Tell me, how long did I sleep?"

Old Fu was silent for a moment, then with a voice close to a murmur, he laboriously spat out a number.

"Twenty-eight hours."

Twenty-eight hours?

He stared blankly at Old Fu, unable to speak for a moment.

Although he realized that he might have slept for a long time this time, he never expected that he would actually sleep for a full day and night.

The situation was growing increasingly severe.

Zhou Huai could clearly feel that the fatigue originating from the depths of his soul was intensifying at an irreversible speed.

Like an hourglass, it was accelerating the drain of his already scarce life.

If this continued, he might become increasingly prone to sleepiness.

Until one day, a sudden flash of radiance before death.

His life would also come to an end.

However, fortunately, Zhou Huai was not someone who would sit idly and await death.

Before obtaining the Pendulum of Life.

He also had to prepare some means of survival for himself.

With a single thought.

A pitch-black shadow silently spread from beneath his feet, writhing like a living creature, and finally condensed into a tall, white-haired figure.

Moria, who should still have been in the Imperial Capital, appeared silently in the room just like that.

He knelt on one knee, and with a respectful motion, took out five or six exquisite crystal bottles from the Storage Ring, placing them one by one on the bedside table in front of Zhou Huai.

Since the holy light spiritual water could help him recover a sliver of soul power.

Perhaps other potions could also produce a similar effect.

Therefore, Zhou Huai had made plans early on.

In the materials list for forging the 【token of the faceless】 given to Zhao Qingcang, he had quietly added a portion of private tasks he needed.

These were potion formulas that Zhou Huai had previously investigated through Information Bugs from the military database, which were very likely helpful in repairing soul power.

The military department truly did not disappoint him.

When preparing materials for Ou Yezi, they also gathered these potions together.

After those materials were delivered into Ou Yezi's hands, Zhou Huai used Moria to bring all these potions back.

This was also the reason why these small bottles appeared in front of Zhou Huai.

"Ningxin Dew, Anhun Liquid, Qingxin Spring..."

Zhou Huai opened the bottle stoppers, inspecting the potions inside one by one.

The liquids in the bottles varied in color, some as clear as water, some as emerald as jade, and some as profound as the night.

Although the colors were different, they were basically the same as the items he had investigated.

There were many kinds of potions capable of repairing soul power, but these few were relatively mild.

Basically, there were no major side effects.

Zhou Huai did not hesitate at all, pinched his nose, and poured the potions in the bottles into his stomach one by one.

The medicinal liquid entered his throat, icy cold with a trace of bitterness.

After finishing the last bottle, an irresistible and powerful wave of fatigue swept across his entire brain like a breached flood.

The world before his eyes began to spin.

Zhou Huai didn't even have time to give Moria new instructions before his head tilted to the side and he sank into a deep sleep.

Moria's figure slowly faded, merging back into the shadows and disappearing.

"Creak—"

The door was gently pushed open.

Old Fu carried a bowl of steaming ginseng soup, walking in with light and slow steps.

His steps were light and slow, for fear of disturbing the person on the bed.

Yet when he clearly saw Zhou Huai's sleeping appearance, a trace of worry involuntarily surfaced on his aged face.

"Fell asleep again..."

The old man placed the ginseng soup on the bedside table, looking at Zhou Huai's increasingly pale face as he sighed silently.

...

When Zhou Huai woke up again, it was already broad daylight outside the window.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting a narrow band of light across the room.

He slowly opened his eyes, feeling his mind clearer than ever before.

This time, that lingering, viscous feeling in his mind seemed to have dissipated a bit more.

Clearly, those potions were beginning to take effect.

Unfortunately, these consumed potions were just like the holy light spiritual water.

The effect was most pronounced the first time they were taken, and taking them thereafter basically had little effect.

He didn't know how long the effects of these potions could last.

Hopefully, they could last until he obtained the Pendulum of Life.

Today, Zhou Huai had a surprisingly good appetite, eating two full large bowls of rice.

Old Fu watched his ravenous appearance, and the heart hanging in his chest finally settled down slightly.

Having rested for a full two days.

Over at Ou Yezi's place, the badges should be nearly finished, right?

He silently closed his eyes, his consciousness retreating like a tide, and then crossing a thousand miles, instantly transferred to another body.

Imperial Capital, Central Military Department, Level Three Forging Room.

"Hum—"

Ou Yezi slowly opened his eyes.

With no other tasks, Ou Yezi remained in a standby state just like that.

Sitting quietly in front of the forging table.

On the forging table not far from him.

Five brand-new badges lay quietly on the cold forging table.