Chapter 19 "Let me become your slave.

The spacious and clean bedroom was tidied up neatly, its furniture arrangement exuded a sense of warmth, indicating the meticulous care of its owner.

The light gauze curtain was drawn halfway, brilliant sunlight cast elliptical golden spots on the red solid wood flooring, and the breeze, like the gentle hand of a woman, occasionally flicked a corner of the curtain.

The breeze and sunlight together created a bright and comfortable atmosphere.

Although the various details suggested that this was a girl's bedroom, lying quietly on the soft and comfortable big bed in the center of the room was a young man.

The youth's eyes were tightly shut, his expression peaceful, as he was immersed in a deep slumber.

After a while, it was unknown whether it was the sound of the wind or a sigh—

"Haah..."

Cen Dongsheng opened his eyes and saw an unfamiliar ceiling above him.

His experience accumulated during his time as an Exorcism Department official had honed a certain instinct in him. Driven by this instinct, his first reaction upon regaining consciousness was not to think, but to check the state of his body.

True Qi was flowing... unimpeded, but on the physical level...

He quickly recalled the previous events, including the awakening of his "Undying Bone" and the end of the battle.

His head was slightly groggy, it seemed the aftereffects had not yet passed, he was not in top condition; but after a long rest, he had regained his combat capabilities, and that was enough.

During his Inner Vision, True Qi flowed; beneath the covering of organs and flesh, the diamond-hard skeleton was clear at a glance. Cen Dongsheng had a peculiar feeling, as if he was no longer a being of flesh and bone, but a Terminator robot instead.

Undoubtedly, he had become stronger.

Cen Dongsheng sat up in bed and found himself wearing pajamas. He clenched and unclenched his fist, checking for injuries on his body.

The wounds had been carefully treated and disinfected, but no bandages or plaster had been applied.

Considering the condition he was in before falling unconscious and the room he was currently in, the person who had tended to his wounds must have been Sister Zhi Zhen.

She must have noticed that his body was regenerating at an abnormal rate during the recovery process. Treating him as a normal injured person would have inhibited the growth, so that's why she did what she did.

"Right, where's Sister Zhi Zhen...?"

Cen Dongsheng looked around, thinking of getting out of bed and leaving the room to find her, when he discovered that the blanket covering him seemed to be pressed down by something—

Looking down, he saw the very person he wanted to meet sprawled at the side of the bed, probably too tired from watching over him and had simply fallen asleep.

Her dense black hair covered her face, the splendid sunlight shone on the woman's hands and neck, her skin as white as early snow sparkled in the morning light, looking so serene and beautiful.

He sighed in relief, let his guard down completely, and couldn't help but reveal a smile.

...

An Zhizhen heard the laughter and woke up. Her shoulders twitched, then she slowly lifted her face.

Her hair, matted from being pressed down, stuck messily on a face still groggy from sleep, somewhat dazed. It had to be said, she was quite cute.

An Zhizhen saw him first, her gaze quickly refocused and landed on Cen Dongsheng.

The woman's eyes were clear and bright, like pools of autumn water reflecting his silhouette, as if her whole world contained only him.

"You're awake, that's wonderful."

After her surprise, she, like Cen Dongsheng, revealed a relieved smile.

"Thank you for taking care of me."

"It was my duty."

"My body feels very clean, and even my clothes have been changed..."

He made a joke.

"So, did Sister Zhi Zhen help with the underwear as well?"

"Deliberately asking, how annoying." Sister Zhi Zhen playfully slapped his thigh, then said seriously, "I am a doctor, you know. It's normal to look after a patient, don't get any weird ideas."

"You said yourself that you're more like an experimenter than a doctor... Honestly, you've never actually taken care of a patient before, have you?"

"Really, you should not expose me like that!"

...

"By the way, how long have I slept?"

After making a joke, Cen Dongsheng began to inquire about the main issue.

"Including that night, a total of one day and two nights."

An Zhizhen described to Cen Dongsheng the situation at Xiaokang Building after he fell unconscious.

After the Ghost House disappeared, they were back in their own rooms, as if nothing had happened.

"There's something I find strange, though, which is that before the collective return, all the residents were asleep. At first, I thought it was due to exhaustion, but then I realized there was not a single person awake..."

"Oh, that's actually normal."

A Ghost House is a place where yin energy gathers, for ordinary people without True Qi, just living in such a place is a burden; if one is unable to leave for a long time, they might even die from the dissipation of their vitality.

During the process of the Ghost House disappearing and returning to the Human World, the human body would automatically produce a stress response. To replenish energy, the usual response is profound sleep, waking up to eat and drink heartily afterward.

"Will they... remember it?"

"They may consider it a nightmare. Of course, some will remember more clearly, but that's not our concern."

The human subconscious will process supernatural events as dreams; however, when intelligence about ghosts and Forbidden Masters surfaces, such interpretations cease to occur, because by then, people's subconscious has accepted the existence of supernatural phenomena, so they retain clearer memories.

"That means, Sister Zhi Zhen, you still remember everything?"

"...Eh?"

For some reason, she seemed to hesitate for a moment, but in the end, she nodded.