The manga didn’t draw everything Yuan Ting and the others saw this time. Instead, it inserted several panels of beautiful memories from the Youth Arc, very cleanly cutting to the main point.
[Finally waited for this day QAQ! Yuan Ting and them finally know!]
[They don’t know everything. Shi baby said to Uncle Fu—only showing them the good parts.]
[His memories of painfully struggling between Yuan Guang and Tiangu in the Youth Arc were all hidden.]
[qwq Shi baby, don’t shoulder so much alone anymore!]
[Wuu wuu my friend of old days. This time truly is friend of old days. But Shi baby didn’t just retrace once—this is clearly the 12th time. Look at him still smiling, still smiling so happily wuu wuu]
[How are you so easily satisfied, my treasure tat]
Continuing to flip to the next page, comments instantly became one style:
[Ahhh Yuan Ting, what are you doing? If you hug Shi baby like that, he’s a fragile glass cannon who can’t take it (screaming)]
…
“Shi Deng…”
Yuan Ting very uselessly sniffled. On the spot, he charged forward in one arrow-step, bear-hugging Shi Deng, wailing loudly.
Shi Deng: “…”
Vision went black.
His current body simply couldn’t withstand Yuan Ting’s strength-level embrace. His ability, when summoning the blood river just now, was already mostly depleted.
Originally, he didn’t have much ability to command. Even standing took effort. Being hugged by Yuan Ting… He steadied himself, looking around for a rock he could sit on.
He truly feared he’d kneel down directly.
That would be too humiliating.
Zhi Ze slapped Yuan Ting’s arm. “Let go. Shi Deng’s about to be strangled breathless by you.”
“Oh, oh!” Yuan Ting scratched his head, quickly releasing him.
Shi Deng breathed a sigh of relief. “I know you have questions. Sit down first. Talk slowly.”
He was first to sit on a nearby flat rock. The instant he sat down, his ability depleted. He lost control of his calves. Then came heart-piercing pain.
Aftereffects of forcibly walking on the ground struck without question. The youth’s breath imperceptibly caught briefly. Cold sweat emerged on his back.
Yet his face showed nothing. He even smiled. “What do you want to ask?”
Yuan Ting and Zhi Ze sat on either side of him. Cen Le sat opposite him.
She frowned imperceptibly, gaze falling on Shi Deng’s legs hidden by spacious leader garments, then moving up to look at his arms hanging at his sides, seemingly because he relaxed.
Zhi Ze: “We’re actually already dead?”
If there’d been no retrograding, they’d long since be ice-cold corpses.
Suddenly learning this seemingly absurd fact, yet he had no doubt whatsoever this was false. Yellow Springs wouldn’t fake things. Intuition’s feedback wouldn’t fake things either.
Moreover, everything Shi Deng did now had explanations.
Why he’d deliberately arranged their meeting in F City. Why back then, his prophecy technique’s three leaves all stuck to Shi Deng’s body.
Why Shi Deng understood them so well. Why coordination between them was so seamless. Why Shi Deng chose to absorb contamination qi into his own body…
Everything made sense now.
What Zhi Ze could think of, Yuan Ting and Cen Le could also think of.
Cen Le asked, “Then why didn’t you tell us from the start? Still coming to Yuan Guang? Wouldn’t choosing to tell Tiangu, doing prevention from the beginning, be better?”
Shi Deng was rendered speechless.
He’d experienced so many retrogrades. Sister Le’s method—he’d actually tried it long ago.
Just… useless.
“Had I told you all from the beginning, Tiangu would never have believed it. And your strength wasn’t enough. Would only add needless troubles.”
He thought for a moment, saying, “Also because ‘Yuan’ is underground. I’m here. Using time chains to suppress it has a relatively good effect. Moreover, I became Yuan Guang’s leader. Tiangu’s side can also relax quite a bit.”
“Yuan truly is here.” Zhi Ze’s expression turned grave. “Shi Deng, suppressing it—will there be any effects on you?”
They’d seen at the Yellow Springs the world after Yuan raged. Devastation everywhere. Such powerful force—could it truly be suppressed?
Shi Deng: “Aside from depleting ability, no other effects.”
Of course, also a lie.
When he’d initially imprisoned Yuan inside his body, his right pupil was contaminated, completely becoming ugly, eerie red.
Now, though imprisoning Yuan locked underground, contamination qi would still permeate his body through time chains.
How strong his ability, how poor his body. Otherwise, after experiencing Feng City’s ordeal, he wouldn’t have fallen to his current half-crippled state.
Moreover, locked at his heart right now was also contamination absorbed from Feng City.
Yuan Ting opened his mouth. His gaze paused an instant on Shi Deng’s gray-white hair. Ears drooping: “…Sorry.”
Cen Le: “This is backlash?”
Shi Deng didn’t want to elaborate. Lightly: “A bit of aftereffect from retrograding time. Doesn’t affect anything.”
His vision was already somewhat dizzy. Shi Deng’s fingertips hidden in spacious sleeves unconsciously trembled. He bit his tongue tip to maintain consciousness.
Though much more to say, if he didn’t send them away soon, he’d truly be humiliated…
Preempting Zhi Ze’s words, Shi Deng lowered his eyes. “Sister Le, rest first. After summoning Yellow Springs, there’s still some cleanup. Don’t leave people here.”
Zhi Ze paused, temporarily suppressing remaining words. “Cleanup? Can we help?”
Shi Deng shook his head. “Go rest first. I’ve arranged rooms for you. We’ll discuss everything in detail tonight.”
Zhi Ze still wanted to say something. Pulled by Cen Le who sensed something, she responded, “Okay.”
She immediately pulled Zhi Ze and the still-dazed Yuan Ting away from the area.
Shi Deng’s ability was depleted. Could only hear their footsteps growing more distant, unable to sense specific position. Only after footsteps disappeared for a long time did he slightly breathe a sigh of relief.
When he finally looked up again, his complexion was deathly pale.
***
Another Side.
Chi Yu had long woken. Kept silent all along, seemingly digesting things he’d experienced in Yellow Springs.
Shi-ge beside him, hand holding an orange juice bottle from who knows where, slowly taking a sip.
The more experienced someone was with abilities, the deeper their understanding—and the more they grasped just how impossibly miraculous reversing time truly was. Especially to alter a predetermined fate.
This sounded simply like something only madmen would do.
Chi Yu took a drag, thinking far more than Cen Le and the other two. He opened his mouth hoarsely. “What we saw—is it what Shi Deng wanted us to see, or his entire experience?”
The young man’s fingertip rubbed the juice bottle once.
Truly heart-stopping intuition.
He avoided answering, saying, “Let’s still discuss matters regarding Yuan Marrow.”
…
Cen Le and the other two didn’t leave.
They hid behind large rocks not far away. This place happened to conceal them while still seeing Shi Deng’s figure.
“Sister Le, what are we doing? Isn’t secretly watching kind of wrong?” Yuan Ting muttered quietly.
Though his voice was small, under a special-grade ability user’s perception, it practically equaled taking a megaphone and shouting ‘I’m here’—especially since Shi Deng’s strength likely far surpassed theirs.
Zhi Ze immediately covered his mouth, making a shushing gesture. Embracing the mentality of being discovered, he looked toward Shi Deng’s direction.
But unexpectedly—
Shi Deng showed no reaction whatsoever. Only his movements were abnormally sluggish as he reached his hand into the pockets on either side of his leader garments.
This was clearly abnormal.
Zhi Ze and Cen Le exchanged glances. The latter’s brow furrowed tightly.
Zhi Ze: “Sister Le?”
Cen Le said softly, “When he sat on that rock, I noticed something was off. Moreover, when we were talking, he barely moved at all. His calves didn’t shift even half a bit.”
Yuan Ting’s pupils contracted slightly, vaguely understanding what Cen Le meant.
Cen Le’s hand rested on the rock, slowly clenching.
“…He doesn’t want to stand. He can’t stand up anymore.”
***
Not far away, the youth’s eyes still held traces of joy from seeing them. With difficulty, he tried pulling out the phone in his pocket.
Just this one action took Shi Deng an incredibly long time.
Shi Deng sighed worriedly. He’d instructed Uncle Fu earlier—without his permission, don’t come pushing the wheelchair. But now with his ability completely drained, he couldn’t support his movements or teleport. He was effectively stranded here.
Had he known, buying one of those kids’ phone watches would be more convenient than now.
Placing the phone on his lap, fingerprint unlock, opening contacts—he hesitated between Uncle Fu and Shi-ge for a while.
Uncle Fu pushing the wheelchair to take him away—if they ran into Sister Le and them, wouldn’t be easy to explain… But Shi-ge should currently be with Coach Chi.
Xiao Deng didn’t have a phone.
After hesitating a moment, Shi Deng still chose Uncle Fu.
But before he could press down, the phone on his lap suddenly slipped, falling straight to the ground, wedging into cracks between rocks on the surface.
“…”
The youth froze. His expression went blank for half a second.
After a while, he blinked. Did he really have to just sit here until recovering some ability?
Shi Deng tried bending down. But his calves simply couldn’t support his strength. He frowned, looking at his own legs. A flash of coldness and irritation passed through his eyes. Ignoring the pain from his calves, he reached toward the ground.
The rough gravel beneath his feet slipped. Shi Deng’s entire person pitched forward. His expression showed no surprise. Aiming at the phone’s position, he prepared to grab it when falling to the ground.
Next second—
Someone steadily caught him.
Shi Deng froze, eyes widening slightly.
Yuan Ting remained silent, helping him back onto the rock to sit properly. Zhi Ze picked up the phone, placing it by Shi Deng’s hand.
Cen Le crouched before him. Healing light glowed in her palm, pressing against Shi Deng’s calves. Both angry and heartbroken.
“What else haven’t you told us?”
Shi Deng’s fingertips curled. He wanted to dodge. But couldn’t control his own legs. Couldn’t avoid her. “Sister Le, I…”
Cen Le cursed at him: “Idiot.”
***
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152