Chapter 135: Hope for a Cure
"Huai’an, my brother, let me introduce you—this is your attending physician for the cancer treatment, a Recovery-Type Awakened, Xiang Xiaoyuan."
Inside a seemingly ordinary spice shop in the Panjiayuan Market lay a hidden chamber.
Sitting across from Chen Huai’an was The Bearded Guy, who now sported a flashy mechanical arm—a recent upgrade from his mechanical ascension. Beside him stood a shy, soft-smiling girl.
Chen Huai’an glanced behind the folding screen and noticed another woman sitting quietly. She made no move to show herself, and he wasn’t interested enough to pry. Instead, he greeted Xiang Xiaoyuan with a polite smile.
The girl wasn’t a stunner, but her presence felt gentle and serene—like a scene of water flowing under a small stone bridge. She had pale, delicate skin and large, expressive eyes. The moment Chen Huai’an’s smile landed on her, her cheeks flushed a deep pink, and she lowered her gaze to her toes.
The Bearded Guy beamed. "Huai’an, don’t let her shy demeanor fool you! Xiaoyuan’s a Master-Rank Grade A Awakened! Took me a hell of an effort to get her here! She’s saved hundreds of people with her ability!"
Hearing him pile on the praise, Xiang Xiaoyuan blushed even deeper—so much so that she looked like she wanted to bury her face in her ample chest.
"That impressive?" Chen Huai’an raised an eyebrow, genuinely intrigued.
"Impressive? More like miraculous! Let Xiaoyuan take a look—come on, don’t be shy, hahaha!"
The Bearded Guy’s motives weren’t entirely selfless. He had recently learned from Old Li that Chen Huai’an was that kid with the insane sword aura.
If he could get Chen Huai’an cured, maybe—just maybe—the guy would take an interest in joining the Demon Slayer Bureau.
His eagerness doubled at the thought.
Chen Huai’an and Xiang Xiaoyuan sat facing each other.
"So, what should I do?" he asked.
Xiang Xiaoyuan’s voice was soft, barely a whisper:
“J-Just… give me your hand…”
Her lashes quivered as she kept her gaze lowered, voice as delicate as her petite frame.
Chen Huai’an reached out—overshooting completely and extending his arm over her head.
Xiang Xiaoyuan: "…?!"
"Umm… could you… bring it back a bit? I can’t reach …"
He awkwardly reeled his arm back, now curled comically in front of his chest.
Was this really the legendary powerhouse The Bearded Guy raved about?
Why did he feel like a socially-awkward NPC?
With a small sigh, she composed herself.
“J-Just place your hand… in mine…” she repeated, cheeks puffing slightly in exasperation.
Chen Huai’an obediently laid his hand in hers.
Her palm was small, soft, and warm.
A milky-white glow flared from their contact, enveloping his wrist.
Xiang Xiaoyuan’s usual bashfulness vanished. Her brows knit in deep concentration, her face solemn and tense.
She released his hand, palm slightly damp with sweat.
Her wide eyes stared at him, brimming with disbelief—
Like she had just encountered something impossible.
The Bearded Guy immediately leaned in. “Xiaoyuan! What’s going on? Talk to me!”
Her voice was tight with shock.
"Seventy percent of his body is already overrun with cancer cells. They’re devouring his body’s nutrients every second—by all logic, he shouldn’t be alive. Not for one minute."
Because—by all logic—
Chen Huai’an should have already dropped dead during her diagnosis.
But flushed, bright-eyed, and full of vitality.
The law of conservation of energy applied even to cancer cells.
They couldn’t proliferate endlessly without consuming his life force.
Yet—something else was feeding them.
Some other energy source had been sustaining these cancer cells—keeping them too busy gorging to become malignant.
But The Bearded Guy only cared about one thing:
“Xiaoyuan, cut to the chase! Can you fix him or not?!”
Xiang Xiaoyuan’s gaze flicked to Chen Huai’an.
Then, she gave a soft, firm nod.
“Before learning Breath Cultivation Techniques, my ability had time limits… But now—”
“With breath cultivation supporting me, I can maintain my Universal Healing Factor long enough to wipe out every last cancer cell inside him.”
Her ability—Universal Healing Factor—was legendary.
It could heal wounds, obliterate disease, and even regenerate lost limbs.
The Bearded Guy, despite having known her power, had opted for mechanical ascension over limb regeneration—simply because he wanted his flashy mechanical arm.
But cancer? She could cure that.
“Seriously?!” The Bearded Guy slammed his knee in excitement.
Xiang Xiaoyuan blushed again. “I… I’m the only one in the world who can.”
“Good—GOOD!” The Bearded Guy all but jumped for joy.
A talent like Chen Huai’an—surviving this broken world—was a victory in itself, bureau recruit or not.
Chen Huai’an’s heart pounded with exhilaration.
Before today, he had misunderstood everything.
He had thought his bizarre symptoms came from the cancer—
Hell, he even jokingly called himself Tumor Man.
Back then, he’d have regretted losing his cancer—
What if his powers vanished with it?
His abilities had nothing to do with the cancer.
The cancer was just… there.
“Xiaoyuan,” he said with a grin, “Let’s get rid of this crap.”
“Xiaoyuan, need anything?” The Bearded Guy was practically bouncing.
“No. Just give us… a quiet room.”
The Demon Slayer Bureau’s Tianfu District Outpost was a labyrinth far beyond Chen Huai’an’s expectations.
He had thought the hidden room behind the spice shop was already the final secret—
But it led to another secret door.
Behind that—an elevator.
The elevator opened into a sprawling subterranean complex—
A task hall, mission boards, and dozens of private rooms.
Since the outpost was newly constructed, most rooms were still awaiting assignments.
Xiang Xiaoyuan chose one.
“Chen… Chen Huai’an, just lie on the bed.”
Her voice trembled slightly.
The warmth on her cheeks hadn’t faded since they entered the room—
But the moment her hands touched his leg—
Every trace of nervousness vanished.
“We’re starting—now!”
Soft white light burst from her eyes—
Delicate veins of glowing patterns spread down her arms and calves, tracing like leafy vines over her skin.
Those veins—were her conduits.
The pipelines for her Universal Healing Factor.
The invisible soldiers she deployed—
They flooded Chen Huai’an’s body—
And the battle began.
The cancer cells crumbled.
Cut down by an onslaught that was swift, relentless—absolute.
To her healing factor—
The cancer was nothing more than insects under a boot.
The tide was one-sided.
Victory seemed imminent—
When her power reached his chest—
The battlefield shifted.
A mutiny erupted within his body.
Cancer cells near his internal organs—
Expanded.Swelled.Multiplied.
Faster than humanly possible.
They began to strategize.
They hid behind normal cancer cells—
Using them as meat shields.
And when her healing factor arrived—
The giant mutant cells sprang from cover—
And devoured her soldiers whole.
Xiang Xiaoyuan’s pupils shrank.
Her brow drenched in sweat.
This… This wasn’t cancer.
This was something else.
Her entire focus was within his body—
So she didn’t see it.
Chen Huai’an’s chest—
With a sickening rip, his T-shirt shredded.
A grotesque limb of writhing flesh—
Warped into the shape of a human arm.
At the limb’s center—
And within that palm—
A single, bloodshot eye.