Chapter 39: Doing Good Deed in someone else's name

Those folks at the Blacksmith Association must be dumbfounded," Xia Yi chuckled as he headed back to Eastsea Academy.

He didn't need to imagine it; he was sure the Blacksmith Association would notice him.

If the prestigious Blacksmith Association couldn't tell that he'd never learned forging, they might as well shut their doors.

A Level Two Blacksmith who didn't know how to forge—just thinking about it was exhilarating!

As Xia Yi was envisioning the expressions on their faces while watching his forging surveillance footage, a black car suddenly sped toward him.

The car was moving faster than Xia Yi had driven Ziji's car on the highway the day before. As it neared a pedestrian crossing, a child unexpectedly darted out from the sidewalk.

From his experience, Xia Yi immediately knew the black car wouldn't be able to stop in time, even if the driver slammed the brakes. The car's momentum alone would hit the child.

The driver of the black car seemed to realize this as well. She jerked the steering wheel sharply, making a sudden turn and veering off the road toward the sidewalk—heading straight for Xia Yi.

With a burst of speed, Xia Yi dodged the car.

But the black car couldn't avoid the inevitable and crashed into a nearby shop, smashing into a pillar before finally coming to a stop. Black smoke poured from the vehicle, and it seemed moments away from exploding.

The shop owner and employees bolted at the sight of the accident.

"Damn it, how did I run into this?" Xia Yi gritted his teeth and hurried to the car. He tugged at the door, but it was locked. That didn't faze him. With one mighty pull, he ripped the car door clean off.

To his surprise, the driver was a 14- or 15-year-old girl who hadn't even fastened her seatbelt.

She was unconscious, likely saved by the airbag. Without hesitation, Xia Yi scooped her up and ran.

Not long after, a loud explosion erupted behind him as the black car went up in flames.

Looking down at the girl in his arms, Xia Yi noticed she was badly injured, particularly a deep gash on her neck that was bleeding profusely.

He quickly summoned his martial soul. As his first soul ring glowed, his skill "Stars Shifting" began to heal the girl's wounds.

By the time he had finished healing her external injuries, a crowd had gathered around them.

Without paying them any mind, Xia Yi carried the girl and prepared to leave. Although he had healed her outward wounds, the girl hadn't regained consciousness. Unsure of her internal condition, he decided to take her to a hospital.

"Hold it right there! She crashed into my store. You can't just leave!" A middle-aged man stepped in front of Xia Yi. He recognized him as the shopkeeper who had fled earlier.

Ignoring him, Xia Yi lightly pushed off the ground, leaping into the air with the girl in his arms. Before the man could react, Xia Yi was already stepping on his shoulder and vaulting over him.

"I'm Tang Wulin from Eastsea Academy's Zero Class. I'll compensate you later," Xia Yi shouted as he ran.

Since coming to the human world, he had no idea how much compensation would cost or if the girl's family could afford it.

But judging from the shopkeeper's demeanor, he wasn't someone who would let the matter slide easily.

Xia Yi wasn't about to give up his hard-earned 15,000 Federation coins. The only name he could think of to use was Tang Wulin's.

Not knowing the locations of Eastsea City's hospitals, Xia Yi brought the girl to Eastsea Academy's medical office.

Fortunately, the academy wasn't far, and Xia Yi arrived in less than ten minutes

The school doctor examined the girl and said gravely, "Initial assessment indicates internal bleeding in the chest. You need to pay 15,000 Federation coins for the surgery. If that's not enough, we'll charge extra later."

Xia Yi's mouth twitched slightly. He wanted to ask how the doctor had managed to guess the exact amount he had just earned.

"Fine, go ahead with the surgery. I'll pay." Xia Yi sighed helplessly and handed over the 15,000 Federation coins he had just earned.

After paying, Xia Yi didn't leave. It was a hard-earned 15,000 coins, after all. If the girl didn't compensate him double, he would never let it go.

As he waited outside the operating room, a sudden exclamation from the nurses inside startled him.

"Not good! There's severe arterial bleeding. We need to stop it immediately!"

Xia Yi frowned. Had something gone wrong?

Unable to ignore it, he pushed open the door to the operating room and stepped inside.

"What are you doing in here? If you disrupt the doctor, can you take responsibility?" Two nurses immediately tried to drag him out.

However, Xia Yi didn't budge, and there was no way the two nurses could move him if he didn't want to go.

"I'm a healing-type soul master. Let me see if I can help," Xia Yi said seriously.

"A healing-type soul master? Then come quickly!" One of the nurses' eyes lit up and led Xia Yi to the operating table.

It was then that Xia Yi noticed the girl's features clearly. She had golden hair, a tall figure, and delicate facial features. Her closed eyes gave her a serene and tranquil beauty.

Her chest had already been cut open by the school doctor, exposing the faintly beating heart inside.

"What can I do to help?" Xia Yi asked the doctor.

"The arteries connected to her heart are severely damaged, causing continuous bleeding. The proximity to the heart makes surgical repair highly risky," the doctor replied gravely.

"Let me handle it." Xia Yi nodded. Entering his Martial Soul Possession state, his left hand touched the intact section of the artery while his right hand approached the damaged area. As his first soul ring lit up, golden light emitted from his fingers, wrapping around the injured artery.

Before the doctor even had time to react, the torn artery had been fully restored.

"Amazing! This is a miracle!" The doctor glanced at Xia Yi in awe and quickly continued the surgery.

With Xia Yi's assistance, the operation proceeded smoothly, and soon the surgery was complete.

Just as the doctor was about to stitch up the incision, Xia Yi stopped him.

Seeing the long scar on the girl's chest, Xia Yi thought to himself, A beautiful girl like this shouldn't be left with such a scar.

Since he had already gone this far, he decided to help her heal completely.

Activating his soul skill once more, Xia Yi restored the incision on her chest, leaving her skin flawless.

"When will she wake up?" Xia Yi asked the doctor.

"Normally, it would take at least a full day and night. However, thanks to your help, she should wake up in about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense. She'll be able to leave as soon as she regains consciousness," the doctor said confidently.

The girl had no external injuries left, and Xia Yi's Stars Shifting skill had healed everything. There was no need for her to stay in the hospital.

"Got it," Xia Yi replied with a nod.

At this moment, the entire Blacksmith Association was in an uproar.

"Wulin, are you sure it wasn't you who saved your senior sister?" Mu Chen had practically blown up Tang Wulin's soul communicator with calls. His concern was understandable—his daughter was his only child. If anything happened to her, he wouldn't be able to bear it.

Because of Mu Xi's accident, Mu Chen had postponed everything else, including matters related to Xia Yi.

His top priority was finding his daughter.

Based on eyewitness accounts, Mu Xi was severely injured and on the brink of death. Mu Chen felt a deep sense of guilt. If he hadn't asked her to return to the Blacksmith Association to attend the meeting about Xia Yi, the accident wouldn't have happened.

"Teacher, I haven't left East Sea Academy all day," Tang Wulin was on the verge of tears.

He couldn't understand who would do such a good deed but leave his name behind.

"But someone at around your age, with the strength to tear a car door off without using a martial soul—besides you, who else could it be? Wulin, tell me the truth. Do you have a second martial soul that's healing-based?" This time, Yuan Bao'er's voice came through the communicator. She was sobbing as she spoke. If something had happened to Mu Xi, she didn't know how she would go on.

The accident site had no surveillance cameras, so the only clues they had were the descriptions from the store owner and bystanders.

A boy, around ten years old, with exceptional strength—this profile fit Tang Wulin perfectly.

The only difference was that the person who rescued Mu Xi was a healing-type soul master.

"A healing-type martial soul with great strength? Teacher, I think I know who saved Senior Sister Mu Xi!" Tang Wulin suddenly realized.

"Who was it?" Yuan Bao'er asked urgently.

"He's a transfer student in the same grade as me, from Class One. His name is Xia Yi! His martial soul should be a fox. Ask the witnesses if they noticed two fox tails when the person used a soul skill. If they did, then it must have been Xia Yi. I'll go check the school infirmary right now to see if Senior Sister Mu Xi was brought there," Tang Wulin explained while running toward the infirmary.

"Got it. We'll head to the academy right away!" On the other end of the communicator, Mu Chen immediately activated his battle armor's wings, carrying Yuan Bao'er as they flew rapidly toward East Sea Academy.

Mu Chen already knew from witnesses that the person who saved his daughter had fox tails during martial soul activation.

At the school infirmary, Xia Yi stood outside the operating room, silently waiting. He had spent 15,000 Federation coins to cover the surgery expenses and wasn't about to leave without knowing the result.

Before long, the door to the operating room opened, and a nurse came out. "Her injuries have been stabilized thanks to your assistance. She'll wake up in about the time it takes to burn an incense stick and should be able to leave right after."

Xia Yi nodded, feeling somewhat relieved.

He still didn't know that this incident had stirred up a storm in the Blacksmith Association.

Meanwhile, Tang Wulin rushed into the infirmary and immediately spotted Xia Yi standing by the operating room door. "Xia Yi! Was it you who saved Senior Sister Mu Xi?"

Xia Yi glanced at him, then nodded slightly. "Yes, I brought her here."

Tang Wulin was speechless. After a moment, he sighed. "Why did you use my name? Do you know how much trouble this has caused me?"

Xia Yi shrugged. "I don't know how much the damages to the shop she crashed into will cost, and I'm not about to cover it. You're the only person I know who seems reliable enough to take the blame."

"Reliable enough?" Tang Wulin's mouth twitched. He had never met anyone who could nonchalantly claim to be shifting responsibility with such a straight face.

"Anyway, it's resolved now," Xia Yi continued indifferently. "If you want, you can go explain to the store owner. Or just wait; they'll probably find you eventually."

At that moment, a gust of wind swept through the hallway as a figure clad in silver battle armor landed. Mu Chen strode in with Yuan Bao'er by his side. They approached Xia Yi and Tang Wulin.

"You're Xia Yi?" Mu Chen's voice was deep and steady, his sharp gaze fixed on the boy.

"Yes," Xia Yi replied calmly.

Mu Chen's expression softened slightly. "Thank you for saving my daughter. If there's anything you need in the future, the Blacksmith Association will not forget this favor."

Xia Yi smiled faintly. "No need to thank me. It wasn't a big deal."

Mu Chen stared at him for a moment before nodding. He then turned to Tang Wulin, his expression serious. "Wulin, you should learn from Xia Yi. Don't just focus on forging; you need to grow as a person as well."

Tang Wulin was dumbfounded. He hadn't done anything, yet he was being lectured.

Inside the operating room, Mu Xi slowly regained consciousness. As the door opened, Yuan Bao'er rushed inside, hugging her tightly as tears streamed down her face.

The crisis was finally over.

But Xia Yi remained as calm and composed as ever, as if everything that had happened was just a passing moment in his journey.

(End of Chapter)