Chapter 135: Abnormal Strength at the Fire Scene

“Madam, I’m sorry!!”

At the doorway, Wei Jingjing emerged fully dressed. Ming Tian hurriedly bowed to her at a perfect ninety-degree angle.

How could he not be afraid? One kick had knocked Xiao Ji unconscious. What kind of fighting strength was that?

If he didn’t apologize, wouldn’t she beat him to a pulp?

Ah. So this was what it meant to know nothing about power.

After witnessing Wei Jingjing’s fighting ability, Ming Tian understood that deeply.

But Wei Jingjing didn’t seem inclined to pursue the matter. She merely straightened her collar and gave him a cool glance.

“It’s fine. You barged into the women’s bathhouse because you were panicking. I don’t blame you. You know I’m not unreasonable.”

Uh… did she blush when she said that?

At any rate, Ming Tian finally let out a breath of relief.

But what about Yin Chan?

An Luo, drugged with an aphrodisiac, had gone after Yin Chan. Would she be all right? And what on earth was in that aphrodisiac? How had Yin Chan managed to brew it? It was strong enough to rob someone of their reason.

“Sister Jingjing, I’ve brought the monkey over.”

Just as Ming Tian was worrying about Yin Chan, Xiao Fei’s voice rang out.

The little girl with pink hair came bouncing down the stairs, dragging An Luo by the ankle. The hulking brute was foaming at the mouth, incontinent, and rolling his eyes as Xiao Fei hauled him along like a rag doll.

Ming Tian gaped at the sight.

The madam was one thing, but how had little Xiao Fei, who looked too frail to hurt a fly, managed to take An Luo down?

And from the way she dragged him, it was as effortless as pulling along an empty sack weighing barely a few pounds.

Were both women at this bathhouse freakishly strong?

Xiao Fei flung An Luo aside. He flew through the air like a kite with its string cut and crashed heavily onto Xiao Ji, who was unconscious too.

The two naked hulks ended up stacked in a bizarre sixty-nine position, looking thoroughly obscene.

Wei Jingjing glanced at them, then took out a bowl of hot-spring water she’d prepared earlier and lightly touched its surface with the tip of her tongue.

There was no denying that her little pink tongue was enticing. Ming Tian couldn’t help swallowing as he watched.

The instant her tongue touched the water, it glowed blue, like radioactive contamination. She poured it over the two men. That was all.

“There. The poison’s been neutralized. We just need to wait for them to wake up.”

With that casual remark, Wei Jingjing set down the bowl and prepared to leave.

But Ming Tian, who had been watching the whole time, couldn’t hold back his curiosity.

“Madam, wait a moment.”

“Hm? What is it?” Her manner remained aloof and cool.

Ming Tian pressed his lips together, gathering his thoughts.

“You and Xiao Fei… that kind of fighting strength isn’t something ordinary people can have, is it? Is it another one of your inherited cheat abilities?”

That was what Ming Tian wanted to know.

After hearing Wei Jingjing’s words at noon, he’d grown deeply worried about the future.

Wei Jingjing had said it was only a vision, and might not come to pass. But if it did, Ming Tian knew he would fall apart.

It had also awakened a desire he’d kept hidden deep inside.

To become stronger.

His own abilities were certainly formidable. With Yin Chan’s sleeve darts, he could take on five or six people without much trouble. He still wasn’t as strong as An Luo, but he could at least protect himself.

But… if his friends and the person he loved were in danger, could he keep them safe without anyone there to help him?

Since coming to this ancient era, he had found the love and friendship he’d longed for. But winning a kingdom was easy; keeping it was hard.

Wei Jingjing’s prophecy that afternoon had made him understand that.

One had to prepare for the worst. Even if he knew about the prophecy and tried to avoid it, he still had to consider what he would do if it proved unavoidable.

At the earnest look in Ming Tian’s eyes, Wei Jingjing paused.

She told Xiao Fei to go back to bed, then faced Ming Tian squarely.

“That isn’t a cheat ability. It’s our own strength.”

“Our own strength?”

At her answer, Ming Tian felt both delighted and incredulous.

The idea that it was something a person could learn delighted him. The notion that it was actually within human capability was hard to believe.

Judging by what he’d seen, Wei Jingjing’s kick had been at least twice as powerful as An Luo’s, and she was only a slender young woman.

As if she could read his concerns, Wei Jingjing explained calmly, “When people are in extreme danger, or their emotions exceed what they can bear, they can unleash strength beyond their limits. In your era, there were cases of grandmothers lifting cars to save their grandchildren, weren’t there? It’s much the same idea. Xiao Fei and I can enter that state whenever we want.”

Ming Tian stared at her, stunned.

“Huh? Don’t tell me there’s really something like a genetic lock?”

Wei Jingjing shook her head.

“That’s called hysterical strength. The whole genetic-lock idea from *Unlimited* is about human evolution. How could something that far-fetched exist in real life?”

No, wait. Time travel, gods, and your hot-spring cheat ability were already far-fetched enough. At this point, if you told me I was actually in the Lord God’s space, I wouldn’t be surprised at all.

She paused, then gave Ming Tian a brief explanation of how this extraordinary strength worked.

What people called hysterical strength was actually caused by a surge of adrenaline and extreme emotion, which increased the brain’s supply of PDT.

It was based on the same principle as the brief burst of clarity some people experienced just before death, and using it could lead to organ failure.

Under normal circumstances, human muscles were far stronger than the limits of the skeleton could withstand. The body’s excess capacity existed so that a person could still move to some degree after being injured. It was a result of biological evolution.

That was why people could generally use only about twenty percent of their strength.

Hysterical strength was what happened when that limit was broken.

Unlike a genetic lock, it couldn’t be adapted to or upgraded. Every use carried a risk.

No matter who you were or how strong you were, no one’s body could grow accustomed to this kind of strength.

The surge in adrenaline and PDT increased the body’s metabolic rate dozens of times. Use it often, or remain in that state for too long, and you would inevitably die of organ failure.

And even if you restrained yourself and used only a little, hysterical strength would still cause permanent, irreversible damage. The longer and more often you used it, the weaker you became.

“Normally, a person can use it for about three minutes in total. That means three minutes over their entire lifetime, not three minutes at a time. The more you use, the shorter your life becomes. But I have the hot springs to heal us, so Xiao Fei and I aren’t subject to that limit.”

Three minutes? Cumulative use? Wasn’t that how Ultraman worked?

People lived shorter lives in ancient times. If he had another forty years ahead of him, then by her calculation, every second he used this strength would cost him nearly three months of life.

No. That wasn’t the point.

Wei Jingjing’s explanation sounded far-fetched, but after seeing her kick Xiao Ji unconscious, Ming Tian couldn’t help believing her.

This power might save his life at a critical moment. And he had a Great Deed Token, which could heal bodily damage.

“So how do I awaken this strength while I’m in a normal state?” Ming Tian moved closer and asked. “If your prophecy is true, this power might save my friends and the woman I love. Please teach me. I’m begging you!”

The prophecy echoed in his mind. Ming Tian was truly afraid.

It wasn’t death he feared especially. He only wanted to protect what he had now.

It was precisely because he’d never had anything that he knew how to cherish it once he did.

If necessary, Ming Tian was willing to give his life for An Luo and Yin Zhu. This power was essential, even if learning to use it put his life at risk.

Wei Jingjing looked at him, her beautiful phoenix eyes drawing together slightly. After a moment, she said, “You’ve used it once before, when you left Jiankang and met up with Xiao Xinzhu. And you used it again yesterday, when you fought An Luo in the bathhouse. It only lasted half a second each time, but you clearly have a gift for it.”

Ming Tian’s heart leapt. “So you’re willing to teach—”

“No. I won’t teach you.” Before he could finish, Wei Jingjing’s words crushed his hopes.

“Why not?”

Ming Tian grew anxious at her refusal.

“When you truly need this strength, your body will respond on its own. You don’t need me to teach you.”

As she spoke, Wei Jingjing covered her mouth with a graceful yawn and turned toward her room, leaving him with one final remark.

“And another thing. You’ve been here only two days, and you’ve already turned my bathhouse upside down. You’re fired. But since I’m the one firing you, I’ll heal your injuries as compensation. Pack your things tomorrow, you lot, and get out.”

……………………анӡа