"My lord! Wake up please!"
A snarl ripped through his throat, Zhan Sheng bared his teeth, ready to lash out. But amidst the chaos, a voice, faint yet vaguely familiar, cut through the haze of his agony. It called out his name, a desperate plea tinged with recognition.
"My lord!"
The sound penetrated the depths of his consciousness, sparking a flicker of awareness within him. Confusion wrestled with his pain-addled mind as he strained to make sense of the situation.
"Zhan Sheng! It's me, Mao Xia!" the voice cried out, filled with a mix of urgency and relief.
Before he could piece together the fragments of his fractured reality, a swift jab found its mark, targeting the pressure points that rendered him instantly immobile. The jolt of paralyzing pain jolted him back to his senses, tearing through the mire of his torment and anchoring him to the present.
