Chen Xiaolian held Soo Soo on the sofa and then shouted loudly.
Soon, outside the door, Qiao Qiao and others also rushed in.
"What's wrong?" Qiao Qiao saw her sister lying on the sofa, eyes tightly closed, and immediately became nervous.
"First aid kit!" Chen Xiaolian's face was very serious.
The quickest response came from Lun Tai, who immediately ran out and brought back a first aid kit from the equipment room at the base. He ran into the room and opened it directly, taking out some small medical equipment from inside.
These were some equipment and instruments obtained from the dangerous mission. This kind of small first aid kit was specially designed to be carried during combat, including some basic medications and simple diagnostic tools.
After a simple examination of Soo Soo, Chen Xiaolian opened her eyelids.
"Pupillary response is normal."
"Blood pressure is also normal."
"Abnormal body temperature." Chen Xiaolian picked up a digital thermometer, furrowing his brow. "Body temperature..."
Lun Tai and the others beside him glanced at each other, all stunned.
Body temperature... 48 degrees?
Even with a fever, they had never seen someone with such a high temperature!
Moreover, according to the thermometer's display, this temperature is still steadily rising!
"It's already... 49 degrees... almost 50 degrees! Why is her temperature still increasing!" Qiao Qiao knelt in front of the sofa, holding the thermometer in her hand, and the other hand gently touched Soo Soo's forehead. "Sweetie, what happened earlier?"
Chen Xiaolian had a complicated expression and glanced at the candle in the room shaped like a bowl. "It's a long story. I'll explain later. Let's focus on waking Soo Soo up first."
Xiaolei squeezed his way in from behind and suggested, "Such a high temperature is never a good sign... should we try to cool her down?"
Cool her down?
That's right!
Chen Xiaolian immediately rushed to the bathroom, wringing out a wet towel with cold water and gently wiping it back and forth on Soo Soo's face.
This simple physical cooling method didn't seem very effective, but what surprised them was that the damp towel, when applied to Soo Soo's face, began to rapidly evaporate due to her soaring body temperature, visible to the naked eye!
"Her temperature... it's still rising!" Qiao Qiao's eyes were now red with anxiety.
"Could she be poisoned?" Lun Tai chimed in.
"That's it! Antidote!" Qiao Qiao exclaimed, "Quick, get the antidote!"
Chen Xiaolian didn't stop Qiao Qiao's actions and watched as Qiao Qiao exchanged a regular antidote from the system for Xiaolei and then administered it to Soo Soo.
This antidote was produced by the system and had no side effects, so it seemed safe to use.
There was no harm in trying it in this circumstance.
However, even after administering the antidote, Soo Soo showed no signs of waking up, and her temperature continued to rise gradually!
"The thermometer has reached its limit," Qiao Qiao said with red eyes.
Chen Xiaolian touched Soo Soo's forehead; it was scorching hot!
He immediately picked up Soo Soo, rushed into the bathroom, placed her next to the bathtub, and poured cold water over her.
In just a short moment, the areas of Chen Xiaolian's hand that had touched Soo Soo's skin had turned red!!
"Oh my God! She's practically on fire!" Xiaolei exclaimed.
They had administered antidotes and medical treatments, but there was no response whatsoever.
As they watched, the fabric of Soo Soo's clothing began to slightly contract, a reaction to the high temperature. It seemed that if they didn't cool her down soon, she might actually catch fire!
Soo Soo's body temperature was alarmingly high at this point, and it was so hot that even touching her directly was impossible. The air around her had become scorching as well!
It seemed like she was actually about to catch fire!
"Ice cubes! Quickly! Ice cubes!" Chen Xiaolian shouted.
Lun Tai had already run outside and soon returned with the entire ice maker from the refrigerator, pouring a large box of ice cubes directly into the bathtub.
Chen Xiaolian didn't even care about burning his hands as he picked up Soo Soo and placed her in the bathtub.
Watching the ice cubes rapidly melting, Soo Soo's body, in the midst of the ice, melted them with her intense body temperature.
Soo Soo's face had turned bright red, her eyes tightly shut, and her long eyelashes quivered slightly.
Chen Xiaolian felt an overwhelming sense of guilt and fiercely bit his lip.
"Sweetie!" Lun Tai pulled Chen Xiaolian aside. "I think something is very unusual here. The way Soo Soo looks right now, it's like she can't control her own power. Don't forget, her ability is fire!"
Chen Xiaolian's eyes lit up!
Flames were already starting to emerge around Soo Soo's body!
In the bathtub, the ice melted into water, which rapidly began to boil, releasing a substantial amount of hot steam, fogging up the bathroom.
At this moment, while lying in the bathtub, Soo Soo suddenly let out a low moan.
The sound seemed like a moan, but it wasn't a sound of pain; it was a pleasurable, comfortable sound.
Chen Xiaolian suddenly had a realization, "Something's wrong! Everyone, get back!"
He bent over suddenly, grabbing the edge of the bathtub with both hands and pulled with all his might. With a loud crash, he tore the bathtub apart!
He carried the bathtub filled with water and Soo Soo, rushing out of the room. The bathtub in his hands was scalding hot, as if he were carrying a boiling pot of water!
Chen Xiaolian's hair had curled due to the high temperature, and every breath felt like being engulfed in a wave of heat.
He sprinted out, with Qiao Qiao following closely behind. Chen Xiaolian charged into the training room at the base, and Qiao Qiao followed. Suddenly, Chen Xiaolian yelled, "Close the door!"
Without thinking, Qiao Qiao swiftly closed the door to the training room.
At that moment, Chen Xiaolian placed the bathtub on the floor and then turned around to embrace Qiao Qiao. In his hands, a sword materialized from the stone.
"Lower your head!"
Qiao Qiao felt herself being forcefully held down and pinned beneath Chen Xiaolian's body. His not-so-wide back securely shielded her.
At that moment...
Boom!
"Hold your breath!" Qiao Qiao heard Chen Xiaolian's urgent low roar by her ear.
A wave of heat swept over them! The bathtub had already shattered into pieces, and steam billowed. Even with her eyes closed, Qiao Qiao could still feel the crimson flames within the explosion!
Simultaneously, the sword in Chen Xiaolian's hand had transformed into a golden radiance, forming a shield of light in front of them, like a light umbrella. The explosive fire impacted the shield, creating an umbrella-shaped shockwave that spread outward...
A clear and melodious cry!
They saw a phoenix made of flames soaring into the sky, like a shooting star. It ascended into the middle of the sky, trailing a long tail of flames, then circled and dove down!
Finally, it landed within the silhouette of a person on the ground.
Soo Soo's slender figure stood there, surrounded by flames. Her eyes, however, were deeply black, with a somewhat dazed expression. She opened her arms as if welcoming the arrival of the fiery phoenix!
The fiery phoenix entered Soo Soo's body, and the girl's eyes suddenly brightened. Then, the flames surrounding her body rapidly receded and were completely absorbed into her...
Finally, everything disappeared.
Soo Soo suddenly plopped back down onto the ground and let out a long sigh of relief.
Around Soo Soo's body, some black dots turned into mist and rose up. They rapidly burned away and disappeared into the air.
Soo Soo looked bewildered as she sat there, blinked her eyes, and softly said, "Sister? Oppa?"
She struggled to stand up and took a step forward, but with that step, a reddish cloud of flames formed beneath her feet. With each step, her body lifted off the ground, as if she were as light as a feather, and she gracefully leaped over to where Chen Xiaolian and Qiao Qiao were!
Chen Xiaolian and Qiao Qiao stared at Soo Soo with wide eyes, their faces filled with astonishment.
"Soo Soo... how do you feel? Do you feel uncomfortable in any way?"
Soo Soo blinked, seeming a bit dazed, then lowered her head in thought. "I don't feel uncomfortable at all. My body feels much lighter, like... very relaxed, comfortable, and pleasant."
As she spoke, she casually waved her arms, and her body floated within these arm movements, as light as a feather, hovering above the ground!
Chen Xiaolian's eyes suddenly lit up!
"Internal real fire, purging the evil and heavy! Light as a feather, steps become clouds, arms become mist! This, this..." he looked at Soo Soo with disbelief.
Samadhi... True Samadhi Fire!?
Just after Chen Xiaolian mumbled the phrase, Soo Soo sat down on the ground once more, slumping forward, and extended her arms toward Chen Xiaolian, saying, "I... I'm so tired..."
The little girl's eyes closed again as she drifted into sleep.
Chen Xiaolian and Qiao Qiao immediately got up and rushed over.
This time, Soo Soo's body temperature had completely returned to normal, and her breathing was steady and even. From the outside, there seemed to be no signs of any abnormalities, as if she were truly in a deep sleep.
Chen Xiaolian and Qiao Qiao exchanged glances.
Qiao Qiao looked at Chen Xiaolian and asked, "What did you just say? Something about fire?"
Chen Xiaolian's expression was odd. "I can't say for sure right now... but I feel like Soo Soo has gained a significant benefit from this... True Samadhi Fire!"
...
Once Soo Soo was settled back in her room and sleeping peacefully, no one dared to leave her side.
They gathered in the room to discuss the situation. Chen Xiaolian held the candle-shaped like a bowl in his hand and, with a serious expression, explained the background of this item once more. He had previously mentioned their encounters in the ancient painting world, but he hadn't gone into much detail about the candle's wick.
After recounting the story once more, everyone exchanged puzzled looks.
"So, you're saying... this wick came from an artifact?" Xia Xiaolei's reaction was the most excited. "An artifact!"
Lun Tai nodded, "It seems like the problem lies with this wick. Though I still don't fully understand, the wick ignites, and Soo Soo's ability is related to fire. Maybe when she got close to the burning wick, it triggered something."
While the others discussed excitedly, Chen Xiaolian remained silent, lost in thought.
Once everyone finished speaking and turned to look at him, Chen Xiaolian let out a long breath. His expression appeared somewhat excited yet complex.
"I have a rough guess."
"What is it?" Qiao Qiao asked impatiently.
"An artifact," Chen Xiaolian said with a wry smile. "My Stone Sword, I suppose, can barely be considered at the level of an artifact. They are both legendary items from history. As for the origin of this wick, I remember Mr. San mentioning the name of that lamp; it's called the 'Everlasting Lamp.'"
He paused, looked at everyone's expressions, and continued, "Following this line of thinking... an Everlasting Lamp at the level of an artifact must have an extraordinary origin. When it comes to famous legends involving the Everlasting Lamp, there is indeed one."
"Which one?" Xia Xiaolei was quite curious.
This time, it wasn't Chen Xiaolian who spoke, but the usually silent Qimu Xi.
The girl hesitantly spoke, her voice low, "Guild Leader, you're not talking about... the legendary Everlasting Lamp in front of the Buddha, are you?"
"Buddha?" Xia Xiaolei exclaimed in astonishment.
Lun Tai squinted his eyes and looked at Chen Xiaolian, "Buddha? 'That' Buddha?"
"Yes, 'that' Buddha," Chen Xiaolian replied with a wry smile.
The Everlasting Lamp in front of the Buddha!