According to Cloud Knight regulations, a Vanguard could select two personal guards to accompany them. It was much like how a General had elite Vanguard-level combatants protecting them, both openly and from the shadows.
The application was approved that same night. The sisters packed their belongings and moved in right away, following proper procedure.
They had long been alone in the world and did not own many possessions.
The next morning, as the sky began to brighten...
Jingliu arrived at the training grounds as usual and found two additional figures already there.
They were her master's subordinates, her seniors, and fellow survivors of Cangcheng.
Upon learning that Xueyi and Hanya had been reassigned as her master's personal guards, she did not think much of it.
In truth, she had no energy to spare for other thoughts.
Simply completing Kanzaki's demanding training regimen required every last ounce of her strength.
She had long since grown accustomed to training until she fainted from exhaustion.
Jingliu firmly believed that one day her physique would become as strong as her master's. Only then would she stop collapsing so easily during high-intensity sessions.
Because Hanya's leg injury had not yet fully healed, her training program did not include long-distance running.
Xueyi, however, was required to run.
For the first time, Jingliu had a companion during her runs.
Yet when Xueyi glided past her with ease and effortlessly lapped her, a hint of shock flickered in Jingliu's wide eyes.
Xueyi's hands and feet were also fitted with weights made of special Star-Iron Sand, and they were visibly much larger than the ones Jingliu wore.
Even with such heavy weights, her speed was still far greater. Soon, however, Jingliu caught a glimpse of surprise in the look Xueyi gave her.
It was as if Xueyi found it truly remarkable that Jingliu was still stubbornly persevering.
Jingliu did not ask any questions. She simply kept running.
Night fell.
Xueyi and Hanya, being from the regular army, had already completed their Cloud Knight daily special training that morning.
As for Jingliu, her routine remained unchanged.
Kanzaki and Xueyi helped settle her in as usual.
Xueyi assisted her with undressing and entering the medicinal bath, while Kanzaki used acupuncture to stimulate her body's potential.
After finishing with his disciple, he still needed to treat the lingering effects of Hanya's injuries.
The room was brightly lit.
"Tonight we will officially begin the first round of treatment. There are a few things I must explain first. This method requires inserting needles into many acupoints throughout your body."
Kanzaki laid out a row of silver needles, his gaze toward Hanya calm and steady.
"This includes seven critical acupoints near the internal organs, which are unique to us Xianzhou natives. Can you accept this?"
Although this was medical treatment, it still involved a woman's privacy.
The air in the room grew still for a moment.
Hanya was startled at first, but she quickly understood the implication behind Kanzaki's words and shook her head without hesitation.
"We Cloud Knights do not hesitate to have our wounds dressed or poisons treated on the battlefield. This is nothing if it means ridding myself of a chronic condition. Kanzaki, please proceed as you see fit."
She was a warrior who had survived the horrors of countless battlefields, a survivor of the Cangcheng disaster.
If this treatment could heal her legs and allow her to continue her path of vengeance against the Abominations of Abundance, then none of this was an issue at all.
"Then let us begin."
Kanzaki nodded slightly and picked up a needle to disinfect it.
Hanya did not hesitate. She raised her hands and untied the ribbons of her clothing.
Piece by piece, her garments were removed as the cool air brushed against her skin.
As she sat completely bare on the couch and truly faced Kanzaki's gaze, a faint sense of shame rose in her heart despite herself.
She called herself a battle-hardened warrior, yet she was still only in her early twenties this year.
No matter how resolute her will, she remained a woman.
Moonlight spilled through the window like flowing water, bathing her smooth, pale back in a soft glow and making her skin strikingly fair.
Perhaps because the embarrassment of being exposed had finally caught up to her, a faint blush gradually spread across Hanya's cheeks, and her earlobes grew warm.
Strange. Just moments ago it had seemed like nothing, and Kanzaki was only acting as a healer.
She subconsciously wanted to cover herself with her arms, but thinking of the upcoming treatment, she forced herself to endure the embarrassment and straightened her posture.
Kanzaki approached Hanya. She closed her eyes tightly, her breathing slightly uneven.
However, the awkwardness she had expected never came.
Kanzaki's eyes remained calm and clear, containing only the professional scrutiny of a healer examining a patient, without the slightest trace of improper thoughts.
"There may be soreness, numbness, or sharp pain in your legs during the process. Endure it."
His calm voice quickly dispelled the chaotic thoughts in Hanya's mind.
In the next instant, the silver needles entered her body.
As several needles were inserted into the acupoints near her internal organs, Hanya felt the Power of Abundance beginning to surge within her.
Kanzaki's voice reached her at just the right moment.
"I have stimulated the Power of Abundance within your internal organs and guided it toward the meridians in your legs. You will feel a form of Abundance energy different from the blessing normally received by the Xianzhou."
"Use your body's own power to devour and assimilate the portion that does not belong to you."
"That living star known as Rahu had devoured not only the Power of Abundance from Xianzhou natives but also from other Abominations of Abundance. The mixed energies were incredibly chaotic."
"This is similar to a Short-Lived Species undergoing an organ transplant."
"If the energies did not match, it would not only fail to heal the body. Should a rejection reaction occur and go untreated, survival would come down to nothing more than fate."
Hanya clearly sensed the situation Kanzaki described. She cast aside all stray thoughts and focused entirely on guiding the power within her body.
During the treatment, Xueyi stood by in absolute silence, watching her younger sister with eyes full of concern.
Before long, Hanya furrowed her brows tightly, her face showing obvious pain.
Kanzaki's earlier warning had come true.
Witnessing this, Xueyi suddenly realized a major problem.
The Power of Abundance... For the Cloud Knights, everyone knew that a Xianzhou person's internal organ was essentially a creation of Abundance and the source of their long life.
But that was merely knowledge.
Actively stimulating the Power of Abundance within the internal organ was a method she had never heard any healer from the Alchemy Commission use.
The Cloud Knights' training programs also did not include this technique. Only a very small number of people could refine energy through the internal organ to enhance their strength.
The Xianzhou medical classics had thousands of years of development, and the Alchemy Commission's research into longevity ran deep. There was no reason they would not understand such medical techniques.
The only explanation was that this method was explicitly forbidden.
At this thought, a layer of cold sweat broke out on Xueyi's forehead.
If someone with ill intentions labeled this with a serious charge, it could be considered a capital offense...
From the corner of his eye, Kanzaki noticed the drastic change in Xueyi's expression, but his hands never stopped moving the needles.
"Don't worry. I am not technically violating any regulations."
In fact, the laws of the Ten Lords Commission did not specifically criminalize this action.
It was simply that because it involved the use of Abundance's power, the healers of the Alchemy Commission did not dare push the boundaries and had instead chosen a blanket ban.
"But the Alchemy Commission's blanket ban... what does that have to do with a Cloud Knight Vanguard?"
"The Xianzhou Alliance... Ever since the star calendar year 6000-something, when the various Xianzhou ships began setting off on their own paths, the idea of being one united family had long since faded."
When it came to the concept of home, the people of the Alliance each held their own sense of belonging.
To put it simply, seeing a fellow survivor from the same ship always felt more familiar than seeing an outsider.
There were not many Cangcheng survivors left. Hanya was not only his subordinate and a former student, but more importantly, a fellow survivor from the same side.
If it had been someone from the main Xianzhou or another ship, Kanzaki would never have used this method, lest he invite unnecessary risk and trouble.
But for the sisters before him, he had that level of trust.
Xueyi said nothing. Her expression alone made it clear she would keep this secret to her grave.
Kanzaki did not mind. He continued monitoring Hanya's condition in real time and occasionally adjusted the needles with a gentle twist.
About twenty-five minutes passed.
Hanya's legs began to tremble violently. Seeing this, Kanzaki swiftly withdrew the needles, ended the treatment session, and took out a small white jade bottle.
"That's all for tonight."
"If any painful aftereffects appear before you sleep, take this medicine. If there are no obvious symptoms, you can ignore it. The aftereffects should not recur within the next three days."
Hanya took the medicine bottle and nodded. "Thank you for your trouble, Kanzaki."
Kanzaki turned and left the room, giving the space back to the sisters.
Hanya quickly put her clothes back on. Looking in the direction where Kanzaki had disappeared, she suppressed the complicated emotions in her eyes and slowly moved her legs.
"Sister, would you practice with me for a while?"
"Alright."