Chapter 257: Don’t Freeload Off Me!

Chapter 257: Chapter 257: Don’t Freeload Off Me!

"I’ve been waiting for you for a long time."

Yuan You’s tone was calm, but her words betrayed a hint of impatience.

Zhang Yun was about to speak when he suddenly realized something was wrong. The last time he chased Yuan You, she hadn’t been breathing heavily at all. So, even if she had taken a detour and arrived first, it wouldn’t be strange for her to be completely unbothered.

But he had been sprinting ever since he reached the ridges of the fields. Even if Yuan You was fast enough to get ahead of him, she would have only just arrived. It was impossible for her to have been waiting for a long time.

"You were already here?"

"You didn’t specify a time." Yuan You showed no anger, returning to her usual aloof demeanor.

"You didn’t follow me from the village?" Zhang Yun asked more directly.

Yuan You looked at him, slightly puzzled. "Why would I follow you? There’s no point in fighting again."

At this, she immediately realized something and looked behind him.

"Is someone there?" she asked, lowering her voice.

Zhang Yun nodded, then raised his voice a little. "You couldn’t have waited that long. I had to eat dinner, and I ran all the way here anyway. Let’s go inside!"

After saying that, he immediately went over to open the door of the small wooden cabin and turned on the rechargeable lamp inside.

There was nothing of value inside, so it wasn’t actually locked, but Yuan You hadn’t gone in when she arrived. She had merely waited under the eaves.

Yuan You hesitated for a moment before following him inside, but she maintained a high level of vigilance. Who knew if he had just been acting? Who knew if he had ulterior motives for arranging to meet here?

Once she was inside, Zhang Yun closed the door and spoke in a low voice. "I felt like someone was following me from the village. I originally thought it was you, so I sped up a bit towards the end. That’s why I was so startled to see you already here."

"Someone from your village?" Yuan You asked softly.

"I’m not sure." Zhang Yun shook his head. "If it’s just some villager, then it’s no big deal. Even if they catch us ’in the act,’ it won’t affect anything. Let’s test the waters first."

He turned off the lamp. As the cabin plunged into darkness, the two of them were effectively hidden.

Seeing him peer outside through the cracks in the wooden boards, Yuan You cautiously kept her distance and observed the situation outside from another spot.

Ever since he started sprinting from the ridges, Zhang Yun hadn’t paid attention to what was behind him, but the person trailing him definitely should have caught up by now. If he hadn’t mistakenly assumed it was Yuan You, he would have hidden behind some trees or rocks to ambush them. Later, his surprise at seeing her had made him forget to check his rear.

"It’s dark, and there are too many trees. I can’t see anything. With the sound of the wind, I can’t hear anything either," Yuan You quickly concluded.

Zhang Yun nodded. They could comfortably observe the outside now, but only if the other party actually approached. If the person was hiding somewhere nearby, it would just be a stalemate of mutual observation.

"Could it be... you were just overthinking it?" she asked.

"I don’t think so?"

"Maybe someone from the village just happened to be going out. You let your paranoia get the better of you and suspected I was tailing you, so you imagined the whole thing. It’s entirely possible that no one actually followed you."

Yuan You’s words completely convinced Zhang Yun.

"That actually makes sense."

Yuan You didn’t say anything more, waiting for him to make his own decision.

"Turning off the light was just to mislead anyone outside and make it easier for us to look out. Under normal circumstances, you can’t see inside anyway. With the two of us combined, if someone approaches, we should be able to spot them in advance, right?"

"No problem." Yuan You was very confident in this regard. The darkness and the mountain wind were major disturbances, but once someone entered a certain range, she was certain she would detect them.

Zhang Yun turned the lamp back on and couldn’t help but mutter, "It’s only been a minute. If there really is someone out there, they’re going to think I’m a quick shot..."

"???"

Yuan You was speechless. Did he really think anyone outside would assume they were doing something illicit during the brief moment the lights were off?

"Have you made your decision?" Zhang Yun cut straight to the chase after turning on the light.

"I can only say that I’ve considered it. My presence here shows my sincerity. But I need to verify things first before making a final decision." Yuan You left some wiggle room.

Zhang Yun hesitated slightly. Did this mean he had to reveal a bit of his secret?

"You don’t have it?" Yuan You’s expression shifted slightly. If so, he had tricked her into coming here with malicious intent!

Zhang Yun took out a Divine Master Card. "Get a feel for this."

Yuan You looked at him in confusion.

"You guys absorb the Energy from the coffin. Whether that has anything to do with me or not, I can’t be bothered to explain. Either way, to me, it’s nothing!"

"You have a similar source of Energy?" Yuan You was sharp and instantly grasped the key point.

Zhang Yun nodded. "I can confirm it contains Energy, but whether you can absorb it or not, I can’t guarantee."

Yuan You studied him carefully for a moment.

Zhang Yun’s strength exceeded her imagination; it definitely wasn’t something that came from ordinary training. Furthermore, she had heard from her cousin that Zhang Yun hadn’t been anything special in the past. There was no mention of him practicing martial arts since childhood. Even if he had found a master, it would have been while he was away at university.

Moreover, through their brief clash, she was certain that Zhang Yun was extremely clumsy when it came to Martial Arts Techniques. Let alone profound, he couldn’t even be considered average. His ability to go toe-to-toe with her relied purely on raw, brute strength.

"I believe you."

Yuan You took the inconspicuous-looking Divine Master Card.

Since Zhang Yun had handed it to her directly, she didn’t try to hide anything. She sat cross-legged on the wooden bed, closed her eyes, gripped the Divine Master Card, and began to circulate her Inner Power.

Zhang Yun watched for a while before he couldn’t help but remind her, "You’ve been verifying it for a minute now..."

Yuan You didn’t reply, continuing her process.

Zhang Yun was getting a little displeased. "Isn’t she just freeloading off me?" he thought. "If she drains all the Energy inside and then tells me this thing is useless, won’t I take a massive loss?"

However, thinking back, he recalled that the 6% of Energy from the coffin had been absorbed very quickly, whereas it took an entire night to absorb a pair of Divine Master Cards. This item likely had some sort of barrier effect.

Yuan You’s efficiency in absorbing the coffin’s Energy definitely couldn’t compare to his, so logically, it should be even harder for her to absorb this.

Zhang Yun was glad he had only taken out one piece. Since he had already given it to her, he decided he might as well act generously!

What Yuan You was performing was an Inner Power Heart Method. Unlike clever martial moves, it couldn’t be learned just by watching. Since there was no point in observing, Zhang Yun simply turned to keep an eye on the outside through the cracks in the wooden boards.

But after a while, he couldn’t help glancing back at Yuan You. "I’m the one who freeloads off other people’s Energy! I can’t let her freeload off mine! Wait, no, I always provide compensation..." he thought.

Just then, Zhang Yun heard a faint noise. It was the sound of someone stepping on fallen leaves—distinctly different from the mountain wind!

He quickly peeked over and immediately spotted a dark silhouette emerging from behind a tree, slowly walking towards them. The figure was tiptoeing, perhaps afraid of alerting them.

The current lighting only allowed him to discern a silhouette. He couldn’t make out any features, so he couldn’t confirm if it was someone from the village.

Zhang Yun analyzed the situation in his head. Since it wasn’t Yuan You, it probably wasn’t anyone dangerous. Among the villagers, the most likely culprits were Zhang Long or Jin Lu. Perhaps they wanted to uncover his secrets! There were others who hated to see him succeed, but they probably wouldn’t dare to follow him out at night.

"Are you done yet? It’s not that I’m being stingy and trying to rush you, but the person tailing me has shown up."

Zhang Yun urged her in a low voice, then shifted his position behind the door. He was just waiting for the person to get a little closer so they couldn’t escape!