Chapter 183 - 182: We Can Do This Again

Jian Yu had always been curious how the Little Flying Bear managed to fly without wings.

It wasn’t until she saw it fly just now that she noticed its short, white, fluffy tail spinning wildly behind it like a propeller.

The adorable cotton ball dove into the arms of another cutie.

Her gaze darted back and forth; Jian Yu wished she had two pairs of eyes.

"I’m fine." Ji Shiyin’s voice was soft, trailing off weakly.

He gently rubbed the Little Flying Bear’s chin, his movements coaxing and tender.

At the same time, he used the Spirit Chain with his Soul Beast to communicate: *Unfortunately, the Threshold Devouring Period acted up right after you flew off.*

The Little Flying Bear stopped rubbing its head. *I felt a little pain too, but it disappeared so fast I thought I was imagining things. You scared me to death, WAHHH.*

Ji Shiyin helplessly hugged the Little Flying Bear tighter.

He lifted his eyes to Jian Yu. "It’s my fault. I haven’t trained it well, and I’ve let it trouble you again."

He pinched the Little Flying Bear’s chubby face. "She was just being polite last time. How could you take it seriously and actually go find her to save me? As punishment, no dinner for you today."

He even used the word "save." Jian Yu’s brain, already dazed by the cuteness, promptly short-circuited.

Just then, the soft little bear twisted its body, turned its head, and mumbled in a tiny voice, "I’m sorry, Sister. I was wrong."

Jian Yu had never understood the impulse to dote on someone like a mother.

But now, she thought she understood why Xi Yu and Pei Yin’s gazes and actions toward her had always held that hint of doting affection.

She wanted to dote on the Little Flying Bear, too.

Jian Yu wanted nothing more than to stuff all her Beast Fruits into the Little Flying Bear’s mouth. "I wasn’t just being polite. Don’t scold it."

’It’s already so small, how can you not let it eat! How could you be so heartless!’

The Little Flying Bear put on a pitiful act, its little face a picture of innocent confusion, brimming with both unease and hope. "Then... can I still come find you next time, Sister? Master looks like he’s in so much pain, and Little Flying Bear doesn’t know what to do. I’m still little, I can only take care of myself. I don’t know how to help Master."

Jian Yu’s senses returned, and her inner money-grubber came online.

She mentioned the Xi Family’s shop. "If you need it, you could buy a few of the sachets listed in the store. They carry the scent of my Soul Beast and should have a soothing effect."

The Little Flying Bear froze, then explained in a small voice, "We bought some, but they haven’t shipped yet. They won’t arrive until tonight."

’So the things in that shop are actually Jian Yu’s!’

Its master had only bought them anonymously to show some support.

Otherwise, given the relationship between the Ji and Xi Families, if his master wanted them, he could have gotten them the very same day.

Ji Shiyin’s dimples deepened as a soft smile spread across his lips. "So it’s your shop. No wonder they’re so hard to buy."

With Xi Mu’s name attached, people would buy them whether they were authentic or not.

Not to mention, Xi Mu had mysteriously set them up as a limited auction purchase.

"Are they hard to buy?" Jian Yu felt a little embarrassed after plugging her own product.

’She saw plenty of stock every time she went online.’

"Hard! So, so hard, WAHHH." The Little Flying Bear’s ears drooped. "Master had someone camp the auction for a long time just to get them."

It looked up pitifully. "Yanyan, Sister told us to go to the auction. Does that mean she doesn’t want me to come play with her anymore?"

"No," Jian Yu denied hastily. "That’s not what I meant."

A smile spread from Ji Shiyin’s eyes to the corners of his lips. "Your sister doesn’t mean that."

The Little Flying Bear winked its right eye victoriously.

It wiggled its chubby body. "Then I’m still going to find Sister to play next time."

Jian Yu clutched the hem of her dress, unable to refuse. "Okay."

Her knuckles turned white and she kept her expression tight, her tone stiff. But she couldn’t hide the welcome hidden in her voice.

The Little Flying Bear leaped into the air joyfully, zipping around in circles.

Ji Shiyin smiled and pushed himself up with his hands.

As he rose, his frail body staggered.

Jian Yu instinctively used Instant Teleportation to appear by his side and catch him. Warm light slanted across their touching arms.

Light and shadow spilled in from the window, tracing the hazy outline of their two figures on the floor.

Her pale green gossamer dress swayed with the movement, its soft, rippling shadow giving her a demure air.

Ji Shiyin turned his head in surprise, his eyes flickering.

He pressed his lips into a faint smile. "Thank you."

Seeing that he was steady on his feet, Jian Yu let go, her fingers curling slightly.

Her gaze fell upon the nearby wall.

Several deep gouges were carved into it, left by Ji Shiyin’s rampaging Soul Power.

They looked like claw marks. Panda claw marks.

Lost in thought, Jian Yu asked without thinking, "Did you use an Illusion Realm just now?"

"Not an Illusion Realm. It was my Soul Beast’s defensive Skill, Invisible Shield." Ji Shiyin’s lips curved, a natural smile spreading across his face.

Jian Yu glanced down at the time.

Ji Shiyin tactfully took his leave. "I just remembered I have something to do. Thank you for today. I’ll treat you to a meal some other time."

The Little Flying Bear reached out to hug Jian Yu’s neck, rubbing its cheek against hers a couple of times. "This is for you, Sister. See you next time~"

Jian Yu blinked, looking at the Mechanical Necklace that had been left in her hand.

"Thank you."

’But she didn’t have a Mecha!’

When she looked up, Ji Shiyin had his back to her.

His figure was tall and lanky. His shoulders were broad and straight without looking severe, and the lines of his back were clean yet excessively slender. The tapering line from his broad shoulders to his narrow waist gave him a lean, upright posture.

He was... a soft, fragile boy.

As Ji Shiyin left, Jian Yu’s swelling protective instincts finally began to recede.

「The Laboratory」

Jian Yu had expected to see a bustling female lead.

Instead, when she walked in, the female lead was fast asleep with a book covering her face.

Jian Yu cleared her throat. "Ahem."

Xu Jianjuan lowered her head, and the book slid from her face onto her lap.

She picked up the book and set it aside. "You’re here."

"Mhm." Jian Yu checked the time again. ’Good, not late.’

She washed her hands and put on a sterile white lab coat, the same kind Xu Jianjuan was wearing.

"Let’s begin."

Jian Yu’s specialty only covered the genetic aspects of Alien Beast incubation.

Xu Jianjuan, on the other hand, was responsible for the practical side, specifically formulating the necessary medicine.

The workbench gleamed coldly under the lights as the two of them took up positions at opposite ends of the long table.

Jian Yu looked at the precise genetic data before her and began to work.

"No need to rush, I haven’t gotten to that part yet." Xu Jianjuan glanced at the data Jian Yu had provided, then picked up a medical pipette to draw a specific quantity of the raw gene solution.

Jian Yu paused, then switched to power-saving mode, working at a turtle’s pace.

She glanced at Xu Jianjuan, who was injecting the solution into a centrifuge tube.

Xu Jianjuan didn’t look up, but she had clearly noticed her gaze. "I’m extracting and purifying the gene fragments. I need to wait for the results. You can proceed to the next step."

"Okay." Jian Yu retracted her gaze and focused on the gene sequence map on her screen.

Xu Jianjuan stopped, discovering a discrepancy with the data from her past life.

She froze completely, her arm still raised, the deathly aura of her Soul Ghost Body radiating from her.

Jian Yu swallowed. "What’s wrong?"

Xu Jianjuan opened her Star Brain and switched screens, searching through the data. "There seems to be a problem with my data here?"

Jian Yu leaned in to get a look. "The parameter is off by 0.0069."

She took over, calibrating the parameters for fragment splicing and verifying the initial recombination of the specialized gene sequence.

Xu Jianjuan pressed her lips together.

She stared at Jian Yu’s cool profile. "Have you studied complete gene chain construction?"

The experiment results came out. Jian Yu stood up to check them. "It was in the materials you sent me."

Xu Jianjuan watched her in silence.

’Truly... an astonishing memory.’