Chapter 209 - 208: Am I a Little Red-Eyed?

The Ultimate Eye was a relatively large region within the Beast Forest. Traveling on foot, they might never reach the end in their lifetime.

But to maintain their formation, Jian Yu and the Yan Xu brothers had to walk, unable to use Instant Teleportation frequently.

They were exhausted after just half a day of walking. Jian Yu dreaded to think how she would get through the entire next day.

Rubbing her aching calves, Jian Yu could only hope everyone would get plenty of sleep that night. ’I really want to sleep in.’

Zhang Qin handed over two large skewers of meat. "Here, junior, try this piece. I saved it just for you. This cut of Lulu Meat is the most tender, and a little Beast Fruit paste makes it much more appetizing."

Sheng Yue’s eyes flickered upward, his expression unreadable.

Jian Yu stopped petting the leopard and accepted the skewers with both hands. "Thank you, senior."

She sat primly, and the way she accepted the food was endearingly polite.

As Zhang Qin watched her, a goofy smile spread across his face. "You’re welcome."

He turned back to grilling the Lulu Meat, full of renewed vigor. "There’s more where that came from! Plenty more!"

Sheng Yue’s breathing grew heavier.

Jian Yu glanced at Sheng Yue out of the corner of her eye.

She took out a small, clean plate and placed one of the skewers on it.

Holding the plate, Jian Yu looked at Yin Jiu. "Do you want some?"

"Yes!" Yin Jiu reached out with both paws, steadily taking the small plate.

It tilted its head back, its furry face filled with shyness. "Thank you, sweetie."

Jian Yu ruffled the fur on its head.

Sensing the group’s strange looks, Jian Yu curled her fingers and lowered her gaze, too embarrassed to look up.

A miniature, pure-white mutant snow leopard with stubby paws held a pale green plate, its head bobbing as it ate.

It looked adorably clumsy, as if it were just learning how to wolf down its food.

Watching it made Jian Yu’s own mouth water. Her eyes curved into crescents as she picked up the remaining skewer of Lulu Meat and took a bite.

The smoky char mixed with the aroma of the meat. Its edges were grilled to a perfect crisp, and with one bite, she experienced a crunchy exterior giving way to a tender inside. The juices burst in her mouth, savory and moist, not the least bit tough.

That first bite was incredibly satisfying, and it only got more delicious the more she ate.

Jian Yu’s eyes crinkled in contentment. ’Life is starting to look up.’

Zhang Qin looked from Jian Yu to Yin Jiu and back again.

Both of them radiated an adorable charm they didn’t even seem aware of.

Zhang Qin clenched his fists, his eyes unable to stop glancing their way.

’The little junior is so cute.’

’And the president’s Soul Beast is such a little charmer.’

A glare as sharp as a cold knife shot from Sheng Yue, but his expression remained unchanged and his tone was perfectly level. "Zhang Qin, what department are you in? Second year, right?"

Zhang Qin answered, stunned, "Wang Hu and I are both in the preparatory department."

Most students at Weis Lan Noble Academy were reserve members for either the Alliance or the noble houses.

After graduation, those who didn’t do well would end up working for a noble family’s corporation. Those who did well would generally go to places like the research institutes or the military.

Students like them in the preparatory department had fewer concerns, as they were destined for the military sector.

In fact, during special circumstances, they had to be ready to report to the military at a moment’s notice, without even waiting for graduation.

Zhang Qin wondered if Sheng Yue was asking because he’d taken notice of his abilities and was planning to arrange an early placement for him in the military.

After all, their team’s ranking was conspicuous, and his, Lu Yi’s, and Wang Hu’s individual scores were also at the top of the leaderboards.

But after he answered the question about his department, Sheng Yue said nothing more.

Zhang Qin wanted to ask Wang Hu what he thought Sheng Yue meant, but Wang Hu was like a pig, caring only about eating.

The aroma of freshly grilled meat wafted directly into his nostrils.

Zhang Qin gave up on the idea and dutifully went back to dipping the grilled meat in sauce and coating it with Beast Fruit juice.

The salty, savory, and meaty aromas mingled in complex layers.

Zhang Qin took a bite, his voice muffled. "I already set aside a portion for Teacher Hu, so you all can eat your fill."

Wang Hu, the biggest eater of the group, cried out, "I can’t stop! What do I do? I can’t stop! I’m done for!"

Everyone else ate with a certain decorum; only he was being so dramatic.

Jian Yu couldn’t help but sneak glance after glance at him.

’He’d make a great food-streamer. Just watching him makes my own food taste better.’

Lu Yi, sitting next to Jiang Fei, let his gaze wander over to the Zhang sisters. "How come you two aren’t eating?"

Zhang Ziyue held a nutrient pack. She was starving but just couldn’t bring herself to eat the meat. "We don’t really like meat."

Zhang Ziwen, holding a few fruits with little appetite, added, "I brought some rice. I can make some porridge tomorrow. I’m a little tired today, so I’ll just make do with a nutrient pack for now."

Lu Yi’s mouth twitched. "Fair enough."

Jian Yu chewed on her meat, her eyes flicking upward as an idea came to her.

Her cheeks weren’t puffed out, but her pale pink lips had taken on a moist sheen.

Lu Yi noticed her reaching for her Space Ring. "Don’t tell me you brought rice, too."

Jian Yu pulled out two disposable meal containers with an innocent look. "Seafood porridge. Anyone want some?"

’I just don’t like being put on the spot to perform or being called on by a teacher to give some motivational speech.’

’Normal conversation and making friends is fine, though. Even with teammates I’ve only known for a day.’

Ling Yanzhi and the others were always worrying that she wouldn’t get along with her teammates, and they’d given her an earful before she left.

Jian Yu wanted to prove their stereotype wrong, so she had decided to make a few more friends on this trip.

She offered the food containers toward them. "They’re disposable, but they have a built-in heating function. Just press the button, and it’ll be ready in two minutes."

Jian Yu added, "I won’t charge you this time. How about we become friends?"

Zhang Ziyue’s eyes lit up. "Okay!"

’The porridge wasn’t important; becoming friends was.’

They hadn’t initiated contact with Jian Yu because they were afraid people would accuse them of social climbing—deliberately getting close to Jian Yu to ride her coattails, to get noticed by the top students, or to make their peers jealous.

After all, the mission was only a week long. Even though they were a team, it was hard for relationships to develop into anything substantial in such a short time.

Most of the time, the team would just disband after the mission. For teams with major disagreements, they might even return to the academy as enemies.

Zhang Ziyue took a pendant from around her neck. "Since we’re friends now, this is for you. It’s a gift to celebrate our new friendship. It has nothing to do with the porridge."

She explained, "It’s defensive. It can block three S-Class spiritual power attacks. I’ve only used it once so far."

Zhang Ziwen froze, and a hint of conflict flickered in her eyes as she looked at her sister.

She lowered her head, not trying to stop her.

Jian Yu noticed Zhang Ziwen’s expression and her fingers tightened slightly.

’Exchanging a bowl of porridge for an S-Class defensive shield... that’s not making a friend, that’s just taking advantage of someone.’

’But if I refuse right after we agreed to be friends, it’ll seem like I’m looking down on her gift. And figuring out how to refuse would be a hassle, too.’

Jian Yu pulled out the Defense Card that Pei Yin had prepared for her. ’I can’t believe he was right about this.’

Pei Yin’s words echoed in her mind: ’If you ever receive a gift that makes you uncomfortable and you don’t know how to refuse, just trade something for it. I have plenty of these, but they aren’t exactly common junk, so you can’t just give them to anyone. The person has to give you something of similar value first before you can give this away.’

"A gift to celebrate our new friendship," Jian Yu repeated softly.

As she reached out, she took the defensive pendant and left a Defense Card in Zhang Ziyue’s hand.

It was silver-gray, cool to the touch, and its surface shimmered with a faint, cold light.

Zhang Ziyue felt the coolness in her palm and her fingers faltered. "A Level 2S Defense Card?"

Zhang Ziwen instantly let out a sigh of relief. The pendant her sister had given away was their best life-saving item.

’It felt a little wrong, but her sister had definitely come out ahead in this exchange, and she was genuinely happy about that.’

Jian Yu’s voice was still cool, but it carried an inexplicable warmth. "A return gift between friends."

Zhang Qin rested his chin in his hand, a fond look on his face.

Lu Qi looked on with envy.

Lu Yi nudged Jiang Fei. "Look at my eyes. Are they turning a little green with envy?"

Everyone: "..."