Chapter 258 - 257

Sheng Yue said coldly, "Just tell the truth."

Zhao Jiangyou’s eyes were red. "I still have to thank you all for not driving me away. Otherwise, as a Healer, I might not have made it out of here alive on my own."

The group awkwardly began to comfort him.

Teacher Hu, who had only recently taken human form, chose to follow the crowd even though he knew there was something off about Zhao Jiangyou. "Don’t be too sad. These things happen."

Only Sheng Yue, with his cold expression, and Ji Shiyin, who was holding the Little Flying Bear, remained silent—one gentle, one cold.

Then again, it would have been strange if the two Sky Dragon People had actually joined everyone else in comforting Zhao Jiangyou.

Jian Yu didn’t know what Zhang Qin and the others were thinking.

’But she figured Zhao Jiangyou’s underlying message was probably this:’

’Yan Ying was very important. I would never joke about her life. Therefore, I didn’t approach you on purpose. Something happened to Miss Yan Ying, and on top of that, my Healing Soul Beast is a rarity, so I had nowhere to go. That’s the only reason I was accepted into your group.’

Jian Yu offered a few perfunctory words of comfort. "It’s all in the past. There’s no use dwelling on it. If anyone asks about Yan Ying, just tell them the truth."

She looked at the others. "That goes for all of you."

Zhang Qin exclaimed, "How can we push all the blame onto you!"

"Push?" Jian Yu chuckled, her laughter soft. "But I’m the one who killed her."

Zhao Jiangyou seized the chance to ask, "You were staring at me just now. Did you think of something else you forgot to ask?"

Jian Yu shook her head.

’She wanted to say she hadn’t been staring at Zhao Jiangyou.’

’But then she remembered that pink mist that had bewildered him...’

Jian Yu blinked. "I was just watching you to make sure no Mutant Beasts launched a surprise attack."

The more you say, the more you might slip up. Zhao Jiangyou breathed a sigh of relief and didn’t press the matter.

Jian Yu took out the Beast Crystals. "We’ve exceeded the mission requirements. I plan on heading back to school tomorrow morning."

The joy on everyone’s faces gradually vanished.

Before they could open their mouths, Sheng Yue issued a direct order. "Zhao Jiangyou will be your new teammate, filling the role of Healer. Any objections?"

Teacher Hu beamed. "They’re both Healers. What’s there to object to?"

No one dared to object.

Lu Yi winked and nudged. ’My OTP!’

Jiang Fei shot her a glare. ’Did you dig your brain out along with the hundreds of Beast Crystals you gathered today? How dare you try to stop the Chief?’

Jian Yu made a quick escape.

Lu Qi pursed his lips.

’They’re both Healers, huh?’

He couldn’t help but pout, muttering under his breath, "They’re not the same at all."

Zhao Jiangyou lowered his head, his expression stiffening slightly.

Although Yan Ying had often called him useless, he had never truly believed his Healing Soul Beast was worthless. On the contrary, he knew it was very important.

He never expected that after leaving Yan Ying, some B-level nobody would dare to look down on him.

...

After washing up, Jian Yu ducked into her tent.

Ji Shiyin was just about to take a spare tent out of his Space Ring.

But in the next moment, he saw Sheng Yue enter Jian Yu’s tent, his face expressionless.

He laughed in exasperation.

Just then, the sleeping Little Flying Bear in his arms rolled over, its round head nestling against his chest.

Ji Shiyin hugged it tighter. "Little Flying Bear, I’m so pathetic. You’re all I have left."

When Jian Yu saw Sheng Yue come in, she habitually moved over to make room under half of the blanket.

She wouldn’t turn anyone away, not even if it had been Ji Shiyin.

She had said it before: she liked it when others took the initiative.

Jian Yu put up a privacy barrier and told Sheng Yue about her discoveries.

Sheng Yue, who had been leaning down, froze in mid-air.

The air was still for a few seconds.

He lay back down. "I’ll have Little Yan keep an eye on Zhao Jiangyou."

Sheng Yue was silent for two seconds. "Are you worried about Ayan?"

"Mhm," Jian Yu agreed, then paused.

She squeezed Sheng Yue’s hand, their fingers intertwining, and blinked. "If it were you, I’d be worried too."

Sheng Yue pressed his lips together, then they parted slightly. "Thank you. I’m very happy."

Jian Yu turned onto her side and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Let’s sleep."

’Having her emotions swayed by Ling Yanzhi wasn’t exactly something to be happy about.’

’Jian Yu used to be terrified of getting married and having children, thinking she was marriage-free by conviction.’

’Later, she decided it was just egoism.’

’Later still, the matron of her orphanage had said, "That’s wrong. We are proponents of happiness."’

Jian Yu didn’t know if she would stay happy forever, but at least, for now, she was.

Dawn broke, lightless and veiled in a thin fog.

Sheng Yue left the Starship with Ji Shiyin, instructing him to keep a close eye on Zhao Jiangyou.

He, in turn, left with Jian Yu in his Mecha.

When it came time to file the report requesting entry clearance, Sheng Yue hesitated.

For a situation like this, it was better to go in secret.

Jian Yu didn’t quite understand this. "Can we get into Emperor Wolf Star without requesting permission?"

Sheng Yue set the Mecha’s destination to a nearby city. "We can get into the space station."

He was tall, and his broad shoulders blocked most of the light coming through the Mecha’s window.

His cool-toned, form-fitting combat suit outlined his broad shoulders and narrow waist, radiating pure sex appeal.

Jian Yu glanced over, her hands itching to touch him.

As if sensing her gaze, Sheng Yue instinctively tensed his abs, making the lines of his muscles more prominent.

His Adam’s apple bobbed gently, and a faint blush crept up to the tips of his ears.

The Mecha switched to autopilot.

Sheng Yue kept his blue eyes fixed forward, his pearly white teeth flashing as his lips parted. "Want a kiss?"

’Red lips and white teeth,’ she thought.

Jian Yu glanced at the Mecha’s control panel, then at the hand hanging by his side.

Sheng Yue turned around, his throat bobbing again. "Asking for it is a form of taking initiative, too."

Jian Yu smiled and threw her arms around him. "I guess it counts."

Their lips met, warm breath ghosting across each other’s faces.

Sheng Yue tightened his arms around Jian Yu’s waist, feeling a wave of heat rush from his neck all the way to the tips of his ears.

His heartbeat, usually so steady it was almost placid, began to pound wildly, thundering in his own ears.

Sheng Yue didn’t dare close his eyes, staring at her intently.

The morning light fell on Jian Yu’s face. Her lovely almond-shaped eyes curved into crescents, her long, thick eyelashes fluttering like a pair of butterfly wings.

...

「Emperor Wolf Star.」

「The Slave Market.」

Yan Mingjiao spotted Ling Yanzhi and Xi Yu at a single glance.

The two men stood out in the crowd, masked and both around six-foot-three, giving off an imposing, head-and-shoulders-above-the-rest sort of pressure.

One look and it was clear they were no ordinary people.

Suppressing her excitement, Yan Mingjiao called someone over. "Go investigate them."

Her gaze swept past the slender, almost delicate-looking Xi Yu, and landed squarely on Ling Yanzhi.

It was the first time Yan Mingjiao had ever seen someone like him—he didn’t have to do a thing; he was the focal point just by standing there.

Though the man’s posture was languid and his movements careless, the eyes visible beneath his mask were captivating.

When he lifted his gaze, the corners of his eyes naturally tilted upward. His eyelashes were sparse yet long, and his eyes held a hint of casual, alluring charm.

He had a high-bridged nose and full lips that were pale with a hint of pink. When he spoke or chuckled, the corners of his mouth would quirk up, giving him a roguishly handsome look.

His arm was draped over the shoulder of the person next to him, exuding a lazy-boned weariness, as if nothing in the world could hold his interest.

Although the Slave Market’s built-in sound-dampening barrier prevented her from hearing what they were discussing...

...when his gaze swept over in her direction, it carried a feral energy.

Yan Mingjiao accidentally met his gaze and nearly forgot to breathe.

’This man is mine!’

She was the adopted daughter of the Yan Family, after all. She got to call Admiral Yan "Grandfather."

Yan Mingjiao suppressed her excitement.

’No need to rush. I’ll wait for my people to finish their investigation first.’

Ling Yanzhi’s lips twitched in a sneer. "The way that pervert is ’admiring’ me is making me sick to my stomach."

’My luck has really hit rock bottom.’

’Of all the men who came into this Slave Market, why did that psycho have to lock onto me?’

’Disgusting.’

Ling Yanzhi turned his head. "Ayue."

A low, dark aura radiated from Xi Yu, as if he were the Death God incarnate. "What is it?"

’Don’t tell me Darling and Yu Yu slept together too!’

’The heartache will kill me.’

Xi Yu looked as if he’d been possessed by the Shura God, his entire being radiating a gloomy, sinister energy.

He slowly turned his head to lock his gaze on Yan Mingjiao. "Ayan, when can we start the killing spree?"

His eyes were obstinate, his tea-brown pupils veiled as if by a thin mist.

He stared at Yan Mingjiao without blinking. "Let’s start with her."