Chapter 259 - 258: I’m a Little Scared

Ling Yanzhi pushed at the mask on his face.

The mask pressed tightly against the upper half of his face, making his nose ache.

’Why do people on this planet wear masks? To make their noses look more prominent?’

Ling Yanzhi was a little irritated.

He placed a hand on Xi Yu, his expression indolent. "They have numbers. Don’t be reckless."

Xi Yu fell silent.

More people meant trouble. It wasn’t that they couldn’t win, but a fight would easily alert their true target.

He instinctively reached out to hug Yang Zhang, but his fingers closed on empty air.

They had entered under false identities, so Yang Zhang couldn’t come out for the time being.

Xi Yu sullenly tugged at the Star Brain Terminal on his wrist.

It was part of the fake identity bought on the black market; the Star Brain was a cheaper model that had to be worn like a watch and couldn’t be retracted.

His original Star Brain was a subcutaneous chip. A wristband would only materialize when he needed to use it, not hang there openly like a watch.

The comparison was painful.

Even though their current identities were down on their luck, they were still mid-level nobility. Who would’ve thought that a minor noble on Emperor Wolf Star wouldn’t even have a more advanced Star Brain Terminal?

Xi Yu’s face was pale and his lips were bright red. He scanned his surroundings with an eerie, ghostlike gaze.

He said abruptly, "Being loved by our darling is what’s most important."

His father often told his mother, "Everything here is for you. Your happiness is what matters most, so choose whatever you like."

Xi Yu felt he couldn’t be outdone by his father. "Our darling has us in her heart."

Ling Yanzhi watched him for a moment, his throat tightening slightly. "Mm."

He didn’t press the issue. In his eyes, Xi Yu had always been a very intelligent person.

He had a high IQ, but he was just... lacking in certain areas.

Naive and single-minded. Perhaps because he had the power, authority, and backing, he’d never needed much emotional intelligence.

After all, almost no one could take Xi Yu down. He had the luxury of a purity others couldn’t afford, even if it sometimes came with a streak of reckless abandon.

Ling Yanzhi got a little lost in thought.

Just then, Xi Yu said suddenly, "Ayan, that person was just sold."

The Slave Market on Emperor Wolf Star was a legal establishment, but they didn’t like such chaotic places.

They hadn’t planned on entering the Slave Market at all, but they’d slipped in after spotting an "acquaintance."

Now, that person had been sold.

Xi Yu hurried after them.

He forced himself not to use his Soul Power, his strides long and urgent.

Ling Yanzhi looked up and saw that the person on the stage was indeed gone.

He rarely got distracted, but for the past two days, he’d been constantly absent-minded, his thoughts drifting aimlessly.

As he followed Xi Yu around a corner, Ling Yanzhi caught sight of Yan Mingjiao striding quickly toward them out of the corner of his eye.

Tsk.

’Trouble.’

"Hey! You two, stop right there!" Yan Mingjiao’s voice cut through the air, and the rowdy Slave Market fell silent for an instant.

A dozen or so people closed in, blocking their path.

Xi Yu turned, his hazel eyes dark and menacing.

The corners of his lips curved into a dangerously alluring smile.

For a moment, Yan Mingjiao’s expression went slack with a dazed look in her eyes.

Her heart skipped a beat.

’Actually... this one might do as well.’

Her eyes were locked on Ling Yanzhi, but her gaze kept straying to size up Xi Yu.

’Both of them are quite good.’

Ling Yanzhi raised an eyebrow. He knew Xi Yu so well that he could guess his intentions from a single glance.

The Slave Market had three floors. Three rooms on the ground floor were inaccessible, and the other two floors were even more heavily guarded.

It seemed their only option was to cause a big enough scene to draw the guards from the upper floors down, allowing them to slip in during the chaos.

With this new plan in mind, Ling Yanzhi swallowed the words he had been about to say.

He draped an arm over Xi Yu’s shoulders, as if to soothe him. "Brother, I’m a little scared."

Xi Yu pressed his lips together, reining in his hostility. "Trust me. I can protect you."

"I trust you," Ling Yanzhi said, tilting his chin up with a cocky expression. "You’re blocking our way but not saying anything. What are you looking at, rolling your eyes around like a fucking idiot? If you have something to say, spit it out."

Yan Mingjiao’s eyes widened in fascination.

She was very bold—or perhaps it was better to say, very forward.

She snapped out of her daze and giggled. "Everything about you is perfect, except for that foul mouth. But don’t worry, I’ll teach you better manners."

Yan Mingjiao shifted her stance slightly, making the red dress cling to her body and accentuate her graceful curves.

"I know you’re from the Qu Family. Why don’t you introduce yourselves? Which one of you is Qu Wu, and which is Qu Xian?"

"I’m Qu Xian," Ling Yanzhi admitted without hesitation.

Yan Mingjiao was coquettish and beautiful; rumor had it she was the belle of Emperor Wolf Star Academy.

She fluttered her eyelashes, trying to look even more fetching.

Her gaze swept over him, full of seductive intent. "Take off your mask and let me have a look."

"I’d rather not." Ling Yanzhi’s eyes were half-lidded. He said nothing more, clearly indicating he had no desire to continue the conversation.

No matter how many times Yan Mingjiao tried to engage him, his expression remained blank; not even the corners of his mouth moved.

Yan Mingjiao, far from being discouraged, looked even more pleased.

Her smiling gaze shifted to Xi Yu. "Is it inconvenient for you, too?"

When he didn’t answer, Yan Mingjiao’s expression cooled. "No matter. With a build like that, I can live with an ugly face."

Xi Yu’s body went rigid. The air around him grew heavy, and his eyes turned cold and sullen.

’I’m not ugly!’

Deep down, he felt that he belonged to Jian Yu.

Yan Mingjiao’s gaze made Xi Yu feel sullied, and a faint sense of revulsion rose within him.

Ling Yanzhi suppressed Xi Yu’s simmering hostility.

He asked nonchalantly, "You’re interested without even seeing our faces? What, are you that desperate for a man?"

A jolt went through Xi Yu. He couldn’t agree more.

The two Qu Family brothers had worn masks constantly ever since they were seven, never showing their true faces to anyone. Yan Mingjiao had no idea what they looked like.

But that was precisely why he and Xi Yu had chosen these identities.

They had thought a lower-status identity would be inconspicuous, but who knew the people on Emperor Wolf Star were so short? It made him and Ayan stand out.

Their taunts went in one ear and out the other for Yan Mingjiao.

All she could think was how incredibly pleasant both of their voices were; she hadn’t heard voices that sounded so good in a long, long time.

Her heart hammered in her chest. Yan Mingjiao’s eyes held not only admiration, but an irrepressible, burning excitement.

She suppressed the fluttering in her chest. "How about... we make a deal?"

Ling Yanzhi lifted his gaze. "I refuse."

Yan Mingjiao choked. "You haven’t even heard me out."

Xi Yu’s tone was blunt. "We don’t want to hear it."

Yan Mingjiao shot back, "It’s not up to you!"

Finding her noisy, Ling Yanzhi opened his mouth to retort.

But when he glanced up, he saw her utterly lovestruck expression.

Yan Mingjiao was still rattling on about the Yan Family’s background, the ugly intention of forcing herself on them written all over her face.

’Maybe I should have listened to Ayue. Just kill her and get it over with.’

Ling Yanzhi fell silent, his gaze dropping.

Perhaps because his parents had argued all through his childhood, he detested loud, argumentative people.

Yet he couldn’t stand being alone in a quiet place either; it felt too lonely.

A large part of why he liked Jian Yu was because she was so sweet and quiet, yet possessed a subtle, lustful boldness.

Although Jian Yu was often insecure. Whenever they got busy, she would start to doubt if she was still loved and do silly, baffling things to seek reassurance.

’Sometimes, Ling Yanzhi truly didn’t understand. Was it really so important to be cared for, to be loved by someone?’

If it had been anyone else, he would have scoffed at the idea.

But when faced with the expectant look in Jian Yu’s eyes, Ling Yanzhi felt himself yield.

’Being cared for was, indeed, unimportant. But being cared for by Jian Yu... just the thought of it was wonderful.’

Thinking of Ji Shiyin and Sheng Yue brought a pang of frustration, but Ling Yanzhi felt more relief than anything else.

At least they were brothers he knew through and through. That was far better than Jian Yu picking random "wildflowers" on the street.