Chapter 96: Wife-lord, What Are You Guys Doing?
The Starship wasn’t equipped for much, so they made a simple meal of cold dishes, salad, and heated bread.
Paired with a sauce Bai Zhi had made earlier, even this simple meal tasted pretty good.
By the time they finished eating, the Starship had arrived.
Since this was an Unowned Star System, it lacked the towering skyscrapers of Blue Star. The system wasn’t completely uninhabited, but it was far more sparsely populated, with most people concentrated in a single area—the very place where the Crystal Stones had been discovered.
Due to the discovery of Crystal Stones, the area was garrisoned. The entire mineral-rich expanse was fenced off, and dedicated guardhouses had been constructed to protect the Crystal Stones.
This was partly because the star system wasn’t fully developed, and partly out of fear that someone might steal the Crystal Stones.
Bai Zhi and the others had deliberately chosen a deserted spot to disembark. When they stepped off the Starship and saw the desolate landscape, they almost thought they were in the wrong place.
The area was so unpopulated that in some spots, the weeds grew taller than a person.
Luckily, it wasn’t long before they spotted a number of buildings.
Although unowned, the system’s Crystal Stones attracted many buyers. This gave rise to a small amount of trade and lodging to provide basic, short-term accommodation for visitors from other systems.
The cost of living here was high since most goods had to be imported from other star systems. But thanks to the Crystal Stones, most of the locals were wealthy.
Xing Fan wouldn’t be arriving for another day or two. Bai Zhi hadn’t planned on coming here, but with the sudden arrival of those people from the Main Star, she couldn’t think of anywhere else to go. ’I might as well see what this Unowned Star System is like,’ she had thought.
Unlike Blue Star, this newly developed system didn’t have comprehensive infrastructure like buildings and other facilities.
If Bai Zhi and her group wanted to see the Crystal Stones, they had to go on foot. Yue Junxiao chattered away in her ear, with Hu Yan and the others occasionally chiming in.
Before long, she was completely exhausted.
Seeing that Bai Zhi was tired, Yan Yichen walked over to her side. With a hopeful look in his eyes, he said, "Bai Zhi, let me carry you. I can fly you into the air. You’ll be able to see for miles."
Bai Zhi was tempted, but she turned to look at Hu Yan and the others. "What about them?"
Yue Junxiao grinned. "You go on ahead with him, Bai Zhi. We’ll move faster on our own."
Hu Yan added, "You go first. We’ll be right behind you."
’That makes sense,’ Bai Zhi thought. ’If I weren’t slowing them down, they would’ve arrived ages ago.’
’The Beastmen’s stamina is just insane,’ she mused. ’If they weren’t always holding back for my sake, I have no doubt I’d die in bed.’
The moment Bai Zhi nodded, a pair of enormous wings unfurled behind Yan Yichen. SWOOSH—
The vividly colored wings spread wide, seeming to glisten under the sun. The sight left Bai Zhi momentarily stunned.
’She’d always known Yan Yichen’s feathers were pretty, but she never realized they were this beautiful.’
In those brief few seconds, Yan Yichen was already by her side, his powerful arms sweeping her up into a princess carry.
SWOOSH—
His wings unfurled.
"Ah—"
The sudden liftoff made her let out a small cry, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around Yan Yichen’s neck.
Wind brushed gently against her face, catching strands of her hair. Once she had a moment to adjust, she slowly looked down.
The figures of Hu Yan and the others below grew smaller and smaller as her field of vision expanded. A thrilling sense of release welled up from the bottom of her heart, filling her with an inexplicable joy.
Bai Zhi couldn’t help but shout, "Faster!"
Yan Yichen’s voice, laced with a faint smile, sounded from above her head. "Okay."
The moment he finished speaking, Bai Zhi felt their speed increase dramatically. Even the wind from his wings felt like freedom.
Once she was used to the speed, Bai Zhi cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted with all her might, "Ahh—Faster! Go faster!! This is amazing!!"
Anyone who has experienced the joy of flight—aside from those with a fear of heights—would surely love the feeling of soaring through the sky, completely free and unrestrained.
Before long, they arrived.
From a distance, they could see the large, fenced-off area. Crystal Stones had already been extracted from several sections. The unmined portions looked almost identical to ordinary rocks, but cutting them open revealed brown Crystal Stones within.
At that moment, she noticed a group of people below surrounding a single person. That person was clutching what looked like a back basket, which, upon closer inspection, seemed to be filled with stones.
He was in ragged clothes, his face smudged with grime. Even as he was being punched and kicked, he held on tightly to the basket in his arms.
Bai Zhi quickly pieced together what was happening: the group was using its superior numbers to rob the boy of the Crystal Stones he had worked so hard to dig up. She tugged on Yan Yichen’s sleeve. "Let’s go down and take a look."
Yan Yichen obediently flew down at once.
When she saw one of the men kick the boy again, Bai Zhi roared, "Stop!"
Yan Yichen immediately followed up, using a powerful gust from his wings to knock the men off their feet.
The Beastman at the head of the group scrambled to his feet, cursing. "Ouch— Who the hell was that?! Who the fuck did that? Do you have any idea whose business you’re sticking your nose into?!"
The others staggered to their feet and gathered around their leader. "Boss."
They stared warily at Bai Zhi and Yan Yichen.
Yan Yichen landed with Bai Zhi in his arms. "So you think it’s right to use your numbers to bully the weak?"
The leader narrowed his eyes, sizing them up. "You’re not from around here, are you?"
The sun here was scorching year-round, so the locals were all rather dark-skinned. In contrast, Bai Zhi and Yan Yichen were so fair they practically glowed. It was obvious they weren’t from this place.
Before they could answer, the man spoke again, his tone arrogant. "I’d advise you to mind your own business. This kid stole Crystal Stones. We caught him in the act and are just teaching him a lesson."
Instead of answering, Bai Zhi shot back with a question of her own. "Are you the soldiers garrisoned here? Then why aren’t you wearing uniforms? And if you’re not, what right do you have to punish him? Or is it that you’re just trying to take the stones for yourselves?"
Her words seemed to hit home. The man’s expression instantly darkened. Seeing it was just the two of them, he shot a look at his men, signaling his intent to take care of them all at once.
Bai Zhi clearly saw through their plan. She tightened her grip on Yan Yichen’s clothes, ’ready to have him take flight at the first sign of trouble’.
Just then, however, Yue Junxiao’s voice suddenly rang out from behind them. "Bai Zhi, what are you two up to?"
Hearing his voice, Bai Zhi raised an eyebrow. "Well, what do you know. My friends have arrived. If you don’t leave right now, I’ll have to call for backup."
The leader saw Hu Yan and the others approaching at a run. His face turned frighteningly grim. He gestured to his men. "Let’s go."
Before he left, he shot back a threat. "You’d better hope we don’t catch you alone, or else..."
They beat a hasty retreat before Hu Yan and the others could reach them.
Only then did Bai Zhi go over and help the boy, who looked to be no older than thirteen or fourteen, to his feet. "Are you okay?"
The boy silently gathered the Crystal Stones that had spilled out and put them back in his basket. Then, he picked up the basket and offered it to Bai Zhi.
When he remained silent, Bai Zhi ventured a guess. "Are you trying to give these Crystal Stones to me?"