Chapter 50: Pei Yin Passes the Buck
The Red Snake shook its head and wagged its tail.
"I didn’t poison him. With an injury this minor, Yanyan won’t need to rest for long before he’s fully healed on his own."
It was the first time Jian Yu had heard it speak.
Its voice was arrogant and flamboyant, yet immature and somewhat squeaky.
"Yanyan~" Pei Yin drawled sarcastically.
He waggled his eyebrows. "The master calls her ’baby,’ and now the Soul Beast is getting all mushy too."
The Red Snake raised its head, flicking its tail smugly and slapping it loudly against the ground.
"None of your business. I learned it from Yu Baby."
Sheng Yue vanished on the spot without a word.
Pei Yin glanced at Jian Yu, then shut his mouth in frustration and lowered his head to draw blood from Xuzhou’s arm.
He drew more and more.
And with increasing force.
"Little Pei, calm down." Duan Feiye glanced at the fading image of where Sheng Yue had been before his gaze drifted slowly toward Pei Yin.
His teasing tone held a hint of amusement.
Pei Yin snapped out of it and put away the instrument. "His condition is abnormal! I just wanted to draw a little extra for research!"
He snorted coldly, turning his head to look at the Red Snake. "What Level is your Yanyan, and what Level is he? Without Healing, he could lie here for half a year and still might not fully recover on his own."
After a moment, he couldn’t hold it in any longer. "’Yanyan’ or whatever... it sounds awful."
"..."
’Is this really that embarrassing?’ A blush slowly crept onto Jian Yu’s pale face.
Ling Yanzhi chuckled lightly. "I like whatever baby calls me."
"Baby is so cute." Xi Yu lowered his head obsessively and kissed her lips hard twice.
Noticing that Jian Yu’s lips had turned red, as if stained with something, he tilted his head in confusion.
The silver hoop on his ear cartilage carried a hint of cold as it brushed against Jian Yu’s cheek.
It flashed with a bit of light, making her narrow her eyes slightly.
Xi Yu curled his fingers and gently wiped her lips.
Ling Yanzhi subtly tugged on Jian Yu’s ankle.
He tossed a handkerchief to Xi Yu. "Wipe the blood from your mouth."
Duan Feiye stared at Jian Yu for a while but couldn’t see anything special about her no matter how he looked.
He wasn’t one to be swayed by looks, nor was his thought process as eccentric as Ling Yanzhi’s or Xi Yu’s.
In his eyes, there were only two kinds of people in the world: useful or useless.
’As far as I can tell, aside from her face, Jian Yu has no value to me whatsoever.’
Although Pei Yin had a sharp tongue, Sheng Yue was too cold, Xi Yu was overly dark, and Ling Yanzhi was somewhat heartless...
...when it came to looks, Duan Feiye believed that all of them, himself included, had rather outstanding appearances.
His gaze inadvertently took on a probing quality, not sharp, but too detached to reveal much emotion.
Jian Yu uncomfortably avoided his gaze.
A dull ache throbbed in her knees, followed by a bone-deep chill that instantly scattered what little energy she had gathered.
Her eyes drooped listlessly. ’Maybe because the Dean isn’t here, the special medicine doesn’t seem as effective as the first time.’
Xi Yu noticed her pale expression, and the arm around her waist tightened. "What’s wrong, baby?"
"It’s nothing." Jian Yu was used to it. She pressed her lips together and listlessly clung to Xi Yu’s right arm.
Ling Yanzhi observed her for a moment.
A Snake Tongue flickered faintly across his chin.
Finally, his sharp gaze locked onto Jian Yu’s legs.
He lifted her legs, letting her bend her knees slightly and rest her feet on his thighs.
Her skirt was partially lifted, revealing her pinkish knees.
Duan Feiye glanced over casually, and his eyes froze.
From her ankles upward, her skin was a mess of blue and purple bruises mixed with red marks. There were even a few on the tops of her feet.
His gaze shifted, and he noticed several purple bruises on Jian Yu’s fair wrists as well.
’So, those aren’t actually injuries?’
Duan Feiye’s expression became composed. He rubbed the knuckles of his index finger with his thumb, the pad of his finger pressing lightly, as if weighing something.
The scent of a medicinal patch filled the air.
Pei Yin glanced at the patch Ling Yanzhi took out, his throat tightening slightly.
’Ordinary people can only rely on conservative treatments. They have no other choice.’
Most of the current medicines weren’t suitable for ordinary people.
Even the medicine for genetic sequelae was something Ling Yanzhi and the others had initiated research on and promoted.
Gene Awakening. The successful were divided into Awakeners and Half-awakened. The failures faced all sorts of genetic sequelae.
Many ordinary people were born into noble families every year—Sheng Yue’s younger brother, his mother, and various relatives within their own clans.
If not for this consideration, the Alliance would have likely abandoned ordinary people long ago.
Ling Yanzhi touched the patch, feeling it warm up. "Baby, does this feel a little better?"
"Mhm." Jian Yu lifted her head slightly and pursed her lips.
’Should I give him a reward now?’
’The Dean is never wrong. I’ll listen to the Dean.’
Even though she had no energy, she still crinkled her eyes into a smile. "Thank you, Yanyan."
Duan Feiye subconsciously observed Xi Yu’s and Pei Yin’s reactions.
The former’s face was filled with worry, his eyes overflowing with concern.
The latter was gritting his teeth, practically seething with jealousy.
’Looking at it this way, maybe she isn’t completely without value after all.’ Duan Feiye’s way of looking at Jian Yu changed, taking on a new meaning.
[DING! Analysis report generated.]
Pei Yin didn’t look at the analysis results, instead deliberately turning on the instrument to broadcast them at a very high volume.
[Toxin analysis report as follows:]
[Sample Number: ST-739, blood extract.]
[Identification Result: High-level Ferocious Beast-derived toxin.]
[Preliminary Identification: Primordial Beast metabolic secretion. Level cannot be confirmed at this time.]
[Danger Level Assessment: Lethal.]
[Critical Warning: No similar toxin found in the database. Further in-depth research is recommended. Data should be saved and integrated into the main Alliance database.]
[Friendly Reminder: The toxin shows signs of cross-medium spread. Anyone who came into contact must be incinerated and immediately isolated to prevent further contamination.]
Duan Feiye was shocked.
He rose to his feet and acted decisively.
Pei Yin stopped him. "Wait, don’t kill him yet. Let me take another look."
"A Primordial Beast has infiltrated Weis Lan?" Ling Yanzhi’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
Xi Yu held Jian Yu and backed away, activating a defensive shield.
Pei Yin crouched down to examine him and found that the spread was not fast.
"He can still be saved."
He quickly cut off both of Xuzhou’s arms, carving them out along with the shoulders.
"Give him some medicine. Don’t let him die."
Ling Yanzhi didn’t care if Xuzhou lived or died, but he wanted to know what had happened to him.
Hearing this, Pei Yin roughly pried open Xuzhou’s mouth and poured in the medicine.
Given Xuzhou’s self-healing rate, he really did need some medicine.
Xi Yu held Jian Yu tightly. "Don’t be afraid, baby."
Jian Yu wasn’t afraid, but she had a nagging feeling that the toxin in Xuzhou might have something to do with her.
’I have Fierce Beast genes in my blood, too.’
When Xuzhou had injured her, he had used those two mantis arms.
Pei Yin looked at Jian Yu suspiciously.
Realizing Duan Feiye was still there, he immediately lowered his head and deflected blame. "Is the Alliance starting to mess around again?"
Duan Feiye sat back down, resting his hands on his knees, his fingertips occasionally tapping together.
His voice was light as he echoed Pei Yin’s words, "Primordial Beasts are not Soul Ghost Bodies. They never easily set foot in human territory."
The only time was when humans took the initiative to capture one.
It resulted in countless deaths and catastrophic losses.
To stop the spread of the toxic gas, Planet 113 was bombed on the Alliance’s orders, becoming the first destroyed planet in interstellar history.