Chapter 64: Fear
What she had been worried about still happened.
The fine, colored smoke had just managed to return to her body, but moments later, it spun out of control, continuously drifting outward.
Jian Yu observed for a moment and quickly noticed the difference in the color of the smoke tendrils between the two occurrences.
This time, the color was much deeper.
A deep pink mist spread out, suffusing the empty rest area with a hazy, enchanting quality.
In the blink of an eye, the pink mist faded. She strained to focus, but the traces of smoke were barely visible.
She tried to guide it, but it vanished in an instant.
Jian Yu watched, lost in thought.
’So, whether I can see it or not is also beyond my control?’
Not being able to see it meant she had no way to draw it back into her body.
She had guessed the green smoke was related to incubation and could also deduce that the pink mist could soothe the Threshold Devouring Period, but she just couldn’t figure out the trick to mastering this ability.
The blush on Jian Yu’s face quickly faded.
Even a bucket of cold water poured over her head might not have made her as calm as she was now.
"Baby, what’s wrong?"
Xi Yu recalled his Soul Beast and held her anxiously.
He kissed Jian Yu’s tense jawline. "Baby, don’t be angry. I’ll try to hold back more next time. Let’s not be in such a rush to kiss, okay?"
’No more kissing? How boring would that be?’
Jian Yu’s mind barely managed to turn, preparing to break down and analyze his words.
Her brain spun for a moment before she lost the will to think.
Strength gradually returned to her limbs.
Her throat hurt; it was probably hoarse.
Jian Yu sluggishly lifted her eyelids, looked at him for a second, then let them droop again.
’So exhausting. Can’t you just kiss me already? If I got in the mood, I might even feel a little better.’
"The scent is a bit strong," Ling Yanzhi said, standing up. He picked up the bracelet Sheng Yue had left on the table.
It was pink.
One by one, they were all starting to pay attention to the forums.
Ling Yanzhi slipped his fingers through the bracelet and turned it in his hand.
The Red Snake slithered up to the edge of the wall and opened all the window settings.
As a cold breeze blew in, Jian Yu listlessly raised her eyes.
Xi Yu held her, patting and stroking her all over.
Getting no reaction, he bent down again and carefully straightened the hem of her dress.
’That woman, Yan Qin, is so annoying.’
’While we were cooperating with the research, she was always whispering in our ears that our behavior was suffocating and that we should give Jian Yu some freedom.’
’She even said that people die if they don’t get fresh air.’
’As if we aren’t human and don’t need to breathe. But still, I can’t pretend I didn’t take her words to heart.’
’But I’ve been so well-behaved, just holding her while we sleep. I’m so proper, even male leads from old Earth movies aren’t as old-fashioned and conservative as I am.’
Xi Yu’s heart stewed with frustration. He lowered his eyes, his hazel pupils steeped in a gloom so thick it couldn’t be dispelled.
He turned his head to look at Ling Yanzhi. "Why is she angry?"
"I’m not angry," Jian Yu blurted out, stunned.
Her voice was soft and raspy, but her tone was stiff and her expression indifferent. It was hard to believe she wasn’t angry.
Xi Yu stubbornly repeated, "Why is she angry?"
It was too complicated to explain, so Jian Yu was happy to let them misunderstand.
’The day I used Sheng Yue as a catalyst for our relationship, there was no turning back.’
’Might as well just commit and see this through to the end.’
"You scared off her favorite person, so of course she’s angry." Ling Yanzhi felt a pang in his heart. His brows lowered, and his voice dripped with sarcasm.
The affectionate ’Baby’ had become a cold ’she’.
Jian Yu pressed her lips together.
’Men are all jealous and competitive. It’s perfectly normal.’
’The plot might not have gone exactly as I envisioned, but I’m still confident I know the outcome.’
’It should be accurate. Probably. Maybe. Perhaps. That’s right!’
Jian Yu was just brimming with confidence.
"It’s not like I told him to come," Xi Yu snorted, his lips pressing into a thin line.
He let go of the delicate pink hem of her dress.
He was done trying to coax her.
His fingers tightened around Jian Yu’s waist as he lowered his head, burying his face in her neck.
"You’re mine. It’s useless even if Sheng Yue comes."
Xi Yu’s eyes were obsessive, and his breath carried a damp, sinister chill, making him seem utterly uncanny.
"Baby, you’re not allowed to like him. Look at him, he doesn’t even dare to compete with me."
He was wrapped in a damp, cold, hostile aura. Even a soul-reaping ghost crawling out of a sewer wouldn’t be as grim as he was.
Jian Yu blinked.
’Still handsome, though.’
’Pink lips, pale skin, a narrow waist, and long legs.’
Jian Yu stared at him intently. "If he did compete, would you let him have me?"
She mumbled out all the things she shouldn’t have said. "Liking two of you is okay, so why isn’t three?"
A sudden coolness on her wrist—a bracelet had appeared there.
Jian Yu looked down, then up, her gaze traveling up Ling Yanzhi’s long legs.
His pupils had switched to red, a vicious look swirling in the depths of his eyes. The Red Snake’s large tongue flickered by his mouth.
Their eyes met, and his pupils returned to their normal black.
"My fault. I scared Baby again." The Red Snake’s head appeared on Ling Yanzhi’s shoulder.
A clear threat.
Jian Yu wasn’t used to being scared, so she didn’t have much tolerance for it.
She shrank back into Xi Yu’s arms, her eyes rimmed with red. "I was wrong."
’I’ll do it again next time, though.’
’If you can’t find the line, you keep pushing until you do. Lines are made to be broken.’
Xi Yu scooped up her legs and pulled her fully onto his lap.
Ling Yanzhi raised an eyebrow and patted Xi Yu’s shoulder. "Did you not hear what Teacher Xu said?"
Xi Yu turned back, bewildered. "Wasn’t it Teacher Hu?"
Ling Yanzhi fell silent. "..."
Her shoulders shaking violently, Jian Yu didn’t dare to laugh out loud.
Xi Yu was fine with scaring people himself, but when someone else scared Jian Yu, he only felt protective.
He patted Jian Yu’s back soothingly and turned away from Ling Yanzhi, displeased. "It’s okay, Baby. Don’t be scared."
The Red Snake bit Xi Yu on the shoulder.
Ling Yanzhi smoothly took her from him. "The A-level Exotic Beast Egg is about to hatch. Pei Yin told us to hurry over."
Her body suddenly airborne, Jian Yu instinctively threw her arms around Ling Yanzhi’s neck.
Xi Yu held a grudge. "That’s the second time the Red Snake has bitten me."
A tentacle shot out, grabbed the Red Snake’s tail, and began to thrash it around wildly.
The Red Snake’s child-like voice echoed throughout the area. "Help! Help! Help! Yu Baby, help me!"
Jian Yu turned her head, her brow furrowing.
Yang Zhang’s tentacle froze.
SPLAT! The Red Snake fell to the ground.
"Thank you, Baby! Love you, Baby! Mwah mwah, Yu Baby!" The Red Snake quickly slithered away, flying back to Ling Yanzhi’s side.
Xi Yu tilted his head in confusion.
He hadn’t told Yang Zhang to stop.
Looking at his Soul Beast, which was beating its chest and stomping its feet in frustration, Xi Yu patted Yang Zhang’s dark head.
He comforted it, "[It’s because you’re ugly.]"
Yang Zhang retreated into his body in a huff.
Ling Yanzhi held Jian Yu with one arm and smoothed out her dress.
The group headed toward Pei Yin’s research area.
Pei Yin wasn’t surprised to see them.
His gaze lingered on Jian Yu’s flushed lips. "Perfect timing. It’s expected to come out in a few minutes."
Jian Yu looked back at him.
It wasn’t that she was being overly sensitive, but she always felt that in the instant Pei Yin’s eyes landed on her, there was a familiar aura.
It was very similar to the gaze that had been secretly watching her this morning.
Ever since he learned she had a blood-clotting problem, Pei Yin hadn’t suggested drawing her blood again, not even after the incident with the toxins in her blood.
Jian Yu didn’t know if he was wary of Xi Yu and the others or if he was planning to make a move behind their backs.
’If I tell him directly, will Ling Yanzhi believe me?’
’They’re childhood friends, after all. What if my words are seen as an attempt to drive a wedge between them...’
After a moment of thought, Jian Yu decided to avoid him as much as possible.
Pei Yin turned away, avoiding her gaze.
He explained, "Once the sixth stripe appears, the incubation will be considered a success."
Jian Yu looked in the direction he indicated.
Inside the Incubation Chamber, a cyan eggshell was marked with five white stripes.
Pei Yin said, "The preliminary assessment is an A-level Beast, but the specifics will depend on the final hatching."
As soon as he finished speaking, the final vertical stripe formed, and a crack slowly spread across the egg.
[Assessment Result: A-level ling beast. Personality: Hot-tempered, innately aggressive. Proficient Skill: Running away.]
Listening to the machine’s assessment, Pei Yin remarked in a lukewarm tone, "Generally speaking, the higher the Level, the worse the temper."
Above A-level is S-Class. S-Class beasts are collectively known as Primordial Beasts, the most powerful Fierce Beasts among the alien species, not something humans can covet.
Ling Yanzhi set Jian Yu down and took her hand, walking over.
He raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure this trembling little coward is a ling beast?"
Purple wisps of smoke emanated from her fingertips. Jian Yu covered her bracelet and silently retreated.
This ling beast... it seemed to be afraid of her.