Chapter One Hundred and One: Wounded

Page (1/3)

“Xiaoyu…” Zhao Meng’s frail voice drifted over.

Qin Yu turned around to look at the two supporting each other—Zhao Meng and Xia Cheng. She forced a smile at them. “I’m all right,” she said.

With that, she moved to Zhao Meng’s side and helped her and Xia Cheng into the tent. As soon as they entered, Qin Yu noticed Nangong Yao staring blankly at a spot inside.

Qin Yu frowned. “Nangong Yao, what’s wrong?”

Nangong Yao snapped out of his reverie, glanced at the weakened Zhao Meng and Xia Cheng, then at Qin Yu’s displeased expression, and managed a bleak smile. “I’ll go check on the others,” he said, and exited the tent.

As Nangong Yao brushed past Qin Yu, she turned to watch him walk away, her eyes unreadable.

“Xiaoyu, help us over there to sit. I need to recuperate,” Zhao Meng murmured, almost out of breath.

Qin Yu nodded, then supported the two of them to a seat, making sure they settled comfortably.

Once seated, Zhao Meng and Xia Cheng closed their eyes, occasional groans of pain escaping their lips. Qin Yu’s heart ached as she looked at their pale faces, but there was nothing she could do.

The crystal cores she’d once used to boost her strength had all been absorbed; now, she had only a few dozen first-tier crystal cores left. Yet for Zhao Meng and Xia Cheng, first-tier cores were useless.

Still, seeing their current state, Qin Yu selected those first-tier cores best suited to them and placed them in front of the pair, then quietly slipped out.

Outside the tent, Wang Bing and the others awakened with Nangong Yao’s help. Zhang Yang and his companions guarded them, ensuring no one took advantage. Though Wang Bing and his group had woken, their internal injuries were severe, leaving their faces ghostly pale.

Wang Bing saw Qin Yu emerge from the tent and, clutching his chest, called out, “Boss Qin, are they all right?”

Qin Yu shook her head, her voice bitter. “I hope so.”

Hearing this, Wang Bing lowered his head and clenched his fists, lost in thought. Qin Yu, seeing his distress, patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry! That’s Zhao Meng we’re talking about. You’re all wounded too, so focus on recovery. Tomorrow morning, we return to the base.”

Page (2/3)

Wang Bing nodded, then gathered the others and entered another tent. His slumped figure exuded defeat.

Qin Yu glanced at the quiet tent, then walked over to Nangong Yao, who was still lost in thought. “Can you heal Zhao Meng and Xia Cheng?”

Nangong Yao was taken aback, lowered his head, and said nothing. Just as Qin Yu’s patience was about to run out, he finally replied, “I’ll try.”

“Then hurry,” Qin Yu said, leading the way into the tent.

Inside, the crystal cores she’d placed before them had already been ground to dust. Qin Yu looked at the two, their faces still pale, pressed her lips together, and spoke to Nangong Yao, who had followed her in, “Go check on them.”

Nangong Yao nodded, approached the pair, muttered something under his breath, and made a strange gesture. Suddenly, black light erupted from Zhao Meng and Xia Cheng, darting in all directions.

Qin Yu was momentarily startled by the black light, but, following Xiao Hei’s instructions, she drew them into her space.

Nangong Yao watched as the black light, which should have been rampant, vanished without a trace. He cast Qin Yu a curious glance and muttered, “As expected…”

Qin Yu, uncertain what Nangong Yao was saying, frowned. “How are they?”

Nangong Yao turned, sat down off to the side. “Much better than expected, and it’s all thanks to you. At the moment, I can do nothing against that black light.”

Qin Yu responded with a noncommittal sound, clearly unwilling to discuss the matter further. Nangong Yao didn’t press, merely shrugged. “The two of them should be fine now. Just need some rest.”

Qin Yu again gave a short reply.

“Don’t you want to ask me anything?” Nangong Yao looked at Qin Yu, her head slightly bowed.

“Hm?” Qin Yu lifted her gaze, obvious confusion in her eyes.

Nangong Yao smiled helplessly. “Forget it. It’s nothing, really.”

Page (3/3)

“Hm,” Qin Yu replied again. Nangong Yao gave a cold snort and closed his eyes to meditate.

As for Qin Yu, she truly couldn’t be blamed. Because right after she’d drawn all that black light into her space, she felt her space tremble. Her space was intimately connected to her spirit, so the sensation left her disoriented; naturally, she hadn’t heard what Nangong Yao was saying. She could only answer with a vague “hm.”

After a sharp jolt, her space began to pulse in a rhythmic pattern, as if composing a song. Qin Yu felt helpless—the sensation was most unpleasant.

She wanted to enter her space to investigate, but the current circumstances made that impossible. All she could do was fret in silence.

Five minutes later, her space finally calmed, and she heard Xiao Hei’s voice. “Master, how do you feel?”

Qin Yu rubbed her aching temples. “I’m fine. What exactly was that black light?”

“Master, I don’t know what that black light was, but I felt I could devour it. That’s why I had you draw it into your space so I could swallow it,” Xiao Hei replied.

“And what was that earlier tremor?” Qin Yu asked again.

“Well, I’m not sure either, but I could sense the black light was extremely excited in your space. I almost couldn’t control it,” Xiao Hei admitted nervously. He had no intention of telling his master that he’d underestimated the power of the black light and failed to devour it at once, allowing it to run wild within her space.

Xiao Hei glanced at the space, then imagined his master’s reaction upon seeing its current state, and shuddered. It was best to make a quick exit.

With that in mind, Xiao Hei told Qin Yu, “Master, I’ve just devoured a lot of black light, so I’ll return to Xiao Hua to cultivate. Don’t worry, your space is just fine!” Rarely since growing up did Xiao Hei act cute, but it gave Qin Yu a sense of foreboding. Yet she couldn’t investigate further, so she could only reply with another resigned “hm.”

Hearing this, Xiao Hei quickly fled, leaving behind Xiao Hun, who continued to sway, and Xiao Hong, who was either sleeping or doing who-knows-what. Oh, and that half-dead man, too.