Chapter 164: The Pot Calling the Kettle Black

Shi Lingfeng narrowed his eyes and gave a slight nod. “It’s fine. It’s only been a morning.”

After saying that, he turned and headed toward the lounge area of the Medical Hospital.

Lu Xuyin followed him into the lounge, looking Shi Lingfeng up and down. Pushing up his glasses, Shi Lingfeng ignored Lu Xuyin and focused entirely on the business at hand.

Slouching against the back of his chair, Lu Xuyin studied Shi Lingfeng for a moment. Then, he lazily propped his elbows on the table in front of him, resting his chin in his hands. His drawling voice was full of curiosity. “Do you not absorb Star Cores or train to improve yourself every day?”

Shi Lingfeng kept his chin slightly raised. Through his glasses, he cast a sidelong glance through half-lowered eyes at the sprawling Lu Xuyin.

Unbothered by the contempt and scrutiny in Shi Lingfeng’s eyes, Lu Xuyin weaponized his words instead. “You must have reached the Eleventh Rank a long time ago, right? Haven’t you noticed that our Female Master is also at the Eleventh Rank now?”

Shi Lingfeng let out a soft chuckle, looking at Lu Xuyin with a tight, humorless smile. “You, a male who just reached the Tenth Rank, are flexing your Beast Rank strength in front of me, an Eleventh Rank male?

“Don’t you think… that’s ridiculous?”

Lu Xuyin shrugged and curled his lips, completely unfazed. “Ridiculous? I don’t think so at all!

“From the looks of it, our Female Master clearly wants to go to other frontline war zones to collect more samples from the Insect Clan.

“Hardly any of the Priests who went out with the squads this time brought back useful information. Some Priests were even infected by the parasitic insect clan.

“The only thing they discovered is that the parasitic insect clan is eager to infect Priests. However, Priests can distinctly feel the parasites burrowing into their bodies. Their devout prayers make the parasites extremely agitated, which then causes the bugs to fall into a weakened state.

“Information like that isn’t nearly as useful as the Fly agaric and the weakened parasitic insect clan samples our Female Master brought back.

“She will definitely ask to return to the frontlines, and Vice Admiral Wu will most likely allow it.”

Clasping his hands together and resting his chin on the backs of his fingers, Lu Xuyin feigned innocence while shooting Shi Lingfeng a mildly sarcastic look. “When that time comes, how are you going to protect our Female Master?

“You don’t have to look at me with such disdain. I’m the captain of our squad now. I have a band of brothers who can protect my Female Master alongside me. What about you?”

Shi Lingfeng narrowed his eyes. “The Shi Family can also dispatch a group—”

Lu Xuyin waved a hand dismissively. He sat up straight for less than five seconds before slouching back into his chair. “Cut the crap. The frontlines aren’t a place just any Beastman can go! If an unsanctioned Beastman shows up, who knows what your real motives are?

“Vice Admiral Wu only allows you to follow and protect our Female Master because you are her legally recognized Beast Husband.”

Standing up and shoving his hands into his pockets, Lu Xuyin looked exactly like a cocky military rogue. “Alright, I’ve said my piece. I’m off to train!”

Shi Lingfeng pursed his lips. High-intensity, limit-breaking training took at least four hours from start to finish. For a Beastman like him who hadn’t done physical training in a long time, the lack of familiarity would guarantee a minimum of six hours to start.

He knew exactly why Lu Xuyin had said all that—to goad him into leaving the hospital instead of staying by their Female Master’s side. If Shi Lingfeng went off to train, he definitely wouldn’t be around when she needed to eat lunch. Yet, he had to admit that Lu Xuyin made a very valid point.

Shi Lingfeng clenched his jaw. More than simply keeping her company, he wanted to be capable of protecting their Female Master during her next mission! He never wanted to repeat those nerve-wracking moments where he had nearly failed to keep her safe.

After giving it some thought, Shi Lingfeng walked out of the lounge, just in time to see Gu Weilan finishing up with a patient. Stepping forward quickly, he pulled her into a tight embrace, kissed her forehead, and whispered, “Lanlan, I plan to go train my physical fitness and combat skills.

“That way, I’ll be of use the next time you’re in danger.”

Gu Weilan raised an eyebrow slightly, hugging him back. She patted his back gently and pinched his earlobe. “Alright. Go do what you need to do.”

His ears flushed red as he couldn’t resist kissing her one more time. He only left after watching her enter the next ward.

After devouring the parasitic insect clan for a few days, Gu Weilan’s energy finally surpassed the Twelfth Rank. She glanced at her status panel:

Light Element Eleventh Rank: 2.01 million / 2 million.

Wood Element Eleventh Rank: 1.99 million / 2 million.

Ice Element Eleventh Rank: 1.72 million / 2 million.

Space Element eleventh Rank: 1.53 million / 2 million.

Pursing her lips, Gu Weilan stared at her hands. She narrowed her eyes slightly and asked Pomegranate Seed in her mind, “Is Shen Mianzhou about to give birth soon?”

Pomegranate Seed nodded. “There should be a little over a month left. For his third pregnancy, he used basic Cultivation Liquid at the start, transitioned with Mid level Cultivation Fluid for over half a month, and then moved on to High-grade Culture Fluid.

“After he used the High-grade Culture Fluid for a month, you switched him over to the Qualification Enhancement Culture Fluid. Later, you instructed him to use the Ancestor Reversion Culture Fluid you left behind.

“The cubs in this litter will certainly have excellent qualifications.”

Gu Weilan thought it over and gave a slight nod. “Then I need to wrap things up here quickly and head back sooner. Has the R&D department not developed a scanner to detect the parasitic insect clan yet?”

“They have. Three scientists literally worked themselves to death researching it around the clock, but they managed to develop it. It has just been put into use, though they haven’t ramped up production yet,” Pomegranate Seed replied.

Gu Weilan pursed her lips. Whenever she heard news like this, she couldn’t help but want to do more for this world.

Taking a deep breath, she turned and made her way to Vice Admiral Wu’s office.

Vice Admiral Wu had just returned from the lab. Suffering from low blood sugar, his hands trembled as he chugged a bottle of medical glucose carbonate water. Gu Weilan noticed that his pale hair seemed even thinner than before. The wrinkles on his face had deepened, and the heavy bloodshot lines in his eyes were a clear sign that he hadn’t rested properly in days.

Gu Weilan spoke up, “Vice Admiral Wu, I want to go to the frontlines again. I won’t go to forested areas this time. I plan to head to the region where the Insect Clan has inflicted the most severe ecological damage.”

Vice Admiral Wu blanked for a second before frantically waving his hands and shaking his head. “There’s no need, no need! Thanks to the live parasitic insect clan samples you brought back last time, we’ve not only perfected the scanner for precise detection but are also on the verge of developing a method to eradicate the parasitic insect clan entirely!”

Part of the reason Gu Weilan wanted to return to the frontlines was to capture more live specimens of the parasitic insect clan. However, the more crucial reason was her desire to further enhance her own strength!

Vice Admiral Wu had actually guessed her intentions. He couldn’t help but look at her with deep meaning. “Little female, you must understand that taking shortcuts can easily become an addiction for a Beastman.

“If you always rely on devouring the vitality of the Insect Clan to boost your strength, what will you do when you aren’t on the frontlines?

“Many Beastmen with Devouring Talent Skills have gone down a dark path exactly like this.

“One of your Beast Husbands, the male Zhan Heng, tries very hard to control his Devouring Talent Skill, but even he nearly lost his life while chasing the shortcut of devouring.

“If you hadn’t saved him back then, it would have taken him at least three to five years just to recover from his injuries!

“Don’t recklessly brush off greed just because you possess such an ability.

“If you do, you will either stray onto the path of crime, or you will get used to taking high-stakes risks. Once you continuously taste the sweetness of those shortcuts, you’ll grow addicted to the thrill of slaughter on the frontlines and lose your sense of reverence.

“In the end, disaster will inevitably strike.”

Gu Weilan pursed her lips, falling into silence.