Chapter 255 - 254: Probing

Jian Yu trusted her sixth sense.

Even if Zhao Jiangyou was pitiable, she couldn’t let her guard down.

’How could someone who joined midway through, and had spent over five years by Yan Ying’s side, be so simple-minded?’

’Unless he’s genuinely stupid.’

’But how could a stupid person be the sole survivor after his entire team was wiped out?’

"Jian Yu?" Zhao Jiangyou couldn’t understand Jian Yu’s silence.

His voice was timid. "Did I say something wrong?"

Jian Yu blinked, her expression wooden. "No. I’m just tired from walking."

She had a pair of cute, round almond eyes, and even a deadpan expression couldn’t hide the soft, languid air that was part of her natural disposition.

Jian Yu’s small face turned serious for two seconds. "Thank you for the information. I’ll have them keep an eye out."

A smile appeared on Zhao Jiangyou’s face. "I also didn’t expect Chief Ling to suddenly go to Emperor Wolf Star, much less enter the Slave Market. In any case, I’m just glad I could help."

Jian Yu hummed noncommittally, her response somewhat perfunctory.

Her eyelids drooped listlessly, giving her the appearance of a pampered young lady who couldn’t be bothered to move.

Quiet and delicate, with a completely non-threatening face.

Zhao Jiangyou lowered his eyes, said a quick farewell, and trotted off to stay close behind Lu Qi and Zhang Qin.

Judging by his actions, it looked like he was seeking out companions who made him feel safe.

Lu Qi was timid and posed no threat.

Zhang Qin was friendly and fiercely protective of his own.

Very safe indeed.

Jian Yu retracted her gaze, her eyes darkening slightly.

’Did Zhao Jiangyou really not expect Chief Ling to go to Emperor Wolf Star?’

’Why does it feel like a case of protesting too much?’

A formless, traceless pink mist formed a circle around her.

Jian Yu’s fingers curled, the pads of her fingers stroking the Red Snake’s body. "His information can’t be trusted. Remind Ayan to judge for himself and not to believe it blindly."

The Red Snake didn’t understand, but it was obedient.

It also knew how to praise its master, giving her a little ego boost. "Don’t worry, Master is very smart."

Jian Yu pressed her lips together. "There might be a trap. If they’re not sure, tell them to leave first."

The Red Snake nodded and once again hid itself within her hair.

Zhao Jiangyou glanced over several times from the corner of his eye.

All he could see was Jian Yu stroking and cuddling the Red Snake, not saying a word.

He lowered his head to watch the path, no longer sneaking furtive glances.

In reality, Jian Yu was only holding a sharp dagger, and the Red Snake was not coiled on her at all.

A drop of blood dripped from the tip of the dagger.

It was Zhao Jiangyou’s.

Jian Yu took out a handkerchief to wipe it, then tentatively condensed a wisp of red mist, wrapping it around the bloodstain in the center of the fabric.

A single red thread instantly split into two.

’Contract, binding... What does it mean for it to split?’

’I’ve hit a blind spot in my knowledge.’

Jian Yu looked up.

The pink mist that had been concealing her view nearby gradually switched to black mist before returning to her body.

She clutched the handkerchief, wanting to ask Teacher Hu, but more than that, wanting to end this mission as soon as possible.

The Beast Crystals gifted by the Heavy Python hadn’t been counted on the mission leaderboard.

This meant they still hadn’t completed the mission.

Jian Yu was a member of the team. If she wanted to leave, her teammates needed to have made substantial gains.

Most importantly, her soul domain was too small.

If she really wanted to go to Emperor Wolf Star, she had to upgrade her soul domain with all her might. Otherwise, if she went to find Ling Yanzhi and the others, she’d probably just be a burden.

Her fingers brushed over her heart.

Shi Zhao had said this gesture could release ’Soul Power’ to its maximum potential.

A pink, light smoke began to spread out.

Jian Yu controlled the concentration and direction of the scent, both to prevent humans and beasts from going berserk and to lure the surrounding beast packs.

Soon, the team was surrounded by beasts arriving one after another.

A chill went down Wang Hu’s spine. "My god!"

’We walked for half a day without seeing a single Mutant Beast, and now a whole bunch show up at once!’

The figures of various Alien Beasts and Mutant Beasts surged in the deep forest.

Zhang Qin took out his large cleaver, alternating between using spiritual power and Soul Power.

He cleaved through one with a single strike. "Quick, quick! We’ve caught a ’stray’ group!"

Everyone: "..."

Lu Qi shrank back. "Jian Yu, I’m a noob, carry me."

"Okay!" Jian Yu retracted the pink mist and raised a Fog Power shield.

Bands of purple mist fluttered about, mixed with wisps of black, continuously providing her teammates with an attack buff.

Layers of Green Mist stacked up. Before the pain could even register, her teammates’ wounds were already healing.

Lu Qi felt no mental fatigue and charged forward more ferociously than anyone.

Zhang Qin clicked his tongue. "Careful, don’t end up taking me out too."

Mutant Beasts ate people.

Alien Beasts were highly intelligent and could be contracted.

Jian Yu knew she would attract Alien Beasts and had been thinking of telling her team not to be afraid, that the Alien Beasts wouldn’t harm them.

Who would have known that everyone would subconsciously avoid the Alien Beasts, not attacking them at all.

It was as if they were following an unwritten rule.

Jian Yu took a deep breath, relieved.

But then she turned her head and saw Zhao Jiangyou raising his blade to strike a low-level Curly-Haired Rabbit next to him.

Jian Yu’s pupils trembled. A thick plume of smoke erupted from her, directly sending Zhao Jiangyou flying.

’That poor Curly-Haired Rabbit was just squatting there obediently, trying to get a whiff of the Green Mist.’

’Are you even human!’

Zhao Jiangyou’s scream was drowned out by the roars of the Mutant Beasts.

However, many were in the habit of observing their surroundings with their peripheral vision, so they all saw what happened.

Yan Xu saw Zhao Jiangyou through the filter of a fellow survivor who had shared the same hardships.

He instinctively blocked a Mutant Beast, preventing it from trampling on Zhao Jiangyou.

Yan Xu’s tone was not friendly. "If you’re okay, get up."

The pain came quickly. Zhao Jiangyou gritted his teeth and climbed to his feet, his eyes red.

His arm was scraped red. His shoulder had slammed into the ground, and his arm throbbed with a dull pain, suggesting a hairline fracture.

Afraid Zhao Jiangyou would be killed by mistake, Zhang Qin quickly reached out to pull him up. "You’re in a killing frenzy, trying to kill Alien Beasts too? Watch what you’re aiming at."

Under normal circumstances, unless an Alien Beast was rampaging, it would not readily attack a human.

And for centuries, humans had rarely initiated attacks on Alien Beasts in the hopes of forming a Contract with one.

Lu Yi joked, "A rabbit shouldn’t kill another rabbit, right?"

Zhao Jiangyou laughed it off. "Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention."

Since Jian Yu was suspicious of Zhao Jiangyou, she naturally kept a close eye on him.

She had seen it clearly. That Curly-Haired Rabbit was the very first beast Zhao Jiangyou had targeted. There was no "killing frenzy" to speak of.

Jian Yu hinted, "Teacher Hu, he’s a Healer too."

"I never told him to join the fight. I looked away for one second, and he was out there." Teacher Hu grabbed Zhao Jiangyou.

He pushed Zhao Jiangyou into a protective shield. "Stay in there. With the others blocking, the Mutant Beasts won’t be able to break the shield."

Zhao Jiangyou’s fingers touched the shield’s barrier.

It was a single-person protective shield.

It wasn’t made of Soul Power or spiritual power, but was technological—the kind usually found on starships and Mechas.

After pushing him inside, Teacher Hu went to hide next to Jian Yu.

Zhao Jiangyou felt that the aura of the barrier around Jian Yu was very familiar, like...

’Like Shi Zhao’s!’

His gaze fell upon the soul mist intertwining in the air.

’Is that for Healing teammates and pacifying the Alien Beasts?’

’It must be.’

’If it had any Attack Power, Jian Yu would have come out to fight long ago. Why would she just stay inside a protective shield?’

’Besides, he had just tested it, even deliberately touching that Soul Power. Although there was a sense of pressure and it felt quite pleasant, he truly couldn’t feel any offensive effect whatsoever.’