Chapter 214: If He Keeps Pushing, Don’t Blame Her for Playing Dirty

Chapter 214: Chapter 214: If He Keeps Pushing, Don’t Blame Her for Playing Dirty

Yun Sheng pushed aside the flap and entered the command tent.

The light inside the tent was much dimmer than outside. The air was filled with the faint smell of medicine, mixed with an indescribable sense of oppression—the lingering aftermath of excessive spiritual power consumption.

Qi Yao was lying on a cot, his face deathly pale and his lips nearly bloodless. A fine sheen of sweat beaded on his temples.

His spiritual power felt as if it were being suppressed by something. It would struggle to break free from time to time, only to be forcefully pushed back down by him, yet it was still clearly in disarray.

A trace of surprise appeared in Yun Sheng’s eyes.

She had assumed that after a full night of treatment from Lin Yueyao, Qi Yao would have at least shown significant improvement, even if he hadn’t fully recovered.

But from the looks of it now, his condition was even worse than she had imagined.

The guidance of an S-Class Guide shouldn’t have produced such a result.

She faintly felt that something was wrong, but she didn’t let it show.

Yun Sheng stood several paces from the cot, her eyes lowered in a manner that was neither servile nor defiant. "Major General Qi, you were looking for me?"

Qi Yao’s gaze fell upon her.

Even though his face was frighteningly pale and he struggled just to sit up, his eyes were still sharp, pressing down on Yun Sheng with a heavy weight.

"Yesterday, if you hadn’t known Xing Che, if he hadn’t been there, I’m afraid all of us would have been injured, perhaps even wiped out. Yun Sheng, thank you."

He sounded sincere enough as he spoke, his usual cold severity replaced by a rare touch of warmth.

"You’re exaggerating, Major General Qi. The one who should be thanked for this is Xing Che. I didn’t do much."

"But he wouldn’t have helped if not for you, would he?"

Although Qi Yao had been some distance from Yun Sheng and Xing Che at the time, he had been watching Xing Che’s every move.

He could tell that Xing Che hadn’t intended to help at all. It was only after Yun Sheng said something to him that he took action.

This time, Yun Sheng didn’t deny it.

The look in Qi Yao’s eyes grew more complex, sending a chill down Yun Sheng’s spine. She had a feeling he hadn’t summoned her just to thank her.

Just then, as expected, Qi Yao spoke again.

"Do you... know Si Jin?"

Yun Sheng’s fingertips curled slightly.

She didn’t answer right away, as if stumped by the question. She hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"I heard people at the Tower mention him. I know a few things about him. He’s the Former War God who later degenerated into a Dark Sentinel and is now wanted by the Star Alliance and the Tower. Other than that... I don’t really know much."

Qi Yao stared at her, his expression turning sharp. "But according to my investigation, you met Si Jin on the Capital Star, didn’t you?"

"I..." Yun Sheng’s expression faltered. "My apologies, Major General Qi. I didn’t mention it earlier because I didn’t want to cause unnecessary trouble. I have indeed met Si Jin. When I had just returned to the Capital Star, I went to the Tower’s First Research Institute for a spiritual power evaluation and had the misfortune of running into Si Jin during a spiritual rampage. He even took me hostage... Later, he kidnapped me again just outside the Tower."

"So Si Jin took you hostage twice. Does he know you?"

Yesterday, both Si Jin and Yun Sheng had hidden it well. But Qi Yao had still noticed that the way Si Jin looked at Yun Sheng was... different.

Yun Sheng bit her lip. "I’m not sure. Both times, he was in the middle of a spiritual rampage, not in his right mind..."

"Is that so?"

Qi Yao’s tone was light, but it carried an uncomfortable, scrutinizing quality.

Yun Sheng raised her head to meet his gaze, her own voice turning colder.

"Major General Qi, what are you implying? Do you think I’m in contact with Si Jin, or that I had something to do with what happened yesterday?"

Qi Yao watched her, not answering immediately.

The tent was silent for a few seconds. His gaze on Yun Sheng grew even sharper, colder.

"Everything yesterday was too much of a coincidence, wasn’t it?"

Yun Sheng could no longer suppress her anger.

Her voice was clearly tinged with fury, but she still struggled to keep it steady.

"The impromptu trip to the abandoned mine yesterday was your arrangement, Major General. I’m just a lowly trainee; I knew nothing about it beforehand. Later, where we retreated from and which path we took were also not up to me to decide. Coincidence or not, how can you possibly pin this on me?"

She paused, took a deep breath, and stared straight at Qi Yao.

"Major General Qi, you’re about to be transferred back to the Capital Star, and the head instructor is also being replaced. You might be held accountable for what happened yesterday, but you can’t just shift the blame onto me. Especially after just thanking me. Don’t you think that’s going too far?"

The moment Yun Sheng finished speaking, the air in the tent seemed to freeze.

The spiritual power around Qi Yao suddenly roiled, as if something had viciously stabbed him. The chaotic fluctuation exploded from within him, making the cot tremble slightly.

His face grew even paler, a vein throbbed on his temple, and his knuckles turned white as he clenched the bedsheet.

After a long moment, he let out a low grunt. His voice was hoarse, yet laced with coldness. "You’ve got some nerve."

Yun Sheng retorted, "Am I wrong? At the very least, Major General Qi, what you just said made it sound like you wanted to blame everything on the fact that I know Si Jin and might have some connection to him."

Qi Yao stared at her, his gaze as still and lifeless as a pool of stagnant water.

"I’m merely voicing a reasonable suspicion. Si Jin’s appearance was too coincidental. Those contaminants were clearly being controlled by something. Is it not reasonable to suspect he was behind it? He’s wanted by the Star Alliance and the Tower, and he’s already degenerated into a Dark Sentinel. He has every reason to come after us."

Yun Sheng spread her hands, her tone casual and cool.

"That’s not a problem a mere trainee like me needs to worry about. If you suspect me, Major General Qi, then show me some proof. I don’t accept baseless speculation."

’Why is he staring at me like I’m a criminal and interrogating me at the drop of a hat?’

’Does he really think I’m a pushover?!’

Yun Sheng shot Qi Yao a sideways glance.

’Given the current state of his spiritual landscape, all I’d have to do is lift a finger and release a tiny bit of spiritual power, and his spiritual landscape would collapse completely.’

’If he keeps pushing me, he can’t blame me for getting nasty!’

For some reason, Qi Yao felt an unprecedented sense of crisis from that one glance Yun Sheng had just given him.

The feeling came on so suddenly, like a thin needle jabbing into the back of his neck, sending a chill that made his back tighten.

He frowned deeply.

’What’s going on?’

’Yun Sheng is just an F-level Guide. No matter how serious my injuries are, how could I possibly sense an aura of danger from her?’

But the feeling was incredibly distinct, as if something terrible would happen if he pressed her any further.

Qi Yao suppressed the strange feeling, fell silent for a moment, and then spoke, his voice a little softer than before.

"Yue Yao and I will be returning to the Capital Star shortly. Yue Yao knows you were unconscious and injured before, and she’s been very worried. Yun Sheng, come back with us."