Chapter 152 - 151: What Do I Need to Prepare to Pursue You?

Jian Yu glanced at Yan Qin, who was rushing to contract the Green Spider Ant, and pulled Shen Yinhong back.

She wasn’t sure if the current Yan Qin was still the real Yan Qin.

To be safe, it was best to maintain a safe distance.

Jian Yu made way for her. "You go first."

"..." Yan Qin hesitantly approached. "Fine, I’ll go first!"

She found the feeding port and immediately tossed in a large quantity of Beast Fruits and Medicinal Plants.

"It’s eating!" Yan Qin let out a happy sigh of relief.

Usually, when an Alien Beast was willing to eat food offered by a human, the chances of a successful Contract were very high.

The Green Spider Ant, however, was no ordinary Alien Beast. It only ate; it wouldn’t form a Contract.

After snorting and scarfing down most of the food, its sharply outlined head wobbled slightly.

Yan Qin realized something was off and patted the contracting channel. "You’ve eaten so much. Isn’t it time to form a Contract with me?"

She tried to entice it. "I have plenty more where that came from. Form a Contract with me, and I can give you enough food every day."

Hearing the commotion, Jiang Fei spoke without turning around. "It’s useless. It ate a lot from other contestants just now, too."

"Mind your own business!" Yan Qin said with contempt. "You do the same thing, and you have the gall to lecture me. This is how everyone tries to form a Contract. Don’t tell me you think I’m copying you. You’re so full of yourself."

Jian Yu pursed her lips.

’With that tone and attitude, it couldn’t be the Soul Ghost Body, could it?’

The black veins on her wrist didn’t respond. Jian Yu tried sending out a wisp of Purple Fog to coil around Yan Qin’s back.

The stench of rotting flesh intensified, but she didn’t see Yan Qin react in the slightest.

Jian Yu looked at the others.

’That’s strange. Can’t any of them smell it?’

Shen Yinhong gazed over at Jiang Fei, her eyes full of curiosity. "Should we go have a look?"

Jian Yu was a little distracted. "What?"

She glanced at Jiang Fei. Having failed to win over the beast, she was now attempting to form a Contract using her spiritual power.

’Her spiritual power must be A Rank, too.’

Alien Beast levels were generally classified one rank higher than human ones.

An A Rank Half-awakened was equivalent to a B Rank Alien Beast, and there were different types on top of that.

The Alien Beast Jiang Fei had chosen was a relatively weak A Rank.

’Is she planning to force a Contract?’

Shen Yinhong looked up at Jiang Fei and said thoughtfully, "Her chances of forming a Contract are much better than mine. You could choose to help her."

Jian Yu shook her head. "I only help one person a day. She chose not to use an Assistant Master, so she must be confident she can form the Contract on her own."

Jian Yu glanced at the wolf-headed cat. It looked calm, but was actually agitated.

She stated matter-of-factly, "We don’t need to go look. She’s about to succeed."

As soon as she finished speaking, a white light flashed.

An electronic announcement rang out.

[Congratulations to contestant #52 in Area 13 for a successful Contract. Mutual consent from both parties is eighty percent.]

Shen Yinhong’s eyes widened. "You were spot-on. It was actually voluntary. I thought it was going to be a forced Contract."

Jian Yu showed no surprise, a flash of understanding in her eyes.

"Only with a voluntary Contract can both parties use their strength to the fullest. If she had wanted to force the Contract, she wouldn’t have tried to coax it at the start."

First the carrot, then the stick.

That was one way of doing it.

"What’s so great about that," Yan Qin muttered resentfully, watching Jiang Fei’s retreating figure.

She slapped the contracting port. "Useless piece of junk."

Inside the pod, the Green Spider Ant’s bulging, fluorescent green compound eyes, just like a spider’s, were fixed on her in a death glare.

Yan Qin jumped, startled.

She got up and walked away.

In the blink of an eye, the Alien Beast’s emerald body retracted into its layered carapace, motionless once more.

Yan Qin suspected the creature was specifically there to torment her.

An ethereal song arose.

A Long Feathered Dove flew in and began to circle Yan Qin.

Jian Yu glanced up.

She lowered her gaze and checked her Star Brain.

Ling Yanzhi: Don’t take off your brooch. It has a fragment of Red Snake’s soul on it; it won’t dare to attack you. Don’t be afraid.

Ling Yanzhi: Xi Yu and I are tied up. I’m having Si Xu handle it for now. Stay far away from it.

Ling Yanzhi: Duan Feiye is on his way over. He’ll take her away in a bit.

Just as Jian Yu was about to close the Star Brain screen, another new message popped up.

Ling Yanzhi: Don’t worry too much, and you don’t need to tolerate her. Next time, just have Shen Gu drag her away. To us, she’s merely part of a transaction. I’ll handle things with Duan Feiye.

After reading the messages, Jian Yu heard Yan Qin let out a bizarre, shrill laugh.

Yan Qin clutched a Feather Clan emblem in her hand. "A blessing! It must be a blessing! The feather beast couldn’t stand it anymore and decided to bless me!"

She walked to the contracting channel and stuck her finger inside.

Jian Yu frowned. ’And another one goes insane.’

She turned her head and met the calm, peaceful eyes of the Yuge.

She knew Si Xu was watching, but he had chosen to only observe.

Shen Yinhong lowered her voice. "The Yuge flew over and circled once, and then an emblem appeared in Yan Qin’s hand."

Jian Yu lowered her gaze. ’Is it really a blessing?’

"AGHHHHH!"

As the scream tore through the air, Jian Yu’s heart began to pound wildly.

The skylight opened, and Duan Feiye flew in.

A swarm of fireflies surged from his body, wrapped around Yan Qin, and tossed her aside.

"Who taught you to form a Contract this way?"

Duan Feiye’s expression was cold, his voice utterly devoid of warmth.

Yan Qin clutched her swollen finger, her face dazed as she mumbled, "Put it in... put it in... if I put it in, it’ll succeed..."

Si Xu appeared without a sound.

As he moved, the white halo shrouding him flickered in and out of view.

His eyes remained as full of misty compassion as ever. "She has been contaminated."

Duan Feiye’s gaze was scrutinizing. "If you knew, why did you only just appear?"

Si Xu’s expression was placid. "The Feather God... detests her."

Duan Feiye: "..."

For some reason, Jian Yu felt the urge to laugh.

"The Soul Ghost Body has evolved again." Duan Feiye realized he hadn’t been able to sense the Soul Ghost Body’s presence, even at close range.

He clenched his fingers, and the glowing insects completely enveloped Yan Qin.

Jian Yu saw a plume of black smoke being forced out, which then dispersed in mid-air with a soft POP.

The corrosive aura vanished, and the weightless, glowing insects flowed back into Duan Feiye’s body.

Yan Qin regained some of her senses. "The Contract was a success... I succeeded in forming the Contract."

Duan Feiye’s gaze swept over her. "Why are you here?"

Yan Qin snapped fully awake.

She stared at him, stunned, then lowered her head guiltily. "I... I..."

Duan Feiye frowned. "Follow its commands three times, and this body will no longer be yours."

A chief’s emblem fell to the floor and rolled away.

Yan Qin scrambled after it on her hands and knees.

A dense swarm of glowing insects swept past, and the emblem returned to Duan Feiye’s hand.

He looked down at her, the lines of his profile growing even colder. "You stole my property."

Yan Qin’s eyelashes trembled, her expression blank. "You dropped it yourself. I was just picking it up for you."

Duan Feiye’s face darkened.

He waved his hand, and the swarm of insects enveloped Yan Qin, carrying her out of the arena.

A gust of wind swept by, and Jian Yu looked up, sensing a presence.

She saw Duan Feiye standing abruptly before her.

The man leaned down slightly, asking in a gentle and polite voice, "What do I need to prepare... to pursue you?"

"?" Jian Yu blinked, instinctively glancing at the people beside her.

Shen Yinhong and the other contestants didn’t look up.

Si Xu’s brow furrowed, yet the depths of his eyes remained devoid of any worldly emotion.