Chapter 274 - 273

In the end, Gu Qi rode Yin Jiu out of the Beast Plant Forest.

The group hurried and managed to enter the nearby Lower City District just before nightfall.

Unlike the bustling Emperor Wolf Star, the people in the Imperial Capital Star’s Lower City District were all dressed more or less the same, and there wasn’t a single Awakener among them.

Gu Qi whispered, "If you guys have any money, you should rent a few adjacent rooms. It’s easy to get into trouble in a place like this if we’re too spread out."

’Of course, the most important thing was that he was afraid something would happen to *him*.’

Sheng Yue’s voice was flat, with a chilly edge to his tone. "Wait here. Don’t move. I’m going to buy a house."

Xi Yu pulled out his Star Coin Card, his eyes dark and his tone chilly. "Here’s money. Buy a big one. My baby deserves the best."

The corner of Ling Yanzhi’s mouth twitched.

Sheng Yue didn’t take Xi Yu’s card. "I have my own."

Gu Qi stared wide-eyed at the balance displayed on the Star Coin Card.

’So many zeros... he couldn’t even count them all.’

Xi Yu fiddled with the Star Coin Card between his slender fingers. Turning his head, his eyes sparkling, he placed the card in Jian Yu’s hand. "Here."

A smile touched Jian Yu’s lips.

’Who doesn’t like money?’

’This boyfriend of hers was really something else.’

Sheng Yue lowered his gaze silently, then disappeared in a few flashes of Instant Teleportation.

Passersby gasped, as if they had never witnessed such a spectacle.

The onlookers instinctively kept their distance, afraid of getting involved.

Jian Yu looked around, then found a boba tea shop to wait in.

The shop was large and offered a wide variety of drinks.

Gu Qi returned with several cups of boba tea. "I asked around. There’s no space station nearby."

Ling Yanzhi wasn’t surprised in the slightest.

He might be young, but he was a Three-star Admiral, after all. He was fairly familiar with the layout of the Imperial Capital Star.

Xi Yu knew his way around as well.

He copied Jian Yu, sucking up the boba until his cheeks bulged. Chewing away, he said in a muffled voice, "It’s fine. There’s a space station at the edge of the Lower City District."

Unable to resist, Ling Yanzhi gave Jian Yu’s cheek a pinch.

Xi Yu’s eyes took on a chilling glint. "Cute. I want to pinch her too."

Jian Yu slapped their hands away.

Still annoyed, she retaliated by pinching Ling Yanzhi’s face, squishing it thoroughly.

Xi Yu eagerly leaned in. "Baby, me too."

Jian Yu: "..."

Sheng Yue returned quickly. The procedures for buying a house were taking too long, so he hadn’t been successful. Instead, he had dropped a ton of money to rent a small villa.

He came in to find them drinking boba tea. The atmosphere was cozy, with a sweet, cloying air of intimacy.

Sheng Yue pursed his lips, his long lashes hiding his expression. "Let’s go."

With that, he turned and left ahead of them.

His shoulders were ramrod straight as he turned, his very back radiating a sense of distance.

Gu Qi’s eyes darted around. "What’s up with him? Did he run into a clingy admirer or something? Or did someone piss him off?"

Leaning against the wall, Ling Yanzhi tilted his head with a smile, his tone nonchalant. "Maybe."

The villa had two stories.

Sheng Yue didn’t assign rooms. "I’m taking a room on the second floor. You guys can pick from the rest."

Gu Qi was excited. It was his first time staying in such a nice house. "I want the second floor, too!"

He scampered up the stairs.

Too lazy to move, Jian Yu went and curled up on the living room sofa.

Xi Yu drifted over after her.

He lifted Jian Yu’s legs, placed them on his own lap, and attentively began to massage her calves.

Jian Yu must have been getting used to it, because after a slight shift, she simply let him be.

Sheng Yue kept his gaze lowered, his long lashes concealing the emotions in his eyes.

With one hand in his pocket, Ling Yanzhi sauntered over to the sofa.

He leaned back against the sofa, the picture of relaxation. His tone was light and airy, "I’m fine sleeping anywhere."

Jian Yu shifted, took one of Ling Yanzhi’s hands, and rested her head in his palm.

She blinked.

Ling Yanzhi chuckled softly and ruffled her hair.

’The back of her head was so round, her hair so soft, her eyes so big and beautiful.’

Ling Yanzhi’s eyes darkened, and he couldn’t stop himself from leaning down—

Sheng Yue lifted his gaze. "There are plenty of empty rooms on the second floor. You can all stay up there."

Yin Jiu shrank into a tiny furball and leaped into Jian Yu’s arms. Its fluffy tail swished over and covered Ling Yanzhi’s mouth.

Ling Yanzhi froze mid-motion. His gaze flickered up. "Fine."

He grabbed Yin Jiu’s tail, dipped his head to press a quick kiss to the corner of Jian Yu’s mouth, then smoothly straightened up as if nothing had happened.

The kiss left Jian Yu’s heart fluttering, and she unconsciously pursed her lips.

She soothingly stroked Yin Jiu’s bristled fur. The creature was a fluffy ball, its body smaller than a rabbit’s but its tail long and exceptionally bushy.

Sheng Yue closed his eyes, the corners of which had quietly turned red.

TAP, TAP, TAP.

Having finished his excited tour of the house, Gu Qi came jogging down the stairs. "There are exactly five rooms! We can each have one~"

His voice faltered and trailed off as he stared, dumbfounded, at the scene before him.

Sheng Yue was sitting in an armchair opposite them.

Ling Yanzhi was cupping Jian Yu’s head in his palm.

Xi Yu was holding Jian Yu’s legs, massaging them.

’What is this weird position?’

Gu Qi’s imagination immediately ran wild.

’If he had a beautiful woman on his left, an innocent girl on his right, and a cool, handsome woman across from him...’

’No, no, that’s too much. The thought alone was enough to make him giddy.’

Gu Qi cleared his throat. "So, uh, one room each. It’s settled, then. I’ll take the first one by the stairs."

Ling Yanzhi, seemingly lost in thought, replied casually, "Mm-hmm."

A low laugh rumbled in Xi Yu’s throat, his voice chillingly soft. "I’ll go wherever my baby goes."

Gu Qi rubbed his arms. ’Why did it suddenly feel a little cold?’

He opened the curtains.

The night was pitch-black. Dark clouds obscured the moon, and the air felt heavy.

Gu Qi frowned, worried. "I don’t think we’ll be able to buy Mecha energy here."

"Awakeners who own Mechas are extremely rare. On the entire way here, I hadn’t seen more than three Awakeners in total."

"Mecha energy is refined from Beast Crystals, but judging by the state of this Lower City District, I doubt many people here even have Beast Crystals."

Gu Qi closed the electronic curtains. "For people like us, from the bottom rungs of society, if we got our hands on a Beast Crystal, the first thing we’d do is try to absorb it to Awaken. And those who are already Awakened would gamble on it to see if they can level up."

Thinking of his own painful past, Gu Qi suddenly felt the urge to sigh.

Jian Yu, however, found this fascinating.

She sat up. "You can Awaken by absorbing a Beast Crystal?"

"Huh?" Gu Qi paused, stunned.

He realized they were all staring at him. "What’s wrong? That’s how I Awakened. By absorbing a Beast Crystal."

Sheng Yue opened his eyes, a flicker of movement in their blue depths.

The cloying look in Xi Yu’s eyes vanished, replaced by sudden clarity.

He turned his head with a slightly robotic movement.

Ling Yanzhi’s tone was full of skeptical amusement. "You’re sure about that?"

Gu Qi was bewildered. "I’m sure. None of my ancestors were Awakeners."

As far as he knew, only nobles could Awaken, and he was clearly no noble.

"Actually, I just heard it from someone else. The person who sold me the Beast Crystal told me that if I could just figure out a way to get it into my stomach, I would definitely Awaken."

Gu Qi had never told anyone this, because the price could very well have been death.

’If I died, so be it,’ he thought. ’I didn’t want to drag anyone else down with me.’

He shuddered at the memory, his teeth practically chattering. "It was really painful. I almost thought I was going to die."

Sheng Yue’s brows furrowed, and his gaze swept over Gu Qi. "You were tricked."

Gu Qi: "???"

He scratched his head. "But I really did Awaken, even if my spiritual power is only F."

Jian Yu mused, "Even without noble blood, genetic mutations can cause Awakening. It’s just that such cases are rare."

She had researched methods of Awakening in Library No. 2. One way was natural Awakening; the other was to drink an Awakening Potion to stimulate a bloodline Awakening.

’But Awakening Potions don’t seem to have anything to do with Beast Crystals.’

Ling Yanzhi narrowed his eyes. "Awakening by absorbing a Beast Crystal, and you can even see a Soul Ghost Body... How bizarre. Are you even human?"