Chapter 279 - 278

Aboard the Starship, Gu Qi was still staring down below.

Jian Yu’s curiosity was piqued, and she followed his gaze downward.

Ling Yanzhi wrapped an arm around her waist, glanced down, then coolly looked away. "There’s nothing to see."

As the Starship took off, Gu Qi quickly took his seat. "There were a few more people in that hovercar."

He stressed, "It’s not that I didn’t see them and kept it from you. It’s that those girls are all ordinary people, so I didn’t think they were worth mentioning."

Gu Qi frowned. "I just saw their faces. They were all quite attractive. They must have been abducted."

He fell silent for a few seconds, then asked, "Chief Ling, am I right? Your people report to you, don’t they?"

Ling Yanzhi scoffed. "You’re a pretty good guesser."

His tone made it impossible to tell if he was being serious or joking. "The Imperial City has its own Slave Market, too."

A shiver went down Gu Qi’s spine.

He gave an awkward laugh. "The Slave Market is only legal on Emperor Wolf Star, Emperor Source Star, and a few of the odd-numbered Digital Stars. With you guys on Imperial Capital Star, they wouldn’t dare."

Ling Yanzhi raised an eyebrow and chuckled, but the chuckle turned into a pair of choking coughs.

Jian Yu paused, then took his hand to check it. "Why do I get the feeling you’re a bit weak today?"

"Probably just didn’t sleep well." Ling Yanzhi tried to pull his hand back, but couldn’t get it free.

Jian Yu’s expression was serious. "Don’t move."

It was better when she hadn’t looked. The moment she did, she realized there were problems everywhere.

His soul domain was in violent turmoil, his spiritual power rampaging uncontrollably. The entire Spirit Domain was like a tangled mess of knotted threads.

Channeling the Green Mist into Ling Yanzhi’s body, Jian Yu began to probe him carefully.

The soul mist she had available for Healing was too little. Even after pouring most of her energy into him, it seemed she could only alleviate his condition slightly.

Ling Yanzhi’s arms tightened around her, and he rested his chin on her shoulder. "It’s a minor injury. I’ll be fine after some sleep."

His soul domain was vast. With Jian Yu’s current abilities, she couldn’t help him even if she exhausted all her energy.

Tsk.

’He’ll probably need at least a month and a half to recover this time.’

Jian Yu pursed her lips.

Her gaze swept over Xi Yu and Sheng Yue.

Perhaps because they were finally safe, the tension they’d been holding onto finally released, leaving them somewhat listless.

Sheng Yue was in a daze, while Xi Yu was just lethargic.

Their skin was so fair that Jian Yu couldn’t immediately tell if they were naturally pale or if their faces were just drained of color.

Xi Yu was hugging an oversized Yang Zhang, huddled by her legs in a daze.

Despite his height and long legs, he had his knees drawn up, curled into a ball, looking surprisingly docile.

Jian Yu’s heart ached for him a little.

She turned her head to look at Sheng Yue.

His expression was still cold, his posture ramrod straight, and his legs long and slender. But his deep blue pupils seemed to lack focus.

’It’s only been a day. How did they end up in this state?’

’Damn that Yan Tianba.’

Jian Yu opened her wristband interface.

[Today’s Scan Complete—

Green. Remaining Soul Power: 15, Soul Domain Value: 400+40.

Pink. Remaining Soul Power: 400, Soul Domain Value: 360+40

Purple. Remaining Soul Power: 20, Soul Domain Value: 590

Black. Remaining Soul Power: 1750, Soul Domain Value: 117+1633.

Red. Remaining Soul Power: 100, Soul Domain Value: 100.]

’Not enough.’

Unwilling to give up, Jian Yu began to convert the pink mist into Green Mist, little by little.

Although its Healing effect wasn’t as strong as the original Green Mist, it was better than nothing.

A large amount of soul mist spread out, seeping into their pores.

Xi Yu lifted his head slightly, his chin poking the top of Yang Zhang’s head.

The boy and the beast stared blankly at Jian Yu.

Sheng Yue’s ears turned slightly red, and his body grew hot.

It felt both comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time.

Ling Yanzhi, being experienced, was the first to be unable to bear it.

He pressed down on Jian Yu’s right hand, his breath coming out noticeably hotter.

This was fine for soothing a Threshold Devouring Period, but in a situation like this, it was a bit awkward.

Ling Yanzhi glanced at Gu Qi’s flushed face. "If you keep this up, someone’s going to go into heat."

Gu Qi’s face burned with embarrassment. "..."

Jian Yu awkwardly pulled her hand back.

Her back was pressed tightly against Ling Yanzhi, and an inexplicable unease grew in her heart. "I can use Beast Crystals to replenish my energy."

Feeling his warm breath brush against her earlobe, she reached up to touch his face.

His cheeks were cold, his forehead cool to the touch.

Jian Yu took out two 3S Rank Beast Crystals and began to absorb them.

Gu Qi’s eyes were filled with envy, his tone sour. "You’re really willing to use those? You can’t even buy things like that on the open market."

A wide smile spread across Ling Yanzhi’s face.

His laughter held a coaxing tone. "It is a bit of a waste. Put them away. Pei Yin will have a solution."

At the Starship’s speed, it would only take half an hour to leave the Lower City District of the Imperial Capital.

Gu Qi checked the map. "We’ll reach the Imperial City Center by tomorrow morning."

He took off his jacket and draped it over himself. "Get some sleep. Things will be better tomorrow. Chief Pei is brilliant; he’ll definitely have a way."

...

Pei Yin sneezed.

He rubbed the tip of his nose and stepped into a sterilization chamber for a full-body disinfection.

"Little Pei." Duan Feiye flew in through the skylight and landed gracefully.

’Where’d he go?’

His spiritual power swept across the area.

Pei Yin emerged, having changed into a white lab coat. "What are you doing here?"

His eyes glanced at the thing Duan Feiye had casually placed on the lab bench. "Have a crisis of conscience? Bringing me a gift this late at night?"

Duan Feiye turned on an instrument. "Just borrowing your lab for a bit."

"Oh." Pei Yin didn’t pry.

Duan Feiye asked casually, "Did you process Si Yan’s expulsion?"

Pei Yin was brazenly defiant. "So what if I did? Am I not allowed to want her gone? My precious is coming back to school soon. I’m not about to keep her around and let my treasure feel wronged."

Duan Feiye smiled. "The Holy Pearl is in Si Yan’s hands. If you don’t let her in, how can she give the Holy Pearl to Si Xu?"

Pei Yin shrugged. "You can’t fool me this time. Si Xu already knows the Picking Pearl Technique. He can recall the Holy Pearl whenever he wants. What difference does it make if it’s in Si Yan’s hands or not?"

’Si Yan is an idiot, too. Still waiting for Si Xu to take the initiative and go to her.’

’If you’re going to try and control someone, you should at least understand the situation.’

’She didn’t even know she was being tracked by Yuge. Now that Si Xu has the Picking Pearl Technique, what right does she have to negotiate?’

Pei Yin’s brow lifted. "What do you think Ah Xu is thinking? The Priest’s people are already being purged, so why is he still keeping Si Yan around?"

’If it were me, with a score to settle for my father’s murder, I wouldn’t rest until I’d pulled out the problem by the roots.’

Pei Yin didn’t understand. "Wouldn’t it be better to just get the Holy Pearl sooner?"

The corner of Duan Feiye’s mouth lifted slightly. "The purge has begun, but that doesn’t mean it’s already succeeded."

Realization dawned on Pei Yin. "A hostage!"

He opened his Star Brain. "What kind of hostage is she if she’s not under our noses? I’ll have someone go grab her. Hmm, would that tip them off? Forget it, I’ll ask Ah Xu if he wants to let Si Yan in."

Sheng Yue had to go on a mission, and before leaving for Ultimate Eye, he transferred most of his powers from the student council, board of directors, and so on, to Pei Yin.

The moment Pei Yin got the power, his first act was to deal with a batch of people—expelling those who needed to be expelled and assigning demerits to those who’d earned them. Basically, anyone who fell into his clutches barely remained at the academy in one piece.

Si Yan was just someone he’d casually shoved onto the expulsion list.

That’s right, forcibly shoved. She had just enrolled, and she was kicked out the very next day.

He was just that arrogant.

Pei Yin stretched smugly. "Ayue will be back at the academy tomorrow. I have no idea what happened to them; the Alliance even issued a gag order, telling us not to say anything for now. Tsk, not important. What’s important is that my treasure is coming back soon!"

’I’ve missed him to death.’