Chapter 294 - 293: Dead-Fish Eyes

Pei Yin stepped away from the lab bench, speechless.

With a pull, he hoisted Sheng Yue up and laid him on another hospital bed.

Xi Yu’s heart ached as he watched, and tears welled up in his eyes.

His voice was thick with emotion. "I failed to protect them."

Pei Yin’s expression was cold. "Then you’d better get back in bed. If you croak, who’s going to protect me?"

He tightened his fists. "You’re going to protect me the same way you protected them, you hear me?"

Tears filled Xi Yu’s eyes. "Okay."

’Being the ’big brother’ of this group is tough. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have fought for the position back then.’

Fuming with nowhere to vent his anger, Lin Yu stood rigidly on the spot.

Jian Yu sat quietly on the edge of the bed and tapped her wristband.

[TODAY’S ANALYSIS COMPLETE————

Green. Remaining Soul Power: 460, soul domain value: 400+40.

Pink. Remaining Soul Power: 470, soul domain value: 400+70

Purple. Remaining Soul Power: 590, soul domain value: 590

Black. Remaining Soul Power: 1750, soul domain value: 1750.

Red. Remaining Soul Power: 35, soul domain value: 100+1.2.]

Jian Yu narrowed her eyes.

’Only an increase of 1.2?’

’Is it really this hard to level up?’

’But this time, I don’t feel as tired. The drain on my power wasn’t as great as last time.’

’It seems the only way to level up is to increase the number of my Contracts.’

Jian Yu looked at the screen, then took Ling Yanzhi’s hand.

A thick Green Mist surged from her palm. The mist flowed from her fingertips and coiled around his arm.

Color visibly returned to Ling Yanzhi’s face, and the bleeding, dark wound in his soul domain shrank instantly.

Excitement flashed in Lin Yu’s eyes.

Even his red hair seemed to shine a few shades brighter.

Jian Yu wanted to continue, but when she saw the screen showing her Green Mist Soul Power had dropped to just over three hundred, she turned away.

’460 divided by three... that’s only 153 each.’

Her desire to level up surged to an all-time high.

Jian Yu’s expression was unreadable. "Senior Lin Yu, how does one become a Healer and an Incubation Master at Weis Lan?"

"Like Shi Zhao, for example," she added.

Seeing that the Chief hadn’t woken up, Lin Yu’s gaze fell in disappointment.

He tossed his red hair, his tone brimming with confidence. "I can have that arranged for you by tomorrow."

Pei Yin frowned. "Sweetheart, a Healer has to treat at least ten patients a day, not to mention competitions and all sorts of off-site missions. Why do you want to get mixed up in all that?"

He smoothed a stray strand of Jian Yu’s hair and tucked it behind her ear. "I’m not trying to be harsh. It’s just... you’re a freshman. Are you going to skip your Incubation major courses?"

"It won’t be a problem." Jian Yu fiddled with her fingers. "I’m too weak right now."

’Given my situation, a conventional school schedule isn’t really suitable for me.’

’I need more opportunities.’

’Shi Zhao’s soul domain was also just over a thousand at first. He advanced to his current five thousand through Incubation.’

’It wasn’t that Jian Yu didn’t know how to use the resources around her. She just figured that with Ling Yanzhi and the others around, she could afford to just coast, taking things one steady, unhurried step at a time. She could be a "salted fish" and develop slowly.’

’But after this incident, she felt a sense of urgency. Leveling up couldn’t be put off any longer.’

After thinking it through, Jian Yu took Xi Yu’s hand, grasped Sheng Yue’s with her other, and channeled the remaining soul mist into their bodies.

Sheng Yue’s eyelashes fluttered, and his ragged breathing gradually evened out.

Xi Yu sank to one knee, leaning his head against Jian Yu’s lap with his eyes half-closed.

Pei Yin’s expression flickered, but he didn’t try to persuade her further.

His gaze rested on Sheng Yue for several long seconds before shifting away.

Pei Yin bent down and started by examining Ling Yanzhi.

Of the three, Ling Yanzhi was in the most critical condition due to the Red Snake Soul Split.

If they’d sent him to the Awakened Hospital, he might not have recovered even after six months.

But now, between himself, Jian Yu, and medicine derived from High-level Beast Plants, they had managed to cut the six-month recovery period down to about a week.

Pei Yin had never been willing to admit that he was first drawn to Jian Yu simply for her looks.

At this moment, he felt even more certain that they shared a mutual attraction and a common passion: the healing arts.

"SKREEE!" Ting Ying shrieked, circling above Jian Yu.

’What are you screeching about? You scared me.’ Pei Yin reined in his emotions, the tips of his ears turning red.

’...’ Ting Ying smoothed its glossy, jet-black feathers.

Jian Yu held out her hand.

Delight flashed in Ting Ying’s green eyes.

It shrank to the size of an oriole, then swooped down to land gently on Jian Yu’s wrist.

Pei Yin pressed a fist to his lips, trying to hide his smile.

Lin Yu asked flatly, "When will the Chief wake up?"

He wasn’t a fan of public displays of affection that didn’t involve his Chief.

Pei Yin touched the red mole on the bridge of his nose. "I gave them a sedative. They won’t be waking up for a while."

Lin Yu’s eyes widened.

Pei Yin said matter-of-factly, "What’s with that dead-eyed stare? I’m doing what’s best for them. They’ll recover faster in a deep sleep."

Lin Yu lowered his head. "Thank you for your trouble, Chief Pei."

Pei Yin was speechless. "..."

Xi Yu, still resting on Jian Yu’s lap, turned his face toward Ting Ying. "Little Eagle, your bird got so small. It’s so cute."

Pei Yin spluttered, "That’s an *eagle*!"

Jian Yu’s mind went straight to the gutter.

Her mouth opened and closed, but she didn’t know what to say. She felt oddly guilty.

Afraid someone might notice, she deliberately lifted her chin and fixed her gaze on Pei Yin’s upper body.

Pei Yin ground his back teeth.

He pulled out his largest needle. "Looks like you’re seriously ill. Even your eyesight is failing."

Xi Yu scrambled to the edge of the bed and buried his head in Jian Yu’s arms.

Jian Yu patted the "wolf tail" haircut at the back of his head.

’Honestly, why would you provoke a doctor of all people?’

Ting Ying flew unsteadily onto Jian Yu’s shoulder and found its footing.

It held its little head high, looking immensely proud.

The corner of Lin Yu’s mouth twitched.

He glanced down as his Star Brain flashed with a blue light. "They’re here. I’ll take them to the adjacent lab."

Pei Yin waved a hand in dismissal. "Go on."

"Who’s here?" Jian Yu asked.

Lin Yu looked back. "Gu Qi."

Pei Yin hastily disappeared into the changing room.

Jian Yu craned her neck, curious.

A minute later, Pei Yin made a grand entrance, dressed in his Chief’s uniform.

Bells on his uniform jingled as he walked. "Sweetheart, what do you think of this as a gift for Gu Qi?"

Jian Yu looked at the thick gold chain in his hand. "It’s great."

’Gold was a universal currency, and the interstellar era was no exception.’

Xi Yu raised his eyes. "Little Eagle, your fan mentioned wanting a pair of the most expensive robotic eyes."

Pei Yin didn’t get it, but he chose to respect the wish.

He carefully selected the most ornate, flashiest pair of robotic eyes. "How about these?"

Xi Yu nodded. "They’re beautiful."

Jian Yu’s face was blank. "..."

’One of them had the gall to suggest it, and the other actually fell for it.’

Yang Zhang’s tentacles reached for its master’s Space Ring.

It pulled out two eyeballs and presented them to Pei Yin.

The light went out of Xi Yu’s eyes.

Pei Yin took them with a look of disgust. "How much do you hate me? You could have brought these out at any other time, but you wait until I’ve just changed to hand me these... filthy things."

Yang Zhang retracted its tentacles, its tone dazed and innocent. "Master’s head hurt. He forgot."

Jian Yu, who had been stroking Xi Yu’s little wolf tail, froze.

’Seems like I forgot something too.’

After a moment’s thought, Jian Yu awkwardly took out a needle case. "And this."

She briefly explained what had happened. "I think they said this can prevent an Awakener from using their Soul Power for a period of time."

Pei Yin frowned and, with a resigned sigh, changed back into his white lab coat.