Chapter 109: Why Him?
[Unknown Cosmic Entity: "Denied. This one belongs to her stream."]
[System Notification: Several Divine Entities are competing for Xian Yu’s attention. Your dominance as his protector prevents interference.]
Ling Yu’s lips twitched faintly at the corner. She did not glance at the divine chatter; she already knew what they were doing. Squabbling over pawns they could not touch. It was amusing, in a way.
Fluffy sat up, ears twitching, and its squeaky voice rang through the system:
[Fluffy: HEAL! HEAL! HEAL!]
Ling Yu flicked its forehead lightly, earning a squeak. "Quiet. You’ll distract him."
Fluffy flopped dramatically into her lap, rolling as if mortally wounded.
[Fluffy: ABUSE!! MASTER ABUSED ME!! ... Okay, fine, I’ll be quiet.]
As Xian Yu continued to cast, his face grew paler, but determination burned in his eyes. Each time he faltered, Ling Yu pressed another mana potion into his hands. The others whispered in the shadows, resentment dripping in every glance.
"She’s wasting those potions on him..."
"If she just gave us one each, we could recover faster..."
"Why does she treat him like royalty?"
Shen Ming’s eyes narrowed slightly at their mutters. He put on his most gentle smile, addressing them. "Everyone has their priorities. Miss Ling is free to use her resources as she sees fit. Don’t let envy cloud your minds. Focus on your own strength."
The words soothed them enough to stop open complaints, but the hatred in their eyes grew sharper. Ling Yu saw it all. She filed it away with the rest of her cold calculations.
’Not a single one of you lifted a hand when the Alpha Ape nearly crushed me. You told him to abandon me. And now you dare to eye what belongs to me?’
She leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes briefly.
’Never. Not a single potion, not a single amulet. You’ll choke on your envy before I spare you anything.’
As the night deepened, most survivors drifted toward sleep. Some curled up near the fire, others huddled in corners. Only a few kept watch, though their nerves were taut and their eyes darted at every distant howl.
Shen Ming lingered nearby, his gaze too often straying toward Ling Yu. He sat with his hands folded, his expression mild, but beneath that mask was something else.
He had thought her a delicate, noble lady, easy to sway with charm and resources. Instead, she was sharp as a blade, untouchable, calculating, and terrifyingly decisive. She had beaten his men bloody without hesitation, charmed divine beings into flooding her stream, and now... she was raising a healer as if he were a cherished treasure.
Envy prickled his chest as he watched Xian Yu lean against her shoulder, exhausted from casting. Her hand rested lightly on the boy’s hair, an absentminded gesture of comfort.
Why him? Shen Ming thought bitterly. Why that fragile, effeminate boy and not me?
He quickly smoothed his expression into a smile when Ling Yu’s eyes flickered toward him. "You never cease to surprise me, Miss Ling," he said softly. "I can’t imagine what heights you’ll reach if you continue like this."
Ling Yu gave him a polite, empty smile before turning away again.
.
.
.
Ling Yu’s sharp eyes softened ever so slightly. At this rate, within weeks, perhaps even days if pushed, Xian Yu could ascend to the threshold of S-class. His mana capacity would expand, his healing would rival miracles, and his worth would skyrocket beyond anything Shen Ming or his scavengers could dream of.
She thought briefly of Song. ’When we regroup, he’ll whip this one into something sharp enough to stand on its own. Until then, he remains under my protection.’
Her hand lingered on Xian Yu’s hair just a moment longer before she withdrew it.
The fire burned low, embers glowing faintly in the dark. The ruined world outside groaned with distant beasts, but inside the shattered station, Ling Yu remained awake, her gaze sharp, her mind colder still.
The firewood crackled faintly in the darkness, sparks drifting upward before being devoured by the night. The scattered teams had set up makeshift camps around the ruined warehouse they had chosen for shelter. Some huddled together over their share of scavenged rations, others cleaned bloodied weapons or stitched wounds under the dim glow of portable lanterns.
But Ling Yu sat apart from them, leaning against a broken stone pillar, her expression unreadable. Xian Yu rested beside her, his silver hair catching faint strands of firelight, his breathing steadier now after she had force-fed him several potions and let him sleep against her shoulder.
Shen Ming was only a short distance away, pretending to talk with his team while his eyes kept drifting to her. His gaze was too heavy, too lingering, like a predator circling prey. Ling Yu didn’t so much as flinch under it. Instead, her thoughts were sharper than the blade strapped at her waist.
The system’s gentle chime rang in her mind.
[System]: Host, your alertness remains commendable. Current party mood: envy, greed, lust, and calculation. Recommendation: caution.
Fluffy’s sleepy voice followed soon after, muffled and drowsy.
[Fluffy]: Mmn... I don’t like the way those men looked at you today, Master. Like they thought they had a right to your things. Disgusting. I’ll bite them if you let me out. Just one bite. A leg, maybe. They don’t need both legs to crawl away...
Ling Yu almost smirked at the mental image of a chubby little fox gnawing at some man’s ankle until he wailed. She didn’t answer Fluffy aloud, though.
She had no doubt now. Shen Ming’s base was a gilded cage at best, and a pit at worst. His protectiveness wasn’t selfless; it was possessive. His teams were obedient only because they wanted what he promised them. None of them would accept her independence.
If she stayed longer, conflict would become inevitable.
Her fingers brushed over the soft strands of Xian Yu’s hair as he dozed against her. He stirred slightly at her touch, murmuring something incoherent.