Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Look at Her!

The deal was simple enough. After all, Wangshu couldn't actually lay eggs... Come to think of it, why was he — a man — even thinking about laying eggs?

Asta had sent over an exquisitely crafted data collection device, complete with an instruction manual.

Compared to those precious physical items, a certain genius at Herta Space Station seemed far more interested in the data that was about to be recorded. Ruan Mei was probably up to something again.

Just then, the bathroom door clicked softly. Little Jingliu padded out barefoot, a haze of steam drifting into the room. Her fine, soft hair was still damp and clinging to her neck.

One hand clutched the edge of her towel while the other rested unconsciously against her chest — which didn't have much to speak of. Her brows were faintly furrowed.

"Little Wangshu, I suddenly feel really awful."

Her voice was muffled, sounding somewhat weak.

Wangshu was silent for a moment. He could fully keep up with little Jingliu's thought process now!

"...Where does it hurt? I'll rub it for you."

"Not that — I suddenly feel this tightness in my chest." Jingliu, wrapped in her towel, scampered to the window and threw it open, gasping for air.

Cold wind rushed in, but her complexion didn't improve — if anything, it went paler.

Wangshu blinked. This... didn't seem like a joke.

Senior Jingliu! Please lend me your power!

Before little Jingliu could react, he'd already closed the distance, scooped her up from behind with one smooth motion, and vaulted out the window.

"Don't worry. I've already figured out the route to the Alchemy Commission over the past two days."

The street that should have been empty at this hour was unusually crowded. Pale faces and visible discomfort — little Jingliu wasn't the only one affected.

【Bright Future Chat Group】

Wangshu: "@Jingliu, boss — what other disasters happened in Star Calendar Year 6299? Little Jingliu suddenly got chest tightness and can't breathe properly."

Jingliu: "...Cangcheng has always been prosperous. How could there be a minor disaster every three days and a major one every five?"

Jingliu: "In my memory, there were no large-scale anomalies at all until Cangcheng's destruction in Year 6300."

Jingliu: "Did you feed me something weird? Could be an upset stomach or an allergic reaction."

Wangshu: "What could possibly give a long-life physique an upset stomach?!"

Wangshu: "This isn't the time for jokes! Senior, be serious!"

Wangshu fired off emergency messages in the group while leaping across rooftops. Thankfully, two days of training had given him solid control over his abilities — at least enough not to damage public property.

Strangely, the crowds that had been thick on the main streets thinned out considerably near the Alchemy Commission...

The little Jingliu in his arms suddenly stirred, murmuring softly: "Um, little Wangshu... I don't think I feel that bad anymore."

The wave of nausea and heart palpitations had come like a tide — sudden and fierce, but receding just as quickly.

Wangshu's steps faltered. He looked down at her. "Let's still go in and get checked. So many people on the street were affected. This doesn't look coincidental."

The Alchemy Commission wasn't crowded. Medical assistants, physicians, and alchemists were all huddled together, whispering. The atmosphere was subtly tense.

"Please don't worry, sir!"

The moment they spotted Wangshu, someone spoke up reflexively. Then a physician gestured toward one side of the hall — where two neat rows of people sat, all looking mildly unwell and dazed.

Wangshu: ...

"Doc—"

"Full-body tightness, dry heaving, nausea, difficulty breathing, but significantly improved by now — correct?"

A physician who appeared to be Vidyadhara cut him off again.

Wangshu tried to speak but was beaten to it by little Jingliu, who nodded with grown-up composure. Yes, that was exactly right.

Life among long-life species was generally easy to navigate. The long-life physique afforded them so much tolerance that they could afford to be composed most of the time.

A moment later, Wangshu joined the queue-like seating arrangement, settling onto the bench with little Jingliu still in his arms. The little one leaned against his side, her damp hair cool against his arm.

She swung her still-shoeless feet, as if the earlier episode had never happened.

"What's going on?"

Wangshu still hadn't gotten a clear picture. The game's storyline had never mentioned long-life species randomly falling ill.

"I have no idea either. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before."

Cangcheng saw little warfare. While it couldn't claim the glory of a millennium past, compared to the other six Xianzhou vessels, Cangcheng was the picture of peace and stability.

Just as the education Jingliu had received her whole life told her to be wary of outsiders — but never having been burned, she'd struggled to truly stay on guard.

For a brief moment just now, she'd genuinely thought she was going to die — like those stories said: those who defy fate will be devoured by it.

...But shouldn't fate be punishing her future self? Why was she suffering too?!

Had her future self even planned for this? So terrible.

"Let's see what the doctor says."

Wangshu exhaled deeply and pulled little Jingliu a bit closer.

He didn't understand much about the long-life physique. As a former ordinary person dropped into this world, everything here felt profoundly foreign. So much needed to be relearned and accepted — he hadn't grown up here, after all.

Jingliu didn't resist. Instead, she leaned into his shoulder, her damp hair thoroughly soaking a patch of his clothes.

"It's Tayzzyronth."

A soft, delicate voice spoke up.

Wangshu's entire body went rigid. Little Jingliu narrowed her crimson eyes, hugging Wangshu's arm tighter as she peered at the equally petite and delicate girl beside them — one who even had a streak of red at the corner of her eye, the whole package designed to invite sympathy.

"Your control over the power isn't great. And Propagation's source energy inherently exerts pressure on long-life physiques, on Abundance — especially on a Cangcheng that depends on the Langgan Jade Tree."

Something was indeed off with Wangshu, but his strength was still there. At least — judging by the speed at which he'd been running — Huoshi estimated he was no pushover.

In terms of raw numbers alone, Wangshu seemed vaguely stronger than her. He'd been running way too fast.

Jingliu stared silently at the girl who'd popped up from nowhere, crimson eyes brimming with wariness. There were just too many bad women in this world — they were everywhere, respawning like trash mobs in a game.

Huoshi smiled lightly. She even took a little sniff right in front of the kid.

Just as she'd thought — it was Their aura. Rich, sweet, like morning nectar. Only, for some reason, the aura had seemed to come from outside rather than from Wangshu himself — there one instant, gone the next.

"Little Wangshu! Look at her!"

Jingliu nearly leapt up. Swarm Lord or not — this creature was utterly shameless!

"Please mind your behavior, or I'm calling the Cloud Knights."

Wangshu sighed, raising a hand to shield the bristling little creature in his arms.

Sometimes he really did resent this kind of... the impunity that came with strength. When you had power, you could do whatever you wanted without caring about anyone's opinion.

Huoshi lowered her gaze slightly, long lashes veiling the shimmer in her eyes. She somehow managed to look aggrieved: "I only came to give you a reminder, since... you don't seem to understand Propagation's power very well."

This is great!

She laughed inwardly, barely suppressing the urge to hum.

This meant she had enormous room to maneuver. That reserved offspring's nutritional value might end up exceeding her wildest expectations.