A huge thanks to Katy for the ko-fis! Enjoy!!

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Yu Wenchao looked at the noodles in front of him, a lump forming in his throat.

The noodles had been rinsed in cold water after cooking, giving them a refreshing bite. Tossed with a tangy and spicy sauce and topped with fragrant fried peanuts, they were light and appetizing.

Xiao Ji couldn’t help but raise his hand: “Brother Cen, Brother Cen, are there any more noodles? I want some too!” 

“None left. You’ll have to wait until tonight.” Cen An motioned for Yu Wenchao to eat quickly—he was so hungry his face had gone pale. Amid a chorus of disappointed sighs, Yu Wenchao picked up a forkful of noodles and put them in his mouth.

It was delicious—and deeply moving. Their leader was still the same warm-hearted person who cared only about whether they were well-fed, properly clothed, and unharmed. It felt so good to be treated like a human being. Especially when compared to the people of Anjun River Bay.

After finishing the bowl of noodles, Yu Wenchao’s complexion improved. Just as he was about to speak, Cen An waved his hand. “Wait.” Then he shoved a bottle into Yu Wenchao’s mouth—an energy-restoring potion.

Yu Wenchao didn’t know why, but he drank the potion without hesitation. The fatigue in his body vanished instantly, his complexion improved even further, and he suddenly looked radiant.

Xiao Ji grumbled, “Brother Cen is playing favorites.”

Cen An gave him a helpless look. “What? Do you want some too?” 

Xiao Ji quickly grinned. “No, no.”

Cen An shook his head and turned to Yu Wenchao: “Tell us now.” Yu Wenchao began his story.

Just as Dongying Village and Linqiu Village were both bowing to his authority, a major event also unfolded in Anjun River Bay.

We need to rewind a bit.

Back then, the Wind-type ability users had delivered the leader’s instructions, hoping that Anjun River Bay would appoint a new bay master. Naturally, Sun Qiuhua and her two companions didn’t argue.

The three of them, in unison, set their sights on Qi Shaoyuan. Furthermore, due to Cui Hongxuan’s intimidation of Qi Yiyun, they made contact with Qi Shaoyuan and successfully initiated a partnership.

At first, their collaboration was very discreet and went smoothly.

Through the vegetables and various pickled foods from Yongning Village, Qi Shaoyuan successfully kept his abilities in check and won over a group of disillusioned ability users in Anjun River Bay.

Who were these ability users? Naturally, they weren’t members of the Ability Squad—the Ability Squad was entirely made up of Bay Master Cui Pengfei’s own people… These were individuals who had awakened their ability but failed to join the squad, leaving them to fight on their own.

Most of them lacked significant combat prowess, so Cui Pengfei had no interest in them. However, there were also those with exceptional combat abilities who, disdaining Cui Pengfei, had rejected his attempts to recruit them. Cui Pengfei was not particularly magnanimous; anyone who crossed him would find life in Anjun River Bay virtually unbearable.

Consequently, although these people were ability users, they led miserable lives.

Even so, there were a few who remained steadfast and unyielding; these individuals all had good relationships with Qi Shaoyuan.

Having received those vegetables from Sun Qiuhua, Qi Shaoyuan naturally shared them with these people. As a result, they, too, became familiar with Sun Qiuhua and her group.

After maintaining contact for some time, a foundation of trust had been established between the two sides. With Qi Shaoyuan’s group having expanded to more than ten people, Sun Qiuhua and Xie Xiuping agreed to move forward with their next plan. They intended to proceed gradually; for a power base like Anjun River Bay, taking a few months or even half a year wouldn’t be considered slow.

But just then, something happened.

Whether driven by lust or emboldened by his status as an uncle, Cui Hongxuan actually barged into Qi Shaoyuan’s home in broad daylight, intent on snatching Qi Yiyun away.

Although Qi Yiyun was also an ability user, her rank was relatively low, and her leg injury hadn’t fully healed yet. Under the combined attack of the two ability users Cui Hongxuan had brought with him, she was virtually powerless to defend herself.

At the time, Qi Shaoyuan wasn’t home, but other ability users witnessed the scene. To protect Qi Yiyun, they confronted Cui Hongxuan head-on, injuring the two ability users he’d brought with him and giving Cui Hongxuan a thorough beating.

In this way, Qi Yiyun was saved, but Qi Shaoyuan’s modest influence was also exposed.

When Yu Wenchao got to this part of the story, everyone in the room felt a sense of regret—not because saving her was wrong, but because, “With this, won’t Cui Pengfei now target Qi Shaoyuan?”

“That’s exactly what happened,” Yu Wenchao said. “Cui Hongxuan was carried back, and he immediately filed a complaint against Qi Shaoyuan. That very night, Cui Pengfei sent men to arrest the families of the ability users, forcing them to surrender.”

Cen An was incredulous. “As the lord of Anjun River Bay, how could he resort to such tactics?”

Yu Wenchao sighed softly; their leader was still too naive. “But thankfully, someone tipped us off in advance, and we managed to rescue the person in secret. You’d probably never guess who the informant was…”

Upon hearing this, everyone realized it must be someone they knew, and they asked in unison, “Who is it?” 

Yu Wenchao replied, “Cui Hong.”

Hearing that name, everyone was momentarily taken aback and waited for him to continue.

Cui Hong was Cui Pengfei’s daughter—his biological daughter. It was said that the name “Cui Hongxuan” had originally been intended for Cui Hong. But after she was born, as soon as Cui Pengfei learned she was a daughter, he didn’t even glance at her; he simply turned and walked away. He abandoned the mother and daughter in a dilapidated cottage to fend for themselves, and the carefully chosen name was replaced with the off-the-cuff “Cui Hong.”

After Yu Wenchao finished speaking, everyone turned to look at Cen An.

Cen An was puzzled: “Why are you all looking at me? Is there something on my face?” 

“No, Brother Cen,” Wang Lie said, surprised. “Why aren’t you angry?”

Qu Yue nodded. “Exactly. Usually, when you hear something like this, you’d have jumped to your feet by now.”

Cen An was at a loss for words: “Did I seem that worked up? It’s not that I’m not angry—it’s just that I feel this Cui Hong,” he paused to think, “doesn’t seem like someone who’s completely helpless. Wenchao just mentioned that the message was secretly delivered to you guys, right?”

“Right,” Yu Wenchao nodded earnestly. “Our contact with Qi Shaoyuan’s group is very secretive; aside from each other, no one else should know about it. But that day, the message about Cui Hong was delivered directly to our residence. It was precisely because the message arrived so quickly that we were able to rescue her in time.”

After that, any chance of developing their abilities in secret was completely lost. The only option left for both sides was to deploy their forces and fight it out once and for all. On Qi Shaoyuan’s side, excluding Yu Wenchao and his two companions, there were only thirteen ability users, with Qi Shaoyuan himself—a Level 3—being the highest-ranked.

On Cui Pengfei’s side, there was a full Ability Squad of forty ability users; he himself was even a Level 4 peak ability user and had several items at his disposal. How were they supposed to fight?

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Qi Shaoyuan looked at the people in the room. Among them were those who had nearly lost their lives after offending Cui Pengfei and now relied on his secret support. There were also those who, upon learning he had joined the Ability Squad, looked down on him and came to sever ties. There were even those who, while being bullied by members of the Ability Squad right in front of him, gave him subtle signals not to intervene…

Cui Pengfei and his nephew had turned the entire Anjun River Bay into a chaotic mess; unless you acted as their lackey, it was nearly impossible to survive—whether you were an ability user or an ordinary person.

Now, they could finally stand up for themselves. Even if it meant death…

“Don’t overthink it. Haven’t we been waiting for this day all along?” said the man who had once come to cut ties with him, patting his shoulder with a smile. “When we first awakened our abilities, we said we’d kill that scoundrel Cui Pengfei sooner or later. Now we finally have the chance.”

The others laughed too. “We’ve been living on the edge anyway. Killing one breaks even; killing two is a profit. If each of us kills two, then Cui Pengfei will have to walk around with his tail between his legs from now on.”

“I’m really regretting it now. If I’d known Cui Pengfei would react this fast, I should’ve killed that bastard Cui Hongxuan!”

“If you ask me, we should…”

Facing life and death was terrifying, yet not a single person wanted to back down.

Suddenly, someone turned to look at the silent trio of Sun Qiuhua and the others. “Ladies, thank you for the pickles you brought. Though I don’t know what your motives are, you’ve certainly been a great help to us. Right now, it’s too dangerous for you to stay with us. You should go back… no, you should leave Anjun River Bay first.”

“Right, come back after some time has passed. If we win, our partnership remains the same. If we lose, then so be it.” 

“Exactly, you should leave now, before Cui Pengfei notices you.”

Qi Shaoyuan also fell silent for a moment before saying, “Let’s go.”

Just then, the ability user across from them suddenly smiled. “Thank you all for your kindness, but we’re on a mission and can’t leave. Besides, who says you’re bound to lose?”

Xie Xiuping and Yu Wenchao both laughed as well. Amid the puzzled stares of the crowd, she pulled out a purple crystal dagger. “Gadgets? We’ve never been short on those.”

Qi Shaoyuan and the others were taken aback; several of them jumped to their feet. “You… have items? Weapons and gear, no less! This…”

After a moment’s pause, they slowly sat back down, saying bitterly, “Ah, a single dagger won’t change anything. Cui Pengfei had a stroke of luck earlier—he’s got at least five items in his possession.”

“What’s Cui Pengfei anyway?” Sun Qiuhua smiled gently. “He’s just a Bay Master. With our leader here, we have as many items, weapons, and medicines as we want.”

Clatter—

Yu Wenchao silently brought over a wooden chest and emptied out numerous rock crystal daggers, two rock crystal battleaxes, and several sets of silver-glinting armor. The dazzling radiance of the treasures was so blinding that the ability users across from them could barely keep their eyes open!

When had they ever seen so many weapons and pieces of equipment…? No, never mind them—even Cui Pengfei had never seen anything like this! Qi Shaoyuan remained silent for a long moment. “May I ask… who is your leader…?”

To his surprise, Sun Qiuhua—who had been all smiles just moments ago—turned slightly cold as she said casually, “There’s no need to pry. All you need to know is that the leader standing behind us is the most powerful leader on the entire continent.”

Qi Shaoyuan quickly bowed his head. “Yes.” He probably hadn’t realized yet that, toward Sun Qiuhua and her group, he had already adopted the deference of a subordinate toward a superior.

As for that mysterious leader in the background, a shadowy yet powerful figure had already taken shape in his mind.

Behind them, Xie Xiuping and Yu Wenchao exchanged glances, and both rubbed their noses. Sister Qiu Hua had almost slipped up just now—she must have wanted to show off Brother Cen, yet was afraid he’d draw too much attention. Hmm… we get it, we get it.

Sun Qiuhua continued, “Besides weapons, there are also medicines. As long as you have a breath left, I guarantee you won’t die. With that, can we take on Cui Pengfei?”

The ability users were startled and looked at her in astonishment. If a single breath could save a life, then this wasn’t just medicine—it might even be a rare elixir!

The ability users immediately perked up, showing even greater respect toward the leader standing behind them. “Rest assured, the three of you—we’ll bring Cui Pengfei’s head back to you!” A dozen or so people divided up the equipment and weapons and headed out the door. Sun Qiuhua and her two companions smiled as they watched their backs recede.

Weapons, gear, medicine, and the countless items they carried—all had been provided by the leader for their protection. To ensure they returned alive, he’d equipped them from head to toe.

After a while, Yu Wenchao said, “It’s almost over, isn’t it?”

Xie Xiuping nodded. “It’ll be over soon—no more than three days at most.”

Yu Wenchao was silent for a moment, then whispered, “I heard that people who return from a mission can go to the Chief’s house for a meal.”

This had become something of a tradition for the Ability Squad—even if they were only out on a short mission for two days, they’d stop by Cen An’s house for a meal. The others were incredibly envious.

Now, it was finally their turn.

The battle at Anjun River Bay lasted a full three days. More than twenty of Cui Pengfei’s ability users were killed or wounded, and over a dozen were taken prisoner. On Qi Shaoyuan’s side, there were some seriously injured but no fatalities.

As for the ordinary citizens, not a single one was injured or killed.

Yu Wenchao recounted the events at Anjun River Bay from an eyewitness’s perspective, and everyone listened with rapt attention. Liao Wanwan even asked, “Not a single civilian died? Could it be that Cui Pengfei and his men still had a shred of conscience left and didn’t harm ordinary people?”

“Not exactly,” Yu Wenchao said, glancing at Cen An.

Cen An paused for a moment, then realized, “Could it be that Cui Hong did something?”

A faint smile flickered at the corner of Yu Wenchao’s eyes. “That’s right. At some point, Cui Hong managed to turn two ability users in Cui Hongxuan’s inner circle against him. Those two leaked all of Cui Pengfei’s plans. We struck first and alerted the villagers of Anjun River Bay in advance, which is why they emerged unscathed.”

Liao Wanwan gasped. “She’s really impressive.”

Wang Lie asked again, “What about Cui Hongxuan? You didn’t let him get away, did you?” Of course not.

Both Cui Hong and Cui Hongxuan are ordinary people. Despite being neglected by her father, having lost her mother, and being treated as if she were invisible by everyone, Cui Hong still managed to carve out a life for herself.

As for Cui Hongxuan, the two ability users who had been following him were both turned against him by Cui Hong. As soon as the two sides clashed, the two ability users let him go. Cui Hongxuan was furious and terrified beyond belief; he tried to run back to seek his uncle’s protection, but was intercepted by Qi Yiyun along the way.

How had Qi Yiyun been injured in the first place?

That evening, she went to the riverbank to wash clothes and was spotted by Cui Hongxuan. Cui Hongxuan was so lecherous it made his brain turn yellow; whenever he saw a pretty girl—regardless of her status or whether she had abilities—he would go up to her and try to harass her, even demanding she strip naked for his viewing pleasure.

Naturally, Qi Yiyun put up a fight. But the ability users Cui Hongxuan had with him that day weren’t the two he’d turned against him—they were two bullies who were merely riding on his coattails, using his power to bully others, and who’d been tagging along with him, feasting on the spoils and committing every kind of depravity.

Seeing that Qi Yiyun was putting up a fight, the two stepped in to help pin her down. Fortunately, their abilities weren’t very strong, and although Qi Yiyun suffered a cut on her leg, she still managed to escape. Unexpectedly, Cui Hongxuan wasn’t the least bit intimidated; instead, he came looking for her. That’s how the rest of the story unfolded.

After Yu Wenchao finished telling the story in just a few words, Liao Wanwan pressed him: “So, what exactly did Qi Yiyun do to him?” 

Yu Wenchao fully demonstrated his characteristic brevity: “She chopped off three of his legs.”

Oh, really?

Three legs, not two; chopped off, not broken.

Seeing that Cen An was also curious, Yu Wenchao offered a brief explanation: “Cui Hongxuan had harmed too many people. Qi Yiyun said to spare his life so everyone could vent their anger.”

With his patron gone and his legs severed, Cui Hongxuan could now only crawl on the ground. Still, at least he was still alive when Yu Wenchao left Anjun River Bay. It’s just that his quality of life was rather poor. The people of Anjun River Bay were kind-hearted and couldn’t bear to see anyone die.

There was no need to mention this part to their leader. Although the leader had never expressed any distaste for such matters, strangely enough, everyone, as if by unspoken agreement, refrained from polluting his ears with such stories.

Cen An was still curious and asked again, “What about Cui Pengfei? Is he dead?” There was no way to lie about this, so Yu Wenchao nodded.

Cui Pengfei’s ability level was high, but he’d lived a life of luxury for many years. Aside from sparring with his ability users, he hadn’t engaged in actual combat for a long time. As for sparring… who would dare to go all out against their direct superior? Not to mention that Cui Pengfei wasn’t exactly broad-minded to begin with.

In short, Cui Pengfei possessed Level 4 peak-tier abilities and a full arsenal of gear, but without the corresponding combat skills, he could only unleash about one-tenth of his true potential.

But even at one-tenth, the gap between Level 3 and Level 4 is overwhelming… So, Cui Hong took another step. The crowd was still in shock: “Are you saying she poisoned Cui Pengfei?”

Yu Wenchao turned to their leader again. “The Mist Flower—do you know it? It’s a flower unique to Anjun River Bay. Cui Hong laced Cui Pengfei’s food with Mist Flower pollen.”

Cen An nodded. The pollen of the Mist Flower is also known as “Mist Powder”; ingesting it causes unconsciousness. That was the very powder Shi Long had used when he abducted him back then.

But did Anjun Bay actually have Mist Flowers?

The Mist Powder wasn’t enough to render Cui Pengfei unconscious, but it did slow his reactions—which could be fatal in combat. And so, Cui Pengfei, who had ruled Anjun River Bay for decades, fell in a battle against a group of more than a dozen ability users.

After hearing this, the crowd almost cheered in admiration.

Only after cheering did they realize, “So now, Anjun River Bay is part of our territory too?”

Qu Yue herself could hardly believe it. “Anjun River Bay—the fourth-largest power in the Silver Moon Mountains, with a permanent population of over a thousand—just like that, it’s ours now?”

Tian Yuan listed them off: “Dongying Village, Linqiu Village, and Anjun River Bay—we now have these three factions under our command.” And this wasn’t some flimsy alliance that could be torn up at any moment, but a complete and utter submission… What a massive source of power this must be.

Team Leader Shi pulled a piece of paper from his robe and unfolded it on the coffee table—it was a map of the area around the Silver Moon Mountains. Two regions on the map had already been marked in red, and Team Leader Shi took out a piece of dyed wood to mark Anjun River Bay’s location in red as well.

Judging by the map, the three factions, along with Yongning Village itself, formed an extremely advantageous four-way standoff, trapping the largest areas—the Tianhu Base and Xiang’an Town—in the middle.

“De’an Tan is the smallest in area and has the fewest people. Although it’s mysterious, it doesn’t affect the bigger picture, so we can set it aside for now,” Shi said thoughtfully. “As for the Tianhu Base and Xiang’an Town… we can ally with one to fight the other. Who do you think would be the best ally?”

Team Leader Shi wore an encouraging expression; he had been frequently briefing everyone on the situation in the Silver Moon Mountains lately, eager to cultivate a successor. “Um…” The group immediately felt as if they’d been called on during class.

Qu Yue thought for a moment. “Tianhu Base?” After all, it was the leading power in the area—surely stronger, right? Zhao Wu nodded, unconditionally following his wife’s lead.

Wang Lie scratched his head. “Tianhu Base.” He wasn’t just following the crowd; he simply felt that Yongning Village was more familiar with Tianhu Base, and it was closer. Liao Wanwan also scratched her head. “Tianhu Base.”

Team Leader Shi smiled and looked at Cen An. “Is that what you think, too, Chief?” Little Boss Cen thought for a moment. “No, I think it’s Xiang’an Town.”

Captain Shi nodded, rolled the map into a tube, and lashed out at the kids around him like a whirlwind. “I told you all: bring one, beat one! Of course, bring the second one and beat the first! What reason would the number one have to cooperate with you guys? Hmm? Tell me—what reason?!”

Outside, the ability users—who’d been basking in the limelight just moments ago—cowered with their hands over their heads as they took the beating, shouting, “We were wrong! We’ll never do it again! We’ll definitely use our brains from now on!”

Cen An’s mouth twitched. This wasn’t a matter of “using your brain” at all; he suspected that, aside from Tian Yuan, none of this bunch even had a brain to begin with… Over there, Yu Wenchao suddenly cleared his throat. “Um, Brother Cen?”

Cen An looked over, and Yu Wenchao said softly, “There’s one more thing I didn’t mention about Anjun River Bay.”

Cen An realized what he meant. “Oh, right—the epidemic! Is there an epidemic in Anjun River Bay?”

Even after the Cataclysm, an epidemic was still a terrifying prospect. Team Leader Shi immediately stopped what he was doing and looked over with a grave expression. Yu Wenchao nodded. “That’s right.”

After the battle at Anjun River Bay ended, Qi Shaoyuan became the new Bay Master, while Cui Hong—who had helped them immensely—was appointed Deputy Commander with the strong backing of Sun Qiuhua and her two companions, taking charge of internal affairs.

Sun Qiuhua and the others, delighted that their mission was complete, were just about to discuss their next steps for cooperation when a sudden turn of events occurred.

“A large number of bodies have suddenly appeared in the Anjun River,” Yu Wenchao announced, sending shockwaves through the group. “But they aren’t villagers—they’ve drifted down from upstream.”

Team Leader Shi frowned. “A lot? How many?”

“At least a hundred,” Yu Wenchao confirmed. “Ever since that day, people in the river bend have been falling ill. It started with the elderly, children, and the frail, then gradually spread to young adults. Even ability users weren’t spared. By the time we realized what was happening, seven or eight out of every ten villagers were sick. Sister Qiuhua and Xiuping were also infected. Probably because I don’t go out much, I’m the only one who hasn’t caught it. Sister Qiuhua sent me back to deliver the news.”

What he was about to say would likely distress the chief, but he had no choice but to speak it, so he said in a very low voice, “In the past seven or eight days, over a hundred people have already died from this illness. Now, the population of Anjun River Bend is down to about nine hundred.”

“What?” Cen An was understandably shocked. “How could there be so many!”

“The disease progresses very quickly. Those infected suffer from diarrhea and vomiting, and soon become dehydrated and start coughing up blood—then they’re gone. When the first few people died, we didn’t even realize what was happening, so many people came into contact with the bodies. Besides, the Anjun River is where everyone depends on for survival; we can’t stop the villagers from fetching water, or they’ll die of thirst before the disease even takes them,” Yu Wenchao explained.

It was that devastating.

Despite his shock, Cen An still felt something wasn’t right. It wasn’t that epidemics couldn’t exist in this world, but that this disease was spreading far too quickly—wiping out one-tenth of the population in Anjun River Bay in just seven or eight days… If such a plague truly existed, wouldn’t it wipe out the entire Silver Moon Mountains? Or even all of Jiangzhou? Or the entire Eastern Foothills?

Moreover, the hundreds of corpses floating down from upstream… The Silver Moon Mountains aren’t that big—where could all those bodies have come from? Dongying Village and Linqiu Village certainly didn’t have that many. So where did the rest come from? Tianhu Base? Or Xiang’an Town? Surely they couldn’t be from their own Yongning Village, could they?

That would be a hell of a joke.

Cen An frowned. “I’ll go take a look. Maybe…” 

“No way!”

Before he could even finish his sentence, everyone in the room shouted in unison.

Are you kidding me? With so many of us sitting here, you want our leader to go into the epidemic zone? Do you not want to live, or do you not want our leader to live?

Cen An looked at them helplessly. “Can’t you show a little respect for your leader?”

Everyone looked up at the sky in unison. They could negotiate about other matters, but this was absolutely out of the question.

Yu Wenchao also breathed a sigh of relief. If they really took Brother Cen over there, Sister Qiu Hua would tear him to pieces… No, wait—before Sister Qiu Hua could tear him to pieces, he’d have to find a noodle to hang himself with first.

Still… he glanced at the others again. The issue had to be resolved.

“I’ll go,” said Tian Yuan with a smile. “I’ll go check it out first. If it’s an epidemic, we’ll treat it accordingly. If it’s not, I’ll bring one back for Brother Cen to examine.”

The group thought it over and agreed: Alright! Tian Yuan’s advice was always reliable.

Once they’d settled on a time to set out, everyone went their separate ways.

The sun had sunk halfway below the horizon; the shadows of people on the road were stretched out, and the temperature had cooled somewhat. It was already late afternoon.

Cen An rubbed his lower back, which had grown a bit stiff from sitting too long, and pulled open the door. There stood Xiao Yi, his eyes looking a little red.

Xiao Yi was different from other children; Cen An had never seen him cry unless something had happened to him. So when he saw her reddened eyes, he grew a little anxious. “What’s wrong, Xiao Yi? Did something happen?”

Xiao Yi slowly looked up and wrapped his arms tightly around Cen An’s neck, as if drawing strength from him… After a long moment, he spoke in a hoarse voice: “Big Brother, I just heard them say that someone had diarrhea, was vomiting, became dehydrated, coughed up blood… and then died. Is that true?”

Cen An patted him on the back. “That’s right. Are you scared, Xiao Yi?”

Xiao Yi clung tightly to him. “Is Big Brother going there? Don’t go! There, there…”   

“I won’t go. Big Brother isn’t going,” Cen An reassured him. “Big Brother will stay right here at home. I’m not going anywhere.” It took a long time to calm him down before Xiao Yi finally murmured softly, “As long as Big Brother isn’t going, that’s okay.”

Cen An furrowed his brow. Why was Xiao Yi so afraid of getting sick? Could it be that his parents had died from an illness? That was certainly a possibility…

Late at night, Xiao Yi slowly opened his eyes, his consciousness still seemingly trapped in that chaotic dream.

Strange bird calls, a raging fire, collapsing city walls… everywhere were people sick and coughing up blood, along with cackling dark shadows… and that exchange that had appeared in his dreams countless times: “Take him away! Hurry!”

“What about you?”            

“If we stay, we’ll all die!”    

“……Wait, seal his powers!” 

“Not yet……”

“Run!”

Xiao Yi looked down at the palm of his hand. There should be some kind of energy there—an explosive, hard-to-control, yet powerful force… He turned his head to look at the figure sleeping soundly on the bed, feeling a pang of sadness. If only he had superpowers, he could protect him.

Some energy was stirring inside him…

Suddenly, a soft hum rang out from the darkness. “Hm? A superpower?”

A figure appeared, grabbed him by the back of his collar, and dragged him downstairs to the living room.

The crystal chandelier cast a bright glow as Xiao Yi stared expressionlessly at the person across from him: silver shoulder-length hair, two sharp fangs, silver eyes… and a pair of silver wolf ears on top of his head, twitching alertly to pick up sounds.

Su Rui bared his teeth in a grin. “Not bad—you’ve got some nerve.” 

Xiao Yi replied impassively, “Does Brother know?”

Su Rui’s expression froze. Does he know…?

If he knew, would he have needed to come back in the middle of the night?