Chapter 162: Truly Shameless

The scene was overwhelmingly awkward, and Qian Ye found himself at a loss for whether to listen or pretend he hadn’t heard.

Seeing that Qian Ye remained motionless, Li Kuanglan added, “I can’t make this move.”

Her voice was calm and cold, and Qian Ye immediately felt relieved. He knew all too well the extent of Li Kuanglan’s injuries; this action would aggravate multiple broken bones, causing pain and possibly requiring him to reset them. That would be more than just awkward.

Thus, Qian Ye reached out…

After Qian Ye helped Li Kuanglan tidy up her clothes, they sat facing each other as if nothing had happened. She asked, “Where is my sword?”

“I didn’t see it. It might have fallen somewhere else.”

Li Kuanglan frowned slightly and said, “That sword is very special. We should try to find it. Is my crash site nearby?”

Qian Ye shook his head, “Better not. At least not now. The place where you fell seems to have some kind of danger, so I moved you here.”

Li Kuanglan nodded slowly, “If even you think it’s dangerous, then I probably won’t be able to handle it, even after I recover. Unless we work together.”

“Let’s talk about it once you’re better.”

Li Kuanglan nodded and said, “Tell me about this place. I feel like something is very odd. This gravity is hard to explain.”

Qian Ye briefly shared his discoveries and the events of the past day and night. Of course, he omitted the part about treating her injuries, but he did mention how they survived the cold night, as it was crucial.

After a moment of thought, Li Kuanglan said, “So, if we can’t find any prey today, I might not make it through the night?”

Qian Ye didn’t want to hide the truth and nodded silently.

Li Kuanglan said, “Give me an hour.”

“Alright, I’ll keep watch.”

Li Kuanglan didn’t say another word, closed her eyes, and began to channel her inner energy. In just a short while, a thread of deep blue sword energy rose from the top of her head, condensing without dissipating. After a few more moments, she exuded a chilling aura, forming ice needles that pierced in and out of her skin. Her strength rapidly increased, her recovery speed unusually fast, highlighting the potency of this secret technique.

But suddenly, a flush spread across Li Kuanglan’s face. She trembled, let out a soft moan, and her breath became erratic. Startled, Qian Ye quickly stepped behind her, ready to assist.

Li Kuanglan pointed upwards, and a stream of cold air shot from her fingertip, turning into icy rain that drenched her. She shivered, the redness on her face gradually fading. She glared at Qian Ye and gritted her teeth, “It’s all your fault!”

Qian Ye was puzzled, not understanding why her concentration during practice had anything to do with him. But it seemed Li Kuanglan wasn’t going to explain, and she continued her practice. Due to this minor setback, it took her a bit longer than the expected hour to finish.

She let out a clear cry, withdrawing the surrounding cold aura, and stood up, saying, “I’m fine now, let’s go hunting! Uh…”

She momentarily forgot that her inner armor exposed her front and back. To counter the gravity, her body was tense, and a large movement caused her chest to bounce out again.

A slight blush appeared on Li Kuanglan’s face as she tucked everything back in. She glared at Qian Ye and said, “Don’t you have any clothes for me?”

“Oh, yes!” Qian Ye quickly regained his senses and took off his battle armor, handing it to Li Kuanglan. Fortunately, their sizes were similar, and the armor, though slightly large, didn’t hinder her movements.

Li Kuanglan glanced at Qian Ye, who was now only in his inner armor, and her breathing quickened. She said irritably, “You don’t have any other clothes?”

“No,” Qian Ye answered honestly.

Li Kuanglan sighed, knowing the value of space equipment. No one would store multiple sets of battle armor. She settled for asking, “Do you have a sword? Give me one.”

Qian Ye instinctively took out the Dongyue, but reconsidered and put it away, instead offering a half-meter-long blood-sucking blade to Li Kuanglan.

Li Kuanglan rolled her eyes and said irritably, “Why didn’t you give me the sword you just took out? Are you underestimating my sword skills, thinking I can’t use it? You’re giving me this small, crappy knife instead?”

Qian Ye patiently explained, “This short blade is quite high-grade. Use it for now. The sword I showed you is mine, and it really isn’t suitable for you.”

“Unusable by me? Ha, that’s strange. I’ve trained with swords for years, and this is the first time I’ve heard of a sword I can’t use. Hand it over!” Seeing Qian Ye’s reluctance, Li Kuanglan reached out to grab the necklace around his neck.

An-du-ya’s mysterious space was Qian Ye’s most treasured possession, valued above all his equipment, even above the Dongyue. As Li Kuanglan reached for it, Qian Ye instinctively blocked her, pushing her hand away and moving behind her, grabbing the back of her neck.

Li Kuanglan, taken aback by her quick defeat, gritted her teeth, “Can’t you just give me the sword? Must you be so stingy?”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Qian Ye reluctantly took out the Dongyue and silently planted it in the ground before her.

Li Kuanglan huffed, grabbed the hilt, and pulled, but the Dongyue didn’t budge. She was shocked and hurriedly channeled her origin power, pulling again. The Dongyue finally moved, but then dropped back into the ground.

In this world, the Dongyue weighed nearly a hundred tons, far too heavy for the injured Li Kuanglan to lift.

Her lips twitched, wanting to curse, “What a useless, heavy sword,” but she couldn’t bring herself to say it. Failing twice to lift the Dongyue was a major blow to her pride. She took a deep breath, gripped the hilt with both hands, and prepared to use all her strength to pull it out.

Unable to watch, Qian Ye stopped her, saying, “You’re still injured. If you force it, I’ll have to reset your bones again.”

At the mention of resetting bones, Li Kuanglan blushed. She silently withdrew her hands and watched as Qian Ye lifted the Dongyue effortlessly and stored it in An-du-ya’s space.

Sighing, Li Kuanglan said, “I finally understand why those in the military can’t handle you. With such a sword, your physical strength must be unparalleled among the Empire’s young generation. I once wanted to fight you to the death, but if we had, I probably would have been the one to die.”

Qian Ye shook his head, “I wouldn’t kill you.”

“Hmph! I doubt you could.” Li Kuanglan realized she might have said the wrong thing, but Qian Ye didn’t seem to notice, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

Qian Ye handed her the blood-sucking blade, “Try this and see if it suits you.”

Li Kuanglan casually swung a few sword moves and said, “It’s decent, good quality. But this is a blood-sucking blade?”

Qian Ye nodded, “I used to use this, but I don’t need it anymore. I kept it as a backup.”

Looking at Qian Ye, Li Kuanglan asked seriously, “You keep a blood-sucking blade. Are you really a vampire?”

“In the Unfallen City, many saw my blood core. Can that be fake?” Qian Ye replied calmly.

“Let’s not talk about that. Since I’m feeling better, let’s go hunting.”

Qian Ye nodded, and they left the cave, heading away from the large lake. They climbed over two hills and found themselves in a broad valley with a small lake in the center, surrounded by sparse woods. Li Kuanglan’s eyes lit up, “There’s water over there. There might be wild animals or fish. This place is truly strange. We haven’t seen any living creatures yet.”

“Near your crash site, there’s a large lake. I suspect there’s a powerful beast at the bottom, and this whole area is its territory, which is why we haven’t seen any life.”

“Territory is possible, but what does it eat? Such a vast area with no life, what sustains it?”

Qian Ye couldn’t answer, and Li Kuanglan merely posed the question. As they prepared for combat, they stealthily approached the valley.

As they descended into the valley, a small white creature darted out of the woods. It was round-bodied with short legs and a long tail, running swiftly. Three more of the same creatures followed, much larger and faster. The strongest one quickly caught up and pinned the smaller one down.

Just as Qian Ye thought the little creature was doomed, the larger one began mating with it. The remaining two, seeing the first position taken, fought each other, apparently vying for second and third place.

Li Kuanglan, enraged, shouted, “How shameless are these things! I’ll kill them!”

Qian Ye smiled bitterly, “Maybe that’s how they survive.”

“Aren’t we hunting? These are our targets. If you won’t act, I will.”

Qian Ye shook his head and quickly approached the group, shooting three lines of blood into the bodies of the three male creatures, sparing the female. The blood threads retracted, carrying a bit of essence back into Qian Ye’s body. He felt as if three fires entered his body, and he nearly entered a boiling blood state.

These creatures, though small and ordinary in strength, had rich and pure essence, each male surpassing a viscount of the Evernight.

Digesting so much essence required time. Qian Ye stood still, concentrating on absorbing it.

The female, seeing the males dead, jumped up, sniffing and poking at their corpses until she was sure they were dead. She then ran toward the woods, emitting a sharp whistle.

Two more males burst from the woods, chasing the female. She was quickly caught and pinned down, crying pitifully.

Li Kuanglan was speechless, muttering, “How shameless!”