Chapter 116: Chapter 116: Breaking Free
Zhou Yi watched as Tang Xue, who was usually so boisterous, lively, and affectionate, suddenly became silent and calm, as if she were a completely different person.
Even the tone and pitch of her voice were different from before.
"Contractor, I underestimated the enemy’s strength. I was careless." Zhou Yi quickly admitted his mistake.
Tang Xue fell silent again. The entire camp was shrouded in night, and the atmosphere was extremely oppressive.
"I can’t really blame you. You took all the fighting power you could from the team, so you did the best you could," Tang Xue looked at him with a half-smile.
"Contractor, has Min Wu’s ability advanced? He just appeared out of nowhere and rescued me. With the power he just displayed, killing Ning Xuan and her group would be effortless."
"Ning Xuan and her people should still be back there. Why don’t we have Min Wu go again? As long as we capture Ning Xuan and bring her here, the Golden Scale Stone Mine she’s already excavated will be all ours," Zhou Yi said excitedly, looking at Min Wu.
Min Wu was Tang Xue’s first Contractor. They were childhood sweethearts, having grown up together. Min Wu and Tang Xue had a genetic compatibility of 90%, and their bond was incredibly strong.
As for Zhou Yi, he was the son of Zhou Tianqiao, the leader of the Wind Wolf Mercenary Corps. The Zhou Family was immensely powerful on Star A402. Zhou Yi had set his sights on Tang Xue and forced her to perform a Contract ceremony with him, making him her main husband in the eyes of Federation law.
Although Tang Xue hadn’t officially married into the Zhou Family, she lived as if she had. Worse, Min Wu was frequently oppressed by Zhou Yi. At first, Tang Xue tried her best to protect Min Wu, clashing with Zhou Yi time and again. But this only made Zhou Yi’s abuse of Min Wu even more vicious. During that period, Min Wu was constantly and severely injured. It continued until Tang Xue feared he was on the verge of death. She had no choice but to swallow her pride and compromise, appeasing Zhou Yi just so she could secretly save Min Wu.
From then on, Tang Xue sent Min Wu away, refusing to let him near her except during her "heat periods." This time, however, Min Wu had learned that Tang Xue was entering the Lingxiao Secret Realm. Worried for her safety, he found a way into the Secret Realm himself and sought her out.
Seeing Zhou Yi’s excited expression, Tang Xue suddenly stared at the thumb ring on his right hand and said, "Zhou Yi, Min Wu nearly died in the battle today. He spent half the day recuperating, and the small amount of energy he managed to build up was completely depleted saving you."
"You can’t feel the pain in your shoulder anymore, can you?" Tang Xue asked, not waiting for Zhou Yi’s reply.
"Ye...s. It was hurting badly just a moment ago, but now I don’t seem to feel anything." Hearing this, Zhou Yi’s heart sank. He reached back to touch the wound on his shoulder blade, his fingers meeting a cold, swollen surface.
The sensation was like touching the flesh of a bloated, waterlogged corpse.
He whipped his head around in a panic to look. The spot on his shoulder blade was already swollen high. It wasn’t a healthy red, but a lifeless, bluish-black.
"What’s happening? How can this be?" As the realization dawned on him, Zhou Yi felt his blood run cold.
"Starting yesterday, any large wound runs the risk of infection by the Miasma Poison. Once you’re infected, the only thing you can do is wait to die. The Antidote Potions we’re carrying are useless against this toxin. Wang Xiaodong’s body is over there; he died from the Miasma Poison. You can go take a look," Tang Xue said to Zhou Yi, pointing outside the camp.
"Wang Xiaodong... is dead?" Wang Xiaodong was the one who had been left behind with Min Wu during the day, abandoned by the team as a pawn.
"Mhm, he’s dead." Tang Xue nodded.
"Ning Xuan can save me! During the day, Min Wu’s Mutated Degree was over 70%, and she still managed to save him! My condition is much milder than his was. Min Wu, hurry up and capture Ning Xuan! Don’t hurt her. With medical skills that amazing, she’s practically a walking good luck charm in the Lingxiao Secret Realm right now."
"Contractor... Little Snow... I’m right, aren’t I?" Zhou Yi looked at Tang Xue, his voice pleading.
Zhou Yi was panicking. The Wind Wolf Mercenary Corps had brought in thirty people, including him, but twenty-two were already dead. The remaining seven were all people who usually supported Tang Xue. He was now realizing that Tang Xue was slipping out of his control.
"Your thumb ring... it’s not glowing anymore," Tang Xue said suddenly, out of the blue.
When Zhou Yi heard this, it was as if he’d been plunged into an ice cavern.
"Your thumb ring is a conductor that uses blood as a medium, isn’t it? It’s not glowing anymore. I wonder if that’s because your blood has been contaminated by the Miasma Poison," Tang Xue said pensively.
"Little Snow, save me! Please, I’m begging you! I don’t want to die!" Zhou Yi was utterly frantic.
"Li Fei, you and your men watch him. Don’t let him make a sound." Tang Xue seemed unwilling to say more, getting up to rest inside a makeshift tent.
Min Wu immediately followed.
The moment Min Wu entered the tent, Tang Xue pushed him down to the ground. Her hands slid inside his clothes, stroking his chest and waist. "Let me see your ears. I want to touch them," Tang Xue’s voice was low and husky.
Min Wu smiled indulgently. His human ears instantly transformed into white wolf ears—pointed, soft, and perfect for petting.
"I just told you to go take a look. Why did you save him? Li Fei and the others are members of the Wind Wolf Mercenary Corps, after all. Who knows if one of them is a spy for Old Thief Zhou."
"You’re so foolish. If you’d gone just a little later, Ning Xuan and her people might have already finished him off." Tang Xue hugged Min Wu, stroking and kissing him as if she couldn’t get enough.
"Zhou Yi sent back a signal. With Li Fei and the others watching, I had to go. Besides, we didn’t know what his situation was. Honestly, we never expected his sneak attack would actually fail," Min Wu said with a sigh.
"You’re right. Who do you think this Ning Xuan is? Some unknown, hidden genius? Or a chosen prodigy cultivated by one of the ancient families? What should we do?" Tang Xue was asking Min Wu, but she was also asking herself.
"Little Snow, we should do our best not to make an enemy of Ning Xuan. The Wind Wolf Mercenary Corps may be powerful, but my strength has improved, and I can protect you now. Once we get out of the Lingxiao Secret Realm, we can apply to live on the Central Star. The Wind Wolf Mercenary Corps can’t reach us there." Min Wu looked at Tang Xue with loving concern; he would do anything for her.
"I can’t be certain yet, but my Spiritual Power Level should have broken through to the SS-Level. I still don’t stand a chance against Old Thief Zhou, but we can lie low for now. We’ll hide on the Central Star. Once I get stronger, we can go and take our revenge."
As Min Wu spoke, his tone was calm and his gaze was tranquil, showing not the slightest trace of anger or sadness.
The rule of this world was that the strong preyed on the weak. In the past, they had been weak, able to do nothing but endure the torment of the Zhou father and son.
