But Qin Yue thought of one thing: money.
Buying Light-Orb Flowers would cost tens of thousands. They had been staying at the villa these past two days and hadn't managed to save enough, so she said worriedly,
"Xiao Mei, I don't have enough money."
"It's fine, I have plenty here. Look." Song Xiaomei opened a drawer. It was filled with cash.
"So much?"
Qin Yue was stunned. She stared at the drawerful of money in disbelief, feeling that Song Xiaomei was a little rich girl.
"Hehe, it's all money I saved. Fifty thousand came from my parents. They went out on a mission the day before yesterday and won't be back for more than ten days. That fifty thousand is my living expenses."
Song Xiaomei spoke confidently, her little face beaming with delight.
"You really are a little rich girl. Whoever marries you in the future will be so lucky," Qin Yue said enviously.
"Of course. But I wouldn't settle for just anyone. The person I like has to be a true hero who stands tall between heaven and earth."
Song Xiaomei clenched her little fist as she spoke, her big eyes sparkling.
But she soon remembered what they needed to do. She hurriedly picked up her phone and called the twin brothers.
The phones only worked within Blackstone City. Outside, there were nothing but mutated beasts, which severely disrupted the signal, making the phones completely unusable.
So phones were greatly limited, and even inside the city, only wealthy families could afford to use them.
Ring, ring!
"Hello, this is Song Xiaomei. I need you to do me a favor."
As soon as Song Xiaomei got through, she didn't give the other end a chance to speak and rattled off a long explanation.
"All right, it's settled. They'll pay for it upfront, and once they bring over the Light-Orb Flowers, I'll give them a thousand as a delivery fee."
Song Xiaomei spoke, feeling that the saying "money makes the devil turn the millstone" was absolutely true.
"I'll pay that thousand. I've saved up some money from my last two missions," Qin Yue said after thinking it over.
"No need, no need. Your job right now is to teach me how to use the scythe. Think of the money as your tutoring fee."
After speaking, Song Xiaomei picked up the two scythes, both resembling the Reaper's, and handed one to Qin Yue.
"Okay. Then let's go practice in the courtyard," Qin Yue said seriously.
"Couldn't ask for more."
Song Xiaomei's fair little hand gripped the long Reaper's Scythe as she hurried into the courtyard to practice.
The Reaper's Scythe was a weapon her father had collected. It just so happened to come in handy this time, and she had to admit, it felt great to use.
Song Xiaomei loved using a Reaper's Scythe like this. It felt far better than a short blade.
With two days of frenzied practice behind her, her combat skills had improved by leaps and bounds, and she was getting more and more comfortable with the weapon.
Time passed slowly as she practiced, and before long, dusk arrived.
Qin Yue glanced at the sky and grew a little worried. She didn't know why the Light-Orb Flowers hadn't arrived yet.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang from the front gate, instantly catching Song Xiaomei and Qin Yue's attention.
"Who is it?" Song Xiaomei called loudly.
"It's us."
A familiar voice came from outside the courtyard. It was Feng Zuo and Feng You, the twins.
"Coming, coming."
Song Xiaomei and Qin Yue hurried to the front gate. They didn't open it right away, checking through the peephole first.
"It's them, and their summoned beasts. So many Light-Orb Flowers—they're beautiful."
After confirming that there were no other unfamiliar people outside, Song Xiaomei slowly opened the gate.
"Why are you so late? We've been waiting forever," Song Xiaomei said with displeasure.
"Something held us up."
Feng Zuo smiled and held out a bunch of Light-Orb Flowers. But he didn't hand them to Song Xiaomei beside him. Instead, he turned and passed them to Qin Yue on the other side.
"Hmm?"
Song Xiaomei and Qin Yue were both puzzled, but they had to take the Light-Orb Flowers, so Qin Yue reached out for them.
Whoosh!
A sudden whistle cut through the air as a cold, gleaming dagger shot out, stabbing viciously toward Qin Yue's abdomen.
"Look out!" Song Xiaomei cried when she saw what was happening.
Pfft!
After the sound of flesh tearing, black blood dripped little by little from the blade of the scythe onto the ground.
Qin Yue's fair little hand gripped the Reaper's Scythe. She stood behind Feng Zuo, the sharp blade having torn a deep wound into his arm.
In that moment of crisis, caught completely off guard by the sudden attack,
Qin Yue instinctively swung the Reaper's Scythe in her hand. At the last possible instant, she evaded the attack and seized the chance to slash Feng Zuo's right arm.
Such an instinctive reaction astonished not only Song Xiaomei but Qin Yue herself.
But now wasn't the time to think about it. Song Xiaomei gripped the Reaper's Scythe tightly and glared at Feng Zuo, her entire body tense and ready to fight at any moment.
"Why did you attack Qin Yue? Have you lost your minds?!"
"I'm sorry. Kill me and set me free."
A hoarse voice suddenly sounded. Feng Zuo's hair stirred slightly, revealing his vacant eyes and his stiff, wooden expression.
"W-what happened to you?"
Song Xiaomei froze, unable to believe Feng Zuo had become like this. He hadn't been like this earlier.
"Get back. Their movements and expressions look just like Red Wolf when he attacked us!"
Qin Yue immediately pulled Song Xiaomei away, warily watching the twin brothers and their Gale Wolves.
"Die!"
The twin brothers suddenly sprang into action, thrusting out their sharp daggers and swinging them wildly without regard for their own lives.
Awooo~
The two Gale Wolves followed close behind, opening their foul-smelling mouths and sinking their icy teeth viciously toward Qin Yue's hands and feet.
"Big Black!!"
Song Xiaomei immediately called for Big Black, seeking help.
Roar!
A roar shook the surroundings. The Black Iron–rank Big Black Bear charged over on all fours and slammed into the two Gale Wolves, knocking them away.
Clang, clang, clang!
The scythes and daggers collided in midair, scattering sparks.
The Reaper's Scythe in Qin Yue's hands swept through the air in a dense flurry, blocking every attack. Several times, she even counterattacked, leaving wounds on her opponents.
"Careful! They're just like those Red Wolves—they've become living dead and don't feel pain!" Song Xiaomei warned when she saw the attackers' wounds turning black.
"Mm."
Qin Yue nodded, her fair little hand gripping the Reaper's Scythe tightly. As she swung it, she suddenly felt as if she could move it as freely as she pleased.
That seamless mastery, those counterattacks that seemed to come straight from instinct, made her feel exhilarated.
In this state, she and Song Xiaomei had originally fought the twin brothers together, but as the battle went on, Qin Yue ended up blocking every attack on her own.
Later, she drove the twin brothers back again and again by herself, leaving them covered in wounds.
"So strong!"
Song Xiaomei was moved. As a genuinely outstanding student, she had always been number one from childhood onward and was widely recognized as a genius.
Her parents had trained her especially well, and her close-combat skills were exceptional—something many people envied.
But now,
watching Qin Yue swing her scythe with such effortless grace, Song Xiaomei felt the enormous gap between them.
Qin Yue now moved like flowing water, her movements incredibly stylish.
"Is this what an inheritance can do? If only I could get one too!" Song Xiaomei looked on enviously.
Caw, caw, caw!!
Crows cawed, and a black crow appeared in the sky.
The next second,
the black crow split into dozens, plunging down like a sudden rain of swords.
"Not good!!"
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