Old Man and Little Fatty went to sleep.
Tang Fei wanted to sleep too, but Phoenix refused.
Tang Fei shut the courtyard gate tightly, set a few minor traps at the entrance, then returned to the veranda and flopped down in Old Man's old rattan recliner.
The chair looked battered and worn, but it was genuinely comfortable to lie in, like a soft bed.
Tang Fei let out a contented groan, then narrowed his eyes at Phoenix, who sat beside him on a little wooden stool with her face taut and back ramrod straight. "Aren't you tired?"
"Tired," Phoenix said.
How could she not be?
She had spent the entire day hunting with Tang Fei. To beat her opponent, she had exerted no small amount of effort. After getting home, they had run into assassins, then taken the initiative and fled into Hate Mountain.
This had been the busiest and hardest day of her life. She had never experienced anything like it before.
"Then why are you keeping your body so tense?" Tang Fei said. "Relax. Let your body and nerves loosen up, like me. That's the best way to rest."
Phoenix thought about it and found Tang Fei's words quite reasonable, so she said, "Then get up."
"Why should I get up?" Tang Fei asked.
"There's only one recliner. If you get up, I can lie down on it."
"Not happening." Tang Fei had none of the admirable virtue of yielding to ladies. He scooted to one side, patted the space he had just cleared, and said, "At most, I'll give you half."
Phoenix looked at the half of the "empty bed" and was rather tempted, but after hesitating for a while, she still did not lie down.
The upbringing and etiquette she had received since childhood would not allow her to do such a thing. Before marriage, lying together with a young man she was not even that familiar with—if those court etiquette instructors saw it, they would probably faint on the spot.
Tang Fei did not force her. If she would not accept, that was her problem. He was not the one suffering, anyway.
On the contrary, Tang Fei felt even better without Phoenix joining him.
After all, sleeping alone was far roomier and more pleasant than squeezing in with someone else.
Still, he felt faintly disappointed.
Did she think he smelled? He had not even complained about her lemon scent.
Phoenix looked at Tang Fei and said softly, "I'm sorry. If it weren't for me, you wouldn't have run into this."
"Sorry won't do anything," Tang Fei said. "How about adding another ton of supplies instead?"
"..."
"People like us in the wasteland live honestly. A hundred apologies aren't worth a ton of supplies. A thousand thank-yous aren't worth a radiation gun. To us, words are the cheapest thing there is. If you gave me those things, I could sit here thanking you all night."
"..."
Phoenix felt her chest swell with anger.
She could not even keep her back straight anymore. The front was simply too tight and uncomfortable.
Seeing Phoenix fall silent for so long, Tang Fei asked, "What? Are you angry?"
"No. I know you're telling the truth. In such a harsh environment, apologies and thanks really have no practical meaning." Phoenix looked at Tang Fei and explained earnestly, "I was just thinking... I should give you supplies and weapons, but I should also tell you I'm sorry and thank you. There are many ways to express gratitude. Those are the only two I can think of right now."
"I've read plenty of martial arts novels where the heroine gets saved by the hero and says, 'Your great kindness cannot be repaid, so I offer myself to you.' Aren't you considering that?"
"That depends on his face," Phoenix said.
If the hero was handsome, then it was, "Your great kindness cannot be repaid, so I offer myself to you." If he was ugly, then it was, "Your great kindness cannot be repaid, so in my next life I'll be your ox and horse."
Just like that, the empty promise got pushed into the next life. She did not even want to see him again in this one.
Tang Fei leaned his face closer. "Then take a look at mine."
"I think you have no shame," Phoenix said with a smile.
"..."
Phoenix burst into giggles, like a cheerful little hen.
It was strange, really. She was not someone who made friends easily. Because of her special status, she had had very few friends around her from childhood to adulthood.
Yet after coming to Old Earth, she had developed an immense sense of trust toward a strange man, and the way they got along made her feel relaxed and happy.
Tang Fei was crafty, cunning, ruthless, petty, and possessed none of the fine qualities found in New Star's gentlemen.
Yet he was so real that it made him seem adorable.
Phoenix used to hate men who lied most of all, but when she discovered Tang Fei was full of ridiculous nonsense,
she actually found herself thinking, This guy is pretty good at making up stories.
Before him, she could completely relax. She did not have to put on airs or pretend. She could say whatever she wanted and do whatever she wanted.
"You were supposed to go home," Tang Fei said. "What a pity you have to stay now."
Thinking about that fleeing starcraft made his heart ache so badly he could barely breathe. Wouldn't keeping that have been far better than keeping one Phoenix?
Women only increased the frequency with which I draw my sword.
Ever since this woman appeared, he had gotten into no shortage of fights.
"You make it sound like such a shame?" Phoenix stared into Tang Fei's eyes.
She wanted to know what Tang Fei really thought. Did he truly want to send her away that badly?
Did he not think having a friend like her around could be nice sometimes?
"Of course." Tang Fei nodded. "Once you go back, the things you promised me can be delivered. But if you keep nesting here, eating my meat, drinking my water, wearing my clothes, I still have to fight other men for you. It's exhausting and dangerous. Old Man was right—beauties bring disaster."
Phoenix snickered again. Tang Fei asked in confusion, "What are you laughing at now?"
"You said beauties bring disaster. Were you complimenting me on being pretty?"
"Did I mean that?"
"Of course." Phoenix nodded with absolute certainty. "Only someone pretty can be called a beauty."
"What about someone ugly?"
"Then she's a confidante."
"..."
"But you don't need to worry. I'll go back soon," Phoenix reassured Tang Fei. "If they hadn't come, my family might have had trouble finding this place. But since they came, I don't think my family could fail to find me—unless someone doesn't want them to."
"Mm, go back. This place doesn't belong to you, and it isn't somewhere you should have come." Tang Fei sighed softly.
Phoenix looked at Tang Fei. "Tang Fei, you're actually really amazing."
"I know. You don't need to emphasize it deliberately, like I don't believe in myself."
"..."
Tight!
Painful!
"Fine, keep praising me," Tang Fei said. "Whatever you say, I'll believe it. It's not like I'm someone who enjoys doubting others."
Phoenix took several deep breaths, easing the stifling frustration in her chest before continuing, "I've met many outstanding young people on New Star, but none of them compare to you."
"A single glimpse of Yang Guo ruins a lifetime," Tang Fei said.
"Who is Yang Guo?"
"My nickname."
"Oh." Phoenix nodded. "If it hadn't been for you this time, I think they might already have killed me. These assassins were all very powerful. They truly wanted to leave me on Old Earth. At the time, I kept thinking, if the person I met hadn't been you, what could I have used to protect myself? How could I have fought them?"
"If you keep going, I'll have to add more supplies again," Tang Fei said.
"That's fine. I'll give you whatever I can. As long as it helps you, I can give it to you," Phoenix said generously.
In the face of life and death, nothing else mattered. If he wanted supplies, she would give him supplies. If he wanted weapons, she would give him weapons.
If he wanted her, that was unrealistic.
"Good brother." Tang Fei brightened. "Making you my brother was worth it."
"..."
Phoenix looked down at herself. I have breasts. Why am I being called his brother?
"Tang Fei, how long have you been studying mechanical design?" Phoenix asked.
"Mechanical design?" Tang Fei froze. "You mean making that little bird?"
"Yes."
"I've been making things since I was little, so... many years, I suppose. But even now, I still haven't managed to make it fly."
"Then have you considered that you might be able to help me repair the Escape Pod? Maybe even fix the communication equipment inside?"
"I tried. It didn't work," Tang Fei said.
"You tried?" Phoenix's eyes widened. "When?"
"A couple of days ago, when you weren't around." Tang Fei looked embarrassed.
"My Escape Pod..." Phoenix had a bad feeling.
"It's still there," Tang Fei said. "It's just a little scattered. Maybe rats chewed it apart. You don't know this, but the rats on Hate Mountain have mutated. They can even bite through metal shells and swallow them."
He had helped hide the Escape Pod, and only he knew those paths best.
As a technology enthusiast, naturally he had wanted to take apart such an advanced piece of equipment from New Star and examine it.
He had not expected to be unable to put it back together.
"That isn't iron. It's titanium," Phoenix said.
It was one of the hardest metals in the world. Even ordinary blades found it hard to leave a mark on it.
And he was telling her rats had chewed through it?
"Oh, rats aren't picky eaters," Tang Fei said.
"..."
Once you reached a certain age, you could no longer sleep in.
Old Man got up early as usual. The moment he stepped outside, he saw Tang Fei and Phoenix sleeping while embracing each other.
The two were squeezed onto the same recliner, Phoenix lying in Tang Fei's arms with a sweet expression on her face.
"So fast?" Old Man was shocked. He had thought they would cultivate their feelings for a while first.
"In these trying times, people's hearts have truly degenerated."
Old Man shook his head and sighed.
Just then, chaotic footsteps suddenly sounded outside.
Tang Fei and Phoenix woke up instantly. Seeing herself lying in Tang Fei's arms, Phoenix's mind went blank. Before she could show her shock, she saw Tang Fei staring at her in panic and saying, "Why are you sleeping in my arms? What did you do to me?"
"..."
Old Man ran to the entrance and peered outside for a while. His expression turned grave. "Gray robes. So many gray-robed members of the Flame Shrine have surrounded us."
Before you continue