Baby~

Mu Yi took a sip of the Gopher Radish soup. It tasted surprisingly good, enough to rival a certain Qi's cooking.

He could not resist helping himself to a second bowl. As he lifted it to his lips, he caught sight of the people from Team 403 across from him, eating Nutrient Supplements while eyeing the food in their pot.

The sight was rather comical.

Mu Yi turned to Zhong Xuezhi beside him and asked, "Why don't they just head back early?"

Choosing to sit around taking abuse rather than leave was a little nuts.

Zhong Xuezhi gave a cold sneer. "We accepted the mission together. Of course they can't go back empty-handed first. How else would they get a share of the credit?"

"Mission?" Mu Yi narrowed his eyes. "That Prismatic Mushroom?"

Zhong Xuezhi nodded. "Exactly."

Mu Yi laughed in disbelief. "Seriously? Two hunting teams just to catch one mushroom?"

Zhong Xuezhi shrugged. "For you, sure, that's overkill."

"But for us, getting close to it is extremely difficult. One careless move and you get trapped in an illusion. If you can't break free, you die in there."

"That's also why I want you to come back to the research institute with us. Your resistance to hallucinogenic substances is nearly one hundred percent."

"Oh..." Mu Yi only half understood. He might as well concentrate on eating.

He finished the soup in his bowl, then stuffed a chopstickful of cold Moss Jelly salad into his mouth.

The Moss Jelly was pleasantly chewy, with the fresh fragrance of fir wood. The texture was quite nice.

He could not help scooping out the last of it from the serving bowl, slowly chewing with his eyes narrowed.

Back in his original world, he had sought out new tastes everywhere, from roadside stalls to luxury hotels, trying all sorts of food, good and bad.

But there were only so many ingredients and cooking methods. No matter how the dishes changed, most tasted much the same, leaving his appetite dormant for a long time after he had tried them all.

Now, though, Mu Yi chewed his Moss Jelly while looking at the Gopher Radish soup in the pot, as well as... the mutant bird egg and leaf meat Zhong Xuezhi had just served him.

Not bad. The more weird things the world had, the more varied the menu would be. It should keep him entertained for quite a while.

Mu Yi found the meal thoroughly satisfying, and his mood was equally good.

So, when Zhong Xuezhi started cleaning up, he went over on his own to see whether there was anything he could help with, even if it was only carrying a plate.

After all, Young Master Mu was not in the habit of repeatedly eating at someone else's expense.

But the moment he approached, Zhong Xuezhi shoved a cup of Bitter Yang Tea into his hand and pushed him by the shoulder. "Quit milling around here. Go sit over there and drink your tea."

Mu Yi: "..." Fine, then.

Mu Yi slowly turned around and returned to the large boulder he had been sitting on.

Once seated, he suddenly raised a hand, tilted his head, and felt around in his pockets. Unfortunately, they were completely empty. He did not even have anything he could use to pay for the meal.

His own fault for stripping off all his equipment so thoroughly before jumping off the building.

Penniless, Young Master Mu sighed mournfully, tipped his head back, and gulped down some Bitter Yang Tea.

But the next second...

"Pfft-!"

He sprayed out every drop of tea that had just entered his mouth.

"Whoa...!" Zhong Xuezhi happened to be passing in front of him with a plate. To dodge that fan-shaped attack, he moved so fast he left an afterimage.

Once he stopped, Zhong Xuezhi burst out laughing. "Oh dear, how come you're leaking when you drink tea?"

"Fuck..." Mu Yi's entire face scrunched up. It took him quite a while to recover.

Then he raised the cup in his hand and asked in all sincerity, "Are you sure this is tea? Not some chemical poison?"

Which genius decided something this bitter was drinkable?!

Zhong Xuezhi cackled. "How is it not tea? It's medicinal tea."

"Bitter Sunfruit, the bitterest of the bitter. Dispels dampness, boosts yang energy, relieves springtime fatigue-the ultimate choice for keeping you alert."

Mu Yi looked up and glared at him. "Why didn't you explain all that earlier?"

Zhong Xuezhi said, "You asked about so many things earlier. I wouldn't have had enough saliva to explain every single one in detail."

"Heh." Mu Yi had long since seen through a certain someone's true nature. He cursed under his breath, "Sneaky old bastard."

Zhong Xuezhi was not particularly pleased. "What do you mean, old bastard? I'm only three years older than you, okay?"

His mouth too bitter to bother replying, Mu Yi set the cup far away, folded his arms, and frowned as he waited for the aftertaste to fade.

Zhong Xuezhi watched him for a moment, then approached with two stacks of dishes in his arms and whispered, "Hey, there's something good in my pocket. Reach in and get it."

Something good?

Mu Yi tried to hold back, but his curiosity won out. Feigning reluctance, he reached into Zhong Xuezhi's pocket and felt around.

Something rustled under his fingers-a little bag. Mu Yi pulled it out and found a piece of Crooked Pear inside.

He raised an eyebrow. "Stashed this away?"

The Crooked Pear had been divided up and eaten as soon as it reached the table. Not even half a piece had remained.

Zhong Xuezhi cleared his throat and answered vaguely, "You could say that."

He had saved it specifically to help a certain younger fellow wash away the bitterness of his first cup of Bitter Yang Tea.

That younger fellow was not buying this slap-then-sweeten routine. It only confirmed his suspicion that this bastard had planned to trick him all along.

Mu Yi always repaid a grudge. When circumstances allowed, he did it on the spot. When they did not, he kept score.

And now, he hooked the little bag of Crooked Pear on his index finger and gave it a gentle swing. His smile was sincere, his tone suggestive. "Baby, you're so thoughtful."

His voice was neither loud nor soft, just enough to carry throughout the rain shelter. All four members of the group craned their heads over, ears pricked high and eyes brimming with a thirst for gossip.

Meanwhile, the dishes tucked under Zhong Xuezhi's arms nearly slipped and fell. He really could not handle the sound of Mu Yi's voice when he drew his words out like that.

He discreetly steadied the plates, ignored the teasing entirely, and pretended to be perfectly serious. "Hurry up and eat. Once you're done, pick up the trash around you. We're getting ready to enter the Ruined City."

Mu Yi gave a soft, amused snort and leisurely wiped the skin of the Crooked Pear clean. After taking a crunchy bite, he launched his second attack. "Thanks, baby. So sweet."

"Hiss...!" Zhong Xuezhi immediately turned and strode away with the dishes in his arms, shedding wave after wave of goosebumps with every step.

Serves you right for never learning. Why keep teasing someone who holds grudges?

Captain Zhong reflected on his mistakes as he hurried toward the cooking gear bag. When he reached the four spectators, he swept out a long leg and kicked all four of them.

"What are you all huddling around for? Go pack up!"

"Hehehe...!" The four scattered at once and obediently got to work.

Watching them bustle about, Mu Yi took another bite of Crooked Pear in a cheerful mood.

Heh. That'll teach you.

There was not much to the piece of Crooked Pear. Mu Yi finished it in two or three bites, then gathered up the man-made litter around him.

Once he had done a passable job, he noticed everyone else was still busy, and looked likely to remain so for a while.

With nothing to do and no desire to sit there staring into space, he took out the small Storage Bag he had asked Zhong Xuezhi for earlier.

Inside were two rolls of Giant-Bellied Colorful Spider silk, one gray and one white.

He took out the silk, twisted several strands together into thin cords, then crossed the two differently colored cords... and his fingers began to fly.

Since he had time to kill anyway, he might as well make a little something for his left wrist. He used to wear a watch there, and having it bare now felt strange.

Mu Yi's fingers were long and slender, his movements deft. Before long, he had finished half the beginnings of a patterned braided bracelet.

Just then, Zhong Xuezhi suddenly stopped in front of him and held something out.

Mu Yi lowered his eyes to look. It was a lock of gray-white hair.

He looked up in confusion. "What are you giving me this for?"

A token of love in exchange for calling him "baby" a couple of times?