Chapter 156: A Sleep

Bao Jing glanced at Ji Jiangci, sensed his embarrassment, then took the wet wipe Ji Jiangci handed over and walked up to Ye Xi'an, saying, "An'an, wipe your face."

Ye Xi'an looked at the wet wipe he handed her, then glanced at Yi Yang and Lin Zhi Jing who were making the bed, and at Ji Jiangci standing aside with his gaze elsewhere, feeling an indescribable awkwardness hanging in the air.

Everyone else is busy; she's already ready to wash up and rest—maybe she's being a bit too lazy.

But Bao Jing kept his hand raised, wanting to help her wipe, and Ye Xi'an found it hard to refuse, taking the wet wipe: "I'll do it myself."

"I'll do it; other people's wives have their husbands wipe their faces."

"Hehe, fine then."

Ye Xi'an could only stand obediently and let Bao Jing wipe her face; honestly, a day of just lying still while someone else makes the bed and washes up is actually quite pleasant.

Yi Yang quickly spread several thin quilts, gave the blanket a pat, and the next second slipped in; when the nest warmed, he lifted a corner of the blanket and shouted, "Wife, get into the nest quickly!"

"Okay, I'm coming."

Ye Xi'an, suppressing the guilty feeling of doing nothing, quickly slipped into the nest, and the comfortable warmth immediately enveloped her petite body.

She let out a sigh, "Yi Yang, your body is so warm!"

Yi Yang blushed at Ye Xi'an's slightly flirtatious remark, "Ah, wife, don't tease me like that; I'll get embarrassed."

"When did I tease you?" Ye Xi'an said, lying in the nest, feeling both amused and exasperated by Yi Yang's words; she had just said his body was really hot, so how was that teasing?

"Anyway, you're teasing me; look, my face is all red! That's proof!"

Ye Xi'an: "...... Can that really be considered evidence?"

Lin Zhi Jing, standing aside wiping his face with a wet wipe, glanced at Yi Yang, his beautiful almond eyes narrowing subtly; this simple‑sweet fool does have a bit of scheming.

"Alright, I won't argue with you. You all hurry into the nest; it's freezing outside."

Bao Jing and the others nodded; although they weren't afraid of such cold, no one would refuse to sleep with Ye Xi'an.

Ye Xi'an lay in the central spot, with Bao Jing and Yi Yang on her left and right, and farther out on each side were Lin Zhi Jing and Ji Jiangci.

It's not that Lin Zhi Jing didn't want to sleep beside Ye Xi'an; his beast form is serpentine, with a low body temperature, fearing he'd chill her, so he voluntarily gave up his spot.

And as the one with the highest body temperature, Ji Jiangci worried his appearance was too ugly for Ye Xi'an, so he didn't lean closer.

Although the bed was large, the area covered by blankets was small; with five people lying down, their shoulders were almost touching, legs pressed together.

The scents of different males mingled—some crisp, some gentle, some with a metallic note, and some like sunshine—enveloping Ye Xi'an.

Ye Xi'an's body was a bit stiff; this was her first time sleeping so close to four males, and she could even feel the faint tremor of Bao Jing's body on the left and Yi Yang's careful, hesitant breaths on the right.

But this somewhat restrained sleeping posture created gaps between them, letting the warmth escape through the cracks while cold wind whooshed in.

She felt a bit embarrassed, but it was truly too cold.

"Cold."

Her words acted like a signal.

The next second, Yi Yang immediately shifted toward her; his body heat was high, like a little heater.

Bao Jing also relaxed, turned to the side, his slightly flushed face, and gently wrapped his arm around Ye Xi'an's waist, pulling her a bit toward himself.

Thus, in a strange cramped yet shared‑heat state, they spent their first night on Zhimeng Xing.

The days that followed seemed to repeat that night.

Daytime on Zhimeng Xing wasn't unbearable; the sunlight, though not scorching, dispelled the night's chill. They followed the mission's requirements, gathering various ores and vegetation.

A month passed unnoticed.

The initial awkwardness and stiffness gradually gave way to habit; even Ye Xi'an, who had never been accustomed to sleeping with others, now slept with four people without any burden.

But a new problem arose; after becoming familiar, the initial restraint and patience vanished, giving way to complaints.

"Bao Jing, could you stop moving your feet around?" Lin Zhi Jing muttered a muffled complaint in the darkness.

He already disliked high temperatures, and Bao Jing kept pressing toward him; his foot was as hot as boiling water—if Ye Xi'an hadn't been there, he would have kicked it away.

Bao Jing's voice, drowsy and impatient, said, "The space is that small; how would I know I bumped into you?"

"You always squeeze toward me!"

"Then swap with Ji Jiangci?"

Ji Jiangci's voice sounded, laced with helplessness: "Stop arguing; An'an hasn't fallen asleep yet."

In an instant the quarrel subsided; only their mouths fell silent while their eyes continued to glare at each other.

Ye Xi'an, in the middle, could clearly feel the subtle adjustments of the bodies on both sides, each trying to make a bit more room for her, however minuscule.

Ji Jiangci was the quietest of all, always occupying the outermost spot near the wall, as if isolating himself.

But Ye Xi'an occasionally sensed that when she shivered from the cold, the blanket on the side near Ji Jiangci was subtly shifted a little toward her.

That night, after their final inventory of the harvest, they confirmed that all assigned tasks had been completed.

"Finally… we can go back."

Yi Yang let out a long sigh, his face showing unabashed joy, but when he thought that his ability hadn't improved this time, the joy vanished.

"Sigh, they say advancing to the second level is easy, yet my ability shows no sign of change."

He looked at Ye Xi'an, "An'an, we'll be back to Zhu Shen Xing soon; it's warm there."

Ye Xi'an also breathed a sigh of relief; the past month had been too fantastical for her: "Hmm, just go back then."

Ji Jiangci began tidying up, sorting the collection tools and daily supplies: "Everyone, organize your own things so nothing gets left behind."

"By the way, we still need to figure out how to excavate this Marshal's Mansion built from Dream Stones."

After half a day's effort, they finally smashed the underground Marshal's Mansion into fragments and carried them out.

Fortunately, Ye Xi'an's Xiao Shijie was large enough; otherwise, they truly couldn't fit everything out.

"Are we being too greedy, or should we leave some on Zhimeng Xing?"

Lin Zhi Jing: "Just leave a piece; bury it deep enough, and over time new Dream Stones will naturally form."

Although Lin Zhi Jing said that, Ye Xi'an still thought they should leave more, so besides burying a Dream Stone at the original spot, she also buried some elsewhere, hoping this would accelerate the formation of Dream Stones on Zhimeng Xing.