Chapter 19: Are you cheating?

"What's up?"

Bao Jing said, "Wait, I was thinking of selling the supplies in Ye Xi'an's space here first; otherwise we'd have to come back to San Huan later, which is too troublesome. But seeing Ye Xi'an looking a bit tired, I thought better of it and will let Ji Jiangci and the others sell them when we get back."

We can't have them do all the work.

"It's fine, let's go back first."

Ye Xi'an happily followed Bao Jing back to the Slum, expecting a rundown but still quiet little wooden hut, only to find the house filled with a circle of men, all sorts of them.

The moment she lifted the door curtain, the men locked onto her like prey and all turned their gazes to her.

Her steps froze as she entered; three orderly, eerie gazes made her scalp tingle as she quickly figured out who was who in the room.

The man leaning against the wall with one leg propped up had a head of golden long hair, his skin deathly pale, lips red as if he'd just drunk blood, and overly long dark‑gold lashes that half‑covered his eyes, hiding his expression.

Even so, Ye Xi'an could sense his killing intent toward her.

Ye Xi'an thought he resembled a mysterious European vampire—gloomy yet beautiful—and if you weren't careful, he'd latch onto your neck and drain you dry.

If my memory serves, that should be the Golden Scale Snake Ye Ling, a second‑level metal‑system ability user.

The man by the table, sipping water from a chipped cup, was Ji Jiangci, a third‑level wood‑system North African Lion.

He was the most reliable and considerate of the Original Owner's old crew, handling all the household chores and food.

Just like his personality, Ji Jiangci had a pair of warm, peach‑blossom eyes, his cool‑brown hair combed in a middle part with slight waves, giving off a scholarly air.

If his clothes weren't so ragged, he'd surely be mistaken for a university Chinese‑literature professor.

He simply held his water cup and silently watched the returning Ye Xi'an, his gaze calm, devoid of resentment or affection.

Ye Xi'an even felt that, in his eyes, she was no different from a corpse.

The last man was Yi Yang, a first‑level earth‑system Labrador.

Ye Xi'an's impression of him was the deepest—not because he was outstanding or handsome, but because he was the one who made the Original Owner feel most stifled.

No matter how the Original Owner mistreated him, he remained independently optimistic and cheerful, believing the Original Owner's beatings were justified, which made the Original Owner—who deliberately sought to annoy males—feel happier, so her memory of Yi Yang became all the more vivid.

Yi Yang lay pitifully at the edge of the bed, not daring to sit on it, so he sat directly on the floor, his innocent forehead resting against the wooden bed frame, looking at Ye Xi'an with a resentful expression.

Three utterly different gazes were like ropes binding Ye Xi'an, leaving her unable to move.

"What are you doing? Come in."

Bao Jing wanted to go inside, but Ye Xi'an blocked the doorway, constantly urging her to enter.

Ye Xi'an had no choice but to steel herself and go inside, stiffly greeting the few people in the room.

"Hey~"

【26】 "........"

The room was dead silent; no one paid her any attention.

But it's fine; as socially anxious people, they have their own way of defusing awkwardness—pretend nothing happened, find something to do, and act busy.

Ye Xi'an scratched her head, hurried inside, pulled out the clothes she'd taken off from her bag to soak them, only then realizing there was no water at home.

She then thought of sweeping, but discovered there was no broom either.

For a moment she couldn't find anything to do, so she could only endure the stares of the few people present.

"Mom, what on earth can I do? God, please come save this child."

Bao Jing watched Ye Xi'an scurry around like ants on a hot pan and asked, "What are you looking for?"

"Huh? Nothing, nothing."

Ye Xi'an suddenly realized what she could do: "Oh right, I'll go check if the plants in my little world are still alive."

Before Bao Jing could tell her to take things out, Ye Xi'an's mental projection had already entered her little world, afraid to come out.

Bao Jing stopped paying attention to Ye Xi'an and instead asked the water‑drinking Ji Jiangci, "Aren't you curious where we went?"

Ji Jiangci said nothing; he had no interest in where Ye Xi'an and Bao Jing had gone, as long as they weren't dead it didn't matter to him.

On the contrary, Yi Yang was more concerned, his slightly immature face carrying blame: "Yeah, Bao Jing, where did you take my wife?"

He glanced at the Ye Xi'an curled motionless in the corner and said, "You even brought back a strange female—are you trying to cheat?"

"Don't say I didn't warn you: on Zhu Shen Xing, males who cheat have their genitals cut off and displayed as specimens in the Mission Hall."

hearing Yi Yang's increasingly absurd words, Bao Jing's face darkened: "What are you talking about? Who cheated? Stop spouting nonsense or I won't be polite."

Yi Yang stood up, neatly smoothed out his rumpled sheets, pointed at Ye Xi'an and said, "You still claim you didn't cheat, but you brought her back—if your wife finds out, she'll skin you alive!"

Bao Jing almost laughed at Yi Yang's stupidity; even if he really wanted to cheat, he couldn't possibly bring someone back.

"Wife, wife, wife—you call so affectionately, yet when she's right in front of you you don't even recognize her. Take another good look—just who is this person?"

Everyone understood his meaning: was he saying this strange female was Ye Xi'an?

"Impossible!" Yi Yang was the first to disbelieve.

He took two quick steps to Ye Xi'an, sniffing carefully; their canine sense of smell was always sharp, and a single whiff would tell him whether the person before him was indeed Ye Xi'an.

That one sniff was overwhelming; the female's fragrance streamed into Yi Yang's nostrils and straight into his brain, instantly making his gaze hazy.

But he relied on his male loyalty to stay clear‑headed, barely avoiding betraying his wife—phew, phew.

"She's definitely not my wife—my wife stinks, she's fragrant! You're trying to trick me into cheating!"

Yi Yang was truly angry now; even if Bao Jing were cheating himself, that would be bad enough, but he also wanted to drag him down.

Looking at Yi Yang's foolishness, Bao Jing could hardly bear to keep his eyes open; should he comment on how truly clean Ye Xi'an's bath was? Even a dog couldn't smell it.

"Believe it or not."

Ji Jiangci's gaze was probing; he didn't think Bao Jing was lying, and he noticed Bao Jing's clothes were obviously new.

"Where did he get the money?"

Ji Jiangci set down his cup and asked, "Where did you guys go?"

At last someone asked, and Bao Jing replied, "Ye Xi'an and I went on a mission. We took the Yuangu Shoushi assignment."

"What!"

Yi Yang was utterly shocked. How long has it been since they last took a mission? How could his wife suddenly take Bao Jing alone—how dangerous!

"Why didn't you wait for us to come back and go together! What if we encounter danger—what then!"

Bao Jing let out a cold snort: "Wait for you to come back? What if Ye Xi'an suddenly changes her mind—can you bear the consequences?"

(End of chapter)