Do You Really Consider Me a Friend?

"Characterized by devouring the life source energy of others, having a relatively short lifespan, fearing death, possessing an extremely weak will, and exhibiting many strange traits..." Zhe Qiuhong said. "For now, let's attach all these negative labels to it. "Let me clarify one more thing: we cannot simply assume Alphonse's condition was caused solely by the Yanxiu. He himself was the decisive factor. It's just that these traits will definitely affect you in the future as well. "Lastly, no matter how many problems exist, we cannot deny its immense power. "So, how to choose... I cannot help you. It depends on what you decide for yourself." Thoroughly acting as a doctor, Zhe Qiuhong looked at He Tangtang and spoke. "Oh," He Tangtang replied, then fell silent. He had never been one to fear death, and for now, he could not imagine himself becoming terrified of dying or turning sinister. *Yet if that day truly comes, could the fear of death drive me to 'eat people' too?* After all, just thinking about it, growing powerful by devouring other people's life source energy really was easy and convenient. *If it comes to that, Qingzi must taste delicious, Xu'er wouldn't be bad either... Plague Chicken? He can be a snack! One bite sweet, one bite bland...* "Shoo, shoo, get out of here!" Clearly, he had only been thinking about it in jest at first, but as his thoughts drifted on, He Tangtang suddenly scared himself. He anxiously asked, "Then if I don't want it, is there any way to drive it away? Other than offing myself, that is." "None. Aside from offing yourself, there's no other way, at least for now." Zhe Qiuhong shook her head firmly. He Tangtang froze in place. After thinking for a while, he turned his head in a daze, looking at the others in the tent one by one. "If a day comes when I really start turning into that... could you guys take me out early? "I'm bound to give myself away. I'm not a cautious guy." As He Tangtang spoke, his eyes reddened. Wen Jifei, Rusty Sister, Wu Xu, and the others present were touched by his emotion and felt somewhat at a loss for a moment. "Ahem! There's really no need for this..." Zhe Qiuhong glanced at the goosebumps on her arm and said distastefully, "You aren't even a top-tier yet, and for now, it seems you won't cross that threshold without external help." He Tangtang: "..." "Moreover, the will of that Yanxiu is currently very weak. So I deduce that as long as you don't break through to top-tier, it shouldn't have any effect." "That's good, then. He won't be able to break through," Wen Jifei said. He Tangtang: "..." *Going by that logic, I'll be stuck as a sub-top-tier forever? But I want to be badass!* "Actually, staying like this for now is quite good. It gives Tangtang time to think and adapt," Zhe Qiuhong said, closing the booklet in her hands. "Yeah." He Tangtang stood up numbly and turned to look at the others in the tent. "What the hell are you grinning at?! Let me tell you, being sub-top-tier is only temporary—temporary! You'd better start showing me some respect from now on, got it? Or watch out for my revenge down the road!" "Got it," they responded in unison. Then Rusty Sister stepped forward, hoisted him up, examined him, swung him back and forth like a pendulum a few times... and whoosh, tossed him right out of the military tent. "Go roast sweet potatoes obediently for Sister Caixin, understand?" Amid the laughter, Zhe Qiuhong stood up. She gestured with the thick booklet in her hand and said, "In here are all my thoughts and records on Yanxiu over the past two-plus years. Given the current situation, I suspect that among Ne, you all, and various parties including the late Alphonse, Azure's understanding of Yanxiu is actually the most lagging... So, should this booklet be handed over to Azure, perhaps to the Legion Commander?" The booklet hung extended in the air. No one reached out to take it. From the perspective of humanity's resistance, the booklet should indeed be handed over to Azure. But... Yaoyao-huanghuang knew that Qingzi had been called a Yanxiu on the summit of Xilang Peak. Did anyone else know? If they did, Qingzi would become Azure's first clearly identified Yanxiu. Wen Jifei thought for a moment and said, "Let's wait until Qingzi recovers and ask him about this." *** "A-Ate it?" The Little Prince's hand holding the blade trembled. "Yeah," Han Qingyu, bundled up like a mummy on the bed, said. *How the hell do you even eat that thing? Stewed into soup or ground into powder?!* The Little Prince, Zhu Jiaming, stood frozen in silence. In truth, he had long had a premonition that Han Qingyu had done something to the bone. Now, the very last sliver of hope had finally been shattered. His expression turned fierce. "In that case, I'm sorry, Qingzi... Now I have no choice but to kill you." "Why?" "Because you ate my bone! My family—my grandfather, my father, and me—we lived only to find those dragon bones! I am a proud descendant of the Great Ming..." "Tangtang isn't proud, though. Tangtang is a country bumpkin, just like me." "I was talking about ME!" Lowering his voice, the Little Prince roared in fury. He shoved his combat blade forward, slicing through the gauze wrapped around Han Qingyu's neck. That ripping sound made both of them freeze for an instant. "You're really going to kill me?" Han Qingyu asked. "Yeah." Zhu Jiaming looked down at the blade in his hand and said, "This is my only chance." "But even if you kill me, the bone won't come back." "Wrong! As long as I kill you and eat you, everything the bone gave you will belong to me! The Zhu clan is the true master of the dragon bones. We have methods you know nothing about." Inside the dimly lit military tent, facing each other alone, Zhu Jiaming held his blade pressed against Han Qingyu's throat. Outside were patrolling soldiers. The Little Prince had been able to enter while Han Qingyu was heavily wounded because, throughout his time in Stream Vanguard, he had always been considered a member of the inner circle—one of the people Han Qingyu trusted most. "I'm sorry, Qingzi. Spending these three years with you all was actually really nice, but I have my mission. Don't blame me for killing you today. In the future, if Plague Chicken, Xu'er, and the others kill me, I won't blame them either." A flicker of guilt and reluctance passed through the Little Prince's eyes before gradually shifting and hardening into resolve. "I understand," Han Qingyu said after a moment's thought. "But does eating me really work?" "...Yeah." "That magical? For real or fake?" "..." Zhu Jiaming's gaze wavered, growing weaker and weaker, until his eyes suddenly turned red. Mournfully, he said, "Fake. I just made it up." Han Qingyu laughed. "Sigh, what kind of mess is this?" Casting his combat blade aside limply, the Little Prince sat down on the ground beside the bed, staring up at the roof of the tent. "You know what, Han Qingchong? That thing really seems to be a dragon bone. My family used to have an ancient painting depicting the complete skeleton, and it really looked like a dragon. "My family used to guard the dragon bones. We guarded them generation after generation, starting back in the Great Ming... Later, when the Ming fell, almost everyone in my family died. The dragon bones were scattered and lost, and those who remained began searching for them. "It went on like this. From the moment I gained awareness, I lived solely to find the dragon bones. Over the next twenty to thirty years, fewer and fewer of my family remained. I had no home left. I wandered everywhere, playing both sides, acting like a man and living like a dog. I even served as a slave to eight different masters—all just to recover the dragon bones... "And now you suddenly tell me it's all over, that you ate the bone. What am I supposed to do from now on?" His despondency was genuine; Han Qingyu could feel it. "Doesn't look like there's any other way, does it?" Han Qingyu remarked. Zhu Jiaming nodded. "Yeah. But could you not sound like you sympathize? You're clearly the one who caused it." "All right. Then since things have come to this, wouldn't it be fine to just keep staying with us and strive to live on in this world?" Han Qingyu asked. The Little Prince abruptly turned his head to look at him, his gaze thoughtful and hesitant. "I... Actually, over the past couple of years, there's a question I've been wanting to ask you guys." "What? Go ahead and ask." Feeling somewhat awkward, Zhu Jiaming hesitated. "After these three years, have you guys really considered me a friend? I mean, maybe not to the extent of you and Plague Chicken, but at least not too far off." "Of course. You've long been one," Han Qingyu said. "...Shameless scoundrel, swindler, lying through your teeth without missing a beat." The Little Prince turned and glared fiercely at him, grinding his teeth. "Not unless you let me spend pocket money however I want from now on!"