Not a Smart Girl

By chatting with Feili, Yaxiu had managed to stay conscious long enough to break out of the torrential storm and the black sea area. Yet, seemingly influenced by the white mist, a drizzle fell outside Canaan City as well. With not a single building in sight, there was no shelter to be found, so he had no choice but to stop by the roadside. “Feili, call Rose and ask her to pick us up.” The moment Yaxiu's feet touched the ground, he collapsed in a heap like a dismantled robot, though he still carefully set Niya down. “And see if you can contact the others while you're at it.” Inside the white mist, communication signals had naturally been blocked, making any calls impossible. Even out here, with the storm and lightning, there was no telling whether the Country of All Stars' infrastructure could be counted on. Yaxiu looked at Niya. The wanted criminal nicknamed “Dead Frenzy” had been quiet ever since earlier, as if the arrogant, bratty red-haired girl from their previous encounter had been nothing more than his hallucination. But when Niya lifted her head, Yaxiu caught a murky gleam in her crimson eyes. “You said earlier,” she said, “that you'd be willing to help me with anything?” While making her call, Feili kept a sidelong eye on the two of them. Yaxiu nodded openly. “Yes.” “Fine, then.” Niya pointed at the ram horns on Feili's head. “I want to gain power from you just like she does, or you can give that power directly to me.” Should he say she truly was the Sword Princess's projection, or that she possessed the keen insight of a serial killer? Figuring out that Yaxiu and Feili had supernatural abilities was nothing surprising, but discerning that Feili's power originated from Yaxiu was proof enough that Niya had earned her wanted poster using her brains. “I can't.” Yaxiu answered decisively. “I'm special, and she's special. There's no need for you to get involved in our dangerous lives—and no way you could, either.” As he said this, he braced himself for Niya to throw a fit. Yet once again, she defied his expectations. She didn't blow up, showed no displeasure, and didn't even demand to know what made them so “special.” Instead, she simply pulled two golden fish scales from inside her coat. “These seem to be quite important. What if I use them to make a deal with you?” Yaxiu still shook his head. “I really have no way to do that. But don't worry—under normal circumstances, this power can't be used in public anyway. And without it, we might not even be able to beat you.” “Still, your situation is dangerous. I hope—” “We'll talk about that later,” Niya cut him off. “Don't you have something you should explain first? Why did I suddenly... lose consciousness back there?” Yaxiu blinked, knowing there was no avoiding it after all. Resigned, he said, “The reason I kissed you earlier was—” *Thud!* Feili, who was on the phone, suddenly tumbled onto her backside. When Yaxiu looked over, she hurriedly pretended she hadn't been eavesdropping and explained, “I—my back just hurt a bit, so—” Yaxiu's gaze tightened, and he beckoned to her. “Come here. Sit down.” Sensing his displeasure, Feili hung her head and crept over to sit, looking like an elementary school student called into the teacher's office for puppy love. As a warm current seeped into her body, the wound on her back began to itch. Turning her head, she saw Yaxiu cough up a mouthful of bloody foam. “If you can heal, why didn't you heal yourself?” “I already did.” Yaxiu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. “But my injuries are too severe. I can only...” “No!” Tears welled up in Feili's eyes. Clinging tightly to him, she cried, “Yaxiu, don't die!” “...I can only heal slowly. I need to rest for a few days.” Yaxiu's face fell into deadpan lines. “If you squeeze any harder, I really might die of internal bleeding.” “Oh, oh!” Feili sheepishly released her grip. Feeling both embarrassed and intrusive about her reaction, she couldn't help saying, “Mine was just a flesh wound. You really didn't need to...” “Don't you have a date tomorrow, though?” Yaxiu said. “Joy Sword heals wounds quickly without leaving even a scar. Don't worry—I promise you'll still be pretty tomorrow.” Feili stared blankly at him. Only after a long while did she lower her head and murmur, “I believe you.” Yaxiu turned toward Niya. He was about to explain, only to realize how hard it was to find the words. *I was actually just flirting and making out with your true self?* Never mind whether Niya would even believe him, explaining her “true self” would require explaining the relationship between the Country of All Stars and the Stars. That was something Heath had taken several chapters of notes to explain clearly to him. Neither the circumstances nor his physical condition allowed Yaxiu to talk that much right now. “You won't lose consciousness again in the future. That was a miraculous accident,” Yaxiu could only say in the end. “As for that kiss...” Looking at the red-haired girl, he gave his answer: “You can treat it as a misunderstanding.” The rain seemed to be falling harder. Through the veil of rain, Yaxiu couldn't quite make out Niya's expression. “Okay.” Without pressing further, without hesitation, the red-haired girl accepted the answer and immediately turned to leave. Yaxiu scrambled to his feet. “You're too conspicuous on your own! We'll give you a ride back to Jiashi first, and then you can—” *Splash.* “Yaxiu! Yaxiu?!” Niya spun around and saw Yaxiu collapsed in a puddle. Feili rushed to cradle him in her arms. Watching the rain wash away the blood on his face, she was both heartbroken and frantic, tearing off her own sleeves in a panic to bind his wounds. “Get out of the way. Lay him on the ground.” Feili looked up and saw Niya. She was rather reluctant to hand Yaxiu over to this former classmate turned serial killer, but under the glare of those crimson eyes, she obediently complied. Niya pulled hemostatic bandages and various bottles and jars from inside her clothes. Within minutes, she had given Yaxiu's wounds emergency treatment. Then, she took out the two golden fish scales and gazed at them for a long while. Just then, the glare of headlights in the distance pierced the heavy curtain of rain. Yaxiu Heath would finally be able to return to the embrace of civilized society. Seeing this, Niya hesitated no longer. She handed one of the golden fish scales to Feili. “For me?” Feili was startled. “It's for him. He's unconscious right now, so you pass it on,” Niya said. “This spoil of battle should be split evenly between him and me. Now that I've given it back to him, we don't owe each other a thing, and we won't see each other again. Tell him not to look for me anymore, and I won't appear before him either.” “However, if I find out you've pocketed it for yourself,” the red-haired girl said coldly, “I will kill you.” With that, Niya vanished into the curtain of rain without looking back. Feili's eyes followed the red-haired girl until she disappeared entirely. Only then did she look down at the golden fish scale in her palm. *If we're never going to meet again, how would you know if I pocketed it?* *And if we are going to meet again, why bother having me pass it on?* By then, a car had pulled up by the roadside. Feili hoisted Yaxiu onto her back and got into the back seat. Rose, sitting in the driver's seat, asked, “Just the two of you? I thought I saw three people just now.” “Yeah. The other was Niya, but she chose to leave on her own.” Rose looked puzzled. “Out here in the middle of nowhere, why wouldn't she catch a ride with us?” Feili settled the unconscious Yaxiu securely in place, gently wiping the water from his face with the back of her hand. “Because she's not a smart girl either.”