Chapter 155 - 108: In the Future, I Will Definitely Do Better Than Fu Yuan

He pulled away from her lips, pouting with a resentful look in his eyes, as if he’d been gravely wronged.

Jiang Yunnuan simply ignored him, turning to head out.

"I’m starving. I’m going to cook. Both of you, come help."

The kitchen.

Jiang Yunnuan pulled a large number of ingredients from her storage space and tossed them to the two men to prepare. They both threw themselves into the work, diligently following her instructions.

Meanwhile, she stood to the side, supervising them.

Fu Yuan had been helping out recently, so his movements were far more practiced than Si Xie’s.

Compared to Fu Yuan’s deft knife skills, Si Xie looked clumsy and inexperienced. It was a complete disaster to watch.

Jiang Yunnuan shook her head, her eyes filled with disdain. If she wasn’t afraid he’d start trouble with idle hands, she never would have let him help. His work was just that bad.

But unexpectedly, he heard her thoughts again.

Si Xie turned to her. "I just don’t have much practice, that’s why I’m not very good. I promise I’ll get better than Fu Yuan in the future. Don’t be disappointed in me, Nuannuan!"

Jiang Yunnuan: "..."

’This damn Mind Reading Technique! I guess I have zero personal space now, huh?’

"Turn off your Mind Reading Technique. You’re forbidden from using it on me from now on. Do you hear me?"

She suddenly stepped forward and, having reached her limit, pinched his cheeks.

At her words, Si Xie blinked, saying with a wounded expression, "I can’t turn it off! Do you think the Mind Reading Technique is a door or a lightbulb, Nuannuan? Something I can just turn on and off whenever I want?"

Jiang Yunnuan: "..."

"What do you mean you can’t turn it off? You’re not lying to me, are you?"

"Of course I’m not lying! I really can’t turn it off. I swear!"

He put down the kitchen knife and raised two fingers, his expression deadly serious. Jiang Yunnuan let him go and ran a hand through her hair in frustration. She really wanted to kill a fox.

’This guy... he actually awakened the Mind Reading Technique?’

A flicker of surprise crossed Fu Yuan’s eyes. No wonder their earlier conversation had seemed so disjointed. So this was how the two of them were communicating.

「Two hours later.」

The meal was finally ready.

There were sixteen dishes in total: eight were pure meat dishes, and eight were meat-and-vegetable dishes. These guys were all carnivores, so Jiang Yunnuan had no choice but to go light on the vegetables.

Once all the food was on the table, Si Xie picked up his chopsticks, practically drooling with anticipation. But before he could dig in, Jiang Yunnuan rapped his chopsticks with her own.

She handed him a bowl of herbal chicken soup. "You eat this first. The rest can wait."

The herbal soup, in addition to chicken, contained cordyceps, goji berries, mycelium, lingzhi mushrooms, and other precious herbs, all stewed together specifically to help his body recover.

Si Xie frowned and grumbled, "I don’t want soup, I want to eat meat first. Can I have this later??"

Although the soup was a tempting milky-white color, it held no appeal when compared to the feast of colorful, fragrant, and delicious meat dishes covering the table.

Jiang Yunnuan patiently coaxed him.

"Your body is severely depleted and needs to recover properly, or it will affect your future Cultivation. I made this soup just for you—it stewed for a full two hours. Besides, there’s meat in here too. Come on, be good and drink up."

"Oh, all right then!"

Hearing that she had made it just for him, Si Xie’s mood instantly brightened. He shot Fu Yuan a smug, provocative glance and happily started on his soup.

A knot of jealousy tightened in Fu Yuan’s chest, his expression turning dark and sullen.

"Fu Yuan, where’s Ming Ye? I don’t see him."

Her confused voice suddenly broke through his thoughts. Fu Yuan’s gaze flickered, and he replied indifferently, "He went out early this morning. Said he had to take care of something."

"Oh. Did he say when he’d be back?"

Jiang Yunnuan pressed.

"He didn’t."

"Alright then, I’ll send him a message."

Jiang Yunnuan opened her Light Brain, pulled up her chat with Ming Ye, and snapped a picture of the food on the table. She sent it, then typed out a message.

"Dinner’s ready. When are you coming back?"

After a minute passed with no response, she grew impatient and initiated a video call.

The screen flashed, and Ming Ye’s flawlessly handsome face appeared on the Light Brain’s display. His lips were pressed into a thin line, his expression grim and cold, and his clothes were covered in blood.

Jiang Yunnuan froze. Before she could even process what she was seeing, his deep voice came through the video feed.

"I’ll be back in three minutes."

"Oh, okay!"

CLICK!

The video call hadn’t even disconnected when the door was pushed open.

Ming Ye walked in, bringing with him the heavy stench of blood. His purple-black combat uniform was covered in large stains.

Fu Yuan and Si Xie merely glanced up, their gazes unfazed. Only Jiang Yunnuan rushed over to him, her face etched with concern.

"Where have you been? Why are you covered in so much blood?"

"It’s nothing. Most of this blood isn’t mine."

Ming Ye replied, his voice still devoid of emotion. But Jiang Yunnuan’s sharp eyes caught a fleeting trace of sorrow in his.

’Something happened. Something definitely happened.’

But since he clearly didn’t want to talk about it, Jiang Yunnuan knew better than to press him.

They weren’t that close yet.

[Ding! Ming Ye’s Blackening Value is soaring. Current Blackening Value: 75.]

[Ding! Ming Ye’s Blackening Value is soaring. Current Blackening Value: 85.]

[Ding! Ming Ye’s Blackening Value is soaring. Current Blackening Value: 95. Subject is contemplating mutual destruction with the enemy. Host, please intervene immediately.]

Jiang Yunnuan was dumbfounded, staring at him blankly.

’What on earth happened?’

’How could he go out for a bit, come back covered in blood, and have his Blackening Value skyrocket like this?’

Hearing her thoughts, Si Xie, who had been happily slurping his soup, suddenly paused. With a greasy mouth, he turned to look at Ming Ye with a serious expression.

The first thing he noticed was a pair of beautiful, purple-black dragon horns.

’A flash of surprise crossed Si Xie’s eyes. He hadn’t noticed yesterday... Had that guy Ming Ye undergone genetic evolution too?’

’And he’d gone straight to becoming a dragon in a single step.’

’What kind of insane luck was that?’

The thought of his own twelve fox tails helped him feel better. Then, he focused on reading Ming Ye’s thoughts.

Ming Ye’s Realm was lower than his, so the Mind Reading Technique should work on him just fine.

But the man’s mind was a complete blank. There was no voice, no sound at all—the complete opposite of Jiang Yunnuan’s rich inner world.

After trying for several minutes without any success, Si Xie regretfully gave up.

’Sorry, Nuannuan. I can’t help you with this one.’

’The guy’s just too cold and detached. He has no emotions or thoughts for the Mind Reading Technique to pick up on.’

"Ming Ye, if you’re in some kind of trouble, you can tell me. I can help you. Fu Yuan and Si Xie can help, too. Isn’t that right, you two?"

As she spoke, Jiang Yunnuan turned to look at Si Xie and Fu Yuan.

She didn’t know why Ming Ye’s Blackening Value was rising, but she guessed it had something to do with the blood. After a moment’s thought, she realized she didn’t know how to stop it, so she could only try to placate him for now.

Seeing the threat in her eyes, Fu Yuan and Si Xie reluctantly nodded.

"That’s right!"

Satisfied with their response, Jiang Yunnuan turned back to Ming Ye.

"See? You’re not alone. In this house, we don’t lack for resources, money, or strength. No matter what trouble you’re in, we can solve it..."