PSW - Chapter 108
Chapter 108
They set up camp in the forest.
Yu Yinan started a simple campfire outside the tent, and she and Zheng Yi sat on the ground around it. Yu Yinan stopped trying to preach about the Saint to the mutated plants. Zheng Yi told her to rest for a while, so she obediently sat beside her.
"Are we just going to ignore those mutated plants?" Yu Yinan hugged her knees, curling into a ball on the ground. Even though she could have leaned on Zheng Yi's shoulder by just tilting her body slightly, Yu Yinan didn't make a rash move and just sat there obediently.
"…" Zheng Yi's mental power stirred slightly. She sent out a small tendril to connect to the mutated plant network. As soon as she entered, she heard Zero One fervently preaching all sorts of saintly deeds.
There was even a mutated plant asking: 'Why does the Saint kill people?'
Zero One was there answering: [What killing? This is deliverance! Their bodies are full of sins that are hard to wash away. Only when the Saint personally delivers them can their souls become pure again! Otherwise, they would be sinful for lifetimes to come!]
Zheng Yi silently connected, and then silently disconnected. She looked at Yu Yinan and said softly, "They're too weak right now. It's not worth wasting time."
"Sigh." Yu Yinan could only sigh at this. She felt it wasn't that the mutated plants were too weak, but that Zheng Yi was too strong. Not just strong, but the speed of Zheng Yi's progress was… frighteningly fast. At certain moments, Yu Yinan truly felt that Zheng Yi had already reached a level of being "omnipotent."
Yu Yinan thought, maybe it was still okay now. Even though Zheng Yi was strong, she hadn't reached a ridiculously powerful stage yet. At least she hadn't completely transcended the category of human, right? She should… still just be considered a top-tier ability user? But the apocalypse had only broken out half a year ago. So… what about in one or two years? Five or ten years? Although Yu Yinan wasn't sure if humanity would still exist by then, with Zheng Yi's abilities, she would surely be able to live very well. When that time comes… will Zheng Yi feel lonely?
When a person becomes so powerful that they completely transcend the category of human, or even "ability user," reaching a height that no one can comprehend and possessing unbelievable power, there would probably be no objection to calling her a true god.
Even now, beings with the strength of these mutated plants already bored Zheng Yi… Yu Yinan couldn't help but sigh softly in her heart again. She was actually a little lost and helpless. She hoped Zheng Yi could always be happy. Anything that could pique Zheng Yi's interest would be good. It was hard for Yu Yinan to imagine what would happen on some future day when Zheng Yi grew bored with this world.
She hoped this worry was just unfounded.
While Yu Yinan was thinking about all these messy things, she suddenly saw Zheng Yi conjure a handful of meat skewers from somewhere. She held the large skewers, turning them over the tips of the campfire flames, occasionally sprinkling some seasoning on them. The fat on the meat sizzled as it cooked, and you could even see droplets of oil fall into the fire, making the flames flare up for a moment. The aroma burst out at once, invading the entire forest.
"Want to try?" After carefully grilling the skewers in her hand, Zheng Yi sprinkled a final dash of seasoning and sesame seeds on them and handed them to Yu Yinan. Then, she took a small folding table from her backpack and set it up on the dirt ground. With a flip of her hand, she produced two cans of cola. The pull-tab was easily opened with a crisp sound of fizzing bubbles, and the carbonated drink, still bubbling, was pushed over to Yu Yinan.
"If you keep this up… will you have enough Saint Points?" Despite the overpowering aroma of the grilled meat, Yu Yinan didn't take a bite. She looked at the can of cola with some worry, feeling that all the Saint Points Zheng Yi had worked so hard to earn were being spent on all sorts of food to eat with her.
Host: Zheng Yi
Saint Points: 12571
Backpack Slots: 11
Special Abilities: Water/Healing (High-Tier)/Storage (Low-Tier)
Zheng Yi glanced at her current balance. The mutated plants in this area were quite devout and had given her a lot of Saint Points. But even if they hadn't, she would eat and drink as she pleased. Zheng Yi didn't have many other needs.
If it were any other host or bound person, with such a large sum of Saint Points, they would definitely be in a hurry to buy all sorts of abilities to arm themselves, wishing they could unlock every ability and upgrade them to high-tier. But for Zheng Yi… relying solely on her initially awakened water ability was more than enough.
"It's enough," Zheng Yi said with a smile. "Jiejie, just eat."
Yu Yinan just sighed and mumbled softly, "I'm just afraid of eating you into poverty…" It was the apocalypse, and she couldn't help Zheng Yi much… In fact, she felt that just being able to eat her fill every day was happiness enough. How could she even think about these more "luxurious" delicacies?
"Hurry and eat. It won't taste good when it's cold." Grilled meat was definitely something that had to be eaten while it was hot. It was most delicious right after being grilled, while the oil was still dripping. The moment it entered your mouth, the flavors of all the seasonings would explode on your taste buds. When you were enjoying it most, taking a gulp of cola would bring a cool and refreshing feeling throughout your body. As Zheng Yi spoke, she took two skewers back from Yu Yinan's hand and started eating them herself.
As for Yu Yinan's muttering about "eating her into poverty," Zheng Yi clearly didn't care. With Yu Yinan's appetite, eating her into poverty with this stuff? That would be rather difficult. Besides, Zheng Yi didn't spend this much on every meal.
It was just that at this moment, with the bright moon hanging high in the sky, in the middle of the dense forest, and the campfire burning hot and bright, it was, by all accounts, a perfect opportunity for an outdoor barbecue.
After finishing the two skewers in her hand, Zheng Yi took out another handful of skewered beef. The beef on the skewers consisted of large, extremely tender chunks that had been lightly marinated in the system store. She continued to turn this batch over the flames. When it was about rare to medium-rare, she sprinkled generous amounts of seasoning on it as if it were free, and then continued grilling.
Was it good? It was delicious. So delicious that even the skewers seemed to have absorbed the flavor. Yu Yinan almost swallowed her own tongue. But as she ate the grilled meat and watched Zheng Yi's technique for sprinkling the seasoning, Yu Yinan inexplicably had the thought, "This fire must be marinated too." This fire, these dry branches… if they were edible, they would surely be delicious too. She didn't think about it anymore and just gulped down a mouthful of the carbonated cola. The churning gas created tiny "explosions" in her mouth and esophagus. Yu Yinan squinted, and before she knew it, she let out a burp.
She covered her mouth in slight embarrassment and looked up to meet Zheng Yi's gaze. In an instant, her face turned beet red again.
But Zheng Yi didn't comment on it. She just gestured for her to come over. "Jiejie, won't you come grill with me?"
Yu Yinan froze for a moment, then quickly moved to Zheng Yi's side. She took the handful of skewers and took over grilling them above the flames. Her perception and control of fire were masterful, so when it came to grilling, her control of the heat was just right.
Actually, if she didn't think about the Saint Points, if she didn't think about the value behind these things.
Beneath the bright moon, silver light scattered over every inch of the forest, bathing it in moonlight. And here she was, sitting across from Zheng Yi by the campfire, grilling and enjoying delicious food so comfortably and peacefully… The firelight made Yu Yinan's face look even redder. Her eyes reflected the hot, dancing flames, but her expression grew increasingly gentle and soft.
There were many, many moments with Zheng Yi when Yu Yinan would think: If only this moment could last forever.
Even if she were to die in the next instant, she would have no regrets.
"I'm always overthinking, coming up with all sorts of random thoughts." Yu Yinan turned the skewers in her hand while carefully sprinkling various seasonings with the other. Her voice grew softer as she said, "Even though it seems like we didn't do anything on this trip… I'm so happy."
Just sitting quietly by the campfire with Zheng Yi, doing nothing, just silently watching the moonlight and the forest, which was even more silent under the shroud of darkness, made her feel extremely happy.
Yu Yinan didn't really know what she wanted to say. She just… there was just an indescribable emotion surging within her. Her hands didn't stop moving, but her gaze followed Zheng Yi, watching her for a long time, lingering on her covetously. Or perhaps, she just wanted to tell Zheng Yi about the flutter in her heart at this moment, the warmth and contentment she felt.
Her gaze was as scorching as the blazing campfire before her, but as she watched Zheng Yi for a long time, the emotion settled slightly, softening like the moonlight.
"I like you so much."
After saying this, Yu Yinan averted her gaze. She stared at the skewers in her hand and began grilling them earnestly again. As if they were some incredible treasure. Only the ears on both sides of her face, redder than if they'd been roasted by the fire, betrayed her. Her translucent pink earlobes looked as if they were about to drip blood.
Zheng Yi continued to watch her quietly. When Yu Yinan had finished grilling the skewers and was forcing herself to act nonchalant as she handed them to Zheng Yi, she heard Zheng Yi let out a soft sigh. Then, Zheng Yi stood up, came up gently from behind, wrapped her arms around her shoulders, and leaned her body halfway against her back.
Cool fingertips brushed past Yu Yinan's chin. Zheng Yi caressed her frighteningly hot cheeks, then turned to pinch both of Yu Yinan's earlobes. Then she said, as if with a touch of emotion, "I know."
"Jiejie likes me this much, huh."
Still, there was no response.
Yu Yinan had long since anticipated Zheng Yi's reaction, so she wasn't exactly disappointed. After all, her emotions were passionate and full. When her feelings reached a certain peak and the words churning in her throat could no longer be swallowed, that confession of "like" just came out naturally, without expecting a reply.
She held up the grilled meat, manipulating the flames to prevent the heat from affecting the food that was already in a "perfect" state. She turned her head with a smile to look at Zheng Yi. "It's ready~ Want to eat now?"
Zheng Yi took a step back, giving Yu Yinan room to stand up, and took the piping hot, still-dripping skewers from her hand. The moment Yu Yinan stood up, Zheng Yi reached out, pulled her by the collar, and pressed a kiss on her lips.
Although Zheng Yi had never responded to her confession, she had never resisted these intimate contacts… Yu Yinan thought hazily, quickly becoming lost in the kiss. She didn't know when it happened, but when Zheng Yi pulled away slightly, Yu Yinan chased after her, reluctant to let go. Her eyes were misty with desire. As they were half-open, half-closed, Zheng Yi kissed her again, and a hard, round piece of candy was passed into her mouth.
A sweet and sour taste instantly exploded on her tongue. Yu Yinan let out a dissatisfied nasal sound and was pulled away by Zheng Yi.
"Jiejie~ If you don't eat the meat, it's going to get cold."
Yu Yinan didn't want to eat any more grilled meat, but in a flash of rationality, she remembered that the meat, the cola, everything was bought with Zheng Yi's Saint Points. Her slightly muddled mind cleared up immediately. She gave Zheng Yi a somewhat wronged look and crunched the sweet and sour hard candy in her mouth. "I know… I'll eat."
Yu Yinan straightened her clothes a little, took the skewers from Zheng Yi's hand, used her ability to heat them up slightly, then gave half to her and sat down on the ground to eat. She casually placed the half-full can of cola on the grass beside her, taking a sip after every couple of skewers.
Zheng Yi was always like this… always teasing her. Before, when she didn't understand more intimate acts, it was fine. No matter how hot and bothered she got, she could calm down quickly. But! But now, after her "advanced studies" with Chu Yi…
After finishing the handful of skewers, not only did Yu Yinan fail to calm down, but the fire in her heart burned even more uncomfortably. She could clearly feel her body having a physiological reaction to Zheng Yi. Before, she had never been… this sensitive.
Yu Yinan drank the rest of the cola in one go. She could feel the cold liquid flowing down her esophagus into her stomach, but it still couldn't extinguish her growing, unsatisfied desire. Yu Yinan casually crushed the can in her hand. When she turned her head, she saw that Zheng Yi had set up the shower stall. Her smile was as sweet as ever. "Jiejie, do you want to take a shower?"
…She did indeed need to cool off.
But hearing Zheng Yi say it with that smile, Yu Yinan felt a bit strange. The matter of her "advanced studies" was a secret. Although she had learned the knowledge, Yu Yinan didn't want to reveal that she had been completely ignorant about these things before, to the point of needing Chu Yi's help to study the… learning materials. Yu Yinan pressed her lips together, still not wanting to reveal anything. She took a napkin and wiped the grease from her mouth, then stood up and patted the dirt off her back. "…I want to sit outside with you for a little longer. I'll shower later."
With such a fine time and beautiful scenery, after eating and drinking her fill, how could she not stay and appreciate it? Yu Yinan controlled her body temperature and sat down next to Zheng Yi again. She held out her hands, and before she could speak, Zheng Yi condensed some clean water for her to wash them.
Yu Yinan smiled, took one of Zheng Yi's hands, and lay back on the ground with her. They lay there, hands clasped, looking up at the bright moon in the night sky.
Yu Yinan thought: Actually, there's no need to deliberately take things further.
The way she and Zheng Yi were now was actually quite nice.
As long as she was with Zheng Yi, letting things happen naturally was fine. Anything was fine.
Comments
Post a Comment