Gazing at Huang Xiu’s sleeping face, Yun Ning smiled faintly.
“She actually fell asleep?”
Despite her insistence on staying up all night at the internet cafe, by five in the morning, she had already succumbed to sleep.
Upon reflection, Yun Ning realized that his junior sister, Huang Xiu, likely couldn’t help it. Her ability offered no physical enhancement to her body.
Having pushed her ability beyond its limits for the mission tonight, her mental exhaustion must have been considerable.
Adding to that, the copious amount of late-night snacks would draw blood to her digestive system. Even for an Awakened individual, it was undoubtedly too much to bear.
“Such stubbornness,” he murmured.
Yun Ning shook his head. He knew precisely why Huang Xiu had been so insistent on spending the entire night at the internet cafe.
It was a blend of unwillingness to concede, a touch of jealousy, and a hint of her characteristic stubbornness.
Yet, he had to admit, this side of Huang Xiu made her seem more like a typical student, even more endearing than before.
He neither woke Huang Xiu nor presumed to take her away. Instead, he simply asked the internet cafe attendant for a blanket to cover her.
After all, Shi Lei and Mi Hong were still at their computers. If he were to leave with Huang Xiu now, his junior sister would surely grumble about him behind his back later.
Gently, he draped the blanket over Huang Xiu.
Yun Ning then resumed playing his game.
He intended to diligently practice this game, striving to elevate his skill level further.
This wasn’t because he had fallen in love with the game after playing it for a while.
He neither particularly loved nor detested the game.
The thrill and addictive nature of this game, after all, paled in comparison to the profound satisfaction an Awakened individual felt from cultivating their abilities and experiencing their power grow.
However, to ensure he and Huang Xiu shared common interests, he resolved to continue playing.
‘Yes, this is an effort to secure a permanent teammate in my junior sister later, an effort without expectation of immediate reward.’
Yun Ning was already preparing for the team-up season.
He continued playing League of Legends, his performance steadily improving.
It wasn’t until the morning light streamed through the window, bathing the desk in gold, and Shi Lei and Mi Hong had logged off and left, that he gently roused Huang Xiu.
“Morning, the all-nighter is over. Time to head back to the hotel,” Yun Ning said with a smile.
Huang Xiu, still hazy from sleep, was momentarily disoriented.
Upon hearing his words, she snapped back to reality and instinctively turned her head, looking towards Shi Lei’s former spot. A sigh of relief escaped her when she saw they had already departed.
This inexplicable, silent war, known only to her, had been won by Huang Xiu!
“Senior, I’m sorry… I was the one who insisted we stay all night, but I… I fell asleep.”
Huang Xiu twirled a strand of her hair, her face flushed with embarrassment.
She had dragged Yun Ning, who rarely visited internet cafes or played games, to stay all night. It had been quite an imposition.
At the time, she had been so annoyed and throwing a tantrum that she hadn’t cared. Now, with her anger subsided, she felt a little awkward.
“It’s fine. This game is quite fun.”
Yun Ning logged off, stood up, and stretched. He turned to Huang Xiu, his gaze sincere.
“We can play together often next time.”
‘If we can become gaming companions, then forming a team for the team-up season should be foolproof, right?’
Yun Ning, having already decided to recruit his junior sister, Huang Xiu, into his team, was terrifyingly composed at this moment.
“Alright, next time let’s continue our duo queue,” Huang Xiu said, smiling and nodding, a faint blush on her cheeks.
She had spent some time with Yun Ning, but this was the first time she had thought: ‘Senior Yun Ning’s temper is so good, so stable, and he’s such an excellent person… It’s truly wonderful that I can be friends with him, that we’re senior and junior disciples!’
“Let’s go. You look like you haven’t had enough sleep. We’ll head back to the hotel first and depart for school this afternoon.”
Seeing Yun Ning arrange their itinerary in just a few words, Huang Xiu naturally had no reason to refuse.
She yawned, propping her hands on the armrests of the chair, preparing to stand up and leave.
However, the moment she pushed up and her bottom lifted from the sofa, an intensely exhilarating, yet agonizing, soreness instantly shot through her lower back and abdomen.
“Hiss!”
Huang Xiu’s expression changed abruptly. Her hands gave way, and she flopped back onto the sofa with a thud.
“What’s wrong?”
Yun Ning, who had taken only two steps, heard the commotion and turned back, looking at her with a puzzled expression.
“Nothing, nothing,” Huang Xiu grimaced, forcing herself to stand despite the sharp ache in her abdomen.
As she stood, she realized the soreness in her calves and thighs was no less intense than in her core. With every step, her legs felt weak and unsteady.
‘Tears streamed down my heart,’ Huang Xiu thought. ‘Insufficient stretching leads to tears the next day!’
At this point, how could she not realize what had happened to her body? It was all due to her greed for food that day.
Presuming upon her status as an Awakened individual, with her powerful physique and astonishing recovery, she had only stretched briefly after class.
At the time, everything felt fine, so she hadn’t paid it much mind, only to now suffer the bitter consequences.
‘Damn it! I thought my powerful physique as an Awakened individual meant a simple stretch would suffice. Lactate acid truly punishes everyone who talks tough,’ Huang Xiu lamented, limping towards Yun Ning.
“Is it muscle soreness?”
Observing Huang Xiu’s strange gait and weak legs, Yun Ning roughly understood what was happening to her.
“I told you, didn’t I? You’d know the next day,” he said with a chuckle.
Hearing this, Huang Xiu instantly recalled Yun Ning’s profound expression on the plane yesterday.
“Damn it, so Senior Yun, you knew all along! Why didn’t you warn me?” She gently punched Yun Ning, a hint of resentment in her action.
“Only by experiencing it firsthand will you truly learn,” Yun Ning said, adopting the air of an experienced elder. “You need to understand that Awakened individuals are no different from ordinary people. When hungry, you eat; when tired, you sleep; when injured, you heal; and after exercise, you stretch…”
“Alright,” Huang Xiu said, enduring the soreness as she walked out, her lips twitching from the pain. “Awakened individuals are people too. Awakened lives are lives too. Precious lives!”
“I didn’t use my knee to subdue your neck, you know!” Yun Ning chuckled, making a gesture of bending his knee.
“Huh, Senior, you actually know that meme?”
Huang Xiu had only subconsciously made the reference out of habit, but she hadn’t expected her senior to actually catch on.
Pushing open the heavy door of the internet cafe, Yun Ning gestured for Huang Xiu to go out first.
“I’ve been trying hard too,” he said.
Ever since that time at the hotel when he couldn’t keep up with the conversation, he had indeed started paying intentional and unintentional attention to popular online memes.
Although he didn’t know many memes yet, this particular one happened to be in his mental ‘database.’
‘He’s been trying… to keep up with my jokes?’ Huang Xiu was surprised that Yun Ning had put effort into this aspect. She couldn’t help but secretly marvel at her senior’s thoughtfulness.
It truly felt nice to have someone around who could catch her references!
She knew she was benefiting from having the same teacher, which was why Yun Ning was so accommodating.
At this moment, she felt even more strongly that agreeing to be Yuan Fei’s student had been the right choice. Thinking of this, she paused at the top of the stairs, turning back with a smile. “Then Senior, you must keep up the good work!”
With that, Huang Xiu turned gracefully and started walking down the stairs.
However, she had barely descended one flight before an involuntary, whimpering cry of agony escaped her lips.
“Ugh!”
It was excruciatingly sore! It was even more painfully satisfying than that time she had freeloaded off a classmate’s gym membership and spent an entire afternoon training her legs.
Yun Ning sighed, walked over, and extended a hand. “Do you want me to carry you to the car?”
Hearing the sensitive word “carry,” Huang Xiu shook her head without a second thought, immediately refusing.
“No need.”
The last time, it had been a race against death with a horde of monsters chasing her, so she had no choice. But this time, she had all the time in the world; she could even inch her way back if she had to.
So, Yun Ning watched as Huang Xiu took two steps, then yelped.
In the end, she stubbornly endured the soreness, shuffling down from the internet cafe on the third floor. She then walked nearly fifty meters through the alley before getting into the car.
Even he had to admit that his junior sister’s perseverance could sometimes be truly astonishing.
“Let’s go back to the hotel to sleep.”
Huang Xiu panted, waving her hand proudly. “Back to the hotel to sleep.”
She had eaten quite a lot of late-night snacks yesterday, so she wasn’t hungry now. Thus, neither of them planned to have breakfast; they drove straight back to the hotel.
Although the hotel’s check-out time was noon, it was usually possible to extend it by an hour or two with a little flexibility.
Huang Xiu, always one to be frugal and manage her household diligently, decisively rejected Yun Ning’s suggestion to stay a few more hours.
They set their meeting and return journey time for one o’clock.
Sleeping from eight until one would give her five hours, which was more than enough for Huang Xiu, who had already slept through the entire night.
Back in her room, Huang Xiu forced herself to endure her sleepiness and soreness, quickly taking a shower. She breathed a sigh of relief after washing off the smell of smoke.
‘I used to be covered in the smell of smoke after spending time online, but now, just a month later, I find it almost unbearable.’ Miss Xiu Xiu wrinkled her nose at the smoke-laden clothes, a hint of disdain on her face.
She decided that in the future, if there was no necessity, she would avoid internet cafes.
Stuffing her dirty clothes into her suitcase, Huang Xiu collapsed onto the bed and immediately fell asleep.
Meanwhile, Huang Xiaoxian, who had quietly snuck in, was still tirelessly playing on its phone. As a plant, it couldn’t suddenly die from overwork—a point it was most satisfied with.
Perhaps due to lingering fatigue, her sleep quality was excellent. When Huang Xiu was awakened by a knock on the door, she realized she had slept for nearly five hours.
However, the soreness in her body had not diminished in the slightest.
Knock, knock, knock!
The steady knocking sounded again.
“Who is it?” Huang Xiu asked loudly.
“It’s me, Yun Ning,” her senior’s voice came from outside the door.
Huang Xiu had a habit of not taking off her clothes when sleeping in hotels, so she simply waved her hand, signaling Huang Xiaoxian to open the door.
Its phone still in its hand, its eyes glued to the screen, the green cactus padded to the door. It then stood on its tiptoes and pressed the doorknob.
“Junior sister.”
Yun Ning walked in, holding a small glass bottle filled with a white, creamy substance. “I brought you some ointment to relieve muscle soreness after training.”
He placed the small glass bottle next to Huang Xiu’s pillow.
Huang Xiu picked it up curiously, unscrewed the cap, and sniffed it. The ointment had a pungent, somewhat eye-stinging smell.
“This was developed by the Research Department. Its effects are excellent. Just rub this on the sore areas, and you’ll be fine.”
“Thank you, Senior, for saving my dog’s life!” Huang Xiu exclaimed. The Research Department’s capabilities were undeniable, and the ointment’s effectiveness, she knew without a doubt, would be extremely potent. At this moment, receiving this ointment wasn’t just a timely help; it was a desperate rescue in a critical situation!
“No need to be so dramatic, no need at all.”
Yun Ning was a little speechless at Huang Xiu’s words. “Alright, once you’ve applied it, get ready. We’ll be taking the special flight this afternoon.”
After Yun Ning left the room and closed the door, Huang Xiu immediately threw off the blanket.
A small portion of the ointment was missing, clearly indicating Yun Ning had used it.
She pulled down her pants, revealing her fair, slender legs, and used her index finger to scoop out a dollop of ointment, gently rubbing it onto her legs.
‘Oh no, why does this process remind me of when I maintain my leg skin?’
Remembering the skincare products in her wardrobe that had been gathering dust for days, Huang Xiu felt a bead of sweat trickle down her back. Fortunately, her mother wasn’t at school; if she knew, she would surely put her through another round of ‘devil training.’
True to its reputation, the ointment worked instantly. As soon as she had evenly applied the ointment to her legs and pulled up her pants, a cold sensation spread from her legs, continuously penetrating deep into her muscles.
The soreness immediately alleviated significantly.
Huang Xiu followed the same method, applying the ointment to her lower back and abdomen. Feeling the coolness suppress the pain, she immediately showed an expression of extreme comfort.
She felt as if her entire being had come back to life.
After that, there was nothing more to say. Huang Xiu, with her mobility restored, quickly packed her luggage. After meeting with Yun Ning, they drove towards Yanghai.
Bored during the journey, Huang Xiu decided to use her small knife, which often cut her hands when she used her ability, to peel sugarcane. After being mutated by [Senluo], the sugarcane skin had become a bit tougher.
Huang Xiu painstakingly peeled a small segment. She bit off a piece and put it in her mouth. Instantly, the sweet, fresh sugarcane juice filled her mouth.
“Wow, it’s so sweet, so delicious!” Huang Xiu narrowed her eyes, her eyebrows curving into a beautiful arc.
This was the first time she had eaten a plant she had mutated herself, and the result did not disappoint her in the slightest.
Plants enhanced with Void Energy were not only more vibrant but also tasted better than before.
‘Perhaps… I should grow some fruits myself?’ Huang Xiu conceived the idea of growing fruits using her blood.
She believed that if she put her mind to it, she could absolutely rely on mutation to organically alter and cultivate the most delicious fruits in the world.
‘But then… if plants are altered through mutation, can their descendants inherit these changes?’
Huang Xiu suddenly realized a point she had never considered.
Each time she mutated a plant, after canceling the mutation, it would more or less undergo some changes. For example, it might become more luxuriant or more delicious. While these changes were related to vitality, its physical structure was definitely improved through mutation.
If these traits could also be inherited by its descendants, wouldn’t that mean she had subtly spread a large number of superior plant variants into the wild?
‘And… if that’s the case, could I use this to cultivate some powerful plants myself?’ A flicker of excitement flashed in Huang Xiu’s eyes.
She felt it was highly probable that she had discovered another important direction for improving her ability’s strength.