Chapter 43: Because of Bad Luck

“Tsk tsk, what terrible luck.” Pei Yu shook his head in mock sympathy for the guy sprawled on the ground, but couldn’t hide the glee in his voice as he raised his hand and shouted in Yun Qimu’s direction.

“Chief! My beautiful chief! Do we collect human corpses too? I found someone over here!”

His shout not only caught Yun Qimu’s attention, but also drew over some of the locals.

“A person? Is it one of our tribe?”

During the recent battle between the wild beasts and the Arid Star people, most of the tribe had been saved by Yun Qimu, but a few had died in the chaos. In their rush to escape the magnetic core storm and the berserk beasts, they hadn’t had time to collect the bodies of their fallen.

Pei Yu shook his head. “No, no, the clothes are all wrong. He’s not from your Poor Whale Tribe.”

“Oh.”

Hearing this, the locals who had been hurrying over all stopped in their tracks. After a brief moment of disappointment, they dispersed.

Only Yun Qimu, with nothing better to do, kept walking over. She glanced down at the mud-caked figure on the ground, her brows knitting slightly. “He’s not dead.”

“Huh—” Pei Yu’s peach blossom eyes widened. “Still alive? Guess this unlucky guy isn’t quite as unlucky as I thought.”

Then his expression fell, full of regret. “Sigh, if he’s not a corpse, I can’t trade him in for spirit coins. What a pity.”

“Truly a pity,” Yun Qimu echoed seriously, her gaze flicking to the eight rings on the man’s mud-smeared hand—still visible beneath the grime—then to his ears, neck, belt, and wrists, her face full of regret.

Why couldn’t he have died? If he had, all those spatial bands he’s wearing would be mine.

Fourteen spatial bands in total—even that fat sheep Mo Xie couldn’t compare.

Maybe I should just finish him off...

The man lying on the ground seemed to sense the murderous intent and suddenly snapped his eyes open.

His silver eyes were like icy stars, chilling to the bone.

Pei Yu was so startled he took a step back.

The man on the ground braced himself with one hand and, as if he didn’t feel his injuries at all, flipped up in one smooth motion, putting five paces between himself and them, adopting a wary, battle-ready stance—ready to attack or defend.

“Who are you people? What do you want?”

His silver eyes flashed with clarity and coldness, like a lone, untamed wolf.

“Uh, we—we’re from Earth Village,” Pei Yu replied awkwardly, glancing at Yun Qimu beside him. Seeing she wasn’t looking his way, he breathed a sigh of relief. No way he’d let the chief see how he’d just been scared back.

After a moment to compose himself, Pei Yu’s embarrassment faded. He looked at the mud-caked unlucky—no, lucky—guy across from him and grinned, “Hey, buddy, relax. We mean no harm. We just found you while scavenging for bodies, that’s all.”

Wu Xingyu’s eyes held a mocking glint—clearly, he didn’t believe a word. “You just said you wanted to trade me in for spirit coins. And you—”

His gaze shifted to Yun Qimu, his icy eyes boring straight into her. Yun Qimu, who had been looking calm, suddenly felt a little guilty and looked away.

“Wh-what about me? Do I have mud on my face too?” she said, reaching up to wipe her cheek.

As long as I act innocent enough, awkwardness can’t catch me.

Wu Xingyu looked her up and down, then gave a dry, hoarse laugh. “No, it’s just that your face is so pale you look like a ghost. Scared me into thinking you’d come to claim my life.”

Those two sentences were enough for him to size up the situation. Realizing the two weren’t a threat, he relaxed, dropped his guard, and sat cross-legged right where he was. Even with his shoulder-length hair caked in mud, he still managed to look dignified.

With a graceful, practiced motion, he pulled a handkerchief from his spatial band and wiped his mouth, then took out a pink nutrient tube and sipped it.

Yun Qimu ground her teeth, feeling increasingly annoyed.

What kind of man is this? So venom-tongued! If he weren’t such a fat sheep, she’d have taken advantage of his injuries and given him a good beating already.

Clang—

A metallic crash sounded from a nearby junk pile, drawing all three of their attention and breaking the tense atmosphere.

From the heap of metal, two more mud-covered figures—just as filthy as Wu Xingyu—scrambled out in a sorry state.

When they saw Wu Xingyu, their eyes immediately filled with tears. Overcome with emotion, they crawled toward him, shouting, “Your Highness—”

Wu Xingyu shot them a cold, sharp look. “I told you, when we’re out and about, drop the formalities. Just call me Third Brother.”

The two instantly shut up and obediently crawled over to sit beside him, calling out, “Third Brother.”

Only then did Wu Xingyu’s tense expression relax. He turned back to Yun Qimu and Pei Yu, his voice smoother now after the nutrient drink. “My name is Wu Xingyu. Could you tell me how to get to Molan City? How far is it from here?”

Yun Qimu narrowed her beautiful black eyes, giving him a thoughtful look.

Pei Yu jumped in, curious. “Molan City? What are you going there for?”

“To seek refuge with my uncle.”

“Oh?” Pei Yu perked up, his earlier awkwardness forgotten. He squatted down with interest. “Who’s your uncle? I’ve lived in Molan City for nearly twenty years—I know almost everyone there. If you tell me, I might be able to help you out, make it easier to find him.”

Wu Xingyu paused, his silver eyes studying Pei Yu intently for a moment. Then, with a complicated expression, he said, “Fatty Pei.”

“What the hell!” Pei Yu’s peach blossom eyes nearly popped out of his head. He jumped up, pointing a trembling finger at Wu Xingyu. “How—how do you know my old nickname? No, wait, that’s not right! I’m not Fatty Pei! How could a dashing, handsome guy like me be a fatty? Don’t go spreading nonsense, or I won’t be polite!”

Wu Xingyu stood up, calmly brushed Pei Yu’s hand aside, and straightened his clothes—well, tried to, but they were filthy and caked with mud.

His mud-smeared face darkened, and he shot Pei Yu a not-so-friendly look. “Not polite? Want me to help you revisit your childhood and meet the real you, Fatty Pei?”

That sinister tone, that familiar, drawn-out taunt—

“Holy crap, it’s you! The little brat in split pants! You actually grew up!” Pei Yu stared in shock.

Wu Xingyu’s face instantly darkened. He grabbed Pei Yu’s arm and, without warning, flipped him over his shoulder, then pressed his “handsome” face into the mud for a good, affectionate rub.

."