Chapter 60: Continuing as a Bystander

Sha Pi, the chubby boy, trembled all over. His whole body was like a fat cat, utterly powerless as a slender, fair hand lifted him up and dangled him in midair. He wanted to struggle, but couldn’t move at all; his arms went limp, as if he’d lost all control.

The little chub’s face was filled with terror—he was so scared he couldn’t even scream.

Snot and tears smeared all over his plump cheeks, making him look both ridiculous and, somehow, oddly satisfying to behold.

Luke rushed over like a gust of wind, his mature, weathered face full of distress as he hurriedly scooped up Lu Xiaomao from the ground and cradled him in his arms, soothing him. “Xiaomao, be good, don’t be afraid. Daddy’s back, Daddy’s back.”

He patted his son’s back with his big hand, feeling the sharp, bony ridges beneath his palm. His heart ached so much that his eyes instantly reddened, and his throat tightened and went dry. “My poor Xiaomao, you’ve suffered so much.”

“Cough, cough, cough…” Lu Xiaomao’s tender little voice coughed painfully a few times. He looked up at the familiar face before him, then suddenly burst into loud sobs. “Daddy, Daddy, you’re back!”

“I knew you’d come back! Even the fiercest berserk beasts are no match for you. Daddy, you’re the best, the very best—you’d definitely come back…”

“That’s right, Xiaomao, you’re absolutely right. Daddy is the best, and Daddy will never leave you again.” Luke patted his back to comfort him, letting the boy wipe his tears and snot all over him.

Then, with his free hand, he pulled his tearful wife—who had rushed over—into his embrace as well.

The two people he loved most, the ones whose warmth was most familiar, were finally back at his side. Luke could no longer hold back his tears; they streamed down his now-pale, rough face, scorching hot as they traced down to his chin and dripped onto his wife’s face.

Shakela didn’t mind at all, holding her husband tight as she wept silently.

It was as if she was crying out all the pain and fear of losing her husband these past few days, and the agony of her uncle and friends urging her to remarry.

Unlike the other women in the tribe, who married men just to reproduce and form partnerships, she and Luke were together because they loved each other.

Otherwise, she would never have left the secure, mid-sized Tiangou Tribe to follow Luke to the tiny, impoverished Poor Whale Tribe.

She couldn’t bear to lose her beloved husband—she just couldn’t!

These past few days, even in her dreams, she’d been terrified of losing him.

“It’s all right now, it’s all right, Shakela. I’m back, and I brought lots of food. Nothing bad will ever happen again.” Luke hugged his wife’s thin shoulders tightly, his hoarse voice soothing her over and over.

“Mm, mm-hmm.” Shakela nodded vigorously, her face, dark and rough from years of sun, breaking into a smile through her tears. Her features, already quite pretty, looked absolutely beautiful when she smiled.

Gemia, who was watching, and Amos and the others who had come along, were all overjoyed. But across from them, Blackbeard’s face suddenly darkened.

His eyes, cold as a snake’s, fixed on the delicate young lady who was still holding his son. She stood out starkly in her white lace court dress, sleeves adorned with plump, gleaming pearls—she looked incredibly luxurious.

Her skin was pale and luminous, her jet-black hair glossy and smooth, a stark contrast to the dark, rough-skinned, raggedly dressed people around her.

And her face—so beautiful it was called the “Jewel Among the Clouds” even out in the interstellar world—seemed born to shine, impossible to ignore.

A flicker of amazement and confusion flashed in Blackbeard’s eyes, quickly replaced by intense greed.

He barked, “Who are you? Put my son down right now, or you’ll face the wrath of Blackbeard!”

“Yeah, put down the chief’s son!”

“Put down the chief’s son! Our Black Tiger Tribe will not tolerate provocation!”

The burly Black Tiger tribesmen shouted, waving their arms aggressively, scaring Lu Xiaomao and Shakela into shrinking back in Luke’s arms.

Luke shielded his wife and child, his deep eyes narrowing as he shot a sharp look at Blackbeard.

But Blackbeard’s piggish eyes were glued to Yun Qimu’s face. Seeing that his intimidation had worked, he grinned and waved his hand to quiet his tribesmen.

“Noble lady, as long as you marry me and become the chief’s wife of the Black Tiger Tribe, I’ll let bygones be bygones for grabbing my son. No one in my tribe will trouble you again—in fact, we’ll respect and protect you, and you’ll get a bottle of mid-grade nutrient solution every day, as much as you want. No one else in the North District is as generous as me. As for outside the North District… well, who knows if you’ll even make it out alive.”

His voice was laced with menace and certainty—any other pampered noble lady would have been scared stiff.

But the one standing here was Yun Qimu.

She snorted disdainfully. “A bottle of mid-grade nutrient solution? That’s supposed to be impressive? Look at how pleased you are with yourself.”

With that, she simply flicked her wrist and tossed the chubby boy aside.

Blackbeard’s heart leapt—he rushed to catch his son, but the boy’s weight and momentum knocked him back three steps, and he only managed to steady himself with the help of his tribesmen.

Holding his now bawling son, Blackbeard looked up at the delicate young lady, a new sense of shock in his eyes.

The more he looked, the more unsettled he became.

She was stunningly beautiful, dressed in an exquisite gown, yet there wasn’t a speck of dirt on her. Her black hair was fluffy and fragrant, as if freshly washed. Her shoes, though a bit muddy, looked like the mud had only just gotten on them.

The gray dust in the air hadn’t touched her at all—she still shone like a dazzling pearl.

There was none of the confusion or panic of a newcomer to this place. Either she was protected by a powerful guardian, or she was a powerful force herself.

In an instant, the greed and lust in Blackbeard’s eyes faded, replaced by wariness. He asked, “Who… who exactly are you?”

Yun Qimu glanced at him with a faint smile. Not too stupid, after all.

As for who she was?

Yun Qimu stroked her chin, frowned in thought for a moment, then concluded, “I suppose I’m the leader of a tour group and a recruitment agent.”

“What?”

Blackbeard, along with the Tiangou tribesmen like Gemia who had come to watch the commotion, all stared in astonishment.

Tour group leader? Recruitment agent? They could sort of understand the words, but they just didn’t fit the noble, delicate young lady before them.

Blackbeard’s face darkened. Seeing the Tiangou Tribe’s chief hurrying over, he snorted, “Let’s go.”

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