Chapter 2032: Be a Little More Tolerant
Minor changes to facial features certainly wouldn't completely alter a person's appearance, but it looked vastly different from her previous state. Yan Jiayu demonstrated her new ability for a moment before shifting back, grinning as she said, "I only recently figured this out. The problem is I can't maintain the change for too long, and my bones can't change either. There are people more skilled than me who can even grow taller, but unfortunately I've never heard of anyone being able to turn into a dog or a cat. If I could turn into a dog or a cat, that would definitely be more interesting!"
Xu Huo stared at her slightly fluctuating face, momentarily at a loss for words.
"As long as you're happy."
Yan Jiayu chuckled, chatted a bit more, then said she wanted to rest.
Mr. Dong took her upstairs. Under the Painting Woman's eager expression, Xu Huo put away the two medals along with all those Subclass Stones and said to her, "I'll give them to you another time."
The Painting Woman was a little disappointed but quickly adjusted her mindset, eagerly offering to help him upstairs.
"Both my legs are fine." Xu Huo politely declined her kindness.
Undeterred, the Painting Woman ran ahead to open the door and fluff the bedding for him, even offering to sleep outside the door at night to bring him tea and water.
Xu Huo pointed at the door.
Without receiving approval, the Painting Woman dejectedly walked out, lingering at the doorway and hesitantly gripping the doorframe. "I can try harder."
Xu Huo pushed her fingers away and closed the door.
The next day, the weather was nice. Yan Jiayu invited the Painting Woman to go shopping. By the time Xu Huo got up, they had already left. During breakfast, Mr. Dong came to tell him that last night, the castle had caught a player who had sneaked in, and the person was still locked in a sealed space.
The one who had sneaked in was a man who looked under thirty years old, a C-level player. The first thing he did when dragged out was to demand, "What's your relationship with Xiao Yuer?!"
Xu Huo glanced at the man whose eyes were practically spitting fire. Raising his hand, he used a Space Ray Blade to press against his neck. "I'll only ask once. You can choose to answer or not. Who are you? What's your purpose in following Yan Jiayu? Do you have any accomplices?"
The man, who had been struggling on the ground, immediately froze. Swallowing hard, he said, "With a knife at my throat, am I not going to answer? Xiao Yuer came to you willingly, so you probably don't mean her any harm. I'll tell you."
"I'm her defeated opponent. She beat me in an instance. In my life, the thing I admire most is strength. Even though she looks like a frail girl, she's stronger than most men. I admire her, so I followed her here... What? Are you going to interfere with someone's secret crush?"
Xu Huo put down his utensils, turned to look at him, and slowly revealed a smile. "If you want to die, I'll gladly see you off."
"Wait! Wait!" The other man quickly called out to stop him, took a couple of breaths, and hastily added, "I'm not a bad person. I have no ill intentions. I really do like Xiao Yuer..."
The blade on his neck tightened slightly, and blood began to flow from the cut skin. Feeling death approaching, the man quickly explained, "I actually wanted to follow Xiao Yuer and hang out with her. She's so strong and kind-hearted. Following her definitely wouldn't be a loss!"
The Space Blade loosened a bit. He let out a big breath before continuing, "My companions were all killed by her. I have no other friends, and I was worried I wouldn't survive in the game, so I followed her... I swear I have no ill intentions. Besides, I can't beat her anyway."
"Now that sounds a bit more like the truth." Xu Huo continued asking, "Yan Jiayu crossed zones to get here. How did you track her?"
"It's my trait," the man said, not being particularly strong-willed, spilling everything like beans from a container. "I have a 'To the Death' trait. I can set a marker at the same wormhole point to locate her zone, but I can only use this trait on one person in my entire life... Actually, I really do kind of like Xiao Yuer, but she doesn't like me. I know I'm not much use, but I still have the courage to pursue love... I'm not asking her to agree to be with me. As long as I can watch her from up close, I'll be content..."
The castle was very quiet. Dr. Deng and the Painting Woman were both absent. Mr. Dong remained silent. Xu Huo was still eating. No one was playing along with his act. As the man spoke, he even started to feel a bit awkward himself, but since no one stopped him, he continued to express his views on love and his admiration for Yan Jiayu.
Xu Huo ignored him completely. Only when the man's throat went dry and his voice turned hoarse did he clap for him. "Good talker. Wait until Yan Jiayu gets back, then you can continue."
The man stared at him, but when his eyes inadvertently met Xu Huo's gaze, he immediately lowered his head and lowered his voice. "I just wanted to see if Xiao Yuer was in any danger. Feelings can't just be expressed with words; they have to be shown through actions. I'm worried about her safety, but since she doesn't like it, my appearance will only trouble her. And what if she ends up hating me even more because of this?"
Xu Huo didn't want to listen anymore. He said to Mr. Dong, "Not a single word of truth. Please make him shut up."
Mr. Dong did as he was told. The man was still bound by items and glared at Xu Huo resentfully. "You're deliberately trying to ruin my relationship with Xiao Yuer!"
Before Xu Huo could even respond, Yan Jiayu suddenly appeared at the castle entrance. Seeing the man sitting on the ground, she didn't say a word. She rolled up her sleeves, walked over, and threw two punches. The defenseless man was sent flying and then pinned to the ground.
Stepping on his head, Yan Jiayu bent down and leaned close to the man. "Qi Congming, didn't I tell you to stop following me? Otherwise, I'd beat you every time I saw you?"
The man's mouth twitched as he spat out two loose teeth. In a distorted voice, he said, "I won't give up. You killed all my companions. You have to take care of me for the rest of my life!"
Yan Jiayu was quite speechless. "Those companions of yours were all murderous villains. I helped free you from them, and now you're turning around and blaming me?"
"I don't care if they were good or bad people. Anyone who protects me is a good person in my book! You have to agree whether you like it or not, or else I'll follow you for the rest of my life. Otherwise, just kill me!" The man was very stubborn when facing her.
"I can do it for you," Xu Huo said from the side.
The man's expression changed slightly, and then, as if trying to convince himself or others, he said, "No, you won't. You're friends with Xiao Yuer. Birds of a feather flock together. She's a good person, so you must be a good person too. I haven't done anything heinous. Neither of you will kill me."
Yan Jiayu finally looked up and said with some frustration, "He's a bit of a scoundrel, but he spent the first half of his life doing good deeds. My master said that when you encounter someone like that, you should be a little more tolerant."
Xu Huo glanced at the man, whose face was swollen and bruised and who had lost a few teeth, and nodded slightly. "That's only right."
"He said he tracked you using a trait. I suspect it's more than just a trait. Check if he has any of his items on you."