# 106
**Chapter 106: We Won’t Leave**
"Grandma! You can’t eat with your hands—use chopsticks!"
"I don’t know how…"
"Hey, I just taught you yesterday! Look, hold the chopsticks like this… yes, just like that!"
"Eating like this is such a hassle."
"You’ve got to learn slowly!"
"Alright… Everyone’s eating now. When is your dad coming back?"
"..."
"That boy Thanatos, how long has it been since he came home? Is he out causing trouble again…?"
"Uh… don’t worry, Grandma. Dad’s got a lot going on outside. He’s probably just busy."
"Alright then…"
In the activity room, Li Yifei, wearing an apron, sat helplessly at the table. Across from him sat Nyx, looking sorrowful in a black gauze dress, her head lowered in thought.
Outside the door, Lin Qiye, dressed in a white coat, raised an eyebrow and walked in.
"Thanatos!?" Nyx’s eyes lit up when she saw him. "You’re back for dinner?"
Lin Qiye smiled at her hopeful gaze and nodded. "I’m back, Mother."
"Sit, sit!" Nyx looked around, pulled over a small stool, and placed it beside her.
Li Yifei gave Lin Qiye a resentful look. "So you finally remembered to come home…"
"Watch how you talk to your father!" Nyx glared at him.
Li Yifei: ...
"The training these past two days has been exhausting. I’ve been falling asleep the moment I hit the bed. I didn’t have the energy to come here," Lin Qiye sighed helplessly as he sat down.
He glanced at the lavish spread on the table and blinked in surprise.
"You made this?"
"Yep."
"Where’d you get the ingredients?"
"I saw a bunch of vegetables growing in the empty lot behind the yard, so I dug some up."
"The vegetables in the yard?" Lin Qiye paused, then pointed at the massive braised fish head. "What about the fish?"
"From the little pond next to the sick ward. Didn’t you raise them?"
"...And the rice? Where’d that come from?"
"Oh, I found it in a cabinet in the director’s office." Li Yifei tilted his head. "What, is it expired?"
Lin Qiye opened his mouth, glanced at Nyx—who had already eaten half a bowl—and silently shook his head.
"Probably… not?"
"That’s what I thought. I’ve been eating it for days and haven’t had any stomach issues." Li Yifei shrugged.
"...Li Yifei, you’re not human. You’re a snake demon. Snake demons don’t get diarrhea."
"..."
Lin Qiye picked up his chopsticks, took a bite of fish, and chewed. The meat was unusually tender—clearly not from any Earth species.
But since the two of them had been eating it for days without issue, it was probably fine.
He glanced at Nyx, raised an eyebrow, and leaned toward Li Yifei.
"What have you been doing all this time?"
Li Yifei blinked. "Nothing much. Just chatting with her, teaching her cards and chess, basking in the sun, playing the good grandson… why?"
"Nothing. You’ve taken great care of her."
Li Yifei couldn’t see the progress bar above Nyx’s head, but Lin Qiye could. He remembered that just over ten days ago, her treatment progress was only around 20%. Now it had jumped to 48%!
Even without the progress bar, Lin Qiye could tell Nyx was much healthier.
When she’d first been released from her ward, she was dazed and confused, calling random objects her children and barely speaking—except maybe to a vase.
Now, not only had she stopped doing that, she was livelier, able to hold normal conversations with Li Yifei, and her eyes sparkled with clarity.
Having someone around was clearly good for her recovery, Lin Qiye thought to himself.
Bringing Li Yifei back as an orderly was the right call!
With her treatment progress at 48%, just a bit more and he could draw from her abilities a second time.
Should he try… today?
After a moment’s hesitation, Lin Qiye picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and placed it in Nyx’s bowl.
"Mother, have some more."
Nyx blinked, turned to look into his eyes, and tears welled up.
"Thanatos… you’ve grown up…"
*Click.*
Under Lin Qiye’s watchful gaze, the progress bar ticked from 48% to 49%.
Lin Qiye: (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
"Mother, have some more veggies…"
"Mother, this fish is delicious—try another piece…"
"Mother, let me get you more rice!"
"Mother…"
Lin Qiye began frantically piling food into Nyx’s bowl. She ate happily, tears streaming down her face, while Li Yifei stared in stunned silence.
"Qiye, what are you doing…"
"Li Yifei." Lin Qiye turned to him. "Perform a talent for Grandma."
Li Yifei: (°_°) Huh?
"A talent! Go!"
"Uh…" Li Yifei scratched his head, stood up, and thought for a moment. "Grandma, your grandson doesn’t have many skills, but I can eat while doing a handstand!"
Lin Qiye: ...
They carried on for a while, but the progress bar didn’t budge. Lin Qiye sighed in defeat.
Guess you can’t force these things.
Still, he was technically a doctor—whether or not he could actually treat anyone was another matter—but he couldn’t just mess around.
Still, this was the liveliest, most human moment the Asylum of the Gods had ever seen.
Li Yifei diligently carried the plates to the kitchen to wash up. Lin Qiye took out today’s medication, carefully sorted it, and prepared to give it to Nyx.
Nyx sat quietly on her little stool, watching Lin Qiye work. A faint smile touched her lips.
"Thanatos."
"Yes?"
"How long has it been since our home was this lively?"
Lin Qiye hesitated, then shook his head. "I don’t know."
"You children all grow up and drift farther and farther away. I have so many children, but in the end… I’m left all alone."
Nyx’s gaze dimmed.
Lin Qiye looked at her in silence, then brought over warm water and the medicine.
"At least now, you have us, don’t you?" he said softly, handing her the cup. "We… won’t leave."
Nyx’s body trembled. She stared into Lin Qiye’s eyes, and they shone with a light he’d never seen before.
At the same time, the progress bar above her head ticked forward again.
"
Nyx Treatment Progress: 51%
Reward conditions met. You may now randomly draw from Nyx’s divine abilities once more.
Nyx treatment progress has exceeded 50%. She may now leave the Asylum of the Gods for short periods…
"