When Su Mo turned to look, the three strangers also glanced their way. Their hollow, lifeless eyes unsettled her.
“Stay here. I’ll check it out,” Su Mo said, standing up and bracing against the crushing gravity as she walked toward them.
“Let’s go together. It’s dangerous for a girl to approach strangers alone,” Ye Qingyi remarked coolly, her expression unreadable.
Su Mo didn’t argue and nodded in agreement.
As they got closer, the details became clearer.
The three were in their thirties or forties, one of them a woman. Without exception, they looked disheveled—their clothes greasy, tattered, and barely covering their bodies.
Su Mo spoke first, “Who are you?”
The trio exchanged glances before one of the men stepped forward. His eyes raked over Su Mo’s figure, lighting up with sudden interest.
Uncomfortable under his gaze, Su Mo frowned.
“Young lady, do you have any food?” the man asked, his stare lingering shamelessly, greed undisguised.
Ye Qingyi abruptly moved beside Su Mo, deliberately revealing the combat knife in her hand.
The effect was immediate—the man’s leer vanished, replaced by a pitiful, trembling demeanor.
The only woman among them suddenly burst into loud sobs. “We haven’t eaten in three days! Please, kind strangers, spare us some food!”
Su Mo watched their performance—or perhaps genuine desperation—with an impassive face.
She could easily guess what might’ve happened had Ye Qingyi not come along. She just saved their lives, Su Mo mused inwardly.
While Su Mo remained unmoved by the woman’s pleas, Ye Qingyi seemed conflicted, turning her head away.
Noticing this, the woman slithered closer to Ye Qingyi, her sleeve slipping to bare a seductive shoulder.
Ye Qingyi recoiled in shock, but the woman pressed forward, letting her clothes droop even lower.
To Su Mo, the scene was darkly comical. She watched, curious how Ye Qingyi would react.
In response, Ye Qingyi coldly unsheathed her knife, her voice icy. “Take one more step, and I won’t hesitate to spill your blood.”
The woman wailed louder, casting a sidelong glance at Su Mo between fake sobs. “I might not be as young as this girl, but I’ve got experience…”
A woman in her thirties knew men well—every glance and gesture served her goal.
But she couldn’t have guessed that the “young man” before her housed a girl’s soul.
Ye Qingyi’s expression frosted over. She pressed the blade forward. “Sorry, auntie. These days, young men prefer maidens.”
Su Mo covered her mouth, stifling a laugh. This girl’s sharp…
The woman froze before huffily adjusting her clothes. Her eyes taunted Ye Qingyi. “Or maybe you’re just incapable? Not even a twitch of interest?”
Before Ye Qingyi could retort, Su Mo snapped, “Of course he’s ca—”
She cut herself off, realizing how odd that sounded coming from her current self. Flustered, she grabbed Ye Qingyi’s arm to leave.
But as she turned, the previously silent man suddenly lunged, thrusting a bone dagger at her!
Su Mo had anticipated it. She struck his wrist with a palm, the impact forcing him to drop the blade.
Undeterred, he snarled and charged again, teeth bared—only to be knocked flat with another strike.
The other two bolted without a backward glance, abandoning their companion.
Night had fallen, and the doubled gravity left them gasping within meters, collapsing in exhaustion.
“What now?” Ye Qingyi studied Su Mo’s face.
After a long pause, Su Mo sighed. “Let fate decide.”
Pretending to fetch something, she returned with three wild fruits, placing them before the man. “This is my respect for life—not an invitation for greed.”
With that, she walked away.
“You’re too soft. Killing them would’ve been wiser,” Ye Qingyi said, stunning Su Mo.
“As the ancients said, ‘Nothing’s deadlier than a woman’s heart.’ How true,” Su Mo teased.
“Enough jokes. I’m serious,” Ye Qingyi chided.
“Fine.” Su Mo’s gaze turned distant. “Maybe I shouldn’t have approached them at all. I never intended to share our food.”
“Just three fruits. Regretting it?”
“It’s not about the fruit.” Su Mo’s voice was quiet. “In life-or-death situations, human nature shows itself. If we fed them once, they’d hound us endlessly—maybe even ambush us later.”
“But you did give them something.”
Su Mo shook her head. “This is different. Now they know the cost of crossing us.”
Ye Qingyi fell silent. His words were harsh but undeniably true.
“What’re you thinking?” Su Mo asked, eager to shift the mood.
“I wonder… if the world had stayed ordinary—no spiritual energy, no superhumans—would it have been more peaceful?”
Su Mo had never considered that. Searching her heart, the answer surprised her. “I actually find this thrilling. Compared to my old dull life, I prefer this chaos.”
Ye Qingyi studied her, then suddenly smiled.
“Moonlight really suits me. I wonder how it’d feel to kiss such a pretty face,” she murmured, her gaze playfully lecherous.
“Ugh, you’re disgusting! Lusting over your own body?” Su Mo hugged herself in mock horror.
Ye Qingyi’s mischief flared. Without warning, she pounced, catching Su Mo off-guard and pulling her into a tight embrace.
“What the hell?! Let go!”
A girl’s body was sensitive. Trapped in her own arms, Su Mo went weak, her strength useless.
“So soft. Comfy,” Ye Qingyi chuckled.
“You—! Shameless! Pervert!” Su Mo squirmed.
Their scuffle grew loud enough to draw Wen Wenwen and Xiao Bai’s attention.
Xiao Bai tensed to intervene, but Wen Wenwen yanked his tail back. “Xiao Bai, you wouldn’t understand. This is their world for two… Best not disturb them.”
Her voice carried unmistakable loneliness.