Chapter 85

Chapter 85: She Swallowed Her Pride for the Child in Her Belly—Truly Great

Cheng Lin Yue stared at her like lightning had struck.

Then she made up her mind.

If Sister Tea was willing to risk her life for her and the baby’s future, then as her little fan, Cheng Lin Yue would back her with everything she had. If Sister Tea said no one could know, then Cheng Lin Yue would clamp her mouth shut.

She clenched her fist and nodded hard. “Sister Tea, don’t worry. If you don’t say it, I’ll never let anyone learn it from me.”

“I’ll bury it deep. In the Zhen Lin Empire, besides you and me—and Beast God—there won’t be a fourth person who knows.”

Jiang Tea Tea blinked, startled.

This Little Bunny wasn’t trembling or turning pale. Jiang Tea Tea had barely said a line—hadn’t even threatened her properly—and Cheng Lin Yue was already volunteering to protect the secret.

Catching the doubt in Jiang Tea Tea’s eyes, Cheng Lin Yue rushed to swear it. “Sister Tea, don’t doubt me. I swear on my character—on my mom and dad and uncle’s character. If I say I’ll keep it secret, I’ll keep it secret.”

“If I break my oath, let Beast God punish me. Let me never be able to be a healer again.”

She swore on the thing she loved most—her career.

Who could doubt that?

Jiang Tea Tea nodded quickly. “I believe you. I believe you completely. You don’t need to swear. I trust you.”

Only then did Cheng Lin Yue finally relax enough to smile. “This stays between us. If you feel uncomfortable, come to me.”

“I don’t have the right medicine on hand, but I know techniques that can ease the discomfort.”

“When this competition ends and we return to the capital planet, I’ll bring you home. My uncle will treat you properly. His skills cover a lot.”

To Cheng Lin Yue, stabilizing a pregnancy, helping with delivery, managing nutrition—it was all easy for her uncle. Sister Tea wouldn’t have to worry about the cub lacking nourishment. Even without a certain dragon’s mental power soothing, it would be fine.

Jiang Tea Tea’s mouth twitched.

So Cheng Lin Yue hadn’t jumped to not human. She’d simply mistaken Jiang Tea Tea’s strange body for a medical problem—an “illness.”

Perfect.

Jiang Tea Tea would keep that misunderstanding alive, weld it into place, and cinch her great demon disguise even tighter.

She set a hand on Cheng Lin Yue’s shoulder, her voice turning earnest. “Thank you, Cheng Lin Yue. You don’t know… I’ve been carrying this secret alone. I was almost breaking.”

“So many people don’t understand. They think I eat too much and drink too much, but really it’s—”

She almost said illness.

Cheng Lin Yue cut in fast. “Sister Tea, you’re not sick. You should eat more and drink more. Keep your mood good. Nourish your body. Everything else will follow.”

Something warm spread through Jiang Tea Tea’s chest.

Finally—someone who understood.

Not like Chong Ming the Old Loach, who kept insisting her appetite was a “problem.”

Jiang Tea Tea nodded hard, eyes threatening to sting. “You’re right. Whatever goes into your belly, and keeping your mood good—that’s what matters.”

Cheng Lin Yue nodded just as hard. “Exactly. Come on. Let’s get out of this dead forest. Let’s find a big grassland. Hunt wild cattle, wild sheep, wild horses. Eat well.”

That was exactly what Jiang Tea Tea wanted to hear.

She reached into her storage button and pulled out a flyer they’d won in the first round. “Get in. We’ll fly.”

“Okay, Sister Tea.”

Cheng Lin Yue climbed into the passenger seat. Jiang Tea Tea took the pilot seat, powered up the flyer, and headed back toward the others.

Sui Xuan Chu’s group was waiting and planning their next ambush when they spotted Cheng Lin Yue waving from the flyer.

As it lowered toward them, they stared. “Why are you flying? The flyer is a huge target.”

“Yeah. If we have to fly, we should use skateboard flyers. Smaller target.”

Jiang Tea Tea leaned her elbow on the window frame and stuck her head out, arrogance casual as breathing. “Target? Who cares. We’ve got this many points—charge straight through. Pull out your flyers.”

Huang Da Zhuang didn’t have one. He opened the back door and climbed into theirs, then told the others, dead serious, “Listen to Sister Tea. Win the championship.”

Three of them agreed immediately. The remaining five didn’t argue. Flyers came out; seats filled.

Two flyers rose into the sky and streaked over the land.

Down below, instructor groups and cadet squads craned their necks, watching with envy, anger, and resentment. First-round spoils used in the second round—flashy as hell.

For five hundred li, mountains stretched barren and lifeless, nothing but dead trees and dead grass, all captured on the big screens.

The flyers sailed over the wasteland. No instructor group or cadet could shoot them down.

On the command ship, Chong Ming watched them while listening to Li Ao’s report.

“Commander-in-chief,” Li Ao said, “the unknown energy has disappeared. This subordinate dares to guess it was a mutant devouring ability. A rare devouring ability capable of hijacking living things and turning them into the user’s own energy—something never seen before.”

“In this past week, the ability’s master may have been injured and needed replenishment, so it devoured the life of all plants within five hundred li.”

“Of course, I still support my earlier guess: it not only devours, it may also feed back into life—revive withered wood and prolong vitality.”

Chong Ming pressed a finger to his invisibility earpiece. “Understood. Continue investigating. Be careful. Do not affect any cadets or instructor groups.”

“Yes, commander-in-chief.”

Chong Ming ended the call and looked at Minister Lu, who had been waiting. “Autopsy results?”

Minister Lu handed over a paper report with both hands. “Seven insect clan members. They died bloodless. Different from the ones who kidnapped the crown prince in the deep sea on the primitive tropical planet, but broadly similar.”

Chong Ming scanned the report, golden eyes narrowing. “Bloodless. Partial flesh missing?”

Minister Lu nodded. “Not a single drop of blood left. From the ankles upward, about half the flesh was gone.”

Chong Ming’s gaze sharpened.

The cleanup recon had mentioned plants bursting from the ground and binding legs.

So Jiang Tea Tea wasn’t just a double-S plant-type.

Her ability level was higher than he’d thought—high enough to control plants that could devour blood and flesh and convert it into energy.

No wonder she hid it.

If anyone discovered it, she’d be locked up, stripped of freedom, forced to soothe and sort other people’s mental power—used as a stepping stone for someone else’s growth.

Chong Ming’s eyes flashed.

He reconnected to Li Ao and spoke coldly. “Director Li. Pack up. Take your people and leave M31_1137 star.”