Chapter 129: Shen Shi's Suspicion

Qin Sheng looked down at her palm. The red light from earlier had gradually faded, leaving only a lingering warmth that assured her what had just happened was no illusion, but a vivid reality.

The unruly power within her body had actually saved her at the critical moment.

Did this mean her ability would trigger defensively under certain conditions?

Thinking of this, Qin Sheng felt she had gotten the better end of the deal. After all, her ability had shown no signs of manifesting until now, aside from a slight increase in strength and quicker reflexes. Today was an unexpected harvest indeed.

Qin Sheng clenched her fist, suppressing her lingering doubt and shock, replacing them with a cool, indifferent expression.

Li Qing lay half-sprawled on the ground, trembling in sheer disbelief that Qin Sheng had not only dodged his attack but had escaped completely unscathed. He knew he was doomed; there was no way he would survive this.

"Qin Sheng, I... I didn't mean to. Can you please spare me? I'll recognize you as our leader, okay? I beg of you..." Blinded and weeping bitterly, Li Qing could not tell where Qin Sheng was standing, his sightless eyes searching the empty air.

Qin Sheng frowned slightly. Li Qing looked pitiful indeed, a sight that would move almost anyone's heart—but Qin Sheng was not just anyone. Had it not been for her ability, she would have fallen victim to his malice. She felt no mercy for those who sought to harm her.

"Are you sure you're not hurt?" Shen Shi had rushed to her side earlier, but the red light of her ability had blocked his path. The moment he saw the knife in Li Qing's hand, Shen Shi's heart had nearly leaped out of his chest. He had sprinted toward her, terrified that a single second's delay would force him to witness a sight he never wanted to see.

He had no idea where the red light had come from; he only needed to be certain she hadn't been harmed by it.

Qin Sheng shook her head at Shen Shi, signaling that she was fine.

Li Qing continued to beg for his life, but his pleas failed to move Qin Sheng's heart. If anything, she found the noise irritating.

Qin Sheng scratched her earlobe in resignation and looked at Xiao Nuo. "He's all yours. I'm tired, I'm going to sleep." Yawning, she turned and walked toward her tent.

With Qin Sheng gone, Li Qing was momentarily at a loss for whom to beg. But hearing Qin Sheng mention Xiao Nuo's name, he instinctively turned his pleas toward the boy. Surely a child like Xiao Nuo wouldn't be as cold-blooded as Qin Sheng. If he begged hard enough, the boy would soften and let him go.

With this thought, his desperate cries grew louder.

Xiao Nuo frowned in annoyance. Despite being blind, Li Qing seemed to sense the boy's direction and kept kowtowing toward him. Xiao Nuo's gaze grew colder, his fists clenching tightly at his sides.

Once he knew Qin Sheng was safe, Shen Shi lost all interest in the matter. "He's all yours, Xiao Nuo. I'm going to sleep too," Shen Shi said, washing his hands of the situation just as Qin Sheng had.

In this camp, everyone listened to Qin Sheng first, and Shen Shi second. After all, power of their caliber could not be ignored. Now that both Qin Sheng and Shen Shi had gone to sleep, Li Qing's fate rested entirely in Xiao Nuo's hands.

"Xiao Nuo, I beg of you, spare me! I promise I will never harm Qin Sheng again!"

Xiao Nuo, who had remained still, lunged forward the moment he heard the words "harm Qin Sheng," grabbing Li Qing by the throat. His grip was so strong that Li Qing could not break free.

How could a fourteen-year-old boy possess such terrifying strength?

The question flashed briefly in Li Qing's mind, but the immediate threat to his life left him no room for idle thoughts. In the next instant, he felt his breath cut off, his throat letting out nothing but muffled whimpers. Xiao Nuo squeezed Li Qing's neck tightly, showing no intention of letting go.

Just as Xiao Nuo was about to choke the life out of him, Yu Yong, who had remained silent for a long time, called out.

"Xiao Nuo, let go first." Yu Yong's face was grim. He had never shown such an expression to the group before, his emotions likely shaken by Li Qing's betrayal.

Wang Qiang noticed this and tugged gently at Yu Yong's sleeve.

"I'm fine, don't worry," Yu Yong said. Seeing this, Wang Qiang had no choice but to let go.

Xiao Nuo took a deep breath and released his grip. Once freed, Li Qing collapsed to the ground, gasping greedily for air as if it were his last.

"Uncle Yu, we can't let him go," Xiao Nuo said, forcing down his anger. He could not tolerate anyone who tried to harm Qin Sheng.

Yu Yong remained silent, only giving Xiao Nuo a look. Xiao Nuo stepped back, allowing Yu Yong to walk up to Li Qing.

Even on the brink of death, Li Qing sensed the approach. The person standing before him now was Yu Yong, the most soft-hearted member of the team.

"Yu Yong? Is that you? I know it's you... Only you would come to check on a dying wretch like me..." Li Qing could not see Yu Yong's expression, but he clung to their past relationship, hoping Yu Yong wouldn't be so cold as to watch his former friend die. "We're friends, Yu Yong! Have you forgotten how we used to talk about our lives before the apocalypse?"

Li Qing rattled on about their past conversations, trying desperately to touch Yu Yong's heart.

Wang Qiang and Xiao Nuo watched Yu Yong closely, waiting to see what he would do. Li Qing had nearly injured Qin Sheng, which was unforgivable. Perhaps it wouldn't have mattered as much to Yu Yong in the past, but now that he had chosen to follow Qin Sheng, she was his leader. No one could tolerate an attempt on their leader's life.

"Yu Yong..."

Li Qing spoke until his throat felt like it was on fire, but these people's hearts were like stone; none of his pleas moved them to mercy. He was already blind. How could he possibly threaten Qin Sheng's position now?

"I've lost my eyes, and all I want now is to live. For the sake of our past friendship, won't you let me go..." His voice was hoarse, yet he refused to stop begging.

"There was a chance," Yu Yong said slowly after staring at Li Qing for a long time.

"Uncle Yu!" Xiao Nuo blurted out, wanting clarification.

Wang Qiang held him back and shook his head, and Xiao Nuo calmed down.

"But you threw that chance away yourself." Yu Yong's expression was complex, filled with a bittersweet sorrow.

"Ha... haha! Of course I know! Because I stabbed Qin Sheng! My only regret is that I didn't kill her right then and there! If I had, I might still have had a chance to live!" Realizing all hope was lost, Li Qing began to laugh hysterically, cursing not only Qin Sheng but also Yu Yong, whom he had just claimed as a friend.

Yu Yong shook his head helplessly and silently walked back to his tent.

Seeing this, Xiao Nuo stepped forward and grabbed Li Qing's neck once more. This time, Li Qing did not struggle, lying there like a fish resigned to its fate.

"Wait, Xiao Nuo," Wang Qiang suggested, not wanting the young boy to witness too much bloodshed. "Since he's already blind, why don't we just cripple his martial arts and throw him into the forest? Whether he lives or dies will be up to fate."

Xiao Nuo considered this. Qin Sheng probably didn't want him to shed blood either. Her departure was likely to give Yu Yong—who had been silent but clearly troubled—a chance to handle it. Realizing Qin Sheng's intentions, Xiao Nuo nodded in agreement with Wang Qiang's suggestion.

Wang Qiang stepped forward, picked up the discarded dagger, severed Li Qing's Achilles tendons, crippled his martial arts, and dragged him into the forest.

"Go back to sleep, Xiao Nuo. It's late."

"Okay, Brother Wang Qiang."

Within an hour, quiet descended upon the camp once more.

Knowing she wouldn't be able to sleep, Qin Sheng slipped into her space once the noise outside faded. The seeds she had casually scattered a few days ago had grown significantly. By the looks of it, she would have corn to eat before long. It had only been an experiment, and she hadn't expected such fruitful results. This brought Qin Sheng a sense of comfort and satisfaction.

She found some cabbage and sweet potato seeds, cleared another patch of land, and planted them. Once finished, she watered the soil and sat down to rest. Reclining lazily on a comfortable lounge chair in her space, she looked over her crops and fruits with immense satisfaction. At this rate, it wouldn't be long before she could enjoy fresh fruits and vegetables.

Lulled by her contentment, she closed her eyes on the lounge chair and soon drifted off to sleep.

It wasn't until she opened her eyes the next morning that she realized she had spent the entire night inside her space.

"Is Qin Sheng not here?"

Just as Qin Sheng was about to leave the space, she heard Shen Shi's voice. She immediately halted her movement.

"I'm not sure. Her tent seems empty. She probably went out early for training."

"Probably."

Qin Sheng waited until Shen Shi had walked away from the tent before slipping out of the space. Quickly tidying up and changing her clothes, she stepped out of the tent.

Seeing her emerge, Shen Shi raised an eyebrow in surprise. He had sensed her presence almost instantly. Even though he hadn't entered her tent earlier, he had been absolutely certain she wasn't inside.

"Did you need something?" Qin Sheng cleared her throat, looking at Shen Shi as if nothing had happened.

Shen Shi raised an eyebrow. "Have you been in your tent this whole time?"

Qin Sheng was not at all surprised by his suspicion. "Of course."