Chapter 71: Sister Yan, Thank You!

He had only encountered a few low-level Qu Ru and Fire Tuo.
They couldn’t even see through Yu Yan’s transformation skills, at most possessing the power of a sixth rank.
But among the Qu Ru and Fire Tuo tribes, sixth rank was nothing more than a petty underling. If, like when entering the instance with Yu Yan, a whole pack of earth-rank Fire Tuo had appeared right at the start, there would have been no time to cry over it!
Even so, Zuo Changyu was already greatly shaken.
It’s one thing to be born weak and remain weak forever; far worse is to be strong all your life, only to suddenly be forced into the role of someone needing protection—a gap so enormous that few could bear it.
Now, a shortcut to quickly boost his strength was right before him.
Even if he vaguely sensed a hidden pitfall, Zuo Changyu would never let it slip by! He chewed desperately at the Gu Diao meat in his mouth. As a mercenary and seasoned special forces soldier, he’d eaten all sorts of raw meat.
But honestly, he’d never tasted anything so disgusting!
He even suspected Yu Yan had played a prank, fetching this meat from the latrine just to mock whomever she wished at a crucial moment.
But then, who would be so bored as to waste earth-rank spirit beast meat for a joke?
If Yu Yan hadn’t lied, this earth-rank beast meat was not easily obtained. Even she likely didn’t have much on hand. Ahem, Zuo Changyu was still naïve. If Yu Yan really had only a few pieces, would she so readily give one to him?
Was it thanks to his thick skin, or his resilience, or his outward submission but inward defiance?
Yu Yan wasn’t foolish; she could clearly see Zuo Changyu’s motive for tagging along.
He’d simply lost his way after being chased by the wolf pack, left with no other option.
Besides, while Yu Yan searched for monsters above fifth rank, what if she happened to run into his brothers? They at least knew each other, and he had taken plenty of beatings from her. If his brothers fell into danger, Yu Yan would likely lend a hand.
On this, Zuo Changyu guessed right.
Yu Yan wouldn’t go out of her way to help him find his brothers.
But if luck brought them together, and considering how many times Zuo Changyu had served as her punching bag, she’d certainly help if she could. If not…well, he’d have to fend for himself.
She wasn’t running a charity; her compassion had its limits.

Zuo Changyu realized this soon enough.
If the Gu Diao meat was merely foul and unbearably smelly before sliding down his throat, then once it entered his stomach, Zuo Changyu experienced for the first time what it truly meant to wish for death. He considered himself seasoned by his thirty-eight years—gun wounds, knife wounds, blast injuries, severe abrasions and burns, even poisoning.
His wife had been trapped in a drug lord’s den, dying there in the end… All these ordeals had tested his spirit and willpower. Many times, he thought he couldn’t go on, but it was his brothers’ disappointed gazes, the concern of his leaders, and the responsibility on his shoulders that forced him to pull himself together!
Later, he left the army with one goal: to avenge his wife, and to strike back for countless families destroyed by drugs. His brothers followed him without hesitation, retiring together to support him, which made him all the more ashamed.
This motivated him to resolve that every day he lived, he would make a difference for the people and society.
Who could have predicted the instance world would descend without warning, scattering him and his brothers? He was rescued by a hot-tempered woman who hit first and asked questions later, and she gave him a piece of meat said to enhance his abilities—whether it would actually work, he still didn’t know.
Zuo Changyu felt he was close to dying again!
This time, it wasn’t blood loss or being devoured by the wolf pack, but the pain itself that threatened to kill him.
Those who haven’t experienced it can hardly describe its agony.
Perhaps Wei Jingxiong, who had tasted fourth-rank Gu Diao meat, could relate?
Wei Jingxiong: Haha... No desire to recall it—please don’t drag me into this; I’d really be grateful!
Anyway, Zuo Changyu figured, well, if he could only strengthen himself by eating Gu Diao meat, he’d grit his teeth and go through it again. But if he had any other choice, he’d never touch this stuff again, not in this life or the next!
Sweat pooled on his brow, flowing down his chiseled cheeks.
No way to pinpoint where it hurt most; every cell in his body screamed with pain. Most of all, deep within his mind, it felt like thousands of fine, needle-like silver threads stabbed in and out, piercing him tens of thousands of times.
It was the most extreme torment imaginable.
Zuo Changyu curled into himself, rolling on the ground, hands clamped tightly around his legs. His teeth sank deep into his lips, soon tearing them bloody, yet he seemed not to feel a thing.
Blood mixed with sweat streamed down, and he even felt a strange sense of relief.
Yu Yan watched it all with perfect calm.

Though he had to endure some suffering, if in her previous life someone had offered her Gu Diao meat, Yu Yan would have swallowed it without hesitation! She would have been endlessly grateful to whoever gifted it to her.
Pain was fleeting; what it brought was the strength she needed to survive.
It was the best bargain imaginable.
Every piece of earth-rank beast meat was precious beyond measure.
Even with a second life, if Yu Yan hadn’t been lucky enough to reincarnate during the rookie benefit period, fortuitously acquiring a twelfth-rank spatial lotus and space lotus root, if she hadn’t seized the chance to pick the right high-level instance, using all her wits to plan and trap the advanced monsters within, she never could have obtained so much!
Any misstep in this chain, and she might have ended up a slightly stronger spiritual vein enhancer—nothing more.
Not as she was now, sitting atop a trove of rare spiritual materials.
She could even be so generous with Zuo Changyu, whom she barely knew, handing over seventh-rank earth-level Gu Diao meat without a second thought. If Zuo Changyu finished refining it and dared complain,
Yu Yan would be disappointed.
She wouldn’t kill him—after all, there was no deep enmity between them.
But she certainly wouldn’t want someone so muddle-headed around her… As for whether Zuo Changyu would survive the ordeal or simply drop dead? The man had a special forces background; from his conversation with Zhu Le, it was clear he possessed steely resolve.
The odds of him failing were negligible.
And sure enough, Yu Yan’s prediction was accurate.
Two hours later, Zuo Changyu, soaked as though dredged from a pool of blood, was panting heavily. His bloodshot eyes locked onto Yu Yan, and just as she thought he might bear a grudge, he dropped to his knees with a heavy thud.
“Sister Yan, thank you!”
“For your great kindness in granting me Gu Diao meat today, I will repay you whenever I get the chance.”
Zuo Changyu spoke with genuine sincerity.
His muscles still twitched with residual pain, but his condition was better than ever before.