Chapter 76: Reason and Sensibility

Zuo Changyu carefully put away his belongings, his gaze complicated as he looked once more in the direction Yu Yan had departed. For him, without Yu Yan by his side and his brothers scattered who knows where, any path was a matter of chance; direction no longer mattered. Slinging the two little Fire Tuo beasts over his shoulder, Zuo Changyu chose a direction at random and left.

The remnants of sunset burned across the sky, consuming the last of daylight.

Yu Yan dug out the final fifth-grade chaotic spirit stone, and, exhausted, collapsed onto the ground. No wonder those two lightning-winged beasts preferred to stand bare and exposed here rather than leave—the nest of chaotic spirit stones was evidently richer and of higher quality than the Fire Tuo nest.

Only a few stones were ungraded, with even first-grade stones being relatively scarce. Among more than a hundred stones, over fifty were second-grade, and more than thirty were third-grade. Even those above fourth grade in the profound tier numbered more than a dozen in total. Compared to the previous nest, which contained just over fifty chaotic spirit stones—more than twenty of which were ungraded or low-tier defective—the difference was striking.

The fifth-grade chaotic spirit stone’s energy density and quality rivaled eighth-grade, eleven-series earth-tier spirit stones. Coupled with the unique properties and rarity of chaotic spirit stones, they now occupied the foremost place among Yu Yan’s high-level materials.

Only a handful of ninth-grade materials and spirit veins could compare.

Wiping sweat from her brow, Yu Yan hesitated, wondering if she should linger a few more days in the “Desert Oasis” to search for other nests of chaotic spirit stones. Yet longing for her daughter and the desire to reunite with her family surged within her.

Yu Yan sighed softly at the endless yellow sands.

Humans are driven by seven emotions and six desires—sometimes, one cannot tell if it is a blessing or a curse.

Reason told her that staying in the “Desert Oasis” to continue searching for chaotic spirit stones would be the wiser choice. Without formidable strength as a guarantee, what would it matter if she found her family? In the end, they would just huddle together, making it easier for the monsters of the world to devour them all at once.

But with enough strength, things would be different. Even if she found her family after they had suffered misfortune, as long as they still drew breath, Yu Yan could ensure that the rest of their lives would be comfortable, spared from further hardship.

If… the scene she dreaded most were to occur—

There would be nothing she could do.

After all, who could guarantee that her relentless, tireless journey towards her parents would ensure their survival upon her arrival? So many lives are lost in this world every day; her parents are but two of the most ordinary among them.

Why should others die, and her parents be exempt?

But reason and emotion are never one and the same.

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No matter how much she tried to reason with herself, she simply couldn’t let go… A trace of helplessness flickered in Yu Yan’s eyes. Even though they had each formed their own families and lived their own lives, no one truly cared whether their eldest daughter lived or died.

Yu Yan wiped sweat from her brow, pushing aside the sudden wave of dark emotions.

In a low voice, she said, “Exit the world.”

Rippling water patterns spread outward, and the sight of lush, swaying wheat returned to her eyes.

The scent of wheat filled her nostrils, and Yu Yan took a deep, contented breath. In a few months, the worlds would begin to merge, and these unique Blue Star landscapes would gradually vanish, becoming eternal memories for the new generation of inhabitants. Yu Yan greedily took it all in.

She grabbed a handful of wheat, stripped off the green grains, peeled them, and popped them into her mouth.

The sweet grains burst between her teeth, the distinct taste of starch intoxicating.

Unfortunately, aside from filling the belly, this had no other use. In her previous life, Sun Ruohua developed wheat fruit half a year later—a domesticated crop with the taste of wheat starch, edible directly to satiate hunger, and, peculiarly, containing a trace of weak spiritual energy. Thus, the “useless” wheat completely disappeared from the new world’s menu.

Of course, the poor and lower classes were exceptions!

Unable to afford wheat fruit, they either sold it for more essential supplies or simply couldn’t afford it at all.

Yu Yan’s thoughts wandered, mind drifting.

Swallowing the mushy wheat grains in her mouth, she finally clenched her teeth and, with a subtle movement of her spiritual sense, released Yun Duo’er from her plant spirit micro-world. Little Qing, who came out together, chirped joyfully and flew to Yu Yan’s shoulder, tilting its head to nuzzle affectionately against her cheek.

Yu Yan gently stroked Little Qing’s head in comfort.

Little Qing was newly born, not yet of high rank.

Though the S-tier world only had thirty percent of its power, it wasn’t convenient to bring Little Qing along. Thus, together with Yun Duo’er, Yu Yan left them in the plant spirit micro-world. She looked at Yun Duo’er, whose head was bowed, expression unreadable.

“Duo’er…”

Yu Yan felt a pang of guilt.

Heaven knew she had survived so many trials and dangers in the worlds without fear, yet seeing Yun Duo’er’s somber face, her heart wavered, “Mom was wrong, I shouldn’t have…”

“Mom, you’re not wrong!”

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Yun Duo’er looked up, her almond-shaped eyes brimming with laughter. “Duo’er is fine, I understand.”

“The world Mom entered must have been especially dangerous. If she brought Duo’er, she’d be distracted, which wouldn’t be good. Mom is so strong—she’ll definitely defeat those monsters and come back to see me. I believe in Mom.”

As she spoke, a shimmering white light appeared.

Yu Yan felt her mental exhaustion ease and her depleted strength recover halfway. Yun Duo’er had tossed her a sphere of holy light, then a second, a third… “Enough, enough,” Yu Yan said hurriedly, waving her hand. “Do you think Mom is a bottomless pit?”

“Three spheres of holy light are plenty to restore Mom to full strength.”

“Our Duo’er is just like Mom, both fortified by fourth-grade spirit veins—did Duo’er forget?”

Of course, she hadn’t.

Despite her efforts—even refining unicorn rhinoceros meat to become a powerful lightning-type ability user—in Mom’s eyes, she still wasn’t fit to fight alongside her. Naturally, Duo’er knew the reason: Mom worried for her, afraid she’d be hurt.

It seemed that, to reassure Mom and join her in battling those terrifying monsters, she would have to work even harder!

Thoughts swirled in Yun Duo’er’s mind, but her face remained bright and innocent.

Mom always treated her as a child, so she’d continue playing the part to make Mom happy. “Mom, I’m hungry. I want your grilled spirit fish and spirit fruit soup.”

“Alright!”

Yu Yan relaxed, relieved.

Her daughter wanted her to cook, so she really wasn’t upset.

Grilled spirit fish and fruit soup were nothing to her—being a single mother, not knowing how to cook was impossible. Simple home dishes, including grilling fish or boiling a basic soup, were easy enough; only more complex recipes were beyond her.

Since the arrival of the world, she’d been scrambling for survival, never finding time to cook.

Now, to please her daughter, she’d do anything—even cook!

Yu Yan carefully selected a plump electric-type spirit fish; not only would it fill her daughter’s belly, it would boost her lightning spiritual energy—a priority for Duo’er, whose lightning ability rank was still low, limiting her attack power.

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