Chapter 16: Negotiations

By the time she had finished the bumpy journey and traversed the long, rugged stretch of road back home, the night had deepened significantly.

Now, she had to face the person most likely to expose her identity as a "transmigrator"—Qi Xue.

Despite the surrounding pitch-black darkness, with the faint moonlight barely illuminating the path beneath her feet, Xingyu felt a strange, inexplicable intuition guiding her clearly toward home. Her steps were quick and steady, as if an invisible force were leading her, ensuring she would not lose her way.

In the silent darkness, Xingyu gradually spotted a faint light source. It was the flickering glow of a candle, shining through the window of a small cabin not far ahead, like a lighthouse in the night, guiding her back.

Xingyu quickened her pace and soon reached the familiar wooden door.

The door was unlocked. With a gentle push, the aged wood creaked and slowly swung open.

Xingyu stepped inside cautiously, and the door closed behind her with a soft thud. Only a single candle burned on the table, casting the room in a hazy, dim light.

In this faint glow, Xingyu saw Qi Xue sitting alone at the table. Her hands were clasped together, her face as pale as paper, and her eyes filled with anxiety and unease.

Hearing the door open, Qi Xue jerked her head up. When she realized it was Xingyu, a look of joyful surprise broke across her face.

"You're finally back!"

Qi Xue rushed over and hugged her tightly, her voice trembling. "Where did you go? What were you doing? I looked everywhere, I was almost... I thought I’d never find you again! What are you doing? Why did you leave me?"

She held Xingyu tightly, fearing she might leave again, tears welling in her eyes. "I... I thought..."

"I'm fine, I just went a bit further out," Xingyu said, overwhelmed by the intensity of her concern and unsure how to begin explaining.

Qi Xue continued to cling to her, hugging her so hard it was almost suffocating.

Suddenly, she stiffened and leaned in to sniff at Xingyu. "You're hurt! There’s the smell of blood on you... What happened? Where on earth did you go?"

Strange.

Her wounds had been completely healed; there were no marks on her body, and certainly no blood.

"A lot happened," Xingyu said, trying to remain patient. Noticing Qi Xue’s look of profound worry, she added, "Let’s go sit down, and I’ll explain everything slowly."

Qi Xue took her hand and led her to the table.

She rummaged through the drawers in a flurry, searching for a medical kit and bandages, though her eyes kept drifting back to Xingyu, as if afraid to miss a single movement.

Finally, Qi Xue found the kit and sat down across from her.

She took a deep breath, trying to steady her voice, though the tremor remained. "Where... where did you go?"

"I went to Ring C," Xingyu answered truthfully.

"Ring C?" Qi Xue’s eyes widened, her voice rising sharply. "Are you crazy? Such a far and dangerous place—didn't we agree never to go there again? How could you... how could you..."

She scanned Xingyu from head to toe, carefully checking for injuries. When she saw that Xingyu was sitting there unharmed, a flash of relief crossed her eyes, quickly replaced by confusion and worry.

Qi Xue’s voice dropped, tinged with a note of pleading, her eyes betraying the hurt of one who feels betrayed. "Xingyu, have you forgotten something? How could you just leave without a word? Or... or did something happen?"

Xingyu’s heart tightened. She averted her gaze, biting her lip; the plan to tell the truth was pushed to the back of her mind.

After a long silence, she spoke slowly. "I... yes, I haven't been feeling well."

Midway through, Xingyu clutched her forehead, feigning agony as if she were in genuine pain. She continued, "I’ve been dizzy, and my memory has been a bit confused lately."

*Please, don't let her realize I'm lying,* Xingyu repeated to herself.

As expected, Qi Xue’s concern immediately took over. Her expression became intensely anxious, and she pressed, "How can that be? How are you feeling now, Xingyu?"

Dreading the thought of having to take that strange "antibiotic" again, Xingyu quickly pivoted. "But I won't need to take any more medicine from now on."

"What do you mean?" Qi Xue looked confused, blinking as she stared at Xingyu.

"Today—" Xingyu took a deep breath and began to fabricate a story. "Not far from our house, I met someone. She called herself a 'Courier' and was looking for a letter. After I helped her find it, she cured my ailment as a thank you."

She paused, and seeing Qi Xue still looked lost, she added mysteriously, "She also said there were monsters lurking nearby and it wasn't safe. Have you heard anything about that?"

"Monsters...?" Qi Xue’s attention was successfully diverted.

Her confusion seemed genuine. "No... what kind of person was it? We’re quite safe here, aren't we? We pay those expensive protection fees specifically to live here in safety, don't we?"

She truly didn't know.

Xingyu brushed past the subject and continued her fabrication. "I helped her find the letter, and as a reward, she took me to a hospital in Ring C for treatment. I'm much better now."

Qi Xue eyed her with skepticism.

Xingyu forced herself to meet her gaze—after all, this version was certainly more believable than "I went out, got killed by a monster, reincarnated, and somehow became an Agent!"

Qi Xue reached out and pressed her palm against Xingyu’s forehead.

Her hand was ice-cold, almost freezing Xingyu. After a long moment, Qi Xue pulled away, a faint smile finally appearing on her face. "That’s good... you do look much better now."

Qi Xue still looked like she had more to say, lingering on the edge of questioning, but she eventually held back.

She sighed and offered a relieved smile. "Whatever happened, as long as you're safe, that's all that matters. But please, don't do this again tomorrow, okay? I was so worried... if something happened to you, everything I’ve been working for would be meaningless."

Xingyu was silent for a moment before admitting, "But, I’ve become an Agent."

"An... Agent?!"

Qi Xue’s facade of forced calm shattered instantly. She bit her lip, staring at Xingyu in disbelief, her words becoming incoherent. "Why... why would you become an Agent?! That’s so dangerous, no... you can't!"

Xingyu shook her head, her tone resolute. "But I already am one."

"You... why?! I’ve heard that being an Agent is a terrifying profession. They are all incredibly cruel, and many of them possess abilities we can't even comprehend... Xingyu, isn't everything I’ve done meant to keep us away from that life? I don't want you doing this! Why, why would you do this?"

Qi Xue’s demeanor suddenly turned somewhat hysterical.

Xingyu looked her straight in the eyes, her tone firm and sincere. "Qi Xue, I can't let you bear this alone all the time. Look, the protection fees for the Border Mutual Aid Alliance keep rising; it’s completely unreasonable. If this continues, we won't be able to pay eventually, and we’ll be in big trouble. I have to do something; I can't let you carry this burden by yourself."

"But, but..." Qi Xue seemed moved, her emotions cooling slightly. Her voice was laced with a sob. "But we never had a choice to begin with..."

After mumbling those words, Qi Xue kept her head down and said nothing more.

Xingyu observed her reaction silently, forming a hypothesis in her mind.

Qi Xue displayed an intense possessiveness toward the original owner, perhaps even bordering on controlling. The mere mention of Xingyu going out alone had triggered such a violent, near-hysterical reaction.

Their relationship might not have been as harmonious as she had assumed.

Qi Xue’s protective or controlling instincts were far too strong. The original owner might have once mentioned wanting to share the burden, but given Qi Xue’s current loss of control, Xingyu realized that even though she had said quite a bit, the intensity of Qi Xue’s reaction had actually kept her from being suspicious.

She would need more time to uncover the truth about their past.

Xingyu pondered this, her eyes never leaving Qi Xue.

The flickering candlelight illuminated Qi Xue’s pale profile, making her look exceptionally weary and fragile, as if she might shatter at any moment.

In this situation, any ordinary person with a shred of emotional intelligence would have reached out to comfort her, offered a warm embrace, and promised that everything would be alright.

But Xingyu did not.

Her gaze was locked onto a point in the void, as if something there had captured her entire focus.

A line of striking text floated in the air, like a massive riddle waiting to be solved.

[Ability: Regeneration]

Qi Xue...

Is she also an "Extraordinary"?