That night, after Qin Yu finished showering, she felt restless thinking about her trip to see Shenhe's master the next morning. She anxiously opened her backpack.
"Just in case we have to camp out, I've packed two tents and sleeping bags."
Sharing a tent was out of the question.
"We'll definitely get hungry on the road. We have emergency rations, but if we have time around noon or in the evening, we can build a fire and cook. So, I need to bring a pot, seasonings, and buy fresh ingredients at the market early tomorrow morning..."
What else could she possibly need?
Qin Yu muttered to herself as she double-checked her supplies, then unfolded the map and glanced at the planned route.
This was her first time traveling far from home with someone else.
Will everything be alright? Qin Yu rechecked everything twice, still feeling uneasy. But it was already late, and she knew she wouldn't be able to function properly tomorrow if she didn't sleep.
Oh well, my hair's dry now. Time for bed.
Lying down, Qin Yu tossed and turned, unable to drift off. A mix of anxiety and restless anticipation bubbled inside her, keeping her awake.
No, no, I'm not a child anymore.
Just sleep!
After a while...
Qin Yu stared blankly at the ceiling, then covered her face with her hands. "Ugh—this isn't working! I can't sleep!"
There was only one trick left to try.
No, the Anesthetic Rifle is still too cumbersome to use. But with these Points...
Over two hundred thousand?!
Qin Yu felt invigorated, almost unable to resist spending a large chunk of this fortune. However, she managed to restrain herself.
I'll wait a little longer. That should be enough to unlock the next tier of skills on the Skill Tree. I'm only a few tens of thousands of Points short.
These skills looked incredibly powerful. Qin Yu had a strong feeling that unlocking even one would fundamentally transform her combat abilities.
But half my vacation is already over.
Considering her impending return to the Jade Chamber, where the workload would likely intensify, should she prioritize upgrading her advanced Production Skills instead?
That would make her work much easier, and Ningguang would be even more pleased.
If Ningguang relied on her more, her Evaluation would naturally improve.
It's a solid long-term development strategy.
For now, Qin Yu could set aside the rarely used "Attributes" and the completely untouched "Abilities."
The Skills provided sufficient Attributes, and the Abilities granted elemental powers. While Qin Yu found the latter somewhat intriguing, she currently had no use for elemental forces.
After pondering for a moment, Qin Yu shook her head.
Forget it, she thought. I'll just save them for now and use them if needed. I should at least accumulate 300,000 Points first.
Qin Yu exchanged her Points for an Anesthetic Pistol.
Anesthetic Pistol - A specialized weapon that fires anesthetic darts, modified from a semi-automatic pistol. Non-lethal, with a short range and high accuracy. Magazine capacity: 9 darts. Easily affected by wind but extremely quiet. Equipped with a custom suppressor. This pistol, combined with a cardboard box and CQC techniques, offers the perfect method for incapacitating enemies.
A peculiar gray-black pistol materialized in her hand. She pulled back the slide to inspect the chamber and confirmed it was indeed loaded with anesthetic darts. Aiming the pistol at her own head, she pulled the trigger.
With a soft "pfft-shoo," Qin Yu instantly fell unconscious.
Qin Yu woke up the next morning, her mind still hazy with sleep. Despite her grogginess, she forced herself out of bed.
Before she could even reach the bathroom, there was a knock at the door.
"Who is it?" Qin Yu yawned, stumbling toward the door in a daze.
"Qin Yu, are you awake?"
It was Shenhe's voice.
Qin Yu's drowsiness vanished instantly. What time is it? Not that it was particularly early, but Shenhe could have waited a little longer before coming.
"Y-yes, I'm awake!" Qin Yu stammered hastily. "Just a moment!"
Her hair was still disheveled, her face unwashed, and she hadn't changed out of her pajamas. Shenhe's timing couldn't have been worse. Couldn't she have waited a little longer? Was she really in such a hurry to take me to meet her Master?
Well, there's no use dwelling on it now. Just wait!
Qin Yu rushed to the bathroom and washed up as quickly as possible. She hurried to the vanity to fix her hair, then opened her wardrobe and pulled out her travel clothes: a shirt, jacket, and trousers. After changing, she stuffed her pajamas back into the closet.
The room was relatively tidy, so that was fine.
Panting, Qin Yu dashed to the door, flung it open, and gasped, "Sorry to keep you waiting! It took a little longer than I expected... Are we leaving right away?"
"There's no need to rush," Shenhe replied.
"Huh? Then why did you come so early?" Qin Yu asked, puzzled.
"...I don't know," Shenhe replied.
What kind of answer is that? How strange.
Shenhe confessed, "I intended to wait longer outside, but before I knew it, I was standing at your doorstep. Did I disturb you?"
She just wandered over here without realizing it? This woman is truly...
Evaluation: D
Qin Yu's ears flushed. "No, you didn't disturb me," she murmured, taking a deep breath.
Since she's already here, I might as well invite her to breakfast before we leave. Come to think of it, has Shenhe even eaten yet?
"Have you eaten, Shenhe?"
Shenhe, having learned that "Have you eaten?" was a common greeting, replied, "I'm fine with you here."
That's not what I meant!
Evaluation: C-
Qin Yu chuckled. "That's not what I meant. I was asking if you had anything for breakfast."
"Yes."
"What did you have?"
"Medicinal herbs."
I knew it.
Qin Yu massaged her temples, wondering how Shenhe managed to develop so well on such a meager diet. If she'd only had herbs, she must still have room for breakfast, right?
"I haven't had breakfast yet. If you don't mind, would you like to join me?" Qin Yu asked with a smile.
"Alright."
Should I cook, or should we eat out? At this hour, many street stalls should still be open. Dumplings, steamed buns, or noodles would be perfect.
Qin Yu mused cheerfully, casually asking, "Shenhe, would you rather eat out, or should I cook?"
"I'd prefer what you make."
Evaluation: C
Though the answer was predictable, Qin Yu couldn't resist pressing, "Why?"
Just compliment my cooking, and I'll make it for you.
"I really enjoy the food you make for me. The dishes I tried during our time down the mountain didn't leave much of an impression; I can barely recall their flavors. But yours are different. Even now, I can still vividly savor their unique warmth..."
I just wanted a simple compliment, not a whole speech!
Evaluation: C+
Unique warmth? What nonsense! You just ate my cooking the most. Couldn't you have kept it simple with a couple of nice words?
Qin Yu twisted a strand of hair around her finger, grumbling inwardly for a moment before slowly nodding.
"Then... do you want to come grocery shopping with me, or would you rather wait here?"
"I want to go with you."
I get it already, so please stop talking like that. Seriously.
Qin Yu's mind flashed back to Shenhe's earlier words: "I hope you'll stay by my side," "I want you to always be with me... This feeling must be what people call 'love.'" A wave of unease washed over her.
I never imagined things would end up like this.
Composing herself, Qin Yu smiled. "Wait here a moment while I grab my wallet and change my shoes."
"Alright, I'll wait for you."
Qin Yu closed the door, picked up her wallet from the desk in her bedroom, and made sure she had everything she needed. She hurried back to the entryway and slipped on her shoes.
Makeup... doesn't seem necessary. It'll just get smudged with sweat later if we're going far.
Opening the door, she found Shenhe still standing outside, gazing up at the Jade Chamber floating in the sky. Hearing the sound, Shenhe turned back.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Let's go. What do you want to eat?" Qin Yu asked, taking Shenhe's hand.
"Anything is fine with me."
Couldn't she be a little more specific?