42 Global Evolution
Cong Xia slowly opened his eyes, feeling sore and weak in his limbs, unable to exert any strength.
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“Goyjl?” G nyzx hsknl, clzsdtkdt vs Ubldt Mkydck, alynble bkp lyap, cakdtkdt y pldpl sq alyppwaydnl vs Usdt Dky. Fwcnsdpnkswpzu, bl alynble swv yde tayccle Ubldt Mkydck’p yax.
Ubldt Mkydck ypjle, “Tso es usw qllz?”
Cong Xia struggled to sit up and found himself lying on a clean bed. Looking around, he noticed that the room was filled with dusty objects, except for the bed, which felt soft and dry to the touch. Shaking his head, he replied, “A bit tired, but I’m fine.” He recalled what had happened before losing consciousness and quickly asked, “How is Abu?”
Cheng Tianbi’s expression wasn’t great. “He’s not dead, just sleeping.”
Cong Xia breathed a sigh of relief.
Furrowing his brow, Cheng Tianbi said, “You’re not allowed to take such risks again. You depleted all your energy.”
Cong Xia forced a bitter smile. “This is the consequence of not knowing my energy limit. But at least I’m alive, Abu is alive. That’s good enough. Am I at Zhuang Yao’s house?”
“Yes. He did have a lot of useful things there, so he wasn’t lying about that.”
Cong Xia nodded. “I also considered that he could be helpful to us, so I took a gamble. Despite not bringing back the generator, we both returned alive. Whether or not Zhuang Yao will come with us to Beijing, we can still receive a lot of assistance from him.”
Cheng Tianbi looked at him steadily. “But only this once.”
“What do you mean?”
Cheng Tianbi grasped his thin shoulder. “Being so reckless, only this once.”
Cong Xia smiled. “When you were all fighting desperately, I couldn’t do anything. It wasn’t fair. Now that I know I have the ability to heal, I can help you in the future.”
Softly, Cheng Tianbi asked, “Are you hungry?”
“I am, so hungry that my front chest sticks to my back.”
“Come down and eat. Everyone is waiting for you.”
The two of them went downstairs and saw Liu Fengyu and Zhuang Yao sitting face to face at the dining table, staring at each other.
Seeing Cong Xia coming downstairs, Liu Fengyu stood up. “Feeling better?”
Cong Xia smiled. “I’m fine. Hey, Liu Ge, did you take a shower?”
Liu Fengyu changed into clean clothes, his black hair flowing elegantly. With a handsome and charming appearance, he exuded the same charisma that once captivated countless women in front of the camera.
Liu Fengyu laughed heartily. “Yeah, finally got cleaned up. How do I look? Handsome, right?”
Cong Xia smiled. “You look extremely handsome, truly a big star.”
Zhuang Yao stared at him with round eyes until he walked over to him.
Cong Xia crossed his arms. “Let me tell you, now that Abu is not here to be your bodyguard, if you don’t keep your promise, we can beat you up anytime.”
Zhuang Yao shrugged. “I’ll do what I said.”
Cheng Tianbi took the dishes that Cong Xia made during the day out of the refrigerator and heated them in the microwave one by one.
Cong Xia glanced at the dishes. “Have you all eaten? If not, these won’t be enough.”
Liu Fengyu rolled his eyes. “We haven’t eaten. He insisted on waiting for you to wake up.”
Cong Xia smiled and glanced at Cheng Tianbi. “Why wait for me? I really wish you could all taste these delicious dishes soon.”
“Not hungry,” Cheng Tianbi turned his head away, unable to directly face the gentle smile in Cong Xia’s eyes.
“Then I’ll make some more. Let’s have a good meal together.”
Cheng Tianbi took out two chickens from the freezer. “I’ll cook.”
“You know how to cook?”
“I do.”
“Let’s cook together then, it’ll be faster.” Cong Xia rolled up his sleeves. “Brother Bing, don’t worry, I’m just a little hungry, but otherwise, I’m fine.”
Liu Fengyu chimed in, “Yeah, yeah, hurry up and cook. The two lovebirds can take over the kitchen. I’m starving.”
Cheng Tianbi gave him a cold glance.
Liu Fengyu teased, “If our Xiao Xia doesn’t wake up, you won’t let us eat, but now that he’s awake, you should let us eat, right?”
Cong Xia glanced at Cheng Tianbi’s cold expression and felt his face heat up for some reason.
Cheng Tianbi kept his head down, tearing open a vacuum bag without looking up.
Cong Xia leaned closer to him and smiled. “Brother Bing, you’ve taken such good care of me, I feel a little embarrassed.”
Cheng Tianbi maintained a stern face and remained silent.
“Brother Bing, you haven’t tasted my cooking yet. What do you like to eat? I’ll make something delicious for you. I can cook anything.”
Cheng Tianbi muttered, “As long as it’s edible.”
“Don’t be like that. We can finally have a meal like this, it’s like a dream come true. We should take the opportunity to eat everything we want.” Cong Xia nudged his arm. “What do you like to eat?”
Cheng Tianbi glanced at him. “Spicy.”
“I love spicy food too. He has a wide variety of ingredients here, and there’s this especially fragrant small chili. Can you help me peel a carrot?” Cong Xia, despite looking a bit pale, was excited. He busied himself in the kitchen, and Cheng Tianbi assisted him.
Cong Xia loved to talk and chat, while Cheng Tianbi was holding back with his words. Their interaction pattern was usually Cong Xia talking non-stop while Cheng Tianbi occasionally chimed in. But every word Cong Xia said, Cheng Tianbi listened attentively.
Liu Fengyu and Zhuang Yao were still sitting at the dining table, their chins propped up as they watched the two cooking in the kitchen. Liu Fengyu had a mysterious smile on his face, while Zhuang Yao appeared deep in thought.
After a while, Zhuang Yao said, “They will be in a romantic relationship in the future.”
Liu Fengyu glanced at him. “What do you know, you little kid?”
Zhuang Yao rolled his eyes. “It can be calculated.”
“Oh, based on what calculations?”
“Breathing rate, pupil dilation, body language, facial expressions. I could explain, but you wouldn’t understand.”
Liu Fengyu snorted. “You brat.”
After a while, the dishes were all prepared, and Cong Xia excitedly brought the delicious food to the table one by one. “Yesterday, when I was eating here, I wished you were here too. I never thought you would actually be here. Come, eat more. I can’t believe I have the chance to eat delicious food in this lifetime.”
Liu Fengyu looked at the appetizing dishes and was moved to the point of tears. He had eaten so many good things in his life that he had lost interest in delicacies due to the need to maintain his figure. It wasn’t until he couldn’t even have a bite of cucumber that he realized how precious those things he had missed out on were.
The four of them couldn’t resist the temptation and enjoyed the meal without caring about their appearance.
Zhuang Yao watched Liu Fengyu devour his food and sneered, “I thought you never get hungry. It’s such a waste to eat so much.”
Liu Fengyu rolled his eyes at him. “It’s a waste if you eat it.”
“Don’t forget that you’re eating someone else’s food.”
“Don’t forget that it’s because of someone that you and your stupid cat are still alive and have something to eat.”
“Abu is not a stupid cat. Your intelligence is even lower than its.”
“Bullshit.”
“You’re the one spouting bullshit!”
“You little brat, say it again!” Liu Fengyu became furious, grabbed a plate, and was about to slam it on Zhuang Yao’s face.
Cong Xia skillfully intervened and held back Liu Fengyu. “Liu ge, Liu ge, don’t get angry. Don’t stoop to the level of a child.”
“I’ll beat him to death!”
“No, no, Liu ge, calm down. Let’s eat peacefully. It would be a shame if it gets cold and goes bad. Be good, eat your meal.”
Zhuang Yao grinned provocatively at Liu Fengyu.
The four of them quickly devoured all the food on the table, not even leaving a drop of soup.
Zhuang Yao lay on the chair, holding his stomach, while the other three rested and drank tea.
Zhuang Yao murmured suddenly, “How could my calculations go wrong?”
Cong Xia was closest to him and heard it clearly. “Calculations? What calculations?”
“The breeding rate of geckos.” Zhuang Yao’s small face showed a hint of seriousness. “I observed that gecko nest for half a month, studying their habits, division of labor, hunting routes, feces, and breeding rate. I conducted a comprehensive investigation. Except for the breeding rate, all the other results matched my analysis. The breeding rate is closely related to the other results, and it shouldn’t have gone wrong. But last night, the number of geckos was more than ten times what I estimated, directly leading to our failure.”
“Your failure is your failure, don’t drag us into it,” Liu Fengyu sneered coldly.
Cheng Tianbi solemnly said, “No, this can indeed be considered our first failure.”
Throughout their journey, they had encountered countless dangers. Whether it was the monkeys, mantises, long-haired man in the beginning, or the mosquitoes and frogs later on, each time was filled with peril. However, they had overcome those mutant species every time, hardly sustaining any injuries. But last night, Zhuang Yao’s cat almost died under the siege of geckos. Although they had killed many geckos, they had barely inflicted any substantial damage on the largest gecko and had to flee. Moreover, they couldn’t even achieve their initial objective of finding a generator.
Cong Xia didn’t even have the opportunity to absorb the abundant energy from the dead species as before.
Indeed, this was their first failure in facing the enemy.
Cong Xia smiled faintly, “To be honest, I think the fact that we’re still alive is the greatest success.” He had never thought of fighting against any species. His biggest goal, from the beginning to the end, was to survive with his companions. As long as they could outlive everyone in this chaotic world, wouldn’t that be a kind of success?
Liu Fengyu shrugged, “I don’t care as long as I have food and drink.”
Cheng Tianbi and Zhuang Yao, however, were not as optimistic as them. Zhuang Yao couldn’t accept his own calculation error that almost killed Abu. Unless he figured out the cause, he couldn’t find peace. Cheng Tianbi, on the other hand, was a person who had great confidence in his own abilities and had strict demands on the completion of tasks. Even if this wasn’t his assigned task, he still detested failure.
Cong Xia seemed to see through their thoughts and patted Cheng Tianbi’s arm, saying with a smile, “Brother Bing, we’ve gained a lot on this trip.”
The gains from this trip were not only Zhuang Yao, the cerebral domain evolver, and the supplies in the house, but also Cong Xia discovering his ability to repair cells. With this ability, even if they were injured in the future, they wouldn’t have to worry as long as he had ample energy inside him. He could heal others.
Although all the non-attributed energy absorbed on the way was depleted in order to save Abu, as long as their journey didn’t stop, they would always face countless enemies, and he would have countless opportunities to obtain greater energy.
Moreover, he firmly believed that there were many more things that non-attributed energy could accomplish, waiting for him to explore one by one.
Cheng Tianbi said, “The greatest gain is your ability.”
Cong Xia’s eyes lit up. The praise from Cheng Tianbi made him feel proud, and he scratched his head, laughing embarrassedly.
Liu Fengyu yawned, “I’m going to take a nap after showering and eating my fill.”
Cong Xia looked at himself and said, “I’m going to take a shower too. Brother Bing, are you going to shower? The water here is pumped from underground, so it’s cool. It’ll definitely be comfortable to shower.”
Cheng Tianbi nodded.
“Let’s go then,” Cong Xia said, glancing at Zhuang Yao who was still lost in thought. “Don’t you want to rest for a while?”
Zhuang Yao waved his hand, “I must figure out what exactly happened.”
Cong Xia looked at his uncharacteristic seriousness for his age and shook his head helplessly.
“Brother Bing, let’s go.”
The two returned to the room where Cong Xia had been sleeping. Cong Xia said, “You go first.”
“I’m not in a hurry.”
“You go ahead, take off your clothes. I’ll wash our clothes while I shower.”
Cheng Tianbi was used to it and directly took off his clothes and went into the shower.
Both of them had been dirty for half a month. Cheng Tianbi took half an hour to finish showering.
He only wrapped a towel around himself. The days of constant running had made him lose several pounds, but his muscles became more solid and strong. The beautiful muscles were in powerful blocks, with no trace of excess fat on his body. His skin was smooth and elastic. Such a physique was flawless, and it was impossible to find any flaws. His hair had grown a bit long and was damply sticking to his handsome cheeks. He exuded a cold, wild aura that was too sexy to look straight at.
Although Cong Xia had seen it many times before, he still felt dry in his mouth and tongue-tied. When he thought about his own scrawny figure, he couldn’t help feeling somewhat insecure. He bowed his head and picked up Cheng Tianbi’s clothes, then went into the shower.
When he didn’t shower, he didn’t know how dirty he was. Cong Xia looked at the dark brown water flowing down from his body. He was a very clean person who showered twice a day even in summer, always having a clean and refreshing body and immaculate clothes. But now, he had lost the sense of not showering for half a month. When a person’s life was constantly threatened, there was no time to consider such trivial matters.
The feeling of being thoroughly cleaned was truly wonderful. It was as if the whole person had been reborn, refreshed. That cool and refreshing feeling allowed him to briefly forget his predicament and immerse himself in memories of the past civilized society.
After showering, he washed all the dirty clothes for himself and Cheng Tianbi. Actually, he wanted to help wash Liu Fengyu’s clothes too, but he knew that Liu Fengyu would never wear those dirty clothes again. The clothes for him and Cheng Tianbi were mountaineering suits and very sturdy, with no major damage. Once they were washed, they could be worn.
After cleaning up, he changed into clean clothes and came out of the bathroom.
Cheng Tianbi was already lying on the bed, resting with his eyes closed.
Cong Xia walked over quietly, and Cheng Tianbi opened his eyes, silently watching him.
“I’m done showering. Are you tired?” Cong Xia asked softly.
Cheng Tianbi whispered, “Not really.”
“I slept for quite a long time, but I still feel a bit sleepy. Let’s take a nap.”
“Mhmm.”
Cheng Tianbi shifted aside, making room for Cong Xia on the bed.
Cong Xia crawled into the covers and let out a contented sigh. “This is pure bliss. I can hardly believe we have such comfortable days.”
Cheng Tianbi looked at Cong Xia’s delicate profile, not saying anything.
Cong Xia turned his head and lay facing him. “Brother Bing, when we get to Beijing, will we have days like this?”
“I don’t know.”
“Let’s just think that way. Having something to look forward to gives us motivation.”
“Mhmm.”
Their eyes met, and involuntarily, they couldn’t look away from each other.
Cong Xia gazed at Cheng Tianbi’s deep and narrow eyes, and suddenly his heart started racing.
Those eyes… They’re so beautiful. Unconsciously, Cong Xia reached out his hand towards Cheng Tianbi’s eyes.
A hint of surprise flashed through Cheng Tianbi’s eyes, and he slightly turned his head.
Cong Xia snapped out of his daze, and his hand froze in mid-air, unsure whether to retract it or continue forward.
Cheng Tianbi discreetly shifted his gaze, concealing any sign of embarrassment.
Embarrassed, Cong Xia said, “Um, your… your hair has grown long and it’s covering your eyes. Let me cut it for you.”
Cheng Tianbi nodded. “Mhmm.”
“Come on, I’ll cut it now.” Cong Xia quickly jumped up from the bed and retrieved a t-shirt from his bag. He draped it over Cheng Tianbi’s shoulders and then found a pair of scissors. He gestured on Cheng Tianbi’s head, saying, “What kind of hairstyle do you want?”
“Whatever you like.”
“I’ll give you a shorter haircut so you won’t need to cut it for several months.”
“Sure.” Cheng Tianbi looked at Cong Xia’s hand in front of him. It was a beautiful hand, fair and slender, with distinct joints, round nails, and a hint of pink on the fingertips.
Cong Xia smiled and said, “Okay.” His fingers carefully moved through Cheng Tianbi’s thick hair, meticulously trimming it.
The two were very close, close enough to smell the familiar scent of soap on each other, as if their scents had merged into one. Cong Xia stood in front of Cheng Tianbi, their chests and gazes aligned. Cheng Tianbi could clearly see the slender waist peeking out from under Cong Xia’s white shirt. It was so thin that it seemed like it could be wrapped by just one arm. He had hugged and pulled Cong Xia many times before, and he felt that Cong Xia’s weight was unlike that of a man. He wasn’t sure if he had always been this thin or if he had lost weight due to poor eating habits. In any case, he was too thin, and his waist seemed like it could be snapped with just a slight effort.
Right in front of him, he could easily reach out and embrace…
“Brother Bing, Brother Bing?”
Cheng Tianbi snapped out of his thoughts abruptly. “Hmm? What?” He broke into a cold sweat, wondering what he had just been thinking about.
Cong Xia laughed and said, “I’m done cutting. There’s a mirror in the bathroom, go take a look later.”
Cheng Tianbi suddenly stood up and walked towards the bathroom.
“Hey, your hair is still wet, why are you in such a hurry?”
Cheng Tianbi had already reached the bathroom and looked at his reflection in the mirror. His slightly long hair had been neatly trimmed into a short and sharp style, making him look smart and energetic.
“How does it look? Did I do a good job with the haircut?”
“Not bad.”
“Well, it’s mainly because our Big Brother Bing looks handsome. Even if he shaves his head, he still looks good.” Cong Xia laughed and patted Cheng Tianbi’s shoulder. “Don’t move, you have some hair on your neck.” He tiptoed and blew a puff of air on Cheng Tianbi’s neck.
Cheng Tianbi’s gaze shifted abruptly, and he grabbed Cong Xia’s wrist.
Cong Xia was startled. “What’s wrong?”
His height was not considered short, regardless of whether in the north or south, but compared to Cheng Tianbi, he felt a bit short.
Cheng Tianbi looked at him with a complex expression, whispered, “Don’t touch me casually.” After saying that, he released his hand and walked back to the bedroom with big strides.
Cong Xia stood there dumbfounded for a few seconds, feeling an indescribable discomfort in his heart.
It’s not like I’m particularly eager to touch you.
Cong Xia thought somewhat frustrated, but he still felt uneasy in his heart.
He stood still for a few seconds and then went back to the bedroom. He initially wanted to act cool like Cheng Tianbi, but with just one glance from Cheng Tianbi, he couldn’t hold on. He showed a pleasing smile, “Brother Bing, I didn’t mean to, why are you angry?”
“Not angry.”
“Then why are you like this?”
“Sleeping.”
“Huh?”
“Now, sleeping.” Cheng Tianbi lifted the blanket and lay down.
Cong Xia stood by the bed, feeling somewhat at a loss.
Cheng Tianbi looked at him, emphasizing his words, “Come in, let’s sleep.”
“Oh.” Cong Xia felt like he had been granted amnesty and quickly climbed into the bed. “Let’s rest well and continue eating after we’ve slept enough,” he said, revealing an expectant smile.
Cheng Tianbi looked at that smile without any reservations, and finally, his heart calmed down.
****
Translator’s note: Oh, Cheng Tianbi, Cheng Tianbi…hehe.
Managing a Divine Beast Kindergarten in the Immortal Realm
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