The side effects of using the ability had arrived.
Su Shuang’er’s reaction was far more violent than anticipated.
Her complexion faded from a deathly pale to a grayish hue, cold sweat broke out on her forehead, and her teeth ground together with a harsh creak.
The backlash from the Blood Qi Awakening, the overextension of the Power of the Bowknot, and the wounds on her body — every price exploded simultaneously at this moment.
Her body began to tremble uncontrollably, and her breathing became short and ragged.
“Shuang’er, don’t be in such a hurry to…”
Mu Yingying struggled to sit up.
However, her own body was starting to have problems as well.
Her Gambling Addiction was flaring up. Gritting her teeth, she endured the urge and managed to slide off the back seat of the bicycle.
Because her injuries were so severe, her legs nearly gave out when her feet hit the ground. She wobbled twice before regaining her balance.
“We need to find a place to hide.”
Mu Yingying scanned the surroundings.
The black mist was still churning behind them; staying here was by no means safe.
Under the moonlight, there was a half-collapsed gray building not far away, resembling an abandoned residential house.
Half of the roof had caved in, but at least the walls were still standing, capable of blocking the wind and hiding people.
“Over there.”
Mu Yingying gestured with her chin, then bent down to drag Su Shuang’er off the back seat, securing the girl firmly onto her own back.
Su Shuang’er’s body was still convulsing, feeling as hot as a branding iron.
Sweat dripped onto Mu Yingying’s neck, making her hiss from the heat.
“Endure it a bit, Shuang’er. You’re burning up too much…”
Mu Yingying gritted her teeth and freed a hand to push the bicycle.
But the front wheel was ruined; the bike wouldn’t budge at all.
Without hesitation, she straightened her back and hoisted the bicycle, along with White Night, onto her shoulder.
With her heavily injured body carrying a person and a bike, she felt as if her bones were about to shatter.
Her legs felt like they were treading on cotton, wobbling with every step.
Yet, she moved toward the ruined house one step at a time.
She tripped once midway, but as she fell, she desperately protected the person on her back and the bike on her shoulder.
Only her knees slammed hard against the gravel, instantly drawing blood.
“Damn Weirdness.”
She spat out a curse, gritted her teeth, and crawled back up to continue walking.
Finally reaching the doorway, she carefully placed Su Shuang’er inside, letting her sit partially upright against the inner wall.
She then brought the bicycle in and leaned it carefully next to Su Shuang’er.
Having finished this, Mu Yingying’s legs finally gave out. She slid down the wall and sat on the floor, panting heavily.
“Alright… we made it…” Her voice sounded as if it were being scraped out of her throat.
“Auntie Ying…” White Night’s voice drifted from the bike frame, so weak it was almost inaudible.
“Hmm?” Mu Yingying leaned her head back against the wall, staring at the dark red night sky visible through the collapsed roof.
“Thank you.”
She closed her eyes. “What’s there to thank? We’re family. No need for such talk.”
The ruined house was covered in dust.
Rebar poked out crookedly from the corners of the walls, and the night wind poured in through a window that was missing half its frame, bringing a bone-chilling dampness.
The three of them could finally catch their breath.
White Night’s Soul Body was curled up inside the frame, so faint she was nearly invisible.
From her knees down, her legs were charred black, creating a jarring contrast with her pale, transparent upper body.
She didn’t have the strength to float out, so she could only speak in a very soft voice.
“Auntie Ying… Auntie Frost’s wounds need to be treated.”
Mu Yingying crouched beside Su Shuang’er, using the moonlight to inspect her injuries.
The abrasions on the left arm had already scabbed over, but the gash on the right shoulder was still oozing blood.
Two of the burn blisters on her forearm had popped, looking incredibly painful.
Mu Yingying herself wasn’t doing much better.
The places where the corrosive liquid had splashed her cheeks burned fiercely, and the wound on her side, muffled under her clothes, throbbed with pain at the slightest touch.
Yet, she ignored her own condition.
Just as she tore a piece of clean cloth from her backpack, her hands suddenly began to shake.
It wasn’t from the cold. It was because the Smooth Gold Coin in her pocket was terrifyingly hot.
The Gambling Addiction had arrived, overriding the thought of treating the wounds.
Mu Yingying closed her eyes and took a deep breath, but the fingers clutching the gold coin trembled uncontrollably.
She knew that if she didn’t gamble, her mind would only become more chaotic.
Forget treating wounds — she wouldn’t even be able to maintain her sanity.
She didn’t dare go far, so she simply crouched in the corner.
Afraid of alerting any Weirdness outside, she couldn’t worry about whether she would disturb the others.
“Shuang’er, gamble with me.”
“Okay…”
Su Shuang’er’s consciousness was already blurred, muddled by the instinctual backlash of her awakened ability.
She simply nodded at the sound of the voice.
Mu Yingying pulled out the gold coin. Her hands were shaking, but her movements were practiced.
Ding.
The gold coin flipped into the air, spinning several times under the moonlight before falling back into her palm.
Both sides were smooth; there was nothing on them.
She had lost again.
Mu Yingying let out a sigh as the impulse tearing at her brain finally receded.
However, the side effect followed immediately — Trash Talk Mode was fully activated.
The effects surged up completely, and her limbs lost all their strength.
Leaning against the wall, she couldn’t control her mouth and began to mutter softly.
“Good Frosty, we were just running for our lives, and your big fat butt was bouncing on the little bike for so long. Are you tired…?”
“Sigh, the little bike’s legs are all burned away. Tell me, as an Auntie, am I just too useless…?”
Her voice grew smaller and smaller, eventually turning into an incoherent mumble.
Even the trash talk lacked energy; it seemed she was truly exhausted this time. Nevertheless, she continued to speak vaguely.
“Big fat butt, I’m hurt so bad I can’t move, and I don’t want to go out and catch a cold… I can only watch the big fat butt right here…”
Inside the room, the rhythm of Su Shuang’er’s breathing suddenly changed.
She no longer had the energy to pay attention to Mu Yingying’s rambling.
The instinctual backlash of her ability had overridden her blurred consciousness; her mind was now filled only with Little White Night.
White Night felt it.
That feeling was very familiar to her — it was the omen of an accelerating heartbeat.
Every time the side effect flared up, this was the precursor, only this time it was exceptionally violent.
Su Shuang’er had used her Blood Qi and exerted the full Power of the Bowknot. Her body had long since been overdrawn.
Naturally, the backlash of the side effect was proportional to that overextension.
“White Night…” Su Shuang’er’s voice trembled, leaking an unhideable fragility and longing. Her hand had already moved onto the bicycle frame.
White Night’s soul shrank back into the depths of the frame.
She felt Su Shuang’er’s burning palm press against it.
That searing heat transferred through the carbon fiber, falling upon White Night’s charred legs.
It wasn’t exactly painful, but that feeling of being completely relied upon made White Night’s heart skip a beat.
“Auntie…”
“Don’t speak.”
Su Shuang’er’s voice had changed completely.
The coolness and dignity were gone, and even her forced composure was shattered into pieces.
She pressed her entire body against the frame, her cheek resting against the cold metal, letting out a sigh of relief.
White Night stopped talking. She knew that Su Shuang’er’s current state was not something she could control.
It was just like Mu Yingying’s Gambling Addiction, or Su Shuang’er’s reliance on her.
This was the price of using an Awakened Ability, an instinct carved into the body.
The only thing White Night could do was cooperate quietly and let Auntie Frost slowly recover.
An unknown amount of time passed before the room fell completely silent.
Su Shuang’er’s breathing returned to a steady pace, and her body temperature gradually dropped.
She sat leaning next to White Night, her head lowered in silence, her hand still resting on the frame without pulling away.
White Night felt Su Shuang’er’s fingers moving gently.
Su Shuang’er pulled a clean cloth from her bosom and began to wipe the bicycle’s body.
Her movements were very light, wiping inch by inch across the handlebars, the crossbar, and the seat.
Her fingertips traced every mark and scratch with care.
Ding.
[Detected Bicycle Driver: Su Shuang’er has performed deep emotional maintenance on the bicycle.]
[The Soul Bond between the bicycle and the driver has significantly deepened.]
[Reward: Bicycle Points +3]
The System notification rang in White Night’s mind.
White Night froze for a moment. Three points — that was two more than usual.
At the same time, White Night finally noticed that her charred soul legs didn’t seem to hurt as much anymore.
Earlier, she had been too embarrassed to think clearly, but now that she had calmed down to feel it, that burning sensation had truly lessened during the closeness with Auntie Frost.
The edges of the charred areas seemed to have receded just a little bit.
The change was tiny, almost imperceptible.
But White Night felt it clearly — her Divine Soul was being nourished.
‘How is that possible?’
White Night stared at her legs for a long time, confirming this wasn’t a hallucination.
Auntie Frost’s closeness didn’t just alleviate her own side effects; it could actually nourish White Night’s soul in return?
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.