Chapter 10 Kill them all.

Hearing Ye Wuyou’s words, Ling Yu couldn’t help but find it amusing. He’d only meant to tease the girl a little, never thinking much of it, but who would have guessed she’d get so riled up. Still, his venomous tongue couldn’t resist adding, “Well, nothing to be done. I guess Heaven thinks I’m too handsome, so it saddled me with such an ugly wife. Sigh, when I think of that, my life feels hopeless. Just look at you—ugly face, bad temper—who else would want you besides me?”

After saying this, Ling Yu gave her a deliberate once-over, which of course set Ye Wuyou off again.

“Fine! Then I should thank you for marrying me—for putting up with such an ugly, bad-tempered wife. Truly, you’ve been wronged!” she shot back, glaring fiercely at him. Unable to stand his mocking gaze any longer, Chen Yanxi (Ye Wuyou’s other identity) stomped down hard on Ling Yu’s foot before storming off toward the ox cart.

“Hiss—! You damn girl! Talking is one thing, why do you have to use your hands too?” Ling Yu groaned. She’d used her full strength in that stomp, and even channeled a trace of her weakened ability into it, making it sting far more than a normal kick.

Just then, the ox cart arrived. There weren’t many passengers today, so there was plenty of room. Ye Wuyou tried to climb up by herself, but with her injured arm she nearly slipped and fell. In the end, it was Ling Yu, coming up behind, who caught her and helped her into the cart.

This little scene instantly stirred discontent among a few village girls watching. Why should an ugly woman like Ye Wuyou get such care and tenderness from the outstanding Ling Yu?

Once aboard, Ye Wuyou could feel the hostility in the others’ gazes, but she ignored it. She didn’t want to talk to Ling Yu either. She found a spot in a corner, sat down, and stared blankly into the distance, silent. Ling Yu, seeing her sulking, knew he’d made her angry again, but he didn’t try to speak. He simply sat quietly beside her, ready to keep her from falling out of the jostling cart.

“Yuyou, I want to kill him! I want to kill that foul-mouthed man—he’s infuriating!” Ye Wuyou raged inside her mental space.

Yuyou, her contracted spirit, had been depressed ever since discovering that this world was no longer the post-apocalyptic one they came from. Especially now, with Ye Wuyou having lost her advanced abilities yet still bossing it around, Yuyou felt bitter. It deeply regretted ever abandoning its previous master to follow this demoness. At least its old master had treated it with respect, never forcing it to do things it hated, even feeding it crystal cores as snacks. But Ye Wuyou? She had absorbed all the cores herself and now had it organizing her mountain of supplies.

The apocalypse had been dangerous, yes—but Yuyou had always hidden safely in the spatial dimension, never forced into battle. Why had it ever been tempted by Ye Wuyou’s power? Now, with no way back, it was stuck serving her for life. Yuyou whimpered inwardly as it sorted through endless piles of goods.

When Ye Wuyou burst in, shouting with rage, Yuyou glanced up listlessly. “Kill him then. Kill them all. He’s just a man—there are plenty more in this world, and none of them have any real power anyway.”

It didn’t really care; whatever madness she wanted to pursue, it had never been able to stop her before—like that time she insisted on hijacking a supply truck.

“Yes! I’ll kill him. Once I recover, I’ll definitely kill that bastard! How dare he force me to say I’m ugly? I’ll never forgive him!” Ye Wuyou seethed. She had always cared about her looks; she could never tolerate being called ugly. And now, not only had he said it, he’d forced her to admit it herself. Even if it was true at the moment, it still burned her pride.

“Fine, kill him if you want. I’m going to sleep,” Yuyou muttered, exhausted. Since yesterday it had done nothing but sort through the enormous stockpile of supplies Ye Wuyou had dumped into the space. Back in the apocalypse, they had spent all their days looting, never organizing, living off whatever they grabbed that day. But now, in this world where resources were scarce, all that mess had to be sorted—and Yuyou was stuck with the job.

After venting her fury inside, Ye Wuyou felt even more stifled by Yuyou’s indifference.

“The county’s here. Those of you who need to shop, be quick. We can’t stay long before heading back,” Old Man Niu, the cart driver, reminded everyone. The village was far from the county, and each trip was limited.

When they arrived, Ling Yu hopped lightly off the cart. Seeing Ye Wuyou still dazed, he knew she was sulking, but also knew she couldn’t get down by herself. Without hesitation, he walked over and lifted her down in his arms.

Startled, Ye Wuyou’s first instinct was to strike him, but the pain in her injured arm and her weakened state reminded her: this wasn’t her past life. She was now covered in wounds, powerless, and just a frail girl.

Ling Yu set her gently on the ground, then, without delay, led her toward the hospital. The market was crowded today, and worried she might be jostled, he shielded her with his body, holding out his arms to block people from bumping into her.

Even so, several times Ye Wuyou still stumbled against his chest. Surrounded by the noisy, pressing crowd, Ye Wuyou suddenly realized—being protected in someone’s arms like this didn’t feel bad at all. For a fleeting moment, she even thought that maybe this man wasn’t so hateful after all.