Kaziel: "..."
They had been speaking quite amicably just moments ago. Why the sudden change in attitude?
"I know your secret, and I can tell you one of mine as well. That way, we each share something, and we become friends, right?" Kaziel spoke with exaggerated sincerity, spinning pure nonsense with a straight face. "If we are friends, then we both save face, do we not?"
Mu Qingyun curled her lips into a disdainful smile upon hearing his nonsense. "What, are you trying to use secrets to threaten me?"
"Whether you want to speak or not is up to you. I do not care. But this man—he must die today."
Flames surged from her right hand as her fire ability flared. Her eyes locked coldly onto Kaziel, utterly devoid of emotion.
She did find the merman trait rather fascinating, but when it came to matters of principle, she never compromised.
"Let us make a deal. Tell me what you want. As long as I have it, I will trade it for his life. Is that acceptable?" Kaziel cast a quick glance at Deng Yijie, who lay unconscious on the ground. A flicker of irritation passed through his eyes.
How had he ended up on a team with such utter fools?
"And I promise, until the first stage ends, he will not bother your group again. Is that fair, beautiful lady?" Kaziel forced a grin, completely dropping his usual arrogant tone.
Mu Qingyun frowned in annoyance. "Stop calling me 'beautiful lady.'"
"Uh... then, 'ugly lady'?"
"If you keep talking in circles, I will kill him right now." She scowled, veins bulging on her temples from anger. This kind of evasive speech was what she hated the most.
"I will let him live, but you must do something for me."
She raised her gaze coldly. Seeing Kaziel nod immediately, without hesitation, she pointed to Su, who was standing beside her. "He has been physically weak since childhood. I heard merfolk begin studying medicine at a young age. Take a look at him."
Su was utterly stunned to be suddenly mentioned. He pointed at himself incredulously, then raised his brows toward her uncertainly.
"Let him take a look. There is no harm in it. If he can help, that would be ideal. If not, it does not matter."
[Comment Section]
Oh my God, I am losing my mind—my OTP just became canon!I am crying. The condition for the exchange is treating Su's illness. Who shipped this first?!I need a defibrillator—STAT.My mom is asking why I am writhing around in bed in broad daylight. Someone help me—I am dying of secondhand joy.Tch, what are you all shipping for? The Su-Mu ship is literally the hardest one to make sail.Whose fan is this? What are you even stirring up here?Look at them getting triggered so easily. Sisters, toughen up a little.What is going on? I just came here for a military academy battle stream, and now people are fighting in the comments over ships?Finally realized it, huh? Just turn off the comments. We are here for the battles, not the fandom wars.
"No problem," Kaziel said, turning to look at Su, who appeared both surprised and slightly unwilling. A trace of doubt flickered in Kaziel's eyes.
"I am sparing his life today, but you had better keep a close eye on him from now on," Mu Qingyun said coldly, glancing down at the unconscious Deng Yijie. Then, she turned to Mu Xueyao and Fan Xuanye, whose fight had also come to a halt after Kaziel's unexpected appearance.
Their battle had not yet produced a winner, but was now suspended because of the sudden shift in circumstances.
"You two go back first. I will cook for everyone later."
"Alright." Fan Xuanye nodded without complaint.
He had only joined the fight because he disliked Mu Xueyao. Now that Mu Qingyun had disengaged, it did not really affect him.
"Su, stay," Mu Qingyun said, reaching out to grab Su's arm. Then she turned to Kaziel. "Let us go."
"Kaziel!"
Mu Xueyao was visibly upset. It was one thing for Mu Qingyun's own teammates to take her side—but now even Kaziel? And he was going to treat that skinny weakling?
"We will go to the shore," Kaziel said, ignoring Mu Xueyao entirely. He merely cast her a cool glance.
Although he said nothing, the look in his eyes was far from gentle. Mu Xueyao felt a chill run down her spine. Her mouth opened, but no words came out.
"Um, I really do not think it is necessary," Su said softly. "I have had this illness since I was a child. I have seen many doctors, but none of them have been able to help."
"I agree with him," Yi Beixuan quickly chimed in. "This is a waste of a valuable exchange. Trade it for something else."
"It is alright. Aside from this, there is nothing else I really care about. If he can treat me, great. If not, then so be it." Seeing the troubled look on Su's face, Mu Qingyun assumed he was worried about troubling her. She quickly tried to reassure him.
Upon hearing this, Su frowned slightly. After thinking it over, he nodded in agreement and discreetly signaled for Yi Beixuan to leave first.
When the three of them arrived at the shoreline, Kaziel looked at Su, then casually sat down on the sand. His beautiful tail slipped into the water, glowing brilliantly under the reflection of the waves.
"Sit beside me," he said, patting the spot next to him. After Su sat down, Kaziel spoke again, "I specialize in traditional medicine. Tell me your symptoms."
"My body is weak. My abilities are also weak. Every time I use my powers, I cannot stop coughing." A flicker of emotion passed through Su's eyes. "I catch colds easily, and I fall ill often."
"Stick out your tongue," Kaziel said, lifting Su's chin to examine the color of his tongue. The sight only deepened his confusion.
From what he could see—both in Su's appearance and the color of his tongue—he appeared extremely healthy. Exceptionally so.
"Give me your hand." Kaziel took Su's wrist to check his pulse, only to frown again.
Based on the pulse reading, Su's body should be in excellent condition.
After a long silence, Kaziel looked up at Mu Qingyun. "Beautiful lady, could you give us some privacy?"
"I already told you—stop calling me 'beautiful lady.'" Her gaze turned icy as she shot Kaziel a warning look.
[Comment Section]
PFFT! I cannot—this is the first time I have heard Mu refer to herself as "Laozi."Guys, I swear I am crying. This was supposed to be a battlefield of jealousy, but now it just feels like a warm domestic drama.Sigh, same. I expected tension. I got wholesomeness instead.Why do you all want to see them fight so badly? Can't we enjoy the peaceful vibe for once?Oh, here comes the moral police again. Let people ship what they want and mind your business, seriously.I swear, the comments are getting more chaotic than the plot.
Once Mu Qingyun left, Kaziel withdrew his hand from Su's wrist and discreetly turned off both of their livestream devices.
He fell silent for a moment before letting out a quiet chuckle, his tone filled with curiosity. "You are really sick?"
"Yes, I am," Su replied. "Do you think I am pretending just for fun?"
He raised his eyebrows slightly. It was obvious that Kaziel had figured out the truth. But it was too late to back out now. Even if he had to keep pretending, he would see it through to the end.