After gaining four more members, including two ability users, Lin Xuan's long-standing gloom finally dissipated. He had truly thought they could make it back to Jing City peacefully with Shen Hegui. But recently, without any ability, he had felt extremely stifled, having no say in decisions.
Since Shen Hegui acted indifferent toward them, then they just wouldn't travel together. He believed that with decision-making power, he would have more opportunities to awaken abilities.
Shen Hegui also noticed them talking and seemingly getting along, but he didn't think much of it. It didn't matter what they agreed on. As for Lin Xuan splitting off, he welcomed it. After last night's events, he felt it was better to separate—that way Lin Xuan wouldn't know what they were up to. They wouldn't have to be restrained when going out. Lately, there had been friction between them. Staying together might lead to conflict.
Lin Xuan glanced toward Shen Hegui and saw him leaning back in a chair casually, looking indifferent to what was happening on their side. Although they had decided to separate, they didn't plan to leave immediately. He wanted to wait for Shen Hegui's group to start moving because he still didn't know much about Ren Ze and his team. He shared this plan with Lin Tingxue, and she agreed. She thought staying close to Shen Hegui might yield more treasures. The siblings had different motives but the same conclusion.
Jiang Yuntan slept until a little past nine in the morning. As soon as she woke up, she checked the system time. Previously, Shen Hegui always woke everyone at 7:30 AM, but not today—probably because they had returned late last night. After a quick wash, she took out a steamer basket of crab roe soup dumplings from her space, courtesy of the princess. She had been eating with Shen Hegui's group these days and had hardly touched the stored meals. Fortunately, the space preserved freshness, so she didn't worry about spoilage. As for the space being cluttered, she would upgrade to a Level 2 dimensional merchant in at least three days, and then she'd have 100 cubic meters to spare.
After eating, she found a black utility jumpsuit and a red crop top in her space, paired them with sneakers, and tied her hair into a bun. Satisfied with her neat look, she had just finished when a knock came on the door. After ensuring nothing was amiss in the office, she opened it to find Shen Hegui.
"Since you're ready, come out for breakfast. We'll head out after we eat," he said.
Jiang Yuntan replied calmly, "I was too hungry when I woke up, so I ate something from my space. I won't join you. You go ahead." Although eating alone seemed inconsiderate, she couldn't reveal those items. Besides, Shen Hegui and his group had food—why should she worry? She earned those soup dumplings through her dealings with the princess.
Shen Hegui nodded, seeing nothing wrong. As he turned to leave, he noticed the vines covering the walls and asked, "Did you do that?"
"Yes. I absorbed that fire-type crystal last night," Jiang Yuntan said, deciding to share her discovery. She pulled him inside.
Shen Hegui was puzzled but didn't resist her soft, fair hand on his arm. A hint of anticipation rose in his heart. "What's wrong?" His voice was slightly huskier than usual.
She whispered, "After absorbing the fire-type crystal last night, I felt drawn to that spirit-type crystal. I tried absorbing it, and my mental power seemed to increase." All ordinary ability users had some mental power—how else could they control their abilities? It just wasn't on the level of spirit-type users who could manipulate minds or sense surroundings. But if they could absorb spirit crystals to boost their mental power, who was to say they couldn't eventually match spirit-type users?
"Understood. Keep this among us for now," Shen Hegui said warmly.
"Of course, I know what I'm doing." Jiang Yuntan's tone was light. She pointed to the vines and added, "These appeared when I gained better control over my ability after enhancing my mental power. Also, if anything disturbs or attacks these vines, I can sense it."
"Impressive," Shen Hegui praised. "You always prefer staying alone. With this ability, you can feel safer on your own."
Jiang Yuntan smiled. "Exactly."
Seeing it was getting late, they didn't linger. They went out to ask everyone to prepare, then continued the journey. Jiang Yuntan spotted Ren Ze and his people and looked puzzled. Shen Hegui explained what had happened that morning while she was asleep. "They've probably formed a new team," he added.
"I see." She didn't ask further, as she wasn't interested in such temporary alignments. Without proper磨合, cooperation would be impossible.
Soon, the group set off again, now with an extra car behind the three. Jiang Yuntan sat in the back, watching the scenery blur by—discarded cars and occasional zombies. They also saw beheaded zombies left by those who had passed this way.
At 1 PM, everyone decided to rest. They found a clearing ahead with a small pavilion. They planned to stop there for lunch and rest half an hour before moving on.
After getting out of the car, Jiang Yuntan opened a solar-powered cooling umbrella and headed toward the pavilion. Seeing this, Yu Ke mimicked her by opening an umbrella for Qi Ruoshui. As Jiang Yuntan was about to sit on a stone bench, she spotted a patch of vibrant strawberries not far away. She could even sense rich wood-element energy there.