Shen Lu quickly closed the door and let out a long sigh of relief.
After a short rest, she began to tidy up.
Once she finished cleaning, she counted her money, stacking the bills by denomination.
'I think they sell those powered exoskeletons around here. I heard they can turn someone who's completely powerless into a super-strong person. The price isn't too outrageous; a cheap one goes for ten thousand Star Coins.'
Shen Lu was a little tempted. Moving Fu Cheng every day was a strenuous job, and if she was really going to take care of him long-term, buying a powered exoskeleton was definitely a good idea.
"Have I lost my mind? Buying a powered exoskeleton just to make it easier to move Fu Cheng?" Shen Lu patted her cheeks. "You need to get a grip. You don't even have 5,000 Star Coins right now."
She fed Fu Cheng half an egg waffle soaked in water and wiped down the lower half of his face that wasn't covered in gauze.
"It seems like bringing you along really does attract customers," Shen Lu muttered. "But you're so hard to move. Should I take you to the stall tomorrow or not?"
"Oh, well. What's the use of overthinking it? I'll just see how business is tomorrow."
"Fu Cheng, will you get better?"
Shen Lu was very curious. 'Since I didn't abandon him like in the original plot, can Fu Cheng still become the great villain from the book?'
'He won't stay like this forever just because I've messed up the original story, right?'
Before her voice had even faded, the man's eyelashes began to tremble.
Curious, Shen Lu leaned in, only to be caught off guard as she met the gaze of Fu Cheng, whose right eye was half-open.
Shen Lu: Σ(⊙▽⊙"a
'W-wait, why did he suddenly open his eyes?'
Fu Cheng's eyes were pitch-black, carrying a hint of grogginess from just waking up, but that quickly faded. His ink-dark pupils stared silently at Shen Lu.
Shen Lu, who had been leaning over, slowly straightened her back.
"Y-you're awake?" Shen Lu, unsure what to say, gave an awkward laugh and waved her hand. "How do you feel? Are you in a lot of pain anywhere?"
Fu Cheng couldn't speak, let alone move. He could do nothing but look at Shen Lu.
It dawned on Shen Lu as well, and she picked at her fingers, a little embarrassed. "Um... if you can open your eyes, does that mean your injuries are getting better?"
"I don't have enough Star Coins to send you to the hospital right now, so you'll have to wait a little longer."
"Are you thirsty? Blink twice if you are."
Fu Cheng didn't blink. He maintained his gaze on her, making Shen Lu wonder if he was blind, since he wasn't blinking at all.
But his eyes, which seemed to hold a restrained light, didn't look like the eyes of a blind person.
Just as Shen Lu was about to ask if he was hungry, Fu Cheng, like a robot that had run out of power, slowly closed his eyes.
Shen Lu tentatively waved her hand in front of his face. There was no reaction.
'Looks like he's passed out again.'
Shen Lu breathed a sigh of relief. She felt more at ease with Fu Cheng's eyes closed than when they were open.
"I didn't abandon him, so he won't kill me without mercy later, like it was written in the plot, right?"
The young woman muttered to herself, "Why do I feel like I'm raising a tiger that will come back to bite me?"
Fu Cheng, who had heard everything crystal clear: ?
'What plot?'
'Of course I won't kill her.'
'Shen Lu kept me, fed me, changed my medicine and bandages, and even considered buying a powered exoskeleton today just to make it easier to move me...'
'For those reasons alone, I would never harm her.'
'The main reason I opened my eyes at that moment was because Shen Lu actually used water to wipe my face.'
'That water is so precious. It can calm a rampaging Spiritual Sea and purge spiritual toxins. It wasn't enough for her to give it to me to drink; she even used it to wash my face.'
'But I have to admit, wherever Shen Lu wiped, the spiritual toxins—clinging to me like maggots on a bone—were immediately silenced, as if submerged by a tidal wave.'
'Though they were only lying dormant and would resurface once the water dried...'
'But if Shen Lu kept using this water to wash my face, I think the spiritual toxins on the lower half of my face would gradually fade away.'
Fu Cheng was a little dazed and confused.
Shen Lu was treating him better than he could comprehend. They had only met a few times before. They were just fiancés, their engagement arranged by their elders. There had been no sacred vows of love, no unforgettable, deeply-etched moments.
'Why is she taking care of me like this?'
'Could it be... she likes me?'
Fu Cheng wasn't sure. He didn't seem to detect any emotions like affection or shyness in Shen Lu's eyes.
'Whatever. What's the point of thinking so much?'
'I'm a cripple now, completely at the mercy of others. It's uncertain if I'll ever be able to stand again.'
...
Before going to sleep, Shen Lu checked her popularity value. It had gone from 59 to 119.
An increase of exactly 60 points.
119 seemed like a lot, but in the System Mall, it was only enough to buy three chickens.
Shen Lu closed her eyes and complained to the system, "I think your pricing is unreasonable. It's too high."
[Host, products from the System are guaranteed to be of the highest quality. There's a reason they're expensive.]
"Popularity value is too hard to earn."
[Cheap goods are no good, Host.]
Shen Lu pouted and didn't reply.
...
「West Sand Desert」
Xue Can and his subordinate found a hidden place to rest.
"Boss, nutrient liquid." Little Bei nudged Xue Can with his elbow, holding out a vegetable-flavored nutrient liquid.
Xue Can glanced at it but didn't take it. "No thanks, I brought my own food."
Little Bei's eyes widened. "For real? Boss, you actually bring food?"
He had been with Xue Can for several years and knew him very well.
When on a mission, forget food—aside from weapons and necessary tools, Xue Can never brought anything else, calling it a burden.
Xue Can didn't reply, silently taking out an egg waffle.
An hour had passed since he last drank the mint water. It was time to supplement it.
Even when cold, the egg waffle had a sweet, rich aroma, which was especially noticeable in a hot place like this.
Little Bei's pupils quaked in shock. The boss didn't just bring food, he brought food with such a strong smell!
Hadn't he given strict and repeated orders not to bring anything with a strong scent on missions, to avoid revealing their position?
Today, the one who made the rules was breaking them with his own hands.
Ignoring his subordinate's shocked gaze, Xue Can took a large bite of the egg waffle.
The cold egg waffle was still delicious. As he chewed, its sweet fragrance spread out, feeling like a pair of gentle hands softly combing through his turbulent Spiritual Sea.
The corners of Xue Can's mouth curled up slightly, which made Little Bei's jaw drop.
'N-no way. The boss is actually smiling just from eating an egg waffle.'
'Is this still the boss I know?'
Xue Can quickly finished the egg waffle, an indescribable look of pleasure on his face. He leaned against a rock and turned on his Communication Device.
The client had sent a flurry of new messages, basically all asking where they were, urging them to hurry up and rescue his daughter as quickly as possible.
Xue Can usually had little patience for this type of client, but perhaps because his Spiritual Sea was so calm today, he sent a rare, two-word reply.
Xue Can: Got it.
He also wanted to finish the mission quickly, preferably before he ran out of mint water and egg waffles.
He hoped that, in the meantime, not too many other Superpower Users would discover Shen Lu's little stall.
Otherwise, he was afraid he wouldn't be able to get his hands on any more mint water and egg waffles.