CHAPTER 47: THE SAVIOR’S EYES

In the quiet inn room, dimly lit by the warm flicker of a lantern, Mei Li lay motionless on the bed.

Her eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, as if trying to make sense of the storm of emotions within her.

Her feelings were indescribable—a sensation of returning from hell, or perhaps somewhere even darker, colder, more suffocating.

On the opposite bed sat Wei Li, his posture slumped and his face clouded with guilt.

"Mei Li, I’m really sorry," he said, his voice low and sincere, barely above a whisper.

Regret weighed heavily on his chest, pressing down like a stone.

"You should be," Mei Li muttered, rolling her eyes without turning to face him.

Wei Li exhaled deeply and let himself fall back on his bed, staring at the ceiling just like her.

He knew there was no escape from tonight’s dreams—nightmares were certain to come, vivid and cruel.

The events that had unfolded still gripped his mind like shackles.

He realized with chilling clarity how reckless he had been, teetering on the edge of an abyss, one that nearly swallowed not just him, but Mei Li as well.

’Why did he do that?’ he thought.

’It was clear I came with bad intentions. Maybe he saw me pacing outside the house like a lunatic... maybe everyone in the neighborhood saw me. God, what a disgrace,’ Wei Li thought, shame tightening in his chest.

The man whom Wei Li had planned to harm turned out to be the one who helped him—who saw something in him worth saving and gave him a chance to live.

Worse still, Wei Li had ignored the feelings and trust of the one person who stood by him: Mei Li.

His eyes lost their spark as tears began to form.

They blurred his vision, but in their place, images from his memories surfaced—fragments of guilt, sorrow, and things he wished he could undo.

...

"Since your father has passed away, it is time for you to become independent now,"a man said.

Wei Li, seventeen years old, looked at him and asked, "What about my mother?"

"It’s up to you and your effort. If you work hard, you will be able to see her."

...

"Unfortunately, your mother has passed away. I hope you overcome this peacefully," the man delivered the news.

Wei Li, eighteen years old, sighed deeply with sorrow.

...

"I know this is hard for you, but we will get through it together," Mei Li comforted him.

Wei Li shook his head and laughed, "No need for all this sadness. She’s an old woman; she has already lived her life."

...

"The poor woman couldn’t bear working at this age, and her body gave out."

Wei Li hugged the pillow tightly, tears streaming from his eyes like a waterfall.

Since hearing the news of his mother’s death, he pretended to be strong in the morning, while staying up at night crying.

...

With these old memories weighing on him, Wei Li drifted into sleep, determined to seize this chance of survival to focus on his life with Mei Li and work on improving their future.

"Kogan," Mei Li whispered the name with a spark in her eyes.

Her guardian angel’s name—she would never forget it.

’Wait, how did he know we were coming?’ she suddenly remembered.

How had she not thought of that before?

Kogan’s timing had been perfect, just before the leader pronounced his sentence.

She felt a strong sense of strangeness—was it luck?

’Thinking about it, my luck has been really good lately,’

Mei Li thought.

In every mission, she had managed to capture an essence beast, increasing her contribution points, plus this night when she was saved.

But she must not rely on luck every time; from now on, she needs to be cautious and avoid making the same mistake again.

For Ling Shao, it wasn’t about luck.

He had other thoughts about Wei Li’s appearance, but he suppressed them as they held no meaning.

When Kogan opened the door and threw the vial toward Mei Li, Ling Shao was a bit surprised.

But he didn’t ask, because Kogan would simply say he was waiting for them and had seen them.

Yet both Kogan and Ling Shao knew that was a lie.

Ling Shao knew Kogan had been promoted to first rank, so even if Kogan himself didn’t realize it, it didn’t mean his power hadn’t increased.

As long as this house was his, he would sense everything around it, like the owner of the inn.

Even if Ling Shao hid his presence, it didn’t mean Kogan wouldn’t sense Mei Li and Wei Li.

The higher the rank of an individual, the sharper their senses become!

***

The night of going out to work had arrived.

The previous night had been full of surprises.

Ray Kang’s team had hunted nineteen essence animals, and each member of the team had even managed to hit one.

The deaths of the three slaves during the hunt were brushed aside as unfortunate but insignificant, and the fact that Wei Li had missed out on collecting essence barely warranted a mention.

To most, those were minor incidents in the face of what really mattered.

The true shock came from something else entirely: the confirmed presence of a second-rank essence.

Everyone knew what that meant.

Killing a second-rank beast was no trivial task.

It typically required the combined effort of at least two or three capable first-rank members working in sync, draining a considerable amount of essence in the process.

When Ling Shao learned about this, he was taken aback.

It didn’t make sense.

Who among Ray Kang’s subordinates had the strength, courage, and skill to take down a creature of that rank?

In the training protocols, everyone learned that if a first-rank team encounters a second-rank beast, the team captain must face the beast with all his strength to buy enough time for his team to escape. The captain should then retreat if possible.

This approach consumed an immense amount of essence and risked the captain’s life—but it was better than losing the whole team.

That’s why the position of captain wasn’t given lightly.

It was reserved for those who had proven themselves in essence control, decision-making, and raw talent.

Since the acquisition of a second-rank essence had not been officially reported, Ling Shao was quick to deduce that this was not part of a coordinated mission.

It had to be an accidental and unexpected encounter—one that likely happened outside the watchful eyes of the city’s command structure.

And when he considered the timing and the circumstances, one name came to mind immediately: Kogan.

That newcomer had arrived recently from the other side of the river, a region known for its unpredictability and danger.

Ling Shao’s instincts screamed that something unusual must have taken place there—something not yet revealed.

He couldn’t ignore the coincidence. It was too convenient.