Lu An'an… how could it be her? And why did her head hurt so badly, as if it were splitting apart?
An Xiaomei had only just regained consciousness. It took her two seconds for her thoughts to clear completely. Right—she had just escaped from the pursuit of the mutant Skyhawk swarm.
The splitting headache was the result of overexerting her psychic abilities. She wouldn't be able to use that trump card again for at least a month.
An Xiaomei silently reflected on her mistake. I really overestimated myself this time. I underestimated the strength of this world's natives. From now on, I must stick to my core principle—"Lying low is the true way." Completing the mission is what matters most.
Seeing the goddess looking so grim and deep in thought, Lu An'an didn't dare to interrupt and simply stayed quietly by her side.
"Elder Sister, it was that woman beside you who brought you back here. She also treated your wounds."
Bi'er came online in time, quickly recounting everything that had happened. She was always clear about who was friend or foe, and she would never forget someone who had helped her sister.
"Good. And thank you, Bi'er, for protecting me all this time. I'll have to trouble you again soon—my psychic powers will be out of commission for a month, so I'll need your help."
An Xiaomei was honest with Bi'er about her situation. After all, they had survived countless small worlds together—there was no need to hide things between them.
"Miss Lu An'an, I truly have to thank you for your help. Otherwise, I would've been in real danger."
She said this sincerely. The girl hadn't taken advantage of her vulnerability, had even used precious healing medicine to treat her—An Xiaomei would remember that kindness.
Hearing her idol say this, Lu An'an waved her hand modestly and said with a sheepish grin,
"Oh, it's nothing! I only helped because it was you. If it were someone else, I probably would've just walked away. You're the ultimate powerhouse to team up with, after all!"
Her words were blunt and honest, and An Xiaomei actually liked that about her. In a world like this, people without desires no longer existed—those who could speak plainly were the most trustworthy.
Seeing the approving look on the goddess's face, Lu An'an felt a small thrill of joy.
As Grandpa said, sincerity is the ultimate killer move when dealing with true experts. Playing tricks is the dumbest thing you can do.
"By the way, Goddess, why were you lying there unconscious and injured?"
Seeing that An Xiaomei was in better spirits, Lu An'an finally dared to voice her curiosity.
She'd seen An Xiaomei's strength clearly during the Red-Blue Survival Battle—her goddess had been among the strongest of all adventurers.
So how could she have been hurt so badly this time? Lu An'an was dying to know.
"I was attacked by a flock of mutant Skyhawks. The natives of this world are powerful. Also… the Mutant Fishman King has issued a kill order against me. Staying with me will put you in danger."
An Xiaomei spoke solemnly. She wanted Lu An'an to understand the risks—following her now meant standing in the line of fire.
Lu An'an could hear the gravity in her tone, and a chill ran down her spine. She remembered how difficult it had been for her just to defeat one mutated elk. Still, she steeled herself and said firmly,
"Goddess, I still want to stay with you. Even if I'm alone, I'll still run into those vicious natives. At least with you, I'll feel safer."
As soon as she said that, Lu An'an felt a pang of guilt. She knew she was leveraging her earlier act of kindness—but under the current circumstances, she didn't have the luxury of pride.
"Alright," An Xiaomei agreed, "but if we're surrounded, I'll draw the enemies away. You must run without looking back. You're no match for them."
She said this for two reasons. First, she didn't want to drag an innocent into danger—especially not someone who had saved her life. Second, there were things she carried that couldn't be exposed before Lu An'an.
After all, friendships could turn at any time. For now, peace existed only because the temptation wasn't big enough.
Lu An'an was moved to tears. She had never expected her goddess to be such a selfless person.
Viewers in the livestream were just as astonished by this side of An Xiaomei.
[I always thought Ms. An was a cold, distant person. Didn't expect her to be so considerate.]
[Lu An'an's lucky—she saved Auntie An before, or she wouldn't be treated like this.]
[An Xiaomei really is kind. Even in crisis, she doesn't drag others down with her.]
[I've watched Lu An'an's streams before—she's got good luck. Hope the two of them make it through this winter alive.]
——
After finishing her talk with Lu An'an, An Xiaomei turned to open the loot she'd earned from killing the mutant Skyhawks, while Lu An'an went outside to cook.
"Ding! You have opened an Intermediate Resource Chest and obtained: Shielding Stone ×1, Hemostatic Powder ×2, Energy Stone ×4."
[Shielding Stone]: Requires energy stones to activate. When activated, it temporarily blocks the livestream feed; viewers will think it's just a game glitch. Usable for 30 minutes every 24 hours.
A real treasure! If she'd gotten this earlier, she could've used her hidden-space items freely and wiped out those Skyhawks without worrying about being seen on the broadcast.
[Hemostatic Powder]: A top-grade medicine that helps adventurers quickly stop bleeding. The chance of obtaining this from a chest is 5%.
That must've been the medicine Lu An'an used on her earlier. Her wound had already stopped bleeding, though the residual toxin from the Skyhawk's feather was still in her system. She needed to take a detox pill to remove it completely.
Thinking that, An Xiaomei covered her mouth and nose as if coughing, secretly taking out a detox pill from her storage space.
——
For the next month, An Xiaomei focused on recovery. Outwardly, she seemed to be healing her external wound, but in truth, she was mainly restoring her psychic powers.
During that time, when Lu An'an ran low on food, An Xiaomei gave her some supplies—repaying part of the debt she owed. She never liked owing anyone anything.
Everything was peaceful—until the pursuers came.
While they were outside training one day, a squad of mutant fishmen appeared. An Xiaomei immediately realized they were targeting her.
"Lu An'an, run! I'll hold them off. Don't look back—you're no match for them!"
Lu An'an clenched her fists and forced down her emotions. She knew that staying would only distract the goddess—so she turned and ran as fast as she could.