Chapter 286: Shadow
No matter what, her current situation was far too passive. If she wanted to turn the tables, she had to raise her level first. Only then would she have the ability to resist further.
Watching the heart disappear, Xu Zhi didn’t spare the glass jar either. Since the little aberrant’s branches had already grown out, and its newborn consciousness had progressed from babbling to a stage where it seemed able to understand human speech, she pointed at the jar and said, “Eat this too.”
The little aberrant never resisted her commands. Even now, when it seemed like a brainless fool with no memories and unable to speak clearly, it still loyally carried out Xu Zhi’s order. Its slender black branches suddenly split open into a gaping maw lined with sharp teeth. In a single bite, it swallowed the fifteen-centimeter glass jar whole.
Ever since devouring that heart, the newborn, nearly Level 0 little aberrant had become much sturdier. Strangely, however, its level still hadn’t increased. That meant it was still in the “sprouting” stage—a baby—but its physical condition was far better than when it had just germinated.
Because it was Level 0, it naturally emitted no trace of the [Cup] aura. It was still a baby and couldn’t move freely, having to remain planted in the flowerpot.
That was actually good news. Xu Zhi had originally planned to use [Authority] to conceal the little aberrant’s existence. After all, familiars were part of her extraordinary abilities. Now that her control over [Authority] was far more adept than before, as long as she had the “intent” and the right conditions, [Authority] could sometimes be described as nearly omnipotent.
She had already prepared for that energy expenditure before feeding it the heart. Now it seemed she could temporarily save that cost.
After confirming that the bloody offering had vanished completely, Xu Zhi activated [Eye of Secret] and stepped out of her room. She thoroughly inspected every corner of the dormitory, including Qi Yanxin’s bedroom.
Qi Yanxin was still asleep. The bedroom door wasn’t closed. Xu Zhi moved lightly, not waking her. She even deliberately swept her gaze over Qi Yanxin with her eyes.
There was nothing abnormal about her. It was clear she was just an ordinary person.
However, something surprised Xu Zhi.
Even ordinary people typically carried a tiny amount of extraordinary energy aligned with their highest affinity attribute. It was minuscule—not enough to make them extraordinary—but it was there. Xu Zhi had assumed Qi Yanxin’s highest affinity would be [Forge]. After all, in the Lower District she had dealt with machinery the most, and Xu Zhi had often heard that she was more talented in that area than other scavengers.
Later, the test result had shown [Winter], which had been acceptable.
But now Xu Zhi could clearly see that Qi Yanxin’s highest affinity attribute was actually [Heart].
That was truly unexpected. Still, ordinary people could not awaken into extraordinary beings, and their affinity could easily be influenced by environment or other factors. Because their affinity was so low, their attribute alignment was unstable. Whatever had happened, the amount of [Heart] attribute energy remaining in her body was pitifully small. Barring accidents, she would probably remain an ordinary person for life.
After confirming that there were no suspicious traces inside or outside the apartment, Xu Zhi returned to her bedroom.
Perhaps because she was now a [High Priest], the little aberrant had grown even more gluttonous than before. It mindlessly swayed its tender branches in the morning sunlight, completely unaware of its master’s irritated mood.
Looking at its foolishly adorable appearance, Xu Zhi’s restless emotions eased slightly.
“Forget it. Being anxious won’t help.”
The other party had left no clues, no demands, not even any indication of which “side” they belonged to. Xu Zhi could only suppress her impatience and wait for their next appearance.
“I’d like to see what you’re really up to.”
A cold glint—absent for a long time—flashed through the girl’s gray pupils. No matter the other party’s goal, no matter which faction they came from, if they obstructed her, she would find every possible way to eliminate them.
In the days that followed, Xu Zhi did not let the sudden appearance of the bloody offering disrupt her pace. Instead, she pushed herself even harder, scarcely resting for a single moment. She repeatedly practiced forming the condition to trigger [Authority] first—concealing the aura of [Moth]—whenever she activated [Eye of Secret].
Consciously triggering it wasn’t enough. She had to train until, even if her mind was fully occupied with something else—or thrown into panic—she would still do it instinctively. Only then would she avoid exposing a flaw.
This was nearly like implanting a new habit into herself. It was far from easy. She practiced almost nonstop for an entire day, draining an enormous amount of mental energy. After nearly forty consecutive hours of training, Xu Zhi was already somewhat dazed.
Then—
In the instant her exhausted eyes shifted unnaturally and her vision blurred—
On the bedside table, where there had only been a flowerpot, another bloody offering appeared. It was exactly the same as before.
This time, it had manifested right under her “eyelids.” She had only been distracted for less than a second.
Xu Zhi’s sluggish brain snapped awake instantly.
She subconsciously activated [Eye of Secret]—which she had only just turned off not long ago—and the well-trained, instinctive trigger of [Authority] activated even earlier. A flash of golden light flickered through her pupils. The extraordinary fluctuations radiating from her body, if carefully sensed, carried only the aura of [Lamp].
She didn’t even realize she had succeeded.
Her mind was taut as a drawn string, her gaze filled with shock as she stared at the bloody offering identical to the previous one.
Untouched. Pristine. Exquisitely clean.
A fresh, beating heart.
This time, Xu Zhi had been conscious. Though she had drifted for a split second, once she regained focus and recalled that moment, she was certain something had flashed past—
Or rather—
“Descended” into her room.
It might have been only a shadow. Perhaps it had no physical form at all.
It was merely a sensation. She hadn’t clearly felt any aura from that shadow. It was as though a nonexistent breeze had brushed through.
But noticing something was better than knowing nothing.
At least the other party wasn’t an existence whose trace she couldn’t detect even while fully conscious.
As for the fresh bloody offering—
Xu Zhi walked over to the bedside table with a strange expression. Just like before, there were no clues, no words left behind. It was as if both visits had been solely to deliver her clean, fresh offerings.
What was this supposed to mean?
It almost felt like feeding without a clear objective.
“Is there some conspiracy? Like letting me raise the little aberrant bigger, and then using it—and me—for something?”
No matter how she looked at it, that seemed like the only plausible explanation.
“Whatever.”
Regardless of the other party’s purpose, the only thing she could do now was feed the offering to the little aberrant. Not only to restore its strength, but also to make this incriminating evidence disappear.
After all—
If discovered, this was something that could cost her life.
