Chapter 12: A City Built of Giant Vegetables Which vegetables do you dislike eating?

But in the very next moment, Xi Yan immediately felt the breath of death. The guard drew out his whip and flung Xi Yan aside, about to lash down when Qu Ya suddenly spoke up to stop him. "Wait!"

The guard glanced at Qu Ya. Meeting that gaze, Qu Ya swallowed nervously but forced himself to continue, "You... you said you wouldn't kill us..."

The guard licked the corner of his mouth and suddenly grinned. "Yes, but there is one exception..."

His lips curled into a cold smile as he paused, then went on, "If I ever meet the person who has condemned me to spend my life here, I will kill him without hesitation!"

"Wait! What does this have to do with Xi Yan? He's only nineteen!" Qu Ya tried to explain.

The guard put the whip away and pressed his boot down on Xi Yan's arm. With a sickening crack, Xi Yan let out a low, pained growl.

His arm had been broken under the guard's foot.

"You!" Qu Ya glared at the guard in fury, but he was utterly powerless to help Xi Yan.

"You want to know why, don't you? Fine—I've found the culprit today, and I'm in a good mood, so I'll tell you." The guard's gaze turned once more to Xi Yan.

"The one who imprisoned me here was his father," the guard said coolly.

This explanation only confused Qu Ya more, but the guard, in a show of "understanding," continued to elaborate for them.

"You're puzzled, aren't you? That's all right, the story is simple. His father is from the main city. It was his father who locked me up here. Then, by chance, I discovered something—his father plans to make his son the master of the yet-unrevealed Ninth Land of Survival."

Xi Yan's brows knit together so tightly it was as if the pain in his arm no longer mattered. "What did you say?"

The guard didn't answer. He simply cracked the whip down on Xi Yan, his eyes fierce, yet his lips twisted into a madman's smile.

As Xi Yan endured lash after lash, Qu Ya could do nothing but step in and take a few blows for him.

It seemed the guard had no intention of killing Xi Yan outright; with his skill, he could have ended Xi Yan's life in a moment if he wished. Instead, he was set on torturing him, blow by blow.

After Qu Ya had taken a few lashes for Xi Yan, the guard's resentment turned on him as well, and the strokes became even heavier.

"Qu Ya..." Xi Yan called out hoarsely, his head bleeding profusely, his vision turning red and blurry.

At that moment, a clear bell chimed.

With a resonant toll, a portal suddenly appeared before Xi Yan and Qu Ya. The two, utterly powerless to resist, were swept away by the portal.

Just before it closed, Xi Yan caught the venomous glare in the guard's eyes, as if those eyes alone could kill him.

But the portal vanished swiftly.

Now, on the crystal screen in the guard's control room, two figures suddenly appeared in the city made entirely of gigantic vegetables.

...

Xi Yan and Qu Ya landed on the ground, transported there by the portal. They appeared out of nowhere, and their surroundings were deserted—only houses made of enormous vegetables stood in silence.

Qu Ya was in slightly better shape than Xi Yan. He struggled to his feet and staggered over to help Xi Yan up.

"Cough, cough... Where are we? How did we get here..." Xi Yan's face was haggard; not only had he not fully recovered, but the guard's torture had left him even more battered.

Qu Ya supported him, glancing around before answering, "This must be the second stage. We were brought here because the hour was up."

Xi Yan nodded. Leaning on each other for support, the two made their way to rest beneath a massive stalk of broccoli.

Xi Yan tried unlocking a card and was delighted to find it usable again.

"Qu Ya, the cards are working. Do you have one for healing?" Xi Yan asked.

Qu Ya considered for a moment, then produced a card and used it on himself. In a blink, his injuries were healed.

He handed the card to Xi Yan. "Here, use it yourself. This card only works on oneself, so I can't use it on you—only you can."

Xi Yan didn’t hesitate. This was no time for pride; who knew what dangers lay ahead? If he didn’t recover, he’d only drag Qu Ya down.

He took the card, claimed it for himself, and unlocked it.

[Whose Medical Kit:
A discarded medical kit of unknown origin.
Effect: Rapidly restores stamina and heals non-fatal injuries.
Grade: S
Remaining uses: 4]

Seeing the number of uses left, Xi Yan felt indebted to Qu Ya once more.

But now was not the time for sentimentality. Xi Yan quickly used the card to heal himself, then returned it to Qu Ya.

"Let’s focus on clearing the second stage," Qu Ya said with a forced smile. He hadn’t yet had the chance to reveal the true nature of this scenario to Xi Yan.

"We can do it. Now that our cards and abilities are back, we should be fine," Xi Yan replied, sounding far more optimistic than Qu Ya.

But at the mention of "abilities," Qu Ya suddenly recalled something.

His own abilities had just been unusable, yet Xi Yan had apparently still used his. After all, it must have been Xi Yan’s ability that got them through the first stage.

And that abnormal level-up Xi Yan had just experienced—surely that, too, was because of his ability.

So why could Xi Yan use his powers? Was it because his was passive?

"Qu Ya? What are you thinking? Come on, I see someone ahead," Xi Yan called out, snapping Qu Ya out of his thoughts. He quickly caught up.

The two entered the vegetable city. The entire place was made of vegetables; within the vegetable houses lived all kinds of people—men, women, young, old, and... the Lost Ones.

In front of a tomato-shaped house, Xi Yan saw a little boy playing quietly with a "tomato football."

They approached the boy. Qu Ya reached out to ruffle his hair, but Xi Yan grabbed his hand to stop him.

Qu Ya didn’t understand, but after pulling Qu Ya’s hand back, Xi Yan knelt before the boy and smiled gently. "Hello there, where is your family?"

The boy lifted his head to look at them, and Qu Ya recoiled in fright.

For the boy’s eyes were hollow—there were no eyeballs in his sockets.

Yet the boy seemed to see perfectly well, turning accurately toward Xi Yan and replying with a cheerful grin, "My family went to pick up a house. Did you need something?"

Xi Yan wasn’t as startled as Qu Ya; he only frowned slightly.

"Can you tell me how to leave this place?" Xi Yan asked.

"Leave...?" The boy's smile faded, replaced by confusion.