Chapter 53: Which One Is Your Eldest Sister?

Unless Tang Yan’s luck truly defied the heavens and he could one day repay Yu Yan with an unimaginable bounty—so great it would balance out the immense favor she’d done him—he would spend the rest of his days as nothing more than the most loyal and obedient dog at her feet.

As he watched his daughter’s desolate figure recede into the distance, Tang Yan quietly whispered an apology in his heart. From the moment the replica world descended and he nearly perished within the Eagle’s Sorrow Ravine, he had already lost the right to simply live out his days as a father devoted solely to protecting his daughter.

His life was now Yu Yan’s gift. If, for the remainder of his years, he could devote himself to only one person, it could only be Yu Yan. As for his daughter… if, in the end, she chose the selfish and self-centered Li Xinru over him, then so be it—he would let her go.

Within the A-rank dungeon, Crocodile Island—

On a massive tree, thick enough that several people could barely encircle it with their arms, the night was still. Only the occasional rustle of leaves disturbed the silence, making the surroundings feel even more oppressively quiet. This unnatural silence pressed down on Sun Ruohua and her companions, weighing heavily on their minds.

Yu Yan and her daughter, by contrast, seemed utterly at ease—having eaten their fill, they now slept soundly against the tree’s branches. Yu Yan was confident in both her judgment and her strength, and three years in the replica world had taught her to fall asleep anywhere, under any circumstances, without the slightest impediment. Not to mention that now she was a fourth-grade spirit vein enhancer, merely passing time in an A-rank dungeon operating at only thirty percent of its full power. Even in her previous life, when she met her end in the fully powered A-rank Golden Stream Forest dungeon, she had eaten and slept as usual in her final days, bearing no psychological burden at all. For those who had spent enough time in the replica world, it was a known truth: fear of death only hastened death’s approach.

As for Yun Duo’er, she had absolute faith in her mother. Her mother had declared this place safe; therefore, it simply could not be dangerous. And even if danger arose, her mother would protect her.

Sun Ruohua and the others did not possess such composure. Leaning apprehensively against the tree, Sun Ruohua remained alert for a long time, but nothing seemed amiss. During her time on Crocodile Island, she hadn’t enjoyed a single night of restful sleep; for seven or eight days straight, she had slept less than four hours per night. Even those brief hours were often interrupted. Combined with the ever-present fear and, in the past two days, the exhausting pursuit by swarms of explosive ants, she was physically and mentally depleted. Though she loathed the idea of sleeping, perhaps the comfort of the tree branch and the warmth of the chow chow in her arms proved too much. After resisting for about an hour, Sun Ruohua finally succumbed to her drowsiness and drifted off.

Song Yi, Zhao Kai, and Qu Zimo fared even worse: haggard, wary, and exhausted, they were the first to fall deeply asleep.

But none could withstand the overwhelming fatigue for long; all four humans and the dog soon succumbed and began to snore in uneven chorus. Amidst this din, Yu Yan’s eyes snapped open—in the earth, just a kilometer from their tree, barely a dozen meters below the surface—

In a spacious cavern, a giant crocodile with an ashen back and golden eyes bristled, the spiked scales along its spine standing on end. Its cold, vertical pupils fixed on Yu Yan and her group as it rose and began to pace restlessly. It had not left to hunt for over two months, all to tend its eggs, and its stomach had long since emptied. Weakness washed over it in waves. The injured among the humans nearby exuded the sweet scent of blood and flesh. All of this tempted it, gnawing away at the last shreds of its reason.

The newly hatched crocodile young, too, needed to eat soon to replenish their strength… In the crocodile’s golden, lamp-like eyes, a flicker of human-like hesitation and struggle passed. But after two heavy breaths, it lay back down beside its young.

Only then did Yu Yan unclench her hand, settling back against the tree branch. Good. The great crocodile was smarter than she’d expected, able to sympathize with the difficulty of leading a group of wounded and weary stragglers. She’d let it live a couple more days, then. Generously, Yu Yan reached her verdict in her mind.

Dawn broke.

Crocodile Island was lush with greenery, especially the great tree that sheltered Yu Yan’s group. Countless fan-shaped leaves overlapped densely, shielding them from the morning sun, though a few stubborn rays pierced through the canopy. Ever since advancing to the Mystic grade as an enhancer, Yu Yan had needed far less sleep. The sunlight warmed her eyelids, and she opened her eyes to meet Yun Duo’er’s bright, almond-shaped gaze. “Good morning, Mama!” Yun Duo’er’s face lit up with a radiant smile when she saw her mother awake.

Her eyes were as clear and bright as those on countless ordinary mornings before the replica world’s arrival. For a moment, Yu Yan felt dazed—then gathered herself and returned her daughter’s dazzling smile. “Good morning, sweetheart.”

Their breakfast was fragrant spirit beast meat cooked into a savory porridge with preserved eggs—a delicacy from the world before the replica’s arrival—alongside egg rolls and sweet red bean paste as side dishes and dessert. With the sun filtering through the trees and the fresh air of Crocodile Island all around, Yu Yan felt completely content, her daughter’s laughter ringing at her side.

The chow chow, Huanhuan, was the first to be roused by the aroma of food.

Next came Rong Xue’er, who had fainted in terror the previous day when the swarm of explosive ants nearly overtook them, and missed out on dinner entirely. Of all those present, only Hu Jianming, due to his severe injuries and blood loss, was as hungry as she was. But Hu Jianming, gravely wounded, was still unconscious and unlikely to wake soon. Thus, Rong Xue’er, otherwise healthy, became the first “victim” of the morning’s feast.

Groggy upon waking, Rong Xue’er’s memory lingered at the moment before she lost consciousness—when Song Yi had called out to her. At that time, Yu Yan and her daughter had not yet appeared.

But then—

Her stomach growled loudly.

Starving, eyes slightly wild, Rong Xue’er stared hungrily at the source of the delicious aroma. “Um… big sis, could you spare me something to eat?”

Yu Yan: “…”

Who are you calling big sis? Your whole family must be big sisters! With emotional intelligence like that, you still dare ask her for food?

“No.”

Yu Yan rejected her request without the slightest hint of mercy.

Rong Xue’er’s lips trembled in aggrieved frustration. If you don’t want to share, fine, but why be so fierce about it?

Clutching her loudly protesting stomach, Rong Xue’er soon noticed Song Yi—unsurprisingly, since she was lying in his arms. Of the three branches Yu Yan had readied for the group, one was occupied by Huanhuan and Sun Ruohua, another by Hu Jianming, and the last by Song Yi, who had held Rong Xue’er all night to keep her from falling, propriety be damned in such dire straits. As for Zhao Kai and Qu Zimo, Yu Yan hadn’t bothered to prepare anything for them; they had spent the night on an uncomfortable, uneven branch, making do as best they could.

Although Rong Xue’er didn’t know all these details, she could guess the gist. And with hunger gnawing at her, she had no time for shyness. She nudged Song Yi. “Senior Brother Song, wake up.”