VESSEL - Extinction Countdown 966: Beauty Shatters Gold

Yi Qing, You Long’er, and Vanilla listened, stunned, as Ye Shisan recounted his dream.

“Void Deity” and “Pseudo-Spirit”—terms foreign to their lives, deepening Ye Shisan’s enigma.

Per his grandfather, Ye Shisan was born with a Void Deity nature. Unlike others, a Pseudo-Spirit sought him, nesting within.

This might explain the strange events swirling around him, lending truth to his grandfather’s words.

The challenge: to restore normalcy, Ye Shisan must expel the Pseudo-Spirit. Hence, his grandfather, Ye Dongsheng, sought a counter through countless trials.

Yet a snag: Ye Shisan’s been off medication for years. By Ye Dongsheng’s account, past age ten, it’s incurable.

Oddly, in over twenty years at the asylum, Ye Shisan rarely relapsed. Perhaps hospital drugs worked, or calm isolation dulled triggers.

His case, paired with modern medicine, suggests, theoretically, the Pseudo-Spirit can be banished.

Thus, Ye Dongsheng’s remedy is key.

Beyond Ye Shisan, all agreed: once his wounds healed, they’d visit his village for remedy clues.

Days passed. At Ye Shisan’s insistence, Yi Qing, You Long’er, and Vanilla took him back to Sweet Potato Street.

His stubborn return had reasons. Though the two-and-a-half women claimed to stay next door, they found excuses to linger in his room.

At first, one stayed overnight to watch him, others fretting. Soon, all insisted on staying to “supervise” each other.

Vanilla’s habit of tackling Ye Shisan aside, You Long’er would slink over at midnight, coiling like a snake—citing cold AC or nightmares.

Yi Qing grew bold, changing clothes with her back to him post-shower. “You saw everything at my place,” she said. “What’s a bit more?” You Long’er and Vanilla protested loudly.

Unbeknownst to Ye Shisan, their complaints stemmed less from Yi Qing’s actions and more from envy of her figure.

Fair enough—a girl under ten and one barely eighteen couldn’t rival thirty-something Yi Qing.

After all, Yi Qing trained rigorously. Her legs, arms, abs—ideal female proportions.

Ye Shisan figured if this continued, he’d gain new wounds, not heal. Better head home.

At least there, upstairs and downstairs could separate them, unlike this chaotic love hotel. It’s unsettling, this love hotel.

In a way, Ye Shisan remained conservative.

Twenty years in an asylum severed him from normal social circles, leaving him blind to the women’s hints and teasing.

On romance, he was stuck as a teen from decades ago, overwhelmed by their relentless barrage.

Yi Qing drove, You Long’er in shotgun, Ye Shisan and Vanilla in the back, heading to Sweet Potato Street.

You Long’er, cautious, gave a heads-up. “Darling, I’ve got something to say…”

“Just say it, skip the pet names!”

“Honey, listen…”

“…”

Yi Qing, driving, cut in. “Ye Shisan, your parents and brother took your bakery!”

The car’s air turned frigid. Vanilla, sensing trouble, cooed, “Uncle Shisan, don’t worry! Sister Long’er rented a shop next door, still called Shisan Bakery. We can keep things as before…”

Ye Shisan sighed, voice low. “Grandfather was right. I’m fated for no quiet life… I wanted to go to the village alone for clues, to spare you all.”

You Long’er snapped, feigning anger. “What’s that mean? If not for you, I’d be dead! Dad taught me: never forget your savior… especially a handsome one like you!”

Vanilla pouted, chiming in. “Uncle Shisan, you’re not abandoning me, are you? What’d I do without you?”

Then Yi Qing dropped a bombshell. “I’m quitting the force. Sent my resignation this morning.”

Ye Shisan, You Long’er, and Vanilla gasped. “Why quit? Policing’s a good career!”

Yi Qing smiled faintly. “The crash case points to Lin Changrong, but his cover’s beyond me, so I closed it. As for Dragon Gate Inn and the missing Hong Gang boss, Big Block…”

She glanced at You Long’er knowingly. “I got a tip. Yesterday, police found Big Block’s buried body from my intel. I’ve earned my stripes at the precinct.”

Ye Shisan, puzzled, asked, “Then why resign?”

Yi Qing’s tone grew heavy. “I’m not cut out for policing—or any job normal people handle, or their relationships.”

“Look at us—a shunned ex-soldier cop, a syndicate boss’s fiery daughter, a mysterious foreign kid always playing pitiful… and you, Ye Shisan.”

“You seem harmless, as normal as it gets, yet you’re the least normal.”

“Ye Shisan, I rarely rethink people, but you’re the first. Not just for saving me in that basement, but because you deserve peace.”

“I’ve been weighing my future. A friend offered a new job, so I’m trying it.”

“New job?”

The car stopped at Shisan Bakery. Yi Qing turned, giving Ye Shisan a warm smile.

“My new job? Keeping you, you rogue, alive as long as I can.”