CHAPTER 280: CHAPTER 271: DO YOU WANT ME TO TAKE THE BLAME FOR YOU?_1

"Yao Yao, I remember that Zheng Shan has become your official Beast Husband."

These few words instantly filled Jin Yao’s expression with fear.

Jin Yang looked down at her for a while, then closed his eyes.

Jin Yao was raised and dearly loved by the four brothers together.

They always knew she was an adopted daughter. Precisely because they knew she was adopted, they were all very careful to consider her feelings and thoughts.

They cherished and spoiled her. When they found their real sister, they were also the first to try and understand her perspective.

But now, he vaguely felt something was not right, that something had been done wrong.

"Yao Yao, tell Fourth Brother honestly, was it you who made Zheng Shan do it?"

Jin Yao’s gaze darted away. "Fourth Brother, why don’t you believe me?"

"I do believe you. Just tell me," Jin Yang said.

Jin Yao shook her head like a rattle-drum.

Jin Yang suddenly exclaimed in anger, "Yao Yao! If it wasn’t you, then tell me, why did Zheng Shan tamper with Si Yan’s belongings, yet you were the one who was poisoned?!"

Jin Yao immediately said, "No, it wasn’t me! Zheng Shan was poisoned too. I must have accidentally gotten contaminated by the poison from him!"

Jin Yang suddenly laughed. "Do you think I’m an idiot?"

Jin Yao: "...Fourth Brother, you can’t refuse to believe me."

Jin Yang waved his hand. "If it wasn’t you, then go and speak to Si Yan yourself. Ask Si Yan for the antidote."

Upon hearing Jin Yang say this, Jin Yao suddenly became furious. "Fourth Brother, how can you be like this? You’re telling me to go to Si Yan and beg for medicine? Won’t she crush me? I’m just an adopted daughter! Her status and bloodline are far superior to mine. If this is how it’s going to be, I really can’t go on living! I might as well leave the Golden Dragon clan!"

As she spoke, Jin Yao started to cry.

Seeing Jin Yao crying, Jin Yang felt a flicker of impatience for the first time in his life.

"You know full well I don’t want you to leave the Golden Dragon clan. I’ve cherished you for so many years. Whether or not we’re blood-related, I simply don’t care. In my eyes, you are my sister. Even when you and Si Yan had conflicts, I was always the first one on your side."

Jin Yao was still crying.

After she had been crying for some time, Jin Yang, suppressing his impatience, said, "What do you want?"

Jin Yao: "Brother..."

Jin Yao cried and grabbed onto him. "Brother, you’re Si Yan’s biological fourth brother; you share the same blood. Si Yan won’t ignore you. Fourth Brother, just say it was you, and Si Yan will definitely give you the antidote. If it’s said that I did it... she already dislikes me. She certainly won’t save me."

A jolt went through Jin Yang’s heart, and he looked at Jin Yao in disbelief. "What did you say?"

"Fourth Brother, please help me! Help me this one time! My stomach hurts so much! It feels like it’s going to burst!" she pleaded.

Jin Yang said, "Why should I take the blame for something I didn’t do?"

In Jin Yang’s heart lurked some thoughts he had not voiced. He had grown up with Jin Yao, whereas he had only just met Si Yan, so naturally, he felt closer to Jin Yao than to Si Yan. He knew he was biased. But, after meeting Si Yan a few more times and having a few more interactions, he’d unconsciously started to track his real sister’s presence. Gradually, he also sensed that Si Yan did not like him and did not wish to interact with him. After all, she was his real sister, and Jin Yang genuinely wanted to build a good relationship with Si Yan. If he had to take such a significant fall for this, wouldn’t his relationship with Si Yan deteriorate even further?

At this thought, Jin Yang’s face turned pale.

Jin Yao cried and hugged him. "Brother, Fourth Brother, please! Si Yan won’t help me; I’ll die! But it’s different for you. Si Yan definitely won’t let anything happen to you!"

Jin Yang, his face pale, said, "I’m not the one who was poisoned, and I don’t want to eat so much either. My stomach isn’t even bloated."

Jin Yao cried even harder. "Fourth Brother, just for my sake, eat a little more. Just make your belly look a bit swollen tomorrow. Please, I beg you!"

Jin Yang was originally furious, but seeing Jin Yao crying so miserably, his heart softened.

"Fine," he said, holding back his temper.

Jin Yao, overjoyed, quickly had someone bring a large amount of meat.

Jin Yang had no idea what he was thinking. Was he helping Jin Yao? No. He felt like he wanted to make himself seem more distressed to draw Si Yan’s attention. He had a little hope that Si Yan would take notice of him.

「 」

On the sixth day of the Wise Ones’ competition, Si Yan arrived early.

Tai Seng and Jin Tong had indeed stayed up all night making iron pellets.

Seeing the two spirited beastmen, Si Yan asked with concern, "You’ve been busy all night. Do you want to take a nap?"

Jin Tong approached, raising an eyebrow with a proud smile. "You underestimate us. Actually, we were only busy for a short while; we spent most of the time asleep. Tai Seng and I took turns sleeping, so we’re very energetic."

Tai Seng also walked over like a strongman, carrying a huge load of iron ore without showing any sign of fatigue.

Seeing this, Si Yan nodded. "Good."

Tomorrow was the last day, and there was still much to do today.

Tai Seng asked with a smile, "Si Yan, what shall we start with today?"

Si Yan said, "Sweet potato glass noodles."

Earlier that morning, Si Yan had found a stone slab by the river, smoothed and flattened by countless washings of the water.

She handed the stone slab to Tai Seng, asking him to carefully carve it into a shallow, flat tray.

Actually, an iron pan would be more suitable for the sweet potato starch mixture, but Tai Seng and Jin Tong had only managed to smelt that much iron after working all night, so Si Yan didn’t want to use it for this.

She set the stone slab aside, found a stone container, and gently heated some clean spring water. Then, she dissolved an appropriate amount of starch in the warm water.

Next, she poured the sweet potato starch mixture onto the stone tray.

She then placed the tray over a stone pot of boiling water to steam.

The weather today was a bit better than yesterday; a hint of sun peeked through.

When the sweet potato starch mixture was cooked, it solidified into a sheet. She hung these sheets on a nearby wooden rack to air-dry slightly.

"Damn, what’s going on over at Wise One Si Yan’s place?"

"How can Red Earth Fruit be turned into powder, and how can that powder then become such a large sheet?"

"This stuff looks tender and slightly translucent."

"What is this? Can you really eat it?"

"The things Wise One Si Yan creates are truly unheard of and unseen!"

"Not gonna lie, I’m actually a bit excited. This is truly food I have never seen or heard of before!"

"Beast God above, please grant us this food!"

After Si Yan demonstrated the process, Tai Seng and Jin Tong understood. They began to replicate her steps, making one large gelatinous sheet after another.

After the sheets had air-dried slightly, Si Yan took them down. Using a snake scale, she cut the semi-dry sheets into strips and then placed them beside the fire to dry slowly.

She wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Tai Seng, excitedly wagging his tail, laughed and said, "Si Yan, are we about done?"

Si Yan turned, smiling at Tai Seng. "Once these sheets are fully dried, they’ll become dried glass noodles. As long as they don’t get wet, they can be stored for one to three Beast Era Years without any problems."