An Unexpected Encounter

“Greetings, respected Lord White Emperor~”

“!”

Qianwei was startled, jerking her head around. Behind her stood a tall, red-haired woman with a respectful bow. Even while bowing, she was nearly two meters tall! Standing so close, the pressure was immense.

“Who… who are you?!”

Qianwei took a half-step back toward Qiuyue Han, frowning warily. But the tall woman ignored her, addressing Qiuyue Han who was propping herself up.

“May I invite you to our Flame Serpent settlement for a chat? We can provide healing items.”

“Beastfolk? A spatial-type beastfolk is quite rare.”

“Yes…”

Hearing the red-haired woman respond, Qianwei studied her with curiosity. Soon she spotted scale-like patches partially hidden by clothing on the woman’s neck. In this world, lifeforms that could control energy were called the Four Beasts. Humans were one—the Divine Beasts. Beastfolk were the Demonic Beasts, another advanced intelligent race besides humans. Their true forms were mostly animals or plants, capable of assuming human shapes but with distinct non-human traits. A few had more human features.

Clearly, the woman before her was the latter… A pity, not a beast-eared girl, he thought with a trace of disappointment.

Thoughts racing, Qianwei’s face briefly showed a hint of regret, then she turned anxiously, walked to Qiuyue Han who had sat up, and clung to her supportively. The reverent red-haired woman blinked in surprise but dared not ask. Seeing this, Qianwei’s lips curled upward, her mood lifting.

Qiuyue Han was silent for a few seconds before speaking coolly. “If you need my help, you might be disappointed.”

“I wouldn’t dare. We only wish to offer our aid to Lord White Emperor. Meeting you here is sheer luck. Whether you grant our request is entirely up to you.”

“Fine… since you put it that way, what’s your name? Is your dwelling far?”

“Thank you, Lord White Emperor. My name is Hongye. Our Flame Serpent clan lives in the underground caves at the foot of that mountain.”

“Hmm…”

A cave again? he sighed inwardly.

Qianwei sighed in exasperation. She really didn’t want to go, but it wasn’t her decision. Still, he was curious about why they sought Qiuyue Han.

“Then please lead the way, Hongye.”

“You flatter me.”

Hongye bowed again, then stepped forward nervously and took Qiuyue Han’s outstretched hand. Qianwei felt a cool energy wrap around her from Qiuyue Han. In an instant, the scene changed—they stood atop a large boulder. Looking back, she could no longer see the low-lying area where they had rested. That meant they had moved at least several hundred meters.

“Amazing…”

Previously, Qiuyue Han had only been able to teleport about ten meters, though that was due to weakness.

“The higher up this mountain, the stronger the suppression on spatial power. To perform at this level here is indeed impressive.”

Qiuyue Han raised an eyebrow, glancing at Qianwei who was obviously hinting. She didn’t withhold praise; even after recovery, she couldn’t manage such distances.

“My ability is only good for travel… There’s a long cooldown, and I can only carry a few people.”

Hongye spoke modestly, then the scene shifted again. As she said, each teleport required a three-second interval. Aside from travel or surprise assassinations, it was hard to use in combat. Subsequent teleports covered increasing distances, quickly reaching the mountain’s base. As they left the world’s highest peak, Qianwei noticed a change. Her body felt lighter, and her control over internal energy improved slightly.

“Hey? I thought only spatial abilities were heavily suppressed…”

“Mm… Comparatively, below ten thousand meters, other effects are negligible. Your power is weaker, so you feel it more.”

“?”

Damn, was that a jab? Payback for earlier? Petty! he pouted inwardly.

Qianwei pouted inwardly. Just then, Hongye’s cooldown ended and the scene changed again. A commotion exploded in her ears, and she instinctively turned—only to have Qiuyue Han cover her eyes.

“Ah… Lord White Emperor, a thousand apologies!”

“It’s fine…”

“Eep! Hongye, didn’t I tell you not to teleport directly to my place?!”

“Ah~” × N

A brief uproar, then sudden silence. The hand lifted from her eyes. Qianwei’s cheeks flushed slightly as she looked around. Clearly, they had barged in on someone… At least four or five people involved! How enviable~ he mused.

But the furnishings were plain. Several large night pearls on the ceiling emitted soft light. With no windows, the large room felt a bit stuffy. And the air was somewhat hot?

Hmm… Hongye was gone; she had only teleported herself and Qiuyue Han.

“Why did you cover my eyes just now?”

“Did you want to see?”

“Well… no, but I was a bit amused, hehe~” he thought.

Caring about that was definitely a good sign~

Qianwei’s lips curled, but then Qiuyue Han grabbed her cheeks and tugged.

Creak!

A stone door slowly opened. Another tall woman, slightly shorter than Hongye, entered with Hongye. Both wore awkward and nervous expressions.

“Lord White Emperor, a thousand apologies! My daughter’s blunder exposed you to such filth. Please forgive us. I am Hongmei, chieftain of the Flame Serpent clan.”

“Mm… It’s fine. What do you want, Chieftain Hongmei? I am the guardian of humanity. If it’s an internal beastfolk conflict, I must decline in advance.”

“Of course, of course~ I heard you were injured. This is our clan’s sacred artifact, the Earth Core Pearl. It can nourish and heal the soul.”

With that, Hongmei respectfully presented a fiery red glowing pearl. The room’s temperature rose several degrees.

“Thank you… but my soul isn’t damaged. Do you have Spirit-Nourishing Grass?”

“Ah?”

Hongmei was visibly stunned, momentarily doubting her ears. White Emperor, one of humanity’s guardians, was famous for her spatial abilities and powerful healing—except for soul injuries. Had her daughter made a mistake?

“My Sacred Heart ability is malfunctioning. I can’t use it, and my resistance has dropped. I recall there should be Spirit-Nourishing Grass nearby.”

“Ah! I see… It should be on the eastern mountain. Hongye, hurry and pick some. Huh? Where is she?…”

Hmm… This mother-daughter pair had very different personalities~ But strangely, both seemed a bit ditzy, quite cute… Was this typical of beastfolk? Too bad neither had fur… he thought.

Chieftain Hongmei had more scales, more prominent, more wild. Though beautiful, Qianwei—once bitten by a snake—silently crossed her off mentally.

With her teleportation ability, Hongye soon returned with the herbs. After consuming the glowing plants, Qiuyue Han’s aura stabilized noticeably.

“Thank you.”

“It is our honor to help Lord White Emperor…”

“Mm~ Tell me, what do you need my help with?”