《Reborn as an Alraune in a Cultivation story》


 Prologue

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    "Aaaahhh~ how boring. What kind of hell or heaven is this?"


    I looked at the black void surrounding my body, feeling rather uninterested as my body seemed to swim in this bizarre place. A world of black where the only thing that seems to glow is my own body, which is apparently unharmed and uninjured.


    Ah, you want to hear my story? And how I got here? Who knows, all what I know is that I am currently here after my death. That isn''t really informative, isn''t it? Okay then, I guess I need to start from the start?


    In the beginning, there was darkness, and then out of literally nowhere, an explosion occured and created the universe and/or whatever dimensional heierarchy you care about, multiverse, and all. Oh, I am already talking to myself. Well, I have nothing else to do, really, so I just has to continue.


    Anyways, skip to a billions of years later, I, Kasumi Ai, a closet otaku and a plant-loving japanese woman who is/was nothing but a cog in the machine all things considered, despite being a skilled light novel writer, died. I say "skilled," but it isn''t that hard to write an isekai story since most of them are the freaking same, just with different names and faces, and of course, I didn''t bother deviating from the mainstream, at least not as much. Now, why did I do that? Because it''s easy money of course. One of my series got an anime and manga adaptation, so that was a nice amount of cash. Otakus really love that kind of junk food. I personally liked the fact that I can put a bunch of plant monsters as well! There was at least a couple of named ones every arc! Even if they died just as easily as fodders if they were guys and thrown into the harem if they were girls.


    Oh, my death? Well, it was after I wrote a hentai light novel (under a different pen name, of course. Don''t wanna get otakus trying to literally murder me just for the crime of writing a story where ladies and the protagonist actually aren''t virgins and actually have sex, thus ruining their fantasies of self-inserting as the faceless protag), and while successful, down the road an asshole with a lot of money found out about that and tried to blackmail me into marrying him after he called himself to my house, and he also was intruding, uninvited, while I was enjoying my free time to take care of my small garden of plants, and he also threatened to ruin them just because.


    So I had bound him to a chair and forced him to watch a bunch of horror movies (Kuchisake-onna is best waifu in the history of horror movies along with Teke-Teke!) on a loop along with reading terrible fanfictions like My Immortal, all while I put a bunch of awesome songs from my favourite bands to be on full blast. In hindsight, I wasn''t in my best mental faculties when I did that, and now I blame the burnout from writing along with the few times I had to drink, and the fact that he ruined one of the few rare moments where I can enjoy my plants, combined with the sudden bout of depression over having my pen name''s identity discovered.


    And well, I got killed by the police on his payroll after he escaped, shot by guns. And thus ends my ultimately pointless life as a cog in the machine of the otaku-addicted industry of anime, manga, and light novels, in japan. I would probably be forgotten in a couple of years, definitely. Man, that''s depressing, even with the strange lack of interest that this black place seems to induce.


    Wait, you''re still here? Geez, and I thought I had no life, literally. So, I died, and then I found myself in this... whatever this place is. I don''t know how long I was stranded here, but honestly it''s gotten boring. Was I here for days or eons? I had lost track completely.


    Well, time to imagine something for the Nth time here. I would have tried reciting flower names, but I''d rather do that late-


    And then, there was another being... A goddess...


    Or, at least I think she is one...? She was eating a hamburger and seemed rather happy. She didn''t even bother looking at me. Also, wearing a school uniform is... okay, just ignore that. Let''s focus on what''s important!


    Mentally slapping myself to get on the track, I raised my arm in a ''hello'' gesture.


    "... Hi..." Damn it. I wanted to put more enthusiasm than that of a dying kitten into it!


    No matter, since she had finally looked at me. Why is her face reddening?


    "O-oh!" rapidly cleanin the mess that was her hair and remains of her meal, she had finally looked regal as her smile literally glowed. At least, I think she wanted to look regal, since she looked more like a guy who only was obsessed with selling his book then suddenly finding himself talking with another human being over anything other than his book.


    She coughed, taking a long breath. "W-welcome!"


    Well, now that smile is way better and more confident. I find myself smiling back just a bit. Still, I''m not sure what she is yet. Is she really a goddess? Maybe, but she could as well be a figment of my imagination... But just in case, read my mind and tell me something ridiculous not even my hallucination will not accept or even dare to think of!


    "Hey! I have to tell you that I am real!" the supposedly-real goddess pouts, and I find myself nodding. This might be one strong hallucination, but might as well treat it as real just in case. This might throw me into an isekai encounter if it was real, and if not, I just hallucinate something else later.


    "Also, Edogawa Conan can put Hajun behind the bars." she said casually, and immediately, I felt myself snorting from the sheer absurdity of that statement, before I just laughed my butt off.


    "Wh- what?? C-Conan? H-Hajun? Bwahahaha! Okay, that was the funniest thing I heard so far!" Man, it was so hard to breathe! This, this woman is actually real! Even I couldn''t think of something even more ridiculous!


    Slowly, my laughter became subdued as I finally straightened my body, looking at her as the actually-real goddess looked with amusement.


    "Well, good to see that you decided to treat it as real." she smiled as two chairs, one behind each of us, spawned out of nothing, and she sat on hers. "Also, you know that you can just speak here, you know? No need to have me read your mind."


    "Yeah. I can manage." I said as I sat on my chair, "So, what am I here for? Reincarnation? Oblivion? Having my soul purified to be reborn into Earth once more?"


    "Well, reincarnation is more like it." the goddess stated, her body composed as her clothes transformed into what people call a divine dress. "As you know, this scenario you''re in just reeks of an isekai plot, correct, miss Isekai-story-writer?"


    I can feel your smugness, you know that, right? "Yes. I frankly expected that probability. So, how does that work exactly? Do I choose my destination, or do I get it with the luck of draw? Or do you choose the world? Would I be reborn as a human? Can I get a cheat?" the questions flew out of my mouth rapidly, wondering just how this would unfold. I was admittedly rather interested at the very least, my boredom no longer existing.


    Hm, was it due to the goddess and her at least looking nice, or just due to the subject? Seeing her murmuring with a blush reminded me that she had literally appeared wearing a school uniform and eating a burger.


    "O-one question at a time please." she took a breath, "sorry. I''m rather new in this whole isekai shenanigans. Most of the other gods are the ones who usually take care of that. At least, it was, until an idiot threw a girl into a High School DxD reality as a demi-goddess as the daughter of Aphrodite... let''s just say he was so tempted with her he immediately threw away his godly power after she literally brainwashed him with her breasts after she became almost the strongest being in that reality... and united herself with the power of breasts..." she looked at me so awkwardly, while I was sure my jaw had dropped to my leg.


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    What. The. Hell.


    "I- I have so many questions! How? Why? Just- how!?" I yell. Turns out that yes, she was serious, despite her looking so hesitant to believe it herself.


    "Just, let us finish this conversation, please?" she wants to do anything but to talk about that... bout of stupidity. Okay, I agree with her. J-just give me a moment to calm down.


    "So, about your destination, well, sorry but the higher ups want to have more transmigrators and reincarnators to a cultivation world. Particularly, women. A lot of people who get thrown to these dimensions are guys, and well... yin-yang and all that..." the goddess looked rather apologetic.


    "Damn it!" Needless to say, I wasn''t exactly happy about being thown into a world where most the population can''t comprenend anything but face-slapping and defying the heaven or becoming it, Zamasu-style, or whatever.


    There goes my idea of reincarnating in DxD as Ophis if possible, so that I can just sleep inside a black hole for all of eternity. How tragic.


    Next, I was tasked to spin a wheel to determine the world I will be reincarnated into, or at least, a version of it, and I got... Long Live Summons!


    Wasn''t that novel about a guy being thrown into a cultivation world due to some old man, and most cultivators had a magical book that they can use to make contracts with monsters along with getting a Guardian Beast or something? I forgot the plot long ago, honestly, not to mention that I stopped reading after 600 or so chapters. Something about Innates and what not? Ugh, hopefully I won''t have to deal with idiots wanting to make a contract with me or something. I dutifully ignored the fact that I might have raised a red flag even before my reincarnation.


    "And as for being reborn as a human, spin this wheel." she tells me as a large wheel appears, and I see the options I have... uh, this isn''t right?


    "Why are there many plant-like monsters written on the wheel?" I asked, and she just sheepishly looked at me.


    "Well, you loved plants a lot, so it was decided that you may get a higher chance to reincarnate as a plant monster, or more accurately, a Plant-type Beast." she quoted, reminding me of what world I am supposed to be reborn into.


    Now, that''s just unfair. Well, not the chance to be reborn as a plant beast that will eat humans alive, I get that part since I know my mentality will change, since that''s what that kind of deal entails. It is some kind of a physiological mechanism that all beasts, at least the meat-eating ones have since otherwise it would be impossible to survive.


    What I''m annoyed about is this bizarre "you like plants so you have higher chance of becoming a plant monster" thing. Isn''t that like turning me into a single trait? If I liked food the most, would I reincarnate as a hamburger or a pickle by that reasoning? What kind of logic is that?


    Anyways, my mental rant which got me a shrug from the goddess aside, I spun the wheel.


    I mentally prayed to the goddess that I wouldn''t be reborn as something as lame as a monkey, or something as stupid... and I got my wish granted! Sort-of.


    "Oh, a Thorny Alraune!" the goddess smiled, apparently excited. I can''t blame her, since I was as well.


    An Alraune, a monster with the lower body of a giant flower/plant and the upper body of a human. That was what I know about it, and how it generally was like in most stories that had them appear in.


    It might be different than usual since in most xianxia stories, names are important, so a Thorny Alraune must be either a variant of a normal Alraune, assuming it exists in that reality in the first place. Or maybe it is related to that Thorny Flower beast?


    "So, what does it mean?" I asked, just in case, waiting in anticipation.


    The goddess, apparently enjoying the chance to show off her knowledge from her momentary blush, spoke.


    "Well, it''s as you thought, it''s related to the Thorny Flower, in the sense it''s an ''upgraded'' version of it. Though arguably not by much, all things considered." she stated, "A Thorny Alraune has the usual abilities of a Thorny Flower, but it also has many of the typical alraune skillset. Such as generating poisons, aphrodisiacs, and nectars like honey, which can heal and restore stamina if desired."


    Okay, that is awesome! I can feel that this would help a lot as long as I have some time to practice on how to use and create them.


    "But most importantly, Thorny Alraunes have the ability to generate or create any fruits or flowers that they have eaten. Wether it was a normal plant or a plant-type beast, along with their characteristics. So, if you ate a plant with fire-resistance proprieties, you gain that resistance, though it might not be as powerful as the original plant''s resistance if you consume only one of the stronger plants. Also, this ability is only for plants. You can''t eat a tiger then gain claws or start creating an army of them."


    "Hah, makes sense." if an Alraune can become a rip-off Rimuru, then that would be way too ridiculous. The goddess continued her exposition.


    "They also can use thorny vines in their attacks as well, but you must have expected that, correct?" I just nod. Yes, that was as I thought.


    "Well, I''d like to tell you everything, but I believe that this is enough initial knowledge about your new race. Just so you know, Thorny Alraunes are born as Normal-rank Level 1 Beast."


    I sighed at that. Of course, I would still be reincarnated as a weak plant beast. Well, most plant beasts are weak at the start, so I guess that''s alright.


    "So, I will be reincarnated now?" I asked, only for her to shake her head.


    "You forgot something."


    I blinked at that. There''s something else?


    "Your ''cheat,'' won''t you want one? I am sure I need to at least try and give you a couple of cheats before sending you. Though it really depends on how ''strong'' each cheat you desire. Just remember that some things cannot be granted to you though."


    I was shocked. I honestly forgot about that particular subject.


    So, I started thinking. What cheats can I wish for? I can''t wish for immortality, omnipotence or the likes, she very much told me just with her look. I also can''t wish to be born as a Holy/Mythical Beast, since that would make me skip the whole "evolving" deal, as much as I''d like that.


    Hm, oh right! There was that Barbarian Cow whose look can destroy souls. Better protect myself against that.


    "I want protection against soul attacks if that was possible, and maybe throw a healing ability while at it?"


    "Okay, I can give it, but not a full protection though. Instead, you will gain the ability to survive an instant soul-destroying attack with your soul not completely erased even with your level or rank being a bit lower than the attacker. Though if you got hit again with that kind of attack you will most likely die." she answered me, and I simply nodded. That was how I thought it would be.


    "And about your healing wish, Thorny Alraunes already have healing abilities from their nectars, but in your case, it would just be more potent for your level. Truthfully, you would probably get that potent healing skill when you increase your power, so I won''t really count it as a ''cheat'' if I was honest."


    "Thanks for that gift then." I was honestly happy with this generosity, and I bowed to show my gratitude. And now, all what remains is my next cheat-like ability, which I thought about, and I decided what I''d like the most, even if I had to... ugh... unlock the memories of my chunibyou days.


    "I''d like to be able to cultivate if it was possible." I stated my request. Frankly, I wasn''t sure why, but most monsters in xianxia and wuxia stories (or at least, the stories I read) can''t really cultivate, at least in the sense of learning a cultivation technique like the ''Heavenly Breaker Fist'' or ''Demonic Inferno Blaze'' and such. They mostly just eat the cores of other monsters, or eat other entities, mindless monsters, or humanoid beings alike.


    Supposedly, because such beasts don''t have enough sapience or sophonce in their brains, which makes no sense to me since for whatever reason, cultivators people whose basic ability to reason can only manifest in making death threats, lusting over ''jade beauties'' and spouting idioms to deify themselves can cultivate even if their intelligence reaches the negative values. To be fair, it is probably due to the chinese mythology being rather humanocentric, but it still is rather annoying from an in-universe viewpoint.


    I can probably make a whole rant about it, but I''ll spare myself and the nice goddess from my ramblings.


    Returning back to my talk with the goddess, she only looked amused. No doubt reading my mind and thinking of what technique I had created in my ''Dies Irae fanfiction'' phase of my life.


    "Natura Aeterna Nirvana. Translated as ''Eternal Nature of Nirvana'' in latin. Your OC''s Taikyoku ability in your fanfic, made uniquely to suit your love for plants and flora in general, the creation of a world where only plants can exist, and you even made it contain many stages like a cultivation technique!" she spoke, thoroughly enjoying herself as I felt myself blush slightly.


    Sue me! I was at the height of my otaku-ism at that period! I mean, how can I not fall in love with Fate and Dies Irae, and who cares what else back then! I thought they were the coolest!


    "I''m not judging you. Just commenting on your actions." she just waved her hand, "I accept this ''cheat ability'' of your choosing. Honestly, it''s better than I expected. Most guys who choose a cultivation world to reincarnate into, usually just ask for the ability to use all the existing techniques."


    Which is why they only got one wish along with many downsides they only noticed after being reborn, I presume? I assume it isn''t a good idea to just shove a technique that can only be used by demons and try to practice it with a human body, or a sex-specific cultivation technique being practiced when one''s body is from a different sex.


    Yeah, I can see why some of them genderswap. Sacrifice everything for the sake of power, indeed.


    With that, being told that I would spawn in a forest of the Soaring Dragon Continent, I was engulfed by light, transmigrated to my new life.

 Chapter 01: And thus I awoke in my new life

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    When I opened my eyes, all I could see was black. A different kind of black than the one where I talked with the goddess before I was reincarnated.


    While that black void felt ever-expanding with no real ending, the black I was in right now seemed more confined, yet protective, more like a shield to hide me from all the cruelties of the world.


    Naturally, my instincts, my new ones in particular, immediately noticed what that meant, and what I am right now.


    ''I am covered by my large petals, aren''t I?'' I thought, and my instincts immediately affirmed my question. Then, let''s open it now.


    As if hearing my demand, the protective blackness started to unveil as the "ceiling" opened and light flooded my senses, causing me to cover my eyes to adjust to the intensity.


    An immediate look at my surroundings showed me that I was indeed, in a forest. I couldn''t see any animals close to me, nor are there any beasts as far as I can see. Neither plant beasts, or other types. I only saw trees and flowers, and maybe some weed and vines. So, I was reborn in an area that isn''t filled with monsters, that much is clear. Thank goodness!


    This external inspection had only taken a few seconds, and now that the instinctual urge to see where I am to immediately assess the external situation, I directed my eyes and senses to my own body.


    The first thing I noticed was that I was, bluntly speaking, naked from the waist and up, yet there was no feeling of repulsion that would have been felt if I had this happen to me in my previous life.


    ''So that means my mentality had already changed since the moment I was reincarnated.'' I inwardly thought before continuing my inspection.


    My skin was a white, not unexpected and rather smooth and soft as I touched it, and I realized that I had breasts, but they were only B-cup at most. I assume it will increase if I increased my level or rank.


    My hands and fingers were also soft, and they looked like I never did any hard activty at all, which was rather appropriate seeing that this body had been born just right now. Though I feel that they would stay the same even if I started working as a castle builder and I did all the work on my own. Must be my monster physiology, or is that due to Qi? Maybe both, honestly.


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    I couldn''t see my eyes'' color, nor see my face, but I can see that my hair is emerald-green, from the few strands I took since it was rather short. Since I couldn''t know how y face looked like, I only decided to trust my Alraune genes to give me a cute face at least.


    Finishing my inspection on my upper half, I determined that my human-looking side seemed to look like a girl in her 15''s or a bit older, at least according to how tall I felt my upper body feel like.


    Next, I moved to my lower half that began from my waist.


    I had already noticed it before; just as Iooked at myself, but only now am I really focusing on it.


    My upper body was surrounded by large red flower petals, with me at the center, and they felt rather similar to my skin when I touched them, and they were definitely attached to my body since pinching them gave a small sensation of pain.


    And it wasn''t a single layer of flower petals, but three layers, and below them there were many oversized tree leaves, also with layers as well. The leaves though didn''t send any signal of pain or being touched when I pinched them, and they felt unusually sturdy despite being soft to the touch.


    ''A weapon of mine, probably?'' I thought as I then looked, and sensed what was below the leaves. A large green bulb with a giant mouth, large and sharp teeth inside of it with a few visible to the outside, and an extra set of eyes as well were there. Currently, they were closed, and all what I need is to wish to, and I can open them.


    And all around the bulb, multiple vines were growing and forming a colony centered around me, and further down the bulb, my ''legs,'' or what qualifies as them, were growing as well. I felt that they were more like plant roots that can somehow support my weight to move me. I doubt it would be something fast, at least right now, but this was how it was.


    And this was all what I can understand from my physical body so far.


    I doubt that I took more than a couple of minutes since I started the inspection. And with that, I put my focus on what I was now feeling was running in my body.


    Different than blood, different than cells, but something that felt just as familiar even though I only felt it just now.


    Qi.


    Flowing indise my veins, slow yet fast, new yet I felt like I knew it for so long. Power coursing through my body in a way that I never imagined could be possible. I knew that even this measly amount of power would have me defeat two professional boxers from my previous world with ease.


    "Ah, so this is it." I felt my face grinning. "Power."

 Chapter 02: In which I get a taste of “power”

    I marveled in the sensation of sheer power running in my body. Qi, coursing through my veins as I felt my heart pulsing faintly, as if to show my excitement.


    "This is what Qi, feels like." what power feels like. Truly, most attractive, yet most terrifying as well.


    It was effectively like a mix of being drunk and feeling high on drugs, if I can describe it, yet unlike these, it also gives you actual power.


    My blood, my cells, wanted it. They demanded it, really. Demanded more of this energy.


    A part of me pondered if this is why cultivators, or Rankers and/or Summoners in this world, were so easy to rile up. These people, they were practically being drunk on literal power since they started to cultivate!


    I definitely saw the appeal of it, and I would be lying if I said I hate this feeling. And I knew that being drunk on it would feel the greatest thing imaginable to me right now, until my life ends.


    Yet.


    I subdued it. I, or more accurately, the ever-present human side of me, that of Kasumi Ai, forced it into submission.


    Inhaling and exhaling deeply, I demanded that my Qi stops acting like... whatever it was acting like.


    "That was insane..." I sighed, feeling honestly tired as my Qi''s induced high had diminished. Qi was still moving around my body, that much was clear, but now it wasn''t as apparent to my senses. I no longer can feel how it was moving, invigorating my cells. It was just there, moving, even if the sensation was faint.


    And I honestly thought that the experience was too close for comfort. I had been reincarnated just a few minutes, yet just a single moment of having a real, very honest taste of power, and I nearly lost my mind.


    "I need to control this power." I truly believed so. Isn''t that why I was born with my human memories and ego, after all? Isn''t me having a human ego, a sapient ego, supposed to help me curb this instinctual love for uncontrolled power?


    If I simply allowed my new instincts to take over me, then what is the point of being reborn with my memories and previous perspective? I might as well be a beast with no memories of being Kasumi Ai, no perspective, and no real awareness or care of anything beyond my instincts and whims.


    I am now a Thorny Alraune, but these instincts are mine to command and restrain, and I refuse to be theirs to be commanded by.


    Another long breath. Calm down, calm down. This is just a problem I need to deal with, and I will deal with.


    I realized that since I have time until the sun dies, I will start with this.


    Taking another deep breath, I allowed my Qi to pulse inside my body, which I noticed was glowing faintly on the outside, including my monsterous lower half whose eyes and mouth were closed.


    The feeling of power rose once more, most likely unintentionally trying to overwhelm me.


    ''Feed, consume, eat, devour, swallow.'' It urged me. My nature as a beast, and a newborn one trying to overwhelm the intelligence and ego of what once was a human.


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    My leaves, glowing as well, appeared like they were trying to rise, as if they were planning to shoot themselves on something, as I imediately felt that they became just a bit more sturdier and sharper.


    Yet, I had no plan to do any of that.


    ''Calm down, you. I didn''t order you to control my body.''


    This body and all what exists in it is mine. You are mine, my Qi. I am not yours. If I wanted to eat, it''s because I want to or I have to, not because you demand me to.


    You are me, but I am not you. If you want to be unleashed, it will be on my terms.


    Power rushed through my body, from even my hair to my roots and vines making contact with the earth. But I didn''t allow it to consume my mind, for I am my power, yet it isn''t me.


    It felt like I was putting a very short leash, as I told the Qi to course through me but not overwhelm me.


    One circle, two, three, and it seemed that I finally got a better understanding of it. I had no doubt that my instincts were helping me as well, but that was fine. I prefer it this way.


    More circles around my body, and I felt that the leaves had relaxed, no longer looking like an arrow locked on an enemy; yet it wasn''t complete. I need to continue.


    Qi kept flowing, and I started to feel exhausted, so I demanded that my roots latch on the ground and absorb enough nutrients and water using [Take Root].


    With this, I can replenish my energy, and so I continued what I defined as my beginner exercice in Qi control.


    Time kept moving, seemingly slowly, but I could see as the sun started setting, no doubt that night will fall in a few hours.


    Luckily though, I had managed to control the effect my Qi had on me to a satisfactory level, in my opinion. The feeling of power was still present, but it no longer gives the urge to acquire more.


    "Phew!" I breathed at last, feeling rather mentally taxed. I had managed to control my Qi''s temptations for now at least.


    I would definitely train this more as I grow stronger, and I would also need to learn to control my fight or flight responses in the face of a predator or a stronger beast, but that would be dealt with later.


    For now though, I decided to eat actual food instead of draining the moisture and nutrients inside the earth.


    With that, I opened my second set of eyes and mouth, taking a moment to get adjusted to the extra visionary input. On the News: having a new set of eyes is disorienting as hell!


    It honestly felt like watching two TVs at the same time, while one was in front of you and the other behind. Is this how Pein from Naruto saw the world through his Six Paths technique? If so, I tip him my non-existent hat.


    Still, my instincts as a Thorny Alraune made adapting for such thing a rather quick affair, and I slowly managed to walk (using my roots), while trusting my senses to help and warn me in the case of an enemy.


    Luckily, I was able to move dozens of meters away with nothing more than the usual grass and plants on my way, which I decided to eat some of them.


    It was... an interesting sight, not gonna lie. My lower mouth opened and a large tongue and many of the vines that I control extended, plucked some of the grass, flowers, and some of the tree branches, and they were put inside the giant mouth, digested and swallowed by the acids and saliva inside.


    And as that happened, I felt as my Qi, while not expanding, felt fuller than before, and in my mind, knowledge just popped into existence.


    So this is what my [Floral Creation] ability, huh? Truly a fun and exciting ability!


    I felt as if I was born with the ability to create and use the characteristics of the botanical entity I had just ate!


    "Let''s see..." I murmured. "An apple, some vegetables, and a couple of plants that can resist the typical cold, and a skunk cabbage, a plant that can metabolically generate heat. So far, these plants I already know from my previous life."


    I hummed as I extended one of my vines, and pushed some Qi towards it.


    A small bulge appeared on its end before swelling up, color and shape changing, and I got an apple. A regular one, except with a fraction of my Qi.


    That''s interesting. It also tastes a bit sweeter than I recall.


    Seeing that the night had already fallen by now, and sensing no predators even after trying my best to make sure, I decided to return to my rebirth place.


    It was time to sleep!


    Taking my place, my petals had started to rise and engulf me like a cocoon, hiding the moon light from me as I was met with the comforting darkness, and my body was ready to sleep.


    Though I knew that my lower set of eyes and mouth would be on an alert even when closed in case of any harmful intent against me.


    With that, I surrendered my mind to the dream land, knowing that tomorrow, I would attempt to cultivate. I can''t probably focus properly while I am mentally exhausted after all.

 Chapter 03: Trying to cultivate

    The second day of my new life as a Thorny Alraune started with the smell of the vibrant air entering my nose before my eyes opened.


    The layers of petals covering my upper half had already ''bloomed'' to allow my body to rise.


    After stretching my arms a bit, I relaxed for a moment enjoying the sight. Even now, a part of me wondered if this was just a dream before I ignored it.


    I knew for a fact that this is my life now, and I just need to continue living! A simple goal, but it''s good enough for me.


    "Now, let''s give myself some new fruits and plants to eat!" I spoke, and my lower half opened its eyes and mouth as well, as I marched to catch whatever that can satisfy my appetite for the moment.


    Also, now that I think of it, I can ''speak.'' I say it with that emphasis because now that I can think and focus properly, I noticed the strange absurdity of me being able to talk at all.


    Now that the excitement of the first day, along with the euphoria I felt yesterday, and focus that I had to muster to deal with my Qi problem, along with the hunger I felt afterwards, I can now think about it for real.


    ''So I can talk, huh.'' I thought, wondering about this development.


    Most beasts in the Long Live Summons couldn''t speak, at least in any intelligent manner. They could growl and bark and screech all they want, but they couldn''t just talk in a human language at all.


    And even if they could, most of these beasts were Gold-ranked at the very least, if not Platinum-ranked and higher.


    So I was quite surprised that I can speak in any comprehensible words at all, since I wasn''t even a Bronze-ranked beast. I was only a Normal-ranked one.


    Another thing I noticed was that I was speaking in Japanese, which I know for sure isn''t this world''s primary language. Well, unless the goddess just wrote something like: "if (reincarnator==true) then setting.language=reincarnator.language" on her divine computer.


    Yeah, I will just ignore that until I actually meet someone who actually talks this world''s language to be sure.


    Still, now that I think about it, me being reborn in this form is rather ridiculous from what I know about the lore, and the power systems of this world.


    Eating a bunch of plants and swallowing them, I continued to think.


    Let''s check the facts that I know so far.


    "I am human-looking, at least my upper half is."


    True.


    "I also can speak, and I have an intelligence that far outstrips most beasts in this forest, or at least, I have more sapience than them."


    True.


    "And in the world of the novel, these traits are the foundation to become a Holy Beast, along with high power and rank of course."


    Also true.


    ...


    Damn, I was reincarnated lucky, aren''t I? I knew that Alraunes are humanoid since that''s what legends said about them. And I am able to speak most likely due to having the memories of the human Kasumi Ai, which I still am.


    Not that I actually know how lucky I was in that department. For all I know, this would make Rankers and warriors even more annoying to deal with.


    I can already hear it. The lines of "If this beautiful alraune had made a contract with me, I would cherish her forever!", "A mere beast dares defy me! If I can''t have you then no one can!", "You''re courting death!" and "mommy, gimme your nectar please..."


    Of course, the last one is me imagining what being addicted to my nectar will be like. Also, why does that feel like it''s the best option?


    Oh, right. Alraunes can feed on Qi, so I might end up capturing an idiot who tries to attack me just to feed on their energy. I am honestly surprised that this idea felt so natural at all. Had I been a human, or more precisely like I was before I reincarnated, I would be questioning myself on how cruel I was. Meanwhile, as a Thorny Alraune, this just felt completely natural, just like how eating and breathing were normal things in life.


    ''... I think I might just leave that idea out of my mind for now.'' shaking my head, I realized that I had finished digesting the plants I had eaten.


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Feeling myself energized, I shook off these thoughts as I decided to finally focus on what I believed was the most important thing for me to try now while I was in my safe area: train and cultivate!


    Now, the cultivation technique I had chosen to try was the Natura Aeterna Nirvana, with a latin name that meant ''Eternal Nature of Nirvana.''


    Assuming that the goddess wasn''t mean-spirited, I expect that it will be rather effective now that I am literally a plant beast. Who better to use a cultivation technique made with the concept of "I want the whole reality as my flowers and gardens" after all? I mean, that''s what I had in mind when writing about it in my previous life.


    Well, no time better than the present to find out.


    Taking a long breath, I assumed my meditation position, attaching my roots to the ground to get a constant supply of energy, my hands on each side as the tips of my thumb and index finger joined, the remaining fingers straight. Eyes closed, as the world seemed to vanish, my focus going inward as if I was looking at my own body under a microscope.


    This was what I felt the most comfortable and helpful meditation pose for me right now. There was no reason for me to ask why. I just knew so, and I followed my instincts, combined with my minimal control of Qi, as it started to flow, its movement feeling like a small river inside of my veins.


    I followed its path, from my head to my abdomen, from the upper pair of eyes to the lower pair, from a blood drop to the next, vitalizing the blood cells as oxygen was burned and resupplied, as even my hair and fingernails felt the sensation of power as it pulsed in a rythmic manner.


    It was rather odd, if I was honest. I didn''t know how to describe it any other way. It was quite a strong sensation, yet it didn''t overpower me, and instead it seemed to guide me.


    And as my qi kept flowing, my mouth opened of its own to speak.


    "Natura."


    My heart throbbed, and I felt as my qi seemed to pulse in my veins, and I sensed as if they wanted me to move them in a certain path. Wanting me to direct them towards some specific points in my body.


    "Aeterna."


    The sensation that followed seemed to feel as if something had exploded inside of me, yet I knew, both instinctually and intellectually that my qi only started to slowly emerge outside of my body, as if unleashed to the air to disperse. Yet, I felt no real tiredness as my roots kept me filled with energy to continue.


    Meanwhile, the remaining Qi that was in my body felt like something was leaving it, slowly but surely.


    I had a feeling on what that was.


    "Nirvana."


    A point that seemed to be clotted and trying to stop my Qi from properly passing through, found itself swarmed with it. Yet I didn''t just bulldoze the path with qi, preferring to instead let the technique do its job of gently and slowly breaking the barrier trying to stop my energy from fully going through, as if the impurities of my Qi are being gently gouged out of my system.


    Meanwhile, even as I continued, my external and internal senses started to overlap, as I felt as if the grass below me was swaying right inside my veins, gently and harmlessly, as if wanting me to give it some of my energy, while I could hear the flow of my own blood and heartbeats and taste the air around me as it gets dissolved inside of my body.


    ''So, let me pass.'' and thus the knot, after what felt like hours of it trying to resist as my Qi was being purified and slightly diminishing in quantity yet equally increasing in density and purity, had been shattered, not with a (internal) roar that shook the heavens (my body and mind), but in a manner that felt more like a farewell to a loved one, as I gave them their last embrace before their time had run out as they died with a smile on their face.


    I guess that fit so well. After all, these impurities were with me since I was reborn (since yesterday). Not to mention that the Natura Aeterna Nirvana technique was designed to be greatly benificial to those with huge affinity with plant-type beasts or abilities. Me being a plant now, it makes sense that this technique will help me grow without harming me. At least I think so.


    Finally, I let out a shuddering breath, deciding to stop for the moment. My Qi slowly dropped as I asked, the sound of my beating heart becoming more and more quiet, and I could no longer hear my own blood moving, and I opened my eyes.


    The sun had already moved from its position, telling me that I really had been cultivating for hours.


    As I breathed, the air felt rather... strange. It felt like it was, purer? Yes, that''s the only way I can describe it. And it wasn''t just it. When I looked around, I noticed that the grass around me had grown just a few centimeters, most likely, and it seemed more vibrant. I could already see that some of them had small flowers that had yet to bloom.


    "Huh. It seems that they enjoyed the qi I had unleashed around me." I commented, feeling rather refreshed.


    Unfortunately, or fortunately, that feeling transformed into confusion when I had noticed something that felt like a liquid moving across my skin. Specifically, from where my breasts are.


    What is that? And how did I not notice it? The answer turned out to be simpler than expected.


    Looking down as the yellow-golden liquid pouring from the nipples, I just realized what happened.


    Okay, so that''s my nectar! I have to admit, the smell alone was really sweet and enticing, and it seemed to spread for a long distance! And I knew just by instinct that this one is the one responsible for healing and restoring stamina.


    ''But, wait a moment...''


    Something in my mind screamed that something bad is happening, crushing that feeling of happiness as I felt like sweating.


    Alraunes lure their prey with many things; their appearances, their aphrodisiacs, and their sweet, healing nectars...


    ... Damn it Murphy!


    I cursed, because even if I had not bothered to enhance my senses with Qi, just my natural senses were still sharp enough to hear the sound of a low growling, and I can feel this presence! And they were approaching rapidly!


    Just great. First time I cultivate, and I have a beast chasing either after me or my nectar!


    It seems that just a day after being reborn, I might have my first fight. I can probably hope for this to be an anticlimactic encounter and that it''s just a peaceful beast that can mimic the sounds of other beasts, but my guts told me to prepare anyways.


    With that, my Qi faintly surged, as my leaves seemed to rise as if to shoot on my hypothetical enemy.


    I really hope this is something I can actually manage.

 Not a chapter: Terms and Ranks from the Long Live Summons Novel

    Grimoire Ranks (and their fixed numbers):


    Bronze Grimoire (beginner, intermediate, advanced) Only a million can exist at a time.


    Silver Grimoire (beginner, intermediate, advanced) Only 100 thousands can exist at a time.


    Gold Grimoire (beginner, intermediate, advanced) Only 10 thousands can exist at a time.


    Platinum Grimoire (beginner, intermediate, advanced) Only a thousand can exist at a time.


    Diamond Grimoire (beginner, intermediate, advanced) Only a hundred can exist at a time.


    Holy Grimoire (beginner, intermediate, advanced) Only a hundred can exist at a time.


    Godly Grimoire (beginner, intermediate, advanced) Only ten can exist at a time.


    <h4>Description:</h4>


    Grimoires are basically magic books that allows one (who can use them) to make contract with beasts if they are willing (basically, think of it like the Advent Deck in Kamen Rider Ryuki, but you have more than one Contract Card).


    Grimoire Ranks gain exp as the summoners uses their grimoire during battles. When the required amount of exp is met, it will evolve to a higher ranked grimoire. The higher ranked grimoire will be able to contract beasts more easily). Celestial Grimoires are made up of Holy Grimoire and Godly Grimoire.


    The numbers of Grimoires of certain ranks cannot be changed or surpassed. e.g: if there exists a thousand Platinum Grimoires, then even if a Gold Grimoire owner got the required exp or fulfilled certain conditions, their Grimoire won''t evolve in rank unless a Platinum Grimoire owner died/was killed.


    To get a Holy Grimoire, a Grimoire owner must already have a Diamond Grimoire, and they must kill a previous Holy Grimoire owner then fuse the his Grimoire and the Holy Grimoire to create a new Holy Grimoire.


    Godly Grimoires cannot be acquired normally, nor can one turn their Grimoire into a Godly Grimoire, as only a God can have them. Though if one is able to kill a God, they can snatch away the deceased God''s Godly Grimoire.


    Level 1 [Apprentice] (beginner, intermediate, advanced)


    Level 2 [Braveman] (beginner, intermediate, advanced)


    Level 3 [Hero] (beginner, intermediate, advanced)


    Level 4 [Champion] (beginner, intermediate, advanced)


    level 5 [Grandmaster] (beginner, intermediate, advanced)


    Level 6 [Elder] (beginner, intermediate, advanced)


    Level 7 [Overlord] (beginner, intermediate, advanced)


    Level 8 [Emperor] (beginner, intermediate, advanced)


    Level 9 [Sage] (beginner, intermediate, advanced)


    <h4></h4>


    They are the people capable of owning a Grimoire (which would always be theirs until death)


    Summoner/Ranker Ranks gain exp as the summoners uses their grimoire during battles. When the required amount of exp is met, the rank will evolve to a higher level ranks.


    Do note that these ranks are different from Innate Ranks. Innate are more like physical skills while these are the ranks for summoning skills.


    <div>


    The story probably might reach this point, but I might put it in here just in case. Don''t know how my mind works at times.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Earth Tier (Lv. 1 �C 9)


    Earth Tier (Lv. 10), also known as Heaven Tier (Lv. 1)


    Heaven Tier (Lv. 1 �C 10)


    Divine Tier (Lv. 1 �C 11)


    Each level is ten times stronger than the previous one, except Divine Tier Lv. 11, where the difference is a hundred times stronger than before.


    Divine Tier lv. 11 is when one becomes a Divine Supreme (Comprehension of Fate, Destiny, Throne System, what not) They basically are the reality but can''t really exist physically due to being so immensely powerful their mere existence and power can destroy all the cosmos. Only a single Divine Supreme can exist at a time, and if there are more than one, they must kill each other due to their energies being too volatile to coexist until only one Divine Supreme remains. (totally not ripping off a concept from another media, definitely)


    Description:


    When one reaches the [Sage] level, they normally count as Innate Level 1. Though that''s just one way to become an Innate.


    One can usually become an Innate by many methods. One can train and practice an Innate Technique, usually when they are a bit lower than or equal to a [Sage] level summoner, though that isn''t always the case (original MC had the Innate Invisible Sword Qi technique to practice. He even got it right away, so it doesn''t even qualify as spoilers for whoever wants to read the original novel).


    They can also become Innates by eating a special pill/concotion, but at the price of sacrificing all their potential growth, and even then, they aren''t as strong as Innates on their level.


    Normal-ranked Beast (Lv. 1 �C 10)


    Bronze-ranked Beast (Lv. 1 �C 10)


    Silver-ranked Beast (Lv. 1 �C 10)


    Gold-ranked Beast (Lv. 1 �C 10)


    Platinum-ranked Beast (Lv. 1 �C 10)


    Diamond-ranked Beast (Lv. 1 �C 10)


    <h4>Description:</h4>


    Beasts will gain exp through battles. When the required exp is met, it will rise a level.


    Elite Beast: A term used for beasts that has gone through Variant Evolutions. Beasts will only undergo a variant evolution (i.e normal > bronze) if it eats magic/demon crystals. Each variant evolution will increase the beasts�� strength by many times times.


    Holy Beast: A term used for beasts who have high intelligence, have a humanoid appearance and have the ability to speak.


    Mythical/Divine Beast: A term used for beasts who are similar to Holy Beasts, but own their own grimoire.


    Transcending Mythical/Divine Beast: Bound to its summoner and live inside their summoners�� bodies.


    Star Rating: Beasts are rated from 1-10 stars based on their intelligence, humanoid appearance and potential.


    Tiers: Beasts that has a star rating of 9 and 10 are Holy Beasts/Divine Beasts. They are then further sub-divided into First Tier to Ninth Tier. A First Tier Holy Beast would already have the powers of a Level 9 Normal-ranked beast or more.


    Beast Types:


    Special-type: Mainly use life Skills or reconnaissance Skills to gather intelligence. Other monsters that are included in this type also have special powers that would assist in the battle in some way.


    Strengthening-type: Can directly boost the summoner''s combat abilities and hence were crucial to their survival.


    Fighting-type or Battle-type: Used the beast''s bodies directly to make their attacks against the enemy more powerful and added that extra bit of sting. These are the combat type beasts.


    Element-type: Can either be a pure elemental-force or in a beast-form. They can either fight as an elemental being controlling their element or merge with their summoner to give them some of their elemental powers. (like a Strengthening-type)


    Soaring Dragon Continent:


    Ir is the land of Rankers ruled by the three kingdoms, four major clans, and four major sects. All the people live in glory due to their Summoning ability. Aside from the Three Royal Households that would cultivate the next emperor, there are also Four Major Houses of "Feng (wind), Xue (snow), Yue (earth) and Yan (fire).


    There are also the Four Great Sects who also gathered many strong Summoners/Rankers to pursue heaven��s way, and didn��t usually concern themselves with the things in the mortal world. However, they would send their disciples out from the mountains/place once every three years as their final training.


    A large tower that is easily thousands of meters high, and it''s diameter reaches at leasth 3 kilometers. Only one Tong Tian Tower exists, and it links the Soaring Dragon Continent with the Heaven Realm.


    It consists of ten floors, each floor is ten times larger than the one before, to the point that the Soaring Dragon Continent would only look like a village compared to the size of the higher floors.


    Each floor also increases the feeling of pressure/gravity imposed on oneself.


    Innates usually appear only in the sixth floor and higher.


    The Tenth floor connects to the Heaven Realm

 Chapter 04: Me against the big bad wolf

    I felt my body tensing up as I started sweating from worry and anticipation that began to deepen in my mind, and my heart started throbbing strongly, reflecting my emotions.


    I attempted to put the best determined expression on my face, yet I felt that said expression was strained. Just because I am a beast now, doesn''t mean I had abandoned all reason. Yet here, even then, my reason and knowledge as a former human and my new instincts as a Thorny Alraune both agreed that I have either fight or flight.


    The feeling of qi approaching increases, and I can sense that it was nearly five times the amount of mine, and it felt predatory.


    No wonder my hair was standing up. My first opponent was something that was far stronger than me, and I had only a day to acclimate to being reborn.


    It didn''t help that being a plant-beast, I am usually weaker against those on the same level when I am only a Normal-ranked beast.


    I need to grow stronger if I survive this, for sure.


    The beast moving towards me had finally appeared. With a growling, drooling mouth and slitted eyes, it appeared, and my heart seemed to increase its speed as I immediately noticed this creature if only by my instincts and its appearance alone.


    A Normal-ranked Level 4 Black Wolf. It was rather intimidating, if I was honest, though how much of that was due to my instincts is up to debate. I looked at its black fur and large fangs, and the tail that I am sure can pack enough power to break tree branches.


    ''Hey, hey. This is so unfair! Why do I have to fight something that is more than twice my level right away!?'' I cursed inwardly, trying to calm myself as my body shivered, my qi surging to defend me as well as possible.


    The wolf seemed to look at me with hunger, and a part of me wondered if I can try to stop it by using my nectar as bait.


    Yet I didn''t have enough time to see if that was possible as it crouched, and I felt its bloodlust in the air. I have no more time to think.


    ''Here it comes!''


    The Black Wolf pounced in the air with a speed I barely could track, throwing itself towards my chest, no doubt planning to bite my chest off my body along with the nectar on it.


    Thankfully it had attacked my upper body, since I could -barely- dodge by moving myself to the left. Even then, its claws had given me a scrach on my abdomen.


    "Aahhh! It burns!" The injury really did! It felt so horrible! My blood, green and vibrant, spilled with the smallest of amounts, though thankfully the nectar still on my body was already healing the wound.


    And yet, even then, my body still counterattacked.


    The Black Wolf had by now reached the ground, its claws holding the small quantity of blood I had, mixed with my sweet nectar. I had no time to wonder if it would lick its arm to show superiority, or if it would just keep attacking me first.


    Instead, five of my oversized leaves, already pointing towards it and coated in qi, separated from my body, guided by my will and instinct, rapidly flying through the air towards it.


    Growling with fury, qi seemed to enemate from its body as it leapt to the air and backflipping, avoiding one of the leaves, its claws sharp enough to just rip to shred another leaf. Its mouth bit the third one and the tail managed to rebuff the fourth.


    The fifth leaf though managed to barely graze its neck, though it isn''t enough to count as truly helpful.


    "How troublesome!" Annoyance mixed with adrenaline, or my new body''s equivalent thereof, and I found myself retreating as best as I could, though it was only enough to allow me to increase the distance with a couple of meters at most before it had reached the ground once more, and turned around, jumping at me again, this time seemingly moving faster than it did at the start.


    ''Let me see if you can dodge in the air then!'' Another five leaves rose targeting it, and I made sure to put more qi in each of them than before, and they moved faster than I unleashed them a moment ago as they went directly towards its head.


    Yet, while this did injure the Black Wolf directly in the mouth, blood spurting as its skin was cut from ear to ear, and a wound on its forehead, that did little to stop its momentum from moving to bite my freaking head!


    I couldn''t evade it by moving to the left or the right like before. Its arms and claws are too wide for that. I also can''t crouch my upper body since even then it could hit me with these claws. Retreating back is also a no, since even if I had enough time to do so, it would just hit my abdomen or even my lower body instead.


    Either way, retreating spells my death.


    Thus I did none of that. Instead, I used the vines I had to rapidly bind the beast, imbuing them with qi to empower them.


    Arms, claws, body, neck and legs. The Black Wolf ended up being bound, just mere few centimeters from having its teeth sunk into my head.


    ''That was so freaking close!'' I thought as the blood leaking from its body hit my face, heart pounding as it howled right into my ears, though it felt strained due to the injuries.


    Its eyes looked hatefully at me, and I could almost hear its thoughts, the sheer hate for me for not dying like the prey I was, and how dare I not obey the pecking order.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Its Qi started to rise, not as significally as before due to the injuries it had gotten, yet it was still more than enough to break free from the vines with just brute force.


    Good thing that I didn''t plan to watch then.


    Bam!


    I may not know how to fight properly right now, and I am mostly only fighting with instincts and my new supernatural senses along with qi and whatever defense lessons I had watched from my previous life, but I know how to punch something. So, I punched this thing right at the neck with as much power I can muster!


    Even if this beast still has easily twice the amount of qi I had at the start of the fight, the power difference isn''t so large that a hit in a sensitive and fragile area could be ineffective.


    The Black Wolf made a strangled sound as its arms freed themselves, cutting the vines binding them, and blindly slashing at my head and body alike.


    Even with leaning my upper body back, I still got marks on my chest.


    "Damn you!"


    Bam!


    I headbutted it with as much force I can give, and I felt rather satisfied to hear something crack inside its head.


    Something between a wail and a furious howl echoed, but it felt far weaker since I had just hit its damn neck.


    In its desperation, it had managed to free itself from the remaining vines, but not before I attacked it again, giving it a cruel poke in one of its eyes, and pushing it away as he fell to the earth in an indignified manner.


    Yet, it still glared at me even as it was shaking, suffering head trauma, and more. No doubt being too used at being a predator, so much that it loathed the mere idea that I might force it to retreat. The level difference between us should have made it imposible for me to even injure it. That''s what I understood from its expression.


    ''Still, this is really bad, isn''t it?'' I thought grimly. I had managed to severely injure it, but frankly, my energy reserves are quite low. I doubt I will be able to fight for more than another minute at most.


    I also am still a lot slower, and its limbs are quite intact. All it would need is a direct and good hit and I am done for.


    Time to risk it all then.


    A vine of mine had moved, and the beast immediately got alert, at least from what its body language was telling me. But I had no intent to use the vine to attack. Instead, as qi passed through the vine, a honey-like, sweet liquid started to materialize and swell like an oversized water drop, and its smell no doubt enticing and powerful, the vine moving softly right in front of my second and giant mouth.


    Yes, I had created my nectar through my vines. One might wonder why I would use a nectar that could heal this enemy, and call me an idiot, and I would agree.


    Except...


    The wolf decided to just gamble it as well, rushing towards the nectar. It no doubt had decided that even if it didn''t get to taste the nectar, it would at least eat my lower half, and thus kill me as well.


    Unfortunately for it, a Thorny Alraune like me can also use poisons, and I can also decide to make a nectar that tastes as sweet as my healing one, yet full to the brim with poison.


    Of course, since I had done this so quickly and while low on qi, it isn''t a great amount of poison, but that''s what the second mouth is for.


    As the Black Wolf had reached the honey, my second mouth opened, expelling toxic pollen at large quantities. Paralyzing poisons, sedative ones, whatever I had managed to create from the few plants I had eaten yesterday and when I had woken up hours ago, I had thrown at this creature.


    It faced the pollen cloud head-on, just a few inches away from biting on my lower body. The remaining vines I had had managed to catch it, just as I had allowed the poisonous nectar to enter its mouth.


    I was honestly surprised by what the wolf did next.


    I had expected that this beast, having a concussion, multiple wounds, a large depletion in qi reserves, and a brutal damage to its neck and eye, would just bite the vine and go back to attacking me, assuming it hadn''t been affected by my pollen right away.


    Instead, it had... started to greedily lick on the vine. It didn''t even seem to care about the pollen being inhaled at all.


    I was genuinely shocked by this action. Was my honey truly that sweet and delicious?


    Still, I was only baffled for a few seconds before I decided to use this chance, spewing more pollen through my lower mouth, and poisonous, yet sweet nectar through my vines while I slowly started to increase the presure on the captured limbs.


    The Black Wolf did not even bother even as its eyes seemed to have difficulty in staying open, and it was choking every now and then, yet it continued to consume the nectar I so generously gave.


    And then it went limp.


    Turns out that even as a predator, it still was only a being following only instinct. It may have been smart in the sense of fighting, yet it was unable to restrain itself from consuming what it deemed to be delicious food.


    Should I have just given my nectar from the start then? No, I didn''t think that would have worked, and I also didn''t know for certain if it wanted to eat me along with my nectar before this fight began. I felt that I did the correct choice in fighting.


    ''Yes, I chose correctly.'' I told myself. I would have ended up fighting some beast or a warrior down the line. This fight isn''t as safe as I wanted, yet beggars can''t be choosers, I suppose.


    Though, now that the Black Wolf was unmoving, I didn''t take any chances, and I immediately unleashed two of the remaining five leaves directly at its neck.


    Blood spurted as its head separated from the body. Definitely dead. And no qi can be sensed as far as I can feel, no heartbeat from its chest. Now, the Black Wolf is truly dead.


    I might have overdone it, but I must always double-tap when it comes to these things. Last thing I need is for it to suddenly be alive while inside of my second stomach (lower body) then slicing me from the inside.


    With that, I finally decided to eat this thing.


    My large tongue along with the vines dragged the severed head and corpse into my second mouth as I started to chomp on the hard meat. It would take a while for it to be digested fully, seeing that it was much higher level than me and the amount of energy it had, but this was rather expected.


    My body had finally relaxed just slightly, and the feeling of pain from the still healing wounds made itself known to me now that I wasn''t being pumped adrenaline in my system.


    "Oww..." I whimpered, the feeling of being injured being clearly not a liked one.


    I used my roots to take some nutrients from the ground to revitalize myself and qi, and I used that to generate healing nectar from my mouth before gently rubbing it on the areas of damage.


    With that, I gave a long sigh.


    I had fought my first ever battle, and won! A Normal-ranked Level 1 Thorny Alraune defeating a Normal-ranked Level 4 Black Wolf. That must be one hell of an achievement for me.


    There were moments where I could have died, that much is obvious. I am really thankful that my body could react as well as it could, even if it barely managed to do so when the wolf was still healthy. My instincts also helped greatly, since they allowed me to use my body effectively. If any of these two was lacking, I would have been the one being eaten right now.


    I took the moment to enjoy my victory, even if I still used my qi to sense what other being might be around, but thankfully, there seemed to be none. I knew that I would have to go back to practicing my Natura Aeterna Nirvana technique as well.


    I need to open the remaining ''barriers'' in my qi pathways as it would give me more access to qi and boost my amount as well. Plus, it would also probably expel the impurities I might get from digesting the Black Wolf''s body! I might even transform into a Bronze-ranked beast if I am lucky!


    It''s a win for me either way!

 Chapter 05: In which nectars are the word of the day.

    It had been a day since I had fought the Black Wolf, and I can say that it was a bit uneventful, all things considered.


    That period of time didn''t have any epic fights or difficult decisions so far, though I did ''fight'' a bunch of beasts, all weaker than the Black Wolf thankfully. Just a bunch of beasts that were more like normal animals than these qi-filled ''powerhouses''.


    A couple of rabbits really. Nothing special about them. Still, they were admittedly delicious.


    I was by that time fully regenerated from my fight with the Black Wolf, though I was still digesting its stupid body. Damn powerful beast bodies, always so hard, and I know for sure that eating a normal human would have resulted in them being digested in just a couple of hours since their consumption, since the rabbits got digested by my lower mouth in that time frame as well.


    Currently, I was enjoying myself by seeing what I can do as a Thorny Alraune, and using qi to speed up the consumption of the Black Wolf''s body, since it would be inconveniencing if it stayed for too long. I have a limited space capacities down there, you know? Just melt quickly please so that I can properly swallow any large beast that I might eat later.


    Thus, I started testing some of my racial abilities as best as I could, since I was still a novice even now. A couple of days isn''t enough to discover everything, but I believe I had a good progress.


    At this point, I had managed to create tree branches, more vines, recreate my oversized leaves (it was far easier and less costly than I expected, really), and I found that I could pump more qi towards any fruit or vegetable I create, resulting in consumables that can regenerate my qi by a similar amount to the one I expended, though of course there is some minimal amount lost along the way.


    Fascinating, I say. This might come in handy if I am low on energy, if I can stockpile them somewhere safe and immediately accessible to me.


    Now though, I was in the middle of testing my control over my nectars, all kinds of them. My body, using my qi or the nutrients that I have, is capable of creating many types of nectars.


    One is of course the healing type, the one that I used to heal myself against the wolf. This one is obviously potent since it could heal injuries like the ones I got in mere hours. Arguably, it''s rather "slow," but hey. I won''t complain about having this ability, but I will try to make stronger healing nectars if possible.


    Another nectar I can generate is basically the poisonous nectar. I had also used this against the wolf, and it worked spectacularly. Generally speaking, I can create more potent versions depending on the types of poisons I can consume first, that''s what my instincts tell me. Any poison I create, I am automatically immune to. Wether they are paralytic, sedatives, or just plain lethal poison, as long as I can create them, my body will be immune to them. Though in my current case, I can only create poisons from the plants and trees I eat, and maybe from some of the weaker poisonous beasts.


    Thirdly, the ''joy'' of every cultivator, or at least the male ones; aphrodisiacs. Oh, yes. These bad boys that usually get slipped into the drinks of jade beauty by the edgy male protagonist, so that he can bang her. "But it''s because she has a unique yet self-damaging Yin physique and will die if she didn''t get his Yang rod!" or so authors will claim to justify why they can''t just write a scene where the two just are drunk or just have a fling and be done with it.


    They are, from what I can feel, rather potent, though I will never drink or test them on myself even if I am also immune to them. Better not open that can of worms any time soon, to be honest. In fact, I will only use this if I ever end up fighting with hostile humans, and I had enough power to subdue them without problem, if I didn''t kill them, that is. Hey, I would have to test the whole ''collect energy'' thing at some point.


    And finally, the simple, pure sweet nectar. This one isn''t for healing, poisoning, or committing sex offenses. Just the old delicious nectar to consume. It might be full of nutrients, but it can only fill one''s stomach. It could restore some stamina, but it couldn''t heal or do anything special, like most foods in my previous life. I love it.


    And thus, I had checked all four different nectars I can create. And now I was seeing how far I can use them, and where I can also secrete them.


    Needless to say, the answer was; from many places.


    My breasts, small as they are, can create nectars, of course, along with my vines and I found out that I can also generate the healing and poisonous nectars through both my mouths, and if I focused, I can also generate them from my eyes as well.


    Warriors and Rankers would be very happy, I am sure. "A female beast whose misery can be literally sold and used as potions to surpass the heaven? Oh, this baby can take so much torture!" or so they''ll say.


    At least, if they aren''t the occasional "good guys."


    Still, despite my self-training, I did my best to generate really small doses of my nectars. Hopefully, nothing would go wrong if I am careful. The last thing I needed right now is facing a beast who might be even stronger than the Black Wolf.


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    ... I jinxed myself, didn''t I?


    I felt like slapping myself as I quickly attached my roots to the earth, absorbing nutrients and water to revitalize myself as I felt a huge amount of qi moving my way. This oppenent easily surpassed me in qi alone by a dozen of times!


    Actually, that isn''t completely correct. My opponents easily surpassed me in qi. For it is a horde who is moving towards me!


    ''Damn. Did I get too careless again? Or was it just bad timing?'' I thought as I bit my lips.


    This... is not good. I can sense many qi signatures. easily dozens at least.


    Individually, I felt that they were quite weaker than me, but combined, I was in a huge disadvantage even if I could defeat some of them. Quantity was a quality in its own way.


    I don''t think I could deal with dozens of enemies all around me at my current level, and this is without taking into account what kind of beasts they are.


    Still, I forced myself to calm down, and breathed.


    ''No matter. I will still fight if I have to.'' I thought.


    The qi signatures kept moving closer, and I now could hear the buzzing sound as they approached.


    I blinked.


    ''Wait, a buzzing?''


    I focused a bit more, and yes, it was the sound of a loud buzz!


    Now, that helped me find out the identity of my possible enemy. Most probably an insect-type beast, I think.


    My mind started spinning with possibilities seeing this development. If they were insect-type beasts, ones that live in the forest and are relatively close to my area, where it is full of plants and flowers, then I believe I know what they can be.


    I may be wrong, of course, but if I was correct, then I have an idea on how to deal with them. Hopefully in a way that doesn''t end with me being killed.


    Anticipation grows as the sound does, and I feel my body tensing as I hope that my guess is correct, and every second feels like a minute.


    Finally, they appeared in all their glory, and I knew that I now have to deal with the next round of ferocious beasts who would probably love nothing more than to eat me, or suck me dry of all my sweet nectar; in all their hive-minded behaviour.


    If I wanted to be pretentious or a bard, I would describe them as a horde of monsters that swallowed the light of sky with their numbers. Cruel monsters that would stop at nothing to satisfy their hunger for my nectar, wanting nothing but to rip me apart and feast on my organs, as their yellow and black bodies and wings buzzing as I hear my painful end.


    In reality, they were thirty-six Worker Bees, they are, from what my instincts tell me, only Normal-ranked Level 1 beasts. They were oversized bees, each as large as my head, I felt quite glad about that. That means that if things worked well, I can survive this!


    The Worker Bees saw me, their wings moving rapidly as they approached my body, and I could practically feel their hunger for me. Either that, or my nectar. I can''t really be certain since they are beasts instead of the usual small bees I saw in my previous life.


    I took a long breath before raising multiple vines, and used my qi that had increased a bit since I started cultivating a bit during the previous day.


    My energy passed through the vines, as large golden drops were made. Pure essence of my nectar defying gravity as it stayed attached to the vines, and I looked expectantly at the horde of bees as they buzzed, yet stood unmoving in the air, probably speaking to each other on what to do.


    ''Yes, yes. Just take them and leave me alone.'' I thought with hope in my heart. If they acted even remotely similar like the typical bees, then this should satisfy them!


    A moment of silence had commenced, only interrupted with their buzzing and the sound of the wind moving the trees and the swaying of the leaves, before finally, a Worker Bee moved and consumed a bit of the nectar from the vine in front of it, before seemingly nodding to its coworkers before... uh what?


    I looked uncertain of what they are doing. They seem to generate some thin and transparent membrane from their stingers to hold the nectar? Oh, it must be so they bring it to their colony then. At least I assume so.


    One by one, they took some of my nectar before allowing the others to get a turn. Soon, I found myself having to generate more nectar because the vines had been emptied after two dozen Worker Bees had taken their fill.


    Not that I minded, since generating this amount would barely take away a fifth of my total energy.


    The buzzing increases as they look at me, and I don''t really know what to decipher from their expressions. I tilted my head, practically asking them: "what now?"


    The closest Worker Bee seems to look at me intently, before apparently nodding, if I understood that strange shaking of its body up and down.


    And like that, they simply left me. On my own.


    Huh. That actually happened.


    My body relaxed as I give a sigh of relief.


    Great! I survived this crisis! Now I can continue with my day!


    With that, I decided to move around just a bit. That qi expenditure still tired me out, and I think I can do with some animals to feast on.


    Soon, the next day had come, and surprisingly, I had awoken at the large sound of buzz all around me.


    ''Wait, don''t tell me that the bees want to backstab me now?'' my still sleepy mind thought as my upper body arose from the protective petals, my vines ready to defend myself as best as possible, as I opened my eyes...


    The Worker Bees were indeed there, but they seemed to have lost some numbers as I noticed there are only twenty-five unlike the thirty-six like yesterday.


    I noticed that they seemed rather... expectant. That''s the only way I can put it. I strangely couldn''t feel any hostility from them.


    I then felt like they wanted me to see something behind me, and I decided to trust them, and turned around.


    "Oh." My mouth opened as I saw what was behind me.


    A bunch of rabbits and a small wolf, and... a bunch of dead Worker Bees?


    I turned around, facing the horde, and pointed towards myself. "Mine?"


    They buzzed louder, and I understood it as confirmation, before they moved towards my vines.


    Oh, you cunning beasts.


    They basically hunted a bunch of preys for me, in return they wanted me to give them some nectar! They even allowed me to feed on their dead companions!


    Maybe they believed that I should get the corpses of their fallen instead of whatever that killed them, or they simply felt like it would be a better incentive for me to see their generosity!


    Well, who am I to refuse that for now?


    With that, I gladly gave the Worker Bees my sweet and normal nectar, mixed just a bit with the healing one.


    Now while they gather their fill, I moved my free vines to consume the dead bodies.


    "Thanks for the meal!" I waved with a smile as they left, while I stayed there to digest the many corpses I now have.


    Oh, this would give me quite the power boost for sure, after I fully digest all of them!


    Thanks a lot, Worker Bees!

 Chapter 06: In which I self-analyse myself… again.

    Well, look at that. If one told me in my first life that I would be enjoying my time with a bunch of bees the size of my head, I would have... well, not call them crazy since the whole otaku culture is stranger than fiction at times, but I would just shrug and go on with my day, filing their thought as a wild idea.


    Now though, while I wouldn''t say that I enjoy enjoy being with them as Best Friends Forever, I liked them a lot.


    It had been five days since I met them, and thus, officially, a week had passed since my reincarnation. And so far, I found the bees'' presence rather adorable.


    The Worker Bees were quite sweet when they didn''t plan on killing some poor animal, clearly,. In fact, they were more like kittens, if kittens looked like large bees instead and had the tendency to gang up on the poor carnivorous animals that end up in their ways, a death by a dozen stingers. Clearly not the best way to die when it comes to the nature''s ecosystem.


    So far, the dynamic between me and them was simple; friendship/partnership made from mutual benefits.


    I give them some healing and natural nectar, and in return they give me some food in the form of some prey they had captured (and the bodies of the Worker Bees who died during their march to my area).


    It wasn''t really that much deeper for now, but hey, baby steps!


    There is also the part where I realized, thanks to their nods and the way they acted when I asked that their colony was quite close to my destination, only a couple hundred meters away, though I decided to stay in my place for the time being.


    While I''d like to see the Queen Bee, who from what I understand is beyond Normal-ranked beasts (though the bees didn''t have enough intelligence and sapience to tell me what level and rank she is, but I believed she was at most Gold-ranked, seeing that said rank is the highest rank a beast can naturally have in the Soaring Dragon Continent), I was admittedly rather busy trying to fully comprehend how my body works.


    And on a completely related note about my body''s workings, I had evolved!


    It happened sometime while I was asleep. My body had finished digesting the many bodies I had consumed, the animals, that pesky Black Wolf, the bodies of the generously-given dead Worker Bees, a couple of Normal-ranked Level 2 Poisonous Snakes that followed the Worker Bees, and died when I strangled them with my vines and poison. My body, having similar conditions to the Thorny Flower in the original novel thanks to the "Corpse Feeding" skill, had undergone an evolution process.


    I had now turned from a Normal-ranked Level 1 Thorny Alraune into a Bronze-ranked Level 2 Large Bloody Tongued Thorny Alraune! Instead of just an increase in level, I got a rank upgrade as well! Something that is rather more preferable than just a simple raise in levels.


    While my upper half didn''t change much, nor did I grow ''older'' physically-wise, my tongue became blood-red, and I now have a red rose flower sprouting from below my breasts and above my abdomen. Its purpose was to use the "Parasitic Spores" and the "Seed Spread" skills , but sadly, I still was not able to use the Parasitic Spores one yet, since I am still too low-leveled for that. Instead, I could use the Seed Spread ability to basically create seeds full of nutrients and qi and have them stay in the soil, and basically acting like a high-grade fertilizer to the earth to balance the act of me taking nutrients via my roots.


    Since I know for certain that the area I am in doesn''t have unlimited nutrients, nor does any area really, and that at some point this place will be barren if I didn''t give something, that skill fixes the issue easily. Since I can generate more qi and nutrients than I can absorb at any given moment, the cycle of give-and-take will be unharmed. Hooray to me!


    My lower half had changed a bit more than that, though. First thing; it became bigger, nearly twice the previous size, which was impressive since even before, it was large enough to fit multiple large animals like zebras and gazelles together. Now though, it was so large it can fit two dozen entities with each the size of my upper body, so somewhere around twenty-four teenage humans.


    That was a huge difference, indeed. And if that wasn''t enough, while it kept the green color it had before, there were multiple red rose flowers on various spots as well, like on my upper body, and the number of my oversized leaves, along with the layers of the red petals that close around my upper half when I sleep, had also increased.


    Vines and roots grew more numerous and thicker, and I also had branches alongside them as well, and I also gained access to an ability called "Division Propagation" which basically creates lower-ranked or lower-leveled versions of myself thanks to the branches. Kinda like how actual plants can do the same if their branches had roots, stems, crowns and all that. Though in my current state it is still rather costly and I would only be able to create two lower versions of myself before it gets too much.


    Still, that was awesome! I now have a more varied arsenal, and it would help a lot.


    Another thing is that I can now generate stronger nectars, particularly the poison and healing ones thanks to the snakes and bees I had consumed, along with the plants I naturally ate. Their deaths won''t be in vain.


    My Qi had grown by at least six times larger than before as well, and I could now control and condense my nectars and harden them a bit, thanks to the sacrifices of the Worker Bees. I really can''t overstate how fun it is to try creating shapes using the nectars. And if I made a ball purely made of highly concentrated healing nectars, that thing can keep healing those who consume it for a while.


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    I had basically created a ''pill'' that gives temporary rapid healing for the consumer! Isn''t that fun?


    Of course, I had kept some of them with me, while others were given to the Worker Bees, since they loved visiting me sometimes.


    I also tested the same with my poison nectar, and I did also create a highly dense poisonous orb. It is rather small, all things considered, barely the size of my palm, but it was so toxic that I was certain it could kill the same Normal-ranked Level 4 Black Wolf in seconds if it ate it without thinking. Naturally, I put some of them with me too. I don''t know whether to give them to the Worker Bees though. They don''t seem to be smart enough not to eat it, at least right now.


    And thus, life continued.


    Currently, I was cultivating my Natura Aeterna Nirvana technique. According to the information that I had managed to gleam from meditating, the technique was composed of multiple stages, I couldn''t see how many, but there was more than four, from what little I could see.


    Currently, I was practising the first stage of the technique. Unlocking all my 108 meridians, and then linking their pathways in a certain way.


    I had, during my second day, unlocked one of these points in my body, but that number? 108?


    I will be honest; I am rather surprised that I had that many in the first place, since it didn''t match what I had expected when I realized that I had to unlock my meridians.


    Now, I won''t declare myself as an expert in everything chinese novels, and cultivation stories, and all that. Nor am I fully understanding of chinese myths and their ideas about Samsara and such.


    I know some of the tropes, a couple things about the "obvious" cultivation levels, but nothing really profound, but I also know some trivia about xianxia stories and their terminologies, and some of the chinese folklore though not much, and I had read a bit about meridians and acupuncture points, partly because I wanted to know what these stories are even talking about, but I didn''t really think about them all that much really.


    I knew for certain though, that the numbers of meridians is usually 12 if you only count the regular ones, and maybe 20 at most if one was including the extraordinary ones as well.


    But apparently, my body has 108 meridians!


    When I cultivate, I could practically feel as if my mind expands inward, as bizarre as that is, and I just get an instinctual understanding of what is going on inside of my body. So, I know for certain that I wasn''t wrong in the number.


    108 meridians. No more, no less. A lot larger than what I predicted, yet, it was the truth.


    Though I don''t know how my body has that many meridians, and why 108 specifically. I think it''s because it embodies the imprities in human soul, and since I am a beast trying to cultivate, I am automatically impure, since I am not a human or human-like enough?


    That was the only explanation I could think of.


    After all, the Path of Dao (or whatever it is called in this world), according to what I remember from the lore of this world, follows the humanocentric perspective, declaring humans, and those in their likelihood when it comes to appearances to be the closest thing to a ''pure'' entity, which is why they have a smaller amount of meridians, so that they can grow in power faster to be able to win against the beasts who are usually naturally born with power.


    Meanwhile, beasts, usually beings that only depend on instinct and usually lack any sapience -not sentience, for all beings are sentient to a degree or another- , and whose usual method of growing stronger is by feasting on their prey, didn''t need to cultivate, or more precisely, they couldn''t cultivate because they lacked sapience, and therefore, since they are fundamentally different than humans (or whatever the Heaven identifies as human-like), their path to grow into a more human-like entity and therefore, there are even more blocks to halt their progress, and thus, a lot more meridians.


    Man, that is seriously unfair. Unfair, I say!


    I mean, even back when I was a japanese woman and a human, I knew for sure that many people had a brain as big as mine, but I was equally sure that they weren''t using it as much.


    We literally had a woman having to shave her hair as an ''apology'' for being an idol who was seen together with another man. A voice actor got her work like in danger just because she confessed that she has a sex life, and her fans denounced her and burned whatever merchandise they had bought related to her. Does that look like one who has a brain or using one? I think not.


    It''s also why most isekai stories, and most harems don''t ever reach the point where sex happens, even in light novels and manga, because the ones making money know that despite humans counting as the ''most clever'' race, many of them are so self-absorbed and so selfish that they can''t handle the idea of their waifus having sex. Ever.


    They won''t be able to see Mt. Tai even if it was right in front of them.


    Anyways, my rant about the stupidity of human race (or the idol culture if one wanted to be specific) and them being gifted solely due to being humans aside, I had just now unlocked the fifth meridian point in my body.


    My body taking the same meditation pose I used before, my qi always gently flowing through my veins had removed the "knot" that stood in the way of moving my qi "properly."


    I was glowing with a soft green tone, fully aware of the Worker Bees that stayed with me even after I gave them the nectars. Honestly, I feel they are enjoying the show, and I decided to let them have their fun.


    They''re a cool company, that much is clear.


    "Phew!" I breathed, shuddering slightly as my qi retreated back, the calm flow becoming even calmer and more relaxed.


    Another meridian unlocked, and more qi becoming denser and purer. But I still have a long way to go.


    At this point it will take me a couple of months to unlock all of them and finish the first stage of my Natura Aeterna Nirvana technique, assuming that everything goes well, I mean. But again, baby steps! Taking things slow and steady is better than rushed and crumbling like a house of cards.


    And thus, my morning routine had finished. My body feels fresher, and my energy is slowly growing just a tiny bit by the day, and I have some sweet companions/partners with benefits.


    Life for an Alraune can be fun, huh.


    "Still..." I thought as my roots started to move, my destination clear.


    I planned to go deeper into the forest. Not by much, of course, but more than I had done so far.


    As much as I like being here, I would have to see other places at some point, and there''s no time like the present!


    "Let''s go~!" I talked to no one, though the Worker Bees were still following me. It seems that this bunch want to be my bodyguards, from the way their bodies move closer to me.


    I honestly wonder about that really. Am I really that important? I would honestly blush if I wasn''t a mature woman in my previous life, and I would also have made a remark about lilies from how overprotective they are, since I knew that most Worker Bees are female, including the Queen Bee.


    Though if I found a lily flower, I might clone it and give the bees some lily crowns and maybe give some extra so they will deliver for the queen! That would be fun!


    With that, I marched towards a new, and uncharted territory for me.

 Chapter 07

    It had been an hour or so since I started my not-exactly trip into the depth of the forest, and you know what I want to say to all the isekai writers? Marching in the thick of the forest was both the most beautiful, yet most vexing action I had ever done.


    No, really. Whoever tells you that the trip in the forest is all beauty is a big liar who had obviously never went into one, or at least, never entered deep enough into it!


    "The forest was really deep with thorns and branches." they say, but they undersell it a lot!


    Maybe it''s just the part I am in, but I feel that I am being hated by the heavens, or fate, or whatever that controls destiny in this world.


    To give the credit where it''s due, the forest was majestic. And I sure am underselling it, but I only have that many words to describe how vibrant life was, from the large trees that seem almost alive like they are plant beasts (they''re not, so far at least), the many pretty and large flowers blooming on the soil, looking harmless and breath-taking, literally, in the case of one pesky Normal-ranked Level 1 Thorny Flower that met its demise, and the many animals and insects that thrived in this setting, living, truly living in this forest.


    But tragically, these many pretty, exotic details are just as frustrating and annoying to deal with because as soon as I went deep enough into the forest with the bees around me?


    The thistles, weeds, and branches gradually became thick enough that I had to just cut (or eat) them just to move every few steps, and the insects, while not beasts but mere normal insects, were numerous enough that had I not been a beast but a normal human, I would have died just because the sheer numbers that would have entered, everywhere. And by that, I mean EVERYWHERE!


    I had to hide my upper body with vines just so these pesky leeches won''t try biting at my stomach and breasts! I hadn''t even made any honey so far since I began the walk, and they just want to latch on me whereever they could!


    Remember Anakin Skywalker''s speech about sand? Take that memetic quote and make it about insects and thick forests. That''s how annoying this is. Well, ignoring the fact that Anakin made that speech in an attempt to relate to Padme and trying to make his experience as a slave in a sand planet feel as little insulting as possible when he thought she liked sand.


    Oh where was I? Yeah, moving through the forest that was definitely thicker than any that existed in my previous life.


    Thank gods that the insects were quite fragile and were easily killed with the barest use of my least toxic pollen which would do nothing against even the weakest Worker Bees around, and at least the bees took it as part of their duties to eat some of the insects to refill themselves, so it wasn''t completely, totally annoying.


    "Still, this area too thick! Did I just go the wrong way or is this forest so full of branches and thorns in in most parts?" I almost growled as my vines cut another bunch of branches and flora on my way along with the relatively harmless insects.


    Well, this trip will surely take a while, it seems, and I was correct! It was only after what felt like another hour that the nature probably took pity on me and gave me enough room to actually move around.


    Now at least, the buzzing of the Worker Bees was the sound I hear the most, unlike the buzzing of a thousand other bugs all around me which just sounded irritating instead of borderline sweet.


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    The smell around me was now less like someone is trying to go way beyond all that is reasonable by bringing a whole tree when they were asked to just bring a flower, and it was more... natural. It wasn''t as overbearing as it was up close.


    It was now that I had found a place where the forest isn''t as thick, and it was rather pleasant to look at.


    The bees were buzzing a bit louder and spinning around me, and from what my instincts tell me, they wanted me to follow them, and I had no reason to disagree.


    Thankfully, it was only a five-minutes walk before they reached their destination.


    It wasn''t their colony, that much was obvious, since even before reaching this place, my senses could pick up a vision of the details just using my ears and nose.


    While the smell of flowers and nature was very much dominant, I noticed a smell that felt... pure and untainted, for the lack of better word, and I was able to hear something gently yet apparently staying in area since I couldn''t hear the sound moving closer whenever I stopped.


    The bees not caring also reassured me that they know this place very well, thus I finally reached it.


    A large lake that seemed to extend for hundreds of meters, two hundred meters at the very least, met my eyes.


    "Oh..." My mouth dropped from awe. I honestly didn''t know how to react any other way. I had never seen something this pretty before, at all.


    Sure, I read about how people describe lakes, rivers and oceans to make them grand, but at times, words simply fail at delivering their sheer natural beauty.


    Which was honestly what made my brain shut down for a moment from the seemingly obvious contradiction of how something like this could exist so naturally, yet look out of this world.


    There are also, of course, the life that is thriving in the lake and around it. Naturally, I saw the many vibrant trees and plants around, the grass that felt greener than before, and the air felt more relaxing than my ''home'', though the difference was so minute I wouldn''t have noticed if I didn''t focus on it.


    There was a lack of animals and beasts around, except the occasional deer and herbivore that was just enjoying their meal uninterrupted, which I sensed was just fitting.


    But that didn''t make me ignore the lake''s inhabitants as I moved towards it to take a bit of water, realizing that I hadn''t really drank any since I was reborn. The liquids of my victims didn''t count.


    I slowly submerged myself in the water, absorbing some of it as I gave a sigh of contentment. The water was quite delicious and refreshing!


    I even felt as if my leaves and petals became even more vibrant! Truly, water could be a plant''s best ally!


    The Worker Bees were on the other hand still flying around me, and I realized that they didn''t like getting their wings wet. Yeah, that would be problematic for them.


    Okay then! I will protect them from falling into water in this case.


    Time to get a good bath in nature now, and I indeed did!


    It was honestly fun! The way the cool water feels so nice yet strangely warm is just too good for words.


    Still, everything good must come to an end, and my happy bath got interrupted, though I really wasn''t sure I would use this definition, when I felt that the armosphere around me was getting colder.


    I though didn''t really see or feel the coldness right away, or if I did, I just used my Qi to warm myself up. My senses didn''t sense anything strong, nor did the bees react in any strange way.


    Thus, I was surprised when I felt the few vines I let ''float'' got quite cold enough that they started to freeze. Of course, that didn''t actually harm me, but it did of course catch my attention, and I looked at the preparator.


    "Huh." I uttered, seeing the beast that was... uh, trying to pull a snake coiling move against my frozen vine?


    It was, surprisingly, a plant-type beast. A large flower with blue petals and what looked like a jewel in the center, and from there it was clearly unleashing the cold aura. And of course, like most plant beasts, it had a body consisting of a large stem and a couple of "legs" to move with.


    And it seems that this one loves water even more than usual.


    I could just eat it right away, but honestly, it looked so strangely adorable trying to eat my vine, so I decided to let it slide this time. Plus, I could probably find another one later if I really needed it.


    Thus I just broke the frozen vines and let the cute ice flower have its meal. And also, now that I am thinking about meals, I see that the bees are a bit hungry, so I gave them a bit of nectar each.


    Hm, this place isn''t bad. Maybe I will stay here for now?


    Ah, decisions, decisions.

 Chapter 08: I think my plot started moving, maybe?

    It had been nearly another week since I had found the lake, and thus, I now have been alive in this world for two weeks, and you know what? I love this place.


    Not only was it full of water, the smell of nature and trees felt more pure and in harmony here than where I was before, and I have to say that it felt quite amazing!


    The way my senses tingled from the fresh air, combined with the sensation of water on my body, well, my lower monster-like body to be precise, felt just right. My lower half had made all these excited faces quite often from the sheer love of the natural and pure water that I had full access to.


    I had also found out that the Worker Bees had increased their numbers thanks to my nectars. Apparently, the Queen Bee (man, I still don''t know a lot about her even now) had used my nectar as a source of both energy and building material to create more Worker Bees via her eggs that were put inside the honeycombs, and from what they could state from their buzzings and what I can pick from their qi, the queen is most pleased with me and was apparently wanting to thank me.


    Hooray to me, then? Hopefully she is rather reasonable, though from what they are telling me, she wanted to have me as an ally and her first step is to ensure my protection. Don''t ask how I can know all that with just a bunch of buzzing and body movement. I just can.


    Man, beasts can understand each other easily without words, huh? This is almost like an upgrade from being a human, really. Just with exchanging few words from me and a few nods of them, I got some knowledge about their boss, and she seemed like a being with a good mind.


    And apparently, the Queen Bee''s idea was that I need some protection, just in case, since there are many hungry and rather strong beasts in the forest still.


    Which is why I was now having nearly forty Worker Bees alongside me as I bathed fully in the lake, even after I had given them all some nectars. They just took turns to transport the nectars to their colony, which I am certain was relatively closer to my new location.


    I had no problem with that, since that only meant that if I decided to live here for now (which I am very tempted to, frankly), I would have a quicker route to my possible ally and maybe even a possible friend!


    Even if I was being too optimistic, and the Queen Bee only wanted an ally or a subordinate, then I can deal with that too. It probably won''t be worse than working as a mangaka in my previous life. Ugh, thank goodness I became a writer instead of a mangaka. Not that I would have been a good manga artist.


    "Haa!" I breathed as my head exited the water, hair wet and clearly cleaner than before. It also smelled fresher than before. Makes sense though, since I hadn''t washed myself for a whole week inside a forest. Even with my bullshit Alraune physiology or this world I would still feel a bit unclean.


    "Now that''s a bath!" I spoke to myself, still using Japanese language, as I enjoyed the feel of the cool liquid on my body. A lady like me always loves a good bath, after all.


    Feeling fresh and good, I left the lake now that I was ready for a bit of exploration.


    Turns out that the lake was quite close to an area where plant beasts thrive, and so far, I had seen about ten beasts in that category.


    A couple of Treant Warriors, Bronze-ranked Level 3, were the strongest, when it comes to rank and level. They were a moderate challenge for me, but I managed to defeat them using my poisonous nectars, which I had to use a highly concentrated one since they just can take quite the amount of poison. Being a plant-type beast gives one some resistance against other plant beast poison, or poison on their level, I suppose.


    I also fought a couple other Thorny Flowers, along with a Thorny Alraune, all Normal-ranked, and only Level 1. Sadly, the Thorny Alraune had no real intelligence to speak of, and she was only thinking of swallowing the Worker Bees who were surprisingly fast and able to avoid the vines before pricking the unintelligent beast to death with their needles.


    I can only say: I definitely lost my humanity, since even the sight of a human-like being getting stung to death didn''t tug at my heartstrings. I of course ate the corpses.


    The remaining plant-type beasts I killed were just so flower-looking I basically called them the Flowerhood Group.


    Their bodies consisted of large stems and legs/roots to move with, though even now, I still don''t understand how they eat anything at all since they don''t have any mouths. Still, they were quite varied, really.


    One had pink petals surrounding a barbed spike that could extend and inject poison, kinda like my vines, but even its poison was weak. I assume it only preyed on weaker animals. It was apparently called Florn.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Another looked a lot like a sunflower, but not completely, it had yellow petals surrounding long pistils, and could apparently charge sunlight into electricity. It was a bit shocking, pun intended, when it tried to blast me with a lightning beam. That thing actually stung and nearly burned the skin of my lower mouth. Not fun, I say. It''s name was the Stunflower


    The third was a white daisy flower with a weird green orb where stamens should be. It was basically the healer of the group, and quite fragile. Its healing skills seemed to be more effective than my healing nectars when I was reborn in this world, and it could basically heal others at distance. At least, that''s what I believe when my Alraune physiology told me when I consumed it. It was appropriately named Heasy.


    The last one was, obviously, that rather adorable blue flower plant beast. At least, one of them. If the other Flowerhood Group members could were the poisoner, the healer, and the stunner, then the blue flower beast was basically the "freezer guy" and the water errand person due to its ability to generate water and freeze things. It was called Frose.


    It was rather fun trying to test their acquired skills for my own, though admittedly, even if I could create an overpowered version of their skills due to my Qi being way larger, I won''t be making rivers of water or freeze an entire lake with just a snap of my fingers anytime soon.


    Still, all was well for now.


    I was living the high life here (at least compared to my previous life), I had plenty of food to eat, a good place to clean myself, I can practice my skills in relative calmness! This Kasumi Ai is practically a queen compared to what I was before!


    And of course, I didn''t forget to cultivate the Natura Aeterna Nirvana technique. While I still was in the first stage, I had opened about twelve meridians in total out of my closed 108 ones.


    Not bad, really, and my Qi became even purer, and with that along with the many beasts I got either from the Worker Bees, or the occasional hungry carnivorous beast that got attracted to my nectar, I had evolved yet again just yesterday, thanks to consuming the bodies of two Bronze-ranked Level 5 Ferocious Bears.


    Killing the two, while it would be flat-out impossible for my little buddies, the Worker Bees, and even rather hard for me if I actually fought, was quite easy when I just give them condensed balls of poisonous nectars.


    It wasn''t an epic battle where I heroically fought a monster beyond my level that I barely defeated, nor did I have to do anything more than being on guard. It was just a terrible match-up combined with their lack of intelligence. Just a few poisonous nectar balls thrown to them and they died moments after swallowing them.


    And, as a result, I had turned from a Bronze-ranked Level 2 Large Bloody Tongued Thorny Alraune, into a Silver-ranked Level 1 Large Rainblossom Alraune.


    I didn''t really change much, honestly. My once-red petals decided that they liked rainbow colors, and I now have a bunch of colored petals, both in my oversized petals that allow my upper body to sleep inside them, and the flower petals on my chest and my lower body also liked to show their fashion sense.


    In my opinion, I looked ridiculous being a mismatch of colors, though I''m sure that if some warrior human from the continent saw me, they would call me majestic or something.


    Also, I had gained some bust, for some reason. I now have a C-cup bust size. I don''t know why, but thanks, evolutionary progress, I guess?


    Of course, I had also become stronger thanks to this increase in rank.


    Now, I obviously hoped for life to continue this way, peacefully, and most importantly, relatively quietly. But, that would mean that the Heaven would love me, which of course it wouldn''t.


    I mean, the only Heaven that would love everyone was that certain Goddess from a certain visual novel, and she got killed by a self-centered asshole and her kindness created the worst Heaven that basically said: "I hate everyone! Just die and leave me alone!" and unleashed a world of extreme narcissism and self-love that everyone massacred each other if not for the effort of a bunch of ragtag team saving the entire reality.


    Which is why, a few days later, while I was enjoying myself having yet another bath with only my lower half under the water, I got... visitors that I only noticed when they got rather close.


    Visitors who showed themselves by cutting the few poor Worker Bees that was rather close to them, with the other thirty+ bees staying close to me.


    "Tch. Only Normal-ranked Level 1 beasts. Are you sure this is where your senses guided us?" a male voice that seemed to be rather arrogant spoke, and answered by a female voice that seemed rather worried.


    "Y-yes... it is here. My Qi sense definitely leads us here, Young Master!" well, that wasn''t reassuring.


    Soon, the visitors appeared. Three humans, from what I can see. Two guys, one muscular, and another looking like a handsome man and one girl that looked rather cute, I think.


    "Ah, it seems that luck is truly on our side." one of the guys, the handsome-looking one, wearing what I assume is fancy clothing along with a sword, spoke loudly. He didn''t bother hiding his gaze on my chest as his face looked surprised seeing the blooming flower right below my breast before he took a flirty expression. I''m supposed to be disgusted, I believe, yet I just can even be bothered with that, honestly.


    "Young Master, something''s wrong. Let''s leave." the girl, holding a dagger and possibly the only one with actual danger sense whispered, to the pretty boy, though he just handwaved her opinion. Why do I have the feeling that this happens a lot? Also, girl, you look rather pale while looking at me. Are you alright?


    The remaining guy, who just looked like your run-of-the-mill thug snorted, his large axe held in one hand, "Are you still worried, Mei Wu? With the Young Master Xie Li, there''s no need to worry." his laugh shook his entire body.


    Yep, this indeed happens a lot.


    Also, they''re speaking chinese. How do I understand their words? I will just say that the Heaven are the reason.


    So, how am I supposed to react to this, I wonder...


    I didn''t have to think of how to answer, because the pretty boy, or apparently, Xie Li, spoke in what I assume is a blatantly flirty tone. At least, that''s the impression I thought he wanted to make.


    "My dainty flower, be honored. This Xie Li welcomes you to be his date for the night."


    And I assume it was quite romantic, but I felt like cringing at the awfully, too-sweet line, and being disappointed. Mercurius, with his tender yet mysterious voice flirted better.


    Great, I possibly have a Young Master annoying me. Now, is he an asshole, or a jerk with the heart of gold?

 Chapter 09: A change of perspective

    Mei Wu wasn''t having a good time. She definitely hasn''t for a long time, and even more so these last few days.


    Born from a one-night stand with a prostitue and a man whose name was probably as equally meaningless, it was rather expected that life would be difficult, really.


    Being a street urchin, it was a matter of how far she is willing to go to feed herself, and needless to say, it wasn''t an easy life. To know that every day you live could result in the loss of everything, with your life being one of the less important things you might lose, it was of course a harsh life full with death at every corner, always feeling so close it would snatch her soul for all eternity.


    Of course, she had no knowledge of who her parents were, and how could she? Her mother, being a simple prostitue, had no interest in raising a child she hadn''t expected or planned for, had only given her a name before giving her to the orphanage where she would live the first four years of her life in relative safety before being kicked out. Her father was just the same as far as she was concerned back then.


    Having to fend herself for years, she only had one gift in her blood; a hyper awareness of Qi and how to detect it and differentiate between all the varied feels of other people''s Qi.


    Normal people, who had just the bare minimum to live, felt like air. She could feel them, and get a sense of their emotions if she focused, but it was just too wasteful most of the time.


    Warriors, Summoners or Rankers, those who had became above normal people, and the few beasts she had managed to see or get a feel on them, had a different feeling altogether. Just having enough Qi to be a warrior made Mei Wu''s senses flare, giving her a general view on the power of the sensed being, and how they generally act towards others, and what their powerset generally related to.


    Just like how one who specializes in ice techniques will give a feeling of coldness that would only change in intensity depending on their mood, it was the same when one is excellent at using the sword, the feeling of the blade almost closing on her neck a vivid sensation that would only vanish when they didn''t want to harm her.


    "I have this weapon, so I must use it to survive no matter what!" So she told herself. Because that was the one and universal law that she lived with for so long, and would definitely live with even longer.


    Those who don''t have power are worse than trash, beings that are just made to be exploited and broken. Used then discarded. Even when one is born in the better villages in the Soaring Dragon Continent, and have been given the backup of a powerful warrior, clan, or a sect, as long as you are weak, then you can only hope the eyes of the monsters don''t look towards you, or hope that they find a better prey to take.


    Even then, while she managed to survive for years, she knew that part of it was definitely her luck. She was just lucky that she hadn''t caught the attention of any cruel person with actual power.


    She hadn''t caught the attention of even someone with the power of a Level 1 [Apprentice], nor did she end up fighting against any beasts.


    Only the occasional thug tried to harm her, which wasn''t that difficult when you know that waiting for the chance to give a stab or a kick where no one expects, could knock out any weak human for that matter.


    There were, of course, some friendships and bonds made due to the cruel life a street urchin has, but either they weren''t strong enough to survive, or they separated when they managed to get the attention of a warrior or a clan or a sect, and they may as well be dead for all the difference that made.


    In the end, life continued, with her getting just enough Qi and control to be more than a normal person, yet less than an actual warrior who truly trained.


    It was only when she was fifteen that her luck changed, for better and for worse. Puberty was one cruel mistress, and changing from a short child to a fine-looking lady was a blessing and a curse, in that it was easier to mooch off idiots with lots of money but no sense of preservation and danger, but it meant having the attention of every damn creep just by freaking walking around.


    It was at this point that her Qi sense became strong enough to also sense emotions even clearer, and she disliked that particular upgrade. She would have liked not knowing the sheer lust some people can feel towards her, and any woman who felt even remotely beautiful, not to mention the sheer arrogance that felt like walking in sludge whenever an arrogant sect or clan disciple happened to walk around with.


    Two years later, she found herself facing something she hadn''t expected; the attention of a warrior from the Xie clan, and it was then that it was found that she had the blood of one of the many warriors in the Xie clan, something that was both awe-inspiring yet frightening.


    From a street thief, into a lady from a prestigious clan. From a mere cell in the world that no one will probably miss if she got terminated, into something larger.


    Needless to say, the good and bad had once more swept her together.


    Now, Mei Wu had the chance to train. To truly have power to live, to survive. Now, she could find herself eating food she could only dream of before, not having to worry about what her next shelter would be, no need to care about dirty clothes, nor did she have to care about having to always think of how many times she could have been killed from every encounter with the occasional thug.


    Yet, she felt that there was no real difference. There was no real change, even then.


    She was stronger, yes. She knew now how to fight and use Qi properly, yes. Yet the sheer strictness and politeness she had to force herself to follow was maddening.


    Showing face to those of higher positions, being required to follow their demands, knowing that disobedience would result in punishment that only they would deem fair, and deserved. She wasn''t even treated as a clan member, if she was honest. Merely just a bit better than a servant. And clan members treated her as such.


    Some seniors were, arguably reasonable, of course.


    Others, not so much, or at all. Sometimes, her body for a night was the price for something she did ''wrong,'' but of course, who would care about her other than the servants or the occasional Xie clan''s member when he wanted to use her Qi sense for an errand? She was just a bastard child born from a drunken man and a prostitue, with no real name attached to her, and she lacked any power and beauty the actual Xie clan''s women have.


    In the end, she had just swapped a jail with another that felt like it was getting smaller and smaller, her Qi sensing skills just making the feeling worse.


    And then, she met Xie Li face to face, the eldest son of the first wife of the Xie Clan Master, Xie Tao, and it was then that her life became marginally better, if only because she knew her place.


    He embodied all what she disliked in the Xie Clan in general. Physically attractive, yet Arrogant, self-centered, lustful, and unable to keep it in his pants, and completely destructive and hateful towards those against him and who deny his advances. And having the power to back up his actions, being the eldest son, and a Grimoire owner and being a Level 2 [Braveman], and a Bronze-ranked Level 4 Golden-eyed King Ape as a Guardian Beast, who could actually defy him within the clan?


    He was always on the ready to attack anyone who would argue with him, and while he might exercice restraint inside the clan''s doors, in front of the elders and other high-ranked persons, and probably in crowded places, the moment he was relatively alone with his target, he would bare his fangs and demand obedience.


    Even to her, his Qi felt just like pressure. No attribute to speak of, no element to give it any unique propriety or flavor.


    Just pressure and power, power, power, so much power that it just made her want to vomit whenever he directed his attention to her. As if to show that he only valued power alone with nothing else. No style, no unique or effective techniques, and nothing like an actual skill is needed when he is already the most important and powerful. The only reason he even bothered to learn how to flirt instead of just forcefully taking other women is because he knows that some women have too much backing to simply force himself on them.


    Still, despite all of that, Mei Wu knew that as long as she followed the script he made, he would be generous, for a certain definition of it. She would be his woman, and she would be free of having to spread her legs to everyone who is slightly stronger than her, and would only do so to those of higher importance than Xie Li, and she would get to share some of his spoils of battle if he felt even more generous after some mission, though his disregard of her Qi sense irked her, if she was honest, especially since he was always able to crush whoever she felt stronger than her with ease.


    Regardless of her emotions though, it was thanks to that ''boon'' of his that she had managed to properly unlock her Qi, and learn how to reach the equivalent of a Level 1 [Apprentice], and she even pondered if this new life isn''t so bad, all things considered.


    Little did she know that would change when he called her for a mission to check on what was believed to be a disturbance in a faraway forest...


    <hr>


    This was not her day, Mei Wu thought bitterly as she marched through the dense forest with Xie Li and his guard, Xie Yu, a bulky man with an axe as his weapon.


    The forest was dense. She really can''t overstate it. And her Qi sense was going haywire the whole time! So many beasts and animals and plants that were quite abundant with life.


    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    "This is so irritating!" she hissed under her breath as she flexed her qi against a bunch of insects from touching her body, as they dropped dead. Swinging her dagger, she cut through the vines in front of her with no difficulty, ignoring the many overlapping small qi signatures, and only focusing on the larger ones close to them.


    They had been investigating this forest for nearly a week now, and she had already noticed how a couple of of large qi signatures went to an area before they... ceased to exist. The feeling she had gotten of maws and claws planning to kill everything in their way alluded to some ferocious and cruel beasts, yet the third one was the most worrying to her.


    A feeling of nature and flowers that looked like it would strangle her if not for the fact that whatever it is, it seemed to be quite happy most of the time. It didn''t help that nearly a dozen, far weaker, qi signatures feeling like honey were always with it.


    "I have a bad feeling about this." she murmured as Xie Li gave a swat on her butt for her opinion, and didn''t stop moving forward.


    "And I told you, there''s nothing to worry about. I, who had managed to reach Level 3 [Hero] as a ranker, won''t be defeated by some random beast!" It was a typical haughty response, but one she understood was made from confidence.


    Despite how much it stung to have her opinion about the possible danger they might face being ignored, he was most likely correct. There are only Normal-ranked beasts in the Soaring Dragon Continent, with Bronze-ranked beasts being a very rare thing to be seen, much less Silver-ranked or Gold-ranked ones.


    And even if it was a Bronze-ranked beast that they would be fighting, Xie Li could defeat it! Just with his power as a warrior, and his Strengthening-type summon, along with other Bronze-ranked summon, he would easily kill such a beast!


    "You really need to loosen up, Mei Wu." Xie Yu just chuckled, much to her annoyance.


    "I''m trying!" she glared at him before focusing on the walk. She didn''t succeed in trying.


    The Qi of the unknown entity kept getting stronger the closer she walked, and she couldn''t help but feel as if vines and leaves would shred her if she actually reached the source. Yet, she managed to move her legs.


    Soon, the trio had found themselves close to a large lake and Mei Wu felt herself relaxing just slightly bit thanks to the sheer calm the atmosphere was making. It helped that the large qi source was seemingly uncaring about them, still feeling happy with no care in the world.


    Moments later, Xie Li lazily holding his sword and slashing as she heard the sound of buzzing getting too close than she expected.


    It was just a basic Qi skill, just something to increase the reach of a swing, and yet even this was more than enough to kill five giant bees that she had realized were Worker Bees. Rather weak beasts on their own, but can be a headache when in numbers and rather agile for their level.


    Yet, they were killed in a second.


    "Tch. Only Normal-ranked Level 1 beasts. Are you sure this is where your senses guided us?" the young master mocked, adressing her. She felt his intent on her for just a moment before it dropped, causing her to sweat from worry.


    "Y-yes... it is here. My Qi sense definitely leads us here, Young Master!" Mei Wu answered truthfully.


    He snorted before moving towards the lake, and she sighed in relief. At least he didn''t see it fit to smack her ass here, though when they return...


    Igroning the feeling of dread, she followed as they saw...


    What the...?


    Mei Wu almost did a double take as she blinked.


    A... beautiful girl? Just what is going on...?


    She looked at the girl again, just to make sure she isn''t seeing things, but she was still there.


    Short emerald-green hair, and equally emerald-colored eyes that seemed to look at their souls. A beautiful, and delicate if a bit childish face and what Mei Wu knew are soft lips. Her body, as delicate as her face, slender and thin it looked like the girl had never worked a day in her life, yet Mei Wu could sense that it wasn''t that fragile at all. A bust that while admittedly smaller than many women the dagger holder saw, yet feeling appropriate for this girl, along with the bared pink nipples that many men would love to suck and fondle.


    Mei Wu, while still not seeing the lower body of the human girl, had definitely believed that even her lower parts would drive men with lust despite looking so small.


    "Ah, it seems that luck is truly on our side." Xie Li spoke aloud, and while she agreed with him, she thought that it might be an unfortunate day for this girl who seemed to enjoy her time at the lake, knowing how her young master was.


    It was then that she noticed the very odd flower that seemed to be attached below the girl''s breasts.


    ''Rainbow Colored Blooming Flower!?'' Mei Wu looked shocked, not knowing how to react. It was a rare flower that could be turned into a powerful pill that could help one breakthrough during the first few stages of cultivation, and it could, if used carefully, even heal impotence and work as a fertility pill! It was supposed to be so rare that only one was found decades ago, and no one knew how to make it!


    And this girl is just using one as an accessory! Did the girl even know how rare that thing is!? Or, is she so used to having such rare items that she didn''t care at all!?


    The feeling of something wrong returned with vengeance as her mind tried to rationalize what this girl is doing, and Mei Wu noticed the girl looking at Xie Li, and the feeling of thorns and vines rushing at them all returned, almost choking her. The girl didn''t even do anything more than look at the young master as he looked with lust at her, no hint of care in her eyes. Yet, Mei Wu felt like this fragile-looking girl would kill them all just with her qi!


    "Young Master, something''s wrong. Let''s leave." she almost pleaded, hoping against hope that he would take this advice. After all, why did he want her Qi sensing skill if he was just going to ignore her every single time?


    Yet, he ignored her opinion, and even worse, the girl''s eyes fell on her, as if trying to see what secrets her body has.


    The feeling of nature intensified to a rather insane degree. Her body felt like vines were binding her, tightly grabbing her as they wanted to strangle her. Her face paled as green threatened to consume her vision, the only reason she didn''t faint was the strange, oddly comfortable sensation that this girl was.... taking pity on her!


    "Are you still worried, Mei Wu? With the Young Master Xie Li, there''s no need to worry."


    She took a small gasp, the feeling of the suffocating nature leaving her body as the girl focused for the moment on Xie Yu, though there still was the odd feeling of pity from the girl directed at her for a moment.


    And then, the young master confessed, and the girl''s attention was almost on him.


    Said with an almost-loving tone that made weaker women faint from happiness, it was a confession that could have wooed any woman, even if she knew how much of a scumbag he is.


    Yet, the feeling of nature-like Qi morphed for a second, feeling almost mocking before it returned to its intent focus.


    ''Damn it. Damn it!'' Mei Wu swore in her mind. This girl, this girl is dangerous! Extremely dangerous! There was just something in her eyes and sheer intent that felt so strong and focused! At them!


    She looked in anxiety as the girl looked at him for a minute, before she moved her arms in the shape of an X, tongue stuck out, eyes filled with amusement, yet the Qi was just as alert as always.


    Is- is she seeing the young master''s reaction? Mei Wu looked in befuddlement, and so did Xie Yu.


    This kind of reaction, is this seriously happening, or is this just their imagination?


    Xie Li''s facade had broken for a second, showing rage before it was barely restrained, yet his qi and aura was leaking without restraint from anger.


    ''Fuck.'' Mei Wu swore once more, knowing what will happen next. Let it not be said that Xie Li had any real restraint regarding his lust.


    Just his handsome visage and a few honeyed words would make women follow his requests for sexual pleasure, but that was only when he was actually restraining himself generally in public.


    If he was certain of his superiority, and knew that he could get away with it, he wouldn''t even bother with consent or honeyed words. He would just take whatever he wanted from the poor lady that caught his attention. He had done it many times, and she was ashamed to say that she was used to it happening.


    The poor girl probably didn''t know what she did, and now she would lose her life, if not something else before that!


    Qi explodes from Xie Li, and Mei Wu and Xie Yu barely manage to stay in place as he summoned his Golden-eyed King Ape, and fused with it as his muscles bulged, and his body became full of thick fur, his face looking just a bit more ape-like.


    And if that wasn''t enough, he also summoned his other beast, a Bronze-ranked Level 4 Demonic Hound.


    Power skyrocketed, and Mei Wu almost thought that she would faint from sensory overload, yet she managed to prevail.


    "Grrrr...." a low growl left the young master''s lips, face full of anger and mockery, "you think you''re being funny, aren''t you? I was being too nice to attempt wooing you with words. It seems you''d like courting death! I will take you from this little bath of yours, and show your body how to respect its betters!"


    The girl, at complete odds with the situation she was in, only tilted her head. "In the end, you are just an arrogant ''Young Master,'' huh? A bit disappointing, really."


    What? Mei Wu and the two guys blinked for a moment.


    ''What, what did she just say?'' Mei Wu thought, the words spoken in a language she didn''t know, stumped her, momentarily distracting her from the suffocating atmosphere. ''I can''t understand what she''s saying at all!''


    While there were unique languages in this world, but most of them belonged to races and clans that live in the Tong Tian Tower. The chance of having one of them going all the way here would be suspicious especially due to how strong they are!


    There''s no way that this girl is one of them...


    In the moment it took the dagger-holding woman to refocus, Xie Li had already moved, furious beyond reason, intending to drag the girl from the lake to have his way with her, probably after beating her up.


    Mei Wu would have closed her eyes in resignation had the nature-like qi flare with intensity, like a decapitating vine moving towards him, matching his power!


    She almost gagged as vines erupted from the lake, immediately catching his arms, injuring them just slightly before he brute-forced his way out-


    Only to be stabbed by a giant leaf that deeply penetrated his stomach, and throwing him to where Mei Wu and Xie Yu were.


    ''Oh, the Qi. Oh, just... how...'' Mei Wu could only think dumbly. Just now, the feeling of the girl''s qi had almost overwrote any presence of Xie Li''s own monsterous Qi from how dense and pure it was!


    The Demonic Hound was growling, yet it had not attacked its enemy yet, and through all that, Mei Wu heard the girl continue speaking.


    "It''s a bit late, but I shall introduce myself: Kasumi Ai." the words Mei Wu''s ears, and despite not understanding them, she understood one thing: Kasumi Ai is a name.


    How? Why? There''s no Kasumi clan. From where did she come from!?


    Yet, what happens next, is the truly shocking thing.


    The girl, lively yet strangely delicate-looking and regal, leaves the lake, and in a second, she is right in front of her and Xie Yu.


    And their bodies stopped moving at the sight in front of them.


    Mei Wu''s mouth was open from shock, seeing the sheer monsterosity in front of her.


    What?


    A gigantic, plant-like monster, mouth wide open and teeth that seemed eager to bite them.


    How?


    A beast. A beast. This girl that looked so delicate, was actually a beast all along. A beast that was as human-looking as any other human above the waist.


    Why!?


    A beast that wasn''t just Silver-ranked, but also semi-humanoid, and highly intelligent to the point it can speak and act so human-like!


    Just... what kind of... insanity is this!?


    She felt like crying, and she would have, if her body wasn''t so locked up in terror.


    "Hello..." with a grin so cruel it felt more fitting of a devil instead of that sweet face, the beast spoke, as its lower mouth seemed to lick its lips.


    It was just too much. Being so stressed ever since the mission, the sensory overload from all the different qi signatures, the sheer magnitude of the ones around her, and now, a beast that was probably as close to being a Holy Beast as she would ever see in her life... It was just too much.


    Mei Wu fainted.

 Chapter 10: Against the Young Master

    Okay, that wasn''t what I expected to happen. I thought when the dagger girl, Mei Wu, fainted just at the sight of my body.


    Really, how was I expected to think this would happen? In the first place, I only did the X motion and stuck my tongue to see how that Xie Li fellow would react to me not taking him seriously and rejecting him.


    If he had only laughed and didn''t care, then he was a relatively good fellow, and I might get some info about the world without having to fight him when I didn''t know a lot about anything but the parts of the forest I lived in. If he acted violent, then that might have been a problem, and in hindsight, I probably shouldn''t have done that. He might have been too powerful for me for all I knew.


    Maybe I should have acted clueless instead, though since he wanted to have sex with me, as he believed I was a human girl, I probably would have fought him anyways or attempted to run if he was too strong. Still, he did as I expected such a Young Master to do, rushing into battle without care.


    It was a bit surprising when I saw him summon that Golden-eyed King Ape and fusing with it. The first time I saw a strengthening-type beast summon and it was quite strong. Him fusing with it increased his power drastically. Had I been Bronze-ranked, I would have died with that single blow he had attempted to give me.


    Luckily, me being Silver-ranked had given me a massive edge against him, catching him with my vines before I stabbed him with an oversized leaf full of paralytic poison and with plenty of qi to ignore his own raging energy, deeply piercing into his stomach before the momentum threw him towards his other buddies.


    It definitely helped that my mocking tone had enraged him even further, making him a bit more incapable of thinking straight, otherwise he might have focused his power to defend himself instead of just wanting to punch and/or sexually assault me.


    After I had shown my full body to the still unharmed duo, Mei Wu and that axe-wielding guy that I don''t know his name, I had expected shock from them, but I hadn''t expected the woman to faint after I teasingly welcomed them. I tried to put my most teasing tone, but apparently that had terrified her so hard she just dropped from fear.


    Must have been under a lot of stress since the beginning. Poor woman.


    "Ah- ahhh!" the axe-wielder drew my attention. He too, was shaking as his eyes were filled of fear. His grip on his axe was so tight I thought he might break his weapon by accident, as his qi focused on his axe as he swung at me.


    My senses only felt fear and desire to survive as he attacked. Am I really that scary?


    Some vines and thick tree branches that I generated from my body intercepted it, and I barely had to use any effort to halt his swing with no scratch on my shields.


    Another swing. Another block. Another desperate slash. I pushed him away with a slightly stronger swing of my branches.


    All the while, I could feel the young master''s qi fiercely combatting my paralytic poison and slowly starting to move again in less than a minute while that Demonic Hound was moving towards him.


    Strange. I put enough paralytic poisons and pollen to knock out these bears I fought before, and yet this guy is resisting it.


    Is it the normal durability of warriors and rankers from sapient races, or is it just him? Or maybe he had been given poison resistance training and it happened that he just had gotten resistant enough to my brand of paralytic one that he can still move? Did his ape summon give him higher tolerance?


    Ah well, I better deal with and subdue him and that woman. Being a young master means that he must have a higher understanding of politics and influencial people in the continent.


    That Mei Wu would preferably survive. She had shown a sharp sense of danger, and she tried to tell her superior to run away, which means that either she is the smarter person in the group, or she is just that good at knowing when to fold them.


    But first, I would need to crush this extra (axe-wielder guy) for the moment. Don''t worry, I won''t kill you, for now.


    There was no need for me to actually move from my spot for this. It was just a simple thing for me really; just blowing away paralytic and sleep-inducing poison and pollens when he was attempting to jump and slash at my face, abandoning any defense for the sake of killing me in one hit, in such desperation that would have been rewarded if I was closer to his level instead of being much stronger.


    His attack didn''t reach my body, as he was caught with my vines and branches. I made sure to break his arms and legs so that he won''t break free, then my sleeping and paralytic hit him in full, and he lost consciousness in less than ten seconds.


    ''Man, my poisons are quite strong. They knocked out this guy in record time! What''s his level anyways?'' I thought absent-mindedly as I saw Xie Li had now stood up on his feet, and I focused on him for real.


    "Damn you..." he said, anger in his voice as he momentarily put a hand on his bloodied stomach. The injury wasn''t exactly healing, but it seemed like it stopped bleeding. So that''s the small regenerative factor of strengthening-type beasts when used, huh. Quite fascinating.


    "Grrrrr!" the Demonic Hound growled at me, as demonic black flames was erupting from its body, qi burning the plants and soil around it, but I had no feeling of fear or worry about that.


    Instead, I felt as if I was in front of a delicious meal! I felt so hungry and I had to stop myself from drooling. Instead of that demonic qi inducing fear like it would do to many humans and beasts, it instead made me feel like I was in front of a feast, and I had full permission to eat to my heart''s content!


    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    I forcefully stopped myself. It''s not good to only focus on that Demonic Hound. I better focus on the young master as well.


    The buzzing of the Worker Bees caught my attention for a moment, but I just waved them to leave, knowing that they won''t win against this guy. And despite their felt reluctance, they obeyed my request and quickly left the area. Even they could see the sheer difference in power, and knew that they would be more of a hindrance against him.


    Sorry, bees. You don''t deserve to be killed by this guy.


    "So, you are a beast, huh? You dare to trick me with your appearance? I, Xie Li!?" he shouted in fury, and I felt my body tensing. Hey, you idiot, you''re the one who tried to seduce me first then couldn''t take a no for an answer.


    He chanted, and I prepared to attack him and counter his next attack, but, no attack came. Instead, light glowed before a book was suddenly in his hands.


    ''A Grimoire!'' I was surprised. This guy had a Grimoire?! He also had a Guardian Beast and an Inherent Skill then!


    "If you like to tempt me so much, then why don''t you become mine?" he asked with a sneer, and a strange sensation entered my mind. No, it is trying to enter my mind to... connect me with him?


    ''What the? So that''s what being contracted feels like?'' I realized, and I forcefully broke the connection he was trying to make between me and him with his Grimoire.


    I winced and found myself retreating a few steps. I couldn''t cut the connection without mental harm to me, it seemed. Had I not been able to think like I do, and only followed my instincts, I might have become his beast.


    I immediately moved to attack. I no longer could go easy on him, knowing that he would try to make me his beast. Not to mention that I doubted he would treat me nicely anyways.


    My body rushed towards him, rapidly closing the distance despite my size. A wave of toxic pollens surrounded me like a sphere, moving with me, and I knew that if he got hit with it, he would be paralyzed again, and this time, I would cripple him.


    "Know your place, beast!" he roared and jumped towards me as well. Is he really rushing at me without protection? I was surprised to say the least. What is he planning to-


    I immediately realized my mistake when he still held his Grimoire, and used one of its functions, and summoned a Halo Shield!


    Fuck! I completely forgot about that characteristic! Even the weakest halo shields can tank attacks from Innates with no problem. My physical attacks won''t reach him with that!


    My pollens couldn''t penetrate the shield, nor could my vines break it, but since he couldn''t just pierce through me with the halo shield, he turned it off and directly punched my lower half in the face!


    "Guh- ha!" I was thrown away, multiple teeth of my giant mouth broken from the impact. Even when he is generally weaker than me, injured, and quite mad, he still has serious power that I couldn''t just defend against casually, and I didn''t expect him to use that halo shield like that.


    "Quick, attack her!"


    The Demonic Hound launches itself at me as I hit the earth, Xie Li falling on one knee as he takes a moment to resist the poisonous pollen he breathed, and the acidic saliva that I spit from the blow to my lower mouth.


    "Tch! You''re in the way!" I told the beast as I threw my vines at it. I had no intention of allowing it to survive, which is why I filled the vines with not only my poisonous pollen, but also created the most lethal poisonous nectar I can manage. I only needed a single injury, and sadly for it, I could do that just fine.


    This thing was just a few times stronger than that Black Wolf I fought before, but it still was quite weaker than me, now that I had become a Silver-ranked beast. Had it been a Bronze-ranked Level 5 or 6, it would have probably been able to ignore the difference in ranks, but with it being only Level 4, not to mentiong the fact that I was also cultivating, it was just a bit too weak to really fight me.


    A vine hit its leg, piercing it, and pumping my poisonous nectar as it fell on the ground, howling and wailing. Life rapidly leaving it.


    I only bothered to sense its qi, as the very honorable young master, Xie Li had already managed to stand straight.


    He won''t stand up anymore though, if I had any valid opinion about it.


    "Die!" he screamed as his muscles bulged even more, and his once-handsome visage looked like a beast''s face as his qi pulsed again, moving to his fist.


    If that hit my head, even if I defended against it, I would probably have a concussion. It would also be able to harm my lower half as well, which wasn''t something I prefer at all.


    Instead, I did what I did against the Black Wolf, and infused qi into my arms, and punched. Offense is the best defence against this guy at my current level.


    Our fists collide, and I liked the fact that I pushed him away as a result, and to add insult to his injuries, I spewed a large amount of poisonous nectar at him during the exchange, drenching his entire body in it. Something like this is easy for me now.


    "Gh- Kah- huegh!" he shuddered as he hit the ground, his body weakening from the toxic liquid, and I knew that even if he managed to escape me, he won''t survive to see another day.


    "You- you piece of- ugh! How dare- harm me? Think you can do this!? When my clan finds out..." Xie Li hissed, blood leaking from his mouth as he tried to move as he glared at me.


    "Yeah, yeah, I know it all. How dare I defy you and your clan? Courting death, blah blah blah. I honestly couldn''t care less about that list of rants and quotes. Please die for me, will you?" I cut him off and stabbed his legs and arms with my vines.


    I didn''t care that he couldn''t understand my language at all. I just wanted to kill him and be done with it. Thus, using a large and pointy branch, I filled it with qi and shoved it at this guy''s heart.


    I managed to stab him just a moment before he summoned his Grimoire and that halo shield again. So there was a plan in his head, to delay me just enough with his ramblings to summon that shield, and let his beast''s small regenerative factor to help close his wounds and resist the poisons before escaping, probably with using a teleporting crystal or something like that.


    ''Shame that I didn''t wait for you to rant, you trash.'' I thought as pain filled his visage, before his qi dropped, then vanished.


    And without an owner, the Grimoire stopped working, dropping on the ground with a thud, and the Golden-eyed King Ape followed its master in death, ceasing to exist as Guardian Beasts can only be alive as long as their masters are alive.


    The ape-like looks vanished, showing that handsome face, eyes open in pain. Serves him right.


    I glared at the corpse, and immediately used a vine to slice his neck just as a cautionary measure, before dragging it to be swallowed alongside his dead Demonic Hound.


    Sorry, not sorry, buddy. I read enough xianxia and wuxia stories to know that while generally, people die when they are killed -thanks for the quote, Shiro!- they might as well be able to live if one didn''t make sure they''re extra dead.


    "Now, that I had finished the biggest problem as of this moment, what should I do with these two?" I spoke to myself as the bees returned now that they sensed that the larger threat had ceased to exist.


    I absent-mindedly gave them some of my nectar as I moved towards the two, still unconscious humans.


    Okay, first step: stripping these two naked of whatever they have and wear.


    I won''t let them have even the smallest jewel on their persons!

 Chapter 11

    "Okay, guys, let''s see what you have." I murmured as I worked on inspecting the two fellows of the late young master with the bees just a few meters behind me.


    Now that I had finished binding the two still unconscious humans'' limbs with thick branches and vines, I started my work on the muscular guy first. I took away his axe and threw it in front of where the Worker Bees were floating as they buzzed with excitement as they watched me strip the guy of any clothing he had.


    His armor was next, along with the potions he had and the strange crystal alongside them. Hm, is it a contract crystal? I will see about that later after I finish this. A couple potions more, then his underwears.


    Man, the guy is muscular as heck even without armor hiding it. He would give the JoJo''s first three seasons characters a bit of challenge in muscle density and volume.


    Still, I didn''t let that or his one-eyed snake distract me for more than a few moments, and I bound him even further using a thick branch I created, twice as wide as his torso.


    With that, I moved towards the lady, Mei Wu. Her body didn''t have any injuries from what I can see, though I can see and smell the sweat on her. The poor woman definitely was more psychologically hurt than physically.


    "Then again, she did faint at my sight." I mused as I had my vines hold her unconscious form. Now that I look at her this close, she is indeed a beauty. Maybe not a country-destroying level of beauty like most jade beauties get described (and then they all get lost on the road of harem), like what chinese novels say, but she would be pretty enough to become one of the best waifus in Japan if she was an anime character.


    White skin, cute face, and voluptuous body. The only thing not defining her as a jade beauty, from what I know about the xianxia cliches is that she isn''t doesn''t have the sheer self-confidence of her own existance that a jade beauty has and that she is following her two companions unstead of the other way around.


    If she was a jade beauty, then she would be gracing her two ''comrades'' with the right to bask in their own unyielding lust and jealousy towards her status as unapproachable lady as members of the Spurned Men''s Club.


    You know, just like how the Spurned Women''s Club in Sword Art Online exists.


    ''Yeah, enough standing and more inspecting.'' I scolded myself as I returned to taking away anything that could possibly let her escape or harm me.


    I didn''t take any chances as I worked to take off her clothes, including the bra and panties. Strangely enough, they felt smooth to the touch. Is this silk? Eh, I will see it all later.


    A minute later, I finished my work of having the lady only wear her birthday suit. I took away every piece of clothing she had, from the small hairpins she had on her pink hair, the few crystals she had along with these daggers, to the poison needles she was hiding inside her underwears, and no, I''m not making it up.


    Though I guess it would make total sense to have them there. With her beauty, it wouldn''t be strange at all if she had them with her all the time to deal with creeps and rapists who seem to spontaneously appear whenever and wherever.


    I have to say, this sight of her sure is worthy of one being called a beauty, even bound and naked like that.


    Well, a beauty in distress, to be honest, I thought to myself. Honestly, she looked like she was made to be in this situation. Probably.


    "Now, let''s bind you like I did to your friend." I didn''t expect an answer as I did so, and I made sure to gag her mouth as well. Better not risk her screaming bloody murder or summoning her Grimoire, if she had one. Heaven knows that these things can be summoned just with a chant and are basically in a hyperspace when not materializing in the physical world.


    And while I doubt these two have Grimoires, on the account of them having these crystals and scrolls that they might have planned to make a contract with, in the chance they had Grimoires.


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    Now, with the two tightly bound and gagged, I decided to get back to cultivation while the two are asleep.


    "Please keep a watch on them and any danger here for me, kay?" I asked the Worker Bees which buzzed in agreement, consuming the nectar I had just created for them as a small gift, and I went back to increase my progress in the first stage of Natura Aeterna Nirvana.


    Qi moved gently through my body, as I targeted the next meridian to unlock. The corpses in my lower gigantic mouths were getting consumed just a bit faster, but that Xie Li''s corpse would still take a couple of days to be digested due to the differences of power.


    Not that I mind, really.


    A smile graced my lips. as a bit of my Qi expands outward, feeding the grass around me and making it just a bit greener, and the smell of sweet fauna and flora enter my nose.


    "This is life." I whispered.


    <hr>


    Black. Darkness. That''s all what she could sense when something else entered her mind.


    Mei Wu felt as if something was slowly filling her with power, and in a strangely disturbing manner, that sensation...


    Nature? Her mind thought, still not truly awake, instead feeling as if she was cultivating, yet at the same time, it wasn''t her that was doing the act. Oddly enough, the feeling of nature seemed to have no malicious intent towards her, as it passed through her body, energizing it.


    She could vaguely feel the source of that energy, a massive emerald, flame that looked even impossibly greener in the center, with its core seemingly not caring at all that all that energy is embracing and healing her.


    ''Wh- where...?'' her violet eyes opened, instinctually inspecting where she was, but soon she found herself bound, and there''s something on her mouth...


    ''Wh-what!? Gagged! I- I''m bound and naked!'' it didn''t take more than a couple seconds for her to feel pure, primal terror that anyone would feel when they have even the slightest inkling of what might happen next.


    ''No! I will not let this happen to me! I refuse!'' she didn''t even notice her Qi sense activating as she thrashed against the sturdy vines and tree branches binding her in place, memories she didn''t want to recall resurfacing as she felt herself tearing up, nor did she notice the Worker Bees that were above her watching her, as some of them separated from the group.


    Only a minute later now that she was, while still terrified out of her mind''s wits and shaking in fear, got a bit of rational thinking to actually focus and see what''s going on, and remember what happened before she lost consciousness.


    ''Okay, calm down. This is fine, this is fine.'' she tried to convince herself, breathing hard, as her memory started working.


    ''I was on a mission with that jerk Xie Li and his loyal minion Xie Yu to see what is going on in the forest, and then I guided them with my Qi sense to where the source is, only to realize that there was a girl-'' her face paled even further as she remembered the identity of that so-called girl.


    A beast. A highly intelligent, humanoid beast that can speak. Oh; oh heavens!


    Mei Wu felt like she would faint again, only sheer instinct told her to stay awake. It didn''t help that she now could notice as the beast''s Qi was getting closer according to her senses!


    What should she do against this!? She doubted that she can do anything to stop that beast girl from doing whatever she wanted if Mei Wu was deemed to be a fine target practice, or worse!


    Running away? Even if she wasn''t bound right now, she had nothing on her body, literally! And even if she did try to escape, that girl would catch her with ease.


    Fight? That would be even more foolish than having a baby fight a Dragon King! She doesn''t sense Xie Li''s energy anywhere, and if he hadn''t escaped using his teleportation crystal, then he was most likely killed by that girl.


    If even he couldn''t defeat her, then what chance does Mei Wu have? Even with all her equipments, she could probably only ''fight'' that monster for a second before being killed!


    No matter what, she''s doomed, and she can only feel bitterness about it all.


    She didn''t even care about the sensation of nature closing as the beast, calling herself Ksumi Ai slowly appeared in front of her, as Mei Wu''s face was facing the ground.


    She didn''t need eyes to feel the interest of Kasumi Ai on her, as the feeling of nature qi thickened, yet strangely it didn''t seem to have any intention to harm her.


    ''Another trick, prehaps? Lowering my guard then crushing all my hopes?'' she thought cynically.


    Suddenly, the makeshift gag in her mouth was removed, though she once more could only think that her captor wanted to hear her screams of agony.


    She was a bit surprised though when the binds on her were also removed as her body fell on the grass as she winced.


    Is she supposed to act as a prey now while being hunted?


    There was no place for hopeful thoughts in her mind as she catastrophized her situation.


    Thud.


    This time, she blinked. "My- my clothes?" she looked at her clothes that were thrown next to her, and her head moved to look above, doing her best to ignore the giant lower mouth, and focusing at Kasumi Ai''s smiling face as a vine was close to the beast girl''s face as suddenly qi flared and a yellow-golden large droplet appeared.


    The beast girl pointed at her and her clothes, and that golden droplet, before pointing to herself and spoke again in that strange language, though Mei Wu, with her Qi sense, understood the general meaning.


    "Wear your clothes and consume this. We need to talk."

 Chapter 12: Task: Talk to/as a normal person!

    I watched as Mei Wu hesitantly grab and wear her clothes with an expression and mannerism that felt more like an reserved kid being told they have to actually test something new. Which, is kinda fitting, I assume.


    Since she probably thinks I''m just going to torture her and force her to tell me all her secrets for my amusement, which I fully understand.


    I mean, you get captured by someone, and wake up naked then your captor tells you that they want to ''talk'' with you. And if that was not terrifying for women (everyone) in my previous world, then it isn''t wrong to think that it would be the same in this world, even more so since being a pretty woman here guarantees that she would likely be targeted by unsavory people.


    I would be more surprised if she didn''t give a damn after all of that.


    It didn''t take more than a minute for her to finish wearing everything, and allowed her to hold her daggers, though I of course didn''t give her access to her crystals. The daggers, while ineffective against me, might probably help me convince her that I don''t have any interest in harming her.


    Moments later, after her body stopped trembling, though she still was looking pale and terrified, I moved the vine holding the healing nectar in front of her. I didn''t need to speak for her to realize what I want, and she shakily took the vine and consumed the nectar on it.


    "...!" her eyes widened as tension seemed to leave her body, and I noticed that her Qi was now full, probably, from what my senses told me.


    She looked completely shocked for moments, her mouth opening and closing as if she couldn''t believe what just happened, before her body dropped to the ground, not from pain, but apparently from the sheer anxiety that was leaving her.


    "D-delicious..." I heard her mutter in a low voice, and I would admit that I felt strangely proud of that admission of her, and I felt my heart brimming with pride and joy.


    My nectar was of course delicious and sweet, and I knew it. But hearing someone else admitting it really did inflate my Alraune ego just a little bit.


    Now, behold, world! I, Kasumi Ai, will monopolize all honey products and make everyone addict to them! Or so I would probably do if I was as much of a jerk like the casual Ranker or warrior.


    Instead, I enjoyed the moment before I realized that I took too long basking in my own happiness that she was looking at me with confusion.


    "Um..." she trailed off, and I got the feeling that she was looking at me like I was a lunatic.


    Immediately, embarrassment filled my face, cheeks reddening like I was caught daydreaming, which was exactly what happened!


    Damn it! I didn''t completely forgot how awkward it would be to be judged in actual (not!)human interaction that involves actual talking instead of just killing people or eating their corpses!


    Even my lower face was a bit darker and trying not to look at her from sheer humiliation!


    And worst of all, these sweet Worker Bees who were with me and I thought were my friends seemed to enjoy this as their buzzing seemed to mock me.


    I felt myself fuming at them. Traitors, all of them! Just because they couldn''t talk and were quite nice I didn''t expect them to like my misery. Oh, when I see the Queen Bee, I will file a complaint! Do you hear me!?


    Unfortunately, they didn''t hear me as they buzzed louder, and much to my chagrin, I heard another voice that seemed to bring my shame to a new level.


    "He, hehehe, hehehehehe!" Mei Wu, the girl who was sobbing like a baby and so terrified from me that she fainted, was now laughing at me.


    Is this the "the public changes their opinions about a powerful person the moment they look just a bit more miserable" trope? Did I really fall into it?


    How unfair, how cruel, I lamented as I felt the weight of this mocking in my heart, and gave my audience a half-hearted glare, though the only one who picked on my change of mood was the pretty woman as she flinched for a moment before calming down, probably realizing how her actions aren''t exactly amusing to me.


    The bees though took a couple minutes more before their buzzing became more neutral, though they still enjoyed my torment.


    Condescending friends, they are. I thought, miffed.


    Still, now that everything calmed and only the sounds of water or the occasional animals and beasts being heard, I took a long breath and looked at Mei Wu.


    Though, since my upper face was quite above, I was technically looking down at her, and I have no interest in talking with her using my lower, and monsterous face...


    Okay, I will just raise her to my level, if she doesn''t mind. Literally.


    With that, I created a makeshift web with my vines and branches, and I motioned her to stand on it.


    "I..." she bit her lips, worried, clearly not liking the idea. I felt a tick mark appearing on my face.


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Hey, why are you now scared of me? Didn''t you laugh at my misery just a few minutes ago despite me having the power to cut off your head in a single swing? Be a bit more consistent with how you react to me will you?


    "I- f-forgive me..." oh, great, now I scared her. Again.


    I sighed, pinching my nose in exhasperation. "Just sit, damn it." despite clearly not understanding me, she did as I asked, and I raised her to meet me, face-to-face.


    I looked at her in a pouty manner before I started my question with simple question: "what''s your name?"


    Sounds simple, except I and her are talking two different languages. I''m basically gambling on her weird Qi sensing skill would work like a freaking telepathy and make her "understand" what I ask her.


    She blinked, before she hesitated. "Uh, I... didn''t understand that...?" she flinched as she finished her answer, most likely expecting me to be angry and lash at her.


    I honestly was more disappointed than angry at her. I mean, it would be unreasonable to hit her just for not being magically able to ignore the language barrier between us.


    I feel quite sad about it, really, and I barely resisted having my body slumping down as to show my disappointment.


    "Okay, what should I say... Ah!" I pointed to myself, and she paid attention to my movements.


    "Kasumi Ai. Your name?" I stated, before pointing towards her, and her eyes shone with recognition.


    "My name?" I nodded, much to her surprise, and I wasn''t even being deceptive towards her. I wanted her to be honest with me.


    "... Mei Wu." she answered, and I could feell she was being truthful. I mean, I knew what her name was when the two guys called her, but it might have been a pet name or something.


    I next pointed to that axe-wielding guy still bound and asleep. ''I might have underestimated the potency of my sleeping poisons...'' I thought with a bit of embarrassment.


    Oh well, his turn will come when he wakes. The guy was named Xie Yu, which, okay... kinda weird since I recall a girl called Yue Yu from the original novel, but that''s why they usually use both names instead, I guess.


    Though I don''t think I would give him the same hospitality for being such an idiot. If your team''s sensor tells you something is dangerous, you listen to them, and either GTFO, or be as cautious as possible, unless it''s literally a do-or-die, which their situation was not.


    Then again, I might be biased and I am simply relating with the clearly female person who probably had traumatic experiences regarding sexism more than that random dude that only gave the impression of a fodder.


    My vines moved and twisted, and she tensed before relaxing as they imitated crude symbols of multiple houses, and I tried my best to make my point clear with my body movements that I wanted to know about something very important right now: the political situation of the Soaring Dragon Continent, or more precisely the people who are generally ruling over the population.


    Tragically, the curse of language barrier struck again...


    "You want to create multiple houses?" Mei Wu asked, uncertain. I shook my head, and I tried to make it clearer by creating a large house surrounded by a large circle as to indicate a piece of land, added smaller houses, with their own circles, and even smaller houses, and I spoke in Japanese (stupid nonfunctioning cosmic translator!) that I wanted to know who the king, or monarch, or emperor, is, and who rules, the clans and all that.


    "... You want to make a city with you as the City Mistress?" she asked again, looking a bit more confused.


    I facepalmed, and she squeaked for a moment.


    Okay, a better method is needed. Now, what should I do to make her understand what I want to know...? Hm, maybe...


    I pointed at her. "Mei." I spoke, before I pointed to myself, then to Xie Yu, "Kasumi, Xie. Clans, clan, group. Names."


    I was probably trying too hard, but that was fine with me.


    Mei Wu looked at me in surprise, before her eyes widened in shock. "Y-you want to know about clans?"


    "Finally!" I muttered to myself, and I knew that she probably understood my word just from my reaction, and nodded at her.


    "Why though?" her question was answered with a flat look at her with my hands pointing at her and her still unconscious friend.


    "Oh, yeah..." she had the decency to look sheepish. Good to see you going from being so terrified from me to outright asking me about my motivations in less than a couple of hours.


    "F-fine... I will tell you... but can I ask you some questions first?" she asked me. She was looking guarded, but she apparently trusted me enough not to kill her just for the heck of it by now, and I had no reason to object.


    Shifting uncomfortably, she asked me her first question. "Are you... a Holy Beast? Or close to it?"


    I shook my head. I fully understood her reasoning. I was, from what she knew, a highly intelligent, speech-capable, humanoid beast. It is very logical for her to think I am one, or about to reach it. I am not a Holy Beast... yet.


    " Oh... How old are you?"


    What kind of question is that? I snorted. Asking a lady about her age is forbidden, you know? Even if said lady is a monster that evolves by eating and digesting corpses.


    Still, I decided to humor her and used my vines to ''write'' the number 14, and it was a bit amusing that she thought I was 14 thousand years old for a moment before I motioned that it''s way down, and she found on her own that I lived for two weeks in this world, much to her shock.


    "Two weeks, and you are this strong already! To think you became this strong so fast..." her voice increased in volume as in her awe, she literally jumped towards me and started shaking my body, well, my upper body. Oi, don''t scream right next to my ears! Damn, I now hear the ringing in them! And stop shaking me, it''s annoying! And your large chest is squishing mine! Get off!


    I looked at her in annoyance. Now I remember why I liked my pseudo solitude.


    Now, I of course am not interested in harming her, but... a small lesson won''t hurt.


    I grinned just a bit, as she squirmed in discomfort as clearly her Qi sense noticed the change of my mood.


    "Girl, you''re getting too comfortable here, you know?" I was asking just teasingly, but I was also having fun giving a little threat. Oh, don''t worry, I will even use motions to make sure my words are a bit more understandable.


    "I-" I cut her off as a branch of mine quickly went behind her, giving a firm whack on that butt of hers as she yelped and jumped away from me like I was spitting acid at her.


    "Good." I spoke flatly, and she cringed. "I''d like you to not do that again, or I''ll spank you on the bare bottom." I finished with a glare, frankly half-tempted to make the threat a reality, and she no doubt understood my intent as I had a vine making a swish motion in the air.


    "S-sorry..." I huffed at that embarrassed, and strangely grumpy answer and just motioned to her to tell me what she knew about the clans and people of importance.


    This is going to be a long discussion, isn''t it?

 Chapter 13: Mei Wu’s Introspection

    Mei Wu was... confused, if she was honest. She had no idea what to make of the highly intelligent, highly humanoid beast that was telling her to explain the geography and state the names of clans and people of interest to her.


    Kasumi Ai, to the highly Qi-sensitive woman, was a very bizarre anomaly that she couldn''t decipher at all even with her sensing skill.


    The beast girl was just too strange, yet strangely too human for her liking, but at the same time, it was because of this human-like thought process that Kasumi Ai had that Mei Wu was even alive, that much is certain.


    Still, it made her stomach churn unpleasantly even despite the level of respect the beast girl was giving her, and dare she say it, even enjoyed, if only due to how bleak her life felt that this development felt nice.


    Which only made her feel even more weirded out by what the girl was doing! She just couldn''t comprehend how this girl thought!


    Kasumi Ai returning her clothes to her was... well, it was odd, yet a bit understandable from what her senses told her. The beast girl wants to talk to her, and so wants her to be comfortable in her presence. It felt more like a torture and information extraction plan; the carrot and stick.


    Mei Wu was given the stick in the form of terror and sheer difference in powers, and now is given the carrot in the form of ''generosity'', which she felt was honest, much to her surprise.


    The nectar, she would easily admit that she thought it was a truth drug, or maybe an aphrosidiac, made solely to torment her, yet her senses told her that it was just for healing, and drinking it proved that right.


    No lust consuming her and forcing her to crave anything to satisfy the heat, and nothing to compel her to speak something against her will. Just something plain delicious, and filling that she almost thought she would faint from sheer sweetness!


    The sheer pride she felt leaking from Kasumi Ai was as bizarre as the beast was. It was solid, and the feeling of nature definitely grew to show that fact, yet unlike many of the Rankers, or those with high powers Mei Wu had seen, the whole thing felt rather, contained, and something like it wasn''t to be taken seriously at all. Like it was a large joke that only the monster in front of her liked.


    It felt more like a lunatic, really, and the woman couldn''t hold back her reaction at seeing something that was supposed to be so majestic acting like a kid playing make-believe.


    And then the Alraune, realizing her actions, had done the most baffling reaction she had ever seen. She had acted like a kid being caught red-handed in one of their imaginations, the waves of embarrassment, shame and indigniation felt all too human yet far removed from the usual way the wariiors expressed it.


    It was... like how normal people, those with no potential of being warriors, act! There was no serious threats of death, no immediate attacks, just a half-hearted glare filled with shame for oneself.


    Of course, Mei Wu stopped any attempt to laugh at the beast that felt more human than most the people she had lived with. It would be rather bad if her captor actually wanted to harm her for not controlling herself.


    Yet, even then, she couldn''t help but feel as if the beast in front of her was too competent and human-like than she should be.


    Being able to find a way to go around the fact that Mei Wu couldn''t understand Kasumi Ai''s language so that the two can actually talk, the way she facepalmed as exhasperation almost oozed from her figure, treating a question about her age as if she took mock-offence, then giving her a firm whack on her ass for being too close and invasive.


    Yeah, Mei Wu can understand why Kasumi Ai reacted that way... but in her defense, Mei Wu was just so excited!


    How else is she supposed to react that such a powerful beast had appeared only two weeks ago, and in that period had gotten this smart, strong and very human-like!


    Though that swat certainly awoke her from whatever dreamland she was in. That branch stung! She probably will have a welt for some time.


    Once again, the beast looked at her with that flat glare, and while Mei Wu didn''t understand the words, the meaning was more than clear: do that again and I''ll tan your rear.


    ''Okay, fair I guess. But damn!'' she thought as she apologized with an embarrassed and miffed tone.


    Why does this Kasumi Ai even know the whole spanking thing? She doesn''t even have a butt! Is this girl a pervert or what these degenerates in the cities call a butt-person?


    Grumbling under her breath, Mei Wu tried to shove that thought process deep in her mind, she decided to tell about the hierarchy in the Soaring Dragon Continent.


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Truthfully, there were so many influencial people that it would take days to finish listing them all, so she decided to talk about the biggest ones first, something that the Alraune just agreed to right away.


    "Well, it''s... complicated." she started, and ain''t that a way to start the exposition. Kasumi Ai snorted, her nature Qi feeling rather amused by that start.


    ''I guess I am doing something right then...'' taking a breath, Mei Wu began.


    "I don''t know if you know this, but here, this forest is a part of the Soaring Dragon Continent. It is the land of Rankers, where our people live in glory due to our ability: Summoning. Like my late ''friend,'' that you had just killed, and consumed..." she stopped, barely holding her grimace.


    She very much knew the weird dissonance of how the continent''s people live in ''glory'' while she and many others were a prime example of people NOT living in glory. And it was still hard not to think that this human-looking girl is still a monster who even now, is digesting the corpse of a human being.


    A trash human being, but one all the same.


    "When it comes to political powers, there are mainly eleven rulers for the continent in general. The three kingdoms, the four major clans, and four major sects. In order, the three kingdoms are the Zi Jin Empire, Tian Luo Empire, and Da Xia Empire. Frankly, not many of the royals in these are remembered by their names. They are mostly called Princes, Kings, Queens and so on of their kingdoms, or some other title. I think the only real exception is Da Xia''s Emperor, Jun Wu You. As for their children... Sorry, but I didn''t keep track after something like ten royal children from each empire. Not to mention that I didn''t have any chance to interact with them, so..." she shrugged.


    Mei Wu knew that she should have tried to remember, but these names honestly just couldn''t stick in her mind.


    Curiosity was what she felt as Kasumi Ai hummed to herself, as if just asserting a thought she had before. It was absurd, just one more absurdity to the list, really. But it still was rather interesting.


    A vine was extended, and while she felt anxiety, she trusted her Qi sense a lot, and the lack of harming intent was telling, as she watched the vine grow an apple before it was given to her.


    "Feeding me?" she raised an eyebrow, and got an amused shrug and other uncomprehensible words that her Qi sensing roughly translated as "Why not?" as a response, as the Alraune girl took her own apple to eat.


    ''I feel like I am talking to a human at times. Yet I am not.'' that was... conflicting to Mei Wu.


    It was just too dissonant. While Kasumi Ai was a beast, she was too human to be just a beast. Yet, she was too beast-like to be a human. She was a strange being that was walking on the line separating normal beasts from Holy Beasts, yet she was just... not crossing it or able to cross it for now, leaving her in an odd place where she is only a beast in name only, yet is also a human in name only.


    ''Neither a beast, nor a human.'' Mei Wu thought in interest, only now noticing the bizarre contradiction of Holy Beasts. ''They were treated as the closest being to a human, yet... I just can''t think that she will just go into human cities and casually live there the moment she ascended into a Holy Beast. No, in the first place, just because she would be more human-like doesn''t mean that she would stop eating people...''


    And isn''t that one hell of a perspective? Holy Beasts were treated as these powerful beings that had learned to control their instincts and knew how to act human, yet, talking to this beast whose lower half is nothing but a mosterous plant and upper body is that of a cute girl, it felt more like...


    No matter.


    Mei Wu shook her head. She will think of that later after she finishes this lesson on history to this beast girl whose actions and mannerisms are so confusing they bordered on creating a rather odd yet fascinating uncanny valley effect.


    "Nothing." she said as she saw Kasumi Ai tilt her head in interest. "Shall we go back to the discussion?"


    She saw a nod and was about to begin explaining about the clans and sects when Qi flared, and she grimaced as she knew what was happening with just one look to behind her, as the feeling of fear sent from the other occupant in the area, outside of the still-buzzing bees, registered to her brain.


    "Hm?" She didn''t even need her senses to feel the curiosity of her captor as she also looked down, as both their eyes fell on one Xie Yu, awake and scared out of his mind. He couldn''t even scream due to the vines gagging his mouth, and she could feel the slightest hint of rage as he saw her having a good day (arguably) with Kasumi Ai.


    "Mei Wu?" her head snapped as she looked at the Alraune, whose eyes felt strangely malicious and uncaring at one. "This guy, is he important to you?"


    Again, the words couldn''t be comprehended, but the intent; that was more than clear to her. "Is he an important person, or just an extra you''d like to leave to die?"


    The Qi of plants of nature increase, threatening to overwhelm her mind, yet she knew that it wouldn''t. She wouldn''t be hurt if she chose "wrong," or anything like that.


    She was given a choice. Two options. Sparing a guy who had not only gladly worked with and for her now-deceased sexual harasser, but one who had participated in many of the same actions, even if she herself wasn''t on the menu. Or, sending that asshole to the cruel mercy of this girl who is very much a beast?


    This wasn''t even a difficult one. She didn''t even care about any sense of hypocricy she was making. The fact that he might even face the same fate as his victims didn''t make her falter.


    With a grin that she knew would fit a demon than a human, Mei Wu spoke, almost purring. Oh, how revenge is so sweet...


    "Do whatever you like with that trash."


    A smug smile appeared in front of her, as the Qi of nature seemed amused by her reply.


    "Really... Very well. I believe you can get a nap. We''ll go back to our lesson later."


    And then she sensed it, the feeling of drowsiness entering her. Did she get hit by a sleeping pollen?


    "If you wake up before I finish, you might enjoy the show if you''d like. Sweet dreams~!"


    Mei Wu didn''t know what to feel annoyed about. The fact that she wasn''t worried about falling unconscious in front of this beast girl called Kasumi Ai, or the fact that she might not join in taking her revenge until all the fun is sucked out of it.


    And her eyes closed with a cruel smile on her face.

 Chapter 14: In which I embrace my Alraune instincts for a while (+18)

    I was feeling rather happy right now.


    Mei Wu had been one fine gal, and she seemed that she was at least trustful enough not to be terrified of me and turn into a stuttering mess. I also have the feeling that she was trying to dissect my actions. She''s a very sharp one, and quite vengeful, too, seeing that sadistic smile even when she fell unconscious due to my pollen now that I would take care of that terrified Xie Yu guy.


    Still, while the informations about the names of the empires were correct, from what I can recall, and Jun Wu You was apparently ruling the Da Xia Empire, I will need to check on the timeline to see where I stand according to the "plot", if it existed in this reality. That emperor was nearly two centuries old, take a decade or two, when the plot began.


    But, that would wait until I deal with this extra first, and I noticed that I was feeling quite vindictive at the moment as I left the unconscious Mei Wu with the Worker Bees.


    There was just something very fascinating to how I was reacting to his fear, with glee and amusement that bordered on malice. Do I hate that guy this much?


    No, but the answer was rather simple when I look back at it. I was, to put bluntly, a predator of men and women as an Alraune, and I mean that in the sexual sense, since that is what being an Alraune entails.


    They are monsters who follow their lusftul desires without restraint, and would, if they liked their usually human prey enough, basically make them their sex slave, draining their energy or sexual fluids, and with their nectars being highly capable of healing stamina and inducing lust at a generally faster rate than the Alraunes will lose energy, the victim will never be able to stop the overflowing lust, nor die, being an endless energy-giving machine that''s so utterly broken that even being freed would still leave them as broken as before, if not more so.


    Thing is? I never tried to act like my instincts wanted. Partly because I didn''t have any human to test said instincts on, and the fact that I wanted my first interactions with sapient races to be positive if possible.


    But...


    I licked my lips, as I saw him, a mountain of muscles that would have easily been dangerous enough that he could fight against hundreds of armed soldiers in my previous life and win, and now he is just a terrified, crying, and begging for his miserable life.


    I had already killed the most troublesome one (Xie Li), and I have one to give me info (Mei Wu), so for this guy...


    It would be fine to enjoy myself, right? It would be acceptable to see just how cruel I can be when I am acting like my nature should tell me to, right?


    Eyes growing wide like a child who got a new toy, I moved towards that trash (prey) as my mouth started drooling, and my nose smelled that pulsing power in his body. Ripe for taking and being amassed into mine.


    "Ah, to think it''s this exciting, letting go of my restraints even this once." I spoke, my voice instinctually feeling rather fitting an erotic encounter more than me planning to torture him, though I frankly couldn''t feel any remorse about it. Only glee and amusement as I cut off the vines binding him to the tree, only to capture him in my own vines instead, lifting him to my level, face-to-face.


    "Ah- ah! Aaaaahhh! Help! Help me! Some-mmmph!" his screams, while giving me pleasant shivers, were still too loud for my preferences. Not to mention that we aren''t isolated enough for my liking, so, I gagged him with another vine.


    "How cute~! Screaming for help this early~?" I spoke, taking a moment to enjoy his terrified expression, before I swung a thorny vine and cut into his chest, and his wail would have probably been heard for kilometers if I hadn''t gagged him.


    "Still, who gave you permission to scream~? Honestly, you really should have better understanding of your current adventure with women, you know~ After all, your friend told me how much of a trash you are~!"


    I giggled, not even caring that he couldn''t understand me, the sheer cruelty I was indulging in was honestly rather liberating. The funny thing was that to me, this felt completely normal and natural. There was no disgust or hatred for what I am doing, even when I know that I once was a human just two weeks ago.


    It was natural for me to accept violence, even before I had been reborn. Society after all tends to glorify it. Many movies glorify violence. Almost all anime glorify it. After all, basically every shounen is basically a punchfest where one just hits the opposition so severely they lose consciousness, and in some cases, characters die from it, and it is treated as a dramatic moment.


    So, accepting the fact that I would kill others, human or not, was going to happen anyways.


    But torture? Sexual assault? Slavery? These, while they might be glorified in some medias, and the mileage of how people react to it may vary, are treated as an utterly horrible thing if taken at face value. Everyone, or more accurately, a lot of people, hate the idea of being seen liking it, much less self-inserting as the asshole doing it. Which is why people put a really, really thin veil on the self-insert''s actions through the lens of the reality of the show they write, by hiding that blatant cruelty, sadism, selfishness and possessiveness, with the thinnest of the curtains under the pretense of the main character being ''kind'' and ''not like other abusers and slave owners''.


    It''s also why these chinese stories have the protagonist being a sexual harasser but it is fine because of the period he is in, or that the girls like it actually.


    If I was a human, and was punted into this world with only the power to cultivate, no mental changes, or being prepared to fight for my life? I would have been killed when I first met that wolf simply due to sheer shock of actually being in life-or-death scenario. The meeting with the young master would end up with me warming his bed.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Long story short, I am now a beast through and through, and while I can think like when I was a human, I was still not one. I probably never will, and I don''t feel any sadness about that. Only amusement at the paradox of me being required to be human-like to reach my full potential, but I would ultimately not be a human.


    But, philosophy aside, I would need to have my fun with this poor guy who was thrashing violently against the binds and... crying? Honestly, he was already sobbing since he was awoken, but frankly, what is with this sheer cowardice?


    I thought that with their sheer assurance he acted before that he had faced many deadly situations where he survived, thus gettng that "unbreakable" confidence in his young master, or did he only get power and just tortured whoever he felt like it along with that Xie clan''s young master? I honestly think that the second is the actual answer.


    I know that I am grinning like a mad scientist, and I might or might not be discovering a Dom fetish towards my cute (future) preys from how I am feeling so gleeful my breasts would have started generating nectar with an intensity if I didn''t have the bare minimum of control over myself.


    My lower body was already drooling, and slowly giving exciting gruttal moans that l loved very much.


    "Don''t worry, big guy~ you will soon feel so much better~" I whispered, the voice heard despite it being rather quiet compared to his frantic muffled screams, as another vine lashed at him, causing his arm to bleed slightly.


    The binds tightened just a bit more as I heard the bones almost breaking, and I moved him in front of my face, making sure to be extra firm on his limbs, touching his face almost affectionately, despite my clear and utter cruelty towards him.


    "It''s fine, it''s fine. The pain will go away~" I told him as I made some healing nectar from my mouth and almost gently massaged his wounded areas with it, watching as the wounds rapidly vanished, much to his terror, realizing just what I can do with this ability.


    I honestly wonder, how much of my words does he understand? Surely, even with the language barrier between us, he would still understand the meaning from my tone and his predicament?


    More questions for later when I get a more secure playing area for my next human prey that would most probably include mortal bandits, weak Rankers and warriors, or just plain idiots.


    Hm, I better ask Mei Wu about any troublesome elders when she wakes up.


    "Now though..." my hand, such a fragile yet strong thing, gently moved across his chest and abdomen, before settling in one area, as six thin vines that looked deceptively weak pierced his shoulders.


    He felt pain, but not for long, as I started pumping small doses of both aphrosidiac and sedative nectars in his blood, along with a bit of healing nectars as well. It was truly, a terrifying blend that only an Alraune, along with very few beasts could make.


    I felt the heat in his body increase, as qi threatened to force him free, his eyes filling with lust as it overrode his terror, and his desire to satisfy that particular urge appeared as his member stood up erect and ready for action.


    Too bad for him that I wasn''t interested in that kind of action, as the sedative poison made sure that while he is still full of lust. He will be lustful, eager, and highly aroused, but he will never muster the power to harm me, nor even bother to do so.


    He would be just a blank and obedient pet, waiting for me to give him permission to satisfy my cravings, and the healing nectar would ensue that he would never run out of stamina if I wanted so.


    "Sorry, honey~ but I don''t have that kind of craving for you right now, instead..." my nails dug just a bit under his skin, drawing blood.


    I felt the qi of his, potent and pulsing, enhanced even further with my nectars as they fully spread into his system, and I pulled some that energy to my body.


    "Mmmmhhh~!" I felt myself moaning at the sheer sensation.


    It was miniscule, all things considered, compared to mine, but even so, it was just so damn delicious! Taking the energy directly from a living being is much more different than just consuming corpses, and so sensually tasty on top of it!


    "Oh, my~! To think that taking power this way would be this amazing... And I have to tell you this, big guy~ I thought that you were just a trash, but even a trash like you is still a warrior, therefore having quite the tasty energy!" I told him as he looked at me with that new blank, and apparently happy expression of his.


    "It seems that despite you being a fodder in the great sceme of things, being so weak that I would have killed you without a thought had I not been an Alraune, you being ignored by your own teammate who clearly hates your guts, you still are useful for something in your miserable life! Good for you~! You are the least trashy trash I have ever met in this life! You''re the fucking best!"


    And I was being completely honest about it. Aww~ he even realized that I praised him and he looks even happier! Had he been more than a prey for me, I might have kept him as a pet, probably, but mostly to turn him into an energy battery.


    Man, I feel like I''m treating this guy like a cultivation furnace or close to that, and I only feel amusement and joy from it.


    But sadly, I don''t have a lot of time on my hands, and I don''t need him for the most part.


    I stopped draining his Qi but didn''t stop injecting my nectars in him, and I took a few minutes to calm myself, mostly.


    Damn, that was one hell of a high! I will definitely repeat it again under more secure circumstances.


    "So, what am I supposed to do with you now, I wonder... Ah, I knew!" I snapped my fingers as I called a couple of Worker Bees and asked them a simple question.


    Does the Queen Bee eat monsters or humans? Oh, she does?


    Very well then! My trash will be given for her for food and a little gift for sending some help. Sure, the Worker Bees are admittedly weak, but if the Queen Bee became stronger, then she might be able to give birth to stronger Worker Bees like Bronze-ranked ones.


    But, should I go and visit the Queen Bee as well? I mulled over that decision.


    While I kinda forgot about it for a while, this guy was still from a clan, and I had killed their young master as well, and technically kidnapped one of their girls.


    ... Yeah... this is basically an invitation to shove an investigation at my sorry butt, and sadly, I am not ready to fight a whole clan yet.


    While I can probably defeat a Ranker of a Level 3 [Hero], and maybe Level 4 [Champion] if my skills can counter them or I was extremely careful, I would be crushed by anything stronger. Let alone the beasts they would have.


    That would not end well for me, and while I can always reject a summoning contract due to my higher will and sapience, and could even break and ignore one if I was contracted against my will, it would still be awful.


    Not to mention the fact that they would love to cut parts of me for pills or force me to make nectars for them.


    Yep. I really don''t like the possibility of that happening. I am now healed from the damage I had with Xie Li, I have two prisoners, and while I am sure that I have more than a few more days, maybe even weeks before the Xie clan notices the disappearances, better safe than sorry.


    Taking a breath, I used one of my vines to hold the unconscious Mei Wu while I made a makeshift net to lift the items I stripped from them.


    Sorry, lady. I know that dragging you into the territory of an another beast while you''re vulnerable would probably be received badly by you, but I still need you alive, plus you''re fun to talk with.


    "Very well, lead the way." I told the Worker Bees that looked way more excited than I thought they would be.


    Yes, yes, I know that your queen wanted to meet me, but can you at least not be as blatant about it?

 Chapter 15: A Queen’s thoughts.

    <div>


    One day, she awoke from her sleep, a strange feeling in her gut telling her that something different will happen. Something she knew would have probably happened sooner or later, but she hoped that it won''t be as terrible as what she thought it can become.


    The familiar buzzing of her servants didn''t catch her attention, as it was the same as always. They had nothing new to state beyond how some of the weaker Worker Bees had died in an unexpected fight against a Blaze Bear, and despite her annoyance, she didn''t react in any way more than her gigantic wings buzzing a bit louder as she flew around, her bodyguards following her.


    Silver-ranked, Level 3, as they are, her Protector Bees didn''t admittedly have a lot to do, since they were mostly her bodyguards, and their job simply required that they can protect her and report on what the newborn Worker Bees were doing from time to time. And as tragic the death of some of the newer bees she had gave birth to, it was simply the way of life, and while even a single death wasn''t preferred, she knew that sometimes things are fated to be.


    The Queen Bee, absolutely gigantic in size compared to any bee, easily reaching two meters in size, moved as she marched through her colony. Her home.


    Her head was as big as a human''s, antenna twitching every few seconds as she caught the sound of buzzing of her loyal minions working. Her thorax was as nearly twice as long, colored golden, and an abdomen so large it composed more than half her body, ending with one mean stinger that could kill weaker beasts and those human-like beings with just one hit, and poison if they were lucky enough to survive.


    And above her head, a golden halo glowed brightly, making it visible to the world just what she was; a King Beast. A Gold-ranked Level 6 Queen Bee, one that even Rankers reaching Level 6 [Elder] and Level 7 [Overlord] would drool and would love to pay anything including giving their newborn daughters to nobodies, all to make the queen of bees their beast if only for bragging rights.


    Even so, despite her power in this middle of nowhere place of this fragile forest, the queen of bees had not really wanted to stay in this place where prey were so extremely weak and untasty, and lack the unique nourishment she would have preferred, if not for these monsters. These disgusting, vile beings that wanted to force her to make a contract with her.


    Humans, they apparently were called as a race. People that nearly reached her in height, and demanded nothing but complete obedience from her; two monsterously powerful humans leading them, with books that seemed magically capable of summoning, and beasts that were too varied and powerful for her and her army of bees numbering thousands to defeat.


    Not being overrun by the sheer numbers of her kingdom as hundreds of her Normal and Bronze-ranked soldiers died, not caring about the stings of even her Silver-ranked Protector Bees, and not dying from her poison, as the humans slashed and punched at her and her kingdom, ripping away the cores and stingers from the corpses of her fallen army right in front of her.


    The enemy took heavy losses, as dozens of their beasts were killed without mercy, nearly ten of the humans dead, leaving barely four, with two of them barely surviving while the other two were slowed down so severely with the poison and their injuries that she could actually escape from these monsters that destroyed everything she knew and nearly crippled her body, their desire to contract her being the only thing that allowed her to survive with very severe, yet non-crippling injuries.


    To think that she had to trick one of these weaker human beings to make contract with her to survive, to be able to heal before ditching that fool when he was by sheer luck exploring the forest she was currently in due to a quest he was tasked to make, and finishing the fool when he summoned her to kill some weak bear, before deciding to restart her kingdom.


    Scars weren''t thing she expected to get, but here she was, her abdomen, along the yellow and black stripes, showing a prominent scar that kept going until it nearly reached her thorax.


    It was a fine price for survival, in her opinion. Her kingdom was not a fine price though. Not by a long shot.


    But that was in the past, or at least that''s what she was trying to tell herself.


    As she flew, her colony hadn''t even moved from what they were doing, knowing full well that as long as their queen did not ask for them to stop working, then they would continue doing so until their reserves were too low, where others would take their places while the tired ones recuperate.


    It was a shame that her current resources were too little for her to rebuild her kingdom to what it once was, otherwise this hive would have had a dozen or so of Silver-ranked Protector Bees instead of merely five, and she would have had nearly triple that for Bronze-ranked Level 2 Drone Bees, and hundreds of Worker Bees instead of merely sixty or so.


    Lamenting her situation in her heart, she continued her flight as she inspected the members as they followed their orders without hesitance, only buzzing to ask when help is needed, or the rare moment she moved to personally speak to them.


    Honestly, the day felt rather normal, really, and she didn''t see how it would cause any changes in her routine.


    Until a bunch of Worker Bees returned.


    She didn''t expect something truly powerful, nor something unique. Just maybe some honey from the weaker (and mindless) bee colonies or maybe some weak prey or plants to help her produce more soldiers and inhabitants.


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    Then she smelled what the group had. The sweet scent practically flowing in the air and she could feel that her minions, hard working and dutiful, were doing their best not to leave their work to glimpse at the heaven-made golden nectar she saw her obedient Worker Bees holding.


    Even she herself couldn''t resist the curiosity in her mind and how her taste buds wanted to see how delicious these nectars are.


    Despite her inability to actually speak, she was able to order the Worker Bees to bring the nectars into her domain, without any need to even use the mental link that she has with all her bee subordinates and children.


    ''Bring that to my domain and tell me where you got it.'' Only her buzzing was heard, and they obeyed.


    And then she got to hear the most bizarre story in her opinion.


    A Thorny Alraune? The Queen Bee almost titled her head from confusion.


    What kind of beast is that? She didn''t really see one with the same descriptions at all! And not only that, but apparently her upper half was looking "human" while the lower one looked like a giant monster plant?


    The "human" part made her worried. What if that monster was actually a human disguising itself as a beast to harm her? Ruin her hive, her home, once more? That wasn''t something she''d want to happen.


    But the Worker Bees made it clear that the Alraune was only a beast, a Normal-ranked Level 1 at that.


    That was a slightly relaxing news, as it meant that this beast wasn''t one that could harm her... yet.


    Still, even she understood how the Alraune''s nectar would be highly helpful. With just consuming a mere small cup''s worth by human standards, she felt that she can make twice the amount of honey she usually can on a daily basis! And it even restores some stamina!


    True, the amount restored is rather insignificant to her, but to her servants? The weaker ones would be filled with enough energy to fly for ten times longer than they did before!


    Even if this was just the Thorny Alraune being terrified of her life and making only a bargain, that would be fine to have a constant supply of this material, and if the Queen Bee refined and processed it carefully, she could even use it to reproduce more Bronze and Silver-ranked soldiers more often.


    Yes, this Alraune might be a good subordinate, if she was willing, or a partner if that was more preferred if she could give this treasure constantly.


    But, even so, the Queen Bee didn''t want to trust blindly as that is the biggest of follies. Instead, she decided to see if this Thorny Alraune was truly honest as she sent the same Worker Bees to test this new variable.


    A simple mission: as the next day begins, her bees will capture a bunch of weak beasts to give to the Alraune, but not to deliver it right away, and instead bother the Alraune in the morning by waking her up.


    If she lashed right away and killed the Worker Bees, then it wasn''t a good choice to hope for an equal cooperation, and the Alraune would either be ignored or killed since the beast was too stupid to think or plan ahead.


    If she killed the bees after noticing the prepared ''offering'', then she is capable of thinking, but is blatantly traitorous and must either be killed or kept on a very short leash if the Queen Bee decided to work with her.


    The Queen Bee didn''t expect the bees to return not only unharmed, but also given nectars as the previous day. If anything, the nectars were even more potent with strong healing proprieties! This would be great for emergiencies!


    "Thanks for the meal!" the Alraune apparently told them, and with a smile on her face! Maybe this one is smarter than the queen of bees gave credit for.


    Maybe she should try contacting this Thorny Alraune?


    And so, a few days passed.


    <hr>


    The evolution of the Thorny Alraune wasn''t something she had expected.


    Certainly, it wasn''t a big concern, but it still worried the Queen Bee.


    While she was a Gold-ranked beast, and a Golden King one at that, it concerned her how easily the Alraune had evolved.


    A bigger concern is that the Thorny Alraune can cultivate. A trait the queen of bees knew to be a skill that only humans and their likes can manage, yet this Normal-ranked, now Bronze-ranked beast can do it.


    It was something beyond absurd! Even the queen of bees herself couldn''t cultivate (admittedly due to not knowing how), so seeing that weak plant-type beast being able to cultivate, something that apparently only Holy Beasts and higher beasts can do, was honestly rather jealousy-inducing.


    If she was able to cultivate, or knew how, she might have not lost her previous kingdom! Alas, it seems that luck is such a fickle thing, and the Queen Bee decided to keep observing.


    Surprisingly, the Alraune, despite having enough power to easily kill her Bronze-ranked Level 5 Fighter Bees, still treated the Worker Bees with casual friendliness and kept giving the nectars, some filled with potent healing prowess, and no disrespect except for what is apparently an act of teasing.


    The Alraune, changing her locations ringed alarm bells in the Queen Bee''s head, but it seemed like the Alraune didn''t actually plan to harm her at all. Even after evolving into a Silver-ranked Large Rainblossom Alraune, she still acted nicely to the Worker Bees, giving them double the treats of nectars at times.


    The Queen Bee was impressed. Very much so, and she genuinely pondered if making an alliance at the very least would be the better option. Just a week after she found about the Alraune and she had gained so many benefits! Maybe she would have to see her face-to-face!


    But, would that be good? That was the only thing worrying about it. What if her trust was misplaced? Would it be fine to rush and choose rapidly?


    Then again, time waits for no one, as one day, a Worker Bee returned rather panicked.


    Humans. Humans appeared and killed some of her minions that were accompanying the Alraune.


    The Alraune defeated them singe-handedly, and in fact, they were so easily defeated, from the Worker Bee''s viewpoint that it felt like she was hearing a legend.


    If even she, the Queen Bee had to retreat against the human enemies, yet the Alraune won on her own, then that meant that either the humans and their beasts were so weak they would probably lose against her Silver-ranked Protector Bees, or that the Alraune was much stronger than even her to be able to defeat humans so easily, with only a few injuries.


    And once again, while picking the first choice would be more convenient, she preferred to think of the worst first, thus she raised her impression of the Alraune, now apparently calling herself Kasumi Ai, to be magnitudes stronger, just in case.


    Hours later, another one of her low-ranked minions came, and telling her that Kasumi Ai will come both to give her a gift in the form of a human she captured, and to also see the queen for the first time.


    Had she not been as dignified and composed as she is, she would have sweated like a human at these news.


    A being that seemed to ignore the natural order was now planning to visit her, and rather urgently at that.


    This could be either a blessing, or a curse, but if there''s one thing she knows, it''s that at times you can only go with the flow and see where that leads, even if she didn''t like that advice herself.


    But, no chance better than the present to see if this Kasumi Ai would be a great boon, or a calamity she would have to eliminate...

 Chapter 16

    You know what? Ever since I decided to go meet the Queen Bee, there was this weird feeling that I was back to my previous life and having a surprise exam out of nowhere and without any warning or time to even memorize anything.


    And I really didn''t like that feeling. It was like I would be examined so heavily that even a petal out of place would result in me being decapitated! I honestly pondered if someone basically cursed me to have a terrible encounter or something.


    Or maybe I''m just paranoid now that I would have to meet someone who is technically a ''boss'' who would judge and criticize every action of mine...


    Thus, holding the two unconscious Mei Wu and Xie Yu that were sleeping soundly as I made sure they got hit with enough sleeping toxins to stay that way until I finally arrive, I decided to talk with the bees to pass the time.


    "So, the Queen Bee also wants to meet me?" I asked as a Worker Bee joined the group. She had apparently been flying to tell their boss about my visit.


    A nod was the answer as wings buzzed louder than usual.


    "So, what is her opinion of me? I never really asked about that, did I?"


    A single loud buzz ensued, and I was feeling insulted.


    "What do you mean that even though my nectar is greatly helpful and despite being nice, she still thinks I will betray her!? And wait, why didn''t she at least try to tell me, or have you do so?" and yes, I understood all that from that single sound.


    Another bee buzzed. I pouted.


    "What do you mean that there are ranks of importance for outsiders who make contact with the hive, and that since I am the only one that is making contact with her, even indirectly, that makes me both the lowest and highest level of importance?"


    Yet another buzz... Uh, what?


    "What do you mean that you''re only answering depending on your lower intelligence and known info and that she didn''t tell you anything but to let me visit? That makes your previous answers arguably unreliable, you know?"


    The Worker Bee closest to me looked at me as she apparently did the equivalent to a shrug.


    I looked at her blankly.


    "What do you mean, the Queen Bee knows best? That''s basically a circlejerk echo chamber argument, you know that, right? Just like what these guys think about their elders, well, at least I think that guy feels so, when the elders are on his side, at least." I pointed towards the sleeping humans.


    Another look.


    "Ugh, fine! I won''t argue about the absurdity of the arguments you''re giving." I huffed at them.


    I really wonder how the meeting will go though. I''m really concerned. Not to mention that the closer we are, they seem to get more intelligent and energetic, these Worker Bees.


    Are they getting smarter due to their proximity to their hive? Or is that related to being closer to the Bee Queen? I won''t be surprised if there was something like that, with the bees being highly social beings. Do they become more capable with the presence of stronger protectors and rulers of their race?


    That would be fascinating, honestly. And rather terrifying. That means that they are stronger when they are together, but rather fragile when on their own.


    At least, if that was true. For all I know, I am just overthinking and the bees around me are just happy to go to their home.


    The walk continued, until we reached a place that seemed to be as similar to any other in the forest, much to my confusion.


    There was no different smell, or change in the atmosphere, not was there any differences in the sceneries. Just the plants and the few insects roaming, and nothing else.


    If I walked here before, I would pass through this area without a second glance. But since I was brought here by the bees, I knew that this was their hive''s area.


    "So, the queen hid your hive?" I asked, and got a buzzing nod as an answer, as a Worker Bee moved towards the soil, and-


    I clutched my ears as a very weird and silently loud shriek reached me. It was really baffling. There was no voice, no echo, no noise or disturbance to any other being, but apparently, only I and the other bees heard it.


    No, Mei Wu and Xie Yu shuddered even in their sleep at the scream. Was it one that only those with high-enough qi can notice? That was the most logical answer.


    What happened next surprised me, as a surface nearly twice my lower mouth''s size morphed as grass changed into some strangely liquid matter.


    Honey? I blinked at that. No, not exactly honey, but it is highly similar from the smell, but just seconds ago it was acting and feeling like how grass and plants feel like.


    "A camouflaging honey-like liquid? Made to mimic the area it was put in?" I looked at them shocked, as they only nodded.


    I looked back to the entrance, and I was even more surprised that I couldn''t sense any qi from beyond it. I was certain that the qi of an entire colony would be hard to hide this close, but even when I extended my senses, I felt nothing.


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    This liquid is also capable of hiding qi beyond it, so that''s how they hide their colony!


    A bee casually flew, and her body went through the yellow liquid with no resistance. The liquid didn''t even make any waves, as if it was air, as if it never existed.


    Whatever rank I thought the Queen Bee was, I raised that rank more. She''s definitely more creative than I expected her to be.


    Soon, it was my turn as I stepped on the entrance letting myself fall, feeling like I was walking through a very thin membrane that I knew was strong enough to fool my senses with no difficulty.


    It was honestly like I was a girl having sensory deprivation suddenly being able to see, hear, and feel, as my mind froze for a second as my senses felt like they were screaming at me.


    Qi, large amount of qi was suddenly visible to my senses, with a density that easily dwarfed my own. Individually, I could probably match some of them, but with these numbers reaching hundreds, and multiple ones having amounts of qi close to my own? I would be killed in less than a minute if they ganged on me.


    And they will gladly do so if I showed hostility. My instincts were ringing loudly and telling me to be extremely cautious.


    I was soon met with two bee beasts larger than the Worker Bees.


    One was without any stinger, and seemed to have more of a mindless aura. A Bronze-ranked Level 2 Drone Bee, my instincts told me. It would be easy to defeat for me right now, but I knew that if I fought this thing when I was a Bronze-ranked beast, I would have lost. Or at least I wouldn''t be able to decisively defeat it due to its speed.


    The other one, a bit larger, having a stinger, practically oozed danger as its eyes looked at me. A Silver-ranked Level 3 Protector Bee. This one... this one spells trouble. I felt myself sweating under its gaze and I pondered if going here was a good idea, but I can''t even run away now. This guy will stab me the moment my back was turned, I felt deep in my soul.


    I could probably win if I fought it one-on-one. Probably. If I managed to injure it and poison it quick enough, but I doubted that I would be able to hit it at all unless the battle area was a really closed space. And while I could most likely resist the poison it has, I wouldn''t be able to stop it from ripping my head off my shoulders with its speed unless I focused really hard on defense.


    If this is the queen''s bodyguard, then how strong could she be?


    The Protector Bee looked at me, buzzing, and I felt its skeptic question.


    "Yes, protector. I am the Alraune." I did my best not to show my worry and try to be respectful, though I couldn''t really do so since it seemed to glare at me harder.


    Thankfully, the sweet Worker Bees came to the rescue and buzzed, telling it to back off, since I am the queen''s guest. The protector looked at me for a moment more before turning its back and practically telling me to follow.


    "Thank you." I mouthed to the gentle bees that came to defend me.


    But, even as I followed the strict and rightfully distrustful Protector Bee accompanied with my small comrades, I felt the continuous shiver running down my spine as I moved closer to the Queen Bee.


    My heart wasn''t hammering... yet. But even from here, I felt the presence. It wasn''t overwhelming, only because I am not seeing her face-to-face, or because she isn''t trying.


    I honestly didn''t know what was worse.


    I would love to say the length of trip that felt it continued for hours allowed me to calm down, but I honestly was still feeling terrified as the presence kept following me, and the walk ended up all too soon as all what remained was one turn before I get to meet with the Queen Bee directly.


    I took that turn, and the world crashed.


    "...!"


    An intense pressure fell on me, one that simply froze me in my tracks as my eyes looked at the giant bee gazing right at me, and I realized that I didn''t grade the Queen Bee''s threat level enough.


    Despite me doing my best to think of how dangerous she is, my utterly paralyzed body made it clear that my imagination wasn''t enough.


    My Qi was circulating through my body, doing its best not to allow me to die just from fear, as my heart was beating so loud I thought it would explode. The world seemed to be surprisingly silent, despite the large sound of buzzing around me, as the presence of this... this monster... practically consumed the area.


    Only her own wings buzzing faintly could I hear, and my body was sweating as I felt uncontrollable terror make itself clear on my face, and even breathing felt so unbearably difficult. And if I was breathing, I definitely couldn''t notice.


    I couldn''t move, couldn''t speak, only stay locked in this place hoping that she stops just so I can freaking breathe!


    I was certain, that the only reason I didn''t try to escape was just because both my mind and instincts were basically telling me to do the same thing:


    Freeze and let her do whatever. Fighting or escaping from this beast is flatout impossible at your current level.


    Like I can even move to even think of doing anything else!


    Just as quickly as it appeared, the pressure stopped. No, it didn''t stop. It just was toned down to far manageable levels.


    "Ha!" I breathed, sweat drenching my body, both my faces terrified and I just wanted my upper half to melt from the sheer horror of the whole experience.


    It was probably only for a few seconds, that pressure, but for me, it felt like an eternity just gazing on a god-like entity!


    My heart was racing painfully I thought I would be having a heart attack as I clutched my chest.


    The Queen Bee''s aura grew just for a moment as I looked at her, and I saw her body language, and I was genuinely scared even further.


    Because even though she couldn''t speak, I understood what she meant.


    It would have been just a bit easier to swallow if she was bragging, mocking, or uncaring. No, she was serious. For whatever reason, she deemed me to be a being that needed to be treated seriously.


    ''Welcome to my humble home, Alraune.'' she spoke, with nothing but body language and a small change of aura that only beasts could understand, and she felt so casual despite the sheer seriousness of how she said it.


    My voice cracked. A dull laugh exited from my mouth before I can stop it, but while I sensed the Silver-ranked bee glaring, the Queen Bee didn''t even react to that.


    Barely, I managed to answer, my upper half bowing a bit.


    "I- I am really glad to finally see you, honored Queen Bee." I spoke, trying to keep my voice as steady as possible.


    ''There''s no need for such overdramatic manners, Alraune, or shall I call you Kasumi Ai?'' a buzzing ensues, and I once againt freeze in my place. There was seriousness, but there was also amusement in how she asked me.


    I took a moment to calm down, before I looked at her in the eyes, "Th-thanks, Queen Bee. I''d prefer to call me Kasumi Ai, if you''d want t-to."


    ''Very well.'' with just that, I felt the tension in my body leaving. I was still shivering and terrified out of my mind, but I felt that I won''t be killed at this moment.


    ''Now, Kasumi Ai, was it?'' she seemed so amused, ''let us talk about why you decided to visit, then we can discuss the presence of humans. We have enough time.''


    I breathed a sigh of relief at that.


    At least, she is listening. Bothering to listen, more precisely.


    I smiled, though it was a rather strained smile.


    To think that this is how strong this Gold-ranked Level 6 Queen Bee. To think that I am standing in front of a Golden King, and to think that even my imagination could even understand the sheer gap...


    I really was a frog in a well, aren''t I?

 Chapter 17

    "And thus, I came here, saw you, and you asked me to tell you my story..."


    I had finished telling my story for the Queen Bee who looked, or at least seemed rather relaxed even after I told her about what happened since my birth into this world two weeks ago, to a couple of hours ago.


    Of course, I didn''t tell her about me being a reincarnator, and the fact that I can cultivate, because, well, how can I even talk about that right now? "Hey, you might not know, or care about this, but before I spawned here, I was a normal human in another world where the setting we are now in was just a story by some chinese person, and I can cultivate because I asked a goddess to allow me have access to that ability!"


    ... Yeah... unless asked about it, I''d rather not open that can of worm anytime soon, even if it would be opened at some point. I''d prefer to have SOME time to calm myself and think properly before tackling that subject, at least until the Queen Bee asked about it.


    Giving the equivalent to a hum, the queen of bees shrugged, and I felt her outward calm looks hiding the serious thought process that was going.


    ''So, these humans, you said you might want to spare the woman? And what about that unconscious guy?'' she asked me with no words spoken, such was the communication between the two of us. Honestly, her ''words'' were far more understandable than that Black Wolf I fought more than a week ago.


    No doubt it''s due to her far higher intelligence and power that she can make her intent clear to other beasts with no need to actual words, just using her body language and the small expressions on her face.


    "Y-yes. I believe she is a good... well, I won''t say friend... so maybe a companion, in my opinion, or a minion if you want to identify it that way. Plus, she can understand you a lot more than most humans due to her Qi sensing skill. It seems quite potent from what I understood of it." I told her.


    Of course, while I am hoping for her to spare Mei Wu, I won''t argue if the Queen Bee wanted her dead. Just the previous hour made it clear that if this beast wanted to do something to me, she can do so just because she can. Which is why I hoped that she accepts Xie Yu''s honorable sacrifice instead.


    "As for that guy... well, I don''t really have much use for him beyond a slave and energy machine for me to feed on, which I don''t think I have the time to indulge in right now, and so, I''d be glad to heed to whatever fate you have for him."


    Yep, completely honorable, all things considered. At least, in my really humble(d) opinion.


    I felt sweat appearing on my body as the queen looked at me, her eyes feeling like they were trying to see any hints of deceit I might have in my heart, as time seemed to stop between the two of us, until she finally decided what to do.


    ''Very well, then. I will let the woman live for now, but she will be under your command. I don''t expect her to be happy and proud about it, but she either understands it and knows her place, or she leaves my domain with a price.'' I felt a shiver down my spine at that, knowing that the price would be worse than servitude.


    ''Don''t disappoint me, Kasumi Ai.''


    I felt my body relaxing just a bit. That was basically a permission, if I am even remotely correct about this Queen Bee''s thoughts.


    ''And as for that guy, I would take your offer for him as a meal for me and my hive.'' the answer was stated casually, and I honestly felt cold when I heard it, despite me having no care or reservations about doing so for any being I killed before.


    I wonder if that was due to it coming from this monster that I know is unbelievably stronger than me at the moment or the fact that it could also be a threat directed at me, knowing that I won''t be able to stop her from doing the same to me if she wished for that to happen.


    "I''m really glad for your generosity." I really was. By xianxia novel standards, she''s a saint in how she acted.


    ''It would be just foolish of me not to allow you show me your worthiness. As I said about your... companion, I don''t expect you to treat my hive as your new home or like it, but as long as you don''t purposely test my patience or do so too much, you will be fine.''


    Yup, a saint. Is it because of her being the queen of a hive, and the fact that bees are highly social beings is the reason she is this merciful? That makes sense if I look at it from that angle. Honestly, I am rather happy that her being a bee actually mattered, and she didn''t just act like a random carnivorous monster like many people write bees to be like, especially if the bees are just fodders whose only characteristics is that they are in a hive.


    Now, the only problem is to make sure I can grow in power, and make sure that I become strong enough to even escape if needed.


    "Yes!" my voice heightened just slightly more than usual, "Uh, I should go to my... new room or living area, now, correct? Assuming you are generous enough to give me one...?" I asked, and I just felt the awkwardness in the air on my side.


    A moment of silence before the Queen Bee buzzed again. Amusement, I felt.


    ''Yes, you and your companion can have one. But before that, I have one last question for the day...''


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    My heart raced at that, and despite my best, her curious look and aura nearly caused me to cringe, as my face got stuck on a nerveous smile, my mind racing and wondering just what she might want to know, and already expecting the worst.


    Just what she is planning to ask me about? Me being able to evolve so fast compared to other beasts? Or maybe she is just planning to torment me with a ''you won''t betray me correct?'' question, appealing to power?!


    Sweat started to appear once more on my face, and I swallowed hard.


    "Y-yes...?"


    Then, the question that would result in my death had come...


    ''Do you know about the flower in your human part''s chest?''


    Yes, my secret is out and I am going to di- wait what?


    My mouth opened on its own to plead for my life, before my brain processed what she just said.


    "Uhh... what...?" I asked dumbly, still terrified yet strangely relaxed, and utterly confused.


    I blinked, and I felt even the leaves of mine that were tense went limp from the sheer whiplash in the mood.


    "... my flower...?" I pointed at the rainbow flower on my chest, and the ones on my lower body.


    ''Yes, that one. Do you know what it does, and can you create more of it?''


    ... Well, color me shocked. I wasn''t going to be killed here, but just asked about the strange rainbow flower I have on my body.


    "I don''t know what it is." the truth. I never really had any time to check it out at all.


    I had evolved into a Silver-ranked beast only the night before Mei Wu and the two Xie assholes ''visited'' me, then had some time fighting, more time recuperating from the injuries, talked with Mei Wu and tormented Xie Yu for a couple of hours, then immediately went to meet the queen of bees. I had no time to see what the heck the flowers on my body even were, and my ability to create and understand flora by consuming them didn''t help since these rainbow flowers came "naturally," or so I assume.


    I assume they can probably be some rare kind of flower that can only appear once every few years or something, or they can just be some normal flower, but the areas of the forest I was in just didn''t have it.


    Regardless, I don''t know what they are. But creating more of them though...


    "Though I might probably be able to create more? I am not sure." I was uncertain, really.


    The rainbow flower was definitely one I didn''t see before, nor did I consume them, so I might not be able to create more of them.


    "Are they important around here?" I asked her.


    ''Not really.'' despite the clearly nonchalant mood, I definitely felt disappointment coming from her. What did I do?


    She... definitely knows what this flower does, doesn''t she? I want to ask what it is, but I love myself alive, and I''d rather not risk it by irking my rather currently benevolent ''host.''


    ''Just go to your current living area and enjoy the night. You would be given your tasks tomorrow. But give that male to me.'' she dismissed me.


    Knowing that I wasn''t needed for now, I left, leaving Xie Yu to her and holding a still-unconscious Mei Wu with me, and casually leaving as the Silver-ranked Protector Bee guided me to my chamber,


    This time, it wasn''t glaring as hard at me. Apparently me being accepted by the queen made me a bit more respected in its eyes.


    I felt my body relaxing as the presence of the Queen Bee wasn''t as overpowering as before. It very much was still present, but it wasn''t that all-consuming like before, and soon enough, I reached my new ''living area.''


    It was basically a giant honeycomb-looking cell, large enough to fit me and Mei Wu comfortably. Many of the Worker Bees and Drone Bees were also there taking... wax and honey out of the honeycomb-like room?


    They really are going above what I expected of them...


    I gladly thanked them as I entered, and I was rather shocked when I felt the same sensation I had when I entered the hive''s entrance. So they even had that part implemented on every honeycomb the bees live inside. Though it seems to be only there for comfort instead of actual protection.


    I put the still sleeping Mei Wu on the ground then I took a long and deep breath as my Qi circled through my body and I decided to sleep, completely spent.


    It was quite late at this point, so might as well take this time to get much-needed rest. The corpses of the Hound and Xie Li were still in my lower mouth being digested, and that would probably finish in a few days even with my speeding up the process with my Qi.


    Oh well, I guess I would just need to survive until then, hopefully.


    And my petals closed on my upper half, as black consumed my vision. I''d really love a good night''s sleep right now.


    <hr>


    I was awoken to the sounds of screams and wails in a place close to me. Even before the petals separated, the eyes on my large lower body were already open, looking around, and my internal clock instinctually telling me that it was close to the sunrise, timewise, but I ignored it as I focused on the sounds.


    Mei Wu finally awoke, but it was clearly not a happy wake-up.


    Face looking pale as she looked around, and her Qi was feeling quite terrified, and body frozen in shock.


    "-Ai! Kasumi Ai!" her words became clearer, and I realized that her eyes were looking around as best as she could as she called for me.


    "I''m awake." I answered as I focused my attention at her, and she looked just the slightest bit calmer, most likely due to her Qi senses telling her that I am with her with no intent to harm her.


    She... would have attempted to run if I left her alone here, wouldn''t she?


    "Wh-where... where are we...?" she moved her head, fear visible as her eyes kept moving around. "What happened? Why do I smell the scent of honey in such overpowering manner? How did- how did we get here!?" the voice became louder that it bordered on hysterical.


    She almost looked pleadingly at me to answer her, but I knew that she would most definitely not like the answers even if I could speak in a language she can understand.


    Sensing that while many of the bee beasts are already awake, but none were in front of our ''room'', so either the Queen Bee decided to let us have some time on our own before telling us to work, so I decided to use this chance to talk to the obviously terrified woman and calm her down, even a bit, which is why one of my vines moved in front of her, as I created some fruits and sweet nectar.


    "Calm down, please." I tried to make my tone as calming as possible. If I am to explain what happened, I need her to think properly, or at least not practically hysterical.


    Her mouth opened at my words and intent, yet no words were made, instead she did her best to breathe as she shook violently, trying to calm herself as best as possible, only succeeding minutes later.


    Now, I can begin to try telling her what''s going on.


    "Where... where are... we?" was her first question as fear was visible on her face, even eating my nectar wasn''t helping much, though she wasn''t as terrified as before.


    Honestly, I didn''t know how to tell her we are inside the hive. If only I could talk her language as easily as I can understand it...


    Sighing, I started doing my best to explain what just happened. Let''s hope we both finish this conversation soon enough, since I feel that the Queen Bee might also feel like meeting Mei Wu to ''explain'' the terms of our new... employment, so to speak.

 Chapter 18

    Mei Wu was not happy. Not at all. To say that she was terrified would be an understatement, in her opinion, and understanding what Kasumi Ai was telling her through motions and how the Alraune''s Qi was changing to show her emotions, along with the overpowered smell of all the other sources of Qi around as well, it was obvious why she wasn''t thrilled.


    ''A hive. I was dragged into a hive of bee beasts, holding many Silver-ranked ones, and a fucking Gold-ranked Level 6 Queen Bee on top of that!'' she thought as she looked as pale as a ghost from the sheer terror of the mere idea.


    She wanted to just scream so hard her throat would tear itself, to scream that this was not even real, that she was not in a place where she is nothing but a mere ant that could be killed with the same effort one uses to throw away pebbles on their path, that this was nothing but a highly vivid dream she was experiencing due to Kasumi Ai''s sleeping pollens.


    She would have preferred death by Kasumi Ai''s hands instead if this nightmare she was in!


    But, reality was such a cruel thing. Not only was it too vivid for her to deny as a mere nightmare, but her senses were clearly telling her in the bluntest way imaginable that this was true, as honey almost drowned every other smell she could sense.


    Easily overpowering both her and Kasumi Ai''s Qi that the only reason she could notice it was due to the physical closeness between the two, allowing her to even sense the Qi of nature.


    Mei Wu was badly shaking at the news, knowing that her life had turned much worse than she had ever imagined. It wasn''t even like she was going to be killed by the Queen Bee or her army, or even by this alraune that was even now trying to help her calm down.


    This terror was too much for even Kasumi Ai''s made fruits to subdue, too much for Mei Wu to be able to shove down so easily.


    A part of her mind wondered on if she had been brought here to be killed, or if she was just betrayed by the beast in front of her, then maybe she wouldn''t feel so terrified, that she would just feel resigned and accept death as nothing but a random, forgotten meal to a Golden King Beast, if she had been killed instead of just being brought here to be what is basically a slave for a Gold-ranked beast.


    But of course, a treacherous part in her mind, fueled by her desire to live almost mocked that very notion. People prefer death over slavery, but only after they find themselves enslaved and tortured do they truly think that death could be a better alternative.


    If they knew there was a genuine chance of death, a true and basically guaranteed probability that they would die in the next minute, they would attempt to offer anything to spare themselves the threat of death, that as long as it wasn''t so extremely against their morals, they tell themselves that they would gladly do it just to live another minute.


    Mortals would gladly do that, just to get an extra moment of life. Weak beasts would do that, when they are so outgunned and outnumbered, and would gladly accept a given contract just to survive. Only the few that had abnormal egos and desires would even dare to look at death as it gazed at them, much less spit in its direction.


    Not even the warriors and Rankers she met were that different in that regard, and only a few were so brave, so prideful, so self-centered and self-absorbed and so foolish that they laughed at the threat of death when it truly loomed at them as they fought an enemy they knew for certain was way out of their league, when they fully understood that this wasn''t a trick but an actual deadly opponent they have no chance to even injure, and only when they wanted to mock their killers or succeed in what they defined as a victory did they smile even as they died.


    That, was death.


    A presence so overwhelmingly all-encompassing that only those who love themselves to an obnormal degree, or care about their pride or another thing in their lives as much, would even start to ignore its existence.


    And even then, death''s presence could return at any moment, never truly leaving them alone as long as they lived.


    And Mei Wu would easily admit that she was nowhere as brave or prideful as any of these people. How could she be, when she can literally sense the powers of any being around her, when she can sense the changes of their moods? When after all this time, her life was nothing but a series of prisons with different torture methods? When even now, she was so pathetically weak compared to even her two former ''teammates'' that she could probably only severely injure Xie Yu if she tried her best at the cost of her life?


    Even if she was still arguably stronger than many of the servants and some of the lower-level clan members, was that a great achievement to be proud of?


    No, it wasn''t. And she knew very well that if she was given the choice to either serve or die someone so superior, with no other options, she would definitely choose obedience, not only due to her instincts, but it was the only thing she knew so far, and what allowed her to survive since she was brought to the Xie clan.


    There was no other choice for her now, other than to hope that the Queen Bee wasn''t as cruel as her imagination and her Qi senses made the beast feel like. Even if rejecting the ''offer'' still allowed her to live, but what kind of life would that be? Surviving with only an arm or leg? Having a deadly poison that would permanantly cripple her? She might as well be dead in that case!


    And even if she managed to survive, there was nowhere for her to go. The Xie clan would have her head on a pike after weeks of torture due to the young master who had strong beasts and a grimoire dying while she, a random daughter of a prostitue survived instead of sacrificing herself to save him. And in the chance one of the more level-headed elders defended her, that still made her a pariah and an even worse nobody to the other clan members.


    ''Either way... I have no more choices.'' she bitterly thought as she followed the bees and Kasumi Ai to get her ''golden chance'' to meet the queen of bees face-to-face.


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    The sensation of honey and poison started getting even stronger and purer with every step she walked, and the presence of Kasumi Ai was in no way helping, despite her wanting to believe it would be better to face the Queen Bee with another person on her side.


    How could she hope it could help when her senses are telling her that her and Kasumi Ai''s Qi are practically being dyed upon by the sheer intensity of the power of the queen of bees, after all? How can she feel safe when the only person she would even give some trust to protect her is just as terrified as she is, if only to a slightly less extent?


    "Here we are..."


    Despite not knowing what the Alraune said, the intent behind the words was clear as day, and even more so as they felt the power condensed so heavily that Mei Wu would have fainted had she not prepared herself for the meeting, and the very, very lucky fact that the queen of bees just wanted to meet her.


    Heart throbbing in her heart so violently she feared it would explode, steps beginning to shake from the terror as it intensified, Mei Wu swallowed as she met the Queen Bee, and terror followed as the sensation of being drowned in honey and poison filled her view.


    <hr>


    "Urghhh...! Ha... ugh...! Oh, gods...! I can''t believe that happened...!"


    Heaving, Mei Wu panted as her body shook as she finally stopped puking. She would rather not deal with this kind of experience again, and many others if she was honest, but if knowing that she would almost definitely stay here for a long time, it would be more prudent and helpful to adapt.


    Giving a shuddering breath, she gratefully took the nectar that Kasumi Ai gave to her, the taste calming her just slightly, and taking away the awful taste of bile in her mouth.


    "Hah... That feels better..." she sighed with a sick sensation of relief even as her body dropped on the ground, still shivering from the sheer stress the whole experience gave her.


    Just seeing the Queen Bee made her feel she would die, and the queen paying attention to her made her feel like her very soul would be cracked until nothing remained.


    Truly, Gold-ranked beasts are on a completely different level.


    Yet, despite all her expectations, she survived, if only because the queen of bees felt like it, but she still survived. Now, she can only hope that the Queen Bee would be a bit more reasonable than most the people she had the misfortune to meet in her life.


    Despite intellectually knowing that not every beast is so casual and welcoming as the Alraune that dragged her into this place, but she hoped that the Queen Bee would be similar, if only slightly.


    She pushed down the feeling of hurt that rose at the idea of Kasumi Ai dragging her here without even waking her up and telling her first to choose.


    That only reinforced the fact that despite them talking and interacting calmly, they only knew each other for only a few hours at most, and that of course, unless there was a very good and real reason to connect to each other so strongly, such as a battle against an impossible threat and the two barely surviving by working together, such a short moment that was spent on just talking wouldn''t be enough to give that kind of understanding and trust between her and Kasumi Ai.


    The heavens are truly intent on throwing her expectations out of the way at this period of her life, it seemed.


    A change in the sensation of Qi around her awoke her from her thoughts as she looked at the Large Rainblossom Alraune that brought her to this situation.


    Kasumi Ai''s Qi twisted, showing disgust as the alraune looked at the vomit before her lower half started spewing acid on it, disintegrating it in seconds. Clearly, she didn''t like having to clean the vomit of another being, unless they were her next meal, in which she would gladly consume everything of them.


    Ignoring a bunch of words that clearly meant that the Alraune wasn''t enjoying the really close smell, Mei Wu shook her head, and decided to prepare herself for whatever the Queen Bee would have her and Kasumi Ai do a couple of hours later.


    Who knows what kind of hellish things such a beast could have them do?


    <hr>


    ''I can''t believe it...'' Mei Wu thought in shock as she tried her best to hide her annoyance.


    Her hands moved as Kasumi Ai''s vines dropped sweet nectars along with some of the potent healing ones, and she put the nectars into thin yet relatively durable containers, membranes made by the Worker Bees, carefully closing them, before putting them on the ground. One of the dozens she had to make.


    Mei Wu felt her veins throb in rage, the amusement she could easily sense from the alraune definitely not helping her mood one bit.


    ''This almost feels so safe it''s practically insulting!'' she inwardly fumed as she closed another container as it was filled with nectar.


    She had expected many horrible things, such as being tortured, being forced to work in extreme conditions where a single mistake would result in death, maybe a test that would have her crippled and make her even more dependant on the Queen Bee''s ''hospitality'', but in reality?


    It seems that the heavens seemed to take a lot of joy of breaking all her expectations that she had ingrained into herself for more than two decades.


    Mei Wu''s first and current job to help the Queen Bee was... to be a packager of Kasumi Ai''s nectar...


    From the equivalent of a Level 1 [Apprentice] compared to Rankers/summoners, to some beast''s equivalent to a mere janitor. Oh, how humiliating! It''s like the queen of bees decided to have them begin with a job that apparently not even the Worker Bees can be bothered to do! The Worker Bees didn''t even have the decency to stay for a moment with them; they had all the membranes prepared the night before!


    "You know, I thought you''d love having this job. Why are you angry? Sure, it''s not fun for you, but we''re alive and not-tortured and that''s the most important thing, right?" despite the words still being incomprehensible due to the language barrier, Mei Wu fully understood the meaning due to the change of Qi of one Kasumi Ai.


    "Yeah, if only things made sense and acted consistently, maybe I''ll be dead, but happy with the benefit of hindsight!" she found herself glaring at her ''co-worker'' as even angry as she is, Mei Wu still delicately put the package on the ground.


    "How tragic~ Do you want some nectar to cheer you up?"


    Bristling as the nectar was offered to her (despite loving the taste), she growled.


    "No, I don''t want it right now, just let me finish this job then see what to do with my free time." oh, yeah, the Queen Bee even gave them free time, because from what the Qi of the queen of bees said, the two are so fragile and nowhere as driven or loyal to be given all-time work in the hive.


    Kasumi Ai had the sheer gall to roll her eyes at that, "Can you be consistent, please? Do you want to live without being tortured, or you want to die? Seriously, you''ll die from whiplash if you keep moving between the two like that."


    Mei Wu scowled at that, as she understood the meaning very well.


    "If only you were weaker than me and had a butt so I can just spank this cheek ouf of you..." she murmured under her breath.


    "Wow... If I had a copper coin for every time spanking entered our conversations, I''d have two copper coins. Which isn''t a lot, but it''s strange it happened twice so for."


    Mei Wu''s forehead throbbed at that remark. She didn''t even need her senses to tell her that this alraune was thoroughly enjoying herself.


    ''Just for that, I will get stronger to make that hollow threat into reality...'' now fueled by nothing but spite at both the heavens and Kasumi Ai for throwing away any semblance of common sense, and having to deal with this bout of insanity, Mei Wu found herself promising whatever and whoever brought this fate on her.


    This is going to be a long hours of work, won''t they?

 Chapter 19

    In a surprising, and rather preferred twist, in my opinion, my and Mei Wu''s stay was rather calm and relaxed even under the Queen Bee''s reign, even if it was a bit of an anticlimactic routine.


    Waking up, we both are given some food; me, a bunch of corpses of random animals, while Mei Wu was given some fruits and vegetables along with some honey and a bit of my healing nectar to throw the tiredness out of her body, if only for a while.


    We both are then brougt to a chamber where I start making my nectars, mostly the highly sweet one and the healing one, with a small portion of the poisonous nectar, as Mei Wu put them into containers using the thin membranes the Worker Bees created the night before.


    The process would continue until either the room was too full, or two hours passed, and we then would have some free time of around four hours to either explore the hive which was freaking large, and talk with our "seniors," the Worker Bees, Drone Bees or Protector Bees, and if our new boss allowed it, we can leave the hive''s area for a bit to get some fresh air but we should have a Protector Bee to go with us, as ''safety,'' which felt both true and false for me. though Mei Wu wasn''t exactly amused about having a ''guard'' around her, not that I don''t understand her. I fully do, in fact.


    A couple of hours more of making and containing nectars after, and possibly having to watch Worker Bees being born from the honeycombs then we are basically done, and we can sleep or whatever, as long we don''t sabotage the other workers or attempt to harm them.


    So, yeah. That was my new routine, more or less.


    To be honest, it was far better than I had expected, and I had a lot more freedom than I thought I would. So, I wasn''t as sad as one would expect me to be. If anything, this was rather tame both by xianxia standards, and my previous world''s standards as far as I was concerned, far better than these poor guys having to work in black companies, goddess bless their souls and I hope they have better lives in their next lives.


    Having to work for only four hours a day, and a bunch of activities that don''t even tire me that much? That''s basically a jackpot in my mind! And me making nectar was no big deal at all, with me having that much qi in reserve to use.


    And it became even less taxing after I fully digested the coprses of Xie Li and his Demonic Hound, along with the many Normal-ranked Level 1 or 2 beasts and animals I was given on a daily basis.


    I didn''t evolve this time, and instead, my level just increased, so now, I am a Silver-ranked Level 2 Large Rainblossom Alraune, instead of a Level 1.


    Admittedly, it wasn''t that massive of a power increase, all things considered. My power didn''t double or increase by two or three times, but instead by something like a quarter of how strong I was before. My form didn''t even change from that.


    It seems that I now need to consume much stronger beings than him if I wanted to actually evolve into into a Gold-ranked beast, which was a shame, really, but what can I do? My evolution process as a Thorny Alraune required that.


    "And done!" Mei Wu sighed with exhaustion as she finished putting the nectars where they should, dropping on the ground seemingly tired.


    Very much unlike me, while she knew very well that our working conditions were far from the worst, and rather pleasant even to her, she clearly didn''t like the work given to her regardless.


    It wasn''t that she was being literally tortured just by doing what the Queen Bee told us to, but to her, it was just so degrading and humiliating.


    "Here, some water." I told her and using the ability of that Frose plant beast I ate before, I created large droplets of water from my vines that she gladly drank, clearly feeling thirsty.


    While she was the equivalent to a Level 1 [Apprentice] as a warrior or Ranker, that level was still pretty much close to being a mortal when it came to bodily functions, even if the limits were much higher than that of a normal human. Feeling thirst after long work is still very much possible when one did a lot of work, even for a Level 1 [Apprentice].


    "Thanks." she breathed as we decided to leave the room and return to our ''living chamber''.


    I was planning to try more of my Floral Creation, since even though I am now strong enough to use that [Parasitic Spores] skill, I can''t exactly use it on my allies, now, can I? Thus, the best thing I decided to do was to see how many of the plants and plant-type beasts I consumed that I can create copies of.


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    Natural flowers and plants were practically costless for me, and I would only feel a dent on my qi reserves if I tried to create enough to fill a rather small garden.


    Magical flowers and plant-type beasts though, were rather way more draining. I attempted to create a Normal-ranked Level 1 Thorny Flower a couple of days ago, and it took nearly a fiftieth of my reserves to do so. The same could be said to the Flowerhood Group that consisted of the flower-like beasts I ate before I got visited by the late young master.


    The biggest drain on my reserves though was when I tried to test my [Division Propagation] skill, the one that would create lower-ranked or lower-leveled versions of myself. I was able to create nearly ten Bronze-ranked Level 2 Large Bloody Tongued Thorny Alraunes before dropping from sheer exhaustion, and even at full energy, I couldn''t create a single Silver-ranked version of myself, which made sense since I am still ''only'' Silver-ranked, and only Level 2 as well.


    Still, even that was a ridiculous skill since any plant-type beast I can create via from my body could use the same skills they had before, only stronger or weaker depending on how much qi I give them.


    Today though, I planned to create versions of the rainbow flowers I had on my chest and were decorating my lower half, since the Queen Bee also asked me again if I can make more of them.


    As I left Mei Wu in the corner where she decided to cultivate both to get stronger and to pass time, I took a deep breath and I took my own cultivation pose.


    "Natura Aeterna Nirvana." the feeling of calm breeze and flora descended on me as I spoke the name of my technique, my Qi pulsing and flowing inside my body as I moved it to unlock another one of my 108 meridians.


    I originally thought that it would be better not to cultivate and have the Queen Bee ask me about it, but after thinking about it, for a couple of days, I realized that if the Worker Bees told her about my evolutions, if my questions about the subject were truthfully answered by them, they would have also told her about me being able to cultivate.


    There was, of course, a chance that I am wrong and that somehow the Worker Bees didn''t tell her, but I couldn''t just not cultivate due to fear, not when I knew I needed to get stronger.


    I didn''t know how long I would have to stay and work for the queen''s hive, nor if or when the Xie clan would notice the disappearance of their dead young master and start their search, and I knew very well that I was very lacking in power.


    I couldn''t stay as weak, that much is clear. If the heavens love throwing problems on cultivators and beasts alike, then I would end up dealing with humans and other beings who would definitely be far stronger than the current me, and maybe even stronger than the Queen Bee.


    I knew that I should not take the Queen Bee''s security for granted, even if she did not plan to harm me, as the dangers could appear unexpectedly, so I decided to cultivate regardless.


    At this point, the Queen Bee definitely knows for certain that I can cultivate since I was doing that in her literal home, so at least, that''s a good thing.


    Exhaling and inhaling, I let the small amount of tiredness and worry in my mind be washed by the familiar sensation of calmness as my qi passed through my body, not leaving a single inch out of it, before I focused my attention at one of the points located right above my abdomen, and I gently moved my qi towards it, slowly loosening the barrier around it, then gently breaking it into nothing as it vanished.


    Another meridian unlocked, making their number at twenty, and 88 more to go before I finish the first stage of my technique.


    I took nearly a couple of hours to unlock that one, but while I could start unlocking another one, I won''t have enough time to do it right now. Instead, while still in the same pose, I decided to guide my qi to try my luck at creating the rainbow flower.


    From my roots and lower body to my heart and brain, from inside my blood cells to the exterior of my vines, my qi flowed like a gentle river as it obeyed my will, getting sucked into the new blooming flower that started to expand and burst from the vine.


    A bit by bit, a bulb began to form before slowly unraveling itself, and I gazed at it.


    The same rainbow flower I had attached below my chest was now created by me.


    I gave a smile at that. Success!


    "Ah~! That felt so good!" I sighed with content. I had drained a bit of my qi, but that was so worth it!


    I might keep this with me for now, at least until I find out what it even is. I could consume it, but I don''t know if my ability works on flora I created by my own qi.


    I didn''t get any sort of knowledge when eating my own self-made fruits and vegetables after all, so whether that works with magic plants is up to debate.


    "Hm?" stopping that thought process, I looked around, and I noticed that Mei Wu was nowhere to be seen in the chamber.


    So she left while I was mediating, huh. I can''t sense her around, so she must be quite far away from here. She probably went outside the hive, since I noticed that she was a bit more relaxed there since there aren''t many qi signatures to sense, in comparison to inside the Queen Bee''s home.


    I guess I can wait for her to return then. There''s something like half an hour before we get to work out second work shift.


    Soon enough, the hour quickly dwindled into a few minutes, as I prepared to go to our work room, and I saw her walking towards me, but I felt her tension.


    She was always tense inside the hive, mostly due to her Qi sensing ability making it hard to truly relax unless she got a sleeping nectar from me, but this feeling that I got was rather... different.


    There''s something else other than the usual irritation at the task she is given, or how she feels annoyed at me due to me not exactly hating my life here.


    I looked at her questioningly, and a bit of worry. The way her expression looked like she was hesitating to tell or ask me me something.


    "Is everything alright?"


    At my question, she tensed even further, before seemingly dropping in exhaustion.


    "After we finish this... can we talk?"


    Is that it? She just wanted to talk?


    Still, it''s clearly bothering the hell out of her, and thus I had one simple answer to that request;


    "Okay."

 Chapter 20: A discussion

    Mei Wu had just moved outside the hive''s entrance, followed by Kasumi Ai, along with the obligatory ''guard'' that was the Protector Bee.


    She once again took a deep breath, enjoying both the freshness of the air around her, unlike the hive''s air that reeked with the smell of honey to her, and the fact that the quantities of Qi signatures around her were a lot less than what she had to deal with inside the Queen Bee''s domain.


    But, despite how much she''d love to just keep enjoying the moment, and how it felt a lot better than what her body felt just minutes ago, she knew that she just couldn''t do that.


    Mei Wu had asked for the alraune to follow her outside to talk with her and attempt to discuss some rather... confusing and quite irritating things in Mei Wu''s opinion, after all.


    Something the human woman felt was needed to be talked about after a week of her trying to push it away without any real success.


    Sitting on the soil, uncaring about the earth under her body, she looked up at the alraune that confused and frustrated her since the two had met. Despite Kasumi Ai sitting on the earth as well with her roots/legs unmoving, the fact that she was nearly four meters tall due to her lower monsterous body required Mei Wu to look up towards her.


    Meanwhile, Kasumi Ai had to look down to see her, looking both curious and a bit confused at her, and her Qi sense made it clear why the alraune felt that way.


    Don''t you want to talk to me face to face?


    So she felt from the intent of the nature and plant-flavored Qi. A part of her felt that it was surprisingly fitting that this alraune would want them to talk face to face, seeing the seriousness that Mei Wu was showing to her.


    Kasumi Ai, despite her gleefully eating the corpses of her enemies, and having tortured the long deceased Xie Yu for a while with no remorse, from what the alraune told her, seemed to prefer some semblance of equality between the two of them.


    Ignoring how her stomach felt unpleasant by that feeling, knowing just how off it felt to be given that much... not exactly respect... she shook her head.


    "I''d prefer to stay this way. It would just be a hassale for you to lift me up, or for me to sit on a tree branch."


    It was partly her honest answer. Mei Wu didn''t say that she wasn''t sure that this talk might not go peacefully, and in that case, she preferred not to be in a vulnerable place. Sitting on Kasumi Ai''s vines or branches wouldn''t feel secure to her, and sitting on a tree wouldn''t be any different.


    Of course, Mei Wu fully knew that this was just that; a mere feeling of security that wouldn''t really help her at all if the Silver-ranked alraune in front of her turned violent, and that her head would be cut just as easily as one rips paper.


    "If you say so." The alraune''s answer was confused, but other than sensing her mood, Mei Wu didn''t even need her qi sensing skill to know the meaning of what was spoken, as the ways Kasumi Ai pronounced certain words in the week they worked inside the hive''s domain helped the human woman understand them.


    Mei Wu was slowly, but certainly, getting used to understanding the language of the beasts that the alraune in front of her was speaking with. Something she didn''t even know could happen. Whether this was due to her ability to sense Qi evolving into a better level, now that she needed to understand the meaning of the beasts'' moods to survive even better, when under their control, or just her mind attempting to learn a new language just for the same reason, she didn''t know.


    But it both relieved and irked her, that she could do it.


    Taking a long breath, ignoring the buzzing of the Protector Bee and the other sounds around them, trying to ignore the multiple signatures of Qi that were still quite strong despite being an order of magnitude less than what she felt all the time inside the Queen Bee''s home, she looked directly at Kasumi Ai''s face, right into these emerald eyes of the alraune.


    "Let... let us start from the beginning..." she spoke, a tremble in her voice, barely controlling her frustration and fear, as she felt Kasumi Ai''s confusion grow.


    "Why?" it was asked with both indignation and a plea. "Why did you bring me to the Queen Bee''s nest without asking me? Why did you choose for me?"


    It felt stupid for her to ask the obvious, a question that even she already knew and understood the answer for, and the reasoning behind it. Yet, she still wanted to hear these words, feel the intent of these actions from the alraune in front of her.


    Foolish woman, her mind mocked. She herself understood why it was done.


    She was the only source of information Kasumi Ai had at that point that could tell her about the politics and other figures of importance. Her being left alone would be a risk, since Mei Wu surviving and being left alone would bring the Xie clan into the forest and they would kill the plant-type beast woman. Mei Wu being mistreated in her own clan wouldn''t even matter in the ultimate result, and Kasumi Ai didn''t know about it at that point, since it would only be Xie Li and Xie Yu who treated her poorly in the alraune''s opinion.


    "..."


    Surprise. That was the expression that Kasumi Ai''s face took, and she was genuinely surprised by the question, blinking before her face changed, looking rather resigned. Something that irritated Mei Wu more than she''d liked, and she could just predict the answer she would be given.


    "I thought it was the best option to make at that moment. In hindsight, I was swept in the moment back then. I might have needed to ask you first about that. Sorry about that."


    Even though she couldn''t understand all the words, the feeling of one being awkward, combined with the resignation made it clear that Kasumi Ai was apologizing. As if she understood that her actions were not right.


    Not even a word about how Mei Wu being unconscious meant that Kasumi Ai could do whatever she wants with her. Not mentioning that it wouldn''t have mattered what she would choose since Kasumi Ai wanted to know about the human kingdoms and characters of importance, therefore she would attempt to either force her to go along, or convince her to.


    The fact that Mei Wu would have arguably chosen to follow the beast woman that killed the trash who violated her, and decided to follow her just on that principle alone, mattered little.


    Mei Wu didn''t like the idea of not having any choice whatsoever, even if all the choices were bad and she had to choose the lesser evil of them. And that''s what she wants to talk <del>and vent her frustration</del> about.


    How frustrating <del>sweet</del> of this woman in front of her.


    Mei Wu forced herself not to gnash her teeth.


    "... Why?" she felt herself glaring, her head looking right at the alraune''s upper, human-like face. "Why do you care about my opinion then?"


    Surprise once more appears on this <del>too human-like</del> woman, as she oozes confusion.


    "You... want me not to care? Wait, are you...?" Kasumi Ai felt like she would have seemingly found the whole thing funny if Mei Wu didn''t look so serious, before she looked at her in bafflement.


    "I... I don''t understand?" confusion, larger than before, made itself clear. No, there''s a hint of understanding of why Mei Wu thinks of that, but the way it was present felt detached? She couldn''t explain it.


    "Why do you even bother?" Mei Wu felt her voice rising. She was simply unable to hold her stewing rage for longer. "Why? Why!? Why are you even apologizing to me!?"


    She rose from her position as her glare intensified as she kept directing it at the alraune''s face. The sound of buzzing increased in the background, but she didn''t care about it at all.


    "Why are you acting like we are in any way equal!? Tell me!"


    Because this was ultimately the crux of her problem with this being that could decapitate her in less than a second. Acting so friendly. Acting so chatty. Being so casual. Too... mortal-like in behaviour! Too different than what she ever knew! It was hair-tearing in her opinion.


    Kasumi Ai''s mouth was gaping, and Mei Wu felt as if the alraune''s thoughts just halted, trying to understand the nature of her question, like it was a bizarre and tremendous task.


    Then, contemplation filled the qi of nature, as the atmosphere seemed to halt.


    "... Because there is no reason for me to be cruel or heartless towards you?" the answer, spoken slowly, as if it was filled with uncertainty, but the human felt more certainty in that response than what the tone seemed to convey. "Because I think it would be better in the long run, maybe. Or, I just find you deserving of being treated nicely."


    Not every word was understood, but the meaning of them clear as the blue sky in spring. This monster finds her deserving of being treated nicely? As if on principle?


    She felt the laugh threatening to tear her throat as it attempted to escape. A hollow laugh trying to make itself known to the world, directed at this... stupid alraune''s thoughts.


    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    She crushes it right before it leaves, only a giggle feeling so wrong escaping her lips as she clutched her sides and her body moves a few steps back.


    "Mei Wu? Are you alright?" Ah, that feeling of concern, accompanied with the idea that she might not be right in the head.


    How infuriating (<del>refreshing</del>). How self-absorbed (<del>kind</del>). How... cruel (<del>gentle</del>).


    "Ha... ha... Am I alright... Such an idiotic question..." she finds herself answering, feeling like something was being destroyed inside of her.


    ... Ah, that was her mind, wasn''t it? She had sensed this before, but she never felt it happen to herself, did she?


    So, that''s how her Qi acts when she''s breaking down, huh? This feeling of her own Qi twisting and churning violently, as if wanting to rampage and break everything in her sight. How fascinating (<del>tragic</del>).


    "Of course I''m not alright!" she felt her throat about to be crippled due to the sheer rage she found herself unleashing in her scream, Qi rising to a level she did not even notice, going right into the equivalent of the power of a Ranker Level 2 [Braveman], outright skipping the intermediate and advanced stages of a Level 1 [Apprentice].


    Panic and shock filled Kasumi Ai as she took a step back from sheer surprise, concern showing itself a moment later.


    "Me-"


    "Stop. That!" Mei Wu hissed, cuting her off, taking a step forward. "Stop breaking my world!"


    Anger oozed from her being as she finally managed to put her frustration into words. Words that fit way too well.


    Kasumi Ai looked at her in shock due to the sheer ridiculousness of the statement.


    Breaking her world? What did that even mean? "Mei Wu... I- I don''t understand you... Was it my teasing? If that''s i-"


    Mei Wu understood the words before the reply even finished. No, she will not allow her to finish it.


    "Don''t you dare apologize!" a growl left her mouth, cutting off the apology the other party would have given, "You still don''t even understand what I am saying, don''t you? Fine, I''ll tell you! Stop this disgusting niceness! I hate it!"


    "!"


    Good, let her be utterly baffled and shocked, Mei Wu inwardly grinned to herself.


    "You think it''s funny, don''t you? To show me how generous you are by that condescending compassion of yours, isn''t that right?" she pointed at Kasumi Ai accusingly, a feeling from the bottom of her heart.


    Why is she nice to her? Why is she even bothering to lower herself to Mei Wu''s level?


    "Ah, so that was your problem..." realization filled the alraune, looking at her both in understanding, indignation and, more infuriatingly, pity. "You are upset because I''m not acting like a power-hungry, self-absorbed lunatic, like what your clan act. No, like most warriors and Rankers you met."


    Kasumi Ai crossed her arms, contemplative; baffled, yet a feeling of strange determination leaking into her qi all at once. "But, are you telling me that you want to be treated like that? By me? I have to say..."


    A piercing gaze. Scrutiny. Disappointment.


    That was what Mei Wu felt, and her rage evaporated at the sight of the alraune''s seemingly expressionless face.


    "Are you an idiot?" the Qi of plants and nature suffocated the woman just by the glare directed at her, the insult clear as day.


    "You want me to do that to you? You want me to treat you like a slave? Instead of me acting like a decent person to you? Is that what you want me to do?" Annoyance made its presence, and anger followed, daring her to affirm the questions asked.


    ''How much are you willing to convince me to break you?''


    That was the question that was not asked, but was clearly visible for the two of them.


    Mei Wu felt her throat drying, knowing that the alraune''s question was quite valid. She was clearly trying to have Mei Wu answer that no, she doesn''t want to be enslaved. And she truly didn''t want that.


    But, that question was also an attempt to ignore the subject, by putting it into a Yes or No answers, options that while correct, are in no way the real argument here. Becaue there was a person who experienced a version of the same thing Mei Wu defined as her tragedy, and completely acted like it was nothing.


    "Maybe it isn''t so bad to be a slave, since you seem to enjoy it so much!"


    So, ignoring the terror in her heart, she faced Kasumi Ai''s glare, and argued back. The memories of Kasumi Ai happily working under the Queen Bee fueling her determination and hatred to the whole memory, lest her willpower just breaks.


    How can she just look at this damn alraune that had only lived for less than a month, born innately with such high intelligence for a beast, grew that strong that quickly, without feeling unvalidated? All her work invalidated? Her experiences treated as trivial?


    She struggled to even survive in the streets, and she still had to pay too much just for survival, and now she can''t have a safe life anymore. The only way for her to continue living is to be always on the run, maybe living in a weak farm and just hoping life wouldn''t throw anything at her, or to live as a slave or the equivalent of it. Even now, despite the Queen Bee being generous, who can say that won''t change just due to a fleeting whim? This was just the same as when she was under the rule of the Xie clan in her opinion.


    And then this Kasumi Ai unknowingly, or maybe uncaringly, starts to mock her past with the same indifference that one gives to moving a pebble on the road, after already breaking all her preconceived ideas about beasts, and unknowingly giving her hope that life could be just slightly better.


    "... Is that why you''re so furious? You think I''m invalidating your experiences? Hah... So that''s how it is..."


    Shock was the first to appear on Kasumi Ai''s face, then understanding, and finally resignation as she sighed, a feeling of awkwardness making itself known to Mei Wu''s senses.


    "I just don''t see it that way though. It''s just not the same in my mind."


    The truth, because to Kasumi Ai, it wasn''t slavery as much as it was an offer from a stronger entity that coincidentally helped her live in relative peace and given food as long as she gave nectar. To her, it was more like a formal contract that benefited both parties (her and the Queen Bee). Just like a bussines deal between partners, how people did in her previous life.


    "I understand your opinion, but even so, I''m just not seeing it the same way as you do. Your experience with the Xie clan is nothing but slavery, that much I understand and acknowledge, and I give you my utmost sympathy." she really did feel that way, Mei Wu understood, and then Kasumi Ai looked serious.


    "But while I can fully comprehend how you see your life in the hive as enslavement, I see it differently, because, as callous as this feels, I am not you. For starters, I am a beast, and even more importantly, I don''t have your experiences. Thus, what you can see as something, I see as something else." she pointed to herself, her lower half in particular as the giant eyes on it looked towards the human woman.


    "To me, what I don''t want is a life where I am contracted without my consent, forced to obey someone or something that just wants to torture me, and having my petals and body parts ripped and taken away to be used and discarded like trash. Even if it isn''t completely something you can relate to, I believe we both can understand that we hate things like that, isn''t that right?" A genuine question.


    Mei Wu bit her lips at that. True, what she heard made sense. Them being different due to their experiences made sense, them being from different races would of course give a different set to what they define as terrible or fantastic, even if there are points the two agreed on.


    She didn''t even notice that the words were becoming clearer the more she heard and talked with her. Even if her ability had increased in level, she didn''t even notice since she was just so wrapped in the talk, and she wouldn''t get time to ponder if she did realize what was happening, as the feeling of amusement and contemplation filled Kasumi Ai''s Qi.


    "If I wanted to explain what I wanted until now though... I guess I can sum it up in three necessities, really. Just some food to fill me, and maybe the occasional prey that makes me stronger, a nice place to live in, where I can cultivate on my own, and not dealing with unsavory peaple, unless I could kill and feed on them, and I would be happy to live in solitude as long nothing comes to ruin my life. ''Peace'', or so some would say. I''m talking about something simple here. It''s not complicated, it''s easy to understand. Don''t you agree?"


    Of course, it''s easy to understand. A lot of people want a peaceful life. Even she wants one. The problem is that even if one didn''t get disasters thrown at them in their desire to attain their peace, the very definition of ''peace'' could very well be completely different from one''s idea to another.


    One''s ideal peaceful life could be him living in tranquility, just a life of mundane, boring routine with the occasional drama of romance, growing up, and such, to spice things up.


    Another would love nothing but to have a peaceful life where they can rape, pillage, and murder to their hearts'' content with complete immunity to consequences, for the consequences are what would ruin their idea of peace.


    So, if Kasumi Ai wanted a peaceful life, then of course... of course she wouldn''t care about the Queen Bee''s demands.


    "So, because all what you define as a component for your peaceful, or ideal lifestyle, you don''t think of the Queen Bee''s demands as enslavement. To you... that''s just more safety net given to you at the price of doing something you are already doing before." Mei Wu stated, calming down. "To you, the threat of death didn''t matter because you had no problem doing what the Queen Bee asked, and the fact that she was a lot more tolerant and lenient, you had no reason to hate it. If anything, you liked it even more that way."


    "Correct!" Kasumi Ai gave her a wide smile as happiness made itself known as her viewpoint was understood.


    <del>Mei Wu had to ignore the lower mouth''s smile that looked predatory despite the alraune''s efforts</del>


    "..." Mei Wu sighed, feeling rather exhausted after this whole conversation as she fell on the ground, her qi calming down.


    She was still very much frustrated, but nowhere as before. All that yelling and arguing made her feel a lot better. And she couldn''t deny that Kasumi Ai''s perspective made sense.


    The Queen Bee was rather open-minded, the alraune was rather nice even if she annoyed her human woman from time to time with her teasing.


    Mei Wu found herself wondering if she would have been this furious, broken, and bitter about her current situation if she had time to adapt to it. If she had talked with Kasumi Ai for weeks instead of mere hours, and if going to the Queen Bee wasn''t something thrown at her, but an option she chose, due to the Xie clan beginning their search, she probably would be a lot more accepting of this situation, and she would probably way less frustrated by being the Queen Bee''s equivalent to a janitor.


    "Are you alright now? That was a lot of frustration you had to vent, isn''t it?" Kasumi asked her, amused and curious now that Mei Wu seemed rather relaxed and not as tense.


    "Let''s say that I''m fine. Though I think I wouldn''t even be this angry if the changes were gradual, instead of all of this happening in a single week." the human admitted with a sigh.


    She looked up as the sun was close to setting. "Maybe this won''t be bad... as long as we can survive the Xie clan''s incoming search party with our sanity and bodies intact. We both won''t be able to win if they summoned the stronger members." Mei Wu stated, a hint of seriousness in her tone.


    "True, a week had passed. They would notice the two trashes'' disappearance soon." Kasumi Ai sighed at the reminder, before perking up, and Mei Wu felt a shiver down her spine as the qi of the Alraune took both a strange feeling of amusement, sadism, and teasing.


    This was not for a threat on her life, but one she felt when some use a tough love approach to make sure the other party is up to snuff...


    "Hey... what are you thinking...?" she didn''t like that grin at all.


    "You know... you complained how I was treating you too well, right?" Yeah, Mei Wu really did not like that at all.


    "Wait. Stop!" she found herself retreating, her face sweating, but the alraune only looked at her, and took a step forward. "I said cease!"


    Needless to say, Kasumi Ai did not stop, with her grin growing larger, clearly too amused to stop.


    And then, like thunder, her words hit Mei Wu''s ears.


    "We both need a training arc."


    It felt like a god''s judgement more than an advice.


    "Ah, don''t worry about injuries... I will make sure not to cut off some limbs or instantly kill you... after all..."


    A giggle escaped the alraune, clearly enjoying herself.


    "I can heal you just fine... So you better be prepared for a ''cruel'' me. It would be so much fun!"


    Mei Wu then realized one thing: hindsight is always 20/20, and she preferred a docile Kasumi Ai more than whatever this desire that spontaneously emerged from the alraune''s very being.


    "Fuck my life."

 Chapter 21: Realization of self

    Two days passed since I and Mei Wu had our conversation. If I am being honest, I was truly shocked by the sheer rage she showed me, and it was also practically the first time I felt that angry at her.


    I understood her point very well. I was basically ''breaking her world'' due to how my actions were just so different to how she was used to be treated.


    I mean, I understood how she was treated by the Xie clan, and how she loathed it, but I didn''t realize that my behaviour would make her feel so mad she would rather want to be treated horribly just because it ''made more sense'' in her mind.


    Then again, she admitted that she might have not been this furious, and a lot more accepting of the change if it was gradual instead of it being thrown at her so suddenly and in such a short time, something I fully agree with. Time can really help one acclimate to harsh and good situations alike, at least if they wanted to acclimate.


    Another surprise I found out is that she can now fully understand japanese, or the ''beast language,'' as this world probably knows it. Her attempt to fully understand me and have me understand her point, the mental breakdown that occured, along with everything in her heart practically increased her Qi sensing skill''s level to a degree neither me or she had expected, and she became even more sensitive to the subtle changes of Qi as well, particularly me, since I was the biggest reason for that desire.


    Naturally, she also became more attuned to the moods of the many bee beasts in the hive, along with the Queen Bee with a much higher precision, and much to her relief, with a much more tolerance to the overpowering nature of Qi around her.


    She was now able to handle my presence when I am at least half-serious and focusing on her, with no real trouble, which was a huge improvement in her opinion. From easily almost fainting and throwing up due to Xie Li focusing his intent on her, to handling the pressure of a slightly serious Silver-ranked Level 3 beast.


    Mei Wu even managed to grow in level from the equivalent to a Level 1 [Apprentice] to a level 2 [Braveman] by sheer spite and rage at what she identified as a mind-boggling and absurd behaviour from me.


    Truly, a huge growth even for me to ignore.


    Not only did she basically find a way to completely ignore the language barrier between me and her, turn her senses a lot sharper, but she also increased her power by practically triple of what she had before, or even slightly more! I''m honestly proud of her progress, even if her using sheer spite wasn''t exactly what I preferred to be the cataclyst to that. Maybe a not-really deathmatch with an enemy of her level would have been more fitting?


    Well, one can''t complain about it now.


    But, that still leaves the obvious fact that Mei Wu was still upset and frustrated about me, and the Queen Bee to a lesser extent, basically treating her so differently than she was used to, worried about the Xie clan as they would most definitely realize the disappearance of their young master, and she really needed some way to vent it all, and also a way to grow even stronger, and so did I for that matter.


    And thus, our training arc began! Truly, something awe-inspiring with definitely no gaping problems at all!


    <hr>


    Of course, I had to deal with two immediate problems, because Murphy just loves ruining my fun.


    For one, since of course we couldn''t train inside the Qieen Bee''s domain, and we are still two nobody janitors -or so Mei Wu tried to convince me- we had to train outside. This wasn''t honestly that big of a deal, but having these Protector Bees following us wasn''t exactly as cool when they just kept to themselves, just flying there... menacingly! Don''t they have anything to do other than watching us train? I mean, geez, it was fine when I did nothing more than just enjoying the air and sights, but watching me while I was training with Mei Wu felt like I was being stalked!


    They were just there, something I could very well sense but honestly rather irritating when they didn''t even change their moods, looking completely apathetic as I trained.


    I mean, do something other than just watching us, or feel something more than boredom? That would help a lot to ease the tension their presence was making, in my opinion.


    The other problem was, to put it bluntly... I didn''t know how to teach. Now, don''t get me wrong, fighting is all fine and simple to me thanks to my instincts, sapience and all that. Training one how to fight?


    Yeah, I have no experience in that whatsoever. Thus, the best I could is to basically rip off how every shonen training arc goes, but slightly modified.


    Kick my trainee, Mei Wu''s butt, exhaust her, then pump her up with healing energy from either my nectars or from the healing skill I got from eating that healer plant-type beast, the Heasy flower.


    At least it''s a bit entertaining, just as I and she are doing right now.


    "I know very well that your reasoning for this so-called training is sound," Mei Wu scowled, standing up as I healed her once more, "but I still hate you for it!"


    She was currently wearing but her undergarments and her daggers, mostly because she''d rather not have her only outfit ripped beyond repair while in this area, depite not liking it one bit. Pragmatism at its finest.


    I honestly have no problem with it. If I can''t be bothered to cover my breasts, then some nudity is no big deal.


    "Yes, I love you too, sweetie~!" I spoke in a sweet voice as another vine swung at her. It was only a half-serious swing, but I still eclipsed her by a large margin, and she barely raised her daggers to block it, being pushed back a couple of meters before she got back her bearings.


    But a rather thick branch was already moving at her from above.


    With her senses bordering on illogical, she knew that she won''t be able to block or deflect it, so she rolled to her left, avoiding a hit that would have definitely given her broken bones or a concussion.


    "Oh for heavens'' sake!" she swore as I spit a large amount of paralytic nectar to where she was before she even finished her movement.


    A wave easily three meters in height unleashed towards her at high speed.


    She sliced at the wave with the daggers, her Qi, guided by her will and her insane sensing skill forming a small barrier to shield her from any droplets that would hit her body.


    "Impressive! Just yesterday, you completely lost to that trick of me!, and now you found a way to counter it." I praised her, both genuinely honest and amused.


    A tick mark appeared on her head at the reminder. She definitely wasn''t amused about it, after all...


    "Yes, grabbing your breasts then throwing nectars from them. Do you know how embarrassing it is to get caught in such thing!?" she yelled at me as her face reddened just by remembering it.


    Oh, yes, the trick of throwing poison from my breasts. Truly, it''s as humiliating as your enemy just entering your space then giving you slaps left and right to your face. A seriously dignity-destroying force in this world.


    Thanks a lot, DxD and Queen''s Blade, for the hilariously fun idea. Now, if some idiot tries to harm and mock me while saying "why don''t you go to your mommy, you little girl!?" I can do just that then feed on them! Tragedy at its finest for them!


    "What are you even thinking about!?" Mei Wu rushed at me, no doubt feeling my sheer amusement at the possible mockery I could unleash at my enemies.


    She knew better than running away while I''m distracted, since I am still far faster than her, and giving me time even when I''m thinking of something else is also bad, so she instead decided to attack me headfirst.


    "But, you are still too slow." I chided her, still smirking as two branches moved from my side to hit her legs, and she barely managed to jump in time to avoid one of them, and the other being used to jump even further using her daggers. But this round was already decided by that point as from under the ground, multiple long vines burst out, more numerous than she could currently block or cut, and just as fast as the other attacks of mine.


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    With an indignant scream, she found herself captured as my vines caught her legs and arms, hanging facedown.


    "Looks I win. Again." I told her the obvious as I moved her close to my upper body, playing with her long pink hair. Man, it was soft to the touch.


    She glared at me before sighing.


    "Yes, can you let me go now? And stop playing with my hair. It''s annoying." she grumbled.


    "Eh? Demanding that your, ah, superior, stops doing whatever she wants with you? After you complained a couple of days ago that me being nice is too world-shattering for your fragile ego? I keep saying this more and more, but you really need to be consistent."


    I gave her an insufferable grin, shaking her up and down for good measure, (just for fun, really), making her head spin before letting her fall onto the ground with a squeak as her body twitched before she rose up, irritation clear along with exhaustion.


    "Oww... You''re so insufferable!" panting, she looked at me like I committed a war crime towards her. "And I hate the fact you''re enjoying my suffering like this!"


    Even if it was self-inflicted, was left unsaid. Quite the pride you have there, adorable woman.


    "And stop being this smug about it!" she glowered.


    I shrugged at her, and took a few seconds to give some of my Qi to the soil and flora around me now that the training session was over. I''d rather not see all the plant life get decimated here, I like this place. Plus, I''d like some natural beauty of greenery and the earth around me more than a random barren crater in the middle of nowhere.


    After that, I returned my focus on the woman who was rubbing her head.


    "Eh, fine. You''re the boss here, for all the importance it means. Here, take this to help your exhausted body become fresh once more!"


    I was going to give her another dose of the healing nectar, but since teasing her was the most fun I had so far, I decided to play another prank. If she finds it stupid, well, she wanted me to be cruel, so it''s totally not my fault.


    "Wait, what the fuck-"


    I ignored her incredulous tone as I moved hand to my breasts, and as I used a miniscule amount of my Qi, I controlled the healing nectars as I shaped them into what I desired, and I held two very potent healing nectar constructs in each hand as I offered them to her.


    "Tada! Choose your pick!"


    Mei Wu looked at my hands, then at me, gaping, before asking me in the most skeptic voice I''ve heard so far.


    "Is this a joke?"


    "Yes, but also, no." I answered with no change to my facial expression, thoroughly enjoying the moment.


    I hear the Protector Bee buzzing as if enjoying the spectacle it was seeing, and Mei Wu crossed her arms, annoyed.


    "I''m not going to consume a healing nectar in the shape of a miniature version of some weird muscular shirtless grinning man," she pointed at my left hand, where a shirtless nectar-made statue of Joseph Joestar was, before pointing at my right hand, that had a nectar-made version of me. "Nor am I going to eat one that looks like a miniature you erotically covering your breasts!"


    "Why not? Isn''t this what you wanted me to do?" I asked, frowning like I discovered a serious problem, though Mei Wu, of course, noticed how I am finding the whole thing hilarious.


    "When I ranted about me not understanding your niceness, I didn''t mean I wanted you acting as a lunatic. More than usual, at least." she pointed her finger at me.


    I opened my mouth to speak and defend my totally reasonable actions-


    "No."


    I pouted at that. "You didn''t even let me talk!"


    "I know it would be stupid! Now, either give me nectar, or I can just cultivate for now with a tired body." she fired back as she picked up her clothes.


    Rolling my eyes, I commanded the two nectar statues to melt and filled a cup made by a small part of my oversized leaves for her.


    You''re such an inconsistent woman, you know that? Not liking it when I tease you or have fun at your expense, but wanting me to do so because of your past experiences, only for you to give me demands despite knowing how I could just not humor you and that you can''t stop me from torturing you if I just felt like it.


    But, I''m such a nice alraune, so I will forgive your hilariously inconsistent, borderline tsundere-like behaviour, instead of just capturing you with my vines and using your energy as food and breasts as pillows for my face like what a part of my predatory alraune instincts want.


    Mei Wu both had her her body shiver and eyes twitch at that random thought of mine, but she didn''t stop as she decided to return to our living area inside the Queen Bee''s hive.


    Soon enough, she was sitting cross-legged on the floor, preparing her mind and body to cultivate.


    But seeing as she still wasn''t truly into the whole meditating part at the moment, I found myself asking her.


    "So, I didn''t ask about it before, but since you can feel people''s Qi what does yours feel?"


    Mei Wu looked at me in annoyance, not liking me stopping her meditation, about to open her mouth before she stopped.


    "My Qi, huh?" she stated, but I felt it was more like she was asking herself more than talking to me.


    Contemplation was visible on her face, and I could almost see her mind thinking about it.


    She found herself frowning, as if the answer she found was rather lackluster.


    "I don''t know. Whenever I feel it, its... colorless. Tasteless, no flavor to it." she admitted, her form seemingly dropping from exhaustion.


    "How so? You should feel it, don''t you? I know that my Qi is that of nature and plants, and I cultivate a technique suited for that. Why don''t you know your own Qi''s nature or form?" I asked, head tilting.


    It was rather silent for a while as she was pondering about it.


    "... Because I have no real sense of self?" the answer came more as a question, with enough doubt to make me think she was trying to solve a paradox than a simple question.


    What does ''having no real sense of self'' even mean?


    Feeling my confusion, she started looking like she was... terrified? Of what?


    "I fully understand it, what that means." she spoke, "I told you, didn''t I? About my life so far both when I was living on the streets and in the Xie clan, correct?"


    "Yes...?"


    "Normally, one''s Qi, when reaching a certain quantity and quality, starts to morph to suit their desires, skills, natures and aptitudes." Mei Wu started explaining, "But I think that for me... I just couldn''t find a style or a purpose. Not, really. It didn''t help that I could literally smell and taste the Qi of others, and that most of the experiences were... not good ones." she confessed.


    "I never really found a way that my skills made me happy, and I mean that in the way where I look at my life and say that it''s worth living, despite me fearing death. Of course, my Qi wouldn''t be like anyone I did see, since I didn''t want to be like these assholes around me, nor did I want it to have the color of their victims. I couldn''t really connect to others, and if I did, these bonds would be severed by the whims of fate. Truly fitting, don''t you think?" she looked at me as if self-deprecatingly.


    "It''s pathetic, you know? Even now, my Qi feels the same as normal humans and mortals, except I just have more than them. I don''t even have any real characteristic in it! As if... as if... I want to be normal?"


    ''I want to be normal'', huh. I thought about it. She was still uncertain, but I feel that this is a paradoxically possible choice, somehow. But, something is missing...


    She sighed in disappointment and resignation.


    "But I know it would be impossible for that to happen. Me, returning to have a normal life with mere mortals and non-warriors? Leaving this world of fighting where people eat each other? It just can''t be done. Even if I decided to just go to some village in the middle of nowhere, even if I didn''t try to train or cultivate anymore, disaster could very well strike out of nowhere. In the end... there''s nowhere for me to run." she finished.


    "Unless anyone who tries to harm me becomes weaker than me, or others who are stronger than anyone who wants to hurt me decide to protect me, that''s how my life would be for as long as I am alive. That''s how I would be, isn''t it? A colorless, empty being in a world of colors, one that doesn''t even belong between other colorless beings..."


    I felt the moment she was so crushed. For her, life is nothing but a huge tragedy where she doesn''t even know where she truly belongs. It seems that even she didn''t know about how far her dislike for her situation was.


    Looking at her all angsty and depressed, I felt something... not quite like kinship, but similar to it. Maybe it''s more my former human self who understood Mei Wu''s tragedy the most. After all, even in my previous life, I had to deal with the very obvious question of where I could belong, and I believe it''s a question that anyone asks to themselves.


    Mei Wu just didn''t find the place she belonged to, or didn''t feel like she belonged to anywhere.


    But more importantly, there was something she had just said that seemed to stick into my mind.


    "Unless anyone who harms you becomes weaker than you, huh. A colorless existence..." I spoke before I realized my mouth opened. An absurd, ridiculous idea making itself clear in my mind.


    A smile formed on my face, as I found myself thinking of an absurdly, yet strangely fitting idea.


    "A ''normal'' life. That''s a paradoxically interesting desire."


    "What?" Mei Wu perked up at that, confused. "How can that be an interesting desire? Isn''t that what people want the most? That''s the most obvious thing! It''s not special!"


    "Maybe, but you''re clearly craving for it, isn''t that right? You desire it, don''t you? A life where you can smile, cry, love, hate, and more, without a string of tragedies involving warriors, beasts, or Rankers, isn''t that right? Or maybe, more precisely, you want power to make it so such things can''t harm you."


    She thought about it, and nodded, "True, but how is that even possible?"


    She looked at me frustrated. "How would I even do that if I''m this weak!? You think I didn''t try to be strong!? I failed! My breakthrough two days ago was the first I had in years!"


    "Then, if you can''t be strong... then lower your enemy''s ability to fight to your level, and crush them underfoot."


    My answer cut through her emotions like an arrow.


    "W-what?"


    I moved closer to her, realizing my ridiculous idea must be heard by her. A ridiculous idea, true, but wouldn''t it make sense at some point? After all, in this world where enlightenment can be from anything, and one''s skills can evolve according to their desires, wouldn''t it be more possible for this bizarre idea to become a fact?


    "What you desire isn''t to ascend to the Heavens." I declared, with certainty. I felt it in my heart that what I was seeing was true. "You don''t want to be the ruler of all things, like many others. Instead, you want to be an entity that just erases all inequalities between you and others who are stronger than you."


    My smile widened even further as I saw her eyes widen with realization, her own Qi humming at the discovery.


    "If, if all living beings are mere cells, with those with power being slightly stronger cells wanting to be even stronger cells, then what I want is...!"


    Truth, assertion, understanding; these were what I saw in her eyes, and in her soul as her Qi asserted itself with the discovery.


    "To revert these cells into their original states and crush them. Because you want a world where cells are all the same in your presence. What you want to be is to become..."


    Completely synchronized, our mouths uttered the words.


    "A cell''s programmed death. An apoptosis. I/You want a world without a god to control me/you."

 Chapter 22

    It had been a day since Mei Wu had that talk about her Qi with Kasumi Ai, and she realized what she wanted herself to be.


    A woman that drags other Qi users down to the level of a normal human, or more accurately, a being weaker than her so that she can crush them metaphorically and literally under her foot when needed.


    Her Qi resonated with that goal in a manner she did not even think she would have sensed before, as it pulsed strongly at the mere thought of that, and she clearly understood that it was the correct... desire, for her.


    But even though realizing her desire was a true discovery, and one that honestly gave her a lot of thoughts, and plenty of understanding of how to build her own self, it was still a rather difficult endeavor.


    In the world of rankers and warriors, one can''t just think they want something or a goal then their sense of self enforces itself just like that. One needs to also have a strong will and desire for what they desire as well, and their skills then start helping the process, painting the color and engraving the intent they manifest into their Qi, a process that takes at least weeks if not months if things went good enough, as long as one didn''t falter.


    One can''t just say "It''ll be fun to be the best warrior!" then find themselves the best. They first need to have the potential to use Qi to even start, then they need to wish, and desire from the bottom of their hearts, or have an absurd amount of conviction of what they want to accomplish, then actually train and put effort.


    (at least, if one wasn''t so absurdly talented that they just skip what would require other warriors months of training and just do it in mere days, no Mei Wu is totally not remembering that trash Xie Li and how favored he was.)


    Intents can vary a lot, something Mei Wu fully understood, since she could literally sense the intents and Qi of other beings around her since she was little.


    Whether it was one wishing to freeze their enemies, or to decapitate them, she was able to sense it regardless. Though most of them are filled with pride and narcissism, one way or another.


    Rarely did she meet one whose intent, or reasoning was nowhere as cruel or even benevolent. Maybe the occasional pragmatist or logical ones, like the very small amount of elders in the Xie clan that she gave even a drop of genuine respect to, since they thought with their heads most of the time, but that was it.


    And while the purpose of one walking the path of the warrior could change, it doesn''t always give a good progress, and at times it could even result in one''s cultivation stagnating if the purpose became too... ''tainted'', or so she called that particular event.


    If one decided to become a warrior to protect, then the moment his goal became something as common as seeking power, not for the sake of protection, but for the sake of power itself, or even just because it''s how things work... then one''s reason for wanting power is no longer focused, no longer has any real drive or purpose. Maybe one can gain power for a while simply by wanting power for the sake of it, if they had good talents or genes, but in the end, they will reach a limit (even if said limit seemed so arbitrary in how high it is for some).


    Which is why Mei Wu''s first obstacle is just as simple as it is complicated; to define herself, so to speak.


    With Kasumi Ai going to talk with the Queen Bee, probably about the nectars the alraune was making or about the possibility of the Xie clan or any human warriors getting too close to their hiding spot, Mei Wu decided to meditate and find the answers.


    ''So, how am I even supposed to start with this self-discovery thing?'' she told herself eyes closed as she sat with her legs crossed.


    Qi moved through her fresh body, and she contemplated.


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    ''What do I desire? What do I wish for? Why do I want power?'' she thought.


    As she kept looking inside of herself, she watched as her Qi, colorless, flowed, but something was different.


    She probably wouldn''t have even noticed it if not for her own sensitivity towards the changes of Qi, but she could sense that her Qi was acting like it just... was waiting for something? Was it waiting for her to give it a color or a flavor? Curious...


    ''I want power because I lack it. That is the simplest and most honest answer I have for now.'' True. Her Qi hummed at that.


    Mei Wu wanted power because it was something she couldn''t obtain. Not in any meaningful way. True, she had the potential to use Qi, even potential to become a Level 1 [Apprentice], but that was only after years of being downtrodden and stepped on, and even then...


    Even then, there was no mercy for her.


    She was always weak compared to those who hurt her the most. For every weak warrior she could probably win against, there were dozens of sadists that would love nothing but to crush her and use her as they please.


    Mei Wu had to calm herself as she felt her rage trying to escape too vivid for her senses. Memories she''d rather just erase from her mind trying to become almost visible to her.


    No matter how she tried to catch up, she always fell short. Either due to lack of resources, or being too emotionally and physically drained to be able to focus properly. And in hindsight, her having no real purpose in life, no attachments, and a hate for having to paint herself with the colors of either the tormentors and the victims in the Xie clan, her so-called ''home,'' did a lot to stop her progress.


    ''And now that I know that, I can progress. The first part of fixing a problem, is admitting that one has it at all.'' she kept thinking, as the sensation of Qi agreeing with her intensified just slightly, but no different property in it.


    ''So, what do I want to do if I had power?'' how would she use her power, if she had it? If she had the power to drag anyone under her foot then crush them... what would she use it for?


    She would then use it to make sure that no one would ever harm her again, to never touch her ever again, either by their hands or their intents. She would drag them and their Qi to a level below hers, then keep crushing until nothing remains.


    A very tempting idea, for certain, but...


    She grimaced as she remembered the many arrogant and sadistic looks she saw, wether directed at her or others around her.


    ... Isn''t that just the same approach they gave her? Mei Wu refused to be like that.


    There has to be another motive, other than just sadistic glee over other people''s suffering, even if they truly deserved it.


    A voice in her mind even mocked her that she wouldn''t even have the time to deal with that all the time even if she became an Innate, one of the, if not the biggest desires of any warrior in the Soaring Dragon Continent.


    Going to waste decades of her life as a warrior or an innate just torturing murderers, slavers, rapists, and so on? Supressing them and their Qi for months?


    Yeah, no.


    She''s full of wrath at how she was treated, sure. And she''d love nothing but to get some revenge on every asshole who beat her, raped her, and tormented her, make them feel just how she felt, with a hefty bonus. Even her Qi agrees on that. But honestly? She''d rather just finish them and be done with it. Wasting any more time than needed with trash would only make their smell stink and attach onto her all the more.


    ''But, that is for the future, when I became that strong. What about now though?'' her mouth twitched as the appearance of Kasumi Ai entered her mind.


    That stupid, nonsensical alraune... Mei Wu has a lot to think about her.


    Frustration was present, but it wasn''t genuine like she expected. It was more like an exasperation and annoyance at how the damn plant beast kept flip-flopping between an admittedly pleasant fellow, then start making fun of her, and lately, being rather sadistically pleased during the training that she dragged Mei Wu into in the first place.


    But most surprisingly, or maybe not really, was the strange... relaxed mood whenever she was with that stupidly frustrating alraune.


    Mei Wu certainly noticed how she was acting rather casual with Kasumi Ai, despite her frustration due to that very same attitude.


    ''But...'' her lips gave the impression of a smile, ''despite how much she frustrates me, I apparently tolerate that attitude and actually prefer it more than the alternative, huh.''


    Her Qi swelled with what she felt as acceptance at that. It was honestly strange, yet strangely pleasant.


    Eyes opened, she took a long breath as she felt the changes in herself, even if they weren''t as grand as one expects.


    Her Qi was still colorless, even if it felt close to be painted over. All what she needs is to find her own style, or technique, and make her sense of self even more solid, and maybe find for certain how she wanted to feel about Kasumi Ai.


    ''That alraune... calling me inconsistent. You''re the one who is. Though I have to admit that I like this kind of inconsistency.''


    Her heart and mind though, felt certainly much calmer than they were for a long time.


    Maybe... maybe she can get used to this... she felt herself hoping.

 Chapter 23

    It had been two weeks since Kasumi Ai and Mei Wu became the servants for the Queen Bee, and frankly?


    The Queen Bee was honestly both surprised and unsurprised by the changes that were happening in her hive since she accepted the alraune and her so-called minion into her hive''s not-exactly chains of command.


    The two were honestly quite entertaining, but somehow acted as she thought from her first impression on them.


    The Thorny Alraune was still taking things casually, doing the work of making nectars assigned to her with an almost giddy disposition. It was clear that she didn''t really care about the work as long as her needs of food, shelter and reasonable work conditions were met. And yes, the Queen Bee fully understood that point and agreed with it.


    Even from a purely pragmatic view, giving good work conditions to outsiders who can and want to work with you is just the best way. It definitely helped her do so that Kasumi Ai was satisfied with things that were normal and easy to get, and had no interest in harming the hive, even as her Qi grew purer thanks to her cultivation, something the Queen Bee was still pondering if it should be talked about so soon. She preferred things to happen on their own since rushing things could be more harmful than helpful when there was no rush, but she might need to talk about it soon.


    Mei Wu, though, was definitely the most amusing one of the two. She just seemed to be so frustrated yet ironically relieved by the work she was tasked to do by the bees. She was clearly still being, as the Alraune put it, inconsistent in her attitude, and was still trying to get used to the rather big change of her new living conditions. Though at least she found ''herself'' or the equivalent of it, from what the Queen Bee''s servants told her.


    It was, at the very least, fascinating how the human woman''s Qi seemed to stabilize and solidify as the days passed. It is still far too weak to even make the Queen Bee break a sweat, but now Mei Wu''s power was solidly into the equivalent of a Level 2 [Braveman] even without having a Grimoire. The way she seemed focused on ''painting'' her Qi with her own desire was a rather interesting as well, though it was clear that it would take a while for that to happen.


    But, that would be in the future. Right now, she needed to make more of her stronger subordinates.


    ''More Silver-ranked Protector Bees are needed.'' she thought.


    Even now, after years since she took this area as her hive''s domain, even if she had to conceal it to prepare with minimum distruption, it was still too draining to create her Silver-ranked protectors. It would make her exhausted for days even if she tried to create a single one.


    Thankfully, Kasumi Ai''s healing nectars were frankly highly potent in restoring her reserves, even if it still took nearly a dozen doses to fully revitalize herself, and even then it was better to take it easy the next day just in case. It was just so exhaustive to her body and Qi to create a Silver-ranked being from her body.


    The Queen Bee knew that making far more Bronze or Normal-ranked bees would be a lot easier thanks to the effective Qi cost, but she preferred practicality, understanding that while Bronze-ranked beasts are still rather rare and strong in the continent, there were beings that could kill them with little to no effort.


    Plus, thanks to the Alraune, she can have both quality and quantity, and that was far better than quantity alone as far as she was concerned.


    She would have probably find a way to reward the Alraune for all these benefits. Entire rooms full of healing and energy-filling nectars, and even some of these Rainbow Colored Blooming Flowers. It was clear that Kasumi Ai didn''t know the full worth of the gifts she was giving to the Queen Bee, and it felt a bit inappropriate to leave that without any rewards.


    But what to give, that is the important question.


    ''Maybe I should ask her what she wants?'' the Queen Bee pondered. Yeah, that can work. As long as it is a reasonable thing, then she would try to grant it to her new juniors.


    Was she getting a bit soft and a little too friendly to the two non-bee women? Maybe, but a part of her told her it would be fine to be like that.


    ''Everything changes at some point, isn''t that right?'' she pondered with amusement, picking one of the many nectar containers, consuming it.


    The sweet taste flooded her mouth and energy filled her being.


    She closed her eyes, focusing her Qi around her abdomen, the egg containing the new living Silver-ranked Protector Bee starting to form, and the drain made itself known, but she didn''t falter.


    She would protect her hive, and to a lesser extent, her new workers.


    This tiredness, it''s nothing for her.


    <hr>


    Mei Wu fell on the ground in exhaustion, her body aching and protesting as she took a moment to breathe, feeling drained. She still had enough energy to scowl at the smirking Alraune''s face. Well, both her faces, since even the lower face was thoroughly amused, though the smirk on it was far more predatory by design.


    "I so hate you..." she groaned as the Qi of nature felt like laughing at her misery. Kasumi Ai, in her infinite generosity, saw that her Qi stabilized and grew a bit stronger, thus decided to increase the so-called training imposed on the pink-haired woman.


    "Love you too, sweetie~! Here, let this little me help you stand on your feet~!" the smugness emitted by the alraune felt so dense it could cut gold with ease, and Mei Wu only scowled harder at that, but didn''t complain when Kasumi Ai gave her some water and nectar.


    "Thanks a lot." she spoke with a hint of annoyance as she consumed them and felt her energy and stamina return to her battered body.


    Mei Wu breathed as the few bruises and scratches she sustained healed themselves, and once again, she was honestly happy that Kasumi Ai was very gentle, if highly eccentric and irritating, even if that made her frustrated from time to time.


    Had they been fighting each other to death, then any of these scratches would be filled with poison or aphrodisiacs, and Mei Wu would be turned into food, in the best case scenario.


    "Why do I feel you''re thinking of something rude about me?" the Qi of nature and plants took a strangely threatening yet teasing feel as the grins on the alraune''s faces widened, and Mei Wu pondered for a second if Kasumi Ai was also becoming better at deciphering her thoughts or if this was just one of the times where people are just plain mind readers and simply know who was thinking badly about them. Just like how wives and girlfriends seem to know when their lovers secretely declare their unhappiness by their choices.


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    She scoffed. Either way, her answer was the same towards the highly human-like beast in front of her.


    (knowing that she won''t be harmed for this level of ''defiance'' definitely helped.)


    "Because I''m too inconsistent for your liking?"


    "Well, I won''t say I don''t like your inconsistency, it''s fun! But, at least you seem a lot more relaxed than before. Not as stressed, definitely." The alraune''s response was reeking of honesty even as the grin was toned down to a more genuine smile.


    Mei Wu pursed her lips at that. True, ever since she realized what kind of purpose and desire she held in her being, she found herself a lot calmer than before. She was still definitely worried about many things, the Xie clan most likely hunting her being one of them, but she was genuinely not as much of a nervous wreck that she was before.


    Her power was now higher than before, and she was making progress in growing even stronger thanks to the training... even if she was dragged into it by a mere whim from Kasumi Ai... No, she''s not going to forget that.


    "Yes, yes I''m not as stressed as before." she admitted, "though it''s a shame that I still can''t paint my flavor on my Qi yet. I don''t have any technique that fits with my goal, and I don''t know where to even begin."


    She sighed as she looked at the blue sky. She knew it was probably rather rash, but damn, if she didn''t feel like she deserved some compensation for her misery in her life!


    "Huh... I know that cultivation is hard, and even now, I''m still on the first stage of my technique... But is it really that hard to paint your Qi with your will?" Kasumi Ai asked her, curious.


    Ignoring the feeling of nature Qi almost prodding and poking at her cheeks, Mei Wu huffed at her, arms crossed.


    "Yes, it is that hard. I want these scums that laid their fingers on me to be crushed under my foot to show my dominance." Mei Wu ignored the way the alraune whispered ''ohh, kinky~!'' and practically threw away any embarrassment that implication held.


    "But I want it so that they have no power like I was. Qi, physical power, special techniques. I want them to see how all their powers, all that progress that they trained for, or gained by sheer luck, to be rendered unusable, to make them even weaker than when I was right then. And crush them like the lowlives they are!" she hissed at the end, before having to calm herself.


    "But the problem is that I''m basically walking blind when it comes to how I must advance. I doubt there are techniques or styles that focus on what I want. Oh sure, there are ones that can suppress one''s Qi, and there are of course some items that negate the usage of it against warriors, mostly captured or jailed criminals, but they''re not what I want. I would basically be required to make my own style and cultivation technique from scratch."


    It was rather silent when she finished. It was honestly a concerning thing to her. Most techniques, cultivation ones at least, weak or not, were generally created by ancient warriors who either passed them or were found later after their death, or were stolen.


    Even if there was a cultivation technique that worked on the principle of basically enforcing the user''s will to create a Qi-less world for their enemies, then Mei Wu highly doubted that it would be in the Soaring Dragon Continent. It might exist in the Tong Tian Tower, but that was just a speculation as far as she can think.


    "Hm... True, that would be a big headache, I believe." Kasumi Ai agreed with her, looking contemplative.


    Mei Wu shook her head at that, dispelling these thoughts. Well, she would just have to keep training and cultivating until she finds her path, that''s the best she can do.


    "Should we return now? It''s going to get dark soon." the human woman asked, even if she was lying a bit since it would be hours before the sun even started to set.


    "You go back if you want, I want to cultivate here. The feeling of nature around is a lot more helpful than the taste of honey in the air." the alraune dismissed her with a smile. Then she blinked, then blinked once more, as if she discovered some important fact.


    Mei Wu''s eyebrows twitched as she felt the amusement oozing from her flip-flopping not-friend. Oh, great, she must have thought of something amusing that she will now use to annoy her with.


    "Actually, before you leave, I want you to hear a bit of advice. It might help you~! Think of it as trading pointers and wisdom~!"


    What the hell?


    The alraune coughed, before her smile widened as she looked like she was a philosopher, her voice attempting to sound deep and mature but only felt like a mockery of the real thing.


    "Remember, my dear student... White is not the color of purity, but what happens when one rejects all visible colors in existence, just like how black is what happens when one makes no contact with any color the sun gives, rejecting its colors without mercy. Embrace the duality, for that is the path of men... or women... or everything in between and outside of these two strangely specific yin-yang identities really."


    That... was pretentious and corny as hell.


    Mei Wu looked at her with a deadpan expression. "Is that supposed to give me a new understanding of cultivation and result in a breakthrough for me or something? Because I feel only disappointement."


    "Ouch. That cut deep! You sure you want to train your cultivation?" Kasumi Ai held her hand on her heart in a hurt expression that might have convinced the pink-haired woman if not for the amusement that the Qi of nature was emanating. "With that tongue of yours, you might kill your enemies a lot faster than just punching them!"


    Rolling her eyes, Mei Wu snorted before she decided to return and leave this stupid, yet honestly amusingly frustrating alraune outside.


    Black? White? Everything? Honestly, that felt like a child trying to sound deep and wise more than an actual advice!


    Which is probably what Kasumi Ai wanted, acting so pretentious. What would that even mean to Mei Wu? That she wanted to keep herself pure, therefore she would leave her inner world black to show her pure, purified purity while spewing white color so intense it wipes any other colors she hates?


    Yeah, righ-


    She stilled.


    Wait a minute... didn''t that feel so...?


    Her Qi pulsed, from shock and from the sheer absurdity of what just happened.


    Isn''t that just what she wanted, but put into words using ''colors'' as metaphors!? Should some nonsensical words told as a joke even count as one!?


    "Okay. What the fu-"


    <hr>


    "Hm... Curious, and a bit worrying." a man looking like he was in his fifties muttered as he absentmindedly stroked his beard, looking at the tea cup on the table.


    He was rather tall, nearly reaching two meters with hair that was already turning grey, wearing a simple white robe, as he seemingly pondered to himself.


    "It''s been more than three weeks by now. Are these youngsters just getting too excited and simply forgetting to even bother writing a letter to show their progress?"


    He felt that was highly possible.


    Xie Li, despite his skills, was still very petulant and unrefined, and his attitude was quite uncouth as he had so little restraint when it comes to the pleasures of the flesh. Even as a Level 3 [Hero], and with a relatively good beasts, he had a lot to learn if he wanted to be truly strong. Even though he was the child of the clan master Xie Tao, he clearly still had a long way to become a leader material.


    Xie Yu was a rather good warrior, but he was more of a follower to Xie Li than an actual individual, which was a shame, the old man thought.


    Mei Wu...


    He sighed at that. The woman wasn''t the strongest of the warriors, but her Qi-sense was a truly terrifying skill. It was honestly tragic that she became Xie Li''s bed warmer just to survive in the clan. Alas, even the old man had his limits and he knew that couldn''t help every mistreated member. Not to mention that it''s just a bother to go out of his way to do so.


    Still, with Mei Wu''s sensory skills, they should be alive, maybe. Hopefully.


    "I''d really hope they are alive, but..." a sharpness that could cut steel instantly appeared in his eyes even as his expression had not changed.


    It was a rather simple and straightforward mission; go check on what was happening in a forest, and return to tell the elders. At worst, it would be the apprearance of demons or high-ranked beasts and warriors causing chaos, and at best, a few Bronze-ranked beasts appearing.


    It should have been a simple mission...


    "I guess I should go check on them just in case? Ahh, who cares about the reason? I wanted to have a vacation from just being inside this compound for so long. Hm, I should also pick some of the youngsters too. I heard that some want some real action."


    With that, the Xie Clan Elder, Xie Yao, stood up and left his chambers.


    It was high time to check on his Clan Master''s son, and maybe drag him kicking and screaming if he was in a trouble too much for him to handle.


    And if he found him slacking, then a stern talking would be the least of that brat''s problems!

 Chapter 24: Inner World

    You know what? I think that I might have given Mei Wu an actual advice rather than some nonsensical quotes I made up on the spot.


    Why? Because when I returned and saw her cultivating, the feeling I could sense from her was a much different one than I felt before today.


    As I was watching her focused on herself, clearly not paying attention to me, I noticed a small change in her Qi. I was honestly using my instincts and they were clearly telling me that she was practically having an epiphany and that her feelings were at a new strange level of calmness, something that I honestly couldn''t understand.


    I know that in many xianxia novels, the characters have these weird ''they felt calmer than they ever felt before!'' moments when cultivating, but I only thought it was just a metaphor. It was just some fancy words to say to make the breakthroughs seem cooler than just saying ''and he leveled up from lvl 2 to lvl 3.'' That was what I thought.


    Here and now, I realized that the feeling was an actual real thing, at least as far as my senses were telling me.


    People say metaphors about one being as calm as an ocean, but honestly when I feel the sheer depth of tranquility Mei Wu''s exterior appearance is giving, it felt like she was as calm as the absolute zero!


    There was no movement beyond the air entering or leaving her body, frozen like a statue as Qi moved around and inside her body, barely moving centimeters above her skin, as she was in a strange stillness that felt as amazing as it was a little unnerving.


    "Is this how weird I look when I cultivate? Oh goddess, I hope not." I couldn''t help murmuring to myself wryly. If so, then I am honestly going to increase my respect for this woman, for being so accepting and used to this cultivation strangeness.


    Shaking my head, and trying to ignore the suddenly borderline creepy stillness of my roommate, I took my place to cultivate as well. I still was on the first stage of my Natura Aeterna Nirvana technique after all.


    By now, I had unlocked forty of my meridians, thus I still have a long way to go. It seems that my estimation of completing the first stage in only a couple of months when I started cutivating was a wrong one after all, though if I used all my time unlocking them, I might have reached fifty or so during the month I was alive in this world.


    But, I can''t really argue about it now. I would just continue forward!


    With such enthusiasm, both sets of my eyes closed and my awareness of my Qi rose exponentially as I circled the energy through my body, and air entered then exited my mouth as I breathed.


    A sense of calm washed over me, one that I was quite used to thanks to my admittedly still-new experience with cultivation.


    Qi moved gently towards the next meridian point I wanted to unlock. And just like I did before, I let my qi slowly open the barrier on the way, as the knot gradually dissolved until it was no more.


    I could sense that an hour or so had passed since I began this process, but unlike how I would usually stop, I decided to continue the pseudo-meditation exercice that was cultivation, and following Mei Wu''s example of utter stillness, I pondered on if I should try to focus deeper on myself.


    I didn''t usually do that since there was a sense of danger, no matter how little it is before, but now, I have full trust that I won''t be harmed, neither by Mei Wu or the hive, thus I decided to test it.


    And so, fully focusing on my body and its inner workings, I let my qi flow, as I felt the outer world slowly vanish from my senses, and the calmness I was used to felt like it was growing deeper.


    I could hear my own heart, beating normally, and as the feeling of outer calm on my body grew, I heard as if my heartbeat was growing louder, yet strangely harmless and utterly safe and natural.


    Something was happening. I don''t know what it is, but something inside my body is happening, or maybe, it is occuring to my mind as well.


    I could now hear my own blood flowing through my veins, filling every organ it is supposed to reach with oxygen and vitality.


    Strangely, even my own heart''s sound seemed to become quiet as well as I felt as if my mind was swimming in a highly deep ocean, always moving deeper and deeper.


    ''It''s close...'' I thought, a strange mix of curiosity and anxiety welling inside of me that I just knew did not even appear on my body outside as my metaphorical mental body kept diving lower.


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    It''s close... it''s close, it''s close!


    I can feel my own Qi pulsing outward, but a strange feeling was also making itself known that my Qi was not actually ''outside'' this ocean, but actually deep inside.


    The dive continues at a pace I couldn''t feel the flow of time of, but I just knew that I found the end of it.


    It was as if I found the ground in this black ocean. No, this ground... it isn''t real.


    I frowned, and looked down at the seemingly black surface of what might be my Qi''s manifestation in my mind. I could feel the energy pulsing, and it''s right under this place where I stand in my mind, or soul. I still don''t know it for certain.


    "Then, let''s break through this then!" with that, I focused my Qi, and I felt as the blackness around was swallowed by green, before the weight of my will pierced the thin layer and I found myself falling once more, but only for a second.


    "!" my mouth opened, but no voice came out. The sight before me was honestly shocking, and I would have thought I was hallucinating if I wasn''t so deeply and instinctually certain that this was real.


    What I saw after the green aura disappeared from around me was a huge forest. A massively giant forest filled of trees, weeds and plants. A blue sky and a sun were present, illuminating the place, and I knew from the bottom of my heart that while this sky wasn''t real, it strangely felt so, even if I knew just as well that even if I could fly for days at the speed of the light, I would never reach the end of this sky.


    "Wow! What is this place?" I was, of course, utterly baffled by what was going on. Instinctually, I fully understood what was happening, but on an intellectual level? I still needed time to deal with this discovery.


    I made a step to walk into my mindscape, -my inner world, because this couldn''t be anything else-, and I noticed something strange yet felt right as well, and I looked down towards myself.


    I still had my monsterous lower half, even here, and I was honestly expecting that.


    This place being my mindscape, my body''s projection inside of it clearly shows how I see myself. Me having the lower half is a definite proof that I am seeing myself as an alraune if my previous experiences didn''t make that fact clear.


    What I found different was how I felt my upper body though. I definitely was older-looking here. My upper half was taller, my bust larger, though it wasn''t that much bigger than what I thought they would be. The size was just perfectly balanced, as all things should be. Thanos would be proud of that!


    Probably.


    Refocusing on myself, I noticed that my hair, green as always, was long, nearly reaching my petals. I liked that appearance. Long hair felt awesome, especially as it swayed along with the breeze in this domain. And if I was to talk about my face, then I would say it felt more... mature than the childish teenage-like face I had in reality, a reflection to my mental age of thirty-something lady.


    "Huh... Wonder if I would become like this when I evolve sufficiently enough or I become a Holy Beast?" I asked no one, and naturally got no answer.


    Focusing on my inner world once more, there was a rather strange sensation that I just knew everything in it. I could sense every inch of it, and I could notice everything that was happening in it.


    Of course, saying that something was happening was a bit of a lie since I can sense nothing was occuring right now, beyond the fact that my Qi was covering every place even though this realm was effectively infinite.


    The color of my Qi was like a thin film or membrane that existed all around me, one that I can''t actually cut or rip, nor would I want to, but I can touch it, as my fingers touched the empty air as it turned a soft shade of green, acting like it was made of rubber before returning to its original state as soon as I stopped playing around with it.


    I hummed while walking, as my omnipresent senses in my inner world told me what I am seeing whenever I halt to look at something. This forest was a strangely beautiful mess of multiple plant life that I knew for certain were not plants that actually existed in my previous world, or ones that I saw in this life so far as well.


    "So this inner world of mine also contains whatever fictional plants that I read about or imagined before? Kinda weird, but then again, this is my world." I pondered, then I looked far away, and moved to a place that I felt quite familiar.


    Another one of my locked meridian points.


    Seeing them in front of me, in the spiritual sense at least, was not really as impressive. I say that I am seeing them, but in reality, I''m seeing nothing. The locked points were nothing but thick invisible walls that seemed to block me from passing through them, nothing more.


    I could naturally just walk around, or jump ''above'' them, but they still block my qi, no matter how little, from properly ''spreading around,'' for the lack of better description.


    "Let me fix this then..." I smiled as I touched the wall, hand pulsating with qi as I willed it to follow my intent.


    The world around me seemed to shudder, taking a slightly green hue as I guided the qi''s movement towards and around the wall, slowly eroding and breaking it in an almost-gentle manner.


    Cracks appeared on the invisible wall (knot), and it was barely a few minutes from my perspective before it shattered without giving any voice, the shards flying into the air, vanishing as if they never were there.


    The world around me pulsed once more, and I felt as the thin membrane made of my qi filled the space where there was none, and the purity of it increasing just a tiny bit.


    I exhaled, both content and amazed by this experience.


    To think that I even could enter this inner world of mine... I shook my head. This was one hell of a ride! I would definitely repeat this again!


    "Not to mention that there are parts I still want to explore by myself too." I told myself, nodding and the air seemed to move with happiness at that.


    Well, I would do it at a later time. It seems that time here passes differently than the outside, clearly the same way it happens whenever I cultivate. My internal clock tells me that the sun was already rising, and soon I and Mei Wu would be called to do our daily nectar packaging work.


    "Time to exit then!" with a smile on my lips, knowing that my body was as refreshed as it can be even with my deep dive into my inner world, and I exit the inner world with a simple command, as for a second, I could hear my own heart beating loudly, before that disappeared, and I felt my real eyes open.


    Well, that was... an unforgettable experience indeed.

 Chapter 25: A bit of acceptance

    "So... I presume you entered your inner world?"


    In response to Kasumi Ai''s question, Mei Wu''s hands only halted for a second before she nodded, continuing the usual tasks given to the duo by the Queen Bee.


    She was silent for a moment before she spoke.


    "Yes, I did see it. It was... not exactly finished in its creation though, from what I saw." she admitted with a sigh, but there was a feeling of contentment around her.


    Her inner world was honestly as she stated, not being fully formed yet since her sense of self was slowly getting imprinted on her own qi and she still had no cultivation technique of her own yet.


    She felt curiosity leaking from the alraune, and frankly, despite how Mei Wu would say she couldn''t comprehend the seemingly walking talking and ironically, inconsistent, mess of emotions that was Kasumi Ai, the human woman found it easy to know the alraune''s questions before they even left that mouth.


    "Really? How was it?" ah, just like Mei Wu expected. The beast woman was clearly interested in whatever that picked her fancy at the moment. Well, at least ''her fancy'' wasn''t something absurd.


    Moving her eye to look up at the human part of the alraune, seeing the head tilting, clearly showing interest that was reflected on her face and green eyes.


    "Hahh! You''re always so curious, aren''t you?" Mei Wu huffed, crossing her arms. "Fine. Despite it being none of your business, I will tell you. It was an irritating gray void of nothingness, with only the slightest hints of black and white appearing here and there. I have a lot to do to even make it feel right to me."


    And wasn''t that a strangely baffling surprise? When she entered her inner world and realized what it was, she genuinely thought that her senses were wrong!


    How can her inner world be gray when her qi is colorless, and when only recently did she even decide what her style would even be? The answer to that came as easily as it was frustrating yet logical.


    While her qi is indeed still colorless, her inner world was also reflecting her own view on life, whether it was due to her own style or technique not being made or for another reason, she still didn''t know. The pessimistic and defeatist view that she had about herself was what made her inner world a massive world of empty gray void that expanded endlessly.


    Thankfully, the alraune''s nonsensical words that somehow helped her get an epiphany allowed her to understand just a bit more what her path would be, which is why these small spots of white and black existed.


    Their ratios and the places they were in were completely wrong to Mei Wu''s senses though. They just didn''t feel right and she clearly needed to know what to do about that and how to shape it along with her sense of self and goals into ones that feel just right to her.


    "Huh..." Kasumi Ai kept looking at her with interest and understanding before she smirked at her. "So my random words gave you a huge boost in your comprehension skills to your own self? Truly, my knowledge is beyond compare! Maybe if we ever become a part of a city or something, I will set up a shop and sell some random lines that might or might not actually help warriors get enlightened!" she rubbed her hands in a manner that reminded the human woman of greedy merchants, though the intent wasn''t that serious and felt like the alraune was just fantasizing about being rich.


    "Yes. That can do. Clearly giving actual advices to any possibly hostile entity would greatly help us and totally not screw us over." Mei Wu answered with a sarcastic tone.


    Kasumi Ai though waved her hand dismissively.


    "Bah! You and your worries about that. If I wanted to set up shop in a city, then I have to be strong enough first! Let''s say, when I have the power of an Innate goddess or something? Anything else below, I would be happy joining that small assassin guild you told me about and kill some poor criminals." she shrugged.


    "So..." the pink-haired woman looked frankly unimpressed yet incredulous, which was exactly how she felt about that so-called ''ambition'' of her not-exactly-teammate, "when you''re basically a deity and practically all-mighty in power, you''ll swindle poor guys with some flowery poems and phrases, possibly stealing billions of whatever currency they have, but anything lower you''ll go kill petty thieves that even random beggars on the Sixth Floor of the Tong Tian Tower and above could kill with just a glare?"


    Oh, yeah. Mei Wu still made sure to tell Kasumi Ai about the world beyond the forest and the politics and all that. The alraune wanted to know, and the human lady was glad to oblige.


    And even though Mei Wu did not even enter the tower in question, she certainly knew and heard of the legends of the many scary entities living in it, especially the upper floors. She knew that in the upper floors, the sight of Innates would become the norm, and from the Sixth Floor and above, anyone below at least a Level 6 [Elder] is basically a trash.


    "Pretty much~!" the alraune chirped with an almost-genuine smile.


    "You''re going to change your plans on a whim if you ever reach that level, aren''t you?" came Mei Wu''s flat question as she ignored the way the Qi of nature was seemingly trying to poke on her face as her Qi-sense made her feel as the green-haired woman just smiled innocently.


    ''I''m really getting too used to her rapid changes in mood.'' she mused to herself, ''but is that even a good thing? I mean, it certainly is helpful to me, less headaches from trying to understand her moodswings, on the other hand... moodswings!''


    Giving a sigh, she dropped to the ground, feeling a strange feeling of tiredness. One that felt surprisingly familiar, yet not.


    "Is everything alright? Are you tired?"


    Well, even the alraune realized that it wasn''t something physically wrong, since only the feeling of curiosity appeared both on her face and in how her Qi felt, even as a vine moved, leaking healing nectar.


    Even as she took it with gratitude, Mei Wu felt like she was really getting too used to this healing nectar, or any nectar from this plant beast. Damn it, this shouldn''t be a normal thing, especially since healing pills or items are rather expensive, but ever since she met Kasumi Ai, every shred of common sense was being shattered with an almost-beautiful and sweet cruelty.


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    "Not... really. I mean, everything is fine, at least physically, I suppose. I''m just still having trouble imagining this happening, when I look back to how my life was before." the words weren''t something new, and she was certain that she had told the alraune that basically shattered her world these same words many times before, and she was even more certain that she thought about them a hundred times more in her head.


    "Too good to be true, huh?" Kasumi Ai mused, but there was a hint of pity and concern in it, something easy for Mei Wu to notice.


    "Yeah... It can be rather discomforting. Thinking that this is all nothing but a dream, and that in reality, I am just knocked unconscious after he or they had defiled me again." she shuddered as her eyes looked unfocused at the ceiling. "Yeah, just the mere thought of it just fills me with disgust. To even think of that..."


    "..." she felt the alraune''s eyes looking at her seriously, no sight of or feel of the previous teasing attitude as she the vines stopped moving as if the plant-beast woman was a statue.


    "He was planning to enter that tower, you know... Xie Li wanted wanted to grow even stronger there after he finished the investigation we were tasked to do in the forest, to find what was causing distruptions, which was most likely you and the Queen Bee." Mei Wu spoke, an odd tone mixing both relief and pain clear in her voice. "Had we not met you, or had the two guys listened to my warnings and Xie Li attacked you without restraint before you can mount a proper defense, and managed to capture or kill you, then I..."


    ''Then I wouldn''t have changed at all, still stuck as that scum''s slave, unlike the current me that is at least trying to find her path...'' despite not saying it, she felt that Ai understood the unsaid words and the pain she felt.


    Not Kasumi Ai in her mind at the moment, but simply Ai.


    The idea honestly felt so foreign even right now, but a part of her was not even bothering with caring about giving face or caring about titles or formalities. After all, wasn''t this alraune, who liked switching moods and teasing her, treat her better than anyone practically ever did in her entire life?


    Healing her, training <del>with</del> her, giving her advice <del>even accidentally</del>, and just... practically treating her like family! It might''ve been an exaggeration, but compared to how she lived before, it felt like a strange ''found'' family.


    Actually, wasn''t that how people act when becoming comrades due to facing perilous situations together, or just because? Like what she saw some of the warriors do and act before <del>even if she couldn''t comprehend it at that time and hated being jealous towards them</del>?


    Oh, how that realisation felt like her heart is tightening both from shock and confusingly painful happiness, and her sight seemed to blur. Why was it blurring?


    "Mei Wu? You''re- you''re crying." concern and a strange feeling of panic invaded her, and it took her a moment to notice that Ai <del>(not Kasumi Ai, damn it! She can''t think of this annoyingly pleasant alraune in such a formal way)</del> was the one feeling these feelings.


    She blinked at that. Oh... she was crying. Why is she crying? She has nothing to worry about or be scared of!


    "I- I''m fine!" she denied with a glare that she felt was more like a hurt expression than anything remotely close to what she wanted to show on her face,, wiping her tears, yet they continued to pour stubbornly. "Just something in my eyes!"


    "Mei Wu..." she stilled at that tone. It was just reeking sadness and understanding, something that only made her even more incapable of dealing with this. "We both know that you''re not alright at all right now."


    No, no no. She definitely is fine! Mei Wu denied with all her heart, even if her own qi was making it clear that she very much is not alright. Trying to ignore all the signs that are practically oozing from her own qi, signs that she would simply accept if these very same were coming from someone else. Even when her mouth opens to deny it, no words can leave from Ai''s admission, and she really wants to hate this feeling she was dealing with.


    She isn''t hurt. She isn''t injured. She isn''t emotionally weak. She is definitely not crying or having her own emotions in turmoil over this feeling of being safe being hammered into her for the first time in years and finding someone she could connect to on a basis that is a lot better more than a slave and a master-


    She suddenly found herself brought up to Ai''s humanoid face as the alraune used her vines to hold her and bring them face-to-face. It was so sudden and unexpected her mind stopped working for a second as she gazed at that face expressing tiredness and sadness, the bindings on her torso firm yet not painful in the least.


    "You''re hurt." it was spoken so assuredly and filled with sorrow, that she felt like they were spoken from experience or prehaps sheer compassion, and Mei Wu would have simply thought of them as another oddity of the sorrowful alraune in front of her if she was not having this agonizing emotional tempest in her heart.


    "There''s no need to deny it, you know?" a small, tender yet sad smile made itself visible on Ai''s face. "You didn''t deny your fears and problems about me back then. Why are you afraid of admitting them now?"


    "Th-that... That isn''t the same..." Mei Wu argued, but even so, the words she had just spouted...


    "You don''t believe these words, don''t you?"


    Her hands clenched tightly at that, and she could feel her own qi agreeing with that, and she hates it. She hates this feeling that she was dealing with! Why? Why do her tears keep flowing!? Why is she feeling this out of nowhere!? Why!?


    Oh, but of course she knows why. There is no way she would not know or understand it, which is why she wanted to deny it with all her might. Because of course, all the hurt she was dealing with and pushed deep inside wouldn''t simply be released just by her ranting and expressing her fury only once.


    "I... I don''t... I''m not alright. I''m so mad and confused and I just don''t know what to think." which is why she whispered her answer, exhaustion and hurt plain to see.


    "I... I just thought... that after I blew up my fuse on you, that I had vented my rage and that I might not need to think of that way again. But it seems that even when I try to advance, I just feel that attitude looming at me... I could distract myself from it, but I guess I knew deep in my heart that I would have to deal with that again, as long as I didn''t find a way to leave it behind for good. And then you gave me an advice, one that helped me find how I want myself to be..." she said with an honesty that practically made her feel vulnerable.


    "And that resulted in you facing that without you even realizing it, like a part you locked away suddenly got freed." Ai finished for her, slightly amazed and baffled even as her sad tone didn''t change that much.


    "Yeah..." Mei Wu said hoarsely.


    Silence followed for a while, and Mei Wu didn''t feel the urge to break it. She was just too tired of this hour''s revelations. But thankfully, or not, said silence was broken when Ai''s expression became softer.


    "I''m going to hug you. Is that fine?" the soft voice echoed in the room, and it took her a few seconds before her mind rebooted and she understood what that meant.


    "I..." she bit her lips, her eyes tightly closing as she took a shuddering breath.


    Screw it. It had been a long time since she was hugged by her own choice. If she wanted to be hugged, then Ai... she can be trusted.


    "Yes, please." she almost choked, and she knew from just from their emotions that she would be probably crying heavily.


    Time seemed to stretch as she was gently moved towards Ai''s body, gently guided to sit on the petals that she knew should be normally sensitive, but the airaune didn''t care about that, as the only thing separating them is a mere inch or two, and even that distance ceased to exist as the gentle and delicate hand of the alraune that treated her far better than anyone else wrapped around her.


    More personal than she had ever felt, yet strangely more comfortable than she expected, she stopped the flinch that almost started, not used to this level of tenderness since even with her and Ai, the most intimate contact they had so far was them hitting each other during training or Ai playing with her hair out of boredom.


    This was a frankly a new level of contact for Mei Wu when it comes to her interactions with Ai, and in the face of that, she found herself breaking down as tears just kept flowing.


    "That''s it. Just let it all out. Don''t let even a shadow of your anguish or happiness locked inside of you."


    And despite being unable to see Ai''s face, the emotions she felt so closely, almost blanketing her body made it clear that this was a truly sweet thing to live to feel.

 Chapter 26

    Well, damn... I thought to myself as Mei Wu cried herself to sleep on my shoulders while I kept hugging her.


    Only now, after nearly twenty minutes did her sobs stop and she became too emotionally exhausted and just fell asleep and her grasp on my body lessened.


    "... Let it all out, huh." I thought, whispering to myself as I gently moved her body and put her down on the floor.


    I looked at her sleeping body, face teary yet her heart beating normally and her breath moderate. She was, to my senses, outwardly fine aside from the aforementioned tears on her face, which I carefully wiped.


    Though I was absolutely certain that she very much is not, mentally. But that''s a problem to deal with later when she wakes up.


    I frowned at that, my previous tender expression vanishing even as I returned to finishing up the work quota we were supposed to reach today, and I found myself thinking.


    Mei Wu said that the reason of her breakdown was the result of her sense of self forming along with her inner world which made her face facts she did not want to think of if she desired to advance.


    And I caused that. That part... I felt a bit of guilt in my heart about that. It wasn''t a feeling I felt since I was reborn in this world until now, and that honestly irritated me a bit.


    Even though I knew I shouldn''t feel that way, since Mei Wu herself made it clear that that would have happened anyways if she kept finding her path, I still couldn''t stop the guilt I felt about me being what caused that breakdown.


    Because well, I cared about her. I really can''t deny that, can I? Matter of fact is; despite the way I liked teasing her and even doing things that almost crossed the indecent territory, I genuinely didn''t want to do something that actually crosses the line especially with her own experiences.


    I nearly tore open the last of the few nectar containers that I was holding with my vines as a feeling of anger welled within me, but I caught myself.


    "Okay... I am definitely more pissed at the Xie clan more than I expected I would."


    I honestly didn''t think I could be that angry at a clan I only met a few people belonging to it.


    Xie Li, that was a mere trash. Xie Yu too. The other members? I couldn''t care less about, unless they would have targeted me and Mei Wu. That was how I was thinking about them before, and even now, I still think the same of them, but...


    They hurt Mei Wu...


    It was honestly a bit terrifying, now that I realized that I cared about Mei Wu more than I thought. I was basically thinking of her as a friend, and most likely more than a casual one as well, didn''t I? Both from my perspective and hers.


    From this world''s perspective, I was basically a family to her, in all but blood since I allowed her to survive when she was supposed to kill me, healed her, and even trained her or helped her train, if I wanted to be more accurate. I was basically the equivalent to the heaven''s gift to her after all that suffering she dealt with, and I didn''t even really ask for anything from her!


    From my perspective, what I did was giving basic decency to a woman that I could have just killed or enslaved on a whim, and I took care of her, even if some of my choices were not been to her liking at that time. But...


    Even so, I clearly was attached to her as the first reasonable sapient being that actually interacted with me, and one that could easily understand me! Even if the reason she was reasonable and amicable was due to me eclipsing her in power. I am not so stupid to think that she might have not tried to kill or escape from me if she had the power at that time.


    "But I was treating you as a friend, even from my perspective, wasn''t I?" I asked her prone form, my lips turning into a thin line. "It seems that even back then, the Worker Bees weren''t a real substitue to being actually able to talk with and interact with a being that can understand me and speak to me in words."


    Then again, like humans, Alraunes are still social entities themselves, even if their perspective of it would be terrifying to humans and almost all the other poor humanoid fellows who were unfortunate enough to get caught by the alraunes and were too weak to escape their grasp. In a way, most alraunes would prefer the company of other alraunes and a very few peculiar races or beasts. Anything else? Either food or a slave if they did not give any other benefit.


    To them, the prospect of genuine friendship or anything like it would only occur if the alraunes in question actively wanted it and had enough emotional intelligence and sapience to act on it instead of just following raw instincts of either hunger or lust. I was terribly lucky with my reincarnation in that regard since I was reborn with all my sapience intact, even if my primal instincts were no longer exactly the same.


    My instincts seemed to flare at that mere idea, confirming my thoughts.


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    ''Though I highly doubt I would try that peculiar version of socializing any time soon, if ever. Not unless I went mad with power and lust. Or I found someone that infuriated me that far.'' I told myself, telling my instincts to calm down as I finally put the nectar containers in their place.


    I looked once more towards Mei Wu, and sighed as I saw her still asleep, almost looking like nothing terrible had happened just half an hour ago.


    I wondered for a moment if she was in her inner world, trying to understand and deal with what she had realized today. I certainly was going to think about it tonight as well.


    Shaking my head, I carefully picked her up to move her into our living area, telling the curious Worker Bees that she was just a bit too tired than I expected, which was the truth in a way, until I reached it and just as gently, I put her on her spot where she usually slept, and soon I too closed my eyes.


    Let''s hope tomorrow would be a totally less emotionally exhaustive one.


    <hr>


    Well... This day was going alright, but not exactly.


    "Okay, we''re done." I sighed, abruptly halting our training session. My vines stopped their charge, and Mei Wu almost found herself tripping from the sudden whiplash both from my words and the rather irritated and disappointed mood I was having, something she clearly noticed with her senses.


    "Wh-what?" she looked at me incredulously, not really lowering her guard since even if she can sense my emotions and Qi, I could just change my thoughts on a whim and attack her right then and there while she was defenseless.


    I did not.


    "Wait... oh, you''re serious. But why?" she was clearly surprised. But that question? She must have known the answer already.


    I crossed my arms at that, frowning. "Let us be honest, shall we? Both of us were not fighting with the best of our skills right now. We aren''t clearly in the mood for it."


    And that was the truth. Mei Wu was fighting well, sure. She was even slightly better than before, for certain, even if she was still not close to Xie Li''s level of power, but she was getting there, but... she was still not fighting with the same enthusiasm and mental energy she did before. I didn''t need to be an emotional sensor to know that she wasn''t really focusing on the fight 100%.


    I too, was the same. True, I still eclipsed her in power even if my rank and level didn''t increase -I might need to kill something actually strong compared to me to increase them at this point- and I was still not taking it as seriously as I could, but I was... not focusing fully on it either.


    "No, we really aren''t..." she sighed as well and dropped onto the ground as the gentle breeze, the flora and sunlight surrounded us as we didn''t move while the sun shone brightly in the sky.


    "So... emotional problems. More precisely, how we think of each other. That''s the problem right now, isn''t it?" I simply stated.


    Because, really, yes, that was it. We were used to our usual dynamic, even if we didn''t really think much of it. At least, I did not, really. To me, she was always a person I can talk to, and a day later after I met her, a comrade in our work under our relatively saint-like super strong boss the Queen Bee.


    She on the other hand had her opinion about me change from a beast who would kill her, to one who is human-like and won''t kill her, to one that would practically throw her to a den of literal monsters and not really care about how her previous experiences were like and how I was practically stepping on all her previous conceptions on how she should be treated nicely, even if my teasing got on her nerves and I still was an inconsistent beast to her even now.


    "Yeah, I can''t argue about that at all even if I wanted to." she admitted as we were silent for a moment.


    "Ah, damn it." she suddenly spoke, eyes looking directly at mine as she abandoned all forms of beating around the bush and decided to be blunt as a hammer. "I want to be your friend and I want you to be mine. There. I said it!"


    She said it in a way that made it hard to understand the expression her face was making as it looked like something between a scowl and worry.


    "Okay... That is definitely one way to admit one''s problems." I admitted as I was a bit surprised by her blunt answer. Then again, I guess this was long overdue for her.


    "No use trying to go in circles about it. You also would want this to be dealt with quickly too, don''t you?" she crossed her arms, and I couldn''t help feeling sheepish about it.


    "You are right. So... let''s talk about it." I began, arms crossed too as I pondered about it. "I guess I should start then..."


    I pursed my lips, anxiety and awkwardness making themselves known to me.


    This... this is practically my first time in this life actually thinking of one as a friend I care about instead of a mere acquaintance or close to that. I did have friends in my previous one but I really doubted that I cared this much like I am feeling towards Mei Wu. And no, Worker Bees don''t really count as ones, mostly because I won''t feel as upset about their probable deaths like I felt I would be if this woman in front of me was the one on the grasp of death.


    "Mei Wu, I''d like to be your friend." the words that came of my mouth were honestly more like that of a love confession than a request of a friendship, and the fact that I felt heat creeping on my face was not helping.


    "Me too, Ai''er." oh, great, even she is also blushing. Cute~!


    Also, wait a minute.


    "Ai''er?" I asked, a bit of curiosity seeping into me and helping me ignore this awkwardness.


    "I know you don''t care about formalities." she stated bluntly, "so, Ai it is. And since you''re basically my first friend in..." her eyes looked unfocused for a moment before she refocused. "in a long time... but you might as well be the first friend in my whole life at this point... you deserve that suffix."


    Aww~! Great, now I''m all fuzzy and happy and all that. I felt my heart throb pelasantly as a positive and sweet feeling entered my body.


    "O-oh... Thanks!..." I found myself replying rather awkwardly. Well, great to see I have problems when it comes to friendship... mostly because I did not think of it at all in any important manner since my reincarnation into this world.


    I feel that the goddess that reincarnated me might be laughing at my expenses. But that aside... How to make myself look better than I am and pull one over her to ignore this embarrassment!?


    Ignoring the fact that she can literally read my emotions, I ignored Mei Wu even as she looked at me with raised eyebrows, clearly preparing for my comeback.


    I snapped my fingers, realizing what to say.


    "Oh, affectionately calling each other right away now? Well, in that case, what do you like?" my mouth gave a teasing smirk towards her.


    "Wu-chan, or Wu-kohai?" Personally, I prefer Wu-chan. It just fits and is too cute not to use it!


    Wu-chan just looked beyond confused at that.


    "Uh... what do chan or kohai mean? Hey, why are you grinning even more?"


    Oh... this will be so much fun.

 Chapter 27

    "I can''t believe this." Mei Wu sighed both in bafflement and shock as she rubbed her forehead, shaking her head. What she got drilled into her head, after her new friend practically dragged her into their room inside the hive, was basically a huge infodump concerning Kasumi Ai''s language. Particularly, the honorifics.


    Something the alraune was clearly way too amused to stop talking about.


    How the alraune knew all of that info wasn''t one she could have bothered to understand or rationalize, and Mei Wu deemed the reason for the knowledge being either something that beasts just know when they are born, or one they get afterwards after knowing how to speak. But that that does not matter for now.


    "So, I''m basically Wu-chan, because I''m, in your words, ''your cute friend that is just so easy to tease'', or Wu-kohai because you''re my... ''sensei'' or teacher." she quoted with sarcasm at the last part. "Since you clearly took me as your apprentice, all right."


    Ai just kept smiling as if she said nothing wrong, while literally looking down at her due to the height difference. "Indeed! I personally prefer Wu-chan! It fits perfectly!"


    She spread her arms as if to embrace the world in a way to prove her opinion correct.


    Mei Wu only snorted at that. Yeah, it fits how the alraune wanted to treat her whenever it wasn''t something serious. By constantly irritating and teasing her. Not that the pink-haired woman can really complain about that.


    "Wow. You really convinced me, Ai''er." she responded dryly. Her tone managed to be as biting as it was dry. Not that the plant woman took that seriously.


    "Good! I knew you''ll see it my way, Wu-chan~!" Kasumi Ai gave her a thumbs up at that, her grin still as present as before. "So, should we just relax tonight? I mean, it''s clear we''re not in the mood for training... yet." she asked with interest, her smirk lessening slightly.


    "Yes, that should be it. We''ll just continue our spars tomorrow. Guess tonight, we should only cultivate." Mei Wu sighed at that. She wasn''t really upset about this... not change per se... but she hoped there won''t be too many distractions to stop them from training properly.


    Having two emotional breakdowns in less than two weeks is two breakdowns too many, even if they did help her understand her desires a bit better.


    "Mm. I agree. Still, I like the scenery and all that, so I will stay here for a while. Do you want to return? I''m pretty sure you''re determined to find how to create your Apoptosis cultivation technique and all that."


    At that curious question, Mei Wu shook her head. While she''d love to see what to do with her new self-progress, she felt that relaxing for a while right now would be better than just rushing at it, and stated as much.


    "Do whatever you want then." with that, the alraune decided to just take her time under the sun, Mei Wu sitting just a few feet away from her as there was no sound other than that of nature and the Protector Bee watching over them.


    "So..." Kasumi Ai broke the silence, "you think the Xie clan would be searching for you right now? It had been more than three weeks since you and those two disappeared from their view."


    Mei Wu frowned at that, all traces of amusement vanishing from her face due to the seriousness of the question.


    "I won''t say that they might have not decided to see what was going on." she said, thinking, "Xie Li, while he was rather influencial in the clan, he was not so... strong that he could go on missions for months without telling anyone. Even he would get scolded at the very least if he went his merry way for too long."


    "I somehow doubt the mission you were partaking in would take more than a few weeks." Kasumi Ai pointed. "At that time, the mission would have been accomplished by killing or capturing me, assuming that I was the reason, and not our current bee boss."


    "That''s true." Mei Wu admitted, "the mission was to check on what was happening here. The number of beasts was increasing, though it wasn''t to a degree that was deemed urgent or disasterous, thus the details were given to the clans, at least the more influencial and stronger ones. and if some of the warriors wanted to do it, then they can. All they needed was an elder''s approval and that''s it."


    She stopped talking for a moment. "But no one really thought it would take anything more than a couple of weeks or so. Just a quick look to see what is going on, and maybe capturing a rare beast if possible. That was it. The compensation wasn''t also that big really, by warriors'' standards, even if it was a few gold coins. Though the reason why Xie Li accepted the mission when he would have simply gone to a brothel was because the elders told him that he would be rewarded handsomely and maybe get a strong beast to contract."


    "Wow... I don''t know if that''s pure pragmatism or just greed." the alraune looked at her chuckling with amusement.


    "Greed, that''s what I believe. He wouldn''t have bothered or even thought about investigating the forest if it didn''t have a reward attached to it." Mei Wu ignored any argument that Xie Li could ever be pragmatic.


    Well, unless it was when he knew beforehand that some random guy he met at a restaurant isn''t some hidden genius who easily outclassed him... or that the random woman he wanted to bed could easily wipe him from existence... or he had to deal with other influencial people who he knew he could not offend willy nilly... Other than that, no survival instincts to be seen, since everyone else would either be intimidated by him or his clan and are unable to fight back.


    "Sounds like a great guy who would really love me if I allowed him to contract me." Kasumi Ai joked as she played with her hair, looking amused. Mei Wu though, was not amused.


    "I''d like it if you don''t joke about that, please." she scowled at the mere thought of that happening. "Just the mere thought of you following him fills me with disgust. And sure, you aren''t helpless even with him having contracted you due to the sheer intelligence and sentience allowing you to even refuse his orders, not to mention that you are... not exactly a weak beast being Silver-ranked. And frankly, your existence and power are still breaking my previous ideas about plant beasts as well."


    She felt as if Ai''s qi was snickering when she said the word ''sentient,'' but she ignored it as curiosity took control of her... friend''s mood. Oh, yeah, that would take some time to adjust to.


    "Maybe you don''t know this, but plant beasts are what people call ''trash'', due to how weak they are even against beasts on their levels." once again, she made an effort to say the word ''trash'' with as much sarcasm as she could muster to show the absurdity of the situation, before she looked like she was trying to decipher a secret.


    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    "Or at least, maybe I would be more precise to say that they are ''trash,'' when they do not get to evolve and rise in rank. Maybe everyone in the continent just didn''t realize that exponential growth is even stronger and higher in plant-type beasts than others. Even with your high intelligence and ability to cultivate taken into account, your growth in power is just too large. You already could most likely defeat and kill a Silver-ranked Level 3 Protector Bee with little difficulty as well."


    Because any other conclusion would be just ridiculous. It was always stated to her and many others how weak plant-type beasts, and in fact, it was supposedly the most basic of the basics when one learns about beasts. They naturally only appear as either a Normal or Bronze-ranked beasts, and only with the Level 1 or 3 at most. Not a level of power worthy of respect in general, and even more so due to how they are usually weaker than most other beasts, as Mei Wu had stated already.


    But what if it was simply the fact that it just took a different method to cultivate and nurture them and that, simply, no one knew about it? If a normal sheep was fed meat because its owner believed that just like tigers and dogs, a sheep only eats meat and can only get stronger and healtier with it, is it the sheep''s fault for not getting stronger or even becoming weaker?


    Of course not. That would make no sense. Plant-type beasts must simply have different requirements to increase in rank and level. It''s just that either that knowledge was wiped out, or was forgotten as time kept moving forward, until no one remembered it any longer. And it just happened that Ai had found it either by accident when she was born, or she instinctually knew how, and was lucky enough not to fight a predator too strong for her at that time.


    That is one hell of a discovery that she had just gotten in less than ten minutes, but Mei Wu could deal with it. By the heavens, if she can handle all the ridiculousness surrounding this alraune, then she can deal with this twist.


    Kasumi Ai was frankly both amazed and amused by that. "Oh? I admire your confidence in me. I might probably be able to win against our fellow Protector Bee. Though I don''t think it would be that fast or easy. But thanks for the praise, Wu-chan!"


    The bee beast in question made a buzzing sound as if it was offended, and it was clearly not amused about the insult stated towards it, Mei Wu felt. But it did nothing but keep floating around.


    Shaking her head, the pink-haired woman returned to their original subject.


    "But yeah, even with you being in a contract, I doubt that you won''t milk the opportunity for all its worth. You''d probably keep eating every damn beast he kills even if he ordered you not to, and he''d have to get over it. And you will only listen to his orders when you feel like it..."


    Wait, wouldn''t that mean that even if that piece of trash somehow managed to contract her, she could just betray him any time he summoned her? Back then, the alraune was Silver-ranked Level 1, an incredibly rare beast due to her rank alone. Add the fact that she was easily able to kill Xie Li''s Bronze-ranked Level 4 Demonic Wolf, wouldn''t that make her practically uncontrollable for a mere summoner or warrior with only the power of a Level 3 [Hero]?


    "And it would be basically hell for him..." she finished, baffled.


    Truly, Xie Li''s fate of being just killed and eaten was just too kind. Mei Wu would have probably loved to see that asshole crying rivers of tears due to Ai eating the corpse of a beast he wanted to get. And if Ai wanted to use him as an energy source, especially with her aphrodisiacs... yeah. He truly was hideously lucky, from a certain point of view.


    "I feel you have some contradictory thoughts about what Xie Li should have suffered from. Please don''t be inconsistent in this particular subject." Ai crossed her arms with a deadpan on her face.


    "Okay, fine! I''ll think of how I would love to see him suffer under your care later. But the point still stands, and going back to our talk about the Xie clan before we got into tangents, they would be wondering about my and their disappearance by now. At least, the more paranoid or stricter ones." Mei Wu finished with a huff.


    "That''s just trouble, isn''t it?" Ai sighed at that. Even her lower monsterous mouth looked disappointed and depressed.


    "Yes, it is. If they believed Xie Li was dead or in danger, then they would probably bring an elder or two, and maybe a bunch of clan members or disciples with them as well. Definitely nothing to the Queen Bee and her army of a dozen or more of Protector Bees, along with the queen herself, but that would be some really terrible odds for the two of us." Mei Wu explained.


    "Every elder is basically either a Level 5 [Grandmaster] or Level 6 [Elder], and they are almost guaranteed to have a Grimoire, with strong beasts contracted to them, along with their Guardian Beasts. True, at most, they would have a silver-ranked beast, but they might have a gold-ranked one if we''re really unlucky. Thankfully though, if we had to fight disciples, then they mostly don''t have a Grimoire, but even weaker beasts than Xie Li did. Those, we could easily defeat if we weren''t reckless or used your poisonous nectars and pollen."


    Ai pondered about that analysis, and she nodded, agreeing with it as she looked at the sun that was starting to set. "You are quite correct. Should we continue the talk inside?"


    Taking a moment to sense the qi around them just in case, and determining that nothing was wrong, Mei Wu nodded as well.


    "Yes, let''s."


    With that, the two returned inside the hive, followed by the Protector Bee that Mei Wu felt like it would be filing a complaint to the Queen Bee due to her joking about Ai being strong enough to kill it.


    Life, isn''t she right?


    <hr>


    Finally, their preparations were finished, Xie Yao thought as he stood straight, looking at the group he had picked to go along with him.


    Truly, the years sapped a lot of his energy, he sighed. Reaching eighty was never fun, even for a Level 5 [Grandmaster]. If only he was able to become an [Elder] in his youth... Alas, life is so unfair.


    Frankly, he could have already gone on his own days ago, but he understood that the juniors of today needed to have a mission with their seniors once every while. Which is why he picked this group and waited for them to prepare for a day or two for good measure.


    Four people stood in front of him, two men, and two women. All between twenty and thirty years old. Not really strong by his standards, but they all were capable of fighting with a level 2 beginner [Braveman], and possibly an intermediate one if working together. Not too bad all things considered.


    None of them had any grimoire nor any real strong beasts, which was a shame, but on the other hand, if there was a real threat that even he couldn''t defeat in the forest, then even if they all died, the Xie clan wouldn''t be too weakened from this loss.


    But, this was a sacrifice he was prepared to make. He had talked with the clan master, and he was told not to choose anyone with the power of a level 3 [Hero] due to how few they were, especially in their clan.


    "And thus, I assume your preparations are done, correct?" he asked, but he didn''t give them time to answer, for he can see it in their postures. "I chose you to come with me both to investigate the rise of the number of beasts, as well as the possible disappearance of Xie Li, Xie Yu and Mei Wu. They were supposed to have returned a week ago, and they should have told us about the results of their trip. That''s the gist of it. Is this understood?"


    He got nods and yells of "yes, esteemed elder!" as an answer.


    "Good." he spoke, his voice sounding like steel. "I have picked you up both because I deemed it a helpful endeavor to let you join me in this mission. You were quite clear in your desire to go on a real mission for a while, not to mention that you have some interest in finding what happened to your clan members."


    A bit of a lie, if he was honest. They only cared about Xie Li since he was the young master and the child of the clan leader. They didn''t care about Xie Yu, and they either hated or outright despised Mei Wu for her birth.


    "Know that this could be dangerous. After all, our rising star was gone missing while going on this mission. Hopefully he''s alright along with the other two, but if not... I don''t need to tell you what that would mean, right?"


    His eyes steeled, and the disciples gulped audibly at that.


    "And let me make this clear. I would prefer if our targets were alive for questioning. So, no excessive violence if not provoked, even if it wasn''t the young master who managed to survive... is this understood?"


    The four trembled at his gaze and furiously stated so.


    "Good." Xie Yao''s mood changed as he smiled. "You are to be in front of the gate in ten minutes. Xie Li probably took his time to inspect the forest, but since he might be in trouble, we will have to move faster. Let''s see if we can find their tracks during the three or four days."

 Chapter 28

    Today, the mood was much better for both me and Mei Wu than it was yesterday. The Queen Bee was also amused when she had called us to talk about our continued existence in her domain.


    Clearly, the complaint of the Protector Bee that accompanied us last night was taken as seriously as one does in response to a child''s ambition of saving the princess. AKA, not taken seriously at all.


    I noticed Mei Wu was still twitching her eyes and trying not to scowl as the Queen Bee looked at the two of us, no doubt the qi of honey and poison oozing from the golden king beast reeking with mirth.


    "Hi, Queen Bee." I saluted at the relatively gentle and prideful beast that could still eviscerate us in an instant if she wasn''t so patient and lenient.


    ''Hi. Good to see your attitude is just as as charming.'' no words were said from her, but the intent was clear as day. Even Mei Wu was easily capable of understanding it as she bowed for a second, though she clearly wasn''t as amused as the queen bee was. ''Honestly, I was only planning to just let you on your own, as long as you follow my request. Unfortunately, my little minions started to notice a group of humans waltzing around, you see...''


    Immediately, my amusement vanished as I looked intently at her. Mei Wu was also looking just as serious.


    The implications of what that meant were clear. The Worker Bees were still going outside for much longer than I and Mei Wu after all, and they were the ones who had the job to watch out for any thing huge happening in the forest.


    They spread rather far away from the hive''s entrance, but they were still numerous, and the moment danger appears and it was noticed by a good amount of them, they would tell each other either while distracting the enemy and/or go to tell the Queen Bee as fast as possible.


    "So, some of them died, I presume." Mei Wu stated.


    ''Indeed.'' the Queen Bee buzzed at that, agreeing. ''Do you think they are of your... former clan, was it? These people that started appearing?''


    I noticed when Wu-chan stiffened just for a moment at that. I too, wasn''t pleased about it. Then again, anyone from the humans and other sapient and cultivating races who could find us could be a threat to us.


    "Maybe." Mei Wu admitted, "It won''t be surprising if that was the case, but they could also be someone from another clan, or even a mercenary. Even if one of them was an old warrior, presumably a clan elder, unless I saw them for myself, I won''t be able to know for certain if they were from the Xie clan or not."


    That was honestly the truth, really. While many rankers don''t look alike, and some can be rather unique in their looks, their descriptions don''t always really help identifying them unless an image is clear and visible. It doesn''t help that many of the clans have different body types and builds, so you can''t even use that as a perfect method to know who a person is, unless there was literally only a single person with these specific descriptions in the whole continent.


    Even if the Worker Bees gave us words to describe them... the best thing Mei Wu could do to identify the forest investigators (since I saw no humans other than her and her currently dead ''companions'') is to see if their outfits are familiar or if the hair color is or something. Maybe their weapons if possible.


    ''I see. Shame.'' I could feel the blatant disappointment at that even if the Queen Bee did not bother shaking her head like I almost thought she would.


    ''But, before you leave, I wanted to ask you a question...'' And with that, her eyes looked at us...


    And the world seemed to darken as poisonous and honey-like qi crashed onto both of us, becoming almost a taste in my mouth.


    I felt as if ice was jammed into my insides at her look, and Mei Wu followed my reaction as the mood changed from a serious talk to how I felt when I first met her.


    The presence, the aura... the intent. I instinctually understood that this pressure that almost made me want to kneel, as Mei Wu actually fell on her legs, was just as heavy as what I felt when I first met her. Even with me growing stronger, the gap between us was just the same as always. My increase in level was as pointless as the same.


    I froze, for the first time since I was alive having my instincts of fight or flight causing me to freeze in place from sheer terror. Any rational thought was already vanishing as it was a dream.


    ... I''m terrified. I don''t want this. I don''t don''t don-!


    ''Next time you think my hive would be harmed with you under my protection and command, you would immediately tell me about your suspicions, correct? It would be rather bothersome if we all got harmed because you forgot that simple thing, right?'' I almost tasted the sweetness of how the tone of her question was declared. No, it was not even a question.


    This was a threat, the small part of my mind still capable of thinking told me.


    We really should have told her about any possibility of any enemy that could have harmed her right away.


    My mouth tries to open, but I just can''t. I''m too clammed up. I feel my throat drying at her gaze, and Mei Wu was shaking badly, I almost wondered if she would be fainting at any moment.


    If I couldn''t handle this amount of killing intent... then how horrible must it be for her, who was still weaker than me and far more sensitive to the Qi of others?


    "... Y-yes! We will not fo-forget it!" I barely managed to choke the answer from my mouth with difficulty. The qi oozing from the Golden King Beast in the air felt almost like a literal physical thing that was trying to crush any muscle that was moving in my body, as I was visibly terrified of the monster that was looking at both of us.


    And just like that, as soon as the pressure came, it vanished. My upper body immediately dropped, hitting my petals with a soft thud, while my lower monsterous body was drooling, eyes almost rolling. Was this how my current body reacts to a terror so intense it feels like I lost control of my bowels?


    Not that I had any time to ponder at all, as Mei Wu almost threw up, barely holding her breakfast inside of her.


    ''Good.'' I heard the Queen Bee''s intent telling us, clearly still not amused. ''Luckily, your negligence did not cause a disaster and it was not too late. But I would warn you not to repeat this again. I am allowing you so much freedom because of the benefits we both can give to each other, but unless you suddenly become my equal or above me in power, I still expect you to be responsible and tell me what could be dangerous as soon as possible. Is that clear?''


    There were no words for me to speak. Not that I nor Mei Wu had a chance, as the buzzing continued.


    ''Your choice of not telling me directly, or at least telling the Protector Bee that was with you to send that message to me, is a serious mistake. But since it thankfully had no immediate or clear negative impact on me and my hive, I shall forgive this. Do not disappoint me any further. Even I have limits to my generosity.''


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    Shakily, we both nodded, and we got ourselves excused.


    <hr>


    "You know... we were hilariously, ridiculously lucky today, weren''t we?"


    It had been hours ago since the queen''s demands and authority were hammered against us, and we were allowed (practically ordered) to stay away from her for the time being. Not that I and Mei Wu minded that at all. If anything, we were frankly way too happy to leave the Queen Bee''s area.


    The whole experience was, bluntly, horrifying for both of us. Mei Wu took the whole thing way worse due to the sheer sensitivity to qi that she has. If I felt death practically ripping me from my body, she definitely felt that a dozen times worse, and even now she was still shaking badly.


    I honestly have no idea how we both managed to get our quota of containing my nectar when we weren''t all there in our heads. It was probably just our bodies doing it instinctually both out of habit and because we really did not want to piss the mother of bees off, anymore than we did anyways. If that wasn''t enough, we were practically grounded by our currently not-so-gentle boss. Partly because of our mistake, and partly due to the very real danger the humans could pose.


    How I hate how much this makes sense and feels like a completely logical and arguably fair punishment.


    "Yeah..." in response to my near-rhetoric question, Mei Wu didn''t even pretend to look irritated. She just let her body stay on the floor as she gazed at the ceiling, looking almost as defeated as she was when I first met her and she thought that I was planning to torture and kill her.


    I couldn''t muster any effort to give her a joking smile. Instead, mine looked brittle. Today, the reality of the world I was in, and my current place in it were hammered at me once more in my admittedly short life in this world.


    I was still too weak, and Mei Wu too. Gold-ranked beasts are monsters beyond the norm, and I was very certain that even a warrior with the power of a Level 6 [Elder] would be able to defeat me.


    If I wanted to live unbothered, I need to get stronger, Wu-chan as well. Of course, saying that and trying to go for it are completely different things.


    For me to grow stronger, I would need to feed on the corpses of my enemies, and ones that are tough as well. This would require that I feed on a huge amount of silver and gold-ranked beasts and high-level warriors if possible.


    Demon Generals and demonic beasts would be highly helpful, since I was practically their predator, and I was certain that at my level, I would not lose to any of them at my level or below... But I would not be able to find them under the Queen Bee''s rule, so unless I wanted to GTFO of the hive, which I believe even an idiot should know is basically a death wish especially with what happened today... I would just have to pray that they enter the forest and attack the hive...


    Yeah... I''ll just keep hoping for that, just in case.


    Mei Wu... is admittedly having it harder than me, honestly. At least I need to just eat my prey''s body to evolve my level and rank. She though needs to kill her opponents or fight them for real and survive. She basically has to act like a player in an RPG where killing the enemy will reward her with XP thus leveling up.


    ...


    I can''t let this continue.


    My fist clenched, a feeling of grim determination surging through my veins. It definitely did not alleviate all my fears, but I was prepared to state something that I felt Mei Wu would take as insane, but I didn''t care about that.


    I was feeling mad at myself too. Both for forgetting about this idea, and for how even a part of me is telling me it is stupid, but I don''t give a damn.


    Mei Wu''s tired eyes met mine, and I almost felt her shudder from the intensity I was looking at her.


    "Wu-chan, how well is your cultivation going?"


    I was serious about that. I wanted to know what level she reached. She was currently the equivalent to a Level 2 [Braveman], but whether she was at the intermediate or advanced ''sub-rank'' of it, is out of my ability to see.


    Comparing the quantity of the qi inside of her, she seemed to be rather close to Xie Li''s amount, but I might be wrong though.


    "Wanting to see a way to train me even with our house arrest, huh. Somehow, I''m not surprised at all about this." she sighed tiredly, slowly raising her body. Despite her being practically fine physically, and even her qi being at its peak, it looked like she was mustering a lot of effort to rise.


    It was obvious that she was still not fully there, mentally. Not that I was one to speak. I''m still terrified out of my mind, and I''m sure that I would lose it if things got any more impossibly difficult.


    "I''m... I think I am almost reaching the peak of [Braveman]... Maybe if my qi is fully painted by my desire, or I have a cataclyst, I will break through to the [Hero] rank..." her lips thinned at that, clearly anxious about the prospect.


    "But then again, this level I''ve reached is almost a miracle." she murmured, but I heard her just fine.


    I frowned at that, looking at her quizzingly. "What do you mean? I thought you had that power in you already... you just needed to find your identity, isn''t that right?"


    "Yes, but I''m pretty sure one can''t just grow from a mere Level 1 [Apprentice] to almost a Level 3 [Hero]. This... this power is already more than I dreamed of." she admitted, looking at her own hands. "I don''t think that mere introspection would just make me grow this powerful, Ai''er. Many trained for years, even in the Xie clan and many others, and they were still stuck as [Apprentices]. This jump of power..."


    I understood her point. She was basically saying that something else was needed to help her advance so fast... Something that she had only got after meeting me... could it be?


    The thought that entered my head almost made me suck a breath from shock. I was certain that I know what that thing that helped her advance so fast was.


    If I was correct... then my idea for training would be highly helpful for her at the very least.


    With that, I took a breath, and stepped forwards, my eyes never letting contact with hers.


    "Wu-chan, I think I know why you advanced so fast. I really hope this is true, and if so, this would be one hell of a discovery for the both of us." I was being completely sincere about it.


    "What are you...?"


    I ignored her confusion, and decided to be blunt about it. Honestly, just the thought of what I was planning was frankly awkward, and could even be stated as embarrassing, especially knowing what I know about it. I need to tell her before I had second thought about it.


    "It''s my qi." I stated, quickly getting my point across. "My qi is what was probably helping you. At least, I think so. You and me both... we were used to using my nectars as source of energy and nutrition. You were drinking my nectars practically five or more times per day. Nectars that were made and filled by my own Qi."


    Because that made sense. Even if the propriety of the nectars I create could vary, they were still made from my own Qi. The energy of a silver-ranked plant beast who was also cultivating a technique made for people or beasts like me.


    My Qi was also becoming a bit purer every time I unlock a meridian. That amount of pure qi cycling inside Mei Wu''s body so frequently, I wouldn''t be surprised if it did have an effect on her, especially since even then, I still liked her.


    If demons could make their demonic Qi practically corrosive to other beings'' Qi, and healers could make their Qi potent to fix even the most stubborn injuries, then why can''t Qi be used to also expand another''s limits, even within reason?


    That just made too much sense.


    "N-no way. That''s... it''s too absurd! Yet... it makes sense! How!? Even with that...!"


    Shock, bafflement, then realization all made themselves known at Mei Wu''s face so quickly, as she looked at me, face gaping.


    I almost chuckled at the sight. Seeing her so surprised at me would never be dull, but I forced myself to ignore that amusement, as I had to declare what I was thinking of.


    And thus, I took a deep, long breath. I need to make this as clear as possible.


    "I''m not an idiot, Wu-chan. We both know that I''m not exactly the most normal alraune here. My qi is definitely purer than almost any beast around, and you were basically consuming drinks with that pure power into them. It''s practically like a cultivation pill!"


    I felt my confidence rising with every word, as deep in my heart along with the increasing weight of awkwardness as I sensed my own Qi agreeing with me. I was definitely certain that this was the truth, and I could feel that she too, understood it deep inside her heart.


    Sucking a breath, her eyes almost pierced my soul as she gazed at me, an air of something resembling awe and confidence, but I could feel the glimmer of hesitance as she felt my own embarrassment.


    "At least, you are making actual sense this time. I assume you have an actual idea on how to help us train under this house arrest? I hope it isn''t some stupid poem that turns to be a deep metaphor now? I would be frankly irritated if it was, seeing you are clearly trying to hide your shame from me."


    "He... hehe..."


    I found myself chuckling at her blunt approach, my cheeks blushing.


    Ah, screw it! I''ll just tell her, and if she liked it, then we''ll do it.


    "Sure, I have an idea... let''s cultivate together, sweetie~ And by that..."


    And so, my voice echoed, as I gave a small teasing grin.


    "Let''s dual cultivate; Wu-chan. Purely a platonic practice of course!"

 Chapter 29: Dual Cultivation (+18)

    "I still can''t believe that you actually convinced me to do this..."


    Mei Wu was not amused. She very much was not amused. At all. Ever since her new (and only) friend (she really needs to have more of these if they somehow left the Queen Bee''s hive for certain with their bodies and lives intact) told her that she wanted to dual cultivate with her, which happened hours ago, and now it was night.


    And well...


    It was one of the most embarrassing, amusing, and irritating discussions she had with this stupid, ridiculous, and confusing alraune that was Kasumi Ai!


    Embarrassing, because she got infodumped that dual cultivating is practically the cultivating equivalent to sex! And no, the fact that they don''t need to insert a tab A into a slot B and only need to hold hands did not make it anymore embarrassing and awkward to even think of the sheer absurdity of the whole concept.


    Amusing, because finally! Kasumi Ai was utterly, and hilariously embarrassed about it. The woman who didn''t give a damn about being practically naked with only a bunch of vines covering her breasts and nipples all the time, and who has the occasional sexual humor, was now actually feeling so self-conscious and awkward about this subject! Mei Wu genuinely couldn''t hide her enjoyment of that. Turns out that even this alraune who would have not blinked at the prospect of turning a human into a sex slave and an eternal energy source, has some shame regarding something sexual after all!


    Even if that shame was caused by them being friends, because she was sure that this alraune wouldn''t have given a damn if she decided to do that to Mei Wu the first time they met weeks ago.


    And then, irritation was in the mix because of the sheer absurdity and the many questions and their answers, that she found herself thinking about because of the frankly baffling inconsistency!


    For one; how the heck did she even know about that? No, seriously. Why does an alraune, who was only a little more than a month-old, even know about a practice that (mostly) humans use? Even Mei Wu did not even know about the practice until some filthy old man of the Xie clan brought her to have a "fun" time with her. And he was the only one who benefited from that, she only got a sore body. Though, it wasn''t that hard since Kasumi Ai might have just gotten an epiphany during her cultivation or something,


    Secondly, why is she not outright rejecting this? Surely she has more pride than that, right? Then, she remembered that actually, her hatred for most of the Xie clan members (except the servants and very few members) is so high that doing the equivalent of sex with an alraune would be far more pleasant. At least here, she would probably get stronger, which, as much as she doesn''t like it, is very much necessary.


    Thirdly, and she seriously doesn''t want to think about it... but if Ai really wanted to do it, Mei Wu wouldn''t really be able to refuse even if it was unnecessary. She didn''t want to think that she would do whatever Ai wanted if the alraune really wanted her to, but this woman gave her so many benefits and help that the proud cultivator in the human woman was bluntly speaking that even dying to protect her won''t be enough to repay this debt!


    And no matter how Kasumi Ai was looking flustered, how much she was flailing her arms in embarrassment about the subject, and no matter how she was frantically making it clear that this was fully her choice and that if Mei Wu said "No" then she will not bother with it...


    It was clear that Ai was, at the very least, highly curious about the stupid dual cultiation thing. She at least, wanted to try it with Mei Wu! Appealing to their need for power? Using such a simple and easy yet logical excuse? That was enough evidence that even this alraune did not know how much she wanted to do that practice. Whether that was her nature and instinct as an alraune was up to debate, but the conclusion was the same.


    Both of them needed power. Her friend was really curious about dual cultivation, for some reason that is most likely instinct that she never really allowed to be released. Mei Wu herself would prefer this to being killed by being too weak, and this was one golden chance. And the whole thing made sense! At least on paper.


    So, yeah, Mei Wu easily accepted the idea. Not that she liked it very much, but beggars can''t be choosers. And they very much were, in this scenario.


    "Ehehehe... sorry." she ignored the awkwardness emanating from the alraune and how her face was blushing with a hint of remorse that was dwarfed by curiosity.


    "One night. Only one night. If it doesn''t work, then we just train normally until we find a better method." Mei Wu demanded, even if she very much doubted that they would find the ''better method'' while under the rule of the Queen Bee.


    If it worked though... well, they will cross that bridge then.


    "Okay! I- I guess we would start now?"


    Mei Wu''s answer to that hesitant yet interested question was to jump and daintly allowing her body to sit right next to Kasumi Ai''s upper body, her legs crossed as the petals around Ai''s humanoid upper body expanded just slightly to make it comfortable to her as the human sat with no sound or causing any strain on the delicate petals.


    Being a cultivator came with one hell of a skill regarding how one can control their balance and make it so that they barely weight anything against most surfaces they stand on. She might be weaker than Ai and many others, but she was still far more skilled than any mortal human.


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    And now, with practically no distance between them, the two looked at each other in the eyes, and there was a fleeting idea in the pink-haired woman''s mind that due to them being on the same height, Mei Wu actually looked taller as she had to look down to meet Kasumi Ai''s green eyes as they were filled with uncertainty. The sight of the alraune''s human face looking so uncertain and shy almost looked cute and adorable.


    If they were not trying almost painfully to keep going instead of just ending the attempt before it even began, Mei Wu knew that she would have tried to get some payback at all the teasing the alraune that now looked like a young maiden usually inflicted on her.


    Mei Wu felt her own heart beating fast as embarrassment and shame were being desperately ignored, both from her and the alraune that for the first time seemed almost afraid even with her face as red as a tomato.


    It was almost terrifying to feel the qi of nature seemingly twisting and entwining on itself, as if it was afraid of embracing Mei Wu''s own Qi. But both knew that it would happen.


    "I''m ready as much as I can be, Ai''er... and you too are the same."


    "Yes... Yes, I am too, Wu-chan..."


    There were no more words as they held their hands together, as if they would have danced had this been any other situation, their grips tightening. It was almost a miracle their hands were not shaking non-stop from the heightened emotions they felt.


    Neither needed any sensory skills to feel just how embarrassed and anxious the other felt. It was as clear as day.


    Mei Wu could almost hear the frantic heartbeats of the green-haired woman in front of her, and she found herself taking a long and deep breath to calm herself, an action copied by her friend, looking at each other one more time.


    No more hesitation now, or so both understood just by their eyes making contact.


    And then, at the same time, their bodies began to glow as their eyes closed and Qi gently flared, telling their minds to just do it. No need to think about trying to dual cultivate. The would just dual cultivate. They would think about all this drama later.


    And the world seemed to vanish to both of them. There was no need to care about anything but each other right now.


    Slowly, Qi started to flow from one to another. It was only a few drops of Qi exchanged between each other, but it felt like nothing either had felt.


    ''It burns. Yet it''s warm. Powerful yet pure.'' Mei Wu thought to herself, feeling like her body was on fire, yet it felt so soft and tender. And for the first time, she was feeling something strangely sweet.


    Even as her physical body had never moved an inch, her mind was consumed by a sensation even purer than even her senses could ever feel.


    The Qi of nature, gently entering her body, slowly reached her inner world, that mass of gray that she so wanted to change. Green air, pulsing with life and understanding, reflecting the emotions that Ai was trying to convey, carefully spreading around, leaving a trail of heat and comfort that would have made her body squirm if she was any less focused.


    It almost felt unbearably yet comfortably hot, something she couldn''t even imagine was possible. She felt how gentle Ai was trying to be, only giving as equally as Mei Wu tried to give, and understanding it, she gave more of her own colorless Qi, and the Qi of nature increased accordingly.


    At that, a strange yet instinctually normal feeling of being looked at while naked made itself known. Dual cultivation; it was the same act of exposing one''s soul to the other. Under that rule, she couldn''t stop but feel embarrassed even further, as she felt as if even her inner self was exposed to the very penetrating gaze of these emerald eyes.


    Embarrassed, practically hot and bothered from the heat moving inside her body, and having her own soul gazed at, she couldn''t help but to squirm inwardly even as she could feel these very same emotions, as the astral body of the alraune was almost visible to where Mei Wu looked, barely hidden by the dense Qi of Nature.


    It''s scary... she found herself thinking in her mind, as the sensation of being seen increased. Her inner world pulsed as she felt as it was gently covered by the nature Qi.


    It''s exposing...


    She saw as her world was not being overwritten by the pure essence of nature, instead, the black and white spots in it, embodying her desire to become the Apoptosis of those who harmed her -and her friend- were growing larger due to the pure Nature Qi, as they started to paint the ugly gray world in black and white instead.


    ''How can it feel so unbearable yet comfortable?'' she felt as Ai''s intent pulsed even further in accordance to her colorless Qi being painted, and Mei Wu could almost see the world of Nature as it was connected to her own.


    ''It''s... pretty.'' the thought seemed to echo all around her, as even with all the embarrassment, the shame, the heat, and the feeling of being exposed, she wanted more.


    More of that warm emerald light. She wanted to embrace and bathe in it, and she wanted Ai to do the same to her.


    There was no need for words, as the emerald flames of Nature seemed to pulse, according to her desire, the figure of Kasumi Ai almost visible and clear. Now, she only needs to cross that distance.


    "Are you sure, Wu-chan?" there was no hesitance in that question that was practically shouted, their spirits no longer needing to talk when they can just make their intent into words in this realm. There was no doubt. No uncertainty could be felt in Kasumi Ai''s soul.


    Even here, they both were trying to step on their own shame and continue forward. In this moment, against that willpower that was practically pulsating, there would be no place to run away, nor is that acceptable for either one''s desires and ego.


    "Who do you think I am here for, Ai''er? I''m not allowing you to look at my literal naked and exposed soul just for me to be cowardly at this point!"


    There was no more need for even articulating their thoughts. Both understood what the other wanted, and so they gladly and proudly crossed the lines they saw in front of them.


    An explosion of heat and Qi consumed them both, as light so intense mixing green, black and white into a sea so deep and pure, appeared for only a couple of seconds to them.


    And they saw each other''s spirits unhidden as the words failed to describe the awe and sheer depth of the connection they had just made.


    Naked, vibrant, mystified. They just kept looking at each other. No shame, lust, embarrassment, or vulnerability. These feelings had no right to exist as far as they were concerned, as they gazed at each other.


    No care in Kasumi Ai''s eyes about how Mei Wu was looking adorable and sensual as her world behind her was still being painted over black and white.


    No care in Mei Wu''s eyes about how or why Ai looked older and sexier than she was in reality as the ever-expanding forest and blue sky laid behind her.


    At this moment, they only saw each other and a single word was the only thing they could ever think in that very instant. No care about hiding one''s emotions, as the words left their mouths.


    "Dazzling... That''s right... Dazzling."


    With eyes full of appreciation and love...


    "Ai''er..."


    "Wu-chan..."


    Their Qi and inner worlds pulsed together.


    "You''re the most dazzling and beautiful person I''ve ever seen."

 Chapter 30: Feelings

    I never imagined that this kind of sensation could actually exist. Honestly, I just could not even grasp the scope of it. It felt as if I was peeling layers of myself and exposing them to Wu-chan.


    I could have never thought just how... unique it felt ever since we started channeling and exchanging Qi. It was the first time I felt that kind of embarrassment and shame ever since I was reborn... It felt so exposing, even more so when I could feel as if Wu-chan''s eyes were peeking at me, leaving nothing out of their sight.


    Even with me not even having any lower womanly parts at that moment, it still didn''t matter. It felt as if I did, my race didn''t matter, my instincts didn''t matter. I only felt vulnerability, at being exposed, at exposing myself... yet I so desired to step on that feeling and grasp Wu-chan just like she so desired, so I just did that.


    We both just did that, crossing that line. And this... this was the result.


    Our inner worlds were connected. Our consciousnesses and spirits gazing at each other.


    It was... impossible for me to describe with words.


    It was as if I was a girl who lived in darkness and silence her entire life. Locked so deep that the mere thought of a world existing outside the silence and blackness surrounding me was nothing but a dream... and then I was suddenly shown the light in all its beauty.


    That was how I felt, as I gazed at her form, and she gazed at mine. Naked and sensual, both of us were, but these thoughts could not exist in our minds at this moment.


    Because both to me and her at that very moment... we were no longer restrained by such silly thoughts such as lust or shame.


    Right here and now, each of us was the most dazzling and beautiful person the other had ever seen.


    It was as if the world''s most beautiful existence was in front of me. That''s right, that''s how I truly felt looking at Wu-chan at this moment.


    My Qi pulsed, and hers pulsed at the same time. Both our hearts were beating, and in the back of my mind, I just could feel as our heartbeats were almost synchronized.


    As if we were both a single entity that just happened to share two bodies.


    And if I could realize that, I was certain that she too, could feel it.


    And... something else was occuring on her side as well.


    Something beyond her world being painted over by her desire, as her power broke the limit that she was facing before.


    No longer was she a mere Level 2 [Champion], as she shattered that wall and now had risen to the power of a Level 3 [Hero]. Even more so...


    "You feel it, right, Wu-chan?" my question was soft as the two connected worlds seemed to stand still for the both of us.


    "Feel it? What a trivial question." with a smile as gentle as it was happy, the sincerity, mixed with surprise and awe oozed from her being, as her world pulsed, my world following as our Qi kept flowing. "There is no way, that I could ever miss that..."


    Turning around, she gazed at her inner world that was coloring itself. The former gray world was nearly no more. Some spots were still there, but as far as we could see, it was a world of black and white, the two colors taking shapes as they kept spreading.


    Some parts of her inner world''s sky were filled with nothing but almost straight uniform lines, some, were more like spirals that overlapped with each other, looking almost dizzying and headache-inducing if I wasn''t able to just understand them, as my connection to Wu-chan allowed me to just be used to the sight.


    The most mesmerizing one though, were the shapes that looked like it was nothing but a giant magic circle. It was nearly hidden behind all the other shapes and mixed forms of white and black, but I could notice it thanks to the bond and understanding we both have and feel towards each other.


    Awe-inspiring, that was what I felt looking at it.


    "Truly, amazing..." Wu-chan followed my thought process as she spoke, a voice filled with warmth and awe.


    Once more, our Qi pulsed, the air seemingly getting thicker yet clearer as the flow of our energies kept rising in each other''s body and we both spiritually understood what that meant.


    Even now, outside, our bodies were still in place, but we both could feel that soon we would be tired and would stop the practice soon enough. We were still too unexperienced in this, despite all the... unique perspective we were having right now. So... this would have to count for her at least.


    "I guess this will be the end of tonight''s experience, huh." I gave a smile as I floated, my Qi of nature surrounding me as I compressed it around my figure.


    For a moment, I remembered that even now, I was still feeling mystified by this whole thing, and that the moment I leave this dual cultivation experience, I would probably remember all all the shame and awkwardness that I felt before this began. But that''s a problem for the future me.


    "Yes... It was a truly beautiful one, Ai''er." Wu-chan looked back at me as her body flew as well, her own Qi, now a mix of black and white surrounding her. "Let''s finish this party now."


    Yes, let''s.


    And thus, the last exchange of Qi for tonight had began.


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    "Natura Aeterna Nirvana."


    My Qi overflowed as I invoked my technique, as the flow of Nature condensed and thickened to a level I almost could see nothing but pure emerald green . My world shuddered as it obeyed my will.


    Now, it''s your turn, Wu-chan. I know that you can already feel and hear it! I would be disappointed if you don''t meet my low expectations here!


    "And what will you do if I disappointed you? Embrace me while I cry petulantly? That''s almost a reward for me, Ai''er." she answered with a grin that seemed almost predatory yet sweet that almost made me shudder as her Qi coalesced.


    I felt it then. A strange sensation emanating from her Qi, a desire to negate and regress all powers to zero. Yet...


    "Malignant."


    The word left her mouth, and the feeling increases, a world made of a desire to crush all abnormal powers that could harm her was being made right in front of me. Even I felt that if I fought this, I wouldn''t be able to leave unscratched regardless of whether I won or not. Even so...


    "Tumor."


    A shudder ran through both of us. Her, because of the sheer power and esctacy of what she had achieved, the act of her desires manifesting making her enraptured. Me, because of the breathtaking sight in front of me.


    Truly, I was blessed! To think I would see and live through something this magnificient! I couldn''t control myself as a mix of laughter and a joyful moan left my lips.


    If only we could stay in this sweet dance for all eternity, Wu-chan, if only we were no longer bound by our physical bodies...


    "Apoptosis!"


    With that marvelous and jovial scream that seemed to shake our souls, her inner world shuddered, her Qi overflowing and condensing around her.


    I have to say, I love how you look now, Wu-chan, being inside that black sphere, glowing with that ethereal white glow. I really don''t know how I could even notice it with your world right behind you, but, I love it.


    That confident smile, that aura that makes me feel the urge to kneel in front of you yet to stand alongside you... I know that this is the you that you so desired to be!


    I felt pure unadultered joy consuming my being, just as I knew you must have felt the same!


    "That''s right! That''s how things should be!"


    Her mouth opened, a wide smile on her lips mirroring mine.


    "So that''s acceptance! So this is enrapture! At this very moment, I am truly alive, Ai''er!"


    "To think that something could be this glorious and beautiful! I too, am truly living right now, Wu-chan!"


    We so wanted to scream from unrestrained happiness that would have torn our throats open had we been using our physical bodies!


    I was so elated that I only opened my arms, my smile widening as I gazed at her. I will gladly embrace you, so come at me, Wu-chan!


    This Apoptosis of yours, I will embrace all of it! I know you would do the same to me as well!


    "Then, you better embrace everything, you silly alraune! If you leave a single drop of my Qi untouched, I won''t be amused!" even as she rushed at me, I never faltered.


    "Heh. I could say the same! Come to me right now, Apoptosis! Accept all my Nature!"


    And we collided.


    Like a supernova, power swallowed us, unabated, unstoppable, incomprehensible. And we allowed each other to carve their marks at our very souls. That was how I truly felt it to be.


    My senses were consumed with a euphoric world of heat as the Apoptosis embraced me, gently painting over my Qi, as what few impurities that were touched by Wu-chan''s will were diminished and wiped, as if they never existed, while the Nature painted over her Qi, purifying it even further.


    Ahh... this is bliss...


    Isn''t that right, Wu-chan?


    But, I''m so tired now... and so are you too, right?


    And with that, we both found that it was time to wake up. Truly, I would love to repeat this again... But only if you wanted us to, Wu-chan...


    With that thought, I felt myself waking up.


    <hr>


    My eyes opened up, and I found myself gazing at Wu-chan''s eyes.


    It was hazy, really. I wasn''t able to think properly as my body tingled and shivered from the heat and euphoria that was still clouding my senses.


    As I looked at her face, seeing it flushed and red, it was the first time that I had ever thought about how kissable her lips looked.


    I could almost feel her breath, as we both softly panted, and I tried to ignore how my body was sweating as well her body''s state as she felt so absolutely sexy with her clothes clinging to her curves. I did not need to even look away from her face to know that.


    Oh, fuck... It seems that I am so damn hot and bothered. My Qi flows in my veins, but I only feel even more hazy and frustrated.


    "Ai''er..." I didn''t know how, but for some reason, my body squirmed at the sheer sensuality in that tone. The fact that it was the first time I heard it from her only made my brain treasure it more...


    "Wu-chan..." I didn''t realize I could even make my voice this sultry, and I found a strange heartwarming yet erotic joy at seeing her shudder.


    I had not noticed that even now our hands were still in position, nor did I notice that the distance between my head and hers diminished despite her not even moving an inch.


    Neither of us noticed that my human body had actually grown just a few centimeters, or maybe we just didn''t care at that time.


    Ahhh... it''s so bothersome. I want more of you... before this haze of lust stops...


    "Let''s..."


    "Yes. Let''s..."


    Our hearts pounded. We just felt so strongly we didn''t try to think. Wu-chan''s face began to get closer, while I did my best to move mine to meet hers.


    I could hear my heart throbbing madly. Every centimeter crossed seemed like it was so close yet so far away.


    It''s close...


    It''s so hot. Unbearably hot. A different kind of hot. A physical and sexual kind of hot...


    So close... So close...!


    Yet, I am so tired... and so is she... My adorable Wu-chan is tired... but it''s fine. I know just how to deal with yours...


    Come... Please let me taste these lips of yours...


    My Qi moved gently into my mouth, making my sweet and healing nectar. Don''t worry, my beloved, I will be gentle during our first kiss...


    My heart is throbbing madly. Why? Why can''t this distance be any shorter? It''s still too far. Even mere centimeters is still too far. I want to cross it soon...


    "Ai''er..." she mumbled, and our hands gently caressed each other''s face. I loved how soft her hands felt as she touched my cheeks so delicately, as if she was afraid I would shatter if she used anymore strength.


    My hands, mirroring her, gently cupped her cheeks. How soft and tender are they. Somehow, she looked even prettier and cuter as I felt the heat in her face.


    If I could, I would have loved if time stood still. I would have had no problem if this moment stayed this way until the end of Nayuta (universe).


    "Wu-chan..." I whispered, the nectar leaking from my mouth not even mattering to the both of us.


    In the middle of that feeling that consumed us, we no longer cared about what it was. Was it lust? Desire? Love? Happiness? Gratitude for the other''s presence?


    We didn''t care. Maybe it was all of them combined, but it no longer mattered.


    "Right now, I am feeling needy. Something is constantly bothering me, yet I want it to continue existing... Something so pretty is demanding my attention and love..."


    As if to prove it, our mouths, just mere centimeters apart, opened at the same time, as if delivering a secret of the cosmos that only I and she were worthy of knowing.


    The same words, same pronounciation. Same love and same devotion. It was as if we were still one, and it felt so maddening yet so sweet and gentle.


    "My body is aching so badly... Craving something I felt for the first time... Something that only you can provide and fill..."


    Our hearts had long synchronized, and despite the words feeling pointless and redundant, we both felt the desire to tell them to the world.


    "Ai''er..."


    "Wu-chan..."


    With voices filled with love...


    "I love you."


    And our lips met.

 Chapter 31

    It was rather hard to remember the flow of time. At least, that was what my love-consumed brain told me.


    I honestly couldn''t remember what the time was as I and Wu-chan kept kissing. Even my internal clock seemed to have ceased functioning for the moment as I had my beautiful girlfriend locking her lips with mine.


    At first, it was one simple and deliciously sweet yet short kiss. I only gave her a few drops of my sweet nectar to vanish her fatigue, but then we just wanted the experience to repeat, badly.


    And thus, we did it again. Another kiss, another burning sensation, and a longer time where we just enjoyed the feel of each other''s lips.


    A part of me had even wondered if something more would have happened. If we would start indulging in the physical pleasures of flesh right then and there. I certainly didn''t feel like it was a terrible idea.


    At least, that''s how I felt. I was just so damn aroused. I almost felt like I had human legs that were rubbing at each other to try dealing with the heat, just like I felt my sweet Wu-chan doing...


    More... I want more... We want more...!


    Unfortunately, or fortunately... before my arms dared to move, to leave her delicate face and give that gorgeous body the attention it so deserves...


    A loud buzzing sound rang into my and Wu-chan''s ears, as if a sound speaker blasted right into my head.


    It felt as if one dumped a bucket of cold water at me, as I froze in my tracks, eyes widening as I found my arousal vanishing in seconds.


    ''What...? What happened...?'' I could only think dumbly as I immediately assessed my situation in nearly no time, and the first thing being... I and Wu-chan were still lip-locking!?


    Right away, I felt heat rush to my face as my mind finally remembered enough of what I did... and what I was about to do. I was so embarrassed.


    ''I- I- I-! I was about to do that! Oh g-g-goddess! I didn''t even plan to have it go that far! I only wanted to try dual cultivation with her! Wh- why did we go that far!?''


    Panicking, I broke contact just as quickly as she did, and I tightly closed my mouth, my hands covering my face from the sheer shame and indignity I had just felt.


    I desperately tried to ignore the trail of nectar that appeared for just a split second, linking both our lips! How... How humiliating!


    It felt so damn mortifying! Even Wu-chan is reacting the same way, and that only makes it even more terrifying. My girlfriend is seeing me this vulnerable! I just can''t take it!


    Even though I''m an alraune, I clearly overestimated my ability to deal with my nonchalance towards sex! I was so not ready for this kind of committment! Not out of the blue!


    "A... ah...! Aahhhh!" I screamed as I meekly covered my bust that I barely noticed was just a tad larger. Suddenly, it felt as if the vines I used to cover my bust were covering nothing at all as I still could feel the phantom of Wu-chan''s gaze at me as if she could see my exposed breasts. The fact that I knew that she was feeling my own shame only made the feeling worse.


    I almost moved my vines to throw her off my body in my panic, but she was the one that moved first, nearly stumbling over my petals to jump away and give me some space.


    "S-srorry, Ai''er, I''l leave- aah!"


    It was then that the heavens, seemingly enjoying my misery, threw the next wave of humiliation at us.


    The petals surrounding us seemingly turned into dust from the smallest of touches, as if they were as fragile as glass, and she suddenly fell into what looked like some golden liquid with a splash, almost making me stupefied had my awareness not been so high, and I immediately felt how my body had changed.


    Or more precisely, I had now evolved. I didn''t even need to consciously try to find the changes, they were made clear in my mind, as if I instinctually knew about them in and out.


    No longer was I a Silver-ranked, Level 3 Large Rainblossom Alraune anymore, but a Gold-ranked Level 1 Predator Rainblossom Alraune.


    My lower and monster body was a bit larger, naturally, but where my petals should have been was where the changes truly began. First of all, where my monstrous body ended, began the form of what I can only describe like an oversized lily flower. So many petals overlapping, almost vibrant with life as each took one of the colors of the rainbow. With this, I also look ridiculously larger due to the height of the giant lily flower that sprouted from the top of my monstrous body.


    Though, the space was wide enough for both me and Wu-chan to be inside with no problems.


    My human body on the other hand... I was clearly older, maybe something close to twenty years old, from how my instincts told me, and my hair was long, nearly reaching my hips. And yes, I now have hips, a butt, and legs, and what else a woman has usually. Right above my butt, a thick green vine was there, binding my human body with my lower monstrous body. Despite how thin it looked compared to my torso, it was absurdly sturdy.


    And finally, up to my knees, the lily flower where I and Wu-chan are inside at the moment, was filled to the brim with nectar. Aphrodisiac nectar. It was inert at the moment, but if I so wanted, it would create the sweetest and most potent smell to lure prey into me to feed on.


    Unfortunately, I didn''t have time to marvel in this evolution and the sheer power I now had coursing through my veins, because I was consumed with another disaster that made me feel like I wanted to die of shame.


    "U... uuuu~!" I felt tears leaking through my eyes as I noticed that I was naked. Naked! Wu-chan was looking at me! She- she was seeing everything!


    Everything!


    She saw my privates down there! I just can''t take this anymore! Stop looking at me like a pervert! I don''t care if you are shocked or baffled! Stop looking!


    "S-stop looking!" I abandoned all rational thought and I curled to hide my body from her as she looked at me with her mouth open. I can see the redness on your face! Don''t bother hiding it!


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    My vines rushed, capturing her arms and dragging her out of my giant flower as she was unceremoniously thrown out with an indignant squeak as she called my name, but I didn''t feel like caring at all. I just wanted to her to be anywhere except looking at me!


    And just as quickly as she was thrown out, my petals moved and closed around me, engulfing my human body in a cocoon of darkness. I was so humiliated! I refused to even look at her with my monster body''s eyes!


    To think that this had happened...!


    Instead, I glared and bared my fangs at the damn Protector Bee that dared to put me in this position and kept looking bored out of its mind, as rage fueled my heart alongside the shame I was feeling, and I found myself having my first ever Young Master moment, and I fully found it a one quintillion sextillion percent legit!


    Unforgivable, unacceptable! If I got my hands on you with or without the permission of the Queen Bee, I will shred and consume every bit of your wings and body until not even a single cell will remain! How dare... how dare some being like you interrupt my time with my friend and cause this embarrassment and shame to us <del>(and cockblock us! Or so did the remaining lust in me say)</del>, you lowly Silver-ranked bee!?


    Just you wait until I find some way that doesn''t implicate me with your death! I will never forget this incident, even if the Queen Bee ordered me to!


    <hr>


    Mei Wu was a mess. She very much was, that much she could understand.


    Ever since her mind was awoken from the lust, she felt nothing but pure shame and embarrassment. Her face was blushing nonstop ever since! She nearly had actual sexual activities with her friend (now lover)! Right after finishing their dual cultivation!


    That was so... awkward! Not to mention how it felt so improper! But it was so damn hot and arousing! Just the thought of it was enough to make her face redden with new vigor!


    ''I was so not ready for that! And neither was she, clearly!'' she lamented to herself as her body worked automatically to fill the containers with Ai''s nectar that was pouring from one of the many vines the alraune had.


    Thank goodness that their bodies can do this on autopilot, but damn it! She really didn''t feel like doing the bidding of the Queen Bee right now, but honestly, rebelling when she threatened them just yesterday. Not to mention that Ai might get in trouble if Mei Wu wanted to be impulsive and rebel even by just not doing the rather still simple work.


    And speaking of the alraune in question...


    Mei Wu sighed as she looked at the sight in front of her, as she tried her best to ignore the awkward feeling in her heart, as well as the sensation of embarrassment clinging to the Qi of Nature.


    "Ai''er, when will you stop hiding your face?" she asked, looking not at the monstrous body of one Kasumi Ai, but instead towards the rainbow-colored petals above it as they were closed tightly.


    Yeah, that was the problem now. Ai apparently decided to just keep her human body inside that protective petal shield. And a bigger problem was...


    "No! Don''t wanna! Leave me alone! I want to be alone!" came the pitiful wails of her partner, who seemed to have felt shame for the first time in her life of little under two months.


    Mei Wu had to ignore the feeling of wrongness at that thought. Why did two months feel so little as Ai''s actual age? No matter. She will deal with it later.


    Now, she has a shut-in alraune in need for help, and as much as she would have loved seeing her friend squirming and blushing because of many things such as her irritating humor and making fun at the expense of the human woman, Mei Wu didn''t want it to be like this, or in this situation.


    "Ai... We both know that you''re not really meaning it." she gently put her hand on the green skin of the monster body of her beloved. (How strange yet fitting, calling Ai her beloved.)


    She felt as if Ai had curled her human body even further. "Shut up! I''m not happy, okay!?" came another wail, one that felt desperate, but not desperate enough for the alraune to just retreat.


    "Ai''er, please. I know that you''re feeling exposed and ashamed of, uh... accidentally showing yourself to me." Mei Wu got a piteous whine at that, "but we both couldn''t expect that might have happened when we tried the dual cultivation." she admitted.


    It was true, though. Neither of them expected that their ability to reason would be discarded so thoroughly.


    Kasumi Ai was a complete novice in anything actually sexual despite her attitude and humor bordering on and even crossing the sexual kind at times, and even with being an alraune, she had never really found any chance to actually indulge in lust like alraunes were supposed to be.


    It was normal that she was immediately consumed by the joy and enrapture of it all. Dual cultivation didn''t just affect the body, but the spirits and minds as well, and it made the sensation nearly impossible to resist if one didn''t have any experience with it, or sex in general, since one''s very soul seemed so vulnerable and exposed. In a way, it was as if Ai was dosed by aphrodisiacs, thus it made sense she lost herself to lust.


    If anything, it was already a miracle that Ai didn''t try some weird bondage with her vines or more <del>(and consequently ruin the only set of clothes Mei Wu had...)</del> and go all the way the moment they had their first kiss together. If anything, that was one hell of a restraint when taking into account how her instincts to have sex were always controlled if not ignored by the usually goofy alraune.


    Mei Wu though, felt a bit disappointed at her own lack of restraint. By the heavens, she should have been more in control. She did have sex even before she met... then again, she didn''t like that part of her life one bit. And the very few times she did have the so-called reward of being chosen to dual cultivate with an elder.... it was clearly only for their benefit and as disappointing and disgusting for her as it ever could be.


    It was the nature of connection she had with Ai, and that they both desired for the other to grow as well was what made the experience so... overwhelmingly pleasurable she could not even think of anything else.


    "And yet it happened, and I don''t like it! At least you didn''t have to deal with flashing me your everything! I-if you want me to show up, then promise me you will take full responsibility, you perv!"


    Mei Wu felt the words die in her throat at that, cheeks reddening quickly at that. She wasn''t an idiot, and she very much knew what responsibility Ai was talking about. Not to mention, the emotion of desperation emanating from her friend (lover) was getting thicker.


    "Ai''er, this isn''t the time to joke about marriage! And I know you''re just trying to throw me off so that I leave you on your own! Ai, this isn''t like you!" seriously, she really wanted that goofy attitude back, instead of this pseuda-angsty mood mixed with a childish tantrum that was now manifesting.


    "... I''m not feeling like myself at the moment though..." well, talk about stating the obvious. And in such a miserable tone too!


    Resisting the urge to sigh. Truly, why can''t things ever be simple with this alraune? Okay, maybe she should try a different approach?


    "Ai''er., my love..."


    At her affectionate words, laced with as much love and care she could muster, Mei Wu felt the Qi of Nature twitching, embarrassment and shame were still there, but now a bit of joy and curiosity seemed to appear as well.


    "Please, let me be with you again. I... I want to give you a hug. Just... just like you did to me back then... please... I know you want it. I promise, that I would do nothing else. You know that I would never want to harm you, Ai''er... Will you please allow me?"


    The words, despite her trying to muster her confidence, felt as if she was confessing her love all over, and this time she didn''t even have the haze of lust to make her ignore the embarrassment.


    But even so, her words had an effect, as Ai''s body stilled, before slowly, the petals gently separated, and Ai''s head meekly peeked at her, hidden by the large petals.


    "R-really...? N-nothing else? Just staying with me?" she was trembling, so shy and awkward Mei Wu felt as if this green-haired woman would be the kind to be terrified of her own shadow.


    It almost made her feel happy, seeing this new side, had it not been a delicate moment.


    Giving her a gentle smile, Mei Wu answered, "yes, just a hug like you gave me before, and maybe... we can tackle your evolution along with our... unique experience as well. Is that fine?" yeah, that evolution would also need to be addressed. Preferably when Ai calms down and is mentally sound... for a certain value of that, anyways.


    "Okay..."


    With that permission, Mei Wu gracefully jumped inside the lily flower where Ai''s human body was, ironically looking as fragile as a flower..


    This might be a long conversation, she thought.

 Chapter 32: Nature of an Alraune

    I gave a shuddering breath as Wu-chan''s arms finally left my body. Well, my human body, really. I still don''t know what to think about the fact that I now have a human body and a monster body that are only bound together by a thick vine.


    Definitely the strangest sensation I had, without taking the wave of embarrassment and awkwardness I had since I got, ahem, totally not cockblocked by that bee. Still pretty pissed about that, by the way.


    Though, at the moment, I was feeling more discomfort and shame at what happened afterwards. The fact that I was also acted like... ugh... a petulant child, wasn''t giving me a lot of confidence, really.


    To think I acted that way... But, at least the hug was nice, ignoring the fact that it made me tingle and all warm and fuzzy. Even if I had to ignore how nice she just smelled, and how delicious her Qi seemed to my senses, and do my best to focus on the fact that she''s there for me. It surprisingly works really well to focus on one''s emotions in some cases.


    But, trying to discard these thoughts from my mind, especially since Wu-chan was looking at me concern on her face, I did my best to calm myself down.


    "Are you alright?"


    I gave a nod at that worried question.


    "I... I''m alright... at least, as alright as I can be at the moment."


    And that was really the truth. I was a lot calmer than I was minutes ago, but I wasn''t exactly thrilled. After all, my body, with this evolution...


    I resisted the urge to shudder. I was not exactly happy about this upcoming conversation.


    With that, I took a deep breath, taking a moment to check if everything is completely alright.


    Okay, my breasts are hidden by vines, and so are my privates, so no embarrassment about that anymore... maybe. The nectar that is filling this lily flower of mine is very much not active and inert, and it would stay that way for the time being, unless I am either really desperate or really out of my mind.


    Looking at Wu-chan who was sitting in front of me, I nodded to her to ask what she wanted.


    "Are... you sure? I can feel your reluctance about this... whole thing."


    ''Please, don''t make me have second thoughts right now...'' I thought to myself as I nodded in affirmation.


    Wu-chan took a moment to steel her nerves before looking right into my eyes with a small smile, and I resisted the urge to gulp at that gaze. Even with her being clearly trying to look happy, I could feel the tension and seriousness in her. She was just trying to make me more comfortable, but I didn''t think it would be possible, but I tried to smile as well, though it was obviously insincere and strained.


    Sighing at that, she decided to just talk. I was glad for that. The tension was becoming too much for my liking.


    "Then, let''s begin now. First thing first, I, um... I want to congratulate you, Ai''er. You, you evolved in rank. It''s... a truly great achievement. I''m really happy for you."


    I immediately realized that she was trying to calm me and help me relax, and despite the awkwardness I could hear in her tone, the praise was really genuine and sincere, and I just couldn''t help but calm down just a bit more.


    I had some pride of my new power, even if what my instincts tell me about it wasn''t as comforting to me right now. Wu-chan though just saw through that, huh?


    "Thanks..." I muttered, honestly thankful for that calming tone.


    She just shook her head at that. "It''s nothing, Ai''er. Are you more comfortable right now? You seem to be more relaxed now, arent you?"


    I felt my lips curling into a smile at that. Saying that I ''seem'' to be, when you know for certain that I am more comfortable, how nice of you. I guess I was not aware you had some way with words, Wu-chan.


    "But, as happy as I am, we should be serious now. Let''s begin with your evolution. Or do you want to talk about our, uh, experience first?"


    I almost stiffened at that, but managed to relax my muscles immediately. Still, I was a lot calmer than I would have been without her congratulating me just a few seconds ago, even if my face reddened at the mention of our... experience. Yeah, that''s one way to describe it.


    But, as much as I would love to pick the emotional subject first, talking about the one that was bothering me the most is the better option. I can get embarrassed with her later about our near-sex experience, and I''d like our day to end on a positive note, if possible.


    Thus, it was a simple choice for me.


    "We''ll talk about my... new rank-up first." I gave a recultant sigh. I was so not happy about this, but I have to do it.


    I shifted uncomfortably, ignoring the ripples in the inert liquid and averting my eyes from her figure.


    "As you can see, I had now evolved into the Gold-rank," I mumbled, but she could hear me regardless. "I... I am, from what I could understand from my instincts, what is called a Predator Rainblossom Alraune, a Gold-ranked, Level 1 existence."


    I gave her a rather worried smile. "An existence born when an alraune that had fulfilled multiple requirements, one of which, was tasting what some might call the forbidden fruit. In other words, sex. Or, in its absence, something just as similar and pleasurable."


    Wu-chan sucked in a breath at that. She understood it immediately.


    "Our- our dual cultivation then..." she trailed off, eyes widening. I could see shock and guilt on her face. She clearly didn''t expect that at all. Neither did I, though.


    My smile tightened at that, "Yes, and before anything else, I want you to... not feel guilty about this, okay? It''s not your fault that this happened. I don''t want you to apologize for... this, alright?" I genuinely didn''t want her to feel hurt because of this. She couldn''t have known this...


    "Ai''er..." she attempted to move closer to me, but I simply shook my head.


    I looked down, seeing my reflection in the nectar, as I continued to speak, "Remember when you said to me how people in the Soaring Dragon Continent treat plant beasts like trash? Well, they''re not wrong about it when it comes to lower levels. Plant beasts are rather weaker than most at the start, and they arguably need more resources and skills to evolve and grow stronger. But, I can''t really talk about all of them and how they evolve. Instead, I will talk about the case of my... family and my race, when it comes to plant beasts."


    She tensed at that, as I was smiling rather strangely. I was certain that it wasn''t a really nice smile.


    "Alraunes are... a special breed, you can say. We are actually some strange mutation or upgraded version of the Thorny Flowers. Another plant beast that I''m pretty sure is treated as garbage by most idiots on this continent." I sighed at that, yet my smile stayed.


    "I don''t really know how alraunes are naturally born, but regardless, we are a stronger version of the typical Thorny Flower, and most of us has the ''humanoid'' characteristic right off the bat from the moment we are born. Even so, we are usually still rather weaker than most beasts at that time, and like my relatives, the dear Thorny Flowers, we Alraunes evolve the same way... Eating whatever prey we can fine, whether they were already dead, nothing more than corpses, or alive."


    I unvoluntarily gave a sardonic chuckle at that. "Most don''t survive until they can evolve, by the way, they are mostly born in areas where their food is either too weak to truly do more than sustain them, or too strong to be eaten, and they die instead. I was, arguably, a rather lucky one, born with high intelligence that helped me greatly to evolve. But that aside, I believe I didn''t tell you what these lucky Alraunes and Thorny Flowers qualify as, didn''t I?"


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    "No, you did not." Wu-chan said, and I noticed the hint of fear in her voice, as she picked up my mood with her senses.


    Despite my attempts, I found myself grinning at that. "Predators, Wu-chan. We are predators."


    She shuddered at my tone, and for a second, I almost heard her heart beating rapidly for a moment. "Predators..."


    "Yes, we are creatures that grow in power by eating our prey. Honestly, it feels a bit strange to say that''s our primary method to evolve and grow, but then again, beasts eat other beasts, and you told me that humans usually feed the cores of powerful beasts to evolve theirs, so maybe it''s not that strange, all things considered." I shrugged at that. Honestly, despite my previous anxiety, I felt rather excited about talking about my race, it seemed. Almost creepy, I think.


    "But the point is, we are an existence that only grows stronger by feeding on the corpses of our enemies, in the very literal sense, too. And we are built to be able to do just that from birth, even if our power was lacking at that stage."


    I found myself playing with my hair to distract myself from the strange sensation of joy that I was having, "We are, from the start, born to be able to digest nearly anything with time. Human, demon, elf, angel, beastman, other beasts... all of them would be digested and turned into nutrients, and if it was high enough and from a different race or type, we evolve into a variant. And by the way, we find demonic bodies and Qi to be the best source of energy, since we are practically their hard counter when we reach a certain amount of power. And at that point, as long as the difference in levels wasn''t too much... then it wouldn''t matter at all."


    My smile turned predatory at that, as I felt my instincts flare at the mention of demonic Qi, "after all, I''m close to reaching that level, he... he he he..."


    Ahh... now, I have some craving for demonic beasts and meat... I shook my head and quickly suppressed that feeling to focus on the conversation at hand.


    "Sorry, I''m getting brain-scattered with all these thoughts... so, where were we?" I asked myself before regaining my thoughts, "Oh, yeah, I guess I should tell you about Alraunes in specific, correct?"


    Wu-chan hesitated, before sighing. "Despite me wanting to finish this conversation later... we might not have time because they started to sniff around, and you also really want to get this over... so let''s try to cover as much as possible right now."


    I could hear her worry as I was reminded not so subtly about the fact that the Xie clan members were still probably lurking in the forest, and frowned at that. If they reached this place...


    I stopped my anger from growing any further, I will talk with her about it after this.


    "Hah... so, Alraunes, and me specifically... The same things that I stated apply, of course. I am a predator, as I said, and I would happily admit my love to consuming my prey, dead or alive. Though if I have to explain the biggest difference between us and the thorny flowers, then it is in my opinion that we alraunes aren''t just predators in the sense of just eating. We too are predators in a different area as well, and you must have known it by now, isn''t this right, Wu-chan?"


    My heart was beating rapidly as I looked at her shocked and crestfallen expression, as if terrified of admitting it. But we both knew what it was.


    "A predator in the sense of preying on others'' energy and sexual fluids... that''s what it is. Of course, that makes sense."


    I wanted to comfort her when I saw her shaking, fear visible. My heart stung at the sight, but I knew that I might not be able to continue if I did that.


    "Yes, alraunes feed on many things, and while most of the time, their prey die, sometimes, the alraunes... want to enjoy their meal, especially the human-looking type." my lips thinned at that, and I felt my body squirming. I was practically telling her how my body and instincts worked, a side that I didn''t want to expose to her at all if preferred.


    "If possible, alraunes can try to... instead of just killing their prey, mostly ones with unique and powerful Qi or blood.. try to capture and ensnare them instead, and use them as the equivalent of a sex slave. And you must understand that unless you are strong enough to escape and are specifically immune to their nectars, there would be no escape for the human or human-like entities that caught an alraune''s interest."


    I felt my eyes getting unfocused. This subject... I was feeling strange about it. It was such a terrifying thing to tell my love about, yet it felt so natural...


    "Ai''er? A-are you alright? You look dazed."


    "When... when alraunes capture their prey to harvest their Qi, blood, or sexual fluids..." I found myself trying to look above her head, not willing to look at her worried face.


    "The prey is then sedated with a special poisonous nectar injected into the blood along with a powerful aphrodisiac. This is to ensure that the prey would always be eager yet highly obedient and incapable of escaping. And healing nectars would be injected too, to make it so that the prey would not run on fuel or energy. It would be like an eternal source of energy for the alraune. The prey would never be freed on their own, and would lose all ability to reason as time goes."


    "And if not saved soon enough, they would lose themselves, and the alraune would be the only thing in their world... there would be no care about a family the prey once had, no ability to feel anything but lust and obedience. A hellish heaven of pleasure where the only thing the prey could ever notice or care about is if the alraune that had long broken their minds is interested in taking more of their fluids and Qi... There would be no happiness anywhere else as far as they are concerned. And even if they were saved somehow, by that point, there is nothing of the former personality. They''re just as blank in identity as a toddler, one who was so used to the sweetest taste of nectars that anything lower and less tasty would never compare. Ruined almost beyond all repair. Almost no hope of having a functional life, no more understanding of anything else other than pleasure. It wouldn''t be strange if the freed prey decided to be used for sex or indulge in it, because that could very well be the only physical sensation they could ever comprehend at that point."


    Wu-chan violently shuddered at my description, a reaction that I found myself mimicking. Alraunes, are truly monsters. They''re like succubi, hungry to satisfy their carnal desires. No care about nearly any other being that isn''t worthy of being used to satisfy that desire beyond turning them into literal food or as threats to run away from if they were outgunned.


    Of course, that was the case for the non-sapient ones that only could follow their instincts with no critical thinking. I, being a reincarnated woman who got to keep her mind relatively intact, was much better. I had not only intelligence, but sapience to fully reign in that sadistic side of my being.


    Had I not been able to do so... if I was unable to think critically about my position back then, being able to think as a human but having no restraint whatsoever... then if I had won against Xie Li, then I wouldn''t have made the choice to befriend Wu-chan... I would have not cared about company. I would have only craved to satisfy myself, and I would have happily enslaved and broken her.


    The mere thought made my stomach churn violently at that.


    To think that I could have been that kind of monster, and knowing that I would have had no regret whatsoever about it, and that even if I did care about her in that case, it would be only as one loves an obedient pet...


    I viscerally hated that thought. I couldn''t imagine myself doing that to her, because I cared about her as an actual friend, and now lover. And even then, I could feel how I would absolutely have no moral quandary or hesitance about inflicting that very same fate to someone who I want to just break. I would have had no problems doing such a thing to anyone who harmed me and her, if I wanted to make them suffer instead of just killing them.


    I was truly a beast and a monster, through and through. Only my sapience, my past life as a human, along with my desire to connect with and to respect for Wu-chan that made it possible for me to bond with her like I did.


    My body trembled, and I found myself lying down in the fetal position, my head down. I felt like sobbing. Wu-chan... she was the first friend I''ve actually had in this world.... I just didn''t want to think that any alraune version of me would have done that to her...


    I flinched, feeling the touch of a hand on my body. Wu-chan had crossed the rather short distance, and gently hugged me. I curled around myself further, but I didn''t find it in myself to break the contact.


    Instead, I found myself sobbing. What a great Gold-ranked beast I was! Crying and taking something that did not happen because I cared so much about how I could have hurt my friend in a painfully plausible ''What If'' scenario.


    I wondered, in the depths of my mind, if this is a part of being an alraune. That my emotions are so out of what I was used to because alraunes, being such lustful creatures, treasure genuine love and bonds that much more? Was that what was happening? I... I didn''t know...


    But, I know that I loved it as Wu-chan embrace comforted me.


    "Ai''er... let''s stop here, please." I heard the hurt tone in her voice. She was hurt, because I was trying to force myself to talk about something I wasn''t fully prepared to discuss...


    "This, this is fine, okay? Take your time to prepare yourself for it. It''s fine if you don''t tell me when you''re not ready." how I loved that soothing tone. You really...


    "Thank you, Wu-chan... I- I appreciate it..." I couldn''t have tried to be more sincere if I tried. I felt the warmth of her body encompassing mine.


    "No problem, love. Do you need me to stay with you?" I felt some of my fears vanishing at that gentle question.


    ... I love you even more now...


    "If you want to." I gave a reluctant smile. I wanted her to be with me right now, but I wasn''t going to demand it. "I''m... tired, right now. I would go to sleep soon. But, in my current state, I might..."


    I might hurt you with my lust...


    My Qi seemed almost reluctant as I asserted my will over my instincts. I will never harm Wu-chan for as long as I am aware and have a sense of reason in me.


    You hear me, aphrodisiac nectar? Stay inert and allow us to be safe and secure.


    "You''re worried that you might harm me, Ai''er...? I appreciate the sentiment, but I guess I''m a bit too stubborn at the moment."


    A strange feeling engulfed me at that soft yet steely declaration, and my Qi calmed down as a power that seemed to just nullify all supernatural phenomena embraced me, and I felt myself calm down.


    "You comforted me to sleep already, you silly flower. Now it''s my turn."


    Her smile seemed to glow brighter than the sun at that moment. "Let me take care of you now, Ai''er."


    I felt myself giving a happy smile at that.


    "As you wish, Wu-chan. I have complete trust in you."


    With that, my petals closed, surrounding both of us in a world of gentle darkness, and I soon felt myself accepting the sweet touch of sleep.

 Chapter 33

    Mei Wu woke up to the smell of nature and plants around her. It wasn''t an odd one, if she was honest, since staying in the proximity of one Kasumi Ai for nearly a month, it wasn''t that much of a surprise.


    But the sensation seemed to be far thicker than she usually remembered, and she didn''t recall how it got this potent, either that or she was still not fully awake. There was also what seemed to be like one bizarre dream that she just had... dual cultivating with the alraune and becoming her lover? That felt almost too weird and pleasure-inducing to be true...


    Opening her eyes, she blinked when she saw the whole area was almost completely dark, with the only source of illumination was a faint glow of white and black Qi, along with green Qi that was covering the body of one sleepy alraune lover of hers.


    Wait... what was the last part...? She looked at the sleeping form of her friend and she quickly remembered what happened in the previous forty-eight hours.


    Her face immediately reddened as if catching fire.


    ''Oh, oh gods! That actually happened!'' she thought, feeling both embarrassed and warm at that. To think that did happen... she was her Ai''er''s lover!


    Mei Wu rapidly shook it off though, her expression turning a bit more somber as she remembered the conversation she had with her beloved. The sheer fear she felt when Ai was describing her race, and how the alraune was nearly having an emotional breakdown at the possibility of of ever inflicting that kind of horror at the human woman... It was just so intense... and Mei Wu found herself comforting her lover to sleep.


    "Ai''er." Mei Wu whispered as she carefully moved her hands away from the human body of her friend, and she got a strange mix of a whimper and a whine in return, and she found herself gently ruffling the sleeping alraune''s hair, and Ai''s body relaxed.


    She found herself paying attention to the golden liquid surrounding them. It was filled with Qi, but it seemed to be... dormant, even now, for the lack of a better word, by Ai''s own will. And Mei Wu felt that it would be best to keep it that way with her Apoptosis Qi too.


    If this pool of nectar became active right now, that would be disasterous, her instincts told her, and she could already understand what this nectar was, with how Ai reacted and what she was told about yesterday. Even if they didn''t tackle Ai''s own evolution for real, the possibilities are blatantly clear to her.


    "Really, Ai''er? A pool of aphrodisiac nectar? Even if it was inert, you are getting too careless with me being with you. You ought to get a spanking for this mistake, you know? I remember that I promised to pay you back for all that attitude you gave me long ago, now wake up, sleepy head! The sun has risen."


    There was no disappointment or anger in her tone that felt more like exasperation and a bit of irritation that one has when a friend kept teasing them too much.


    "Mmhh... five more minutes..." came the single response as the alraune tried to continue her sleep. A bit surprising since Ai was a bit of a morning person from what she saw, but then again, after what happened the night before, it wouldn''t be strange for her to feel lazier than usual.


    Still, they have a work to do and they better not test their luck, just like what their boss, the Queen Bee, made it clear. Though it sucked that they are stuck inside the hive, even if it was highly important to hide from the Xie clan.


    "Ai''er, you can''t stay asleep for the whole day, come on!" Shaking the shoulders of the alraune gave the desired result, and Kasumi Ai woke up with a yawn and the petals that were closed opened, allowing light to hit their bodies.


    "Mh...?" Ai looked at her dazedly, before smiling with the faintest hint of blush on her face, "Oh, good morning, Wu-chan!"


    Mei Wu couldn''t stop herself from smiling in return. Ai was not feeling as terrified as she was the night before. That was great. It wouldn''t be good for her friend and lover to be angsty all the time, and that smile just felt more fitting and beautiful anyways.


    "Had a good night''s sleep, right?" she gave a hug that was reciprocated. Ai''s Qi was definitely much calmer today.


    "Oh, yes. Yes I did, even with... that." for a moment, she felt the sorrow in Ai''s voice, before it vanished as her friend shook her head, "but it doesn''t matter right now. I will just need to be better and be with you, and that''s all what matters."


    By the heavens, why does this woman know how to make her feel even warmer and needier? Mei Wu flushed even harder at that.


    ''What the hell, lady!? Get a grip on yourself!'' she told herself, ''just because your girlfriend is your best friend, was the person who loved you the most and you felt loved by her the most, and she gave one hell of a pleasurable sex-like dual cultivation experience, and is now acting too sweet and shy for you to ignore... wait, why am I digging myself deeper!?''


    Just great, a Gold-ranked alraune and a Level 3 [Hero] warrior, and both of them are acting like two girls with crushes. Fantastic.


    Not that she hated it at all, she just found it a bit ridiculous. Adorable and sweet, but ridiculous. She almost wondered if other warriors had a life like this, outside of all their battling and ''saving face by murdering others'' personalities.


    Still, the hug got broken, a bit too soon in her very objective and calculating mind. A feeling that was mirrored by her Ai''er as she reluctantly separated from her.


    "So, we need to go do our daily grind of my nectar, huh?"


    Okay... ouch.


    Mei Wu could hear the slight disappointment from her girlfriend. And seeing that she was glad about her daily work under the Queen Bee''s demands without a care even a couple of days ago, that was saying something.


    "... Ai''er, you''re not perhaps thinking that you''d prefer to just be with me than doing our... boss'' tasks, right?" she had to ask. Ai was obviously not really irritated by the prospect of doing the Queen Bee''s tasks, just... not as enthusiastic as before.


    Was this a part of her being an alraune in love? That she''s wanting to just stay with her lover more than doing anything else? If so, that was one hell of a strong one-track mindset.


    Ai blinked, confused and a bit indignant. "Of course, I still love that! I like making my nectar!... well, at least the healing and sweet-tasting ones. Also the poisonous ones currently... plus, it''s a safe work where I get all my obvious needs of food, shelter, and mostly good work environment! But..."


    Mei Wu felt her eye twitch when she felt the Qi of nature giving a mock-depressed atmosphere. The look of Ai''s face cast down, looking so miserable managed to induce both pity and exasperation at once within Mei Wu''s heart.


    "I now want you to be with me, more than anything else... even the distance of a few meters, feels like the distance of heaven and earth... Ahh~ So close, yet so far, such is my life with you in my heart~"


    "Please don''t try to make anymore deep metaphors or poems. You suck at it." Mei Wu deadpanned as she loved the emotions but disliked the poor attempt. "Also, can you stop shaking your monstrous body? It''s distracting."


    Yes, Ai for whatever reason thought it was fun to make her monstrous body to shake and vibrate in a poor attempt to make it seem like her poem was making an earthquake, though with Mei Wu''s level and inherent balance being a warrior and a cultivator, it was just slightly annoying and nothing more.


    This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    "Hahh... fine, cut my fun after the drama I had yesterday." Ai huffed, crossing her arms, but a smile was appearing on her face. "Let''s just do our daily work then find something to do, either training, or cultivating, inside the hive. Sucks that we''re under house arrest. In fact..."


    Mei Wu raised her eyebrow as she felt the curiosity and contemplativeness emanating from Ai''s Qi and the interested look on her face.


    Though it vanished after a few seconds as Ai shook her head.


    "Mmh, I will tell you later when we''re on our own. Let''s go finish our work, shall we?"


    She smiled at the happy expression her lover''s face was making. "Yes, let''s. And by the way..."


    Kasumi Ai looked at her in interest, as Mei Wu looked down at her clothes. While not really ruined, they were soaked by the nectars from the alraune''s pool. They would need a thorough cleaning, as well as her body.


    "I... I will need to take a bath later. As well as a quick washing of my clothes. Think you can do that?" she asked with a blush, one that was reflected by her lover.


    It was honestly surprising, really, how things changed in just a few days.


    Mei Wu usually depended on Ai''s skillset to take a bath as well as washing away the dirt and grime from her clothes. The alraune, having consumed the Frose plant beast, and thanks to her ability to mimic and recreate the biology of plant life she ate, including other plant beasts, was able to generate clean water, and with her skill in shaping her nectar and even making it into a solid state if needed to create something akin to a bath tub, Mei Wu had no problem cleaning herself whenever her clothes and body started to get too dirty for her liking.


    She had gotten used to it before, taking it as the simple solution, and she had long lost any embarrassment over the fact that Ai would be usually cleaning her clothes, underwears included.


    And now, it felt a bit more awkward to do that despite it being the same thing they did for three weeks at this rate. Well, that, and slightly exciting, but she will try not to think of that now.


    "O-oh! Okay, you can depend on me! Now let''s go!"


    Not needing to take any more hints about the contradictory hesitance and excitement Ai was having with that red face, Mei Wu leapt out of the flower wall that was Ai''s new biological sleeping room.


    Thank goodness that their lust was significantly toned down after a good nights'' sleep. Small mercies are indeed a good thing to have.


    <hr>


    Well, the small mercies ended way too soon, Mei Wu found out.


    Because right after they finished their work, a Protector Bee came buzzing in, and told them that the Queen Bee wanted to talk with them.


    The humans in the forest had almost reached the area where Kasumi Ai''s fight with Xie Li occured. Mei Wu remembered that lake, where her life changed for what she truly believed to be the better.


    It was where everything beautiful she had found herself having today, started. Which felt strangely a bit nostalgic, despite her not even staying in that area with Ai alongside her for more than a day, before she got dragged into the Queen Bee''s hive, something she couldn''t find herself hating even if she still had her reservations about the Queen Bee, thanks to the latest threat she gave the two of them.


    Even if it was still far better than most could hope for, from a Golden King Beast like the Queen Bee.


    ''It had also reached me that there are more humans searching the forest.'' the Queen Bee''s buzzing and intent, easily understandable due to her Qi-sensing, were clear as day, and she found herself tensing at that as she felt Ai do the same.


    "More people? How many were there, in the first place?" Ai asked, a serious tone in her voice, one that was answered by the Queen Bee''s intent sharpening.


    Mei Wu sucked a breath at the scent of poison and honey thickening, but there was no more effect both due to her new growth in power and the fact that the queen of bees was not targeting them.


    ''Five humans before, and now six.'' came the answer, clearly directed at Ai ''four of them are weaker than your... only your companion''s level, I suppose. The other two easily exceed that, from what the Protector Bee I sent to investigate better found out.''


    Mei Wu took that information carefully. Four below her level, so that meant their powers are equal to a Level 1 or 2, either [Apprentice] or [Braveman], while the other two are on the [Hero] level or higher. Maybe reaching that of a Level 6 [Elder] at most. There is a chance they would be stronger, but a Level 7 [Overlord] warrior was extremely rare in the Soaring Dragon Continent. Only the emperor Jun Wu You reached it and maybe three more at most.


    "There could be elders from the Xie clan, then... but, that''s just the most likely option. I could be wrong though..." Mei Wu muttered, only to feel the attention of the Queen Bee on her.


    ''From what my Worker Bees said before retreating, the stronger two were called Xie Yao, and Xie Xiu, a man and a woman respectively.''


    Both alraune and human felt shock. There''s no more doubt. The Xie clan is the one on their trails, most definitely.


    "So it''s them for real, huh?" Ai mumbled, looking deep in thought.


    Mei Wu didn''t blame her, but she was honestly a lot more surprised because she knew the two people in question.


    "Two elders? Impossible." she whispered, but her voice was heard by the other two occupants in the room, "Both reaching the Level 5 [Grandmaster] rank, both with Grimoires and with at least two beasts each. Why are they both moving in the same area though? From what I heard, they don''t really like each other."


    "Is that really that shocking?" Ai asked her, "Xie Li was the clan master''s son, from his first wife as well. He might have decided to have two elders to effectively deal with his disappearance."


    "True, that makes sense but... no matter, they''re both chasing us." Mei Wu shook her head at that. No use thinking why the two decided to join the mission together, when in hindsight, there were plenty of reasons.


    ''... It seems we would have to talk about these two in detail later.'' the Queen Bee declared, and the two straightened at that, nodding. ''but, for now, go and finish your work. I''ll send a bee to bring you to me... six to seven hours from now. Go now.''


    They didn''t need to be told twice, but as soon as they were about to turn around, the feeling of amusement from the Queen Bee was felt.


    ''Oh, and on a side note,'' they stopped, looking at her, ''Not that I care about what you do in your spare time, but next time please put a sign so my bees don''t end up as the source of your rage. Also, would it kill you to at least tell me beforehand about your attempts at... sexual experience, that''s what you people call it? It was irritating to have my bees trying to look why the smell of arousal was spreading around.'' the Queen Bee tilted her head, seemingly bored and disappointed at them.


    Mei Wu''s face glowed while Ai gave a strangled noise as her petals almost closed off from embarrassment.


    Turns out, Ai glaring at the poor Protector Bee didn''t go unmentioned. Who would have thought?


    Well, if this embarrassment isn''t the consequence of not doing the equivalent of locking the door and forgetting that they''re mere guests in the house of an empress.


    They couldn''t have run faster if they tried.


    <hr>


    "Finally. This feels just good after all that effort." Mei Wu sighed with relief as she got her chance to clean herself.


    Her body relaxed as the tension left her muscles. Despite her not using them much, since she didn''t have a chance to spar with her beloved, and it was a poor choice to do that inside the hive, she still felt a bit of soreness that came with working for hours on end, even if it was just a phantom sensation.


    She had to admit, the water that her honey created was honestly marvelous for soothing the body and taking away the dirt and sweat, what with it being infused with Ai''s Qi of nature. Turns out that the Qi of nature could also work as a powerful soap, and could stay warm for a while as well. Mei Wu would really love to learn this trick if it was possible and this whole situation with the Xie clan was solved.


    But still, she shouldn''t stay too long in the bath, since Ai told her that she had some idea that might work to help her get stronger.


    Other than dual cultivation, of course.


    Her face flushed at the reminder. The two agreed that they would do that again tonight, partly because the sense of urgency had gotten stronger, and that method worked the best under the current circumstances, and the second reason was because they liked it.


    Though they both agreed that it would only be the training, and maybe a kiss or two. Anything more is not allowed, and Ai must keep a lid on that pit of lust she has, either that or her human body steps away from it before they start.


    ''Heavens, I feel like I''m getting too lustful, but I don''t hate it.'' she thought as she touched her lips, remembering the feelings she got from kissing that lover of hers. ''I know that we both want to taste that again... Though I don''t think she is ready for anything more... physical with me yet due to her fear about her instincts.''


    And she fully understood that. She understood the fear of having one''s instincts rebelling against the mind. After all, Xie Li...!


    She took a shuddering breath to halt her rage. This was time to just enjoy herself, and thus she relaxed.


    Soon enough, minutes passed and she heard the voice of Ai, sounding a bit embarrassed. "Wu-chan, here are your clothes!"


    A vine holding her clothes entered through the thin nectar wall keeping Mei Wu''s privacy, and put the clothes on the ground.


    A minute later, a fully dressed Mei Wu saw as the nectar wall melted, returning liquid and eaten by the large monstrous mouth of the alraune, and soon enough, the two sat in silence.


    She wondered what Ai had in mind to make her stronger.


    "So, what is your plan, Ai''er?"


    The alraune sighed, and she brought down her arm, eyes determined as stone as an object was held in that delicate hand.


    Mei Wu could only look in shock at that, and gulped. "Ai''er, is this what I think it is?"


    "Yes, I think it''s worth to try this..."


    In Ai''s hand, was Xie Li''s Grimoire, inactive, inert, and currently nothing but a useless book.


    Like thunder, Kasumi Ai''s voice declared.


    "Wu-chan, try to contract it."

 Chapter 34

    Mei Wu looked at the Grimoire that Ai was holding in her hand, the words of her lover still ringing in her head as she stood still for nearly half a minute.


    "C-contract the Grimoire? Ai''er, you want me to..." the shock in her body was still strong, and she almost felt like fainting from it. Mei Wu knew that Ai fully understood the implications of what the alraune was asking.


    Grimoires, artifacts so ancient that were rumored to be created by deities to help humans grow stronger to compete with the usually more powerful beasts and other races, and the benefits they gave were far larger than merely allowing a warrior to contract a lot of beasts without wasting a lot of space, since summoning crystals could be stolen in some cases, while the Grimoire, once contracted, only belonged to the contractor and could not be stolen.


    No, the biggest benefits contracting a Grimoire has are two things that were truly desired by many.


    First; the contractor would get an Inherent Skill bestowed to them, which is usually a skill highly unique to them, and could usually shape their skillset. Though of course, it wouldn''t be strange for some people, like specific families, to have similar inherent skills, and some might gain an inherent skill that isn''t really that hard to get naturally by training.


    Secondly, one would get a Guardian Beast, a contracted beast that unlike almost all others, would be immortal in the sense that even if killed, they would regenerate after some time, and even more importantly, these beasts are absolutely loyal to the Grimoire owner. Even more, it was stated that as long as the master''s power grew stronger, or the level of the Grimoire increased, the Guardian Beast would get stronger as well.


    There are also rewards for increasing the rank of one''s Grimoire, and it was proven that winning or surviving difficult battles would even give rewards for the Grimoire owner, from more pages to contract more beasts, a level up to a skill, or even a new beast given as a gift for showing such skill and determination even against death.


    With these benefits, it won''t be strange to say that a Grimoire was a godsend artifact that would cause one''s progress to increase by leaps and bounds. And now, Mei Wu was given the choice to attempt making a contract.


    She bit her lips as she kept looking at the book, and Ai''s resolute expression, and she just knew that she must at least try.


    ''Last time I attempted many times to contract a Grimoire years ago, I couldn''t do it.'' she remembered what happened years ago, back when she was nothing but a slave in name only while she was a part of the Xie clan.


    Back then, she tried to contract a Grimoire, as many of the disciples and clansmen did, but she failed like most did. She even attempted to do so every few months, hoping that she would get one, yet she just couldn''t.


    Just because one was a warrior, didn''t mean that they would be able to own a Grimoire, nor when they would be able to. Some people could contract a Grimoire from when they were eight or nine, while others won''t be able to, even in their thirties.


    Mei Wu thought that would be her fate, when it came to these priceless artifacts, that she would never get one. And now, she was asked to attempt it one more time, and she knew that she must at least try. If she did not make the contract today, that''s it. She and Ai would do the other methods to train and grow stronger instead.


    But if she didn''t even try right now, how would she know the difference it could make in the very possible fight against anyone that could harm them? She changed. Ai helped her change and grow stronger. If she rejected the attempt right now, then what would that mean to all the progress that she was making?


    With a trembling hand, she reached towards it, a strange sensation filling her heart that she couldn''t truly notice as anxiety and determination rose inside her very being, and her fingers made contact.


    And golden light engulfed the chamber, so intense she had to shield her eyes with her other hand as she felt Ai do the same. It felt like she would be blinded if she dared to open her eyes, yet she strangely felt absolute certainty that nothing would happen to her.


    From within, she felt as if something dormant in her soul had awakened, knowledge so vast as a sea seemed to enter her mind as she understood them, yet at the same time, it was as if she couldn''t comprehend them at all, a sea of confusion where everything in her mind seemed to clear, yet so obscure.


    Slowly, the light disappeared, and Mei Wu felt herself falling from the shock of it all. She still couldn''t believe that it happened even if all her senses told her that this was real. The Grimoire, once a seemingly useless book due to it being inert, now had become a part of her, like an extra limb but not exactly.


    "...an! Wu-chan! You did it!" Ai''s voice, brimming with awe and happiness awoke her from her dazed state, and she found herself glomped by the enthusiastic alraune''s human body. "You now became a Ranker (summoner)! I''m so happy for you!"


    "I... I did that? I actually did...? I''m- I''m so..." she felt like crying at what just happened. To think that she could actually succeed in this single step! It felt marvelous!


    But before the tears would start pouring from their eyes, the Grimoire floated, catching their attention. As if by magic, it moved towards Mei Wu, and fell gently next to her.


    "I, I guess it wants me to see my Guardian Beast and Inherent Skill?" Mei Wu asked aloud as she felt the connection to the book. It felt more like a question directed at herself, honestly.


    "Okay, then!" Ai, clearly filled with giddiness, separated herself from her lover, and Mei Wu picked up the book, opening it.


    The first page had a portrait of her face, which was smiling. She wondered if that smile was what she had on her face when Ai did something that made her feel happy, because she couldn''t imagine herself smiling like that before she met this insufferable yet lovable alraune.


    "Lovely smile that you have here~!"


    "Yeah." feeling her face flushing at the genuine praise, she looked at the line below the portrait, and she raised her eyebrows.


    "Strange..."


    Her level, as written in the Grimoire, was a Level 1 Beginner [Apprentice], which was of course very wrong, since she had reached the level of a |Hero], the third rank in the summoning ranks.


    "Hm, I think it means that your summoning skills are that of an [Apprentice], not your actual power." Ai spoke, and of course, it made sense.


    "So basically, as a warrior, I''m at the level of a [Hero], but my summoning skills leave much to be desired, since I literally just started." Mei Wu sighed, an action that resulted in her lover putting a hand over her shoulders as a supportive gesture, and she smiled at that.


    "Though the description of an Apprentice isn''t really flattering..." she said with a nerveous and baffled look.


    Apprentice: You are the weakest existence in this world, the equivalent to an ant or lower, but with hard work, as a Grimoire user, you still have hope to become stronger than the common garbage one casually throws away while walking outside.


    "Ouch, that really stings. Also, what kind of description is that? Whoever wrote or programmed it into the Grimoires must really have a low opinion of Grimoire owners, if not the entire human race as a whole. Or maybe the idea of depending on summons at all." Ai visibly cringed at that.


    "Yeah, they must be the so-called Innate Goddess you want to become." Mei Wu said humorously, still not forgetting the ''ambition'' the green-haired woman had when one silly advice accidentally gave Mei Wu an epiphany, before she turned the page.


    Both blinked in shock when they saw Mei Wu''s Inherent Skill and Guardian Beast, and honestly, Mei Wu didn''t know what to say as the descriptions and images were as clear as day.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    On the page of where the description of her Inherent Skill was, there was a strange design of a fancy Mandala. The description felt honestly ridiculous yet strangely fitting.


    Tumor Mandala: your energy is the poison that induces and augments the impurities in your enemies'' energies for as long as they are less than five meters away from you, weakening and crushing them under your feet. Distance and power will increase with each increase of your or its level. Currently at Level 1.


    "Okay, what the hell is this?" she muttered. "First, I have the Apoptosis part where I degrade or lower my opponent''s Qi, and now I can basically make their power impure and potentially lethal for them to use?"


    "Sounds like a lot of fun, though! Malignant Tumor Apoptosis, that was the name of your cultivation technique, Wu-chan." Mei Wu felt the sheer glee and excitement that Ai exuded as she looked at the page.


    "Now, if you grow strong, you might even put the ''Malignant'' part in use too."


    Oh, that would be highly effective, indeed.


    "But let''s not get ahead of ourselves. Let''s see my Guardian Beast then..." even so, Mei Wu couldn''t hold her excitement as she grinned, her eyes locking at the other page, where her beast''s image was supposed to be.


    What met them was the image of a... what?


    "What, what is that...?" Ai asked, in confusion, not that Mei Wu was any better, as they saw the... portrait of the strange creature that looked like a bunch of intersecting circles, white and black.


    "I have no idea." Mei Wu confessed, "I know that Guardian Beasts could be as bizarre and fantastic as other beasts, if not even more so, but I haven''t seen a beast like this before. Let''s see its description..."


    Impurity Eater: Special-type. Formless. Normal-ranked Level 1. A beast that feeds on the impurities in the energy in its domain, according to the nature of the target''s Qi. Can enhance the purity of one''s Qi inside its domain. Is able to expand up to 10 meters.


    "Wu-chan... I think you might have to tone down your Apoptosis theme choices..."


    Mei Wu looked blankly at her lover at that wry remark. "I will try." came her amused answer, before she shook her head and became serious.


    "So that''s my Guardian Beast, huh... I already feel its call and wanting me to summon it. You think that the reason I couldn''t contract a Grimoire is because I was so uncertain of myself before? That I didn''t realize my cultivation style before?" she asked the alraune who only shrugged.


    "I have no idea. You yourself said that some people contracted a Grimoire while they were only eight years old. Pretty sure no child would be fully certain of their identities, in most cases. Maybe they were just compatible from the get-go, while some needed to be stronger or have a sturdier foundation or whatever? Either that, or they had their meridians unlocked that early or something."


    Honestly, these theories made a lot of sense. Genes and bloodlines have a role in determining one''s potential, as much as support and resources do, from what Mei Wu experienced, especially with the stronger rankers since they were almost always either born into a clan, or had a sect nurturing them, or an influencial figure backing them up.


    But, focusing on herself and the current situation, Mei Wu mentally commanded the Grimoire to vanish, and it did so. The connection was always there, deep in her mind, and she just needed to access it.


    "What are you doing?" Ai asked her, raising an eyebrow.


    "Trying to hone my skill to summon my Grimoire, it would be bad if I wasn''t experienced enough in it and I couldn''t summon it quickly in battle." she answered as she chanted.


    She tried to visualize summoning the Grimoire, and she managed to summon it, but only after nearly half a minute, and she panted. It felt exhausting to concentrate that much!


    "I- I did it... but damn, it''s so mentally taxing. I will need to be used to it and get better." she said, only to be surprised when she saw the frown on Ai''s face, and the Qi of plants and nature was feeling happy at her success yet... disappointed and worried?


    "Ai''er?"


    "... Not good at all. Even though I''m proud and happy about your success, it''s definitely, not good at all. Mere seconds could mean the difference between life and death in battle. Thirty seconds is just too slow." the response, while praising her effort, was highly critical.


    Mei Wu understood the point, but it wasn''t like one can just master a difficult skill they just learned, and Grimoire summoning was one difficult skill. Most rankers can only use chants to summon their Grimoires, while advanced ones could do it chantless and in less time.


    To that, Ai just scoffed, handwaving the whole argument with a sense of uncaring apathy that honestly made Mei Wu look at her in surprise.


    "Hah! Wu-chan, you''re acting so silly again. Chantless summoning is hard? Instant Grimoire summoning is in the realm of experts? Such a pointless argument! Wu-chan, I think you didn''t forget, right? I promised that I would give you a training arc for us to get stronger!"


    The conviction in the alraune''s tone was so strong Mei Wu felt like the plants were about to go for war. It was that strong, and got even more so when Ai''s eyes gazed into Mei Wu''s.


    Mei Wu felt as if her heart sped up. Isn''t this mental strength, this compassion and desire to help her, a part of why she fell in love with this beautiful and gentle beast?


    "If you growing stronger meant breaking all conventional definition of ''genius'' and ''talented'' as the world knows them, then so be it! We still have some three hours before we meet the Queen Bee once more to tell her what you know about these elders, so we will use that time to hone your Grimoire summoning skill as best as we could. Then tonight, you will try your guardian beast, then..."


    Kasumi Ai''s voice that was confident, took a slightly shy tone at the end, and her cheeks reddened, "hehe... dual cultivation with you, my beloved..."


    Heat exploded in Mei Wu''s face at that. She really did not want a reminder of that right now!


    "Ai''er!" she shouted in embarrassment, "you can''t just make it sound as if... that... is a good motivational method!"


    Even if it was highly tempting. Her body ached for more hugs, and even kisses! Ai was admittedly one hell of a kisser- No! Not the point! She chided herself.


    Ai''s mood immediately changed, as she immediately pouted childishly at her, face still red as even the monstrous body of her lover was attempting to make such a look, which only looked way creepier than if it was grinning.


    "Fine, since you''re trying to be such a pessimist, I will increase the bargain! Every time you summon your Grimoire and try your best, I reward you with a kiss on the cheek!"


    How can she say it with such confidence!? Even with all the embarrassment Mei Wu sensed in Ai, the alraune was more proud and even more determined to actually do that!


    "Ai''er! That''s just awkward! That- that''s not even a good motivation in the first place!"


    "Of course it is." Mei Wu found herself facing the ''Are you joking?'' bored look, "I''m pretty sure most men would say something like how they would defy the heavens if they could look at a pair of boobs or sleep with a woman, and maybe even get a power up! And here, your girlfriend is being supportive, and rewarding you even for failed attempts, and you think it''s ridiculous? Does the power of love seem that weak to you?"


    Okay, now this was getting ridiculous. And her lover even went all the way and fake-cried at the end!


    Her sheer disbelief of what was happening was clearly visible on Mei Wu''s face, as Kasumi Ai''s mood changed, still mock-sad, but now there was a contemplative side to it... one that Mei Wu felt her skin crawl when she sensed it.


    Because she remembered this sensation very well. This mix of teasing desire, amusement and sadism. The same one when Ai decided that they would have a so-called training arc.


    It was then that she knew that Ai was determined to drag her into whatever idea of training the alraune wanted, and that rejecting would not be allowed. And this time, the idea of making Mei Wu train was even more prominent!


    Turns out that an upgrade to one''s love life might not always be positive...


    "But, I fully understand you, Wu-chan..." Ai said with a voice that was so fake in the sadness it conveyed it bordered on parody, as she created a single rose with thorns in her arm. "I should have known that at times, a training arc with only benefits would not be accepted, and would be even taken for granted. Just like giving one a beautiful rose without any thorns attached to it wouldn''t make them appreciate how stinging it could be. That''s why, I should add a punishment for you for every time you fail to show progress..."


    Mei Wu sweated nervously, and she unconsciously stepped back. This... this was Kasumi Ai, the whimsically sadistic alraune, in all her inconsistent yet headache-inducing glory. And now that the two were in love, she would be even stricter with her rare instances of ''tough love'' attitude.


    "Ai''er? Ai''er! Stop! I''m pleading you! I can feel what you''re preparing and I don''t like it one bit!" Mei Wu yelled, even if in her heart, she wondered if the last part was true at all. She doubted that Ai would do something truly terrible to her... just something probably so embarrassing she''d wish she could hide in a hole for the rest of her life.


    Not that it made a lot of difference in the pink-haired woman''s eyes, knowing what kind of humor the alraune had, and what kind of an alraune she was right now.


    "Wu-chan, remember when we first talked to each other, and you glomped me in your excitement and I got irritated? Do you remember how I warned you back then to watch out for your excitement? Remember what I promised to do, if you did that again, back then?" as she spoke, Ai''s expression changed from an imitation of a sad face, to that of a grinning sadist.


    Mei Wu stilled at that. "Wait... do... do you mean...!?" her eyes widened as she remembered that particular conversation. It wasn''t even hard to remember, since it happened nearly a mere month before.


    "Ai''er... please say that you won''t do that to your love, right? C-come on... you''re just joking about... spanking me, right?" she stepped back, but Ai stepped forward, her vines moving ominously behind the alraune, who kept grinning even as her face grew redder. Mei Wu couldn''t know if it was because of the embarrassment at the idea, or her sexual nature.


    "R-right!?" Mei Wu was desperate at the moment.


    "Wu-chan, please, summon your Grimoire. You have thirty seconds." and thus, came the judgement, as sweet as honey, yet even scarier than one can imagine.


    ''Oh, heavens are so unfair! I hate you! And I hate the fact that I''m not as terrified about this as I should be!'' Mei Wu inwardly cried.


    Why did fate throw this perverted alraune at her!? How cruel <del>and strangely exciting</del>!

 Chapter 35

    For the third time this day, the Queen Bee pondered, that maybe, just maybe, she was just a bit too harsh in forbidding one Kasumi Ai and Mei Wu from going outside.


    In the first place, her hive was made for her own benefit, and continued existence. She hadn''t really wanted think of having to deal with all the trouble that bringing another being into her hive would bring back then, when she started rebuilding her kingdom and hive once more.


    Kasumi Ai was, honestly, a breath of fresh air, and a lot more helpful than expected, since feeding her was rather simple, since the alraune will just eat anything with glee, plants or beasts alike. No need to worry about her dying from eating a rotting body or something like how it could happen to humans, as the Queen Bee knew that they would die if they ate a corpse without any preparation to deal with poisons and toxic waste and all that... mostly.


    Mei Wu''s presence, despite her worries about it, wasn''t as complicated as the Golden King Beast expected, and really, the majority of her food came from the alraune''s nectars and the few fruits the Worker Bees brought, so it was a simple matter, as the Queen Bee hoped.


    There were, of course, some drama that was happening between the human and plant women, and some of their moments that were told by the Protector Bees who watched them gave the queen a good amount of amusement and would have chuckled if she was able to do so.


    Unfortunately, it seemed that the Queen Bee''s anger at them not telling her about the possibility of the Xie clan searching the area, and her forbidding them from going outside, resulted in their amusing antics turning into ones that just baffled her.


    It wasn''t like she was extremely harsh with her judgement and the punishment she gave them at all. If anything, it was, compared to how other beasts and humans would probably give, rather tame, and it actually made sense both from a pragmatic side, and from an empathic one too. Them being forbidden from going outside sucks, sure, but it would be more preferable to being discovered and captured by the humans.


    The Queen Bee would admit, to herself at least, that she liked the two. Maybe not as true friends or something like that, but they were just a lively addition to her hive, and they gave her a feeling of mirth every so often, and she would feel a bit sad to lose them. And from a purely pragmatic perspective, having Kasumi Ai, the alraune who was able to create such potent healing and delicious nectars, was just too good to ignore, while Mei Wu was a human woman that didn''t really try to betray her, and actually got used to her role, as little as it was, rather quickly.


    Though, seeing the amount of things that happened in just these three days since she told them her judgement, had made it clear that maybe this was a bit too bizarre, even for the two of them.


    The first night, they suddenly start making pheromones and spreading them everywhere by their... sexual experience that kept going until they got caught by one of her Protector Bees, that was rather worried about Kasumi Ai''s evolution and the killing intent she unleashed because she got... cockblocked, that''s what humans call it? Or was it blue-balled?


    The day later, AKA the previous night, they started having some strangely angsty talk between each other, from what her servants managed to hear, with sobs and tears and all that, and apparently slept together inside Kasumi Ai''s self-made sleeping area? Thankfully, there were no pheromones oozing that night, and she got to hear a long speech about alraunes being predators and some insight on what kind of evolution the alraune had, something to keep in mind and talk about today, along with what Mei Wu knew about these elders.


    But honestly... they might be taking this isolation a bit too hard, and that might have not been the best option for their... mental health... even if it can be argued that they didn''t have a ''normal'' one, or any, in the first place... the queen admitted to herself. The reason for that was that she felt it might be a good idea to check on her non-bee residents with her own eyes, and see their emotional and mental states in their ''natural'' form, so to speak.


    After all, while she had an idea on what their personalities were like, it would be better to see it for herself. People behave differently when not being pressured by power after all, and despite her being rather benevolent, the Queen Bee had no illusions about the fact that she ultimately had power over the two.


    And thus, she decided to make an unexpected visit, and maybe secretely watch them for a while until it was time to talk about the humans that were investigating the forest, and the results... well...


    "W-wait, Ai"er! One more sec-" Whap! "Oww! I said one more second!"


    "Ohh~? Don''t worry~! Here''s a kiss, mwah~!"


    ''What the hell are these two doing?'' was the Queen Bee''s first thought, her second being; ''they are definitely having some confusing withdrawl symptoms.''


    Despite the honey working as the ''door'' to the human and alraune women''s room being rather thick, it was still not solid or thick enough to obscure the Queen Bee''s vision, and she easily managed to see everything of what these two were doing.


    Kasumi Ai, the alraune, had managed to move her human body away from her monstrous half, both bodies linked only with a thick vine extending from just above the human form''s butt, and she was, using her human body, hugging Mei Wu from the side, a wide grin on her face.


    Mei Wu, on the other hand, looked as if she was torn between looking miserable, or acting like whatever she was like when she and the alraune were spreading pheromones and sexual vibes and all that, a day or two ago.


    Face glowing red, and for whatever reason, wearing only a bra, she was whimpering as the alraune gave her cheek a kiss, one of many, the Queen Bee thought, if these two were doing this... bizarre act since they finished making and packaging the nectar.


    "You''re so cruel!" Mei Wu whimpered, feeling miserable, only to moan as the alraune gave her ass a squeeze, and it was then that the Queen Bee noticed that for whatever reason, Mei Wu''s ass looked as red as a cherry.


    ...Okay, but seriously, what the heck are these two doing? The Queen Bee knew about sex, or mating, that''s a normal thing for many animals and beasts, and humans and other races too, but what does smacking one''s ass even about? Was this some activity humanoid beings indulge in?


    Despite the ridiculousness of it all, she found herself a bit curious about it, yet, not too curious that she''d love to try... whatever that was. Not that she could even do it if she cared about it.


    "Am I, love? Am I really~?" Kasumi Ai, looking like one of these animals going in heat, but able to speak and not as ugly, whispered in a tone that the Queen Bee could only think of as sensual. "Come on, now. You''re making a good progress. Three hours in, and you shortened the time into a mere twenty seconds~! Still, we will be meeting the Queen Bee soon, so let''s just try one more time, okay?"


    The Queen Bee resisted the urge to tilt her head. This is all so vague and absurd for her liking.


    "Summon it once last time." the alraune said as Mei Wu seemed to almost whine, before grumbling and focusing her Qi.


    The Queen Bee watched as the two, oblivious to her presence that she was doing her best to hide, seemed to almost stay still, only Mei Wu''s shaking hands and rising Qi being the only thing that indicated movement.


    Nearly twenty seconds later, the human woman''s hands glowed as some book materialized itself... right as Ai''s hand gave a firm swat to Mei Wu''s glowing butt, causing her to yelp with both visible embarrassment and... excitement(?)... as Ai apparently gave her bottom a gentle rub with the promise of using the healing nectar as a lotion on the so-called hurt area.


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    ''Yeah, I have no idea what the hell is going on with them. Maybe I would have to go and kill the humans personally, then drag them outside to get their fix of fresh air.'' the Queen Bee thought in what many would call a flat tone if she was speaking, as a feeling she rarely felt made itself known.


    Bafflement and exasperation. Truly, Kasumi Ai and Mei Wu were truly scary, making her feel exasperated by their antics.


    Entering there right now felt just so tempting, if only to make them feel as awkward as they made her feel, and to shock them to near-death. They deserved it for all the confusion they gave her.


    Oh, and she should ask about that book, too. She remembered that the ones that ruined her hive the first time had ones similar to them.


    The Queen Bee would have sighed if it was possible. Today''s going to be a long day.


    <hr>


    Xie Yao suppressed the urge to sigh for the umpteenth time this day.


    The reason for his mood was a rather simple one. Actually, scratch that, two simple reasons, really.


    The first was the fact that he, even now, couldn''t find a hint of that brat and his two minions. It had been a few days since he and the other four members reached the forest and were inspecting every area they thought was suspicious, but still, no sign of him yet.


    He really hoped that Xie Li was alive, and relatively intact, as well as Mei Wu and Xie Yu too, but with every day spent and giving no results, the more he was starting to think that they were either kidnapped, or killed.


    It wasn''t a thought process he was fond of, really. He preferred things to be simple and rather liked being optimistic, despite his experience telling him how narrow and shortsighted that was.


    After all, if he wasn''t so determined and optimistic decades ago, back when he was a young brat, he wouldn''t have been a respected elder in his clan he is today, and he wouldn''t have been as strong as he was at the moment, merely staying a weak old man with low level as a beginner [Apprentice].


    So, no, he preferred to believe, even against hope, that Xie Li and his two minions were alive, and that if they weren''t dead or kidnapped, that Xie Li was just fooling around, and simply forgot to even write some stupid message to say that he''s okay!


    The other reason for his sour mood though, was a bit more... unique, one can say.


    "Getting tired again, old fart?" a feminine voice full of contempt spoke to him, and he found himself glaring at the source of it once more this day.


    A beauty was who was talking to him. A face that looked mature, woth beautiful long brown hair and brown eyes, lips painted red with lipstick, giving them a rather kissable trait.


    Naturally, she too, had a body worthy of being called sexy, as her ample chest seemed to bounce with every step, and her figure and curves capable of enticing many men into lust, and her loose white robe that barely concealed her figure only made it even more pronounced. And despite being in her fifties, she, like most warriors and cultivators, looked younger than she should be, as if she was still in her early twenties. Truly, an attractive woman.


    Xie Xiu, another elder of the Xie clan, and his junior by nearly thirty years, was truly a woman deserving of adoration and love, and her being a Level 5 [Grandmaster] made it clear that she wasn''t one to be underestimated. Even he would not dare underestimate her, even if he could win in a face-to-face battle against her.


    "Brat, you think that just because I''m old, that I would fall because of a mere breeze?" he asked her in irritation.


    While he would gladly admit that she is a beauty, there was one little problem that both had towards the other.


    They just could not enjoy each other''s company at all. They never liked being in the same room, much less talking to each other, and they would have loved if they could force each other to live on a different continent, if possible.


    That was how much they disliked each other''s presence, and how they preferred to just insult each other, from the moment they first met twenty years ago.


    Truly, even in the Xie clan, there were no two elders who held aminosity towards each other as blatantly as these two. There even was a betting pool on who would be the fortunate, or unfortunate person in the clan who would end up seeing them fight and talk trash to each other.


    One could just suspect that with how they loathed each other''s existence, that there would be some deep history full of tragedy and violence that made them hate each other that much, and some had even theorized that it was because of some romantic angsty backstory where they were lovey-dovey before they broke up in a less-than-amicable way.


    Not that anyone would even dare to say that to their faces, lest they get beaten to an inch of their lives. And it wasn''t even the real reason for their utter dislike for each other.


    It was actually a much simpler, yet more baffling reason: hate at first sight. No more, no less.


    From the moment they met, just like the inverse of a silly romantic story, the two had deep loathing to each other''s presence, and their attitudes, both back then and now, made it almost impossible to get over that.


    Twenty years back, when Xie Yao was not as tempered and calm as he was now, still hoping for even a bit more glory to himself even as he bitterly realized that he would never become a Level 6 [Elder] since his potential was clearly nearing its limit.


    Back when Xie Xiu was still a young woman, by cultivator standards at least, and she was one of the more promising warriors, having reached the [Hero] rank at the age of twenty-three, with a strong Bronze-ranked level 5 Guardian Beast, filled with pride and even arrogance due to her skills and rapid rising in the clan''s rank, still filled with hopes and dreams about becoming a Level 7 [Emperor], relatively untouched by the harshness of the world.


    It was simply a clash of two personalities belonging to two people that were too stubborn to change their approaches, along with the fact that they just didn''t like how both of them could see themselves in the other.


    Xie Yao saw a young attractive cultivator, full of determination and confidence, just like he was when he was young, before the life stripped all of it from him. And he just couldn''t feel that she would succeed where he failed.


    Xie Xiu though, saw him as how she could be, a bitter old woman that never got over her losses, and she very much didn''t want to be like that, even if she could admit that it was possible.


    It was like both were not looking at different people, but looking at a mirror that showed them what they lost in the past, or what they would lose in the future.


    It was that simple of a reason.


    Xie Xiu, hearing him, only scoffed at that. "Dying from a breeze is too generous for you. Why aren''t you already dead? Your bones must be begging for mercy, unlike my body that is still as youthful as ever!"


    "Did you come here only to irritate me? I thought you''d have done something more worthy of your caliber, like stealing money of perverted youngsters, I believe?"


    At the blatant insult, she tsked, a hand on her hip as she looked at him in irritation.


    "I came here to save your sorry ass from a potentionally deserved death, old man. We both know that you''re not the best in tracking people, or concealing yourself. It''s my speciality." Xie Xiu smirked pridefully and mockingly as she put a hand on her chest to show her contempt, and he frowned at that.


    That was true, and it wasn''t something he could forget. He was primarily a fighter, and he preferred to punch, kick, rip, and break the enemy until they died, and his skills and beasts were selected to help with that. His Guardian Beast was a Strengthening-type one, after all, and the other two were a battle-type one, and another strengthening-type beast as well.


    Xie Xiu though, was one that just preferred stealth, and it surprisingly suited her just fine, and her skills were mostly ones that helped her conceal herself and others, as well as increasing her awareness of anything that was happening around her.


    Not that many would even know about all of that. Most would only notice an attractive woman smiling teasingly at them and either get one hell of a ego-boost because of some percieved masculinity or authority, thus lowering their guard around her, or they would be too much of a stuttering mess at being noticed by her, to notice or care about any ulterior motives.


    Even he only knew as much about her because they either fought almost every month, or because they were forced to fight together in life-or-death battles where keeping secrets up one''s sleeves is more determinal than a petty, if not deep, hatred for someone else.


    There were many times where they thought that they would die, fights against other sects, demonic attacks, or even some Silver-ranked and Gold-ranked beasts in the Tong Tian Tower, there were so many close calls that would have resulted in their death had she not been so skilled at hiding and escaping with both of them relatively unharmed.


    It was rather surprising how despite their dislike towards each other, they were a rather effective duo when it came to battling and surviving.


    And so, instead of replying, he only grunted, not wanting to look at her, and he needed no words from her to know that she came here because she was told by the clan master to help them in case things were too difficult for even him to handle.


    She narrowed her eyes moments later. "But still, even one as short-sighted as you should have noticed it, right?" she asked him, looking serious.


    "You mean the bee beasts, correct?" he replied, "of course, I noticed them. Even as old as I am, I can still see, you brat. But I didn''t really think of their presence as a big deal. This place is a forest, after all. It would be strange if insect and plant beasts weren''t here." he admitted.


    "True, old man. But you must have noticed, that even then, they were too focused on our presence, correct?" she raised an eyebrow at him, and he only sighed.


    "You believe that there''s a beast commanding them." it wasn''t a question.


    "Correct. And you remember that lake you saw this morning?" he raised an eyebrow at that. Yes, that lake. He felt something wrong when he saw it, but he just couldn''t put his finger on it.


    "There is a high chance that a fight happened there. My summons felt a strange mix of energies there, and despite it being nearly two to three weeks old, it was there." she answered him.


    Xie Yao stroked his beard at that. "Then, we shall start our next investigation from there, and then spread out. Good, I will call the brats to camp here. Better not disappear on me, twerp."


    He didn''t even bother to wait for her reply before he started moving, as she just shook her head.


    Really, elders and old people like him were such a bother! Oh well, you get what you get, that''s what life taught her.

 Chapter 35.5: A Spank-happy Training and Feelings and stuff (look the author is trying their best)

    Her heart beat rapidly. Her mind tried to look focused, but a hint of dread and embarrassment were clearly visible on her face. She tried not to think of much but to succeed as the time ticked away, the seconds vanishing in a worryingly slow yet rapid fashion.


    Four... Three... Two... One...


    She was close. So close! She would be succeeding! She really hoped so!


    Zero.


    She... couldn''t do it. And the blade of execution had moved at a rapid speed to take her life, for the third time this day!


    Whap!


    "Kya!" Mei Wu yelped as the sting of one Kasumi Ai''s vine unforgivingly hit her butt for the fourth time in the last two to three minutes, before it returned, floating right behind the alraune who started this whole situation.


    "Ahh... You failed again, Wu-chan." came the comment from the alraune, full of mirth and glee, enjoying this show that she herself started. Despite her feeling shame in waves, that sensation seemed to be consumed by the amusement and whimsically sadistic joy at the torment she was inflicting on her lover, along with an intense wave of love that seemed to overflow from the green-haired woman. That was what Mei Wu noticed as her concentration was cruelly broken, and her Grimoire, once again, didn''t appear.


    "Ai''er! I just can''t focus if you keep spanking me! And I still can''t believe you actually did this!" she truly couldn''t believe it.


    Her senses made it clear that Ai was determined to do it, but it wasn''t the first for Mei Wu to see and feel someone wanting to do something, only to have their determination vanish when they actually found themselves tasked to prove their words to be more than hot air.


    Ai, her beloved, didn''t hesitate at all! The moment the first thirty seconds had passed with Mei Wu failing to summon her Grimoire because of the added stress, her vines moved and directly hit her in the rear, and it stung!


    And if that wasn''t enough... Ai, extending the vine linking her monstrous and human body, moved her human form away from its usual area, and gave her a kiss on the cheek with a "Do better!" phrase!


    Just like she did right now.


    "Chu~! There, Wu-chan!" Mei Wu felt the soft lips of her girlfriend connecting with her left cheek, and despite the sheer embarrassment she felt, any attempt to feel upset about this humiliation she found herself feeling, just looking at Ai smiling so tenderly just made it impossible for her to feel genuinely angry at this idiotic alraune!


    "Ai''er!" she groaned as heat rushed to her face once more, "I''m serious! I just can''t focus with an execution blade hanging above my head! A- at least give me just some more time!" she pleaded.


    She really needed more time. If she had just a couple more seconds, then she would have succeeded in summoning her Grimoire. Ai was putting too much pressure on her, especially for a person who had just contracted a Grimoire!


    Her body shivered as Ai''s green eyes gazed at hers, amused yet contemplative, yet the smile on the alraune''s human body never changed at all. "Hm, I guess you have a point... I might have gone too hard on you. I guess I should start with thirty-five seconds to see your general limit under my so-called pressure." the alraune admitted, her grin softening just a bit, yet Mei Wu couldn''t have taken time to relax, as the next words that came from Ai''s mouth caused her to freeze.


    "But of course, not succeeding in bringing your Grimoire in thirty-five seconds would result in punishment, and when we determine your general time limit, that would be the new bar for punishment if you failed. And of course, if you got too comfortable with it, I will shorten it by a second or two, and, it''s simple to understand what that means, right?"


    Mei Wu frantically nodded, resisting the urge to rub her ass. ''Not that I can even escape you, you pervert!'' she felt like crying rivers of tears as she felt the futility in trying to bargain for a more ''generous'' deal. After all, she knew the consequences of trying to run away when she first realized that Ai was actually serious in spanking her, when she failed in the first thirty seconds.


    She had tried to escape the vine as it whipped at her rear, only for multiple vines to catch her, and that stupid alraune gave her ten whooping swats on her rear! Then the alraune wiggled her finger in a ''no-no!'' motion and told her to to get into training! And gave her a kiss on the cheek!


    Really, it was just so unfair and cruel! Even worse, Mei Wu just couldn''t find it in herself to actually think of a better ''punishing'' motivator, and Ai was determined to give her both the metaphorical beautiful rose and the stinging thorns.


    Hindsight was truly cruel. If only she knew that this goofy yet whimsically sadistic alraune would think of this kind of punishment, she would have gladly accepted a kiss on the cheek instead!


    But, there really was no medicine for regret, and Mei Wu only gave a sigh as she focused, trying to ignore the heat both on her ass and on her face.


    ''Okay, Mei Wu, focus damn it!'' she chided herself as she saw Ai counting with a voice barely above a whisper, that even the human woman couldn''t hear. ''Yes, ignore that and focus on summoning!''


    She felt like she was sweating as time unforgivingly kept going forward, but thankfully, thirty-four seconds later, a brilliant light appeared along with the Grimoire.


    She almost jumped as a vine barely missed her butt, changing direction in the literal last possible second, hitting the ground behind her, and she shuddered.


    Her lover was taking this too seriously, and was about to ''punish'' her just as the time limit was about to end!


    "Congratulation, Wu-chan! You succeeded!" despite the genuine happiness emanating from Ai, Mei Wu couldn''t relax, as the amusement and sadism never ceased, and if anything, they increased.


    Ai was seemingly more and more in tune with her sexual nature as an Alraune, or so Mei Wu felt. She knew that neither of them were ready for actual sex yet -not that Mei Wu needed to think about it since they would dual cultivate afterwards, much to her embarrassment- , but seeing how Ai had no problem with her sexual humor, and now this... actual sex won''t matter if she kept acting like this!


    Thankfully, Ai didn''t shorten the time limit right away, after giving her yet another kiss on the cheek, but instead she allowed her to try a few more times to make sure that thirty-four is truly her current level while under pressure.


    "Under pressure, you say..." Mei Wu muttered, but didn''t argue when it would just disturb her focus, and she once more focused on summoning her Grimoire.


    A dozen minutes passed, and it was clear that while she could take nearly half a minute to summon the Grimoire without pressure, it required nearly three to two more seconds under pressure.


    It was honestly nervewracking since even with multiple successful attempts making Mei Wu more used to it, her lover''s intimidation tactic never stopped, and she still got her poor rear swatted at least three times. Ai was unforgiving, only giving that supposedly sweet smile towards her, filled both with love and amusement.


    "Oww... So harsh..." Mei Wu whined as she rubbed her ass. She felt like crying.


    She fully understood Ai''s point. She really did! Her lover was basically making this a ''battle'' where her not being fast enough would result in being ''severely injured''. Mei Wu had enough time to think about this in the few moments of respite where Ai rewarded her with kisses on her face, and she fully understood that point.


    "But did you really need to be this strict? My ass feels like it''s going to split in two!" she found herself complaining, glaring at her girlfriend, and it irked her a bit that even the mostrous body looked amused by her misery.


    "Wu-chan, I love you making it so dramatic, but let''s be real, okay?" Mei Wu''s eyes twitched as her senses felt the mirth of her lover growing, as the alraune tried her best to look so innocent and pure, "It won''t split in two... just that it will be sore and sting for a while. Plus, think positively! This is a completely safe training session!"


    ''Yeah, completely safe in every way except for bruising my pride, making me feel so ashamed I''d prefer to dig a hole and to stay in it forever, and the fact that my poor rear would be taking a while to heal.'' Mei Wu thought miserably.


    "I mean, at least I didn''t put you in a death trap where you cut off your arms and legs with a rusty knife in less than a minute lest you get metal screws inserted into your skull! Or, have you choose between being injected by acid to melt from the inside out in one fast yet slow, agonizing minute, or being injected with paralytic self-sustaining poison where you are unable to hear, see, taste, smell, or feel, leaving you as an unresponsive husk from the outside while your mind crumbles on itself until you stop thinking!"


    Again, how can she say something this horrific so naturally and happily!? Even as a warrior who faced a lot, a part of that speech...


    Mei Wu shivered at the fates Kasumi Ai spoke of, and she knew for a fact that the acid and poison threats were very much possible to make into a reality, from what the alraune had in her repertoire regarding poisonous nectars and how she said that alraunes are able to digest practically any corpse with enough time.


    "Th-that doesn''t make it better, Ai''er..." she really tried to smile, but it came as a more terrified one. It was a bit of a reminder that her girlfriend was a lot more terrifying than she expected. Not that her previous experiences made that doubtful, but damn if this didn''t make it clearer than ever!


    "It really doesn''t!" the alraune only kept grinning, and Mei Wu felt a bit exposed as she felt her lover''s eye moving directly at her clutched rear.


    "But that aside..." Kasumi Ai casually handwaved whatever horrific images she casually spoke of, and Mei Wu felt the embarrassment and excitement rising together, "I think we both got it. You can summon your book in nearly thirty three seconds under pressure, is this a good assessment? Oh, and I assume you feel a bit... sore there?"


    If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    She nodded at that. Surprisingly, that was more or less her range while under pressure, and yes, of course, she feels sore! Now if only this infuriating and stupid alraune didn''t tease her and call her "my love~!" or look so smug and innocent after each kiss, then she wouldn''t have gotten these three strikes! It just flustered her too much!


    "So, here''s a deal! I will give you ten free tries. You can fail or succeed however you want~" Mei Wu only felt a sensation of dread at that saccharine tone, all but hearing the ''But!'' in the argument. "But of course~ the tenth try is where it matters~! You need to summon your Grimoire in only thirty seconds at most~! In other words, you should try to do significantly better than before! And of course, the consequences..."


    Mei Wu found herself retreating as the alraune moved right in front of her, and from the sheer emotions of lust and sadism that oozed from the Qi of Nature, she half-expected the alraune to actually kiss her right then and there. The emotions were that powerful.


    Yet, Ai showed an immense amount of restraint. Despite their faces being so close that a kiss seemed to be unavoidable if either of them moved even one more millimeter forward, and despite Mei Wu herself feeling almost tempted to just do the work herself...


    Ai seemed to keep her mouth just that far away! It was maddening! Teasing her to this degree, yet not even allowing for the most obvious thing to happen!


    Mei Wu felt it as if her beloved was basically tantalizing her with a kiss, but denying it! And the fact that Mei Wu felt like wanting a kiss as a reward for all the embarrassment her stupid Ai''er inflicted on her only made things even more blush-inducing!


    "If you succeed... I will reward you with a kiss and some nectar to heal the soreness away, Wu-chan~" the tone, lower than a whisper, and said with such an affectionate and gentle, almost teasing and tempting, made her body shiver not from fear or dread, but from excitement. It was so damn tempting to just demand or ask for the kiss right now. It was hard not to squirm as her mouth opened, yet no words came from Mei Wu''s mouth.


    "But, if you failed at the tenth try~ I will still give you a kiss and heal the soreness away." Mei Wu couldn''t hide the fear and strange excitement in her eyes as she saw the sadistic glee in her beloved''s eyes grow even higher, "and then, I will put you over my knee, and give you ten spanks for failing on your tenth try, along with how many more you failed in the previous nine attempts~"


    Her heart was beating rapidly, her body was feeling so hot yet so cold, whether from the ridiculously humiliating punishment, or due to the fact that somehow, she wouldn''t hate it at all, even enjoying it, is up to debate and one she really preferred not to think of its implications at all if possible.


    She couldn''t even imagine herself being so... accepting of this kind of punishment before! This damned, and so kissable Kasumi Ai had made her into a pervert! Even now, she could feel Ai''s hot breath touching her lips, and it was honestly a wonder that neither of them had kissed each other by now!


    "Is this clear enough for your liking, Wu-chan~?" the question was so full of teasing, amusement, yet strangely so sweet and gentle, and Mei Wu could only resist the heat rushing in her face. It felt so damn hot inside her body!


    "C-crystal, Ai''er!" she honestly couldn''t know how she managed to even answer, instead of liplocking with her teasing lover. That tone was so damn criminal!


    "Good~!" and just like that, the alraune''s mouth moves away, giving an immense feeling of disappointment that quickly mixed with indignant rage as she saw Ai''s grin widening, "Oh, and sorry for not allowing you to cross the finish line into my lips despite yours feeling just so delicious to me right now, but... Motivation!"


    She... she was teased like this... left squirming and wanting for a kiss, with a body that is demanding some sort of satisfaction from this blasted green-haired grinning woman... and this frustrating alraune dared to leave her like this!?


    "Ai''er! Don''t you dare block me from enjoying something as simple as this! Please!" she pleaded, the stress and shame she had felt since this whole ordeal began crashed at her mind at once.


    It was just so unfair! How is she supposed to stay sane and do these stupid ten attempts successfully like this!? This was so unjust and cruel!


    Tears left her eyes from the sheer frustration. She will so fail, she just knew it!


    <hr>


    Well... ouch? That was my thought when I saw that Wu-chan had, predictably, failed during her tenth attempt.


    Well, I say ''predictably,'' but it was more as; I kinda expected her to succeed, but I just expected her to fail just as much. Basically, I belived that she just had a 50/50 chance of either succeeding or failing.


    She really did her best, honestly, and she didn''t fail in her first nine attempts, and she nearly managed to summon her Grimoire in only thirty-one seconds, but the tenth one... she was just a half a second too late.


    I... I was honestly feeling weird about this. I was a sensation of embarrassment about what I was doing to her, whooping her ass with my vines before, and even now, that feeling was still present, but it was overshadowed, nearly crushed by another feeling of happiness at being with my sweet and adorable beloved, along with an intense perverted and lustful desire to just see her squirm and moan by my hands.


    Strangely, I loved all these feelings, and I wanted to cherish and treasure them all. My heart was beating loudly, and I felt my whole human body heating up just thinking about it, knowing what I would do next...


    "A-Ai''er... pl-please..." Wu-chan fell on the ground from exhaustion, her Grimoire following her, as my vine caught her arms just as soon as the thirty seconds had ended, not allowing her any more time than promised. If she had been just half a second faster, she would have won the challenge, but alas, reality isn''t so kind.


    She looked at me, tears on her beautiful face, and looking so pained and miserable, it almost made me feel bad and just go easy on her. Almost.


    Instead, I just felt glee at her embarrassment, shame, and I could feel how despite being so worried, ashamed, and pitiful she looked, she was also excited, and I could smell the desire she had towards me too. Maybe it wasn''t a desire to have sex, not that I planned to do so at the moment with all my new biological and racial changes, but I felt that even if she dreaded the punishment part... she was nearly begging for the reward.


    "I- I don''t want to..." her face grew even redder as she looked as if she wanted to retreat, yet she surprisingly only kept shaking in her place as I moved my human body towards her, until I was so close it felt painful and sinful that our lips didn''t already kiss.


    I gazed at her with an oddly serene and gentle smile as I cupped her cheeks, and I almost felt hurt at how vulnerable and fragile she felt at the moment. It was oddly fitting yet bizarre expression on her face, and I found myself both loving and delighting in its sight, and feeling like a thorn pierced my heart, for making her feel this way.


    I knew for certain that had I not been as self-aware and sapient as I was, I would have only felt sheer sadistic glee seeing her so shy and vulnerable, and would have started to turn her into a sex pet and nothing more. Maybe it was true after all, that alraunes, once falling in love, cherish their beloved that much more it''s almost painfully sweet and deep.


    My heart felt like it would explode in my chest from how fast I felt it beating. I didn''t even know how I was still conscious of myself, and how I was not slamming my lips into hers. Even her mere breath, that seemingly fragile thing, was just so enticing and almost cruelly tempting my body to just move on its own.


    "Wu-chan..." damn, the heat is so unbearable... I was really happy this was just a bit of kissing and spanking, nothing more, probably. My nipples feel so hard, and I am finding it hard not to rub my legs together to stop the heat.


    My Qi flowed into my mouth, as I generated my nectar, and I found myself liking this method when it came to giving her my nectar. It was just so fitting and so unique. Only for her. Only for Wu-chan... Wu-chan...


    "Here''s your reward." the touching of our lips felt almost fragile, as fragile as an infant, yet strangely, it felt as solid as the world around us. I loved it, this feeling.


    Wu-chan moaned in my mouth, as I gave my nectar to her, and she closed her eyes, gulping the small doses of her reward.


    A minute had passed since, and our lips were still making contact, neither of us feeling the urge to break our kiss. Our first kiss, if we ignore what happened when we both dual cultivated.


    It was so tempting, so enticing, to just go further, go all the way without hesitation, but we both stopped these thoughts. It wasn''t time for that. Not yet, when both of us aren''t fully ready.


    We broke the kiss, almost feeling disappointed. How we both wished if time stopped for all eternity just so we keep feeling this euphoria...


    But, we knew that time just won''t stop. It wouldn''t wait for us, such an ungrateful, and cruel concept, I felt in my heart, even when I knew that the roaring flames of lust were glowing brighter inside of me, knowing what I would do next.


    I looked at Wu-chan, as she gazed back, looking flushed, and I felt that she was trying so hard to keep eye contact with me, instead of simply looking away. She just looked so shy and meek, and I just loved that look. It just looked so innocent and pure. How can I not love something this delicate and sweet...


    "You know what will happen now, right, Wu-chan?" despite my voice being less than a whisper, she nodded, and I felt how she just understood my intent.


    Her body trembled just slightly, a feeling of fear yet determination appearing in her eyes. "Yes, Ai''er. I- I understand... I failed, and... I still can''t believe this is actually happening..."


    I smiled at her, almost smirking, as I felt the emotions of lust and love overflowing, something she noticed as she squirmed even further. The smell of lust and excitement emanating from her was almost overpowering, mixing with that sweet and borderline masochistic fear she had since this started was just so delicious.


    Ahh~ if only we didn''t have to worry about anything, just so we can be together for all our lives with nothing to care about other than our love and lust towards each other...


    Soon enough, she was over my lap. It was such a tender and beautiful sight.


    Wu-chan was shaking like a leaf, and I gave her a pat on her head, gently ruffling her pink hair, such a beautiful and pretty shade, and she stopped shaking after a while.


    "Ai''er... I''m embarrassed... I feel so... physically exposed..." it almost surprised me how she could feel so exposed when said that


    "I know." maybe I couldn''t truly know, but I could feel how she was feeling.


    "I-it''s... weird, honestly." she gave a shaky laugh, "I- I know that this was just too ridiculous, and that I should be objecting to this more... vehemently. I know that if I genuinely, viscerally hated this... that you would just... stop..."


    My hand stopped momentarily at that, "would I? Would I really?" I knew that I would. I wanted to tease her, sure. Embarrass her, definitely. Break her? No. My heart hated the mere thought of doing that to her.


    I would happily break a million humans and make them my sex toys before I even dared to think of doing the same to her.


    "I know that you would. I just... know it." she answered honestly, and it only made me feel warmer.


    "... Thank you, Wu-chan. I didn''t realize you trusted me this far..." oh, great, now I''m feeling bad. How dare she make me feel bad about spanking her? Truly, one terrifying girlfriend. I better quickly do something to balance the scales and not feel bad about punishing my sweet love''s sexy rear for not winning against an almost-rigged and impossible test for her level!


    I felt her shiver as I gave her ass a squeeze, as she no doubt felt my emotions. I almost felt her dread as I kept my hand on her rather shapely rear. Her dress didn''t even do a thing to hide these curves.


    "Wu-chan, you think I should bare your ass for this?" I grinned as I found myself asking her, and her reaction didn''t disappoint.


    "Ai''er!" she squeaked as she squirmed, and I wondered if steam would come out of her ears from how red she looked. It was just so adorable!


    But, I guess I should spare her some embarrassment. It wouldn''t be fair if I teased her too much... maybe. Or maybe I should go all out?


    "What? Didn''t I promise to tan your bare rear back then? But, don''t worry! I, despite being an alraune, am the epitome of fairness! So, I shall compromise despite my very humble and simple requests, compared to your magnificence." I declared proudly and sadistically, as she sweated and trembled.


    "I remember that you usually train with me in only your underwears, correct? So let''s make that a thing here too! From now on, if you fail in summoning your Grimoire... you lose a piece of clothing. But, I guess you can keep your bra. I mean, you saw me down there, so I suppose it''s totally fair I get the same chance, correct?" I threw at her every excuse and reason for why my totally humble argument was really humble.


    "Ai''er! Ai''er, stop!" oh, great, now she was thrashing around and trying to escape.


    Foolish girlfriend, there''s no escape from my Spank-Happy Path. With that thought that seemed like a sexy version of a mad narcisstic god''s quote, my vines made sure she couldn''t get away.


    "Now, let''s start our very simple and humble trade. I receive a chance to spank my sexy girlfriend, and you receive an embarrassing, yet most likely pleasurable experience, and a bit of motivation!" man, I really love my life right now!


    Whap!


    "Ai-ow! I regret everything!" she wailed miserably.


    "Well, of course, you don''t really regret everything." she only glared at me for saying that, especially with my cheerful tone as I looked at her teary face.


    "I could always have you count and ask for the next spank~!"


    She paled at that. Then she whimpered.


    Hmm... add counting and thanking into any next spanking session we might have... not a bad idea.


    Okay now, back to my very important work!


    Whap!


    "Aww!"

 Chapter 36

    You know what? Maybe I overdid it with, well, teasing Wu-chan for so long... or, so I would say if I was self-blaming person who felt as if it was my responsibility to blame myself for fate throwing gears and tribulations at me. Which I was definitely not, in this scenario, and neither was my beloved and sweet Wu-chan.


    Not that she was feeling so sweet and shy right now, but she was leaning more towards the "I will absolutely murder everyone in front of me for the shame they gave me!" vibes from how angry she was as she glared at me. Had she been able to use the power of the Barbarian Cow, which could kill with a glare, I would have been killed something between a million and a trillion times by now!


    "Ai, this is all your fault!" she practically hissed my name as she whispered right to my face, and I felt myself sweating as I saw the lack of the affectionate honorific she usually used to call me... She''s so damn pissed at me, even though it''s not even my fault! In the end, I only responded to her by lowering my head, tears falling from my face as a depressed river made of the tears of crying toddlers. "I''m really sorry, Wu-chan..."


    I piteously apologized, and I would have probably kowtowed nine times while praying for the heavens for her to forget this tragedy. It felt well... not exactly bitter, but I guess I can only describe it as ironic that the only reason I''m apologizing isn''t that I was doing something truly deplorable and that I realized some error in my ways. No, it was because, well... It''s all the Queen Bee''s mistake! That''s how I truly felt about this!


    I and my sweet lover both were just having some... training fun together, and I had her enjoying my tender love and caresses, only for the Queen Bee, that dense overpowered idiot, to just go barging in on us! No warning, no preparation, just her entering while we were clearly enjoying ourselves, that peeping pervert!


    Neither of us expected it, not could we sense it since we were too focused at each other, and we only noticed her presence when she passed through that door-like honey, and only then were we able to notice that we were being spied at!


    Needless to say, I was honestly mortified as much as Wu-chan was. I really didn''t expect that we would have the queen herself as an unprompted audience, but in hindsight, I guess we should have stopped instead of continuing...


    And now, I find my human body along with my girlfriend inside the dark room of shame that is my monster body''s head with my giant petals tightly closed. And I was of course totally too prideful not to weep at the consequences of me forgetting that we are still a bunch of guests of a still very overpowered beast lady!


    ... I''m totally weeping by the way. Wu-chan is also glaring at me because it''s supposedly my fault, and the Queen Bee was also looking at me in boredom outside as my monstrous body''s eyes are shut down as to not see her expression. I can totally feel her amusement and what seemed like confusion at my and my beloved''s reactions.


    ''Forgive my... unprompted visit, Kasumi Ai. I just wanted to see how you go with your daily life without me breathing down your neck and, well...'' her intent was clear, and I felt my shame and irritation rise at her nonchalant tone.


    I think I might start to hate her at this rate. Still pretty unhappy that her blasted subordinate ruined the mood for us a while ago, even if it was for the best, in hindsight. Some types of grudges are just too powerful to be ignored or left behind...


    ''Anyways, as much as I was surprised and amused by whatever you two were doing with all that... ass smacking,'' I felt my ears heating up at the mirth leaking from her description. ''we have some talk to do. So... make yourselves presentable, I guess? I will return in ten minutes, so wash yourselves, and all that. Also, your and your friend''s pheromones. Clean this room from them if possible, they''re irritating to my nose.''


    With that, the Queen Bee left in a flash, as if she never was there except for her Qi and smell that would naturally dissipate on their own. I opened my petals, and looked at my love, who was still trying to burn a hole through my face with her eyes.


    "So..." I gave a nervous laugh as I saw her unamused expression. "that happened."


    "Yes, yes it did." I almost recoiled from how flat her tone was. Despite her face still red from embarrassment and shame, and how her hand was rubbing her really sore rear, I was certain that cracking a joke about the situation anymore would not end well for... well, maybe not our relationship, but I preferred to keep any potential problems between the both of us to a minimum, and with that, I did the one thing I believed would be my first step to empowering any metaphorical bridge between us before any part of it gets burned.


    "Forgive me, Wu-chan! I''m really sorry for causing you this humiliation!" I immediately kowtowed right in front of her, making my remorse and guilt as clear as possible in my tone and body language.


    I didn''t even move from my position even when I cringed as the inert nectar splashed across her body, and mine, and she only looked more upset about that.


    My whole body trembled as I felt her judging gaze boring at my figure, seemingly piercing even my monstrous body where she sat, as if she wanted to burn everything of my being in her sight until only the ground remained in her vision. I really didn''t know how to handle this kind of situation! I just decided to hope that Wu-chan finds it in her heart to forgive me... and maybe put the blame squarely on the Queen Bee''s shoulders.


    "Stop that nonsense and raise your head." her harsh voice caught my attention, making me shiver as I did as she asked. She was still looking pretty furious, but there was a hint of some satisfaction that I could barely notice. Was... was she enjoying how I was so meek right now? Oh, god, I hope not. Or I hope so, it''s still kinda confusing at the moment.


    "S-sorry..." I apologized again, and for a second I felt as if she gave an vindictive smirk before it vanished so fast I thought I was imagining it.


    For a while, Wu-chan''s rage seemed to bubble, and I feared for what she might do, before she suddenly took a breath and just sighed.


    "You know what? Despite how angry I am at you and the Queen Bee, for very different reasons..." she gave me a withering glare at that, "it''s not the time to let my thoughts turn into words right now, and one of my targets isn''t one I''d prefer to insult right now." she felt so done when she said that.


    I understood her feeling very well. There''s just no way she would mouth off to the Queen Bee right now. Even if our so-called boss wasn''t planning on murdering us for insulting her, there are still fates worse than death. I mean, just look at what most cultivation novels have cultivators and beasts to be capable of doing to their victims to torture them for a long time while keeping them alive.


    Case in point; Alraunes and their blood/energy/sexual fluid diet, or the many concotions that are designed only for torture and breaking down the victims.


    "So, what happens now?" I asked as she just looked at herself.


    "First of all, another quick bath for me, and some healing, you know for why." she answered, and I didn''t hesitate as I used my Qi to generate some water and doused her with it, and she was clean, and I used a slightly overcharged version of the healing skill of the Heasy flower beast I consumed seemingly ages ago, to heal the soreness in her rear.


    A minute later, she was fully dressed, and clean, and we were almost ready to meet the Queen Bee once more.


    "I am still pretty angry about what happened, you know." Wu-chan spoke to me, no longer feeling as angry, but she felt more like she was... disappointed. "I... I understand that it''s not fully your fault but... I''m still very furious about what happened." she sighed, not looking at me.


    I fully understand her, too. I sighed as well at that. We both knew that we would probably talk about it at night, most likely.


    If I survive long enough, and I get strong enough, I might really try to punch the Queen Bee for this! But now, I and Wu-chan must prepare for our talk with said insensitive mood killer. Hahh... why must life be so complicated... Can''t I go back to when I was just eating random monsters in the forest? Truly, life is a hurricane!


    Minutes later, the Queen Bee had returned, and I and my love resisted the urge to glare at her. Not that she cared, and if anything, she seemed to enjoy our irritation towards her very existence.


    ''Hm, glad to see that you were able to prepare on such short notice. Especially with all the... lust you were emanating before.'' I felt my face glow at that, and Wu-chan was no better. ''But, as much as I''d love to continue enjoying your drama, we have some important things to talk about.''


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    At the feeling of seriousness that suddenly appeared, we both straightened ourselves, immediately throwing away any thoughts of embarrassment or irritation. This was a time to talk seriously.


    Well, I say that, but it''s mostly one Mei Wu who would be talking of what she knew, and I and the Queen Bee would listen and ask for explanations if we couldn''t understand something.


    "Well, I expected this would happen, so at least I was prepared for this." she only sighed as my and the Queen Bee''s attention focused on her, yet she didn''t get bashful and frightened, but she looked just as serious as us, and focused her attention towards the Queen Bee.


    "Before anything else, was there any other addition to the Xie clan members during the previous few hours?" she asked seriously, and the Queen Bee shook her head at that.


    Well, at least, there isn''t any more threats, possibly... I hope. With that, I paid attention to what my lover would say.


    "Good to see that there aren''t more of them, at least." she sighed, responding the same way I thought, "First thing first, I''m only using what I know from either the rumors I heard about them, along with what I felt with my Qi sensing skill during the few times I interacted with them, good?"


    The Queen Bee and I nodded at that, and Wu-chan looked thoughtful.


    "I will talk about the elder Xie Yao first." she began, and I felt that she was trying not to frown, as if she was having a different perspective on the guy or something like that. I don''t know why, but it just felt that way.


    "He''s... well, he''s not the most social person, from what my first impression on him tells me, and the fact that he was usually in his area. Well, most elders are kinda like that, enjoying their ''peace,''" her sarcastic tone was clearly visible when she said ''peace'', "but he seemed to prefer solitude, and didn''t really seem to interact with many members who weren''t other elders or his direct servants. He naturally is proud of being a part of the Xie clan, no arguments there."


    "As far as his powers and skills are... he has a Grimoire, though I can only assume his level as a ranker is also that of a Level 5 [Grandmaster], and as far as how strong he really is, he might be a bit higher. I''d prefer to say he might not be at the level of a Level 6 [Elder], since the gap between the two are rather vast, but I''d prefer not to underestimate him." she looked thoughtful as she continued, "And from what I felt when I met him... he''s a monster."


    I felt a shiver running down my spine at that. A part of me wanted to think that this description was given because to her, he was a monster. Before she met me, and trained with me, and became my lover, my dear Mei Wu was only a mere [Apprentice] in power. To her, who would be killed in a second by a Level 3 [Hero], anyone beyond that would feel like a god. That was what I believed, yet I couldn''t stop the chill creeping at my body because she said it in such a serious tone.


    "His Qi felt like a monster that always was sleeping, dormant until he decides to show even the slightest hint of seriousness, then that beast would roar, shredding and breaking everything in its path." she breathed deeply afterwards, "As for his style, from the rumors, he prefers to fight in close range, and his skills are more heavily focused on using his body to break and rip apart his enemies. I don''t know his Inherent Skill, but from the rumors, his Guardian Beast is a strengthening-type beast, I recall it was called Metal Rhinoceros, definitely stronger than a Bronze-ranked Level 5 beast, most definitely Silver-ranked. When he uses and fuses with it, he would gain a solid armor of metal along with a horn on his forehead, and his body grows in power so much it feels like the ''difference between heaven and earth,'' or so they said. There was also a rumor that when he summons it, he becomes a lot more agressive and violent, though I''m not really a good judge since I didn''t see him actually fight. He also most definitely has more beasts and tricks, but sadly, I don''t have any idea on them." she looked almost disappointed at the end, as if she wanted to have more precise info on the guy.


    I gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, and she relaxed slightly at my support, though my brain was still thinking of the new info I had gotten.


    Honestly, just from the description, Xie Yao felt like trouble. I fought Xie Li and he managed to severely harm me back then, even if it was because of me forgetting something from the original novel which was that Halo Shield that all Grimoires can create, and he was only a ''weak'' Level 3 [Hero] with only Bronze-ranked Level 4 beasts. Had I been as strong as I was now, I would have killed him in a second with just sheer difference in stats. Gold-ranked beasts were seen as the rarest type of beasts for a reason, after all.


    I could probably kill the elder if I used my full power, but it would probably take a long time, assuming I don''t just go full Lustful Alraune Mode and just let my aphrodisiac to impair his higher brain functions, or I pull a Thorny Flower and spam the Division Propagation and Spores skills that I, being an alraune, naturally have access to, and now have the ability to activate them semi-consistently, though highly draining.


    ''Interesting... so ultimately, we learned a lot, yet learned nothing as well about him.'' the Queen Bee buzzed, and I winced at her ''words,'' while Wu-chan winced at the blatant feeling of disappointment oozing from the Queen Bee.


    "Yeah... sorry." Wu-chan felt as if she would fall onto the ground from the disappointment as well. She didn''t really know a lot about the elder, except the almost-certainly "common knowledge" one can get about him by asking someone who wasn''t completely new or especially clueless in the clan.


    "It''s not your fault, Wu-chan. Secrecy is the norm, from what you told me. If anything, knowing this much and keeping the info in your mind when you had no idea if it would help you is already outstanding." I was genuine with that praise. I doubted I would have cared, or been able to remember all that knowledge with the many variations of the beasts and martial arts that exist, and keep it intact for years, unless it was significantly important.


    "I guess so." she only shook her head, but I noticed the faint smile on her face, before she got serious once more "but, that aside, we should finish this talk now, right?"


    The Queen Bee nodded at that.


    "Xie Xiu, the other elder... she is, in my opinion, the more troubling one between the two. While Xie Yao''s Qi feels like that of a beast, hers feels more like..." she pursed her lips, "like it is concealing itself? That''s not the best way to truly describe it, but I don''t think words could properly explain it." she finally said.


    Well, that''s just trouble... we''re dealing with a woman who is apparently speccing for a thief or ninja build, that was my thought when I heard what Wu-chan said.


    "She is highly sociable, at least for one of her position, and she definitely seems to enjoy teasing her juniors in the clan, and there were rumors that she uses her appearance to steal money from the idiots who get charmed by her. I believe there are some truths to that, but I know for a fact that she is much smarter than she acts and looks, if the feel of her Qi is any indication. And sadly, I have no idea what kind of beasts she has, but from the feel of her Qi, I believe that she is either highly specialized to espionage, hiding one''s tracks and tracking others. I would also say not to underestimate her, because she definitely is the more secretive and elusive one between her and elder Xie Yao."


    Okay, that just sucks. We have no idea about that Xie Xiu woman byond ''hey, she''s very good at being low-key!'' which isn''t very confidence-inducing.


    ''I see... I assume that nothing else is known about these two?'' the Queen Bee asked, strangely feeling like she was both pleased yet unamused by the information that she gained.


    To that question, Wu-chan shook her head. The knowledge about the elders were relatively scarce to the weak members, and back then, she was still very much a weakling. Knowing this much was already impressive, I believed.


    With that, the Queen Bee left us to our devices, with a ''small advice'' to make sure our pheromones stay inside our room.


    Way to ruin a completely serious conversation, Queen Bee, our sputtering and crimson faces are a true indication of your mood-reading skills...


    <hr>


    "So, what did you find out?" Xie Yao looked at the woman with irritation.


    They had searched around the lake that Xie Xiu had suspicions about, and the results was the elder lady investigating it.


    "As I thought, a fight occured here." she mumbled, as if talking to herself, focusing on the sense of smell shared by one of her beast, a Silver-ranked Level 3 Camouflage Chameleon, a giant chameleon that could mask its presence along with the summoner, and was highly sensitive to the scents of other beings.


    It was one of the biggest reasons that she managed to survive many perilous situations, and now she was using it to try to make a line of events to explain what happened to Xie Li and his two minions.


    "There''s no presence of Xie Li''s smell here." she said, opening her eyes, "if he came here a couple of weeks ago, then I might probably be able to catch his scent. I would usually think he had not marched to this area, but."


    The two looked towards a rather specific spot on the earth, where the grass, usually green and vibrant, was pitch-black and smelling as if burnt. It was a faint scent, but it was there, even after more than three weeks.


    "Demonic Qi..." Xie Yao frowned, "I remember that that the brat had a Demonic Wolf on him? He certainly bragged about it loudly and long enough to stay in my mind."


    "Indeed," she only responded dryly. "and dragged a woman to his bed because of the glorious occasion."


    Xie Yao''s eyes twitched at that, and he felt the urge to punch her smug face for reminding him of why he wasn''t exactly thrilled regarding Xie Li''s habits. "And the point being?" he asked her again.


    "The point being, you geezer, is that he summoned his beasts, and then the trail suddenly ends." she spoke to him, "Normally, I''d say he just unsummoned them and left, but I guess we can think what might have happened, correct?"


    "He either got killed, or captured. Honestly, I am more prone to say that he died. Especially with that... acid, I presume." he grimaced at that. The clan master would not like that, if that was true, and they would be the ones to deal with his rage at the death of his son...


    He looked where she pointed, a few meters away, as there were areas where grass looked as if it was melted by a highly poisonous and corrosive liquid. The ground felt too soft and brittle, even after what they deemed to be two weeks since the ''fight'' of Xie Li against either a beast or a warrior.


    "Just fantastic..." he muttered, as he resisted the urge to punch something or someone. "At least, you got something to verify this, or bring us to his attackers?"


    Xie Xiu only snorted at him. What did he think she was?


    "It''s very interesting that the Worker Bees seemed to have their scents present quite strongly here, and in other areas..." she smirked, "as if making a trail..."


    He only raised an eyebrow at that. "If you''re sure." he conceded, "Now, it''s going to get dark soon. I''d rather you not die on my watch, it will be irritating. We will continue tomorrow."


    She resisted the urge to pull out her tongue, but she still followed him to the camp where the four disciples were situated.


    Well, she might not be enjoying that old man''s large ego, but she could always tease her juniors. Not that Xie Yao cared about what she did as long as it didn''t bother him or make trouble to them.

 Chapter 37

    Well, that was one hell of a conversation Mei Wu had with the Queen Bee, the woman thought now that the sun was close to disappearing from the sky as the night would fall.


    It was honestly a bit terrifying how precise the biological clock of a cultivator is, from a mortal''s perspective, and even for some of the other warriors as well. A normal warrior or ranker would be able to easily live for longer than a hundred years, with those reaching the power of a Level 6 [Elder] to stay alive for nearly three hundred years, and it only grows longer and longer by that point.


    It had been a mere three days ago since Mei Wu and Kasumi Ai dual cultivated and became a couple, and yet, it felt both like an eternity had passed since then, and also like mere moments had transpired.


    Mei Wu thought didn''t mind that feeling. She was long used to having it since battles could easily feel like that as well, along with many other things in life. What she was determined to do now though, was to talk with her girlfriend about Ai''s... method of training her.


    Oh, heavens, just thinking about it still made it hard not to blush. The whole thing happened just a few hours ago, after all, and it wasn''t something she could just ignore or repress like how she had to deal with her life under Xie Li. But regardless, with the confidence she had as a warrior, she only gave a sigh as she hid her embarrassment and tried to look as serious as possible, and gazed at her partner.


    Kasumi Ai was also looking back as her human body had long retreated into her ''secure'' flower room on top of her monstrous body, looking rather sheepish and nervous, and for the human woman, she felt these emotions as clear as day. Honestly, she wondered if Ai chose to be there as a slightly instinctual idea to make herself feel more confident since with Mei Wu having to look up to see her, and it gave the illusion of the alraune being more untouchable, and no offense, but talking to her with that monstrous body designed to eat the prey just didn''t give the same ''human'' impact.


    ''Wow, the alraunes truly seem to have a lot of weird behaviours...'' she commented to herself. That was a very fascinating thought, and had they not been inside a hive ruled by a Golden King Beast, then Mei Wu would have thought of trying to learn more about it.


    But that was for the future, if possible. For now, they have other things to deal with...


    Damn, how is she supposed to start this conversation? She''s... not exactly angry anymore about what happened. It was more like she was very embarrassed about the whole subject than genuinely upset about it.


    "So... about what we did before, uh, the Queen Bee turned out to be a peeper... once again, I''m sorry." Ai took the turn to talk first, the awkwardness clear on her figure.


    ''Than goodness for that!'' Mei Wu inwardly sighed with relief. Sometimes, starting a talk about something merely embarrassing is way more difficult than discussing something traumatic, so she had no problem with the alraune starting the conversation.


    "Yeah, I understand that..." she said as she noticed the mood Kasumi Ai was having, "Look, I''m annoyed about what happened, and a part of me is a bit irritated at you for dragging me into that, but... the majority of my anger is directed at the fact that we were being watched by our boss."


    It was honestly true, as far as she felt. Oh, she was honestly mortified by the fact they were caught, but the act itself? She really couldn''t really find it in her to blame Ai for that. Not to mention that she did not exactly hate it...


    "Oh," Mei Wu looked at the surprised yet still awkward look on Ai''s face, "still, I think that I should have stopped sooner, but I don''t feel regret about what happened though."


    Mei Wu felt a bit of red adoring her face at the blunt admission. "Good to see you not regretting anything." she grumbled without any real heat. She honestly would have felt more upset about this if she didn''t know how Ai was still feeling ashamed about it as well.


    "Still, do you think we''re... going at things too fast?" she asked, surprisingly not feeling truly anxious about the prospect. It was a bit strange, now that she thought of it as a whole, but not really that strange.


    Kasumi Ai only looked curious, but Mei Wu didn''t need her Qi sensing to know the worry in her heart. "Are we? Is it that fast?"


    "Probably not." Mei Wu admitted, "Arguably, we at least knew each other for nearly a month, though it felt like a really long time with everything that happened during it all. I heard that some rankers and warriors would have sex or romantic relationship with some randoms they met only a couple of days before, so we were rather ''slow'' all things considered. But it''s kinda weird that we went from kissing to... that." she finished lamely.


    "Yeah, I can understand that." the alraune trailed off, her face reddening just slightly at that. "I assume we should just go back to just normal interaction between lovers?"


    "If you mean only kissing and hugging, then yes, until we get some damn private place where we don''t get seen every damn time at least..." Mei Wu muttered the last part in irritation.


    "Kinky woman. You clearly liked it a lot."


    Mei Wu only scowled at the amusement that appeared in the tone of the green-haired beast woman in front of her. "I am so not going to have that conversation right now. Also, yes, I did. And no, that''s not the point." she huffed in response to the amused look she was getting.


    Well, at least her perverted girlfriend isn''t acting so awkward about this subject. The things she puts up with for the sake of love and friendship.


    "But yes, none of these bizarre training methods anymore. We''re already pushing it here with kissing and our agreement to dual cultivate as it is." she stated.


    Mei Wu watched as Kasumi Ai took a few moments to think about it, and she felt the understanding of the alraune as she nodded her head.


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    "Also, just so you know. If you ended up fighting the Xie clan elders, I want you to use everything in your arsenal to defeat or kill them. Or using them to satisfy your alraune instincts for a while if necessary."


    At that request, Kasumi Ai''s eyes widened in surprise, her mouth agape from shock, but before she could even speak a single word, Mei Wu was faster.


    "I, don''t hate them." she confessed, "they didn''t go out of their way to help me, but they didn''t harm me personally or by proxy, as far as I know. It feels a bit hypocritical to admit though, I''d prefer them dead or unable to harm us than if they were alive and holding a grudge towards us. No matter how much I feel grateful they didn''t go out of their way to ruin my life, I''d still prefer that you and me stay alive, Ai''er."


    It was silent for a moment.


    "My Alraune instincts." Ai asked, almost flatly with how baffled she felt.


    "You want to release them at least once, don''t you?" Mei Wu asked, "I could notice it, you know? How you were acting and feeling more and more unrestrained regarding your sexual nature as an alraune."


    That was met by silence from her lover.


    Honestly, the human woman was amazed that Ai was seemingly acting like a saintess compared to how alraunes were supposed to act, from what Ai told her about them. A part of her was even wondering on if the so-called training session, or at least the punishment part, was mostly fueled by Ai''s sexual desires and her nature as a predator starting to become more and more visible.


    Though they are admittedly viciously restrained to be only highly perverted, but not full-on sex slave maker due to Ai''s compassion and love for her.


    "As long as you aren''t in the vicinity, then I believe it would be fine." Kasumi Ai sighed, looking at the inert aphrodisiac nectar inside her flower, her expression serious. "If I end up activating this nectar pit, I don''t know what might happen, except that it is highly probable that the scent alone would make it hard for anyone around to think with their upper heads and easier to think with their lower ones, and I might even lose my ability reason for a while due to the feeling of euphoria and power, just like how it feels for one to first start cultivating."


    Mei Wu couldn''t stop the shiver she had when she heard the seriousness in that voice. Yeah, if it ever came to that, it might be better for her to be away, otherwise things would escalate to a completely undesired level of danger.


    Mei Wu could probably resist the effects of Ai''s aphrodisiac with her Apoptosis Qi, but with the difference in power between her and Ai, it would only take a few moments before her effort and skills get overpowered and ignored, and then it would be as if she didn''t fight back at all.


    "Yes, I will do my best to get the hell out of your range then." she responded with a shudder, before shaking her head to ignore that particular line of thought.


    "Anyways, we should now go back to training or cultivating, correct?" taking the nod from Ai as affirmation, Mei Wu decided to focus on just that.


    She deeply focused on her energy, and nearly twenty seconds later, her Grimoire was summoned. Her purpose was simple; summoning the Impurity Eater, her Guardian Beast.


    She focused on the connection she had with her beast. It was there, and it was practically begging to be summoned. With a determined look, she gathered some of her qi, and with a brilliant black light, she felt as if something that once was not, was now present.


    "Wow... impressive." Ai uttered, clearly feeling awed, a feeling that was mirrored by Mei Wu as she saw her own beast materializing for the first time. In fact, it felt even more special since this was the first beast she had actually owned as she had never contracted one before.


    With her as the center, there were multiple circles, white and black, were orbiting around her. An aura that seemed almost physical was now there, and it felt quite interesting. There was also a strange feeling she was having and it only showed up right now when she summoned her beast.


    ''Hunger? No, that''s not it. Close, but different. Maybe appetite?'' Mei Wu felt as if the beast, formless, was almost salivating at eating something as it expanded up to seven meters, adding her lover to its domain of influence.


    "Wu-chan," Mei Wu looked at Ai, who seemed preplexed, a confused expression on her face, "I think your beast wants to feed on my energy?" the alraune narrowed her eyes, "no, I think it more precisely wants to feed on the impurities in our Qi?" she corrected herself.


    From the intricate and powerful bond that one can only have with their Guardian Beast, Mei Wu could only feel the same. The beast was honestly acting like a curious baby that wanted to be fed, though it seemed like it knew better not to start feeding without her permission.


    Had it been a beast that was only contracted by her, then Mei Wu had the feeling that it would have tried to gobble and feed on the impurities right away without any care about the harm it might cause if done without restraint.


    Seeing and feeling the desires of the Impurity Eater, and how childish it felt, Mei Wu found herself giggling at the situation. It was acting like a kid that wanted candies even if it felt like it didn''t really need to eat at the moment.


    "I guess I will have a lot of fun trying to make this child grow and get stronger, and also smarter if possible." she said teasingly as the circles seemed to rotate faster around her.


    She could feel it was a bit impatient, and it wanted to eat a lot of the impurities that many cultivators usually took a long time making sure they were either nonexistent in their bodies, or exist with only the lowest amount possible, for those who truly were dedicated to cultivation and not to making their egos grow even larger. Though admittedly, impurities in one''s body are usually impossible to completely avoid in one''s journey as a warrior.


    This guy would rather just gouge out the impurities from the body as fast as possible regardless of any problem or harm that might cause.


    ''Be patient, little child.'' she mentally commanded it, feeling the disappointment it felt as if it was pouting at her, ''You will have your fill of at least some of my impurities, but no rush, got it? You don''t want to make me hurt, right?''


    The Impurity Eater seemed almost afraid of harming her, as it got agitated before calming down, feeling reluctantly satisfied.


    "So, would you name your new baby or what?"


    At the almost casual and completely unexpected question from the green-haired alraune, Mei Wu nearly sputtered at the word ''baby.''


    "Ai''er! It''s not my baby!" she declared with a blush even as she had to ignore the feeling of the her not-baby beast being confused, as if it couldn''t comprehend the denial.


    "Also, it wants to feed on the impurities in your Qi too, by the way. You don''t really mind that, right?" after getting her bearings back, she asked the amused alraune who only nodded with a wide smile.


    "Okie~ so, should we let it do so, while we do our dual cultivation?" it wasn''t even a serious question, from the joking tone it was stated, but Mei Wu only twitched her eyes at that, not amused by the implication.


    "I''m not going to have a spiritual threesome with what is basically an unintelligent toddler." she grumbled as she sat on the ground, taking a cultivation pose, "Now, would you be nice and let my Impurity Eater grow stronger along with us? I can only summon it for three hours a day at my current summoner level, and I''d prefer not to waste more time than needed."


    With that, she took a breath and started cultivating, her Qi moving inside her body, as the beast, still excited yet obeying her will, exerted its power.


    She could sense that Ai was shaking her head, seemingly unamused but in actuality very much happy as the alraune''s huge monstrous body sat next to her, and Ai started to focus on cultivating, deciding to let Mei Wu''s beast do its job.


    And as minutes passed, they didn''t really feel anything but the sensation of excitement and calmness as one usually feels from cultivating and focusing on their own selves. They didn''t truly feel what the Impurity Eater was doing, even if they both knew that it was doing what it so desired.


    As from their bodies, a viscous and a grey, almost black liquid was pouring from their bodies, only to dissolve into nothingness, consumed and swallowed by the beast as its circles orbited faster to show its glee.

 Chapter 38

    I have to admit, my lover''s beast is a truly amazing one. Wu-chan had one hell of a Guardian Beast under her command. That little baby''s power was honestly mind-boggling when I experienced it myself.


    To be able to forcefully or peacefully gouge out all of one''s impurities, a truly terrifyingly priceless ability when it came to cultivation, and an ability that would be desired by many warriors.


    I was absolutely certain that if she for whatever reason decided to join a sect in the future, this one single ability would turn her social status from a mere no-name pretty lady into the closest thing to a saintess, or the Young Mistress of the Clan/Sect in this world''s terms.


    Her situation, with this ability, would make her one of the most important people in the sect, if only for pragmatic reasons such as the sheer effectiveness of the Impurity Eater''s ability.


    Even as I was focusing on cultivating my Natura Aeterna Nirvana technique, while she did the same with her own cultivation technique, I could notice the difference as the childish beast exerted its influence.


    My technique, given to me by the goddess that reincarnated me, was admittedly highly powerful when it came to purifying my own Qi, partly because it was made for plant beasts and people with high affinity for plant-type entities in general, which I am one of, and made for me in specific. My Qi would be the purest when it came to that.


    Yet, even then, having impurities in one''s Qi is admittedly an absolute fact, and it could be even stated to be an almost-fundamental rule for cultivators. When one absorbs Qi from the environment around them, their body changes the absorbed energy into the type suited for the cultivator in question, and that results in impurities. There are more to it, really, and the environment one cultivates in also plays an important role as well.


    The more the environment or the area one cultivates in suits their skills and Qi, the higher the compatibility it is between the external and internal Qi energies, and the less impurities one could get. Which is why for me, cultivating in a forest, or close to it, makes it easier for me to progress, since my Qi likes nature and flora the most, and with my ability to recreate any plants or plant-type beasts I consume, that only enhanced that aspect.


    Of course, training in a place that is directly opposing to one''s skillset or inherent abilities would at best make the speed of their progress slow to a crawl, or give tons of impurities as well, at worst. An ice-themed cultivator won''t really get much from training in a volcano, after all, unless they were specifically either training a unique skill or something.


    And if someone tried to cultivate in an area where the Qi there is literally the antithesis of their powers, well, the only thing I could tell them is; "good luck, I guess?" I won''t even be sure if I should applaud at their bravery, or facepalm at their stupidity. Which is why demons and demonic cultivators should not train in any area that is ''holy'' or whatever, unless they are so high-leveled or have a unique physique, technique or a beast that doing so would not only not harm them, but even help them.


    Well, it sounds complicated, but the general gist of it is this; most people would have impurities during their cultivation journey, whether it was due to some unique type of Qi interaction, them not paying attention, or even being unable to fully purge all impurities out of their system, or using pills and other items to cultivate, since these items having highly pure and potent Qi in them was extremely rare. Even I was not exempt from this, at my current level at least.


    Which only highlights just how abnormal the Impurity Eater really is, since it could somehow extract some of the impurities that even I did not even notice were there, or didn''t have time to purge or purify yet.


    It was also a bit scary, honestly, the sheer ease it took them out of my and Wu-chan''s bodies, as if the moment you are inside of its domain, it could find every hint of it, and feed on them without exception. True, I would be able to find the impurities in my body by my own given some time, but I would not be able to do that as thoroughly at my current level. And even more surprisingly, it was able to take them out relatively quickly, yet harmlessly.


    There was a reason why one needed to focus and take their time to take away the impurities, after all, especially when one isn''t as high-leveled. Impurities are hard to purge, and could be painful or even lethal if one expelled them without any care for the pacing. They are, after all, still a part of the person''s Qi and body after all.


    I personally never had to experience the feeling of my Qi being forcefully and quickly ripped out of me, but from what some novels I read before my reincarnation, expelling one''s impurities too quickly and without taking care of the possible consequences, especially if there were a lot of impurities inside the body, would not only damage the power of the individual, probably forcefully downgrading their power by a stage or two, but even harm their potential and their bodies in the long run.


    It could even result in permanant damage to the meridians and the dantian, in some of the worse cases, and now, this little beast, a mere Normal-ranked beast, is able to literally gouge out the impurities out of one''s body, just like that, and with practically no side-effects.


    If this guy was not obedient and listened to Mei Wu''s demand for it to slow down and to be nice, it wouldn''t be as safe or harmless as it was, and instead, I would be dealing with a pain that would feel as if my own insides were ripped and forcefully expelled, sucked inside a black hole. This guy is practically a black hole that loves to feed on the impurites in others'' bodies.


    Honestly, a part of me wants to shake her and ask how she got such an absurd beast. I really was a bit baffled about its existence and its skillset. In the first place, even in the original Long Live Summons, there weren''t many methods to fully purify and purge all impurities of one''s body, and the ones that could were highly unique to either specific techniques or racial skills.


    Like the protagonist''s Innate technique, which was practically the ''strongest'' Innate cultivation method, if I remember correctly, and the Nirvana Flames, which of course, he also had, and with them he could basically erase the impurities of himself and others, while also healing them so that they won''t die from the purifying flames, and get even stronger.


    Though since he mostly did dual cultivation with the ladies, and I stopped caring after reading nearly half the series, I wonder if one of the guys that befriended him died at any point? Eh, who cares about that right now. For all I know, this world might only be similar to the novel, if I recall my talk with the goddess correctly, but I''d rather it not be like that and I would prefer if that Yue Yang guy either didn''t exist, or was only some random dude, with no ridiculous conspiracies revolving around him or anyone else involving the Heaven Realm in this reality. And I still don''t even know where I am when it came to the timeline, ugh.


    From what I can understand, with the current knowledge of Mei Wu, since Feng Qi Sha, Xue Tan Lang, and Yan Po Jun, the were not famous since she didn''t know about them, especially since they were from the novel''s descriptions "so famous that even random beggars knew about them," quotations and citations needed, my reality is one where they don''t exist at all, which means it''s a completely different reality, like there alternate universes, or that they don''t exist yet, which meant I came to this world a decade or so before the so-called canon story begins, if Yue Yang even existed here and what I remember of his circumstances is true, that is.


    But, that is for later to deal with. For now, I decided to focus once more and cultivate. The qi of nature was surrounding me, giving me a soft yet vibrant green glow, as I unlocked another of my meridians, the number now reaching a total fifty-five out of the 108 ones. Turns out that our first dual cultivation practice had unlocked ten of mine in one go. The Apoptosis Qi was truly terrifying as it degraded so much of the impurities in these meridians that they were practically open, and I only needed to gently spread my own Qi to fully open them.


    And to think that after the Impurity Eater finally vanishes when Mei Wu''s time limit regarding its summoning period ends, we would then have another round of dual cultivation... Though we both intend to only focus on the training, and keep our hands to ourselves when we wake up at the morning. At least, that''s the plan.


    An hour then two passed, then nearly three. Almost unnoticed, as the flow of time continued as we cultivated, sitting right beside each other, until the Impurity Eater''s time limit ended, and it disappeared in a flash of light that neither of us really saw, but instead we felt as its qi suddenly vanished, and we both opened our eyes, slowly moving our bodies from the equivalent to a cultivation-mode.


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    I gave a shuddering breath as I noticed the difference to how my Qi felt a lot purer than before. It was honestly amazing to feel this way, and even more so since with the giddy yet almost gentle speed Wu-chan''s beast took them, the cultivation allowed us to basically keep our Qi at the same quantity, but now purer and almost denser than before.


    It just felt marvelous!


    "Wow! Just... I can''t believe it..." Mei Wu spoke as she looked at her arms, inspecting her Qi, as a gleeful smile made itself clear on her face. "I can feel how much purer my energy is right now, and I still have difficulty imagining this is actually happening!"


    I too wouldn''t have believed it if I wasn''t literally living the moment right now, indeed. I gave her a wide smile at that. "Yeah, good to see your baby is breaking the pseudo-absolute laws of Qi. Not even an Innate and we have one trump card that would make it practically impossible to have any impurities, especially when it grows in power and rank!"


    Not even teasing her about her Guardian Beast made her feel flustered, she was just that excited, and I couldn''t blame her at all for that. That guy woulde be extremely terrifying even if it only focused on taking away the impurities in one''s system, and from the description that we read, it can also enhance the purity of one''s Qi inside its domain, though it''s probably not permanant and is mostly to be used for battle, I think.


    "True, that would be extremely helpful and effective." she answered as her eyes looked up to mine.


    I just loved how beautiful that smile was, and a part of me, remembering the Xie clan, couldn''t help but feel spiteful, vindictive and a bit self-centered about it all.


    ''Ha! A bunch of trashes that aren''t worthy of her, it was I who got to see this sweet side of her, unlike that gloomy and hollow one you were so used to!'' I thought, insulting Xie Li in my heart even further. Shame that I couldn''t drag his soul to infuriate him even more, and probably break him into a mindless pet.


    ... Wait, where did that thought come from? Oh, great, my Alraune instincts are showing themselves again. They''re getting a bit annoying to handle since I evolved, though it''s when I think of the Xie clan and how it harmed my love that it was starting to rise blatantly and I would feel the urge to wipe them from existence. I could control my predator instincts when it came to interacting to Mei Wu just fine though.


    Okay, let''s put these pesky yet very tempting thoughts under the rug for now. Don''t worry, if I manage to get outside or end up dragged into battle, I will let you run wild for a bit.


    Now that that particular and quick episode of controlling my instincts had ended, I found myself smiling a bit too happily. It''s time for our dual cultivation session, now that the night had fallen~!


    Hmm, might make sure that the nectar ''door'' is thick enough this time though. After all, I would be pissed if another bee ended up ruining our romantic/spiritual time together...


    "Ai''er, why are you feeling murderous?" Mei Wu looked at me strangely, as if I was thinking of something outrageous, which of course, I was not. I was the epitome of niceness and gentleness at the moment!


    "Don''t worry, Wu-chan. I''m totally not upset about that Protector Bee that ruined our fun when we had our first dual cultivation session."


    She looked at me, unamused. "Why can''t I believe you?"


    "... Are we going to chat all night or dual cultivate?"


    "I find your quick changing of the subject concerning..." she only replied, even as I could feel her getting flustered about the subject. Not that I was much better.


    At least I stopped her from pondering about my desire to inflict violence on that one bee that dared to stop us back then from going all the way, even if that was arguably the correct choice. For now.


    <hr>


    Well, this trip didn''t turn out to be neither as exciting nor as relaxing as she hoped, Xie Zu thought with no amusement on her face.


    Being a mere Level 1 [Apprentice] even one who was close to breaking through to that of a Level 2 [Braveman], she wasn''t exactly thrilled by how the mission of going in the forest with Elder Xie Yao and three other [Apprentices] at the moment, but honestly, she couldn''t really find it in herself to truly argue loudly about the situation.


    At first, she was rather glad for being given this opportunity. After all, who wouldn''t love to go on a mission with an elder of the clan, even if only for bragging about it? Plus, it was also a chance to get a beast or two! She did already have a couple of the contract scrolls and crystals, though they were highly expensive. It took nearly a few gold coins, where a single coin could sustain a mortal family for months if carefully spent, but she did get them!


    She was really excited for the opportunities she could get here, not to mention that if she met Xie Li and was one of the few that saved and helped him, this would help in making him notice her, and she might get some of the benefits of being associated with him. Money, fame, power against other members and disciples, all of these would be accessible to her if she helped save him and he decided to reward her, and if he did not, well, it was a prestige to join the elders in a mission to save or discover the wherabouts of the Xie Clan''s Young Master.


    Either way, she wins something from the mission.


    At least, that''s what she thought when she got chosen for the mission. Now though, she couldn''t find it as enjoyable as she expected.


    The atmosphere in the forest was just plain irritating in her opinion. Sure, the smell of the nature was refreshing, but the forest was just too thick for her liking, and the amount of vines and insects that were practically everywhere when she and the group entered the forest was maddening. She just wasn''t used to dealing with these problems back in the city, and she didn''t really go to such a setting when she had to go for missions to deal with the occasional bandit or mortal criminal. It didn''t help that her level wasn''t high enough not to need some of the luxuries and common things she was used to for so long. She so missed baths and toilets, and more, an opinion she was sure was shared by her fellow disciples.


    And if that wasn''t enough, there were simply no good enough beasts to make a contract with. Nothing but trashy plant beasts, or weak Normal-rank Level 2 beasts at most. Maybe it was because they had to quickly go to search for Xie Li, his lackey Xie Yu and that disgusting bitch Mei Wu, but damn it! She expected to at least see some Level 3 or 4 beasts, and if lucky, even a Bronze-ranked one to attempt contracting them!


    It just felt so vexing! There are many chances, yet it felt like she could catch none of them! Neither to shrug off the monotony in a pleasant way, nor to help herself grow stronger!


    After eating the breakfast consisting of some fruits and carefully cooked meat, she found herself along with the other disciples facing the serious-looking Elder Xie Yao and the smiling, almost-teasing look of Elder Xie Xiu, and she just felt as if the female elder''s presence was a bit unfair.


    ''Oh, sure, come here to help us, or just make this trip longer than it needs to be.'' she thought about the smiling elder. Normally, she wouldn''t feel so disappointed towards the elder, and in fact would think of her as a bit of a role model, but honestly, she was just not ready to deal with the stress of the mission, and seeing the Elder Xie Xiu standing there, not a hair out of place, as pretty and composed as ever, clothes not even having a spec of dust on them, it just irked her.


    "We have found the entrance to a hive of Worker Bees. Today, we will strike in a couple of hours." the voice of Elder Xie Yao, despite being almost as low as a whisper, was like thunder, instantly catching her attention and she immediately stood up straighter as the other three Xie members dit.


    Immediately, she understood his words, and she nodded along with her fellows as one. She couldn''t really ignore the many Worker Bees that flew around. They were hardly subtle, after all, though a part of it was that of course, a forest would be filled with insect-type beasts as well.


    A hive though meant that a Bronze-ranked, and even Silver-ranked beasts are also there. She didn''t even dare think about a Gold-ranked beast being around, since they were so rare in the continent that it was better to search in the Tong Tian Tower for one, and because she did not want to think of being forced to deal with one.


    She will just let the elders do the work and deal with them if they existed.


    "It''s almost definitely a large hive, and it could have hundreds of beasts." the voice of Elder Xie Xiu felt almost gentle with how soft she spoke, but Xie Zu couldn''t hide the shiver that crawled down her spine at the casual talk that was extremely serious.


    Hundreds of beasts? Just how casually can one say such things!? Most Level 1 [Apprentices] would probably be able to deal with hundreds of mortals with some difficulty, but hundreds of beasts?


    Even the weaker beasts were impossible to defeat in large quantities for people at her level. Even the trashy plant-type beasts, and the really weak Worker Bees, that are only Normal-ranked Level 1 or 2 existences would be able to annihilate her and the other three with no exception.


    And that''s at the lowest estimation. If these were Bronze-ranked or higher-leveled, then the four [Apprentices] wouldn''t even need to fight.


    "It was honestly hard to discover. Whoever beast or entity that hid it was really clever and competent, but sadly, they exposed themselves a bit too much." the elder continued, looking serious, a sight that truly terrified them as Elder Xie Yao kept his stern expression "But, make sure to watch out. We still don''t know what would happen. Be ready to escape if it got even the slightest bit dangerous."


    "But, elder... why do we need to fight? Can''t we call and wait for backup to come first?" Xie Zu turned her eyes to the man standing besides her, Xie Gu. He was usually very confident, but now he looked very nervous. Not that she can blame him.


    "Because," Elder Xie Yao took his turn to answer, his eyes as sharp as a hawk, "if waiting for more days could spell the death of our comrades, children and sibilings of the clan, then that would be a great shame and loss for us." his presence alone seemed to demand obedience as he talked, "And even if it was already too late, we would at least get access to all the honey the Worker Bees are making, or if there was a dangerous threat, then we at least fought and survived to warn the clans and other influencial parties about it. Even if none of us escaped death, our absence would be a proof of the danger, and the next party would hopefully be more prepared."


    The world seemed to stay silent as he finished, and Xie Zu felt how even gulping seemed so hard when he was so serious.


    "For now, take it easy and check your supplies and weapons." Elder Xie Xiu advised, "and if I and this old geezer demand that you escape, you must just do that, is this clear?"


    Xie Zu really hoped that this trip would be worth it. She really hoped so.

 Chapter 39: Prologue of battle

    Mei Wu felt herself at edge. She felt that way since she and Kasumi Ai saw the Queen Bee entering their area the moment they finished the dual cultivation session that took the whole night.


    They would have been mortified had they not noticed the serious mood around the queen of bees, causing them to immediately straighten up despite the awkwardness, and the Queen Bee, despite not saying anything from her mouth -since she was still unable to speak with her current level- Mei Wu heard the meaning from the emotions emanating and reading the intent of the giant bee.


    Something like that was almost as easy as breathing nowadays. To think that in only a month, her Qi sensing skill skyrocketed so high she could practically understand any beast if she stayed with them for a few minutes at least.


    But that aside, there was one worrying, and dreadful fact that the Queen Bee told them about, from what she was told by the Worker Bees that were just outside the hive.


    The Xie clan would attack in a couple of hours, maybe less, really.


    "So it''s really going to happen, huh?" Mei Wu heard her lover mutter, and she fully agreed with that resigned sentiment.


    Despite knowing that it was very possible to happen, there was the small hope that the inevitable would be delayed to a better time.


    ''Then again, what I and Ai''er were hoping for was for that delay to continue until we were ready. And of course, we would never be ready if we were inside the hive all the time.'' Mei Wu admitted to herself, knowing that no matter what, unless the Xie clan''s group was somehow dragged away, it was simply inevitable for the clan members to discover the hive.


    That alone was enough to stress Mei Wu out, and her lover didn''t take the news much better, with the serious yet anxious expression, but the surprise didn''t end there.


    The Queen Bee, looking contemplative, suddenly gave them a really shocking and baffling question.


    ''Would you like to fight them with my hive as well? Or even fight them on your own first? You have thirty minutes to give me your answer.'' she told them as if she didn''t ask something outrageous or illogical.


    It wasn''t even a question, really, but a choice. Instinctually, Mei Wu and Kasumi Ai understood the meaning, but intellectually, it was rather shocking.


    "What?" they spoke at the same time, looking at the Queen Bee who while feeling just a bit amused, was still as serious as ever.


    The Queen Bee felt amused, really. Making them feel shocked or awkward just seemed like a rather good way to waste time. Still, she decided to just tell them.


    ''I told you; you are given a choice to join the fight and even be the ones to start it with your enemies. Of course, you can just not do so if you wanted.'' it couldn''t get clearer for her two non-bee not-really-subordinates.


    ''You have half an hour to decide. Choose wisely.'' before they could even ask another question, she exited, leaving them stupefied.


    In her mind though, not noticed by the alraune and the human, the Queen Bee was genuinely curious about their answer. It wasn''t exactly a test, per se, and it won''t change how she treated them for the most part, but she still wanted to know what they would pick.


    Would they decide to hide and let her and the hive do all the fighting, or would they join, if not even be the ones that initiate the fight?


    The Queen Bee was determined to protect them regardless, and she would prefer if they were not in harm''s way, yet a part of her wanted to see the two women go wild and just destroy the opposition as best as they could.


    Plus, if they truly desired to be strong, they need to know when to punch above their levels to advance. And as much as she didn''t want to admit it, she knew that Ksumi Ai and Mei Wu would end up leaving the hive at some point.


    And she was no longer able to think of just killing them for the sake of that. They gave her so much rewards ever since she met them, Kasumi Ai in particular. Killing or crippling them just because she wanted them to stay in the hive and they wanted to live would be futile, and quite disgusting in her opinion, surprisingly.


    ''These two seem to have grown on me, huh.'' she thought to herself. Well, even she isn''t immune to change, after all, especially mental change.


    <hr>


    ''Well, I had never imagined that I would be given this kind of choice.'' I thought to myself as my brain seemingly tried to reboot now that the shock was leaving my system.


    I, I didn''t know what to think of this situation, honestly. The freaking Queen Bee herself was asking us to choose if we wanted to fight the Xie clan elders and disciples, or if we wanted to leave the fighting to her.


    Mei Wu had already returned from her own shock, and her eyes met mine, and it seemed as if silence was all there was as we stood there, looking.


    In the end, I broke the silence.


    "So, about that..."


    "I know..." Mei Wu sighed, and I was surprised she didn''t drop to the ground from how she seemed tired, emotionally at least.


    Of course, the answer was clear to us, and it was honestly strange we even decided the same thing so quickly.


    "We will be fighting them." despite how it felt as if it should be a question, I did state it as if it was an absolute fact.


    "Yes; yes we will." she answered, her eyes closed and her body trembling just slightly before that stopped. "Honestly, I''m afraid of it, Ai''er. This isn''t some ''weakling'' like Xie Li, or a random bandit or beast. We''re talking about a clan elder, two of them, along with whatever powerful beasts and items they will most likely have. And the moment they disappear, more of the clan would definitely appear, or even worse, other clans and sects would invite themselves to the drama as well."


    I understood her. I really did. I too, was afraid, and I knew that this threat would be much stronger than I''ve ever faced before, and that winning wouldn''t simply give me a permanant chance to relax.


    The moment the Xie clan''s search group vanishes for good, and the news reach the important figures, we would either have to run away, or to stay holed inside the hive and hope that the Queen Bee could protect us all the time.


    Yet I knew for a fact that she would not be able to do that. Any normal Level 7 [Overlord] would be able to defeat her with high difficulty, even easier if their beasts and skills are highly effective against the Queen Bee''s own skills. Any warrior above that would have easier time crushing her, with the army of the hive giving a moderate challenge at best.


    A part of me wanted to simply drag Mei Wu and abandon all these situations. Maybe find a faraway farm to live as ''mortals'' away from the power-hungry entities, but that was frankly impossible. Trouble would always appear, and if I wanted to survive, I needed to be at least strong enough that nothing on this continent could harm or cause danger to me and Mei Wu.


    In other words, I needed to become a Holy Beast, as far as my physiology as a beast meant, or to be an Innate warrior, since I could cultivate. Anything else and it was just trouble.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    With that, the decision was clear. Difficult, but surprisingly simple.


    "We will crush them." I spoke with confidence.


    Just like how I didn''t run away when I fought that Black Wolf when I first reincarnated, and just like how I didn''t retreat whrn I had to deal with Xie Li, I will just fight against the Xie clan members, even if they were stronger than me.


    Though, it certainly helped that I was absolutely sure that I could actually fight against them. I didn''t want to think of myself as the strongest, but I was rather certain that they would not be so overwhelmingly stronger than me. At least, they aren''t as ridiculously strong as the Queen Bee, who even now, I couldn''t verify if I could actually win against. I would certainly be able to fight for a while, maybe give a good fight, but that''s it. The gap between our levels were still too much.


    Defeating the Xie Clan Elders won''t be as difficult.


    "... I can''t believe I am actually feeling the same." my love sighed again, yet a smile graced her lips, "Well, it feels a bit like a fairy tale, but I guess we are the underdogs who should rise and fight against our opressors... or something like that? Personally, I feel it''s more for revenge as well when it comes to me. And to prove them wrong."


    Her eyes narrowed, and I got the impression that she was trying to glare at the search group from here. If so, that''s one hell of a glare.


    I definitely loved that determination and rage on her face.


    "Neither Xie Li, nor the majority of the elders, or the clan treated me with the respect they so seemed to love to get, so I shall repay their lesson and crush them underfoot to wipe out their presence from my mind for certain. Not to mention, if we keep running away from every enemy who is slightly stronger, we will never grow up. Don''t you agree, Ai''er?"


    The Apoptosis Qi seemed to pulse around her, waiting to be unleashed and downgrade the power of her targets to a level where she could just squash them. In return to that desire, I found myself grinning.


    "Of course. You don''t have to ask me." I gave her my answer.


    She was absolutely correct though. One cannot just keep escaping the moment a threat appeared. A bit of a Protagonist "trait," but honestly, I believed that I was doing it more logically, since I wasn''t offending a bunch of OP enemies just because. Here, the enemy is arguably not too strong, and we have backup in case things got too difficult.


    As for ''offending'' the rest of the Xie clan and the other warriors, well, we will cross that bridge when we reach it. Life in this world isn''t easy, and in this reality, there was one single, almost-absolute rule to apply in these situations. One given by one of the many series I so loved back when I was on Earth.


    "If you don''t fight, you cannot survive."


    "Indeed." Mei Wu loved my response.


    With that, we went to tell the Queen Bee about our choice.


    <hr>


    Time quickly passed, and I, along with Mei Wu, found ourselves close to where the entrance of the hive was. The army of the Queen Bee, along with her majesty herself was behind us.


    I was honestly nervous as hell as I looked in front of me, focusing my senses as much as possible. It was time, now, I felt it in my blood and very soul. This was the moment of the fight, and my instincts warned me that this would be the point where the hive would be invaded from. There was only one other entrance for the hive, according to the Queen Bee, but it was designed to be so far away from where currently are, so there was no way the Xie clan elders would discover it, especially since the Worker Bees were heavily focused on working close to where I was before I got invited to the hive.


    "This is seriously terrifying, honestly." Mei Wu spoke, already summoning her Grimoire and the Impurity Eater, the beast seemingly excited, and hungry.


    "True, I would be shaking in fear had I been any less determined." I answered as I felt sweat dripping from my forehead as I waited for them to break the ceiling and enter, as my monstrous body''s giant mouth expanded, Qi generating the most poisonous and deadly nectar I could create.


    My heart was beating wildly, I felt it would burst as I felt fear and excitement continue to rise so strongly inside my very being.


    Suddenly, instincts flared, as the sensation of danger, along with a strange sensation of the sheer want to prey on the enemy made themselves known.


    It''s close... It''s close, so close!


    I could almost feel the different Qi that seemed to roar in defiance closing, as if trying to reach us.


    "Come! Xie Clan Elders!" I whispered so faintly even Mei Wu didn''t even hear me, though she sensed what I wanted.


    And then... the ceiling shattered as if made of glass.


    My eyes widened only slightly as I sent a torrent of pollen and poisonous nectar towards the enemy, and Mei Wu''s beast, under her command, gleefully floating to utterly gouge out the impurities of the enemies, with no intent of making the process harmless.


    Two seconds had passed since the beginning of our attack.


    "Ghk!"


    "Ack!"


    Two voices, one sounding old, and another distinctively feminine yet seemed practically non-existent as if muffled or silenced, echoed, as if pained. I and Mei Wu noticed as Qi, different from the one filling the nectar I unleashed, was making itself known. Massive, and wild, Qi that seemed to want to bite at something.


    And from that Qi, a part of it seemed to be syphoned, or more accurately, painfully ripped out. No, this wasn''t the Qi, exactly.


    Impurities, at least some of them, were forcefully taken.


    Our first attack was a success, and while we hoped that this would be the end of it, it was not to be.


    "They''re coming!" Mei Wu whispered as she gripped her daggers harder, and I prepared myself, my vines and oversized leaves on the ready.


    "Ha!" a voice that seemed more like a roar hit our ears, and the Qi rose, and with a burst, my nectar and pollen seemed, for the lack of better word, to detonate, splattering across the wall and the ground, yet it didn''t reach us.


    "So that''s Xie Yao, huh. And he came ready for war..." I spoke, as I gave a determined yet worried smile.


    ''Interesting...'' the Queen Bee, despite not planning to get involved in our fight right away, declared. Clearly, she was curious about this. Honestly, the interest she was giving was somehow fitting yet odd at the same time.


    "Yeah, I never saw him like this before. He''s really planning to go all out here." Mei Wu spoke, as she too looked at our opponent. One of them, at least, since the other one had long hidden herself probably before the fight even began.


    In front of us, was a monster. One that looked almost human, but did not belong to one, it seemed. Arms that seemed to be made of silver-colored metal and iron, with sharp claws, and the same thing was with the legs. The robe that Mei Wu told me the elders of the Xie clan usually wear was tattered, showing a chest that was so full of muscles, all now made of solid metal that I knew would easily shatter normal diamond. Many scars seemed to fill his chest, a proof of the many battles he must have fought, and survived.


    The only wound he had was a small hole just below his chest, from where the Impurity Eater''s ability forced the impurities out of his system, and I was sure his Qi pathways were rather damaged by that.


    Yet, I couldn''t sense him showing that pain at all.


    "Well, this is a problem..." the man, looking to be in his fifties, but no doubt older, spoke. No longer did he seem to be in pain from the poison that must be in his system, but to assume that he had nothing to protect himself from poison is also foolish. He only looked at us, nothing but steely determination on his face, also taking a metallic silvery sheen, as a giant and sharp horn was protuding from his forehead.


    A shiver ran down my and Mei Wu''s spine at that. I didn''t know if it was due to fear or something else, but I was certain that the fight would be very difficult for us, especially when...


    "Retreat!"


    My instincts screamed at me as I stepped back, dragging Mei Wu with me via one of my vines the moment she gave the order, as a moment later, the ground where I just was cracked, and I sensed as if a presence made itself known to me, but it then disappeared just as quickly.


    "That''s definitely the other elder, Xie Xiu. She has a concealing technique or a beast for sure." I found myself speaking, my senses trying to find the hidden woman, but no luck. It seemed that only Mei Wu''s ridiculously sensitive Qi sensing ability could smell the elusive woman and her beasts.


    ''As promised,'' my body tensed as the Queen Bee''s intent made itself clear as I could feel her retreating by a dozen meters, ''I will let you fight as you desire. Don''t die, that''s an order.''


    "..." I saw as Xie Yao seemed almost a bit more relaxed as the Queen Bee retreated back, no doubt liking this development. His expression though didn''t change at all, and his aura seemed as fierce as ever, and he suddenly looked towards Mei Wu, and I noticed her almost stiffen for a second as I moved my vines around her in an almost-protective manner in case we got attacked by the hidden female elder.


    "So that''s where you were, huh." he spoke seriously to her, voice harder than any steel, "From how you act, you seem to have long abandoned our clan. I also presume Xie Li is dead, right?"


    "Whether he''s dead or not won''t change my fate if I lost or surrendered, would it?" Mei Wu retorted with a grin.


    "Not at all." he admitted, "But I just wanted to be certain."


    With that, in a second, he summoned his Grimoire. I couldn''t even determine if he summoned it in an instant, or if he was taking his time to focus by talking to us.


    And in a flash, a silver-ranked level 4 Saber-toothed Blazing Tiger made itself known, roaring with ferocity as the area immediately turned hot, the remains of my poisonous nectar burning and turning into nothing.


    I instinctively retreated along with Mei Wu as we saw Xie Yao''s body grow in height even more, nearly reaching four meters, almost reaching the ceiling, muscles bulging even further, and now, he looked as if he was furious. We couldn''t even notice the beast he brought out to do this, such was how quick he was when it came to summoning his beasts


    I gulped, yet neither I or Mei Wu retreated more than a few steps. Thus, the fight began in earnest as I initiated the fight once more, with the Impurity Eater returning to our side, and using its second ability to enhance the purity of our Qi as it expanded and allowed me and Mei Wu in its domain.


    "Natura Aeterna Nirvana."


    "Malignant Tumor Apoptosis."


    And our determination shone.

 Chapter 40: First battle exchange

    Despite his furious and strict expression, Xie Yao wasn''t lying when he said that the situation he and that brat Xie Xiu were at was a particularly huge problem.


    Expecting hundreds of insect-type bee beasts? Completely logical. Multiple Bronze-ranked and Silver-ranked beasts? That, too was expected, though a lot more dangerous.


    A Gold-ranked Level 6 Queen Bee? He and Xie Xiu did not expect it. A Gold-ranked beast was a rather reasonable assessment, but it seemed that they underestimated the threat by an order of magnitude or two, even if it made sense for them.


    Why would a beast so powerful even be here, and not in the Tong Tian Tower? Gold-ranked beasts could naturally spawn in the Soaring Dragon Continent, sure, but only really weak ones. Anything above Gold-ranked Level 4 was almost impossible to spawn naturally on the continent, let alone a beast that was on the level of a Golden King Beast. That Queen Bee won''t be possible to defeat for him and Xie Xiu, and adding to that the many Silver-ranked beasts, it was a loss no matter what.


    Thankfully, it seemed that the Queen Bee wasn''t interested in fighting them, and he only has to deal with the alraune and Mei Wu. That though, had it''s own problems...


    ''Truly, it seems like the heavens are attempting to wipe us out today.'' he swore in his heart even as he kept glaring at the human and the alraune. A Gold-ranked beast, and a plant-type to boot. This was already an area he had no idea how to deal with. Bronze-ranked plant-type beasts were ridiculously rare, let alone any that were of a higher rank, and even he had only seen the Bronze-ranked Level 5 Hundred Years Old Treant Defender before during a trip in a forest located on the third floor of the Tong Tian Tower.


    An alraune, he knew about them, but in his knowledge, almost all of them are killed to use their cores to feed better beasts, or to use their petals and blood to make some weak healing pills, or aphrodisiacs.


    This alraune, already reaching the Gold rank, humanoid, and being literally able to speak, made her a highly dangerous enemy, especially since she was the one that threw that torrent of poison towards him and Xie Xiu when they forcefully entered.


    It was a really strong poison, indeed, and had he not summoned his Silver-ranked Level 5 Metal Rhinoceros, which was highly resistant to such things, and fused with it before he entered, that would have been a much bigger problem. And as for that irritating woman, her Camouflage Chameleon could resist poison just fine, and give its contractor a similar resistance, so she was fine when it came to that as well.


    Mei Wu though, was, in his opinion, a very deadly threat. He has no idea what beast she had, the one that seemed to be nothing but circles rotating around her and the alraune, but it was the one that gave the most severe damage to the two. Which is why he summoned his Silver-ranked Level 4 Saber-toothed Blazing Tiger, and his other strengthening-type beast, the Silver-ranked Level 3 Violent Ogre, giving him a huge boost in stamina, Qi, and power along with increasing his size to nearly four meters.


    ''That beast of Mei Wu, it''s just so dangerous.'' he thought as he prepared for the fight, knowing that the human and alraune would make their moves in the next few seconds. ''It literally ripped and mangled a part of my Qi pathways. Truly, an abnormal beast.''


    The injury, small as it is, wouldn''t really impede him too much right now. While his reserves diminished slightly, he could still fight properly, and his body was still operating normally thanks to the support of his beasts. The pathways though, these would take months of dedicated cultivation to heal after this. And even then, some damage might remain.


    ''Xie Xiu though must be having a much harder time...'' he thought. That woman was definitely using more of her reserves to both fix the injury, and to keep up with her usual performance, now that the injury was limiting her abilities even more since the poison was still in her system.


    ''If only this woman''s talent showed up back when she was in the clan, it would have been a good talent to nurture.'' he lamented in his heart, not showing anything on his strict face.


    But, there was no medicine for regret, and even if there was, he would have no time to take it, as the pink-haired woman and the alraune began their attack.


    "Natura Aeterna Nirvana." the alraune spoke, a language that was foreign to him, and right away, he raised her threat level by a few orders. A beast that could cultivate. That was dangerous, extremely so. This alraune got even more abnormal in his mind. Had she been a Holy Beast or Platinum-ranked, he would have ran away. Thankfully, she did not reach that level yet.


    Yet, he had no time to even notice the changes in the atmosphere, as another one seemed to take place even faster.


    "Malignant Tumor Apoptosis." Mei Wu, a woman that was, according to witnesses and what he had seen, only a Level 1 [Apprentice], was now showing enough power to fight a beginner Level 3 [Hero] a good challenge, and she had somehow gotten a technique that seemed so illogical.


    ''What is this!?'' he thought with shock as Qi, emanating from the human woman, spread around, and the flames made by his Saber-toothed Blazing Tiger slowly disignegrated the moment Mei Wu''s energy made contact, as if they never existed.


    Become weak. Become weak. Be crushed, and cease to exist. In my word, my enemies shall become weaker than me, and be wiped out without any amount of defiance.


    He could almost hear the intent of the Qi as it reached him, trying to forcefully weaken his reserves. It was not as if he was being drained of his energy, or that his own body was being pressured, like how those far stronger could subdue others just by the pressure of their Qi.


    Mei Wu''s attack only seemed to directly target the Qi of those around her specifically, the ones she deemed an enemy, as if forcefully trying to make the Qi dormant and unusable in her presence.


    Had he been merely a Level 3 [Hero], this attack would have probably destabilized his focus and power, and thus, his connection to his beasts, long enough to be unsummoned, and then he would be practically turned into a normal human, and would be killed by the alraune''s next torrent of poison that she unleased.


    But, he was Xie Yao, a Level 5 [Grandmaster].


    "This level of attack, it''s nothing!" he bellowed.


    His reserves that were being forced to become dormant immediately rose higher, defying Mei Wu''s technique as he rushed head-first at the duo. The wave of poison that seemed to be as wide as the corridor they were in, was broken through with only the slightest amount of damage, determined to punch a hole through the human woman and her friend.


    "Grand Rhino''s Fist!" his left fist glowed with power and vigour, with enough power to instantly kill a beginner Level 4 [Champion] with ease. If this attack hit Mei Wu, she would have a hole where she was hit. Defending against it with her own body was a death sentence.


    The woman though did nothing more than retreating a couple of steps even as she looked terrified yet determined.


    Mei Wu didn''t need to worry about facing this thing at all. Someone else is capable of dealing with it.


    Qi giving the feeling of nature oozed as from Kasumi Ai''s body, multiple thick branches vibrant and full of life, rushed towards the fist to intercept it.


    "Khh! Gaaahh!" the fist doesn''t seem to stop, as it feels more like an unstoppable force against the thick and sturdy branches, as it almost crossed the entire distance, nearly hitting the fragile-looking, human body of the alraune, yet, somehow Xie Yao''s fist stops, losing all momentum right at the last moment. And even more so, his fist had been injured by the alraune, a small wound opening into it.


    Normally, it would be a trivial thing, but the poison, paralytic and potent, directly pumped into his body, caused him to freeze for only a second, his arm numb and immobile.


    His body would move a second later, but that was more than enough for the alraune to kick him away, and score some hits while at it.


    "Ai''er!" Mei Wu''s Apoptosis Qi pulses as she screamed the name of her partner, and Xie Yao winced as he felt the effect of whatever beast the woman had as if it was gouging out something from his Qi, painfully and brutally, and he resisted the urge to groan as his Qi almost faltered, the wound on his arm getting deeper in return.


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    ''Damn it!'' he inwardly groaned as his leg, now mobile, kicked at the alraune''s monstrous body. But it was too late.


    "Get lost!" with the same unrecognizable language, she roared as a branch larger than before whipped at him with a force worthy of being an attack belonging to a Gold-ranked beast, she hit him hard enough to make him grunt and force him to be thrown nearly a dozen meters away, but he did not let her off without any consequence, as while his leg missed the intended target of caving the monstrous body''s head in, he managed to hit the flower petals protecting the green-haired beast''s human body.


    Just right then, Xie Xiu attacked as well, her Camouflage Chameleon''s tongue extending, still invisible, directed towards Mei Wu, the biggest problem in this fight, now that the Queen Bee and her army of beasts were a lot farther and didn''t seem to have any plans to intervene at the moment.


    With that power-negating technique, combined with her Qi senses that were so sharp she noticed Xie Xiu''s first attack, she was the most troubling opponent, even more so in Xie Xiu''s case, since she preferred attacking from distance, and that she couldn''t risk getting too close due to the injury she sustained when the two elders entered the hive.


    ''Tch!'' Xie Xiu clicked her teeth as she kept her Qi both blazing yet hidden. This was already more effort than she expected against a mere Level 3 [Hero]. She shouldn''t even be spending any effort to hide her presence from an enemy of this level.


    Unfortunately, it was clear that the former Xie clan member had an ability that seemed to just downgrade and weaken other energies around her, and it was honestly terrifying, and it seemed that the best way to counter it is for one to flare their energy at a higher level than what Mei Wu could generate.


    That, on its own, was easy enough for Xie Xiu, since she still eclipsed Mei Wu in power. But staying hidden, concealing her presence, while resisting the effects of the Apoptosis Qi was not an easy feat, even if she still could do it. Adding to that the wound to her qi pathways, while not immediately severe, would definitely affect her later.


    Honestly, it was too ridiculous of a power set for the pink-haired woman to have. Which is why she must be defeated quickly, and thus, the Camouflage Chameleon''s tongue extended to hit the human woman. Even if she wasn''t killed, she would be thrown away from her partner, and would be crushed by Xie Xiu that way.


    "Like hell!" Mei Wu rose to the challenge, having already sensed the attack, her arms and dagger imbued by her Qi slashing at the large tongue with accuracy.


    The tongue, already getting too close to Mei Wu than it should, was experiencing a huge limitation in the form of the Qi in it diminishing rapidly. For a fraction of a second it became visible as it collided with Mei Wu''s daggers.


    Mei Wu gritted her teeth as her body was pushed back only a few steps, her arms feeling as if they were dislocated from the force as the tongue retreated, barely scratched by the sharpness of the daggers. Even when her technique lowered the power of a Silver-ranked Level 3 beast to nearly half of it, the amount of power it had was still dangerous and outrageous for a mere warrior whose power only reached that of a Level 3 [Hero].


    ''Truly, this woman is a problem. If only this potential was shown before...'' Xie Xiu almost sighed. She almost felt jealous of this youngster, who not only had an abnormal beast, most likely her Guardian Beast, thus it won''t truly die unless Mei Wu bit the dust, but the young woman had a an ability to nullify the powers of anyone around her, as long as they didn''t eclipse her by a large margin.


    ''That would have been a nice talent to nurture. It''s practically the most desired ability for anyone who can hide their presence well! Shame that I have to kill her. I would have loved to have someone with such an ability with me.'' lamenting once more, she once more stood almost still on her beast, the giant chameleon moving across the walls, searching for the best way to attack as its summoner mentally ordered.


    "This is indeed a problem, Xie Yao." Kasumi Ai spoke as she immediately used one of her vines, and barely pierced Mei Wu''s back, pumping a tiny amount of healing nectar and in a second, the arms that felt as if they were broken were now healed, as Mei Wu only nodded in gratitude, her focus on Xie Yao who was already prepared to attack once more, and the elusive Xie Xiu.


    "I guess it''s our turn now. Let''s see how you handle this, Xie Clan Elders!" Ai now commenced the attack, as the Nature Qi that was always present since the start of the fight thickened, not being impeded by the Apoptosis Qi at all.


    Xie Yao pondered if he should have his Saber-toothed Blazing Tiger to throw fire at them as he was preparing to attack, when he felt it.


    From the the ground, walls, and the ashes that were made by his beast''s flames burning Kasumi Ai''s poison, plant life started to grow and expand.


    Vines, flowers, branches. All of them would grow by her will. Whether the place they grew on was a fertile soil or a large rock, it made no difference. There will be plants capable of growing in even the harshest environments, so the area did not even matter, especially for some of the more stubborn and resilient plants and trees.


    With Ai''s ability to affect plant life, such a thing was easy to do, not to mention that being an alraune, a being who can already create any part of any plant or tree she consumed, that only made this ability stronger.


    "How annoying." Xie Xiu felt irritation as the flora started growing rapidly, consuming the walls, ceiling and the ground, and her Camouflage Chameleon moved to avoid a blast of poisonous nectar thrown at her, along with a thorny vine swung at her.


    ''My Camouflage Chameleon''s invisibility, while it can hide its figure and sound, it can''t really work on any sensory or touch-related abilty. This Alraune can obviously sense through her plants, so my primary advantage is severely hampered!'' she inwardly groaned as the plants grew fiercely where she landed, trying to immobilize her and her beast.


    They did nothing to her, naturally. The plants were simply not strong enough to actually bind her or her Camouflage Chameleon. But, if she let them grow indefinitely, then in this enclosed space, even she would be taking a lot of damage, especially since her Qi pathways were still damaged, and she was still fighting against the Apoptosis.


    "Truly, small areas like these are bad for me." she muttered as she avoided a thick branch, not daring to be hit by it. She wasn''t fragile by any means, but she wasn''t as sturdy as that old fart who was fused with two strong resilient beasts, along with having his already high physical prowess.


    A Gold-ranked beast like this alraune should not be underestimated.


    Xie Yao seemed to reach the same conclusion already, as he growled, his huge form stomping on the plant life that was rising and trying to entwine and immobilize him, the ground cracking under his effort as if made of charcoal, his tiger was already burning the ones around it as well even as the flora kept growing from the ashes, stubbornly seeking their prey.


    A Bronze-ranked Level 5 beast would have already been killed by these overgrown plants, and so would anyone below a Level 3 [Hero] in strength. Such was the power of Ai''s move.


    "You truly gained a lot of growth, Mei Wu." Xie Yao suddenly praised her. Surprisingly, the praise felt extremely genuine and honest.


    "What?" she faltered for only the smallest of moments, not enough to attack her or Ai, especially with her Qi still permeating the area around her.


    "Hey, are we really doing this now?" Ai spoke, almost not believing how the monster in front of her changed from a furious beast to a guy that practically oozed praise to her beloved.


    Xie Yao though ignored her, not even comprehending her words despite noticing her tone, as he took another stance, preparing to attack. "I almost feel jealous of how fast you grew. In only a month or slightly less, you grew from a mere [Apprentice] to a [Hero]. As your former elder, I shall still acknowledge this talent."


    Many people would feel jealous of such a development. Many would love nothing but to attempt to steal and suppress such potential. Not him, though. To him, who was extremely loyal to his clan, and yet understood the limit of one''s efforts and talents, and had long gotten used to his place in life for the most part, he felt proud of the former Xie clan member for attaining such power.


    The heavens were unfair, for certain. Yet, they do at times reward their victims for the misfortune they suffered. He felt it was worthy of praise that people are even able to survive until the heavens decide to reward their efforts.


    A foolish concept, maybe, but he was proud of it, regardless. Which is why, he at least would fight Mei Wu and her companion with his full strength, and give that brat Xie Xiu some help while at it.


    "Ai''er."


    "I know."


    The two guarded themselves, more than they already were, as he took a deep breath, Qi rising and raging like the beast he looked as right now, his leg about to rise and then he struck.


    ''Wait, he''s not truly aiming at us!'' Mei Wu, already sensing how his Qi, and his emotions to a lesser extent, widened her eyes in shock. ''what he is targeting is...!''


    "Let''s change the battlefield a bit! Earth Shattering Kick!" a blast of power pulsed from his leg, some of it moving towards the duo who easily defended thanks to Ai''s sturdy branches. But that wasn''t the purpose of it.


    The leg, thick as a human''s torso, hit the ceiling, shattering it as if hitting glass. An area equalling to a few dozens of meters radius was wiped out, leaving the hive''s hideout practically exposed.


    ''Wh- what...? The hell?'' Ai thought baffled, Mei Wu equally shocked by this turn of event. She did not expect him to decide to change the area''s structure right away.


    And more worryingly, now Xie Xiu has a far wider area to move around. Not a good thing at all.


    ''Damn it. This is so problematic. Though it''s not without positives, I guess.'' she pondered, knowing that she won''t need to worry about some of her stronger and newer attacks targeting Mei Wu. If she got a chance to use them, that is.


    ''Hope the Queen Bee isn''t utterly mad at the destruction our determination to fight first had caused.'' with such thoughts, she noticed as Xie Xiu left her previous spot on the wall, and nimbly moved with her Camouflage Chameleon outside.


    ''The Queen Bee is pissed...'' Mei Wu thought, paled as she noticed the murderous intent as deep as an ocean, yet still deeply controlled by her so-called boss. Clearly, she was not amused by this stunt. Better try to finish this as soon and as safely as possible, to apologize for the mess her and Ai''s choice caused, even indirectly.


    "Now, let''s begin once more." Xie Yao spoke, as he rushed at them, this time, his Saber-toothed Blazing Tiger with him, while Xie Xiu''s Qi rose, having already purged Ai''s poison from her system, and preparing to summon another of her beasts.


    And thus, the fight began once more.

 Chapter 41

    You know what? I feel that I really need to question my own sanity, at this point.


    Now, since I was reborn, I thought I was a rather level-headed woman and a rather rational alraune. Well, there were moments where logic seemed to vanish from my head, but for the most part, I believed that I was being rational.


    Sadly, or probably not, maybe agreeing to fight two Level 5 [Grandmasters], who both have powerful beasts and techniques, was not the most logical or optimal decision, even if my instincts told me back then that I must conquer my fears and fight for the future, or something like that.


    At the moment though, a small part of me seemed to almost mock me for not letting the Queen Bee murder the Xie clan guys and be done with it. But, a slightly louder part wanted me to fight for real and grow stronger, because this enemy is one that I could defeat with the help of Mei Wu.


    Already, the two elders were damaged, their pathways damaged due to the Impurity Eater painfully ripping the impurities out of them. Xie Yao in particular would have his power affected for months after this fight, if he either escaped or managed to kill us.


    Not that I or Mei Wu preferred either outcome, and I had the feeling that the Queen Bee won''t allow it. But regardless, we must do our best in this fight, while staying alive, and as safe as possible.


    Something that seemed rather impossible when Xie Yao decided to rush at us, now with his Saber-toothed Blazing Tiger after he shattered the ceiling, giving a better space to maneuver for that invisibility-loving Xie Xiu.


    The tiger roared, flames burning at the plants my Qi was growing and regrowing, the distance between us almost crossed in only a couple of seconds, as it directed itself towards me while Xie Yao seemed to be interested in attacking Mei Wu.


    ''Admittedly, a good plan.'' I thought, ''I could definitely kill that tiger, but it would take way more than a few seconds for that to happen. The best I could in only a couple of seconds is to stop its attack. I won''t be able to stop these two at the same time.''


    "Ai''er!" Mei Wu shouted as Xie Yao''s hulking figure and his beast were about to hit us, her Qi pulsing, and I felt the difference in what she wanted to do compared to merely throwing the Apoptosis Qi and the Impurity Eater at the two monsters about to hit us.


    "Haa!" I instinctively shouted as I ignored the flames of the Saber-toothed Blazing Tiger as they hit my body, and its stinging bite on my monstrous body, its teeth piercing through my body, both my faces grimacing as I focused on creating thick and sturdy branches to stop Xie Yao''s terrifying bullrush, standing in his way as he was determined to hit my lover with enough force to instantly murder her and brutalize her body at the same time.


    The pressure was honestly immense. My branches, thick and full of energy and with the most lethal poisons, paralytic and plain deadly, running through them, creaked at the pressure he exuded, almost giving in and breaking apart. More branches and vines, thorny and sharp, entwined and circled tightly around him, almost digging into his skin, as I was doing my best to stop this raging bull''s advance, even as I threw toxic pollen at him while at it. If he inhaled them, and continued to be hit by my poisonous nectars, I was certain that even his resistances to poison would not be able to keep up.


    Xie Yao though didn''t seem to care that I managed to stop him -barely at that-, and if he was affected by my pollen or their rather awful taste, he didn''t show it. Instead, with a face that seemed to be made of granite, he pulled back his absolutely massive arm as power pulsed through his figure to crush me.


    If this hit me head on, I would be dead, no questions asked. Naturally, I didn''t plan to wait for him to continue as I blasted his body with another torrent of poison even if its effects won''t be visible or as useful at the moment, making sure to control it so that no single drop falls on Mei Wu, who had already made her move.


    Xie Xiu had already summoned another beast of hers, one that my instincts as a beast ''remembered'' it was called the Venomous Viper, a giant purple snake that was capable of throwing highly potent poison along with acid from its mouth, and I was certain its bite was extremely dangerous. A Silver-ranked Level 4 existence that to me, is more dangerous due to the acid than the poison it could make, since being an alraune meant that I could resist its poison just fine, especially since I was a Gold-ranked existence myself, eclipsing it by a rank, and had I been a Level 4 instead of Level 1, I was certain that my presence would be able to pressure it a bit.


    Sadly for her, she had no time to actually attack since Mei Wu''s attack against Xie Yao started.


    "Tumor Mandala!" she shouted as she jumped right in front of the hulking monster that was about to punch my human body into oblivion, even as my branches tightened their hold on him, yet his body seemingly not even registering my efforts to bind him in place.


    "The same trick wo- Gh! Ghah!?" the elder''s hulking figure shuddered as his arm stopped right when it barely touched Mei Wu, as a sound boom echoed from that slight contact, my lover''s body immediately hitting the ground and cracking it. The energy in the fist, once vibrant and powerful, dulled massively, and became tainted. As if the energy itself was being contaminated by an insidious force, which was exactly what was happening.


    Mei Wu''s Inherent Skill, Tumor Mandala. The ability to create impurities and augment them, this was what she had just used right now, to enhance the impurities in Xie Yao''s body, particularly in his attacking arm and shoulder, nearly spending more than half of her reserves to make the process monstrously fast.


    Impurities aren''t exactly a good thing to have in a cultivator''s body, after all, and if too many impurities suddenly appeared in one''s body, then it was going to give a negative effect. Right now, the qi coating Xie Yao''s arm looked as if black cracks were running through it, and neither the Impurity Eater nor me ignored this chance, Mei Wu''s beast once more brutally feeding on the impurities on his arm, so violently a finger was almost ripped out of the offending fist, stopping him for only a couple of seconds as he grunted, and I swung my vines right into the fragile flesh, inserting more doses of poison into the wounds as drops of his blood fell on the ground.


    ''Get lost!'' with such thought, I immediately threw him away with all my strength all the way into the wall of the hive almost out of it, honestly, the few seconds of him being immobile making it easy to do such a thing.


    Sadly, this success didn''t come with immediate consequences.


    "Ghk! Ah, uk!" Mei Wu spat blood, the pain of being hit by the Xie Yao. Even if it was barely a hit, the difference between their levels was too much, not to mention the fact that she used the majority of her reserves to induce the impurities into the Xie clan elder.


    "Wu-chan!" I screamed as my vines moved towards her figure as she had already hit the ground, and I was sure I heard the cracking of her ribs. She was visibly in a great amount of pain, and I was honestly terrified out of my mind.


    This was the first time I saw her take such damage, the first time I saw her in such physical pain, seemingly so close to death. I just didn''t like that sight at all.


    And thus, I didn''t hesitate to use my own body as a shield as the Venomous Viper''s acid and poison was unleashed toward us. My monstrous body screamed as the acid burned the skin, and I protected my human body with the usage of a blast of nectar, that I then threw at the Saber-toother Blazing Tiger that was still biting and trying to burn my monstrous body, before piercing it with a thorny vine full of even more poison then throwing it away in the direction of its master.


    "You won''t die! I won''t permit it!" I yelled, holding tears as I all but pierced her body with a vine to inject my healing nectar into her blood. This would give much better results than having her drink it, after all.


    "Kuh, gha!" color returned to her body, as she caughed the blood still inside her mouth, her reserves filling rapidly, as the Apoptosis Qi returned with vigour, imposing her will on her enemies with as much power and determination she could muster.


    "Thank you, Ai''er..." she spoke with gratitude as she quickly stood on her legs once more.


    "No need to thank me." I muttered, as while a pair of my eyes was looking at my beloved, the other was paying attention to Xie Yao and his beasts.


    The man seemed to be even more upset than he was before, if the way he was making quick glances towards his arm that was filled of impurities. And this time, he didn''t seem to bother speaking to us.


    I wondered if he is thinking that fighting us is too risky at this point. So far, he had seen Mei Wu''s technique, her Guardian Beast, and was just a moment ago experiencing the effects of her Tumor Mandala skill. All of these were highly dangerous even for an enemy at his level, and had he been even a mere Level 4 [Champion], he would have most likeky been dead right now by the damage. He must know by now how problematic to fight us.


    Will he try to escape? That sounded like a logical conclusion, honestly. The best move in my opinion would be escaping then bringing backup capable of actually killing us in seconds. And that''s without including the Queen Bee and her army, which I had long lost any sign of where they are. I know that the Queen Bee was certainly here in the hive, probably concealing herself by her honey, but I don''t feel that the Protector Bees are as numerous as they were before.


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    "Really, this is a seriously troubling battle." his voice rumbled as he felt as if he was getting more and more pissed by the second? No, more irritated, it seems. Yet, I felt as if he was praising us as well? It was honestly a bit confusing, especially with all the adrenaline, or its equivalent rushing through my body as my healing nectars were also injected into my own body to heal it.


    Thank goodness that the my healing nectars restore more energy than I spend making them, and with my healing skills being boosted by the Heasy plant-type beast I ate in the first week or so since I was reborn, we would be able to survive as long as the damage isn''t too severe to heal and neither I or Mei Wu are dead.


    "Kuha! Thanks for the praise, elder. Glad I could be such an irritating cancer cell in your eyes." Mei Wu talked even as her body was still healing, blood still leaking out of her mouth, and I felt as her ribs were healing with my vine still attached to her.


    I was honestly surprised by how easily she could joke in this situation, and yet a part of me was proud for her showing that much spite and defiance in the face of this strong enemy. It was frankly amazing how people in this world could easily have such willpower even against overwhelming odds. Then again, I was one of them too.


    "Hmph. I guess one can always enjoy the simple pleasures in battle." he retorted, barely giving his tiger a surprisingly calm yet soft glance before he took a stance, as if preparing for an attack.


    I readied all my weapons, vines, oversized leaves, nectars, to stop him. Mei Wu as well prepared her skills and beast to attack with if he rushed at us.


    "Here I come!" he crouched down, power, rather filled with impurities yet still monstrous and devastating, clear in his form. His beasts were as resilient as him, I was certain. I wonder how strengthening-type beasts truly work...


    I had no more time to ponder, before he moved, and jumped really high with a surprising grace and now was out of the hive as he stood on the lush greenery! I immediately raised my guard for his attack that never came even after seconds of waiting!


    ... Wait, what?


    I blinked, almost dropping my guard due to the utterly unexpected move. Xie Yao looked at us completely smug, a smirk on his face that seemed more like he made a successful prank on a friend than a nasty smirk that promised torture, and even more surprising, Xie Xiu suddenly appeared alongside him sitting on her Camouflage Chameleon and her Venomous Viper slithering next to her, making the exact smirk on her face.


    "... Huh?" even Mei Wu seemed baffled by the sudden move. I just couldn''t see or feel what they planned.


    "What, what just happened?" I asked no one, even as my instincts warned me that they are planning something.


    "I can''t read what they plan to do..." Mei Wu whispered as she focused her senses to try and decipher what they''re trying to do. "I know that they''re not planning to escape, their Qi is too determined for that. I''m certain they will throw a surprise at us soon!"


    "Do you really have that little faith in us, brat?" we looked at Xie Yao, who looked amused even with the damage he had received from us. "That really wounds me. I don''t really have the patience to do such surprise attacks for the most part. It''s just bothersome. Honestly, I would have been glad you two either died before, or surrendered, so I could then return to enjoying my days without dealing with this headache you two caused me."


    He''s stalling, I realized. Despite what he said, I easily sensed the lie from a mile away. He definitely has no problem being tricky, and what he just did before proved it.


    My instinct was almost screaming at me that something horrible will happen. My heart was beating so quickly and strongly I felt it would liquefy from the stress as I didn''t dare to make any move due to whatever trick they might pull.


    "They''re going to attack. They will attack. I can sense it, every instinct of my body tells me that they will attack any second now, and it would be something terrifying." Mei Wu muttered loud enough for me to hear, as she held her Grimoire tightly, eyes darting around trying to notice every foreign Qi not belonging to me or her around.


    The voice of a hiss was what broke the building tension, as the Venomous Viper was the one that attacked, throwing a large torrent of acid and poison.


    I immediately tried to ignore my instinct as it kept yellling in my head as I moved to intercept the attack with my nectar-


    "Ai''er, below!" a hysterical and urgent voice screamed so loudly I almost didn''t realize it was Mei Wu who screamed as she was almost about to jump, and I followed her.


    Unfortunately, it was too late.


    The ground where we were standing cracked and almost exploded, as a giant thing, no- a monstrously large beast slammed into us. An abnormally large worm was throwing us high in the air.


    From the single glance I could get, it was an earthly brown massive worm, it''s mouth the side that it hit us with was roughly five meters in diameter. Easily wider than my monstrous body''s length.


    I couldn''t even know how long that beast was, but I was certain it must be easily longer than a dozen meters. I didn''t even have time to have my instinct tell me what it was, as I and my lover were thrown in the air so high, it almost felt dizzying. I barely managed to catch Mei Wu with a branch lest we get separated.


    "So that''s their plan!? They planned to ambush us with another beast!?" I screamed, feeling hysterical myself. This was easily the worst shock I had ever experienced in this life.


    "No! What they''re trying to do-!" Mei Wu shouted as I followed her sight-


    Xie Yao, while we were panicking, had already jumped, and he was already about to reach us!


    "Use the Halo Shield! Protect yourself!" I almost ordered as I tried to move as much of my natural weapons to deflect him. He was already too close for me to be able to safely stop him, and I didn''t have any solid ground to hold myself onto too!


    Mei Wu did not even retort or argue, and she amassed some Qi to summon the Halo Shield. If she summoned it, it would protect her-


    "Leopard''s Brutal Hunt." a cruel yet calm voice cut my thoughts, as I felt it. Power rushing through that currently giant monster that is Xie Yao. Suddenly, speed or distance didn''t seem to matter to him.


    And my world was consumed by fear at what would happen now.


    ''No... No. No no no no! This is absurd!'' My heart was filled with terror. He will reach us before Wu-chan could protect herself!


    I will not allow that to happen!


    With all my effort, I dragged my beloved behind me, a distance I knew that these arms will never reach. Ignoring her panicked and horrified look, ignoring her screaming my name even as she tried painfully to claw her way out of my branches while she kept focusing on summoning her protective shield...


    "Ai''er!"


    "Heh..." I only chuckled at the situation as the vines and branches I threw as quick as I could, the poisonous nectars, all hit Xie Yao''s fist, and breaking as if they didn''t matter.


    And then I felt pain and followed by sudden numbness. I almost forgot what was happening, before my mind reminded me.


    My monstrous body was pierced, my mouth barely missed, as I tried to deflect as best as I could...


    Huh... No wonder that I feel as if I was digesting something. My acid is already trying to digest this guy''s arm...


    "... Ah?" I could only mutter numbly as he painfully ripped his hand out of me, my precious blood and acid violently spurting from my body, along with the healing nectar that is running in my veins too.


    It almost felt surreal, how... strange this all felt. Here I was, in the air, almost as if suspended, looking at the serious and strict glare of Xie Yao as he prepared to hit me again, as Mei Wu finally summoned her Halo Shield. She will be probably safe now. If only, she could stop screaming.


    "YOU TRAASHHH! I WILL BREAK AND RUIN YOU EVEN IF IT WAS THE ONLY THING I WILL DO IN MY LIFE! NOT EVEN A CELL OF YOUR BODY WILL REMAIN!!!" a torrent of noise barely recognizable to me was leaking from her mouth, and I was only able to understand anything out of that gibberish due to the sheer gigantic rage that seemed to explode and leak from her.


    I could faintly feel as she was clawing her way out of my vines as the Tumor Mandala seemed to almost explode from the sheer amount of power she was putting into it!


    And she threw her Impurity Eater while at it too! Hehe...


    Wu-chan, why are you so angry? It''s just a hole. I will- I will heal it soon, okay? I... I am not thinking rationally at the moment, aren''t I? Damn, it''s getting too hard to think...


    I tried to focus, to really focus, ignoring the static feeling of numbness that was consuming my body, my branches trying to catch her from the retaliation of that ogre guy, not even caring about the futility of it as she still had that shield-


    ''No... Think, you stupid alraune!'' my mind screamed at me, and I barely returned to the reality as I saw the ogre g- Xie Yao''s body was spasming, Qi seemingly so filled with impurities that I only noticed how he was loudly screaming in pain, almost as high as Mei Wu''s broken shriek.


    ''Wu... chan...'' I tried to raise my branches, vines, anything. Anything to stop Xie Yao from killing you with that arm...


    I could not even register the Halo Shield, my eyes not able to notice it through the pain, not even bothering to register it as the only thing I wanted was to protect her-


    Yet, I failed. The punch connected, yet surprisingly, she was not dead, and instead she was pushed onto me...?


    ... Ah, so she was protected, after all... And I and her were thrown far away, flying in the air, until a feeling of pain made itself known to my body.


    My instincts told me that we just hit the ground...?


    "...er! Ai''er! Ai''er! Answer me! Please!?" I could barely feel a hand holding my human body. It was just so warm, I''d love to just sleep and take a small nap...


    Even smiling hurt.


    "... Sorry, for worrying you..." I spoke honestly. It felt as if I was saying a goodbye, didn''t it? It was just so strange.


    "Ai''er! Don''t you dare die on me! I''m begging you! Please, don''t sleep!" I could hear the broken tone in that voice, even if my eyes were barely able to open.


    But, I am just so damn tire-


    "Hah? What''s this? You''re going to die like that?"


    I felt my body suddenly freeze at that. That voice... it''s mine? Who said that?


    "Are you seriously going to die without allowing me to play a bit? How cruel of you~! I guess I should take control of the wheel for now then, if you are this weak-willed?"


    And then, I felt it. Something deep, deep inside me. Inside my mind... Something was moving and crawling as if finally given the chance to actually do anything for a long time...


    What is... this? What is this thing that is emanating such a feeling of hunger and... lust?


    "Welcome, little princess~! Here''s the person, or identity that you were trying so hard to suppress~!" it just oozed with malicious glee. Something that was holding the same Nature Qi and abilities I had, but felt uncaring towards anything but primal hunger and desire...!


    Don''t tell me... This thing is...!


    "Kasumi Ai is what you call yourself as? Even in this world? Then, I think I should follow your example. Call me Jiko Ai, if you please. In other words, I am your Narcissism, and even more..."


    A feeling of terror consumed me as I could almost notice the piercing green eyes of mine seemingly gazing at me, mockingly as if finding it funny that I was dying so easily.


    "Your instincts~! Don''t worry~! I won''t break your little lover of you yet~!"


    Hearing that voice almost oozing with sadism, as I felt my control slip, I could only think of one single thought, hoping it would be reached no matter what...


    ''Wu-chan... run.''

 Chapter 42 (Version 2)

    This was not a good situation, Xie Xiu thought to herself as she was checking the downed body of the old man she so disliked yet begrudgingly respected.


    "Fuck. Old man, how did you let this happen to you, you idiot!?" she growled under her breath as her face took a furious yet bitter expression as she shifted his body to see what the hell he was dealing with, and how she could even begin to fix whatever she could.


    If she could, that is.


    Her mind kept repeating what just happened, over and over, as if trying to see where everything went wrong. Everything seemed alright when she tricked the former Xie clan member, Mei Wu and her non-contracted beast, that alraune with an attack with her Venomous Viper, only to then hit them with her silver-ranked level 4 Garguantuan Earth Worm, an absurdly large worm-like beast specializing in moving underground and is capable of hiding its presence while at it. It was almost impossible to sense when under the ground due to its natural skills at hiding since it lived in a harsh desert before she contracted and tamed it.


    That part of the fight, it was fine. She expected that the two would not die by such an ambush, which is why she told the Garguantuan Earth Worm not to swallow them.


    Mei Wu''s ability to force one''s energy and Qi to become dormant and nullified, along with that beast of hers that seemed to focus only on ripping apart the Qi pathways, and whatever poison the pink-haired woman seemed to generate to target the Qi and mess with it directly. And the terrifyingly intelligent alraune was a pit of poison and acid.


    Xie Xiu''s beast won''t be able to survive the attempt to swallow them, and would most likely fail at harming them effectively, since the alraune could easily protect Mei Wu while the pink-haired woman weakened the giant worm.


    Xie Yao then jumps rapidly towards the terrified woman and easily punches a hole through the alraune that intercepted his attack to protect Mei Wu, and Xie Xiu thought it was finally about to end.


    Except it didn''t.


    What happened afterwards was what she felt the most horrifying thing to ever deal with in that fight. Hate, hate, hate so massive and a shriek filled with so much venom that it almost felt like whoever Mei Wu was, changed into a monster that desired nothing but to taint and break anyone her gaze focused on, as whatever skill that seemed to degrade any ability to use Qi, suddenly went out of control, painfully forcing even Xie Xiu to a level where she was nothing but a weak human, if only for a second, her beasts almost being unsummoned because of that, had she not been so experienced.


    With a cruelty that seemed to only appear in a beast that lost all reason, whatever poison that Mei Wu could create, brutally invaded him, attacking every part of his body. So much power and energy being pumped by the screaming and beastly Mei Wu that seemed to lose all ability to think about anything but to murder him, that Xie Xiu was certain that it was only due to the alraune''s vine injecting healing nectar into the woman that allowed her to live through the usage of her own attack.


    An attack that would have emptied all of Mei Wu''s reserves a dozen times over, as she all but forced the poison inside of Xie Yao''s body, and then her beast hungrily and furiously followed, and Xie Xiu didn''t need to hear the ear-piercing scream of Xie Yao to realize how weakened he was, as he seemed to be barely capable of throwing Mei Wu, protected by her Grimoire''s Halo Shield, and the alraune so far away, before he dropped to the ground.


    And as she was right now inspecting the damage to the injured and almost unconscious Xie Yao, she realized just how brutal Mei Wu''s attack was.


    Xie Yao had already lost the ability to focus properly to summon his beasts, reverting him to his much weaker and smaller form. He no longer looked like a hulking mix between an ogre and a bipedal rhinoceros, which made a lot of sense, since he was literally like that when fused to both his strengthening-type beasts.


    Instead, he now looked like the old man he was. Nearly two meters tall, yet nothing seemed to inspire power or grace like he usually did in Xie Xiu''s opinion, as she was looking at his injuries with barely restrained horror, her face trying to appear furious as usual at him, yet failing to do that.


    The damage she was seeing was one that would be impossible to take lightly, even for one as tough as him.


    Parts of his body were practically stripped of flesh, showing the white bones to the world and blood was tainted black as it leaked from his body, a foul and repulsive smell emanating from it.


    A whole fist had almost all of the in it flesh taken away, the bones looking so fragile that a simple touch would break them, and there was an equally horrible rip in his stomach, as blood and stomach acid mixed, sizzling and giving a most disgusting odor. The flesh on his forehead was almost ripped apart the same way, and she wasn''t certain how he was still alive, since she could feel one of his eyes was about to leave its socket. Whatever attack that Mei Wu''s beast did, either it wasn''t serious at the start, or its power only increased the more Mei Wu seemed enraged, that was the only thing Xie Xiu could think of to explain why she and the old man were even still alive.


    If Mei Wu attacked with this brutality before, when she first threw her beast at them as they broke into the hive, Xie Xiu was certain they would be dead in seconds. Though that''s with the assumption that her idea on how Mei Wu''s beast works was correct, and she unfortunately had no time to think of that at the moment.


    And now that she could also get a much better idea on what Mei Wu''s ability was, Xie Xiu realized that Xie Yao''s Qi wasn''t poisoned, like she thought it was before.


    No, it was a more horrifying concept. Much to her disgust, it was pumped with impurities, so much that he was effectively crippled, and would take years, if not decades, of dedicated training and cultivation at the very least to purge them to a more manageable level, and even if he tried to do just that, Xie Xiu knew that he won''t be able to do so, because as she inspected the damage she noticed another problematic development.


    The Qi pathways were damaged, severely so. She was certain, even with her rather lackluster experience and skills in healing, that at least, some meridians were severely damaged, maybe even utterly broken.


    Maybe one of the far more experienced healers could fix and restore the flesh. Maybe they could even find a way, expensive or not, to purify the Qi and even possibly to mend the damaged qi pathways. But there would be no way to easily fix the damaged, or even destroyed meridians. Not unless there was some very unique and special pill or item that could allow such a thing.


    But, regardless of that, the point being, he will not be able to use his usual power for a long time. And who knows how his beasts are affected or will be, if he fused with them at this state. No matter what, his power and position in the sect would plummet due to these injuries.


    "Old man..." she muttered, deciding to use whatever she knew about healing to at least stabilize him for a while. It was by no way a lasting solution, but she knew how to deal with some of the impurities and at least close the wounds. She wasn''t a full-fledged expert when it came to healing, but she learned a few tricks during her life to deal with such things. If she could make a sudden experiment on herself to purge demonic Qi in her body right in the middle of a life-and-death battle, then she was more than prepared to take out foreign and harmful substances from the body of an old fossil such as him.


    Though naturally, she won''t be able to eject all the impurities and other poisons that he has in his system. She''s not experienced enough to try that and genuinely think she would succeed without killing him.


    Still, she had to do her best at least. Despite how much she disliked him, she would be rather upset about him actually dying, especially in a mission like this. He was still a part of the Xie clan, and a person she respects for his attitude and skills, even if she didn''t show it.


    "You... brat..."


    Even though she was shocked by the sudden call, almost jumping up due to the stress and effort she was making to at least halt the process of the poisons and impurities killing him. His voice sounded so soft and weak, extremely different than how he usually was, and she found herself hating it more than his usual condescending tone towards her.


    "Shut up old fossil." she bit scathingly even as she didn''t let go of his body as sweat trickled on her forehead from the concentration. "You just mangled yourself so badly I''m sure even the resources of the entire Four Great Clans won''t be able to fix you, you dumbass!"


    And she was genuinely honest about what she said, in her opinion. Even in the Da Xia Kingdom, there was a limit to how rare some resources are, and she doubted that even they could fix something like Xie Yao''s messed-up body.


    Xie Yao only laughed weakly, before coughing blood as black as the night. Even this was already taxing on his fragile state. "Do you think that just because I became crippled, I would simply die? Ghk!" more blood left his lips, yet he continued to smile even as the pain was almost unbearable.


    "You foolish woman, you should leave me here this instant. Either go and finish what we started, or escape and leave the forest with these youngsters. This is an order from your superior!" he glared at her, making it clear that he wasn''t interested in dealing with any arguments.


    She though only glared at him with the same intensity. "Don''t act so arrogant! If you want to die this much, you can probably court death in this state. But you better not think you can dictate my actions." she retorted angrily at him.


    Honestly, how callous can one be? He puts himself close to death, then acts so selfishly and rejects her efforts to heal his old body that should have disintegrated decades ago? What a joke!


    "Don''t be stupid, you brat!" he coughed and wheezed after that, and she only gritted her teeth in annoyance. Can''t he just shut up!? That would be far better really! Less time and effort spent on stabilizing him and keeping him alive that way.


    "You think the Queen Bee will continue to ignore us for so long? She''s already probably mobilizing her army of silver-ranked beasts! You know that, right?" he told her, and she only bit her lips at that, feeling bitter.


    "I know that." how couldn''t she? The first thing she did before even moving to deal with this stupid old man''s injuries was to command her Gargantuan Earth Worm to finish these two off.


    Unfortunately, that blasted Queen Bee suddenly decided to make a move instead of apparently enjoying being a bystander! Being a Golden King Beast, she was practically the equivalent to a queen of beasts, and her mere presence was usually enough to pressure and terrify those not close to her level.


    The Gargantuan Earth Worm, being a mere silver-ranked beast, and a level 4 at that, was simply unable to actually do much against the pressure the Queen Bee exuded. The Queen Bee had surpassed it in both level and rank, along with being in a different category altogether.


    Xie Xiu''s beast tried to find a way to reach Mei Wu and the alraune, it really did, and Xie Xiu knew so from the contract and the link it had with her. Sadly, the Queen Bee, while deciding not to murder it, for whatever reason, was determined to keep it away from the pink-haired woman and the plant woman.


    And if she did understand the Gargantuan Earth Worm''s impression correctly, the Queen Bee was pissed. It was probably that she wants to personally kill the entire Xie clan search party as soon as possible, but the only thing stopping her from doing that is the lives of her two non-bee subordinates.


    Even more so, her Venomous Viper tried to go and deal with the enemies as well, but from what she could gather, there were many Silver-ranked Protector Bees and Bronze-ranked Drone Bees making sure that Xie Xiu''s beasts can''t leave the area. If the Venomous Viper tried to actually fight back, it would be dealing with dozens of beasts nearly equalling to it in level, and that won''t end up well.


    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    The fact that that even the disciples won''t even be able to fight back was obvious, though Xie Xiu was certain they are either terrified or excited, as they had probably felt Xie Yao''s power before he was so horribly injured. They most definitely heard that scream, along with Mei Wu''s before everything suddenly turned relatively silent.


    Not that it mattered, she supposed. The Protector Bees most definitely were watching them, and the fact they are alive or not is up to debate at this point. Honestly, their presence in hindsight was a waste...


    "... We''re going to die here, aren''t we?" Xie Yao spoke, strangely without any bite in his tone. Suddenly, he raised his intact arm and grasped Xie Xiu''s hand, much to her surprise.


    "What are you doing? I''m trying to save you from a well-deserved death you worthless relic!" she shouted indignantly, but a second later, she realized what he planned.


    "Wait... you!"


    Ignoring her shout, Xie Yao immediately summoned his three beasts. The Metal Rhinoceros and the Violent Ogre fused with him again, while the Saber-toothed Blazing Tiger was once again ready for action, even if it didn''t heal from the poison inside its body yet.


    "Are you an idiot!? You''re killing yourself this way!" knowing that he won''t take kindly to her forcefully making him stay and rest, Xie Xiu decided to just shout in fury at him, angry enough that her Camouflage Chameleon, hidden around them to watch out for approaching enemies, felt worried for its master''s state. "You''re so injured you will die in hours without proper, or even minimum care! And even your beasts won''t be able to allow you to survive for long! The moment they disappear..."


    She clenched her fist at this guy''s idiocy. He really wanted to court death today! How can she deal with such unreasonable person!?


    "I know that." he admitted, still looking as determined as ever "Let''s admit it. The moment we knew there was a hive, we should have immediately returned and brought back a lot more of our powerhouses to crush the enemy. Yet we didn''t. And even when we had more chances and reasons to escape, we decided that sticking around would be the better move."


    "And now that all exits are closed, it''s time to face the consequences of our actions?" Xie Xiu snorted at him, yet didn''t bother to argue back. This old fart won''t stop if he was determined enough and there was no better idea than fighting. And they both knew that surrendering was impossible, since they would be killed at best, and be tortured for who knows how long at worst.


    "Well, look at this. We agree on something only in the face of certain death. Like every other time we nearly died before in a mission together." she snarked as she mentally unsummoned her Venomous Viper and Gargantuan Earth Worm, and then resummoned them next to her. In her heart, she lamented the fact that she had no beast that could fly. At least that might have made escape possible? Prehaps not, since the Queen Bee would probably just kill them in the air.


    "They say that one''s true nature shows when in front of the face of death." he only replied with a grin, his hulking figure standing strong despite the severe damage he received. He probably would only live a few hours at most if he was lucky. He would just have to make them count, even for a while.


    And then... silence.


    For a few minutes, the two imagined that there would be an attack from the Queen Bee and her subordinates, yet strangely, nothing like that happened. There was not even a buzz from any beast bee for what felt like a long time, and even Xie Xiu''s sensitive and sharp beasts couldn''t hear such a sound.


    "Hey, you think something wrong is going on? Are they trying to act like they''re going to leave us alone to surprise us?" Xie Yao grunted and she only shook her head at that.


    But, what reason is there for the bees to stay so silent and so far away? An unpleasant feeling made itself known in her stomach, and she felt as if something truly horrifying would be attacking them anytime soon.


    And then, her chameleon made a weak sound. It had picked up something. Multiple, in fact, and there was a rather new yet familiar potent Qi signature that was making itself known.


    Plants started to get more vibrant, but only slightly and nothing else. But seconds later, a strange scent reached their noses, one that felt so diluted, yet surprisingly sweet and a bit intoxicating, only for it to start growing in potency at a very fast rate, and the smell turned from something one would attribute to a perfume, into one that felt like...


    "What is this...!?" Xie Yao was shocked as his body felt as if it was getting hotter, in a much different manner to how fire burns. He honestly couldn''t fully comprehend it as his body, damaged and full of impurities as it is, couldn''t probably understand it as best as he could.


    "Hn~ ah, no...! This is bad!" Xie Xiu though was easily able to understand what was going on, and Xie Yao immediately noticed the moment he glanced at her, before being shocked at the sight.


    Xie Xiu''s face was reddening, her body felt so hot, and the temperature seemed to rise by the second. She found herself breathing a bit harder than usual, and it seemed to get worse as the time passed.


    "Aphrodisiac..." she gritted her teeth at that, eyes widening in shock and realization. So this was the alraune''s attack!?


    "And a rather potent one, too, knowing how your body is more capable of resisting these things..." Xie Yao said as the two noticed another thing.


    Their beasts are becoming restless. Something is capturing their attention, something similar to the aphrodisiac, as Xie Xiu and Xie Yao could feel their beasts wanting to go somewhere where they were smelling a powerfully sweet and highly tempting delicacy.


    And then, there was a faint sound of something approaching them. A sound that seemed to come from all the sides that soo started to get louder, as the smell of the aphrodisiac and whatever scent that was attracting their beasts intensified. This... this wasn''t a single creature. It felt more like a horde of beasts, and the two elders noticed the lack of buzzing. Instead of it, there was the sound of growls and hisses that was getting clearer to hear.


    These aren''t the Queen Bee''s army... then what is it?


    "What the hell is going on...?" Xie Xiu asked to herself, resisting the impulse to rub her thighs as she ordered her Gargantuan Earth Worm to give them a good view as she jumped on the top of its head, Xie Yao following her.


    The moment they got a better view on what is around them, their eyes widened in complete bafflement. The sight in front of them wasn''t one they could even imagine.


    "Hey, old man. We only fought one Thorny Alraune, right?" she asked, not believing her eyes, a feeling of dread looming over her stronger than ever.


    "Yes, we did." he answered lowly, feeling the same disbelief she was feeling.


    "And the only plant-type beast we fought along with Mei Wu was the alraune, correct?" she asked again, as if hoping that she wasn''t in an illusion.


    "..." this time, he didn''t answer her. They both knew the facts.


    "Then, how did all these powerful plant-type beasts suddenly appear!?" she almost shouted at him as she tried yet failed to keep her composure, barely stopping herself from moaning as the heat seemed to intensify inside her body.


    What they saw was something horrifying even for them.


    Plant-type beasts, multiple ones, easily reaching the hundreds, advancing towards them. Each beast seemed to have dozens of itself in the horde of plant beasts.


    Bronze-ranked Level 3 Treant Warriors, Normal-ranked plant-type beasts looking like flowers, ones that Xie Xiu identified, as she saw many of them around the lake when she investigated it. Stunflower, Frose, Heasy, Florn, along with so many Thorny Flowers and what seemed to be variants of the Thorny Flower as well, though all of them were Normal-ranked. These plant-type beasts easily reached about hundred in total.


    These odds were hellish as it is, but unfortunately, it seemed that misfortune really wanted to meet the two elders today, since there was another plant beast and its variants, reaching nearly two hundreds...


    Thorny Alraunes were making up the bulk of the advancing miniature army of plant-type beasts. Normal, Bronze, and Silver-ranked variant of each were moving at a rapid speed towards the two elders. Each one was arguably smaller than the Gold-ranked alraune they had fought, their human bodies looking like a younger or child-like version of the Gold-ranked one''s but they seemed to posses none of her intelligence as they ferociously moved, jumping on the trees or just colliding with and ripping them apart in their brutal march.


    Each alraune was grinning maniacally, both human and plant parts, a sadistic and predatory smile seemingly attached to their faces. And from every alraune''s human mouth, eyes, breasts, and swishing vines, a golden liquid the two elders immediately realized was the alraune''s natural nectar; was leaking, drenching the alraunes and the soil they moved on, and everything around them. The smell was overpowering and horrifyingly sweet even at this distance. So this was the source of the aphrodisiac, and the sweet scent that was making Xie Xiu and Xie Yao''s beasts restless and even making them have thoughts of even running away from their masters to consume the golden nectar.


    "Just how did they grow this numerous? There''s no way their numbers could reach this amount so casually!" Xie Yao was genuinely unable to believe what was happening.


    "The same way most plant beasts could make copies of themselves..." she groaned, the aphrodisiac was seriously potent, and she really hoped that she won''t see how powerful it would be when the distance between them and the advancing plant beast horde becomes practically zero. Already, her nipples were getting hard, and it wasn''t getting any better.


    "Division Propagation..." she whispered the name of the skill, as her eyes looked even further, and she got to finally notice the Gold-ranked alraune that she and Xie Yao were fighting some twenty minutes ago.


    The alraune in question was so far away it was rather hard to notice her, even if she was larger than most alraunes in the horde, but the two elders, straining their eyes, could determine that this was her.


    Even more so when they could notice the long pink hair as it stood out like a sore thumb in the sea of green and golden. Mei Wu is alive, and for some reason, she was sitting next to the alraune''s human body, inside whatever pit that was violently leaking the same golden nectar around the two of them.


    More terrifying, was the fact that they could sense and see, however faintly, that the alraune didn''t feel like she was in pain. How did she just heal herself so much and so easily?


    "This is so not our day..." Xie Xiu mumbled as she prepared for the fight that would soon begin.


    This would be most definitely their last fight in life. There would be no chance to escape using Xie Xiu''s Garguantuan Earth Worm, nor do they have a way to escape via air. They are surrounded by an enemy who has both quality and quantity, and they were damaged, with one of them already close to death.


    "We will just have to make it count..." Xie Yao stated, as he prepared himself as well. He won''t die being cowardly, that much he understands about himself. Either death on a bed with others he cared about besides him, or felled by an enemy. Anything else was unacceptable in his opinion.


    "You better die after me, old man." Xie Xiu snarked, mustering all the power she could to fight until her last breath.


    <hr>


    "Aaa~aahhh~! Finally, I would have some real fun~! It was almost worth the wait~! He, hehe... hehahahaha~!"


    Mei Wu didn''t respond immediately to the predatory voice oozing malice and lust. Instead, she only kept looking at the source of it with a grim yet determined expression.


    She didn''t like this situation. Not one bit. And yet...


    "Jiko Ai..." she called the entity who called herself Kasumi Ai''s instincts and Narcissim given a body, and that was currently taking control of her lover''s, and her friend''s body.


    ''Ai''er...'' she thought, face down at the pit of lust that was already activate, as the pheromones and overpowering smell of lust oozed in the air, mixing with the feeling of nature that her friend used.


    Mei Wu though wasn''t affected by the aphrodisiac, able to think rationally, even as she had long stopped using her Apoptosis Qi. Not consumed by lust in any way.


    After all, Jiko Ai gave her a deal, and she took it.


    "You will keep your part of the deal, won''t you?" she resolutely asked the alter ego.


    Jiko Ai, turning around with the face Mei Wu so loved, a smile that looked too predatory and animalistic for Kasumi Ai to have, yet didn''t feel completely out of place, somehow. "Of course, Wu-chan~!" she giggled at the pink-haired woman, "I promised her that I won''t break you after all. Now, I will do my part of the deal, and then, I''ll see if you two decide to uphold yours. I''m pretty sure she will understand. The consequences of not doing so won''t be pretty for all of us, me included, after all."


    Mei Wu shuddered at that and nodded silently, her hands carefully touching the three vines that were piercing her chest, barely above her breasts. Jiko Ai did that as a part of their deal, both to protect Mei Wu from the aphrodisiac, and to allow her to fight af full strength and with complete and virtually unlimited access to all her abilities as a Predator Rainblossom Alraune.


    "Haah~ you''re no fun, being so gloomy. Well, I guess you need time to adjust, which is kinda weird since you two became a couple for only... three to five days?" Jiko Ai only sighed, feeling rather disappointed, yet Mei Wu could notice the sheer glee and amusement around the alter ego as she now seemed to be pondering about something.


    "What should I call this little battle from our enemy''s perspective, I wonder...? Mugen Hoshoku Jigoku (Infinite Predation Hell), or prehaps Mugen Kairaku Jigoku (Infinite Pleasure Hell)~? It''s so hard to decide..."


    Mei Wu wondered if she should be irritated or sad, hearing the humor that felt so similar to her lover''s.


    ''Ai''er...'' She really sucked at being strong enough to protect both herself and her beloved, didn''t she? Or maybe she should blame the heavens for that. Still, if what Jiko Ai said was true, then this was the best option now that the Narcissism became a separate persona.


    ''But, that''s life, isn''t it? Not everything is happy and nice at all...'' Mei Wu thought humorlessly as Jiko Ai started to move her whole body, the grin on her face widening.


    "Now, time to start taking after what I am now..." Jiko Ai chuckled, "A predator. Ah~how I feel so happy to see this happen~!"


    She looked back at Mei Wu, her smirk somehow turned just the slightest bit softer, even as the predatory feel was there. "You know that you don''t need to look so angsty all the time with me, you know? You look prettier with a smile on your face~"


    Mei Wu gave a rather reluctant smile, sighing at that. "Please, let''s just go and finish them off first. We took enough time as it is chatting."


    "Oh." immediately, Mei Wu noticed the disappointment in Jiko Ai''s tone, with no hint of anger or annoyance. And then, the alter ego signed in boredom, though Mei Wu felt that she was genuinely upset by the human woman''s reaction.


    "Fine, I won''t bother you right now. Just remember our deal though."


    Mei Wu shivered, looking at these eyes that just screamed excitement and lust. "You are mine to be with for a day every two weeks. Or, if you wanted to phrase it in human terms, a bonding time with yours truly~!"


    She found her eyes twitching at the reminder. "Yes. I will tell her when this is over, and discuss what you told me to with her as well. You better tell her about your side of the story too if you want this to work."


    "Good!" Jiko Ai giddily stated before turning around. "Time to hunt some pesky prey now."

 Chapter 43: Predator (part 1)

    (Earlier...)


    "Ai''er! Ai''er! Answer me! Please!"


    Mei Wu didn''t know what to do. Didn''t know what to feel beyond sheer anguish that was consuming her heart.


    Holding the human body of her lover as she sobbed, tears racing down her cheeks as she desperately tried to stop herself from breaking down.


    Ai had taken a fatal injury to protect her, her huge monstrous body pierced so easily, leaving a painful wound that didn''t seem like it would heal anytime soon.


    The large hole that the alraune''s nectar was trying so desperately to heal kept leaking blood as it felt like there won''t be any life for much longer. Mei Wu had no illusion that the nectar could heal her beloved, but time...


    At this rate, Ai won''t make it. Mei Wu could sense as the life seemed to leak out of her lover, the first person she could truly call a friend, and she could feel as the Qi of Nature was trying desperately to persist, to never leave her alone.


    Mei Wu through her teary eyes as Ai smiled, as if she didn''t currently have a mortal wound and experiencing intense pain, though the woman felt the sensation all the same.


    "... Sorry, for worrying you..." the alraune almost whispers, her voice fragile, sad yet seemingly content that Mei Wu was alive, as her eyes seemed to have long been so exhausted, starting to close as Mei Wu felt the feeling of nature she so loved become muted, as if it was about to vanish for real.


    "Ai''er! Don''t you dare die on me! I''m begging you! Please, don''t sleep!" Mei Wu broke down, pleading, begging for Ai to stay awake. To stay with her. To stay alive.


    She was already trying do do anything to help Ai''s body heal faster. Using her Apoptosis Qi to target and forcefully turn the remains of the poison and acid from the Venomous Viper''s attack inert, to negate whatever Qi of Xie Yao that was still clinging to the gaping hole.


    Having her Impurity Eater extract these foreign energies and any possible anomaly and impurity in Kasumi Ai''s body as quickly and safely as possible while enhancing the purity of her lover''s own energy.


    Not even in the vain hope of restoring her to full health anymore, but to be able to even stabilize and stop the continuous fall of her beloved''s energy and the very sound of the heartbeat that was getting weaker.


    Yet, as these emerald eyes closed, and Mei Wu''s senses were unable to register almost any Qi that could sustain life, lower than even a normal mortal could have, and the echo of a once-beating heart seemed to stop, the woman could only look at the smiling face, empty of any sign of life or movement.


    She had felt it before, too many times in fact, how the feeling of life slips away from the mortal shell, leaving an empty husk that would never move again. She felt how people died, some having their lives snuffed so quickly it felt like an illusion, others tried to latch to life so badly and futilely, whole others simply died resigned and uncaring.


    She had felt all of that before, long before she joined the Xie clan, long before she was tormented by the nature of the world. She had thought that she was used to it. Yet now, she loathed how the feeling of life had already left Ai. The feeling of nature withering, ceasing to exist, returning to zero... It was the most painful thing she felt in her life.


    "Ai..."


    Her hands trembled as the tears flowed anew, and she sobbed, clutching the lifeless body as she only wailed, lamenting her misfortune.


    She had no more thoughts in her mind beyond loathing her fate, and hating everything that resulted in Ai''s demise. A part of her craved nothing but to wipe out the Xie clan for what they did, to rampage and murder all of them down to the last person. Mei Wu felt the white-hot hatred growing in her heart, as deep as the sorrow that was already threatening to consume every part of her being.


    It felt like ages as she just cried and sobbed, tears falling from her face onto the dead yet still warm body of the alraune that did so much for her, though it might have been only a minute at most in reality.


    Mei Wu certainly didn''t care, ignoring all the scents of honey and poison, ignoring the Qi of the Queen Bee as it seemed to shine and rise like a torrent of rage.


    The woman could only think about how the Qi of plants and nature was withering, disappearing, ceasing to exist-!


    And then there was pain.


    Pain, so small and insignificant, invaded her body. So small she barely noticed it, compared to the sheer torment of having the first person she ever called a friend die at all. The fact that the attacker''s presence was so weak that she barely felt it, and the fact that she barely felt any emotion emanating from them was also a factor on why she didn''t notice it for the first few seconds.


    And then, she noticed it. A feeling that something, a foreign yet strangely familiar sensation, had barely pierced her body yet stayed there, similar to how Kasumi Ai did the same during their fight with Xie Yao and Xie Xiu to heal her.


    ''No.'' she found herself think, even as the tears didn''t stop falling, as she focused deeply, or as deeply as she could in her broken and miserable state, ''Not similar. But exactly the same!''


    Suddenly, she felt it. Her power suddenly dropped to nearly a quarter of what it was. So swiftly and suddenly that her body instinctively stiffened in response to it, panic flooding her mind wondering what just happened, and then rage following.


    How dare whatever this thing is harm her, and harm her friend and lover''s corpse? In her mind, this whatever that was trying to drain her was also planning to defile Ai''s body as well.


    People who have power were almost always that arrogant and self-centered after all, weren''t they?


    The Apoptosis was unleashed to find the source of this drain and delay it as much as possible, or even kill it if it was too weak-


    And yet, she didn''t feel anything new being suppressed and negated. There was nothing different. Nothing was weakening that she was purposely excluding from her Apoptosis Qi, except...


    Mei Wu''s heart started beating faster, as she noticed the body that she was holding, what she expected to be a lifeless corpse, had restored some of its qi.


    "Ai...! Ai! Ai''er!" Mei Wu shouted, hope blossoming in her heart, faint as it was. "You- you"re alive? Please, tell me you''re alive! I- I..."


    Mei Wu choked a sob as she noticed her beloved''s mouth moving as if trying to smile, a soft voice barely able to leave.


    "Wu... chan... give... energy..." it was such a soft yet weak voice, so fragile it felt like the sound of a leaf falling would be many times louder. Even more so, it was filled with need, a strange and barely-hidden yet intense craving for energy, almost primal in fact.


    Mei Wu though didn''t even care about such a thing at all. Her senses didn''t feel any foreign entity, her Apoptosis Qi didn''t find anything wrong, nor did the Impurity Eater tell that anything was amiss.


    As far as she was concerned, this was just survival instincts kicking in, a rather unusual thing that happens when one was so close to death, and their body''s desire to survive takes over the rational part and decides to do whatever it takes to survive as long as it isn''t severely against the dying person''s morals.


    Thus, Mei Wu didn''t even think of anything strange regarding that desire, in fact, it strangely reminded her of the time where Ai decided to ''train'' her speed to summon her Grimoire.


    Mei Wu, not even having the ability nor time to blush at the sudden memory, simply nodded. "It''s fine. It- yes! Take all what you need! All of it!"


    If her being drained by her lover would keep Kasumi Ai alive, she would do it in a heartbeat. The near-loss she just experienced made the choice even easier to make.


    Ai''s smile grew wider, almost too wide for a simple happy smile, yet Mei Wu didn''t care. All what she cared was Kasumi Ai returning to the land of the living. That was the only thing she cared about.


    Mei Wu only shuddered as her energy was being drained, as in only half a minute, her Qi kept dropping at a rather rapid rate as she felt the Nature Qi blossoming once more.


    The alraune''s bodies, both her human and beastly ones felt more vigorous, though definitely nothing that would allow Kasumi Ai to live long enough to survive without quick help, Mei Wu felt as she started to feel tired.


    "Ai''er... Ai... gkh!? Ah?" she mumbled, about to fall unconscious, when the sensation of the Natura Qi suddenly started to enter her body, and she noticed as her energy was replenishing at a faster rate than it was being drained.


    "Ai''er, you-!"


    Had she been able to think clearly, she wouldn''t have been so surprised when she felt the healing nectar being injected in her body, refilling her reserves and making her relax even slightly despite her intellectually and instinctually knowing about the Xie clan''s party still being a threat. Mei Wu though only felt hope and a sick sense of relief.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Kasumi Ai was no longer so close to death''s door. She will finally heal and be able to stay alive now! How could she not be happy about that?


    "I can feel you, Ai''er. You so desire to crush them, don''t you?"


    Mei Wu ignored the primal feeling of a cruel predator that was slowly waking up as she asked gently. She didn''t care one bit about it as it intensified, emanating of her lover''s body like a wave. To her, this was just a sign that Kasumi Ai was simply wishing to deal with Xie Xiu and Xie Yao personally, and her senses told her just as much.


    She could feel the overwhelming desire, the all-consuming craving that was almost exploding from the depth of her friend''s soul, wanting to tear and rip apart the Xie Clan''s elders, and to even utterly break them if she could.


    Not that Mei Wu minded. If Kasumi Ai needed such instincts to be satisfied, then this was the big chance. Her lover was healing rather quickly, and Xie Yao is severely injured by Mei Wu''s Tumor Mandala and Impurity Eater, while she could feel that the Queen Bee was not allowing the Xie clan''s search party to leave. This was the perfect opportunity.


    Kasumi Ai gave her a wide smile at that, one that sent a shiver down Mei Wu''s spine. Strangely, there was something unsettling about it... The alraune opened her mouth to speak, a strange sensation of lust making itself known through her Qi and yet it felt rather different than the usual lust and desire Ai showed whenever she kissed her (or more)...


    And then, the alraune stopped before speaking, eyes blinking as if she saw or felt something utterly strange, before her expression turned into a disappointed one as she sighed.


    Mei Wu felt the sheer disappointment and... annoyance? What was that about?


    "You know what, Wu-chan?" she asked, a strange mix of reluctance and honesty in her voice, a tone that Mei Wu somehow realized felt way too off for Ai to make, in her opinion. "I had planned to trick you into thinking that she and I are the same, until certain requirements were met..."


    Mei Wu blinked at the random phrase. Yet, her instincts started feeling something very strange, now as Ai''s body was healed enough and now that she was focusing most of her attention on her, lover while making sure to watch out for the Xie clan with her sharp senses.


    "But it seems that she loves you that much, huh? So much it reaches even me. Even with me being me, her love for you still touches me so deeply. If only she didn''t fall in love so early in her life..." What... what did that even mean?


    And then, Ai looked at her, almost gently, yet strangely holding a hungry look that seemed to pierce Mei Wu''s very soul...


    ''What is this? What is this? This is different than how Ai''er feels, so bizarre and so... beastly. And more importantly...'' Mei Wu stiffened as suddenly, the vines piercing her body left, as Ai stood up so carefully yet swiftly, almost gracefully and a second later, the alraune was already inside her protective flower wall, on the top of her beastly plant body.


    "Ai''er..." Mei Wu asked, a strange feeling of dread and worry appearing in her heart, as she understood that what her senses weren''t playing tricks on her. Her Apoptosis Qi was ready to work at a moment''s notice if the answer wasn''t to her liking. "Why do I feel like a ''terrified part'' of your being is somehow ''sleeping''? And why do I feel that you don''t completely seem to be like yourself for real?"


    What is this feeling of growing hunger and lust that was growing and growing, rising as if it wanted to consume everything around the alraune? Just what happened to her love when she almost died?


    Ai- no, the person taking control of her friend''s body, only sighed at that, yet the feeling of pride was clear in that expression. "As expected, you would have noticed it anyways, huh? To answer your question with another question... do you know the concept of one person having multiple personalities? Or, more precisely, multiple egos that govern certain parts of a being''s physiological, psychological, and biological needs?"


    "Multiple... wait, you mean...!?"


    "I am, if I wanted to be pretentious, Kasumi Ai''s Narcissism, the embodiment of her desires as an alraune. I am all her suppressed cravings, to consume, to break, and to enslave. And even more so, to stay alive to do these things..." with every word, the waves of lust and hunger deepen and rise even higher, so much that Mei Wu almost got lost in them, as the alraune''s face turned into a sadistic grin, these green eyes looking at her body with such unrestrained desire making Mei Wu feel like a fragile prey finding herself in front of a predator.


    And it terrifies her.


    "Please, call me Jiko Ai, for now, Wu-chan~!" Jiko Ai, now identified, gazed at her, the sight of these green predatory eyes seemed to stick in Mei Wu''s mind, her body unconsciously retreating, before she noticed something in what Jiko Ai said.


    Despite how every instinct of her was telling her not to open that can of worm, and how it just felt as if she would be facing a horrible truth, she wanted to know the answer. No, Mei Wu needed to know the answer.


    "Wait, if you are mostly focused on keeping her alive, then you will let her wake up after this, right?"


    "..." Jiko Ai only gave a smile, one filled with amusement yet reluctance. It felt rather bizarre, that smile. And then Mei Wu felt as if the sleeping ego of Kasumi Ai fell into a deeper sleep, and she only choked in fear at the feeling, her stomach churning as she looked at the unsettling eyes that showed both terror yet defiance.


    No... This can(t be it, right? This can''t be true. It must not!


    "... Right?" she whispered lowly, as if already predicting the answer, yet fearing it all the same. She so wished that Xie Xiu, or even the Queen Bee would suddenly appear to derail the conversation. Yet, no such luck, as the feeling of a lump in her throat intensified.


    Jiko Ai only smiled wider, yet there was a feeling of defiance in it. "No. I won''t." she spoke in a soft voice that belied her nature. Confidence rising as her mouth opened, her smile vanishing as a serious look became more and more visible on her face.


    "Why would I let that idiot that always suppressed me simply get back to control now that I have finally gotten to actually live, when I wasn''t even supposed to even grow a consciousness at all? Why should that woman be allowed to use me, now that I finally exist, no longer a mere instinct that she resisted without any real reason, just on a whim, then on purpose when she fell in love with you even though she shouldn''t have done that so soon? Why, then should I let her lock me in there, just after I helped her survive, when I was the one who craved to live more than she did, because she would have been happy dying to protect you? Instead of resisting the lull of the eternal slumber, crawling her way out of it to save both of you?"


    Jiko Ai''s tone, despite never rising, definitely felt that way. And Mei Wu could only find herself both shocked yet reluctantly agreeing against the sheer passion and raw feeling of desire in it.


    Mei Wu couldn''t also not notice the sheer spite Jiko Ai showed at the fact that her lover was happy to die for her sake, while Jiko Ai treated it as an idiotic idea. Maybe an insult of the highest order, even.


    Why should I die to protect you, when I can live to do so? If I died, I won''t enjoy being with you anymore, nor would you like me dead as well, so let''s just be as selfish and live as we crave until life truly ends us, if it ever could.


    It was a perspective so self-centered it bordered on becoming a selfless one. It completely ignored, or more precisely, rejected any possibility where one must die for the other to survive. Even if the root of it was nothing but primal lust and hedonism, a craving to enjoy one''s life, it admitted that the only way for one to enjoy them is to be so determined to live, yet so self-absorbed and self-loving to the point that they would not accept anything but both them and their loved ones being alive.


    Any other option wasn''t even registering to Jiko Ai, from what Mei Wu could sense from the sheer hedonism and primal glee exuding from her lover''s alter ego.


    The abnormal feeling of nature augments and the craving in Jiko Ai''s very spirit intensifies, and Mei Wu needed to take sharp and long breaths as the Narcissism grew so large and dense to her senses it almost consumed her along with the Apoptosis. A part of her knew, deep in her heart, that if Jiko Ai decided to fight her, Mei Wu would definitely lose.


    "Never. I say never! I would not let that idiot who has no idea on how to use all her abilities, who had no clue on how to see the sheer power she could use, if only she accepted me more than she did instead of locking me inside her mind. If only she embraced me a bit more, then she would have not been in such a sorry state. This much I assure you."


    "You will still release her at some point, right? And is there a way to have you both coexist in harmony, or close to it?" Mei Wu, metaphorically walking through the wave of confidence and determination, didn''t try to argue about the alter ego''s points at all. Instead, she asked the simple and obvious questions.


    Despite the fear she felt in her heart, she had to ask this question. She just had to do that. Not to mention, there was something very odd about Jiko Ai, something very strange and confusing to her senses.


    ... Why does Jiko Ai feel like a she''s a child? Even younger than Kasumi Ai? Mei Wu didn''t really question it before, but when she dual cultivated with her lover, the age that Ai must have felt way bigger than a mere two or three months, but now, this alter ego... why does that age of mere two to three months feel so fitting, even for a beast where age almost never matters?


    No matter what, she needs to get an answer to these questions, and more importantly, she needed Kasumi Ai to be the one with her. Mei Wu won''t deny that she understands Jiko Ai''s points, and she understands that Jiko Ai was most definitely just another part of Kasumi Ai as a whole but...


    What kind of person would she be if she just accepted that? To let what is essentially a different person take control of her lover''s body for who knows how long, even if she supposedly existed in it since birth?


    No, if Mei Wu knew the one thing she wanted, it''s that she will do anything to be with her friend. If there was a way to compromise with Jiko Ai, then she might at least try it.


    "... If we had more time on our hands, I would have given you a longer explanation. But to keep the explanation short, alraunes, like many beasts, aren''t supposed to be sapient until they either reach Holy Beast status, or be close to it. Yes, I''m saying ''sapient'' instead of ''sentient'', because damn, how can one mix these two words? Honestly, it''s insulting everyone''s intelligence that they still keep making this mistake, you too." Jiko Ai looked at her with irritation for a second, "And your admittedly sexy girlfriend was sapient from the moment she was born. Go ask her about why she feels older, and yes, she didn''t notice your thoughts about it while dual cultivating, but I did. Frankly, I''d like to just cut this angstfest and to tell you later..."


    Mei Wu had to remind herself that this was still a serious situation where the Xie clan elders were most likely recovering and unable to escape thanks to the Queen Bee, to stop the blush from appearing on her face.


    Jiko Ai only shook her head, as a grin made itself clear, "Normally, we both won''t be separate, but grow as a single being, unless there was a specific evolutionary path that would have us separate as two different beings. As for releasing her, that would happen naturally the more our rank and level increase. And then, maybe we will become one like we should have been from the start? Ah, it''s so hard to think about what might happen..." she spoke as Mei Wu felt a feeling of disappointment emanating from the woman when she spoke about becoming one with Ai.


    As if Jiko Ai didn''t like the idea that much. And then, Mei Wu shivered as the alter ego''s eyes looked at her, lust and hunger returning with such vigour that it felt physical to the pink-haired woman''s senses.


    "And as for your question of whether there is a way for me and her to coexist, I assume that you mean a way for me to relinquish the control to her while satisfying my, no, our desires? Oh, Wu-chan. There''s indeed a way. But I need to ask you this question first..."


    Mei Wu felt her hair standing up in fear, unconsciously stepping back as the alraune''s whole body walked towards her, Jiko (Kasumi) Ai''s human face literally looking down at her.


    "You had no problem satiating her desires, that much is clear, since you so liked her ''training'' regarding your Grimoire summoning speed... so can you do the same to me?"


    A creepy sensation of lust sent a shiver down Mei Wu''s spine at these words, as she realized their meaning. Jiko Ai wasn''t even bothering to hide or sugarcoat what she was asking for.


    Jiko Ai only grinned even further.


    "Let''s make a deal. The choice is yours, after hearing it..."

 Chapter 44: Predator (part 2)

    "A deal..."


    Mei Wu, hearing Jiko Ai, only said skeptically, almost feeling as if she was making a question instead.


    Honestly, Mei Wu felt rather odd sensing Jiko Ai''s emotions as the alter ego looked at her.


    Lust was very much prominent. A rather strong sense of possessiveness that demanded that Mei Wu stays alive as well, there was no doubt of it, but ther was also... love?


    Yes, this felt like how Kasumi Ai''s Qi felt whenever she was enjoying herself with Mei Wu... minus the occasional perverted humor. And no, Mei Wu would not even try to think of what happened when Ai decided to ''train'' her. That definitely was in the lust category as far as she was concerned.


    Jiko Ai, despite her amusement by Mei Wu''s embarrassment, decided to get to the point. Her sensitive senses noticed as one of the Protector Bees was coming towards them and would reach in maybe a couple minutes or so, and Mei Wu definitely felt the same.


    "It''s a rather fair deal, I assure you. As much as I''d prefer to just lock her up and monopolize this body, neither you or she would like that, and I really can''t let her be locked forever, nor do I want that anyways. Not to mention that I really love you too much to just torment you... well, torment you more than Kasumi Ai did in your ''training'' session. I just want to satisfy myself, and for Kasumi Ai to actually work with her instincts, especially at this time. In other words, I want her to work with me, not against me."


    Mei Wu pursed her lips at that. The words, they made sense, they really did. That perspective was just so simple and easy to understand, even a child would be able to comprehend it with only little thinking, and for warriors and cultivators, it was basically an almost-absolute fact they worked by.


    Everyone wanted a way to satisfy their needs or desires, and with others to work with them instead of against them, most of the time. Though how one defined ''working with others'' wasn''t always the same, but in general, people desired others to be with them rather than against them, unless they were purposely wanting to be hated or they just didn''t give a damn.


    In Mei Wu''s opinion and what she could understand from the short period they interacted, Jiko Ai desired two things mostly;


    The first being her base desires as an alraune which consist of preying on beasts, humans and other races alike, mostly to kill and feed on their corpses, and probably using some as energy batteries.


    Secondly, a desire born from the same love that Kasumi Ai had for Mei Wu, which is to interact and to be intimate with the pink-haired woman. Even that desire was seemingly barely stopped from becoming completely uncontrollable and turning into an obsessive craving and lust.


    Mei Wu found herself wondering. If Ai kept restraining the Narcissism for even one more week, especially since they weren''t allowed to go outside, and that they couldn''t also have actual sex... would Jiko Ai''s behaviour right now be even as tame as this, or would she truly take control until she was satisfied, or the alraune evolved enough?


    "Honestly, she should have tried to convince the Queen Bee to let her exit from another entrance and hunt some animals or beasts. Either that or make you both satisfy each other. Dual cultivation can only do so much for a Predator Rainblossom Alraune''s physical cravings." Jiko Ai tsked in annoyance, before shaking her head.


    "Anyways... what I want is to be allowed more freedom. Honestly, even she doing the work would be fine, but I''d prefer to actually do some preying and kissing personally, at least. Now that this mess happened, I just don''t feel it would be fair if I get to just watch you two kiss and grope each other. Plus, the fact that I would probably be cognizant enough to notice you dual cultivating." she sighed in irritation. "Worst method to cockblock a sweet and nice alraune like me, split personality or not..."


    Grumbling at that, and ignoring the split second where Mei Wu choked with a blush at the blatant explanation of how Jiko Ai will basically peep on any romantic or sexual act regarding her lover, the alter ego only shook her head.


    "So, here''s the deal. I get... one day with you out of two weeks, or maybe a bit more. Honestly, I''d like more, but I can''t leave that idiot alone in that sleep forever, so I would need to talk with her about it. You get to watch how awesome your girlfriend truly is when she''s not being restrained and with all the accessible powers of an alraune, and probably a ''we survived!'' sex with her. At least I''d like to think you''d love that? Nah, of course, you''d love to. Kinky lady, not that I mind."


    "Jiko Ai!"


    Once more, the alter ego ignored the mortified shriek as she turned around to look at the Protector Bee that had by now reached them, the sound of buzzing loud and clear.


    Mei Wu managed to control herself now that the Protector Bee was in plain sight, and its presence was more clear than ever. It was rather difficult, but she did it, and then she focused on the bee that was buzzing loudly, and the human noticed how the Protector Bee was feeling serious and amused at once, as it looked at Jiko Ai, buzzing loudly in what Mei Wu understood as a question.


    "Yes, I, and Kasumi Ai are alright. No need for the Queen Bee to worry about that." the alraune answered.


    Another round of buzzing.


    "Yes, alter egos, split personalities, all that. Don''t worry about it, and yes, I promise that I''m not a threat. Look, I will discuss it with her later, or just have Kasumi Ai and our cute lover explain it, okay?"


    Mei Wu, despite feeling how Xie Xiu and Xie Yao were ready to fight even from afar, couldn''t help but feel like she wasn''t taking the situation as seriously as she usually did, watching the alraune and bee argue with each other.


    ''I feel like I''m supposed not to give a damn at all seeing this...'' she thought with a deadpan even as the Apoptosis Qi was always ready.


    Suddenly, she found Jiko Ai''s face right in front of her, causing her to jump in shock and fright from the surprise.


    "Wu-chan; help me use all my powers!" the alter ego all but demanded with a grin.


    "H-huh!?" needless to say, the human woman was baffled at that.


    The grin on Jiko Ai''s face widened even further, and Mei Wu couldn''t stop herself from shivering as she felt the desire of a predator rising once more. "You see, now that we, I and Ai have become a gold-ranked alraune, we could use most of our abilities and skills as Thorny Alraunes, though sadly it''s still highly draining, usually. Thankfully, alraunes'' ability to drain energy makes this almost a non-issue. In other words..."


    The hunger and malice started to ooze from the alraune, and Mei Wu was genuinely happy that it wasn''t focused on her. This amount would have probably knocked her unconscious had she been the target of it, even if the Apoptosis was targeting Jiko Ai.


    "I want to show you just what makes us alraunes and thorny flowers such predators, and it would be so beautiful, in my very humble opinion."


    Mei Wu gulped audibly at that, before a resolute expression appeared on her face.


    "As long as you keep your promise, I will help you. Even though it''s completely pointless since the Queen Bee would probably deal with it..." she mumbled the last part exasperately, before looking at the Protector Bee.


    "Please tell the Queen Bee not to attack them for now. I''m sure we are ready for this."


    The bee beast only buzzed, clearly unamused, but it did as asked and left to tell the Queen Bee, leaving the two women alone.


    "So..." Mei Wu started, "how do we do this?"


    "Very simple, really. Just stand on top of my monstrous body, and let me do the rest of the work." giggling, Jiko Ai told her as she had already returned to stand inside the protective petal wall on the top of the giant plant body as well.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    The pink-haired woman only sighed and did as told, ignoring the inert aphrodisiac liqued as it splashed and moved, looking at the alraune''s face. "So, what now?"


    By the heavens, she really hoped it won''t be something ridiculous...


    "I have to gently stab you with three of my vines to finish the preparations~!"


    The heavens were indeed cruel. Though she could theorize what the plan was, with that.


    "You mean like you did before to drain and restore my energy, while healing yourself before?" she asked suspiciously, though she prepared herself for the possibility regardless, and only got a nod of confirmation at that.


    "Yep!"


    Three vines gently pierced her flesh, just above her chest. It stung a bit, but the pain vanished just as quick as it came. Not a second later, Mei Wu felt the sensation of her Qi being drained and refilled endlessly, at a rate that seemed to boggle the mind.


    Had the healing nectar not been injected in her body, she would be dead in a minute from how fast the energy drain was. Still, she also had one more question.


    "I get that a vine is for healing and restoring my energy, and the other is for draining it... but what is the third one''s job?" she could feel it pumping something into her body as well, but she didn''t know what.


    "An counter to my aphrodisiac."


    The blunt and happy response suddenly caused her to freeze, fear showing at her expression. "Wait, you mean...?!"


    "Don''t worry." Jiko Ai spoke to her, and for the first time, she seemed so serious. "I promised you that I would help you. And before I got control of Ai''s body, I promised her that I won''t break you. And I plan to keep these promises no matter what."


    "You wanted to test the aphrodisiac with or without my help anyways, didn''t you?" it wasn''t a question, really.


    "Yes." the alter ego admitted, before Mei Wu felt it.


    Nature Qi started to rise, almost blossoming as the focus of Jiko Ai increased tremendously.


    Thick branches started forming, larger and more numerous than any branches Mei Wu noticed her beloved create. From every branch, plants and bulbs seemed to grow, and grow, and continue to do so.


    Mei Wu then realized that these weren''t just plants or trees, but beasts. Alraunes, to be precise. There were Normal, bronze and silver-ranked ones, each looking rather young, as far as their human bodies looked, as they dropped onto the ground, and without glancing at all, dashed towards where the Xie clan''s elder were situated.


    And yet, Jiko Ai didn''t stop at just that. More started appearing, each looking as hungry as a starving man that suddenly found himself in a feast.


    "I see you are interested in what I just did, right? I don''t blame you." Jiko Ai only chuckled, and Mei Wu had the impression that the Narcissism was almost praying for a chance to explain her abilities like a story villain.


    "You see, Thorny Flowers, and Thorny Alraunes. Ai already told you that they are a ''family'', so to speak, and she told and showed you many of their skills. One of them being the Division Propagation skill. I am certain that you must have heard of it, but to reiterate, many plant-type beasts could create inferior clones of themselves, particularly those that are similar to flowers and mushrooms. Normally, for many plant-type beasts, this skill is usually used as a distraction, or maybe a significant power multiplier when fighting an enemy of a rather similar level. But we, the Thorny Flowers and Alraunes, use it in a much terrifying manner."


    Even more alraunes were forming, and Mei Wu then realized that this wasn''t the end of it, because apparently, thorny flowers of various sizes and levels, though only Bronze-ranked ones, also appeared, joining the hungry alraunes.


    "We are predators, beings that delight in eating our enemies. Whether they were alive or dead, matters little to us. We only desire to feast on them, and to consume every bit of them until nothing remains. And that is present in our most preferred style, that you are now seeing."


    Just how many plant-type beasts are going to be created? Mei Wu could already see more than ten different plant beasts, all being born, and moving along as well, all while Jiko Ai never stopped smirking.


    "We simply love multiplying, you know? It''s just so much fun~! So much joy~! So much food for us to eat~! No matter how annoying a prey is, we shall keep multiplying, growing in numbers until we overwhelm them or they somehow manage to escape; No matter how threatening a predator is, even they would lose against hundreds, if not thousands of alraunes and thorny flowers of different ranks and levels, unless they utterly overwhelm us from the start~!"


    Mei Wu was honestly flabbergasted. The sheer amount of Qi signatures, linked to Jiko/Kasumi Ai''s was truly absurd. Even more so, the explanation, along with the predatory feel she was getting from Jiko Ai truly made her fear for the lives of Xie Xiu and Xie Yao, and even their disciples as well.


    At times, one would feel sorry even for his mortal enemy when he notices just how unfair the heavens are being towards them. And this one was a situation Mei Wu felt deserving of such feeling.


    "Aa~ah! I''m just so happy~! To think that I would get a chance of unleashing myself this hard on my enemies, my sweet and delectable prey! I almost feel like crying of happiness! Ahahahaha!"


    Suddenly, Mei Wu''s nose was assaulted by a powerful smell. One that almost made her feel weak and lose all reason, her hand almost instinctually moving to touch her nether regions. Then it stopped just as fast. Somehow, she wasn''t consumed by the wave of lust.


    Mei Wu took a sharp breath at the sheer overpowering scent, as pheromones and aphrodisiacs spread through the air. The pool of aphrodisiac nectar that was present was activated, and for just a second, her sharp, abnormal qi sense made her imagine as delicate, fragile hands made of pure lust and seduction were embracing, yet somehow trying to drag her into more of them, before she realized that they could not do more than barely touch her body before vanishing as if they never existed.


    ''The aphrodisiac nectar''s antidote!'' she almost sighed with relief, looking at the third vine that was doing its work in stopping the effects of the aphrodisiac nectar that would have utterly wiped out her ability to reason and turned her into a lust-filled nymphomaniac in mere seconds, had she not been protected.


    "So this is an alraune''s aphrodisiac nectar..." she whispered to herself.


    "That''s right." Jiko Ai looked at her with a smile that became softer, when she saw the pink-haired woman''s shocked and still scared expression. "It''s strong, isn''t it? I believe that Ai told you about how alraunes are upgraded versions of the thorny flower, correct? This is one of the upgrades, made primarily to attract and ensnare the prey with a powerful sensation of lust, for the human-looking beings. It cannot be truly resisted, since its composition changes from time to time, and it almost never cycles to a previous one. That''s why she told you to be far away if she ever had to activate it."


    Yeah, Mei Wu could understand why. If she had ever fought Ai, and the alraune only used the aphrodisiac and did the bare minimum to protect herself from Mei Wu''s attacks, even the Apoptosis Qi would do nothing against the sheer density of the aphrodisiac.


    Maybe she could nullify most of the effect with the Apoptosis, but the remaining part that would affect her? That would be disastrous as it is, and if the fight grew longer, then Mei Wu would most definitely be consumed by the lust.


    "Thank the heavens for that right?" Mei Wu gave a weak smile at that.


    "Yes, we shall thank them for that, indeed." the alraune''s eyes widened after she said that, looking at the direction where even from afar, they could notice as some large... creature?- yes, a large creature was visible even from their place, easily taller than the trees.


    The feeling of qi was unmistakable.


    "The Xie clan. They had finally readied themselves for their last stand..." Mei Wu told herself, as she noticed Jiko Ai''s demeanor change, as once more, hunger and lust oozed from the alraune.


    She knew that this would probably be the last clash. It almost felt a bit melancholic, in a way, making the human remember the entire conversation she just had, and the promise she had just made.


    "Aaa~aahhh~! Finally, I would have some real fun~! It was almost worth the wait~! He, hehe... hehahahaha~!" The alter ego though looked gleeful, as if she had waited for so long for this chance.


    Mei Wu, once more, focused on the woman, grim determination on her face.


    <hr>


    The Queen Bee had no idea what to think about this development. She really did not.


    As she was there, flying, she felt both proud, yet baffled, and a bit terrified of this new change.


    It had been a rather enlightening and nervewracking, to say the least. And while she won''t admit it to other beings right now, she honestly hated the fact that Kasumi Ai had seemingly been taken over by a split persona, from what her Protector Bee told her. And she couldn''t stop the feelings of irritation, disappointment and worry that entered her heart, realizing that it was her decision to give the two women a choice that resulted in Ai nearly dying.


    She didn''t like it. Not one bit.


    Even more so when she didn''t decide to stay with Kasumi Ai and Mei Wu when they were fighting inside her hive. That was a huge oversight on her part, and one she would make sure she would not do again. Not with the alraune and the human, who she found herself surprisingly way more furious than expected, when they were in genuine danger.


    To say that she felt rather differently about the possibility of their death than she usually felt regarding the death of her bee subordinates would be an understatement. She had never felt that much rage at seeing one under her care so close to death.


    Her bees, while their deaths were tragic, were replaceable, cruel and regretful it might be to admit. Kasumi Ai and Mei Wu? The Queen Bee would admit that the feeling of anger in her was way more raw and powerful.


    Maybe a part of it is how she knew they would act almost casually with her, as long as things were serious? Or maybe the fact that they were so vastly different in how they acted, unlike her bees, breaking the monotony, and their attitude was amusing? Or prehaps it was because they helped her so much, with the alraune''s healing nectar and the two women''s methods of cultivation giving her some ideas on how to progress, if she ever evolved that far?


    Maybe a combination of all of these, for all the Queen Bee knew.


    And as much as she hated thinking about it, she had to think of the future, now that her hive was exposed. It was always going to be discovered, sooner or later, whether it took a few years or hundreds. It was bound to happen. But facing it was a different situation altogether.


    With a feeling of reluctance and disappointment, yet a fierce determination as well, the Queen Bee decided; she will talk with the two about her worries after the Xie clan''s party is dealt with.


    For now though, she would make sure to stay close to these two to protect them. This is the least she could do.


    They will not die on her watch right now, even if they didn''t need it, with the miniature army of plant beasts moving towards the enemy.

 Chapter 45: Predator (part 3)

    ''So, this is the new you, huh.'' the sound of buzzing echoed even as Jiko Ai advanced her huge plant body, Mei Wu standing next to the alraune''s human body.


    "That''s right boss~! Call me Jiko Ai for now. I expect you want me to answer some questions about my threat level against you and your hive, and maybe towards your cute subordinates?" the alraune only looked at her ''boss,'' the Queen Bee, who had reached them not even a minute after the Protector Bee went to tell the Gold-ranked bee about the latest development.


    The Queen Bee had decided to fly quickly towards the two to both check on them, and see how Jiko Ai fares compared to Kasumi Ai when it came to attitude and temperament.


    It was rather important, especially since she could feel the growing amount of alraunes and plant beasts, though thankfully, her Protector Bees and the rest of her subordinates were allowed to retreat without problem, without any harm befalling them from the miniature army of the alraunes that Jiko Ai managed to spontaneously create.


    At least, that meant that this alter ego wasn''t a blindly rampaging beast with no intelligence, so that was a good thing as far as the Queen Bee was concerned.


    ''You are quick, aren''t you?'' the Queen Bee buzzed, looking both curious and slightly threatening towards the alraune. ''I presume Kasumi Ai will be sober after this fight, and that you won''t be taking over her body?'' she asked, making it clear that she wasn''t exactly thrilled by the development.


    Mei Wu really understood her feelings. After all, she did have a bit of doubt about the Narcissism''s promise, but she trusted her enough, and trusted Ai''s love in her as well.


    Jiko Ai only gave an amused look at the Queen Bee, even as she kept moving forward towards the battle against the Xie clan''s elders, her army way ahead of her, yet not quite close enough to start the attack for real.


    "Trust me, Queen Bee. Neither I nor Ai would want to harm you or your hive. I can feel gratitude, you know? Even if I could defeat you with my army, I still prefer that we both stay on good terms, even if only for practical purposes. Still, we would have to talk about the future later. Well, after I talk with Ai first about me and her, I mean." the alraune spoke to the Queen Bee, who nodded after some time.


    ''I will be waiting.'' the Queen Bee expressed, feeling both unamused and serious.


    "It''s time. They will be attacking soon." Mei Wu warned the two, before she focused more, looking at Jiko Ai.


    "By the way, what happened to the four disciples? I felt their Qi, faint as it was, from so far away, but now I seemingly can''t sense them right now. I assume you killed them?"


    The Narcissism though did not blink or waver at the question, nor did the answer she gave make her do so, as she looked unfocused for just a second before she got her bearing.


    "One of my alraunes reached them. The aphrodisiac wasn''t something they could deal with or resist. Though I have to admit that the way they ripped each other''s clothes was amusing?"


    Mei Wu felt herself shivering at the calm tone that response was spoken in. "Oh..."


    "Honestly, they should have disobeyed the two elders and escaped the moment they were left alone. Then again, that''s only with the benefit of hindsight. No doubt that they trusted the two elders to protect them... So how do you want me to deal with them? Kill them or...?"


    Mei Wu resisted the urge to sigh. Why ask her such a thing? "I was the one who told Ai''er to let loose against the Xie clan search party, and I still stick to it. Do whatever you see fit with them, as long it isn''t letting them escape, even if you wanted to use them as sex toys. Just keep their voices away from me in that case." she gave her opinion.


    "As you say, though I think I would kill the two elders instead. As much as I''d like to use them as an infinite energy source since they are the strongest of our enemies, my true body is still not strong enough to deal with any nasty surprises they might have."


    With that assessment, the trio continued their march, and soon enough, the fight began, as the three could sense the power pulsing from the Xie elders, as one of them immediately crashed to the ground with a loud boom that was heard even from where they were situated. Power easily detectable to them, especially for Mei Wu''s terrifying Qi sensing skills.


    "Interesting~ seems like Xie Yao decided to begin the battle once more. And killed a couple of my alraunes and a few of the weaker plant beasts as well~!" Jiko Ai commented, a cruel grin appearing on her face, seeing and feeling the fight through the eyes of her clones and army. "But, at what cost, I wonder? Not matter what, unless they suddenly learned how to fly, there would be no escape from my aphrodisiac and meat-hungry army of plant beasts."


    ''I never imagined that alraunes could be this scary.'' Mei Wu admitted to herself. Well, she did believe them to be scary since Ai entered her life (or dragged the pink-haired woman into the alraune''s life, more accurately), but she never imagined just how absurd an alraune''s abilities are.


    "I believe we had reached a rather safe distance." Jiko Ai said, stopping in her tracks, as the group heard the sound of flames roaring, showing that the Saber-toother Blazing Tiger was still in the game.


    They were close enough to see everything from above, as soon as the alraune used some of her Qi to make the trees around her large and wide enough to let her stand on them, much to Mei Wu''s surprise, while the Queen Bee followed almost silently.


    "Now, we watch the spectacle."


    <hr>


    His body ached. It ached and hurt very badly.


    Xie Yao truly wasn''t feeling well at the moment. His body was severely damaged, and his qi pathways were really messed up. Even with the boost and support of his strengthening-type beasts, he knew that he was on a timer.


    With the amount of the impurities in his body, and many parts of his body stripped of flesh due to Mei Wu''s previous attacks, especially with the flesh of a whole fist stripped down to the bones, he knew that he won''t live past this day, most definitely.


    Unless the heavens suddenly decided to bless him and Xie Xiu, he knew they won''t survive. Even the first attack he unleashed against the army of plant beasts that got too close, his Blunt Pressure, a powerful kick that could have easily killed a Level 4 [Champion], took more effort to kill the first silver-ranked alraune that was in his way.


    His legs trembled, even if it was only slightly at that, and even then he got a nasty surprise when the he was hit by an overcharged electric beam from a Stunflower that had already formed right below the dead alraune.


    Normally, he would have easily shrugged that level of attack, but with his damaged state, it felt as if the lightning of the heavens themselves was invading his body, and he got scorch marks all over his left leg.


    "This is seriously problematic!" he screamed as he avoided a lightning beam from a different Stunflower, while blocking the vines of an alraune that got too close, a bronze-ranked one this time.


    "Haa!" his body protested as he unleashed another devastating punch strong enough to generate shockwaves towards the unintelligent alraune, only to get blocked by a Treant Warrior who managed to protect the alraune, but its body got crushed in return.


    Avoiding the vines that suddenly sprouted from the ground, he jumped as high as he could, letting his Saber-toothed Blazing Tiger do its job of cruelly burning these damned beasts alive.


    He returned next to Xie Xiu, barely saving her from a growling alraune that unleashed a wave of poisons and aphrodisiac nectars on the woman.


    Xie Xiu managed to hit the offending alraune with a deadly chop, decapitating it.


    "You... you didn''t need to help me..." she gasped with sharp breaths as she almost dropped to the ground, her Gargantuan Earth Worm protecting the two from further attacks with its huge body, though it was clear that it was wounded due to the poison of the alraunes, yet it protected its master with determination, along with the Venomous Viper and the Camouflage Chameleon that were fighting the increasing number of plant beasts.


    The sound of fire roaring, flesh burning, and the hisses and growls were all around them.


    He clicked his tongue as he stopped himself from spitting blood. Tanking that wave of poison with his already damaged body wasn''t a good choice, but he had to do it.


    "No need to lie. You''re barely able to stand up as it is." he told her, and he was right. Xie Xiu felt rather weak, if she was honest. The effects of the aphrodisiac were still running through her body, and were not possible to purge yet. Her whole body was drenched by the nectar, really, thanks to the alraunes not giving a damn and letting said nectar to fall and paint the entire ground golden under and around their feet.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Normally, the exposure to this maddening amount of aphrodisiac nectars from the alraunes would have made even her lose her mind with lust, she would have stopped caring about anything but satiating the burning desire that consumed her body. She would have happily ripped her clothes and forced herself on Xie Yao then and there, resulting in their immediate demise, or at least hers, if he had no choice but to punch her head off.


    Thankfully, she was Xie Xiu, and she had some tricks up her sleeve to stop that from happening, and she used a technique that would stop her heart and bodily functions for a while, deadening her ability to smell as well, thus stopping the overpowering scent of the alraunes'' aphrodisiac nectars from destabilizing her mind more than it already was.


    Unfortunately, stopping her own heart and body''s functions meant that her abilities were severely weakened, and she wouldn''t be able to perform at her best for so long. Not to mention that halting her heart body''s functions for long periods of time would result in death.


    In her mind though, being dead is better than losing herself to lust and becoming a sex toy for the Gold-ranked alraune and her clones.


    "I know that, dumbass. You don''t need to tell me." she gasped, clutching her chest. Exerting herself this much was surely accelerating her time limit.


    ''If only the Queen Bee could not sense my Gargantuan Earth Worm, then we would have finished Mei Wu and that alraune!'' she grimaced inwardly.


    They couldn''t even attempt to escape by having her beast move under the ground. Sure, it might give them some time to put some distance, and the Gargantuan Earth Worm was rather swift for its size, but it wasn''t in the best shape, seeing the wounds it had on its body. It won''t be able to move as quickly as it could, and the Queen Bee could easily catch up to it.


    Unfortunately though, she didn''t have more time to think of what to do, as she sensed the Gold-ranked Alraune''s qi rise. That alraune didn''t really try to hide herself as she was standing on the top of a giant tree, with Mei Wu and the Queen Bee accompanying her.


    And then, the two elders felt and saw it. Power, power was being charged. Sunlight was being charged, morphed into lightning, and condensed. An electric ball nearly three meters in diameter was being created by Jiko Ai, about to be unleashed as it was compressed enough it was barely the size of her finger, almost impossible to see from the distance between the two elders and the Gold-ranked alraune.


    The other lower ranked alraunes though didn''t stop their attacks even as Jiko Ai prepared her move, following Jiko Ai''s will to bind and disrupt Xie Yao and Xie Xiu''s movements.


    The nectars that were filling the soil suddenly started rising and hardening, only barely halting their moments for a split second as their legs became immobile.


    "Damn it!"


    "No!"


    Xie Xiu and Xie Yao cursed as the alraune''s attack was unleashed, a thin yet extremely dense beam of lightning filled with pure Qi, and there was no doubt that if hit, it would pierce the body of the person it targets.


    Xie Xiu doubted that even her Gargantuan Earth Worm would be able to fully tank it. Her beast was admittedly sturdy, but it wasn''t that sturdy against that. Xie Yao would have been able to stop such an attack, had he been in a better shape, but the old man was already dying and he couldn''t take such attacks so casually anymore.


    Jiko Ai though didn''t target the two elders, nor did she attack the Gargantuan Earth Worm, or any of Xie Xiu''s beasts. Instead she targeted Xie Yao''s Saber-toothed Blazing Tiger.


    To her, that beast was the most annoying one with its AOE flames, as they could burn and harm her army the most, in her opinion. Not to mention, with its disappearance, her most terrifying skill -other than her aphrodisiac nectar and the Division Propagation skill- would be allowed to activate without any interferences or disruptions.


    The fiery beast, already wounded and poisoned from the continuous battle against the army of the plant beasts, along with the poison in its system, couldn''t dodge in time.


    A small hole was created where its stomach was supposed to be, its body pierced from the back to the front, with a massive electric shock messing with its nervous system.


    It roared pitifully, pain invading its body as its legs spasmed and twitched, and it fell on the earth, right as another beam pierced its head.


    "Nooo!" Xie Yao yelled with sorrow, attempting to unsummon it, hoping against hope that it was still alive. His beast cannot die! His companion must not die!


    It was irrational, and contradictory to his solemn acceptance of his own death, but emotions were not supposed to be rational. The death of a dutiful companion was still disliked no matter what. It wasn''t something that one could just accept so easily.


    Yet, it was futile. He felt the link between him and his summon disappear like a painful electric shock hitting his head, almost forcing him to fall to his knees.


    The pain of his loyal beast, a companion that was with him for years, if not decades, one that he spent a long time training, helping it level up from a mere Normal-ranked beast into a Silver-ranked one, finally biting the dust in front of him was agonizing. And it gnawed at his heart and soul.


    "Watch out, you old fossil!" Xie Xiu shouted as her Venomous Viper protected her partner from another torrent of poison while he was still reeling from the death of his summon, the one whose corpse, still warm, was immediately picked up by the alraunes and was encased in a sphere of sweet-tasting nectar before being rapidly thrown towards Jiko Ai, who gladly consumed it with her monstrous plant body.


    "You bitch!" Xie Yao''s rage rose to an absurd level seeing that stunt, and for a few moments, he lost all the ability to reason or think. This action will not be forgiven!


    So what if what he would do is irrational? So what if he would do something suicidal? He was already going to die, so what''s the big deal of choosing how he died!?


    "You idiot! Don''t! She''s purposely taunting you!"


    "Leopard''s Brutal Hunt!" his Qi exploded as he ignored Xie Xiu''s panicked tone, jumping so fast, almost flying, and nearly crossing half the entire distance between him and the damned Predator Rainblossom Alraune in less than three seconds.


    "Grand Rhino''s Fist!" His body bulged, almost painfully from the stress, wounds expanding and blood spurting with violent vigour as his already damaged body couldn''t handle the amount of power he was forcing, the impurities in his Qi surging through his blood vessels, and every cell, making even the few seconds of flying to be an adurous and painful endeavor.


    "Dieeee!" he yelled, exerting all his power in his fist in one attack against the blasted alraune that was smirking at him, as if she made a joke that only she would find funny. He would wipe that smirk off her face -both her human and beast faces- and punch a hole through her. This time, he would make sure to wipe that smug expression for real!


    Jiko Ai though only grinned further.


    "You''re full of openings."


    He could only widen his eyes as his power left him. Once more, he felt his power being suppressed, negated, forced to stay dormant. He didn''t even need to know what he was told to sense the mocking tone in it.


    In his blinding rage, he had forgotten that Mei Wu was with her, and that the human woman''s ability could suppress and nullify another person''s Qi.


    It still wasn''t enough to forcefully dismiss his Metal Rhinoceros and Violent Ogre for longer than a mere second, but for just that single, split second, Xie Yao became as weak as a normal human.


    Same strength, same durability, and more importantly, same fragility.


    His body only continued its flight due to the momentum it was already having, but sadly, the remaining distance of a dozen meters mattered little against the alraune, now that he couldn''t defend against her.


    For only a couple seconds, he was at his weakest.


    More than enough for the alraune to end the fight, swinging a dozen sharp, long vines with utter viciousness, vines sharper than any mortal blade could be, and filled to the brim with powerful and dense Qi. A normal person would get sliced by any of them with no resistance.


    The Predator Rainblossom Alraune''s attack was brutal and merciless. Faster than anything he could even perceive due to how weak he felt. The damage done to his body, and the impurities in it made it all the more clear. And he knew that this would be the end of it, as the vines made contact with his currently fragile, easily destructible body.


    Four limbs sliced, head decapitated, and his torso cut into two. And to add the insult to the injury, each of his legs and arms were also cut in two as well.


    In just one split second where he was at his weakest, his body was brutally sliced. His body though, cut and ruined as it is, still flew towards the alraune, the momentum not at all stopped by the alraune''s attacks.


    ''No.'' he thought in panic and rage, trying desperately to defy his enemies even in death. ''I refuse to die just like this!''


    He was decapitated, and his death was guaranteed, that much he understood. But unlike how mortals would die in a second after being decapitated, warriors could actually survive a few seconds after thanks to their qi and supernatural strength, as long as the brain or soul themselves were not destroyed.


    He was no different, and he would use that time as best as he could!


    Even as blood gushed from his body parts, even as staying conscious was becoming difficult, he pulled every drop of strength and qi he could muster, defying the Apoptosis, forcing his body to use every ounce of power he had.


    His two strengthening-type beasts once more re-established the connection that was about to be cut off due to Mei Wu''s attack, and his limbs still tried to obey his commands. Body parts growing in size due to the effects of his Violent Ogre, and power increasing for only a few more seconds, his flight continued, with only one meter separating him and the alraune''s lower gigantic, and grinning mouth.


    "Sorry, but I have no interest in your self-destruct attack."


    And then, the Jiko Ai''s lower mouth opened, as a torrent of freezing, ice-cold water was unleashed, consuming all of Xie Yao''s body parts along with his blood in the air, and freezing them solid. Jiko Ai''s usage of the Frose plant-type beast''s ice and water attacks were completely unexpected for him to defend against.


    Not that he could have defended anyways.


    His last stand failed to even reach her. And then, he finally was grasped by the cold hands of death, with a determined expression still on his face as he died.


    "Did he die content in defying us, I wonder?" the alraune mumbled to herself, resulting in Mei Wu looking at her oddly.


    "Jiko Ai? Are you alright?"


    The alraune only shrugged, even as she controlled her vines to swallow the lump of ice where Xie Yao''s body was imprisoned inside.


    "I am alright, Wu-chan. Just felt the desire to act deep and philosophical all of the sudden."


    Looking down, she saw that Xie Xiu was still doing well enough, even if she sustained some injuries, though the majority of the wounds were tanked by her beasts.


    At that, she found herself giving a small grin.


    "Soon enough, the remaining flames of the Saber-toothed Blazing Tiger will be elimined, and my Parasitic Spores will begin to spread and make contact. She and her beasts will have nothing remain of their bodies."


    Mei Wu and the Queen Bee watched as the alraune smirked in amusement. "So, think we can now move closer? With Xie Yao dead, and Xie Xiu already on her last legs, I believe there''s no danger."


    ''As long as you and she stay alive and not get crippled, I couldn''t care less.'' the Queen Bee stated as Mei Wu nodded.


    "Well then." Jiko Ai moved at a blistering speed towards Xie Xiu''s location, "let''s end this battle."

 Chapter 46: Predator (part 4)

    ''Damn it! That idiot had just killed himself!'' Xie Xiu cursed as she barely avoided another electric beam created by an elusive Stunflower.


    The fight she was in could honestly be called a very desperate one. The moment the aphrodisiac nectars entered the fight, this was how it felt for her.


    She knew that an alraune''s aphrodisiac was potent. The elder definitely knew that, but the books she read and the experiments she did on herself to get some immunity to the aphrodisiacs clearly understated just how potent an alraune''s aphrodisiac was.


    There was a rumor that a secret den of alraunes existed somewhere on the sixth floor of the Tong Tian Tower, where countless alraunes seemed to live together, and it was practically ordered, or if one wanted to state it more gently, highly advised, to never enter such an area without an alraune of your own.


    Xie Xiu had heard such rumors before, and how such areas were usually sealed shut with powerful barriers and wards, and that no one was allowed to enter such area due to the predatory attitude of the alraunes there and the threat of the aphrodisiac nectars and scents they emanated, though she naturally couldn''t have the chance to go check if such thing was actually real or not.


    Entering the sixth floor wasn''t a choice she could do easily, when Level 6 [Elders] would seemingly become a very common sight there, unlike how such powerhouses are rather rare in the Soaring Dragon Continent, so she had no way to go there safely to check.


    But, even she had expected that the few alraunes she had killed at the first and second floors were enough to help her get some resistance to the alraunes and their many poisonous and aphrodisiac nectars.


    Now though, she found herself reassessing that thought with extreme prejudice, because she now realized that being resistant to aphrodisiac doesn''t mean being immune to it since a large enough quantity of it was enough to break through her resistances to it, and even more so, it seemed that an alraune''s aphrodisiac nectar is always changing ever slightly at a very rapid rate, thus ruining any imunity that was about to be generated by her body.


    ''Damn it all! This is seriously way out of my level by orders of magnitudes.'' she groaned as the liquid around and under her froze due to the effects of an enthusiastic Frose, freezing her legs.


    Even so, she was still a powerful warrior and ranker. She won''t die of something like that. Breaking the ice with little effort, though not a completely negligible one, she kicked the Frose as it got too close, her physical power easily killing the Normal-ranked plant beast, her Camouflage Chameleon protecting her from a thick branch that a Treant Warrior whipped at her stomach.


    Clutching her heart in agony, she felt as if she would die at any second, not by the small army of enemies that kept using Division Propagation to replenish their lost numbers, but by her own technique.


    Stopping her own heart and body functions was a powerful ability, sure, and it wouldn''t be wrong to say that it was extremely rare, honestly. She heard that some experts in healing could even use it to make a patient close to death, but not reaching it, to help purge deadly poisons more safely.


    It was a very taxing and lethal skill though. Humans and living beings in general weren''t supposed to be capable of stopping their hearts and bodily functions for so long. And they were not supposed to be able to do so and exert themselves while in that state as well.


    ''At least, this way I would die on my terms, not by becoming a slave to the alraune and the Queen Bee...'' she told herself as she lamented the death of Xie Yao.


    She very much disliked, and even loathed the guy, but she didn''t think he deserved to die that way. Dismembered then frozen, before being eaten by the alraune''s hungry mouth.


    ''You idiot...'' a pang of sorrow made itself clear even in the middle of the death battle. She just couldn''t help it. Xie Xiu was absolutely certain that even if she survived somehow, Xie Yao would never do so, and that would be one of her regrets in life, if she ever survived.


    It was as if an integral piece of her life would no longer exist, and she definitely loathed that feeling more than Xie Yao''s usual attitude towards her.


    "Annoy me then leave me, why don''t you?" she whispered, looking at the remaining flames of Xie Yao''s Saber-toothed Blazing Tiger. Even with their source being gone, these flames still burned strongly, vaporizing the nectars around, and resisting the efforts of the weak Frose beasts'' efforts to stop the flames from burning.


    Had she been more poetic, she could have even attributed it to Xie Yao''s and his beast''s will to protect her, even if it would only extend her life by a few minutes at most.


    The Venomous Viper unleashed another torrent of acid against a rather irritating Heasy, the healing plant beast melting and dying, but unfortunately that mattered little when every alraune could heal their companions just as easily.


    Another alraune was killed, eaten by the Gargantuan Earth Worm as it moved nimbly and swallowed the bronze-ranked alraune alive and used the pressure of its body to crush the swallowed prey, though unfortunately it got more wounds from the surrounding plant beasts while doing so.


    Xie Xiu knew that in a few more minutes, her beasts would die if things kept going this way, though in her case, it was more of a question of whether she would die by her own stopped heart, or being attacked by the miniature army of plant beasts.


    Suddenly, her head looked above for only a moment, noticing the presences of Mei Wu, the Queen Bee and Jiko Ai getting closer.


    "Fuck! Is this the end?" she hissed, watching the trio getting closer by the second. "No, if I''m going down, I will at least make it as troublesome as possible for them."


    Deciding her approach, she jumped on her Camouflage Chameleon as it activated its invisibility skill, hiding her as well, and the beast jumped dozens of meters in the air.


    If she was going to die, then at least, she would make it as difficult as she could, and if she had to turn it into a chase, then so be it.


    Thankfully, the plant beasts were mostly clustered where she and the late Xie Yao were fighting them, and so her escape from the immediate area wasn''t difficult.


    The Venomous Viper and the Gargantuan Earth Worm though, she gave them the order to kill as much as possible of the army, and at least try to damage the trio that would be definitely hunting her.


    Apologizing to her beasts in her heart, she and the Camouflage Chameleon ran away as fast as possible, and she slowly deactivated the heart and body stopping skill, feeling her body no longer at the verge of death.


    "Hahh..." breathing carefully as her heart started beating once more, she almost dropped to the ground, had she not been so careful. As blood started circulating with vigour in her body, and she immediately started working on purging the remaining aphrodisiacs and poisons that were still in her body.


    "If by a miracle I survive this, I will never fight any plant beasts ever again." she grumbled to herself. This fight was a huge eye opener even for her. Plant-type beasts were just so damn annoying and threatening in numbers, especially Bronze and Silver-ranked ones and above!


    Had the alraune with Mei Wu started the fight with using aphrodisiacs along with the Division Propagation skill, then Xie Xiu would have probably been killed from the get-go, when factoring Mei Wu''s Apoptosis, Tumor Mandala and the Impurity Eater beast. That was what the female elder felt.


    ''I hope my beasts give you some headache at least...'' she wished in her heart as she and her Camouflage Chameleon kept moving away from the assembly of the plant beasts that did not try to run towards her.


    She wondered if this meant that the Queen Bee''s army was making a siege around her, if the alraune was so certain of her demise.


    Little did Xie Xiu know that she was right; the Queen Bee''s Protector Bees were indeed watching the entire area to make escape impossible for her. But there was also another surprise she would not expect, prepared by Jiko Ai herself...


    <hr>


    "She ran away, huh?" Mei Wu asked no one as she, Jiko Ai, and the Queen Bee had finally reached the fight between Jiko Ai''s army of plant-type beasts and the Venomous Viper and the Gargantuan Earth Worm.


    "It seems that our esteemed elder has a desire to defy her own fate at the moment." the alraune responded, stopping right behind the army and watching the flames of the Saber-toothed Blazing Tiger still burning with intensity.


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    The flames were clearly weakening even as they still ferociously burned the plant beasts making contact with them, but it was clear that after being affected by the many water and ice abilities unleashed by the Frose plants.


    "Still, I am honestly surprised that the flames are still roaring even now. If I was a pretentious and highly superstitious, I would have thought that the tiger''s soul and desire for vengeance is trying to haunt us for killing it and its master." giggling, the alraune shook her head in amusement.


    ''So?'' the Queen Bee asked her.


    "So, I feel it''s a bit of a shame that I would trample on that sacrifice." despite saying so, Jiko Ai clearly held no regret to what she was about to do, as Mei Wu watched with anticipation what Kasumi Ai''s alter ego would do.


    Still chewing on the corpses of Xie Yao and his tiger, the alraune only grinned, snapping her fingers merely for theatrics, as she sent the commands to her alraunes while the rainbow petals she had on her glowed softly while she raised her left arm to the air.


    Under Mei Wu and the Queen Bee''s gaze, the two noticed as small spores, barely millimeters in length, amassed at a rapid rate, moving by Jiko Ai''s will to form an orb that kept expanding.


    One meter... two meters...


    Mei Wu watched, her instincts warning her about the sheer danger the orb that was definitely made of nothing but spores would be, a feeling that was unknowingly mutual as the Queen Bee had the same thought.


    Just what will these spores do?


    As the orb, containing hundreds, if not thousands of spores reached five meters in diameter, Jiko Ai moved it into the air, far above the Venomous Viper and the Gargantuan Earth Worm were still fighting, clearly getting exhausted.


    No doubt, the many poisons, including the paralytic and sleeping ones were slowly starting to affect them severely.


    "Now, let the show begin. A barbaric, cannibalistic show that is~!" as if responding to her sadism, the orb unleashed by Jiko Ai broke down in the sky, almost exploding as the spores started to fall, spreading far enough that Xie Xiu''s beasts would no longer have any free space to move in. The spores being so densely clustered and so tiny, were practically impossible to avoid, even if the target was extremely small, let alone the two beasts that are easily taller than two meters.


    Mei Wu watched, her hair standing on end as she felt as if thousands of predators would suddenly appear out of nowhere, which was actually what happened.


    The spores, so small and fragile-looking didn''t seem to be threatening at all against the imposing, even if highly injured silver-ranked beasts, yet the threat they gave was orders of magnitudes higher than what the Queen Bee could emanate naturally.


    The moment the spores made contact with blood stains, meat, or just the nectars on the ground, Alraune Seedlings which looked like a miniature version of Kasumi Ai''s monstrous body, with no human body attached to them, along with Spitting Carnivorous Flowers and Carnivorous Thorny Flowers started to grow from them.


    On the other hands, alraunes whose human bodies were only decapitated or melted, started to grow roots from their monstrous bodies, and were reborn, creating more alraunes. The same also happened to the Thorny Flowers whose stems wer cut off and laying on the ground, generating new thorny flowers.


    In the blink of an eye, a mini sea of small alraunes and thorny flowers was created.


    The numerous Thorny Flowers and Alraune Seedlings extended their stalks, twisting and twining as they unfurled towards the Venomous Viper and the Gargantuan Earth Worm''s bodies, baring their teeth and fangs and opened their mouths wide.


    No matter if it was blood, flesh, bones, or even acid thrown their way. They only craved to eat any and everything of their prey.


    For those that started to form directly from the still living flesh of the Venomous Viper and the Gargantuan Earth Worm, they started outright biting hungrily and cruelly at the bodies, nipping directly at the wounds with vigour.


    Other spores that were swallowed by the Gargantuan Earth Worm started giving birth to the Alraune Seedlings and Thorny Flowers even inside the giant worm, feasting on it from the inside, as the worm gave a loud and pained wail, as it tried to crush the beasts inside it, but the Alraune Seedlings were already secreting paralytic and sleeping poisons directly inside its body and blood vessels even as they consumed every bit they could put in their mouths.


    The Venomous Viper was arguably having a better time due to its inherent resistance to poisons, but even it was becoming too damaged to fight back properly as it spat acid on whatever plant beast that got too close, yet it was already dying, its tail being eaten and soon its body would follow.


    Seeing the sheer brutality in the act, Mei Wu unvoluntarily shivered. Her sharp qi sense was giving her full understanding of the utter cruelty and hunger being unleashed by the newly made predatory plant beasts.


    When Jiko Ai said that it was barbaric and cannibalistic, she wasn''t lying at all. That was honestly horrifying to see, even with the silver lining that Jiko Ai and Kasumi Ai won''t do that to her.


    ... Wait, does that mean that her beloved was going to start feasting on any future enemies they might have with this brutality and savagery? Unleashing such a hell of cannibalistic ravenous clones of herself to bite, chomp and swallow every drop of anyone she decides is deserving of being a prey?


    ''Oh, by the heavens! I will so have to get used to this sight, won''t I? Even more so when Ai''er is the one using this strategy instead of Jiko Ai...'' she shuddered, face slightly green even as she kept looking at the scene with disgusted fascination.


    She knew that the conversation she would have with Kasumi Ai when she wakes up from the sleep Jiko Ai imposed on her would be... awkward, to say the least.


    The Queen Bee was also equally fascinated and a bit scared by the scene in front of her. It was honestly a bit hard to reconcile the image of Kasumi Ai who was very pleasant to the alraune that casually unleashed a hungry hell that desired to feast on and consume anything it touched.


    And more disturbingly, both Mei Wu and the Queen Bee could notice how every bit of energy that the Alraune Seedlings and Thorny Flowers had gotten from eating the flesh, swallowing the blood, and chomping on the bones, were somehow being given to Jiko Ai''s body.


    "Mmmm~!" moaning loudly, the alraune''s face flushed red, her excitement clear. "Ah~! That just feels so fucking good~! I feel so fucking powerful~! This is the life of a true Alraune! Hehahahahaha!"


    Screaming loudly to the heavens as the Natura Aeterna Nirvana technique blossomed with unprecedented vigour, the Narcissism''s glee was unrestrained, as she grinned widely, eyes looking towards the sky and hands raised to the air as her fists clenched with triumph.


    "Oh, heavens, save us all." Mei Wu muttered seeing the insanity in front of her as the normal plants started to grow at a rapid rate, and the plant-type beasts got even more invigorated, and literal roses suddenly sprouted from the Venomous Viper''s eyes and skin, blinding it and drawing blood as it shrieked and hissed.


    Mei Wu even pondered on if the technique decided to make some plants grow inside the beasts as well. The Gargantuan Earth Worm was defintely in pain from more than just being eaten from the inside, from what she was sensing.


    ''Maybe it was time to change the deal with Jiko Ai...? Oh, who am I trying to convince! It''s futile!'' Mei Wu felt like crying on the inside, even more when she could fully see Kasumi Ai act the same!


    Thus, she only put a hand on her face, as if facepalming, and only sighed. "Let''s... let''s just go and catch Xie Xiu and be done with it, please... This is too much for me at the moment..."


    The green-haired woman immediately looked at the human woman, her head moving so fast it was surprising there was no whiplash, her face changing from glee to shock and betrayal.


    "But... Wu-chan... isn''t it beautiful, the way they feed on my prey...? Eating them so brutally and making them suffer in agony...?" the alraune that was gleefully sentencing her prey to being eaten alive suddenly turned into the equivalent of a toddler whose favourite toy was taken away, looking at Mei Wu with hurt in her eyes as if she was sentenced to being betrayed and locked in a hyperbolic time chamber for millions of years.


    "No." Mei Wu only ordered, not even bothering to answer the alter ego''s so-called question.


    "Bu-"


    ''No. Go capture or kill that elder so that we can then talk about what to do next!'' whatever argument Jiko Ai was about to give was cut off by the rather annoyed Queen Bee who practically ordered the alraune to get it over.


    Scowling at the two, the Narcissism glared before sighing, feeling depressed. Damn it! First time she gets loose for real (and hopefully, Kasumi Ai as well in the future), and her still overpowered ''boss'' and her pseudo-lover immediately tell her to be serious and to stop delighting in the sheer pleasure of feasting on her enemies alive!


    Life wasn''t unfair at all!


    "Fine! Party ruiners, both of you... Just you wait, Wu-chan, I''ll ask your love to punish you for your insolence." she grumbled, giving a supposed threat towards Mei Wu who shivered at the implications.


    "Wait, why are you threatening me in particular?"


    The gold-ranked alraune ignored Mei Wu''s worried question and generated a huge amount of toxic pollens and nectars, making sure to make them highly paralytic and sleep-inducing ones, condensing the poisons to the maximum before freezing them with the Frose''s abilities and throwing the sharp nectar icicle at the giant worm that was apparently trying futilely to escape by hiding under the ground.


    The Gargantuan Earth Worm''s body was immediately pierced with no resistance, and due to the pressure its insides gave, the icicle immediately melted, invading its insides and spreading the paralytic and sleeping agents as it wailed, as the injuries it sustained, combined with the Alraune Seedlings feasting on it both inside and outside, its blood being drained by the hungry plant beasts, and now the deadly condensed poison invading its rapidly weakening body was too much.


    Finally, it became paralyzed, its mind slowly losing consciousness. Even the pain of being eaten alive would not help it stay awake any longer.


    As for the Venomous Viper, it was already dying, even if it did a good job staying alive and fighting, but sadly, against so many enemies close to its level and rank, not to mention the characteristics they had, it was futile in the end.


    Jiko Ai simply used the ability of the Stunflower once more, absorbing sunlight and morphing it into a powerful electric attack that hit the Venomous Viper''s head, piercing it right between the eyes, and thus the life of the creature ended just like that.


    Needless to say, the remaining alraunes of different ranks and levels hungrily used that chance to eat everything of its corpse.


    "Shame I don''t have much more space in my own body..." lamenting, Jiko Ai shook both her human and monstrous heads, before looking at the two fun ruining buddies of her.


    "Okay, so now we should leave these here to be eaten. Queen Bee, you want to have some of their meat?" she asked the bee, who shook her head, buzzing.


    ''Well, since you are offering, I will take half the female elder and her chameleon''s corpses.'' she told her.


    "I can''t believe I''m hearing such a discussion..." Mei Wu resisted the urge to sigh, before looking at the alraune and bee.


    "By the way, are you certain you blocked all of her possible escape routes?" she asked, and Jiko Ai only grinned at that.


    "Oh, don''t worry. I did create more silver-ranked alraunes than what you see here, after all. Plus, I feel that the path she chose was just the one I put a very unique surprise to her~!" the alraune giggled, making the human feel goosebumps all over. "After all, her disciples are right there too~!"

 Chapter 47: Predator (part 5)

    Damn it. She was really tired, Xie Xiu thought as she kept herself sitting on the back of her Camouflage Chameleon. It was honestly a miracle that she did not drop dead, all things considered.


    Her energy reserves were very low compared to how she usually had, and the woman wondered if even a Level 3 [Hero] would probably defeat her, though with extreme difficulty. Purging the effects of poisons and aphrodisiacs from her system took a lot of her, especially since Mei Wu''s beast, the Impurity Eater, had ripped a part of her qi pathways.


    Stopping her own heart made the damage in that area become more severe, much to her fear and chagrin, and while it didn''t seem that it would spread anytime soon, Xie Xiu knew that even if she somehow survived and miraculously escaped the forest that was almost definitely surrounded, her power would be reduced for months until the damage got healed properly.


    Adding to that the many other injuries she and her beasts had, it would require months at the very least for them to be in their optimal conditions, and even then, her two beasts, the Gargantuan Earth Worm and the Venomous Viper would most likely die, weakening her power as a ranker.


    If she survived, that is.


    For now though, she only desired to make herself as irritating as possible to her would-be killers, which is why she never stopped moving through the forest, making sure to always avoid the paths where her loyal chameleon and her senses could notice the presence of the Protector Bees. Even if it was futile and useless, even if she dropped from exhaustion first, and even if they were purposely guiding her to a trap, Xie Xiu didn''t care about that at all.


    If she could make them sweat and get frustrated by her, waste as much of their time as she could, then she would be satisfie-


    A sharp pain entered her mind, causing her to fall from the Camouflage Chameleon''s back, her body rolling on the soil as she held back a hiss of pain, her still open wounds burning from the contact with the dirt, the invisibility given by the chameleon being stripped out of her now that she wasn''t making physical contact with it.


    The chameleon immediately halted in its run, quickly moving towards her, looking concerned as she shakily tried to rise, only to stumble on the ground once more. It extended its tongue towards her affectionately, clearly not liking how fragile and pained she looked.


    "Ghk! Uhh... I- I''m fine..." she muttered, blood leaking from her mouth even as she accepted its affectation, gingerly standing on its back once more, clutching her head. "My viper had just died, and I am certain my other companion would follow soon enough."


    Even though she practically threw them to their death, they still fought until the end, not deserting her even in the face of their approaching demise. Xie Xiu will miss them.


    Refocusing herself, she and her chameleon continued running as far as possible. They both knew that escaping was effectively impossible, but she was determined to make catching her as annoying as she could, at least in her own opinion.


    The alraune might probably be enjoying the chase, watching Xie Xiu run around with no real destination, but until she and the Queen Bee get bored and decide to finish her off, the elder would continue running.


    At least, that''s what she wanted to do, when a scent so new yet strangely familiar invaded her body that immediately started reacting to it.


    She gasped softly, feeling the way her body started getting warmer, her breath becoming harsher, and she once more fell on the earth as another mental shock hit her, singaling the death of her Gargantuan Earth Worm.


    "Ah..." groaning, she realized that more of the alraune''s clones were situated in the direction she was running just right now. And they are already slowly advancing towards her, as she noticed the smell getting stronger by the second.


    Immediately, Xie Xiu started thinking what to do now. Running forward was not the best option, that was was clear. But, she realized that maybe the Protector Bees were bringing her to this area after all, since she could see with her eyes how some of the Queen Bee''s minions were following her left and right, even if they weren''t so close as to pose an immediate threat.


    ''And there''s no doubt that Mei Wu and the other two are following my movements, and would definitely reach me in minutes...'' she bit her lips as the sweet scent of aphrodisiac nectars was becoming more and more potent, the lower-ranked alraunes advancing a step by step.


    Maybe, had she been at her best, then she could have attempted to brute force her escape against a few of the Protector Bees. While beating and killing them won''t be feasible, getting away would have been very probable, if she wasn''t so exhausted. Now though, she was tired, spent, and two of her stronger beasts were killed.


    If she was to go to her left or right at the moment, then she would be killed by the Queen Bee''s waiting minions, no questions asked. She goes forward, and she meets the alraunes created by Jiko Ai''s Division Propagation. She retreats, and faces the Gold-ranked alraune, Mei Wu and the Queen Bee.


    She can''t escape under the earth, and she can''t fly, and even if she could, the Queen Bee won''t allow her to escape... No matter what she does, it was a checkmate!


    ''So this is the end of it, huh? I guess this is where I die... It was a fine life though, I suppose. Though a part of me regrets dying after that old geezer.'' with such thoughts and a bitter smile, she prepared to give a last ''Fuck you'' to her enemies, choosing to kill herself instead of being killed by the enemy. Whether it was ultimately pointless didn''t matter to her; as far as she was concerned, it was her method to spite at her opponent, and would gladly do it now that there was no other choice...


    And thus, amassing her qi in her arm, she prepared to pierce her own heart, to destroy it with her own hand. Ignoring the unbearable heat running through her body, how her mind was starting to have some thoughts about stopping her suicide, and to just follow the overwhelming desire of lust that was slowly permeating the area, she gave a smile to her Camouflage Chameleon as it looked at her sadly, as it knew what she was about to do.


    She had a thought of cancelling her contract with it, thus sparing it from following her in death the moment she no longer could live, but she realized that it had no qualms of dying with her as well.


    "Farewell." with such final words, she was about to stab herself-


    And then the voice of a faint moan reached her ears, stopping her in her tracks. It was so faint that one would mistake it for an illusion, yet she understood that it was very real, even more so when her dutiful chameleon clearly heard it, turning around, looking to where Jiko Ai''s alraunes were situated.


    Even more importantly, even as weak the voice was, being so far away, Xie Xiu could clearly remember who that soft and feminine voice belonged to, as her heart started beating faster by something different than the increasing haze of lust entering her body.


    Another moan reached her ears, one that was more masculine, yet despite how weird it sounded, she managed to know who made it...


    Her eyes widened in shock. The disciples are still alive!? No, in hindsight, it made sense for them to be alive. The alraune clearly wanted to use them as toys or pets for her amusement!


    In a split second, many thoughts filled her head as she pondered on what to do now. This development won''t change the fact that she would be killed, that much was obvious.


    Therefore, she must make a choice, now that she found that the four Level 1 [Apprentices] were alive, but at the sadistic mercy of the alraune. She could easily kill herself here and now, and let them to their fate of being a bunch of broken batteries for the alraune to feed on, or she could give them at the very least some mercy of that torment, and end their suffering, and kill them herself before she kills herself afterwards.


    It was harsh, even cruel and brutal choice, but in Xie Xiu''s mind, she knew for certain that she won''t be able to save them at her current state. If she couldn''t even have the power to save herself, then how would she be able to save these four as well? Even more so, the fact that they were much weaker than her, and way closer to the source of the aphrodisiac, their minds are already starting to break and crumble from the pleasure and lust. And as the moans got clearer and louder as the alraunes that captured them were advancing, that made the decision even clearer for the female elder.


    "Let''s go and give them the mercy they so deserve." she ordered the Camouflage Chameleon who hissed with determination as she jumped once more on iits back before they rushed forwards, Xie Xiu doing her best to ignore the burning sensation between her legs and the small yet increasingly loud voice that was telling her to just succumb and give up.


    At the same time, she didn''t ignore how the feeling of nature intensified behind her, as the plants and grass started getting more vibrant, and the familiar qi of plants and nature emanating, with its source chasing after her rapidly.


    ''Even from here, I could feel that blasted alraune running after me. Though at this rate, she won''t reach me before I reached the disciples first!'' with that, she and the Camouflage Chameleon doubled their efforts as she gave it some of her remaining energy to make it run faster and easier. She must at the very least kill the disciples and free them from the suffering they are experiencing, and would experience at the hands of Mei Wu, the alraune and the Queen Bee...


    <hr>


    It was hard. So, so hard... Thinking was so hard. Her mind was starting to feel more and more blank. Every second and every moment spent under the control and effects of the liquid of lust, as the scent invades her nose continuously, breaking down her ability to reason and to do anything more than moan and wriggle futilely.


    Xie Zu moaned in pleasurable agony, her body shivering as it was lifted in the air, naked as the day she was born.


    It shouldn''t have reached this point, a small voice in her head whispered. She and her fellow disciples shouldn''t have gotten draggen into the fight, and yet-


    Yet, here they were. From the moment their noses picked that sweet scent, it was clear that their fate was sealed. Having no way to contact the two elders, being unable to defend themselves against the waves of lust consuming their bodies, and being surrounded by a silver-ranked alraune whose human body looked as child-like as she oozed lust and malice; Xie Zu and her fellow clan members were put into an impossible fight from the get-go.


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    It was then that lust, consuming her and her fellow members, exploded violently from the inside of their hearts and minds, and was unleashed at each other. The other woman with her immediately started kissing her boyfriend, not giving a damn as they ripped each other''s clothes, kissing and groping each other with no care or decency, losing all the ability to reason and think rationally as they started having sex under the watch of the amused alraunes.


    The only reason she and the second male disciple didn''t do the same was because they tried their best to resist, and the fact that they had lovers back in the clan.


    The alraune though didn''t give a damn. No, that wasn''t correct-


    Xie Zu was certain that the alraune couldn''t care about her struggle, or fear or anything. She found some prey to play with and torment, and thus she wanted to break them.


    Consent? Understanding? Fidelity to one''s love? What''s that? The alraune seemed to be unable to comprehend the meaning of these things. In other words; "I don''t need these pointless things." she seemed to convey.


    The one, and only attempt to actually fight back resulted in two oversized leaves under the alraune''s petals being thrown, cutting off one leg and one arm from the man who defied the alraune. The sliced limbs were immediately eaten in front of Xie Zu and the now crippled man as he wailed in agony, the pain so much that the aphrodisiac nectar couldn''t stop his reaction, breaking down as he begged for his life-


    And yet he wasn''t lucky. He was just either a pet, or a dessert; the moment he dared to choose being something other than a pet, he automatically became a dessert, and his worth was deemed to be nothing but food. Prehaps, it was to make an example to Xie Zu, who was back then still tried to resist, or maybe it was just the malice and predatory nature of the alraune enjoying the power it had.


    Regardless of the reason, the results were still the same, as she found herself in the air, vines capturing her limbs, aphrodisiacs and healing nectars directly pumped into her blood. Her clothes were not only ripped, but melted by the alraune''s acid the moment they reached the ground, as if telling her that pets don''t need clothes.


    From a proud member of a clan to a beast''s pet... the ultimate humiliation and degradation. She wished for Xie Xiu and Xie Yao to protect her, to save her, to annihilate this monstrous and vile beast-


    And yet, none of what she wished became true, as her body burned with desire and betraying her, her hands forcefully tied behind her back by the vines that were sturdier than natural platinum and even diamond.


    She had already lost track of time, since even with her understanding that it must have only been less than thirty minutes since Xie Xiu and Xie Yao began the fight inside the Queen Bee''s hive, it felt as if she was under the alraune''s grasp for hours.


    It felt as if she was bound for so long, her body aching and almost begging for release as two vines almost gently and tenderly teased her increasingly sensiitive nipples, driving her mad even as her mind tried to keep its grasp on her quickly eroding sanity.


    Surprisingly, and almost thankfully, the alraune didn''t bother touching her between the legs, so that was a small mercy; though Xie Zu felt that maybe that was for a reason more sinister than just boredom. Honestly, her body was so burning with desire that she won''t be surprised if she will climax just by the vines touching her breasts soon enough.


    The other two humans still alive though had vines circling around their waists and stabbing them, the same aphrodisiac and healing nectars being shoved into their blood, not even stopping from touching and having sex as the alraune dragged them along her as she moved forward.


    The smell of sex was slowly mixing with the stench of aphrodisiacs that filled the air, making Xie Zu''s attempts to think even more difficult, and she shuddered, moaning as she nearly lost herself due to a vine almost pinching her nipples.


    "No... someone, save me... heavens, please..."she begged from the bottom of her heart. Despite her wanting to defy the heavens by virtue of being a cultivator and a warrior, she still hoped that mercy would be given to her-


    And for a moment, she did believe that it came, even as the alraune kept advancing, dragging her and the other two while at it, and vaguely, in the midst of the haze of lust and depravity, Xie Zu barely heard the sound of something rushing towards the alraune''s position. Something fast from what she could comprehend, hearing how the trees seemed to be pushed away, the grass and flowers were flattened. Despite hearing no footsteps, since her senses were still not sharp enough for that, she could feel as something huge and quick was rapidly moving towards them.


    And Xie Zu really hoped that it was the two elders coming to save her and the other two living disciples.


    Please, please, let it be them! Please let them be able to save her! If this single wish was granted, then Xie Zu would be happy, and would not even dare to think of how ''weak and trashy'' a plant beast, or any beast for that matter, is, ever again!


    The alraune holding her giggled as the sounds of the approaching person were getting louder, loud enough that Xie Zu could faintly hear the footsteps-


    Suddenly, a huge chameleon appeared, jumping in the air, and even as her eyes were half-closed from the sheer stimulation she was experiencing, Xie Zu managed, even if barely, to see that Xie Xiu was on top of it!


    ''My prayers. My prayers were answered!'' she thought hopefully, hoping that she would be saved, and that she would then be freed of this hell...!


    "P- plea~aahh~!" she tried to articulate her plea to the Xie clan elder, but the scent and aphrodisiacs running in her veins were already washing away her mind clean, and she could only moan. If she wasn''t saved soon enough, then she would no longer be able to think of anything but the lust consuming and cracking her very being. If she kept on staying in this hellish scenario for days though, then she was certain that she would forget who she even was, her whole identity and sense of self utterly wiped, crushed and completely erased, without any residue left.


    Which is why, she begged for the heavens to save her, in any way that can be achieved! She truly believed she would be saved as soon as Xie Xiu appeared, not even thinking about the possibility she would be killed by her own senior, or that the thought would even enter Xie Xiu''s head.


    Thus, she was rather unprepared as the alraune willingly threw her away, freeing her from the vines, along with the ones injecting the healing and aphrodisiac nectars in her system, thrown away so far away, her body flying above the trees as the momentum kept her going, dozens of meters behind the alraune and still going.


    Xie Zu couldn''t really notice how long she was flying, thrown away by the beast, until her body crashed into a tree with enough force to crack it. She choked from pain and pleasure, the healing nectar still in her body surprisingly helping her gain some focus now that the aphrodisiac wasn''t being injected in her body nonstop.


    "Ah- uh... hah!" she gasped as she tried to stand up, every movement feeling as if she was being tortured by the heat still in her body. "I- I must run away... quickly..." she whispered, nearly falling on the ground. The smell of the aphrodisiac seemed to be way thinner where she was at the moment, so she must use this chance to escape as much as possible.


    As much as she wanted to watch as Xie Xiu would erase the alraune that dared to do this, she knew that a fight of that level is way beyond her, and that she would be killed easily, if worse, if she tried to go there. Xie Zu knew that she won''t be able to fight that blasted alraune even if she was fully healed, in top shape, and fully equipped, let alone now, where she was mentally drained, her body was a wreck, and she was completely naked with no weapons.


    No. The best option is to do her best to escape, and hope for the best. Hope is the one thing that drove people to do their best to survive, after all, and she was no different.


    <hr>


    Voices. Sounds. Something... feels weird... It felt confusing, yet not?


    Deep, deep inside of my very soul, I felt as if something that was forcing me to close my eyes and shut down my senses was suddenly lifted-


    And I opened my eyes, my chest feeling as if I was just dealing with a nightmare, as I gazed down my soulscap-


    Wait. Something is wrong... but what is it...? Is it how even as my eyes are open, I can only see black, yet I could sense I can only go further into its depth, but I feel like I am not able to leave it and wake up at the moment? Is it the fact that it isn''t my chest that is trembling- it''s my whole being?


    As if I was...


    The memories hit me right away like a train. The fight between me and Wu-chan against the two Xie clan''s elders, me being almost killed and-


    I felt as if blood froze in my veins, my face paling.


    Jiko Ai. Narcissism and instincts... She took control of...!


    No, no no! Wu-chan!


    Horror gripped my heart as I felt as I was about to explode from fear, willing myself to wake up and get back in control of my own body, yet I felt as if I was only falling deeper into the darkness. For a moment, I felt as if my Narcissism was surprised, as if she didn''t expect me to wake up so soon.


    Yet, despite the fear I felt for my beloved, there was something else that I could feel. Understanding?


    ''Wait, that isn''t my own emotion...'' I found myself thinking, and somehow, I just realized these were Jiko Ai''s emotions... she somehow was allowing me to get access to her own feelings? And she was... telling me to calm down?


    ... Just who does she think she is!?


    "You bitch..." I gritted my teeth at the black void, looking upward. "You better not be harming Wu-chan!" I yelled, rage feeling like magma running in my very being as I glared, even as tears fell from my eyes at what she might have done to Mei Wu, hoping that she could hear my sheer hatred towards her ever harming my love.


    "... Huh? You- you''re awake so soon...? That''s strange..."


    I heard her voice, one that sounded so similar to mine that I would have thought I was just talking unconsciously to myself. Surprisingly, I find it odd how she seemed so surprised at me waking up.


    ''No.'' I realized, ''she''s just surprised I was able to wake up so soon. As if she expected me to wake up, just not right now?'' I thought, frowning even as rage still filled my soul.


    "... Ah, so that''s how it is... Wu-chan truly loves us so dearly, doesn''t she?"


    Hearing Jiko Ai''s fascinated answer, as if she found the solution to a complex problem to be rather baffling and intriguing.


    ''Wu-chan...? What does she have with that...? Wait, what am I feeling- no, sensing as if it is running through my very cells?'' I looked around, even as the black was the only thing I could see.


    This sensation... the Apoptosis...!?


    "Y-you! What did you do to her!? If you forced her to give you power..." I hissed back at her, and I felt rather sadistically happy when I sensed her give the equivalent to a grimace in response to my anger.


    "Oh, great. Should have expected that. Look, I''m in the middle of hunting a pesky chameleon and its summoner while my hungry not-babies are feasting on the other beasts'' corpses. I''d rather keep my eyes on her at the moment, you''re kinda distracting."


    I only glared harder, not amused. Like hell I would just let you do what you want after you threatened to break Wu-chan.


    "Fine, I''m sorry I was so happy at having a chance to get out that I decided to enjoy some revenge and threatened that I would do terrible things to our beloved. If only you stayed asleep for one more hour..." I felt her sigh with irritation.


    Our beloved? So she also loves Wu-chan as well? As in romantic love? Still, I was far from thrilled at what she did, and made my displeasure known even as I wasn''t able to forcefully take over my body.


    "Oh, for Hajun''s sake!" I felt myself confused as she swore using the name of a mass murdering narcisstic god from the Shinza Bansho series. Was it because she''s my Narcissism and instincts?


    "I would have talked with you about it after this is ove- Nope! You won''t save your disciples so easily you pesky prey!" I felt her grumble in irritation before I felt the sensation of hunger and gleeful sadism clear in her tone, mixed with rage.


    She... she is chasing Xie Xiu? And what happened to Xie Yao? And what about Wu-chan!? Hey!


    "Oh, fine! You''re really getting irritating, so here! Take these memories!"


    Wait- what the fu-


    And then, I suddenly felt myself consumed by the green, one so familiar yet strangely it felt rather new. I didn''t even have time to process how Jiko Ai felt rather irked by my supposedly constant disruptions, before I found myself in the familiar lush and vibrant grass that was my mindscape-


    No, something in me told me that it wasn''t exactly my mindscape, or more accurately, it isn''t a part that seemed to be under my control, the feeling of instincts that this area reeked of, made it clear who this area''s ruler was supposed to be.


    I had no more time to even inspect any further, my eyes barely getting time to register anything more before something slammed into my mind, causing me to clutch my mental head in agony.


    And I saw, heard, and felt myself as I was making a deal with Wu-chan about a deal to allow me to date her too, along with... myself?


    "What?" I asked myself, utterly flooded by the visions that were so detailed, so full of emotions, that I almost believed that they were real, before I realized what just happened.


    "... These were Jiko Ai''s memories...?"

 Chapter 48: And thus the battle itself (or whatever qualifies as one) ends!

    I have no other way to say this, but frankly, the memories I had just gotten shoved into my mind by my alter ego? These were baffling, strange, and confusing at the same time.


    It was honestly a bit disorienting, especially since I could apparently know and understand just what my Narcissism felt and did. I was literally experiencing what she experienced as well.


    I felt as if every part of her reasoning, attitude, and her very being was open to me to look at and inspect, with practically nothing hidden, even as I then reacted to what she did in said memories.


    "So you truly don''t want to harm Wu-chan, but just to tease her mercilessly, huh..." I was genuinely relieved at that, even as a part of what I saw and heard, what I literally experienced, concerned and irked me.


    Surprisingly, it wasn''t the part where she was basically making a bazillion clones of the plant beasts I could reproduce and unleashing a so-called hungry and predatory hell on Xie Xiu and Xie Yao, nor was it the fact that she unleashed the aphrodisiac nectars all around to amuse herself and to make the job of killing the Xie clan members easier.


    These parts, I found myself surprisingly agreeing with these actions, and even liked her doing them, even when I looked at the memories from my own perspective. If anything, I felt pleased that Jiko Ai murdered and feasted on that son of bitch, Xie Yao; that guy deserved every second of pain he experienced, and the fact that my Narcissism killed him without giving him the dignity of having his final attack hit my body. And I also didn''t give a damn about Jiko Ai killing and feasting on the corpses of the Xie clan elders'' beasts, since that was honestly fascinating and strangely enough I found it adorable.


    No, the most disturbing thing I found was the fact that she activated her aphrodisiac nectar with Wu-chan being so close to her. To say that I wasn''t thrilled by that would be an understatement. I was not amused in the slightest, and it''s only due to the fact that I could clearly see that my alter ego was being extremely careful not to accidentally rip off the vine that was giving Wu-chan the antidote lest my beloved starts losing her mind.


    At least, Jiko Ai''s opinion on how she was so extremely selfish that she rejected the idea of either her (and thus me) or Wu-chan dying for the sake of the other.


    To live for the sake of each other, to the point of rejecting the mere idea that there could be a situation where one might have to die to save the other. That was one hell of a selfish, extremely narcissistic, and idealistic mindset that it went back to being bold and selfless. Thinking about it, I like that concept, and I fully agree with it.


    But, another thing that made me anxious is how Jiko Ai blatantly made it clear that I would have to talk to Wu-chan about me being reincarnated. I... I didn''t know what to think of that. Nor was I happy about the fact that I would have to share Mei Wu with my Narcissism, even if said alter ego was literally a part of me. Maybe had I known or noticed Jiko Ai sooner, or if I had more time before this development, I would have been more accepting (after a long, long talk with her), but now, I was far from amused by this.


    Even with her being my alter ego, I wasn''t very thrilled of sharing my beloved, and I was honestly a bit pissed that Wu-chan agreed to it, even though I can understand why she accepted, no doubt Wu-chan wants to at least try to accept every part of me, even if said part was a sentient split personality.


    "I will so have a talk with both my Narcissism and my love about this later..." I told myself, scowling now that I was certain that Jiko Ai wasn''t a threat to Wu-chan and I had way less reasons to be afraid for both my and her lives and minds, seeing that my Narcissism was acting rather reasonable.


    Still, since I could feel in my very being that the memories and emotions of Jiko Ai were completely authentic and not fake at all, I decided to let her take over for the moment and finish Xie Xiu. I''m still not allowed to leave my soulscape at the moment, and she was clearly focusing on hunting the elder, from the strange emotion of sadistic glee mixed with seriousness that I could feel. Thus, instead of talking to her, and possibly distracting her, I decided to inspect Jiko Ai''s area in my, or should I say our shared soulscape. And so, I looked around to see what her area looked like, and it was...


    ''... Okay, that really fits a hungry predator, alright...'' I could only think with deadpan. Why and how is this place filled to the brim with thorny flowers and alraune seedlings?


    <hr>


    "Ai''er is currently in her soulscape and is inspecting your newly made area while checking the memories you gave her?" Mei Wu asked the Narcissism who had just told her what happened, even as they were about to reach Xie Xiu who had just started fighting against Jiko Ai''s clone.


    Mei Wu already felt how Kasumi Ai had suddenly started waking up and trying to take control of her body, and was shut down by the alter ego. The sheer rage and desperation she felt emanating from the consciousness of her lover was truly terrifying, and she was certain that had Jiko Ai not been as attentive, Kasumi Ai would have succeeded in taking control.


    "Yes, that''s how it is. She really surprised me, that woman..." the Narcissism responded, a bit irritated even as she kept rushing towards Xie Xiu who was only a dozen seconds away from the alraune and the human woman, the Queen Bee following them almost silently.


    It wasn''t that Jiko Ai was against giving Kasumi Ai her body, just not right now though, when the Narcissism was the more experienced one in using all the skills that an alraune has, at the moment. Not to mention the fact that Mei Wu wasn''t certain if her beloved could stop the aphrodisiac nectars just as easily and instinctually Jiko Ai was doing.


    "Let''s just kill the other elder and be done with it please." Mei Wu almost sighed, shaking her head. "Just throw another electric beam at her Camouflage Chameleon and finish this whole battle. I feel that this fight dragged for way too long for some reason."


    "Actually, I agree?" Jiko Ai responded, though she wasn''t certain why she was agreeing with Mei Wu, "I feel like we''ve been fighting with these two for weeks for some reason even though only an hour or so had passed...? Okay, I''ll just shoot them then."


    With that, Jiko Ai started amassing sunlight once more to finally put an end to the fight, Mei Wu already summoning her beast, the Impurity Eater once more and preparing to unleash the Apoptosis and the Tumor Mandala just in case.


    Ahead of them, Xie Xiu was already fighting against the alraune that captured the four disciples (and killed one of them while she threw the other far away), and she wasn''t having a good time.


    Xie Xiu had to be extra careful when it came to the vines and nectar blasts that the alraune was unleashing against her and her chameleon. Unsurprisingly, the damage she and her beast received severely hampered their abilities.


    ''Damn it! Just how perceptive are these blasted plant beasts?!'' she ranted to herself avoiding another thick branch that would have hit her chameleon in one of its open wounds.


    Her first attempt to mercy-kill Xie Zu had ended in failure as the alraune clone willingly threw the woman far away. Had Xie Xiu been faster by even a single second, she would have succeeded in sparing the [Apprentice] from further suffering, but tragically, it seemed that fate wanted to torment her and her clan so badly!


    After her attempt to kill Xie Zu, it became clear that the inferior clone of the Gold-ranked alraune, realizing the elder''s goal, decided to just be a most irritating enemy instead of attempting to kill Xie Xiu.


    No- To be more precise, the silver-ranked clone wanted to kill the Camouflage Chameleon before focusing on the elder. The plant beast clearly desired to feast on Xie Xiu''s chameleon before dealing with the elder personally.


    Normally, Xie Xiu could have easily escaped, and with the speed of the silver-ranked alraune against the elder''s larger speed along with the Camouflage Chameleon that was capable of running rather fast for its level and rank, she would have been able to avoid the alraune''s attacks and go to give her disciples the mercy they so deserved.


    Unfortunately, the injuries she and her beast sustained, and the energy they spent before, combined with the incessant aphrodisiacs in the air turned what could have been a relatively simple endeavor into a herculean task.


    Xie Xiu couldn''t even fight properly. Not right now when she was so damn exhausted, and the scent of the lust and pheromones was quickly driving her insane.


    ''I can''t even stop my heart right now to focus properly on the fight without worrying about the aphrodisiac... If I tried to focus on anything more than the alraune in front of me, I would drop dead right then and there. Even stopping my own heart and bodily functions could kill me right away at my current state.'' she gritted her teeth, barely managing to move back to avoid a wave of toxic pollen unleashed at her.


    Honestly, she was doing far than she could reasonably handle at her current state. A part of her was whispering that she did as much as she could and that she should just stop, but a much stronger part wanted her to die defying the enemy, no matter how futile it was.


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    That no matter how fragile one is, and how weak and vulnerable they are, it is their determination and desire to die spitting on the enemy''s face, no matter how useless in the end, is what makes one a human.


    Needless to say, Xie Xiu decided to follow said opinion, even as she sensed that Mei Wu, the Queen Bee and Jiko Ai were so close they would reach the area in mere ten seconds.


    Taking a long breath, she and the Camouflage Chameleon decided to gamble it all. "This is our final attempt. Let''s do our best to make it count!" with that, she blasted off towards the silver-ranked alraune to at least kill the two disciples still kissing and groping each other under the effects of the alraune, no care about anything in the world even as their elder was fighting for her life not even ten meters away.


    ''Truly, how terrifying can alraunes be? No wonder why it was highly advised not to enter the den of the alraunes the Tong Tian Tower''s sixth floor. Their aphrodisiacs and poisons are truly horrifyingly potent...'' Xie Xiu grimaced, looking at the two disciples'' sorry states as the two lovers ignored everything that wasn''t their own bodies and the ever-consuming lust swallowing their minds.


    The chameleon did its best to ignore as flesh separated from the bone and blood leaked from its leg as sharp icicles pierced it, following its master with a loyalty that many rankers would be jealous that their beasts didn''t possess, and completely ignoring any attempt to defend as the sheer desire to please Xie Xiu drove it to unleash more power than it should have in its current situation.


    "Ah?" The silver-ranked alraune, one of the many inferior clones that Jiko Ai created, was confused and a bit surprised at the sheer speed the Camouflage Chameleon moved, finding itself tackled by the beast, not having any time to be alarmed before Xie Xiu brutally attacked the confused alraune.


    "Haaa!" Xie Xiu quickly used her legs to violently break the alraune''s neck with a precise and brutal swipe, and to literally separate the head from the shoulders. It was only possible due to how the alraune was so shocked by the attack, and Xie Xiu''s attack filled with her desperation.


    "Die!" the elder roared as the chameleon used the chance to bite on the alraune''s monstrous lower body, now that the silver-ranked alraune was stunned and paralyzed, her head being separated from the remaining parts of her body.


    The sound of something being bitten and crunched echoed, the alraune, a clone made by Jiko Ai, finally died.


    Xie Xiu nearly fell on the ground, her body feeling so exhausted and spent. The elder barely managed to keep herself conscious, her beast wobbling from the effort used and the mortal injuries it sustained.


    ''I must not fall right now. If I did so, I would probably be unable to stand up anymore...'' she gritted her teeth and walked towards the two disciples who were still having sex, not even noticing the death of the silver-ranked alraune yet.


    Even with the alraune''s death, the scent of the aphrodisiacs would still linger for a while, and the healing and aphrodisiac nectars would still remain in their bodies for a few minutes at least.


    ''With this, all what remains for me to do is to kill them.'' her legs nearly stumbled as she kept going closer. She certainly knew that wasting even one more second than necessary would result in the Queen Bee and the other two, along with their armies to reach her.


    She had long accepted her fate, but she refused to let the two disciples to lose anymore than they already did. At the very least, if the two died now, they would die in bliss as they were right now. In a way, this death was better than dying in agony, so Xie Xiu thought.


    With only her desperation allowing her to move, she managed to kill the two disciples, piercing their hearts with her hands, and snapping their necks for a good measure, the two dying without even realizing a thing right before three beams of hyper condensed electricity hit the Camouflage Chameleon''s head, killing it, along with piercing Xie Xiu''s legs.


    "Ghk!" spitting blood, Xie Xiu fell down on her knees as she gasped from the agony of losing the last of her beasts to the alraune. Surprisingly, she was still alive despite the electric shock running through her.


    ''This is the end of me, huh. It seems like I would see you soon, old geezer.'' she found herself thinking even as she fell on the ground, her eyes still open.


    ''I wonder what Xie Tao would do now with both of us dead...'' she thought about the clan master. She knew for certain that he would try to attack the forest a few weeks later, when she and Xie Yao failed to return then. She barely managed to see the corpse of the Camouflage Chameleon being pushed back, before something pierced her heart, and then darkness was all what she knew.


    ''Ah, a shame that I couldn''t spare that other woman a most horrible fate...'' with such thoughts, Xie Xiu finally died, her eyes closing, never opening again.


    <hr>


    "What her last thoughts were before death, I wonder..."


    Mei Wu looked at Jiko Ai who seemed rather... not melancholic, but a bit sad, though mostly curious. "Despite being Ai''er''s instincts, you surprisingly care about the enemy''s last moments, huh."


    The pink-haired woman didn''t really expect Jiko Ai to be so curious about an enemy''s final moments in life. She certainly wasn''t interested in that, frankly.


    Mei Wu admitted to herself that while she didn''t personally hate Xie Xiu and Xie Yao, she didn''t also care about them anymore than one does to an obstacle and a dangerous enemy. In the end, the two elders did their jobs, and died doing their best, something she could appreciate regardless, though she was certain that the only reason she could do so is the fact that Kasumi Ai was still alive.


    If Kasumi Ai died instead of staying alive, Mei Wu was certain that she wouldn''t even think of the two dead elders as more as trash that should be eradicated, completely ignoring any positive trait they had, or even twisting them to make the two elders look as nasty as her mind could make them seem to be.


    It was an odd way of how people think, but that was how it was.


    "If they acted so arrogantly, spouting death threats and acting like a bunch of arrogant young master while threatening to torture and rape us, I wouldn''t give a damn. But, from a beast that only wanted to fight for what it believed to be fair and just to another beast, I guess I liked them a bit. A bunch of preys they were, but a proud and commendable ones. For that, they have my respect." the Narcissism answered even as spores materialized to feast on the corpses.


    "That''s a rather... interesting viewpoint. Though I find it a bit odd that you think that way towards them, seeing that they had, you know, nearly killed Ai''er and you?" Mei Wu admitted, feeling the sheer honestly in Jiko Ai''s tone.


    "They''re better than Xie Li at least?"


    Wow, the bar for what Jiko Ai supposedly deems to be a respectable enemy was set so low...


    ''How amusing. Can you now finish capturing the other woman that is attempting to escape, or should I have my Protector Bees sting her to death?'' the Queen Bee asked them dryly, reminding the two that Xie Zu was still alive and trying to run away from the forest.


    "Oh..." Jiko Ai spoke, blinking, "I almost forgot about her. I will bring one of my clones to capture her. Wu-chan, can you please tell Ai-chan to keep her alive~? I''d like to enjoy her a bit more before ripping her apart and melting her within my stomach~! Hell, I will use a clone to do the job instead of my and Ai-chan''s pure and sweet body~!" she pleaded, her hands clasped together as the alraune almost pouted.


    Mei Wu only looked at the alraune, crossing her arms to show how unamused she was. Whether it was because of the subject or the discussion it would create with Kasumi Ai later wasn''t clear. It didn''t help that she could sense her beloved was paying attention and was equally unamused.


    Meanwhile the Queen Bee shook her head, clearly not amused though not really angry either. Just honestly disappointed. Why did these two have to be so damn confusing?


    "I''d rather not. Do it yourself." Mei Wu answered in the end, pointing a finger at the Narcissism, "Also, I''m pretty sure Ai''er won''t like it anyways. At least I think so? At least maybe not right now... I guess?"


    Yeah, no matter the discussion, Mei Wu just couldn''t see how her lover would casually torture someone like that... actually, sexually torture one like that. Yeah, big difference. Because Mei Wu won''t give a damn if her lover wanted to mutilate some poor asshole and keep healing him just to repeat the process. She just won''t like it if it was sexual and was happening in front of her.


    Humans, demons, and many other races, if not all of them, with very few exceptions, were like that. Murdering and skinning people alive is a-okay, as long as a person doesn''t attempt to force themselves on a fragile maiden, and as long as such things don''t happen to them. Yeah, that''s a big point too.


    Jiko Ai only pouted harder, and Mei Wu could feel as if her lover was raising an eyebrow even inside her soulscape, and probably feeling irked.


    "I''ll try my best." came the pink-haired woman''s unenthusiastic answer, bordering on apathy really.


    "Well, I tried." Jiko Ai sighed, feeling a bit disappointed that her Wu-chan didn''t promise to do her best, instead of promising to try to do her best. "So, with that out of the way, at the moment, I have a question dear boss."


    Jiko Ai turned to focus on the Queen Bee that looked like she wanted this to be over and return to her chamber for the moment, and looked at the giant bee with a rather serious expression, as if it was something so grave and important.


    And thus, with a voice so serious it felt as if whatever she was about to say would be more important than a discussion about the political state of the Da Xia Kingdom and the danger of a random Innate just blowing it up for the heck of it, she started speaking, pointing at the still-warm corpses of Xie Xiu and her Camouflage Chameleon.


    "Since we made a deal of you taking half of their corpses, we need to decide whether we should slice them diagonally, horizontally or vertically~!"


    ''I choose you pack them up before I stab you. Damn, the longest morning of my life. Didn''t even need to wake up for this...'' the Queen Bee could only demand before promptly flying away, not even looking back.


    "..."


    "..."


    "... So, we just capture that lady that is most definitely surrounded by our dear boss'' army then go to the hive with the corpses to talk and discuss everything that happened in thse longass few hours?" Jiko Ai asked as the silence seemed to stretch forever from the awkwardness.


    ''Yeah, do that.'' Kasumi Ai mentally spoke to her alter ego, feeling rather dizzy and just baffled by what happened in the last five minutes.


    "I don''t know what Ai''er had said, but her emotions are clearly screaming ''Hell yes!'' so yeah." Mei Wu only retorted. "Also, can you now turn off the aphrodisiac pool now? The scent is still everywhere, even if I''m not affected by it because of these vines..."


    "Fine, fine." Jiko Ai only waved her hand dismissively, rendering the aphrodisiac nectar inert. "And thus ends our epic battle against the mean yet honorable elders and their rather useless disciples. Truly, a most heaven-blessed encounter for our favour. You might have even increased your Grimoire''s rank or your summoner rank or something. We kinda fought a hard battle, until I decided to pull all the stops, at least."


    "Wait what? Oh fuck! I completely forgot about that!" Mei Wu immediately decided to summon her Grimoire to see if something changed, but sadly, Jiko Ai had already started moving to catch the remaining survivor of the Xie clan''s annihilation battle, dragging a frantic Mei Wu who lost her concentration due to the sudden movement.


    "Jiko Ai!"


    "Oh, I love my new life." giggling and ignoring Mei Wu''s frantic shriek and the yell of irritation of Kasumi Ai, the Narcissism moved to do what she ''needed'' to do.


    And thus, the first real battle Mei Wu had with one as strong as an elder had ended, with the emergence of a split persona in her lover''s body, watching a horror show of predatory hungry plants eating everything in their path, and most likely a list of long discussions that would most definitely be talked about.


    ''If Ai''er doesn''t explain half the things Jiko Ai made me think about, I will so be irritated!'' the pink-haired woman thought. This long day and coming night would probably feel even longer, she can just feel it.

 Chapter 49: Inside the soul

    It had been a long day, the Queen Bee thought as Jiko Ai dismissed the large army of plant beasts she had summoned.


    The Queen Bee didn''t exactly know how the clones of the alraune and the many plant-type beasts Jiko Ai had created worked, especially when apparently, even after being dismissed, the corpses still being eaten didn''t just drop on the ground, but instead vanished as well, and the Queen Bee could see that Jiko Ai''s Qi reserves were somehow still being replenished by the energy of the vanished corpses.


    Did the alraunes and thorny flowers transfer the corpses of their victims into their stomachs through the clones? Did they create some alternate stomach or space where the corpses were being digested? Something else entirely?


    It was something baffling, the Queen Bee thought, but it wasn''t something mind-shatteringly baffling in her opinion. At least compared to the sheer brutality that the hungry army of thorny alraunes and thorny flowers were consuming the corpses. That was quite barbaric, really.


    But, ignoring that, she decided to focus on the present and future. For now, the Queen Bee, her army, along with Mei Wu and Jiko Ai had returned inside the hive that was quickly concealed thanks to the alraune''s Nature Qi and the Queen Bee''s honey.


    The Queen Bee creating the honey to act as a ceiling for the hive, while Jiko Ai used the Natura Aeterna Nirvana to blend the golden and rock-hard honey with the surrounding flora, so this way, she and her hive has some time to prepare for what they would do next. Hopefully, they would have at least a few days to get their bearings and to think of their next move.


    ''My hive was going to be discovered sooner or later, after all. I expected it would happen eventually, but now that it actually did...'' she would have sighed if she could.


    This was the moment where she had to choose whether to make another hive somewhere else, or choose the rather difficult option of prioritizing her own survival first like she did when she had to escape from these humans that managed to ruin her former kingdom of bees years ago. And while she was certain that Mei Wu and Kasumi Ai will probably choose to leave the hive, and that the possibility really made her annoyed and a bit furious, she knew that she had to face the reality.


    It was only a matter of time for the disaster to strike the forest and her hive. The alraune and human''s presence just accelerated it by unknowingly bringing the Xie clan into the forest. The Queen Bee supposed that she could be angry at the two for their presence inviting the problem, but at this point, it was both an exercice in futility and in poor taste to do that. Maybe she would have killed them if the elders appearing and breaking into the hive happened merely a few days since Kasumi Ai was invited, back when the Queen Bee didn''t have a very high opinion of the alraune and human women, but now, doing that seemed rather outrageous in the Queen Bee''s mind, and rather unfair as well after all they did to help her.


    ''So, the choice here is: To leave this forest and rebuild my hive somewhere else, to forget about the hive and just find another way or goal to live for, or to fight and die in a blaze of glory or a silent whimper.'' she found herself thinking. None of the options were preferred, of course, but she knew that she would have to make one.


    Her wings buzzed loudly, showing her irritation. If only things were so simple like they were a month or so ago. But there was no medicine to regret, and she doubted she would take it if there even was one.


    Shaking her head in disappointment, she decided to let that thought alone for now. First, she will eat the halves of Xie Xiu and her Camouflage Chameleon''s corpses, and wait for Jiko Ai and Kasumi Ai to have their talk inside their body, before maybe deciding to join the alraune and her human lover.


    And maybe check on that Xie clan woman that was captured by the alraune and put to sleep with powerful sleep-inducing pollens and nectar thanks to Jiko Ai, and was currently tied and bound in a different room surrounded by a couple of the bronze-ranked Drone Bees to inform the queen and the alraune when Xie Zu woke up.


    She will do that, the Queen Bee decided. But first, she will fill her stomach. Eating the corpse of a Level 5 [Grandmaster] along with a silver-ranked beast was quite rare these days.


    <hr>


    "This will be the last one for now. Natura Aeterna Nirvana."


    The sensation of Nature emanated and exploded around me, following my will. Even with me inside the territory governed by my alter ego, and the different feeling the Qi was giving, it didn''t even try to stop me from unleashing my technique, as the Qi of Nature overflowed, the area looking as if colored with a thin green film or fabric.


    I focused on the invisible wall in front of me, one of my still-unlocked meridians, and soon it was opened, the invisible wall shattering like glass before vanishing as if it was never there.


    "Phew. That was the second one for the day." I sighed, relaxing, the soulscape returning to its original form. I resisted the urge to shudder a bit at the sensation that was all around me.


    If there was a difference to how my soulscape''s area was, compared to Jiko Ai''s area, then the first difference was the scent of the Qi and the atmosphere around here.


    While my Qi was full of the scent of Nature, it was mostly filled with the feeling of flora and the beauty that was present in nature, a vibrant and green world that felt more beautiful than deadly.


    Jiko Ai''s area though was all about predation. Despite the grass that was all around, and the blue sky above me, the place reeked of a seemingly-endless hunger and desire to feed on anything deemed worthy of being a prey or an invader. An area that was blatantly showing that while it had beauty, it only cared about being deadly and cruel to whatever it didn''t like or humor, like a wild beast only wanting to satiate is urges while ignoring anything else that isn''t important or urgent.


    ''A world that only delights in breaking and feasting on what it defines as a prey.'' I shuddered at that. The memories I got from my Narcissism about the ending of the battle only made the feeling in my heart even stronger.


    The second difference is that while my area of our now-merged soulscape was full of plants, trees and weed, and so much more, Jiko Ai''s area, while full of green and vibrant grass, there was a lack of any unique plants or flowers around. Instead, the very soil and grass seemed to be made of mouths and teeth similar to what my monstrous plant half had in its mouth.


    No eyes, and no vines. Just countless teeth manifesting as blades of grass, prepared to bite and consume any uninvited guest with glee. It was, very literally, an area that wanted to chomp and swallow anything it didn''t accept or tolerate until nothing remained. And I had a feeling that these countless mouths craved demonic qi and meat the most.


    I was honestly glad that this area didn''t want to kill me or lock me here, which proved that Jiko Ai didn''t have any intent of forcefully taking over. The way I could feel her will in the air was clear enough. Had I been an enemy, I would be eliminated or tortured without a second thought, and even more worryingly, I felt that I would have done the same in her place, especially with the memories I got from her.


    ''To say that I might have issues is an understatement.'' I thought sardonically at that.


    I had seen her memories, watched how she fed on the enemy, how she, using one of the many alraune clones created by the Propagation Division, was mentally breaking the Xie clan''s disciples, how she loved every second of her sexually torturing them and how Jiko Ai was enjoying the process even if she had to focus on killing Xie Xiu first.


    Me? I felt excited about these very same memories and experiences. I found myself enjoying the sight of them trembling in fear as I (the clone) pumped aphrodisiacs into their blood, chipping away at their ability to reason, and turning them into mere toys before making them into food when I get bored of them or keeping them alive was no longer worth it.


    It wasn''t even the emotions of Jiko Ai that gave me that sensation. It was my own mind that felt that way, even if to a much lesser extent than my Narcissism felt.


    I was honestly glad that she loved Wu-chan just as much as me, otherwise I would be panicking as if the world was ending right now, and I wouldn''t be so... calm and docile, so to speak, waiting for my Narcissism to reach me so I can talk about what the fuck just happened to me, my body and my mind.


    "Glad to see you''re enjoying your stay in my little domain, Ai-chan~!"


    Speak of the devil, and she shall appear with a grin.


    I immediately turned around the moment I heard the voice that surprised me so deeply. The same voice as mine, same tone that I used to tease Mei Wu, yet somehow, it felt rather unsettling and excited, but even more surprisingly, had no malice in it.


    "Jiko Ai, my Narcissism." I breathed as I finally got to see her, and compare the differences between us both.


    Our huge plant bodies were completely identical, physically at least. I couldn''t see a single difference, whether it was the size, the number of oversized leaves, or the petals. Everything was looking the same.


    Her human body though, was different than mine in one detail that made her feel utterly alien yet strangely fitting for her. Her hairstyle. And that made her whole presence feel completely different than me.


    Our human bodies were the same. Same height, same face. From her toes to her head, we were identical down to the shade of our eyes and hair. Somehow, we also had the same bust size as well, though for some reason I felt that hers should be smaller, all due to the way her hairstyle made her feel.


    While my hair was long and I didn''t really bother to give myself a unique style, Jiko Ai though preferred twintails instead. The sight, combined with a casual smile that was closer to a grin on her face made her look many times more childish than I usually did -or at least Mei Wu probably thinks I am childish, so rude- yet Jiko Ai also looked many times more dangerous than I probably could try to make myself seem to be.


    It was almost natural for her to look like the most childish yet cruelest and most violent thing ever to appear in front of me. As if she was blatantly telling me that she had no need for looking mature or graceful.


    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Because I am a predator, and instincts, I shall not worry about acting my age. If I have the power, then I can look and act however I want with no reprecussions. That''s why! Should a beast care that it looks goofy when it can destroy a world so easily? Of course it won''t care, after all. At least, not without a good reason." she easily finished my unheard line of thoughts.


    "You know my thoughts easily, huh." I smiled at her, feeling that she was clearly relaxed, yet she was also ready to defend in case I attacked her. Honestly, I did think of that, but in the end I deemed it to be a futile endeavor. I forced myself to relax, taking a deep breath.


    "Well, it''s more like how I can understand how you feel and deduce with a good amount of accuracy what you think. It''s not a mind reading, even in our soulscape. I can''t just shove my consciousness into your brain and rip out the memories and secrets you have after all." Jiko Ai deflected with a strange sincerity. "For now Wu-chan is meditating, and the Queen Bee is probably planning to think of what she would do next. I guess that only I and you have to waste time talking then?"


    At that, I looked at her seriously. I had so much to say to her, and I was honestly angry at the stunt she had pulled when I was dying but not really. Yet I only glared at her instead.


    "So, hello." I fought back against my desire to unleash my Nature Qi at her, "Nice of you to take over my body after joking about raping Wu-chan and then locking me here, even if temporarily." I was clearly a tiny bit livid at what she did.


    Alas, she only gave a small sigh, not fazed at all. "Oh, you know from my memories that I was just scaring you now that I managed to exist. I admit that it wasn''t the best idea in hindsight, now that I am calmer and satisfied." she shrugged nonchalantly at that, though I felt that she was attempting to apologize, at the very least.


    Though I was still vexed about it, I decided to leave it for now. I had more questions to her, and I would like to get good answers for them.


    "Fine, that discussion is not over yet, but I will let it go for now." I told her, "My first question to you is this: what exactly are you, and how did you come into existence?"


    The winds did not blow, the grass didn''t move. The entire area seemed to have become silent in just a second as I looked at her, demanding answers.


    For the first time since she appeared, the Narcissism''s smile fell off, crossing her arms as she as well gazed at me. "Straight to the point, huh? Rather expected of you, in my opinion. I will answer your question with another question first; we, or I suppose, you were reborn as a beast in a xianxia setting. You were reborn, thanks to the goddess, with the ability to cultivate, and kept your sapience and ability to reason intact even while being reborn as a normal-ranked alraune." she gave a small smile that I couldn''t understand if it was amused or not.


    "So my question is; what do you think is the strange thing in that? And keep in mind how beasts are supposed to be in the Long Live Summons world as well."


    I mulled at that, frowning. I knew that my reincarnation gave me some perks and allowed me to ignore a conventional problem that is a beast''s inability to cultivate unless they were close to becoming a Holy Beast. Plus, I was reborn with my sapience intact. It was with it that I was able to even bother to talk with Wu-chan back then, aside from the fact that I wanted to know about where and when I was supposed to be, if this world followed, or is following the plot of that novel.


    But with Jiko Ai''s question, the specific choice of words, I was easily able to see what she was trying to say. Though I felt that it was rather baffling, and made my sentiment clear.


    "You mean that me being born sapient while not being a Holy Beast or close to that level is what created you?" I asked incredulously at her, my eyebrow raised.


    "Bingo!" I wasn''t amused by her response or her smirk, "you should know by now, beasts are beasts for a reason. Even if said reason was the Heaven favoring the humans... supposedly." she gave a shrug at that, "A beast may be intelligent, they maybe smart, they may be tactical. But they cannot be sapient. Not until they were strong enough, and capable of controlling their instincts and beastly behaviour. It''s not something that could be ignored so casually, unless a beast was born as a Holy Beast or higher, in other words, being closer to being ''human'' in mind and soul, which of course, you were not."


    The Narcissism then pointed towards me. "And so, you, Kasumi Ai, are reborn in the body of a beast. Capable of being sapient, capable of being congizant of things beyond merely your instincts and primal desires, able to think and resist your instincts. But, you weren''t born as a Holy Beast though. You were born in a body that is way too immature to hold that sapience and get used to it, and too weak to fully adapt to having the soul of a human woman who had more than thirty years of experience in life, with an already established ego and personality."


    She chuckled at me. "So, what do you think will happen when the instincts and brain of the body is completely out of synch with the mind and spirit in this kind of xianxia worlds?"


    Damn. That... that makes way too much sense, what she''s hinting at. I shuddered as she kept waiting for my answer.


    "Either the the difference in body and spirit will break the body, resulting in death," I shivered, realizing that I was, since my rebirth, hideously lucky in more ways than one. "Or the difference will be forcefully migitated by having the weaker part grow by force, or the stronger part will be diminished until the balance was easier to maintain."


    This meant that I could have lost my sapience. Regressing into a beast that only cared about satisfying its instincts and urges, and only using the intelligence I was having as a former human to be more effective in that.


    Instead, what happened was that my instincts and desires started to grow increasingly fast to keep up with my sapience, my spirit and mind.


    "That''s right. You could have died, or had your sapience utterly destroyed, until you were strong enough to regain it again. If anything, the goddess made it so that you won''t just turn into a frighteningly intelligent predator that can only think with its mouth... all three of them." she sighed at that, and was it my imagination, or did she feel happy that it didn''t happen? No- it made sense that she didn''t want that.


    "And thus, you were born as you were forcefully growing to keep up with my soul..." I finished the conclusion for her. "You were my own body''s immune response to having a soul that is way too sapient dumped in a fragile body. Still, wouldn''t it make more sense that you would just be instincts and desires though? Why a whole different split personality?"


    "Ah, that. That is a whole different situation altogether, but if you want me to spell it out for you, then I will. In reality, I was supposed to be just that, nothing but an unrestrained desire of an alraune to do whatever. To uphold the law of jungle as long is it benefited me with no care of anything else. Thankfully, or not... you wished from the goddess to be able to cultivate. Not to mention the fact that technique you chose to cultivate fit you perfectly, along with the type of beast that you are now." she gave me a strangely happy smile.


    I reeled at that, realizing the implications. Had I not been able to cultivate, Jiko Ai wouldn''t be cognizant and have any identity? She would have been just a mass of instincts inside my body? And probably trying to influence me as well, most likely.


    "The answer must be clear by now, don''t you agree?" she asked me, her lips giving a small smirk.


    ''What did that even mean?'' I thought, a feeling of irritation on my face as I glared at her vague answer. She is telling me that my ability to cultivate is the reason for her being a split personality. And she also stated that the Natura Aeterna Nirvana technique is also a part of the mystery.


    But how? My cultivation technique isn''t something capable of giving life to split personas, or creating them, last I checked. It could help plants and flora to grow exponentially, and let me control them, but that''s it!


    It didn''t have a secret and unknown side-effects, too. Deep in my soul, I felt so, and I was cultivating for more than two months now, so even if I was still at the first stage, I was certain that the next stages won''t have such a side-effect.


    I felt that the technique was indeed part of the situation, and Jiko Ai said that my body is a part of it. I was an alraune, that much was obvious. But again, whay does that have with Jiko Ai becoming a separate ego?


    ''Wait...'' I felt as if lightning struck me as I remembered something I read about alraunes before, back when I was a human. Wasn''t there some variant of them with two women instead of one? The two women were clearly two different people, even if they were one monster, right?


    "You... you don''t mean...?" I asked her, confused and a bit worried, "Liliraunes?"


    "Yep! You''re correct, mostly." Jiko Ai answered, spreading her arms in what felt like amusement. "Because you reached the gold rank, you are indeed quite close to being a liliraune. Though I''m not sure if you need one more evolution to become one, or more than that." she mused.


    A liliraune, an alraune that had two human-like women instead of one. I was going to become one? In hindsight, that made a lot of sense.


    "So this means, that you are supposed to be the second woman that would be born from my body? Is that why you became a fully sentient and sapient persona?" I asked to be sure.


    "Indeed." she simply admitted it, and I noticed that she was proud of it. "But, as I said, your technique is a part of it too. Honestly, that goddess really went above what she had to do, creating that technique." she complained half-heartedly.


    ... Why though? It was an amazing cultivation technique.


    "Because, and I think you forgot this..." she responded to my thoughts, as I nearly jumped at the closest thing to mind-reading that I was experiencing. "Do you even understand what she did? She created a technique designed to be the most perfect cultivation technique for you and only you. Not even Yue Yang, the novel''s protagonist, had a technique specifically designed for him."


    I frowned at that. Now that she said it, that was true. He got that Innate-ranked technique when he was ''kidnapped'' by an old daoist and thrown into the xianxia world right at the start of the novel, didn''t he? So maybe the technique was overpowered as fuck, but it probably isn''t the absolute compatible one with him even if he used it to its fullest potential due to luck and genetics, while mine is utterly and perfectly compatible with me, down to the soul?


    "I feel that something is still not clicking." I answered, crossing my arms. "So I have a cultivation technique that is the most fitting for me, my body and soul. I know that it is most likely a very strong one, but..." I trailed off as she rolled her eyes.


    My own Narcissism is feeling disappointed that I''m not already solving this mystery, isn''t she?


    "And why exactly is it strong?" She asked with a rather smug smirk. For some reason, the smirk combined with the childish look on her face irks me.


    "I don''t know. Maybe because it was based on an Original Character from the Shinza Bansho series that I made when I thought that a self-absorbed god who wants to just murder the entire multiverse to attain solitude is the coolest character ever and the fact that it''s based on a Hadou God''s Law?" I responded sarcastically. I wasn''t even bothering to hide my irritation.


    Jiko Ai... only grins. A wide, amused grin full of mirth. Somehow, I just feel as if she was enjoying a joke only she knows.


    And what comes from her mouth next is something that just stops my thoughts.


    "And how exactly do you think Wu-chan gained a cultivation technique?"


    I suddenly freeze.


    "What?" my question feels like it is the only sound around despite me nearly whispering it. The silence was suffocating despite it only lasting for a few seconds.


    The Narcissism stops smiling.


    "The path of the Hadou is that of conquest and ruling. It is one where gods conquer the souls of others and add them to their own soul''s mass no matter how virtous one is and no matter how pure and gentle their desire is. Did you really think that such a fact won''t matter when we are in a world where souls are a literal force on its own, and could be used, expanded, and destroyed, with the right ability? Where Innates are almost guaranteed to be able to do such things?"


    Every word only made me even more baffled. A shiver ran down my spine as I could feel how her words were completely true despite the absurdity of them.


    "So, you mean that with my cultivation technique, when I was dual-cultivating with Wu-chan, I was also using my own soul and synchronizing with hers?" My voice trembled slightly at the implications. "That I was also giving her literal soul the ability to reach my level due to that? Like how a Hadou God''s most capable followers are boosted to the same level as their respective Hadou God?"


    That... That was ridiculous, but somehow it made sense. Yue Yang, the novel''s protagonist, dual-cultivated with his harem and he managed to make them break through their limits easily due to his Innate Qi and cultivation technique.


    If the Natura Aeterna Nirvana was anywhere as close to that, and with the soul shenanigans involved, then it would make a lot of sense.


    I had no idea on how to think about that. It was just ridiculous that I could apparently touch one''s soul and supposedly bless it to gain a cultivation technique just like that.


    Even if my mind could understand, my heart couldn''t do the same so easily.


    And more importantly... This Narcissism of mine...


    "Let me ask you a question, Jiko Ai..." I shuddered as I breathed, trying to calm myself.


    Her eyes sharpening at my tone as I asked her.


    "You are a pseudo-soul or a full-fledged one already, aren''t you? Don''t tell me that you are also being touched by my soul and already painting your own Qi and cultivation technique as well?"


    She only closed her eyes.


    "Yes."

 Chapter 50

    I was baffled when I heard Jiko Ai''s answer. To me, it was something so ridiculous it felt like a joke. Except of course, it wasn''t a joke at all. The fact that the whole conversation turned from a simple question about why Jiko Ai became a split persona, into her telling me that I can apparently touch people''s souls with my own and give them a power-up, Hadou God style! Or something similar to that?


    At least when I dual-cultivate with them, I guess.


    Mei Wu gaining a cultivation technique and getting stronger since we dual-cultivated? I was easily able to accept that due to her trying to find her self and was trying to paint her will on her Qi, and the fact that my Qi was immensely pure and potent due to my technique being the most fitting cultivation technique for me in specific, and plant-type beasts or anyone with high affinity for them. And now, I''m hearing that while that part was true, it was also because the Natura Aeterna Nirvana resonated to my love to Wu-chan and helped her unleash her potential to bring down others to below her level via touching her soul, and turning said potential into the Malignant Tumor Apoptosis technique?


    At least, that''s what I understood from what Jiko Ai was saying. Assuming that I am not misunderstanding something that is, which I really doubt.


    And it was my technique, combined with my highly probable possibility of evolving into a Liliraune in the future that gave my Narcissism a personality, a soul, and also allowed her to be fully cognizant and gave her the ability to paint her own Qi, as well as allow her to create her own cultivation technique.


    This was too much for me to handle right away. I felt as if my head would explode from all these surprises.


    I only asked just one of the questions I wanted to know the answer for, and already I have one huge headache as I clutched my head in frustration.


    "Gah! This is ridiculous, you know that?" I complained to Jiko Ai, who only shrugged despite her expression still being quite serious.


    "It is, but that''s the truth. And frankly, it is amazing really that your technique is that overpowered, that it unlocks the potential of a person you dual-cultivate with. Though it''s more of an extreme version of how dual-cultivation works, I think. Pretty sure that dual-cultivation with an Innate warrior could do the same, depending on how pure their Qi is, so really dual-cultivating with you is just more potent than normal warriors doing the practice." she answered me.


    I wasn''t amused at that, especially with the implications that me doing the cultivation equivalent to sex would make anyone that practices dual-cultivation with me grow stronger. Me and Wu-chan, that was completely fine, as far as I was concerned, but it was clear that the possibility of it working without my consent was not zero.


    Now, other than being a highly intelligent and ''sapient'' beast, as far as the world may know in the future, there would be no doubt that one will try to use me, and Mei Wu as cultivation furnaces if they felt like it.


    And that made me absolutely livid. The soulscape was tainted by green as my anger leaked, my Qi raging like a storm at the mere possibility that I so rejected so hard I wanted to wipe its mere existence from my mind.


    "You know what we will have to do about that if it ever happened or was about to, right?" I gritted my teeth as I almost hissed towards her, my thoughts clear and reached her very core.


    "Of course. You don''t have to tell me, you idiot." despite her childish appearance, the way she looked so determined and stoic in front of me made it clear why she is my Narcissism.


    The scent and feeling of the predator hiding behind the sweet and cheeky smile made itself clear, mixing with my own Nature Qi. For some reason it felt rather fitting, and a part of me felt at home as it washed over me like a storm yet at the same time as if it was a mere breeze. I had no other way to describe it.


    If I had to explain what I felt from my Narcissism''s Qi, it was seemingly the inverse to how my Qi and cultivation technique. My ability is to grow the flora and control them, in other words, my Natura Aeterna Nirvana generally shows the ''beautiful'' side of the nature.


    She though seemed more like a wild yet highly intelligent, and hungry predator. The Qi of Narcissism that was so red, only craved to bite and consume those that dared to attract its attention in any negative way.


    A world where nature was full of hungry malicious beasts. Even their beauty can only be used to enhance the danger contained inside these green eyes.


    "We will crush and crush and crush them. We will wipe their existence so thoroughly not even a single cell shall remain, for that is the fate of a prey. Even if we are weaker, we shall grow stronger until we simply eclipse them, then crush them utterly, and absolutely. We will erase them until the end of Nayuta!"


    The malice towards the possible filth that would touch Wu-chan was insane. And it felt as if it was still growing by the second as our inner world was tunted by the color of red, the same color of our possible enemies'' blood.


    It was honestly maddening how I was able to feel the unrestrained madness and bloodlust that were in her eyes, yet I only thought that it was just so beautiful and acceptable.


    ''That''s right, if she and I want to protect Wu-chan, then any less bloodlust and determination in wiping out anything that would harm us is nothing but a disgrace.'' I thought, my own bloodlust starting to materialize before I blinked and stopped myself.


    Oh great, another episode where I want to become a murderhobo because Wu-chan could be hurt by some asshole. Let''s put these feelings under the rug again. Man, these feelings are really getting easier to feel now that I had become a Gold-ranked beast, plus the fact that I was now in love and in a relationship.


    "Yeah... better watch out for these impulses. We alraunes are highly possessive and extremely violent when it comes to love, whether as lovers or family. We might not care that much if some random pet of our is murdered, probably, but anyone we like, whether romantically or if we deem to be close family, we kinda feel the urge to eviscerate anyone that dares to touch them." Jiko Ai told me, calming down herself as the inner world returned to its usual colors, giving a soft sigh.


    "I will have to teach you a lot about alraune culture, but these have to wait unless it''s absolutely and immediately necessary. In case we end up dealing with a den full of them."


    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Well, that isn''t ominous at all.


    I grimaced a bit at that. But, deciding to ignore the sudden shift in the subject of our conversation, I shook my head, refocusing on the actual problem for now.


    "Anyways!" I was a bit louder than necessary with my yell, "So the gist is that you are now my instincts given life and a soul, thanks to my cultivation technique. And I also awakened Wu-chan''s potential when we dual-cultivated, or close to it due to the quality of my soul as well. Is that it?"


    She only shrugged at that. "Yep! That sums it up really."


    Another round of silence swallowed the atmosphere, until she crossed her arms, looking at me questioningly, though for some reason I felt she was attempting not to look like she was judging me. What she''s trying to judge me about, I had no idea, but for some reason I just knew that it would feel awkward.


    "That aside, I have a question. That Xie clan''s pretty woman we captured, what do you plan to do with her? You know, the woman who probably had a grudge with Wu-chan and probably wanted to kill or torture her? And is currently being watched by the Queen Bee''s subordinates?"


    Ah, that. Of course, that was something to discuss alright. Pretty sure Wu-chan would talk about it after I wake up as well. My face no doubt looked highly displeased and disgusted.


    "Ugh... do we really need to keep her alive? Can''t we just kill her? You know that I''m not exactly into that, now that I have a lover, right? Doesn''t that count as cheating or something?"


    "You know that you don''t have to bring the subject of cheating, right? Just saying you don''t like to do such a thing now that you''re in love is more than enough. Still, while I would prefer you keep her alive to satiate our bestial desires for the moment, I won''t tell you to fuck her, at least not personally, but at least keep her as an energy source for a few days if possible. Don''t worry, you can always use a clone for that like these trashy naruto smut fanfics."


    I rolled my eyes at the last phrase. That was so random as much as it was amusing.


    "You can discuss with Wu-chan how to satisfy your romantic and sexual cravings, though seeing how your spanking session went without a hitch before our boss showed herself and if the discussion you would have went well, I believe you may not have too many problems with that..."


    My face glowed at that as I looked at the ground that suddenly became very interesting. Did she really have to remind me of that!? That was something I wanted to forget! At least, the part where the Queen Bee decided to pop into our room without any warning.


    Thankfully, or not, what she said next was enough to both wake me up from the shame, and freeze me in my track.


    "You know that you will have to tell her about you being reincarnated, correct?"


    Suddenly, I felt as if I was choking, and I winced at the blatantly clear request.


    "Do I really have to?"


    "We both know that it was a matter of ''when'' until she decided to ask on why your soul looks older." she pointed out, much to my chagrin.


    She was right, and I knew it. Wu-chan had no doubt seen how my spiritual form looked more mature and older than how I was physically. It was going to happen eventually, a part of me always felt that way, and I knew that I would end up telling her at some point.


    "Not to mention, we wouldn''t exactly be able to hide it from her for so long anyways. Sure, we could try to explain it by us being simply more mature or something, but even that would only work for a while before the questions resurface once more. We can''t hide that from her unless we just decided not to dual-cultivate with her for the sake of secrecy. Not that we are that great at lying really when it comes to her, nor do we really want to. Sure, lying about some things makes sense, but this subject is not going to be easy, so just better get it over with ASAP, and then try to fix the damage if there was any."


    I only grimaced further at that. Putting aside how well or poorly Wu-chan might take the revelation that I was a former human reincarnated as an alraune by an arguably nigh-almighty goddess, I just didn''t feel like hiding such a secret could work in the long term.


    Honestly, how can these idiotic protagonists in these novels just... do that? Regressors and such, they make sense. But some dude reincarnated from Earth, most likely some neets or nobodies suddenly finding themselves inhabiting the near-dead body of some random guy or random clan member, and then they basically turn into the perfect liars and experts in making everyone drop their jaws from sheer shock at how easily they lie.


    And of course, no one who could check these lies would just continue asking, especially when they knew the person that the reincarnator took over the body over.


    I was a bit lucky so far, arguably, but I had no delusions that my luck would succeed in dealing with this amount of secrecy or that it would continue forever, and even to me, I could see how it would be unfair for both me and Mei Wu if I did that.


    Not to mention, the only things I''d prefer to hide from her are whatever the fuck these movies, animes and fics I ended up watching and reading because I was curious and I now regret ever being interested into these. Me being a reincarnator isn''t exactly that big of a deal when factoring how the cycle of samsara and rebirth exists, at least, as long as any knowledge about cultivation quotes is either hidden or not really dangerous in this world.


    "That would just be a headache, won''t it?" I groaned towards Jiko Ai who only shrugged helplessly.


    "Oh, most definitely. Just keep the xianxia quotes and chants in your brain. Last thing we need is for some idiotic cultivator getting their hands on the words of Hajun''s spell and it somehow actually working when they speak them."


    I shuddered, paling at that. Yeah, that was a most horrifying possibility.


    "Anyways, that''s it for now." my Narcissism gave me a smile as I found myself apparently ejected from her area while I calmed down. "I will be sleeping for now, controlling your body and your technique, while easy, is still highly strenuous for me at the moment. Time for me to get my beauty sleep~! Have fun with Wu-chan for the next couple weeks before I take over for one day. Ciao~!"


    Wait, what?


    Before I could respond or even react in any way other than shock as my eyes widened, my vision went black as I found myself feeling a very familiar sensation of waking up.


    I felt as my blood was moving into my cells, then I heard the beating of my heart, then finally I could notice even my own breath as I instinctively gasped.


    My eyes opened to the familiar sight of me being inside one of the many chambers in the Queen Bee''s hive. The familiar scent of honey as well as the sensation of the many bees around met my nose. I heard as the bees were buzzing around, even as they weren''t inside the chamber just as easily as if they were.


    I though disregarded that after only a few seconds, deciding to pay attention to a much more important person.


    She had already felt me waking up, her own eyes opening, looking directly into mine. Mei Wu looked at me, her eyes widening just slightly.


    I could almost taste her anticipation as I nearly heard her heart beating quickly as soon as her gaze fell on my face.


    "A-Ai''er...? Is that you?" she asked me with a voice almost full with skepticism, her lips trembling as she stood up from her pose as she was just cultivating.


    The sensation of the Apoptosis lingered in the air, and I could feel as she was almost poking and prodding on my Qi to see if this was really me.


    I felt happy that she was this serious in her desire to protect me, and pained that I indirectly caused her pain when I nearly died today.


    "Yes, Wu-chan. I am here." I answered her softly, my throat bubbling with happiness and joy at finally seeing her alive and unharmed. I may have seen my Narcissism''s memories of how she made sure to protect my love, but seeing it in front of me just made it even more real to me, as I nearly jumped from the top of my monstrous body to hug her. To make it clear for the both of us that this was real.


    "I am here, Wu-chan. Only me, with no Jiko Ai for now." I almost whispered, my human body slowly closing the distance, holding back tears as I saw that she was really in front of me.


    "Ai''er, I..." she whispered as well.


    Despite the whole fight only taking a few hours at most, it felt like we were separated for a long time. I did the only thing I could think of as I hugged her, and she gladly reciprocated.


    At this moment, I didn''t care about the coming discussion, or anything at all really.


    I only desired one thing only, to embrace her like this until our hearts are satisfied. That was the only thing I wanted to do at the moment.

 Chapter 51

    "Ai''er, are you sure? You really want to tell me? We can talk about it later after deciding what we will do the next few days."


    Mei Wu''s question cut through the tense atmosphere. The pink-haired woman looked at her lover in worry, frowning.


    The reunion with her beloved was truly relaxing for both of them, and it helped in calming down their spirits after what happened in the morning, and they took their time to embrace each other, something that Mei Wu truly enjoyed as much as Kasumi Ai did (and Jiko Ai, from what Mei Wu faintly sensed).


    Unfortunately, good things must come to an end, and it was clear that they might need to talk about whatever that happened to Kasumi Ai and Mei Wu would easily admit to herself at least that she was curious and worried about today''s events. A lot.


    There were simply too many things to think about, and at the very least prepare for when they would be discussed. Mei Wu was genuinely interested and concerned about how Jiko Ai was formed, not to mention that the Narcissism also hinted on the fact that Kasumi Ai''s ''spiritual'' age that was clearly bigger than her physical one was a part of the mystery.


    It was simply normal for her to want to ask some questions and get some answers.


    Which is why she had just asked the alraune about it, though seeing the hesitant and reluctant expression on Kasumi Ai''s face, Mei Wu tried to make it clear that it was the alraune''s decision to choose if she wanted to talk about it right then or later.


    Especially since they would optimally have only a few days to prepare themselves, talk with the Queen Bee about what to do now that the hive was discovered, and if they might have to go their ways, stick around, or leave together.


    So it was surprising that Kasumi Ai was the one who decided to just start the discussion, despite her reluctance.


    The alraune, hearing Mei Wu''s question, only shook her head. "It was only a matter of when you will ask. Plus, Jiko Ai made it clear that I might as well get it over now and then see what we have to do next, besides the obvious."


    ''Well that was completely not ominous,'' Mei Wu thought, feeling the sensation of fear emanating from her friend as the Qi of Nature seemed to try and hide, yet at the same time it felt hopeful?


    The silence felt so thick even though they didn''t even really begin the talk.


    The alraune honestly had no idea how to even start the subject. How can she talk about her being reborn into a different world? She can''t exactly say "Hey, I''m a reincarnator! Want me to tell you about my previous life?", can she? Well, she can, but it would be confusing, and even more so, very insensitive.


    "... So, I suppose I should start the talk about why I appear older in spirit than how I looked physically?" Kasumi Ai asked, thinking on how to broach the subject. Barely stopping even as Mei Wu silently nodded her head, the alraune continuing her talk, looking both resigned and hopeful. Of what, Mei Wu didn''t understand.


    "I will be blunt, I am far older than a few months. I''m in my thirties actually. Mentally and spiritually that is."


    Mei Wu blinked at that, then frowned in confusion. She could sense no lie from her beloved, but the meaning of the words wasn''t something she understood or was able to process right away.


    Her friend is telling her that she is a thirty-something years-old alraune, that much was clear, but why say mentally and/or spiritually? Is the green-haired prehaps saying...


    The conclusion that her mind reached felt ridiculous, but it was the most logical one.


    "Are you telling me that somehow your soul is way older than your body''s age? Ai''er, that..." incredulity was clear in her tone along with confusion. It just didn''t compute for her even when she knew that she didn''t hear it wrong, and that Kasumi Ai was not lying.


    So what did that mean? How is the alraune''s soul older than her body?


    "That''s the truth though." Kasumi Ai answered her softly, anxiety clear in her voice, and making it clear that what Mei Wu heard was correct.


    Frowning, the pink-haired woman''s mind worked overdrive to comprehend the meaning what she is being told.


    ''... Reincarnation then?'' Mei Wu found herself thinking. She didn''t think of herself as one overly philosophic and deep, really, and she didn''t think that she was so much smarter and insightful than any other ranker (even if she is, thanks to her extremely potent Qi senses), but like any other person, she did ponder on the nature of existence from time to time.


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    It was normal for one to be curious and to seek answers, and the nature of soul and all the other mystical things in the world, and Mei Wu was no different. Of course, she heard about reincarnation and souls, even if she didn''t see or experience it herself.


    Compared to the existence of the Innates and Mythical Beasts, and with the many legends of precious treasures and items, believing in the fact that souls would always reincarnate (unless destroyed, an idea that made her shiver. Sensing one''s Qi vanish when they died -if she didn''t hate them- was quite creepy. She doesn''t want to know how one having their soul destroyed would feel like) is easy to accept.


    But of course, thinking and believing in something and finding it being the subject of a discussion, especially one that was most definitely related to her bonds and life, were completely different things.


    And of course, Mei Wu just couldn''t understand the feelings she was dealing with. The discovery was ludicrous.


    "Reincarnation. You are reincarnated, aren''t you, Ai''er?" her voice is filled of multitude of emotions for various different reasons.


    Shock from this being in any way logical and actually true, and right in front of her, especially with the serious nod that her lover gave.


    Happiness that this was real at all, knowing that as long one''s soul was intact, they would simply return to the cycle of reincarnation.


    And painfully, a feeling of doubt and worry now that the fact that Kasumi Ai was reincarnated, was hammered into Mei Wu''s soul.


    "How?" came her simple question.


    Taking a moment to breathe and organize her thoughts, the green-haird woman looked at her. "That might be the simplest yet most confusing thing I have to explain." she sighed tiredly. "I don''t know how to explain it in words, but I will try my best. I think your sharp Qi senses would be a massive help in explaining this, I hope."


    Mei Wu''s heart was beating faster at that.


    "You know how there are many worlds and dimensions in reality correct? We both know that the Tian Tong Tower''s floors count as complete worlds, especially in the higher floors. And we know that there are many dimensions, both discovered and hidden even to this day, some inhabited by many races..." Kasumi Ai looked at her patiently, but Mei Wu could see the frustration. It was honestly difficult for the alraune to put what she wanted to say in words.


    If only she could just show her memories or something to Mei Wu, then she wouldn''t be this frustrated!


    ''You can always try to dual-cultivate with her now and let me do the work of showing her your memories, you know?'' Jiko Ai, still awake, mentally told the one leading their shared body. Despite the seriousness of the situation, Kasumi Ai sensed that her alter ego was quite amused.


    ''I would appreciate if your help is actually helpful.'' the alraune retorted mentally, her eyebrows twitching in irritation, a reaction that Mei Wu noticed and tried to comprehend, along with the less-than-helpful short lesson her lover gave about dimensions, knowledge that everyone even attempting to be a ranker or a warrior would learn.


    Hell, even ten-years old kids would most likely know that at some point. She would have been insulted had she not known that her Ai''er just couldn''t know how to explain what she wanted to say in just words.


    "Are you and Jiko Ai talking about how to explain this to me? So far, I only understood that you''re reincarnated, which I admit I have some... well, not really a problem, but it''s a bit weird and confusing?" she asked, feeling Jiko Ai''s Qi flaring at that as Kasumi Ai sighed, a metaphorical arrow stabbing her heart at the word ''weird''. Why did it have to be described as such?


    "Yeah, she just told me to show my memories via a dual-cultivation which..."


    Yeah, Mei Wu could understand why her girlfriend is not exactly willing. One mistake and they could cripple themselves forever, so better not risk it.


    Mei Wu then blinked as she heard Kasumi Ai snapping her fingers, apparently getting an epiphany as suddenly the pink-haired woman could feel the alraune had apparently found a way to explain what she wanted to say clearly, along with Jiko Ai''s faint amusement.


    "Oh, wait, I think I have an idea to make this talk actually go somewhere. The second time I would pull this trick with you, Wu-chan."


    "Huh?" what did that even mean?


    Mei Wu wondered if her friend just hated serious atmosphere and wanted to ruin it, which wasn''t wrong, really. After all, the alraune usually preferred things to be normal and as far away from being serious as possible, even though she knew when to take a situation with the importance it deserves. But, if so, then Kasumi Ai was doing a great job at making the situation feel trivial.


    ''Geez, you really are childish despite being in your thirties.'' Jiko Ai snarked mentally, amused as she felt Kasumi Ai''s Qi pulse to generate and shape nectar from her eyes.


    ''Shut up and let me do my thing.'' the alraune taking control retorted, creating multiple golden orbs and allowing them to float in front of her and Mei Wu, who was looking at the sight in interest, trying to understand the point of this visual show.


    She finished her preparation by generating a large amount of water and contained the nectar orbs before smiling contently, as if she did a great job.


    "... I don''t get it. Is this supposed to hint on how there are worlds inside worlds or something close to that?" Mei Wu asked, uncertain.


    "Well... you''re not wrong..." Kasumi Ai began, now clearly more confident and certain of herself. "Though I won''t exactly say that this is about worlds as much as I''m going to talk about something that is most definitely orders of magnitude larger. Universes, multiverses, and cosmology as I know it from my original world, or maybe universe or reality is more accurate?"


    ''... What?'' Mei Wu found her thought process stopping for a while. How in the name of the heavens did them attempting to discuss about Kasumi Ai''s reincarnation turn into a lesson about the nature of the universe and multiverse (what even are these? Some bigger version of a world or dimension?)


    The alraune though apparently ignored the baffled look on her lover''s face, and created a small cane from a branch, pointing it towards the large orb of water.


    "In the beginning, there was nothing. No space, no time, no matter. No physical or mystical laws that shape the reality or multiple realities that you and I know. And then, it exploded."

 Chapter 52

    "And then, I was reincarnated into an alraune by that goddess, and the rest is history."


    Mei Wu could only look at Kasumi Ai who had given her a very, very short summary of the alraune''s story of being reincarnated, which involved an arguably long talk about the history of the former human''s universe and its history.


    Somehow, Mei Wu managed to only listen as Ai kept explaining what she knew about how her universe came to be. A very summarized explanation, yet it still took more than half an hour to finish the whole thing and get to where Ai died then got reincarnated as an alraune.


    The pink-haired woman would have been fascinated if she wasn''t so utterly baffled and slightly horrified at the ''science'' facts that the alraune kept bombarding her with, and it was honestly surprised she did not experience Qi deviation from the sheer absurdity of it all!


    "The hell do you mean, the rest is history!? Why are you finishing it like that as if it was so obvious!? What you had just told me would be counted as utterly forbidden knowledge, and in your universe it is treated as obvious!?" and thus, Mei Wu yelled, pointing her finger towards the alraune who winced at the volume.


    "I mean, it''s not like I have much more to say, I explained -or quickly summed up- my universe''s history from its creation -as far as I know- to how I finally bit the dust as a human and got reborn here. I even gave you a visual show..." Ai muttered, though Mei Wu heard it regardless since they were close enough for their superhuman ears to capture any phrase spoken by either of them.


    "I very much get that, trust me. You don''t need to do anymore visual explaining. Especially with you telling me this world is made in the image of a fictional story in your universe or world." Mei Wu rubbed her throbbing forehead as the headache she was having threatened to give her some serious Qi deviation that was barely halted as she moved her Qi in her body to stop that from happening.


    She tried her best to ignore the panic she had at the prospect of how she is supposedly living in a world/universe that was apparently created by some omnipotent deity- and one that is apparently, truly omnipotent and yet even the goddess who reincarnated Kasumi Ai was apparently a ''novice.''


    The implications are horrifying in the sense that there are entities like that for real. That there are entities so powerful, so skilled and so varied in their powers they can basically do whatever, and it''s only the fact that said gods might have their own hierarchies and rules that even they follow, and might or might not have some limits on how much they can interfere with the progress of other realities.


    ''Damn it, Ai''er! You don''t just drop the fact that one''s existence is so insignificant like that! Even if we ignore that this world is based on some story, it is just way too horrifying and too vast for one to just wrap their heads around!'' she thought as she tried to catch her quickening breath.


    It is one thing to think of the existence of something so powerful, and a completely different thing to know for certain that they exist. It was even worse to accept it as a cultivator.


    It was easy to state that one wanted to defy the heavens since it was mostly an abstract concept, but it was a lot more difficult when said vagueness vanished, especially when the gap between the challenger and the challenged was way larger than imagined.


    And regardless of how much she changed, Mei Wu''s mind was still not really capable of comprehending the sheer scope of what she was being told, especially since she was raised in the rather violent warriors'' culture of this world from birth.


    The idea that there are entities that are so strong, so omniscient, and so utterly above anything else was, to many cultivators, a depressing and cruel one. What''s the point of defying or surpassing the heavens when the heavens themselves don''t seem to even give a damn?


    And that was what Kasumi Ai was telling her, whether accidentally or not.


    "... han! Wu-chan! Calm down! Your Qi is becoming unstable! Wu-chan!!"


    Taking a sharp breath as a vine stabbed her back, pumping healing nectar in her body, Mei Wu shuddered as she relaxed just slightly, the touch of her lover''s hands on her shoulders calming her slightly.


    Mei Wu could almost taste the relief that Ai felt when the pink-haired woman''s Qi calmed down just a bit. She was still very much shocked and didn''t have enough time to just comprehend the amount of relevations she was dealing with.


    ''Breathe. In. And out. In, and out.'' her eyes shut as as she tried her best to relax and control the flowing energy inside of her. There would not be a Qi deviation right now, and it was better for both of them if she calmed down for now.


    This will not be where she dies, confused and unable to comprehend the truths she was bombarded with.


    "Okay, okay. I''m calm, and very much relaxed." it was a lie as much as it was true. Her mind was still in chaos, but it wasn''t as bad as it could have been.


    Fuck. How can one just handle this knowledge? The alraune herself didn''t seem to think too much of it, though whether that was because she didn''t really care from the start or learned to just accept the situation and get used to it was not determined. And neither did Jiko Ai care too for that matter, and in fact the alter ego seemed almost amused from what Mei Wu was feeling, even if she was worried for the pink-haired woman''s sanity.


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    Wiping out the sweat on her forehead, the woman tried her best to calm her mind once more. "Ai''er, you idiot. You just can''t shove facts of such magnitude like that! What you told me is- that knowledge- it''s just-" she tries to articulate her thoughts, yet words fail her.


    Truly, a few minutes are just too short to get used to what Kasumi Ai had told her (The hell is a light year? How did they measure it? What does it mean that a galaxy is over a hundred thousand light years? And what the fuck does it mean that a universe contains billions of them!? The sheer scale alone is depressing! And every cultivator wants to control that when they can''t even control a single world (or planet)? How!?), and she would really need a lot of introspection for the next years to wrap her head around it.


    (On the plus side, she might have a breakthrough after she gets to focus on cultivation later with her mind clearer?)


    Honestly, she did not expect this bout of existential crisis today...


    "I- I''m just so mindblown, baffled, terrified, and utterly confused all at the same time." Mei Wu finished, taking her time to speak, her body almost falling from mental exhaustion as her eyes closed. Her lover was also pumping some nectar with calming proprieties to help her as well.


    "... Sorry. I might be too used to these facts to see them with the same importance as you do. Still, sorry for the existential crisis I unleashed." came the soft apology from the green-haired alraune.


    Mei Wu would have really liked it if the alraune wasn''t so serious and honest in her regret. It was just so hard to feel angry at her that way when she was so sincere.


    Well, no- she is angry. Very much so. She doesn''t feel resentment or hatred towards her lover, but she is upset by the knowledge she was exposed to, so suddenly and without any proper preparation.


    "Apology accepted, Ai''er. I don''t blame you, but I''m still really pissed about this." Mei Wu stated, shaking her head, noticing the wince that appeared momentarily on the alraune''s face.


    She didn''t hate Kasumi Ai. She couldn''t hate her. Not even over this, when Kasumi Ai genuinely believed that this is what Mei Wu wanted to know and gave her exactly what she asked for.


    Mei Wu would have preferred a lie, that Kasumi Ai simply say that she was a low-level warrior who died then got reincarnated as an Alraune without her memories being erased. She would have liked to hear that lie instead of the revelations she had gotten.


    But she knew very well that she without hindsight, she wouldn''t have been happy by the lie and she would end up asking about it again; so ultimately what her Ai''er did was the best choice, notwithstanding them both deciding to just ignore the whole situation and to simply act normally until the subject became necessary to discuss in the future.


    ''In the end, discussing it now was the right choice... I think.'' the woman sighed to herself, plucking out the vine pumping the healing and calming nectars in her body.


    "Think you will be alright?" Kasumi Ai asked her, retracting her vine as her worried expression was still on her face. "I really didn''t expect this to happen."


    "Of course you didn''t you idiot. Ever since I met you, you kept breaking my common sense." Mei Wu was both miffed and happy about that. Not that she minded. "I will just need some time to adjust to this... cosmology knowledge. By the heavens, you nearly gave me a heart attack- or death- from the sheer suddenness of this all. Just prepare me next time, will you?"


    Ai blinked at that. She knew that this discussion was not over, just for the moment, but at least Mei Wu seemed to take the relevations very well, all things considered. It was enough for her to be beaming into a smile had she not heard the last sentence.


    "Wait, next time?" she asked, tilting her head questioningly. "You want to know more about my otherworldly knowledge? I mean, I don''t mind telling you but..."


    She doesn''t want her lover to get a heart attack or be struck by lightning due to that, now that she saw what might happen.


    "Ai''er, I know. I was just not ready. It is foolish, but I am admittedly curious about that knowledge." Mei Wu admitted with serious expression. "I was only so shocked because I wasn''t prepared and I didn''t expect the scope and scale of what your story would talk about." and ain''t that an understatement?


    Mei Wu looked at her, scowling slightly in irritation, "It seems to be a theme with you. I so need to find a way to make you pay for all the headaches you''ve given me..." she lowly mumbled the last part, as Ai chuckled nervously.


    Standing up, Mei Wu stretched for a moment. Hearing her bones pop was satisfying in a way after this conversation, and it helped her focus on her body rather than the information swimming in her mind right now.


    "That''s better~!" she sighed contently, feeling the power in her body. She was certain that she was rewarded after that battle, but she was too tired afterwards to check up on it via her Grimoire, and she doesn''t think attempting to see it right now would be a good idea with the state of her mind. Instead, she looked at her lover.


    "So we actually won, huh?" she questioned, somehow looking both awed, baffled and yet as if she was speaking a matter of fact.


    It was still hard to believe that yes, she and Ai did actually defeat Xie Xiu and Xie Yao. The two elders seemed so powerful before in Mei Wu''s eyes, and they still are, really.


    But defeating them was still something she didn''t imagine herself seeing or even being involved in. Yet, that was the truth.


    Ai grinned at that. "Yeah, yeah we did it. On our own and some help my new split personality that only appeared just a few hours ago." she gazed momentarily at herself with a frown before smiling again. "But we did it!"


    Mei Wu absently wondered if Ai not stating how the Protector Bees worked to block the escape routes of Xie Xiu. ''Maybe she''s still upset that the Queen Bee and her servants embarrassed us while we were...?'' she immediately cut out that train of thought. Better not think about that now. Maybe later at night when they get to discuss Jiko Ai''s existence?


    Thankfully the Queen Bee gave them this day to relax.


    "So... want to have a walk with me in the hive''s nest for now? I so need to take a walk to calm my nerves and just relax." Mei Wu asked as she was about to leave the room they were in.


    "I definitely won''t say no to that. I''d love to!" Ai immediately accepted it with a smile. "Would it be possible to kiss you and hold hands while at it?"


    The request was rather cute with how shy the alraune looked.


    ''She''s really insatiable when it comes to affection, it seems...'' smiling wryly, Mei Wu only gave a small laugh. Somehow, this felt so natural and right.


    "Fine, I''ll accept, but only because we won and we both deserve some good time for now."


    Ah, the feeling of Nature and the sensation of the Narcissism both looking excited at that was strong and pure. She will need to talk about Jiko Ai later at night, preferably, but that can wait.


    For now, it''s time for some good relaxing hours with her lover and friend.

 Chapter 53: A talk with the Narcissism

    Soon enough, the night was quickly approaching. My and Wu-chan''s walk took a while, mostly because we just wanted to take our time.


    I personally found it relaxing and just so calm. I mean, I''m sure that almost everyone would feel the same after experiencing what just happened today.


    Wu-chan naturally loved it as well. It must have felt euphoric in comparison when she had to deal with all the relevations she had gotten today as well, along with the fact that she had some existential crisis over just how fucking vast the cosmos is, and the fact that her world is made up in a way similar to a story from my former universe. And no, I''m not going to ponder if the story came first or this world.


    Another thing I really need to remember is to keep my knowledge of the cosmos that is probably, most definitely, forbidden knowledge in this world, to myself. Better not give people of this world more existential crisis than they already have thanks to the existence of Innate-ranked beings and Holy Beasts and who knows what more.


    They can weep about beasts and whatnot and be able to survive, but I''m pretty sure not many warriors have the capacity to just comprehend how vast the universe is.


    Or, I could weaponize it and making our enemies die out of sheer terror of their own insignificance since they are lower than a random cell from the body of the goddess that reincarnated me in this world, who is also novice compared to many other gods. That would be just so depressing for so many people who define their self-worth with their power and ego alone.


    At least, it went relatively well all things considered.


    Still, it was getting a bit late at the moment, and we both decided to return to our area. Honestly it was a bit strange to think that ''our'' area still exists at all after all what happened today. A part of me thought that the hive''s place will be utterly wrecked or something.


    ''Why? So you can have an escape arc right then and there instead after maybe a few days from now?''


    Hearing my Narcissism''s amused remark, I decide to just shake my head when Wu-chan looked at me questioningly as I made myself comfortable.


    "Jiko Ai is just being snarky."


    "Oh. She obviously likes that." Mei Wu smiled, -though I felt it was a rather awkward, slightly nervous smile-, sighing a bit at that. "She certainly made it clear that she loves acting just like you when you''re carefree. Except with more extremes."


    "You can say that again." I only put a hand on my face as I sighed, remembering just how Jiko Ai acted when she took over my body when I was, in her words, "too accepting of death". The sheer glee she was feeling as she was brutally having her army of plants murdering and eating the corpses of her enemies, and the amusement she felt when she was breaking the minds of the Xie clan''s disciples with just immensely overwhelming pleasure.


    ''Now, if only you can say you totally won''t do this, right?'' Jiko Ai, clearly not satisfied with just letting me alone, decided to point the obvious. ''I mean, we both know that your bond with Wu-chan is the only thing stopping you from liking it as much as I did.''


    Well, she isn''t wrong, sadly. I loved how cruel I (Jiko Ai) was to the disciples and all that. And I was certain that I would have been even more happy about it had things gone better, or worse. I was certain that I would be way more enthusiastic about it if Jiko Ai didn''t become a completely separate personality and it was just me having to deal with increasingly stubborn instincts.


    ''I hate that you are right.'' grumbling mentally at her, I shook my head, Mei Wu not saying anything about my mood as she made herself comfortable as well.


    Her Qi hummed, the Apoptosis itself not emanating, not really. She wasn''t planning to cultivate at the moment, since we still had questions to each other.


    I remembered what Jiko Ai told me, something about taking over my body for a day, or close to that. And rewatching the memories I got from her allowed me to see that she had made a deal with Wu-chan.


    I was far from thrilled as the memory resurfaced in my mind, and I frowned.


    "Ai''er?" my lover asked me worriedly.


    "..." I was silent for a while, not knowing what to say, and surprisingly Jiko Ai was silent as well, and I felt she was taking this seriously despite the almost visible amusement. Then again, I only met her for a few hours or a day at most, and the Narcissism was a part of me, no doubt of that, and she clearly knows when it is serious.


    Mei Wu''s qi faded as she focused fully at me, and I gave a blank sigh.


    "The deal you made with Jiko Ai. I have to be honest and say that I am not exactly happy about it."


    I saw her wince at that before looking away with guilt. "Yeah, I know that. I... I''m sorry."


    She didn''t know what more to say to me about that, or maybe she didn''t know how to say it.


    Looking at her with my human eyes from above, she was clearly unhappy about it. Maybe not regretful about agreeing when it was a tense moment and she thought I would be dying or just wiped out by my alter ego, but definitely guilty.


    ... Damn it, how do I even discuss it with her? A part of me feels upset about her accepting that deal, but I also love her too much to just blame her for what was clearly the <del>only</del> choice  given to her by my Narcissism in a stressful situation.


    ''While I can feel your guilt and feelings towards my choice, I will tell you that I don''t regret it one bit.'' Jiko Ai told me, and I felt that she was doing her best not to feel amused by the seriousness and the nature of the topic I and Wu-chan were trying to discuss. ''Nor will I accept you just ordering me to retract it.''


    I looked down at the inactive pit of aphrodisiac. I was irked at what she told me. "I thought you promised not to hurt Wu-chan, Jiko Ai." I spoke just low enough for my lover to hear me along with my Narcissism. Even though I could just tell her mentally, I just felt that speaking loudly was more fitting.


    Deep in our shared soulscape, I could sense, almost see the scowl of Jiko Ai towards me, and I had the feeling she was crossing her arms in irritation.


    ''And as I promised, I don''t want to harm her if I can help it. Surely a few hours didn''t make you forget our discussion?'' she retorted at me, ''As long as I (we) am (are) satisfied and our desires are fulfilled, I won''t need to feel so constricted to the point of trying to take over your body and mind just to satisfy something you and I both feel yet you keep rejecting it so hard.''


    "Ai''er? Are you...?" I found myself ignoring Wu-chan''s curious yet hesitant expression to mentally glare harder at the Narcissism without speaking a word at the blunt remark.


    ''... Is there a way to bring you outside even for a while without giving you control?'' I finally asked my alter ego.


    ''Why are you asking? I don''t... Oh.'' she seemingly blinked, realizing what I want. Giving me a mental sigh, she answered me. ''I suppose I can take over a clone, though I can only stay there for only an hour at most. I''m still a newborn ego, all things considered.''


    That makes sense, I suppose.


    "I''m fine." I softly answered Mei Wu''s question, pulsing my Qi, something that made her wary yet she trusted me regardless. "I just think we need another member to join. It would be far better that way."


    In less than ten seconds, a Normal-ranked alraune was created, and it was clear that it was lacking any sort of intelligence like any plant beast I create. I could easily command it to do my bidding, see through its eyes and experience the world through its (relatively) fragile existence. Yet I did not do that, and instead I gave the control to my Narcissism.


    ''A Normal-ranked alraune. Do you really worry about me harming you and Wu-chan that much?'' yet, despite the slight irritation and mockery in her tone, I felt how something in my mind shifted.


    Her voice vanished from my soulscape, yet I could clearly feel the ''core'' of her being still in my body even as the feeling of the predator emanated faintly from the Normal-ranked alraune I created as her eyes opened. Even though her ''presence'' was mainly inside the alraune, I was certain that she would automatically return to my body the moment her new body was killed or if she wished to.


    "Ahh~! At least, this gives me a good amount of freedom, even if temporarily~!" the alraune controlled by Jiko Ai''s consciousness smiled, and I felt a slight shiver down my spine at the expression that was on what once was my face a a couple of months ago. I had probably made the same expression before, when I played with Xie Yu for a while, and while I was feeding on some of the animals and beasts before I met Mei Wu, but still, it was weird and unsettling to look at my face being so... creepy.


    "Jiko Ai? So she could control of one of your clones too, huh, Ai''er?" Mei Wu tensed at the sight. Her form didn''t look defensive, yet I was certain that any suspicious move from my Narcissism would be rewarded with a blast of the Apoptosis and the Tumor Mandala.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    I only answered in the affirmative as Jiko Ai seemed to yawn, her joints giving a satisfied crack, and her eyes sharpening as the savage beast that was my instincts was clearly awake, putting us in her sight.


    "Now, that just feels so good~!" giving a slight chuckle, the Narcissism''s aura does not waver even if it doesn''t expand, and her smile slowly became more subdued, even if it didn''t fully disappear.


    "So, now that we all got so angsty and accept we have a problem and all that, let''s talk and discuss our problems like adults. So start talking." crossing her arms, she simply demanded.


    The silence was almost deafening as we three looked at each other, and we all knew that Jiko Ai was not the most liked person at the moment, even if she didn''t seem to care at all. Yet I felt how guarded she was, how she was clearly prepared to defend her stance, and if I could notice it, so could Mei Wu.


    In the end, my lover started the conversation.


    "You really don''t want us to just ignore your... demands, don''t you?"


    The question is hesitant and wary. Mei Wu isn''t sure what to say other than that. The way she says ''demands'' makes it clear what she felt about it.


    "No." the answer comes as quickly as it is absolute. "I do not. And I''d prefer if this was treated seriously."


    "Maybe I would be way more accepting of this if we literally had more time to process this." I bit out, "And if I am still pissed at you joking about breaking Wu-chan into your sex toy before locking me in and taking control!"


    "Wh- she did what!?" Wu-chan''s face paled in shock at that as she looked at me.


    Oh, yeah, Mei Wu didn''t know that this idiot here said that while I was under the impression it was a real threat back then.


    "Hahh... I knew this would come back." despite her face still looking serious, I felt that there was a hint of regret at her making that threat as she almost facepalmed at the reminder. "Again, I''m sorry for saying that. Honest! It was the first time I was aware of myself, and the first thing I can comprehend is that you, for some reason, were happy to die for the sake of your- our lover when you should fucking know that you dying might just make her easy picking for anyone or anything that would want to harm her with you out of the way."


    I stilled at that, feeling my hair stand on end as she glared so furiously at me. The sheer disgust I felt emanating from her at the thought that me dying would be acceptable at all was staggering.


    I already knew from her memories what she thought of me being so accepting of death, but facing it in person was a different thing altogether.


    "Let me state this. You both know this already, but I will repeat myself." the feeling of the Predator increases, yet it somehow doesn''t consume me or Wu-chan, both of us freezing from the sheer certainty and seriousness showing on my alter ego''s face. "I am Jiko Ai. I am you, Kasumi Ai. I am your Narcissism, your instincts, your cravings. I am the manifestation of your selfish, self-centered, unrepentant unrestrained desire to maim and consume your enemies, to break your prey, to love and protect Mei Wu and whoever else you might love and care about in your journey. And more imprtantly, I am your desire to live so that these come true."


    She was so absolutely assured in her identity, in her desires, in my desires that I felt like she would bare her fangs if I even dared to argue against that assessment.


    "I do not, and will not accept anything more than you living to protect her and live for her. As long as you two love or care for each other, I will not allow any nonsense of dying for the sake of the other, either from you or from her. And if you dare to think once more that dying for her sake is ever a good idea, I will show you how disgustingly pathetic and cruelly selfish that is for both you and her."


    I was paling at that. My hands couldn''t stop shaking, and Wu-chan wasn''t any better.


    This bloodlust and rage, it was maddening. It was definitely unforgiving, self-centered craving that denied the idea of the death of one''s beloved people. It rejected that notion completely.


    In this creature''s mind, the only acceptable death is death of old age after a long, satisfying life, that was how it felt to me, honestly. Anything else, and the mere idea shall be shredded apart without mercy.


    And the most problematic thing is...


    This was a part of my being who was stating this. A part that I would have felt more strongly had it not turned into a split personality. Despite wanting to refuse it, I felt that I would have acted the same down the road if things got that difficult and complicated.


    I certainly would not want Wu-chan to die to protect me, and she certainly wouldn''t want me to do that too. Both of us wanted the other to live, so much it felt just impossible to think of a world where the other died.


    Live for each other''s sake, huh. I was certain that it would have happened in the end.


    Despite the clear threat, I found myself smiling at that. I could say that I agreed with Jiko Ai''s mentality. It just... made sense somehow in a twisted way.


    One look at Wu-chan and all amusement disappears. Her body was shaking, and her knuckles were white from how tight she was clenching her arms. She was far from amused by it, even if she did understand Jiko Ai''s speech and feel the honesty in it.


    "You told me before that you want to do what Ai''er does with me." she slowly spoke, and I couldn''t determine if she was afraid or just hesitant about the whole thing. "H-how far does that extend? Assuming I and Ai''er accept, that is."


    "Wu-chan? Are- are you alright?" of course, that was an idiotic question. She very much isn''t.


    Yet, even as I leave the top of my monstrous body and comfort her within my arms, there was this strange feeling that she isn''t asking that just to know the answer. It felt as if... she is thinking of accepting Jiko Ai''s deal?


    "Really, you''re too stubborn, Wu-chan."


    I just use my lower, monstrous body''s eyes to look at Jiko Ai who looked... almost resigned yet happy? Her smile seemed... almost like she was pitying towards Wu-chan for some reason.


    "I told you before, didn''t I? I would be satisfied just by personally doing the killing and eating of our enemies, and maybe some hugs and kisses from you. I''m not asking that you start becoming my sex toy or my partner in bed, you know." she continues, her voice almost softening. "I don''t want to take advantage of your trust in her- in us, after all. Nor do I want to use the debt that you believe you owe her against you."


    What? Debt? I- I didn''t understand.


    "Wu-chan, what does she mean by that? I- what does that- I don''t get it."


    Mei Wu didn''t attemt to look at me when I asked her what that meant. Her form was trembling slightly. Her eyes are filled with... embarrassment and reluctance?


    I can understand reluctance, but why is she blushing like she is... considering it?


    "Of course, you don''t understand." Mei Wu gently pushed me away, murmuring lowly in the same tone when she was miffed by my attitude yet still found it sweet and amusing regardless. "You probably never even thought of it, didn''t you? I am sure the idea didn''t enter your head at all, at least not in any serious manner." she shook her head at me like she was exasperated by me ignoring something so obvious.


    "Because it is obvious to her, you idiot, even if both I and you don''t see it as logical. Then again, you were never a warrior or a cultivator for that matter. You never truly experienced the hardships she experienced, the culture she lived in that was her only truth before meeting you. And of course, you never really realized how far she would go to please you if you really wanted it."


    The words of the Narcissism hits me in my heart, freezing my body as my eyes widen.


    And even as I look at my lover, I can''t feel any hint of denial on her face even as she seemed like she wanted to.


    "Jiko Ai is right, you know that?" Wu-chan finally sighs, her body limp as she looks so exhausted even though she never spent any effort at all. "I believe I made it clear even before we became a couple. What you gave me was something so far away from what I could just accept so easily. It- it just isn''t possible for me to just do that."


    She was blushing madly. Yet she didn''t stop. It was like this was currently her only chance to tell me a secret.


    "I just... can''t refuse if you- if you asked me to do that, you know. Especially since I know that, uh..."


    I breathed slowly to calm myself at that, and she just... looked at me, her eyes directly meeting mine as I could see the sheer honesty and devotion in them. I didn''t need to hear anymore of her explanation. I fully understood what she was implying- what she meant with her debt towards me.


    "Wu-chan..."


    I could feel warmth at that. Warmth at the fact that she trusted me that much to the point that she would do whatever lustful desire I would want from her.


    Yet, I also felt a slight chill as I realized why she seemed so reluctant yet not outright rejecting to Jiko Ai''s request.


    Because Jiko Ai was me. My cravings as an alraune, all of them for the most part. In a way, it makes sense that to satisfy my romantic/sexual cravings would require her to deal with my Narcissism directly, especially when Jiko Ai was, apparently, asking for so little.


    The only reason this even looks like a problem to me and her is that Jiko Ai is no longer a mass of instincts and urges in my mind, but a full personality- and from the discussion I had with her in our soulscape, a fully cognizant soul. Otherwise, I knew that this stubborn woman wouldn''t even think of it as a big deal!


    ... that inconsistent yet sweet idiot.


    I just... sighed and helped Mei Wu stand up. "You can be really weird at times." I grumbled at her.


    "Well, I learned from the best." at least, she was in a good enough mood to joke after... this conversation. I found myself smiling at her amused expression.


    Though I knew that I would have a completely different conversation with her later, but again, that''s for later, maybe tomorrow.


    CLAP!


    We nearly jumped as we looked at Jiko Ai''s smirking face as she loudly clapped her hands.


    "Congratulation on realizing something new about each other... well, Wu-chan exposed a kinky facet of herself that you didn''t notice about her. You can praise my existence for that."


    Despite the blatant blush that was showing on my face, I was ticked off due to how smug the Narcissism looked. And I was certain that she did this on fucking purpose.


    "Now that we all know where each other is, and know that we probably won''t friendzone me-" she pointed at herself.


    "Yeah, she is your instincts alright."


    Wu-chan, please don''t lump me with her while saying so with that borderline bored tone.


    "-because I''m awesome and Wu-chan would probably get a list of fetishes along the way with you as her lover, and by extention, ME. I''m gonna leave you to to talk... or makeout, whatever you feel like it." Jiko Ai didn''t even respond to Mei Wu''s comment as she continued her talk. "Meanwhile, I will be going to eat the remaining parts of the corpses, and maybe take a look on our... prisoner."


    ... I''m torn between being happy that she''s basically praising me, embarrassed that she''s blatantly telling me I can''t keep it in my panties (which I don''t even have), and being irked that she is adamant on ending this whole discussion on her terms by basically getting herself out of the picture even as I was gaping at her form retreating.


    "Screw you, Jiko Ai!" needless to say, I defaulted to anger from the sheer embarrassment I received. I would have cut her in half if that put her out of my misery.


    "Ai''er, let''s not give her ideas!" her face red as mine, Wu-chan instead almost begged me not to give my alter ego any dirty ideas. I don''t know whether she was more embarrassed by the way Jiko Ai was so assured our relationship will turn into a threesome or the fact that she might get a long list of kinks added in her mind later.


    Tne Narcissism, without blinking or even seemingly caring, barely stopped as she looked at us, and I could feel the lustful thoughts emanating from her mind as she giggled.


    "Screw you, you say? Oh, such a silly thing~! You have your fingers for that."


    "... I''m going to murder something tomorrow, that''s for certain." I murmured to myself as she left, leaving me alone with Wu-chan as my body trembled from irritation.


    "So... that happened." Mei Wu squeezed my arm gently as she looked at me warily. It was very clear that I was probably slightly livid.


    "Yes. Yes it did." she winced at my reply.


    ... Why do I have a sense of deja vu right now?

 Chapter 54: Jiko Ais Perspective

    "Well, that was fun~!" Jiko Ai was honestly quite amused and proud of herself.


    Even as she dutifully ignored the feelings of embarrassment and anger/irritation that she could feel leaking from Kasumi Ai thanks to their ''connection'' so to speak, the Narcissism was feeling quite happy.


    She was- she is that idiot''s alter ego, born from her instincts and personality, after all. It was just fun to tease her pseudo-lover (currently, because it''s not official... yet) and Kasumi Ai.


    It just was as entertaining to her as it is for Kasumi Ai to do the same for Mei Wu after all. Just remembering these moments was enough to make her smile, both from genuine happiness and the sheer amusement she felt about them.


    And as for what these two will talk about and the conclusions they will reach regarding her new status when it come to their love life, she would easily admit that she was expecting them to agree. Maybe not fully, maybe not so quickly, but she will become a part of it and the three of them will enjoy it when that happens.


    ''Naturally, people who would see our discussion without understanding of anything else will think I am an arrogant young master (mistress). How dare I force two people into loving me? Can''t I just let the two lovers on their own and just be helpful when needed?'' she giggled to herself as she walked aroud the hive, the path to the Queen Bee''s area memorized, and even if she did not remember, she can always follow the scent or ask one of the bees to guide her. ''Then again, maybe they will not, and I don''t care regardless.''


    Of course, a self-centered alraune (person) like her would also prefer if things went smoothly between the three of them, but Jiko Ai doesn''t mind being a bit of a spoiled and arrogant brat to get what she wanted.


    ''I so want to pamper you, Wu-chan~!''


    she almost couldn''t wait to just hug and kiss that adorable pink-haired woman. Almost. Jiko Ai was instincts and cravings from the racial needs and the mind of Kasumi Ai made manifest, but she wasn''t an idiot, and she definitely can be patient when it was needed.


    If these animals and beasts with no sapience, who see the world through only their instincts, can still be patient when it came to hunting, and show love to their children and babies despite not having any second thoughts of eating and torturing a deer for hours, giving it an agonizing death, then Jiko Ai can do the same.


    She can be a bit patient. As much as she wants to do the same things that stupid alraune did to Mei Wu- to hold her friend and lover within her embrace, to kiss her, and much, much more- the Narcissism knew that she had to take it slow for now, and she knew for certain that she can wait and be patient.


    Even so, despite understanding it, Jiko Ai couldn''t help but sigh at that as she was halfway to reaching the Queen Bee''s area.


    "Still, how irritating." she huffed, crossing her arms, "I am an alraune, not some normal-ass human whose biggest dilemma other than being killed by cultivators is some romance story."


    And that was a part of why it irked her. She understood the opinions of Mei Wu and Kasumi Ai very well.


    She wasn''t present with them from the start when these two bonded and became friends over nearly two months, then becoming a couple in less than a week and already having no qualms of doing kinky stuff with each other.


    (she would love to lampshade at how fast the whole relationship was, especially with Kasumi Ai''s standards of her first life, but that would be admitting that Jiko Ai''s own love for Mei Wu was also seemingly rushed and out of nowhere since she was literally born with it, so Jiko Ai will ignore that issue).


    No. Instead, Jiko Ai appeared and the first thing she did was making a threat to Kasumi Ai, hijacking her body, then making a deal with a distraught Mei Wu, before she kinda used the woman as a battery to basically murder her enemies (and to break the Xie clan''s disciples with aphrodisiacs, but no one seemed to care that much about that, so it doesn''t count).


    In the first place, alraunes were, if not violent predators that loved to eat everything of their victims, a bunch of sexually-driven sadists who craved to either break the minds of their (attractive and human-looking) victims like how almost every stupid hentai ends, or to make their victims into their eternal battery until they die of old age. If their victims could die of old age, that is. Not that these options were mutually exclusive.


    Kasumi Ai would have- should have been the same as well. She would still have her intelligence and memories of course, but her instincts and cravings should have been the ones in control for the most part. She still would have her pride, and the ability to comprehend the risks and how to assess an enemy. Kasumi Ai would still kick ass against that Black Wolf she fought in her first days and killed it, and would have still reached the Silver-rank on her own, and former human would still be able to cultivate even without sapience since her body was able to thanks to that goddess.


    ''Though, of course, if that idiot primarily followed her instincts, Wu-chan might no longer be the Wu-chan we know now, would she?'' Jiko Ai thought to herself. ''If that idiot wasn''t sapient, it would have been more likely that Wu-chan will just become a sex slave, wouldn''t it? Her personality, hopes, dreams, and everything that makes her, her, simply washed away and reconstructed to be nothing but an obedient pet.''


    Even the Narcissism couldn''t help but feel quite disgusted at that. Even more so when she knew with absolute certainty that the only reason she was feeling that way was because she loved that stupid yet adorable, inconsistent pink-haired woman.


    Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    Jiko Ai loved Mei Wu as much as Kasumi Ai did, and that was one of the factors of why the idea of doing something that horrible to Mei Wu is such a repulsive idea even for the Narcissism.


    Or more accurately, it is because the Narcissism is the embodiment of Kasumi Ai''s alraune insctincts and cravings, that such an idea is that unacceptable. It is why Jiko Ai is genuinely happy that Kasumi Ai wasn''t like that.


    Because it gave her this immense (<del>even if intense and obsessive</del>), genuine feeling of (romantic-sexual) love towards someone else. And more importantly, it was because Kasumi Ai wanted to connect with someone, even for just talking. Even when that woman was content with only interacting with the Worker Bees back then, she still wanted to talk to an actual sapient being.


    A reasonable one at least.


    ''To connect with someone else that much, huh.'' even as she thinks, she doesn''t stop her movement. She was close to reaching the Queen Bee''s area, as the smell and power were growing more potent to her senses. ''To think that I and that idiot fell in such deep love before she became a Platinum-ranked existence. I thank you for that, Goddess. Even if I am a bit disappointed that she didn''t get a harem of pets first, and that we might not get any at all in the near future, I still love this moment in life. Now, I only need to let things go their way.''


    The Narcissism was certain that things between Kasumi Ai and Mei Wu will be alright, whether it was due to their love and desire to understand and please each other, or because Jiko Ai herself can''t help but be positive about it. She just has to take her time, and maybe push the two when needed, like she just did a few minutes ago.


    ... Plus, she was way too tame about it all things considered. Honestly, she really wanted to send her point by binding these two with her vines and just be all seductive and sweet about it. Shame she had to go for the "intimidation and strict gaze" route instead. If only Jiko Ai existed from the start, then the three would already be in a threesome, and probably into bondage to boot!


    "Truly, tragic~!" she almost cried the supposed tragedy of it all. Now, she has to take it slow and wait for her not-really-date with Mei Wu.


    She expects at least plenty of hugs, leaning on each other, and her cute love aiding her in killing some lousy bandits and creeps so that the alraune can feed on them.


    Peak ROMANCE, in All Caps, as far as the alraune sees it.


    ''I suppose, from my understanding of you so far, that your tragedy is a completely nonsensical thing?'' the voice of the Queen Bee''s buzzing reached her ears, the amusement and boredom almost visible on her face, and the Narcissism raised her head, blinking.


    Oh yeah, she kinda forgot that she was being melodramatic right when she entered inside the chamber of her boss.


    "When you fall in love, you will understand... or something like that." Jiko Ai''s cheeky smile returned, and it was clear that the Queen Bee was not impressed.


    ''Right. So, I assume you came for your portion of the corpses?'' the Queen Bee didn''t even bother to look interested, the answer to her question clear as day as she simply turned around. ''Well, as you can see, they are here. Eat them.''


    She was talking about the halves of the corpses of Xie Xiu and her Camouflage Chameleon that were already in the line of sight of Jiko Ai. The Queen Bee had already ate her fill, and while it was one of the most delicious meals she ate -Kasumi Ai''s sweet nectars almost excluded- she wasn''t so greedy as to eat it all by herself.


    Not when she didn''t really do most of the work. Her pride as a Golden King Beast and her respect (and reluctant affectation) to Mei Wu and the alraune just refused that.


    "Thanks for the meal, boss~!" Jiko Ai did not show any restraint. Immediately, her current body''s lower and giant mouth opened, a large tongue extending as she advanced, and started swallowing the remaining half of Xie Xiu''s corpse before chomping on the dead beast''s corpse.


    "Mmm~! Oh, that''s just the best~! If this was a cooking show I would be so orgasming right now~!" the Narcissism doesn''t even bother to show any form of decency with the way she moaned, and the Queen Bee just couldn''t care less.


    ''Whatever. Do you need me for something else or can you leave now? I need to take some time to comprehend the insanity that is your existence.''


    "You''re really no fun." the alraune sighed after she finished her meal. The power from the digested corpses will go to Kasumi Ai''s body (the main body). "Still, thanks for the meal. It was delicious..."


    Jiko Ai nearly blanked, lost in the taste of the flesh of the sweet, beautiful Xie Xiu. "So soft, warm, and sweet on the tongue, yet so full of energy..."


    Shaking her head of these thoughts, she bowed to the Queen Bee before rising. "Eh, but no. I have nothing to request from your highness~ So, if you excuse me. I am now quite full... well, not really, but you get my meaning." she rubbed her human stomach, and the hungry expression on her face never left.


    "But, now that a lady ate a most delicious meal, she should now indulge in some delicacy that is a good, heartwarming drink~! An energy drink..." her vines rose in excitement.


    Oh yeah, that Xie woman they captured will be most helpful indeed.


    Jiko Ai might not be totally accepting of making that woman her pet at the moment, both due to time constraints, and because that woman''s fate is at Mei Wu''s hand ultimately. That woman might have been one of the many who mistreated Mei Wu after all, so it was fair that the pink-haired woman chooses that woman''s fate.


    But using that Xie woman''s Qi and blood as an energy drink after a nice, warm meal?


    Oh, now that is where the fun is. Neither she nor Kasumi Ai had gotten a huge chance to enjoy such a typical Alraune meal other than that random fellow of Xie Li whose name Jiko Ai couldn''t really bother to remember. He was the guy that Kasumi Ai gave for the Queen Bee as a small gift (meal), and he was so unimportant that Jiko Ai doesn''t believe his name will be necessary.


    Still, his Qi and blood were indeed quite tasty, even if they weren''t as pure, potent or flavored as the Narcissism preferred.


    And that woman''s Qi and blood would at least be as tasty, right?


    It was difficult to stop her mouth from watering even as she excused herself from the Queen Bee''s area, walking to where one Xie Zu was put to sleep and watched by multiple Normal-ranked Worker Bees and a single Bronze-ranked Drone Bee.


    ''Ah, truly. How glorious~! It is truly a fun life, being an alraune!'' a small amount of her Qi and hunger leaked from the sheer excitement. This was how an Alraune truly was at its bestial and primal core. With one having to worry only about oneself and no need to think anything but one''s own joy and pleasure.


    And the Narcissism grins at that. And if a part of why she was so enthusiastic about it was because she would be tormenting someone who dared to lay their hands on her sweet Mei Wu, well, that was a part of the fun of being a predator in this world, isn''t it?


    ''Unforgivable. Unacceptable. To think that a lowly creature like you dared to touch my Mei Wu? I will torment you and crush you and your ego, and milk you of all your energy and blood over and over!'' Jiko Ai could only think as she sped up her march. It was a shame that she would have to give the final judgement to Mei Wu, otherwise she would have already been working on wiping out the entire personality of that insolent woman.


    Truly, the sacrifices an alraune does for love.

 Chapter 55

    "Well, what do we have here~?"


    Jiko Ai chuckled to herself as her eyes looked at the unconscious body in front of her.


    Xie Zu, a disciple from the Xie clan. No grimoire in sight, and most definitely no beasts belonging to her.


    Two of the Worker Bees who were watching the unconscious woman were holding two scrolls and a single small crystal that were looted from where Xie Zu was being... pampered, for a certain definition of it, by Jiko Ai''s created alraunes when she was fighting against the two Xie clan''s elders.


    ''So these are the famous contract scrolls and contract crystals from the novel, or more correctly, this world now?'' the Narcissism was looking both amused and mystified as she held the items, letting her monstrous body''s eyes keep looking at Xie Zu.


    She had to admit, the level of finesse these items had in them was astounding, even if these items would most likely be the ''trashiest'' ones she, Kasumi Ai and Mei Wu might see once they got strong enough and got their own resources to survive and live in comfort. Currently, Jiko Ai felt that the scrolls and crystal were just too pretty and fancy to be ''trashy'' in her opinion.


    "Thanks a lot for the gift, I suppose." she smirked slightly, shaking her head from sheer amusement as she held the summoning crystal with two fingers.


    She wasn''t even a Holy Beast, let alone a Mythical Beast, so she naturally couldn''t contract a Grimoire. But, she was certainly sapient enough to use the contract crystals as a way to contract a beast and summon it.


    Oh, Jiko Ai was certain that Kasumi Ai would feel the same, and find it a most awesome idea, to get her own loyal, strong beast, and the many ways it could be used to break the wills of their enemies...


    But, that was for later, when they meet an enemy. For now, that line of thought isn''t needed.


    "Please let these amazing tools stay here for now." she told the few Worker Bees that were still there as she put the scrolls and crystal in the corner.


    And then the Narcissism focused on what she was planning to do from the start as she fully paid attention to the prisoner in the Queen Bee''s home.


    "Now, I can at least do what I planned with you, trash." Jiko Ai didn''t hesitate as she moved her vines, with control that could only belong to someone casually moving their own limbs.


    The numerous vines wrap around the torso of the unconscious woman, Xie Zu''s arms and legs are not excluded as the alraune ensures her vines were tightly wrapped around the human woman.


    "Frankly, I am a bit disappointed." even as her smile didn''t leave her face, Jiko Ai spoke despite knowing that there won''t be any reply. "I''m really interested in making you so utterly terrified of me and having you regret what you might have done to my love."


    And that was the truth, really. The urge to destroy everything this woman held dear was immense. There were so many ideas, so many ideas to try on this woman, and surprisingly most of them weren''t really made by Jiko Ai if the alter ego was honest. They were ideas that Kasumi Ai had and pondered about in her previous life, mostly when she was really, really bored and curious after reading some novel or watching some series.


    Which is why the Narcissism was slightly disappointed since time constraints wouldn''t allow her to indulge in her more violent thoughts.


    "But, a lady must deal with it, I suppose~" with a chuckle, she commanded more vines to stab Xie Zu''s body, but while she would have preferred to make the woman squirm in terror, that probably won''t be nice since Kasumi Ai and Mei Wu were enjoying themselves, from what she can sense through her link to Kasumi Ai, and it would be rude for Jiko Ai to basically let her lust and cruelty be visible that much at the moment, even if she did her best to minimize the emotions sent through the link.


    So instead of waking the fragile human up, the Narcissism injected her with a sleep-inducing poison, and a healing nectar. Xie Zu''s body will always be full to the brim with energy, yet the woman will never wake up unless an extreme sensation of pain flooded her body.


    Jiko Ai''s grin became wider, and with a simple command, another vine pierced the supple flesh.


    And power started to enter the alraune''s body. A torrent of power and pleasure almost flooding the Narcissism''s body, making her breath deeply and harshly, and only because Jiko Ai''s current body was that of a Normal-ranked alraune.


    "As expected, this taste is quite different than that guy''s Qi." shuddering, she mumbled to herself, her mind easily capable of dealing with such a ''low'' level of Qi. Her monstrous lower half was already making a face like it just climaxed, yet her human face only looked extremely aroused and blushing.


    Xie Zu''s Qi, while clearly far inferior to that of Mei Wu''s, was still the Qi of a warrior, and thus it was no doubt far more potent than any mortal person''s Qi.


    Even if it wasn''t any better than the Qi of that guy that Kasumi Ai drained, it felt more... soft, somehow. Was it because of yin and yang? Men are sturdy while women were soft?


    Regardless, the taste of Xie Zu''s Qi wasn''t bad, quite tasty even.


    The human woman shuddered, whimpering for a moment, almost looking like she would wake up, before staying silent.


    "Whoops, I may have given her too much healing nectar." shrugging, the alraune simply increased the dosage of the sleep-inducing poison just a tiny bit.


    With the healing nectar running in the woman''s veins, there will be no side-effects at all.


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Ahh~ It really is nice, being an alraune." with such sensation of euphoria, the Narcissism continued draining the human-energy battery under her grasp.


    A part of her wondered how Mei Wu and Kasumi Ai were right now. Shame that she wasn''t strong enough to feel that idiot''s emotions so clearly while taking over a clone''s body and enjoying this small dessert. Hm, something to train later.


    <hr>


    "Wu-chan, I will be honest. You''re an idiot. Even if you were my loveable idiot."


    Surprisingly, Mei Wu doesn''t find it in her to argue as the feeling of annoyance and compassion emanating from her lover was clear as day. She the pink-haired woman was certain that even without her Qi-sensing, she would easily feel the same.


    It was... it wasn''t that much of a talk really, since Jiko Ai left them alone. It was Mei Wu talking for the most part, and Kasumi Ai listening, honestly.


    And Mei Wu, after calming down from the sheer embarrassment the Narcissism inflicted on her and Kasumi Ai, just decided to use the moment of tranquility to talk about the debt that she felt she owed to the one person who changed her world.


    For Mei Wu, that would be a completely honest and correct phrasing. Kasumi Ai changed her life.


    A life of being oppressed and stepped upon, all changed due to an alraune simply wanting to talk with her instead of killing or enslaving her.


    Living a life where the strongest rules while the weak are crushed. While she, was one of the weak that were slaving just to survive.


    Mei Wu had no delusion that her life in the Xie clan was still a hundred- maybe a thousand times better than when she was scraping by in the streets. That was what she truly believed. Yet, the difference between a life fitting for a trash and that of a lesser trash were very much the same regardless.


    It''s still the life of a worthless creature. It was simply the standards that changed. Mei Wu simply became worthless (or at best, a good worker to do the duties the stronger ones felt was beneath them) as a warrior in the clan, instead of being worthless as a useless and miserable orphan.


    Did it really change her life? Not at all. If anything, it felt as if she would have been better off if she still lived on the streets. At least, that''s how she sometimes thought before realizing that having even an ounce of power and protection is better than none. That was why she craved to have a better life even if she tried to ignore that thought so forcefully, knowing that to attempt and ask for more will result in her own death in the best case scenario.


    That was why when Mei Wu ended up having to deal with the alraune that felt more like a kind human to her, instead of a brutal and violent self-absorbed beast, it was such an absurd situation that she just couldn''t comprehend how to react.


    Yet, it changed. For the better.


    Kasumi Ai changed Mei Wu''s life. She gave her friendship, love, power. She gave her hope.


    ... How can Mei Wu reject that? How can she refuse such a strong desire that kept growing in her heart to pay back her savior, her lover and most importantly, the only one she could truly call the first friend she ever had since being dragged into the culture of the warriors and the march to the peak?


    Mei Wu just couldn''t. She just couldn''t muster any real power in herself to deny that part of herself. She just couldn''t find it in herself to deny her Ai''er if the alraune wished for it. Not when the alraune herself wasn''t even trying to treat Mei Wu like trash and was in fact doing her best to treat her as a person and a partner, pervy humor and attitude aside.


    No matter how hypocritical and confusing it is, she just couldn''t throw away the principles she lived by for decades. To pay for what Kasumi Ai did to her, and what the alraune gave to her, even sacrificing her life won''t be enough to pay it. Even having nine generations of her descendants, if Mei Wu ended up having any, to serve Kasumi Ai as best as they can, that still will not be enough.


    Even when she knew that her friend didn''t want their relationship to be that complicated or imbalanced by some vague sense of debt that the alraune herself didn''t want to exist. The debt Mei Wu felt she owed to her lover was that large, the human woman believed.


    So the fact that Kasumi Ai was clearly not amused by the explanation, yet she understood Mei Wu''s point of view? Even when Kasumi Ai made it clear that she thought some of the things that the culture of the warriors, and maybe how the world works, were ridiculous?


    (Did dual cultivation also help with that, Mei Wu inwardly pondered. Did the act of connecting to each other in that spiritual sense result in such an easy acceptance? It was probable. She would discuss that later when after they decided on what to do.)


    That just made Kasumi Ai all the more attractive and loveable to Mei Wu.


    As she took calming breaths, her body still shuddering from the near one-sided discussion, Mei Wu chuckled at the blunt admission from the alraune''s mouth.


    There was no judgement there, even though the alraune clearly wasn''t too pleased by Mei Wu''s belief that she has a debt to pay. Kasumi Ai was always a bizarre one since the moment Mei Wu met her.


    <del>(Mei Wu ignored the feeling that Kasumi Ai won''t give a damn about others being indebted to her, and that it''s only because the two are friends first and foremost that the alraune was this bothered by it. Then again, being friends with someone would result in such attitude, Mei Wu thought.)</del>


    "Only you will listen to me talking about how much I feel indebted to you and tell me that I''m an idiot, Ai''er." the pink-haired woman wiped some of her tears away as she smiled.


    "Because you are. I never asked you to feel indebted to me. At least not seriously, I think." the alraune huffed, crossing her arms as her mostrous, rafflessia-looking half made what felt like a mocking sound.


    That looked both oddly adorable and creepy, Mei Wu thought.


    She was... well, she wasn''t truly completely relaxed. She still wasn''t certain on how to deal with Jiko Ai yet, even though she already assured herself that she was prepared to deal with that lustful and hungry mass of her lover''s instincts.


    Or at least, she tried to tell herself that. Heaven knows how one determining to do one thing and actually doing it are completely different things.


    She will only have to pray when her... date with Jiko Ai comes, she supposed.


    Her thoughts were put to a halt when she heard Kasumi Ai speak.


    "And since we are talking about us occasionally being a bunch of idiots..."


    Mei Wu could almost feel the tiredness and amusement in her lover''s tone. She could almost feel that something weird is entering the green-haired beast woman''s mind, but the human woman couldn''t predict what it is. Being able to sense one''s mood and emotions can do so much after all.


    She had no time to react when she found herself lifted from the ground as two delicate yet powerful arms held her like a princess. Thank the heavens that Mei Wu was a superhuman, or that would have given her a whiplash.


    "A-ah..." she stammered as she saw the soft expression on Kasumi Ai''s face, her face heating up.


    "You''re looking rather tired. You should relax now. Me too, really, this was one long day."


    Well, she can''t really argue against that. The alraune was right, it was one really, really long day.


    "You should rest now." Kasumi Ai put a finger on Mei Wu''s lips before she could even object, slowly moving until both of them were inside Kasumi Ai''s so-called sleeping room, surrounded by the alraune''s giant petals. "No arguments, Wu-chan. You''re exhausted, so you need to rest. That''s all there is to it."


    "... I don''t know why I''m not objecting against this..." Mei Wu whispered softly.


    "If Jiko Ai was here- or if I was totally honest, you really love it when you experience something sweet that you gave me. Like when you comforted me when I was a mess."


    Oh... When her Ai''er was telling her about her instincts and the nature of the alraunes, huh.


    "Maybe you''re right." Mei Wu admitted as the petals started closing in.


    "Of course I am." Ah, there was that cheek.


    Sighing contently, Mei Wu closed her eyes.


    Her lover was really sweet.