“That’s not right. According to Mu Qingruan’s memories, she originally had a mature, elegant appearance.”
Mu Qingruan searched through her memories and spoke in confusion.
“Master, the energy within your body is far too powerful. This mortal body couldn’t withstand it, so after your Transmigration, a self-preservation mechanism activated. Most of your power was sealed inside your body, which is why you’ve ended up with your current loli appearance.”
A male voice echoed in Mu Qingruan’s mind.
“White Tiger, are all of you awake now?”
Mu Qingruan closed her eyes and entered her Contract Space. There she found that all the spirit beasts she had contracted in the last cultivation world had followed her here.
“Mm! Once we adapted to the laws of this world, we woke up. But the spiritual energy here is too scarce, so we only have a little over half of our former strength.”
Azure Dragon nodded.
“It’s fine. For a world like this, even with only half your power, you’re more than enough to dominate it.”
Mu Qingruan smiled as she gently patted their heads.
“So what are you planning to do, Master?”
White Fox rubbed its fluffy head against Mu Qingruan’s palm.
“Since I’m here and there’s no way back, why not stay in this world and enjoy life? Besides, compared to a society governed by laws, I prefer a world where the strong rule. In the Apocalypse World, laws were meaningless. You could kill or take whatever you wanted. It was true freedom. The only downside was that your life was always at risk, but that’s hardly a drawback to me.”
Mu Qingruan smiled, her eyes filled with excitement.
“Then let us accompany you once again, Master, and conquer this world.”
White Tiger declared proudly while the other spirit beasts also looked eager.
“Well… now that your master has retired, I suddenly don’t feel like conquering the world anymore. Why don’t we try a different way of living instead?”
Mu Qingruan thought for a moment before smiling. The grin on her face looked anything but innocent.
“What kind of life do you want to live, Master?”
Qilin asked curiously.
“How about we just laze around?”
Mu Qingruan replied with a smile.
“Huh?”
Every spirit beast looked at her with bewildered expressions.
“Master, even if we’re going to slack off, we don’t have to stay at home every single day.”
White Fox lay lazily on the sofa while looking at the equally lazy Mu Qingruan.
“I just retired. Can’t your master enjoy a couple of peaceful days?”
Mu Qingruan rolled her eyes at White Fox.
“I’m afraid that’s not going to happen. Someone is approaching this place, and the scent of blood on them is extremely strong. They’ve definitely taken plenty of lives.”
White Tiger lifted its head and looked toward the front door.
“See? Our entertainment has arrived.”
Mu Qingruan stored all the food into her Infinite Storage Space, then had all the spirit beasts except White Tiger and White Fox, who looked like ordinary cats, return to her Contract Space.
She released her spiritual sense and saw several sinister-looking men sneaking toward the villa.
“Hey, maybe there are plenty of good things inside.”
A tall, skinny man lowered his voice. Greed gleamed in his narrow eyes.
“Let’s go take a look.”
Another man with a pockmarked face rubbed his hands together impatiently before kicking the villa door open. After entering, they looked around in every direction.
“Wow. A rich family must have lived here before.”
The pockmarked man clicked his tongue in admiration.
“Quit talking and hurry up. Look for food and anything useful.”
A short, fat man urged them.
Just then, they heard a faint sound, and the group immediately became alert.
“Who’s there? Come out!”
the tall, skinny man shouted.
“P-Please don’t hurt me…”
After a moment of silence, a timid voice answered. A little girl slowly emerged from the corner, her face filled with terror as she looked at the lewd men.
“Oh? There’s even a little beauty here. Don’t be afraid. Your big brothers won’t hurt you… Heh heh.”
The pockmarked man grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.
The girl retreated repeatedly, her eyes filled with despair and fear.
“Forget her for now. Search the place first.”
The short, fat man said impatiently.
The lewd men immediately began rummaging through the villa, leaving the trembling girl standing alone.
They searched the villa like mad, turning every room upside down, yet found nothing.
“Damn it! There’s nothing here!”
The tall, skinny man cursed furiously, glaring viciously at the girl with his narrow eyes.
“Talk! Where’s the food? Don’t try any tricks with me!”
The pockmarked man strode over, grabbed the girl by her collar, lifted her into the air, and roared fiercely.
“T-There really isn’t any left. When the apocalypse came, I… I didn’t have time to stock up. Everything was eaten long ago…”
The girl’s body trembled uncontrollably as she answered through sobs.
“You dare lie to us? Believe it or not, I’ll kill you!”
The short, fat man became even angrier.
“I’m not lying. There’s really nothing left. Please let me go…”
Tears streamed down the girl’s face.
“Impossible. A villa this big can’t have no food at all. You must have hidden it. Talk!”
The pockmarked man continued pressing her.
“I really didn’t hide anything. It’s all gone. I’ve been starving too…”
The girl shook her head hopelessly.
The entire villa was filled with tension and fear. Despite the girl’s desperate pleas, the men continued searching everywhere but still failed to find even a trace of food.
“Hmph. There’s nothing here. But this girl is pretty cute.”
After all their efforts yielded nothing, the men’s expressions grew darker.
The tall, skinny man stared at the girl viciously through gritted teeth.
“Heh heh. Since there’s no food, we can’t come here for nothing. We’ll just take this little beauty as compensation.”
The pockmarked man’s eyes gleamed with lust as he agreed.
“Come on, little beauty. Let your big brothers take good care of you.”
The short, fat man approached the girl with a lecherous grin.
“No! Don’t come any closer! Please let me go!”
The terrified girl backed away while crying out.
The tall, skinny man sneered.
“Let you go? Dream on. Today, you’ll obediently submit to us.”
“Stop struggling and let us have some fun.”
The pockmarked man eagerly reached out to grab her while the girl resisted with all her strength.
“Help! Somebody help!”
“Go ahead and scream. No one is coming to save you.”
The short, fat man laughed impatiently.
Step by step, they closed in on the girl. Their lecherous gazes seemed ready to devour her whole.
Just as the men were about to seize her, the girl’s eyes suddenly turned bewitching.
The corners of her lips slowly curled upward into a chilling smile that made one’s hair stand on end.