Ying Kong was stunned.
Wait a minute—
’The Young Master’s female?’
’The Young Master’s female!!’
He thought he was hearing things, his eyes wide with a shock that screamed, ’I must have misheard.’ "Who could possibly have caught your eye...?"
Young Master Jie, the most powerful man in the Southern Wilderness and the one who held real power over the South Desolate Army.
Ever since he was born, his combat prowess had been designated as Special Level by the Great Sacrificial Rite of the Beast God Hall!
Watching the seated young man’s lips curl into a slight smile, Ying Kong couldn’t help but shiver. Without thinking, he blurted out his true thoughts:
"I thought a female like that didn’t exist. After all, not even the many noble, beautiful, Special-level Females in Pan Tian Main City could capture your interest."
The warriors who had been standing silently: "..."
’Impressive. His blunt words are a stab to the heart of every single beastman here!’
Upon hearing this, Chi Jie’s body tensed almost imperceptibly. "..."
’To open my eyes and find that the female had run away... This is the first time in my life. I never thought I would be... by a female...’
The air suddenly fell silent for a moment. Even the bubbling of the hot spring seemed to fade into the distance.
Ying Kong’s heart skipped a beat. He hurriedly tried to recover and change the subject. "What I mean is, what’s the name of that high-ranking, noble female? Where is she now?"
At his words, the corners of Chi Jie’s mouth lifted even higher, but his golden eyes were filled with an icy chill.
Fortunately, just a second before everyone present suffocated from the tension, he finally rose from the rock. He walked straight toward an open area while coldly answering his subordinate’s question:
"I don’t know."
"Did you just meet her?" Ying Kong turned to follow, continuing out of habit, "Should we go get her and bring her back to the city with us?"
The edge of Chi Jie’s brow twitched. A flicker like flowing golden flames danced in his pupils as he said, "She left without saying a word."
Ying Kong stopped in his tracks, exclaiming in shock, "There’s actually a female who isn’t interested in you!"
Chi Jie glanced back at his subordinate, his lips curling slightly. "She is a Special-level Female. I’ll allow her the privilege of being presumptuous with me."
A Special-level Female!
Ying Kong’s pupils trembled.
He wasn’t shocked that the Young Master had mentioned a Special-level Female. Special-level Females were precious, but for powerful beastmen like them, they weren’t entirely unattainable.
He was just a little curious. "Without a detection ceremony from the Sacrificial Hall, how can you be sure she’s Special Level?"
"That is not for you to investigate." Chi Jie lowered his gaze. Beneath his long lashes, a strange, dark undercurrent swirled in his eyes, giving him an unapproachable air.
The pace of his long, black-booted legs quickened slightly as he commanded, "The beastmen of the Northern Wilderness have been asking for a lesson lately. I’m heading to Border City now. You will arrange for the sixth Black Hawk squad to stay behind and secretly search Cang City and its vicinity for a female with long, vibrant red hair."
Ying Kong nodded grimly. "Yes, sir."
He accepted the Young Master’s order, his heart a tangle of complex emotions. ’Even someone as powerful as the Young Master can get dumped by a female one day.’
The moment Chi Jie stopped in the clearing, the clothes of the warriors behind him tore apart as the muscular men instantly transformed into five-meter-tall Black Hawks.
Their talons were like hooks, gleaming with a cold light. The ferocity in their eyes and their sharp beaks radiated the natural pressure of savage beasts. A single glance revealed they were aerial overlords who had survived countless battles.
At this moment, they bowed their heads in submission, respectfully welcoming their Young Master back to his domain: the battlefield.
"I will complete the mission as quickly as possible and catch up to you with your female soon." Ying Kong bowed to bid his Young Master farewell.
Chi Jie gave a slight nod. He turned his head to look forward, his gaze resting for one final second on the edge of the pale blue hot spring lake before he retracted it. Expressionless, he leaped lightly onto the back of the foremost Black Hawk.
The moment he stood firm, the sky-soaring Black Hawk spread its wings with a WHOOSH and flew up into the azure sky.
Its unfurled wings easily spanned twelve meters, casting a cloud-like shadow across the sky. It startled a pack of Violent Armor Beasts in the forest into a panicked scramble as the pale blue lake on the ground grew ever more distant.
Chi Jie narrowed his eyes mid-air.
’A Special-level Female, unregistered by the Sacrificial Hall, distinguished by her long, vibrant red hair.’
’Unregistered means she’s deliberately hiding her identity. Vibrant red hair is only found in a few clans. With the search area narrowed to Cang City, I’m sure Ying Kong will find her quickly.’
’And when he does—’
’I’m going to ask her exactly what she’s so dissatisfied with about me.’
...
The Green Bull Beastman was fast. By the time the search for the red-haired female began in Cang City, he had already crossed over twenty mountains in half a day, arriving at a small town to take a temporary rest.
Feng Si followed the crowd and got down from her seat, her gaze surveying the small town from beneath her cloak.
The town was composed of treehouses built on thick branches, giving it a fairytale-like feel. Beneath the trees, sub-female merchants had set up stalls. Aside from cheap nutrient canisters, the other daily goods looked like old, second-hand items.
But...
Her gaze fell upon a yellowed, old wristband.
It looked similar to the ones worn by her fellow travelers. Its function was like a modern-day mobile phone, combining communication and entertainment. Unfortunately, since she saw that it required identity registration to use, she hadn’t bought one at the time.
Now, she heard the stall owner explain that its previous owner, a sub-female, had left it here to be sold. Although it was a nearly obsolete model, its identity was already registered and bound. It was now available for the low price of just 588 coins. Besides being unable to make payments, all its other functions were available and worked perfectly.
The moment she heard this, Feng Si’s eyes couldn’t help but light up.
’Just ask any modern human accustomed to having a phone—how could they possibly endure a single day without electronics!’
During the group’s mealtime, she didn’t even eat. She ran over to the stall owner, picked up the yellowed old wristband, and asked, "This one... can you go any lower? How about 550 coins?"
"588, non-negotiable." The sub-female, who had a large, fluffy, squirrel-like tail swishing behind her, crossed her arms and shook her head.
She glanced at the wolf-eared sub-female before her. She didn’t look very old, didn’t even have a locator-communicator, and had no family with her. A trace of pity welled up in her heart, and she added:
"Our town mayor is from the Black Bear Clan. This communicator works in both Cang City and Nantong City. You can take it for 580."
’So, does that mean the communicators’ network coverage is divided by city?’
Feng Si didn’t haggle further. She smiled and nodded. "Alright, I’ll pay in cash coins."
After paying and taking the wristband, she heard the Green Bull Beastman shouting that it was time to move on. She quickly checked that there was nothing wrong with it and hurried back to her seat.
Feng Si looked down and fastened the wristband. The finger-wide, yellowed band made her skin look exceptionally fair.
It looked like a wristwatch, with a slightly protruding button on the side. A gentle press was all it took for a palm-sized light screen to pop up in front of her.
The various application icons on the screen were arranged neatly. The electronic civilization wasn’t too different from what humans used, so Feng Si got the hang of it quickly.