Caiyi froze.
What?
Not interested?
He had no interest in her?
Was the nobility she had just displayed so intimidating that he felt too inadequate to approach her?
She immediately tucked her wings away and swayed her plump body.
"How could you have no interest? We can always nurture it a little..."
She was forcing a cutesy voice. She actually used a cutesy voice.
Lu Qing was instantly speechless.
She sure knew how to play wild!Too bad!
"Drop the cutesy act. It's not that I have no interest in you—I have no interest in the Mantis species!"
"Your appeal to me is even less than a lizard's!"
Dazhuang silently cursed, 'Holy shit!'
No wonder the boss never gave female mantises the time of day. He was into cross-species romance!
Mighty! Truly mighty!
Manly! So incredibly manly!
...
Caiyi was stunned.
Wait, was she actually less attractive than other species?
Her large eyes stared at Lu Qing, as if trying to figure out why this male's mind was so bizarre.
The other mantises exchanged blank looks.
What was going on?
A Mantis didn't like mantises, but lizards instead?
Then the Lord putting on airs of nobility and striking coquettish poses just now... was it all for nothing?
Lord Caiyi snapped.
"Tell me your name!"
She was ready to dig up his entire ancestry!
"Lu Qing."
To a Mantis, that name was as weird as it could possibly get. But compared to his preferences, it was entirely normal!
"Lu Qing, as your Lord, I order you to come with me this instant! You will accompany me to the annual Joyous Assembly!"
She was calling him out ruthlessly!
Since the soft approach had failed, she was doing this the hard way!
Did she really think she was a big deal? Ordering him around?
He just so happened to be feeling particularly rebellious today!
"Attend my ass. Lord of bullshit, more like. Stop your barking, or I'll swing my Scythe and whittle you into a mantis stick!"
His pitch-black Scythe was already poised to strike as he spoke.
Caiyi was furious, but only for a moment.
After all, the fellow before her was a ruthless Mantis capable of cleaving flying ants!
Killing two flying ants in a single strike—she admitted she couldn't pull that off herself!
She was fierce, arrogant, and none too bright, but she wasn't an idiot.
They were both Low Tier Sixth Grade, but there was still a gap in their actual strength!
If she really pissed Lu Qing off, her status as a Lord wouldn't save her from a beating.
Besides, she had a way to win this without shedding a drop of blood.
Three days. In just three days, her Female Pheromone would reach its peak.
When that time came, let alone a male at her grade like Lu Qing, even a Ninth Grade male would have to lie down obediently and let her have her way with him!
With that in mind, why risk a fight now?
Caiyi immediately took a step back.
"I'm not backing down because I'm afraid of you. I'm afraid of hurting you! I would never use violence on a precious treasure like you. I will conquer you with my charm; only then will it be truly satisfying."
"I'll come for you again in three days. I hope you've thought things through by then!"
Three days? Come for him?
Did she really think a petty trick like that could fool someone as shrewd as Lu Qing?
She was definitely plotting something.
She really was thinking about eating him every waking second!
Never mind three days—let's see if you even live that long!
A direct fight carried the risk of losing, but setting a trap for another Mantis guaranteed he couldn't lose!
Three days. I'll scheme you to death!
Lu Qing waved his pitch-black Scythe. "I'll be waiting. Now get lost."
Caiyi didn't waste another breath. She turned and led her entourage of mantises away.
Dazhuang glared at their retreating backs and spat viciously.
"Thinking so highly of themselves just because they have a bit of beauty, looking down on us brothers! If they hadn't run away so fast, I would've pierced their bellies straight through!"
Only crawling out now that they were far away?
Lu Qing cast him a side-eye. "Now that they're gone, you suddenly act all tough. How imposing!"
Dazhuang snorted. "I try!"
"You think I'm praising you?"
"Aren't you? Sounded like a pretty obvious compliment to me, Boss!"
Lu Qing turned and walked back into the cave.
...
The Red Stinger Bee tribe was definitely another major player in the surrounding area.
As an Insect Race with a complex social structure, the Red Stinger Bees occupied a large territory.
Because their diet was strictly plant-based, they rarely competed with other insects.
Despite this lack of competition, no race dared to provoke the Red Stinger Bees lightly.
Today, however, was an exception.
The hive had been burglarized!
Their Royal Jelly had been stolen.
By the time the Bee Queen reacted, she discovered two mantises fleeing with her Royal Jelly tucked under their arms.
Royal Jelly was vital nourishment for the larvae. Without it, some of her young would inevitably go hungry.
This was absolutely forbidden!
"Mantises! My bee tribe has no quarrel with yours. Why steal my Royal Jelly?!"
Lu Qing didn't even look back as he shouted his reply.
"Our Lord Caiyi was craving something sweet! Taking a bit of your Royal Jelly is giving you face, so shut your buzzing and stop whining!"
Taking her things was considered giving her face?
What bastards! Such shameless bullying was completely unheard of!
The Bee Queen was enraged beyond belief.
"Caiyi, I will remember this!"
...
Two Arrow Sparrows passed by the river while foraging.
Just as they prepared to drink, they suddenly heard the piercing shriek of something cutting through the air.
Looking down, they saw a massive Mantis hurtling straight toward them.
Overwhelmed by the sheer gap in strength, the two Arrow Sparrows were dragged to the ground before they could even attempt to flee.
Just when they thought they were dead meat, they were greeted by two massive slaps from Scythes curled into fists.
The two Arrow Sparrows were completely bewildered.
"Damn it, a couple of Third Grade Arrow Sparrows actually dare to fly around up there?"
Huh?
First slaps, and now insults?
"With such a pathetic grade, you're completely useless! Eating you would just get stuck in my teeth. Get out of here, you pieces of trash."
The two small Arrow Sparrows shivered in fear, trembling so hard they didn't know what to do.
Lu Qing brandished his pitch-black Sickle Legs. "Still here? Do you think my blades aren't sharp enough?"
Only then did the two Arrow Sparrows dare to hop backward.
Seeing that he really wasn't going to strike again, the two Arrow Sparrows finally dared to flap their wings and take off.
"Listen well, you trash species! From now on, you'd better detour around the territory of our Lord Caiyi! If our Mantis Race catches sight of you punks flying in our airspace again, we'll break your legs!"
This was completely inverting the heavenly order! They were bullying birds entirely too much!
Arrow Sparrows naturally preyed on mantises, yet here they were being subjected to such humiliation.
Did he think Arrow Sparrows had no temper?
Did he think the Arrow Sparrows had no experts?
The two Arrow Sparrows only dared to yell back once they had flown to a safe distance!
"Lord Caiyi! We'll remember this! Prepare to face the vengeance of the almighty experts of our Arrow Sparrow Tribe!"
"You cowards wouldn't know an expert if they bit you! Go ahead and bring your little punks! Our Lord Caiyi's twin blades have long since been suffering from an unbearable hunger and thirst!"
Having just survived a disaster, the two Arrow Sparrows quickly flew off with bellies full of rage!
Dazhuang drooled. "Boss, the Arrow Sparrows might be small, but their meat is incredibly chewy. Letting them go is a waste when we could have satisfied our cravings..."
"Eating a couple of birds with Third Grade strength is completely useless! Besides, I need to weave a net."
"Weave a net? What kind of net?"
"An inescapable net!"
Dazhuang looked completely lost, entirely unable to understand.
...
Lu Qing absolutely terrorized the surrounding area.
Whether they were strong races or weak ones, he turned them all upside down until the entire region was in sheer chaos.
Even the giant green caterpillars resting at the very bottom of the food chain were dragged down from their trees, kicked twice, and tossed right back up.