"Big bro, our food is following us."
"Julin, how many times am I going to say this? I'm not gonna cook her. She looks too human for me to eat."
"But if she turns back into her demon beast form, could we eat her?"
"Still no."
"Why not!? She looks delicious!"
"I've already seen her human form. That's just way too weird for me to ignore. Besides, Red-Scaled Winged Nagas don't really taste that good. Their meat is tough, and they have this bitter taste to them. Even other demon beasts wouldn't want to eat them."
"So she's no good?"
"Nope. And your big sis Ning'er made you a lot of food, so don't worry about getting hungry."
"Hehehe... Big sis always gives me lots and lots of good food. I love big sis."
"Um! Master... Julin... I think the demon beast heard everything you guys said. She looks like she's about to cry."
Moi Ca's words cut through the nonchalant conversation between Xue Hui and Xiao Julin, causing the two of them to turn their heads in her direction.
Catching their attention, Moi Ca shakily raised a finger and pointed toward the nearby bushes, where Chi Mei's head peeked out from the foliage. Her delicate face was flushed red, either from humiliation or anger, as she stared at the trio with teary eyes.
Seeing that everyone had already found her, Chi Mei rose to her feet and fully revealed herself.
This prompted Moi Ca and Xiao Julin to hide behind Xue Hui's back in a panic.
"You! Small one, how dare you treat me like a common beast!? I'm the youngest princess of the Red-Scaled Winged Naga Clan! I'm a one-of-a-kind genius of our clan, second only to my esteemed grandfather. How blind are you that you can't differentiate between a common beast and a Spiritual-rank one such as me?" Chi Mei burst out.
"Does Spiritual-rank taste better than a normal beast?" Xiao Julin asked innocently.
"Argh! You brat! You're making me mad!" Chi Mei roared. She was so enraged that smoke literally billowed from the top of her head.
"Ah, big bro! Help me! She's going to eat me!" Xiao Julin shouted in panic as her small form frantically tried to climb onto Xue Hui's back.
Also frightened by the outburst, Moi Ca, who was hiding behind Xue Hui, tried to copy Xiao Julin as she latched onto Xue Hui like a cat clinging to a pole.
While this was happening, Xue Hui, who had become a human shield, let out an exhausted sigh. He really didn't want to deal with this mayhem, but it seemed he was stuck with it, as Chi Mei simply refused to leave them alone.
Chi Mei saw his reaction and immediately turned her attention to him.
"And you, human. I heard you speaking about being part of Glory City. Tell me where your home is, or…"
"Or what?"
Chi Mei's expression fell when she heard the cold edge in Xue Hui's voice. A chill ran down her spine as she remembered that Xue Hui was the same person who had killed the Demon Lord.
"I-I will tell my grandfather. It doesn't matter how strong you are. My grandfather is a Heavenly Fate-rank beast. He could kill you without lifting a finger."
Gradually, Chi Mei's voice became quieter as her face burned with embarrassment. She knew how pathetic she sounded, but she couldn't ignore the fact that Xue Hui could kill her if he wanted to. So, she brought up her powerful grandfather, something she had never done before in her life, not even in front of the Demon Lord when she had been just a breath away from being killed by him.
Hearing Chi Mei's words, Xue Hui's expression became thoughtful as he lifted a finger and tapped his chin.
Chi Mei saw this and instinctively lowered herself into a defensive stance, a bead of sweat trickling down her beautiful face as she watched Xue Hui's features shift, as though an idea had just dawned on him.
"Speaking of your grandfather, I believe Senior did invite me to pay a visit to your clan. As a very important guest at that, how about bringing me with you? I've never visited a demon beast clan's territory before. I'm kinda intrigued to see one."
Xue Hui's words made the gears in Chi Mei's mind turn as she tried to comprehend what he meant by visiting her clan as an important guest.
"Did your grandfather not tell you about me? That's surprising. After the great favor I did for your Red-Scaled Winged Naga Clan, your grandfather just forgot about me. That's quite disappointing to hear, honestly. It can't be helped, I guess. After all, there's no need for demon beasts to keep their word to humans."
This time, Xue Hui's words carried more meaning for Chi Mei, as the mention of the "great favor" brought back memories of her grandfather's words.
'I received a great favor from a human, and this favor could save our entire clan from the curse of our physique. With this cure, we wouldn't have to worry about our Red-Scaled Winged Naga Clan declining into mere servants ever again. Not only that, but after taking this cure, my longevity has greatly increased. I can now cultivate without worrying about burning through my remaining lifespan, all thanks to that human child.'
Chi Mei's lips quivered as she looked at Xue Hui with eyes filled with disbelief.
"Y-You're that Xue Hui guy!?"
"Oh, so your grandfather did remember me. That's relieving to hear. It would've been awkward to claim to have helped your clan, only for your grandfather to have never mentioned it to you," Xue Hui said as he clasped a hand over his chest, a relieved sigh escaping his lips.
"Y-You, how!?" Chi Mei asked in a dry, trembling voice, her entire body shaking as she realized that she was standing in front of the man who had saved her entire clan.
"How? What?" Xue Hui replied in confusion as he looked at her quizzically.
"D-Don't play dumb! How did you find that cure that removed the cause of our lifespans being burned away? My grandfather and our ancestors spent centuries searching for the cure. Other than some ancient records confirming that the cure did indeed exist, there were no clues as to how to make it. How did that recipe come into your hands?" Chi Mei asked desperately, unknowingly stepping forward until she was within arm's length of Xue Hui.
She needed to know, since the cure was a monumental breakthrough for their clan. Ever since she was young, her parents had made sure she understood the history of their Red-Scaled Winged Naga Clan, and how a huge part of it involved their clan being reduced to servants by the other demon beast clans.
This dark truth was never hidden from the younger generation of their clan, in case her grandfather, the only deterrent against suppression by the other demon beast clans, succumbed to the burning of his life force.
If that happened, they would be forced to decline back into being the lowest-ranking clan among the demon beast clans.
"Since I know about it and have already given your grandfather the cure, there's no need for you to know how I got my hands on it. Instead, you need to decide whether you're going to bring me to your clan or not."
Chi Mei bit her lip, frustration washing over her beautiful face. If she could, she would have squeezed the answer out of Xue Hui. But she knew she was no match for him.
"Oh, I guess that was a no!? Okay, then. You'll have to excuse us. My companions and I still need to continue our journey."
Panic crept into Chi Mei's heart as Xue Hui turned his back to her and proceeded to leave.
she reached out and tugged on Xue Hui's sleeve, making him look back at her with a questioning look.
Chi Mei's face burned hot as she quickly let go of him and looked away to hide her embarrassment.
"Wait, I'll bring you. Despite being a human, you did a great favor for my clan. So I, Chi Mei, the youngest princess of the Red-Scaled Winged Naga Clan, will guide you to our territory, Great Benefactor."
Her words made Xue Hui snort with laughter, making Chi Mei glare at him, clearly offended by his reaction.
"Sorry, sorry. 'Great Benefactor' is a bit over the top. Just call me Xue Hui. Your name is Chi Mei, right? Then I'll leave it to you to guide us, Chi Mei."
With face still red, Chi Mei nodded before leading the way, with Xue Hui and the two girls following behind her.
End of Chapter 133
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