"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.

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

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.

----------------------------------------

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."