You know what? Maybe I overdid it with, well, teasing Wu-chan for so long... or, so I would say if I was self-blaming person who felt as if it was my responsibility to blame myself for fate throwing gears and tribulations at me. Which I was definitely not, in this scenario, and neither was my beloved and sweet Wu-chan.
Not that she was feeling so sweet and shy right now, but she was leaning more towards the "I will absolutely murder everyone in front of me for the shame they gave me!" vibes from how angry she was as she glared at me. Had she been able to use the power of the Barbarian Cow, which could kill with a glare, I would have been killed something between a million and a trillion times by now!
"Ai, this is all your fault!" she practically hissed my name as she whispered right to my face, and I felt myself sweating as I saw the lack of the affectionate honorific she usually used to call me... She's so damn pissed at me, even though it's not even my fault! In the end, I only responded to her by lowering my head, tears falling from my face as a depressed river made of the tears of crying toddlers. "I'm really sorry, Wu-chan..."
I piteously apologized, and I would have probably kowtowed nine times while praying for the heavens for her to forget this tragedy. It felt well... not exactly bitter, but I guess I can only describe it as ironic that the only reason I'm apologizing isn't that I was doing something truly deplorable and that I realized some error in my ways. No, it was because, well... It's all the Queen Bee's mistake! That's how I truly felt about this!
I and my sweet lover both were just having some... training fun together, and I had her enjoying my tender love and caresses, only for the Queen Bee, that dense overpowered idiot, to just go barging in on us! No warning, no preparation, just her entering while we were clearly enjoying ourselves, that peeping pervert!
Neither of us expected it, not could we sense it since we were too focused at each other, and we only noticed her presence when she passed through that door-like honey, and only then were we able to notice that we were being spied at!
Needless to say, I was honestly mortified as much as Wu-chan was. I really didn't expect that we would have the queen herself as an unprompted audience, but in hindsight, I guess we should have stopped instead of continuing...
And now, I find my human body along with my girlfriend inside the dark room of shame that is my monster body's head with my giant petals tightly closed. And I was of course totally too prideful not to weep at the consequences of me forgetting that we are still a bunch of guests of a still very overpowered beast lady!
... I'm totally weeping by the way. Wu-chan is also glaring at me because it's supposedly my fault, and the Queen Bee was also looking at me in boredom outside as my monstrous body's eyes are shut down as to not see her expression. I can totally feel her amusement and what seemed like confusion at my and my beloved's reactions.
'Forgive my... unprompted visit, Kasumi Ai. I just wanted to see how you go with your daily life without me breathing down your neck and, well...' her intent was clear, and I felt my shame and irritation rise at her nonchalant tone.
I think I might start to hate her at this rate. Still pretty unhappy that her blasted subordinate ruined the mood for us a while ago, even if it was for the best, in hindsight. Some types of grudges are just too powerful to be ignored or left behind...
'Anyways, as much as I was surprised and amused by whatever you two were doing with all that... ass smacking,' I felt my ears heating up at the mirth leaking from her description. 'we have some talk to do. So... make yourselves presentable, I guess? I will return in ten minutes, so wash yourselves, and all that. Also, your and your friend's pheromones. Clean this room from them if possible, they're irritating to my nose.'
With that, the Queen Bee left in a flash, as if she never was there except for her Qi and smell that would naturally dissipate on their own. I opened my petals, and looked at my love, who was still trying to burn a hole through my face with her eyes.
"So..." I gave a nervous laugh as I saw her unamused expression. "that happened."
"Yes, yes it did." I almost recoiled from how flat her tone was. Despite her face still red from embarrassment and shame, and how her hand was rubbing her really sore rear, I was certain that cracking a joke about the situation anymore would not end well for... well, maybe not our relationship, but I preferred to keep any potential problems between the both of us to a minimum, and with that, I did the one thing I believed would be my first step to empowering any metaphorical bridge between us before any part of it gets burned.
"Forgive me, Wu-chan! I'm really sorry for causing you this humiliation!" I immediately kowtowed right in front of her, making my remorse and guilt as clear as possible in my tone and body language.
I didn't even move from my position even when I cringed as the inert nectar splashed across her body, and mine, and she only looked more upset about that.
My whole body trembled as I felt her judging gaze boring at my figure, seemingly piercing even my monstrous body where she sat, as if she wanted to burn everything of my being in her sight until only the ground remained in her vision. I really didn't know how to handle this kind of situation! I just decided to hope that Wu-chan finds it in her heart to forgive me... and maybe put the blame squarely on the Queen Bee's shoulders.
"Stop that nonsense and raise your head." her harsh voice caught my attention, making me shiver as I did as she asked. She was still looking pretty furious, but there was a hint of some satisfaction that I could barely notice. Was... was she enjoying how I was so meek right now? Oh, god, I hope not. Or I hope so, it's still kinda confusing at the moment.
"S-sorry..." I apologized again, and for a second I felt as if she gave an vindictive smirk before it vanished so fast I thought I was imagining it.
For a while, Wu-chan's rage seemed to bubble, and I feared for what she might do, before she suddenly took a breath and just sighed.
"You know what? Despite how angry I am at you and the Queen Bee, for very different reasons..." she gave me a withering glare at that, "it's not the time to let my thoughts turn into words right now, and one of my targets isn't one I'd prefer to insult right now." she felt so done when she said that.
I understood her feeling very well. There's just no way she would mouth off to the Queen Bee right now. Even if our so-called boss wasn't planning on murdering us for insulting her, there are still fates worse than death. I mean, just look at what most cultivation novels have cultivators and beasts to be capable of doing to their victims to torture them for a long time while keeping them alive.
Case in point; Alraunes and their blood/energy/sexual fluid diet, or the many concotions that are designed only for torture and breaking down the victims.
"So, what happens now?" I asked as she just looked at herself.
"First of all, another quick bath for me, and some healing, you know for why." she answered, and I didn't hesitate as I used my Qi to generate some water and doused her with it, and she was clean, and I used a slightly overcharged version of the healing skill of the Heasy flower beast I consumed seemingly ages ago, to heal the soreness in her rear.
A minute later, she was fully dressed, and clean, and we were almost ready to meet the Queen Bee once more.
"I am still pretty angry about what happened, you know." Wu-chan spoke to me, no longer feeling as angry, but she felt more like she was... disappointed. "I... I understand that it's not fully your fault but... I'm still very furious about what happened." she sighed, not looking at me.
I fully understand her, too. I sighed as well at that. We both knew that we would probably talk about it at night, most likely.
If I survive long enough, and I get strong enough, I might really try to punch the Queen Bee for this! But now, I and Wu-chan must prepare for our talk with said insensitive mood killer. Hahh... why must life be so complicated... Can't I go back to when I was just eating random monsters in the forest? Truly, life is a hurricane!
Minutes later, the Queen Bee had returned, and I and my love resisted the urge to glare at her. Not that she cared, and if anything, she seemed to enjoy our irritation towards her very existence.
'Hm, glad to see that you were able to prepare on such short notice. Especially with all the... lust you were emanating before.' I felt my face glow at that, and Wu-chan was no better. 'But, as much as I'd love to continue enjoying your drama, we have some important things to talk about.'
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At the feeling of seriousness that suddenly appeared, we both straightened ourselves, immediately throwing away any thoughts of embarrassment or irritation. This was a time to talk seriously.
Well, I say that, but it's mostly one Mei Wu who would be talking of what she knew, and I and the Queen Bee would listen and ask for explanations if we couldn't understand something.
"Well, I expected this would happen, so at least I was prepared for this." she only sighed as my and the Queen Bee's attention focused on her, yet she didn't get bashful and frightened, but she looked just as serious as us, and focused her attention towards the Queen Bee.
"Before anything else, was there any other addition to the Xie clan members during the previous few hours?" she asked seriously, and the Queen Bee shook her head at that.
Well, at least, there isn't any more threats, possibly... I hope. With that, I paid attention to what my lover would say.
"Good to see that there aren't more of them, at least." she sighed, responding the same way I thought, "First thing first, I'm only using what I know from either the rumors I heard about them, along with what I felt with my Qi sensing skill during the few times I interacted with them, good?"
The Queen Bee and I nodded at that, and Wu-chan looked thoughtful.
"I will talk about the elder Xie Yao first." she began, and I felt that she was trying not to frown, as if she was having a different perspective on the guy or something like that. I don't know why, but it just felt that way.
"He's... well, he's not the most social person, from what my first impression on him tells me, and the fact that he was usually in his area. Well, most elders are kinda like that, enjoying their 'peace,'" her sarcastic tone was clearly visible when she said 'peace', "but he seemed to prefer solitude, and didn't really seem to interact with many members who weren't other elders or his direct servants. He naturally is proud of being a part of the Xie clan, no arguments there."
"As far as his powers and skills are... he has a Grimoire, though I can only assume his level as a ranker is also that of a Level 5 [Grandmaster], and as far as how strong he really is, he might be a bit higher. I'd prefer to say he might not be at the level of a Level 6 [Elder], since the gap between the two are rather vast, but I'd prefer not to underestimate him." she looked thoughtful as she continued, "And from what I felt when I met him... he's a monster."
I felt a shiver running down my spine at that. A part of me wanted to think that this description was given because to her, he was a monster. Before she met me, and trained with me, and became my lover, my dear Mei Wu was only a mere [Apprentice] in power. To her, who would be killed in a second by a Level 3 [Hero], anyone beyond that would feel like a god. That was what I believed, yet I couldn't stop the chill creeping at my body because she said it in such a serious tone.
"His Qi felt like a monster that always was sleeping, dormant until he decides to show even the slightest hint of seriousness, then that beast would roar, shredding and breaking everything in its path." she breathed deeply afterwards, "As for his style, from the rumors, he prefers to fight in close range, and his skills are more heavily focused on using his body to break and rip apart his enemies. I don't know his Inherent Skill, but from the rumors, his Guardian Beast is a strengthening-type beast, I recall it was called Metal Rhinoceros, definitely stronger than a Bronze-ranked Level 5 beast, most definitely Silver-ranked. When he uses and fuses with it, he would gain a solid armor of metal along with a horn on his forehead, and his body grows in power so much it feels like the 'difference between heaven and earth,' or so they said. There was also a rumor that when he summons it, he becomes a lot more agressive and violent, though I'm not really a good judge since I didn't see him actually fight. He also most definitely has more beasts and tricks, but sadly, I don't have any idea on them." she looked almost disappointed at the end, as if she wanted to have more precise info on the guy.
I gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze, and she relaxed slightly at my support, though my brain was still thinking of the new info I had gotten.
Honestly, just from the description, Xie Yao felt like trouble. I fought Xie Li and he managed to severely harm me back then, even if it was because of me forgetting something from the original novel which was that Halo Shield that all Grimoires can create, and he was only a 'weak' Level 3 [Hero] with only Bronze-ranked Level 4 beasts. Had I been as strong as I was now, I would have killed him in a second with just sheer difference in stats. Gold-ranked beasts were seen as the rarest type of beasts for a reason, after all.
I could probably kill the elder if I used my full power, but it would probably take a long time, assuming I don't just go full Lustful Alraune Mode and just let my aphrodisiac to impair his higher brain functions, or I pull a Thorny Flower and spam the Division Propagation and Spores skills that I, being an alraune, naturally have access to, and now have the ability to activate them semi-consistently, though highly draining.
'Interesting... so ultimately, we learned a lot, yet learned nothing as well about him.' the Queen Bee buzzed, and I winced at her 'words,' while Wu-chan winced at the blatant feeling of disappointment oozing from the Queen Bee.
"Yeah... sorry." Wu-chan felt as if she would fall onto the ground from the disappointment as well. She didn't really know a lot about the elder, except the almost-certainly "common knowledge" one can get about him by asking someone who wasn't completely new or especially clueless in the clan.
"It's not your fault, Wu-chan. Secrecy is the norm, from what you told me. If anything, knowing this much and keeping the info in your mind when you had no idea if it would help you is already outstanding." I was genuine with that praise. I doubted I would have cared, or been able to remember all that knowledge with the many variations of the beasts and martial arts that exist, and keep it intact for years, unless it was significantly important.
"I guess so." she only shook her head, but I noticed the faint smile on her face, before she got serious once more "but, that aside, we should finish this talk now, right?"
The Queen Bee nodded at that.
"Xie Xiu, the other elder... she is, in my opinion, the more troubling one between the two. While Xie Yao's Qi feels like that of a beast, hers feels more like..." she pursed her lips, "like it is concealing itself? That's not the best way to truly describe it, but I don't think words could properly explain it." she finally said.
Well, that's just trouble... we're dealing with a woman who is apparently speccing for a thief or ninja build, that was my thought when I heard what Wu-chan said.
"She is highly sociable, at least for one of her position, and she definitely seems to enjoy teasing her juniors in the clan, and there were rumors that she uses her appearance to steal money from the idiots who get charmed by her. I believe there are some truths to that, but I know for a fact that she is much smarter than she acts and looks, if the feel of her Qi is any indication. And sadly, I have no idea what kind of beasts she has, but from the feel of her Qi, I believe that she is either highly specialized to espionage, hiding one's tracks and tracking others. I would also say not to underestimate her, because she definitely is the more secretive and elusive one between her and elder Xie Yao."
Okay, that just sucks. We have no idea about that Xie Xiu woman byond 'hey, she's very good at being low-key!' which isn't very confidence-inducing.
'I see... I assume that nothing else is known about these two?' the Queen Bee asked, strangely feeling like she was both pleased yet unamused by the information that she gained.
To that question, Wu-chan shook her head. The knowledge about the elders were relatively scarce to the weak members, and back then, she was still very much a weakling. Knowing this much was already impressive, I believed.
With that, the Queen Bee left us to our devices, with a 'small advice' to make sure our pheromones stay inside our room.
Way to ruin a completely serious conversation, Queen Bee, our sputtering and crimson faces are a true indication of your mood-reading skills...
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"So, what did you find out?" Xie Yao looked at the woman with irritation.
They had searched around the lake that Xie Xiu had suspicions about, and the results was the elder lady investigating it.
"As I thought, a fight occured here." she mumbled, as if talking to herself, focusing on the sense of smell shared by one of her beast, a Silver-ranked Level 3 Camouflage Chameleon, a giant chameleon that could mask its presence along with the summoner, and was highly sensitive to the scents of other beings.
It was one of the biggest reasons that she managed to survive many perilous situations, and now she was using it to try to make a line of events to explain what happened to Xie Li and his two minions.
"There's no presence of Xie Li's smell here." she said, opening her eyes, "if he came here a couple of weeks ago, then I might probably be able to catch his scent. I would usually think he had not marched to this area, but."
The two looked towards a rather specific spot on the earth, where the grass, usually green and vibrant, was pitch-black and smelling as if burnt. It was a faint scent, but it was there, even after more than three weeks.
"Demonic Qi..." Xie Yao frowned, "I remember that that the brat had a Demonic Wolf on him? He certainly bragged about it loudly and long enough to stay in my mind."
"Indeed," she only responded dryly. "and dragged a woman to his bed because of the glorious occasion."
Xie Yao's eyes twitched at that, and he felt the urge to punch her smug face for reminding him of why he wasn't exactly thrilled regarding Xie Li's habits. "And the point being?" he asked her again.
"The point being, you geezer, is that he summoned his beasts, and then the trail suddenly ends." she spoke to him, "Normally, I'd say he just unsummoned them and left, but I guess we can think what might have happened, correct?"
"He either got killed, or captured. Honestly, I am more prone to say that he died. Especially with that... acid, I presume." he grimaced at that. The clan master would not like that, if that was true, and they would be the ones to deal with his rage at the death of his son...
He looked where she pointed, a few meters away, as there were areas where grass looked as if it was melted by a highly poisonous and corrosive liquid. The ground felt too soft and brittle, even after what they deemed to be two weeks since the 'fight' of Xie Li against either a beast or a warrior.
"Just fantastic..." he muttered, as he resisted the urge to punch something or someone. "At least, you got something to verify this, or bring us to his attackers?"
Xie Xiu only snorted at him. What did he think she was?
"It's very interesting that the Worker Bees seemed to have their scents present quite strongly here, and in other areas..." she smirked, "as if making a trail..."
He only raised an eyebrow at that. "If you're sure." he conceded, "Now, it's going to get dark soon. I'd rather you not die on my watch, it will be irritating. We will continue tomorrow."
She resisted the urge to pull out her tongue, but she still followed him to the camp where the four disciples were situated.
Well, she might not be enjoying that old man's large ego, but she could always tease her juniors. Not that Xie Yao cared about what she did as long as it didn't bother him or make trouble to them.