Chapter 16: Manor Level 16

Seeing that the big gorilla was terrified yet still thinking of protecting her, Ai Ling was deeply moved. She nodded vigorously:

“Alright, I’ll follow you. When the time is right, we’ll charge out together.”

After saying that, Ai Ling suppressed her fear, maintaining her composure as she observed the surroundings.

Her little manor was protected by a fence, but in some places, the fence was high, while in others, it was lower. In the lower areas, it was essentially no barrier for the white leopards.

Fortunately, the section of the fence near the leopards was still relatively high. There were three leopards in total, moving back and forth, seemingly looking for a way to jump inside.

The gate of the fence was on the east side, and there were fewer monsters coming from that direction. It also seemed to have weaker aggressiveness.

She lowered her voice and said to Muchen, “There’s a better chance of survival to the east. Let’s run that way. I know there’s a pond over there. As long as we can jump into it before they catch up, we’ll be safe. Ready? Follow my lead.”

“1! 2! 3! Run—”

As soon as the word “run” was spoken, Ai Ling darted out like a rabbit, shouting as she ran, “I’m slower, so if they catch up, don’t worry about me, just run for your life, understand?”

But as she looked ahead, already far ahead of the monsters, not a single one followed.

Where was Yuan Muchen? He wasn’t in front of her, nor was he anywhere nearby.

Ai Ling turned around and saw that the big gorilla was still standing there, trembling!

Only the three white leopards, hearing the noise, sprang into action, leaping into the fence.

Ai Ling stopped and yelled, “Run, gorilla! Move! The leopards are coming in!”

But Yuan Muchen could only watch helplessly as the leopards got closer and closer. It felt as if all his strength had been drained. His legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.

Ai Ling stomped her feet in frustration but heard Yuan Muchen’s trembling voice call out loudly, “Miss Ai, you go ahead, don’t worry about me. Just to be able to share a drink with you in this world, I am already satisfied. It’s just a pity that I, born a coward, can’t protect you well. Please forget this disgraceful moment. Just remember that I meant to protect you, okay?”

Ai Ling was truly stunned—was this really the time for speeches? With that energy to say so much, couldn’t he have run a bit faster?

Sigh, it seemed like she had no choice but to ask He Xi for help.

This time, she didn’t forget about the bell she had. At first, she hadn’t called for help because she wanted to see if she could escape on her own without relying on He Xi.

After all, this world was full of dangers. She couldn’t just call for help every time something happened. She wasn’t the type of girl who liked to depend on others for everything.

Moreover, He Xi had only agreed to protect her. For that big gorilla who once tried to kill him, it would have been a blessing if He Xi didn’t personally hand him over to the leopards.

With that in mind, Ai Ling gritted her teeth and started rushing back. She thought, if she reached Yuan Muchen, maybe He Xi could help save him too?

It was a bit saintly of her, but she really couldn’t just stand by and watch him die. This time, she’d owe He Xi a favor, and in the future, she could give him more delicious fruits.

Just as she ran a few steps, not having time to call for help, she saw a flash of white light in front of her. A person appeared beside her, grabbed one of her hands, and pulled her back.

He Xi pulled her close to his chest, looking at her with confusion, “Were you planning to go back and save that gorilla? Why?”

Ai Ling saw that it was He Xi and was overjoyed: “I didn’t even call you, yet you’re already here! Oh, this is great, hurry and save him!”

He Xi stopped her, holding her firmly: “I’m asking you, why save him? Last time you said the Demon King was a gorilla, do you think it’s him?”

“No, no!” Ai Ling quickly shook her head. “The Demon King is a much larger gorilla. He’s also a Xi Slayer, and he’s a friend I just made. Hurry, help me save him.”

He Xi glanced in the direction of Muchen, his face becoming colder: “He wants to kill me!”

Ai Ling knew he was holding a grudge and hurriedly explained: “No, he knows he was wrong. He shouldn’t have poked you last time. After talking with him, he said he wants to be friends with you and will never harm you again. You can trust him.”

He Xi furrowed his brows and didn’t speak.

The white leopards circled around Muchen, confirming that there was no further threat. Then, they tensed their muscles and pounced.

Ai Ling, panicked, blurted out: “If you don’t save him, I’ll destroy all those fruit trees!”

Another flash of white, and He Xi appeared beside Muchen, picking him up and tossing him out of the fence.

The leopards lunged at He Xi, and Ai Ling gasped.

No way, he can fly, right? Why isn’t he flying? He’s not going to be eaten by the leopards, is he?

There was no time to think too much. She ran back: “He Xi, fly—”

Before she could finish her sentence, He Xi tilted his head to dodge one leopard’s attack, then swiftly grabbed the two leaping leopards from behind, one in each hand.

Fast and precise, he squeezed their throats, eyes flashing dangerously, twisting with force.

The two strong, fierce leopards immediately went limp.

The first leopard, which had missed its attack, turned around to bite again but, upon seeing He Xi’s swift actions, let out a loud roar and ran away.

He Xi didn’t give it a chance. In a flash, he teleported a couple of steps, blocking the leopard’s path, eyes never blinking, and squeezed its throat with one hand again.

With a crack, its throat bone shattered, and the last leopard fell dead on the spot.

Ai Ling was stunned, her mouth wide open. Yuan Muchen was dumbfounded. Only the forgotten little fluffy ball continued to nap on the stone table, muttering in its sleep:

“Delicious, so delicious, Ai Ling, I want more!”

He Xi returned to the yard, looking at the scraps of meat and bones left on the stone slab, silently lost in thought.

Yuan Muchen had already run back, bowing deeply to He Xi, expressing his thanks: “Thank you, thank you. You are truly my savior. I misunderstood you before. My system forced me to…”

“Get lost!”

He Xi coldly glanced at him without even looking his way, casually spitting out a word.

Yuan Muchen froze for a moment, then forced a smile and said, “I’m really sorry, savior. I really thought you were a ruthless villain before…”

He Xi slowly turned back to look at him, his narrowed eyes full of killing intent: “Don’t make me say it a second time!”

Yuan Muchen was so frightened that he took two steps back, nodding vigorously: “Yes, yes, I’ll go now, I’ll go now.”

He turned to run but collided with Ai Ling, who had returned. There was no time to explain much, so he simply said, “Thank He Xi for me, I have to go now. I’ll visit again another day.”

Ai Ling didn’t try to stop him, just waved her hand and said, “Be careful!”

Turning around, she quickly checked on He Xi, giving him a once-over, finally sighing in relief and saying, “You scared me to death! You can fly, so why did you fight them head-on? What if you got hurt? Wouldn’t that be my fault?”

But He Xi just stared at the stone slab, unmoving, silent.

Ai Ling waved her hand in front of his face: “What’s wrong with you? Are you having a stress response?”

He Xi then pointed at the leftovers on the stone slab: “What is that?”

“Oh, that? It’s roasted meat, super delicious roasted meat! Too bad you came at the wrong time, we already ate it all,” Ai Ling explained with some pride.

To her surprise, He Xi lifted his shirt and sat down on the stone bench directly: “I want some too!”

Ai Ling was stunned: “But… it’s already finished, there’s none left!”

He Xi remained calm: “Then I’ll go kill that gorilla and roast it for you.”

Sss~

Ai Ling quickly forced a smile: “Alright, alright, Your Highness, whatever you want to eat, I’ll prepare it for you right away, please have a seat!”

Ai Ling made a face behind his back, grinning as she grabbed a knife to chase after the little monsters that had just run off in fear.

【Tsk, in the end, it’s all thanks to He Xi.】

【The point is, He Xi was actually threatened by her! I remember the last person who threatened He Xi, and now their grave is overgrown with grass and almost fossilized.】

【No, no, no, if the person threatening him is a beautiful woman, He Xi will let it slide. He only responds to threats from beautiful women.】

【Too bad our live satellite can’t capture a solo shot of He Xi, or I’d love to see what he does when he’s alone.】

【What does he do? Of course, he eats, sleeps, and fights monsters. Unless you want to see him take a bath?】

【Worms in your stomach, hello!】

【Ugh!】

【He Xi? Ha, so we can see him here, it’s been such a long time!】

【Oh, here comes the person involved. Is she a beauty?】

【Aiya, quick, quick, I want to hear the story!】

【Front row, sunflower seeds, peanuts, and soda…】

【Get your small stools ready.】

【Get your small stools ready.】

—

【What’s the point of talking about old matters? You little brats, hurry up and wash up and go to bed. I don’t have time to chat with you!】

【No, no, no, don’t go! It’s irresponsible to flirt and then run off!】

【Pretending to be something, maybe it’s just a big, foot-picking man. You all really believe that?】

Ai Ling stared at He Xi, who somehow produced a set of knives and forks, then calmly and slowly finished a large plate of roasted meat and a bowl of bone soup with an extremely graceful demeanor, even finishing off the scraps in the plate piece by piece until it was spotless.

Seeing how seriously he ate, Ai Ling finally gained some confidence, smiling as she asked, “How is it? Isn’t it super delicious? Let me tell you…”

“It’s not!”

He Xi wiped his mouth with a napkin that also appeared out of nowhere, placed the used utensils neatly, and then, in an extremely calm tone, told Ai Ling:

“During the early universe, when species were abundant, our family had top-tier chefs making steak that was a thousand times better than this.”

Ai Ling wasn’t happy: “Then why did you eat it all up so clean?”

“I was just hungry.”

So stubborn!

Ai Ling made a face at him.

He then somehow produced an exquisitely crafted pink peony-shaped crystal basin and handed it to her: “Please help me get some water, I need to wash my hands.”

Pfft~ Am I your maid?

Ai Ling felt displeased but still obediently took the crystal basin and got him some water.

After he washed his hands, he was very courteous, letting her pour him water and dry his hands.

Seeing the satisfied expression on He Xi’s face, Ai Ling finally, in a somewhat fawning manner, asked, “Um… You can make things appear, right? If that’s the case, could I… could I ask you to make a few things for me…?”

“No!”

He Xi looked at her with disdain: “These are just my daily necessities, you wouldn’t want them, would you?”

Then, in front of her, He Xi stuffed the crystal basin into a small pouch he was carrying, and it instantly disappeared.

After that, he pointed to the utensils he had just used: “And these, please help wash them and return them to me.”

Ai Ling’s face twitched: Okay, I’ll wash them for you!