Chapter 6: Manor Level 6

“He Xi?”

Ai Ling quietly repeated the name, then looked up with a bright smile and reached out her hand.
“Nice to meet you, He Xi. I’m Ai Ling. Just like you, I’m a Xi Slayer.”

He Xi’s brows twitched slightly, and a clear flash of killing intent passed through his eyes. But he didn’t move—he simply stared quietly at the fire, not responding.

Ai Ling felt a bit awkward and retracted her hand, shaking it lightly. “Aiya, look at me. Xi Slayer are competitors, right? But I’m… I’m different. Whether I kill the Demon King or not doesn’t matter to me. I don’t care about becoming any kind of dominator.”

The Fluffy Ball behind her bumped into her again, sneakily.

Ai Ling turned and swatted at it. “What’s with you today, you Fluffy Ball? Stop causing trouble.”

“I’m not a Xi Slayer.”

He Xi finally spoke. He narrowed his eyes at Ai Ling, his gaze sharp as a blade. His entire presence was like an arrow about to be loosed, radiating a chilling aura.

If one looked closely at his right hand, they’d notice the tip of a pale blue ice blade starting to peek out.

The Fluffy Ball poked its tiny head out. “That’s right, he’s not a Xi Slayer. He’s a real Blue Star native. Number 5, do you get what I mean? A real native of Blue Star. Can you understand that?”

Ai Ling swatted it again. “Don’t I have a name? You keep calling me Number 5 all the time. My name is Ai Ling. If I hear you call me Number 5 again, I’ll dismantle you and boil you into soup.”

He Xi glanced her way at that. The Fluffy Ball instantly ducked behind Ai Ling again, muttering softly,
“Why are you yelling at me? You’re always calling me ‘Fluffy Ball’ too. My name is Houhou… oh forget it. Anyway, did you get what I meant?”

Ai Ling whispered back, “Got it!”

Then she cleared her throat, straightened her back, and put on a radiant, generous smile as she extended her hand again:

“Hello, local! I know you’re hostile toward us—after all, we’re the invaders. But I’m different. I came to help improve your Blue Star’s flora and fauna systems. Soon, the fruits and animals here will become delicious under my hands. You’ll definitely thank me for it. So… how about it? Can we be friends?”

Fluffy Ball: “……”

He Xi: “……”

Bullet Comments:

【……】

【……】

…

【Will He Xi kill her? Please, He Xi, just kill her already!】

【Kill her】

【Kill her】

…

The girl in front of him was covered in dirt, her face smeared with blood here and there. But her smile—was like a daisy soaked in spring water blooming in a quiet mountain valley: pure, bright, innocent, and strong.

He Xi frowned slightly. When he looked at Ai Ling again, there was a trace of confusion in his eyes.

After a long while, the ice blade on his right hand disappeared. He suddenly smiled—like a spring breeze melting snow, like rain nurturing all living things into bloom. “I don’t have friends. But I’m curious to see what exactly it is you’re trying to do—Ai Ling!”

【Stupidity is contagious, huh?】

【How did this version of He Xi become the Demon King?】

【Were we scammed? This is the Demon King? Seriously?】

【Tsk tsk, you newbies don’t get it. Let us old-timers explain—He Xi was always a playboy. He got tangled with some old witch and couldn’t cut ties, which led to all that drama. Go ask around: every halfway-famous beauty in the galaxy—tell me, which one hasn’t been involved with him?】

【So… this playboy wants to get back to his old tricks?】

【Maybe ten thousand years of boredom made him want to play cat-and-mouse with a pretty little thing!】

【Ugh, disgusting. Number 5, run while you still can!】

Although she didn’t manage to shake his hand, Ai Ling was still happy to get such a reply. She jumped twice, then put her hands on her hips.
“Just you wait—I promise you’ll be stunned! You’ll be amazed at what a once-in-a-generation farming genius I am!”

He Xi stood up as well—tall and imposing. Ai Ling had to tilt her head back a little just to meet his eyes.

She looked at him eagerly, waiting for a reply.

He didn’t disappoint: “Good luck.”

Then he turned around and crawled back into the shelter to sleep.

A cool breeze blew by. Ai Ling’s smile slowly froze on her face. Why… does it feel like a crow just cawed?

While waiting for the fish soup to cook, Ai Ling went off to gather more grass and built another thatched hut on the other side of the big tree. Now, with two huts side by side—it looked pretty grand, honestly.

She also sharpened some of the stones she’d picked up, tied one tightly to a piece of wood using rushes, and—voilà! A simple hoe was done.

She tested it out—the soil behind the hut was fertile enough to dig into, though it did take some effort.

By the time she finished digging out a small vegetable patch, the fish soup was nearly ready too. The broth was rich, creamy white, and fragrant.

Ai Ling used her homemade chopsticks to pick up a small taste. Hmm… it actually had a bit of umami?

The only downside was that it wasn’t salty—just fresh and slightly sweet, lacking depth. But compared to those fruits, it was at least ten thousand times better.

Judging from this, the animals on this planet just needed a little taming, while the plants clearly needed improvement.

She brought a bowl of soup to He Xi in a big shell she’d just found, but he only squinted at it, turned over, and kept sleeping—even started snoring.

Tch, seriously—this local guy’s hard to please.

Ai Ling bared her teeth and muttered, “Look at you, acting like you’re all that just because you’re kinda good-looking. Well, this girl’s done pampering you!”

With a huff, she tilted her head back and drank the whole bowl of soup without leaving a drop.

Ah—so good, absolutely flawless.

She went back and scooped another bowl, insisting that Fluffy Ball drink it too. How could she enjoy the only delicious thing she’d tasted in this world all by herself?

Fluffy Ball had no choice but to give in after being chased around. He reluctantly stuck out his tongue and gave it a lick.

Then another lick. And another. Lick, lick, lick… gulp gulp gulp… ah!

“Ai Ling, I want more!”

The two of them—one bowl each—finished off the entire pot of fish soup clean. Fluffy Ball even licked the shell bowl spotless.

“I’m telling you, this is way better than nutrient solution. If we could sell it on other planets, it would definitely be a hit,” Fluffy Ball declared confidently.

Ai Ling laughed. “Didn’t you say the demonic beast race eats artificial meat? Surely there’s artificial fish too? Isn’t that good?”

“That’s not even close. Artificial meat and fish taste like chewing on paper. The demonic beast race only eats it to preserve tradition. If they had any sense, they’d have switched to nutrient paste ages ago.”

【Wait, fish can actually be made into soup?】

【I dunno, why don’t you go try it when you get back, Beastie?】

Who would’ve thought that with all the advancements in the universe, food had become so tasteless? Totally unforgivable.

If you’re alive and don’t eat good food, then what’s the point of living?

Ai Ling made up her mind. She was going to speed up her food discoveries. Even if she couldn’t share them with other planets, at least she could show this little puffball what real taste was.

Thinking of that, she asked Fluffy Ball, “Hey, do I still have any exchange points left from that day I earned them in the Demon King’s cave?”

At the mention of the words “Demon King,” Fluffy Ball immediately reacted like he’d been injected with chicken blood: “Ai Ling! I’m telling you, you need to quickly @#￥%%… no wait, He Xi he @#￥%… &%… no, I—bleh bleh bleh!”

His fur stood on end like a porcupine, and he started ramming into trees in agitation.

Ai Ling quickly scooped him up, rubbing him gently with a confused look. “What’s going on with you? Did you seriously malfunction?”

Fluffy Ball got even angrier. “You malfunctioned! Your whole family malfunctioned!”

Ai Ling’s face darkened. She grabbed two handfuls of his long fur and gave it a sharp tug, baring her teeth: “What did you say? Say it again?”

Fluffy Ball wailed, “No no no—I was wrong! Stop pulling! It hurts!”

Only then did Ai Ling let go. “Hurry up, show me—how many exchange points do I have left?”

Fluffy Ball sulkily turned into a small tablet. Ai Ling checked and saw that she had 6 points remaining. But the cheapest plant seeds in the store still cost 10 points.

She nodded. “Fluffy Ball, we’re going back to the Demon King’s cave. We need to earn today’s 6 points.”

Fluffy Ball sighed, “It’s pointless. You might as well @#￥%… &%…”

Ai Ling: “What? What did you say?”

“Nothing. Malfunction.”

“Then let’s go!”

“No. It’s useless.”

“Why?”

“Because @#￥%… &%…”

“You’ve really malfunctioned, kid. Let’s go. I’ll figure out how to fix you some other time.”

“……”

【Are you all still watching the group of idiots on Number 5? I’m currently watching Number 1, it’s so interesting.】

【Isn’t that the one who doesn’t speak like a human? Same level of idiot, no better than Number 5.】

【I recommend Number 4. He’s recovered from his injury quickly. Last time his damage was off the charts, so he might be able to exchange for a super weapon. He Xi is definitely done this time.】

【Aren’t anyone watching Number 2 and 3?】

【I came from Number 3. Sigh, long story…】

【Number 2 still doesn’t know where it is.】

【Actually, only Number 4 is seriously killing the Demon King. Am I right?】

【Hello, ^[1]“Xiu’er” (秀儿) is a casual, playful way to address someone, often used online in Chinese internet slang. It comes from the phrase “你真是个秀儿” which means “You’re … Continue readingXiu’er, you’re right, 100 points.】