Chapter 8: Manor Level 8

Ai Ling sat by the fire, staring at the small bell in her hand, which faintly glowed. Sometimes she felt satisfied, and other times, she was a bit angry.

Especially when she touched her growling stomach and glanced at the only giant fruit beside her that could fill her belly. She thought to herself, this local person really has no conscience. She had saved his life, yet he didn’t even bother to properly thank her before running off, only thinking about getting her to improve Blue Star’s crops.

She gently shook the bell, still unsure whether it had any real power.

As she was contemplating whether to try calling out, she suddenly saw a figure appear behind the shed.

Ai Ling jumped up in shock, and instinctively grabbed a stone to throw at the figure. The figure immediately froze, bowed hurriedly, and shouted in a flustered voice, “Miss, it’s me! I apologize for visiting so late at night, I hope you can forgive me.”

Oh, the tone of voice—this must be that Xi Slayer System Number 1, the big gorilla.

Ai Ling thought for a moment, then shouted at him, “What are you here for? Are you planning to kill me since you couldn’t kill He Xi? I’m telling you, I’m not afraid. If you dare come any closer, I’ll call my people to chop you into pieces!”

When she made the threat, she had already placed the bell near her mouth, ready to call He Xi as soon as he made a move.

However, there was a long silence on the other side before Number 1’s dispirited voice came, “Miss… I have no other intentions. I… I would never hurt you. It’s just that in this unfamiliar place, I’ve been feeling lonely for so long, and seeing you reminds me of my past. I thought… I thought I could talk to you, perhaps we could chat and ease my frustration.”

Ai Ling furrowed her brow, pondering his words. It sounded like he might be someone who had traveled here, and judging by his way of speaking, he might even be from ancient times?

Suddenly, she became curious, but still wary of him. She shouted, “You can talk, but you can’t come any closer. If you have something to say, just say it. If you dare approach, I’ll immediately call my friend to beat you up.”

Number 1 quickly nodded, “Of course, I’ll stay right here, I won’t come any closer. I just didn’t expect you to have a friend here in this wilderness. Who might this friend of yours be?”

Ai Ling smiled proudly, “He Xi. He’s my friend. Last time, he got injured and you ambushed him, but now he’s completely recovered and definitely won’t be afraid of you.”

【Now that He Xi’s identity might finally be exposed?】

【I’m really looking forward to Number 5’s reaction when they find out the truth, hahaha!】

There was another long silence from the other side.

Just when Ai Ling thought the other person had left, she finally heard his voice, full of emotion: “I never expected it, Miss, you are so young, yet you have such a great mind, disregarding fame and fortune, risking your life to become friends with the enemy. Compared to your generosity and boldness, I feel truly ashamed.”

Ai Ling was also quite pleased with herself, “Of course! Unlike you all, who are always thinking about dominating some planet, plotting to kill the Demon King, and even killing your own kind, even the local natives. You treat everyone as an enemy. But you don’t think about it—this planet won’t be destroyed for another hundred years. Are we even going to live that long? Why act like a paranoid fool, seeing everyone as an enemy? Wouldn’t it be better if we all lived together in peace and harmony, enjoying the rest of our time comfortably?”

Number 1 was convinced by her words and couldn’t help but praise her:

“From the moment I saw your home with the fire, water, and fruits, I knew you weren’t an ordinary person, but I never expected your vision to be so broad. I feel deeply ashamed. At first, I didn’t want any violence, but my system forced me to act, leaving me with no choice. By the way, doesn’t your system oppose you being friends with He Xi?”

Ai Ling glanced at the ball of fur clumsily banging into trees and sighed, “Of course, it doesn’t like it, but it’s been malfunctioning lately, so it can’t control me anymore. Poor thing.”

“I see!” Number 1 sighed deeply, then after a long pause, as if making up his mind, said:

“Miss, I’ve decided that since He Xi is your friend, I will never harm him, not even a finger. If he’s willing, I will consider him my friend as well. Also, if… if you don’t mind, I… I would also like to be your friend. Would you allow me to?”

Ai Ling certainly didn’t mind such a good offer and immediately replied, “Sure, that’s great. If you’re willing to stop competing and be friends with us, that’s even better. From now on, we’re on the same side. You can come to me whenever you need anything.”

Number 1 immediately became excited, “That’s wonderful, that’s wonderful! It’s settled then. If you ever need me, I will never hesitate to help. By the way, my name is Yuan Xi, courtesy name Mu Chen. May I ask what your name is?”

“Oh, I’m Ai Ling.”

“Ai Ling, very well, it’s getting late, so I won’t bother you any further. I’ll visit again another day.”

“Okay, okay, okay, take care, no need to see me off!”

Uh… does this way of speaking spread too? Why did I start sounding so formal too?

Ai Ling suddenly remembered that she hadn’t asked which dynasty he came from. When she turned to look again, he was already far away.

Forget it, I’ll ask him next time!

【This… is that okay?】

【I came up with a new name for the Xi Slayer System project—The Foolishness Is a Contagious Virus Plan】

【Red, fiery, and a bit hazy…】

【Calling the old witch, hurry and come see the super assassins you’ve raised!】

【What’s the use of calling her? She obviously still has feelings for He Xi, otherwise she would’ve already blasted Blue Star to pieces, so why send a group of idiots to make a fool of themselves?】

【Actually, from a silly outsider’s perspective, it’s kind of funny, hahaha!】

【Outsider? Wait until He Xi breaks free from the restrictions, and then you’ll be the fool! Silly fool!】

【Everyone, take note: the Deputy Commander of the Starfleet has initiated the “Blue Star Destruction” proposal. Please show your support.】

【Support!】

【Support!】

【Support!】

—

Still lost in her idyllic dreams, Ai Ling woke up the next morning, full of energy and ready to start the day’s plans—finding iron ore and dyes.

She stood at the door of the hut and stretched lazily, then turned around to look at her precious vegetable garden. Oh my god, the garden was a mess—something had dug up the soil, creating holes here and mounds there.

Ai Ling was shocked and quickly ran over. She found that the sweet potatoes she planted yesterday were all gone, leaving only a few leftover scraps.

Ai Ling almost cried. Her sweet potatoes—her precious sweet potatoes, which she hadn’t even eaten herself—who could have done such a despicable thing?

She hurried to the back to check on her apple tree and orange tree. Fortunately, the animals hadn’t touched the young saplings. They were still fine.

Standing there, feeling regret, Ai Ling suddenly had a sense of fear. So animals really did roam around at night. She was lucky it wasn’t those big snakes, or her life might have been in danger.

Thinking about this, Ai Ling realized there was something she had to do immediately—no delay, not even for a moment—build a fence.

Yes, she had to start now.

Shaken, Ai Ling searched around for long tree branches and wood, along with reed grass for securing the posts. She spent three whole days building a large fence.

A large courtyard was enclosed in front of the hut, and the vegetable garden in the back was also fenced in.

Due to the poor quality of the materials, the fence varied in height, with some areas taller than a person, while others only reached knee height.

But no matter what, having a fence was better than not having one. Not only was it safer, but it also looked much more pleasant, giving the place the feel of a small estate.

Ai Ling was very satisfied with the result. Standing in the courtyard, she looked around and decided to officially name this place: Windbell Manor.

As for why she chose this name? Well… she just randomly picked it… hmm, since it’s an estate, it should have some estate-like feel to it. Ai Ling decided to spend the next two days looking for materials and digging up some pretty flowers and plants to decorate the place.

As for the materials… she would go west.

Ai Ling grabbed her small basket, swayed her ponytail, and skipped along with the downcast Fluffy Ball as they continued their western exploration.

She had walked within three kilometers west of the estate before, but this time, Ai Ling didn’t hesitate and went straight beyond the three-kilometer mark.

Although she didn’t have measuring tools, Ai Ling calculated the distance based on her steps and walking speed. Every time she reached about a kilometer, she would stick a stick into the ground and drop a few stones to mark the spot.

The western forest had always been friendly. She had come many times and never encountered any monsters, so she hummed a tune as she walked, feeling very relaxed.

Before long, after covering two kilometers of tree-lined paths, Ai Ling entered the four-kilometer zone and noticed a cliff ahead to the right, at least a few hundred meters high.

Looking out, beyond the low-lying cliffs stretching for dozens of kilometers, stood an incredibly tall mountain, so high it seemed to block the sun. The middle of the mountain was obscured by white clouds, making it look like a fairy mountain in the sky—truly magnificent.

Ai Ling couldn’t help but admire the beauty of nature, but was quickly dismissed by Fluffy Ball’s disdain: “You’re easily impressed.”

A mountain that tall was obviously impassable, so Ai Ling didn’t linger and continued forward.

To the left, there was still a range of high and low mountain forests, with occasional small ponds, and in the distance, she could hear the rumbling sound of water, as if there was a large waterfall nearby.

Ai Ling immediately perked up, grabbing Fluffy Ball excitedly, “There’s a waterfall! Did you hear that? There’s really a waterfall!”

Fluffy Ball coldly said, “So what?”

Ai Ling continued to be excited, “A waterfall! The water is rushing down so fast, there can’t be any monsters. This means I can finally take a bath!”

Ever since she saw a lake full of eyes, she hadn’t dared to go into the water again. Every time, she only gathered some water by the stream with shells and quickly ran off, afraid that some monster might leap out.

But now, the waterfall’s water was flowing so swiftly that there generally wouldn’t be any creatures underneath it. Even if the pool beneath the waterfall wasn’t safe, the cascading water above was, and standing under it to rinse off would be fine. She had been enduring her own sour smell for so long.

Without wanting to say more, Ai Ling grabbed Fluffy Ball and ran in the direction of the water.

Just then, the bushes ahead suddenly rustled, and a beast slowly emerged. It had long legs, a small head, a sharp face, and eyes like copper bells, which were glowing coldly as it stared at Ai Ling.

Ai Ling sucked in a sharp breath. Oh my god, is that a leopard??? No, no, no, it looked like a leopard, but this monster was white.

Could it be an albino leopard?

Ai Ling’s legs went weak, especially when the leopard opened its mouth and howled at her. Those sharp teeth—she didn’t even need to look closely to know it could effortlessly tear a person to shreds.

Ai Ling was naturally a coward. She always blustered to scare others, but at this moment, her mind went blank, and all that was left was her survival instinct—run!

With a shrill scream, Ai Ling bolted backward.

By this time, the leopard was already preparing to attack. Seeing its prey trying to escape, it tensed and leapt forward with all its strength.

A foul wind blew from behind. No matter how many legs Ai Ling had, she couldn’t outrun it. She was done for, she just couldn’t let the beast catch her.

Ai Ling gritted her teeth, tilted her body, and, with Fluffy Ball in tow, leapt off the cliff…