The Troubles of a Certain Young Girl

"Miss Liu Ye is truly extraordinary. You know, the Desolate Beast clan was once one of the top ten Demonic Beast clans," Mo Xiao Hong praised. She was about the same age as Rui Feng and had a plain appearance, reminiscent of a young woman from the era of sent-down youth.

"The top ten Demonic Beast clans?"

"You don't know? They are the ten strongest Demonic Beast races today. In terms of ranking, the Desolate Beasts are right behind the Dragons."

I almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

Dragons? Aren't those the strongest divine beasts that appear in every fantasy and wuxia novel? Dragons, as symbols of power, have always been the source of strength (cheat skills) for all sorts of arrogant protagonists. And these Desolate Beasts are actually second only to Dragons? Was that what I just defeated?

"I didn't expect the Desolate Beasts to be second..."

"Second? How could that be! They're clearly ninth."

Ninth... ninth? Wait, so that means Dragons are only ranked eighth? The strongest race in countless default worldviews is only eighth? Are you kidding me?

"To be safe, are you talking about the snake-like Dragons or the ones with long necks, pot bellies, and wings?"

"Does it matter... The snake-like ones are mainly in the east, and the pot-bellied ones are mostly from the west. There isn't much difference in strength between the two types of Dragons; they're the same clan and both ranked eighth."

...I felt my worldview had been completely overturned.

"...Then, what about the Phoenix?" Since there were Dragons, there had to be Phoenixes. As the divine beasts (cheat skills) that must appear in every female-led fantasy novel, they should at least be ranked first or second.

"According to the most authoritative sources, they're sixth."

Another mouthful of blood.

"Still not in the top five? Speaking of which, who's between the Dragons and the Phoenixes?"

"You don't even know that? It's the Ghost Clan. The Ghost Clan can be said to be the most similar to humans among Demonic Beasts, and they are currently the race with the closest relationship to humans."

"That's ridiculous..."

Back underground, everyone else had formed a circle around the Desolate Beast's Essence Core, absorbing the surging life force it emitted. However, they were absorbing it very slowly, clearly wanting to leave more for Rui Feng.

We placed Rui Feng close to the Essence Core. "Brother? Can you hear me?" Rui Xin asked anxiously. "Of course..." Rui Feng replied, his consciousness recovering slightly. "You don't need to worry about me. Let me absorb the life force myself..."

As he spoke, the life force from the Essence Core began to pour into Rui Feng's body in large quantities. His pale, dry skin regained its rosy color at a visible rate. Time ticked by, and Rui Feng's complexion improved, even the bones he had injured in the fight began to make cracking sounds as they automatically mended.

Seeing his significant improvement, we were relieved. The Desolate Beast Essence Core truly lived up to its sky-high price as a Spiritual Medicine; it had such potent effects without any processing. Fortunately, I hadn't absorbed the Essence Core along with the Desolate Beast's blood when I absorbed it, or this mission would have been a complete failure.

"At this rate, with the addition of other Spiritual Medicine, I'll be fully recovered by the dawn of the day after tomorrow. You all should rest quickly too. If we accelerate our travel starting the day after tomorrow, we can still complete the mission on time."

"Okay!"

Not far from the cave entrance, two figures stood beneath a small hill.

"I never expected, Brother Sunny, that a Desolate Beast would be hidden in this land."

"Yeah, Lorraine... If I had known beforehand, I wouldn't have experimented here."

"But the result was still very successful, wasn't it? It even managed to flush out a Desolate Beast. Other Demonic Beasts are even less of a problem."

"We almost got ourselves killed, and if it weren't for the jammer, we would have been discovered long ago."

"But we're fine, aren't we? If we could also have the Demonic Beasts take out a few of the Si Nan family's higher-ups..."

The man called Sunny's expression changed. He grabbed Lorraine by the collar and growled, "Don't even think about it! How many times do I have to tell you? Si Nan Ying and Si Nan Hong are surrounded by guards now, and they're all extremely vigilant! The chance of Demonic Beasts successfully killing them is lower than your chance of successfully pursuing Miss Tartaglia's family!"

"That's so mean, Brother Sunny..."

"However," Sunny released Lorraine, "when they finish their investigation and return to Winter Arrival City to enjoy the festival, they will be at their most relaxed. That's when..."

As for Si Nan Ying...

"Ah, I'm so tired... I don't want to walk anymore..." Si Nan Ying complained, panting.

"The third detection point is just ahead. We are currently leading all other teams, so please persevere." Si Nan Yuan replied indifferently. As the main team, they had to reach the destination faster than everyone else and couldn't afford any delays.

"Besides, wasn't the original intention for Miss to come to the Winter Mountains to train herself? Endurance is also part of training."

"But you never let me fight whenever we encounter a Demonic Beast, so what's the point of me coming here?"

The other team members turned their faces away in shame upon hearing this. Indeed, Si Nan Ying hadn't had a chance to attack since entering the mountains, and the team members felt a bit guilty, but there were reasons for that...

"Hmph! Little Ying, before you complain about others, look for the reason within yourself! If you still can't control your Supernatural Ability, how can the guard team let you act?" Si Nan Hong, also known as Elder Hong, said indignantly. Elder Hong, as an old minister of the family, was upright and extremely strict, personally appointed by the family head to discipline Si Nan Ying. Si Nan Ying had been scolded by him since childhood, but her personality remained very casual and unrestrained, which gave Elder Hong a headache.

Generally, as long as Elder Hong spoke, the second young lady would immediately shut up, even if she didn't repent. But this time...

"Yes, yes... I know the reason, but my Supernatural Ability is unstable, what can I do!!" Si Nan Ying, uncharacteristically, shouted back.

"Miss..."

"Do you think I want to be called a 'human-shaped walking bomb' all the time? I've tried my best not to be laughed at!"

"Trying your best is one thing, but what's the use if your efforts don't yield results!" Elder Hong retorted loudly, not backing down at all.

"But I..."

"No 'buts'! You're always so defiant! It was the same the other day; you secretly ran out and brought back a suspicious person! Who knows what her intentions are!"

"You're not allowed to talk about Xiao Ye like that!!!"

The team members looked at them in surprise. Their previous arguments were considered routine, but Si Nan Ying's final outburst was completely beyond her usual level. Everyone could tell that Si Nan Ying was truly angry.

"Ah..." Si Nan Ying also realized her great loss of composure and immediately fell silent.

An incredibly oppressive silence spread; no one spoke. After a moment of stunned silence, Si Nan Ying shook her head as if trying to cast away all her sadness and bowed deeply to Elder Hong: "I'm sorry, Grandpa Hong, I was too impulsive! I know you all mean well, but I'm still so willful. I'm sorry!"

Elder Hong finally nodded, saying nothing more. He had instilled so many traditional virtues in Si Nan Ying for so many years, but she had only learned one: admit your mistakes and apologize sincerely. Well... she might not actually change, but she would definitely apologize.

"...Alright, perhaps I was a bit harsh," Elder Hong rarely softened his tone. He paused, then continued.

"You must understand, your father, the Patriarch, has been assigning you tasks recently with good reason. His health is deteriorating, and he has to prepare for his abdication earlier than planned. If you don't have any achievements to show by then, your future path will be very difficult."

"But I've never been interested in the position of Patriarch. If my brothers want to fight for it, let them..."

"You think too simply," Elder Hong sighed. "Some things are beyond your control! Among the Patriarch's children, your influence is the weakest. So weak that only Elder Hong and Xiao Yuan truly support you! Weakness means being at the mercy of others! While the Patriarch is still in power, he can protect you. But once he abdicates? Without his protection, you'll only live as a tool for the family. Being a sacrifice for an arranged marriage would be the best-case scenario. If the Third Young Master succeeds, he might kill you to be safe! What will you do to resist them then?"

"..." Si Nan Ying fell completely silent. What Elder Hong said was the truth she least wanted to think about but had to face—her destiny as a member of the Si Nan Family. To get involved in a vortex for self-preservation, to become heartless for power, when her childhood dream was to be an explorer traveling the world, when all she wanted was a free and unfettered life, why must it be like this...

"What should I do, Xiao Ye..."

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