Beastfire

"Why are you here?" Hu Jiujiu turned back to Lin Yu, crouching beside the bath barrel with her chin propped in both hands as she tilted her head and asked.

Her tone carried a little surprise, a little curiosity, and a few private thoughts even she could neither explain nor understand.

When they had parted last time, she had worried she would never see him again. Who would have thought that, so soon after, they would run into each other again on her own turf?

"Little Demon, I was heading to Sacred Pill City." Lin Yu explained with a smile. "I took a shortcut over the mountains and happened to pass by here."

Hu Jiujiu's eyes sparkled at those words.

Passed by! What did that mean? It meant fate! A heaven-sent fate!

She was secretly delighted, but deliberately put on a seductive smile. Leaning closer, she spoke with a hint of coquettishness in her voice. "Lin Yu, will you help me refine some pills?"

She leaned in a little too close, the tip of her nose nearly touching Lin Yu's. The dancing firelight from the bonfire reflected in her bewitching eyes.

The steam from the medicinal bath condensed into a fine layer of droplets on her face, making her skin appear even more smooth and translucent.

Seeing her acting so coy, Lin Yu could not help laughing.

He leaned back slightly and replied casually, "Of course, Little Demon, but my fee is very expensive!"

His tone was half joking and half serious, yet his gaze remained clear and open.

Hearing that, Hu Jiujiu raised her brows high and flicked Lin Yu on the forehead. "Expensive? How expensive could you possibly be? What reward could you ask for that I can't provide?"

After saying that, she laughed first.

Her laughter was crisp and pleasant, echoing through the valley like birds reunited with their long-lost companions after a long separation.

In the distance, the giant bear's jaw completely dropped.

It desperately held up its lower jaw with both paws, its bell-sized eyes bulging so wide they nearly fell out.

What day was it today? Not only had the little mistress not captured these humans to use as laborers, she was even crouching before one of them and smiling like that?

It had followed the little mistress for so many years. When had it ever seen her smile at anyone like this?

The giant bear covered its eyes with one paw, unable to bear watching any longer.

It was over, it was over. The little mistress had lost her mind. She was actually smiling like that at a human.

The old master's instructions before entering seclusion... No, it had to hurry and tell the Holy Maiden about this, or something huge was going to happen.

Feng Xian tilted his head. The worst wave of pain had just subsided, and his body's resistance to the medicinal effects had finally barely caught up.

He laboriously lifted his eyelids, finally finding the chance to carefully examine the girl who had suddenly appeared in the valley.

The instant he looked, his pupils contracted sharply.

"Eh? A demon?" Feng Xian blurted out, his voice carrying a hint of astonishment.

Hearing him, Hu Jiujiu turned her head and gave Feng Xian a once-over with her amber eyes.

She had no particular impression of this loudly shouting human. She only thought he had quite a big voice. Even while soaking in a medicinal bath, he had screamed like a pig being slaughtered, his echoes filling the whole valley.

"Your friend?" Hu Jiujiu turned to Lin Yu and asked casually.

She seemed rather indifferent, clearly having little interest in anyone besides Lin Yu.

"Brother." Lin Yu answered with two concise, forceful words.

Hu Jiujiu's eyes shifted as her gaze swept back and forth between Feng Xian and Yao Chen, as though evaluating something.

A moment later, she gave a soft "Oh," withdrew her gaze, and said flatly, "Then forget it."

Not far away, the group of accompanying demon guards all turned around in unison, unable to bear watching any longer.

Heavens, little mistress, where was your imposing manner? Where was your dignity?

Normally, she was arrogant and domineering toward everyone, the sort who always had the final say. How had she become so easygoing before this human?

There had to be something strange about this human! There had to be!

After finishing the medicinal bath, Hu Jiujiu brought Lin Yu and the other two to Demon Valley Peak, a hundred li away.

Above the mountainside, a grand hall was under construction. Stone pillars stood in rows, with carved beams and painted rafters. Though it had not yet been roofed, its future magnificence was already apparent.

"I plan to build an Alchemist Hall here." Hu Jiujiu stood beside Lin Yu and pointed at the unfinished grand hall. Her voice carried a touch of pride, as though she were showing off her favorite toy. "Then I'll build a medicinal herb storehouse too. What do you think?"

As she spoke, her eyes shone brightly and her chin lifted slightly, her expression plainly saying, "Praise me already."

Building this hall had not been a sudden whim. It was something she had been planning ever since returning.

As for why she wanted to build an Alchemist Hall, she knew perfectly well, but she had never been willing to say it aloud.

Lin Yu looked at the hall that had begun to take shape, then at Hu Jiujiu's little expression as if asking for credit. Suddenly, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

His movement was natural and casual, as though he were putting an arm around an old friend he had known for years. Then he turned his head, pressed his cheek against Hu Jiujiu's, and teased, "Hehe, Little Demon, did you prepare this for me to advance to an eighth-grade alchemist?"

His breath brushed Hu Jiujiu's cheek, warm and ticklish.

Hu Jiujiu only felt a wave of heat rapidly spread from where their cheeks touched, burning all the way from the roots of her ears down to her neck.

Her little face, which had never known what embarrassment was, actually flushed with a thin layer of crimson. Under the sunlight, she looked especially lovely.

"Hmph! I suppose so." Hu Jiujiu slapped away Lin Yu's hand from her shoulder, haughtily raised her head, and turned her face aside. Yet her fluffy tail swayed uncontrollably from side to side, exposing the joy in her heart.

Lin Yu could not help smiling at her contradictory behavior.

He did not continue teasing her. Instead, after thinking seriously for a moment, he said, "Little Demon, I think I can try refining sixth-grade pills, but my battle qi cultivation isn't high enough, so I can't extract the medicinal ingredients. Could you help me find some seventh- or eighth-rank Beastfire?"

"Fine, fine, who told you that you're mine!" Hu Jiujiu said proudly, clasping her hands behind her back and leaning forward slightly. Her fluffy tail stood high in the air, nearly reaching the sky.

When she said the words "you're mine," she deliberately emphasized them, as though declaring it to everyone present.

"Then, Little Demon, shall we go refine pills now?" Lin Yu asked.

"Didn't you want Beastfire? I'll take you to get some." Hu Jiujiu said as though it were only natural, as if seventh- and eighth-rank Beastfire were no more remarkable to her than wildflowers one could casually pick by the roadside.

"Little Demon, you're so good to me." Lin Yu looked at her with a smile.

That single compliment made Hu Jiujiu bloom with delight. Her tail wagged even more happily, though she still forced herself not to smile too obviously.

"Take Yao Chen and Feng Xian to the alchemy room first. Don't leave them standing here."

"Alright."