The Little Witch Who Lived by Emerald Lake

The speaker had said it without meaning anything, but the listener had taken it to heart.

Knowing full well that Bi Ji held an irreplaceable position in the future Mainland Invasion Plan, Lin Wan'er paid no mind to what the others thought. She decisively set down the freshly squeezed fruit juice in her hands, smacked her lips, and said leisurely, "Sister Zi Ji flatters me too much. I have no interest whatsoever in the title of Number One Healer of the Continent. Besides, why should we compete over these empty titles? It's not like they can fill our stomachs. Don't you agree, Sister Bi Ji?"

The soul beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest were not like the soul masters of the continent, always fond of gilding their reputations and insisting on competing over who was better or right, constantly putting on airs as though they were invincible. Who were they trying to impress?

Yet Bi Ji, the person at the center of this matter, who sat beside Di Tian, was not particularly interested in the title.

To her, compared to titles and status, she would rather be an ordinary wife, staying by her beloved husband's side until the end of time, rather than becoming the pillar of all soul beasts, spending her days fighting soul masters and witnessing the slaughter of the Star Dou Great Forest's people without being able to do anything about it.

Still, uninterested as she was, when Bi Ji's emerald eyes met Lin Wan'er's earnest gaze, sincere expression, and tone that treated everyone like family, she could not help feeling happy.

Gazing gently at Lin Wan'er, who awaited her reply, Bi Ji nodded. Then, propping her head up with one hand, she turned toward the troublemaking Zi Ji and gave her a "kind" smile.

"Zi Ji, since you like stirring things up so much, then from today onward, don't come rushing to me howling for treatment over any injuries you sustain in the next ten thousand years."

"Huh? Don't be like that! I didn't say anything wrong!"

Zi Ji's mood was like riding a roller coaster straight down into a dark abyss. The teasing look on her face instantly turned incomparably miserable.

If Bi Ji would not treat wounds from fights and sparring for ten thousand years, how was she supposed to secretly carry out the Extreme North Plan on her own and run off to that godforsaken place to "happily" play with the Little Scorpion she had just met?

At that thought, Zi Ji could no longer sit still and hurriedly stood up.

"Enough. Tonight's banquet was specially prepared for the Holy Maiden. Zi Ji, just sit there obediently. It's only ten thousand years. Wouldn't it be better to follow the Auspicious Beast and cultivate properly?"

Playing the role of a stern old father, Di Tian circulated the Soul Power within his arm and used Dragon Grasping Hand to drag Zi Ji back into her seat, lest she become too agitated, accidentally spread the wings on her back, overturn the table, and get all the delicacies everyone had spent an afternoon selecting covered in dust and mud.

"Di Tian, you're playing favorites!"

Watching the spectacle unfold, Lin Wan'er saw Zi Ji, who looked remarkably like a little cat, get lifted by the scruff of her neck by her pooper-scooper Di Tian and placed onto a wooden stool. She could not hold back her laughter any longer, clutching her stomach as she burst out laughing.

Bi Ji's clear laughter followed right after, and then everyone else began laughing as well. The atmosphere could not have been more cheerful.

It could not be helped. Zi Ji was one of the few female Ferocious Beasts, and her true form was a dragon, one of the strongest kinds of soul beasts, with tough skin, thick flesh, and formidable offensive power.

Usually, everyone had to endure her verbal teasing. They could neither beat nor scold her, and aside from asking Di Tian for help, they had no other options. So now that they had the rare chance to see the World-Chaos Demon Dragon Zi Ji suffer at the hands of the Holy Maiden, naturally they had to laugh at her properly and avenge all the grudges they had never been able to settle before.

"You lot love kicking someone when they're down, don't you? Laugh as loudly as you want. I'd like to see how long you can keep laughing."

Zi Ji rolled her eyes irritably. She did not feel embarrassed, only disheartened.

After all, true heartbreak was never loud or dramatic. With a stifled feeling in her chest, she declared that the Ferocious Beasts before her had all changed for the worse. Not a single one of them had stepped forward to speak up for her.

Didn't she only have the tiniest little urge to tease the Holy Maiden? Everyone present was an old monster who had lived for over a hundred thousand years. Her usual brothers-in-arms, who shared everything with her, had really let her down at the critical moment.

With only 2G of brain capacity, the mature beauty Zi Ji had completely failed to notice that when she teased the Holy Maiden, she had dragged in Bi Ji—the healer everyone cared deeply about, the Emerald Swan whom the soul beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest regarded as their mother.

The impromptu banquet passed in the blink of an eye. Considering that the residences of the other Ferocious Beasts were not particularly suitable for the Holy Maiden to rest in, the gentle Bi Ji invited Lin Wan'er to the place where the Emerald Swan Clan rested.

It was an earthly paradise called Emerald Lake: a small artificial lake covered in lotus plant soul beasts that never withered and populated by small fish-type soul beasts.

As Bi Ji released her Soul Power, an exquisite, towering wooden pavilion emerged from a phantom image, while figures of Emerald Swans appeared all around it, enough to make support-type soul masters green with envy.

Pavilions and terraces surrounded the central building, appearing and vanishing amid the mist and moonlight.

Lin Wan'er looked at the Emerald Courtyard before her with great satisfaction. As expected, following Sister Bi Ji could never go wrong. Who could possibly compare to this quality of life?

She stepped onto the staircase emerging from the lake. Before long, after reaching the pavilion, she was surrounded by a group of enthusiastic, naïve Emerald Swans who knew little of the outside world and treated her like a mascot.

"Clan Leader, is this the Holy Maiden? She smells so much like us."

"Yes, yes! This pretty person's hair color and eye color look so much like the Clan Leader's. Could she be the Clan Leader's child?"

"Quiet. You're frightening the little girl."

A rather large Emerald Swan, standing out among the flock like a crane among geese, opened its beak and spoke in human language.

Seeing Lin Wan'er's shocked expression, Bi Ji explained from beside her, "The Emerald Swan Clan is naturally gifted with exceptionally high intelligence and healing abilities, but that also leaves them lacking in aggression and unable to protect themselves.

"Therefore, once they pass the fifty-thousand-year threshold, they learn to make human sounds."

Normally, whenever there was nothing happening in the Star Dou Great Forest and Di Tian did not need her company, Bi Ji liked to stay nestled among her clan, patiently teaching the soul beasts within it how to speak.

Over time, most of the intelligent Emerald Swans who wished to learn how to speak became capable of doing so.

"So that's how it is. I thought it had reached a Hundred Thousand Years and could choose to take human form at any time."

Lin Wan'er nodded, seemingly understanding.

Seeing Lin Wan'er's bewildered expression, Bi Ji covered her mouth and chuckled. She did not continue explaining the pavilion's layout, instead thoughtfully sending her back to rest.

In her eyes, both Lin Wan'er and the Auspicious Beast Three-Eyed Golden Lion were essentially young cubs who had not yet grown up and needed careful nurturing.

She slept dreamlessly through the night.

After waking up, Lin Wan'er ate the meals delivered by the Ferocious Beasts as usual, then began the first stage of cultivation alongside them. She also played with the Three-Eyed Golden Lion to strengthen their bond.

It had to be said that the future Tang God King had been right to covet the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's abilities and want them for himself.

Even though Lin Wan'er's current God-level Martial Soul, Soraka, required her to heal others, obtain pure faith, and illuminate the God Ascension Staircase, her Soul Power cultivation speed had still increased considerably.

This showed just how lucky the Star Dou Great Forest was to possess an Auspicious Beast compared to places like the Land of Extreme North.

What a pity...

Forget it, forget it. There was no point thinking about such nonsense. Thinking too much made people go bald. Shaking her head, Lin Wan'er continued wreaking havoc among the soul beasts of the Star Dou Great Forest.

In her previous life, she had suffered from heart disease and could not engage in strenuous exercise or outdoor adventures. Taken together, those had been one of her greatest regrets before death.

Thus, after reincarnating in the Star Dou Great Forest, Lin Wan'er played when she wanted to play and caused trouble when she wanted to cause trouble. As a result, all the soul beasts that had gained intelligence unanimously bestowed upon her the title of Little Witch.

If Ning Rongrong had not become a god, were still on the continent, and knew Lin Wan'er, then after witnessing the things Lin Wan'er usually got up to in the Star Dou Great Forest, she would surely have willingly handed over the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's witch title.

Having gained the title of Little Witch and made up for the joys she had never experienced in her previous life, Lin Wan'er had reached a Soul Power bottleneck and was just about to turn her troublemaking gaze toward the newly appeared Di Tian.

This Beast God, who was usually nowhere to be seen and burdened with endless work, suddenly brought her a piece of good news.