Qimeng crossed her arms.
She stared with dissatisfaction at the pool of chilly water before her.
In her past life, she had a water heater at her disposal at all times. Who would have thought that after becoming a Demon Tree, taking a hot bath would become such a luxury?
As for heating it bucket by bucket over a bonfire and pouring it into the pool, not only was it time-consuming and labor-intensive, but she might also accidentally scald her perfect human body.
“Ah, what a pain.”
After pondering for a moment, a sudden spark of inspiration hit her. She recalled a rustic method from her outdoor camping days: heating stream water with red-hot stones.
“Right, why not just heat up some stones until they're scalding hot and throw them into the water?”
Just then, Xiaomi flew over to fetch water, cradling a massive leaf in her arms.
Qimeng turned her head, her emerald eyes locking onto this perfect source of free labor.
“Xiaomi, I'm giving you an honorable mission. Go gather some large stones.”
“Huh? S-Stones?”
“And while you're at it, gather some dry firewood. Start a fire by the bath, heat the stones until they're red-hot, and toss them into the pool.”
The bee girl's face fell.
“Why do I always get the grunt work?”
“Because your name is Xiaomi.”
“What kind of reason is that?!”
“Besides, you fly so fast, so picking things up is easy for you.”
“Huh?!”
“Most importantly, you're currently the only unfortunate soul here whom I can boss around.”
“Is Xiaomi's destiny just to do these strange chores?!”
“Uh-huh.”
“Huh?!”
“Fertilizer.”
“I get it! I'll go, okay? Waaah!”
Yielding to the threat of becoming fertilizer, the bee girl flew off in a huff.
Before long, she flew back clutching a pile of dry firewood and stones.
After building a simple hearth and lighting a blazing fire, the stones were quickly heated to a glowing red.
Using a long branch, Xiaomi rolled the scalding stones into the pool one by one.
Instantly, violent ripples spread across the water's surface as large plumes of warm steam billowed upward, turning the entire bath into a fairyland.
Qimeng smiled, a rare trace of appreciation rising in her heart for this silly bee girl.
She truly was a worthy entry-level employee.
“Alright, the water temperature is perfect.”
“Remember to keep this up tomorrow.”
Xiaomi mumbled under her breath.
“It's one thing to bathe every day, but she has to be so picky about it too.”
“Hmm? What did you just say?”
“N-Nothing! I'm going to water the flowers! Bye!”
As night fell, a bright moon climbed into the treetops.
Beneath her towering Demon Tree main body, Qimeng closed her eyes and entered a state of semi-meditation.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the territory, a guilty-looking Xiaomi was stealthily stuffing the honey ball she had hidden today into an even more concealed tree hollow.
“Hehehe, that bad woman will definitely never find it here.”
Joyfully flying back to her nest with another honey ball in her arms, she curled up in her new home lined with flower petals and dry grass, closing her eyes in satisfaction.
“Life here actually seems pretty nice.”
Moonlight like water drenched the entire Tree Court.
Beneath the tree, the human body slowly opened a pair of emerald demonic eyes.
She glanced at the cozy little beehive on the distant branch, then looked at her own bed, which was completely exposed to the open air.
Tsk, tomorrow I absolutely have to sketch a design for a luxury log cabin.
She rolled over in irritation and pulled up her leaf blanket.
Forget it, too much trouble. I'll do it the day after tomorrow.
In fact, when the day after tomorrow arrived, she still hadn't touched a single drawing utensil.
However, she didn't slack off on combat training at all, and even ramped up the intensity of Xiaomi's special training.
After a series of brutal, hellish training sessions, Xiaomi's combat skills finally underwent a qualitative leap, upgrading from crying with her head in her hands to occasionally daring to counterattack with her short spear.
Meanwhile, Qimeng's proficiency with her Wood Spike and her control over the Water Core were also steadily improving.
She became highly adept at using the low-cost Wood Spikes, and even developed an advanced application of Tough Hide, allowing her to coat her arms in hardwood armor to turn defense into offense.
At the same time, she didn't neglect the knight combat techniques etched in her memory, gradually working out a new style best suited to her current monster girl physique.
On this day, the morning sun rose.
Qimeng was doing her morning exercises when her expression suddenly shifted. The vast root network beneath the ground sent back an unusual piece of information.
She stepped lightly, she walked over to an old, withered tree at the edge of the Firefly Garden.
Parting the thick moss covering the trunk, she reached deep into a hollow and pulled out a small ball wrapped in fresh leaves.
Peeling back the layers, a ball of golden, amber-like honey appeared before her eyes, emitting a rich floral fragrance.
Honestly, Xiaomi had hidden it quite carefully this time. If not for Qimeng's root perception, it would have been truly difficult to spot with the naked eye.
But today, Qimeng was deliberately looking for trouble.
After all, during their last session at the training ground, her perfect human body had been violated when the little thing fell into her embrace.
As the proud ruler of the forest, she had to reclaim her dignity today with interest.
She shouted toward the golden figure busy among the flowers:
“Xiaomi, I'll give you three seconds. Get over here.”
“Huh? Coming!”
Xiaomi landed in front of her, looking confused.
When her gaze fell upon the leaf-wrapped package held high in Qimeng's hand, all color drained from her face.
“T-That's...!”
“Hiding it deep inside a secluded tree hollow and plugging it with moss—I'll give you ninety points for creativity.”
Qimeng teased with a playful smirk.
Xiaomi lowered her head, her face flushing red all the way to her ears.
“Y-You wicked Demon Tree, how on earth did you find it?”
“This isn't cheating; it's my superb sensory abilities.”
Knowing she was in the wrong, Xiaomi twirled the hem of her clothes and whimpered softly.
“Th-Then what do you want to do?”
Qimeng twirled the honey ball in her hand, her gaze as cold as a ruthless capitalist.
“It's all confiscated.”
“We agreed beforehand that the honey must be handed over on time every three days.”
“Hoarding a secret stash is a serious violation of our rules.”
Under the bee girl's agonizing gaze, Qimeng tore open the leaf, dipped a finger into the thick liquid, and popped it into her mouth.
The sweetness melted on her tongue, and a warm, pure mana spread throughout her body.
“The flavor is indeed a cut above.”
“This is just a warning.”
“Next time I catch you embezzling, I'll eat your entire secret stash right in front of your face, leaving you without a single drop.”
“Understood?”
With tears in her eyes, Xiaomi nodded frantically like a chick pecking at seeds.
“Very good.”
“Now, because of your violation, some necessary after-class punishment is naturally in order.”
“Follow me, Captain Xiaomi.”
Qimeng clapped her hands elegantly, tossed her long hair, and strode ahead with her long legs.
Xiaomi followed dejectedly, completely unaware of the mischievous, scheming smile playing on the black-haired girl's lips.
Hehe, getting a little payback for her taking advantage of me last time shouldn't be too much, right?
Thinking she was being dragged to the eastern training ground to act as a moving target again, Xiaomi weakly tugged at Qimeng's clothes.
“Um, when you punish me, can you go easy? At least don't poke my tummy with those hard Wood Spikes anymore. It really hurts.”
Without looking back, Qimeng replied calmly, “Rest easy, our destination today isn't the training ground.”
“Eh?”
Xiaomi blinked in confusion, looking up to check their path.
Sure enough, they weren't heading east toward the withered tree, but straight north, toward the outermost boundary of the Firefly Garden.
“Then... where exactly are we going?”
“We're almost there.”
Qimeng quickened her pace, her bare feet stepping over the forest path blanketed in dry leaves.
As they walked, Xiaomi's sharp senses picked up on something being off.
The peaceful atmosphere of the surrounding forest had grown somewhat heavy, and a strange, violent scent hung in the air.
Bzzzt!
The antennae on her head began to twitch.
There was an unknown mana reaction lurking in the dense forest ahead.
“W-Wait! There's something ahead!”
Qimeng stopped in front of a clearing, turned around, and a devilish smile bloomed on her gorgeous face.
“Didn't I say so? If you hoard a secret stash, you have to accept double the punishment.”
“Brace yourself and get ready for your punishment party, Captain Xiaomi.”
“Huh?! The double punishment is this?!”
Before the bee girl could finish yelling, a sharp snapping of branches suddenly echoed from the dense forest ahead.
Boom!
A giant butterfly, as large as an adult human, burst from the woods.
Its wings were pitch-black, their edges adorned with a ring of bewitching purple patterns. With every flap, it scattered dangerous, dimly glowing scales into the air.
Six pale compound eyes gleamed with bloodthirsty malice, and a terrifying, half-meter-long proboscis dripped with foul-smelling mucus.
Poison-Scale Butterfly.
A naturally ferocious wild venomous insect. Danger rating: Mid-tier Novice.
The nightmare was only just beginning.
Immediately after, two more Poison-Scale Butterflies of similar size screeched out from different directions, locking down the airspace.
Rustling noises also began to echo from the depths of the surrounding grass as several hard-shell beetles, each the size of a millstone, crawled out, their giant scissor-like mandibles snapping open and closed.
“It seems the flowers on my main body have bloomed, and the highly concentrated fragrance has lured these locals here.”
Facing this swarm-like situation, Qimeng shrugged casually.
“Even though they're just small fry, they'll barely pass as live combat targets to test the results of our special training over the past few days.”
Xiaomi turned pale.
“I-I can't do it! I'm definitely going to get eaten!”
“Hey, what are you so afraid of?”
Qimeng sighed helplessly and flicked the bee girl's smooth forehead.
“I never said I was leaving you to die alone.”
The slight sting on her forehead and the other girl's casual yet steady tone made Xiaomi bite her lip in disbelief.
She forced down her instinctual trembling, she tightened her grip on her magic wood short spear.
“Then... then at least give me a slightly weaker opponent.”
Qimeng chuckled, raising her finger to point squarely at the largest butterfly leader flying at the very top.
“That biggest one is yours.”
“It would be best if you can kill it on the spot, but failing that, just hold it off.”
“Huh?! How is that weak?! That's clearly the strongest one! You're definitely using this as an excuse for personal revenge!”
“As for the remaining small fry and beetles, I'll clean them all up.”
Without giving the bee girl any chance to complain further, a predator's cold glint erupted in Qimeng's emerald eyes.
Rate on N.U.
