Chapter 37: The World in Dreams (VII)
The ponytailed girl stroked her smooth chin, muttering to herself, "He's so handsome. That person is said to be extremely good-looking too. Could it be that everyone with this name is exceptionally attractive?"
"What?" Her whispered murmur naturally didn't escape Zhang Zhaoqi's ears—the cold, austere young man rarely bothered to ask follow-up questions.
"Nothing. Just thinking about someone else." The girl shelved her contemplation, then flicked her hair at Zhang Zhaoqi, her tender white fingers gently threading through the silky strands. This gesture, carrying obvious color contrasts, was extremely bewitching, yet the people around them seemed blind, their gazes sliding right past her.
The beastmen's gazes all gathered somewhere else. The young man she had been making eye contact with, Zhang Zhaoqi, turned his head back expressionlessly. From his flat gaze, the girl inexplicably sensed a hint of disdain.
Then she saw Zhang Zhaoqi gazing at Qi An with a lightly interested expression, and a rare glimmer of amusement flickering in his eyes.
MD, was her earlier gesture really so dirty it offended his eyes?!
This subtle message conveyed through his gaze made the girl silently grind her teeth inside.
She couldn't help but think back to yesterday.
They had barely settled in this world. The moment they found a foothold, Zhang Zhaoqi—the cold, ruthless guy—had demanded they travel through the night to this Hurricane Tribe. She'd wondered at the time why someone like Zhang Zhaoqi would suddenly make such an unreasonable request, forcing her to eat dust the whole way and always coldly criticizing her for walking too slowly.
Turns out! He was in such a rush to see his beloved!
Hmph!
Silently sticking pins in a voodoo doll in her heart, the girl勉强 maintained her composure without letting her face twist, her gaze drifting to Qi An once more as she pondered.
Just... it was strange.
Their companion wasn't in any danger at all, and the dream's owner had arranged for him an exceptionally advantageous identity. What's more, his name was... Qi An.
Although his personality seemed completely different from that person's, she always felt a sense of subtle danger rising in her heart. Thinking about his relationship with the other two people in this dream according to what the beastmen had said, the girl's hand paused.
Although it might bring danger to this young man, to complete the mission, she still wanted to conduct some experiments. However, the girl's fingers unconsciously stretched out, pressing against her red lips.
She had to avoid Zhang Zhaoqi.
"We have already learned about the three of you from Chief Lin, but matters concerning the deity are of great significance. We have no way to confirm whether your identities are genuine, and as for your claim that the Beast God has been controlled by the evil god, that is even more impossible to judge." The chief of the Hurricane Tribe, sitting in the main seat, spoke. "So I have invited our tribe's priest. Once he arrives, we can formally discuss these matters concerning the evil god. Is that acceptable?"
"Of course." The reply came from the girl with the bamboo hat. Her voice was cold, yet carried an aristocratic coolness from within her very bones.
Influenced by her words, traces of hesitation appeared on the beastmen's faces.
During the wait for the priest, the reception hall fell into silence. The beastmen still focused their attention on Qi An, their expressions and gazes shifting with every subtle movement of the young man. Meanwhile, Zhang Zhaoqi and the others sat composed, quietly waiting, with no交流 between them.
When the priest arrived, he was still wearing that distinctive robe. Upon seeing him enter, beastmen from every tribe stood up, nodding slightly in his direction.
Not every tribal priest received such treatment, but Moer's status was extremely high in the beastman world. Beastmen he had helped were scattered across the entire world, and his prestige was second only to the Beast God. Therefore, even if tribes were subtly in conflict, or if the Beast God truly had a problem, the respect for him never diminished.
Especially in such a solemn moment.
Qi An, who had already understood this world's rules, naturally rose with the others, but his expression momentarily froze, and a hint of complexity flickered across his handsome face.
This fleeting change immediately drew Zhang Zhaoqi's attention. He turned to look at the priest, his expression growing even colder, and the hand resting on the table began to clench.
Because Zhang Zhaoqi and the others didn't stand, hostile gazes from the surrounding beastmen also fell upon them. This不满的目光 made the ponytailed girl somewhat restless. She adjusted her posture, glancing at Zhang Zhaoqi, who remained as steady as a mountain. Then she rose silently. The girl with the bamboo hat gave her a look and also stood up quietly, but only showed a hint of respect—she did not bow like the beastmen.
After a long while, Zhang Zhaoqi finally rose, his expression cold.
But the priest didn't seem to notice these niceties. His steps maintained a consistent rhythm throughout, yet when he passed by Qi An, he gently smiled at him, then continued to his seat.
Zhang Zhaoqi's eyes deepened considerably.
Even Evan, sitting further back, furrowed his brow tightly, his expression unreadable as he lowered his head.
[You mean the paper moved again the moment the priest came in?] Qi An returned to his seat.
[Yes, yes. It suddenly moved and scared me half to death.] The system's voice carried a hint of panic.
[Why would it move now?] Qi An was somewhat puzzled. [It's not the first time meeting the priest.]
[Could it not mean anything special? Just routine twitching?] The system suggested.
[Unlikely.] Qi An thought it over carefully, then softly parted his lips. This paper should have something to do with his fiancée. In the last world, it moved the moment he saw Gu Wang.
Qi An deliberated in his heart, his mind unconsciously recalling the two intertwined flowers he had seen in the temple that day. Two seemingly incompatible individuals, yet when truly wound together, they were surprisingly浑然一体.
Qi An's heart raced a bit. Could it be that the presence of the priest alone couldn't trigger its reaction—someone else needed to be present as well?
Zhang Zhaoqi and the others were impossible. During the last ritual, all the tribes under the Hurricane Tribe were present—so it must be...
The other tribes.
Inside the room, the priest's discussion with Zhang Zhaoqi and the others continued, but suddenly a rustling sound rang out from outside. This was the sound of rapid movement through the jungle, brushing against grass and trees.
And the sound grew increasingly urgent, as if whoever was coming was in a rush.
The conversation inside the room came to an abrupt halt.
The one who entered was a beastman with flower-white hair. He stumbled in, tripping on the tall step and tumbling forward, his whole body flopping onto the ground. Driven by a sense of filial respect for the elderly, although he had interrupted the serious discussion in the reception hall, those nearby intended to step forward and help him up.
But when he grabbed the old man's arm, he couldn't help but mutter in a low voice, "Something feels a bit strange."
It wasn't the bony, bony feeling one would expect, but rather soft, smooth, like...
Suddenly, the young beastman supporting the old man froze, then turned to look at the old man's arm, discovering that indeed a layer of fur had grown upon it, continuously spreading along the body.
Even while being supported, the old man's body felt boneless—no, that wasn't right. It was as if he couldn't stand upright in human form. The young man was momentarily stunned, looking helplessly at the other beastmen, not quite sure how to handle this beastman who was about to transform.
Yet he saw their expressions were especially grave.
And, faintly, they had all taken a few steps back.
The young man startled, lowering his head to look again at the old man leaning against him, only to find the old man's face—now somewhere between beast and human—turning toward him. His eyes were a mass of crimson red, mouth gaping wide, tongue不知道为什么 growing longer and longer, hanging limply below.
His features twisted, lips continuously writhing, as if trying to say something, but because of that long tongue, only continuous hmph-haha的气音 could be produced from his mouth. As if frustrated at being unable to express his meaning, the old man's facial movements grew increasingly exaggerated.
The hands that had become claws trembled feebly, reaching toward his mouth, positioning themselves in front of the tongue, then fiddling with the exposed tongue. The sharp claws cut through the red, tender tongue, blood continuously dripping down. Still, the old man couldn't speak.
The priest's expression sharpened. With a casual wave of his hand, a cluster of light shone upon the old man. The wound on the tongue immediately receded. The old man's expression changed. He stiffly tried to raise his arm, but the next second he completely transformed into a beast form, held死死 by this cluster of light.
"This is the power of the evil god. It can cause beastmen to degenerate into wild beasts. I cannot suppress the evil god's power. To prevent it from harming us, I can only keep it困住 for now." The priest's cool voice rang out. "I wonder if the three of you have any solutions?"
The girl with the bamboo hat rose, then shook her head.
[It seemed like it was trying to say something just now? How strange—it actually seems to still retain reason.] Qi An bit his lip, only to discover that the beast was looking at him.
Its eyes were a mass of crimson red, but without any ferociousness. Instead, they had a damp, watery quality.
Qi An startled. He felt as if this beast didn't want to harm him.
Qi An raised his eyelids. In the end, with all eyes upon him, he stood up and walked to the beast's side.
A delicate female ran to the side of a ferocious beast. The surrounding beastmen immediately abandoned their shock, wanting to block his path, fearing this beast might break through the priest's restraint and harm the young man.
But the next second, they all froze.
The beast that had just been lashing out suddenly became docile. Its entire body stiffened as it stood up straight, then watched Qi An walk to its front with longing eyes—suddenly wagging its tail.
As if it wouldn't harm their female.
Indeed!
How could any creature bear to harm someone as adorable as Qi An!