Truth is, everyone who came here had already combed through Tangxue’s trail in Starfate City—moths to a flame, noses full of storm-scent. Most were here to see a talent that felt like a thunderhead coiled in a girl’s frame. Some even dreamed of whisking her off to their own country, like poachers stalking a white deer in moonlight.
This child, still bud-soft with youth, had borne a torrent of raw magic from the Queen of the Blood. She fought alone and shattered a ninth-tier peak Vampire royal, like a pebble cracking ice. Give her a dozen years and she’ll hit ninth-tier Supreme. A false god wouldn’t be out of reach, just one more step up the sky.
For a girl like that, pride is a robe you throw aside. You bend, you bargain, you pull her in.
“Giggle~ Miss Shrine Maiden, aren’t you a bit impatient?” The voice was velvet over steel. It belonged to the Dawn Church—one of their bishops, the Shadow under the First Sun, Tan Zhen, from the same church Ye Muhuan calls home. “Honestly, I think our little one fits the Dawn Church’s Holy Maiden more than any shrine hall. We’re all human, after all. It’s easier to breathe under one roof.”
“And… I came with a second reason. That little fox Ye Muhuan asked me to pass a message. She really misses little sister Tangxue. She hopes you’ll visit when you have the time…”
“Next time for sure.” The words slipped out smooth as tea.
Me, go find that creepy loli-chaser? Ha.
Tan Zhen didn’t catch the bite under my smile. I said it too fast; she took it for truth.
“Then little sister Tangxue has to come next time~”
“Mhm.”
A dwarven representative, a woman with hands like forged bronze, spoke up. “Qingsheng Tangxue, little sister, are you interested in dwarven tech? With your talent, in only a few years you could—”
“Sorry. Not interested.”
“…”
Be real. I skip academy classes like falling leaves; you think I’ve got time to learn dwarven tech? Sure, their craft soared after that strange hero from another world showed up, but class is class.
“Miss Tangxue, on behalf of—”
“You really think I’m air.” Ling Xuewei’s voice dropped the room a few degrees, frost pricking every skin.
“Royal Sister, I’m taking… Tangxue and leaving. You all carry on. Bye.”
Xuewei stood, and like staking a flag on a mountaintop, she tugged my chain and hauled me to my feet.
“Easy, teacher! I can walk myself—oof…”
“Impressive. You manage to trip on flat ground.” Xuewei sounded done with me.
You’ve got the wrong idea about tripping on flat ground…
I shot her a sulky look.
“By the way, Kareya, anything else? If not, shall we head back to the Demon domains together?”
“Nothing else, Miss Xuewei.” Kareya gave a small smile, stood, bowed to the room, then drifted our way like a breeze across reeds.
With the key players gone, the meeting had no reason to keep beating its wings. Representatives traded a few polite words, and the flock scattered.
On the way out, curiosity tugged me like a river current, and I asked the always-smiling Kareya, “Kareya, sis… why do you all seem to already know my name?”
“Well~ don’t you have any self-awareness, little sister Tangxue? Do you know how hard your battle in Starfate City shook the continent?” Kareya’s eyes danced, holding back the punchline like a fan half-closed.
“I honestly don’t.” I just remember laying into that short whatever until the air felt clean.
Shengsheng flattened a Vampire.
“When a terrifying, unfamiliar surge of magic burst over Starfate City, everyone thought a new false god had climbed the sky. Eyes from every country swung there at once. A false god means too many things to ignore. But when they aimed the Heaven’s Eye at Starfate City, there wasn’t… any ‘being’ there. Only a massive scarlet mass of flesh…”
“Mm. I don’t know what happened after that… I heard all this from Ms. Ailei.” Kareya shook her head, as if to shake sleep from petals.
“So it was Ailei. Figures.” I muttered, head down.
“Hm? What are you saying, little sister Tangxue?”
“Ah, talking to myself! Yup, just… talking to myself.”
“Is that so…” Kareya smiled with a shadow of mischief, reached out, and ruffled my hair.
“Ugh, why do you all love patting my head!” I swatted her jade-cool hand away from my skull.
I don’t like it. Okay, it feels nice. But it’ll stunt my growth!
“~” Kareya tucked back her hand, still wanting to pat, and the corner of her mouth tilted in a place I couldn’t see. The next breath, her face was smooth again.
Xuewei finally had enough of our two-bird chatter. “Hey… knock it off. We’re already downstairs.”
“Uh… so where do we—”
Before I finished, Xuewei brought out her long spear with way too much interest. My face bleached like paper under winter sun.
“Absolutely not!” If we do that again, I’m gonna hurl!
“What are you imagining? With Kareya here, why would I pull a stunt like that?” Xuewei gave me the look you give a rock trying to be a fox.
“…” I actually forgot Kareya’s a demon dragon… Back then, Little Jiuqi and I rode her back to go sightseeing.
“It’s fine, little sister Tangxue. Records say IQ rises with age. So don’t feel bad. Besides… you’re very cute right now~” Kareya, under Xuewei’s gaze, pat-pat, touched my head again.
This time, Xuewei didn’t go off???
I remember she used to rage if anyone patted my head in front of her.
“Alright then, Miss Xuewei, little sister Tangxue, let’s go~” Kareya unfurled dragon wings behind us, leapt into the sky, and in a few breaths swelled into her true form. She parked that vast dragon body at our side like a living mountain.
Her true size is much, much larger. Kareya’s wings alone span thousands of meters when she’s not holding back. We’re still in the city, so she forced her form small, like a river coiled into a teacup.
“Let’s go.” This time, Xuewei didn’t yank me around. While I wasn’t looking, she scooped me up in a princess carry. Warm as a quilt, firm as a blade.
“Since we’re on Kareya’s back, we won’t need this chain…”
“Yeah, toss it, Teacher Xuewei! I’m dying here…”
She undid the chain. Then, with a neat twist, cuffed it to my other hand.
“?”
“Don’t look at me like that… I’m just afraid that if I close my eyes, you’ll disappear.” Xuewei turned her head away, the line of her jaw a drawn bow.
Honestly, Ling Xuewei did all this today to warn every wolf eyeing Shengsheng: she’s my woman. Try stealing her, and be ready to burn.
As for that Vampire… if he hadn’t bolted, she’d find a chance to kill him, clean as frost on blade-edge.
“This is too much, Teacher Xuewei! At least don’t cuff it backward!”
“…”
