"You finally made it... But weren't you supposed to arrive by ten in the morning? What took you so long?"
The next day, Little Senti stood at the foot of Mount Taixuan, looking curiously at Lynelle, Kiana, and Lixue, who had arrived late.
"Well... how do I put this..."
Lynelle's expression was a bit odd.
"I originally thought coming to Mount Taixuan would be simple enough—just bring Fu Hua as our guide. But... nobody told me this place has been turned into a nature reserve!"
"As soon as Kiana teleported us here, we triggered a Honkai energy detection alarm in Shenzhou. It scared us into taking a huge detour just to avoid being caught and fined."
"We thought about projecting a car to drive here, but there's even a speed limit around here. We ended up circling forever before finally finding the right path..."
"Ah, that..." Hearing Lynelle's account, Little Senti guiltily averted her eyes.
"All that... was probably added recently. Some minor Honkai outbreaks happened here not long ago, so I went to handle them... and then the Shenzhou authorities caught me, talking about 'the immortal emerging from the mountain' or something..."
"So you half-willingly agreed to have Mount Taixuan designated as a protected area, right?" Lynelle's mouth twitched.
She could already imagine the label Shenzhou must have given Little Senti.
"But in that case, those Honkai energy detectors aren't related to tourism—they're just there because of the recent Honkai frequency?"
"Pretty much." Little Senti nodded.
"It's strange, though. When I left before, I remember setting up many formations here and using at least dozens of Fenghuang Down Feathers for energy supply and as array cores."
"In theory, this place should maintain a high Honkai energy concentration without triggering outbreaks. Shenzhou's records confirm that..."
"But for some reason, ever since I came back, the Will of Honkai seems to have it out for me. It keeps spawning Honkai beasts nearby every couple of days..."
"Um..." Lynelle and Lixue, who knew the truth, exchanged a subtle glance before changing the subject.
"Anyway, let's put the environment aside for now and head up. Otherwise, given Big Sister Hua's current fame, someone might sneak a photo of you..."
"Alright, let's go up the mountain and get something to eat first."
"No rush about the thing you mentioned—we can check out what's going on with your version of Fu Hua this afternoon... By the way, why hasn't she said a word?"
"Oh, that's because her existence relies entirely on that feather from the Fenghuang Down, so she usually needs to conserve energy..."
Lynelle glanced subtly at Fu Hua, who was intently studying Elysia's book, [One Hundred Little Tricks for Getting Along with Babies], and quickly made up an excuse.
"Huh? That's way too rough on her." Little Senti's mouth twitched again.
"Lixue... you haven't reached the level in Taixu Sword Qi where you can use psychic perception?"
"Forgive me, Master. This disciple is slow. I've only managed to build resistance to mental attacks with Taixu Sword Qi so far. I can't use it offensively like you, nor can I control it freely..."
"It's fine, it's fine—" Looking at Lixue, whose courtesy and reverence (as seen in the "respectful" gaze she kept fixed on Little Senti) far exceeded that of the seven disciples in her own memory, Little Senti couldn't help feeling more and more pleased.
"When I have time, I'll teach you myself. But about that feather on you... maybe leave it with me for now. I'll supply her energy. At the very least, I can keep her manifested for 24 hours without issue."
"This... taking care of Master is originally this disciple's duty. Wouldn't it be too much if you were to provide for her..."
"Don't worry, it's no trouble." Little Senti waved her hand grandly.
"This is nothing. Even ten or eight of her level of consumption wouldn't be a problem for me!"
"T-ten or eight Masters appearing at once..." Lixue's breathing grew slightly rapid, and an unhealthy blush rose to her cheeks.
"Hey, hey..."
Seeing loyalty practically overflowing from Lixue, Lynelle gently tugged her sleeve to bring the girl back to her senses, then turned to Little Senti.
"Big Sister Hua, since you said there's no rush, let's eat first... By the way, is there food on Mount Taixuan?"
"Now you've asked the right person." Little Senti immediately patted her chest.
"If you'd come three or four days earlier, there really might not have been any—well, not exactly none, but you might not have liked it."
"I wouldn't like it...?" Lynelle paused. "Big Sister Hua, you don't mean... pickled mustard greens, do you?"
"You really get me!" Little Senti made a strange, conflicted face.
"When I first returned to Mount Taixuan, my memories weren't fully restored."
"I only remembered storing some food back in the day, preserved with Honkai energy. Even if the quality was iffy, with this body of mine, it wouldn't make me sick."
"But who knew—after digging for ages based on my memories—" Little Senti pointed to the side, where what looked like a vegetable patch had been dug into dozens of large holes.
"I did find food, but it was all pickled mustard greens that had been fermenting for centuries!"
"Good heavens, why did my past self pickle so much of that stuff?! Even though it wasn't spoiled, just one whiff almost made me throw up."
"If my body weren't so resistant to hunger—able to go days without eating—I might have caught and roasted one of the Jingwei in Mount Taixuan!"
Lynelle: "Jingwei?"
Lixue: "Caught?"
A drooling Kiana: "Roasted?"
"Hey, hey, don't get any funny ideas." Little Senti quickly waved her hands.
"On one hand, influenced by the Honkai energy here, these plump Jingwei have developed simple intelligence and even split into two varieties: Black Jingwei and Jingwei. On the other hand..."
"Jingwei are now a first-class protected species in Shenzhou. Eating one would land you in jail."
The sudden, very Shenzhou-style twist left all three momentarily speechless.
"So, Big Sister Hua, how did you solve your food problem in the end?" Lynelle asked curiously.
At this, Little Senti immediately perked up with pride.
"I was starving on the mountain for three days, only nibbling on some offerings left by tourists at the immortal statue."
"Then, on the fourth day, I noticed a few villages nearby. One of them seemed to have Honkai beasts around it, so I went down and saved them."
"And then... hehe, to thank the great immortal for her grace, the villagers offering some delicious food, fruits, and vegetables is only reasonable, right?"
"Pfft—"
Lynelle couldn't hold back a laugh.
"Hey, hey, I saved their lives! Eating a little isn't too much to ask, is it?" Little Senti thought Lynelle was laughing at her showy heroics and hurriedly defended herself.
"No, no, I just mean... Big Sister Hua, you're really adorable."
Lynelle blinked and simultaneously sent a message to Fu Hua within the feather.
"See, I told you Little Senti is a law-abiding good girl, didn't I?"
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.