She had also grilled lots of this delicious meat for him, and even fed it to him herself.
...It was the most delicious food he had ever eaten in his life.
The boy under the cloak’s eyes flickered. He couldn’t help but purse his crimson lips. Imitating the other Beastmen, he cut off a strip of roasted meat with his knife and fork and began to chew.
The roasted meat, crispy on the outside and tender within, burst with juice on his tongue. The spices and side dishes were a perfect match. But perhaps he was remembering things too fondly; Qi Yuan still felt it wasn’t as delicious as what she had grilled with her own hands.
The man in black gave him a curious look. It was rare to see the withdrawn, cautious, and anorexic boy eat so heartily.
’Oh well, he’s just a child, after all.’ The man didn’t bother him, instead losing himself in thought.
The man in black looked at the scene outside the shop.
Crowds dressed in colorful fabrics flowed by endlessly, and tightly packed buildings stood shoulder to shoulder.
’So many years have passed. Everything now is completely different from the savage era I once lived in.’
’This city is indeed prosperous, and the food is delicious. Even I can barely resist the temptation.’
"So, who is she? Do you have any leads?" Qi Yuan asked after finishing his meal.
Picking out a single, unusual soul from tens of thousands of Beastmen was no simple task.
"Back when I summoned her, I didn’t have the energy to lock onto her soul and track it. I thought the matter would be lost forever, but unexpectedly, she’s revealed far too much."
The man in black smiled faintly. "Have you heard of this city’s City Lord? The Beastmen from the surrounding tribes call her the Goddess. She used her supreme wisdom to bring endless wealth and prosperity to this city..."
"No matter how you look at it, she doesn’t seem like a person of this world. While I can’t be certain it’s her, I’d say it’s a safe bet."
Qi Yuan nodded. "Then how are we going to find her?"
"She has a King Beast by her side, so it’s difficult to get close." The man in black stood up and strode to the doorway. "No need for us to go looking for her. See? Here she comes now."
A black and red snake tail suddenly swept through, instantly destroying more than half the shop. The Beastman owner cried out in terror, but stopped short when he saw who it was.
"L-Lord City Lord!" The owner stared in shock at the grim, bloodthirsty Snake Beast, his legs trembling like cooked noodles. "And... and Lord Mi Yin..."
"Go to Ling Hong for reimbursement for the damages to your shop."
With that, the two vanished.
The Beastman owner heaved a great sigh of relief. He suddenly remembered the two customers who had been eating inside and turned in alarm, only to find that they too had vanished.
...
The cold wind howled high in the sky, scraping against her face. Her ears roared as if filled with water. The wind whipped An Jin’s hair into a frenzy, plastering it across her face. She had to keep brushing it away to see.
The powerful, sculpted chest pressed against her back was incredibly reassuring. She tilted her face up slightly, able to see only the clean line of Mi Yin’s jaw as his long, black and red hair brushed against her face.
She looked down again, her gaze falling to the receding ground below. She couldn’t resist hooking her arms around his neck, pressing their bodies even closer together.
"...You can actually fly?" she asked, blinking as she saw the two large, black and red wings on his back.
"I’m a Soaring Snake," Mi Yin said with an amused chuckle. "I couldn’t before, but I’ve been able to ever since my bloodline awakened. I’m just so used to slithering that I’ve never used them."
"But now... it’s not bad. I like flying with you." Mi Yin’s gaze drifted into the ethereal clouds for a moment before returning to her. Seeing her panicked expression as she clung to him, terrified of falling, he pulled her even closer.
At the same time, now free from the confines of the city, Mi Yin unleashed his King Beast Domain to its full extent over the jungle.
The world instantly darkened. The surroundings, once bright as day, became as gloomy as night. Mi Yin, still holding her, landed barefoot on the soft grass. His black and red wings folded behind his back. In this darkness, nothing could escape his sight.
An Jin jumped down from his arms. His snake tail had already swept the gravel aside, so the grass that met her feet was as soft and gentle as a carpet.
She, too, silently released her spiritual power. Her Divine Sense extended countless tendrils, probing every corner of the forest. Not even the slightest stir of a leaf or blade of grass could escape their combined search.
As they walked, a thick, black, acrid smoke suddenly drifted through the trees, stinging her eyes and making them water.
An Jin instinctively raised an arm to her forehead, closing her eyes.
When she opened her eyes again, she was all alone. Mi Yin was nowhere to be found, leaving her by herself in the vast forest.