Chapter 7: The Beast-Eared Girl Who Can’t Speak Human Language
==============================
Little Musashi never thought that Strong Brother would be so “shameless” as to bow down to an NPC they had just met.
Of course, it might be because she had impressed him with her dazzling performance, completely conquering this video game-making big shot with an ego higher than the sky.
To be honest, she was a bit hesitant about whether to include players in the so-called “Extermination of Immortals” organization.
But, considering that as character cards became richer, the Extermination of Immortals organization would inevitably reveal its magnificence, its influence would gradually grow, and it would become a major force in this world.
If the seven great immortal gates of the Human Race could accept players as disciples, then why couldn’t the Extermination of Immortals do the same?
Of course, that would involve a series of issues.
After all, players are the most unreliable beings in this world.
Expecting them to be as loyal to a sect or organization as the natives is utterly impossible.
Therefore, Little Musashi initially didn’t want any relationship between Extermination of Immortals and players.
But Strong Brother’s unexpected actions gave her new thoughts.
What if Strong Brother really was loyal to Extermination of Immortals? Perhaps she could consider making him a formal member.
It’s actually quite simple to test his loyalty; after all, the main body can always log into forums or live streaming rooms. He thinks he’s a player, but NPCs can’t see his true actions behind the scenes.
Even if he shows just a hint of disrespect toward Extermination of Immortals, his so-called identity as Little Musashi’s disciple would be immediately revoked.
Not through a verbal warning, of course, but he’d need to experience the threat of d*ath for it to be effective.
Thinking of this, Little Musashi finally agreed to his request.
Perhaps in the future, she could have him snoop around for secrets regarding other sects to test his loyalty.
At that moment, with less than five hours left until the character card’s mandatory rest time, Little Musashi couldn’t help but feel the pressure.
Given the bizarre situation in Small Cave Heaven, she had no confidence in solving all problems within just a few short hours.
Now, all she could do was take it one step at a time.
…
The three stared at the Beast-Eared Girl for a moment and found that there was no one else in this area besides her.
Little Musashi whispered, “This person must know something.”
Strong Brother glanced around, trying to figure out how to get to the Beast-Eared Girl’s location from this cliff. He would have to take a long detour.
The most straightforward method was obviously to jump down, but considering his and Cold Little Rain’s current abilities, this was akin to a s*icide mission.
Just as he and Cold Little Rain hesitated, Little Musashi spread her arms wide like a soaring roc and leaped down.
“Quick, keep up!”
Strong Brother and Cold Little Rain had no choice but to trek around the mountain.
Sigh, Master is so strong, and yet he feels so weak. It looks like he needs to work hard not to drag Master down in the future.
When they finally arrived breathless at the base of the cliff, the scene they anticipated of Little Musashi having a friendly chat with the Beast-Eared Girl was nowhere to be found. Instead, Little Musashi had just knocked the Beast-Eared Girl flat on her back.
The Beast-Eared Girl struggled desperately, flailing her limbs and occasionally letting out meaningless shrill screams.
The two were stunned; they had thought they could communicate with her, but it turned out this Beast-Eared Girl couldn’t even speak.
No wonder! From the cliff, it was hard to see clearly, but getting closer revealed that she was barely covered by some branches and leaves, large patches of her skin exposed. Perhaps due to not having bathed for a long time, she was covered in dirt and grime.
Little Musashi scratched her head a bit.
If she hadn’t acted so violently, this startled Beast-Eared Girl would have bolted ages ago.
What to do now?
But then, noticing the tightly gripped basket made of vines in the Beast-Eared Girl’s hands, Little Musashi’s mind sparked with a guess.
“Maybe she has companions?” Strong Brother seemed to have thought of the same thing.
Little Musashi raised her foot, and the Beast-Eared Girl sprang up, basket in mouth, her limbs working in tandem as she darted toward the bushes.
“Follow her!”
Without needing Little Musashi to say it, Strong Brother and Cold Little Rain were already hot on her heels.
But thinking about how Master would lose track of her even while chasing someone, Strong Brother couldn’t help but call out an apology and turned back to grab Little Musashi’s hand.
But just at that critical moment, Cold Little Rain shot him a glance and reached out her hand.
Without missing a beat, Little Musashi naturally seized Cold Little Rain’s soft arm.
Strong Brother turned to stone on the spot.
“Hahaha, Strong Brother, what were you dreaming about?”
“Dude, on your first day of apprenticing, you want to learn from Yang Guo?
If you’re so skilled, why not chop off your own arm and look for a big bird to ride on? Only then will we consider giving you the thumbs up.”
“I’m dying of laughter! Strong Brother plotted for so long just for this moment, and then halfway, he got hijacked by Little Rain, hahaha!”
“Great job, Little Rain! Don’t give that dog head any opportunities!”
Without further ado, the Beast-Eared Girl, clearly well-acquainted with this jungle, quickly shook off the three, leaving them without a trace of her.
But luckily, birds leave trails, and the three followed the path she left behind, weaving through the dense forest.
After overcoming numerous obstacles, a lake about the size of a football field appeared before them, and next to it, a makeshift house constructed from bits of tree branches came into view.
The Beast-Eared Girl they had been chasing was now squatting in front of the house, lowly murmuring something to a plain-looking middle-aged woman.
The woman nodded and gently stroked the Beast-Eared Girl’s head.
Only then did the latter’s emotions begin to calm down.
But soon, the Beast-Eared Girl caught wind of the three’s footsteps and immediately stood up, baring her teeth and growling in a threatening manner.
The middle-aged woman, however, remained indifferent, neither happy nor sad.
Strong Brother’s heart raced; this was the perfect moment for him to showcase his outstanding communication skills!
If he succeeded, Master would surely see him in a new light.
“Um… We mean no harm, we just got lost and happened to see this girl gathering mushrooms, so we just followed her.”
Cold Little Rain chimed in, “Yeah, ma’am… uh, Auntie.
We just want to ask where this place is and how we can leave.”
Little Musashi crossed her arms and scrutinized the middle-aged woman closely.
The Beast-Eared Girl was definitely from the monster race—that was for sure—but this middle-aged woman bore no trace of demon energy.
What kind of duo were a human and a half-demon living in the jungle together?
Finally, the middle-aged woman spoke.
“Once you enter here, don’t think you can leave.”
She shook her head, pulling the Beast-Eared Girl back into the house and firmly shutting the door, seemingly unwilling to talk more with the three.
Strong Brother was getting anxious and stepped closer, shouting through the wall, “How could there be no way out? Can you tell us why?”
After a long pause, a ghostly voice came from within.
“Those who wished to leave are all dead.
Only those who stay here can barely cling to life.”
“…How could that be?”
After that, the house fell silent again.
While Strong Brother was puzzled, suddenly a firework shot up from the chimney, bursting into a loud explosion in the sky.
