Chapter 882: First Encounter
Chapter 882: First Encounter (Combined)
Qingqing?
Qingqing Ni's voice?
Qiao Sang’s eyes instantly widened with shock, confusion, and suddenness, leaving her momentarily speechless.
"Qingqing?"
It wasn’t until the ethereal, childlike voice called out again that Qiao Sang finally reacted, her heart rate inevitably speeding up.
She turned her head, looking at the empty space behind her, and tentatively asked:
"Qingqing Ni?"
"Qingqing~"
The voice sounded again, but this time, the tone was completely different.
It was definitely Qingqing Ni... Realizing this, Qiao Sang’s expression became somewhat dazed.
Could she really have found Qingqing Ni from the Legend so easily?
"Xunxun~"
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker curiously floated toward the source of the voice, looking around but seeing nothing.
"Steel Blade."
At that moment, Steel Treasure called out, translating the two "Qingqing" calls.
Was it asking her to wait?
Qiao Sang was taken aback, completely surprised that her simple "wait" had actually stopped Qingqing Ni.
Was Qingqing Ni really that simple?
Would it so easily engage with a stranger?
Qiao Sang’s mind raced, but she maintained a calm exterior, nodding silently:
"Yes, I was asking you to wait."
Steel Treasure quietly glanced at its Beastmaster.
"Xunxun!"
Hearing this, Treasure Seeker’s eyes lit up, and it stared at Qiao Sang with admiration.
Her Beastmaster was amazing, actually seeing something it couldn’t!
"Qingqing?"
Qingqing Ni’s voice sounded again, this time with a hint of confusion.
"Steel Blade."
Steel Treasure translated in her mind.
It was asking if there was something wrong.
Qiao Sang looked in the direction where Treasure Seeker was, not sure where to focus, and fixed her gaze on a spot to the left of Treasure Seeker, speaking sincerely:
"I just want to see what you look like. Is that okay?"
Qingqing Ni’s original form wasn’t wind, but it could transform into wind and move through various places.
At this moment, Qingqing Ni had already drifted beside Qiao Sang.
It looked at the human in front of it, then at the direction of her gaze, tilting its head in confusion.
Qiao Sang, seeing that Qingqing Ni wasn’t speaking, feared it might leave and quickly reassured it:
"I don’t mean anything by it. I just want to see what you look like."
Pausing, she added: "If you could take a photo with me, that would be even better."
"Qingqing?"
Qingqing Ni’s voice finally sounded again.
"Steel Blade."
Steel Treasure translated in her mind.
It was asking what a photo was.
Qiao Sang: "..."
That made sense. Qingqing Ni had always been in the Hidden Realm, essentially a wild beast companion, so it wouldn’t know what a photo was... Qiao Sang only paused for a second before taking out her mobile phone, snapping a photo of Treasure Seeker, who was still looking around, and then flipping the screen to face forward, explaining:
"See, this is taking a photo. In simple terms, it’s about capturing and preserving a moment."
Qingqing Ni, which had been looking at the mobile phone screen, had to drift in front of the screen to continue watching.
There was still nothing visible in the air in front of her.
Qiao Sang felt a bit anxious, her mind racing with various thoughts.
Had Qingqing Ni already left?
If it had, that would be pretty normal.
Honestly, Qingqing Ni’s response to her "wait" was quite surprising, making it seem overly simple and innocent...
It was like the young beast in a blogger’s video, freshly hatched from a Beast Companion Egg, wobbling over to anyone who called out to it...
Thinking about this, Qiao Sang felt a bit regretful.
This is Qingqing Ni, the familiar of the Legend. How could she be like those newly hatched young beasts from Beast Companion Eggs? She shouldn’t waste time with nonsense; instead, she should have Treasure Seeker use Spatial Lockdown to force Qingqing Ni to reveal her original form and take a photo.
It’s all because of that “Qingqing” that clouded her mind...
“Qingqing~”
In the blink of an eye, a familiar appeared before her. It was about 30 centimeters tall, with a body as white as snow, gradually blending into a sky-like pure blue. The white antennae on its head looked like two little pigtails, and its eyes were oval and a strikingly clear blue. Its lower body was covered in fluffy Cloud Steps.
Qiao Sang: “!!!”
Her thoughts froze, and she felt as if her heart had been struck.
So, so cute...
“Qingqing~”
Qingqing Ni curved her eyes into a sweet smile.
“Steel Blade.”
Steel Treasure’s voice echoed in her mind.
It said it was willing to take a photo.
So, so cute... Qiao Sang’s heart was hit by another arrow.
“Xunxun!”
Treasure Seeker floated beside Qingqing Ni, curiously examining her.
So, this is what you look like.
“Qingqing~”
Qingqing Ni gave Treasure Seeker a sweet smile.
Treasure Seeker paused, then grinned and returned the smile.
Qiao Sang took a deep breath, steadied her excited emotions, picked up her mobile phone, and aimed it at herself and Qingqing Ni.
“Xunxun~”
Treasure Seeker moved into the frame.
Just then, an unusual gale blew up.
“Qingqing...”
Qingqing Ni looked up, but then lowered her head and looked at the camera.
“I’m done. Take a look, isn’t it lovely!” Qiao Sang turned the mobile phone screen toward Qingqing Ni and shared it.
“Qingqing.”
Qingqing Ni looked apologetic, called out, and then transformed into wind, disappearing from sight.
Why did it leave... Qiao Sang was stunned, and a sense of melancholy washed over her.
“Steel Blade.”
Steel Treasure called out, indicating that it had said it had something to do and had to leave.
“Xunxun...”
Treasure Seeker also felt a bit melancholic.
If it was leaving, why didn’t it even look at the photo...
Then, Treasure Seeker seemed to remember something and floated beside the mobile phone screen, starting to admire the photo it had taken with its Beastmaster and Qingqing Ni.
“Steel Blade?”
Steel Treasure looked at its Beastmaster, who seemed lost in thought, and called out, indicating that the mission was complete, Qingqing Ni had been found, and what should they do next?
Qiao Sang was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, “What do you think of Qingqing Ni?”
“Xunxun~”
Treasure Seeker was the first to respond.
It’s pretty good, seems to have a nice personality, and its smile is lovely.
“Steel Blade?”
Steel Treasure called out, indicating that she wanted it to become their companion?
Those who know me, know me well!
Qiao Sang’s eyes lit up as she looked at Steel Treasure and began to speak non-stop: “Don’t you think Qingqing Ni is really cute? It just met us, yet it smiled at us and was willing to take a photo, unlike those wild...”
At this point, she noticed Steel Treasure staring at her quietly, paused, and then continued:
“Unlike those wild beast companions, which are so independent and always on guard. I think it will get along well with us.”
To be honest, before meeting Qingqing Ni, she hadn’t even considered bonding with it.
After all, a familiar from the Legend, how could it be so easily bonded? The idea of bonding a familiar from the Legend seemed unrealistic.
Even movies and TV shows wouldn't dare let the protagonist do something like this, fearing that the audience would say it was unrealistic, illogical, and purely random.
But Qingqing Ni's appearance hit her aesthetic sweet spot.
Then she realized that Qingqing Ni was exactly the type of familiar she didn't have—a Fairy-type.
Fairy-type familiars, known as the bane of dragons, completely ignore the damage from dragon attributes. Additionally, they are rare and generally have exceptionally beautiful appearances, making them one of the favorite attributes among Beastmasters.
However, due to the limited number of Fairy-type familiars, very few Beastmasters have bonded with them.
Qingqing Ni, although a Legend-class familiar, was still a Basic Familiar.
More importantly, Qingqing Ni's Evolution limit was Divine Rank.
And she, Qiao Sang, had just developed a new blank Bond Page.
Junior, Fairy-type, Evolution limit of Divine Rank, such a good personality, and so cute—this familiar was practically perfect for her bond standards, even surpassing her original expectations.
Though it was a Legend-class familiar, hadn't someone successfully bonded with one before?
If others could do it, why couldn't she?
The more Qiao Sang thought about it, the more it made sense.
The key to Secret Realm 16, the Gentle Breeze Compass, and the new Beastmaster Page developed before the Hidden Realm opened—wasn't all of this hinting that she could consider Qingqing Ni?
"Xunxun!"
The Treasure Seeker's eyes lit up, calling out to show its approval of the idea of having Qingqing Ni as a companion.
That Qingqing Ni looked so easy to deceive; it might even become its second Little Brother!
"Steel Blade."
Steel Treasure, with a calm expression, called out, indicating that a Gale had just passed by, possibly one of Qingqing Ni's elders. They might not let them take Qingqing Ni.
Qiao Sang fell silent for a moment.
Indeed, she had also noticed that sudden Gale.
Qingqing Ni's innocent eyes gave it a newborn Treasure Seeker-like feel, clearly marking it as a young creature.
Someone had bonded with a Qingqing Ni in the Hidden Realm, which meant that there wasn't just one in Secret Realm 16.
Elders, huh? She had no idea what Level they had Evolved to…
"Steel Blade?"
Seeing that their Beastmaster hadn't spoken for a while, Steel Treasure called out, asking if they should go after it now?
Qiao Sang picked up the Gentle Breeze Compass, her gaze resolute, and said:
"Chase!"
Whether they could successfully bond or not, they had to at least try.
Steel Treasure's wings flapped, and it immediately flew in the direction they had come from.
…
Five hours later.
High in the sky.
Lulu woke up, emerged from the backpack, and immediately cast a Healing Light on Qiao Sang and Steel Treasure.
After checking the surroundings and finding no danger, it retreated back into the backpack.
"Ice Emperor?"
Then, Lulu emerged again, jumping onto its Beastmaster's head. After carefully examining the surroundings, it called out, indicating that this wasn't the way back, was it?
Qiao Sang was a bit surprised: "You were in the backpack the whole time, and you were still keeping track of the path?"
"Ice Emperor."
Lulu answered patiently.
When the Treasure Seeker had moved earlier, it had briefly poked its head out here, so it remembered the place.
Hearing this, Qiao Sang looked down.
Below, the trees in the valley looked abnormally strange, like giant leeches piercing through the clouds.
The surrounding fog was indeed quite memorable.
"I'm chasing Qingqing Ni; it's heading in this direction", Qiao Sang said, glancing at the Gentle Breeze Compass to answer Lulu's previous question.
Strangely, even though Qingqing Ni was a Basic Familiar and she hadn't taken long to start the chase, Steel Treasure, a General-Class Beast Companion, still hadn't caught up.
You see, it had already been five hours...
Suddenly, a pungent wave of toxic gas blew up from below.
"Steel Blade."
Steel Treasure instantly grew alert, flapping its wings to rise to a higher altitude.
Qiao Sang gathered his thoughts and looked down.
Above the trees that pierced through the clouds, three astonishingly long, mostly purple, and fearsomely grotesque snake familiars had appeared at some point.
They supported their bodies, staring over with cold, malevolent eyes.
Toxic Vipers, General-Class Poison-Type Familiars, enjoy hiding in dense foliage, waiting for prey to enter their attack range before spraying toxic gas. They have a strong territorial sense and dislike unfamiliar creatures entering their territory... Qiao Sang recalled the information about the snake familiars below and said:
"Blade Feather."
Without a word, Steel Treasure spread its wings, then its body shook, and it didn't immediately cast Blade Feather.
At the same time, Qiao Sang felt a slight pain in his body.
The next second, a deep blue light enveloped Steel Treasure, as well as Qiao Sang and Fangy on its back.
"Steel Blade!"
In the Cobalt Blue Light, Steel Treasure steadied itself, flapping its wings downward with force.
The sky was bathed in a purple glow, and the feather blades, like a torrential rain, attacked downward with ferocity.
The three Toxic Vipers, realizing the situation, quickly jumped down from the treetops.
Countless Purple Blades fell into the eerie valley.
Soon, the cries of various familiars echoed one after another.
The Purple Blades spun upward and reinserted themselves into Steel Treasure's body.
Qiao Sang glanced at the Gentle Breeze Compass and said:
"Let's continue on our journey."
As he spoke, a commotion arose from below.
Then, in large numbers, mostly black and purple bird familiars flew up to the sky, their expressions fierce as they lunged at Steel Treasure!
There were so many that they nearly obscured the valley below!
Qiao Sang was taken aback, his heart rate involuntarily quickening.
So many Points!
"Fangy! Wake up quickly!" Qiao Sang shouted instinctively.
"Fangy!"
Fangy opened its eyes, and when it saw the flock of bird familiars, it immediately perked up and became fully alert.
"Ya Ya!"
Fangy teleported to a higher position, gradually growing larger, then opened its mouth and spat out a red energy ball filled with terrifying power.
"Steel Blade."
Steel Treasure flapped its wings downward with force again.
"Xunxun~"
Before Treasure Seeker, hundreds of Ghostly Green Flames, exuding a cold aura, appeared out of nowhere.
"Ice Emperor."
Lulu opened its mouth, and a thick Water Mist immediately spread in the air, blocking the vision of all the incoming Flying-Type bird familiars.
The white Water Mist obscured the bird familiars' vision and made their bodies heavy.
Amidst the chaos, a rain of flames, Purple Blades, and Ghostly Green Flames descended suddenly.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Amidst the deafening explosions, cries of pain echoed continuously.
After an unknown amount of time, the Water Mist dissipated, and the bird familiars fell like a black rain into the valley.
If not for encountering particularly powerful familiars, the Hidden Realm could actually be a good place to farm Points... Qiao Sang thought, picking up the Gentle Breeze Compass and staring at it in confusion.
Why has the Gentle Breeze Compass stopped spinning?! (End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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