As far as the eye could see, flames burned unceasingly.
And the culprit, the source of it all, blinked innocently at her, ingratiatingly using its beak to groom her soft, disheveled hair.
The scene was simply too absurd and bizarre.
As Jiang Qingli stared blankly, her fingers loosened their grip slightly.
The Vermilion Bird found an opening and immediately shoved its head into her palm, starting to nuzzle against it.
It even let out a soft, pleasant, and crisp sound from its throat, like a gentle, coaxing purr.
The surrounding crowd watched this scene in shock.
Bai Yiyi, nestled in the arms of her five Beast Husbands, saw this, and her eyes widened in disbelief.
'How is this possible?!'
'When I approached it just now, the Vermilion Bird was extremely hostile and resistant. I tried to suppress it with my spiritual power, but it attacked me.'
'But Jiang Qingli did nothing, and the Vermilion Bird is acting impossibly docile?'
'Could Jiang Qingli's spiritual power be stronger than mine...?'
'Impossible. No, it's impossible. Two years ago, Jiang Qingli hadn't awakened her spiritual power. The Jiang Family tried everything but couldn't induce a secondary differentiation in her. It shouldn't be...'
Bai Yiyi comforted herself inwardly, her gaze fixed on the girl and the bird in the center of the clearing.
"Miss Jiang, Miss Jiang!" the guard captain called to her in a low voice. "Please help us, soothe him!"
Jiang Qingli was a bit embarrassed. "How do I soothe him? I don't know how to use my spiritual power yet..."
Hearing this, the guards looked helpless.
The Vermilion Bird Clan had always been mysterious. This particular Vermilion Bird had appeared suddenly in the city district, and no one knew what had happened to it.
But logically, after being soothed by spiritual power, it should have reverted to its human form. Why was it still in its full beast form...?
The Vermilion Bird suddenly turned, shielding Jiang Qingli under its wing and letting out a sharp cry at the guards.
It was afraid the others would harm Jiang Qingli.
The sound wave kicked up a gust of wind, plastering fallen leaves across the guards' faces.
The guard captain wiped his face and said with a pained look, "In that case, could you stall for a bit? We're having a new cage brought over."
Jiang Qingli nodded and patted the Vermilion Bird's head.
A soft rumble came from the Vermilion Bird's throat. It sheltered Jiang Qingli in its wings, its entire being radiating pleasure.
A few minutes later, the new cage arrived. This one was even more heavy-duty.
The guard captain didn't dare to approach rashly. He turned to Jiang Qingli. "Miss Jiang, if you could help us..."
Jiang Qingli asked, "What will happen to it after it's in the cage?"
The guard captain said, "Our initial assessment is that this Vermilion Bird is an S Level Beastman. Out-of-control S Level Beastmen are held at a supervision facility for a period of time. Once his spiritual power levels return to normal, he'll be sent back to the Vermilion Bird Clan's territory. His life won't be in danger during this time, you can rest assured."
The cage was placed a short distance away. The guard captain pressed his hands together. "Miss Jiang, I'm begging you. Please persuade him to go inside."
'Talk to a bird? It's not like I'm a Disney princess...'
But there was no other way. Jiang Qingli tried to communicate with it. "You heard them just now. They won't hurt you. They're just going to... detain you—I mean, you'll just have to rest for a while."
The Vermilion Bird stared at her for a few seconds, then looked at the cage. It extended a wing, wrapped it around her, and took a few steps toward the cage.
It seemed to want Jiang Qingli to go with it.
Jiang Qingli stood her ground, wriggled out from under its feathers, and shook her head. "I have things to do. I can't go with you."
The aura around the Vermilion Bird immediately grew oppressive.
"But! But you can look for Miss Jiang when you get out!" the guard captain quickly interjected, wiping away his cold sweat. "Right, Miss Jiang?"
Jiang Qingli nodded.
The Vermilion Bird's eyes lit up. It lowered its head and nuzzled its beak against the tip of Jiang Qingli's ear, then took a few steps back, its wings twitching slightly.
Jiang Qingli: "..."
'Was it my imagination?'
'Did I really just see a shy expression on a bird's face?'
In any case.
Finally, under Jiang Qingli's watchful gaze, the Vermilion Bird left, looking back every few steps.
The group carried the Vermilion Bird into the aircraft.
The aircraft door closed, and the guards covered the cage with a black silk cloth to block the Vermilion Bird's view.
The guard captain went to the next room to get a muzzle. When he returned, the Vermilion Bird had already transformed into a slender, handsome, and exquisitely featured young man.
The young man wrapped the black silk cloth around his body, but the plain fabric could hardly conceal his exceptional aura.
He lifted his chin. "How do I contact my family from here?"
The young man was gorgeous and noble, like the most dazzling Ruby at a jewelry exhibition.
"Don't worry, I won't run," he added for emphasis.
Seeing his lucid expression, the guard captain gave him a communicator.
The young man dialed a number. Soon, a gentle female voice came from the other end. "Hello, this is the CEO's office of the Que Group. May I ask..."
"Secretary He, help me look someone up."
The young man's eyes sparkled as he announced, "She's an especially cute, gentle, and beautiful female. She cured my loss of control... In short, I want to be with Miss Jiang! Even if I'm not her primary!"
After describing Jiang Qingli to the person on the other end, he hung up, satisfied.
The guard captain could tell this young man was from an important background. He asked, "Since you were lucid, why didn't you change into your human form earlier?"
Hearing this, the young man turned his face away, slightly embarrassed.
After a long moment, he muttered under his breath, "...I was naked. It would have scared her."
-
After the Vermilion Bird was taken away, the remaining members of the guard team came to clean up the site.
Medical personnel, having heard that a female had been injured, set up a tent on the spot to treat her.
Jiang Qingli also underwent a spiritual power examination.
A gentle female doctor held her hand and said, "Miss Jiang, congratulations. You have indeed awakened your spiritual power. It's likely a secondary differentiation. However, it may be unstable right now, so we can't determine its level yet. I recommend you get some proper rest first and come back for a system check-up in three days."
"However, to be able to tame a male like that, your spiritual power level can't be low." The doctor gently smoothed her messy hair and said kindly, "I think perhaps the entire interstellar community will soon know of your bravery."
"Thank you," Jiang Qingli said, sensing her goodwill and returning her smile.
The doctor smiled, gave her some instructions, and treated the scrapes on her hands and legs.
In the Interstellar Era, flesh wounds healed very quickly.
In no time, Jiang Qingli was back on her feet.
She thanked the doctor and walked out of the tent.
"Hey."
Just as she reached the street corner, a familiar voice called out from behind her.
Jiang Qingli glanced down at the flood of messages from Ye Linyuan on her terminal. Her head throbbed a little, and she ignored the call.
The person behind her wouldn't be ignored and tugged hard on Jiang Qingli's arm.
Chi Yun had a sour look on his face. "I was calling you. Why didn't you answer?"
Jiang Qingli pulled her arm away, her expression cold. "What is it?"
Chi Yun glared angrily at the elegant girl before him. "So you did hear me!"
He wanted to lash out, but the harsh words he would normally use got stuck in his throat because of her cold indifference.
Chi Yun ground his teeth, pulled something out of his pocket, and quickly tossed it to Jiang Qingli. "Take it!"
Jiang Qingli glanced at it. It was a medicinal ointment.
She feigned ignorance. "What's this?"
"Don't play dumb! It's ointment!"
Chi Yun's temper made it impossible for him to keep anything to himself; he spilled the beans as soon as she asked.
His gaze darted from side to side as he said awkwardly, "I didn't mean to push you earlier. This ointment is to make up for it. You—"
Before he could finish, Jiang Qingli viciously slapped him across the face!