Chapter 13 ā The Wild Star
Just as Hua Mian was about to lose her patience, Chu Fufeng finally pursed his lips and accepted the fruitāone that he had originally prepared himself.
Although Chi Rui was curious about what Hua Mian was thinking, he noticed Chu Fufengās silence and instinctively felt he shouldnāt speak recklessly.
Meanwhile, on the other side, every time Hua Mian casually fed Yan An a fruit, the young man seemed to blush with happiness, as if pink bubbles were floating around him. He almost transformed into his beast form just to curl up in Hua Mianās arms.
Chi Ruiās expression said: Can you not do that in public? I canāt even look.
At this moment, none of them had any idea how much trouble this trip to the Wild Star would bring.
When their aircraft landed, dawn had just broken over the barren world.
Contrary to Hua Mianās expectations of a desolate and deserted wasteland, the place was bustling with activity. Metal mobile houses and tents stood everywhere, the nearby wilderness had been cleared cleanly, and yet the distant landscape remained wildāstrange plants growing in chaotic masses.
Perhaps because they saw a female arrive, the beastmen nearby slowed down and stared at Hua Mian, who was tightly wrapped from head to toe.
Some even grew bold enough to try approaching her.
Chu Fufeng stepped forward coldly, blocking them with an expression that said āget lost.ā
Hua Mian didnāt plan to do anything. She might as well treat herself like a hanging accessory; she suspected Chi Rui and the others were far too optimistic about this mission.
She pulled out her optical brain and searched online for news about this C-rank soothing master named Sophia.
The summary was simple: short-tempered, fiercely protective of her own, wildly adored by beastmen, and a beautiful female.
Someone like that actually listening to reason? Impossible.
Hua Mian absolutely did not want troubleāshe was just an ordinary female, after all.
In the eyes of beastmen, ordinary females were resources, while soothing masters were addressed as Your Excellency.
The difference in status was obvious at a glance.
If a powerful beastman took an interest in her, as an ordinary female, she would be the one on the losing end.
So she pulled up the hood of her cloak, not wanting to draw attention.
She could clearly feel the hostility in the surrounding beastmen. In that moment, she only wanted to curse the heavens for not letting her transmigrate into a soothing master instead.
The more she thought about it, the more irritated she became. Even Chu Fufeng and Chi Rui looked unpleasant to her eyes.
āLetās first find a place to settle down, then look into where Brother Chen Xueji and Brother Yu Jin are. Weāll make plans after that,ā Chi Rui said, checking his optical brain.
Hua Mian nodded.
After some effort, they found a hotel at the edge of the settlement that provided rooms for pioneering beastmen.
āExcuse me, are you a soothing master?ā the owner asked.
āNo.ā
The moment Hua Mian answered, the eagerness disappeared from the shopkeeperās eyes. He even switched the premium room key in his hand for a mid-grade one, gave the group a disdainful glance, and muttered:
āPretending for what?ā
Chi Rui stepped forward, wanting to argue, but one look from Hua Mian shut him up.
As they passed an empty corner on the way upstairs, Hua Mian whispered:
āDonāt cause trouble.ā
Chi Rui obeyed quietly.
But when the room door opened, Hua Mian was stunned.
A huge pink bedālarge enough for ten peopleādominated the room, surrounded by soft red and pink mood lighting.
Was this place even legit!?
The others were equally dumbfounded at the sight.
Only Yan An murmured:
āWowā¦ā
Hua Mian rubbed her forehead. āGo ask if they have another room. If not, weāll pay extra.ā
Chi Rui nodded and returned ten minutes later with a dark expression.
āNo other rooms left.ā
Hua Mian was silent for a moment, then resigned herself and stepped in first.
Chi Rui said, āMadam, Yan An will stay here with you. Weāll go gather information outside.ā
āGood,ā Hua Mian said with satisfaction.
Chi Rui and Chu Fufeng put down the luggage and left.
They returned in the late afternoon.
From their expressions, Hua Mian knew things hadnāt gone well.
āMadam, Iām afraid Brother Xueji and Brother Yu Jin are in serious trouble,ā Chi Rui said.
āHow so?ā
Seeing Hua Mianās calm demeanor, Chu Fufeng leaned against the wall, surprised, before lowering his gaze.
āSophiaās troublesome beastman husband is Xuejiās clansmanāChen Yan. He and Brother Xueji never got along since childhood, and he and Yu Jin have personal conflicts as well.ā
Chi Rui began explaining what had happened on the Wild Star.
Years ago, Sophia had a beastman husband deeply devoted to her. To help her, he searched for a rare beauty-enhancing herb. He was attacked by mutant beasts and survived, but his strength and health were greatly damaged. The only effective remedy was a rare herb called the Fiery Dawn Flower.
Sophia then led her other beastmen across many planets searching for it.
But the flowerās growth conditions were extremely harshānearly impossible to find. After so many years, only one had ever been discovered, and it happened to be here on this Wild Star.
And the ones who found it⦠were Chen Xueji and Yu Jin.
Chen Yan, who was one of Sophiaās beast husbands, immediately tried to take it by force. When refused, he didnāt give up and resorted to all kinds of shameless harassment.
In the end, Yu Jin agreed that they could sell itānot give it away for free, since they had risked their lives fighting mutant beasts for it.
But Chen Yan not only continued to behave shamelesslyāhe even attacked them in the street.
Chen Xueji beat him down instead, thoroughly humiliating him.
Yu Jin didnāt want things to escalate, and publicly proposed auctioning it instead.
But Chen Yan stormed off, gathered Sophiaās other beast husbands, and surrounded Chen Xueji and Yu Jin, intending to seize the herb and restore his dignity.
Knowing they couldnāt win, Chen Xueji made a decisive move in front of the crowd:
He swallowed the Fiery Dawn Flower whole.
A fight broke out immediately. Though Xueji and Yu Jin escaped alive, they were gravely wounded. Chen Yanās group suffered injuries as well, but got nothing.
By the end of the story, Hua Mianās expression had turned grave.
Chi Rui paced back and forth impatiently.
The matter wasnāt complicated originally, but Chen Yanās meddling turned everything into a mess. Now the hostility between the two sides was set in stone.
The only good news was that Xueji and Yu Jin hadnāt been caught.
The bad news was that Sophia had issued a public bounty to capture them, offering three sessions of a C-rank soothing masterās treatment as reward.
In a place filled with beastmen, that was a massive temptation. Many had likely gathered here just for the chance to claim it.
Fortunately, before fleeing, Xueji and Yu Jin ditched their optical brains so they couldnāt be tracked.
But Chen Yanās group probably picked them upāand set a trap that lured Hua Mianās group all the way here.
Hua Mian was speechless. She had a very vulgar sentence in mind and didnāt know whether she should say it or not.
Seeing her dark expression, Chi Rui finally quieted down.
Hua Mian asked, āWhatās your plan?ā
Chi Rui answered, āFirst priority is to find Brother Xueji and Brother Yu Jin.ā
āAnd then what? Let Chen Yan and Sophia wrap all of us up like dumplings?ā
Chi Rui opened his mouth but couldnāt respond.
After a moment of silence, Chu Fufeng spoke:
āWe split up. Iāll search for them.ā
Hua Mian sneered, āAnd the three of us can fight off Chen Yan and Sophia together?ā Her tone was full of doubt.
Chu Fufeng fell silent.
Hua Mian: ā¦I knew it. Not a single reliable one among them. Theyāre all brain-damaged.
āCan they trace our arrival here?ā she asked.
Chu Fufeng shook his head. āNot for a while. We came on a cargo ship, and I used a fake identity to buy the tickets.ā
Hua Mian finally breathed a little easier. At least someone is using their head.
āWhich one of you is the strongest fighter?ā
At her question, Chi Rui and Yan An both turned to look at Chu Fufeng.
After a moment of hesitation, Chu Fufeng stepped forward.
āChi Rui stays and monitors enemy movements, sending us updates. The three of us will disguise our identities and go look for them.ā


