Chapter 238: If Dangerous Why Friend-Shaped?

Elder Feng Yuhan raised an eyebrow at Hua Feixue.

"Five more minutes?"

Hua Feixue nodded quickly. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Yes, Master."

Elder Feng Yuhan let out a calm sigh.

"As your master, I should not encourage this."

She glanced at the entrance.

Her gaze lingered a little too long.

Then she cleared her throat and continued with a perfectly straight face.

"But... observing the store surroundings a bit longer might be good for training."

Hua Feixue brightened instantly.

"Yes. Training."

Elder Feng Yuhan hid a small, guilty cough.

’Good job, Feixue. As expected of my disciple. Your shameless curiosity is unexpectedly useful today.’

Everyone else silently agreed.

Training.

Right.

Sure.

Even if it did not make much sense, no one was about to point it out.

So in the end, everyone stayed.

Those "five minutes" stretched so far that even time itself gave up arguing.

By the time evening fell, almost eight o’clock, they finally began drifting toward the exit.

Each farewell was polite and proper.

But the curiosity in their eyes was louder than their voices.

The store slowly emptied. Only Hao and Dou Xinshi remained, while Mo Xixi stood alone at the counter.

Dou Xinshi leaned against a shelf.

’What right do I have to leave?’

’The Esteemed One has not moved. His divine watch continues.’

He straightened his back.

’I cannot abandon the holy ground while the Esteemed One waits.’

He placed his hands behind him, chin lifted.

’For honor. For loyalty. For the store.’

And so Dou Xinshi stationed himself there, unshaken and devoted, as if waiting for heaven’s will to descend upon aisle three.

...

In reality, Hao was not performing any divine watch at all.

He was simply frozen in place because he was still digesting the intense training he had before with Kurome and Tian Lu.

His mind was replaying moves, footwork, breathing rhythm, and pain from where Kurome lightly smacked him for being slow.

Hao sat calmly, while everything inside him was shouting in panic.

Meanwhile, Dou Xinshi completely misread every second of it.

’Amazing. The Esteemed One is so composed. Truly unfathomable.’

Another hour quietly slipped by. The store felt quieter than usual, but somehow heavier.

The door made a soft sound.

Hao’s ears twitched slightly.

Dou Xinshi’s head snapped toward it.

His body froze instantly, muscles tight, eyes wide, every nerve on high alert.

Without thinking, his hand went for the spear on his back.

Six figures stepped into the store. Most were around five feet tall, but one towered above the rest.

Their bodies were covered in smooth black exoskeletons that reflected the light from the shelves.

Their limbs were long and segmented, clearly insect-like, and their fingers ended in pointed tips more suited for piercing than holding.

Then you reached the head, and suddenly the theme changed completely.

Round. Blunt.

With soft curves instead of sharp angles.

Small dark eyes. A flat snout. Thick cheeks.

Mo Xixi blinked once. ’...Cute?’

Her fingers shifted a little on the counter.

For a brief second, she had the strong urge to walk over and pat one of them on the head, just to see if those round cheeks were as soft and fluffy as they looked.

Maybe even rub behind the ears if they had any fur hidden there.

If not for their threatening bodies, Mo Xixi might have already curled up beside them, cooing as if they were plush toys.

’...Never mind.’

Mo Xixi narrowed her eyes, studying the strange creatures more carefully.

’What kind of beasts are they?’

She had already examined them the moment they entered the store.

What she discovered made her frown.

She could not feel any trace of qi from them at all.

Nothing.

Mo Xixi’s brows knit slightly.

That made no sense.

These beings were clearly not ordinary animals. Their bodies alone showed strength.

Yet these six figures felt completely empty in that regard.

Mo Xixi focused her senses again. There it was.

A strange flow she could barely grasp.

It was not spiritual qi. It was not demonic qi either.

It was something completely unfamiliar.

Mo Xixi had never encountered this kind of energy before.

The creatures had already noticed them.

Their movements changed at once. Their bodies lowered slightly, limbs shifting into position.

Pointed fingers angled forward.

Their round faces showed clear confusion. Yet their posture stayed guarded, tense and alert.

At that moment, Hao finally opened his eyes.

They widened instantly as he stared at the new creatures that had entered the store.

His thoughts froze for a second.

"Capybara...?"

His gaze dropped.

"...Or ants on steroids?"

Hao’s words broke the silence.

Mo Xixi turned her head. Dou Xinshi snapped his gaze over.

Both of them repeated Hao’s words without thinking.

"Capybara?"

Hao paused. He slowly glanced toward the two of them.

Their faces showed nothing but confusion.

Hao blinked once.

’...Right. Why would they know what a capybara is?’

That thing only existed on Earth.

To them, it was just a random word he had blurted out.

Before Hao could say anything else -

A strange sound suddenly filled the store.

It was sharp. Clicking. Layered.

Like multiple small parts rubbing and tapping together in quick rhythm.

The sound came from one of the capybary-looking creatures.

The noise should have been completely unintelligible.

And yet... They understood it.

Perfectly.

The three changed their expressions at the same time.

’...A language?’

It was not any language they had heard before.

Even so the meaning flowed clearly into their minds.

"Do not come any closer, or we will consider you all a threat."

A short silence followed.

Then the figure at the front moved ahead a little.

This one was clearly different from the rest. Far larger, more bulky in build, with thicker black exoskeleton plating around the shoulders and chest.

The kind of absolute unit that could win arguments by simply walking forward.

"I am Nira, Royal Guard of the Caprine Mask Nest."

"We did not intend to enter a foreign zone. Explain what this place is."

It was obvious the voice they heard earlier had come from her.

Nira stood firm after speaking, her posture still guarded and alert.

But her eyes didn’t stay still for long.

They drifted toward the aisle where cups of instant noodles were displayed.

Brightly colored objects filled her view.

Her head tilted slightly.

"...What are those things?"

Nira’s snout twitched faintly, not from actual scent, but from a strange instinctive reaction she could not explain.