029 Friend

[POV: Zhen Ai]

Zhen Ai woke with a quiet gasp, her breath catching as the world slowly returned to her senses. The last thing she remembered was the tightening grip of dread, the moment those cultivators had found her again despite all her efforts to escape. She had thought herself free, thought the distance and time had severed their pursuit, yet the binding curse they planted within her proved otherwise. Even as a dragon, even with the strength of a Nascent Soul cultivator, she had been rendered powerless before it, her will shackled, her fate no longer her own.

Tears slipped from the corners of her eyes as she stared into the vast blue sky above. She had braced herself for a different awakening, one where cold stone floors and suffocating formations greeted her, where chains of spirit and flesh dragged her back into captivity. Instead, she felt warmth beneath her, the rough smoothness of stone, the soft whisper of grass brushing against her skin. The air carried the scent of water and leaves rather than incense and blood.

“Finally, you are awake,” a calm voice spoke.

Zhen Ai turned her head, her gaze landing upon a familiar figure. “Willow?” she called, her voice trembling slightly.

“It’s indeed me,” answered Willow the Wise Owl, perched nearby with composed certainty.

Relief and confusion tangled within Zhen Ai as she stretched her leg, feeling the freedom of movement she had nearly forgotten. She dipped her foot into the lake beside her, watching the ripples spread as cool water kissed her skin. The sensation grounded her, assuring her this was no illusion. She recognized the forest at once. It was the same place that had taken her before, the strange sanctuary that defied her understanding.

Her eyes shifted, landing upon the one who ruled this place. A silver-haired man stood not far away, his pointed ears peeking through strands of pale hair. His robes seemed woven from earth and leaf, blending seamlessly with the forest around him. In his grasp rested a staff that felt less like a weapon and more like an extension of the land itself.

“Wo Li,” Willow called, her tone carrying a hint of concern. “This lass seems danger. Should we kick her off the forest?”

Zhen Ai did not hesitate. Her body shimmered as she transformed, azure scales flowing across her form as her human shape gave way to that of a dragon. She slipped into the lake, water parting around her as she swam before rising into the air, coiling gracefully above its surface.

“I will leave, and cause you no trouble further,” Zhen Ai declared, her voice resonating with quiet resolve.

“There’s no need,” Wo Li replied, his tone steady and unhurried. “You may stay.”

Willow flapped her wings and settled atop his head as though it were the most natural perch in the world. “Well, you heard what the master of the forest said. You shall stay.”

Wo Li’s gaze remained fixed on her. “What’s the last thing you remembered?”

Zhen Ai’s movements slowed, her body hovering as her thoughts darkened. “Them,” she answered. She lowered her snout, gesturing toward the undergrowth. Beneath the soil, her spiritual sense detected the remnants of those who had pursued her, their lives extinguished not long ago. The scars of battle lingered in the land, subtle yet undeniable.

Her voice softened, weighed by guilt. “I am sorry. Because of me, trouble has found this forest. Those cultivators were not acting alone. The forces behind them come from another continent, and their masters… they are not something a single person can withstand. If they trace me here, they will bring ruin with them.”

She could not gauge Wo Li’s true strength, his presence too deep and obscure for her to measure. Yet she was certain of one thing. Against what pursued her, even someone like him would struggle.

“Are they related to a group called the Dark Order?” Wo Li asked.

“I don’t know of such group,” Zhen Ai replied honestly. Her form shifted again, returning to her human shape as she stepped lightly onto the grass, water dripping from her skin. “However, my presence here will only continue to burden you. I am thankful for your invitation, but I can’t imagine staying would bring anything but disaster.”

Wo Li regarded her for a moment before speaking again. “It’s because of the Heavenly Domain Sect and the Sea Dragon Palace, isn’t it?”

Zhen Ai’s expression tightened. “If you know, then you also know the wise thing to do is to let me go.”

Wo Li tilted his head slightly. “What do you think, owl?”

Willow puffed her feathers, her golden eyes narrowing with sharp intelligence. “We have more to lose if we let her go now. The grievance has already been made, whether we like it or not. Even if she leaves this moment, those from the Sea Dragon Palace and the Heavenly Domain Sect will come here first, sniffing for answers and culprits. If we send her away, we gain nothing but lose a potential ally.”

Her gaze shifted toward Zhen Ai, firm and unyielding. “You don’t get to run from this and call it consideration. If you stay, you stand with us. If a battle comes, you fight. And if things truly turn hopeless, then you can flee when the time comes. But not now.”

“You could just leave, then,” Zhen Ai suggested.

Willow’s feathers bristled instantly, a flash of fury rising in her golden eyes. For a brief moment, it seemed as though she would lash out, yet she restrained herself, her voice tightening with contained emotion. “And abandon this place? I couldn’t just leave my home.”

Zhen Ai did not respond immediately. Instead, she turned her attention to Wo Li, searching his expression for hesitation, for doubt, for any sign that he understood the danger looming over them. What she found instead was a wry smile, as though the situation amused him in some distant way.

“I’ve grown attached to this forest,” Wo Li said, his voice carrying a casual ease that felt almost misplaced. “It would be a shame to leave it behind. This is my home now. This is where I’ve set my camp. The only reason I’d leave is if I got bored of it.”

Zhen Ai blinked, genuinely taken aback. Did this man not understand the gravity of his situation? The forces that hunted her were not something to be dismissed so lightly, yet here he stood, speaking of them as though they were a minor inconvenience.

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Wo Li continued, seemingly unbothered by her disbelief. “Besides, there’s a lot for me to gain if you stay. You’re far more knowledgeable than you let on.”

Zhen Ai’s brows furrowed, a flicker of embarrassment and offense surfacing within her. Did this pointy-eared man just imply that she did not look knowledgeable? Or worse, that she did not look intelligent? The thought pricked at her pride, though she held herself back. She had been shown kindness here. To lash out over something so trivial would be ungrateful.

Instead, she chose a different approach, thinking of asking the obvious.

“Do you want to mate with me?” Zhen Ai asked plainly.

“Whoa~! That’s too much out of the blue, lady!” Wo Li recoiled slightly, raising his hands in mild alarm. “Calm down, okay?”

Willow, however, seemed far less surprised. She fluffed her feathers and spoke with an air of smug authority. “That’s just one of the many bounties and offers that come with being the master of this forest. Do you have any idea how popular you are among the wildlife? The ladies talk, you know. There’s even a ranking of the top three hottest males in the forest—”

“Time out, time out, this is too much new information…” Wo Li interjected, rubbing his temple as if warding off a headache. “What the heck? Wait, top three?”

Willow did not hesitate. “You, Roo, and Xing Ning.”

Wo Li stared at her, utterly baffled. “Wait, Roo? Really, Roo?”

Zhen Ai watched the exchange in silence, a strange feeling stirring within her chest. There was something oddly amusing about him, something unrefined and genuine that stood in stark contrast to the calculated nature of cultivators. It was… refreshing, in a way she did not expect.

Wo Li eventually turned back to her, his expression settling into something more composed. “Okay, so what made you say something like that so suddenly?”

Zhen Ai lifted her chin slightly, her voice steady. “I am aware of my beauty. Back in the sect, men would lose themselves at the mere sight of me. The same was true when I was still in the palace.”

There was no arrogance in her tone, only a simple statement of fact. At her core, she was still a beast, and to her, such matters were not wrapped in the same layers of pretense humans often placed upon them. To mate, to reproduce, to secure one’s lineage? These were natural instincts, not things to be hidden behind shame or hesitation.

Her hand drifted to her stomach, resting there with quiet intent.

“I want my child to grow with security,” Zhen Ai continued, deciding it might be better to stay after all. “And what better way is there than to gain your protection?”

Wo Li regarded her for a moment, his gaze thoughtful. Then he shook his head lightly, a small smile forming. “I admire your resolve, but no.”

Zhen Ai blinked, caught off guard by his refusal.