Feini wore a sullen expression, her steps unsteady as she walked home and then sat blankly by the bed.
Although she had been caught, her silver tongue had been enough to resolve the crisis.
Yet now she was warned not to deliver food anymore—wasn’t that cutting off her only way to survive?
If she couldn’t earn money, how could she feed her two babies at home?
Little Black Dragon eagerly gnawed on a piece of meat, seeming to sense Feini’s low spirits.
It came over and nudged its mother with its head.
“Mother, what’s wrong?” White Feather Dove asked, biting into a Ruby Burger.
“I’m really useless. Try on these clothes,” Feini said with a bitter smile, handing over the large-sized clothes to White Feather Dove, along with a children’s toy that was only a dragon’s head left.
White Feather Dove happily took the small toy and began playing with it.
Little Black Dragon was visibly displeased, as if this was some kind of cruel joke.
Both children were very obedient, but this only made Feini feel more guilty.
She was powerless and could only trap them in this tiny room.
By the way, these two little ones were growing rapidly, almost changing shape every day after waking up.
White Feather Dove was already a nimble four-year-old girl.
Heiqi Long’s body had grown larger too, and the ceiling could barely hold him.
This growth rate was far from normal; it felt like they’d change again in just a few days.
Meanwhile, Little Black’s appetite kept increasing—purely a bottomless stomach.
And she had lost her job. What was she supposed to do?
Hmph, things will work out when the time comes. There are plenty of job opportunities here.
I may be a powerless rookie, but I’m not a weakling who surrenders to fate.
Time to eat quickly and take a nap.
—————
In the afternoon, when Feini returned to class, she could feel her classmates’ gazes becoming sharper and more hostile.
No one accepted her, and she was completely isolated in a corner.
But Feini’s skin was thicker than ever, and her mental age wasn’t truly that of a sixteen-year-old girl—this setback was nothing.
Although she’d lost her delivery job, at least she was free from Qingshamu’s undercover mission and no longer needed to gather intelligence for her.
After class, Feini still went to the campus food street, avoiding the Advanced Beast Restaurant, and looked for other jobs.
There really was one: another delivery task, this time to deliver bottled milk tea to the girls’ dormitory.
However, this was purely physical labor. Thankfully, the pay wasn’t less than the food delivery job, but the work was unstable—some days there was work, others not. Still, having something to do was better than nothing, so she took it.
After delivering a few buckets of milk tea back and forth, Feini was almost exhausted. She sat on a bench by the roadside to catch her breath.
At that moment…
Qingshamu appeared like a ghost from the shadows of a tree on the opposite side, silently watching Feini.
“I thought you’d let me go,” Feini said with a bitter smile.
It seemed she couldn’t escape disaster. On second thought, it was clear—she had lost Qingshamu’s Beast Detector Box, and since she hadn’t killed Feini on the spot, revenge was inevitable.
She had been far too optimistic, even just now hoping to get away from her.
“Let me hear what you want to say this time,” Feini muttered as she watched Qingshamu approach.
“I told you long ago that your irresponsible methods wouldn’t work, but you wouldn’t listen. Now look—everything’s over,” Qingshamu started scolding her immediately, her words nagging like an overbearing mother releasing pent-up frustrations.
“Seeing you makes me want to die,” Feini smiled bitterly. “If you don’t like me, just kill me. It’ll make things easier for everyone.”
After saying that, she stood up and hoisted the big bucket, continuing her deliveries.
Qingshamu followed like a shadow and even tried to snatch Feini’s milk tea bucket.
“What are you doing? What do you want? I just want to work hard, earn money, and raise my kids. I don’t want to get involved in your Great Plan,” Feini’s defenses broke a little. “Can you please give me a way out? Do you really want to force me to death?”
“I…” Qingshamu stammered, confused about why she was even trying to grab someone else’s bucket.
“Are you really that happy only when you’re trying to kill me?” Feini sighed helplessly.
“You just want money, right? I can give you money,” Qingshamu said, pulling out a stack of Demon Domain Coins from her chest.
Feini’s expression darkened even more. Her smile faded, replaced by a profound sense of humiliation.
With a sharp slap, she knocked the money flying out of Qingshamu’s hand.
For once, Feini stood firm and coldly said, “I’m not a beggar. I don’t want your filthy money.”
Without another word, Feini dragged the bucket of milk tea away, her attitude dismissive.
Though she’d have to humbly apologize to the customer later for being late because of the milk tea delivery, that was just work and life. She’d rather die than accept Qingshamu’s “help.”
Qingshamu was momentarily speechless. Pouting, she squatted down and picked up the coins one by one. By the time she stood up, Feini was already gone.
Unbeknownst to them, not far around the corner…
Ten-Step Hall was peeking out half her face, watching in secret.
Her usual gentle and bright expression was replaced with one of depth and caution.
Though she couldn’t hear their conversation clearly, she noticed there seemed to be some monetary exchange between Feini and Qingshamu.
The more she investigated, the more suspicious it became.
But Qingshamu was not someone to be trifled with; without knowing the power of the family behind her, it was unwise to confront her directly.
However, dealing with that terrifying little weapon Demon Domain Beast was a different matter.
—————
Feini finally finished her work and returned home, her entire body aching and sore. She just wanted to quickly lie down and take a nap.
But as soon as she stepped into the small garden of dormitory 302, Ten-Step Hall was there, smiling and waving at her.
Feini swallowed nervously and shakily approached her.
“Come, let’s talk,” Ten-Step Hall said, patting her shoulder and pulling her to sit on a bench inside the pavilion.
“Is there something you want, Simon?” Feini was visibly uneasy.
“There’s a name in your box. I want to know what kind of monster the Parasite Demon Phoenix is,” Ten-Step Hall asked.
Feini’s heart skipped a beat.
It seemed Ten-Step Hall had sensed something was wrong. Her situation was getting dangerous.
Fortunately, Ten-Step Hall didn’t yet know that Feini herself was the Parasite Demon Phoenix. She still had a chance to survive!
“I don’t know either. I got the detector box from an Adventurer Swordsman, and that name was in there from the start,” Feini explained seriously, distancing herself from the matter.
“I see,” Ten-Step Hall nodded and smiled slightly, as if believing Feini’s excuse.
“Yes, yes,” Feini awkwardly echoed.
“Pain Ignition.” Ten-Step Hall kept smiling but suddenly snapped her fingers and flicked out a wisp of flame.
“Ah!” Feini instantly burst into flames.