“So obedient all of a sudden?”
Feini’s sudden compliance caught Qingshamu off guard, making her a bit uncomfortable.
She even half expected another round of endless bickering.
After a whole week of dragging their feet, the Temporary Family Trio had finally set out on their hunting journey, and this time, the target wasn’t some petty demon wolves or demon bears.
But before heading out, everyone took a bath by the creek — the classic fanservice moment.
Feini sat by the creek, holding her daughter’s hand, using a damp towel to wipe her body and washing her hair, smoothing her hair afterward.
White Feather Dove had inherited Feini’s hip-length hair, but unlike her mother’s deep, jet-black locks, her silver hair shimmered like a dazzling, vast cosmic starry sky.
In reality, that was one of Bai Yuge’s body weapons. During fights, it could flash in opponents’ eyes like a built-in flashbang—very sneaky.
Feini had already tied up her black hair to keep it out of the way.
This hairstyle also gave her the aura of a young widow.
As for Qingshamu?
She sat in the fastest-flowing part of the creek, letting the cold water wash over her body.
Since she wouldn’t wash herself, she might as well let nature do the job.
No matter what she did, she had to be the coolest—no one else was allowed to outshine her.
But strange things kept happening. Qingshamu found her eyes uncontrollably drifting toward the young widow Feini, as if possessed.
That pitifully thin, fragile figure, with pale, colorless skin marked by faint sword scars.
Though she often called Feini “Feini,” the truth was, she had neither meat nor figure and was far from beautiful.
If Feini stayed silent, she carried a dignified, elegant aura. That quiet beauty held a certain fatal attraction for the Hero.
It was truly strange. Normally, in transformation stories, the bath scene is the hero sneaking glances at other girls.
But here, the hero was the one being ogled—so embarrassing.
One could only say Feini was now fully devoted to raising her child, having long abandoned the juvenile mindset of a young transmigrant obsessed with lust. She had no heart for romance.
“Huff…” Qingshamu took deep breaths, trying to calm her perverted impulses.
Then, she saw Feini slowly stand up like a lotus emerging from the water, a fractured beauty that made Qingshamu flinch with delight.
She was the Chosen Hero, the unlucky one selected by the goddess, destined to fight for the Human Race’s peace without ever chasing power or wealth.
She had to be a carefree Great Hero; otherwise, the Human Race would reject her even more than Demonkind.
Naturally, the Hero had no interest in love, having been cold since childhood.
Men were like a pile of excrement to be avoided, while women were easily brainwashed and used as tools.
That was why all her teammates were female.
She once thought herself a transcendent being who would never fall in love with anyone. But unexpectedly, she had feelings for an iron woman.
Feini had finished dressing and glanced over to see Qingshamu still rinsing off, sighing resentfully, “How long are you going to keep washing?”
“All done.” Qingshamu slowly stood up from the creek, striking a self-important pose.
Her flawless, jade-like body looked like a work of art under the streaming sunlight.
Feini didn’t even glance her way, turning her back and drying her daughter’s hair with the towel.
Qingshamu felt ridiculous and had no choice but to return to the shore to dry herself and dress alone.
A wave of loneliness washed over her. She was confident in her body; back in the Human Race, no matter man or woman, noble or commoner, their admiring gazes were impossible to hide.
She recalled not long ago, bathing with Feini, feeling the clear admiration in her eyes. Now, it was gone.
After dawdling for a long time, the Temporary Family Trio finally got dressed and truly set off, and it was already afternoon.
They were only at the stage of searching for signs of giant Demonic Beasts. Whether they’d find anything was uncertain, and it could all be for nothing.
“Hmm… hmm? Hmm…”
But the adventurer queen Qingshamu kept looking left and right, occasionally crouching to touch the ground, picking up leaves and inspecting them, putting on a very professional act.
“Can you actually do this or not?” Feini followed behind, sharply questioning with her small hands on her hips.
“Rumble rumble~ rumble rumble~”
But before Qingshamu could answer, the ground trembled deeply, startling Feini into hiding in the grass.
Qingshamu and White Feather Dove also ducked into the grass, pulling Feini along as they cautiously crept forward.
The closer they got to the source of the tremors, the weaker Feini’s legs felt.
Qingshamu took the opportunity to put a strong arm around her, pretending to be reliable, “You okay?”
“I’m fine by myself.” Feini glared at her and pushed her arm away.
Soon, they found their hunting target.
It was a gigantic white earth dragon, resembling a cross between a rhino and a turtle.
Its body was covered in thick, incredibly tough White Stone Dragon Scales, and atop its enormous turtle-like dragon head was a terrifying single horn.
A Demonic Beast of this size was a walking terror on the outskirts of the Devil Tree Sea.
Thanks to its nearly absolute defense from the white shell-like scales, it had virtually no natural predators.
“This is a Steelback Dragon,” Qingshamu explained. “It’s an earth dragon species, naturally violent, the Land Overlord that drives out all Demonic Beasts from its territory. It’s a Town-Destroying Peak-level Little Lord-class Monster.”
“What does ‘peak’ mean?” Feini asked.
“‘Peak’ means it’s the strongest among the City-Destroying Monsters. If Human Race warriors can’t stop it in time, it has enough strength to destroy a city,” Qingshamu said.
“Can we beat this thing? Before it notices us, maybe we should just run.” Feini felt a surge of retreat.
“If we can take it down, we’ll make enough to cover university tuition, and you can eat whatever you want. Plus, its dragonbone materials are a great tonic for you.”
Qingshamu said confidently, “And I know the Steelback Dragon’s weakness.”
“Shamu, we’re counting on you then.” Feini thought it over and nodded, holding Qingshamu’s hand, eyes shimmering with tears as she pleaded.
It was as if all previous disagreements and quarrels had vanished.
Of course, this was just a bad mother’s act to get the Hero to work for her.
“No problem.” Qingshamu immediately bit the bait and agreed, “Bai Yuge, let’s go. But you have to follow my lead.”
White Feather Dove didn’t like her abusive father giving orders here, but hearing she’d get to fight too, she had no objections for now.
The father and daughter duo stepped out of the grass boldly, blocking the Steelback Dragon’s path.