Chapter 19: The Cat-Person’s Aid

“I’m Nia, a cat-person from the Beastkin tribe. By the way, what’s your name, and what race are you? You’re so strong, you wiped out those War Fiends in an instant! Even my friends can’t deal with them that easily.”

With her azure eyes wide, Nia twitched the ears atop her head and wagged her tail behind her, gazing at Qi Lin with palpable curiosity.

Faced with Nia’s overwhelming enthusiasm, Qi Lin scratched his head, a hint of unease coloring his demeanor.

“Hello, Nia, my name is Qi Lin. As for my race… well, that’s a secret. I hope you can understand!”

“Oh, no worries at all! Knowing your name is enough. It’s truly a pleasure to meet you, Qi Lin.”

Nia waved a dismissive hand as she spoke.

“Well, that’s good then.”

Gazing at Nia’s cheerful demeanor, Qi Lin nodded.

“Since you’re alright, I’ll be taking my leave.”

Having spoken, Qi Lin unfurled his retracted wings, poised for departure.

“Eh? Hey, hey, hey! You’re leaving already?”

Witnessing Qi Lin spread his wings, clearly preparing to take flight, Nia instantly exclaimed in surprise.

Halting the movement of his wings, Qi Lin turned a puzzled gaze upon Nia.

“Yes, why do you ask?”

“You saved me, and I haven’t even thanked you properly yet!”

Nia’s gaze, filled with earnestness, fixed upon Qi Lin.

“Uh, there’s no need for that, is there?”

Under the intense scrutiny of Nia’s large eyes, a flicker of hesitation stirred within Qi Lin.

Shaking her head emphatically, Nia declared,

“There absolutely is! After all, you’re my savior. If you don’t accept my thanks, I’ll simply pester you until you do!”

Meeting Nia’s gaze, which seemed utterly devoid of pretense, Qi Lin found himself in a quandary, for he still had to find Aali.

After a moment of contemplation, Qi Lin’s resolve solidified.

“I apologize, but I have pressing matters to attend to. However, if you could provide me with an address, I would gladly seek you out once my current task is complete.”

Although he was unfamiliar with this world and might not find the address himself, he could always inquire with the elves.

“Is that so…”

Despite Qi Lin’s words, Nia thoughtfully stroked her smooth chin.

Wagging her tail behind her, Nia suddenly snapped her fingers.

“No problem at all! Since it concerns my benefactor, it now concerns me. Allow me to assist you!”

“Ah? This… wouldn’t that be inconvenient?”

Qi Lin stared in utter astonishment at Nia, who, with eyes proudly narrowed as if proclaiming her idea a stroke of genius, seemed utterly unconcerned.

“What could possibly be inconvenient about it? You saved my life! Leave it all to me!”

With her left hand on her hip, Nia patted her chest, which felt as firm as a steel plate, and gestured confidently.

“Oh, right, quickly tell me, what troubles are you facing?”

Gazing into Nia’s eyes, which seemed to sparkle with burgeoning stars, Qi Lin found himself in a dilemma.

“Hey, you! As the saying goes, ‘an extra person means extra strength, and there’s power in numbers!’”

Nia, exasperated by Qi Lin’s indecision, felt a pang of frustration, as if he were ‘iron that couldn’t be forged into steel’.

Indeed, there is power in numbers!

Qi Lin’s eyes brightened, and he clenched his left fist, lightly tapping it against the palm of his right hand.

“Very well, then. Thank you for your assistance.”

Qi Lin smiled at Nia.

“Why are you being so polite with me? You’re my savior! If not for you, I might have already become fodder for the War Fiends.”

Nia extended both hands and clasped Qi Lin’s, grinning widely.

She paused, then asked with a hint of confusion,

“Oh, right, I still don’t know what important matter you have to attend to.”

Producing the tuft of white fur, Qi Lin began,

“Oh, it’s like this: I have a frie— er, I suppose she’s a friend… Anyway, my friend has gone missing, and I need to find her.”

“Looking for someone? Ha, is that all? Don’t worry, leave it completely to me!”

Observing Nia’s boundless confidence, Qi Lin furrowed his brow.

“Leave it to you? Are you particularly skilled at finding people?”

“Of course…”

Nia put her hands on her hips.

“Of course not! Finding people isn’t my forte, but my friend happens to be a master in that field!”

“A master?”

Qi Lin remained skeptical.

“Don’t be so disbelieving! My friend truly is a master!”

Seeing Qi Lin’s obvious skepticism, Nia’s fur seemed to bristle.

Gazing at the bristling Nia, Qi Lin felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him, reminding him of the cats he used to feed before he became a vampire.

“Hey? What’s wrong with you?”

Sensing something amiss, Nia rubbed her arms, where goosebumps had suddenly erupted.

“Ah, no, nothing’s wrong.”

Snapping back to reality, Qi Lin cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Ahem, since you say you have a friend who’s a master, then please, take me to them!”

“Heh, now you’re talking! Follow me!”

Snapping her fingers, Nia set off with light, nimble steps, heading eastward.

Casting a glance at the War Fiend corpses beneath his feet, Qi Lin promptly followed Nia.

As dusk settled, Nia led Qi Lin to the edge of a flowing creek.

“We’re almost there! Just across this creek is my home, and my friend is camped out there too.”

Pointing to the opposite bank, Nia’s voice brimmed with cheerful anticipation.

“There’s no bridge here, how do we cross?”

Gazing at the swift, wide creek, Qi Lin, having already retracted his wings, turned to Nia beside him.

Although he could unfurl his wings and fly across again, it would consume his demonic energy, and while not as much as casting a spell, conserving it whenever possible was always preferable.

“It’s quite simple!”

With that, Nia dropped to all fours, much like a large feline.

[‘Unpredictable Shift!’ (Beastkin, Cat Tongue)]

A blue glow swept over Nia’s limbs, which had previously resembled human hands and feet.

As the light faded, Nia’s limbs transformed into feline paws, and three whiskers sprouted on each side of her face.

“Meow!”

Nia let out a prolonged cry, then squatted, observing Qi Lin, who stood beside her, looking somewhat dumbfounded.

“Meow, my apologies, meow! I didn’t mean to shout, meow. When I transform like this, I just can’t help but vocalize, meow.”

“No problem, ahem, ahem. How exactly do you plan to cross?”

Clearing his throat to mask his awkwardness, Qi Lin scratched his cheek as he asked.

“Like this, meow!”

With that, Nia took a running start to the creek bank, then effortlessly leaped across the ten-meter width, landing gracefully on the opposite side.

“How was that, meow! This is how you cross, meow.”

Squatting on the ground, Nia lifted a paw to lick it, then looked at Qi Lin on the other side as she spoke.

Blinking, Qi Lin sighed, realizing he would indeed have to summon his wings and fly across.

He could only hope they would sustain him for a while longer, lest his growing hunger overwhelm his control over his craving for blood.

Licking the fangs within his mouth, Qi Lin once again unfurled his wings.

Flapping his wings, he effortlessly soared to the opposite bank.

The moment he touched down, Qi Lin swiftly retracted his wings back into his body.

“Meow! Let’s go! It’s just ahead, the place where my friend and I are currently settled.”

Twitching her ears, Nia wagged her tail and led the way.

A few minutes later, Qi Lin spotted several erected tents in the distance, seemingly crafted from furs, and a figure clad in a beige garment standing outside one of them.

“Meow! I’m back, meow!”

Upon seeing the tents, Nia raised her now-human hands and called out joyfully.

“Nia?”

Hearing the commotion, the Young Man who had been cutting something outside the tent dropped his tools and rushed over.

“Nia, it’s truly wonderful that you’re alright!”

Clasping Nia’s hands, the Young Man’s voice trembled with emotion.

His excitement, however, quickly gave way to a sense of unease, for Nia had not returned alone.

The wary Young Man positioned Nia behind him, baring his teeth as he glared at Qi Lin.

“Uh, I assure you, I mean no harm.”

Meeting the green eyes of the snarling Young Man, Qi Lin felt a wave of exasperation, almost to the point of tears.

‘This fellow’s vigilance and aggression are remarkably potent,’ he thought.

“Ailin, what are you doing? This is my savior!”

Brushing Ailin’s hand away, Nia stepped to Qi Lin’s side, her expression turning serious.

“A savior?”

Ailin questioned, a hint of confusion in his voice.

“Yes, a savior. Just moments ago, she rescued me from the War Fiends.”

Crossing her arms, Nia nodded.

Ailin’s focus, however, was elsewhere.

“War Fiends? How did War Fiends appear here?”

“Hey, are you even listening?”

Nia asked, a hint of displeasure in her tone.

“Ah, of course. Anyway, thank you, sis— er… older sister?”

Gazing at Qi Lin, who was shorter than himself, Ailin faltered, unsure how to address her appropriately.

No, that’s not what’s important right now.

Seemingly oblivious to, or perhaps simply ignoring, Qi Lin’s clenched fist, Ailin shifted his gaze from Qi Lin to Nia.

“Nia, War Fiends have appeared here, which means we need to leave this place at once!”

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