Chapter Two: The Maiden and the Beast

As his thoughts drifted, Qi gazed at the roasted whole lamb before him. Golden oil glistened on its surface, and he nodded in satisfaction. Under his flawless control, every detail—from the fire’s heat and the angle of the lamb to the evenness of the spices—was executed to perfection.

As the aroma wafted through the air, he tightened his grip on the flying knife in his right hand. Whenever he barbecued in places like this, wild beasts nearby would be drawn by the enticing scent; thus, he always remained on guard at such times. Three years ago, after accidentally snapping the string of his third bow, he had given up archery in favor of throwing knives. With his current strength—over three thousand catties—even targets a thousand yards away could be pierced deep into wood. On the battlefield, he could claim a general’s head from afar.

...

Elsewhere in the mountains, a different scene unfolded: a petite girl and a robust, fierce-eyed tiger. The tableau was not beautiful—there was no fairy tale of beauty and the beast, no dramatic standoff. Instead, it was just a lazy tiger passing by and a girl peeking in terror from behind a tree, her eyes filled with confusion and despair. It was an ordinary image of an ordinary girl encountering a tiger.

Yet, to the girl herself, nothing about this was ordinary. Forcing herself to stay calm, she exhaled softly and managed a strange smile. Summing up her situation, she thought, “Hmph, on my way home I found a beautiful glazed bead, and then... in the blink of an eye, I ended up in this forest of towering trees. Hmph, what a dull trick. Do they mean to ambush me here? Has the Celestial Realm really sunk to this level? But I am the Fallen Angel of Chiba—the Black Cat. I won’t...”

The girl wore a peculiar black dress adorned with two flower ornaments in her hair. Petite and delicate, her skin was fair and lovely, her long black hair and neat bangs framing a quiet, sweet face, accentuated by a single tear-shaped mole at the corner of her eye—all of which made her appear both adorable and composed.

Just then, the striped tiger yawned, letting out a languid roar that sent a shiver through the Black Cat. “Hmph... is it the lackey of angels? Looks like a decent watchdog. I wonder if it’s all show and no substance. I’d better... leave this barrier first. After all, I’m in my old rival’s territory; caution can’t hurt.”

Of course, these thoughts remained internal—she dared not make a sound, lest the tiger notice her. After a moment, she watched the tiger’s figure sway and disappear from view. Only then did she release a heavy breath. But just then, she felt something move at her feet and glanced down.

A small green snake was slithering slowly over her shoe. The Black Cat nearly screamed, but quickly clamped her hands over her mouth, stifling the sound as tears welled in her bright black eyes.

She shivered as she waited for the snake to pass, then released her grip and cautiously surveyed her surroundings before heading downhill. Though she had no idea where she was, she knew the dangers of wandering the jungle. Yet staying put would bring no rescue, so despite her fear she managed to make the right choice.

Her troubles, however, were only beginning. As she parted a clump of grass, a round, black head appeared: a brown bear. Their eyes met, heads no more than a dozen feet apart, staring at each other in stunned silence.

A crow flew by, cawing, “Fool… fool… fool…”

With a shriek, the Black Cat spun and fled up the mountain, then, seeming to remember something, veered left and dashed diagonally down. The brown bear, startled by her scream, clutched its head and fled in the opposite direction, roaring in fright. Glancing back, the Black Cat saw the bear—standing upright, no more than four feet tall—a juvenile, running and crying until it vanished from sight.

“Hmph, now you know the terror of crossing me, do you? Just a little bear...”

Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted from the direction the cub had gone. In the distance, weeds and saplings toppled as if crushed by something massive charging their way. Terrified, the Black Cat ran, all thoughts of composure forgotten.

But how could a petite girl of fourteen or fifteen hope to outrun the lord of the forest? In less than ten seconds, she risked a glance back and saw a colossal brown bear, nearly two meters tall even on all fours—if it stood upright, it would easily reach three or four meters!

She was, after all, still a girl. Physical stamina was never her strength, and after running and the shock, her legs gave out and she collapsed. Ignoring her scraped knees, she looked up to see the bear’s massive head, jaws agape, only a yard away. She had no doubt that with a single bite, she would be halfway down its gullet.

In that instant, a streak of white light flashed into the bear’s mouth with a sharp whistling sound. The beast howled in pain. As it lunged for her, the girl squeezed her eyes shut in despair, awaiting death’s embrace.

Yet the pain never came. Instead, she felt strong arms and the warmth of a solid chest.

Opening her eyes, she first saw a cascade of flowing black hair, then a handsome, youthful face and eyes sharp as stars. By the time she’d regained her senses, she was already standing atop a towering tree.

It was Qi. Upon hearing the commotion, he had abandoned his meal and rushed over, arriving just in time to rescue the damsel in distress. “Wait here a moment,” he said, setting her down and offering a faint smile.

“Uh, do you not understand me? Oh-hohoho, I am the Queen of Night Demons. If you speak the language of the Demon Realm, then... hey!” Before she could finish her grandiose speech, Qi, unable to understand her words, saw the brown bear stand up again and leapt from the tree to confront the roaring beast. He would ponder this language barrier later.

“What a huge bear,” Qi thought, excitement lighting up his face. “In five years of wandering, I’ve never seen such a giant creature. I wonder how many of my punches it can take. Hopefully, it’s not too weak, or it would be a shame for such a massive body.”

With that, Qi strode forward to meet the furious bear’s paw head-on, swinging an uppercut.

A fierce gust exploded between fist and claw. Qi twisted slightly, channeling the force as he retreated two steps, leaving deep footprints. The bear, lacking any such skill, stumbled back five steps before halting, its enormous eyes flickering with fear and anger. After a brief pause, it roared again and charged.

(The first step is always the hardest. Dear readers, would you be so kind as to give me a vote? Just a recommendation will do.)