blueteamnovel Chapter 89 SPIRIT BEASTS MEETS SPACE
Chapter 89 SPIRIT BEASTS MEETS SPACE
Small footsteps drew her attention.
She quickly wiped her tears, drawing her daggers as she spun around, ready to strike—but paused.
Two fluffy thunder bunnies with fur crackling with contained lightning, a delicate white wind fox whose ethereal form seemed to dance with the morning breeze, and a massive frost tiger whose very presence crystallized the air around it—Li Wei's spirit beasts had returned.
She relaxed, sheathing her daggers. Their eldest brother's precious companions, who had fought so fiercely just moments ago, now approached with an almost timid air, their usual majestic presence diminished by shared loss.
"Come here," she whispered, her voice soft with understanding.
The four spirit beasts padded over, their movements heavy with grief. She could see her own pain reflected in their otherworldly eyes—they too had lost their family today.
"You fought well today. Thank you for protecting our Family." She whispered, reaching out to stroke the frost tiger's crystalline fur. Her fingers paused mid-motion as she realized something. "You can't stay here, but..." A small smile touched her lips. "I know somewhere safe."
The spirit beasts looked at her, heads tilted in curious synchronization.
She laughed softly—her first genuine laugh since the battle—and closed her eyes. Before the spirit beasts could take another breath, reality shifted around them. When Li Hua opened her eyes, they stood in her private space: a vast, lush forest untouched by the morning's chaos, still as peaceful as she had left it.
The spirit beasts looked around in wonder, their otherworldly eyes taking in the strange new environment. The frost tiger's crystalline fur shimmered with reflected light from the dense spiritual essence in the air, while the thunder bunnies' whiskers twitched at the powerful energy surrounding them. The wind fox's ethereal form seemed to ripple, responding to the space's unique properties.
Li Hua smiled at their reaction and led them across the ornate bridge.
"This is my home. Little Firefly, who manages the space is asleep at the moment, but you can roam freely until we meet with my eldest brother. Do whatever you like, ok?"
The spirit beasts seemed to understand, their eyes brightening slightly. The thunder bunnies were the first to move, their tiny paws carrying them toward a patch of glowing grass. The wind fox twirled gracefully into the air, its ethereal form dancing through the trees, while the frost tiger padded majestically toward the spirit spring, leaving delicate ice crystals in its wake.
She walked over to the gate and saw a few villagers and the village chief in front running hurriedly.
She quickly used her concealment technique and called out, "Village Chief."
"Ah! Is that you, Li Hua?" He called back, his breathing unsteady.
"Yes, Village Chief."
"What happened? Is everything ok?" His weathered face creased with concern. "We saw strange lights in this direction, and there was an odd rumbling..."
Li Hua looked at the small group of villagers behind him, their faces a mixture of worry and curiosity. These people who had known them only as simple farmers who practiced basic cultivation—who had no idea of the true powers that had clashed here today. She felt a familiar weight settle on her shoulders, the same weight her parents had carried for eighteen years, protecting these innocent people from truths that would only bring them harm.
"Everything is fine," she said with a gentle smile that masked the storm in her heart. "Father was just testing some new farming techniques with spiritual essence that he picked up from the Chen village over the mountain. But he and mother had to leave suddenly—a relative is ill." The lie fell easily from her lips, just as her parents had taught them. Keep it simple, keep it believable.
The village chief nodded, though concern still lingered in his eyes. These were good people, with good hearts—which was exactly why they needed to be kept away from the dangerous truths of the higher realms.
"If you need anything..." he offered kindly.
"Thank you," Li Hua replied softly, meaning it. Their simple concern, untainted by knowledge of cultivation politics and immortal schemes, was somehow more precious for its innocence. Then, forcing the words past the tightness in her throat, "Village Chief, my brothers and I will also be meeting our parents. This courtyard..." she paused, unable to finish.
The village chief understood immediately, his weathered face softening with paternal concern. "This courtyard will remain yours forever. No one will claim it."
She nodded gratefully, the simple promise meaning more than he could know.
The old man stepped forward and patted her shoulder gently. "Then we'll leave. Take care, child." His voice was rough with emotion as he turned to lead the villagers away, leaving Li Hua alone with her thoughts and the weight of all that had changed.