Chapter 4: Living Human!

Human!

A human!

A living human!

Lin Yu stood atop Longlongyan’s head, his face flushed with excitement as he gazed at the white-robed woman ahead.

Had his body not already been transformed, lacking tear ducts entirely, he might have been moved to tears right then!

How many years!

How many years since he had last seen a living human capable of communication!

Long-forgotten emotions—excitement, even something bordering on profound feeling—surged within Lin Yu.

But soon, he calmed himself from that surge.

For there remained one extremely serious obstacle between him and the advanced intelligent being before him—

He couldn’t understand her!

Yes, the sudden white-robed woman spoke a language utterly foreign to him.

Lin Yu understood nothing of what she said, and could only guess her meaning from her expressions.

From her appearance, she was a human woman around twenty years old.

She wore a simple white robe, adorned with golden necklaces and bracelets; her orange hair was braided into three long plaits hanging down her back, and her beautiful, mature face carried a hint of surprise and an indescribable calm.

These two emotions should have been contradictory, yet they blended perfectly on her.

If Lin Yu guessed correctly, her surprise stemmed from the harmonious, affectionate bond between him and Longlongyan.

As for her calmness, it radiated from within her bones—a quiet confidence that no matter what happened, she had both the means and the assurance to resolve it.

Lin Yu was not surprised by this, for he sensed a power fluctuation from the woman similar to Longlongyan’s.

Without doubt, this must be the unique supernatural power of this native world!

While Lin Yu studied the woman, she was studying him in return.

This tall youth, clad in a fur coat and barefoot, resembling a primitive human, stood atop the absolute monarch of this forest—the Spine Lord!

And this monstrous king, once dominant over the forest, causing multiple trade routes to be abandoned and forcing countless highland dwellers to relocate, showed no resistance to the youth’s command—even displayed protective behavior toward him.

—How could this be!

No matter how renowned its title, a monster remains a monster.

Unlike beasts, monsters are irrational, incommunicative entities.

If monsters could be controlled by humans, then what had been the point of all her past efforts?

Just as the white-robed woman slightly furrowed her brows, the youth suddenly leapt down from the Spine Lord’s head, speaking rapidly in a language she couldn’t understand, while enthusiastically gesturing an invitation.

“Language barrier, huh…”

The white-robed woman’s delicate eyebrows knitted slightly.

After a moment’s thought, she glanced at the mountain-sized beast before her and gave a slight nod.

That was an acceptance!

Lin Yu’s face lit up with joy; even without shared language, basic body gestures could still communicate.

Without hesitation, Lin Yu turned and patted Longlongyan’s head; when the beast lowered its head, he stepped up onto it.

Standing atop Longlongyan’s head, Lin Yu turned back and made the invitation gesture once more toward the white-robed woman.

“Is she inviting me?”

“Interesting.”

The white-robed woman raised an eyebrow, then smiled faintly and took a step forward.

To an observer, both Lin Yu’s enthusiastic invitation and the white-robed woman’s immediate acceptance seemed deeply suspicious—yet neither of them felt anything was amiss.

Lin Yu had gone too long without seeing a human; he was determined to keep this rare, hard-won intelligent being and bring her back to his cabin for proper conversation.

The white-robed woman, meanwhile, had full confidence in her own strength and saw no threat from the youth before her.

This was not arrogance or overconfidence, but a conclusion drawn from careful observation.

In truth, the white-robed woman was the most powerful being Lin Yu had ever encountered in this world.

Even Longlongyan, before her, seemed like a firefly beside the full moon—separated by an insurmountable gulf of power.

Unfortunately, this cautious human powerhouse could never have imagined that the youth she met was no ordinary human boy, but a terrifying entity far beyond her comprehension!

“Let’s go home!”

Standing atop Longlongyan’s head, Lin Yu grinned broadly and pointed forward with confidence.

The colossal, unicorn-like beast immediately lifted its four legs and trudged heavily toward the great pit.

Not long after, a two-story wooden pavilion came into view.

Outside the pavilion stood a wooden fence, within which lay a pebble path flanked by blue and purple flowers; midway, the path split into a branch leading to a stone pavilion surrounded by blossoms.

Inside the stone pavilion stood a stone table, with two stone benches shaped to match the curves of human bodies on either side.

‘Who would have thought—in this monster-infested forest, there could be such a dwelling!’

The white-robed woman studied everything before her with keen interest.

Meanwhile, Lin Yu leapt down from Longlongyan’s head and rushed excitedly into the pavilion.

The moment his figure vanished inside, the once docile Longlongyan suddenly grew agitated, emitting threatening growls.

“Indeed, monsters remain monsters.”

The white-robed woman glanced coolly at the beast beneath her feet, then leapt down with graceful ease.

Though she longed to eliminate this monster, as a guest she must observe proper etiquette—she could not overstep and remove a threat without her host’s consent.

Fortunately, this monster seemed different from those in the outside world.

After she landed, it didn’t even look at her; it simply turned and walked away, settling down beside the pit as if planning to nap there.

“Such temperament… is this truly a monster?”

The white-robed woman watched its retreating back with surprise.

After a moment, she turned and stepped through the fence into the walled courtyard.

At that exact moment, the youth burst out carrying a pile of items, grabbed her hand without a word, and led her into the stone pavilion, seating her opposite him at the finely polished stone table.

“I’ve had this set for a while now—never actually used it until today!”

“I always drank alone before—it was never enjoyable. Truly good things must be shared!”

As the youth spoke excitedly in words she couldn’t understand, he laid out the ceramic tea set one by one.

Once all the utensils were arranged on the table, he placed a small pinch of suspicious plant matter into the teapot, then gently tapped the water-filled ceramic pot with his index finger.

“Gululu—”

Instantly, the water inside the pot boiled, sending up thick steam.

Seeing this, the white-robed woman’s pupils contracted slightly; her slender hand on her thigh twitched unconsciously.

Wait—wasn’t that magic used to heat the water?

Yet she detected no magical fluctuation whatsoever from the youth.

—How was this possible?!

A ripple stirred in the white-robed woman’s previously calm mind.

But Lin Yu, at that moment, did not notice her expression change.

He stared intently at the teapot; when the tea reached the perfect strength, he eagerly lifted it, poured it into the cup, and pushed it toward the white-robed woman with eager anticipation.

“This is the closest I’ve found in seven months to the taste of real tea leaves!”

“Try it!”

The white-robed woman snapped back to awareness and looked at Lin Yu again—this time, a trace of caution lingered in her eyes.

Yet when she met his gaze—so full of earnest hope—her heart inexplicably settled.

Yes, no matter his identity, past, or power, such a pure, clear-eyed expression, and the warmth he’d shown throughout, could not be false.

So… it should be fine, right?

The white-robed woman hesitated, staring at the tea before her.

After brief consideration, she decided to be cautious.

She extended her pinky finger, lightly dipped its tip into the tea, and wrote a line of symbols on the stone table.

“What is this?”

Lin Yu’s curiosity was instantly piqued; he hurried around to her side.

The white-robed woman smiled faintly, pointing at the symbols, then at herself.

“Your name!”

Lin Yu suddenly understood.

Seeing he grasped her meaning, the white-robed woman nodded with a smile, then softly parted her lips and uttered a sequence of syllables:

“Vulame.”

“Vulame—pronounced like that?”

Lin Yu repeated it with interest, then murmured under his breath: “This name… why does it sound familiar?”

(End of Chapter)