Why Are the Psychos Obsessed with a Mere NPC?

Jian Yu was in a bit of a bind.

Primordial Beasts were generally stronger than Awakeners. With someone like Shi Zhao around, she might be stopped before she could even begin whatever she had planned.

’I wonder who would win if Shi Zhao fought Ling Yanzhi?’

’Doing something so risqué in front of one of my own people... it feels a little weird.’

Now that she knew her body could heal, Jian Yu didn’t want to just coast anymore. From now on, she would focus all her energy on her Awakening.

This meant she might have to take the initiative, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for Shi Zhao to be there.

Jian Yu said tactfully, "Wouldn’t that be... inconvenient? I’d hate to trouble you."

"Inconvenient?" Shi Zhao paused.

In an instant, Shi Zhao’s form shifted. They shrank, their height settling at around five-foot-eleven.

The prominent Adam’s apple vanished, and the angular features of their face softened.

An oval face, large eyes—a cold, glamorous beauty.

Shi Zhao blinked. "Were you worried because I was a man? Our people are a matriarchal society. There’s no inconvenience."

She touched her face. "After our first century, we can choose a second form. I changed into a man because I noticed humans are rather fond of them. My original, primary form is this one."

Shi Zhao sighed. "Human girls have such strong, pure emotions. They like attractive people. In my male form, I could gain a lot of energy just by standing around."

She turned her head. "However, for physical energy sustenance, men provide more. I go through one a year, and that’s just enough energy for me. That probably won’t be enough for you. You need far more energy than I do, so it’s better to have several men."

Jian Yu was dumbfounded.

’A gorgeous man had turned into a stunning woman.’

’What was that about a hundred years?’

’And now she’s talking about going through one man a year.’

Jian Yu gave her a suspicious look. "How old are you?"

Shi Zhao counted on her fingers. "I’m one hundred and twenty-three years older than you. I was there when you were born. We live for about three hundred years on average. Our Leader is four hundred and fifty-six, which is considered a long life."

"..."

Jian Yu pressed her lips together, silent.

She hesitated, then couldn’t help but say, "Why don’t you just call me Jian?"

Shi Zhao studied her soft, adorable face. She looked so gentle and delicate, almost fragile.

"You are the Leader’s daughter, the next Beast Emperor. To the outside world, we can act like siblings, and I can call you Yu. But internally, I cannot break protocol."

Jian Yu’s lips tightened. She nodded hesitantly.

’She hadn’t truly Awakened yet, and she might still need Shi Zhao’s help later on.’

’She couldn’t afford to push her away.’

’If her attempt failed, she might even have to return to her so-called clan to take the next step in her Awakening.’

As long as her body could be ’cured,’ she didn’t mind paying a price or shouldering a heavy burden.

’The original owner’s identity was more or less what she’d expected.’

’The system was too kind, giving her such a great role.’

Jian Yu thought for a moment before deciding to ask, "Is there anything I can do to help you?"

’She needed to know beforehand what they wanted from her.’

’A healthy body wasn’t worth a lifetime of servitude.’

Shi Zhao said softly, "Your very existence is the greatest help you can give us."

Jian Yu put on a cool expression. "I don’t want to hear platitudes."

Seeing her cold expression, Shi Zhao found it inexplicably cute.

But she didn’t dare let it show.

"It’s not a platitude. Every day that you’re alive, the aura of your bloodline affects our entire race. Our guardian tree won’t wither, and we won’t descend into a frenzy and lose control, degenerating into lowly Fierce Beasts."

"We reproduce through parthenogenesis, and each of us can only bear one child in our lifetime. The Leader’s bloodline is one-of-a-kind; it holds a special significance and purpose for our entire race."

"Just before you were born, a Soul Ghost Body possessed a high-ranking Admiral. He had his men capture my Sister Ai Yi to use her for research. Sister Ai Yi barely managed to escape, but she was weak, which was when the pursuing Soul Ghost Body forcibly possessed her."

"The Alliance thought the Admiral had lost his mind, but for the sake of research, they chose to turn a blind eye. This led to the destruction of a planet, and only then did they clean up the mess and lock down the information."

"Our Leader is far more powerful than any human. That Soul Ghost Body was highly unusual—not only was it intelligent, but its Level seemed to be very high as well. But when it possessed my Sister Ai Yi, our Leader discovered it within two minutes."

Unfortunately, the Leader was in labor at the time, and the rest of us didn’t realize what was happening quickly enough.

(Can’t say that out loud, it would make us sound as stupid as the humans.)

Shi Zhao cleared her throat awkwardly.

"It gravely wounded the Leader and stole you away. As a result, the Leader has been in a near-constant state of slumber all these years, with only very brief periods of lucidity."

"After the Soul Ghost Body left her, my Sister Ai Yi woke up with no memory of what happened, and so did the Admiral. The Leader says the Soul Ghost Body is wary of us but covets human territory. It wants to provoke a war between our people and humankind, so that while we are busy fighting, its mindless brethren can exploit the chaos to possess human bodies."

"Strangely, your aura has always been very weak, Yu. The Leader only managed to detect it recently. I came here on the off chance I might find you, just trying my luck."

Jian Yu lowered her gaze, lost in thought.

’Shi Zhao was telling her everything she wanted to know, but she wasn’t sure if the woman was deliberately avoiding the main point. It seemed like she was dodging the question.’

’Had she not been serious enough when she asked? Or was Shi Zhao just so excited that she got carried away and started rambling?’

Jian Yu’s tone turned serious as she asked again, "What can I do to help *you*?"

She put on a stern face, trying to look intimidating, but her eyes remained soft.

Shi Zhao couldn’t read her expression, but she could sense her unease.

’Why the unease? What is she worried about?’

Shi Zhao couldn’t figure it out, so she answered Jian Yu’s question as clearly as she could.

"The pink is from the Hidden Beast. The cyan is Tamed Spirit Breath. The black and purple is Soul Control."

"The Hidden Beast Aura you possess is unique to the Leader. It can command contracted Alien Beasts, mesmerize Low-level Awakened with weak self-control, and create illusions to fool human surveillance equipment."

"Soul Taming Breath can gravely injure Awakeners and Alien Beasts, or it can injure and devour Soul Ghost Bodies. It can also give us an attack bonus. Tamed Spirit is mostly used for incubating new life."

"The longer we stay by your side and the Leader’s, the greater the influence on our bloodline abilities, and the higher our chances of evolution. That’s why, while the Leader has been slumbering, our rate of evolution has been severely hampered."

"If the Soul Ghost Bodies or humans were to attack us, as long as you and the Leader are present, our abilities would automatically be enhanced, granting us an attack bonus, without you having to do a thing."

Jian Yu blinked.

’So I just have to be a mascot? I’m good at that.’

’Seriously injuring Awakeners... she’d tried that with the Purple Fog. Devouring Soul Ghost Bodies... she hadn’t even seen a Soul Ghost Body yet.’

’After all, the Soul Ghost Bodies’ primary targets weren’t ordinary people, but Awakeners and those with high spiritual power.’

A hint of anticipation crept into Jian Yu’s eyes. "I can do all that, too?"

Shi Zhao nodded emphatically. "Of course! Once you have fully Awakened, you’ll be even more powerful than we are."

She proposed, "Little Leader, while they’re all infatuated with you and can’t think straight, you should just do it with Ling Yanzhi tonight! I’ve disliked that guy for a long time!"

Jian Yu: "..."

’I mean, I want to!’

’Wait, is that really the right expression to use here?’