Before nightfall, Shen Yi flew back to the valley.

Given the Spirit Nectar he was getting from the pretty little menace, he wasn’t planning to escape for now—not that he could even if he tried.

In a few days, his fellow Earthlings would start logging into the game, and he could leech off their experience points to level up.

Once he outleveled the little spirit, would he even need to run away?

Shen Yi looked down at the tether the little menace had tied to him, recalling how it often manhandled him, picking him up to stroke his fur, tugging his antennae… doing all the things he had once wanted to do to it, though he certainly wouldn’t have been so rough.

He would cradle the beautiful little spirit in his palms, gently poke its soft cheeks, and work to tame it until it willingly fluttered its wings and circled around him. Whenever he reached out his hand, it would land on it as precisely as a bird returning to its nest.

Just like any human trying to tame a pet.

Shen Yi snapped out of it, shaking his antennae to dispel the unrealistic fantasy, inwardly grumbling that Earthlings, stubborn and obsessed with looks, were truly hopeless.

Even though that guy had nearly strangled him to death, he didn’t hold a grudge at all.

Was it because it ultimately didn’t kill him and even gave him Spirit Nectar, allowing him to gain three levels from misfortune? Or was it because it was just too good-looking to stay mad at?

Even Shen Yi himself couldn’t figure it out.

Shen Yi climbed onto the spiritual flower but didn’t enter rashly. Instead, he tapped on it and tentatively said, “I’m back.”

Xi Ye, who had slipped into the flower spirit space just a moment before him, stood tiptoe at the entrance, quietly synchronizing with the companion flower.

Watching the chubby bee waiting obediently on the flower for a response, he felt satisfied but deliberately waited a while longer before peeking out with an annoyed expression, glancing at the sky and complaining, “Why so late?”

Shen Yi didn’t argue, politely assuring, “I’ll be more careful in the future and come back earlier.”

Xi Ye didn’t respond, his lips quirking slightly as he glanced at Shen Yi before quickly pulling his head back in.

Once back inside the flower spirit space, Xi Ye immediately used his Destiny Flower to suppress the restless Thousand Thread Vines within him.

He curled up his tired body, hugging his knees, and a thought he couldn’t ignore surfaced in his scattered mind.

If he hadn’t run off today, would he have already suppressed the Thousand Thread Vines by now? Wasting a whole day inexplicably tailing a bee around, hiding and sneaking, seemed unnecessary and pointless—completely unlike something he would do.

Yet, he didn’t feel regret or anger now. Instead, he felt somewhat happy, though he couldn’t say why.

Shen Yi, preoccupied with the video clips he’d shot in the system, was relieved not to have to deal with the temperamental little menace. As soon as the little menace retreated into the flower, he slipped into the crevice between leaves to edit the video.

After a rough cut of the first version, he watched it several times but remained unsatisfied, feeling like something was missing. Unable to pinpoint it, he set aside the system interface, stretched his wings and legs from the leaf crevice, and yawned.

Night had fully fallen, and the valley was devoid of insect chirps, only the occasional distant bird calls. Mid-yawn, Shen Yi suddenly had an epiphany and realized what was wrong.

The video lacked background music, and he hadn’t yet captured the forest’s most dreamy night scenes. Shen Yi still remembered the awe he felt during that first bizarre and dazzling night.

At that moment, Shen Yi perched on a leaf and looked around, finally noticing something strange—the entire valley was pitch black without a single source of light.

The floating fluorescent creatures, glowing mushrooms, and luminous flowers that usually lit up the forest at night were nowhere to be seen here.

Shen Yi listened quietly again. There wasn’t a single insect chirp around, as if the entire valley lacked any vocal bugs, making the silence eerily unnatural in this forest.

Shen Yi flew up and could see colorful fluorescent lights flickering in the distance within the forest. So, it was this valley that was abnormal—the forest still had its fantastical, vibrant nightscape.

Though he wasn’t particularly obsessive, he wanted the promotional video he’d show his fellow Earthlings to be as perfect as possible.

The little menace seemed quite agreeable today. Gazing at the dappled, shimmering lights, Shen Yi’s heart itched with curiosity. Eventually, he couldn’t resist tapping the beautiful flower he adored with his antenna, gently, as if knocking on a door. “…Are you asleep?”

After a long while, a green figure emerged from the closed flower bud. Xi Ye looked at him without speaking, only raising an eyebrow in question.

Shen Yi unconsciously rubbed his forelegs together. With a change of heart, the pleading words on the tip of his tongue suddenly took a different form: “I want to show you something really interesting.”

—”Something interesting?” What could a bee that had probably never left this forest know about interesting things?

Xi Ye looked at him distrustfully but couldn’t suppress his curiosity. This chubby bee was no ordinary one.

A few minutes later, Xi Ye followed Shen Yi into the forest.

Along the way, they startled birds and beasts resting in the trees. Flowers hanging from the branches lit up with a faint glow, and insects foraging or seeking mates on the ground scattered in panic. The mushroom patches and grass carpets underfoot emitted colorful fluorescent bands, flaring up and fading as they were stepped on.

Beautiful, soft “jellyfish” floated in the air, their graceful tentacles drifting like ribbons, expanding and contracting as they moved slowly.

Shen Yi started recording, capturing it all. He stared up at the floating “jellyfish,” mesmerized. Even after seeing them day after day, he still found them wondrous.

He couldn’t help but glance at Xi Ye, whom he had coaxed along. Its pretty little face was cold and stern, brows knit in impatience: “Where’s this interesting thing?”

Shen Yi’s happily swaying antennae stiffened. He pointed to the floating “jellyfish” in the air, only to receive an eye roll. Then he showed it the hidden world of insects underground.

“Look, these glowing mushrooms are like little streetlights specially installed for these bugs.”

“What are streetlights?”

“…They’re things that emit light and illuminate the path for living creatures.”

Xi Ye had never closely observed these tiny, insignificant insects before. Tonight, under the dim glow of the mushrooms, he unexpectedly discovered that these otherwise dull-looking insects had beautiful patterns and colors on their backs.

Though somewhat surprised, Xi Ye moved an eyebrow, feeling this couldn’t really be called interesting.

The chubby bee looked up again at the floating Phantom Insects, extending its antenna to carefully touch a blue-glowing one that drifted near, as if afraid of disturbing them—what a pathetic sight.

Suddenly, Xi Ye looked up, an unusual glint flashing in his eyes. Without warning, he grabbed Shen Yi and flew up.

“I’ll show you what’s truly interesting.”

Clutched in Xi Ye’s grasp, Shen Yi could only feel the wind rushing past.

Setting aside his surprise, Shen Yi obediently nestled against Xi Ye’s chest, finding a relatively comfortable position. Trees and faint lights whizzed by on both sides, and Shen Yi grew increasingly astonished at how fast it could fly.

After a long while, just as Shen Yi was about to ask, Xi Ye finally stopped.

“We need to hide,” Xi Ye pinched his antenna. “Can you do it?”

Having leveled up three times, his mental energy had more than doubled. Shen Yi dipped his antenna in a nod, releasing his mental energy to envelop both their forms.

As his mental energy grazed Xi Ye’s cheek, he couldn’t resist conjuring a small tendril to do what he’d always wanted—poke Xi Ye’s face. It was as soft as he’d imagined.

Xi Ye looked down at him strangely. “What did you do?”

“Nothing,” Shen Yi quickly retracted the mental energy tendril, a little guiltily. “Didn’t do anything.”

Perhaps too focused on the interesting thing, Xi Ye didn’t press further. He flew with Shen Yi for a while longer until they reached a valley.

Much larger than the one where he resided, at the center of this valley was a crescent-shaped pool. Its clear, calm surface reflected the moon’s reflection, creating a hazy and mysterious atmosphere.

Shen Yi, who had been confined to high-rise buildings in his previous life, had never seen such a scene before. He immediately activated the system’s recording function.

Xi Ye first stopped further downstream along the lake.

Without tall trees blocking the view, the bright moonlight poured into the entire valley, as if it had come alive, converging into a luminous mass at the source of the Moon Lake.

Xi Ye waited for a while before flying with Shen Yi toward the glowing cluster.

The ball of light seemed to throb rhythmically. As they got closer, Shen Yi could see that it was a living creature.

Its body was semi-transparent, with clearly visible orange fluorescent light inside. It had two antler-like spikes on its head, and its lower body resembled a cutesy cartoon ghost—pointed, with a gradient orange tail. It had two wings on its back, like an angel.

Beautiful and endearingly clueless, it fit the human imagination of a perfect pet even more than a humanoid spirit.

“So beautiful…” Shen Yi was mesmerized and couldn’t help but breathe in awe.

Xi Ye quirked his lips in a cryptic smile and carried him a little closer.

The angelic being was almost right in front of him. From afar, rhythmic “jellyfish” floated over, one after another, forming a vibrant path that led straight to the little angel.

The little angel’s semi-transparent wings drifted lazily and gracefully, their rhythm resembling the pulsating bell of a jellyfish. With the same semi-transparent texture, the two might be somehow related.

Just as Shen Yi was entranced, suddenly, the little angel’s head cleft clean down the middle, and six orange tentacles shot out, capturing the surrounding “jellyfish” and feeding them into its mouth. !

Shen Yi, who had been fully immersed in the little angel’s beauty, jolted backward on instinct, the fur along his back standing fully on end.

He was truly frightened.

It was like watching a show with great interest when a ghost with a ghastly green face and fangs suddenly popped up on the screen.

The lovely angel had turned into a monster with a split head and tentacles.

Xi Ye seemed amused, burying his chin in Shen Yi’s fur as he shook with silent laughter.

The “jellyfish” drifted toward the monster like sacrificial offerings, while the orange tentacles constantly waved, drawing them into its mouth. The split head had become a gaping, abyssal maw.

His Sanity dropping sharply, Shen Yi, still with bristling fur, shuddered and struggled to climb onto the spirit’s shoulder. He tapped the spirit’s face with an antenna and whispered, “Let’s go.”

He really didn’t want to watch for another second.

Not far away, one of the waving tentacles suddenly paused, and one of them shot straight toward them at a speed too blinding to follow. Shen Yi only felt his vision swim.

Xi Ye snatched the plump bee on his shoulder and swiftly flew away. Only after rapidly leaving the valley did he flick Shen Yi’s head and scold, “Idiot, why do you think I told you to mask our presence?”

Shen Yi knew he was at fault and deliberately put on a pitiful act: “I was scared.”

Xi Ye snorted and called him useless.

Shen Yi didn’t argue, still rattled as he asked, “What was that?”

At the same time, he couldn’t help but feel annoyed—he had been so shocked that he forgot to use the system to check the thing’s HP bar and level.

“It’s a Moon Spirit Butterfly, a four-star spirit beast.” Xi Ye idly stroked Shen Yi’s fur, his eyes bright as if thinking of something wonderful. He licked his lips and said, “Did you see the orange light inside its body? That’s its Spirit Pearl, the purest energy. If we could absorb it…”

Shen Yi understood the rest without needing it said—this was a high-value elite boss.

After leaving the valley, the floating “little jellyfish” no longer gathered in clusters. They rhythmically pulsed, emitting faint yet colorful fluorescent lights, dotted the shadowy gaps in the forest. Their gentle, slow rhythm seemed capable of melting away all anxiety. Shen Yi watched, slightly entranced.

Xi Ye glanced at him, then suddenly changed his tone and shot him a mischievous grin. “Do you know what these things are?”

“What are they?” Shen Yi was genuinely curious. Just as he was about to ask more, the spirit suddenly dumped him onto a yellow “little jellyfish.”

He only had time to let out a short cry of surprise before the “little jellyfish,” startled, began swimming rapidly.

Shen Yi hurriedly clung to the “little jellyfish.” The sensation under his feet was slightly cool, soft and jiggly, like Jell-O. Surprised, he lifted one foot and then stomped down heavily. The semi-transparent “jelly” glowing with yellow light rippled like a wave—so magical.

Just as he lifted his foot again, having fun, Xi Ye, who had been watching with his chin in hand for a while, suddenly spoke.

“This thing is called a Phantom Insect, a progeny of that Moon Spirit Butterfly.”

Shen Yi’s raised foot froze.

“High-level spirit beasts claim territories. Entering another spirit beast’s territory will trigger alerts or warnings, but the Moon Spirit Butterfly’s progeny have no Spiritual Pressure. It can release its progeny to forage in other spirit beasts’ territories.”

—Why didn’t you say so earlier?!

Shen Yi’s mind flashed back to the image of the Moon Spirit Butterfly’s head splitting open and shooting out tentacles. He could no longer look directly at those beautiful, lively “little jellyfish.” He scrambled into the air, frantically shaking the feet that had touched the Phantom Insect.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the spirit’s mischievous grin and finally realized the guy had done it on purpose.

He snorted inwardly, suddenly flying onto the spirit’s shoulder and pressing all six feet firmly against it, deliberately rubbing—rounding it up, the little spirit had also touched the Phantom Insect.

Surprisingly, Xi Ye was in a good mood this time, his eyes alight with amusement, though his words were as disdainful as ever: “Coward.”

Whether it was an illusion or not, the surrounding Phantom Insects seemed to be increasing. Shen Yi pressed against Xi Ye’s chin, silently urging him to fly faster. That eerily quiet little valley had instead become a safe zone in his mind.

After flying for a while, Shen Yi suddenly straightened his antennae and pressed against the spirit’s face: “Wait.”

His heartbeat gradually quickened, feeling cheerful, excited, and restless, as if some treasure was nearby for the taking.

The last time he had felt this way was when he had just been driven out of the hive and was flying around aimlessly with his little followers. Back then, following his intuition, he had found the green spiritual flower raised by the spirit.