Teacher by day, Farmer by passion

Betty's eyes swept over the two sleeping sisters, then paused.

Her brows creased slightly.

"…Where's the mute girl?"

Liu Mei blinked. "Huh?"

Yuu crossed her arms. "Zhao Yun's there. Zhao Mei's there…"

Everyone looked.

"…So who's missing?" Liu Mei tilted her head, still not getting it.

Betty turned her head slowly, her gaze narrowing like a tightening noose.

"I'm talking about the mute girl. The one you took in as a disciple. Remember?"

"Ohhh! You mean Alice?" Liu Mei perked up. "She's fine. She signed that she needs to go out and take a leak, so I let her out."

There was a beat of silence. The kind that carried weight. A very concerned silence.

Yuu blinked. "…You know she's not a cultivator, right? Besides.... she's being gone for too long.."

Liu Mei blinked. "Yeah?"

Silence.

Then everyone stared.

"...Wait," Liu Mei said slowly. "That was bad, wasn't it?"

Betty sighed, pinched the bridge of her nose, and muttered under her breath,

"Old man Max, your daughter chose the wrong person to follow."

Betty's tone sharpened.

"Wake them up. We need to find her."

Without waiting, she was already moving.

Liu Mei blinked, then scrambled up.

"Right! Yes, ma'am!"

Yuu sighed, kneeling beside the sleeping twins.

"Zhao Mei, Zhao Yun… time to wake up."

The two sisters stirred groggily, rubbing their eyes.

"Mmm… five more minutes…" Zhao Yun mumbled.

"Sorry," Yuu said flatly. "We lost Alice."

Zhao Mei sat bolt upright. "Alice's gone?!"

Icehart raised a weak hand from his corpse pile.

"Can I go back to the wolves? That sounded safer."

Liu Mei snorted and slapped his hand down.

"Shut up, you're coming too."

They next stepped out of the cave into the eerie gloom of the Abyss.

"This is why I hate walking into the Abyss," Liu Mei groaned, arms crossed and already sulking.

Yuu, walking calmly beside her, shook her head. "You only hate it because Master hates it."

"Hehe~ well, as his wife, I should share his burdens," Liu Mei replied, utterly shameless, hands on her hips with a proud grin.

Yuu blinked. "You're not his wife."

"Details." Liu Mei waved it off like a trivial formality. "Master feeds and clothe me ever since forever. That's only something married people do. Just say you're jealous."

As they crept through the damp gloom of the Abyss, the group's muttering fell into uneasy silence.

The oppressive air made every breath feel borrowed. And then, light. Soft and pale, filtering through mist. A heartbeat of stillness…

Betty raised a hand sharply. "Shush."

The group halted, eyes following her pointed finger.

There, just ahead, bathed in faint abyssal light, was Alice, sitting calmly on a stone, legs swinging. Her hands moved in a flurry of signs.

And across from her... was a colossal tortoise, its shell the size of a hill, waterfalls cascading down its moss-covered back.

Jade-like patterns glimmered on its scales, and its long whiskers swayed gently as it watched the girl with ancient, thoughtful eyes.

Its head, crowned with majestic dragon-like horns, turned toward the group.

"Human, your companions are here," the tortoise rumbled, its voice like rolling thunder across the deep.

Alice looked up, signing something quickly and sincerely.

The tortoise blinked, a slow, dignified motion. Then, its massive head tilted ever so slightly in thought.

"Oh yes, Kun. It's real," the tortoise murmured, lowering his head closer to Alice. "It's amazing that you understand my words."

Alice responded with a flurry of signs, her small hands graceful and quick.

The tortoise's eyes softened. "Yes… even among the old, few understand beast language."

To the group behind Alice, however, all they heard were deep, rumbling groans, like mountain plates shifting under water.

Long, dragging, unintelligible moooaaannnnghh and gggrrrruuuuuunnnnnnnghh.

"Is it… dying?" Liu Mei whispered.

"No," Yuu replied, brows furrowed. "It's talking to Alice."

Betty's eyes narrowed. "Alice is signing. Back and forth. They're having a conversation."

"I-I let her out for one hour," Liu Mei squeaked. "ONE HOUR!"

The tortoise's voice continued to echo, reverent and serene, though still unintelligible to everyone else.

"Yes, you can live decades on Kun's back and still won't finish exploring it."

Alice giggled silently at what the tortoise said, her eyes wide with wonder.

She signed with growing excitement, her small frame bouncing slightly where she sat.

The tortoise rumbled a deep laugh that made even the stone shudder. "Thats also correct, Kun's a protector. Not a destroyer."

Then he leaned closer, lowering his vast head near hers, his eyes half-lidded in ancient reminiscence.

More deep, slow moaning noises vibrated through the air. Everyone was frozen, half in awe, half deeply confused.

"…She's listening like she understands every word," Yuu muttered.

After that, the great beast began to move.

Every step it took sent tremors through the stone floor, and with each quake, water flowed freely from its shell, like rivers bowing before a king.

"…That's really the divine-rank fabled creature, Tortoise, isn't it?" Zhao Mei whispered, stunned.

"They weren't supposed to exist anymore," Zhao Yun added quietly. "The old scriptures blamed human greed for their extinction."

Icehart leaned on his sword, eyes wide. "I take back everything. That girl's scarier than all of you combined. Imagine talking to a beast."

Liu Mei stared, stunned. "I'm her Master. Why didn't I get that kind of luck!?"

Liu Mei stood there, watching the massive tortoise vanish into the mists with the grace of a sovereign.

She blinked once.

Then again.

Her lips trembled.

"…Is this how Master felt when I took White Fur from him?" she whispered, hand clutched over her chest like she'd just been betrayed by fate itself.

Liu Mei walked over to Alice, her expression full of wobbly emotion.

Alice looked up in confusion then yelped as Liu Mei gently grabbed her face and squished her cheeks together.

"You—!" Liu Mei sniffled. "You adorable little thing. How dare you win the favor of a heavenly beast before your Master! I didn't even get to name it!"

Alice blinked, cheeks puffed up like a confused squirrel.

"You're too precious," Liu Mei whimpered, eyes glossy. "I need to protect you more. I'm sorry I let you go. You're not allowed out anymore unless you take me with you!"

Alice tried to sign, but Liu Mei was already hugging her around the head, rocking back and forth dramatically.