“A magic department teacher? Me?”
“Who else could it be? Is there anyone else in the country who can use magic?”
“But…”
“Full benefits, professor level.”
“Even if you put it that way, I still…”
“Or do you want some rare treasures?”
“Uh, is that possible?”
“Just tell me what you want. If the conditions allow, everything’s negotiable.”
“Then grant me a plot of land, the kind where I can grow vegetables.”
“Huh?”
On the other end of the communication terminal, Commander Ye fell into deep thought.
Although Commander Ye had no idea why Xue Ji was being so agreeable, he was overjoyed that things were going this smoothly. It was rare for something to go so well during this period.
Sounds of fighting and roaring came from the other end. Commander Ye covered his ear and asked, “Why is it so noisy over there?”
“Oh, this? I’m exploring a secret realm right now. Just ran into a horde of demonic beasts.”
On Xue Ji’s side, the ground was littered with beast corpses. She had detected some familiar auras.
The putrid stench inside these Stone-Skin Giant Lizards was similar to that of the giant wolves from before.
“Could it be the work of the Secret God’s Hand again?”
“The Secret God’s Hand… you’ve clashed with them several times now. Do they know your true situation?”
This worldwide cult had been extremely rampant ten years ago, causing all sorts of horrifying incidents across various countries. They were top-tier on the wanted list of the Joint Supernatural Organization.
Xue Ji’s family had always been secretly protected by people he sent, but if Xue Ji was going head-to-head with them, it would be better to bring the family into the supernatural forces’ compound.
“You don’t need to worry about that, because every time I run into them, I’m always using Ling Xiaoxiao’s disguise.”
Xue Ji said with a laugh, wondering how many dark mages at today’s mountain villa had fallen for the trick.
“Alright, once you finish exploring these two secret realms, come back and take up the teaching post.”
“No problem. Oh, and about my land—I want it big, the bigger the better!”
Hanging up the call, Xue Ji shattered the hides of the Stone-Skin Giant Lizards and peeled off their true skin.
It was an extremely supple and tough layer, covered with dense, earthy yellow patterns. These patterns granted them the stone-skin ability.
“Even the rock has been corroded?”
Xue Ji stored the collected materials into her storage space and called for Shaya to leave.
Shaya maintained her combat form, her height now 1.7 meters, her appearance more aggressive than in her loli state.
Her face was still smeared with the giant lizards’ blood, looking somewhat horrifying, yet she whined to Xue Ji playfully, “A-Ji, this blood stinks so bad, wash it off for me, quick.”
“Alright, alright, don’t rush, it’s coming right up.”
Water magic was Xue Ji’s forte. She had a natural affinity for water, and the water elements seemed to favor her in return. Back in the other world, when battling sea monsters, she could even single-handedly fight and win against a fifty-meter giant octopus in the ocean.
The magically generated current washed over Shaya. Its gentle force and slight coolness were something Shaya adored, as if someone were caressing her entire body.
“Shaya, you’re practically no different from a human girl now, are you?” Xue Ji looked at the young woman who was quite a bit taller than herself and sighed with emotion.
The memory of meeting Shaya for the first time was still fresh in Xue Ji’s mind. They had started fighting at the slightest disagreement, and then the newly awakened Lilith had thrown a wrench into things. What a messy story that was.
“A-Ji, you don’t seem much like a boy anymore either. Have you finally accepted being a girl?”
Taking advantage of her height, Shaya rubbed Xue Ji’s head of white hair. Had to say, it was incredibly smooth and felt wonderful to the touch.
Her ears twitched, and her gaze turned cold.
“How should I put it… transmigration, past lives, gender-swap—I’ve encountered all of them personally. My ability to accept things has reached a level that even I find terrifying.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Xue Ji and Shaya’s figures vanished from the spot. A giant, dark purple skull emerged from the ground, devouring the patch of land.
“We meet again, Ling Xiaoxiao! I will avenge my dead brother this time!” A tall, thin man in a black robe burrowed out from the earth. He had resorted to truly desperate measures for this one strike.
But when he saw the two figures standing completely unharmed at the edge of the dirt pit, he fell into deep self-doubt.
Shaya grabbed him by the collar, pulling him out of the ground like pulling up a radish. She pointed two fingers—her index and middle finger of her right hand—straight at his nose and cursed.
“Hey, you punk, take a good look!” Shaya yelled. “Where’s the Ling Xiaoxiao you’re looking for here? Believe me when I say I’ll tear you apart!”
Shaya scolded him while jabbing her fingers at him. The wild aura she naturally possessed, now unleashed at full force, struck pure terror into the dark mage’s heart.
“Ever seen a ruthless person?”
“I have now, you’re one, you definitely are. I had eyes but failed to see Mount Tai. I mistook you for someone else. Please spare me.” The dark mage looked into Shaya’s eyes and felt like prey being stared down by a predator, a primal fear overtaking him.
“You think I’m just ruthless? You clueless fool!” Shaya slapped him across the face, swelling it up instantly. “I’ll give you one more chance. What am I?”
The dark mage hesitated for a moment and received another slap, swelling up the other side of his face. Then came another round of finger-pointing and scolding.
“I see you won’t shed tears until you see the coffin.” Shaya flaunted her half-baked knowledge.
“Isn’t the saying ‘won’t shed tears until you see the Yellow River’?” the dark mage helpfully corrected her.
Xue Ji, standing nearby, couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
Slap! Slap! A tooth flew out along with blood.
Now both sides of his face had swollen another size larger, and his speech whistled.
“Stop scolding, stop! I’m uneducated, heroine, just give me a hint, please!” His words were practically begging, and the tears in his eyes had already started flowing uncontrollably.
“A hint? I’m a little more than ruthless. A little more ruthless than a ruthless person. That’s the hint. Guess, you have five seconds.”
Shaya gave him no time to think, already starting the countdown.
At that moment, the dark mage’s brain worked faster than it ever had before. What kind of person was more ruthless than a ruthless person?
They say bullies fear the ruthless, and the ruthless fear the reckless. Could it be that these two were also desperadoes?
Thinking this, the dark mage became supremely confident. With an air of certainty, he said, “Ah, so we’re kindred spirits! This is truly a case of the flood washing over the Dragon King’s temple. It was my mistake. How about I compensate you two with five hundred thousand, and we just let this go? I am, after all, an assassin on the Dark List. It wouldn’t be good for any of us if things got too ugly…”
“Who told you to say all that? Are you tired of living?!” Shaya grabbed his neck, making a motion to twist it.
“Hey, hey, hey, aren’t you two also desperadoes? Why be so ruthless?” The dark mage was so desperate he nearly choked on his own breath.
“Desperado? That’s the extent of your culture? I’m a werewolf! Moron!” As Shaya spoke, her wolf clan traits fully manifested, revealing razor-sharp wolf fangs.
“Y-you, you, I—damn it, who plays brain teasers at a time like this?!”
His chest cavity convulsed violently. Sensing trouble, Shaya threw him back into the dirt pit.
Unexpectedly, the mouthful of blood he sprayed shot up three meters high, startling Shaya into retreating a hundred meters away.
Xue Ji was completely amused by Shaya’s whole routine. She walked to the edge of the pit, shielded by a spirit energy barrier, and looked inside.
The dark mage had already passed out cold. One could say the guy had nearly been angered to death by Shaya. His entire face was swollen up like a pig’s head—an utterly miserable sight to behold.
