Chang Long turned to look at the brash girl, surprised and smiled without saying a word. Although this girl was brash and self-centered, she had the heart to protect her and Kitsune, even though she could have just protected only herself. Chang Long extended her hand forward before slowly spreading it out as if parting the flames in front of her. The sea of flames in front of her parted according to Chang Long's gesture, causing great astonishment for Kitsune and the young woman.

    "Now we can continue, right?"

    Chang Long smiled at the young woman who was still stunned and then started walking along the path that had been cleared. The young woman followed compliantly, although she was still sulking. She had no other choice. She looked at Chang Long's back with slightly changed eyes. It seemed she was not as angry anymore, but there were still some other feelings...

    The three of them safely reached the beach. The horned fire lizards and fire salamanders did not dare follow them to the beach because they were afraid of water. They were thoroughly hurt by Chang Long's Sea of Flames, so none dared to follow any further. It was a pity that Chang Long's magic could not kill them due to their resistance to the same element.

    "What are we going to do next now that we're here?"

    The young woman asked, sitting down next to Chang Long who was enjoying the view of the sea. Kitsune quickly stepped in between the two as soon as he saw.

    "Don't you know how to sit quietly and soak up the atmosphere for once? The weather here is really nice."

    Chang Long turned to the young woman who was frowning because she was pushed aside by Kitsune.

    "Indeed, master. This woman must only have one mood for sure,"

    Kitsune grimaced at the stranger.

    "What! How dare you speak to me like that? When you two were acting all lovey-dovey in front of me, I didn't say a word!"

    The young woman yelled back. Unable to look straightly at Kitsune and Chang Long, she thought to herself, 'They are both so handsome, too bad.'

    "Don't be like that, Kitsune is still young. Don't take it to heart,"

    Chang Long said, patting Kitsune’s head affectionately.

    "How is he young? He's bigger than me! Besides, you guys are, like... that. Of course, you would stick up for each other!"

    She shouted at Chang Long, her face flushing red.

    "What do you mean by 'like...that'?"

    Chang Long and Kitsune asked the woman in unison.

    After hearing the woman's long rant, Chang Long and Kitsune could not help but roll around laughing on the sand, which made their already disheveled appearance even worse.

    "So, you guys aren't a gay couple?"

    The woman asked awkwardly.

    "How could we be? There's no way me and my master could be like that,"

    Kitsune managed to answer while trying to suppress his laughter. He was initially stunned when he learned what a gay couple was, it took a while for him to process the information.

    "If you're not a gay couple, why were you hugging each other?!"

    "That... is a secret,"

    Chang Long replied, sitting up to wipe away tears from laughing so hard, then checking her disheveled state.

    "Wow, we are a mess. Let's go play in the sea, Kitsune," she said, the laughter stopped when she saw her state before inviting Kitsune to run down to the clear blue sea.

    "Wait for me, master!!"

    Kitsune responded eagerly, running after his master, excited for his first time playing in the water with her!

    "What's your name?"

    Chang Long yelled to the woman from the sea.

    "Why should I tell you!"

    the woman snapped back immediately. She actually wanted to join them in the sea but felt too proud to ask since Chang Long did not invite her.

    "It's okay if you don't want to tell me. Then, I'll name you... how about Grumpy Face!? No? Then, Moody Lady! Oh, you don't like that either? Then..."

    "Enough! My name is Peach Blossom," the woman finally spat out, unable to tolerate the ridiculous names Chang Long was suggesting.

    "Uh-huh... Won’t you come join us in the water, Peach Blossom? It's fun,"

    Chang Long invited with a smile, though she was too far for Peach Blossom to see the smile.

    "No!"

    Peach Blossom curtly replied, hoping to end the conversation.

    "Wow... but you're all dirty and stinky. I can't believe you're okay with that. What a waste, you look pretty decent,"

    Chang Long teased, which infuriated the woman, who stomped towards Chang Long, ready to confront her.

    "Who are you calling stinky? Water Fury!"

    Peach Blossom invoked a skill that caused the waves to become as violent as if they were in a storm, targeting Chang Long. Chang Long and Kitsune's eyes widened as they immediately ran up from the sea.

    "What are you doing? Trying to kill us or what!?"

    Chang Long exclaimed as she approached Peach Blossom.

    "Well, yes! How dare you say I stink?!"

    Peach Blossom retorted fiercely, but she was stunned by the sight of the two people in front of her.

    Peach Blossom was stunned by the look of the two disheveled figures she had been arguing with, their good looks made them look like deities that had descended to earth. The one with black hair, though slender and delicate like a woman, was astonishingly handsome and dignified. The one with golden-orange hair appeared as an innocent young master, gentle and well-bred without fault.

    "What's wrong, Peach Blossom? Your face is red. Are you sick?"

    Chang Long's voice snapped Peach Blossom out of her daze. She glanced between Chang Long and Kitsune, utterly bewildered. The sight of these two was dangerously captivating to her heart.

    "She really doesn't seem well, master," Kitsune leaned in closer out of curiosity.

    "I’m fine! Move, I need to wash up too!"

    Peach Blossom blurted out and walked straight to the sea, not giving Chang Long or Kitsune another glance.

    "Strange girl,"

    Chang Long tilted her head, puzzled. She then laid out a cloth on the sand, followed by a dining set. Kitsune efficiently placed plates on the mat, while Chang Long summoned a few dishes with the Cone of Abundance and tucked it away as before.

    After Peach Blossom had cleaned up to her satisfaction, she returned to find Chang Long and Kitsune waiting, the aroma of the food making her realize she had not eaten anything since morning.

    "Come sit. Let's have lunch together,"

    Chang Long invited. Peach Blossom sat down, avoiding direct eye contact with them both.

    They ate quietly, with occasional conversation between Chang Long and Kitsune. Peach Blossom, however, remained silent. This made Chang Long jokingly think that she must have left her mouth in the sea. Afterward, Chang Long and Kitsune took a nap, while Peach Blossom kept staring at Chang Long.

    "Master, please wake up,"

    Kitsune gently woke Chang Long.

    "What..."

    Chang Long murmured sleepily.

    "Master, I think there’s a high-level beast that way,"

    Kitsune indicated towards a bush.

    "Where’s Peach Blossom?"

    "She's sleeping over there. Master go wake her up first; I'll draw the beast's attention."

    "Alright... Be careful, Kitsune."

    "Yes, master."

    Chang Long crawled over to Peach Blossom who was sleeping nearby and woke her with a soft voice. Peach Blossom's eyes fluttered open to find Chang Long's face inches away, her cheeks flushed red. As she was about to scream Chang Long quickly covered her mouth.

    "Don't struggle! I'm not here to harm you. I just wanted to warn you about a high-level beast nearby so you can prepare to escape," Chang Long whispered, slowly releasing her hand from Peach Blossom's mouth once she finished explaining.

    "Where is it?"

    Peach Blossom asked, not daring to meet Chang Long's eyes.

    "Over there, in the forest line. Kitsune is checking it out,"

    Chang Long pointed out the direction they suspected that the high-level beast was lying in wait. Soon, Kitsune ran back, his face alarmed.

    "Master, we need to flee! There's a whole pack of them!!"

    Kitsune panted.

    Upon hearing this, Peach Blossom frantically searched her bag for a teleportation scroll to return to town, her actions revealing how afraid she was.

    "Are they really that high-level?" Chang Long asked with concern.

    "Yes, master. Based on my estimation, the smaller ones are all around level 40, and the bigger two leading them appear to be over level 60,"

    Kitsune’s answer made Chang Long and Peach Blossom gasp in shock.

    "What are you doing standing around? Hurry and find a teleportation scroll!"

    Peach Blossom urged Chang Long, who seemed frozen.

    "Yeah,"

    Chang Long murmured, digging into her serpent skin backpack, clueless as to what the teleportation scroll looked like or even if she possessed one.

    "They're coming!"

    Kitsune exclaimed, Chang Long and Peach Blossom went pale.

    "Ah..."

    Chang Long pulled out a purple scroll from her bag and examined it.

    "What's this?"

    "That's the teleportation scroll! Do you have another? I'll buy it from you,"

    Peach Blossom said, relieved.

    "No more. You take it," Chang Long handed the teleportation scroll to Peach Blossom without hesitation.

    "What about you?!"

    "I'll manage. Go on, I'll get one from Kitsune."

    Chang Long reassured her. So, Peach Blossom activated the scroll without hesitation. As Peach Blossom vanished, Chang Long approached Kitsune, who was watching dozens of beasts heading their way.

    "Fire Lizard Kings level 60 and Horned Fire Lizard King 65 appear,"

    announced the system, startling Chang Long. Two Mythical Beast Kings led the way as twenty-something minions followed in their footsteps. Chang Long and Kitsune did not hesitate to start running away from them.

    "Master, they're getting closer. What should we do?"

    Kitsune asked in a panic.

    "Right,"

    Chang Long seemed to have an idea. She turned to Kitsune and instructed,

    "Can you disrupt the smaller ones and make them scatter? It'd be great if you could drive them into the sea. As for the two big ones, I'll try to lure them into the sea myself."

    "Do you give me permission to kill them, master?"

    Kitsune inquired.

    "If you have a chance to kill them, do it. But don't take unnecessary risks. If we can lead them into the water, their power should decrease significantly. Especially the Fire Lizard; if they can't use their fire, they're just ordinary lizards."

    Chang Long instructed, emphasizing not to take unnecessary risks.

    "Understood, master,"

    After receiving the order, Kitsune dashed forward swiftly. He leapt into the midst of the fire lizards, causing the smaller ones to panic and scatter in different directions. Kitsune chased the disorganized fire lizards towards the beach. The fire lizard kings attempted to turn and face Kitsune, but Chang Long quickly grabbed stones nearby and threw them, attracting their attention towards herself.

    The 2 fire lizard kings turned their threatening gaze towards Chang Long and charged at her with such speed that she barely had time to react. Relying on her swift movement skill, she dashed towards the sea as fast as she could, with two fire lizard kings hot on her heels. However, upon reaching the water's edge, the lizard kings halted, unwilling to follow her into the sea. In contrast, their minions, chased by Kitsune, scrambled into the water almost entirely. Kitsune then easily dispatched them with his sharp claws. With just two to three strikes, he managed to eliminate 25 level 45 fire lizards and 20 level 48 horned fire lizards, earning a total of 354,450 coins (after doubling) from the kills. Meanwhile, Chang Long was too preoccupied with the two fire lizard kings to pay attention to the loot.

    Instead of their expected pursuit, the fire lizard kings switched tactics, as they started spewing scorching flames at Chang Long. She dodged the flames narrowly, suffering several burns across her body in the process. The beasts' eyes turned a blood-red, signaling an intensification of their attack.

    "Oh... don't tell me they're going berserk!"

    Chang Long noticed the blood-red eyes of the fire lizard kings, realizing that luring them into the sea would now be futile. Her only option was to run as fast as possible.

    Chang Long shouted for Kitsune to distract one of the fire lizard kings to create an escape route. While dodging the relentless attacks, she scanned for a safe passage or hiding spot the beasts could not follow.

    "Seems like there’s a cave... Ouch!!"

    Chang Long cried out as she was violently struck in the abdomen by the tail of one of the fire lizard kings, sending her body flying several meters before crashing to the ground, coughing up a significant amount of blood. She had no time to lie in pain, so she quickly got up despite the pain, and ran at full speed towards a small cave hidden behind dense bushes at the very edge of the beach. The berserk fire lizard kings relentlessly pursued Chang Long, who found that they were incredibly fast. Even with her swift movement skill at level 7, she could not shake them off, and it seemed they were continuously closing in on her.

    "Kitsune! That's enough, no need to distract them anymore. Run straight to that thick bush over there. There's a small cave we can hide in!"

    Chang Long shouted to her pet, clearly at a disadvantage against the horned fire lizard king. Hearing his master's command, Kitsune launched a powerful strike with his python fang sword into the left eye of the fire lizard king he was battling, causing blood to spurt out and the beast to roar in pain. It hesitated, trying to swipe at its injured eye with its front leg in agony. Seizing the opportunity, Kitsune quickly ran to rejoin his master.

    Chang Long was truly facing a dire crisis. She ran as fast as she could to reach the cave she had spotted, but the fire lizard king would not let her escape easily. It kept spewing fire at Chang Long, forcing her to stop and dodge the intense flames that were continuously attacking her.

    "Just 10 more meters. Hang in there, Chang Long, hang in there!"

    Chang Long murmured, encouraging herself as she tried to reach the cave. But the distance between her and the two fire lizard kings was closing rapidly. Chang Long gritted her teeth and forced herself to keep running, knowing that stopping meant certain death.

    5...4...3...

    "Hey, the entrance is smaller than I thought!"

    As she neared the cave entrance she had aimed for, Chang Long was shocked to find that it was smaller and narrower than she had anticipated.

    "Kitsune, revert to your pre-evolved form now!!"

    Chang Long commanded. Kitsune immediately complied before squeezing into the cave first. Chang Long knew that stopping to crawl in meant death, as the two fire lizard kings, though not yet upon her, would soon reach her with their scorching flames. Given that she was level 21 and severely injured, a single attack would surely send her to her demise.

    "Alright! Let's take a risk, hup!"

    With that, Chang Long dove into a slide towards the cave's mouth, hoping the momentum would help her slip through smoothly. Fortunately for Chang Long, luck was on her side again, but only halfway. Her upper body slid beautifully into the cave, but her lower body from the waist down remained outside.

    "This is just my luck!"

    Chang Long grumbled, rolling her eyes in frustration. She struggled to pull the rest of herself in. Turning to see Kitsune in his small pre-evolution form wagging his tails, looking at her with wide eyes made her even more frustrated.

    "Um... a little help here? It's about to bite my butt off,"

    Chang Long sent a telepathic plea with a stern face.

    "Yes, master!"

    Kitsune wagged his tail in response, transformed into his human form, and then quickly pulled Chang Long into the cave.