Chapter 56: Sudden hostility

Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Sudden hostility Betty hopped toward the cabin, humming a tune under her breath, when she suddenly froze in her tracks. Her gaze dropped to her slender fingers as she clenched them into fists, memories flashing of the beast that had torn half the town apart. ’Wait... I’m at the ninth level of body refinement now. Does that mean my physical strength surpasses that beast’s?’ She recalled the moment David had destroyed the creature’s eye with his powers. ’Although he used energy, not brute strength, he did that much damage while only at the third-grade core, and without any cultivation. If he could do that, then I... I could definitely take it down now.’ Betty exhaled sharply, loosening her grip with a sigh. "Tch... but that energy blast from its mouth could still injure even a seventh-grade beast." Taking a step back, she fixed her eyes on the tree in front of her, fists tightening once again. "Alright..." she murmured, before driving her fist forward with all her might, channeling her technique. The ground trembled. Smoke and dust rose in a thick cloud. When it cleared, Betty’s eyes widened, her lips twitching at the sight. The tree wasn’t just split. The earth beneath it had collapsed into a ravine-like crater. A slow, grim smile curled on her lips as the reality of her power sank in. "Hehehe... I can fucking kill that beast now, alone. Of course, with no prying eyes." Her mind raced, formulating plans to dodge its energy blasts, timing her steps, imagining herself slipping through space the moment it struck, only to reappear and crush its jaw with a single blow. "Hehe..." Her laughter abruptly died as she noticed the massive crater slowly shrinking. The ground smoothed itself out, and, to her shock, the tree she had obliterated reappeared in its original state. "What the hell... does this space have a recycle option? Calista never told me about this." "MASTER! What the hell are you doing?!" The sudden shriek made Betty jump, clutching her chest as her heart nearly leaped out of it. She sucked in a deep breath and turned to see Calista soaring toward her like an angry bullet. "AHH! Why are you screaming like that, Calista? You scared me!" Betty yelled back, her voice sharp with irritation. Calista landed with a furious flap of wings, then immediately pecked at Betty’s feet with her sharp beak. "Ouch! Ouch! OUCH! That hurts!" Betty yelped, hopping on one leg and clutching the other as tears pricked the corners of her eyes. Calista huffed in outrage, fixing her with a glare full of resentment. "How are you this strong, you little devil bird?!" Betty complained through clenched teeth, wincing in pain. Calista ignored the jab completely and snapped, "Master, how could you destroy things here?! Do you have any idea how much energy it wastes? If you keep doing this, the space could even regress to a previous level!" Betty blinked, stunned, before finally lowering her foot and muttering with a guilty smile, "Okay, okay! My fault. I’m sorry, alright? I was just... testing how much damage my power can do." She pressed her palms together in a sheepish apology, hoping to calm the furious little creature. Calista narrowed her eyes, her voice firm but reluctant. "Alright... I’ll forgive you this time. But don’t you dare do it again." Betty let out a sigh of relief and grinned. "Thanks! I’m heading to the cabin. See ya!" She waved casually and strolled away without a second thought. --- With a swift flap of her wings, Calista soared into the air, gliding toward the cave. The moment she landed, her sharp gaze fell on Shu Hong, who was holding a shimmering blue stone. "Why are you holding a spirit stone, Hong?" Calista asked, suspicion lacing her tone. Shu Hong gave a nonchalant shrug, sliding the stone into her pocket with a blank expression. "Calista... you’re going to get beaten when your mother comes back." Calista tilted her head, frowning. "What? Why would I get beaten? Don’t talk nonsense." Shu Hong patted her pocket slowly, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. "You do realize this isn’t an ordinary spirit stone, right? It records everything... like the cameras in this world." Calista’s eyes widened in pure shock and panic. "W-What?!" Shu Hong’s smirk deepened, though it remained almost invisible. "I’ll make sure to show your mother the recording of you attacking Master. Let’s see how she spanks your little bird bum later." "Don’t you dare!" Calista’s form shimmered, shifting into her human shape. Her small frame lunged toward Shu Hong’s tall, composed figure. Expressionless, Shu Hong simply lifted the spirit stone high into the air, effortlessly dodging Calista’s grasping hands. "Huff... Huff... Hong, throw that away! I swear, I’ll do anything you want if you get rid of it now!" Calista bent over, hands on her knees, panting dramatically. Shu Hong raised a brow, considering her words. After a long, silent pause, she finally flicked her wrist and tossed the stone into the pool with calm indifference. Calista’s entire body sagged in relief. She dropped to the floor with a thud, wiping imaginary sweat from her forehead. "Stop pretending," Shu Hong said flatly, her voice cutting through the air. "With your strength, you wouldn’t be exhausted this easily." Calista groaned, climbing to her feet. She crossed her arms stubbornly. "Fine. Tell me what you want." Shu Hong tapped her chin, fingers rhythmically brushing her cheek as she thought. "Alright... I just want you to stick to what we agreed on earlier." Her voice was calm, but her eyes sharpened. "When Master reaches grade five, we take her away." Calista’s eyes flickered violently, her jaw tightening. "Do you not trust me when I said we would take her then? Why are you repeating it?" Shu Hong gave a careless shrug and turned away, her silhouette melting into the shadows. Her voice lingered like a whisper as she vanished. "I don’t trust someone who always goes back on her word. Remember that." Calista’s face twisted with fury, and she let out a loud exhale that almost sounded like a growl. "When," she snapped through gritted teeth, "did I EVER go back on our talk?!" --- "Wow, it’s growing well." Squatting down, Betty gently touched the potato plant in her field, a small smile on her lips. But when her gaze shifted to the radishes nearby, her expression faltered. Walking over, she let out a long sigh at the sight of their hardened state. "Looks like they’ve gone bad... I should’ve pulled them out earlier." She yanked one plant from the soil and stared at the nearly stone-like radish in her hand, her brows knitting in frustration. ’The radish grows earlier than the other vegetables, right?’ "Mother, let’s go out now! Did you forget? Grandma invited us today!" Betty turned at the familiar voice and smiled when she saw Sophia standing there, bundled up in a coat with a little red scarf wrapped snugly around her neck. Walking over, Betty gently patted her daughter’s head, her smile softening. "Oh? Do you like Grandma that much? You’re already all dressed by yourself and ready to go." Sophia nodded eagerly and began running in circles around Betty. "Yeah! I like her so much! She played with me last time, and she even cooked me the most delicious dinner ever!" Betty chuckled softly, but her smile turned wry as she recalled Emma’s perfect cooking, then compared it to her own nearly burned meals. "Alright, wait here for a minute. I’ll change my clothes, and then we’ll go, okay?" "Okay!" Sophia chirped, watching as Betty walked away from the field and disappeared into the cabin. Left alone, Sophia tilted her head back, scanning the sky in search of a familiar figure. "Huh... where did that little birdie go?" she murmured, her eyes narrowing in curiosity. A short while later, Betty stepped out of the spatial realm, standing before a mirror as she ran a brush through her slightly messy hair. Satisfied, she turned and scooped Sophia up into her arms with a gentle smile. "Alright... let’s go now." Click. Betty locked the apartment door, double-checking before turning and heading downstairs. Halfway down the stairwell, her steps slowed, eyes narrowing as she spotted Leon coming up with a blond-haired man beside him. Leon’s face brightened the moment he saw her. He lifted his hand in a friendly wave. "Oh, hello, Betty!" Betty froze mid-step, frowning at the sound of her name. "...How do you know my name? I’m pretty sure I didn’t tell you." Leon just shrugged with an easy grin. "Oh, your friend told me—Lilian." "Lilian..." Betty muttered under her breath, her gaze sliding to the man beside Leon—only to find him staring at her like she was something extraordinary. ’Is this... the male lead?’ Sophia glanced between her mother and the strangers, confusion clouding her little face. Betty’s brows furrowed as she met the blond man’s intense stare. Her voice dropped, sharp and cold. "Why are you staring at me like that? Do you want to get punched?" she growled. Leon blinked, taken aback by her sudden hostility.