"As far as I know, it's been around millennia since our group of nymphs first ended up in this world. Everything was completely new and different for us. At that time we used to hide in the forests but soon realized that we can't stay safe in those deep dark forests."

"After a few months, we finally met that woman. I'm not aware of what was the deal that transpired between our late leader and that woman, but after another few months, we were given this place. At that time the mortal realm was still to be created, so this world was hidden in the Heaven Realm. After the deities created the mortal realm, that woman hide this world here in the Thundering Peaks."

The woman, Lady Aislinn, who was the current head of the nymphs told Li Ming.

Li Ming looked deep in thoughts as she contemplated about what she had learned from Lady Aislinn.

The mystery behind the Enchanted Magik Forest and the woman, who created or gifted this world to the nymphs, was much deeper than what she had predicted.

Her instincts were telling her that she needed to solve the mystery behind that woman, but why? She didn't know that.

Who was that woman? Was she from the Cultivation world or was she actually a supernatural? Maybe she was the first supernatural who ended up teleporting or transmigrating to this world and she was also the one who created the Enchanted Magik Forest.

There were so many questions but unfortunately, Li Ming could see that it won't be easy to find their answers.

She was still skeptical about her instincts that were trying to involve her too much in the mystery behind the Enchanted Forest, especially when she didn't want to delve deeper into something that wasn't her problem.

She already had too many problems in her hands and to be fair, she didn't have a single second to spare.

"Do you remember anything about that woman? Like, how she looked like or maybe you know her current location?" Li Ming asked.

She couldn't stop the curiosity that was taking over her sanity at that moment.

"The late leader was the only one who saw her personally. We never got to meet her. And it's been millenniums, we have no idea about her whereabouts," Aislinn replied to her question.

A sigh left Li Ming's lips as she lightly rubbed her arms over the jacket that had got torn at some point.

Her fingers ended up grazing her mark which gave a soft tingle before returning back to normal.

Her thoughts moved back to the four Immortals who had visited her unexpectedly and then left her in the same way, unexpectedly.

"Beautiful."

Aislinn's soft tone brought Li Ming's attention to her. She covered her wrist and gave the nymph a small smile.

The nymph leader could see that Li Ming probably didn't want to talk about the mark, so she didn't stretch the topic.

If it had been someone else, they probably would have killed that person by now for trespassing through their area, but Li Ming wasn't someone.

Not only she was half-witch but the nymph could feel the welcoming environment of the Enchanted Forest.

Doubt and hope bloomed in her chest as the words of her late leader appeared in her mind, but she needed to confirm her suspicion first.

"Do you want to meet the other sups too?" Aislinn asked after a few minutes of peaceful silence.

The pixies were still flying around the area, trying to take in every single piece of this new magical world.

Snowy was playing with Mallow and a few other animal pixies.

"Well..., yeah sure. I mean why not?" Li Ming answered after a little hesitation.

She really wanted to see what other races of supernaturals were present in the cultivation world, but something was telling her that she had invited problems her way the moment she set her foot in the Enchanted Magik Forest. And she was only making it worse by staying there longer.

"Alright! Wait for a moment. We asked them to stay hidden until we called them out. I'm sure they all will be dying to find out about the new visitor," Aislinn said as she signaled something to one of her companions.

The other woman let out a code like whistling tone and the next thing Li Ming knew, people were popping up around her from out of nowhere.

The pixies, Snowy and Mallow, all got scared from the sudden appearance of so many people and hurriedly ran or flew towards Li Ming to get protection.

Within a few minutes, they were surrounded by hundreds of supernatural beings. There was a group of around fifteen Nymphs, another group of seven Sprites, a group of about ten Mermaids too popped up from the stream.

There were Gnomes, Daimons, five Lightning Birds, a small group of Nixies, and finally a family of four sirens.

"What the -? Wow!" Li Ming was both surprised and amazed after seeing so many supernaturals.

"All of them appeared here one after another during these past years while some have already passed away through the years. The latest addition is two sirens who appeared around seven or eight hundred years ago," Aislinn told Li Ming as the sups started either bowing or waving their heads in order to greet Li Ming and the others.

Li Ming and the pixies returned their hello gestures while Snowy hopped around looking happy as he felt the presence of magic and magical beings around him after months.

On the other hand, Mallow's golden eyes were trained on the group of sups in the stream.

"Why don't you join us for dinner? Believe me, you will love the dishes. Through these years, we have learned a lot of skills and cooking is one of those." Aislinn offered the invitation to Li Ming and the other sups also clapped their hands while shouting their agreement.

Before Li Ming could decide whether to agree or decline the offer, Snowy spoke up, "How delicious will it be? More delicious than Li's cooking?"

He actually looked curious, unaware, or either unbothered by the piercing gaze that was drilling holes on the back of his head.

Li Ming wanted to kick the idiot in the running stream. He was just waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

"Am I starving you?" She asked with gritted teeth as she tried to keep a smile pasted on her face.

"Not that. Of course, you will never starve me. But it's been so long since I have eaten something different or new. It's getting boring to taste the same thing, I want to taste something new." Snowy immediately replied.

His initial plan was to calm Li Ming by telling her that she was a good master, but the poor furball never knew that he would somehow end up insulting her more.

He only realized his mistake after he ended up plunging in the cold shivering water of the stream.

"Y-you...you are a M-monster!"

Snowy screamed as he pulled his drenched self out of the stream, jerking his body to get rid of the water.

"Good to know that you are finally aware of it." Li Ming replied to his monster comment, rolling her eyes.

"Since there are people here who are getting bored of my cooking, I'll happily accept this dinner invitation. Thank you for this honor." Li Ming clasped her hands in front of her and bowed her head slightly to show her respect towards their host.

Aislinn and the other nymphs also bowed in return as they all started departing towards the waterfall.

They could see the outline of a cave as the falling water separated from the middle to allow the group of supernaturals to pass through.

Just as they (Pixies, Snowy and Mallow) were about to follow behind the group of nymphs, Li Ming's words halted all of them in their tracks, making Snowy gulp in pure terror and regret.

"Next time when you want to ear the food made by me, make sure to check the price board in the Black Jade Inn so that you can prepare your money before placing your order."

She didn't wait any longer to see Snowy's reaction and immediately followed behind the nymphs.

Stepping towards her future glory as she entered into a cave behind the waterfall.

*****

NYMPHS: A large class of inferior female divinities. The nymphs were usually associated with fertile, growing things, such as trees, or with water.

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SPRITES: Supernatural entities who are often depicted as fairy-like creatures or as an ethereal entity.

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MERMAIDS: A mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. They can shapeshift into human form.

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GNOMES: They are known as a symbol of good luck. They are thought to provide protection, especially to the buried treasure and minerals in the ground.

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DAIMONS: They are not the same as demons, rather they are tutelary spirits that watch over a person of place. They are just like guardian angels.

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LIGHTNING BIRDS: The lightning bird or Impundulu takes the form of a black and white bird, the size of a person, which is said to summon thunder and lightning with its wings and talons.

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NIXIES: They are water sprites and appears just like a mermaid who can transform into humans.

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SIRENS: Sirens are too water spirits who were famous for their melodious voice. Their musical voice is famous for luring anyone into their traps.

*****