The rest of the morning was rather uneventful.

The sun had gradually risen and the group quickly packed up and advanced forth. Most of the incidents that occurred within the darkness remained in the darkness as the members continued to perform their roles as they slowly made their way forward.

The thick overgrowth and trees filled with moss covered their every direction. Liu Five and Senior Xuan slowly chopped away thick branches and leaves as they made a path for the group to move forth. The speed of advancement compared to the previous few days was clearly much slower than before. The group seems to be still recovering from their previous fight. This obviously spells bad news to those who need to arrive at their destinations on time such as Senior Qin and Gan, but such a result was already expected after the beast tide from yesterday. The only choice was to make the best of the current situation.

"Hmmm~hmmm~"

A light humming could be heard from the center as the silver-haired Millie hopped gently. This was incongruous to the serious mood of the rest of the group. Yet no one dared to berate her since she was not only the guide but also one who could predict threats. This awkward scene just continued as the group slowly made its way into the jungle depths.

--

Cruu-crunnch.

The thick branches snapped as the machete sliced through.

"Hey, everyone. There is a small clearing ahead."

A somber voice traveled from the front as Senior Xuan delivered his message.

The rest of the eyes looked up with slight hope and joy as they had been traveling for hours in the dark jungle. Finally, there is a place where they could rest and relax for the night. Still, some eyes had a look of caution. They are still not out of danger yet.

"Hey Liu Xun, this doesn't sound too bad huh. I was initially missing that hidden lake area after we had to camp in the jungle yesterday. Now, it looks like we can at least stay in a wide-open area."

Langfeng's voice whispered across as the pudgy youth gently nudged him from behind.

Liu Xun looked back with an annoyed expression. To him, it did not really matter where he had to rest. All he needed was a place where he could relax. The beast tide yesterday was most definitely not a relaxing scenario. This clearing may sound like a good idea, but only if there are not any inhabitants.

"Stop saying foolish things and just move forward, being out in the open is not necessarily good."

A short but sharp remark came from beside the pudgy youth as the blue-dressed lady with twin buns berated the pudgy youth yet again. Sparks could be seen between the two as a silent argument ensued. Yet, no one else was in the mood to accompany these two as they were vigilantly guarding against their surroundings. This is, of course, with the exception of Millie who is looking curiously at the two who were currently pinching each other.

"Why can't you act more ladylike?"

"Then why can't you stop being an idiot?"

"What did you say!?"

Hushed whispers were traded as the group advanced.

"Stop this nonsense right now."

A loud reverberating voice sounded out from the front as Liu Five gave a short glare at the two troublemakers. It seems like he and the rest of the seniors were already fed up with this farce. That kept the two from making any further noises.

"Anyways, looks like we have entered the clearing."

Senior Xuan's somber voice came out as the last branch in their way was chopped off.

--

"Wooooah."

The present view was a rather refreshing one. The clearing was filled with short grass and flowerbeds filled with colorful flowers of various types. There are only a few trees lying about in the entire wide space without any visible mountains in the distance which the clearing spanned.

The group advanced into the clearing as they looked around. Most of the area looked to be unobstructed as the neat short grass surrounded their feet spanned across a dozen or so lis. Beasts of various kinds could be seen scattered across the clearing, most of these beasts did not interact with each other and minded their own business.

At the center of the clearing, there was a small river that bisected this clearing. Small animals and beasts could be seen roaming around it peacefully without any conflicts. Some animals lay by the riverside as they rested, others approached the river as they swallowed gulps of water. It seems that this area was a watering hole for the beasts. There is apparently some form of a non-aggression pact signed among all of the visitors of this river as no blood could be seen spilt anywhere at all.

The group gently walked forth with caution as they approached a segment of the river. Slight glares could be seen from the surroundings as groups of beasts direct their glances at these foreign intruders, pondering about the group's intentions. Yet, no conflicts had broken out yet as both sides remained passive.

"Well, we are most definitely not welcomed to stay. Let us camp in the jungle tonight as well."

Senior Qin's gentle voice sounded out.

The rest of the group nodded in agreement with slightly glum expressions. It was a pity that they could not stay in this nice place for the night since it would just provoke the ire of the other beasts. There was no point getting into pointless conflicts over such trivialities.

"Not really~you can actually set up camp here. Well, as long as you do not provoke anyone or cause any trouble, that is. You see, this place is the Glazing Meadows. It has been deemed as a peace zone by the Western Overlord of the Vermillion Ranges. There are several of these peace zones where beasts do not fight each other in. The offending party will become enemies with the entire region. This also applies to humans and whatnot. Whoever offends first will pay the price. Any pollution to the scarce water source is also an offense."

A light voice casually explains, it seems to be from Millie.

"The Western Overlord of Silver and Mysteries, huh. How weird, are these customs between demonic beasts? How do you, as a human, know of it?"

Senior Qin asked in a pondering manner. There was also a slight hint of suspicion and distrust as the group has never heard of such rules before. The group also felt slightly unsettled upon hearing the silver-haired lady's words since she seemed to know a bit too much.

"Well~since I am safeguarding a region that is under the jurisdiction of the Western Overlord, I should also play by their rules, no? As they say, 'When in Xin, do what the Xinmen do.', right?"

The silver-haired girl replied back with ease as she slowly walked forward to the river. In front of her was a white-winged panther, its cultivation base seems to be the middle of essence foundation. The opposite party looked at the approaching girl with a wary look, ready to attack.

"Be careful-"

Senior Xuan shouted out while stretching out his hands, before stopping his sentence.

Splash.

The silver-haired Millie walked past the panther and stepped into the river. As if not minding the presence of the big cat, the young lady advanced into the river without worry. The water went up to her mid-shin as she walked deeper into the river. Both the group as well as the panther looked at the lady in surprise. She then cupped her hands as she scooped a handful of water before placing it by her mouth and taking a drink.

"Gulp~uwaaaah. How refreshing!"

She cried out in joy with a bright innocent expression.

The panther soon relaxed its gaze as it rested its head on its front paws while sunbathing by the riverside. The rest of the group just continued to look at the scene with jaws dropped. Even Liu Xun was completely befuddled. Not only by the actions of the panther but also by how relaxed and carefree Millie acted whilst beside a beast several times stronger than herself.

"Wow, amazing."

An awestruck voice came from behind, it was Langsheng.

"Yes, truly."

Agreement came from an unexpected party, as Waner stared at the silver-haired girl in wonderment.

It was only during these moments that the two irreconcilable foes would actually agree upon something.

"Kuhum-since the young lady is willing to do such. We should not be apprehensive any longer, right?"

Senior Gan's voice echoed out as he slowly walked towards the river.

The other seniors also took slow but cautious steps as they approached the water source. The juniors including Liu Xun slowly followed behind.

The panther lightly opened one eye as it observed the approaching strangers. The group slowly walked towards the river, albeit slightly more distanced from the beast compared to the silver-haired lady. The panther gave a short look before returning to its nap in peace. Thus, no fights broke out and they managed to resupply their water.

--

Liu Xun was pleasantly surprised by this experience. Throughout his life, everyone has said that demonic beasts are vicious and unreasonable. Thus, one should either run or fight with them directly. Such a scenario where both would just mutually coexist without conflict was few and far in between, except for a few exceptional cases like enslaving, taming, and domesticating.

He slowly soaked his feet in the river water as he took out his water gourd and began filling it up. He then gave a casual glance towards Senior Qin.

"Senior Qin, would it be okay to sign in over here?"

He asked carefully and softly, so as to not alert the panther.

"It should be fine, just do not do anything rash."

She replied in a slightly relaxed manner.

"Alright then, sign in."

[Signing in host, please be patient.]

...

[Congratulations Host Liu Xun for signing in at the “Glazing Meadows Watering Hole”. You have obtained the grey prize - a red thong!]

Liu Ruoxue Affection -100

Liu Sanbo Affection -100

Liu Wubo Affection -100

Qin Yeqian Affection -100

Xuan Tie Affection -100

Gan Xinjian Affection -100

.Millie Siverborn Affection +500

Argh, another one of these ridiculous trash prizes.

A red hue of embarrassment could be seen on the young man's face as a red stringy triangular cloth hung loosely from his left hand. His fingers were trembling with slight rage and indignance.

The Million Suns is laughing out loud whilst banging a table. You have been given a small pill (5 points)!

The Most Ancient One gives you a thumbs up. You have been given a small pill (5 points)!

The Peerless Jade Scabbard chuckles out and says how cute. You have been given a small pill (5 points)!

The Thousand Deceivers is snickering uncontrollably. You have been given a carrot (2 points)!

"A-ahem, don't worry. All of us know that this is just how your system works. I-it is by no means your preference or anything."

Senior Qin said in a hurried tone as she turned away slightly from the young man. Most of the group was also pretending to not look at Liu Xun as they minded their own business, despite their eyes slowly lingering back to the topic of contention. Surprisingly, even the panther by the riverside had opened one of its eyes as it glanced at the human being hold onto an embarrassing red piece of cloth. The panther deeply reminded itself to keep its distance from this formidable foe, lest other beasts start spreading uncanny rumors about their association.

Actually, why is Millie's affection rating still positive?

The young man wondered with a troubled look as he glanced over to the young lady. The young lady was looking back towards him with a slight smile and an understanding look.

It is completely alright to reveal your preferences, it is individual freedom~

Her glance silently transmitted.

No, this is a complete misunderstanding!

Another glance was returned.

The silver-haired lady just laughed lightly as she continued to enjoy dipping her slender legs in the river.

She is definitely misunderstanding me!