I was terrified! Raising a colossal star beast in the Beast Taming World

The trees lining the path swayed gently in the morning breeze, their leaves still glistening with last night's dew, gleaming with an eerie dark red luster under the crescent moon. A few distant barks drifted by, quickly swallowed by the morning silence.

Xue Youyou and Meng Tianxiang walked side by side on the empty road, their pace neither fast nor slow, as if they had deliberately slowed their rhythm. Neither of them was in a hurry to take off, as if this moment of peace and stability was the last luxury before the storm.

After walking a distance, Meng Tianxiang finally couldn't contain herself any longer. She turned her head to look at Xue Youyou, her eyes filled with intense curiosity: "Why did Manluo suddenly start calling you 'Mom Xue'?"

Xue Youyou glanced at her sideways, making no attempt to hide anything, and briefly recounted what had happened that morning.

As Meng Tianxiang listened, her eyes widened, her mouth opened and closed repeatedly, finally settling on an extremely subtle expression, as if she wanted to laugh but felt it wasn't appropriate, and wanted to complain but didn't know where to begin.

"So, to comfort them, you made them call you 'Mom'?"

Her voice rose a half-tone, the end tinged with obvious disbelief: "They even made tea? A proper family reunion ceremony?"

"And in the end, Manluo drank it too?"

"Pretty much," Xue Youyou shrugged.

"Oh my, my wonderful grandson-in-law!"

Meng Tianxiang slapped her thigh, her tone filled with exasperation and disappointment: "Not everyone will be grateful! You brought Manluo to Muyue, do you think Muyue will thank you? Or do you think Manluo will really treat you like her mother?"

She got more and more excited as she spoke, pointing her finger in the air as if scolding a disappointing junior: "You're so young, how come you're already following Bao Yunxing's example of taking in an adopted daughter?"

Xue Youyou smiled helplessly, her voice calm and composed: "I've already said, I really just couldn't bear it and wanted to help as much as I could, without expecting anything in return."

"Alright, keep pretending."

Meng Tianxiang snorted lightly, waved her hand, and said with the confidence of someone who had been through it all: "I won't expose you."

Xue Youyou didn't argue, but simply curved her lips slightly and turned her gaze to the scarlet crescent moon in the distant sky.

The morning light shone in the eastern sky, intertwining with the dark red of the crescent moon, dyeing half the sky a strange, ambiguous color between dawn and doomsday.

A moment of silence fell between them, broken only by the soft crunch of their shoes on the asphalt.

"What are your plans now?"

Meng Tianxiang broke the silence first. She dropped her teasing expression and her tone became serious.

"I've already gotten the coordinates of the Moon Palace from Manro."

Xue Youyou withdrew her gaze from the sky and turned to look at Meng Tianxiang, her expression calm and resolute: "After returning, I will immediately go to the Moon Goddess Palace with the ones chosen by the Emperor."

Meng Tianxiang nodded, but before she could say anything, Xue Youyou continued speaking in a calm and unhurried tone, clearly having already arranged everything in her mind.

"As for the rest, I plan to send them to Qingqiu for the time being. Even if the next target of the Evil Red Moon is the City of Ten Thousand Beasts, I think with the abilities of the Seventh Princess of Qingqiu, Tu Shan Yue, there should be a way to avoid disaster."

Upon hearing this, Meng Tianxiang couldn't help but glance at Xue Youyou again.

This grandson-in-law, on the surface, is carefree and occasionally does some absurd things that make people laugh and cry, but when it really matters, he is surprisingly meticulous. He even arranged where those few small fry would go.

"I didn't expect you to even know that governor sent by the superior state."

Meng Tianxiang's tone carried a hint of genuine emotion: "Since you've already made all the arrangements, I won't say anything more."

Xue Youyou nodded slightly, then paused and turned to face Meng Tianxiang. A rare look of solemnity appeared in her clear, icy eyes.

"Why don't you go to Qingqiu with them too?"

Meng Tianxiang was stunned for a moment.

Then, she chuckled. There was no sarcasm or indifference in her laughter; instead, it carried a comforting warmth from being cared for. She waved her hand.

"I'm not a child, so don't worry about me. I'm a top expert who has dominated Yue Lanzhou for many years, and I'm not someone who will die so easily."

She paused, her smile fading slightly, replaced by a half-joking, half-serious expression: "Besides, I also have my pride. You want me, the dignified Marquis of Qingming, to hide in Qingqiu? Even if the Governor of Zhenzhou agrees, I can't afford to lose face like that."

Xue Youyou wanted to try to persuade her again, but Meng Tianxiang stopped her by raising her hand.

"But that girl Yan Qing—"

Meng Tianxiang's gaze suddenly softened, and in her eyes, there was only a pure, elder's concern: "You must take good care of him for me, and you must bring him back alive and well."

Her voice wasn't loud, but every word carried immense weight, like a weighty entrustment pressing on one's heart, so solemn that it made the air itself seem heavy.

Xue met her gaze without flinching.

Her gaze held a promise, a certainty, and a calm composure that compelled one to believe her. She raised her hand and solemnly placed it on her chest.

"Don't worry. It's not just Yan Qing, it's everyone else too. I will do my best to protect them."

Meng Tianxiang looked at the girl in front of her who was solemnly swearing an oath to her, and remained silent for a long while, looking into those clear yet firm eyes.

She suddenly felt that she could feel a little more at ease.

"Alright, alright, stop making empty promises. You need to take care of yourself too."

Meng Tianxiang withdrew her gaze, waved her hand, and said in a dismissive tone, "Go and take care of your business. You don't need to worry about this old woman."

Xue Youyou nodded without saying anything more. She turned around, lightly touched the ground with her toes, and her whole body transformed into the purest snow white. Her figure floated up like a light snowflake and flew towards the direction of Lanzhi Courtyard.

Meng Tianxiang stood there, watching the snow-white figure grow smaller and smaller until it completely merged into the sky where blood and morning light intertwined.

A gentle morning breeze swept by, ruffling the dark hair at her temples.

She raised her hand, tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear, and then sighed softly.

"This child..."

She murmured to herself, her tone carrying a complex and inexplicable tone.

After a moment, she shook her head, a helpless yet gratified smile curving her lips.

Ripples of emptiness silently spread behind her, and her figure, like a reflection cast into the water, vanished without a trace.

She also has things she needs to do.

The path was once again deserted and empty.