The woman in the green dress was elegant and poised.
Her voice was clear and gentle, soothing to the ear.
Dongfang Jing nodded: "Please ask."
Bi Ji's long hair was loose, her emerald eyes gleaming slightly, meeting Dongfang Jing's purple gaze as if she could see right through him.
Dongfang Jing did not avoid her gaze, meeting her eyes directly.
Although he was still bewildered, he could clearly sense that this mysterious woman meant him no harm.
Even though there was a distance between them, Dongfang Jing smelled a faint fragrance that calmed his mind.
"Do you know that what you hold in your arms is a soul beast? Aren't you afraid?" Bi Ji asked softly, her gaze falling on the emerald swan dozing in Dongfang Jing's arms.
Hearing this question, Dongfang Jing shook his head: "I'm not afraid. It not only has no ill intentions towards me, but it's also very kind. To be honest, I've never encountered such a purely kind creature."
"Oh? Don't humans count?"
"Humans?" Dongfang Jing chuckled: "Hard to say. Although I have indeed met kind people, most people, compared to this swan..." He shook his head.
At this moment, the Emerald Swan slowly awoke, stretching its neck and looking around.
When it saw Bi Ji, it immediately let out a cheerful cry.
Dongfang Jing gently stroked its feathers: "Is this swan yours, Senior? It seems very close to you."
Bi Ji paused slightly, then nodded .
She gently moved to Dongfang Jing's side.
The Emerald Swan immediately snuggled into her arms, rubbing its head against her arm, clearly acting like a spoiled child.
"This is the first time I've seen this child so close to a human," Bi Ji said gently.
Hearing this, Dongfang Jing looked strange.
It's as if you're not human.
Bi Ji coughed lightly: "Being approached by it means you're also a kind person."
"You jest," Dongfang Jing shook his head. "I don't deserve the word 'kindness.'"
"Is that so?" Biji stared into his eyes. "Then why have you repeatedly saved it? You know, even if it's kind, it's still a soul beast that's an enemy of humans."
Upon hearing this, Dongfang Jing immediately realized that he had been under the observation of this mysterious senior for a long time.
However, he didn't care and just shrugged. "What does it matter if it's a human or a soul beast? I only know that it saved me when I was on the verge of death. To me, this life-saving grace is far more important than any racial conflict. It saved me, so naturally I have to save it."
"You really are special!"
Biji's eyes flashed with admiration. "The Emerald Swan clan contains extremely pure life energy, which is a great tonic for both humans and soul beasts. Haven't you ever—"
"If I really ate it, wouldn't that make me an ungrateful villain?" Dongfang Jing interrupted her, his tone firm. "I, Dongfang Jing, would never do that."
The light in Biji's eyes flickered slightly, first brightening a bit, then dimming slightly.
But her emerald green eyes remained clear and captivating.
A faint smile played on her lips: "If all humans could think like you, how wonderful that would be."
However, when she saw that strange expression return to Dongfang Jing's face, she naturally changed the subject.
"Given your young age, why were you alone in this Star Dou Great Forest? And why were you so badly injured?"
Mentioning this, Dongfang Jing's expression immediately darkened, and his mood became heavy again.
But feeling the reassuring gentle aura emanating from the woman beside him, he couldn't help but recount his experiences.
Listening to the boy's calm yet suppressed narration, Bi Ji glanced sideways.
Gazing at his still-childish face, a look of sympathy appeared in her eyes.
The Emerald Swan clan possessed innate, exceptional healing talents; the pure life energy condensed within them was coveted by all living beings.
However, their bodies were too fragile, making them easy prey for other soul beasts in their youth.
Brigitte gazed at the boy before her, noticing a striking resemblance between his plight and her own.
Both were hunted by various forces due to their unique nature, forced to hide and constantly on the run.
The difference was that this boy also had to care for his younger sister, making his situation far more difficult.
Recalling her own childhood experiences, Brigitte felt deeply fortunate.
Years ago, she had saved a weak spirit beast whose father was a powerful ten-thousand-year-old spirit beast.
This act of kindness earned her the beast's protection for a millennium.
After successfully surviving her childhood, more spirit beasts who had benefited from her kindness chose to stay and protect her.
Brigitte couldn't help but wonder:perhaps this boy could also gain protection by helping others, just like her?
But she quickly dismissed the idea.
Humans and spirit beasts were not to be confused.
The emotions of most beasts were simpler.
Humans, on the other hand, were complex, fickle, and unpredictable, their desires constantly growing.
These two children were exceptionally talented, yet lacked the strength to protect themselves.
To survive freely in the complex human society was destined to be incredibly difficult!
The firelight danced on their faces, casting long shadows.
Dongfang Jing recounted his experiences, while Biji listened quietly.
A jade swan nestled between them, occasionally letting out a soft cry.
A gentle evening breeze stirred, and the young man poured out all the troubles buried deep in his heart.
Listening to the brother and sister's story, Biji's emerald eyes gradually welled up with tears.
The evening breeze lifted her long, emerald hair, and her light green dress fluttered in the wind.
Dongfang Jing finished speaking and let out a long sigh.
He suddenly realized that after sharing his troubles with someone, the knot in his chest seemed to have dissipated considerably.
Only then did he notice the glimmer of tears in Biji's eyes.
"Senior, you..."
Biji turned her head slightly, gently wiping away the tears from the corner of her eyes with her fingertips.
When she returned her gaze, a gentle smile appeared on her face: "Your sister is very lucky to have a brother like you."
"Yao'er being able to be my sister, it's me who's lucky,"
Biji said noncommittally, her eyes slightly lowered.
Before becoming a 100,000-year-old soul beast, she had healed wounded soul beasts throughout the forest, doing her best to prevent war and maintain peace in the Star Dou Great Forest.
As a soul beast, Bi Ji had witnessed many of her kin being hunted by humans, feeling immense sorrow and helplessness.
Even so, her kind nature prevented her from intentionally harming others, and she avoided humans whenever possible.
However, this did not mean she was without prejudice against humans.
Bi Ji had witnessed humans fighting fiercely in the forest over soul rings, soul bones, or conflicts of interest and emotion, even betraying their companions and revealing their ugly side.
But she also saw those who, when faced with powerful soul beasts, were willing to sacrifice themselves to protect their companions and loved ones—people of great loyalty and righteousness. There were also moments of harmonious coexistence in the distribution of benefits.
So many different kinds of emotions, truly complex.
But it is precisely because of these complexities that we can be called human.
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(End of Chapter)