Chapter 417: Plans within Plans
In front of a large green jade door, Autumn Cicada and Xiaoyu saw Red Oriole and Yanyan standing guard at either side.
Autumn Cicada slightly creased her brows and then bowed to Red Oriole. “Elder sister Red Oriole.”
Red Oriole turned her eyes, once more staring at Autumn Cicada’s small chest.
Autumn Cicada grew up in this circle of women, and she naturally understood that Red Oriole’s look was strange, but she had never cared about such things. She was more willing to treat Red Oriole simply as an older sister, but alas, her hope was in vain.
As she moved her gaze from Autumn Cicada to Xiaoyu, Red Oriole licked her lips and giggled. She told herself, ‘One day, I will bed these two innocent and beautiful girls.’ To her, women who knew nothing of the world were a fatal allure, particularly those who were this beautiful and simple.
“Let’s go in. Mother has summoned us,” Autumn Cicada said.
Red Oriole smiled and nodded. She had her subordinate push open the door, and she entered with Autumn Cicada. As for Yanyan and Xiaoyu, they remained outside.
In the dim red light, there was an indescribable gaudiness to the room. Pink curtains were hung around in a seemingly random fas.h.i.+on, and there was a dizzying incense floating in the air which seemed to stimulate adrenaline.
Autumn Cicada cutely wrinkled her nose. She did not like this scent, for the fragrance was too strong and was carrying some indescribable allure. She preferred the faint fragrance of lilies more.
At the center of the room was a large circular bed. A woman was reclining on the bed, pink gauze shrouding it like a mosquito net and concealing her face. Still, one could see her curvaceous body.
“Mother.”
“Mother.”
Red Oriole and Autumn Cicada respectfully bowed and kneeled next to the bed, their heads lowered.
The middle-aged woman on the bed wore a strange mask somewhat resembling an owl. She lightly waved her hand, ordering Red Oriole and Autumn Cicada to stand on the side.
“It has been several years since we arrived at the Pan-human Alliance, and it is about time for us to return. Red Oriole, Autumn Cicada, when I open the spatial gate, I need you two to stand guard. Go back and prepare,” the woman coolly said.
Autumn Cicada was taken aback. In their time in the Pan-human Alliance, she had inadvertently come to learn of this thing called love. Now that they were about to return to the sealed plane, she felt somewhat reluctant. It was not because she was particularly attached to anyone but because she still did not understand the enigmatic thing called ‘love’ and did not want to let the matter go.
“Mother, we share a common origin with the humans. The Alliance is currently being invaded by another race, and if we just go back like this…” Autumn Cicada timidly said.
The woman heavily sighed. “Dear Cicada, that delicate and softhearted personality of yours will come to hurt you one day. Such things are not wanted in this man-eat-man world. In the end, we and the Pan-human Alliance do not exist on the same plane. Even if the insectoids destroy those humans, it has nothing to do with us. We already broke precedent in coming here to seek outstanding disciples. If we go further and help the Alliance, we will inevitably stir controversy. If the circle is thrown into disarray, we can’t take that responsibility. Discussion of this matter ends here. Be ready in twelve hours.”
The woman’s words did not lack for concern, but there was also criticism toward Autumn Cicada’s personality. Red Oriole happily watched from the side, saying, “Mother, your Little Oriole and Little Cicada understand. We will go and prepare now. In truth, after being away from home for so long, it is about time that I return.”
The woman nodded. “Little Cicada, in the future, you must learn more from Red Oriole. You are already so old, yet you still understood so little.”
Autumn Cicada felt somewhat wronged, but as she always did, she meekly bowed.
After leaving the middle-aged woman’s room, Red Oriole once more sneakily punched Autumn Cicada’s extremely flexible b.u.t.tocks, giggling. “Little sister, what’s wrong with doing as our mother says? Besides, you were much luckier than your older sister on this outing. Not only did you get such a pretty cutie, you even saw men and got so close to them. It truly makes one envious.”
Xiaoyu hastily lowered her head. The pretty cutie that Red Oriole had mentioned was none other than her.
Autumn Cicada said nothing. She took Xiaoyu back with her to her room. Standing next to the giant window that extended from ceiling to floor, she looked out at the distant nebulae in a daze.
“My lady, are we going to that place you spoke of?” Xiaoyu asked, her face streaked with tears. She could easily tell from Red Oriole’s words that the s.h.i.+p was about to return home, so she began crying at this point.
Autumn Cicada wiped those crystalline tears from Xiaoyu’s face and smiled. “In truth, that place we came from is not so bad, though it is not as bustling and active as the Pan-human Alliance. Do not be afraid. With me here, Red Oriole won’t be able to do anything to you.”
She had no idea that these words would make Xiaoyu even more inconsolable. She forgot her status and hugged Autumn Cicada, burying her head in her chest as she wept.
Autumn Cicada was taken aback, and then she kindly patted Xiaoyu on the shoulder. These two young girls would have to depend on each other for survival in the future. This was somewhat ordained by fate.
“Lady Autumn Cicada, Xiaoyu doesn’t wanna go. Xiaoyu’s home has been taken over by the insectoids, and I don’t know whether my loved ones are alive or dead. Big bro Xia Fei is battling all by himself. Xiaoyu can’t just let all these things go.”
Xiaoyu’s weeping was truly saddening, and while Autumn Cicada did not understand love or affection, she did not find it hard to understand from Xiaoyu’s sorrow the importance with which she regarded such things. The two girls did not know how to comfort each other, so they simply silently embraced each other.
“In truth, I also want to know what this thing called love feels like…” Autumn Cicada pensively looked out the window and said.
In the distant insectoid territory, Xia Fei had no idea that the cute girl in his heart was about to go far away to a strange and unknown place.
Because of her relations.h.i.+p to Xia Fei, a seed had been buried in the heart of Autumn Cicada, a person whom he had never talked to before. What sort of effect would this seed have on Autumn Cicada’s life? Would it one day come to affect Xia Fei? No one could say.
An unpredictable future awaited Xia Fei. Xia Fei believed that he had done one thing, but he had unwittingly cast his shadow on these two pure and innocent hearts.
…
The pressures of reality made it difficult for Xia Fei to breathe. He had no time to ponder other matters. He spent every day in planning, each operation needed to be carefully thought over and then carefully thought over again.
He was alone in the heart of enemy territory with no one to help him. Only he could help himself.
On a certain mountain range, Xia Fei put away October Flying Snow and lifted his head. Frowning, he said, “We’re being watched.”
Shocked, Phantom looked around, but there was no sign of anyone around them.
“It can’t be. This planet is so remote, and you picked your target so carefully. How could we have been exposed?”
Furball lazily squatted on Xia Fei’s shoulder, apparently caring little about Xia Fei’s caution.
Xia Fei said nothing. There were a few dry tree branches on the ground. Xia Fei picked one up and thrust the Sacred Warrior’s head onto it, and then he lit a cigarette, in no rush to leave.
“To the southwest, at the seven-thirty position. To the northeast, at the one-fifteen position…”
Xia Fei casually said. Phantom looked in the directions that Xia Fei had indicated, and truly, several small black dots were slowly encroaching on Xia Fei!
“Leave this place! It’s a trap!” Phantom hollered.
Xia Fei shook his head. “A psychic ability user has placed a brand on my body. If I don’t take care of them, I’ll never be able to leave.”
Phantom hastily inspected Xia Fei’s body, and he saw that some sort of psychic chain was tied around his heart, locking it down!
This was an absurd ability! Even someone as strong as Phantom had failed to sense this imminent danger beforehand! Besides that, Xia Fei had always been proud of his superhuman senses! How had these individuals managed to get close while avoiding Xia Fei’s senses?
Furball yawned, lazily glancing at the enemies approaching. He seemed to be the most carefree one here.
Duabi, Laresh, Yadan, and Mingjing were closing in on Xia Fei from four different directions. They were not moving quickly, seemingly to increase the psychological pressure on Xia Fei.
Xia Fei continued to stand around as if nothing was happening, but deep down, he was very nervous.
The chain of a psychic ability user entangled his body. Xia Fei was well aware of this, so he could not do anything reckless. He first needed to see if this psychic chain could hurt him, who had cast the ability, and if there was a chance of defeating the foe and breaking free of the restriction in one blow.
The figures drew closer and closer, and when Xia Fei saw Mingjing’s face, he was rendered speechless. This somewhat blank-faced girl was clearly human! Xia Fei was very curious on why there was a human here, but this curiosity was quickly replaced by a faint killing intent. In Xia Fei’s eyes, everyone here was an enemy, and there was no differentiation in race when it came to enemies.
Mingjing had a much stranger att.i.tude toward Xia Fei. She tilted her head. This was the first time she had seen someone of her race upclose.
From the time of her earliest memories, she had always lived among the insectoids, following High Priest Ryun. To her, mankind was both a curiosity and something alien. Mingjing felt a strange sensation from Xia Fei, and her face became a little hot. When Xia Fei glanced at her, she could not help but lower her head and avoid Xia Fei’s gaze.
Yadan had his hands thrust in his pockets, his usual smile on his face. He stopped about two to three hundred meters away from Xia Fei, but the others went as close as several dozen meters away.
Xia Fei tried to breathe, and he realized that the psychic chain around his heart was cautiously observing him. He did not dare to move recklessly. Until his enemy struck, Xia Fei would continue to seek a way out of this trap.
Laresh looked at the communication device on his arm and quietly told Duabi, “Guildmaster, we are probably being watched.”
They were so close that Xia Fei could naturally hear. He found this very laughable. The insectoids watching him from the shadows were not in the same group as that other fellow watching him from farther away. This was truly a bizarre plan.
“Repeat that?!” Duabi did not dare to believe his ears. They were the hunters, but these hunters had become the hunted.
“There’s no signal, not even one,” Laresh sternly said.
The mood became abnormally bizarre. Laresh happened to glance at his communication device and realized that there was no signal at all. It was clearly being blocked. There was no other explanation except that they were being watched.
Xia Fei shrugged as he turned his eyes on a mountain in the distance. There, a lean man was approaching with determined footsteps.