Chapter 57: Li Bingbing

Chapter 57: Li Bingbing

Li Hongshen looked nervously at the hand extended before him and gently grasped it. Her hand was soft as fresh grass, truly living up to the saying, "Ten slender jade fingers, not for the frivolous to touch." Her complexion was like congealed jade cream, her neck fair and plump, her teeth were like melon seeds, her forehead full, her brows curved, and her enchanting smile was beautiful beyond words. Her marvelous eyes shimmered with light, and her pointed ears carried a unique charm.

Hongshen’s heart trembled violently twice. He had to admit, as a two-lifetime bachelor, he was moved. Such a stunning beauty—he hadn't even glanced at her a year ago; how utterly foolish of him. As his gaze dropped lower, he saw her body wrapped in animal hide, somewhat frail, evoking a tender pity. Yet her fairly straight figure brought him back to his senses.

In that brief moment of enchantment, he had even imagined the entire process of marriage and having children. It was clear how deeply he’d felt the blow of living in the tribe. Watching others pair off every day, while he, the chieftain, remained alone—it felt so wrong.

Yet, the women in the tribe were not exactly easy to approach. For some reason, the women were all tall and muscular. The men’s aesthetic leaned toward the larger, the better; their core principle for choosing wives was "muscular women," which made Hongshen shudder. This talent for leading the people wasn't always a blessing.

Soon enough, he thought of a certain sharp-toothed tigress—his childhood friend with whom he'd pledged a lifelong commitment—and instantly sobered up.

“Ahem, hello, I’m Li Hongshen. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Reluctantly, Hongshen released Li Bingbing’s delicate hand, repeatedly reminding himself to stay calm, to keep cool, and not do anything that would betray his girlfriend. At that thought, a twitch appeared at the corner of his eye. Damn, what a failure—an isekai traveler without women flocking to him, without a heroic aura that drew people in.

When he first discovered, after transmigrating, that his parents had not arranged a betrothal or set him up with a childhood fiancée, he knew he wasn’t a proper protagonist. Combined with his almost invisible system, it was enough to leave him utterly dejected.

Fortunately, later on, he managed to win over (and nurture) a wealthy little lady. Otherwise, even with a face fit for a reader’s avatar, he feared he’d never find a girlfriend.

Li Bingbing, looking at the handsome young man before her, was unaware of the drama playing out in his mind. His constant smile toward her made him seem very friendly.

As fellow star students from Pengcheng No.1 High School, Bingbing had certainly seen Hongshen’s file. Though they hadn’t exchanged much when first arriving due to his hurry, he’d still left a deep impression. As Lords of the Wild, the passage of time didn’t affect them, so after a year, he hadn’t changed much—just grown a bit taller. She recognized him at a glance.

“You don’t mind if I set up camp beside you, do you?”

“Not at all, not at all. Feel free. Do you need any help? I could bring people to help you gather timber and stone.”

“Oh, that would be wonderful. Thank you.”

“No trouble at all. Organize your team first, and I’ll go outside with mine to collect materials. We can chat more when I get back.”

After greeting Li Bingbing, Hongshen led a group out to fetch timber and stone, intentionally collecting extra to share with those arriving later, hoping to display their friendliness and earn a good first impression.

“Your initial followers are elves, right? You’re quite lucky.”

“Yes, I’m a half-elf. My father is a lord, and my mother is the chieftain of the elves in his territory. Perhaps because of my bloodline, the Trial Land assigned me elves as my starting followers.”

“Is that so? Haha. But meeting you and hearing you share so much about yourself surprised me!”

“It’s nothing. As fellow top-ranked freshmen from Pengcheng No.1, I believe you’ve already read all these profiles, haven’t you?”

Bingbing's words made Hongshen a little embarrassed. Of course he’d reviewed the files, but being confronted about it felt awkward.

“Hmm, your black panther is really striking. How did you raise it?”

“She’s called Yueyue, just two years old. I rescued her during the Lord’s Trial, but she’s still not as impressive as your beasts, is she?”

The Storm Eagle must be an advanced creature template evolved from ordinary sea eagles, so you must have tamed one or two pairs of white-bellied sea eagles. Those three battle wolves must be school-issued support, otherwise, as indigenous wild beasts, they’d usually live in the middle or inner circles.

Hongshen was surprised by Bingbing’s words. He hadn’t expected her to be so sharp and knowledgeable—she truly was the scholar-beauty everyone talked about.

The so-called advanced creature templates were evolution blueprints crafted by powerful beings for ordinary beasts, then embedded into the rules of the Endless Wilds. This allowed new Lords to tame ordinary beasts and help them awaken and evolve. The success rate for acquiring pets was much higher this way; for example, sea eagles typically evolved into Storm Eagles, and Hongshen’s camp also had bay crocodiles that could evolve into Imperial Crocodiles, a very large species.

However, these templates were exceedingly complicated. Without systematic study and memorization, it was impossible to tell at a glance what kind of beast had evolved into what. Even Storm Eagles varied, depending on the base beast, in feather color and body size.

“Classmate, who exposes another’s secrets the moment they meet? Don’t you think that’s a bit much?”

“I call this showing my abilities, so you won’t underestimate me. I’m hardly your equal. The people you brought are all warriors, and your tribe has probably awakened a talent—especially a physical talent. Most importantly, you managed to produce enough clothing and so many resources for trade in your first year. That proves you’ve established yourself, making you a formidable classmate and a highly desirable ally. If I don’t demonstrate my capabilities, I’ll be overshadowed by you, and then how can we discuss forming an alliance?”

Hearing Bingbing’s words, Hongshen suddenly grew serious. When it came to matters affecting himself, he was always clear-headed—rational to the core. No matter how beautiful the woman, nothing could sway his determination to get into university.

“We’ll discuss the alliance later. Set up your camp and build your display platform first. Let’s see what trade goods you have. There should be a few more people arriving, and then we’ll discuss everything together. After all, the Hundred Thousand Mountains are not easily conquered.”

(End of chapter)