Help! I transmigrated to a Beast World-Chapter 29: Qing Lin’s Abode

She didn’t know how long they traveled. It felt like hours, but it might have been less. All she knew was that the air gradually grew warmer, damper, and the sounds of the forest changed from the dry rustle of leaves to the wet plop of things dropping into water.

When Qing Lin finally stopped and shifted back to human form, Xin Yi tumbled out of his coils and landed face-first in soft moss.

"Ow," she groaned.

"We have arrived," Qing Lin announced.

Xin Yi pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, spitting out moss, and looked around.

Oh.

It was.....beautiful.

The Python tribe’s village was nothing like the Panther camp. Instead of caves and crude huts, there were elegant structures built on stilts over crystal-clear water. Warm mist rose from natural hot springs, and the entire place glowed with bioluminescent plants that gave off a soft, ethereal blue-green light.

Everything was clean. Pristine, even. The platforms were made of smooth, polished wood. The walkways were covered in woven mats.

"Whoa," Xin Yi breathed.

"The Panther hovel is disappointing, yes?" Qing Lin said, a hint of smugness in his voice. He was human again, still naked, and completely unbothered by it. "We have standards."

Python beastmen began emerging from the dwellings, their movements silent and fluid. They all had the same glittering scales marking their skin, the same slit-pupiled eyes that reflected the bioluminescent light.

And they were all staring at her.

"Great," Xin Yi muttered, pulling the furs tighter around herself. "I’ve been kidnapped by the HOA of the Beast World."

Qing Lin placed a hand on the small of her back, guiding her forward. "You will stay in my dwelling until you teach my people what you taught the cats."

"That’s KIDNAPPING!"

"I prefer ’aggressive negotiation.’" He steered her toward the largest structure in the village, a multi-level dwelling that looked like it had actual rooms and privacy. "You owe me. I saved the Panther cub. I demand payment."

"YOU TOLD HEI YAN THERE WAS NO PAYMENT!"

"I lied." He said it so matter-of-factly that Xin Yi couldn’t even be mad. "Snakes lie. It’s what we do."

They climbed a set of carved wooden stairs to a raised platform. Qing Lin pushed aside a silk curtain (actual silk, where did he even get that?!) and gestured for her to enter.

The interior was.....stunning.

Polished stone floors. Woven tapestries on the walls. A large, sunken bath carved directly into the platform, fed by a natural hot spring that bubbled up from below. Soft furs and silks piled on a raised sleeping area. Even a small cooking hearth with actual ventilation.

It was basically a luxury apartment compared to the Stone Age conditions she had been living in.

"You will sleep here," Qing Lin said, moving to the bath. He dipped his hand in the water, testing the temperature. "The water is heated by volcanic vents. You may bathe. You smell like......Panther."

The way he said it made it sound like she smelled like a dumpster fire.

"Because I WAS with a Panther!" Xin Yi snapped. "Because he MARKED me! Because we—" Her face went nuclear red. "—we did things! Adult things!"

"I am aware." Qing Lin’s expression remained infuriatingly neutral. "I could smell it from the ceiling. It was.....distracting."

"YOU WERE IN THE CEILING THE WHOLE TIME?!"

"Not the whole time. Just the important parts." He moved toward the entrance. "Bathe. Eat. Rest. We will discuss terms in the morning."

"Terms?! I’m not agreeing to ANY—"

"You will teach my people," he interrupted, his voice dropping to that cold, commanding tone that made it clear he wasn’t asking. "Or I will keep you here until the mark fades and the Panther forgets what you smell like. Your choice, pink skin."

He left before she could throw something at him.

[DING! (◕‿◕)]

[Well! That was eventful!]

[Current Status: Kidnapped, Sore, Confused, and Smelling Like Panther Musk]

[Also! Fun observation: You’re in a MUCH nicer place now. Hot springs! Silk curtains! Actual architecture! Maybe being kidnapped by the Snake King isn’t the worst thing? ☆]

"It’s DEFINITELY the worst thing!" Xin Yi hissed, but even she had to admit.....the hot spring was calling to her.

Her entire body ached. The mark on her neck throbbed. She was exhausted, furious, and desperately in need of a bath.

"Fine," she muttered, unwrapping the furs. "But this doesn’t mean I’m staying."

She slipped into the hot spring with a groan of relief.

The water was perfect, not too hot, not too cool, with a faint mineral smell that was oddly soothing. Her sore muscles immediately began to relax.

As she floated there, staring up at the woven ceiling, reality started to sink in.

I just got marked by Hei Yan. And then immediately kidnapped by Qing Lin. And Feng Huang is still out there, probably plotting something. And I’m supposed to... what? Build a civilization? Manage a harem? Survive this absolute insanity?

[DING! ☆]

[Correct! All of the above! Welcome to your new life, Host!]

[But hey, look on the bright side, at least you’re clean now! And you have a hot spring! Small victories! (◕‿◕)]

Xin Yi sank deeper into the water until only her eyes were above the surface. 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"I hate it here," she bubbled.

But somewhere in the back of her mind, a plan was starting to form.

If I’m stuck here.....I might as well use it

Outside, in the darkness of the Python village, Qing Lin stood on the edge of his platform, his eyes fixed on the distant forest where the Panther territory began.

"Come for her, Hei Yan," he whispered to the night. "I’m waiting."

His tongue flicked out, tasting the air.