Chapter 216 - Return
"Two weeks ago the Jia kingdom launched its first attack on Mei. We...are at war..."
Hao Xuan was....surprised, to say the least.
"What?! How come no one tried to contact us then?"
"We couldn't. Anyways, that doesn't matter anymore," Gong Zan shook his head with a deep sigh.
"The situation is not good right now. There are some issues within the Kingdom as well. Just get back to Fortuna, don't go anywhere you don't have to. The beast horde is more or less gone so its much safer now. But don't take any chances. We are still at Danger Level 2."
Hao Xuan nodded and stored the documents away. He started walking away but stopped upon remembering a certain someone.
"Ah, the first person that came out from the rift, Jin Wang, how is he? He is in my unit as well, I need to bring him with me."
"No can do, his soul is very weak. Don't worry, I'll take care of him and send him over as soon as he's healthy," Gong Zan promised.
Hao Xuan still had his doubts and a lot of questions, but the urgency of the situation didn't allow him to waste any more time.
"Alright, thank you."
He bid farewell to the general and left from the back entrance. He wanted to meet Zeng Yu and Zeng Wu, check on Ma Yu's condition, and take care of a few other things, but those would have to wait.
It was mid-afternoon when they came out of the rift. And within the hour Hao Xuan was tearing through vast leafy jungles and mountains, on his way to Fortuna.
The oxygen-rich air filled with the scent of dirt, trees, and that strange scent that was specific to the Beast world slapped Hao Xuan across the face. He hadn't noticed before but after the sudden change from one world to another, it was apparent.
Poriverse's planet was dead. That was the reason for such copious amounts of Yin Qi. Its very state of being had changed.
But the beast world, it was like heaven. The dense spiritual energy from the atmosphere entered his body and started refilling his Meridians.
It was painful and pleasurable at the same time.
"Hahaha," Hao Xuan couldn't help but close his eyes and enjoy the sensation.
"Feels, good!" Fortis's head poked out of his shirt and he quickly made his way to his favorite spot, Hao Xuan's head.
"Right? It feels so good!" Hao Xuan opened his arms wide and let the air hit him head-on.
Bai was going so fast that the surroundings just looked like a blur. If not for the massive horns on his head and the hair around his neck that acted as a barrier, Hao Xuan wouldn't even be able to sit up straight because of the air pressure.
Fortis also extended a few of his tentacles and let them flap around in the wind while making different noises.
Soon night fell, the sun and the moon exchanged places and the darkness once again returned.
Hao Xuan chose a spot near a small lake and made camp there.
It had been a long time since he could actually rest without any worries like this.
He took a long bath and then sat in front of the campfire grilling some meat.
Fortis got off his head started looking around curiously. Everything was new to him, especially the Beast world.
He messed around with everything he could get his hands on until Hao Xuan scolded him for almost breaking one of the formations around the portable camp.
Angry and pouting, he crawled out of the camp and jumped into the lake.
Hao Xuan wasn't worried about his safety at all. He came out from three Super Massive black holes and his body was so durable that even breaking the figures barrier around the rift did absolutely nothing to it. So suffice to say, there wasn't a lot of things that could hurt him here.
About 15 minutes later Hao Xuan picked up the 5kg steak and started eating. A couple of minutes later Fortis returned with a four-meter-long fish being dragged behind him.
He threw the fish in front of Hao Xuan and looked away, still pouting.
"What? Is this for me?" Hao Xuan pointed at the fish.
"NO! MINE! You Cook!" he clarified before pushing it closer to Hao Xuan, still not meeting his gaze.
"....."
Hao Xuan didn't know what to say. Fortis was acting like a spoiled child, but it was very cute so he didn't bother with it. He waved his hands and Black and White appeared on his shoulders.
It had been ages since he had seen them so both parties were very happy.
They snuggled against his neck, lovingly licking his face.
"Haha, how are you guys? Are you hungry?" he caressed the underside of their heads with his index fingers, making them smile in satisfaction.
Fortis who was still angry, looked at Hao Xuan and the little snakes from the corner of his eyes. His eyes widened in shock and his tentacles fluttered like tall grass in the wind.
"NOOO! MINE!" faster than what even Hao Xuan could perceive, he jumped and landed on his head, looking at the little snakes menacingly.
"MINE!" he repeated once again when there was no response from them. It was unclear whether he was talking about his spot or Hao Xuan, but his jealousy was palpable.
Hao Xuan smiled and explained, "This is your younger brother. His name is Fortis. You must play with him as well from now on, okay?"
The snakes nodded obediently with innocent smiles.
This was exactly what they needed. They were still very young and got bored quite easily in Hao Xuan's Mind palace since Zhurong only slept and Ensis cultivated non-stop. Having someone new to play with was the best gift they could ask for.
Both of them quickly climbed atop Hao Xuan's head and even with Fortis's constant warnings, they wrapped around his tentacles and licked his face merrily.
At first, Fortis was still cautious but within a few minutes he was proudly showing off different tricks he could do with the tentacles.
The snakes were amazed which only made Fortis prouder.
Hao Xuan cleaned up the giant fish and started grilling that as well.
He sat down beside the fire and took out a small token from the storage.
It was circular with many different engravings on it, looking very brittle. He put a little bit of pressure on it and it shattered into multiple pieces instantly.
"Come out, Amicus."