Mystic flew through the portal, emerging on the other side and floating in front of Master Sun's villa home.
Fan Yumei hopped off Mystic and walked over to the intercom, paging a Gatekeeper to let Master Sun know she was here—with Mystic.
Soon, the sound of footsteps echoed ahead, and Fan Yumei looked up to see an unkempt Master Sun, looking a bit wild with his lab coat still on.
"Fan girl! You finally remembered this old man! Heavens! …Wait, what is this?! Which beast is from the cracked egg?!" He was flabbergasted as he stared at Mystic and the others, eyes wide.
He hadn't realized she would hatch her eggs so soon—or that they'd be growing this fast.
This means their bonds and synergy are very strong. How rare in a child this young—without battlefield or war-bonding experience. Unless… she's already syncing her cultivation and soul to them in combat. Mmm. Very interesting. She has a commanding but compassionate heart.
Fan Yumei nodded. "This is the mythical beast from the egg," she confirmed, rubbing Mystic's head gently.
"Oh shoot, look at me—an old man at my age, and where are my manners? Ah, come in, come in!" He ushered them inside but paused, giving Mystic a puzzled look.
Mystic gave a soft flick of her fins and shook her body, shrinking down to the size of a backpack and floating onto Lufei's back. She nestled in quietly, clearly getting ready for a nap.
"Still a baby…" Fan Yumei muttered.
"Oh? Size-adjusting skill?! Wait—she just hatched, right? A week? Less?" Master Sun squinted, firing off questions rapid-fire, barely giving Fan Yumei a chance to answer.
She chuckled at the overly excited old man and waited for him to stop talking before replying.
They entered the yard, making their way to the sitting area.
"Yes. She just mastered the shrinking skill the other day. I had only given her the memory chip the night before. The next day, she randomly shrank for a while—then had two growth spurts on the same day. She's growing too fast… and she's a Leviathan-type beast." She answered all his questions in one smooth go.
"Oh? Leviathan? Two growth spurts in one day? Interesting…" He trailed off, clearly deep in thought as he studied Mystic again.
"That's not all. It seems the Iron Guild Commander deemed Mystic fit for fieldwork instead of beast student. They really don't know how to handle her." Fan Yumei folded her arms.
"Hmm… that can be a bit troubling. She is just an infant," he said, rubbing his beard thoughtfully. He took a seat and began brewing tea as he listened.
"Maybe the only way Mystic can grow is out in the field. Most places are too small for her. What you saw earlier was just a fraction—she's about twenty feet now. I'll be bankrupt before I turn eight." Fan Yumei nodded in agreement before answering.
"Mhmm? That is quite the size for an infant beast—even if she is a Leviathan. But species vary; all of these are different," chimed Master Sun as he removed the tea from the little stove.
"Mm. At least my beast and I have come to an agreement that everyone contributes to house expenses by collecting herds and low-star magical beast cores." Fan Yumei went on as she walked around the room, inspecting the interior.
"That is quite the agreement, but very practical. High-intelligence magical and mystical beasts grow and age faster than most—especially ones with bloodlines of ancestral beasts or inherited skills. Even behavior and evolution forms are influenced," Master Sun said, grabbing two teacups and placing them on the table.
"Maybe even sooner, if I hadn't won prize money from competing and registering at the Beast License Registry Center." She began pacing to calm herself. Mystic's growth was a looming stress she hadn't figured out how to manage.
As this went on, she didn't notice her beast sneaking out of the room.
If it wasn't one thing, it was another. She knew getting a second chance at life meant carrying the burdens of this body she now called her own. It hasn't been long since she came to this world, and she was already ten steps behind everyone else. Her list of responsibilities kept piling up, and time to grow and mold herself kept shrinking.
But she wouldn't give up. She had to persist and fight to live—turning every burden into an advantage, not because she wanted to, but because it was necessary for her survival, and to protect the people and beasts she held dear.
"Why don't I help you figure something out? Is it possible for her to stay with me for a few hours today so I can run some tests—see what works on her and what doesn't?" Master Sun motioned for her to sit down, her pacing making him dizzy.
She sat down across from him, calming herself. Then continued explaining her situation.
"I mean, it's not much right now—at least not until she reaches adolescence and finishes her infancy. Every beast-type bloodline has a different range for that—some shorter, some longer." Master Sun poured her a cup of tea and placed cookies and beast treats on the table.
"I'm fine with it… Mystic's actually quite good on her own. Very mischievous though. She loves playing—and napping." She paused. "But I should check with Mystic first."
Before she could say more, Lufei and Maxius came into the living room with a floating Mystic in her small form behind them.
Fan Yumei looked beside her—the spot where her beasts had been moments ago was now empty.
"Where did you three go… and what is that white stuff all over you?" She stared at the dust cloud trailing behind them. Flour. Definitely flour.
The three beasts flinched at her voice.
Lufei pointed instantly.
"Maxius and Mystic had a fight with flour and got it everywhere," she said.
"Oh?! You actually dared cause trouble in someone else's house?! Maxius—you're supposed to be the eldest! What nonsense is this?" She crossed her arms and tapped her foot, speaking sternly.
"I guess training today was too lax. Since we're all still so spirited, let's call this flour fight our warm-up. We'll continue training right after this."
Maxius and Mystic tried to shrink themselves even more, but Fan Yumei wasn't done.
"Come here and apologize to Master Sun. All of you."
The three walked over in front of Master Sun and bowed. Fan Yumei stood beside them and bowed as well.
"We apologize."
She gave Mystic and Maxius a pointed glare.
"Hahahahaha!" He burst into laughter, absolutely delighted. "You have a good relationship with all of your beasts."
"Don't worry about the mess—the housekeeper droids will clean it up. That's part of their purpose," he said, waving his hand, trying to hide his amusement.
"My few soul beasts and bonded beasts are a bunch of old rascals and ingrates, so they know what to do. Please don't mind them if you run into one," he added, watching how Fan Yumei disciplined her beasts. Even though he saw no real anger in her eyes or tone—just stern, hard words full of authority.
It was funny to see how the beasts reacted to a small girl who barely reached his hip.
It showed that this little girl wasn't so simple—and had a strong grip on her beasts without relying on bond pressure alone.
"Ah! I apologize again! We are the guests, imposing on you. I don't mind running into your other beasts. I'm not a delicate little girl that scares easily," she said, embarrassed that Master Sun had seen her scold her beasts and that they'd caused trouble.
He smiled warmly, clearly feeling nostalgic. He remembered the old days—his own soul beasts and bonded beasts, always fighting and brawling. Contradicting personalities, constant chaos. And yet… those were good days.
"Fan girl, what kind of beasts are your two soul beasts? They're interesting and very unique. Can I test them to see their growth pace and age? I can also whip up some beast food for all of them!"
Master Sun spooked Lufei, Maxius, and Mystic as he studied them closely.
What an enthusiastic old man, Fan Yumei thought as she watched him fuss over her three beasts without even waiting for her reply.
He's a cute, nerdy old man, she thought.
⸻
They later followed Master Sun down to his underground laboratory and were welcomed by a mess—vials, scrolls, and holograms of recorded experiments and data.
"Oh, excuse my little mess, haha. I was wrapped up in research and wasn't expecting guests down here, so I forgot to clean up a bit," the old man scratched his head sheepishly, then rushed to tidy up.
"No, no—it's not necessary. We're the guests. I have school soon, so I'll just leave the gang here and pick them up after school later today," she quickly stopped him.
"Ah?! Oh, how could I forget that you still have classes to attend?" He slapped his forehead. "I'll keep them well until you return, and I'll have all the test results and beast food ready."
He continued moving around, organizing things.
Fan Yumei turned to her three beasts.
"Well then, you three—I want best behavior, or it's extra whistle and concealment sneak attack drills."
She looked adorable with her hand on her hip and her little fingers wagging as she tried to keep a stern master image going—though she caught sight of her reflection in the corner of her eye and couldn't even take herself seriously. A bit embarrassed and amused by her current body and chubby, cute child appearance.
"Pfft… hahaha!" Master Sun let out a deep belly laugh as he watched the whole thing. Fan Yumei turned red in embarrassment.
Sigh… Fan Yumei felt like laughing and crying at the same time.
Life was hard when you were this cute. It's hard to make anyone take you seriously.