The Moon Supreme, Dongfang Qingcang

9. Stranded In Her World

Qingcang released a short grunt of disdain. In a matter of seconds, he began to dissipate his armor, and soon he was no longer dressed in his intimidating battle gear. Instead, he wore a sleek black suit with a golden belt and a flowing black lace cloak. The other difference was his headpiece, which was more stylish, tucked behind his head, and less frightening than his previous headpiece.

Meilin responded with a scoff, impressed by Qingcang's swift transformation. Despite the intensity of their earlier discussion, she could not help but feel a twinge of envy at his ability to change outfits so quickly and effortlessly. She often spent long minutes in front of her closet trying to decide on the perfect look, in contrast to Qingcang's ease. She sighed, thinking about how much easier life would be if she had the same ability.

Meilin walked over to the couch in her room and comfortably seated herself. She reached for her smartphone on the nearby table and spoke up. "Anyway, I'm feeling quite tired, and I think it's time for me to get some rest," she said softly and a little wearily. "It's midnight, and since you're a man, I don't think it's appropriate for you to stay in my home any longer. Because you saved me earlier, I'd like to repay you by finding a hotel for you to spend the night in." She looked up from her phone with a nervous smile, waiting for Qingcang's response.

"A hotel?" Qingcang asked as he stood before Meilin, his stern expression never faltering even as she suggested finding a hotel.

Meilin quickly realized that obtaining a hotel room for Qingcang would only be possible with proper identification or a passport. She slapped her forehead in despair, realizing her mistake. "Maybe not... you don't have anything to identify yourself, do you? You're not human, are you?" Meilin asked suspiciously, her gaze fixed on him.

"No," Qingcang replied, his expression unchanged and his tone emotionless.

Meilin could not help but think to herself, 'That's what I thought... I would have freaked out about this if I'd never seen otherworldly beings before, but encountering monsters has become my second nature.' She was well-accustomed to facing beings from other worlds lately. But Qingcang was different, and an aura of power surrounding him made her curious.

As Qingcang broke eye contact with Meilin, his gaze wandered down to her neck, where he noticed something unusual. The bruise that had been present just moments before was now gone as if it had never existed. He gave her a questioning look, his eyes filled with suspicion. 'Strange,' he thought. 'I saw that bruise when I saved her life the first time. Could she have been responsible for its disappearance?' He thought and lowered his eyes to his hand, surprised to see a missing childhood scar. It was a reminder of a time when his father had forced him to train with an iron sword instead of the wooden one he was used to. 'It's... gone,' he thought and looked back up at her, his suspicion growing. "What are you?" he asked, his voice stern.

Meilin was taken aback by Qingcang's sudden change in demeanor. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice confused.

Qingcang approached Meilin, his eyes never leaving her face. With a flick of his finger, he forced her to stand up as if something invisible was lifting her. She gasped in surprise, feeling like an unseen force was lifting her. He looked at her suspiciously and said, "It seems I've underestimated you, little human. Not only are you the key to my return home, but you also possess the ability to heal yourself and remove scars. What are you?"

Meilin's heart was pounding as she stood before Dongfang Qingcang. "I'm just a human," she protested, shocked by his accusations, her voice shaking with fear. "I have no superpowers or any abilities like you do."

Qingcang's expression grew darker, and his voice became cold and menacing as he warned Meilin, "If you play dumb with me again, I'll burn your house to the ground."