Walking for a whole day from morning to evening without rest, Xing Liyun finally decided to find some food to eat when his stomach started to rumble stubbornly nonstop. Although it was a forest nearly empty of living organisms except for ferocious beasts, wild vegetation and many edible berries and fruits were unexpectedly present.
Along his journey, Xing Liyun would pick some berries from time to time to lighten his hunger and quench his thirst. He hadn't seen any water source yet.
Stopping at a nearby bush, Xing Liyun started to patiently pick the berries as he thought about other things he could eat in addition to these sweet and juicy berries as they did not contain enough energy for his body, while another part of his mind was listening and sensing for any danger as well as for suspicious movements.
Suddenly, Xing Liyun picked up some sounds. It sounded like someone talking. He could hear how their voice quivered and pitched in a nervous manner.
Deciding to scout out the situation, Xing Liyun placed all the gathered berries into the bag that he had somehow taken with him when he transmigrated.
Stealthily making his way there, Xing Liyun continued to prick his ears up to listen attentively to create a picture in his mind of what was happening.
Nearing the scene, Xing Liyun heard the frightened voice of a man exclaim, "I really really REALLY don't taste good!"
Furrowing his brows, Xing Liyun immediately understood the entire situation. What else can it be in this desolate forest exempt of any humans besides menacing beasts?
An unfortunate soul must have accidentally encountered a hungry beast preying for food.
Casually closing in on the scene, a large opening surrounded by towering trees—gigantic trees the same height as nearly all the others in this forest—blotting out the skies appeared before his eyes.
Out in the open wide area, a single man was against a single ferocious beast. The savage beast resembled a lion and tiger combined, causing its fierce looks to reach a whole new level. What was weird was that it had two tails instead of one swaying slowly and watchfully in the air.
Its extremely sharp teeth shimmered with dripping saliva expressing its insatiable desire to eat the man before him. Its huge monstrous mouth opened to let out an earth-quaking roar, looking as if it could swallow the man whole.
It had its muscle stretched taut looking ready to pounce at any time as it was having a staring contest with the man, waiting for the slightest opening or weak point.
On the opposite side of the lion-tiger beast, the man had a look of horror and despair as he tenaciously kept his eyes on his predator despite the fear, not daring to relax his guard even for a split second. He knows that once he moves his gaze away, he's dead meat—literally.
Just as the buildup tension was about to burst like a bubble, the beast's head suddenly whipped to the left and growled. Its lips pulled back to reveal a snarl, leaking out a threatening growl as if to warn the approaching thing not to get any closer.
Different from a predatistic growl, this growl sounded more like a prey warning its predator to go away or else, rather than a predator's intimidating gambit.
Confused and curious, the man also turned to look at the approaching person that could cause this dangerous beast to become...afraid. Cautiously, he shifted his gaze onto a youth. His stunned expression spoke volumes of his shock and disbelief.
And rightly so, for he had thought what anyone would've thought in this situation, that his would-be savior who was capable of scaring away such a fierce beast would be someone bulkier and... older and not this young.
As the youth slowly approached the lion-tiger beast, its originally brave growls gradually dulled into pitiful whimpers. Its legs shaking unsteadily as if it's about to collapse. Cautiously throwing one more glance at the youth and a reluctant look at its 'prey', the lion-tiger beast immediately without hesitation turned tail the moment the youth started to raise his hand that was at his side. Its heightened, danger-sensing instincts screamed loudly at it to run away, to run far away from this human as fast as it can or else...there will be no 'or else.'
Its silhouette soon blended into the dark forest as it fled far away from its greatest fear without the slightest reserve or shame.
The man, who was the lion-tiger beast's prey just a second ago, finally let out the long breath that he was unconsciously holding in and finally relaxed. Wiping off the cold sweat that had formed on his forehead, he turned to face the youth with a look of gratitude as if he was seeing the world's savior. Just in time to see the youth observing him from afar causing a shiver to crawl up his spine.
His short above-the-neck white hair that was long in the back like two tails was blown chaotically when he had ran from the beast after their initial sudden encounter. His eyes were white and his pupils were vertically slit which was strange on a human. His clothes were black and white in a traditional style.
Touching his monocles nervously out of habit, he gulped down his overflowing saliva to moisturize his dry throat. Facing this young man who was obviously younger than him, for some reason, he felt an inexplicable fear and terror that he didn't even feel when he was eyed like prey by the lion-tiger beast.
Xing Liyun watched as the man fiddled nervously with his monocle, deeming him not an enemy.
'I can get information about this world from him.' Was what Xing Liyun was currently thinking.
Walking to the highly strung man, Xing Liyun did not speak first.
Composing himself, the man finally calmed down and showed a mature smile completely different from his previously frightful and distressed face when Xing Liyun had first seen him. "Thank you for your life-saving grace, sir. My name is Ying," he bowed and then asked, "and may I have your name, my savior?"
Ying waited in anticipation for his savior's name, however, all that answered him was silence. Awkwardly, he wondered if his savior didn't want to reveal his name to him, who he had just met.
However, on the contrary, it was not because Xing Liyun was unwilling to share his name.
Keeping silent for a moment, he was actually contemplating whether to reveal his real name or his alias to this stranger he had only saved coincidentally. Thinking that even though this world doesn't know him yet it would still be better if he kept his birth name a secret as only the closest people to him knows his real name---in the last world---and he wants to keep it this way in his current world. Plus, he wasn't close to this person. So Xing Liyun decided against telling him his real name, and instead, opting to give him his alias from his last world.
"Just call me Cereus," Xing Liyun coldly said with an expressionless face.
"Cereus? What a strange and unique name! I have never heard of such a name before!" Ying exclaimed in surprise as his eyes started to be filled with curiosity. But then realizing his rudeness, he coughed in embarrassment, "Ahem, please excuse my discourteous manner, I was taken over by my curiosity just now. But..." he paused in hesitation but continued, "If I may be rude to ask, where does this name come from?"
Xing Liyun didn't think it was a big deal telling him where he got this name from. So he told him, "Night-blooming cereus. A flower that blooms only at night and dies the next day by the first ray of sunlight."
Ying looked surprised, he had never heard of such a unique flower such as this one before. He wondered what it looks like and where it grows, because to his knowledge, no such flower exists.
'Be that as it may, I'm disappointed by the fact that this flower lives only throughout the night and dies off in the morning. If truth be told, I don't think this name fits my savior very much, why should he only live in the dark night and be gone in the morn?
'It's not very fitting. It's as if the name meant that he'll have a short life.'
But he didn't ask.
Instead, he changed the topic.
"Mr. Cereus, would you mind me following you?" He continued hurriedly, afraid that the other would reject him, "from the looks of the way you dress, you don't seem to be from here."
Xing Liyun felt alarmed when he heard Ying's last sentence, his eyes letting out a freezing coldness.
"How do you know this." It wasn't a question or inquiry, instead, it was more like a death-threat that if the monocle-man didn't respond perfectly and accordingly, the consequence will be dire.
And facing Xing Liyun's icy heterochromia eyes that froze up his limbs, Ying stuttered out, "Be-because you-u dress differently...and your rare mi-mismatched eye colors."
Xing Liyun had become wary, but with Ying's explanation, he thought it through and agreed that he did indeed appear like he didn't belong here with his style of clothing when he looked at the way Ying was dressed. So relaxing his tensed muscles, he accepted Ying's explanation.
Besides, he thought better of it. Ultimately, he doesn't know anything about this place, or this world, so he should have someone to guide him and explain to him about this world. And to him, Ying sounded pretty knowledgeable.
Besides, if he ever appears remotely hostile to him, Xing Liyun can always just get rid of him easily without him even knowing.