Chapter 8: The Origin of Pao Pei (Part 1)
Xiao Mei woke up early and drove into the city with Pao Pei. Today's goal was to check out fruit saplings, hardwood trees, vegetable seeds, and various types of field and garden crops.
"Pao Pei, can you help me check if we're near the turn yet?" Xiao Mei asked while juggling between driving and glancing at a map. She had already asked Grandma where to get the best saplings and seeds.
Currently in his giant bee form, Pao Pei was perched on the dashboard, scanning the roadside for signs that matched the map.
"Right up ahead, Mistress! There it is—that huge green sign!" Pao Pei pointed eagerly.
Sure enough, the bold green sign read "World Plant Nursery."
Xiao Mei turned the wheel and pulled into the nursery. She parked, grabbed her crossbody bag, and slung it over her shoulder. Pao Pei slipped inside the bag, with only his head sticking out—at a glance, he looked just like a plush bee doll peeking out of her purse.
Together, the mistress and her little guardian strolled through neatly organized rows of ornamental plants, flowering shrubs, fruit trees, and all kinds of vegetables and agricultural crops. After a while, Xiao Mei spotted a kindly looking older man watering some saplings.
"Good morning. I'd like to buy the items listed here," she said, handing him a handwritten list.
Her farm had enough land to grow all her favorite fruits, plus essential vegetables and crops.
"You've come to the right place! We've got everything here. I'm the owner—just call me Uncle Ma," the old man said with a warm smile.
He studied her list, which included both seeds and saplings—apples, pears, lychees, oranges, pomegranates, persimmons, and more. She only wanted 5–10 of each, which didn't seem like she was aiming to sell—more likely for personal use.
"Building a countryside home, are you?" Uncle Ma asked knowingly. Rich city folks nowadays loved the idea of country living and planting gardens.
That misunderstanding actually worked in Xiao Mei's favor. She'd been worried someone might suspect her of seed hoarding.
"Yes, Uncle Ma. I just quit my job and moved back to the countryside," she replied, following him into a building filled with seeds and organic fertilizers—both granules and concentrates.
"Good! Young folks returning home is always a good thing," Uncle Ma said cheerfully as he handed her list to an employee to prepare the order. He then gestured for Xiao Mei to sit and relax. The atmosphere inside the shop was calm and cool.
Not long after, her order was ready. Of course, her pickup truck couldn't carry it all in one trip, so she asked to leave some of it at the shop, claiming she would transport the rest to the farm and return later.
In truth, she drove to a secluded spot and transferred everything into her dimensional space.
"You're messing up the whole realm with these plants," her little sprite helper grumbled as it cleaned the dusty floor.
"Just keep them for now... I'll unload them once we're back at the farm," Xiao Mei said with a chuckle, patting the neat and hard-working creature on the head. It really was the cutest—hardworking, organized, and adorably tidy.
Later, she headed to a home goods store and spent some time inspecting water filters. A pretty saleswoman approached and began explaining the features. Xiao Mei picked the model that offered the best filtration and durability—plus installation service. She paid quickly and provided her contact information for home installation.
She also called Grandma to let her know that a technician would be arriving to install water filters at three locations: the water pump by the front pavilion, the greenhouse at the back of the farm, and the house's main water source. The farm used both tap water and groundwater, with pumps for agricultural use.
Xiao Mei browsed through more home appliances and ended up buying an air conditioner with both heating and cooling functions. The company offered free delivery and installation. After that, she continued shopping for other daily necessities.
She then made stops at multiple pharmacies, buying first-aid and over-the-counter medicines in bulk—entering different stores to avoid suspicion and get as much as possible.
Finally, she returned to pick up the saplings she'd left behind. By the time Xiao Mei and her guardian were ready to head home, the sun had just dipped below the horizon.
They worked together to unload the plants. The sprite helped by sending out everything from the dimension and placing it outside. It was late by the time everything was sorted out. Grandma Li Zhu had already gone to bed, so Xiao Mei reheated some food and shared dinner with Pao Pei.
She was used to having Pao Pei sleep on her bed by now. The little white tiger cub was like a big, fluffy cat—soft, warm, and huggable.
"Have you already spent all of Grandma's money?" Pao Pei asked, noticing how lavishly she was shopping. She was acting like a freshly minted millionaire, grabbing everything in sight. He worried she might bankrupt Grandma before the apocalypse even arrived.
"Grandma said she sold the house in Hangzhou yesterday. The money has already been transferred," Xiao Mei replied softly, deeply touched by her grandmother's love. The moment she said she needed money, Grandma had given her everything—selling even her home to support her.
"Pao Pei... what if the apocalypse never happens? Would everything we've done be pointless?" Doubt crept into her voice. What if she was wrong? What if it was all just a hallucination?
Pao Pei paused, then projected a visual in front of her eyes—two asteroids orbiting ever closer together.
"Based on their trajectories, they'll collide soon. You're doing the right thing, Mistress."
Xiao Mei stared, stunned. This was the first time she saw something like this. Until now, Pao Pei had only shown the ability to shapeshift. It was also the first time she saw the asteroids that would trigger the apocalypse.
"Pao Pei... what can you actually do? I barely know anything about you."
"I'm a Guardian. You already know that," he said, tilting his head at her strange question. This woman had hatched him with her own hands—she even ate his eggshell!
"I mean, where do you come from? What powers do you have? How did you even send me back in time?" She needed to know just how powerful her Guardian was. If he was strong, she'd feel more secure.
"Guardians are a rare species—though we exist, we're scattered across galaxies. Maybe two in a spiral galaxy, tops," Pao Pei answered thoughtfully.
"We're born with our powers, our wisdom passed down from ancestors. Pao Pei grows stronger as Mistress does—our powers awaken alongside yours."
He didn't know how else to explain it. When he first woke, he was just an egg.
"The solar system's in a barred spiral galaxy, right? That means there should be another Guardian like you here," she said, excited by the idea that someone else might have a Guardian too.
"Well… one per galaxy. So just count how many galaxies there are."
"How many Guardians are there then?" she asked eagerly.
sigh "Do you even know where the edge of the universe is?" Pao Pei sighed dramatically.
"No... isn't the universe infinite?" Xiao Mei answered meekly.
"Exactly. Infinite. I have no idea how many galaxies exist."
He didn't share her excitement. Humans were obsessed with relatives, but Guardians had no kin. They hatched from eggs alone, found their own masters, and bound their lives to them. That was the only connection they knew.
"So the power that sent me back in time—what was it?"
"That was a wormhole. I used almost half of my Origin Power to send you back. I can't do it again," he said firmly. He didn't want her getting any strange ideas.
The other day, he'd caught her trying to recall past lottery numbers—hoping to become a billionaire overnight. But she'd never even bought a lottery ticket, let alone remembered any winning numbers. If she asked him to send her back in time to buy a jackpot ticket, what was he supposed to do?
"Einstein's General Theory of Relativity?" Xiao Mei muttered.
"We communicate through wormholes. Sometimes we even exchange goods through them. But only Guardians at Level 5 or higher can do that. Right now, Pao Pei is only Level 1," he added in a slightly sulky tone.
If he hadn't used his Origin Power to send her back in time, he'd be Level 5 by now. Strong. Capable. Not this weak...