Chapter 114: Blood was actually drawn!

"Ha—did I scare you? I was just joking."

Han Mingxuan quickly set the cup upright and wiped the table clean. Just like that, he returned to his composed self, smiling as he refilled our three cups with honey tea.

The three of us sat there in a daze after finishing the tea, and it wasn't until Xin'er woke up and wandered back in, groggy and confused, that we finally managed to regain some sense of normalcy. After exchanging a few hollow pleasantries, we hurried back toward the Rift.

To be honest, I didn't want to stay a moment longer. Perhaps I was beginning to adopt a bit of an animal's instinct. After all, a cat is a small creature at the bottom of the food chain, the kind that can only survive by relying on Wangchuan. Seeing that wolf-like look on Han Mingxuan’s face earlier had triggered an almost subconscious terror in me; even now, my hands were still trembling at the memory.

Xiaoyun was just as stunned, though Yubao seemed to be doing much better; his mental resilience was far superior to ours. It was only then that I realized Yubao hadn’t followed me in last time, and this time, he hadn’t uttered a single word from the moment we entered Han Mingxuan's house. His expression had been grim throughout, and even when Han Mingxuan teased him, he remained silent. At first, I thought he was just worried about Xiaomi back home, but now I understood—Yubao is a spirit beast, far more sensitive to these things than those of us who had transformed from humans. Sensing a high-level predator like Han Mingxuan right in front of him, he naturally couldn't remain calm.

This made me realize how terrifying the hierarchy among animals truly is. In a food chain, one’s survival is often predetermined.

We practically fled from Han Mingxuan's house, racing all the way back to the Rift. Only after we had stepped through the small door did I let out a long, heavy sigh.

"Whew—what a terrifying wolf!"

Xiaoyun looked at me, trembling. "Why... why is he a wolf?"

"You didn't know?" I frowned.

Xiaoyun shook her head blankly, like a naive, silly rabbit waiting for a carrot, her hand still wearing the ring Han Mingxuan had given her. Goodness, how thick is this girl's skull? Then again, I had only guessed that Han Mingxuan was a wolf because I’d heard Wangchuan call him a "sly wolf" a few times. I hadn't known for sure before either. And Wangchuan had only started using that term after the incident where he tried to harm me, meaning he had known all along that Han Mingxuan was a cunning wolf who required extra caution.

A while later, as we neared the Rift, Xiaoyun was still in a daze, unable to wrap her head around it, while Yubao had returned to his normal self the moment we left that house. As for me... I longed to run straight back to Wangchuan; if he would just hold me for a moment, I knew I would be fine.

But just as we fully entered the Rift, we saw a wisp of black smoke rising not far ahead!

"What is that?" I nudged Yubao.

Yubao saw it too, his gaze fixed on the distance. Because I was dressed in bulky layers, I was trailing at the back while Yubao took the lead, and Xiaoyun was still lost in her stupor. We approached the source of the smoke quickly.

It was a cat—a small black cat.

Yubao led the way as we crept closer. Once we were certain that the black smoke wasn't poisonous, we finally moved in.

"Xiao Yi?!" I recognized her at a glance and rushed forward. While many cats look identical, this one had knives and hidden weapons strapped to her paws! In this entire Rift, no one had that kind of skill except Xiao Yi.

Seeing those glinting blades, I immediately understood the situation and hurried to check on her. "Xiao Yi! Xiao Yi!" I called her twice, but there was no response.

Suddenly, a faint blue light appeared in Yubao's hand. He pressed the glow onto Xiao Yi's head. After a long moment, she finally reacted; her mouth opened and closed as if trying to speak. The sound was too faint to hear, so I leaned my ear close to her lips. After a long while, I heard her whisper weakly, "Beneath... no... beneath that... no..."

What was she talking about?

Confused, I looked down. Being in human form, my hands moved quickly; I scooped Xiao Yi up, wanting to see what was underneath her. My thinking was simple: if Xiao Yi said that, there must be something under her body. I didn't imagine it could be anything dangerous; perhaps I thought she was covering something that couldn't be revealed. Or, even if there was nothing, I needed to rush her to Wangchuan so he could heal her.

But I was wrong. As soon as I lifted her, Xiao Yi began to struggle violently! She only thrashed for a second before falling unconscious again. And in that very instant, something exploded from beneath where she had been lying! It shot up like a firecracker!

*Whoosh!* It slammed right into my face!

*Thud!* My head jerked back, and I nearly stumbled!

"Ow!" I instinctively clutched Xiao Yi with my left hand and pressed my right hand to my forehead. My earring stung as well—did it block something for me? A magical attack?

My forehead felt like it was on fire, and a red mist blurred my vision! Xiaoyun let out a shrill scream, and when I looked at my hands, they were covered in blood. My head was bleeding?!

Who had planted a firecracker under Xiao Yi? Or perhaps it wasn't a firecracker, but some hidden weapon Xiao Yi had been refining, which had accidentally detonated? And she had been trying to warn me not to touch the spot beneath her?

Damn! I was so unlucky!

Yubao stood there stunned, Xiaoyun was screaming, and only I remained relatively calm.

"Ahhh! Qianqian! Qianqian! What do I do? You're bleeding! Qianqian! Ahhh!" Xiaoyun spun around me like a merry-go-round, reaching out with her small hands to touch my bleeding face but not daring to make contact.

I stood there stiffly, feeling the blood streaming down my head, thinking of three things. First, thank goodness Wangchuan had the ability to heal people instantly, or I might have ended up wrapped like a mummy. Second, thank goodness it hit my face and not my stomach, or my little cub might have been in danger. Third, Wangchuan had warned me repeatedly to be careful before I left, and here I was, running back covered in blood.

How much trouble was I going to be in?

How much trouble?!

After summarizing these three points, I suddenly felt the world spinning. I held onto Xiao Yi tightly, knowing I was dizzy from the blast and mustn't drop her. But in the end, my eyes rolled back, and I knew no more. My last sensation was that I hadn't hit the ground; something had caught me. A familiar scent—Wangchuan.

Saving people really is like fighting a fire! The original, authentic Wangchuan! I could rest easy.

I blacked out, still holding Xiao Yi in my arms.

When I woke up, I was back in the Chongye Palace, lying on the big bed that smelled so familiar. Wangchuan’s face was right there, filled with a trace of anger. It looked like he really intended to scold me.

My first reaction was to sniffle—and cry! As the saying goes, the villain accuses first, and the coward cries first. I couldn't just sit there waiting for Wangchuan to lecture me. I began to cry while touching my head, looking incredibly aggrieved. Of course, I was checking to see if I was wrapped like a mummy or if Wangchuan had already healed me. My head was smooth; he had fixed it. I felt relieved.

I let out a long sigh, continuing to cry pitifully, wiping my tears with a sob. I truly looked wretched. In the end, Wangchuan couldn't withstand my act of feigned misery, and not a single word of scolding came out. His face, which had been full of anger because I hadn't protected myself well, softened into a look of stiff tenderness. He pulled me into his arms, using his thumb to wipe my tears, coaxing me softly.

"There, there—it’s alright, don't cry. It's all over now."

Hearing this, I leaned against his chest and nodded, still acting aggrieved, while inwardly, I held up a little hand in silent victory.

*Yeah.*

No scolding, and I managed to keep my dignity intact!