Chapter 104: Xin Feng Has Arrived

Chapter 104: Chapter 104: Xin Feng Has Arrived

Bai Wanwan leaped directly off his back.

Just as he was about to chase after those beastmen, Zhu Xiu felt his back lighten and immediately twisted his head around.

Seeing Bai Wanwan about to hit the ground, he swept his tail out and caught her again.

In that brief delay, the beastmen from before had already fled far away.

"Ow, Zhu Xiu, my leg hurts."

Worried he would still go after them, Bai Wanwan started to whine and whimper.

She rolled back and forth on his back. "It hurts so much, so much!"

The mist swirling around Zhu Xiu seemed to freeze for a moment, then shot out like a sharp sword.

"Zhu Xiu, what are you doing?"

Bai Wanwan watched him nervously, only to realize he wasn’t chasing the beastmen. Instead, he was carrying her, racing back to the cave.

He placed Bai Wanwan on the ground, lowered his head, and stared at her with his enormous eyes.

Bai Wanwan noticed the black mist around him was still thick, but he didn’t seem to have any intention of hurting her.

She tentatively reached out a hand and patted his beastly body. "Uh... I think it doesn’t hurt anymore. Don’t worry."

Zhu Xiu seemed to understand. He slithered to her side, letting her lean against his body.

"Um, I want to sleep for a bit..."

With Zhu Xiu’s condition so unstable, her heart was in her throat.

After quickly closing her eyes, she immediately began to call the system.

’Hua Sheng, Hua Sheng, come out.’

The system’s voice quickly replied, "Host, I am here."

’I’ve found that I can soothe his agitation. Every time he gets agitated, the black mist on his body gets really thick, but after I calm him down, the mist clearly thins out. What’s going on?’

"This is a good thing. It shows he’s willing to trust you. A beastman afflicted by the Dark Curse can lose control at any moment and finds it difficult to trust any other beast. If this Dark Energy is allowed to ravage his body, he will gradually lose his consciousness and truly devolve into a mindless beast."

The more she listened, the more Bai Wanwan’s face scrunched up. ’To remove the Dark Curse from him, how many Points would it take?’

"At least one hundred thousand..."

’Why don’t you just rob me?’ Bai Wanwan cursed at it, then added, ’No, you’re worse than a robber. You put a clear price tag on it, making me give it to you willingly.’

She counted on her fingers. If she didn’t spend a single Point, she’d have to have at least two or three more litters.

"The Dark Curse is a fundamental force of this world’s rules. Even a system that transcends this world is still bound by those rules, which is why it costs so many Points."

"However, Host, you have a great influence on him. You can frequently soothe his emotions and reduce the negative effects of the Dark Curse. If he can overcome the Dark Curse on his own, then you won’t have to spend a single Point."

’Oh? There’s a deal that good?’

"Ahem... The chance exists, but it’s probably only about one in ten thousand."

One in ten thousand... ’Heh, might as well say there’s no hope at all.’

After learning about the Dark Curse from Hua Sheng, Bai Wanwan started frequently offering words of praise and being cuddly and affectionate with him.

The effect was truly obvious. After two days, the black mist on his body was almost invisible.

But a problem also arose. Zhu Xiu seemed to have become glued to her side, not leaving her for a single moment.

Even when she needed to relieve herself, he insisted on standing guard right next to her.

It was so awkward she wanted to dig a hole in the ground and hide.

Several times, she wanted to slip away to see if Xin Feng had come looking for her, but Zhu Xiu wouldn’t leave her side for an instant.

With him acting like this, even if Xin Feng was nearby, there was no way for her to meet with him.

She forced herself to be patient, telling herself she couldn’t hold it against a sick beast. Her only option was to resort to a little trickery.

"Zhu Xiu, I’m craving fish. Could you go catch some for me?"

Zhu Xiu didn’t respond. Bai Wanwan immediately moved closer, struggling to wrap her arms around his head. "Look, this cave is so shabby and small, and it’s not comfortable at all. But none of that matters, as long as I can be with you. Can’t you really grant me this one little wish of eating some fish?"

Zhu Xiu went still. He coiled his tail around her and slowly lifted her up to his eye level.

After spending the last two days together, she was no longer afraid, even though Zhu Xiu’s eyes were still pitch-black.

She could clearly feel his favoritism toward her. His beastly form was enormous, yet every time he came near, his movements were incredibly gentle, as if terrified of hurting her.

In those pitch-black eyes, she read a trace of helplessness. After a moment’s pause, he began to slither outside, carrying her.

"Wait... I’m tired. I want to take a nap. I’ll wait for you in the cave. Go on, and come back quickly."

Zhu Xiu stopped and looked back at her, seeming to hesitate.

Bai Wanwan yawned, waving at him with half-lidded eyes. "So sleepy... Just go. I’ll take a nap, and it’ll be perfect timing for fish when I wake up."

With that, she shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep.

A moment later, she felt Zhu Xiu lift her and place her on the soft, large bed nearby. He even used his tail to flick the blanket over her.

Bai Wanwan slowed her breathing, listening intently for any sound.

Sensing his body move away from her and more light filtering through her eyelids, Bai Wanwan stealthily peeked through a tiny slit.

’He’s really gone...’

Just as she was about to open her eyes wide to get a better look, the cave entrance was suddenly blocked by something, plunging the interior into pitch darkness.

Bai Wanwan threw off the blanket, stood up, and rushed to the mouth of the cave, reaching out a hand to feel.

A massive boulder was blocking the entrance completely. She pushed with all her might, but it didn’t budge an inch.

She had sent Zhu Xiu away to meet with Xin Feng, though she wasn’t actually sure if Xin Feng was outside right now or if he had gone back to the Black Dog Tribe to be with the cubs.

Well, this was just great. Now she was locked all alone in a dark cave.

Looking back inside, the empty cave was pitch-black and especially creepy.

’Don’t be scared, don’t be scared...’

’Prosperity, Democracy, Civility, Harmony...’

She had just finished reciting the Core Socialist Values when the boulder behind her suddenly moved.

Bai Wanwan immediately tilted her head, peering out through the crack between the cave wall and the boulder.

"Zhu Xiu, is that you? Are you back?"

The words had barely left her mouth when Xin Feng’s voice came from outside. "Wanwan, it’s me."

Hearing Xin Feng’s voice, Bai Wanwan shouted in delighted surprise, "Xin Feng, quickly, move the boulder!"

"Okay, stand back. I don’t want to hurt you."

Bai Wanwan backed away, her foot accidentally kicking a pile of pots and pans.

She had redeemed those with her Points, just to make life in the cave a little more comfortable. They had cost her quite a few Points.

The boulder was quickly moved aside, and light once again illuminated the entrance.

Xin Feng, dressed in snow-white animal hides, stood tall and elegant. He strode over in a few steps and locked her in a tight embrace. "Wanwan, did he hurt you?"

He hadn’t been able to get close these past few days, afraid of alerting Zhu Xiu and being unable to steal Wanwan away.

From what he had observed, Zhu Xiu was taking very good care of Wanwan.

But most of the time, he couldn’t see Wanwan, so he wasn’t entirely sure.

"No, he’s actually been pretty good to me."

"That’s good. Let’s go. I’ll take you away while he’s not here."

Xin Feng wrapped an arm around her waist and started to lead her out.

"Wait..."