Chapter 500 - 499: "I Also Want to Protect You.

The Little Octopus suddenly drew near, its presence overwhelmingly intimidating. Yu Zhizhi jumped in fright, her rabbit tail instantly fluffing up in alarm.

She leaped up, and her head bumped into one of the octopus’s tentacles.

"Oof—"

Yu Zhizhi let out a muffled groan. She clutched her head with her little rabbit paws, her rabbit ears drooping as tears seemed to well up in the corners of her eyes.

The Little Octopus sheepishly backed away a little. "Why did you react so strongly? I just thought what you said earlier was strange. What do you mean, you’ll suddenly disappear?"

From its posture, it was clear the octopus was determined to get to the bottom of this.

It paused, lifting a tentacle as if to pat the little rabbit, but its massive size forced it to stop. ’Ugh, this form is so troublesome. I need to figure out how to control the spiritual power in my body.’

’I have to be able to change back to how I was before.’

’I also need to figure out how to become human.’

"It just means... I’ll suddenly be gone. I can’t really explain it. Anyway, you just have to remember that the Sky Star Territory is your home."

Yu Zhizhi knew that after its mutation, the Little Octopus was no longer willing to return to the Beast God’s Homeland.

According to it, a body and soul that had been contaminated could never again set foot in the Beast God’s ancestral land.

The rules there were strict...

The High Priest would banish it.

Worried the Little Octopus would have nowhere to go after she left, Yu Zhizhi had told it in advance to stay at the Sky Star Territory and be at ease.

The Little Octopus was still dwelling on Tutu’s words about suddenly disappearing. It felt a pang of sadness, though it couldn’t say why. It had been wandering with Tutu ever since leaving its homeland, and the thought of her suddenly being gone left an empty feeling in its heart.

Yu Zhizhi waited for a long time, but there was no news from Yusen.

She contacted Ai Xi.

From Ai Xi, she learned that Yusen was still busy, apparently tied up with some political affairs.

Yu Zhizhi thought for a moment and decided to leave a letter for Yusen.

Dracula was all alone in the Vortex Zone, and he had almost no fighting strength right now. This made her extremely worried.

After finishing the letter, Yu Zhizhi and the Little Octopus set off once more.

The sea at night was frighteningly quiet.

Yu Zhizhi hugged one of the Little Octopus’s tentacles tightly. The cry of a Vulture reached her ears, and she saw a strange, giant bird circling in the air. In the darkness, its pair of deep green eyes glowed eerily.

The Little Octopus noticed it too.

It snorted. "Stupid bird! Get lost!"

’It scared my little rabbit!’

The Vulture screeched a few times, flapping its wings as if about to dive down.

But when it saw the rest of the octopus’s body hidden undersea, it calmed down. It squawked a few curses, then turned and flew away.

Soon, they were approaching the Vortex Zone.

The wind and waves here became immense. Fortunately, the octopus’s spiritual power had recently surged; otherwise, it might have been blown directly into the center of the vortex, taking the little rabbit on its back to their doom.

The dilapidated ship was still moored at the edge of the zone, hidden within a shroud of black mist.

The Little Octopus carefully placed Yu Zhizhi on the deck.

It stood guard nearby, just as it always did.

Yu Zhizhi ran across the damp wooden floorboards, heading toward the ship’s interior.

The sound of her footsteps was masked by the crashing waves.

But Dracula’s keen senses caught them. He hadn’t expected the little female from the Rabbit Clan to return so soon.

There was still some time before sunrise.

When Yu Zhizhi saw the familiar figure in the corner, she breathed a sigh of relief.

’I was so worried something had happened to Dracula...’

’But the ship is so well-hidden. Nothing unexpected should happen, right?’

She didn’t get too close. Instead, she walked to one side and piled up everything stored in her spirit card. "This is a seven-day supply of food, these are for washing and changing, and also this medicine—it can treat the wounds on your body."

She had noticed the unhealed scars on Dracula’s body.

Before his Beast Bone Evolution, he must have just retreated from some battlefield.

Yu Zhizhi’s spiritual power had recovered somewhat, so she was able to maintain her human form. She now sat quietly to one side, preparing the medicinal herbs she had picked from the territory.

She had planted these herself. In the Healing System curriculum, there were over a thousand types of medicinal herbs to memorize.

She had selected some of the most common ones and planted them directly in her territory.

Dracula had intended to close his eyes and rest. When he heard the sound of herbs being prepared, he expected to feel annoyed, but instead, he unexpectedly felt a wave of drowsiness?

The entire dilapidated cabin grew quiet.

In the darkness, he opened his eyes and watched the Rabbit Clan female, who was completely absorbed in her own world. As she focused on her task, her eyes were fixed on the tools in her hands, her right hand gripping a wooden pestle, completely oblivious to the harsh weather outside.

The little female had a very tranquil aura about her.

He felt his own heart grow calm as well.

Dracula hadn’t intended to say anything, but on some strange impulse, he found himself speaking. "Go back to your territory after you’ve prepared the herbs. This place isn’t suitable for you."

’Does she even realize where this is?’

’The most dangerous part of the sea, right on the edge of a vortex, where she could be swept into a bottomless abyss at any moment.’

’That octopus is reckless, too.’

’To think it actually brought her here.’

Even as a member of the Sea Clan, if that octopus fell into the vortex, it would have absolutely no chance of survival.

Yu Zhizhi looked up at Dracula. In the darkness, his silhouette was as handsome as she remembered. His aura was a bit colder than before, and also a bit gloomier.

’In the long time since they parted in the Varolan Imperial City, Dracula must have been through a lot.’

’She had, too.’

’It seemed they had missed so much.’

Yu Zhizhi felt a slight itch on the tip of her nose. She raised a hand to rub it, but this only smeared more flecks of herbs on it.

Dracula watched the little female, her nose smudged with bits of herbs. She looked both adorable and innocent.

Even though she was a female from the Valoran Empire, he had to admit that this little rabbit sometimes made him forget the chasm between their identities and origins.

Yu Zhizhi carried the ceramic bowl over to him.

She sat down and naturally rolled up his sleeve. "Applying this will be even more effective than a Healing System Spirit Art."

She spread the medicinal paste over the ghastly wound, her tone gentle. "I’ll leave once your spiritual power has recovered. Until then, let me stay by your side. If we run into any danger, I can still help you escape."

"Just like... a long time ago... when you protected me."

"I want to protect you too, Dracula."

The little female’s tone was so sincere. Her fingertips moved gently, and her eyelashes, like the wings of a butterfly, veiled her beautiful eyes. As she spoke these words, something struck Dracula in the chest, making it ache with a sour pang.

’...What is happening to me?’

A trace of confusion appeared in Dracula’s eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it came. He pressed his thin lips together, his expression remaining cold and stiff as he turned his head away, refusing to look at her.

’Even though I don’t remember my past with her, I’m still affected by her every move.’

He didn’t want this.

He didn’t want any further entanglement with this little female.