Bai Luxin sat at the table, holding a pen and recording the characteristics of the secret realms in Dragon Sleep City.
As she was thinking, Nuobai walked over and bumped her arm.
The pen in her fingers fell to the floor. Nuobai didn’t say a word, turned her head, and flopped onto the table.
Seeing the cat’s unhappy look, Bai Luxin picked up the pen from the floor.
Ever since she had hit her that day, Nuobai had never turned into a cat-girl again.
On the surface, she was throwing a tantrum, not talking to her, and couldn’t be coaxed no matter how many times Bai Luxin tried.
In reality, she would constantly find ways to bump into her, then leave with a haughty look, leaving only her back.
Seeing Nuobai wasn’t far from her, Bai Luxin pulled her over. The moment she set her down,
her tail smacked her face, brushing past her lips, and then again.
It made her both amused and exasperated. ‘She’s still holding a grudge.’
Dragon Sleep City had a total of seventeen secret realms. One was a natural realm, currently under seal.
Of the remaining sixteen, seven were too dangerous and were ruled out.
After eliminating three more whose environments were unsuitable for Nuobai, six remained.
A Tier 1 secret realm. This one would do.
Bai Luxin locked onto one of them: the Mirror Hidden Sky Secret Realm.
This realm was perpetually snowy, perfect for Nuobai. Moreover, Snow Velvet Flowers grew there. Nuobai should like it.
It was also suitable for her. The Warm Stone Bracelet on her wrist could help maintain her body temperature, unafraid of the severe cold.
It was a gift Nuobai had given her. Thinking of this, she casually gave Nuobai a petting, which earned her another tail-swipe to the face.
The basic supplies were already prepared. The Space Button had been a great help. It was a pity that while traveling, she couldn’t let Nuobai wear dresses.
‘Better bring two anyway. I’ll just pack two fewer of my own.’ The black dress suited Nuobai very well. She would likely look even more beautiful in the snow.
She wanted to prepare a perfect trip for Nuobai.
‘The space is still too small. I’ll carry a backpack as well. Otherwise, entering the secret realm empty-handed would be too conspicuous.’
“Mrow.”
Suddenly, she felt Nuobai’s tail wrap around her neck, the tip constantly tapping near her earlobe, full of petty emotions.
Looking at her, she still had that sulking expression, but her tail was being too honest. ‘Is this asking for comfort?’
“Alright, Nuobai, let’s go to sleep.”
Holding Nuobai was so reassuring. Her sleep quality improved dramatically, and Bai Luxin soon drifted into dreamland.
……
Autumn had arrived. Bai Luxin wore a trench coat and stood at the school gate with a backpack.
Nuobai lay on her shoulder, somewhat restless.
The school’s travel procedures were already completed. What was she still waiting for here? Could it be she was waiting for her to speak first?
Nuobai was like a child just on holiday, having made travel plans at home, but after stepping out, just standing at the neighborhood entrance, not moving.
‘Stupid Beast Master only knows how to bully me.’
Hate it, hate it, hate it…
“Getting impatient?”
The tail kept flicking the back of her neck. Bai Luxin couldn’t help but notice and could only feed her a snack to comfort her.
‘Xiao Min is too slow.’
Nuobai let out an almost imperceptible light hum, deliberately grazing her finger with a canine tooth.
This unusual contact made her glance sideways, stealing a look.
Nuobai’s teeth were beautiful, appearing milky white and semi-translucent.
Her mouth was a vivid red and smooth, her tongue could extend about five centimeters out, with tiny, soft barbs on it.
Pinching it gave a slightly tingling sensation.
Thinking of this, Bai Luxin’s fingers twitched. She immediately averted her gaze. ‘It’s all Xiao Min’s fault for not coming yet, making me overthink things.’
“What are we waiting for?”
Nuobai couldn’t hold back anymore. The allure of adventure was very attractive to a cat. Being stuck right at the threshold was too agonizing.
“Waiting for Zhou Huimin. She should be here soon.”
‘The little fan with the stamp.’ Nuobai remembered her. She liked to call her ‘Lady Nuobai’ when they met.
“Consort Bai! Lady Nuobai!”
Zhou Huimin came running over, panting.
“S-sorry… to keep… you waiting.”
Bai Luxin steadied her. “Don’t talk yet, rest a bit.”
She shook her head and took out a gift. It was because she was preparing this gift that she was late.
“What’s this?”
“An Induction Guide. Situations in secret realms can be unpredictable. Sometimes the contract connection can be blocked.”
“Have Lady Nuobai drip a drop of blood on it. The pointer will always point in her direction, with a range of about ten kilometers.”
“Thank you, Xiao Min.”
Bai Luxin genuinely hadn’t considered this and immediately hugged her in thanks.
“I’m just afraid you’ll lose Lady Nuobai. Lady Nuobai, you must come back safely! This humble servant cannot live without you!”
Her performance was too exaggerated. Usually, not a single sentence out of three was serious, but when it mattered, she was exceptionally reliable.
Nuobai hooked a claw. Zhou Huimin immediately brought her face closer.
“A bit lower.”
The pad of Nuobai’s paw glowed faintly as she pressed it against Zhou Huimin’s forehead.
A small, delicate cat paw pattern was imprinted there. A tiny bit of elemental manipulation technique would keep it for a month without issue—a blessing from the cat.
Zhou Huimin was so happy she almost fainted. She still wanted to touch Nuobai but was swatted away by her tail.
‘Better thank her and leave quickly.’
Understanding Nuobai’s subtext, Zhou Huimin vanished at lightning speed. She wouldn’t cause trouble for her idol.
Bai Luxin hadn’t even exchanged a few proper farewell words with her before she was gone.
“Nuobai, couldn’t you be a bit more polite to her?”
“I’ve been polite enough. Do you think just anyone gets the same treatment as you…”
“What?”
Nuobai’s last few words were too soft; she didn’t catch them.
“Let’s go already!”
“I’m going on a big adventure.”
……
After they left Dragon Sleep City, heading for the Mirror Hidden Sky Secret Realm, a mysterious person arrived at an underground bar.
In the noisy bar, the mysterious person approached the bartender.
“I’ll have a White Fruit Orange.”
“Sorry, ma’am, this is a bar.”
“Then, a Bloody Thorn Rose.”
The bartender wiped an empty glass, casually replying, “Thorn Rose is out of stock today. Only wine.”
“Add a land rat tongue.”
“Ma’am, you have quite the taste.”
The bartender handed over a coin.
The mysterious person took the coin to the back. Passing through a barrier ritual, the coin turned to ash. From within the dim room came a query.
“Assassination target.”
“Snow Joy Cat, Nuobai.”
“Can’t kill.”
“In this world, is there anyone the Order of Deity Slayers can’t kill?”
A graceful gentleman stepped out of the darkness, lightly chuckling as he placed a hand on his chest. “You can’t afford the price.”
“Miss Long.”
The air instantly turned icy. Long Qianwu’s pupils narrowed vertically, resembling those of some cold-blooded creature, staring at him, ready to act.
“Don’t be tense, Miss Long. We haven’t investigated you.”
“Female, holds a grudge against the Snow Joy Cat. Your identity is too easy to guess.”
The gentleman poured a glass of red wine, indicating he meant no harm.
Long Qianwu didn’t lower her guard. They were no good people.
“What do you mean?”
“We can kill the Snow Joy Cat for you. In exchange, please help us with a small favor.”
Long Qianwu didn’t want to get involved in more trouble. She already had enough. But she couldn’t stand to see Nuobai doing well even more.
“What do you want me to do?”
“In one year, the Candlelight Selection will open the Longmian Land. Help us retrieve something from there.”
“You’re so sure I’ll help you?”
The gentleman’s eyes were full of confidence. He had her figured out.
“Of course. You cannot refuse. The Longmian Land holds the method to activate the dragon blood within you. Isn’t that precisely why you came to this city?”
“The lost dragon descendant.”
“We are allies. We should help each other.”
His invitation only earned a look of disgust from Long Qianwu.
“You’re just lunatics.”
“I agree. Don’t keep me waiting.”
“Pleasure doing business, Miss Long.”
A smug voice saw her off as she left. The gentleman entered another room.
“Executive Chang, the scapegoat has been found.”
A piece of wood was tossed over, floating before the gentleman.
“Crush it before taking action.”
“Ensure Bai Luxin’s safety without fail.”
“Yes.”
In the darkness, Chang Fu lit a cigarette, his eyes fierce and ruthless.
Although he held some authority within the Order of Deity Slayers, the matter of the divine crystal was too significant.
If Bai Luxin came under suspicion, the tragedy from over a decade ago would repeat itself.
For safety’s sake, removing Nuobai to distance her from being a Beast Tamer, letting her live as an ordinary person for the rest of her life, would be best.
Living peacefully and safely was stronger than anything else.