Finally back, Bai Luxin pulled her cloak and jumped off the Wind-Riding Wingbird.
She looked back at the large bird. The wind on its back had been too strong during the whole trip, making the experience very unpleasant—really, it was fast and nothing else.
Nuobai was much more comfortable, but Bai Luxin had kept her in the Beast Taming Space.
This time, she had to keep a low profile. Nuobai was too eye-catching and could easily draw attention.
Outside the Breeding Center, Bai Luxin stepped onto the ground, disturbing a faint layer of mist that was barely noticeable.
Moon Dream noticed her. The mist shrouded them, and when Bai Luxin’s vision cleared, she was already standing in front of Qin Nian.
“Sister Qin.”
As she greeted her, Bai Luxin summoned Nuobai.
The moment Nuobai exited the Beast Taming Space, Moon Dream restrained her. The mist transformed into tentacles that wrapped around her limbs.
“Sister Dream?”
Moon Dream directly sent her to her own master’s side. Nuobai met Qin Nian’s dissatisfied gaze and smiled awkwardly.
“Aunt Qin, can you give me a little face?”
Qin Nian glanced at Bai Luxin, then gave Nuobai a thorough scolding.
‘Face? She’s always out running wild!’
There weren’t even a hundred Snow Joy Cats in total, and each one was a treasure to her heart.
Especially Nuobai—she was the last of her clan, with distinctive heterochromia and a unique personality.
Qin Nian truly loved her and hated her at the same time.
Watching Nuobai shiver and hide in Bai Luxin’s arms crying, she sighed.
‘A grown daughter is indeed hard to keep.’
“Tell me, what happened?”
“The entire Jingcangtian Secret Realm collapsed. How did you two survive?”
Qin Nian had thought they had vanished into nothingness along with the realm, but there they stood before her, fresh and alive.
‘The secret realm collapsed?’
Bai Luxin was shocked as she comforted Nuobai and described their experience bit by bit.
As Qin Nian listened, she sometimes looked at Bai Luxin, sometimes at Nuobai, and sometimes frowned in thought.
When it came to struggling for survival in the desert, Bai Luxin didn’t hold back and shared her deductions.
At that, Nuobai stopped wagging her tail, and Qin Nian’s fingertips turned white as she listened.
“That’s how Nuobai led me and kept me alive until now.”
Bai Luxin finished speaking, holding nothing back except for some of her own unpleasant thoughts.
“I’m sorry, Sister Qin. I didn’t take good care of her.”
“It’s not your fault.”
Qin Nian comforted her, then pulled Nuobai out of her arms.
“Nuobai! How did you provoke the Order of Deity Slayers?”
“It was Long Qianwu.”
Hearing the anger in Nuobai’s voice, Qin Nian let her go.
“Earth Armor represents the strongest fourth-rank assassin in Dragon Sleep City. Long Qianwu couldn’t have hired him.”
“She’s an exile. She doesn’t have that much influence. There might be something else going on.”
Nuobai couldn’t take in any of it at the moment. The only one she had a grudge against was Long Qianwu. Who else could it be?
“Nuobai, listen to Sister Qin.”
Hearing Bai Luxin’s words, Nuobai regained a bit of composure.
“I’ll make her give me an explanation at the ‘Torch’ selection tournament.”
“I’ll bring all of this to an end.”
“I’ll go with you.”
Qin Nian wanted to dissuade them, but Bai Luxin added that line, and Qin Nian was left speechless.
After what these two had been through together, Qin Nian felt like an outsider in front of them.
“Aunt Qin, help me~”
After more than half a year apart, Nuobai’s cajoling skills had gone up several levels. Qin Nian was soon charmed senseless.
In a daze, she gave Nuobai the recommendation slot in her hand.
“Don’t run around before the selection tournament, or I’ll turn you into a specimen!”
Throwing out a threat with zero intimidation, Qin Nian prepared to go have a chat with the Order of Deity Slayers. How dare they touch her people? Were they tired of living?
“Sister, let’s go to the training room.”
Nuobai pulled Bai Luxin to the training room to go into seclusion, to protect the best sister.
…
That night, Chang Fu smoked a cigarette, his face a mix of worry and a grin splitting his lips.
Wu Yinjun had hit him without holding back at all—it hurt like hell.
But his little niece was still alive.
He could no longer make a direct move against Nuobai. His little tricks indeed couldn’t fool Qin Nian.
Since she was protecting Bai Luxin, and Bai Luxin was in no danger, he might as well let Nuobai go.
From now on, Longmian Land would attract all eyes. He could temporarily cover up Nuobai’s anomaly.
‘Brother Bai, where the hell did you hide the Divine Crystal? Until I find it, Bai Luxin can never be truly safe.’
…
Three days later, Liu Wushang came out of the Yubei Secret Realm with a headache.
What bad luck. Someone had beaten her to it again.
She’d missed the Rain Heart Pearl. Now she had to find another treasure of the same level.
Liu Wushang looked in the direction of Dragon Sleep City.
Longmian Land. Dragon Soul.
‘Little cat, is fate guiding us to meet?’
Meanwhile, in the training room, Nuobai discovered a change in herself.
Her skills seemed to be merging, especially those at the Divine Mastery level.
As she learned more basic skills, a puzzle piece slowly combined into a pattern.
The lit-up parts were the skills she had trained to perfection; the dim ones were the skills she had just started learning.
Currently, very little of the pattern was lit, and there were many missing pieces.
More uncombined puzzle fragments also seemed to be drawing together.
Because it involved the Master-Betraying Talent, Nuobai didn’t want to tell anyone about her change.
The harm Long Qianwu had caused made her instinctively hold back.
She secretly glanced at Bai Luxin. Nuobai wanted to trust her completely, but who wouldn’t feel uneasy knowing their beast pet had a talent specifically for betraying its master?
Especially her. Nuobai didn’t want to see sadness in Bai Luxin’s eyes—that faint sadness hidden beneath her smile.
As if Nuobai could leave her at any moment. Such forced cheerfulness was like a thousand cuts to Nuobai’s heart.
These changes certainly weren’t bad. It was better to wait until the transformation was complete, then casually ask Sister Dream.
Remembering being bound by Moon Dream when they first returned, she had actually struggled hard, but she was still like a kitten with no power to fight back.
Nuobai felt a bit speechless. The might of Moon Dream was terrifying. She really didn’t dare to go near her.
She always felt an ache in her body. Sister Dream always went all out when hitting her, and couldn’t be neutralized by acting cute.
“Nuonuo, tired from training?”
Nuobai turned into a little loli, threw herself onto Bai Luxin, and rubbed against her pitifully.
“Sister, why didn’t you protect me when Aunt Qin was disciplining me?”
“You always hold me in your arms and can’t bear to let me suffer any harm.”
Nuobai nudged her with her head, clearly a little sulky.
Bai Luxin patted her head and reasoned with her.
“Sister Qin really cares about you. She would never hurt you.”
“Nuobai, never let down the people who are good to you, understand?”
“I understand.”
Nuobai whispered in her ear, but her eyes held murderous intent. She would never let down those who were good to her, nor would she let go of anyone who dared to hurt Bai Luxin.
“Nuonuo, haven’t you taken a bath in a long time?”
Under Nuobai’s stunned expression, Bai Luxin carried her to the bathroom. That familiar feeling of dominance surfaced.
Bai Luxin adjusted the water temperature. This was the time to run—it would only take one [Instant Kill Step].
But Nuobai made no move, like a toy that had run out of power, waiting to be handled.
The loli cat girl’s body was fully revealed to Bai Luxin for the first time. Nuobai shyly used her tail to cover her lower abdomen and crossed her arms over her chest.
Bai Luxin poured water over her. There was one thing she had been wrong about—looking at Nuobai now, she did have a little curve.
Very young, and very shy…