In the gloom, Bai Luxin held an umbrella as she stepped out of the Beast Center.
The torrential rain could do nothing to dampen the joy in her heart.
She had finally passed the Junior Nutritionist exam today. All those years of hard work had not been in vain.
Suddenly, the cry of a kitten drifted out from a dark alley, and Bai Luxin felt her heart tighten.
A kitten lay collapsed in a puddle, its white fur stained with shocking streaks of blood.
Seeing this, she didn’t stop to think. She ran quickly to the kitten’s side.
‘She’s still alive!’
She immediately dropped her umbrella and wrapped the kitten in her clothes, spinning around to sprint back toward the Beast Center.
Rumble! Thunder roared across the sky.
The fierce wind whipped icy raindrops into a solid curtain, blurring her vision and her sense of direction.
“Quick! Someone, please save her!”
Bai Luxin shouted anxiously as she ran into the beast medical department.
The doctor on duty recognized Nuobai at a glance and barked an order to the person beside him.
“Go notify Dr. Qin immediately.”
He hurriedly took Nuobai from Bai Luxin’s arms and rushed into the treatment room to begin emergency resuscitation.
Seeing the doctor take over was like completing a vital mission. Bai Luxin let out a sigh of relief and wiped the rain from her face.
She pressed a hand to her chest. Her heart was thumping wildly; this was the first time she had ever run so fast.
Looking down, she saw her clothes were soaked through. She must look like a mess.
‘But to save a life… it’s worth it.’
She wondered how the kitten had ended up like that. ‘Is she lost? So pitiful.’
After tidying the stray hairs plastered to her forehead, Bai Luxin prepared to slip away quietly.
“Please wait. Are you the one who brought Nuobai here?”
Turning toward the voice, she saw a young woman wearing glasses and a research lab coat. Bai Luxin hurriedly waved her hands in explanation.
“I found her injured in the alley back there! I didn’t hurt her!”
Qin Nian gave a gentle smile. “Don’t be nervous. I only wanted to say that your clothes are soaked. Would you like to change into something else?”
“No, that’s not necessary.”
Seeing that she was about to refuse again, Qin Nian simply took her hand and led her toward her private room.
“There is a bathroom inside and a change of clothes. I’m going to check on Nuobai first.”
“Eh?”
Looking at the luxurious room before her, Bai Luxin felt a bit overwhelmed.
‘Is that kitten named Nuobai? It’s a lovely name.’
Since she was already there, she decided to make the best of it. She took off her wet clothes and stepped into the bathroom.
……
Meanwhile, inside the medical room, the doctor spoke up. “Dr. Qin, her vital signs have stabilized.”
“However, the contract is broken. If it isn’t repaired, her life force will continue to drain away.”
“I understand,” Qin Nian said flatly. Her fingers were clenched so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.
‘If the contract is broken, we’ll just have to renew it.’
Nuobai absolutely could not be allowed to die.
……
“Little sister, I am Qin Nian. This is a reward for you.”
When Bai Luxin emerged, Qin Nian greeted her and handed her a card loaded with 5,000 Credit Points.
“No, I can’t take this,” Bai Luxin said, waving her hands in refusal.
“How can a good deed go unrewarded? Take it. If you don’t, it will make us look stingy.”
“Every person who truly loves beast pets deserves to be rewarded.”
The thin card felt heavy in Bai Luxin’s hand. 5,000 Credit Points was enough to last her a very long time.
“Sister Qin… um, how is that kitten doing?”
At those words, a sharp glint flashed in Qin Nian’s eyes. She adopted a regretful, lamenting tone. “There’s no hope…”
“She committed Rebellion, and her contract was severed. Unless someone is willing to contract her, she is beyond saving.”
Bai Luxin’s hand trembled, her eyes filled with disbelief. ‘How can that be…?’
This was her first time saving a life; she couldn’t believe it would end like this.
“Why?” she whispered. “Is there no one willing to save her?”
Qin Nian said nothing, only shaking her head.
Bai Luxin wanted to speak, but the words caught in her throat. She bit her lip.
Rebellion was a grave matter. Such a wicked act was something no Beast Tamer could tolerate.
“Can I see her?”
In the infirmary, Nuobai had been cleaned up. She lay quietly on the surgical table. Blood seeped from the corner of her mouth again, blooming like a tragic petal.
Bai Luxin felt something stir deep within her. She knew that if she did nothing, she would surely regret it.
Taking a deep breath, she clutched the Credit Point card she had just received, drawing strength from it.
She could not watch this life fade away before her eyes.
“I want to save her.”
“Her injuries are very severe. If you contract her, you won’t be able to contract any other beast pets.”
“All of your contract power will have to be used just to repair her. You should reconsider.”
Bai Luxin’s expression remained firm. “I will only ever have her as my beast pet.”
She mocked herself inwardly. Even contracting this one would put immense pressure on her; how could she possibly handle a second one?
A barely perceptible smile touched the corner of Qin Nian’s mouth. “I assume you know the contract ritual.”
She stepped aside, giving them space.
Bai Luxin adjusted her mindset, preparing to initiate the ritual she had once thought she would never use in her life.
A faint resonance formed between her and Nuobai as pale blue particles floated into the air.
“Bai Luxin, she has a history of Rebellion. You should sign a Master-Servant Contract.”
Qin Nian watched the color of the particles closely. If they turned red, she would step in immediately to terminate the ritual.
‘She knows my name?’
“HEAVEN ABOVE, I, BAI LUXIN, AM WILLING TO SIGN AN EQUALITY CONTRACT WITH THE BEAST BEFORE ME.”
“WE SHALL SUPPORT AND HELP EACH OTHER.”
“PLEASE… RESPOND TO ME!”
The pale blue particles condensed into a beam of light, linking the two of them. The contract was sealed.
In the next moment, an even richer blue light erupted from Nuobai’s body.
The Light of Growth! Or rather, the Light of Advancement!
Qin Nian immediately summoned her beast pet. “Moon Dream, seal this room!”
A moon-white light instantly filled the room as an Indistinct phantom began to prowl the perimeter.
‘Advancing without a ritual… Nuobai, you really don’t make things easy.’
This could not be allowed to reach the ears of others. Qin Nian sent a silent command to Moon Dream through their contract while she hurried out to destroy the surveillance footage.
The phantom moved outside the room. No one in the Beast Center noticed that a light, misty veil had appeared around them.
In her unconscious state, Nuobai felt a warm energy trigger the power stored within her eyes.
She became dimly aware of her talent: Rebellion.
Energy was stored in her left eye, while the power of betrayal was stored in her right eye. Through betrayal, she could continuously grow stronger.
As the light dissipated, Nuobai’s injuries were fully healed, and her body had grown slightly larger.
She slowly opened her eyes to see a pair of clear, worry-filled eyes looking back at her.
The two stared at each other. Time seemed to freeze in that moment — an instant that felt like ten thousand years.
“Hello, Master. My name is Nuobai.”
“Ah… ah, I’m Bai Luxin. I’m eighteen years old, I live alone, and I’m a student in the Beast Nutrition Department at Yuhua Academy in Dragon Sleep City. I just became a Junior Nutritionist today.”
After blabbing it all out in one breath, Bai Luxin panted, her face turning red.
‘Oh no, I got too excited. That was so embarrassing. Will she dislike me?’
Seeing the person before her say so much without mentioning the most crucial point.
‘Bai Luxin is my new Master, and also my savior.’
Even while unconscious, Nuobai had retained a sliver of awareness of the outside world. She knew everything Bai Luxin had done.
“Master, I am very happy to meet you.”
Nuobai reached out a paw. A vivid red mark on the back of her paw stood out clearly against her fur.
Seeing this, Bai Luxin reached out her hand without a moment’s hesitation.
“I’m very happy to meet you too, Nuobai.”
And so, the savior Bai Luxin and the Betrayal Witch Nuobai completed their historic meeting.