Tier 1 Icicles hitting her felt like tickling. Only Tier 2 or Tier 3 ones could put a little pressure on Nuobai.
With her Constant Temperature Physique, as long as her vitals weren’t directly hit, it all counted as minor injuries. It was perfect for practicing Bloodthirsty Berserker.
As for the pain from the wounds, Nuobai had long since thrown it to the back of her mind, completely immersed in the rapid growth of her Skill Proficiency.
After she had shorn them of their wool once, no matter how Nuobai provoked them, these Ice Crystal Jade Insects were no longer willing to condense a single Icicle.
Nuobai poked at them. They all played dead on the spot, with expressions that said, ‘Do whatever you want.’
Nuobai stopped bullying them. She walked to the center of the valley, where an Ice Crystal fruit tree grew.
Nuobai picked the ripe fruits from the tree, carefully remembering Bai Luxin’s teachings: do not harm the tree in the slightest.
‘For spirit herbs, leave the roots. For spirit trees, leave the seeds. In all things, leave a path. When killing, wipe out the whole family.’
Of course, the last line was something Nuobai added herself. ‘The most troublesome part of human relationships is probably this. I hope this world has family registers too; it would make things much more convenient.’
While Nuobai was picking the fruits, the insect swarm stirred briefly before continuing to play dead. ‘Giving away a few fruits to send this terrifying creature on her way is totally worth it!’
‘Who could understand, fellow insects? We finally managed to inflict a wound, and she just bites a snowflake and it’s healed!’
For the first time, the Ice Crystal Jade Insects felt despair about the environment they lived in. Because this Secret Realm was constantly snowing, and it would never stop!
Nuobai manipulated shadow energy to carry the fruits, casually dropping them in front of Bai Luxin as if by accident. The fruits scattered all over the ground.
“Wow, Nuobai, you’re amazing!”
“You’re really incredible. I’ve never seen such an amazing cat before.”
“Big sister loves you so much. Come here, let big sister give you a kiss.”
Nuobai pushed her face away with distaste, transformed into a cat-girl, and gathered the fruits together.
Her tail behind her was writhing wildly on the ground, several times almost impossible to contain.
‘Ice Crystal fruit, huh?’ Bai Luxin tested the fruit’s properties. It paired well with today’s food, so she added it to the mix.
She wanted Nuobai to enjoy the spoils of her victory as soon as possible.
Unexpectedly, the Ice Crystal fruit had a bit too much moisture. The pills she originally planned to roll were now impossible to make.
Bai Luxin, holding a handful of food paste, fell into deep thought.
‘What should I do? Adding ingredients on a whim actually backfired.’
In Nuobai’s eyes, she was just holding the food, waiting for her to eat. ‘This is too much. Does she not even have a bowl for me now?’
‘All she knows is to stuff that dress in, doesn’t even think to pack a couple more bowls. What a stupid Beast Master.’
Despite her complaints, Nuobai still brushed her hair aside and lowered her head.
‘When I first came home, it was like this too. She poured water into her palm and waited for me to drink.’
The red mark on the back of her hand, representing Rebellion, had not disappeared even after she transformed into a human form.
It pulled Nuobai back to that rainy day. ‘The feeling of sunlight shining through was so warm.’
‘No bowl is fine. Eating like this is okay too. In the future, when I make money, I’ll get my Beast Master a huge storage space that can hold everything.’
Can you imagine a beauty lowering her head before you, in a posture of submission, licking food from your hand?
Bai Luxin couldn’t imagine it, but she was seeing it.
Nuobai supported herself with one hand on the ground, used the other to hold back the hair by her ear, and leaned down, obediently eating the food from her hand.
Docile, elegant, composed, careful.
She could even feel the pressure of Nuobai’s tongue against her palm and hear the sound of her swallowing.
And so, in astonishment, Bai Luxin held her hands out, letting Nuobai finish all the food.
The food was gone. Seeing she still hadn’t withdrawn her hand, Nuobai had no choice but to lick all the food residue clean from her hand.
‘That should do it, right?’
Seeing her still dazed, Nuobai couldn’t help but remind her.
“I want more.”
The food Bai Luxin made suited Nuobai’s taste perfectly. Every time, she ate a lot.
Normally, without needing a reminder, Bai Luxin would actively feed her. Why was she so spaced out today?
Bai Luxin stiffly cupped more food in her palm. Distracted, her hand was held even lower this time.
Nuobai had to lean down even further, using both hands to hold her hair back to keep it from getting in her mouth.
‘So troublesome. I’ll just cut it off later.’
And so, Bai Luxin muddled through the feeding process in a daze. Her palms were a little damp but clean, the lingering tingling sensation refusing to fade.
‘Something feels a bit off, but then again, maybe not.’
‘Nuobai often eats like this normally. Why does it feel so strange today?’
She didn’t want to think too deeply about it, or perhaps she was also greedy for this feeling, silently allowing Nuobai to continue this behavior.
‘She is the Beast Master. She is the person closest to Nuobai. She can be like this.’
‘Then, can she also…’
A twisted, base thought rose in Bai Luxin’s heart—that dark, dirty sense of possessiveness rooted deep in human nature.
Slap.
Bai Luxin slapped her own cheeks with both hands, jolting herself awake. ‘That’s my little sister. How can I think such things?’
‘It must be the stress. I need to adjust my mindset properly.’
Hearing the sudden slap, Nuobai stopped, confused.
Seeing she was fine, Nuobai went back to her research. ‘Where should I start?’
Bai Luxin became that gentle, kind older sister again. She noticed Nuobai had condensed a Light Arrow in her hand and was measuring something against her own hair.
“Nuobai, what are you doing?”
“I want to cut it off.”
“Beast Master, help me see where I should start.”
“Cut off what?”
“My hair.”
As she spoke, Nuobai continued measuring. The intensely condensed Light Arrow was less than an inch from her hair.
It made Bai Luxin’s heart jump to her throat. Slowing her speech, wearing a smile, she beckoned to Nuobai softly and gently.
“Nuobai, come here for a moment first. I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?”
Thinking there might be something good, Nuobai dispersed the skill and ran over.
Bai Luxin stroked her hair. It was light, flowing, and held a faint fragrance.
“Why do you want to cut your hair?”
“It’s too much trouble.”
Nuobai grabbed a strand of hair and held it in front of Bai Luxin, starting to complain.
“It’s this. It keeps falling down when I’m eating.”
“I figured, wouldn’t it be easier to just cut it off?”
‘Because of eating?’
A sense of guilt washed over Bai Luxin. ‘Should I correct Nuobai’s eating posture?’
She knew this wasn’t quite right, but she didn’t plan to correct Nuobai. At least within this Secret Realm, she wanted it to stay like this.
‘Once we’re out, I’ll subtly teach her the proper way.’
‘For now, let it be.’
Harboring a little selfish thought, Bai Luxin smiled and suggested.
“Nuobai, let big sister teach you how to tie up your hair.”
“That way, when Nuobai eats, her hair won’t fall down.”
Nuobai thought for a moment and asked a key question.
“If I tie up my hair, will I look cool?”
“Of course. My Nuobai is the coolest.”
The two of them studied for a long time. Bai Luxin tried several different hairstyles, but Nuobai only liked one—a bun.
Her hair was too thick. Even tied into a ponytail, the back was still too long.
Bai Luxin made a small adjustment. She braided the hair by the ears into small twists and tied them at the back of the head, leaving a strand connected to the bangs.
It was refreshing and neat, without losing cuteness.
Nuobai shook her head to test it. It didn’t hinder her at all. Her mismatched gold and red eyes were full of satisfaction.
In the following days, Nuobai constantly found places to train her skills, bringing back trophies from time to time.
Bai Luxin turned them all into food for Nuobai to enjoy. Only, each time, she remained silent.
Watching the bun she had tied with her own hands swaying in her palm.
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