WWWASTJWTCAT?

9

Chapter 9

Xu Nian woke just after three hours of sleep, her mind initially shrouded in a haze. As her consciousness returned, she thought of Ji Yuebai. Hurriedly, she checked her companion’s breathing, relieved to find her still alive.

Xu Nian took some medicinal herbs from her storage bag, crushed them, and put them on Ji Yuebai’s injuries. She was surprised to see that the deeper cuts had already started to scab over, and the smaller ones were healing, showing the light pink of new skin.

Stunned by Ji Yuebai’s remarkable recovery, Xu Nian cleverly made a bowl out of leaves she found in the secret realm. Working together with her mouth and tail, she shaped the leaves, holding them together with vines and twigs. She then filled this improvised bowl with snow water and heated it over the fire. After letting it cool, she used the water to clean Ji Yuebai’s wounds.

While treating the wounds, she couldn’t help but notice the harsh contrast between the dreadful scars and Ji Yuebai’s otherwise smooth, white skin, reminiscent of mutton fat jade. Regretting the damage, she abandoned her initial plan to save some herbs for herself. Instead, she generously applied a thick layer to Ji Yuebai’s injuries, wishing to spare her beautiful body from being marked by ugly scars.

In the days that followed, Xu Nian dedicated herself to looking after Ji Yuebai. Every morning, she would check on Ji Yuebai’s condition first, then spend time cultivating with spirit stones. Whenever she felt hungry, she ventured into the snowy wilderness to hunt. She also covered Ji Yuebai with her shed snake skin, which helped keep wild animals at bay with its remaining scent.

However, the cold weather made finding food difficult. Xu Nian cracked open a frozen stream, squatted on the ice, and used worms she had managed to dig up to catch some small fish. After roaming the mountains several times, she finally caught a naive roe deer. During this time, she regretted not keeping the bear from the cave, as it would have provided food for much longer

After eating her fill, with nothing else to do, Xu Nian prodded Ji Yuebai’s soft face with her tail.

Thanks to her diligent care, most of Ji Yuebai’s injuries had healed, and many of the scars on her body had faded to faint marks that were hardly noticeable without looking closely.

“Really, the child I’ve raised is so easy to keep alive,” she thought, having subconsciously started to treat Ji Yuebai like a beautiful doll to play with, admiring her lovely face, which was quite enjoyable.

There were still some healing herbs left in her storage bag. Once those were used up, those faint scars should disappear completely.

Lost in thought, Xu Nian habitually rubbed Ji Yuebai’s smooth, tender cheeks with her tail.

Nearly half a month had passed since she brought Ji Yuebai back. During this time, she had been tending to her injuries while Ji Yuebai remained unconscious. Thanks to the medicinal herbs and her strong ability to heal, Ji Yuebai’s wounds had healed rapidly. She now appeared as healthy as anyone else, but oddly, she still hadn’t woken up.

“Could she have been struck by lightning and become brain-damaged, turning into a vegetable?” she wondered.

As she thought this, Xu Nian suddenly felt someone watching her. She looked down and locked eyes with Ji Yuebai’s dark, cold eyes.

Startled, Xu Nian realized her tail was still on Ji Yuebai’s face. She quickly retracted it, awkwardly joking, “There was a mosquito on your face.”

After saying that, she wanted to slap herself. Mosquitoes in winter?

With her innocent, round eyes, Xu Nian looked sincerely at Ji Yuebai, hoping for understanding and forgiveness.