"Meow..." Da Miao suddenly walked over to the person it had just caught and nudged the terrified, curled-up child toward Shi Xia with its paw.
Shi Xia froze. "For me?"
"Meow!" It nodded.
The feline folks sure were polite—they even understood the concept of reciprocity!
Shi Xia broke into a sweat. She walked over and picked up the trembling little figure from the ground. "Don’t be scared. Da Miao was just teasing you. It doesn’t eat humans." She brushed aside the strands of hair matted with mud and tears on the child’s face, only to realize the face beneath looked increasingly familiar.
"Niu Niu!" Wasn’t this the little girl she had saved half a year ago? So Da Miao didn’t just bully kids—it bullied the same kid repeatedly.
The little girl froze, then finally lifted her head and stared blankly at Shi Xia, unmoving for a long time.
She must have been truly terrified. Shi Xia softened her tone as much as possible. "Niu Niu, I’m Sister Xia. Do you remember me? We met half a year ago?"
Niu Niu opened her mouth as if to say something, but no sound came out. Instead, tears gushed like floodwaters, dripping down her cheeks in big, fat drops.
Unable to hold back any longer, she threw herself into Shi Xia’s arms with a loud wail.
"Waaah… Sis… Sister, waaah…" She cried so hard she could barely catch her breath, hiccuping between sobs, her tiny arms clinging to Shi Xia like iron bands.
"Shh, shh, it’s okay. I’m here." Shi Xia’s heart ached. She couldn’t help but shoot a glare at the culprit behind this. "Look what you’ve done!"
Da Miao, utterly unrepentant, turned its head away and presented its fluffy rear end to her.
"..." Cats truly were incomprehensible.
It took Shi Xia a long time to calm Niu Niu down. The girl finally stopped crying, sniffling, but still clung to her timidly, unwilling to let go. As Shi Xia wiped her tears, she noticed Niu Niu looked even worse than she had half a year ago. Her clothes were filthy—not just from being chased, but as if they hadn’t been washed in ages, covered in layers of grime and riddled with obvious holes.
"Niu Niu, why are you alone here? Where’s your brother?" She remembered Niu Niu had an older brother named Xuan Lin. Had they gotten separated again?
Niu Niu stiffened, instinctively burrowing deeper into Shi Xia’s embrace. After a long pause, she mumbled, "Brother said… he was looking for immortals. Told me… to wait."
Huh?
What kind of nonsense was this? Shi Xia patted her back to soothe her and asked several more times before finally piecing together the story. After Shi Xia had been teleported away by the formation that day, Xuan Lin still hadn’t given up on his search for a cultivation sect. But whether due to bad luck or something else, they never found one. Eventually, they heard rumors that immortals would come to recruit disciples near Dragon City, so they traveled all the way there—only to get separated again along the way.
Shi Xia frowned. This Xuan Lin really was something. He’d lost his sister once before, yet he still didn’t keep a closer eye on her. Now she was missing again.
That meant her brother was probably in Dragon City right now. Coincidentally, Shi Xia had nowhere else to go. Returning to the Jade Flower Sect was out of the question—Yuan Wu knew she wasn’t dead, and who knew what he’d do to her if she went back?
Besides, there might be more to this situation. Yuan Wu was well aware that if she died, he’d be the first suspect. If he dared to act, he must have already prepared countermeasures against her adoptive brother and Bi Hong. Who knew what kind of backing he had?
The thought sent a chill down Shi Xia’s spine. The Jade Flower Sect was definitely off-limits—if she went back, she’d die without even knowing how. Better to help Niu Niu find Xuan Lin in Dragon City first.
But the real question was… where was Dragon City?
"Niu Niu, did your brother mention where Dragon City is?"
Niu Niu shook her head.
Of course not. How were they supposed to find it now?
"Meow!" Da Miao suddenly turned and called out to her.
"You know?"
"Meow!" It spun around and crouched in front of her, its fluffy tail curling around her ankle and tugging forward, as if inviting her to climb onto its back.
"You’ll take us there?" Shi Xia’s heart skipped a beat. She’d never ridden a cat before.
"Meow~" Da Miao nodded its large head but then lowered its gaze to the child in Shi Xia’s arms and let out a soft, threatening growl, instantly making Niu Niu’s tears well up again.
The message was clear: it would take Shi Xia, but not Niu Niu.
Shi Xia’s eye twitched. It really didn’t like kids. But what good would going alone do? With a deep sigh, she held up a finger.
"One fish jerky!"
"Meow." Da Miao turned its head away proudly. Hmph, as if it would bow to mere fish jerky.
"Two fish jerkies!" Shi Xia upped the offer.
"Meow." Still unmoved.
Shi Xia had no choice. "Three. Three is my final offer. No more."
"Meow~!" Deal. Da Miao immediately crouched obediently, tail wagging eagerly.
"..." You’ve single-handedly destroyed the dignity of all feline-kind.
Niu Niu was still trembling with fear, but after much coaxing and repeated assurances that Da Miao wouldn’t hurt her, she hesitantly climbed onto the cat’s back with Shi Xia.
The moment they settled in, Da Miao spread its wings and took off. Perhaps due to their combined weight, it didn’t fly very high, skimming just above the treetops. From this vantage point, Shi Xia realized just how dense the forest was—the thick canopy completely obscured the ground below.
Growls and roars echoed from the woods now and then, and glimpses of other ferocious-looking beasts could be seen moving among the trees.
But thanks to Da Miao’s presence, not a single beast dared to approach. They merely watched from afar as the group flew by. Shi Xia couldn’t help but feel grateful. Without Da Miao, they’d never have made it out of this forest alive.
Wait a minute—Shi Xia suddenly remembered where they’d found Niu Niu. That spot had been deep in the forest, yet despite her disheveled state, the girl hadn’t been injured. Could it be that Da Miao hadn’t been scaring her on purpose, but actually protecting her all along?
Truly a tsundere cat. Shi Xia couldn’t resist stroking its fur and decided to reward it with an extra fish jerky.
Da Miao flew for nearly two hours before they finally left the forest behind. It pointed its tail toward a distant direction, then snatched the fish jerky and bounded back into the woods.
Hand in hand with Niu Niu, Shi Xia followed Da Miao’s guidance, climbing a small hill ahead. Sure enough, an ancient city loomed in the distance. To speed things up, Shi Xia carried Niu Niu on her back and took a shortcut toward the city.
Though it had seemed close, it took nearly another hour of walking—her legs nearly giving out—before they finally reached the city gates, where the words "Dragon City" were inscribed. The area outside the walls bustled with activity, crowds of people coming and going, all wearing expressions of excitement.
Shi Xia set Niu Niu down. "Niu Niu, did your brother mention where you two were supposed to meet?"
Niu Niu didn’t answer, only tightened her grip on Shi Xia’s sleeve, her insecurity palpable. She seemed even quieter than she’d been half a year ago.
Clearly, she wouldn’t get answers this way. Dragon City looked massive—where was she supposed to start searching?
"Whatever. Let’s just go in first." Shi Xia took Niu Niu’s hand and stepped through the city gates.
As they entered the city, the streets grew even more crowded, bustling with people at every turn. Shi Xia had assumed it would take some effort to locate Xuan Lin, but to her surprise, shortly after entering the city, Niu Niu suddenly let out a cry, released her hand, and dashed forward.
"Brother..."
Could it be? Had they found him so quickly? Shi Xia hurried after her. Niu Niu was staring intently at a young man buying steamed buns ahead, though she hesitated, not immediately running up to him.
"Xuan Lin," Shi Xia called out.
The young man turned around—it really was him!
Xuan Lin glanced around first, his eyes landing on Niu Niu behind him. His hand trembled, nearly dropping the buns. "Niu Niu, how did you...?" His expression shifted before he finally noticed Shi Xia trailing behind. His eyes widened in shock. "You... it's you."
"Xuan Lin, long time no see," Shi Xia greeted with a smile.
Xuan Lin seemed to snap out of his daze, offering a polite smile in return. "So it's my benefactor. I never expected to see you here."
"Neither did I, especially not after finding your little sister again." Shi Xia picked Niu Niu up from the ground and practically shoved her into his arms, her tone edged with irritation. "How could you be so careless? Losing your sister not once, but twice!"
Xuan Lin quickly took hold of Niu Niu, his face paling before flushing with embarrassment. He nodded hurriedly. "You're absolutely right, Benefactor. It was my negligence. I’ve been searching everywhere for her these past few days, nearly frantic with worry. Thank heavens you found her—I can’t express my gratitude enough."
He set Niu Niu down and bowed deeply to Shi Xia, even starting to kneel. She swiftly pulled him up. "Enough, enough. It was nothing, really. Just be more careful next time."
Xuan Lin nodded repeatedly in agreement before crouching to examine Niu Niu. "Niu Niu, are you alright? Were you hurt?"
Niu Niu didn’t answer, only lowering her head further.
"She’s probably still shaken," Shi Xia explained, recounting how Niu Niu had been chased by Da Miao in the forest. "That big cat is a spirit beast—it wasn’t trying to scare her. In fact, it was protecting her the whole way. Otherwise, with all the other monsters in those woods, she never would’ve made it that far. But Niu Niu’s still young. This ordeal frightened her badly. You’ll need to reassure her."
"You’re absolutely right, Benefactor," Xuan Lin agreed earnestly, promising repeatedly to take better care of Niu Niu. After thanking Shi Xia profusely, he picked up the silent girl and excused himself, heading off.
Shi Xia exhaled in relief, watching them go. But as she did, an odd feeling crept over her. Something about Xuan Lin this time felt... off.
If she had to pinpoint it, it was his demeanor. Though he claimed to have been worried sick about Niu Niu, his first instinct had been to apologize to Shi Xia rather than check on his sister—a stark contrast to the tearful, overwhelmed young man she’d met half a year ago.
On closer thought, Xuan Lin looked noticeably thinner than before, his clothes more worn and shabby. The noble air he’d once carried had faded into something far more ordinary, his face now lined with exhaustion.
Shi Xia couldn’t resist stealing another glance. Despite carrying a child, Xuan Lin was walking at an almost frantic pace. Was it her imagination, or did he seem like he was fleeing? And that direction—wasn’t it leading out of the city? Hadn’t he come to Dragon City to cultivate immortality?
The more she pondered, the more uneasy she grew. Without realizing it, she found herself quietly following them.
