“Where are we going?”

“To rest for a while.”

This time they found a cave, which seemed to be the same one she had seen at the beginning. From far away, she could smell a foul, suffocating stench. The cave entrance was littered with animal bones—it must have been the leopard’s den from before.

Gong Yin suddenly stopped in his tracks, and then a bone fragment shot out from the cave entrance like lightning, accompanied by sounds of struggling and fighting. Several tufts of fur drifted out leisurely, landing on Jing Hengbo’s fingers.

Jing Hengbo grabbed the fur and examined it. There were yellow and black leopard hairs, some white fur, and various other messy hairs. Deep within the cave came sounds of whimpering and panting, like a pile of creatures tumbling and fighting.

Jing Hengbo immediately started walking away—she didn’t want to face fighting leopards.

But Gong Yin didn’t move, his eyes seeming to show some interest. Suddenly there was a shrill, piercing scream, and a flash of yellow light at the cave entrance as a leopard charged out.

Jing Hengbo was startled and stepped back, nearly stepping on Gong Yin’s foot. Gong Yin reached out and grabbed her collar, “Be quiet! Even rabbits are more composed than you!”

“You’re the rabbit, you rabbit master,” Jing Hengbo snorted, only then noticing that the leopard was quite small—still a young cub.

Several more flashes of light passed by, and Jing Hengbo distinctly saw a rabbit. She stared wide-eyed as the rabbit bared its front teeth and viciously bit the leopard’s rear, making the young leopard howl in pain.

Jing Hengbo rubbed her eyes, then rubbed them again—was she dreaming? A rabbit biting a leopard?

A gray flash appeared, and several roe deer rushed out from the cave—all small, harmless herbivorous animals. Yet right before their eyes, they surrounded and attacked the young leopard, moving with swift agility and murderous intent. Jing Hengbo’s jaw dropped lower and lower, her eyeballs rolling all over the ground, unable to pull them back.

Gong Yin suddenly said, “Look!”

Following his pointing finger, Jing Hengbo finally saw a small white-furred beast hiding stealthily behind those frenzied rabbits and roe deer. Its movements were extremely quick and sneaky. It didn’t engage in direct combat, but would occasionally dart out for a quick bite. After several instances, even Jing Hengbo, who knew nothing about martial arts, could see that this small beast’s attacks always came when the leopard was cornered or had overextended itself with no way to counterattack. Its strikes were decisive and precise. Those rabbits and roe deer had red-glowing eyes, moving fiercely but stiffly. Though covered in wounds, they showed no fear of death, only knowing to charge again and again. It looked quite eerie, as if they were being controlled by something.

Though it was a juvenile-level fight, it was still a tumultuous battle with fur flying everywhere. Jing Hengbo cheered excitedly, only regretting that her phone wasn’t with her—otherwise she would definitely film a video and post it on Weibo to go viral and earn a verified account.

Under the siege of the weak beasts, the leopard had fallen to the plains where even rabbits could bully it. Suddenly the white-furred small beast let out a sharp shriek and shot out like lightning, biting the leopard’s neck. The young leopard screamed in agony, desperately shaking its head, but the small beast had its own fierce determination, biting down without letting go. Its tiny body was flung around like a broken sack, creating afterimages that made Jing Hengbo dizzy to watch.

Suddenly the leopard let out a miserable, piercing cry and violently shook its head. The small beast was flung out with a whoosh, about to crash into the jagged cliff wall—

“Thud.” It wasn’t the crisp sound of flesh and blood splattering, but the muffled sound of soft flesh hitting soft flesh.

Black swirls appeared in the small beast’s eyes. It wobbled and collapsed motionless against Jing Hengbo’s chest.

Jing Hengbo grinned as she picked up this little guy. She had just teleported, blocking the cliff wall and saving this peculiar creature. Now, as she examined it from head to toe, she couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise.

“Why is it purple-furred?”

Only then did she realize that the small beast only had a short white tail, while its body fur gleamed with a silver-purple light. It looked overall like a fat, short wildcat, with round, large eyes that seemed to be wearing colored contacts. Except for its particularly sharp claws, it was one hundred percent adorable.

Jing Hengbo frowned. She remembered that when she first saw this little fellow, it was clearly and distinctly white all over. Why had it changed to this color now?

The unfortunate leopard on the ground was already dead, along with those frenzied rabbits and roe deer. After the intense battle, they all died from exhaustion, staggering a few steps before falling, their postures relaxed. As Jing Hengbo looked at those small animals, she had the strange feeling that they were smiling as they died.

This feeling was too eerie. She shuddered, but somehow, holding this strange little beast, her mood suddenly improved. She felt particularly elated and excited, as if she really wanted to grab something and bite it.

She turned around and stared at Gong Yin’s Adam’s apple, swallowing audibly.

Gong Yin looked as if he wanted to grab a stem and leaf to thread through her collar to preserve his chastity again.

However, his gaze kept fixed on the small beast in Jing Hengbo’s arms. The small beast stubbornly remained unconscious, its short-furred cheeks pressed comfortably and tightly against her cleavage.

Gong Yin’s gaze was too persistent. Jing Hengbo thrust out her chest and asked him expectantly, “Deep?”

Gong Yin’s gaze immediately slid away, focusing on the treetop of a distant tree.

Jing Hengbo was in high spirits. Holding the small beast, she walked past him proudly. As she brushed past, she heard Great God Gong whisper softly to that tree, “More than deep—it’s figure-eight shaped.”

Jing Hengbo: “!”

…

The cave was full of bloodstains and couldn’t be lived in, so the two had to rest outside. Jing Hengbo was furious about that “figure-eight shaped” comment and stubbornly refused to acknowledge Gong Yin. Gong Yin seemed indifferent as well, eating a wild fruit by himself before suddenly saying, “This thing is called Feifei.”

One sentence successfully piqued Jing Hengbo’s curiosity. She immediately forgot her earlier sulking and leaned over, “Baboon? You’re pulling my leg, right? Baboons don’t look anything like this.”

“The ‘Mountain and Sea Beast Chronicle’ says: ‘On Huo Mountain there is a beast shaped like a wildcat with a white tail and a mane, called Feifei. Raising it can cure sorrow.'”

“I don’t understand. Speak human language.”

“Feifei—like a wildcat, with a white tail and white mane-like fur under its neck. Raising it can eliminate sorrow.” Gong Yin was unusually patient in his translation.

“Abstract.” Jing Hengbo stroked the still-unconscious Feifei’s fur. “What does ‘raising it can eliminate sorrow’ mean? How does it eliminate it?”

“The Mountain and Sea Chronicle is vague about it, perhaps hinting at this beast’s peculiar abilities. After all, no one has seen this creature before.” Gong Yin looked at the surrounding corpses of rabbits and roe deer. “These rabbits and roe deer were already injured, probably caught by the mother leopard for the cub to chase and pounce on for claw practice, to be eaten after it got tired of playing. Who knew there was a Feifei mixed in among them. This Feifei took advantage of the mother leopard’s absence to bewitch the rabbits and roe deer into attacking the cub while hiding behind them for sneak attacks… clever little fellow.”

“You make it sound mystical—this is a cat, not a person.” Jing Hengbo pursed her lips, lifting Feifei up and down to examine it, refusing to believe.

“Hey, I’ll call you Feifei, okay? Or maybe Feifei? Feifei? Are you male or female? If male, I’ll call you Feifei; if female, Feifei—how about that?” She grabbed the small beast and turned it over to look here and there. “Male? Female? Hey, Gong Yin, help me look—I can’t tell if this is a little willy or not.”

“A disgrace to womankind.” Gong Yin sat farther away and picked up a rabbit to skin.

“You’d better stay away from it. This kind of strange beast can’t be tamed.”

“I saved its life.” Jing Hengbo scoffed. “You’re jealous that I found a treasure and want me to give it up myself? No way!”

Gong Yin looked at her with the expression one gives an idiot, skinning the rabbit even faster. He set aside two complete rabbit pelts, washing them clean to air dry. He also gathered some flexible branches and began weaving something.

Jing Hengbo watched his fingers move as deftly as turning flowers—quite beautiful to watch. Though she refused to come close, her eyes kept stealing glances from the corners.

Soon the item took shape in Gong Yin’s hands—it was a pair of straw sandals. Jing Hengbo had never seen straw sandals before, but she could tell this pair was quite well-made and sturdy.

She felt like laughing, thinking it unexpected that someone as noble and refined as Gong Yin would know such rural craftsmanship.

When she saw Gong Yin also cut two pieces of air-dried rabbit hide and place them fur-side up as padding inside the shoes, she wanted to laugh even more.

Now he had become a fussy old housewife.

When the mocked fussy Housewife Gong presented the finished straw sandals to her, she finally couldn’t laugh anymore.

“Uh… for me?”

“My expensive leather boots cannot be worn by someone as foolish as you.”

There are some people who even when doing good deeds make it impossible for you to feel grateful—you just want to stuff the straw sandals in their mouth.

Gong Yin was one of them.

Jing Hengbo restrained herself again and again before accepting the straw sandals. She had already returned Gong Yin’s shoes to him—after all, they were too big and inconvenient to wear. Her high heels were completely unsuitable for mountain paths and jungle terrain. She needed these shoes and couldn’t afford to be stubborn.

The shoes fit perfectly, and the rabbit hide was soft. When she stood up and walked a few steps, she felt relaxed all over.

Jing Hengbo was never petty—she kept matters separate. Still smiling, she thanked him: “These shoes are a bit ugly, but they’re really comfortable. How does a young master from a prominent family like you know how to make these?”

“Who told you I’m a young master from a prominent family?” Gong Yin said indifferently. “Everyone in Dahuang knows I come from a poor background.”

“Oh.” Jing Hengbo stole a glance at him, thinking: How did this pretty boy from a poor background climb to his current high position at such a young age?

She thought for a long time, and suddenly an idea flashed through her mind. She slapped her hand in sudden realization.

Why even think about it?

Living off women, of course!

He must have bewitched the previous queen with his beauty, making her indulge in nightly revelries instead of attending court, entrusting him with state power, which led to his current position of usurping power and seizing the country… That’s how all novels write it!

Hmph, beauty brings ruin to the nation.

After completing her deduction, Jing Hengbo stood there dazed for a while. Somehow she felt a bit blocked up inside, until she smelled a burnt odor at her nose and snapped back to reality.

“Hey! You burned the rabbit!”

The rabbit on the branch was raw on one side and charred black on the other. Gong Yin removed the rabbit from the fire, and his snow-white face seemed to show a rare hint of red.

Fortunately, there was another rabbit. Jing Hengbo skillfully took it over to roast by the fire while searching in the nearby grass. Suddenly her eyes lit up with delight: “There’s actually lemongrass!”

Lemongrass could be used as seasoning for barbecue—it was one of the favorite barbecue seasonings of the Dai people and Thais. Although Jing Hengbo knew nothing about cooking, she had spent so much time with Wen Zhen and stolen so much of her food that she knew a little bit. She gathered some thin, long lemongrass leaves. These leaves gave off a natural, rich lemon fragrance. Jing Hengbo used the lemongrass to tie up the rabbit and slowly roasted it over the fire. The unique lemon aroma wafted up, and she greedily sniffed with her nose, then said somewhat regretfully, “Too bad there’s no salt…”

Gong Yin had been quietly watching her movements, his dark pupils clear and distant, like the bright, clean sky above the forest treetops.

“How do you know how to roast rabbit?”

“How do you not know how to roast rabbit?”

Both questions came out simultaneously, then both fell silent. After a pause, they looked at each other again. Jing Hengbo laughed “Ha!” while Gong Yin, though he didn’t laugh, also looked much gentler.

This was the most harmonious moment since the two had met—no arguing or confrontation, but rather a faint sense of understanding. The air was peaceful, even the firelight seemed gentle in its posture.

Jing Hengbo turned the roasting rabbit, thinking that after going through life and death together, this guy finally had some human warmth.

“You…”

“I…”

Again, both spoke at once, then both paused.

“You first…”

“You first…”

Jing Hengbo burst into laughter, doubling over with mirth. The rabbit in her hands nearly poked Gong Yin in the face. Gong Yin reached out to steady it, watching her bright, laughing expression spread from her eyes all the way to her eyebrows, and suddenly felt his heart stir slightly.