Chapter 380: The Suspicious Dragon

Yu Zhizhi hadn’t expected the little wolf cub to be so thoughtful. She patted his head.

"Don’t worry, I’m fine."

She hoped Little Mu Lei would grow up safe and sound.

The little wolf cub said seriously, "Mother, I’m very good at fighting. I’ll also train hard so I can definitely protect you."

"Thank you, Little Lei~"

Male cubs of the Beast Clans didn’t gain a human form until they were three years old. Having finally gotten the chance to see her little wolf cub, Yu Zhizhi couldn’t help but bend down and hug him again.

An hour passed quickly.

Finally, the little wolf cub stood in the pale blue Array and was slowly teleported away.

The little wolf cub, who had been a bit distant when he first appeared, now had a film of moisture gathering in his crimson eyes.

"Goodbye, Mother," he said in a low voice.

Yu Zhizhi was reluctant to see him go, too.

She waved at the little wolf cub.

After he left, Yu Zhizhi began to review her use of the Array and found that it was much simpler than she had imagined.

Other than the time and usage limits, using the Array didn’t seem to consume any of her spiritual power or stamina.

’This system reward is pretty useful...’

’I hope there will be more and more locations I can teleport to. It would be best if I could fit all the beast cubs in it!’

’That would make it so much more convenient to see them in the future!’

With this experience, Yu Zhizhi was full of anticipation for the next time she could summon a beast cub. Due to the usage limit, the next summon would have to be next week.

’By then, I can prepare a little gift for my cub, too~’

Yu Zhizhi got up, pushed open the door, and headed to where the Ice Crystal Dragon lived.

The little Ice Crystal Dragon was lying outside the cave, gazing out with longing. After seeing the familiar silhouette of the rabbit, it jumped up happily.

It suddenly spread its sparkling ice wings and charged over—

BANG!

It crashed into a Barrier, plummeted, and fell into the hot spring pool.

Only then did Yu Zhizhi realize there was a Barrier around the Dragon Cave! No wonder the Crown Prince was never worried about Jeral running off.

She quickly walked down the steps.

The Ice Crystal Dragon got a big red bump on its head, but it didn’t mind at all. It dashed out of the hot spring pool and ran over. TAP TAP TAP.

"Jeral..." Yu Zhizhi crouched down to greet him.

The Ice Crystal Dragon was as boisterous as ever.

After it ran over, it soon caught a whiff of...

a strange scent on her.

The Ice Crystal Dragon instantly grew wary. It spread its wings and looked left and right before finally confirming the scent was coming from Tutu. It tried to get closer again and sniffed gently.

"AWOO—"

The Ice Crystal Dragon suddenly flapped its ice wings. It ran a few circles around the little rabbit, chirping in the draconic language.

Yu Zhizhi couldn’t understand a single word.

She just felt that Jeral was a bit worked up today.

Usually, after the Ice Crystal Dragon finished its hot spring bath and she played with it for a while, it would quickly get sleepy and crawl back into its cave to sleep.

But today, the Ice Crystal Dragon kept tugging at the hem of her dress, refusing to let her leave.

Yu Zhizhi could only sit by the hot spring pool, holding it and stroking its body. There were crystal-clear teardrops hanging from the corner of the Ice Crystal Dragon’s eyes. ’Is it sick?’

She couldn’t help but use her Healing Skill to check, only to find that its body was perfectly fine.

Slowly...

The Ice Crystal Dragon was so sleepy it could barely keep its eyes open, but it still didn’t forget to hold her with its wings, terrified she would leave.

Yu Zhizhi stayed there for a long time.

Until Cang Lan appeared.

When he returned, he noticed the little rabbit was still at the bottom of the Dragon Cave, so he went to look for her.

He found the Ice Crystal Dragon had fallen asleep while clinging to her arms.

The little rabbit was a bit helpless. She looked back at the man standing on the high viewing platform with an imploring expression.

’Jeral is being extra clingy today.’

’Is he too lonely?’

’Or did something happen recently?’

Cang Lan called out, "Jeral, go back to your cave and sleep."

The Ice Crystal Dragon groggily opened its eyes. Upon seeing Cang Lan, it let out a loud wail. WAHHH!

It flailed its limbs about. It was so sleepy that it staggered as it walked.

Cang Lan listened intently, his gaze falling back on the little female of the Rabbit Clan. "So that’s what happened."

Jeral obediently returned to the Dragon Cave, sniffling and sobbing.

Yu Zhizhi slowly stood up.

She was a little dazed. ’The Ice Crystal Dragon was actually crying?’

"Not leaving? Do you want to sleep in the Dragon Cave tonight?" Cang Lan asked.

Yu Zhizhi shook her head.

She quickly trotted back to the steps and walked up the staircase.

"What’s wrong with Jeral?" she couldn’t help but ask in a small voice.

Cang Lan turned and started walking toward the bedchamber.

"Did you see a Wolf Clan cub today?"

’A Wolf Clan cub in the Extreme Ice Palace? It must have been a teleportation-type scroll, or a Spirit Art of some kind...’

’If he remembered correctly, the little rabbit had a few wolf cubs right after she advanced to an S-Class female.’

Yu Zhizhi knew she couldn’t hide it. She gave a soft "mhm" and said, "I only saw him for a little while..."

"Next time, remember to take a bath before you go to the Dragon Cave." Cang Lan’s tone was lukewarm, making it impossible to tell whether he approved or disapproved of the matter.

"Oh..." Yu Zhizhi replied.

Cang Lan glanced back at her. The little female didn’t understand the reason, so he explained:

"Dragons are very suspicious creatures. You smelled of a Wolf Clan beast cub today. Jeral thought you were going to leave and abandon him."

...Huh?

’No wonder the Ice Crystal Dragon started getting noisy and restless after smelling her. So was that what he was saying in the draconic language?’

Cang Lan was a little surprised when he heard what Jeral had said.

It wasn’t because the little rabbit had let another beast enter his palace without permission, but rather...

...that after only a few days, she had already become so important to Jeral.

Thinking about the Ice Crystal Dragon’s unusual behavior today, Yu Zhizhi bit her lip. "I’ll be more careful next time."

Cang Lan gave a faint "mhm."

The way back was very quiet. He wasn’t walking as fast as before. Yu Zhizhi couldn’t help but glance back at the location of the Dragon Cave. It was in the deepest part of the Extreme Ice Palace, and there was a Barrier that she couldn’t see.

Suddenly—

A crack suddenly appeared at the base of the ice bridge in front of them, and a long, slender thing shot out. Yu Zhizhi instinctively raised a hand to shield her face. The leech-like creature viciously bit her arm!

Cang Lan turned back. He raised his hand, and a flash of golden light pierced through the ice leech’s body.

It let out a mournful cry and fell to the ground.

Yu Zhizhi’s face paled slightly. She only felt a sharp sting in her arm.

She saw the "leech," now split in two, still writhing.

Cang Lan walked over and simply raised his foot, crushing it. Red blood splattered onto his white boots. He frowned suddenly, a wave of revulsion rising in his chest.

Just then, a gust of wind blew over, and he smelled the faint, sweet fragrance coming from the little Rabbit Clan female in front of him...

It was the familiar scent of her blood.

The bracelet on Yu Zhizhi’s wrist activated again, quickly healing the wound left by the leech’s bite.

At the same time, its color deepened slightly.

Meanwhile, Cang Lan stared intently at her wound, his eyes dark and profound.