Chapter 244 - 242: I Trust My Intuition.

Chapter 244: Chapter 242: I Trust My Intuition.

Huang Ziyue also stood rooted to the spot in disbelief.

Staring at the two children before them, they looked exactly as they had in the West City Forest just an hour before.

But how could this be possible?

How could people who had been buried underground suddenly appear in the City Lord Mansion?

Both of them fell into deep thought.

Then, Shen Yue turned to Hu Tu.

"Hu City Lord, you may attend to your duties. It is best that we are not disturbed during this blessing. I will send a servant to inform you once we are finished."

Hu Tu heard this and nodded at once.

"Very well. Then I shall leave this in your hands, Miss A Yue and Lord Guardian."

Once Hu Tu had left and they could no longer sense anyone else’s presence, the expressions on Shen Yue and Huang Ziyue’s faces turned grim.

"Men!"

Huang Ziyue immediately summoned two of his other subordinates.

"Go. Go back to the West City Forest, find the children’s bodies, and return within two hours to report."

The two subordinates, their faces covered by masks, had a chilling presence.

"Yes."

The word was barely out of their mouths before their figures vanished from the room.

Shen Yue stared at Le’er and Qi’er, her brow deeply furrowed. ’For some reason, every time I feel I’ve grasped the truth, events always manage to move one step faster than I anticipate!’

’It was as if the truth, which had so clearly surfaced, was being forcibly shoved back underwater by an unseen pair of hands.’

She looked at Huang Ziyue, wasting no time.

"Let’s go to Bai Chaosi’s courtyard!"

The City Lord Mansion was vast. The pair skirted around any areas with people, making their way to the courtyard where Bai Chaosi and Xiao Ya were staying.

The two stood in the shadows, surveying the scene below.

According to their theory, if Xiao Ya was indeed the Purple Rabbit, then it would be at its absolute weakest right now due to its severe injuries.

Therefore, if the Purple Rabbit had escaped back to the City Lord Mansion, it would surely be hiding somewhere. Even if it had returned to its human form, it would not show itself so easily...

But to their surprise, they had barely taken their positions when they saw Xiao Ya walking toward Bai Chaosi’s room, carrying a basin of fresh water...

The only thing amiss was a cloth strip still tied around her arm. It covered the wound she’d gotten that morning from a splintered piece of wood, and it looked as though a physician from the City Lord Mansion had treated and bandaged it...

Other than that, there was no sign she had been injured at all...

Shen Yue’s gaze was fixed on Xiao Ya’s back as she carried the wooden basin toward Bai Chaosi’s room...

Her fingertips curled unconsciously.

The scene in the forest was still as clear as day in her mind—her strike piercing through the Purple Rabbit’s shoulder blade, its blood splashing onto the dirt...

’And its shattered fangs and claws!’

’She had clearly destroyed all of its power! By all rights, even if it returned to its human form, it couldn’t possibly be completely unscathed!!’

’Its physical injuries should still be there; there’s no way it could recover so quickly!’

And yet, the Xiao Ya before her walked with a light gait. Her skirt hem swept across the stone steps without the slightest stumble, and the crisp jingle of the bell on her wrist sounded like a mockery of Shen Yue’s judgment.

"Impossible."

Shen Yue muttered to herself, her voice holding a tremor that even she hadn’t noticed.

’She knew better than anyone how severe the Purple Rabbit’s injuries were. Her power had all but destroyed its life force.’

’Even with a top-tier Healing Master, it would have to remain bedridden for at least ten days, let alone walk around freely carrying a water basin.’

Huang Ziyue stood at her side, his crimson eyes narrowed slightly as his gaze swept over the back of Xiao Ya’s neck—

It was completely smooth, without the slightest trace of a scab.

He remembered clearly that when Shen Yue’s power had torn through the Purple Rabbit’s skin and flesh, it had left a deep, gaping wound right there.

"Were we wrong?"

Huang Ziyue’s voice was extremely low, tinged with a hint of barely perceptible doubt.

The cold aura around him had mostly subsided, replaced by intense scrutiny.

Shen Yue shook her head.

"I trust my instincts."

’The only way to find out if Xiao Ya is the Purple Rabbit,’ she thought, ’is to test her.’

Watching Xiao Ya about to push open Bai Chaosi’s door and enter...

Power gathered in Shen Yue’s palm. A gust of wind swept past the phoenix tree in the corner of the courtyard, and the rustling of its leaves masked the low hum of the energy flowing from her hand.

"We have to test her."

Beside her, Huang Ziyue’s eyes darkened. He understood what she meant.

He raised a hand, deploying a barrier—if Xiao Ya truly revealed the Purple Rabbit’s original form, the barrier would suppress it and prevent an instantaneous escape.

It would also prevent others from being alerted and keep any innocents from being harmed.

Shen Yue thrust her palm forward. A wave of power, like a hurricane, shot toward the center of Xiao Ya’s back.

Shen Yue stared at that retreating figure, her heart suddenly pounding like a drum...

’She was certain that if Xiao Ya was the Purple Rabbit, then even with its severe injuries, it would instinctively dodge, block, or reveal its true form to protect itself at the critical moment.’

But the expected countermove never came.

Xiao Ya only whipped her head around when the sound of something slicing through the air reached her ears...

Her charmingly delicate eyes were filled with terror, and before she could even react, the blow landed squarely.

THUD!

With a muffled thud, Xiao Ya’s body flew like a kite with a snapped string, slamming into the wooden door.

The heavy wooden door burst inward from the impact. She fell heavily onto the cold ground, letting out a short cry of pain before her eyes shut and she lost consciousness completely...

Blood beaded on her temple where it had struck the ground, seeping out to stain the grey flagstones red beneath her.

Shen Yue froze.

The residual power in her palm slowly dissipated. She stared at the motionless Xiao Ya on the ground, a storm raging in her mind.

’No fluctuation of power, no reveal of her true form, not even the most basic instinct for self-preservation—this wasn’t the reaction of a ferocious, bloodthirsty creature like the Purple Rabbit.’

Huang Ziyue strode forward, knelt, and checked if Xiao Ya was breathing.

He then used his spiritual power to examine her body. A moment later, he rose and looked at Shen Yue, his brow furrowed.

"Her bones and muscles are concussed, and her internal organs are congested. She has a purely Human Clan body, with no trace of beast transformation."

Shen Yue stared blankly at the unconscious Xiao Ya on the ground. The image of the Purple Rabbit’s eyes, glinting with savagery and malice, flashed through her mind again and again.

’How could this be?’

’Could I have been wrong from the very beginning? Is Xiao Ya really not the Purple Rabbit?’

Just then, Shen Yue’s subordinates, who had been standing guard inside Bai Chaosi’s room, heard the commotion and immediately revealed themselves.

As soon as they saw Shen Yue, they dropped to one knee.

"Master!"

Shen Yue looked at the two of them.

These were the subordinates from the Mystic Mechanism Building whom she had ordered to take Bai Chaosi back to Li City when he was unconscious from the Poison Powder.

Shen Yue looked at them.

"How is he?"

"Reporting, Master. Mr. Bai’s breathing has stabilized, and he’s out of danger. He’ll probably wake up after a little more rest!"

Shen Yue breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Bai Chaosi was all right, that’s what mattered.

"How long have you been back at the City Lord Mansion? Was Xiao Ya in the courtyard the entire time?"

The two replied.

"The moment we returned, Miss Xiao Ya was sitting in the courtyard, anxiously waiting for Mr. Bai!"

"It seemed she had no idea where Mr. Bai had gone! She was just beside herself with worry."

Shen Yue frowned.

’If that’s the case, we’ve hit another dead end.’

’Could it be that Xiao Ya is just an ordinary woman?’

’That she has nothing to do with the Purple Rabbit at all?’

After a moment’s thought, she took out a dropper containing a few drops of Vitality Water. She also added something else to it.

She handed it to one of her subordinates.

"I’m going to check on Bai Chaosi. Drip this into her mouth for me."

The two subordinates had, of course, seen the substance before. Their Master had used this very potion to treat the severely wounded when saving lives in the past.

Shen Yue said no more, pushed open the door, and went inside.

Huang Ziyue glanced at Xiao Ya on the ground, but did not remove the barrier. He then followed Shen Yue into the room.