Chapter 37: They Have Pecked Me

Bai Yan’s fright struck without warning, her scream piercing the quiet morning.

Jiang Chengyan, who had been standing a short distance away with a dark expression, strode over the moment he heard her terrified cry. He swept her up from where she was huddled against the stone, trembling.

Perhaps because she had snuck out so early, her body was icy cold, her clothes damp and clinging to her. He let out a sigh, then pulled off his outer robe and loosened his collar, wrapping Bai Yan securely in his arms.

“What happened? What did you see?” His voice had lost its earlier chill; his jaw rested lightly atop her head as his broad palm rubbed comfortingly over her shoulder.

Bai Yan’s whole body trembled, and she didn’t speak. Jiang Chengyan lifted her chin gently, only to see her lips quivering uncontrollably.

“They pecked at me, almost ate me alive…” she whimpered, burying her face into his chest, her words barely more than a sob.

Hearing her account, Jiang Chengyan’s gaze swept the surroundings. Across from them, perched on a withered tree, were two fierce, menacing vultures.

“They’ve attacked you before?” he asked, repeating himself. He tightened his hold on Bai Yan, freeing one hand.

“Yes, they’re vicious. Their talons hurt my fur terribly,” she nodded.

Seeing her so shaken, Jiang Chengyan couldn’t help but think that as a rabbit, she must always be hiding, fleeing from her natural predators.

“You say you’ve cultivated and gained a spirit form, but what good has it done you?” Jiang Chengyan chuckled softly, though his expression quickly hardened. With a flick of his sleeve, a silver hairpin shot from his hand, slicing through the air toward the vultures.

Swift and deadly, cold and unfeeling—the hairpin ended the vultures’ reign with a single stroke. Once rulers of the sky, they now fell pitifully to the ground, scattering dead leaves as they crashed.

“When did you sneak out?” Jiang Chengyan asked, pinching the back of Bai Yan’s neck.

“Mother was making tofu, and I wanted to fetch mountain spring water for her,” Bai Yan mumbled, squirming as she tried to shield a small porcelain jar from view.

“What did I tell you before I left yesterday, hmm?” Jiang Chengyan pressed, his fingers gently squeezing the nape of her neck.

“I was going to come back soon. I even left a note for Mother,” Bai Yan replied, tilting her head up to meet his gaze.

His lips curled into a crooked smile, pressed together in exasperation. “Still so stubborn with me? And who can read those chicken-scratch scrawls you call a note?”

“But you found me anyway,” Bai Yan retorted with a little humph, determined to continue scooping water.

Jiang Chengyan found himself at a loss for words.

“Do you like them so much?” he finally asked as he carried her down the mountain.

Her gaze lingered longingly on the spring, and her answer was casual. “Mm, they’re very, very kind people.”

“You only stayed with them for a day and you call them kind?” There was a hint of mockery in his tone.

“I just know they are,” Bai Yan replied, yawning and nestling contentedly in his arms.

“Are they better to you than I am?” As they neared the foot of the mountain and Bai Yan seemed to perk up, Jiang Chengyan’s voice turned almost light.

“My parents are the best,” she said with a beaming smile.

He was speechless.

“My stomach’s empty. It’s time to eat,” Bai Yan murmured, resting her head on Jiang Chengyan’s shoulder.

“Are you a pig?”