The Sickly Beauty and Her Guide Leopard - Chapter 2

“Meow! Meow! Meow!”

Despite her lingering fear of Yan Qingshuang, Jian Li mustered her courage and picked up the leather wristband.

She slowly approached Yan Qingshuang, who lay on her side, her breathing shallow. With each step, the bell jingled incessantly.

Yan Qingshuang’s senses were acutely sharp. Even as pain surged through her chest, she murmured, “What is it?”

The moment the words left her lips, a cold object landed on her pale fingertips.

“Meow.”

The Spiritual Beast let out a brief meow, its soft fur brushing against Yan Qingshuang’s exposed skin. Reflexively, she curled her fingers inward.

Yan Qingshuang’s breathing remained shallow as her fingertips cautiously traced the object’s contours, meticulously mapping its shape.

Jian Li watched her slender fingers with bated breath, terrified that Yan Qingshuang might feel offended and hurl the wristband back at her.

After a long moment, Yan Qingshuang whispered, “You want me to wear it?”

Jian Li’s eyes lit up, and she immediately replied, “Meow!”

Yan Qingshuang forced a weary smile, struggling to adjust her position. Each movement sent fresh stabs of pain through her body. She swallowed the bl00d rising in her throat, gripped the wristband’s opening, and, her voice barely audible, said, “Come here.”

Jian Li obediently crawled over to Yan Qingshuang and gently patted her hand with a paw.

The soft touch made Yan Qingshuang momentarily lose herself. “Forgive my intrusion,” she murmured.

Intrusion? Jian Li tilted her head, puzzled.

Yan Qingshuang curled her fingertips and lightly stroked Jian Li’s nose, then traced the three-lobed lips, slowly moving downward.

So soft, so small… Yan Qingshuang guessed this Spiritual Beast was probably still nursing.

Jian Li suppressed an indescribable urge in her lower abdomen. Intrusion indeed! At this pace, the sun will set before she’s done!

She urged softly, “Meow, meow, meow.”

“Just a moment…”

Yan Qingshuang gently opened the ring with a click, and it automatically clasped around Jian Li’s front paw.

Jian Li was overjoyed.

We’re connected!

Before Jian Li could introduce herself, a voice identical to hers but with a seductive tone suddenly echoed in both their minds:

Thank you, Master, for opening me~ From now on, I am your most loyal—little~ Gou~ Gou~

The word “Gou” lingered with a melodious, drawn-out resonance that lingered in the air.

Jian Li clearly saw Yan Qingshuang’s smoky gray eyes widen in shock. This must be a stimulation the great villain had never experienced before.

Enough already…

Jian Li dared not open her eyes, hoping it was just a hallucination.

She felt like crying but had no tears left. “System…”

System: I’m not sure either. After all, I got it from a blind box.

Jian Li could only explain to Yan Qingshuang, “I swear, I didn’t say that! Do you believe me?”

Yan Qingshuang pressed her lips together, silently pondering whether there truly existed canine Spiritual Beasts that meowed.

Moreover, how could a mere cub, devoid of spiritual energy, have rescued her from the Demonic Cultivator?

Seeing her silence, Jian Li assumed the villain was plotting something sinister. Panicked, she wildly swung her tail, which was as long as her body. “It’s true! I swear I’m a Little Snow Leopard, not some little doggy!”

Yan Qingshuang endured the pain as Jian Li’s tail forcefully struck her chest. “I believe you,” she said.

“You know about Little Snow Leopards?”

“I haven’t encountered one before. Are they similar to Leopard Beasts?”

“Roughly. We’re the same species, but my fur is white with black spots.”

“I understand…”

Hearing Yan Qingshuang’s weak voice, Jian Li asked the System with a flicker of hope, “Is the villain dying?”

System: She won’t die. She can endure for quite a while. Your primary mission is to help her repair her Dantian. This will also assist the villain in returning to the righteous path.

Jian Li grew wary. “How do I repair it?”

System: Buy this: the Nine Revolutions True Spirit Supreme Azure Heaven Starry Sky Ultimate Great Tonic Pill.

The lengthy name was accompanied by a price tag of 100,000 Spirit Stones.

Jian Li dazedly counted the zeros before weakly asking, “Great Tonic Pill… can I pay in installments?”

“No problem,” the System replied. “In return, the Great Tonic Pills will also be delivered in installments.”

What a rip-off, Jian Li thought.

After a moment’s consideration, she decided that giving Yan Qingshuang a little bit of the pill each day might work. After all, Yan Qingshuang was practically an unkillable cockroach.

Having made up her mind, Jian Li wagged her tail at Yan Qingshuang, her voice deliberately light. “I’m Jian Li. What’s your name?”

Yan Qingshuang was desperately trying to control the flow of her spiritual energy, a thin layer of sweat beading on her forehead. “Whatever.”

Undeterred by her coldness, Jian Li took a large step back, maintaining a safe distance.

“You look like you’re on your last legs. Do you have any medicine?”

“Yes.”

“Oh, then why aren’t you taking it? Is it too bitter?”

“No strength.”

What a picture of a living person on the verge of death, Jian Li thought. She leaned closer, sniffing around. “Where’s the medicine? I’ll get it for you.”

Yan Qingshuang’s breath was shallow, her lips barely moving. “Sash.”

Jian Li understood immediately. Her gaze shifted to Yan Qingshuang’s impossibly slender waist, her paw hovering above it.

Then, she lifted her eyelid and asked politely, “Are you blind?”

“Yes,” Yan Qingshuang replied.

Completely reassured, Jian Li joined her paws together, working in tandem to pull out the ink-black sash and hand it to Yan Qingshuang.

“Okay, what’s next?”

Yan Qingshuang’s slender fingers lightly tapped the sash.

A small paper boat suddenly appeared, unfolding upon landing into a Flying Skiff large enough to accommodate five or six people.

Jian Li tilted her head, looking around in fascination. “I know! This is the Flying Skiff you’ve been talking about.”

Yan Qingshuang seemed not to hear, closing her eyes.

The autumn wind grew stronger, causing the surrounding trees to sway and pine needles to rustle down.

Suddenly, the ground trembled like thunder, sending flocks of birds scattering into the sky.

A cool hand touched Jian Li’s ear, making her twitch and turn her head in confusion. “What are you touching… Ah!”

In the next moment, the entire little leopard was pulled into Yan Qingshuang’s fragrant, soft embrace, her nose catching a faint, unclear scent of bl00d.

Spiritual Beasts, with their keen sense of danger, had long since fled into hiding—all except for Jian Li, the useless leopard.

A deafening roar shook the air as a colossal Mantis Demon leaped from the undergrowth, brandishing its spiked arms and lunging forward.

“Run! Run!” Jian Li, who had never witnessed such a spectacle, cowered in Yan Qingshuang’s arms, too terrified to turn around. Her mind was filled with the certainty that her life was over.

Ignoring her screams, Yan Qingshuang’s eyes sharpened as she swiftly drew a broken sword from her Storage Pouch to parry the attack.

Clang!

Jian Li heard the violent clash of metal, sparks flying.

Her furry face was pressed against Yan Qingshuang’s chest, and the woman’s tight grip made it even harder for her to breathe.

Even without her Golden Core, Yan Qingshuang possessed such formidable strength—the villains in this world were truly absurdly powerful.

As Jian Li’s mind raced, her heart pounded wildly.

The fighting abruptly ceased, and the pressure restraining her loosened.

Jian Li wriggled out of Yan Qingshuang’s arms, rolled to the side, and looked up to see the Flying Skiff gliding smoothly above the Sea of Clouds.

“Thank you,” Jian Li mumbled, scratching her nose. She leaned forward and nudged Yan Qingshuang, trying to justify her cowardice. “I’ll repay you, but I also saved you from the Mystic Realm, so it’s even.”

Yan Qingshuang swayed with the lingering momentum but remained still.

Jian Li craned her neck and saw Yan Qingshuang’s eyes tightly shut, her brow furrowed, and her pale lips utterly bloodless.

She gently nudged Yan Qingshuang with her paw, pushing lightly. “Wake up, wake up. Are you okay?”

Sweat beaded at Yan Qingshuang’s temples, dark strands of hair clinging haphazardly to her skin. Through the overwhelming pain, she managed a strained reply: “I’m fine.”

Assuming Yan Qingshuang needed rest, Jian Li left her undisturbed.

She climbed onto the deck of the Flying Skiff and settled into a hen-like squat.

The skiff gradually slowed as it followed its pre-programmed descent path.

The sound of commotion reached Jian Li’s ears. She peered around excitedly and turned back to call out to Yan Qingshuang, “It’s a courtyard!”

But when she turned, her eyes widened in horror.

Sometime during the journey, a pool of bl00d had spread beneath Yan Qingshuang, a shocking and gruesome sight.

The Flying Skiff shrank back into its paper form and plummeted from a height of two meters.

Yan Qingshuang crashed to the ground first, landing with a thud.

Jian Li flailed wildly in mid-air, clawing at nothing, but her efforts were no match for gravity.

By sheer coincidence, Yan Qingshuang became her unwitting cushion.

Jian Li landed face-down, pinning Yan Qingshuang firmly beneath her.

Yan Qingshuang, ever the gracious host, coughed up a mouthful of bl00d.

Jian Li’s face was now covered in Yan Qingshuang’s bodily fluids.

This is so gross…

Jian Li tried to wipe her clean with her paw, but only smeared the mess further.

Just then, someone shouted, “Monster! Monster Beast!”

Where’s the Monster Beast?

Jian Li froze, scanning her surroundings warily.

A man in green robes stood trembling, pointing a shaking finger at Jian Li.

Oh, right. I’m the Monster Beast.

Jian Li grinned, attempting to charm her way out of the situation.

But the smile, combined with the bloodstains on her fur, only made her look even more sinister.

Seven or eight more green-robed figures surged into the courtyard, brandishing weapons. The Zhao family crest was embroidered on their collars.

In the game, Jian Li only knew one Zhao family NPC, so she assumed these were servants.

“That Monster Beast is pinning down a Tianyan Sect cultivator!” they shouted.

“Release her immediately, Monster Beast, or face the consequences of our blades!”

“This… this Monster Beast is so ferocious! You go first?”

Jian Li’s smile vanished.

She glanced down at her own plump, chicken-wing-wrapped-rice-ball physique, roughly the size of a well-fed adult cat.

Sigh, I guess I do look pretty ferocious.

None of the onlookers had ever seen this type of Monster Beast before, and they hesitated to act.

At a disadvantage, Jian Li had no choice but to surrender, raising her paws in the air.

Unexpectedly, the bell on her collar jingled.

To the others, this appeared to be the Monster Beast preparing to cast a spell.

Their swords and whips slashed through the air.

Jian Li’s pupils constricted.

Her cowardly calves trembled as she pressed herself against Yan Qingshuang’s chest, seeking comfort from the terror.

A sharp gust of wind whistled past her ear.

The clever tuft of fur that usually stood upright on Jian Li’s head was sheared off, drifting slowly to the ground.

She whimpered.

She had only been reborn recently—what difference was this from dying again?

“Stop!”

A woman in moon-white robes shouted, silver needles flying from her wide sleeves to form a golden-walled barrier, deflecting all attacks.

Clang!

The crowd retreated hastily, bowing respectfully. “Sect Leader!”

Jian Li touched her ear—she was still alive.

Had Zhao Yu, the supporting character, come to rescue her?

As she prepared to express her gratitude, a sudden grip tightened around the back of her neck.

Jian Li was yanked into the air, paws flailing in protest as she curled her tail to shield her vital parts.

“Don’t dangle me by the neck!”

Zhao Yu held her aloft with her right hand, while her left hand conjured a jet-black Demon Purifying Mirror, its surface devoid of any demonic patterns.

“Stop mewling. I can’t understand you,” Zhao Yu said, twirling Jian Li in a 360-degree circle twice before hoisting her by the scruff of her neck. She rebuked her servants, “It’s just a mindless beast. You’re being far too jumpy.”

Who are you calling a mindless beast?!

How rude!

This leopard won’t tolerate such vulgar language!

Jian Li twisted and writhed furiously, her anger boiling over.

Zhao Yu was nothing but a stray dog of a medical cultivator, kicked out of the Tianyan Sect. Shamelessly exploiting the sect’s reputation, she had opened her own clinic.

Distracted, Jian Li glanced back at Yan Qingshuang, her struggles intensifying.

“Let me go, you bastard! The villain’s about to die!”

The shrill screams were too much. Zhao Yu casually tossed her aside.

Jian Li executed a graceful mid-air flip, tracing a parabolic arc as her fur billowed in the wind.

Thud.

She landed perfectly on her rear.