Ruan Shu slipped out of his embrace, staggering slightly as she moved closer to the rampaging star beast.
Her heart pounded with fear and dread, but this time, unlike before, she didn’t hide behind someone else out of fear.
“Big…Big Cousin…”
Ruan Shu’s voice trembled, and it took her several tries to finally speak those words.
The massive black qilin-tiger loomed over her, staring coldly as it slowly approached. The overwhelming aura made it hard to breathe, and her legs felt weak.
She couldn’t retreat. She couldn’t shrink back.
Through her tears, Ruan Shu kept reminding herself.
Ruan He and Ruan Xiao felt immense heartache but couldn’t comfort her; they had to stay focused on restraining the out-of-control Ruan Linzhan.
The black qilin-tiger’s eyes flickered between red and blue as Ruan Linzhan struggled in pain, trying to hold onto his sanity, though it seemed almost beyond him.
As the beast neared her, less than ten steps away, the red in its eyes twisted, flashing green for an instant before turning back to red.
“Roar!”
The black qilin-tiger thrashed, fighting the restraining star beast, seemingly bent on killing it. Ruan Shu noticed that each time his eyes turned blue, he would look in her direction, mouthing words with the last shreds of his willpower.
“Run.”
Ruan Shu understood, but she bit her pale lip, her slightly wet eyelashes trembling as she refused to leave.
No… she didn’t want to lose her cousin.
She didn’t want to lose anyone in this world who was dear to her.
She had worked so hard to find this happiness.
Her small figure, tear-streaked, resolutely moved towards him. The blood-red eyes of the black qilin-tiger locked onto her approaching form like she was nothing more than an ant.
With her eyes shut, Ruan Shu lunged forward, wrapping her pale arms tightly around his body and burying her face into him. Tears streamed down her cheeks—whether from fear or worry, she didn’t know.
“Brother, please don’t become a monster… I’m scared… Shushu is scared…”
Ruan Shu began gently probing his mind with tendrils of her Jingshen.
Qiuqiu, sensing the danger, was also terrified, but feeling its master’s emotions, it trembled its small form and inched towards Ruan Linzhan’s turbulent mental realm.
The moment it entered, it was stunned by the chaos—like an apocalyptic storm within his mind.
“Qiuqiu, hurry, help my brother!”
Ruan Shu’s tearful voice urged. Qiuqiu, disregarding the violent Jingshen around, desperately released small white lights, trying to heal Ruan Linzhan’s mind.
Ruan Shu noticed that her cousin’s polluted Jingshen held an ominous black-red hue, radiating a dangerous aura.
Compared to her cousin’s vast mental sea, Ruan Shu and Qiuqiu’s Jingshen felt minuscule.
Despite Qiuqiu’s tireless healing lights devouring the impurities and mending his Jingshen, it was like a drop in the ocean.
Growing more anxious, Ruan Shu clutched the black qilin-tiger’s fur even tighter.
After ten minutes, Ruan Shu’s face grew paler, and the subdued qilin-tiger’s eyes started fluctuating again between red and blue.
But it wasn’t enough—not nearly enough.
After half an hour, Ruan Shu’s face had turned nearly translucent, with large drops of sweat rolling down her forehead. Her grip on the black qilin-tiger was weakening, and her small fingers were trembling.
“Shushu, stop, please stop!” Ruan Linzhan’s Jingshen was barely under control, though it was still unstable and ready to explode at any moment.
‘So tired… and it hurts…’
At that moment, Ruan Shu felt stabbing pain in her head. But seeing her cousin’s current condition, she knew it was almost done—just a little bit more.
Ruan Xiao and the others rushed forward in panic, trying to pull her away.
“Dad, I’m okay; it’s almost done,” Ruan Shu said, her voice trembling from the pain in her head. Sweat drenched her hair, and she looked exhausted.
Ruan Qingran’s expression was grim as he commanded, “Withdraw your Jingshen now!”
Ruan Shu bit her pale, bloodless lip, refusing to let go of the black qilin-tiger’s fur. In that instant, a surge of bright white light radiated from her, enveloping both herself and the black qilin-tiger.
Within the soft white glow, the qilin-tiger’s raging Jingshen calmed down, soothed by the healing light. Wisps of ominous, blood-tinged black mist dissipated within the gentle glow, and the unstable Jingshen returned obediently to its master’s mind.
Gradually, the blood-red hue faded from the qilin-tiger’s eyes, returning to their original gem-like blue.
Too drained to continue, the qilin-tiger managed one final glance at the small figure holding him tightly, then slumped as it lost its last strength.
Exhausted, Ruan Shu clung to his neck, feeling utterly spent. She was so tired…
As her consciousness faded, she kept her arms wrapped around the qilin-tiger, clinging to him even as she slipped into unconsciousness.
“Shushu!”
Voices called out, and just before she completely blacked out, Ruan Shu faintly heard the worried voices of those around her.
…
“Shushu, wake up, Shushu.”
She didn’t know how long it had been, but Ruan Shu felt as if she’d been dreaming. In her dream, she saw a pair of blood-red eyes filled with cold killing intent.
Startled, she shuddered, her whole body trembling as she opened her eyes, still carrying a trace of fear. She lifted her small head and found herself surrounded by pairs of concerned eyes.
Not fully awake, she shrank back, tucking her head away and curling her tail around to hide her face.
“She’s finally awake.”
Suddenly, Ruan Shu felt herself being held carefully, and the slight tremor in the chest of the person holding her made her body tremble.
It was her father’s voice.
At that moment, Ruan Xiao was holding his little kitten close, brushing his chin against her, his low, husky voice carrying a hint of relief.
“Shushu, you’ve been asleep for a long time.”
Remembering what had happened, Ruan Xiao felt a surge of lingering fear. He regretted deeply, questioning why he had allowed such a risky move.
Especially during the three days that Ruan Shu lay unconscious.
Fortunately, his daughter was safe.
Ruan Shu noticed her father wasn’t in great shape—his voice was completely hoarse.
With her little paw resting on his hand, her blue eyes reflected her father’s appearance at that moment.
His chin was covered in stubble, dark circles were pronounced under his eyes, and he looked a bit worn out. Yet, even in this state, the handsome man exuded a rugged charm.
“Meow, meow, meow~”
Ruan Shu reassured him that she was fine, rubbing her head gently against his chin. Tilting her head, she noticed her cousin.
Ruan Linzhan didn’t look much better; his stubble had grown in, and he had the same smoky-eye look as her father.
But Ruan Shu’s eyes brightened because her cousin had recovered!