Upon arriving at the destination, Bai Jimu nimbly hopped out of the car with the orange cat on his back.
A crowd of animals had already gathered in front of the clinic, each sitting obediently on the ground.
The village dog that had tipped Bai Jimu off earlier walked out, sniffed him, and then spoke. “We brought everyone back, woof. Some of the dogs’ owners live nearby, and the strays have already gone to find their own sleeping spots. The ones left here are the dogs whose owners can’t be found for now.”
Bai Jimu nodded. “Thank you for your hard work.”
The next second, the clinic door opened.
Bai Yanzhou, draped in a coat, yawned lazily.
He first glanced at the astonished Lin You, then looked down at Bai Jimu. His face held no expression other than drowsiness.
“Come on in. Don’t touch anything. When the sun comes up, I’ll contact your owners. Wenyou, thanks for your trouble today.”
“No trouble at all, since it’s Teacher’s mission.” Lin You flashed a dazzling smile—so bright it made Bai Jimu a little dizzy.
Wait, why does he suddenly look kind of handsome?
Seeing that Bai Yanzhou had arrived, Lin You didn’t linger. He needed to rush back for his beauty sleep.
As a model, he was extremely strict about managing his face and body.
On a normal day, he would have been in bed long ago, starting his elaborate sleep routine.
As soon as Lin You’s taillights disappeared around the corner, silence returned to the front of the clinic.
Under Bai Jimu’s low growled commands, the dogs found comfortable spots under the eaves or by the flower beds and settled down to rest in an orderly fashion.
Bai Yanzhou didn’t say much more. He picked up the unconscious orange cat and turned to walk back into the clinic.
Bai Jimu hurriedly transformed back into human form, hastily threw on the clothes left by the door, and followed him inside, muttering, “Bro, those dog thieves are despicable! Isn’t there any law that can punish them severely?”
“Law?” Bai Yanzhou scoffed lightly. He placed the orange cat carefully on the examination table.
His fingertips glowed with a faint green light as he gently swept them over the cat’s body to check its injuries.
“Human laws are ultimately too lenient when it comes to things like this.” His tone was flat, but it carried a hint of chill.
After the examination, he confirmed that the cat demon was just unconscious from exhaustion.
The external injuries were severe, but its demon core was undamaged.
He casually grabbed some ointment and gauze, skillfully treating its wounds with gentle movements that contrasted sharply with his cold tone just moments ago.
“So… we just let it go?” Bai Jimu asked unwillingly, his imaginary ears drooping.
“Who said that?” Bai Yanzhou finished bandaging the last wound, washed his hands, and walked slowly to the window. His gaze seemed to pierce through the night, landing in the direction of the abandoned warehouse far away.
“We do have to abide by the rules of the human world and try not to cause trouble. However…”
The corners of his lips curled up into a smile that carried a hint of wickedness, though it was faint. “Demons naturally have demonic ways of solving problems. Who says punishment requires getting your hands dirty or leaving evidence?”
Bai Yanzhou used his fingers as a brush, tracing in the air.
A wisp of extremely subtle demonic energy, almost blending perfectly with the night, drifted out the window like a wandering thread, heading precisely toward the dog traffickers.
“What did you do, Bro?” Bai Jimu leaned in curiously.
“Nothing much,” Bai Yanzhou clapped his hands lightly. “Just sent them a little ‘gift.’ A ‘trigger’ that can evoke the deepest fears in their hearts. For the next few days, they will get their wish and experience the sensation of being chased and bitten by countless ‘vicious dogs,’ whether in daylight or in their dreams. Incidentally…”
He paused. “I let all the stray animals nearby ‘get to know’ their scent. From now on, whenever they get close to any cat or dog, they will receive the most ‘enthusiastic’ of ‘welcomes’ and be chased away. I reckon they’ll never be able to continue this dirty business in this lifetime.”
This kind of mental torture, combined with being completely ostracized by the animal kingdom, would break them far more effectively than a physical beating.
Bai Jimu imagined the two men living in constant fear, being “spat on” by every small animal wherever they went, and couldn’t help but burst out laughing. “Bro, you’re ruthless!”
“Just a small punishment to serve as a warning.” Bai Yanzhou yawned and walked lazily back to the examination table, looking at the orange cat whose breathing was gradually stabilizing.
“Alright, trouble solved. It’s almost dawn. Clean up and get ready to open the shop. As for this ‘new friend’… We’ll talk when it wakes up.”
Outside the window, the sky was just beginning to brighten.
The clinic was filled with the faint scent of herbs and the steady breathing of animals.
After Bai Yanzhou simply treated the orange cat’s external injuries, he settled it into a clean cage lined with a soft mat in a relatively quiet corner.
Although he loved fluffy things, he wouldn’t take advantage of his own kind.
Bai Jimu changed back into human form, put on his clothes, and quietly tidied up the entrance, which had been slightly messed up by the dogs.
He glanced worriedly at the orange cat in the cage from time to time.
It was still unconscious, but its breathing was much steadier.
After an unknown amount of time, a very slight rustling of fabric came from the cage.
The orange cat was awake.
Pain and weakness still entangle it, but it feels much better than before.
It snapped its eyes open. Its amber vertical pupils contracted sharply upon seeing the unfamiliar environment.
Its body instinctively tried to arch, but the movement pulled at its wounds, causing it to let out a suppressed gasp of pain.
It looked around vigilantly.
Strange room, strange but not unpleasant smell, soft mat underneath… most importantly, not far away stood two human-shaped creatures, and… lots of dogs!
Although the dogs were resting peacefully, its feline instincts kept every nerve taut.
It remembered being saved by… a Beagle?
So where was this?
And these two people…
Its gaze locked instantly on Bai Yanzhou, who was closest.
This man looked gentle and harmless, even a bit lazily sleepy, but the orange cat’s keen senses were screaming alarms!
Danger! Extreme danger!
This “person” radiated an aura unfathomable enough to make its soul tremble. He was an existence thousands of times more terrifying than those dog thieves!
It struggled to stand up, assuming a defensive posture, a low, threatening growl rumbling in its throat.
But due to its injuries and weakness, the warning was all bark and no bite, even carrying a tremor that was hard to detect.
Noticing it was awake, Bai Jimu immediately put on a bright, sunny smile, trying to convey kindness as he leaned in. “Hey, you’re awake? How do you feel? Don’t be scared, it’s safe here…”
Before he could finish, the orange cat reacted even more violently, baring its teeth and trying to shrink back.
Unfortunately, being in a cage, there was nowhere to run.
It was equally distrustful of this guy who smelled like “canine.”
Bai Yanzhou raised a hand, gently stopping Bai Jimu from getting any closer.
“Little Bi, back off.” His voice was calm, devoid of emotion.
He didn’t approach the cage immediately.
He just stood there, looking indifferently at the bristling orange cat, as if observing an interesting specimen.
After a few seconds, he spoke slowly, his voice not loud but clearly reaching the cat’s ears:
“No need to be so tense. If I wanted to harm you, I wouldn’t have wasted my medicine bringing you back.”
He casually picked up a small saucer of water and some minced meat mixed with crushed herbs from the table nearby and used his fingertips to slide them gently to the cage door.
“Eat something, drink some water. Your injuries are severe, and your tail needs a long time to heal.” Bai Yanzhou’s tone offered no comfort, stating facts as plainly as could be. “This place is called ‘Baizhou Hall.’ It’s a clinic. You can stay here temporarily until you heal and find somewhere else to go.”
He paused, looking into the orange cat’s still-guarded eyes, and added a final sentence with a careless warning:
“Remember one thing: while you’re here, behave yourself and don’t cause trouble. Otherwise…”
He didn’t finish the sentence, but the cold glint that flashed through his sleepy eyes made the orange cat instantly understand the unspoken implication—otherwise, the consequences will be severe.
With that, Bai Yanzhou paid it no more mind. He turned and walked to the medicine cabinet to organize herbs, as if the creature in the cage were just an ordinary stray cat.
Bai Jimu looked at his brother, then at the orange cat in the cage, who was still tense but whose eyes were involuntarily darting toward the food and water.
He scratched his head and ultimately obeyed, stepping back while whispering, “Bro, it seems really scared of us…”
The orange cat stared hard at their backs, then vigilantly scanned the seemingly harmless dogs around.
Hunger in its belly and the burning thirst in its throat tormented it.
The saucer of food, smelling faintly of medicine and meat, and the clear water held a fatal attraction.
It was incredibly conflicted.
Strange environment, dangerous “people,” potential canine threats… but on the other hand, its wounds had definitely been treated, and there was life-saving food and water right in front of it.
It stared fixedly at Bai Yanzhou’s back.
The man didn’t even glance at it again.
Finally, the instinct to survive overpowered fear and vigilance. It inched toward the cage door bit by bit, extremely slowly, keeping its eyes glued to the outside, then quickly lowered its head to lap at the water.
The cool liquid soothed its parched throat.
It paused, confirming there was no danger, then quickly snatched up a small piece of minced meat and swallowed it whole.
Throughout the process, it maintained the highest level of alertness, its body trembling slightly, ears perked to catch any movement around it.
Its demon life motto told it never to trust any existence easily.
But right now, in this place full of unknown dangers yet offering a glimmer of hope, it could only choose to survive carefully, wait for its wounds to heal, and then plan its next move.