Isn’t This the Heroine’s Beloved Pet?
25: Chapter 25: Golden Crow?
Isn’t This the Heroine’s Beloved Pet?
Using the light to see, Xi Yao deftly climbed the tree and found a sturdy branch.
She leaned against the main trunk, adjusted her position, then took out a beast hide from her space and draped it over herself.
Just as she was about to close her eyes and rest, a rustling sound came from above.
Her first thought was a snake.
She subconsciously tightened her grip on the branch, drew her vine whip with her other hand, and lashed it sharply upwards.
“SMACK!”
Something was hit, followed by the rustling sound of it falling.
Looking by the light of the Energy Lamp, she saw a bird’s nest the size of a soccer ball.
The nest was now hanging upside down from the branch, on the verge of falling.
Xi Yao froze.
Before she could react, a jet-black bird flapped its wings and dove at her.
She instinctively reached out and grabbed it.
“Ow, ow, ow!
Let go of me!”
Xi Yao’s hand trembled, and she almost threw it.
“You… You can talk?”
The little guy puffed up his cheeks and glared at her, his golden eyes filled with displeasure.
“Hmph!
You mean female, you hurt me!”
It was only then that Xi Yao realized this wasn’t some black bird, but clearly a Beastman cub.
As she examined him closely, species information was automatically identified above his head.
-Race: Golden Crow
Appearance:
Feathers are jet-black, indistinguishable from a crow’s in youth.
In adulthood, feathers turn black-gold, with golden eyes and talons.
Abilities:
Possesses the special ability of foreknowledge.
When disaster is imminent, blurry images and fragments will appear in its mind.
‘A Golden Crow?’
Xi Yao’s jaw dropped in shock.
‘Am I seeing this right?’
‘Isn’t this the female lead’s exclusive pet?’
‘What’s it doing here?’
Realizing she had just destroyed its home, she felt a little embarrassed and quickly apologized.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.
I’ll help you build a new home tomorrow.”
Hearing this, Wuyu stiffened.
The anger in his eyes vanished instantly, replaced by deep wariness.
Having been treated as a jinx since he was young, he was extremely suspicious of this sudden kindness.
He turned his head away and mumbled.
“You don’t have to pretend to be nice.”
Seeing him act like this, Xi Yao was for some reason reminded of Xi Nan.
A pang of pity welled up in her heart.
“I genuinely want to help you.
I don’t mean any harm.
I accidentally broke your home, so this is the least I can do.”
“I don’t need it.”
“Yes, you do,” Xi Yao was halfway through her sentence when she noticed his wing was injured.
‘No wonder his flying looked a little strange.’
“You’re injured?” ‘It couldn’t have been from my whip, could it?’
Wuyu shot her a fierce glare and turned away.
‘So it was…’
“Let me treat you.” Saying this, she ignored his reaction and scooped him up to begin the treatment.
Wuyu’s body trembled slightly.
He wanted to struggle, but he was enveloped in a warm aura.
The pain in his wing slowly subsided, and for a moment, he was too stunned to resist.
“Don’t be afraid.
I won’t hurt you.
From now on, I’ll protect you.”
After examining his injury, she found it was an old wound, not one she had caused.
Instead of feeling relieved, her heart ached for him even more.
It made her think of the past experiences of her three little Zaizai.
Crows are always considered unlucky omens.
He would rather live deep in the forest than in a tribe.
One could guess what he had endured in the tribe, or worse, that he had been driven out.
Wuyu had never heard such warm words before, but his long-term suffering made him afraid to believe them easily.
He bit his lip and whispered, “You… Why are you being so nice to me?
Aren’t you afraid I’ll bring disaster?”
“There’s no such thing as a jinx in this world.
That’s just an excuse people make for their own misfortune or incompetence.”
Xi Yao reached out and gently stroked Wuyu’s head.
Wuyu instinctively flinched but didn’t pull away.
“Do you want to come back with me?
I have three cubs your age.
I’m sure you’ll all get along well.”
Wuyu thought of the times he was bullied by cubs his own age in the tribe.
A flicker of fear and unease crossed his eyes as he mumbled softly.
“Will they… like me?”
Seeing Wuyu’s cautious, probing expression, Xi Yao’s heart ached.
She gently cupped him in her hands, her voice soft and reassuring.
“They will.
My Zaizai are all very kind.
They will definitely like you.”
Wuyu’s body trembled slightly.
He lowered his eyes, hiding the turbulent emotions within.
After a long moment, he slowly raised his head.
His golden eyes glistened with tears, and his voice held an irrepressible sob.
“But… I don’t know how to do anything.
I can only foresee disasters, but I can’t explain them clearly.
Everyone hates me.
They all say disasters happen because I’m here.”
“That’s because they’re ignorant.
You don’t bring the disasters; they would happen even without you.
With you, we can prepare in advance and minimize the damage.”
“This is a gift from the Beast God.
You should make good use of it, not reject it.”
Listening to Xi Yao’s words, the long-shut door to Wuyu’s heart quietly creaked open, revealing a tiny gap.
‘Is that really true?’
…
Back in the tribe, the three little ones—Xi Nan, Xi Bei, and Xi Mo—stood in the courtyard, staring unblinkingly into the distance.
But they could see nothing but endless darkness.
“Big Brother, why isn’t Mother back yet?
It’s so dark already.”
Xi Bei’s voice was tinged with tears, his small body trembling slightly with anxiety.
Xi Nan frowned, feigning composure as he comforted him, “Don’t panic.
She must have run into some trouble on the way.
She’s so capable, she can definitely handle it.”
Though he said that, his eyes were also filled with worry, and his claws scratched at the ground unconsciously.
“Should we go look for Mother?
I’m afraid something happened to her,” Xi Mo said from the side, just as restless.
Xi Nan hesitated for a moment, but ultimately shook his head.
“No.
Mother said we can’t just leave the tribe.
If we go out, she’ll be even more worried if she comes back and can’t find us.”
The three little ones paced back and forth in the courtyard, glancing toward the entrance from time to time.
Time seemed to stretch on endlessly.
“Do you think Mother got lost?” Xi Bei guessed, his voice choked with sobs.
His tail and ears drooped.
Xi Nan lifted a paw and patted his head, steadying his own frantic heart and trying to make his voice sound more confident.
“No, Mother knows this forest well.
She’ll definitely find her way back.
Maybe we’ll see her standing at the door first thing tomorrow morning.”
He wasn’t sure himself; as he comforted Xi Bei, he was also trying to reassure himself.
The night grew deeper, and a cold wind howled past, but the three little ones remained in the courtyard.
None of them were willing to go inside to sleep.
They waited from moonrise until the moon began to set in the west.
Its silver glow gradually dimmed, but Xi Yao’s figure never appeared.
The mist in the mountains grew thicker, weaving threads around the tribe like an impenetrable net, making the three little ones’ hearts clench even tighter.
“Mother…”
Xi Bei couldn’t hold it in any longer.
He flopped onto the ground and began to sob quietly, the small horns on his head trembling with his movements.
Xi Nan crouched down, leaning against him and trying to use his own body heat to dispel the fear in his little brother’s heart.
“Don’t cry.
Mother will be back soon.”
His own tail twitched uneasily.
Xi Mo’s eyes were also red.
He lay down on Xi Bei’s other side.
And so, the three little ones lay huddled together at the entrance of their den, waiting.