The temperature plunged further. On the ground, the jade pendant vibrated relentlessly as a howling sound seemed to rip through the air.
Gradually, a streak of black mist materialized before Feng Jinghuai. It seeped from the jade pendant, billowing and thrashing in the air until it coalesced into the shape of a serpent.
The shadowy snake hissed, flicking its tongue while its eyes glowed a sinister, bloody red. Feng Jinghuai had known the pendant contained a so-called Spirit Spring Space, but he had never expected a monster like this to be inside it.
After the apocalypse began, a few people had discovered these rare domains. Vast in size, they held not only body-strengthening Spirit Spring Water, but also pristine lakes, arable fields, and thriving wildlife and crops, closely mirroring the pre-apocalyptic world.
However, only their owners could enter; other people were barred from stepping inside.
Only two such spaces had ever been found across the country, each held at one of the two largest bases. It was precisely because those owners had shared the resources of their spaces that the bases had managed to stabilize so quickly.
Feng Jinghuai opened his eyes and tightened his grip on the hilt of his blade.
If this jade pendant could only ever serve Jiang Xu, he would have no choice but to destroy it.
Just as Feng Jinghuai raised his Tang Dao, a white shadow darted out from the room. Huazhi was faster than him. In the blink of an eye, she leaped straight toward the jade pendant.
Startled, Feng Jinghuai forced his blade off course, slashing away to the other side.
Before Huazhi even reached the pendant, the black qi lunged at her, its powerful pull dragging her whole body in. The violent draft ruffled her soft white fur forward and forced her eyes shut. An instant later, she slammed firmly against the jade.
The wild, surging black qi opened wide like a maw to swallow her whole, sweeping over her in a frenzy.
The little gray rabbit had not expected the dark mist to be so enthusiastically welcoming. Deeply moved, she immediately began absorbing it.
Feng Jinghuai raised his Tang sword, intending to save her, only to catch a glimpse of the white rabbit through the dark haze. She was wagging her tail.
Lowering his blade, Feng Jinghuai quietly stepped aside.
Realizing something was wrong, the jade pendant tried to pull back and shake Huazhi off. But she was not about to let it escape.
Pinned entirely against the jade, she clutched it tight with both paws, refusing to let go no matter how violently it thrashed.
Its attack was like a lamb walking into a tiger’s den. The moment the black mist touched Huazhi, the little gray rabbit devoured it without hesitation.
As the snake shrank, the jade pendant trembled violently, flying through the air with Huazhi clinging tightly to it. In a desperate attempt to shake her off, the pendant hurled itself against the walls.
Feng Jinghuai instantly created a protective cushion of wind, gently catching Huazhi. Thanks to her light weight and his support, it was the jade pendant that took the brunt of the blows, smashing hard against the surface.
Sensing that the black mist was losing and trying to retreat back into the jade, the little gray rabbit kicked into high gear. Having already absorbed a fair amount of energy, its absorption speed had increased slightly.
Devouring a pendant that could neither bite nor run away was like an unexpected windfall.
Full of vigor, it kept sucking away until, after an unknown amount of time, the arrogant black mist finally surrendered and vanished completely.
The jade pendant lay quietly on the ground, and the surrounding air settled into stillness.
The little gray rabbit had not expected the creature to be such an empty shell. It had looked fierce and menacing, yet it took only a short while to drain it dry.
Disappointing as the opponent was, the little gray rabbit was still thrilled. “Huazhi, energy is at one percent! I can officially boot up now!”
It had barely had any energy left to begin with, and it was fortunate to have found Huazhi.
The little gray rabbit checked its system. [I haven’t updated in a very long time, so rebooting might take a while. Will you be all right on your own?]
Huazhi nodded, genuinely happy for it. “I’ll be fine. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.”
Unable to wait any longer, the little gray rabbit began the upgrade. In an instant, the little gray rabbit in Huazhi’s mind vanished, replaced by a string of digital code.
It displayed:
[System updating… Progress: 0%]
Huazhi found herself looking forward to seeing what it would look like once it fully booted up.
Feng Jinghuai walked over to her side and crouched down, picking up the jade pendant with one hand. It had degraded completely into cheap plastic, and the once-indestructible piece now bore several cracks.
“Did you eat it?”
Huazhi tilted her head to look at him, neither nodding nor shaking her head. Unease fluttered in her chest. Crystal cores seemed useful to them, so she had not dared to eat those recklessly.
This jade pendant, however, had clearly devoured human lives, its black qi laced with the faint scent of blood. She had only rushed out to consume it because she saw that he intended to deal with the dark mist.
Besides, even though the little gray rabbit had drained it dry, Huazhi was certain the black qi had not completely vanished. It had merely retreated deep inside the jade pendant. Given enough time to recover, it might emerge again to harm people.
Standing up, she lightly wagged her tail and clamped both paws back onto the jade.
Feng Jinghuai suddenly remembered the zombie cats. The lowest-level ones had no crystal cores in their bodies, yet after she touched them, they had collapsed instantly.
Why did zombie cats without crystal cores die? And what was this black qi?
A faint theory took shape in his mind, though it felt almost unbelievable.
“Do you want this jade pendant?” He scooped Huazhi up with one hand.
Holding tight to the jade, Huazhi looked at him with an expectant gaze.
Feng Jinghuai considered what had just happened. Indeed, the jade pendant was actually safest around her.
Still, now was not the time.
He put the cracked, plastic-like pendant back into his space. “I can’t give it to you just yet.”
Feng Jinghuai rubbed Huazhi’s head, placed her back into the rabbit nest, then drew the curtains and set up a new barrier around the room.
“Go to sleep.”
With that, Feng Jinghuai lay down on the bed.
He covered his eyes with a sleep mask before settling in. The gray sheets remained smooth and neat, barely disturbed except for the slight mound where his body rested.
His hands were folded over his stomach, making him look quiet and peaceful.
Lying in her nest, Huazhi wagged her tail rhythmically. The jade pendant was severely drained of energy, so it probably wouldn’t dare or even have the strength to harm anyone for a long time. When he said “for now,” did that mean he would give it to her later? If so, she had to keep a close eye on it.
Huazhi watched Feng Jinghuai lying there.
She had seen plenty of people since arriving at the base, but none were like him. He carried a unique aura. In her original world, he would probably be an exceptionally powerful immortal.
Nearby lay the carrot Feng Jinghuai had set out for her earlier. Now that she wasn’t hungry anymore, its strange smell began to bother her again.
After a moment of hesitation, Huazhi couldn’t resist moving the carrot to the farthest corner of the living room. Still unsatisfied, she shoved it even deeper against the wall.
Back in her enclosure, she sniffed around. Once she was sure the smell had faded, she hopped in.
She slept straight through until the afternoon.
Huazhi only woke when she heard Feng Jinghuai moving around. Opening her eyes, she saw him changing his clothes. His closet was filled with identical white shirts, all immaculate, pressed, and neatly arranged by length. He took one from the far left, put it on, and folded his striped cotton pajamas neatly on the bedside table.
Dressed, Feng Jinghuai turned to find Huazhi peeking at him. Her red eyes were still groggy with sleep, and the carrot beside her had vanished.
She seemed to love carrots.
Before Feng Jinghuai could speak, a loud knock rattled the door.
As he went to answer it, Huazhi hopped out and trailed behind him.
Qi Chaoyang stood on the other side, holding a basket and brimming with excitement. “Jing Huai! Where’s the little rabbit?”
Feng Jinghuai let him in.
The moment Qi Chaoyang stepped inside, his eyes searched the room for Huazhi. Spotting her sitting on the floor, he finally felt a sense of satisfaction.
“Little bunny! I—”
Huazhi instinctively dodged away from him.
As she hopped back, Feng Jinghuai stepped forward and blocked his path.
“I washed up!” Qi Chaoyang pushed up his sleeves, showing off his clean hands.
He added with exaggerated heartbreak, “I washed them twice! Do you have any idea how much water I wasted?”
“No,” Feng Jinghuai said, standing firm.
He still had not figured out Huazhi’s exact condition, and he could not let her interact with others carelessly.
Giving up on him, Qi Chaoyang turned his attention back to Huazhi.
“Look, Little Bunny,” he said, setting the basket he was carrying on the floor. “I prepared this especially for you.”
He had somehow found a bamboo basket, lined it with a thick, soft cushion, and filled it with a few items.
Reaching inside, he pulled out a hairpin.
No larger than a fingernail, it was shaped like a delicate, bright yellow flower.
Qi Chaoyang had once owned a cat, but when the apocalypse hit, it had flicked its tail at him and strutted off without looking back.
“Cute, right? I traded a lollipop with Old Huang’s daughter downstairs for it. It’ll look adorable on the Little White Rabbit.”
Qi Chaoyang pulled out a carrot, clapping his hands and opening his arms wide. “Come here, bunny. Come to big brother. I have a carrot for you.”
Feng Jinghuai rarely had strong emotional reactions, yet the baby talk and overly sweet voice still managed to grate on his nerves. “Speak normally.”
Huazhi found him even more terrifying. The man was thoroughly bizarre, terrified she would drain him one second and acting kindly toward her the next, almost like two entirely different people.
Feng Jinghuai took the basket. “That’s enough. Let’s go.”
“Don’t leave yet, put it on her so I can see! She’ll look great in it. I spent a long time picking it out.” Qi Chaoyang clung to the door.
“You won’t let me pet her, so can’t you at least let me look? Besides, rabbits like pretty things too. How do you know she wouldn’t want to wear it?”
Seeing how determined he was, Feng Jinghuai held out a hand.
Qi Chaoyang quickly handed him the little yellow flower.
Feng Jinghuai crouched down, holding the hairclip as he asked Huazhi, “Do you want to wear it?”
Qi Chaoyang found this amusing. “She’s just a rabbit. How could she understand you?”
Huazhi didn’t dare nod, but the little yellow flower looked truly lovely, and she stared at it eagerly. Her round rabbit eyes blinked, shining with a faint, bright gleam.
Back then, she used to pick pretty flowers like this to keep at home. In this world, all the plants were coated in a thick layer of ash, and she hadn’t seen any vegetation even after entering the base.
This little flower was gorgeous, and she had never seen an artificial flower look so lifelike.
Sensing her longing, Feng Jinghuai carefully clipped the flower beside her ear.
Though it was just an ordinary yellow blossom, once pinned to Huazhi’s head, both the flower and the rabbit looked utterly delightful together.
Qi Chaoyang beamed with satisfaction. “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have kept a cat back in the day. Raising a rabbit is so much better.”
Feng Jinghuai checked the time. “We’re going to be late.”
“Let’s go, let’s go!”
Were they going out?
Two fluffy white paws grabbed Feng Jinghuai’s pant leg. Huazhi tilted her head up to look at him, wanting to go along, too.