Chapter 90

Pausing for a moment, Ye Baizhi said, “I mean, if this bead is inexpensive.”

She kept her expression calm—when buying something, one should never appear too eager.

The shopkeeper glanced at her clothing. She was dressed rather elegantly, so why was she being so frugal?

“This stone bead costs two purple spirit stones.”

That was already one of the cheapest items in the Treasure Pavilion. Most of the expensive jewelry cost several hundred purple spirit stones.

One purple spirit stone was equivalent to a thousand blue spirit stones.

Ye Baizhi bargained with the shopkeeper, eventually purchasing the bead for one purple spirit stone. After buying it, she attempted to store the bead in her space. But she quickly realized—it wouldn’t go in.

“Typically, only living beings cannot be placed into a space.”

“So does that mean this is a living creature? Is the little fish inside alive?”

It appeared weak; even its movements seemed exhausting. The blue glow around it was gradually fading.

Ye Baizhi placed her finger on the bead and infused it with her wood-based ability. A soft green glow enveloped the bead, flowing into its core. It was the energy of wood-based abilities—imbued with healing and restoration.

As Ye Baizhi channeled her power into the bead, she noticed the blue radiance surrounding the tiny fish inside growing stronger. Its movements, previously sluggish, became noticeably smoother.

“You were the one who helped me earlier, right?”

The little blue fish looked at her and twitched slightly.

“Wow, you really understand me.”

“You’re remarkably intelligent.”

Ye Baizhi pondered aloud, “Are you a fish beast?”

It shook its head.

This surprised her. If it wasn’t a fish beast, then what was it?

“Thank you for saving me earlier.”

“Don’t worry—I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ll take you home.”

In her previous life in the post-apocalyptic world, she had loved keeping small, adorable pets. This blue fish was unlike any she had ever seen—beautiful and full of life. Its eyes, however, held a gentle yet sorrowful expression. Yes, Ye Baizhi could clearly sense the aura of melancholy. It seemed to understand her words, nodding slightly before closing its eyes and drifting into sleep.

Ye Baizhi carefully tucked the bead into her sleeve. Then, she made her way back. By the time she returned to the pastry shop, Ye Wulan was still holding Da Bao while waiting in line, but their turn was almost up.

Seeing Ye Baizhi return, Ye Wulan let out a quiet sigh of relief, finally easing his worried heart.

“Where did you go just now? You didn’t run into trouble, did you?”

When Ye Wulan had lost sight of her earlier, he had immediately grown anxious. Even though he knew she would be fine, he couldn’t help but worry. He wasn’t at ease when she was out of his sight. He understood that his concern was making him irrational, but he couldn’t control it. Only he truly knew how much Ye Baizhi meant to him.

Ye Baizhi explained, “I was wandering around when I suddenly spotted Xue Youchen’s figure, so I chased after him. But unexpectedly, I ran into a beastman from the Snow Wolf Tribe who tried to kill me.”

“But fortunately, it’s nothing serious—the Snow Wolf beast is dead.”

Upon hearing this, Ye Wulan’s expression turned cold, his gaze filled with murderous intent. “They dared to attack you!”

“I will make them pay for this!”

Ye Baizhi could tell that Ye Wulan was truly angry. She gently tugged at his sleeve and said, “I don’t want you to take risks. There are likely many powerful warriors in the Snow Wolf Tribe.”

“And it seems that someone in the Snow Wolf Tribe has learned about my existence, which is why they want to kill me.”

“But at least they don’t know about Da Bao.”

As long as they were unaware of Da Bao, he would remain safe.

“The beastman was acting under orders—he kept mentioning his ‘lady’…”

Ye Baizhi repeated the gray snow wolf’s words before asking, “Do you know about the pure-blooded females of the Snow Wolf Tribe?”

Ye Wulan looked deeply at Ye Baizhi, holding Da Bao in one arm while using his free hand to smooth out her messy hair.

Ye Baizhi never cared much for braiding or tying her hair—she usually tied it up casually. Each morning, Ye Wulan patiently combed and styled her hair into something beautiful. Perhaps it had become messy now.

With a serious tone, Ye Wulan explained, “I do. It is said that the second and fourth elders of the Snow Wolf Tribe each have a young pure-blooded female within their lineage.”

Ye Baizhi narrowed her eyes dangerously. “I wonder if the one trying to kill me belongs to the Second Elder’s lineage or the Fourth Elder’s.”

A bloodthirsty gleam flashed through Ye Wulan’s eyes. “Whoever dares to harm you will pay the price.”

Ye Baizhi cautioned, “Let’s not act recklessly just yet.”

“I was thinking—we should first visit the city where the Snow Wolf Tribe resides, gather more information, and then make our move.”

“Know your enemy, and you’ll never be defeated.”

“You matter a great deal to me. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

Though Ye Wulan was undeniably strong, the Snow Wolf Tribe had formidable elders. These figures rarely appeared, but if their tribe’s pure-blooded beastmen were threatened, they would undoubtedly step forward to protect them. Not to mention, Ye Wulan’s lineage was unique.

If his identity as a pure-blooded charm beast from the Enchanter Demon clan were exposed, what if the forces that had once massacred his kind resurfaced?

Just the thought of it made Ye Baizhi’s heart sink.

Hearing her concerns, Ye Wulan’s expression softened. With a quiet sigh, he said, “You bear the scent and imprint left by Xue Youchen—he has chosen you as his sole mate.”

“That’s why, upon discovering your existence, the pure-blooded females of the Snow Wolf Tribe will seek to eliminate you.”

“In order to erase the imprint, they must kill you—that’s the only way they can have the chance to become Xue Youchen’s mate and queen.”

“The stakes here are high, so they won’t give up easily.”

Ye Baizhi frowned. “Wouldn’t it be easier if Xue Youchen woke up and handled this himself?”

Ye Wulan spoke softly. “Yes. If he were to intervene, it would become an internal matter of the Snow Wolf Tribe, and the tribe’s elders wouldn’t interfere.”

“In the Snow Wolf Tribe, pure-blooded snow wolf beasts hold absolute authority.”

“And the tribe’s rule dictates that only the strongest pure-blooded male can become the Snow Wolf King.”

“Pure-blooded females have only the purity of their lineage—they do not inherit any innate abilities or strength.”

Speaking of this, Ye Wulan had to admit that Xue Youchen possessed extraordinary talent. It was said that, from a young age, he had demonstrated the greatest potential within the Snow Wolf Tribe.

“Xue Youchen is the undisputed strongest among the younger generation of the Snow Wolf Tribe.”

“As long as he is well, his status remains unshaken.”

“As king, he alone governs the tribe’s affairs, and no one dares challenge his authority.”

“But with his injuries forcing him into seclusion, the tribe is bound to fall into unrest—power struggles will be inevitable.”

Ye Baizhi said, “Then we need to help Xue Youchen recover quickly, so he can wake up sooner.”

Ye Wulan shook his head. “If he is in seclusion due to his injuries, we won’t be able to approach the Snow Wolf Tribe so easily—let alone get close to him.”

Pausing for a moment, Ye Wulan looked at Ye Baizhi, reluctant to speak. “Unless…”

Ye Baizhi blinked, sensing he had a solution. “Unless what?”