Yusen lowered his gaze, his ice blue eyes watching the little rabbit on his lap with indifference. He thought back to her first Beastification, back in the small wooden cabin on Zero Star Street.
A fluffy, snow-white ball of fur, small enough to hold in one hand.
It had felt so warm and toasty in his arms.
The complete opposite of a Mermaid’s naturally cold body.
Yu Zhizhi unabashedly exposed her soft little belly. Deep down, she believed with absolute certainty that Yusen would never hurt her.
She stretched out a paw and scratched the youth’s arm. Then she started chewing on the metal button of his white cuff, having the time of her life.
Yusen really wanted to push the little rabbit off.
But his body refused to move.
After gnawing on the button for a while, Yu Zhizhi rested her head on his wrist, found a comfortable angle, and slowly began to doze off.
’Sensen didn’t kick me out of the carriage.’
’This is great~’
Yu Zhizhi was feeling a bit drowsy, and with the gentle rocking of the carriage, she quickly fell asleep.
He felt the warm, rhythmic breathing of the little furball against his wrist.
Yusen’s fingertips twitched. He looked at the rabbit’s drooping, fluffy ears, and at the tiny paws that clutched his finger even in sleep.
The little white rabbit looked exceptionally well-behaved.
In the past, whenever she was in her Beast Form, he had adored it, wishing he could hold her in his arms every second of the day.
But that was a long time ago.
Yusen slowly averted his gaze.
"To Bishui Pavilion."
The carriage turned and headed toward Bishui Pavilion.
The Black-clothed Steward couldn’t hear any commotion from inside the carriage and found the silence a bit strange. But regardless, Prince You Sen hadn’t violently tossed the little rabbit out the window.
’His Highness is rarely this patient.’
The carriage stopped outside Bishui Pavilion.
Yusen waited a moment, but the little rabbit in his lap showed no signs of waking.
He coolly pulled his finger away.
"Get up."
This was the first time Yusen had spoken to her of his own accord since they reunited.
Yu Zhizhi’s rabbit ears twitched. She rubbed her eyes with her paws and looked up at the Mermaid Youth’s slightly pointed chin.
Seeing that she was awake, Yusen once again ordered her off with a blank expression, "Get down."
Yu Zhizhi sluggishly moved off his lap.
She had just woken up, her head still groggy, and she was unsteady on her feet.
Just as she squeezed through the curtain, Yusen grabbed her by the scruff of her neck and lifted her up.
The little rabbit’s paws kicked wildly in the air.
Soon, Zhi Zhi was placed gently on the ground.
Outside the gates of Bishui Pavilion, the two servants saw the arrivals and hurried into the courtyard to report.
The brown-haired young man, Buli, came out shortly after.
He bowed to Yusen, his gaze constantly darting toward the inside of the carriage.
’Ms. Zhi Zhi should be with the Prince Merfolk, right?’
"Lord Shen He is not here. He instructed us to prepare a room for Your Highness. Before the Sea Sacrifice Ceremony is over, Your Highness can stay at Bishui Pavilion."
Buli smiled faintly, but his steps faltered when he caught sight of a little white rabbit squatting on the ground out of the corner of his eye.
In the setting sun, he saw the little rabbit seemingly smile at him.
Buli’s pupils dilated slightly—
’Ms. Zhi Zhi?’
This was the first time he had seen Ms. Zhi Zhi’s Beast Form.
’A little snow-white rabbit... so cute...’
Without a word, Yusen walked inside.
The little white rabbit hopped along after him.
Buli followed behind them, his eyes fixed on the little rabbit, wondering what Lord Shen He’s reaction would be if he saw Ms. Zhi Zhi’s Beast Form.
「Back at Bishui Pavilion.」
Yusen walked straight to his room and closed the door.
Yu Zhizhi was shut out.
She looked up at the tightly shut door before her, as securely locked as Sensen’s heart.
She sluggishly moved away and returned to the room she had slept in last night, on the other side of the pavilion.
When Shen He returned, a little white rabbit was curled up on a seat cushion, as if it had made the spot its own rabbit nest.
He smelled a familiar scent.
’It’s her Beast Form...’
Shen He watched her in silence for a long time, but ultimately decided not to wake her.
He went to the bathing room.
Yu Zhizhi slept until the middle of the night and was wide awake when she woke up. The soft seat by the tea table felt as if it had been tailor-made for her, perfect for sleeping.
Now, full of energy, she stood up and padded out the door on her little rabbit paws.
The night was deep and quiet.
Not a soul could be seen in the courtyard of Bishui Pavilion.
Yu Zhizhi was in high spirits. Perhaps she had grown accustomed to her Beast Form, as she had no desire to change back into a human. Instead, she hopped onto a rock by the pond and gazed at the reflection of the golden crescent moon in the water.
A rustling sound came from the bushes.
Yu Zhizhi looked over.
From the shadows, a pale red, round body emerged. Gradually, she saw tentacles squirming beneath it. One of the tentacles was clearly severed, much shorter than the others.
Yu Zhizhi stared, stunned.
Suddenly, the round body lifted up.
In the moonlight, the Little Octopus saw the fluffy creature with wide eyes squatting on the rock. It froze.
A flash of anger crossed its eyes. "What are you looking at!"
’I just lost one tentacle, so what? Haven’t you ever seen a handicapped octopus before? I never come out during the day. I figured no one would be around late at night, so I snuck out to play.’
’I can’t believe I ran into a detestable member of the Rabbit Clan.’
Yu Zhizhi withdrew her gaze.
She was about to hop off the rock, but the Little Octopus persisted aggressively, "I’m talking to you! How dare you ignore me?!"
This white rabbit was actually ignoring it, which made the Little Octopus even angrier.
Its pale red tentacles gripped the ground. With a burst of energy, it charged onto the rock and SLAMMED into Yu Zhizhi’s rabbit body.
Before she could react, she was knocked off the rock.
Luckily, the ground below was thick grass, so the fall didn’t hurt. Yu Zhizhi was dazed for a moment. She looked up just in time to see the Little Octopus pouncing down from above like a bat, tentacles flailing menacingly.
It pinned the little rabbit beneath it and growled, "I’ll bite you to death!"
The words had barely left its mouth when the Little Octopus suddenly shrieked, "YEEEOOOW!—"
It turned out the little rabbit had bitten its tentacle.
The moment the Little Octopus pounced to attack her, Yu Zhizhi’s heart had leaped into her throat. She began to fight back instinctively, sinking her teeth into one of its tentacles and furiously kicking its body with her feet.
The Little Octopus howled as it was kicked repeatedly.
Tears soon welled up in its eyes.
It was indignant.
It tangled with the little rabbit in a brawl.
The quiet courtyard instantly became a noisy mess. It had many tentacles, but with one caught in the rabbit’s mouth, it couldn’t break free no matter how it struggled.
The Little Octopus was so angry it started to cry. It went wild, frantically waving its other tentacles. The dirt-covered appendages landed on the little rabbit, smearing her snow-white fur with filth.
The two little furballs, one white and one red, fought ferociously.
In the end, it was Buli, drawn by the commotion, who came out to check and managed to separate the two little creatures who were tangled together in a ball.
They were about the same size, and it took Buli a long time to finally pry the two of them apart.
Yu Zhizhi was panting from exhaustion.
This was her first time fighting another beast-person.
This octopus, which had attacked her for no reason, was surprisingly weak. She had dominated the fight from start to finish.
It wasn’t very strong, but it had a loud voice. Its howling made her eardrums ache.
「Dawn was breaking.」
The Little Octopus had a special status, and it was covered in injuries. Buli had no choice but to report the incident truthfully to Lord Shen He, who had just woken up.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter