The Wild Lady

"Ugh, where am I now?"

Jia Ruo woke up, feeling weak all over, but the sharp pain in his chest had subsided considerably, and his wound was bandaged.

Jia Ruo pushed himself up and looked around.

This seemed to be a dilapidated campsite with a small tent nearby.

He was lying next to a small campfire, covered with a blanket made from some unknown beast's fur.

And at the other end of the campfire sat Neeko and Nidalee.

"You're awake!"

Neeko was very happy to see Jia Ruo awake.

"Here, eat this."

Neeko handed him a green fruit that was a size larger than his fist.

Jia Ruo took it and took a big bite. The fruit was sweet and delicious, bursting with juice, which stirred his hunger. Jia Ruo couldn't help but devour it.

After he finished the fruit, Neeko handed him another one: "It's delicious, isn't it? This 'Honey Fruit' can also heal wounds. The ointment used to bandage you was also made by Nidalee with this."

Jia Ruo almost choked.

"This fruit didn't grow by the river, did it?"

Jia Ruo asked, holding up half the fruit.

"That's right, Neeko picked it."

Neeko smiled charmingly.

Nidalee, standing nearby with her arms crossed, watched Neeko and this man converse in a language she had never heard before, showing no expression.

In her eyes, this fair-skinned man, unarmed and even unclothed, barging into the jungle was practically suicide.

Neeko had said he was almost pecked to death by a Sharpbeak Bird, and he didn't even know how to stop his bleeding when he was injured.

Heh, people like that only deserve to be fertilizer in the jungle, a stepping stone for other lives.

Jia Ruo also noticed Nidalee. When Neeko had mentioned she had a friend who could transform into a Cougar, he had guessed it was Nidalee.

However, when he actually saw Nidalee in person, he was truly stunned: her long, powerful legs, slender waist, the tribal markings on her face, and her beautiful green eyes.

Everything about her exuded a wild beauty.

Neeko was also very cute, but in front of Nidalee, she was just a girl.

Nidalee's gaze met Jia Ruo's. She didn't hide her contempt: in the jungle where the strong preyed on the weak, she saw no point in saving Jia Ruo.

Even though Neeko had repeatedly emphasized Jia Ruo's uniqueness, Nidalee just thought the kid was too pale and had too little muscle. Bringing him along was just a burden.

Jia Ruo felt unnerved by Nidalee's stare and avoided her gaze, turning to Neeko instead.

"Nidalee doesn't like you," Neeko told Jia Ruo. "She thinks you're too weak to be a friend."

Jia Ruo was momentarily speechless, almost blurting out a grand declaration like, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west!"

But under someone else's roof, Jia Ruo swallowed those words.

Neeko, however, thoughtfully conveyed his unspoken thoughts to Nidalee. Of course, she translated them into the common tongue of Runeterra.

Jia Ruo watched as Neeko said something to Nidalee, and Nidalee laughed. She held her weapon—a spear adorned with beast fangs—in one hand, and raised the other, as if gathering energy.

Jia Ruo seemed to hear a cougar's roar, then felt his body heat up, his blood surge, and his chest wound begin to itch.

This was Nidalee using her Cougar spirit to call upon the life energy within Jia Ruo, accelerating his wound's healing.

It was one of Nidalee's abilities: Primal Surge.

After this, Nidalee spoke a few words to Neeko, then transformed into a cougar and sprinted away, disappearing into the night.

"What exactly did you guys say?" Jia Ruo was completely bewildered.

"Neeko told Nidalee everything you were just thinking. Nidalee said you're somewhat interesting and she's waiting for your challenge."

Jia Ruo smacked his forehead. What a situation.

He'd seen this kind of scene before, in those domineering CEO novels: "Woman, you have successfully captured my attention."

Now, he had also captured the attention of a wild and sexy lady.

"She also said you're indeed different from those hunters," Neeko said. "Those ugly hunters killed so many jungle creatures, not even for food. The campsite we're at now used to belong to a group of hunters. Nidalee warned them, but they didn't listen."

"And then?" Jia Ruo swallowed.

"Then Nidalee killed them all, tearing open their throats with her claws and teeth."

Jia Ruo took a deep breath and said, "Neeko, if I suddenly get killed by Nidalee someday, it'll all be your fault."

"Huh? How could that be? Neeko never meant to harm you."

"Actually, actually, Nidalee is a very good person. She settled you here to keep you away from the pride. She was afraid other lions would hurt you..." Neeko said, pouting slightly, looking wronged.

Neeko was such a cute girl.

Jia Ruo rolled over and stood up. As the blanket slipped off, he realized he was completely naked...

Neeko didn't show any shyness, nor did she cry out in surprise. After all, when the entire Wu Wei Clan's souls were connected in the past, they shared everything completely.

Her experience in certain aspects was probably even greater than Jia Ruo's.

On the contrary, Jia Ruo himself looked embarrassed and hastily picked up the blanket.

"When I was cleaning the bloodstains for you earlier, Neeko helped you take off your clothes."

"Neeko, why do I feel so groggy?"

It was unclear if Jia Ruo said this to change the subject, but his face grew redder and redder.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. This Honey Fruit has a side effect. It affects a person's mind, causing a state similar to being drunk."

No wonder in LoL, eating fruit in the river slows you down...

Jia Ruo fell asleep again.