Page 5

The little creature's sudden movement shook off much of the black ash coating its body, and only then did Ye Chuqi see how badly hurt it was. Wounds covered its tiny body. Three of its four paws were mangled, and only a few scattered feathers remained on its frail wings. It glared at her with wide amber eyes, looking utterly miserable. But after springing up to attack her, it ran out of strength and fell back into her palm.

Ye Chuqi: "..." Well, that was sudden.

"Aow, aow, aow!"

Even more startling, she could see a speech bubble above its head. But between the language barrier, its weakness, and its agitation, the bubble held nothing but meaningless gibberish.

Then something else caught Ye Chuqi's attention. A cluster of red berries, each the size of a mung bean, slipped from beneath the little creature's wing and fell straight to the ground, where black dust swallowed it in an instant.

Panic crossed its soot-smeared face. Ignoring its injuries, it dove toward the ground.

Ye Chuqi hurriedly scooped the little creature back into her palm and retrieved the cluster of berries. Dazed, it instinctively tried to snatch them back. She let it, placing them right in its arms.

The little creature froze instead. It seemed not to have expected Ye Chuqi to help it, much less return such precious berries.

But there was no time to dwell on that. Clutching the berries tight, it looked around frantically with its big, round eyes. It had already searched the area before collapsing from exhaustion, though, and hadn't found the person it was looking for.

From what had happened, Ye Chuqi had a good idea who that was.

Smiling, she tapped its head and held something up for it to see. Since she had come out to find Red Beard's companion and was a stranger to it, of course she had brought proof of who she was.

She held a badge right in front of its eyes. She had taken it from Red Beard's tattered clothes while bandaging him earlier. At the center of the golden badge was a flame that seemed to blaze brightly, radiating vitality.

In that short time, Ye Chuqi had grown used to the little creature's baffled expression. Whether it could understand her or not, she smiled and said, "How about I take you to him?"

The little creature looked at Ye Chuqi, at the smile on her face that might be sincere or might conceal some other intention, and at the black mark that looked so out of place there. It had left that mark when it struck her in a panic, but she didn't seem to mind. Her bright black eyes stayed fixed on it, holding a light it couldn't understand.

Once it had calmed down, the little creature chose to trust Ye Chuqi. It shook its little head and rubbed against her hand.

Ye Chuqi's smile widened. It decided to trust me that quickly?

Red Beard hadn't expected Ye Chuqi back so soon, much less with Xiao Nuo. The little creature tumbled into his arms, chattering and howling, and a broad grin spread across his face.

He checked it over with his left hand, the only one he could still use, and discovered how badly hurt it was. His heart ached as he stroked its head.

The little creature wasn't idle either. After fluttering about in his arms to show how much it had missed and worried about him, it immediately tried to stuff the dusty red berries into his mouth. Its desperate little face left Red Beard torn between laughter and tears.

"Easy, Xiao Nuo. You can't eat these like that."

At the sound of Red Beard's voice, Ye Chuqi stared intently above his head. She still couldn't understand his words, but he couldn't see her looking. Even if he sensed her gaze, he would never guess she was watching the speech bubble over his head.

Red Beard took the opportunity to check the little creature's injuries. Seeing how far they had healed, he couldn't help asking, "You ate one already?"

The little creature, which had been bouncing around, went rigid. Clinging to Red Beard's finger, it gave him a pitiful look and even spread its wings, with their few remaining feathers, so he could see just how miserable it was.

"Aow! Aow, aow, aow!"

This time, perhaps because the little creature was less agitated and spoke more clearly, Ye Chuqi could actually read the speech bubble above its head: "One. Just one!"

If San San were awake, I'd grab it and demand to know why it never used this ability before. Being able to understand what Spirit Beasts say—what an incredible advantage!

From the "conversation" between Red Beard and the little creature, Ye Chuqi could tell the red berries were more important than she had imagined. No wonder it guarded them so closely and had wanted Red Beard to eat them at once. Its injuries looked severe, but they were already healing, likely thanks to that "one" berry.

What a treasure! Perfect for growing in my space!

Ye Chuqi rubbed her chin. Red Beard had originally wanted her to go to the Little Oasis to find the little creature. But he had fallen unconscious for several days because of his injuries. By the time she went there, it had already returned to the great pit to look for him. Red Beard and his companions had ventured deep into this barren land and seemed to know it well. They must have been headed for the Little Oasis too.

What could be worth all that trouble?

So these little red berries grow in the Little Oasis?

Ye Chuqi's eyes lit up. That makes perfect sense! She narrowed her eyes and snapped her fingers.

Red Beard and the little creature both turned toward her.

Ye Chuqi rubbed her nose, put a piece of dried meat in Red Beard's hand, and turned to leave. She needed to visit the Little Oasis, both for the red berries that might be there and for any other resources she could find.

Red Beard went still for a moment. Ye Chuqi had moved so naturally, and perhaps because he couldn't see, he hadn't reacted at all. He had simply let her place something in his palm.

It was a small piece, weighing almost nothing, yet its aroma made his mouth water.

Rankings

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Space Stories

Time-Travel and Rebirth Romance

Big Black Loves Fish