The five Fuzhu had already come running over. Holding the little pet, Yang Wanqing swung herself onto one of them—the Fuzhu was reluctant, pawing the ground twice with its forehooves and trying to back away. Yang Wanqing clamped a leg around its belly, grabbed its mane, and forced her way onto its back.
"Run!"
The Fuzhu reluctantly set off.
Fuzhu were fast runners.
The little pet's breathing grew shallower in Yang Wanqing's arms, its body twitching every few seconds. Blood seeped through the gaps in the hemostatic powder, staining the front of her clothes dark red.
"Faster, faster, faster—" Yang Wanqing urged the Fuzhu on.
They ran for about twenty minutes.
A peach grove appeared ahead.
These were not the peach trees of Blue Star. Their trunks were twice as thick as ordinary peach trees, with dark purple bark and branches laden with blossoms. The pale pink petals were three or four times larger than peach blossoms on Blue Star, each covered in fine patterns and giving off an intense fragrance.
Sweet.
Very sweet.
Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing jumped off the Fuzhu and entered the peach grove.
"Where is it?" Yang Wanqing looked around, holding the little pet. "Where's your den?"
The little pet's paw still pointed ahead. Yang Wanqing carried it another dozen or so steps into the grove.
Deep within the grove, there was nothing but more peach trees and fallen petals.
No cave. No den. No medicinal herbs.
"Why isn't there anything?" Yang Wanqing grew frantic. "Don't they say little cats and dogs find herbs to eat when they're sick?"
Chen Siyao searched too. She circled several nearby peach trees. A thick layer of petals covered the ground, soft beneath her feet.
There was nothing but blue moss in the gaps between the roots, no unusual