"Squeak!" The Seven-Pattern Cloud Mouse answered, not daring to show the slightest defiance.
Whoosh! Green light flashed, and a feline silhouette appeared the next instant. The moment it emerged, it pounced on the Seven-Pattern Cloud Mouse and pinned it down in the blink of an eye, one sharp claw raised as though ready to take its life.
"Meow!" A triumphant cry escaped its little mouth, born of the hunting instinct triggered by the sight of prey.
"Xuanzi, stop!" Just as Xuanzi opened its mouth, baring long teeth to bite the Seven-Pattern Cloud Mouse, Zeng Mu hurriedly intervened. "You can't eat this one."
The Seven-Pattern Cloud Mouse was indeed immensely valuable, and to Xuanzi, it must have been an irresistible temptation. Unfortunately, the black bear had eaten people, and the Seven-Pattern Cloud Mouse had just fed on the bear's flesh and blood. In other words, the mouse had indirectly eaten people too. From Zeng Mu's perspective, letting Xuanzi eat it now was absolutely out of the question.
"Meow..." Xuanzi let out a disappointed cry upon hearing that it could not eat its prey.
"Be good. I'll find you something you like later. Make do with this for now." Zeng Mu hurriedly took some chunks of elemental meat from the Wood Elemental Artifact and fed them to Xuanzi. Once it had eaten and drunk its fill, he added, "All right, go back inside and sleep. Things are a little unusual right now. Unless something happens, you can only come out when I call you."
"Meow." It answered with a hint of reluctance. A moment later, all four paws left the ground, and it flashed back into the glowing green Wood Elemental Artifact.
"Squeak!" The Seven-Pattern Cloud Mouse immediately let out a string of cries, seemingly grateful that Zeng Mu had intervened. Otherwise,