Chapter 92 – The Enchanted Forest: You Are My Exclusive Love (09)
Bai Tang struggled in the water, bobbing up and down. Since he couldn’t transform into a squirrel in front of others, the system had no choice but to seal his five senses.
The Guiming Clan originated from underground, and moving through the depths was their specialty. Carrying two people with them, they reached Swamp City in less than half a day.
The captives were thrown into a water prison, their ankles shackled with intricate chains.
Just as the black-clad captors forced them to drink a soft-bone weakening potion, a tall figure strode through the doorway.
“Why are there two?” The newcomer was Cook.
With a wave of his hand, he sent one of his subordinates flying. “Useless tr*sh! You couldn’t even capture one person properly!”
“Forgive us, my lord!” The black-clad men immediately knelt in unison. Their leader pointed at Bai Tang. “We failed to capture Daniel Giles, but we did bring back the Holy Son of the Elves.” Then, gesturing toward Kelly, he added, “And Daniel Giles’ lover.”
Among the Elves, there were only two humans: Daniel and Kelly. The black-clad leader had assumed that Kelly was Daniel’s partner—after all, a man and a woman together were usually a couple. Even if they weren’t, their relationship must be close.
Cook clearly came to the same conclusion, laughing heartily. With these two in his grasp, he could destroy the Elves and lure Daniel Giles into a trap, taking them all down in one fell swoop.
“Well done. Go claim your reward.” Cook was overjoyed as he stepped forward to examine his captives.
Kelly had finally regained some strength. Upon hearing the black-clad men’s conversation, she realized who had captured her. When Cook lifted her chin to inspect her, she spat a mouthful of water right into his face.
Cook’s expression darkened instantly. “Fiery little beauty, aren’t you? No wonder the so-called ‘Savior’ brought you to the Elves.”
“You’re nothing but the Guiming Clan’s lapdog! A disgrace to humanity! Sc*m! Pah—!” This time, Kelly spat again, this time mixed with blood, right onto Cook’s nose.
Cook snapped. He shoved her head underwater, sneering. “Got quite the mouth, huh? Don’t worry. Once your lover arrives, I’ll send you both to the afterlife together.”
He then tossed the paralyzed Kelly aside and turned his attention to Bai Tang.
When Cook lifted Bai Tang’s chin, a flicker of astonishment and desire flashed through his eyes. His rough hand brushed against Bai Tang’s delicate face, and he licked his lips with a sinister smile.
“The legends about the Elves… I wonder if they truly taste as good as they say.”
Kelly’s eyes widened in horror. “Stop!”
But her voice was weak, and she was unable to move. She could only watch helplessly as Cook’s sinful hand began to undo Bai Tang’s clothing.
The marks of love had not yet faded from Bai Tang’s body. Cook paused for a moment before sneering. “And here I thought you were some untouched little thing. Turns out you’ve already been had.”
Even though Bai Tang was technically her rival in love, Kelly couldn’t bear to watch such a beautiful boy be ruined by Cook. More importantly, she couldn’t even imagine what would happen if Daniel found out. She had seen firsthand how terrifying that man was when he sparred against the Elven Elders.
“Ah—!”
Just as Cook was about to force Bai Tang down, an unbearable pain stabbed through his skull—like a dull knife slowly sawing into his brain.
He clutched his head, rolling on the ground in agony, his image as Lord of the City completely shattered. Blood seeped through his fingers.
“Stab you, stab you, stab you! I can’t touch the male lead, but I sure as hell can touch a piece of tr*sh like you! How dare you lay a hand on my man (boy)?! I’ll stab you to death!” The system was furiously hexing Cook.
But Cook was no ordinary man—he had been soaked in darkness for years. He refused to be defeated by some petty tricks. Gritting his teeth, he reached for Bai Tang again.
Just as his fingertips were a mere millimeter from touching Bai Tang’s skin, the pain struck again—this time like an explosion inside his body. Not only his head, but his entire body was wracked with injuries of varying degrees.
Kelly was stunned. She assumed this was some kind of self-defense mechanism unique to the Elves.
The system and Cook fought bitterly, wounding each other in the process. But these injuries were far beyond the small-scale damage of a simple curse doll. In order to protect Bai Tang, the system had even used the energy meant for its own upgrades.
“Tr*sh like you—don’t even think about touching my host!”
Cook was completely baffled. Since he had absorbed the Guiming Clan’s power, he assumed this was simply a natural rejection between dark and light forces.
Defeated and helpless, Cook had no choice but to let his black-clad subordinates support him as he stumbled out of the water prison. Before leaving, he shot a venomous glare at the two captives.
“Bai Tang… Bai Tang…!” Kelly weakly called out to him.
But before she could process what was happening, a flash of white light filled the room. The boy vanished into thin air, leaving only a pile of clothes behind.
Kelly: “!!!”
Bai Tang? Where did he go?!
The soft-bone weakening potion had fully taken effect. Kelly lay not far from where Bai Tang had been, completely paralyzed.
Inside the water prison, an old waterwheel-like mechanism slowly creaked as it turned. The decayed wooden parts scraped against each other, producing an eerie mix of squeaking and dripping sounds.
Kelly stared blankly at the moss-covered ceiling. She had no idea how much time had passed when, amidst the creaking of the waterwheel, an odd noise broke the monotony.
“Squeak, squeak, squeak—”
A tiny squirrel struggled to crawl out from the damp cloth, shaking off the water as it scurried frantically to the other side of the prison.
Kelly shifted her gaze and noticed a small, dark figure sitting in the dimly lit corner of the water prison. The little creature suddenly spat out a pine nut from its plump cheek pouch, gripping it tightly with its tiny paws before munching away enthusiastically.
“Qiu’er~ where is this? It’s so dark~” Bai Tang squeaked in squirrel language.
“Cook’s water prison. Right now, we’ve reached the part of the story where the male supporting character and the female lead are captured.” The system responded weakly, its usual glow now significantly dimmed.
“Qiu’er, are you sick?” Bai Tang noticed its weakened state and asked with concern.
“I’m fine~” The system glanced at its near-depleted energy and gave a bitter smile. But for Bai Tang, even if it had to go into hibernation, it was worth it. Once they completed this world, it would regain its energy.
“I’ll give you my energy, Qiu’er! Get better soon~”
The system was deeply touched by Bai Tang’s words and began absorbing the energy he offered.
Perhaps it was a trait of soft-hearted girls, but when the small shadow finally emerged from the corner, Kelly was silently stunned.
The little squirrel was soaked from head to tail, its fur clinging together in damp clumps. It shook itself dry like a tiny kitten, sending tiny water droplets flying. Its dark, beady eyes glistened with moisture, and its tiny body trembled slightly. It was both adorable and pitiful.
“Squeak, squeak, squeak—”
The little squirrel spotted Kelly, lying weakly on the ground, and quickly scampered over, sniffing around her hand.
“A squirrel…” Kelly muttered. She could barely lift a single finger, but with great effort, she turned her gaze toward a small hole in the prison wall.
“If you get the chance—run.”
Bai Tang looked at Kelly, her body weak and nearly lifeless, and felt a pang of discomfort in his heart. This female lead… wasn’t as hateful as he had thought.
Just as Bai Tang was about to say something, the water prison’s iron doors suddenly creaked open.
The little squirrel instinctively darted into Kelly’s hair, hiding itself from view.
The ones who entered were still the black-clad men, carrying several bowls in their hands. Behind them, they dragged in an unconscious person, almost hauling him in like dead weight.
The moment Bai Tang saw who it was, he almost leaped out to scratch them, but Kelly, sensing the commotion in her hair, held him down tightly.
The black-clad men dumped the person unceremoniously onto the empty ground, shackled his feet, and left without so much as lifting an eyelid.
“Squeak, squeak, squeak—”
The little squirrel darted over to Daniel, using its tiny paws to push against his cheek.
“Squeak, squeak, squeak—Daniel…”
The young man’s eyelids twitched slightly before he slowly opened his eyes.
He had also been drugged with the weakening agent, leaving his entire body limp and powerless.
Upon seeing the little squirrel, Daniel’s bruised lips curved into a faint smile.
“Don’t… worry.”
I told you—I would find you, no matter where you are.
From Kelly’s position, she couldn’t see what was happening on Daniel’s side, but as soon as that familiar white light flashed, she once again heard Bai Tang’s soft and sweet voice.
“Daniel, let me heal you.”
Though Kelly couldn’t see what was happening, the gentle green light that spread across the room also reached the right side of her body, restoring some of her strength.
After the sound of rustling fabric, Daniel had dressed Bai Tang once more. Only when he held his boy in his arms again did Daniel’s heart finally settle back in place.
Only heaven knew how much his heart had ached and his mind had shattered when he learned that Bai Tang had disappeared.
He had completely lost control, attacking everything in his path, intending to fight his way from the Misty Forest all the way to Marsh City. It took several elven elders working together to restrain him, and even then, they had all sustained injuries in the process.
Once Daniel regained his clarity, he rushed toward Marsh City without stopping.
Thinking rationally, he revealed himself as an alchemist within the city. Years ago, Cook had slaughtered nearly all the alchemists, and those who remained did not dare to expose themselves.
It was inevitable that Daniel would be captured, subjected to threats and bribes, but he never wavered. In the end, he was thrown into the city lord’s mansion, just as he had hoped.
His original plan had been to infiltrate the mansion and search for Bai Tang, but he never expected that they would deliver him straight to Bai Tang’s side.
“Ah-choo~” Bai Tang sneezed a few times, raising his hand to cover his reddened, sore nose.
Out of nowhere, Daniel produced a small pouch, opening it to reveal the fragrant aroma of roasted nuts.
Bai Tang’s eyes lit up with delight, his gaze fixed intently on Daniel’s hands as he peeled chestnuts. The brown shells came apart piece by piece, revealing the golden-yellow flesh inside. Bai Tang waited eagerly for Daniel to feed him.
Once Bai Tang was fed to satisfaction, Daniel took out a potion he had crafted and offered it to him.
Bai Tang frowned—he hated drinking medicine the most. But whenever he caught a chill, Daniel would force him to take it.
“Be good. Drink it so you won’t feel uncomfortable. I still have candied chestnuts, salted Hawaiian macadamia nuts…” Daniel listed off Bai Tang’s favorites one by one.
“Drink, drink, drink!” Bai Tang’s eyes sparkled as he hurriedly gulped down the potion, eager to get to the treats.
“Huh? It’s sweet! Tastes like walnuts.” Bai Tang took a sip, clicking his tongue in surprise. His pink tongue licked the corner of his lips before he obediently finished the rest of the potion straight from Daniel’s hand.
“Candied chestnuts! Candied chestnuts!” Bai Tang kept looking around expectantly. “Where are my chestnuts?”
But when he couldn’t find the treats he had been longing for, the bright eyes of the little squirrel shimmered with a misty layer of tears.
Daniel gently rubbed Bai Tang’s round, stuffed belly in slow, rhythmic circles. “Digest first, or your stomach will hurt again.”
Bai Tang clung to Daniel’s other arm, letting out a soft yawn, completely at ease—a perfect embodiment of “when you have a strong backer, nothing in the world is scary.” Full and drowsy, he was ready to sleep.
Kelly: Hey! Can you at least untie me before showing off your love?!
Author’s Note:
Been quite busy, so the update is late. Hope you understand~ (ε)