Chapter 106 – The Little Snow Ferret No Longer Ran Away (07)
“Tang Tang, my stomach hurts a little…” Bai Chuansu leaned weakly against Bai Tang, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as his face turned pale. He could feel it.
“Su Su!” Bai Tang caught Bai Chuansu as he started to slide down, only to notice that his stomach was no longer as flat as usual.
This is… could it be?!
As someone with experience, Bai Tang immediately understood Bai Chuansu’s condition. But still, he shouldn’t be this weak, right?
“Be good, little one, don’t make trouble. Your daddy isn’t feeling well~” Bai Tang placed his hand on Bai Chuansu’s stomach and channeled spiritual energy into him, feeling a pang of guilt for his recklessness. He hadn’t even noticed Su Su’s condition—how careless of him.
Seeing this, the attendant hurriedly brought over a bowl of medicine prepared by the kitchen staff, but Bai Mo blocked his way.
“What are you doing? What is that? It stinks.” With his sharp animal senses, Bai Mo wrinkled his nose in disgust and waved his hand dismissively.
“Mm! Mm!” The attendant frantically pointed at the bowl of medicine and then at Bai Chuansu, trying to signal that it was prenatal medicine beneficial for the baby.
“Give… give it to me…” The young cat-fox’s voice was weak. This was usually the time he drank his medicine. His stomach often ached, but the medicine helped alleviate the pain. There was no other choice—his spiritual energy was far too weak compared to the Demon Lord’s, making it difficult to nourish the powerful bloodline growing inside him. He needed daily supplements.
“Alright, hand it over.” Bai Mo took the bowl, the pungent medicinal scent invading his nose. He frowned, detecting a familiar undertone beneath the overpowering smell, but he couldn’t quite place it.
“It seems I misunderstood. Mo Mo, hold onto the medicine. Let’s go inside first. Su Su should drink it before we continue talking.”
“Alright.”
Bai Mo responded, still trying to recall where he had smelled that scent before.
After the infusion of spiritual energy, Bai Chuansu’s pain eased significantly, though his complexion remained pale.
“Here, Mo Mo, give it to me.” Bai Tang reached for the bowl.
Just as Bai Chuansu was about to drink the medicine, Bai Mo suddenly had a flash of realization. His eyes widened, and he lunged forward, knocking the bowl out of Bai Chuan Su’s hands, shattering it on the floor.
“Don’t drink it!” Bai Mo gasped, heart still racing. Seeing that Bai Chuansu hadn’t taken a sip, he finally relaxed and explained, “There was Chi Hong Grass in it. This plant only grows by the cold rivers of the Netherworld—it’s highly toxic.”
Bai Tang’s expression darkened. “What?!”
Not only Bai Tang, but even the attendant who had been taking care of Bai Chuansu was utterly shocked. Poison? How could this be?!
“Mm! Mm! Mm!” Master, are you alright? Physician! Someone, call the physician!
The attendant threw himself at Bai Chuansu’s feet, unable to speak due to the sealing spell. He was so anxious that he could only whimper in distress. It was Bai Tang who finally lifted the spell, allowing him to talk.
“Your Excellency, please hold on. The physician is on his way!” Though Bai Chuansu was the one in pain, the attendant looked even more tormented.
Both Bai Tang and Bai Mo took turns transferring spiritual energy into Bai Chuansu. Chi Hong Grass was not only poisonous but also destroyed one’s spiritual roots, causing a rapid loss of spiritual energy. Judging by Bai Chuansu’s symptoms, it seemed he had only ingested a small amount. If he had taken too much, neither he nor the child would have survived.
Since few people had access to the Demon Consort’s chambers, Bai Mo was certain that someone was targeting Bai Chuansu. To avoid alerting the enemy, he instructed everyone present to keep the matter of the Chi Hong Grass a secret for now.
When the physician arrived and examined Bai Chuansu, he asked if he had been taking his medicine on time upon learning that his stomach was still hurting.
As a physician, shouldn’t he have noticed that something was off? Yet, instead of investigating, he kept urging the attendant to have another dose prepared in the kitchen.
Bai Mo and Bai Tang exchanged glances before stepping forward.
“The medicine seems to be making His Excellency weaker. Could there be any side effects? Should we consider changing to a different one?” Bai Mo questioned. The physician’s behavior was far too suspicious—either he was incompetent or had been bribed.
“Are you the physician, or am I? What do you know? This prescription is what’s best for His Excellency!” The physician huffed, glaring at Bai Mo.
Seeing that Bai Mo was unfamiliar, he assumed he was just one of Bai Tang’s attendants. A mere servant daring to challenge him? Once his master’s plan succeeded, he would make sure to have this meddlesome servant used for drug testing.
Aside from the physician and the unconscious Bai Chuansu, the three people present all had dark expressions—especially the attendant, who was torn between shock and rage.
“Pack up some essentials,” Bai Tang instructed the attendant. The Demon Realm was no longer safe. With the Demon Lord absent, who knew how many traitors had infiltrated? Staying here was far too dangerous—Su Su would be better off coming back with me to the Northern Forest.
The attendant knew that Bai Tang would never harm His Excellency, so he readily agreed to his proposal.
Just as the physician sensed that something was off and was about to speak, Bai Mo and Bai Tang acted swiftly. One blocked the exit, while the other delivered a swift kick, gagged him, and overpowered him in an instant.
“Mm! Mm! Mm!” The physician was beaten black and blue, his mouth stuffed with a rag from who-knew-where, making him look utterly ridiculous.
It was Bai Mo who had done the beating. The meat-loving little snow ferret was far more ruthless than the herbivorous little squirrel. Seeing the physician struggling on the ground, trying to wriggle his way out, Bai Mo grew annoyed and gave him another firm kick.
“Stay still, or I’ll break your legs,” Bai Mo threatened.
“I wonder if he has any accomplices…” Bai Tang had barely finished speaking when a voice called from outside.
It was the cook, requesting to enter. She explained that she had prepared another bowl of medicine because she feared the previous one had gone cold, which might weaken its effects and be bad for His Excellency.
The three of them exchanged glances. How convenient—just when we needed confirmation, here it is. Something is definitely wrong. This isn’t about maintaining the medicine’s efficacy—it’s about making sure the poison does its job.
The physician, who had been lying quietly, suddenly began struggling frantically upon hearing the cook’s voice, desperate to make noise and get her attention. However, he had failed to consider the palace’s excellent soundproofing. As the cook’s footsteps approached, his muffled “Mm! Mm! Mm!” gradually died down under Bai Mo’s cold, warning gaze.
Bai Tang nodded at the attendant, who then loudly called the cook inside. The moment she stepped through the door, Bai Tang snatched the medicine while Bai Mo swiftly knocked her unconscious.
“Tie them up. Take both of them with us,” Bai Tang ordered.
With Bai Tang leading the way—his status preventing the Demon Realm guards from acting rashly—and Bai Mo’s formidable strength as backup, the group left under the watchful but powerless gazes of the onlookers.
“I’m taking your His Excellency with me. Tell your Demon Lord to come find me in Northern Forest.”
Leaving behind these words, Bai Tang boarded the sedan chair carried by celestial cranes, bringing along Bai Chuansu, Bai Mo, and the attendant. As for the two captives, they were given far less dignified treatment—dangling high in the sky, bound by ropes gripped tightly in the cranes’ beaks, swaying precariously in the wind.
Now, imagine this: you open your eyes, your powers are sealed, and you find yourself dangling in mid-air, teetering on the edge of a deadly fall. The ropes holding you up are clenched between the beaks of celestial cranes—one slight shift in their grip, and you plummet to your doom.
For the physician and the cook, this was no hypothetical scenario. Thanks for asking—they were currently experiencing the repeated terror of skimming the edge of death. Their hearts were nearly giving out. Please, just get to the destination and put them down already!
The ropes looked thin, but they were crafted from millennium-old silkworm threads, reinforced with the Five Elements Radiance Technique. Sturdy and nearly indestructible, even deities would struggle to break free. But of course, the physician and the cook didn’t know that. Looking up, they saw the sharp, narrow beaks of the celestial cranes—one wrong move, and the ropes could snap at any moment. Looking down, they saw only endless clouds, so high that even someone without a fear of heights would feel faint.
After countless near-death “falls,” they finally arrived at Northern Forest. The moment their feet touched solid ground, an overwhelming sense of relief washed over them—so much so that they nearly cried. So this is what it feels like to be alive.
Since even the physician and the cook had been bribed, Bai Tang wasn’t fully confident in Bai Chuansu’s personal attendants either. Upon arriving at Northern Forest, North Emperor and Jianmu were already waiting, having received the news. Bai Tang pointed at the two trembling captives, who were still thanking the heavens for their survival, and said to North Emperor,
“Ah Wu, check these two. They’re spies who tried to harm Su Su.”
After the battles between the Divine Realm and the Demon Realm, followed by the war with the Western forces, the North Emperor had barely had time to recover his strength. Now, there was even trouble involving the Netherworld Realm. The Scarlet Rainbow Grass was a plant native to the Netherworld Realm, which had yet to be unsealed—so how did it get out? Bai Tang smelled a deeper conspiracy at play.
They couldn’t afford another war. Ah Wu had already grown noticeably thinner from dealing with all these issues.
Meanwhile, the little snow ferret, Bai Mo, was even more shameless. Before Jianmu could reprimand him for running off, he leaped straight into Jianmu’s arms, holding up his slightly reddened paw, looking pitiful as he whined,
“Brother Jianmu, they bullied me! I almost couldn’t come back to see you!”
The physician’s eyes widened in disbelief. Who’s bullying whom here? He wanted to protest. Say it clearly! It was clearly you who unilaterally beat me up!
“What are you staring at? Not convinced, huh?” The little snow ferret glared back fiercely, then turned away with watery eyes, looking pitiful. “It was him! He even insulted me, calling me ‘a worthless thing’…”
In truth, the physician had never actually said those words, but his disdainful gaze toward Bai Mo had made his thoughts quite clear. The little snow ferret wasn’t stupid—he had understood instantly and had swiftly retaliated. But getting revenge didn’t stop him from snuggling up to Jianmu for comfort afterward.
“Oh? And what are you, then?” Jianmu blew gently on the young ferret’s slightly reddened hands, his handsome face turning icy cold. In the blink of an eye, flames ignited on the physician’s body. Tied up as he was, he could do nothing but roll on the ground, writhing in agony.
“Brother Jianmu, don’t burn the trees,” Bai Mo whined. While he felt the physician deserved punishment, he couldn’t bear to see the lush forest suffer damage—it had taken so many years to grow this beautifully.
“Don’t worry, the forest won’t burn.” Jianmu squeezed the young ferret’s palm reassuringly. He knew what he was doing—this was True Flame, which only affected the soul. It inflicted the searing pain of being burned alive but caused no physical harm. More importantly, it could break down a person’s psychological defenses, forcing them to speak the truth.
The cook, being a woman and having just witnessed the physician’s horrific ordeal, promptly pretended to faint. Jianmu, for the moment, spared her from punishment, allowing her to escape unscathed—for now.
By the time Bai Tang had ensured North Emperor had verified the attendant’s loyalty and properly settled Bai Chuansu, the physician had spilled everything he knew.
He admitted that he had lost himself to greed. While browsing the market, he had come across a piece of obsidian brimming with demonic energy. He had wanted to take a shortcut to power, attempting to refine it and claim its energy as his own. But he had fallen into a trap—before he realized it, a mysterious figure had seized control of his very soul. If he didn’t follow their orders, they would erase a portion of his soul each day. Once all three spiritual and seven corporeal souls were destroyed, he would cease to exist entirely. The mysterious figure had also promised him great rewards and had even found a way to lure Demon Lord away, giving him the perfect opportunity to strike. The cook, too, had been bribed into aiding him…
Upon learning that Bai Chuansu had only ingested Scarlet Rainbow Grass three times, Bai Tang finally relaxed a little. The amount was low—there was still a chance to save him.
“I’ve told you everything—please, don’t kill me, don’t—AAAHHHH—!”
Before he could finish, the physician suddenly burst into flames. Ghostly blue fire engulfed him, crackling ominously.
The North Emperor immediately attempted to extinguish the flames, but to his horror, the ethereal fire only flared up higher upon contact with spiritual energy. In mere moments, the physician was reduced to nothing but ashes.