Chapter 21: Chapter 21: It’s Okay, I’m Willing to Be a Dog

"Yu An!"

"An’an!"

Feng Xuan and Lu Lu cried out at the same time. They tried to save Yu An, but it was too late!

The commotion from Feng Xuan’s fight with the Beastman had made the already fragile snow even more unstable. A roar thundered from above, and in an instant, a thick layer of snow buried them completely!

Zaizai’s tiny body was falling. Yu An reached out, and a vine shot out, wrapping around him and pulling him back into her arms.

The moment she had Da Hu in her arms, Yu An let out a huge sigh of relief. But they were facing a bottomless chasm and an avalanche of snow tumbling down from the mountain peak!

As the overwhelming snow cascaded down, Yu An held Da Hu tightly, desperately searching her storage space for anything useful. Unfortunately, the snow was coming too fast.

The snow, like a giant white wave, rolled in, sweeping her along as she continued to fall.

Snow plastered her face, making it hard to breathe. Just as her consciousness began to fade, a sudden warmth enveloped her.

Then, something furry pulled her into an embrace, shielding her from the impacts from the outside world.

Yu An struggled to open her eyes and saw a large wolf with snow-white fur.

Seeing that she was a little better, the large wolf grinned, as if wanting to say something. But before it could, they hit the ground hard.

The dull thud of their landing echoed in Yu An’s ears. At the same time, the faint scent of blood began to spread, but it was quickly masked by the snow.

The large wolf rolled over, shielding her from the snow that was pouring down from above.

Han Li let out a muffled grunt. Seeing that Yu An and Da Hu, who was in her arms, were safe and sound, he breathed a sigh of relief.

On one side was an avalanche; on the other, a giant wolf twice her size. For a moment, Yu An wasn’t sure which to be more afraid of.

As if sensing her wariness, the large wolf stretched out its tongue and licked a cut on her face. "Yu An, I’m that snow dog."

Yu An froze. "Doggy?"

The tips of Han Li’s ears turned slightly red. Before, when he heard Yu An call him that, he had only felt annoyed and embarrassed. Now, however, it felt a little... intimate.

’No, this isn’t the time to be thinking about that. We haven’t escaped yet.’

"Don’t talk yet. Treat Da Hu first. I’ll hold off the snow."

Han Li’s beast form was immense, his body creating a small space large enough to block most of the snow.

Yu An nodded and channeled her superpower into Da Hu’s body. Before long, Da Hu slowly opened his eyes.

"Female Mother..."

Yu An said, both excited and nervous, "Zaizai, you’re awake! Does anything feel wrong?"

Da Hu shook his head. Seeing that he was just a bit weak but otherwise in good spirits, both Yu An and Han Li could finally relax.

"Doggy, are you okay? Just hold on a little longer. I’ll find a way out now."

They were surrounded by snow. They had to get out quickly, or they could easily suffocate. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"I’m fine," Han Li smiled at her, his tone light. "I forgot to tell you, I’m not actually a snow dog, but a Snow Wolf. Being in this ice and snow is like being at home for me."

Reassured by his words, Yu An first took out thick clothes for herself and Da Hu, then observed their surroundings.

After spitting to determine which way was up, Yu An took out a shovel and began to dig her way out, one shovelful at a time.

Han Li remained on guard, ready to block any falling snow with his body.

Not knowing how thick the snow was, Yu An dug as fast as she could. Da Hu nestled quietly in her arms, trying his best not to be a burden to his Female Mother.

But it wasn’t long before Da Hu suddenly caught a faint scent of blood. He sniffed carefully. It wasn’t Yu An’s.

When his gaze fell on Han Li, Han Li seemed to sense it, and their eyes met.

Han Li grinned at him and gave a slight shake of his head. Da Hu wanted to say something but was silenced by a look from Han Li.

’Getting out is what’s important. It’s just a small wound. It’s not too late to treat it after we’re out.’

After who knows how long, when Yu An’s gloved hands were red with cold, she drove the shovel in one more time, and a sliver of light broke through.

Yu An’s face lit up. "We’re out!"

She crawled out of the snow first, then reached back for Han Li. "Come on, I’ll pull you out."

Han Li nodded and lifted a forepaw, but before he could reach her, his strength suddenly gave out. The last thing he heard before losing consciousness was the startled cries of Yu An and Da Hu.

The Snow Wolf’s body was simply too big and heavy. It took every ounce of Yu An’s strength to finally pull Han Li out.

Only then was the injury on his back revealed. It was a gruesome, mangled mess of flesh and ice shards, too horrible to look at.

The surroundings were a vast expanse of white. The snow was still thick enough not to collapse, so Yu An took out a tent to at least have some shelter from the wind.

When Han Li woke up again, he felt a pleasant warmth in front of him. He groggily opened his eyes and saw Yu An cooking something.

"Female Mother, he’s awake!"

Da Hu’s childish voice rang in his ear. Han Li struggled to sit up and realized he had reverted to his human form.

"You’re awake?"

Yu An put down what she was holding and walked over. "Don’t move around too much, or your wounds will reopen."

She had treated Han Li’s wounds and stopped the bleeding, but worried about encountering unknown dangers, she hadn’t exhausted her superpower.

This movement caused the blanket covering Han Li to slip. Realizing he wasn’t wearing anything, he scrambled to grab the blanket and cover himself.

Yu An felt awkward too and cleared her throat. "It wouldn’t be proper for me to dress you... Here, put these on yourself."

Han Li nodded, blushing. He quickly grabbed the clothes and put them on. While relieved, he also felt a bit wronged.

’We’ve already kissed and hugged, so why is she still talking about propriety?’

The hot soup in the pot was bubbling. Yu An ladled out three bowls. "Have some soup to warm up. Once you’re feeling a bit better, we’ll look for a way home."

"By the way, I still don’t know your name. I’m sorry for mistaking you for a doggy before..."

"It’s okay, I’m willing to be one!"

Han Li blurted it out. But when he received a look from Yu An as if he were a pervert, he quickly changed the subject.

"I-I’m Han Li, the Young City Lord of Han Ling City. And thank you for taking me in and giving me food."

Yu An had a sudden realization. "So you’re the Young City Lord who was stolen! I thought you’d be a cub."

’If he was an adult Beastman, that big, how could he be ’stolen’?’

Han Li gave a bitter smile. "Something went wrong with my training. My beast form shrank, and I looked about the size of a snow dog."

"My spiritual power also regressed to zero, and there was a traitor within Han Ling City, so..."

"AHH—"

Before he could finish, Da Hu, who had been sitting to the side, suddenly let out a wail, knocking his bowl of hot soup to the ground.

Yu An jumped in fright. "Da Hu! Zaizai, what’s wrong?"

"It hurts! Female Mother, it hurts! It hurts so much!"

He was in so much pain that he was rolling on the ground. Yu An forcefully held him down and probed him with her superpower, but she couldn’t find anything wrong.

Yu An was frantic, not knowing what was happening.

"Let me see," Han Li said, staring at Da Hu’s small body. "I think I’ve seen a similar condition before."

Yu An’s eyes lit up. She quickly carried Da Hu over. "What’s wrong with Da Hu?"

Han Li took a closer look and confirmed his suspicion. "It’s the aftereffect of eating Puppet Grass. I’ve seen it in Han Ling City."

He had personally witnessed the effects of Puppet Grass and had also seen how its users died in agony after it wore off.