Chapter 116
After Lu Li left the dining hall, Xue Wei continued her struggle to finish the rest of her nutrient paste.
When 4586 came in to clean up, she seized the opportunity to ask, “4586, do you know where the other cubs are? I want to find them.”
“Dear Weiwei, the other cubs are currently playing in the green area behind the nursery building,” 4586 replied. “If you wait a moment while I tidy up, I can take you there.”
“Okay.”
Xue Wei nodded obediently, then offered, “Let me help you.”
Ever since she had been forced to leave her homeland and lost her parents during their escape, Xue Wei had matured overnight.
Though only a short time had passed, it had been enough for her to realize that no one in this world would naturally be kind to her without reason.
Even when interacting with the caretaker robot, she hadn’t forgotten this truth.
“Thank you, Weiwei. You’re just the sweetest!” 4586 praised her with exaggerated enthusiasm.
Xue Wei smiled, finding the nursery’s caretaker robots quite unique. They seemed more human-like than the ones she had encountered before.
When 4586 led her out of the nursery building, turned a corner, and arrived at the back, Xue Wei was surprised to discover such a place within the nursery.
Her arrival immediately caught the cubs’ attention.
Little Lang Ze was busy learning to count with Youyou. Perhaps motivated by the promise of Star-chain Fruit, his enthusiasm for learning had been fully sparked. In just one morning, he had mastered counting up to ten.
Now, he was advancing to double-digit numbers.
Before Xue Wei appeared around the corner, Little Lang Ze had been deeply focused. But suddenly, he sniffed the air sharply.
A sweet smell…
The candies Xue Wei carried in her paper bag were all wrapped, so theoretically, the scent should have been faint and unlikely to travel far.
But Little Lang Ze smelled it anyway.
The breeze carried that delightful fragrance to him, brushing past his nose and instantly capturing all his attention.
Xiao Lu Jiao’s voice faded into the background as he turned his head toward the direction of the smell, just in time to see 4586 leading Xue Wei into the green area.
“Ah, a newcomer?” Little Lang Ze tilted his head as he looked at the unfamiliar girl walking beside 4586.
Hearing this, Xiao Lu Jiao paused her teaching and glanced over curiously. She saw a girl with rabbit ears holding a strange paper bag, walking toward them from around the corner.
“Youyou, her hair is the same as yours—white!” Little Lang Ze remarked.
Xiao Lu Jiao nodded. “Her beast bloodline is probably a rabbit.”
“Rabbit?” Little Lang Ze sounded skeptical. “Can a rabbit really be called a fierce beast?”
He had seen rabbits before at the star pirate base—soft, white, and completely non-aggressive, eating feed all day.
For such a cute animal to be called a “fierce beast,” Little Lang Ze’s first reaction was confusion. However, after glancing at Youyou beside him, it didn’t seem so strange.
After all, most of the cubs sent to the nursery had something special about them.
With this thought, Little Lang Ze got up and walked over.
The Crimson Flame Tiger, who was crouching with its eyes closed and silently reciting its heart mantra, twitched its ears slightly. It lazily opened one eye to glance in their direction before losing interest and shutting it again. As the second oldest cub, new arrivals weren’t anything unusual, and nothing was more important than its training.
Rong Heng felt the same. He was fully focused on memorizing his mantra. With the help of the base’s AI, he no longer needed his sister to read it aloud for him, making the process much easier.
As for Little Li Hua…
She was completely engrossed in sketching a blooming Star-chain Fruit bud, oblivious to her surroundings and unaware of Xue Wei’s arrival.
Xue Wei’s attention quickly shifted from the greenery to the other cubs, and she began to feel nervous.
Suddenly, the little chubby bird hiding in her pocket chirped, poking its head out. The sudden movement startled Xue Wei, who hurriedly pressed it back down and whispered for it to stay hidden. Grudgingly, the chubby bird retreated into her pocket, its plump rear sticking out in defiance.
“Are you new here?”
A strange voice broke through her thoughts. Xue Wei turned to see a tall, sturdy boy standing beside her. She hadn’t even noticed when he approached.
He bent slightly, sniffing the air around her.
Startled, Xue Wei tightened her grip on the paper bag she was holding and took a nervous step back. Looking at the wolf-eared boy, she shyly said, “H-hello, I’m the new Number Nine. My name is Xue Wei.”
Hearing her introduce herself, Lang Ze scratched his head. When he first arrived at the nursery, there hadn’t been such a formal introduction.
Still, he found this new girl quite likable.
“Hi! I’m Number Eight, but you can call me Lang Ze,” he said cheerfully, flashing a grin.
“Hello, Lang Ze…”
Xue Wei exhaled softly and was about to take out her gift when another boy with short silver-white hair walked over. He had a pair of small, delicate antlers on his forehead and looked especially adorable.
Noticing his companion’s arrival, the wolf cub slung an arm around Little Deer and said, “This is Number Seven. His full name is Lu Jiao.”
Pointing at Xue Wei, Lang Ze added, “Youyou, her name is Xue Wei. See? Didn’t I tell you? She’s white and soft, just like I said.”
The oddest thing was the sweet smell on her. Lang Ze was puzzled because he remembered the rabbits they used to keep at the pirate base being smelly.
Of course, he wasn’t the same impulsive wolf cub he used to be, so he wisely kept that thought to himself.
Even so, Little Deer gave him a sidelong glance and said seriously, “Lang Ze, commenting on someone’s appearance in front of them is impolite.”
He then turned to Xue Wei and said warmly, “Hello, Xue Wei. I’m Lu Jiao, but you can call me Youyou.”
“H-hello!” Xue Wei stammered.
Because of Lang Ze’s earlier comment, the girl’s cheeks had turned bright red, and she felt a bit embarrassed and annoyed. However, after Lu Jiao scolded Lang Ze, she began to feel better.
Xue Wei took a candy box out of her paper bag and handed it to Lu Jiao. “This is a welcome gift for you. I hope you like it.”
Lu Jiao was pleasantly surprised as he accepted the box.
Lang Ze, who had been sulking, still felt he hadn’t done anything wrong. In his mind, the new girl did look white and soft—he was just being honest! How was that impolite?
However, when he saw what Xue Wei had given Lu Jiao, he couldn’t help leaning over, sniffing the air. His eyes lit up as he blurted, “Is this food? It smells sweet!”
So the sweet scent he had noticed earlier came from this gift?
Xue Wei nodded.
It’s really food! And it’s probably candy!
Lang Ze’s envy skyrocketed. Why didn’t he get a gift even though he was the first to greet her, while Youyou did?
Remembering how Lu Jiao had chastised him, the adaptable wolf cub decided to apologize. “I’m sorry for earlier! I didn’t mean it.”
Xue Wei looked at his straightforward and earnest demeanor and wasn’t upset. She replied gently, “It’s okay, I know.”
Then she took another candy box from her bag and said, “This is for you. Please take care of me in the future.”
Lang Ze accepted the box with excitement and cheered loudly. When he opened it and saw five different candies inside, he couldn’t help exclaiming, “Xue Wei, you’re the best! Thank you!”
Xue Wei smiled shyly, her lips curving sweetly.
Seeing her effort to establish friendly relations was working, she pressed on and asked, “Could you introduce me to the other cubs?”
“Of course! Let’s go!”
Lang Ze, holding his candy box, hopped back excitedly. But when they returned to the spot, Little Xing Xing was nowhere to be seen.
Lang Ze wasn’t worried. He glanced around and quickly spotted the small figure hiding under the thick foliage of the Star-chain Fruit tree’s branches.
As if sensing his gaze, the tiny feet wearing the smallest-sized cub shoes quickly pulled further into the leaves.
Lu Jiao also noticed and was about to say something, but Lang Ze had already rushed over.
“Xing Xing, why did you run over here?” The strong little wolf cub grabbed the petite kitten cub and pulled him out with ease.
Lu Jiao opened his mouth to speak but decided against it, letting it go instead.
It always went this way. No matter how much Xing Xing tried to hide, Lang Ze would always find him and drag him out without a care. Yet, Xing Xing never got upset about it.
In fact, his personality had become noticeably brighter, and he was far less withdrawn than before.
So, was this a case of one willing to chase and the other willing to be caught?
“Xing Xing, look! The new girl, Xue Wei, gave me these delicious candies—five whole pieces! And… and each one is different!”
As he spoke, the little wolf cub’s expression turned conflicted.
Each candy was unique, meaning each had a different flavor. He wanted to try them all! But…
“How about we split each one in half?” Lang Ze proposed to Xing Xing.
His plan was to take a bite himself and give the rest to Xing Xing, so they could both enjoy the candies together.
Xing Xing, too, had caught the sweet scent of the candy, but it came with the unfamiliar scent of a stranger. He shook his head and turned away, wanting to hide again.
Thinking Xing Xing disagreed, Lang Ze muttered, “Well… how about I give you two pieces, and you let me lick them just to taste the flavor?”
The wolf cub wasn’t one to shortchange himself, so he planned to keep three candies and give two to Xing Xing.
As for Lu Jiao, he had already received his own gift, so there was no need to share with him.
Hearing their conversation, Xue Wei walked over. Looking at the child with obvious challenges, she softly said, “Your name is Xing Xing, right? I’m Xue Wei, and I brought a gift for you too.”
She took out Xing Xing’s gift from her paper bag and offered it to him.
Xing Xing, clutching his metal ball, didn’t reach out to take it. He lowered his head slightly, showing no reaction.
Xue Wei wasn’t offended, though, because in the next moment, the candy box was intercepted by Lang Ze, who cheerfully said, “His name is Zheng Xing, but his nickname is Xing Xing.”
“Hello, Xing Xing,” Xue Wei said, greeting him again with a smile.
This time, Xing Xing didn’t completely ignore her. He gave the tiniest of nods, which for him was already a significant step forward.
Xue Wei noticed that he seemed to be in a special situation, so she didn’t push further. Smiling, she watched as he and Lang Ze ate the first candy together. Then, her attention turned to the other cubs.
She noticed the Crimson Flame Tiger lying under a rope net.
From the moment she arrived, her attention had been drawn to the fierce beast.
Xue Wei had seen pictures of it in class, so she knew this red-striped predator was one of the Top Ten Fierce Beasts, the Crimson Flame Tiger.
She remembered her teacher saying that Crimson Flame Tigers were generally temperamental and best avoided. So, finding one here in the nursery had initially made her nervous.
Thankfully, Lang Ze and Lu Jiao’s presence had helped ease her anxiety. Now, looking at the Crimson Flame Tiger again, Xue Wei realized it seemed rather calm.
But… how could there be a Crimson Flame Tiger here?
“That’s Number Two,” Lu Jiao said. “His name is Ran Lie. Do you want to go over and meet him?”
His suggestion made Xue Wei tense up again.
So, this was a fully beastified cub… but it sounded like he still retained some rationality.
As a girl raised as a refined young lady, even though her awakened bloodline wasn’t weak, she couldn’t help but feel fear and apprehension when facing a truly fierce beast.
However, Xue Wei quickly forced those emotions down.
Looking at Lu Jiao, she nodded firmly. “Youyou, please lead the way.”
Her parents were gone, and the lady and her husband had cast her aside. Now she was on her own, and she had to learn to face everything with strength.
Seeing the girl’s determined, almost “marching to her doom” expression, Lu Jiao paused. Being a fellow herbivore bloodline, he felt he could somewhat understand her feelings.
Carnivores—especially ones ranked among the fiercest beasts—were indeed intimidating.
“Don’t worry, Lie Lie won’t hurt you,” Lu Jiao reassured her, then added, “Come with me.”
“All right.”
As the two children approached, Ran Lie had already heard their footsteps. When they stopped about two steps away, he finally opened his eyes.
The Crimson Flame Tiger’s gaze carried a hint of impatience, but he said nothing—mostly because, in his current form, he couldn’t speak.
Ran Lie thought he looked cool and imposing, but in Xue Wei’s eyes, it was a completely different story.
For one, his size wasn’t as massive as a fully grown Crimson Flame Tiger. And second, he was still a cub.
No matter how aloof and authoritative he tried to appear, he couldn’t mask the adorable, juvenile charm of a cub. With his smooth, sleek fur, he looked more like a giant plush toy than a fearsome predator.
Once she got closer, Xue Wei found herself less afraid.
As Lu Jiao introduced them, she took a step forward and said sweetly, “Hello, Lie Lie. I’m Xue Wei, and I just arrived at the nursery yesterday. I brought this gift for you—please accept it.”
Standing behind her, Lu Jiao couldn’t help but glance at her.
Earlier, when Xue Wei spoke to the three of them, her tone hadn’t been this sugary sweet. But… it sounded quite nice.
Ran Lie also gave the little girl a few extra glances.
As a typically hot-tempered and stubborn Crimson Flame Tiger, Ran Lie was the kind of creature who responded better to gentleness than force. Faced with Xue Wei’s soft and sweet demeanor, he found himself unable to muster any harshness.
He glanced at the candy box she placed on the ground, then finally lifted a fluffy paw and pushed it closer to himself.
As he moved, the little girl’s eyes sparkled brightly.
Feeling a bit self-conscious, he turned his face away and gave a soft huff.
As for Xue Wei…
Staring at the fluffy paw of the Crimson Flame Tiger, her thoughts were filled with one thing: Oh my! This Crimson Flame Tiger looks like it’s wearing white gloves! So cute! I really want to touch it!
However, the little rabbit didn’t have the courage for that. She could only think about it and reluctantly left with Lu Jiao.
“Do you like Lie Lie a lot?” Lu Jiao whispered curiously after they had walked a few steps away.
“Lie Lie is adorable,” Xue Wei replied. Her tone had returned to normal, no longer the sugary, syrupy voice she had used before.
Lu Jiao felt the sting of being treated differently.
But… was Ran Lie really cute? Thinking back to his tiger form, Lu Jiao had to admit that Ran Lie indeed looked quite adorable in his current state!
“Just don’t let him hear you say that,” he warned. “Let’s keep it between us.”
“Okay!” Xue Wei nodded obediently.
Behind them, the Crimson Flame Tiger, who had intended to close his eyes and resume training, now glared at them with irritation, his gaze full of anger.
Did they underestimate the hearing of a Crimson Flame Tiger?
If Ran Lie had been in his human form, his face would have turned as red as a tomato by now.
Fortunately, he couldn’t transform back just yet.
Meanwhile, as Xue Wei and Lu Jiao walked farther away, Lang Ze finally let Zheng Xing go and ran over to join them.
Noticing that Little Li Hua was deeply engrossed in her drawing, Xue Wei decided to wait before approaching her, not wanting to interrupt—a basic courtesy in social interactions.
Lang Ze, however, didn’t mind at all. He already liked the new cub who brought them candy as a welcome gift. In return, he decided to play a flute tune for Xue Wei.
The girl enthusiastically sat down on the ground with Lu Jiao to listen to Lang Ze’s performance. Not far away, Zheng Xing also lifted his head and turned toward the sound.
Sitting together on the green field, eating candies, and listening to the lively, cheerful flute melody filled their hearts with joy and comfort.
Xue Wei smiled, feeling as if it had been a long time since she had felt this happy and relaxed.
When Lang Ze finished playing, she clapped enthusiastically. Xue Wei had heard many beautiful melodies before, but this was her first time listening to flute music like this.
The tune carried an inexplicable charm, evoking vivid imagery of a vibrant, flourishing landscape. It drew her in and created a resonance with the performer.
From her perspective, Lang Ze’s playing was excellent—good enough to put on repeat.
Clap, clap, clap!
As the boy stopped, Xue Wei clapped loudly, beaming. “Lang Ze, you’re amazing at this!”
Seeing her so excited and full of praise, Lang Ze felt a bit shy. He rubbed his nose and then grinned.
“Hehe, it’s not great yet, but I’ll keep getting better!”
Lu Jiao clapped as well. He’d heard Lang Ze play every day, so he hadn’t paid much attention before. But now, he suddenly realized—
Lang Ze had become quite skilled with the flute!
Not far away, hidden beneath the vines, Little Zheng Xing listened intently for a while and then, mimicking the others, gently clapped his tiny hands.
After the song, Xue Wei began counting on her fingers and realized there were still three cubs she hadn’t met.
“Over there are Xiang Yang and Little Li Hua. They’re siblings and both have the Red-Tailed Lion bloodline,” Lu Jiao explained. “And the other one… do you mean Number Six?”
Xue Wei shook her head. “I’ve already met Liu Liu.”
Hearing her call Number Six so affectionately, Little Lang Ze scrunched up his nose and said, “He didn’t bully you, did he?”
That didn’t sound like the stinky monkey he knew.
Xue Wei looked at him curiously. “No, Liu Liu was nice to me.”
Although not as warm as Lang Ze or Youyou, Number Six had left her with a good impression—a kind and friendly person.
But Lang Ze clearly had a completely different opinion.
“That must be part of his act. You’ll see later,” Lang Ze huffed indignantly. “There’s no way I’ll ever be friends with that stinky monkey!”
As a former teammate of the “stinky monkey,” Lu Jiao chose to stay silent, lest he make the wolf cub even angrier.
Xue Wei wanted to say something, but Lu Jiao tugged at her sleeve and said, “Looks like Little Li Hua has finished her drawing. Do you want to go over?”
Reminded of this, Xue Wei quickly hugged her paper bag and headed in their direction.
Watching her leave, Lu Jiao turned to Lang Ze, whose expression still carried dissatisfaction. He hesitated before saying, “Lang Ze, you and Number Six…”
Is there really no chance for reconciliation? Deep down, Lu Jiao still hoped everyone could get along, especially after spending so much time together.
But Lang Ze’s attitude was resolute.
He pointed at the nursery building and said firmly, “Even if I have to jump off the roof, I’ll never be friends with that stinky monkey!”
Lu Jiao: “…”
Looking at Lang Ze’s determined face, Lu Jiao couldn’t help but feel that such words might come back to haunt him someday.
Meanwhile, Xue Wei finally reached the lion siblings.
Rong Heng noticed her approach and turned to look at her.
Xue Wei smiled brightly, about to greet him, but as their eyes met, she froze.
Why does this feel so familiar…?
She studied Rong Heng’s features closely but felt certain she had never met this boy before. Yet his gaze and demeanor gave her a strange sense of déjà vu.
Confused, Xue Wei’s thoughts were interrupted as Little Li Hua, having finished her drawing, looked up at her.
“Wow! Who are you?” the little girl said, her eyes sparkling. “You’re so cute!”
Xue Wei looked at her. What had been a moment of stunned stillness suddenly turned into a daze.
Staring into Little Li Hua’s eyes, she murmured, “Madam…”
