Chapter (5)

She brought up the herb but he did not open his eyes nor did he sniff it as if he was absorbed by a nightmare.

She let out a deep breath, rolling her wide sleeves up. Going forth, her fingers approached and he snorted. His large thick sharp fangs were exposed to her.

Immediately, she drew her hand back. Fear was more resilient than her courage. Looking back, she saw Xiaojiao. She was groaning in pain and required a remedy. No time to waste.

She held his muzzle with force and poured water between his teeth. After that, she quashed the flower and mixed it with water. It became a simple antidote elixir. She gave some of it to her cub and then went to the large metal nail.

"Hey, wolfie, I must take this out otherwise this elixir won't work for you!"

The wolf was burning with fever and the black aura was increasing over his leg considerably.

She wrapped her hand around the nail and collected all her might to pull it out. He flinched under her hand.

"Please forgive me, but there is no other choice!"

Drawing out the nail swiftly, blood spurted out. She tossed the cursed nail away and ripped her wide sleeve off and wrapped the wound. Surprisingly, the wolf didn't even move.

Going back to his mouth again, she forced him into drinking the bitter elixir.

"Don't hate me for its taste because this will clean your blood."

She pulled back and leaned on a rock, arching her head back, and looking up at the cave's ceiling, letting out a breath of relief.

"You are safe now!"

Her heart ached, suddenly and tears glinted in her eyes. She couldn't say the same thing about herself. Bringing her bloody hands up, the lump in her throat broke into tears and she couldn't help to avoid it.

"But I'm not sure if I can survive tomorrow!"

She sat straight and began to clean her hands with the remaining water inside her mug. As she was done bitterly smiled and hugged her knees.

"My stepmother is willing to kill me, and when she is persistent on accomplishing something, not even the heavens can stop her."

The words she kept hidden in her heart suddenly left her mouth and revealed her secret.

She opened a heart for a wolf, for a mere stranger. Her heart twitched and she could find no remedy for it.

She hugged her cub and closed her eyes. She was so exhausted to begin overthinking and estimating why her very own family was growing a plan to kill her.

Before her mind flew in a daze and she could sleep, a few words left her lips.

"I should find the Moon bird's egg. If I absorb its sacred aura, then I can create a spiritual magic core. That is my only hope to survive this life."

The words faded and could be heard hardly but the wolf's eyes fluttered open and blazed out a dangerous light.

The blue aura surrounded him and his shape shifted to an otherworldly handsome man, his hair straight and raven black, his eyes as sharp as the edge of the blade and his lips striking red. His fur changed to a white and blue lace long robe, and its trail landed on the cave's floor, sweeping behind him.

His expression was nonchalantly mysterious, no one could realize what he had kept in his mind. His palm drew above the nail that was still exuding dark magic. It disappeared between golden dust and he drew his palm away.

"Who made this nail?" He muttered, his voice hoarse and thick with bitterness.

His face looked exhausted and pale, but when his head averted to the weakling cub, he shook his head pitifully and walked to Xiaojiao. This poor tiny wolf was hardly sucking for life.

'No, magic core to feed this wolf? How is this possible? I need to find out if one can be like this in our ethnicity!'

Kneeling there, he brought his palm above her head.

"Well, you are too frail to be involved in a fray, little monster!"

He whispered and let his magic essence out through his palm and forced it onto the cub's body. The remedy her master had given her contained qi yet took a long while to affect this cub.

As he finished giving her his golden spiritual magic essence, he stood up and turned around to leave the cave when an idea sparked in his mind and he halted.

'This girl saved me from the 'Illusion Nail'.'

He opened his palm and a golden magic aura formed, a black pearl appeared on his palm and he led it to the girl's hand.

"I hope it works for you. Keep it safe because there is only one of it in this land."

He gazed at the girl for a while. This beauty must be a rural girl from the outskirts of the Spirit Forest. It happened a lot that people lost their way and were dragged here by thieves and mercenaries. This one was truthfully stunning despite her desperate condition.

Leaving them alone, he found a flat rock near Spirit Lake. It was the full moon and he needed its strength for refinement. Tonight many Saints and cultivators would pleasure their refinements and he was no exception.

He sat there and his arms moved out, making the wolf refinement gesture.

His little fingers stretched out touching each other, his forefingers also the same while the index and ring fingers bent inside on one another. Thumbs sitting along each other and pointing to his chest.

A blue aura flowed into his body.

After three hours, he stopped. A green jade pendant hanging out of his belt started to glow.

"Your Highness, Please come back to the castle. Your father is tending to see you."

He sighed and opened his dark glinting eyes. He could refine more but like always, he was summoned by his father. However, they should have been worried after hearing about the demon's invasion. His body shifted to a white glowing wolf spirit and flashed out of the forest as if a blazing star.