Chapter 72: Bumping Heads: Be Gentle! Part 2

Moon Perch had many furry beasts; Embracing Snow, fierce ones.

Qingdu teemed with aquatic types—their leader was a rare member of the merfolk clan.

They arrived promptly enough, but few focused on real aid, especially Moon Perch.

You Xi Shan arrived with his children, in a wheelchair—seemingly coerced. His kids wore name plaques, going from demon to demon offering comfort since arrival. But treatment relied on General Bureau physicians; none contributed demon power to the poisoned.

It resembled a show—a pre-election performance, stingy on real cost.

Others at least had great demons donate power.

Some fared worse.

Building Eleven’s Dawn Eclipse Clan was mainly composed of insect demons, the most cold-blooded and chaotic of the demon clans. They didn’t even bother with superficial formalities—not only did their clan leader fail to show, but they hadn’t even sent a high-ranking member to go through the motions.

Ye Xi already harbored a poor impression of the Dawn Eclipse Clan because Ye Fu, who had tormented Ye He, belonged to them. Now, her view of them grew even worse.

However, the more pressing matter at hand was convincing those Moon Perch Clan heirs connected to You Nian by blood to help her search for You Nian.

Unfortunately, the heirs selected by You Xi Shan were far too indifferent; they didn’t resemble soft rabbits at all. Each one was utterly cold-blooded.

Ye Xi had made her plea from the moment they arrived, but not a single one was willing to exert effort for You Nian’s sake. As for You Xi Shan, he seemed to have completely lost any authority to speak.

They didn’t give Ye Xi any face, and Ye Tan was unwilling to open her mouth. Ye Xi found herself in a bind.

The half-demons from Building Eight under Shen Minghuan’s care were currently in the best condition, so Shen Minghuan had time to observe Ye Xi—and, naturally, time to mock the Moon Perch Clan. “Everyone says Moon Perch Clan demons are friendly. I think they’re not even as good as us snake types. They aren’t even anxious when their own cub goes missing.”

Si Ruoling listened to Shen Minghuan’s mocking voice, which she practically roared for all to hear, and felt her heart begin to ache faintly again. “They don’t lack cubs.”

Shen Minghuan: “Does not lacking them mean they can just abandon them at will?”

“…”

For the Moon Perch Clan, yes, it did.

Sensing the indifference of those Moon Perch Clan heirs toward You Nian’s disappearance, Ye Xi finally understood why You Nian envied Shen Mingjin. You Nian’s family was exactly as she had described—no warmth, only competition and self-interest. The fact that they weren’t laughing aloud after You Nian’s disappearance was only because they needed to put on a show right now.

No rabbit demon cared about You Nian’s life or death.

Ye Xi even considered borrowing Ni Yueying’s identity to pressure them when a slender, delicate young woman suddenly stepped in front of her. “Ye Xi, did you lose my little sister?”

The girl’s eyes were round and sparkling black, appearing somewhat innocent, and they bore a resemblance to You Nian’s.

Childhood memories overlapped with the scene before her, and Ye Xi quickly identified the girl.

You Xin Xuan.

Her guess that You Nian’s sixth sister had been her best friend in elementary school was now confirmed upon meeting You Xin Xuan in person.

Ye Tan recognized You Xin Xuan. Without warning, she pointed her knife at her. “Stay away from my granddaughter.”

You Xin Xuan tugged her lips into an icy smile, a fleeting trace of nostalgia flashing in her eyes. “You’re still protecting her as fiercely as ever.”

Ye Xi detected something off in her tone. “Grandma?”

“Xiao Xi, she wants to kill you.”

Ye Tan shielded Ye Xi tightly, thrusting her knife toward You Xin Xuan.

Her attack stemmed from a reaction of memory and hatred; she didn’t use much force, and You Xin Xuan easily dodged it.

You Xin Xuan stared at Ye Tan. “Vice Director Qin, you seem… different.”

Ye Tan had no desire to speak with You Xin Xuan and moved to attack again, which only deepened the puzzlement in You Xin Xuan’s eyes.

Ye Xi blocked Ye Tan, pulling her behind herself. Only after soothing Ye Tan did she ask You Xin Xuan, “What do you mean by that?”

You Xin Xuan’s gaze skirted past Ye Xi as she seriously appraised Ye Tan. “Grandma Ye isn’t as tolerant as she used to be.”

These people were different from Shen Minghuan; they didn’t know the specifics of what had happened, so naturally, they were unaware of the reason for Ye Tan’s change.

Ye Xi: “What are you getting at?”

“Ye Xi, this doesn’t seem like the time for old friends to catch up. You still haven’t answered me—where is my little sister?”

“I don’t know, which is why I need you to use your secret technique to find her.”

You Xin Xuan, the “good big sister” in You Nian’s stories, didn’t act immediately. She first glanced toward the Moon Perch Clan group before slowly saying, “Ye Xi, I won’t hide it from you. My father’s health is failing, and the struggle between me and my siblings has reached a critical point. If I use the secret technique to search for Xiao Nian, I’ll lose my power, and they will surely seize the chance to kill me while I’m weakened.”

You Xin Xuan withdrew her gaze and looked at Ye Xi, enunciating each word: “I can’t die, and you don’t seem able to guarantee my safety.”

Ye Xi instinctively glanced at Ye Tan, who clearly couldn’t offer any promises in her current state.

Ye Xi could have sought help from Ni Yueying, but with so many demons present, getting too close to her in that identity was far too sensitive.

As Ye Xi hesitated, a soft, weak voice suddenly sounded from behind her. “You… you can come back to the Embracing Snow Clan with me to recuperate.”

The familiar voice made Ye Xi turn back in delighted surprise. Sure enough, Shen Mingjin was approaching. “Sister.”

She wanted to move closer but was yanked back after just one step by Ye Tan.

Ye Tan kept her eyes downcast, silent and unyielding.

Shen Mingjin buried her head even lower than Ye Tan. Though she didn’t dare look at Ye Xi, her ears stayed attuned to Ye Xi’s situation.

Her condition made it unsuitable for her to remain here any longer, but she was worried about both Ye Xi and the long-missing You Nian.

Without lifting her head, Shen Mingjin repeated softly, “Miss You, I can guarantee your safety.”

“Shen Second Miss…” You Xin Xuan recognized Shen Mingjin’s identity and quickly assessed the situation in her mind. With a polite smile, she turned to Shen Mingjin. “Can Shen Second Miss truly make that call?”

“Of course!”

Shen Minghuan, who was right beside Shen Mingjin, immediately responded to You Xin Xuan’s doubt about her sister.

You Xin Xuan knew Shen Mingjin, so she naturally knew Shen Minghuan as well.

She smiled faintly and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. “Then I’m reassured.”

It was clear that You Xin Xuan desperately wanted to find You Nian, but her current crisis wouldn’t allow her to risk losing her power.

In the Moon Perch Clan’s cutthroat competition, if she didn’t climb to the top, even bringing You Nian back now would only doom the girl to death later.

She wasted no more words, swiftly slicing open her palm.

Fresh red blood flowed from the wound. You Xin Xuan’s eyes turned pale pink, and soft rabbit fur rapidly grew, covering her neck and cheeks.

The blood coalesced in her palm, transforming into a soft little rabbit.

The little rabbit hopped once in You Xin Xuan’s palm before vanishing, following an invisible blood bond to seek its target.

You Xin Xuan’s pink eyes squeezed shut tightly, her eyelids trembling faintly as fine beads of sweat formed on her forehead.

The commotion she caused drew the attention of the clan leaders from the various groups, especially the Moon Perch Clan heirs.

The way they looked at You Xin Xuan wasn’t like gazing at a sister—it was more like staring at a corpse.

You Xin Xuan’s fears were far from unfounded.

Ye Xi could sense that the moment You Xin Xuan lost her power, these siblings of hers would definitely move to kill her.

The Moon Perch Clan’s environment was even more twisted than You Nian had described. The competitions in the other clans probably weren’t as harmonious as they appeared either.

Ye Xi’s gaze swept over the Eleven Clans’ leaders one by one. Apart from the frail and struggling You Xi Shan, each demon’s face was shrouded in an impenetrable fog.

In front of their clan members clutching voting slips, they all seemed so gentle and protective of their own—but how many were truly kind?

This bloodline secret technique created a clone. The clone would follow the bloodline pull and crawl toward the person they sought.

Because it was a clone, any damage it suffered would reflect back on the user to the same degree, making it extremely perilous.

You Xin Xuan’s willingness to use the secret technique for You Nian showed, at the very least, genuine worry for her.

Not long after the little rabbit departed, blood began to stain the corners of You Xin Xuan’s mouth. Blood also seeped from the edges of her tightly shut eyes.

Ye Xi’s heart clenched, her palms growing slick with sweat.

“Sis…” Instinctively, she reached for Shen Mingjin’s hand, but grasped only Ye Tan’s cold one instead.

Habits were terrifying.

At the start, Ye Xi had been playacting dependence, but as time passed, she seemed to have developed a genuine instinctive reliance on Shen Mingjin.

Shen Mingjin might not be that powerful or possess much ability to protect her, but as long as she was by Ye Xi’s side, things always felt a bit more reassuring.

Without that comforting warmth, Ye Xi felt an inevitable pang of loss in her heart.

She looked toward Shen Mingjin, whose head remained buried low, refusing to lift even slightly.

Shen Minghuan, perhaps unable to stand her sister’s evasion, suddenly pinched the back of Shen Mingjin’s neck and forcibly lifted her head.

Both Shen Mingjin and Ye Xi looked at Shen Minghuan in disbelief. Shen Minghuan saw nothing wrong with it; she just kept hoisting her sister’s head up.

Ye Xi’s eyes locked onto the reddened skin on Shen Mingjin’s neck. Unable to hold back, she charged toward Shen Minghuan, her inner screams manifesting as a flock of shrieking chickens, each one yelling: Be gentle!