Chapter 52: Unsheathing
With willow-like brows and phoenix-like eyes, her beauty was almost unbelievably stunning, with a delicate face that felt as if it hadn’t yet registered what was happening—her small mouth slightly open, an expression of complete bewilderment.
Two sharp little canine teeth added a hint of dangerously adorable charm to her. The two cat ears atop her head quivered slightly as Ning Fengwan's face gradually turned a rosy red.
Her hands pressed against her chest, her long cat tail, adorned with a platinum tail ring, curled around Xue Jing’s head, obscuring his view.
"Don't look!"
Her youthful voice was almost on the verge of tears.
Xue Jing: "..."
He felt the slippery, soft sensation rubbing back and forth on his chest, accompanied by a slight fuzziness and a peculiar... lump. Xue Jing's expression immediately turned strange.
Though he wasn't looking anymore... that didn’t seem to be the main issue right now.
Thinking for a moment, Xue Jing tried to comfort her, "Wan-laoshi, calm down, I didn’t see anything."
Seeing that Xue Jing's eyes were indeed covered by the cat tail, and clearly unable to see anything, Ning Fengwan began to calm down.
"..."
But she quickly realized a more fatal fact.
The sensation transmitted from the rubbing brought a tingling current that made her tremble.
"Mmm~"
A strange sound reached Xue Jing’s ears, and his expression grew even weirder.
"How did... I suddenly change back?"
Holding back the unsettling sensations, Ning Fengwan gritted her teeth and complained in exasperation.
“Perhaps it accidentally triggered the transformation condition of this divine relic,” Xue Jing said, striving to maintain a calm tone, though he couldn't help a hint of wavering slip in.
His heart was beating rapidly.
His body, in the prime of adolescence, was like a sheet of paper—easily ignited and hard to control.
Trigger condition?
Ning Fengwan fought to suppress her embarrassment as she recalled the earlier scene.
She had taken off Xue Jing's glasses and then...
felt a tiny, just a tiny bit of something for him.
And then he turned back into a human?
What kind of ridiculous trigger condition was this? Was she the protagonist of some catgirl-themed anime?
Having watched a lot of anime recently, Ning Fengwan twitched her lips in disbelief.
He's already back to human form, with these cat ears, these fangs, this tail...
Darn 'gods', leaving behind such silly legacies!
“...”
“You...”
Ning Fengwan, suddenly annoyed, reached out and gave Xue Jing a slap.
“Don't entertain any weird thoughts. This was just an accident!”
She saw it—the holy sword... was unsheathed.
"This isn't something I can control," Xue Jing said calmly.
After pausing, he continued, "But... if you don't get down soon, what I can't control might not just be it."
Ning Fengwan: "..."
"Hmph, then I'll move my tail away, and you cover your own eyes with your hands..."
Xue Jing nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Ning Fengwan carefully propped herself up on the edge of the bathtub, preparing to stand.
But just then, another unexpected mishap occurred.
Whether it was because of her overly chaotic emotions or the lingering bath gel on the tub's edge, just as Ning Fengwan pushed herself up, her palm slipped.
Her body fell back down, splashing water everywhere.
And oddly enough, for some reason, Xue Jing's body was also a bit slippery now, and Ning Fengwan helplessly watched herself sliding down...
"Mm~"
Xue Jing drew in a sharp breath.
"Teacher Wan, you..."
Ning Fengwan was on the brink of collapse, embarrassedly saying, "I didn't do it on purpose..."
Xue Jing, trembling, covered his eyes with his hand.
His voice also trembled, "I understand... Please hurry and get out."
“Otherwise, we might not make it out.”
Xue Jing's veins were nearly bulging, his emotions barely contained as he approached the pinnacle of his adolescence. Fear flashed in Ning Fengwan's heart, prompting her to quickly rise and flee from the bathroom as if escaping from danger.
“……”
With the sound of the door closing, silence fell upon the bathroom.
Xue Jing sighed, striving to calm the restless energy coursing through his blood.
Yet his heart remained turbulent, the sharpness of his spirit challenging even the recoil of an AK.
His hand brushed over his chest softly.
The touch was somewhat sticky—perhaps it was the body wash or something else altogether…
Xue Jing's expression turned curious.
……
Meanwhile, in the southern district, within the confines of a secluded underground chamber.
Jiao Hongyuan, built like a mountain and with a face aged by time, stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his gaze fixed on the center of the room.
There loomed an enormous structure, nearly four meters tall—a colossal ‘nest’.
It resembled an oversized beehive, but its hues bordered on sky blue, its surface rippling and pulsating like living flesh, occasionally throbbing with a deep, resonant sound.
With a clatter, the trapdoor above the basement shifted, as a figure with bandaged head and leaning on a cane descended the stairs.
Jiao Hongyuan glanced at him, noticing his condition, and asked inquisitively:
“Kaiping, what happened?”
Duan Kaiping, supporting himself with a crutch, managed to bow awkwardly to Jiao Hongyuan. "Master, I greet you."
"Something happened today..." Duan’s face twisted in discomfort as he recounted his attempt to trouble Lou Huiying, only to be ambushed and subsequently bested by her.
Jiao Hongyuan frowned deeply.
"Didn't I tell you to avoid causing any trouble lately? Have you gone deaf?"
Under the icy gaze of Jiao Hongyuan, Duan Kaiping felt as if he had plunged into a freezing cavern, breaking into a cold sweat. Suppressing the stabbing pain in his thigh, he hurriedly kneeled.
"Master! I was wrong!"
He swallowed hard, sensing as if a razor-sharp blade was dancing across his neck, glinting menacingly, an ever-present threat to sever his head.
After a long silence, the frigid gaze receded. Jiao Hongyuan spoke, his voice mild, "Forget it, you may rise."
"Yes, sir." Duan Kaiping breathed a sigh of relief, standing up, only to realize that he was drenched in sweat, a pool of it gathering at his feet.
"Has 'Number One' grown up?" Jiao Hongyuan asked abruptly.
Duan Kaiping nodded quickly, "I just checked in the cage; it's grown larger than a dog, its growth rate is frightening."
At the mention of 'Number One,' a flash of fear crossed his eyes, and his body was covered with goosebumps.
This fear wasn't due to its strength or any other factor, but simply an overwhelming aversion to its appearance.
Jiao Hongyuan nodded.
"Number One is just an experiment; its proportions aren't perfect. The main host can potentially spawn better progeny..."
"However, it seems the Kangde Corporation wants to see the results first. After some time, once Number One fully matures, release it."
Duan Kaiping nodded respectfully, "Yes."
…