Chapter 87 – Extra (3)

Chapter 87 - Extra (3)

Morning sunlight streamed in from outside, landing on the soft pillow. The room was pleasantly warm at twenty-seven degrees Celsius, and combined with the bright sunshine, it caused a light sheen of sweat to form on the person in bed.

Ever since arriving at this place, Chu Li had been sleeping in until late every day, determined to make up for all the vacation time and sleep he had missed on Qian Yun Star.

Outside, a group of snow leopard cubs were playing in the snow, rolling their playmates around in it and occasionally letting out roars. However, the soundproofing of the warship was excellent, so Chu Li couldn't hear them at all, allowing him to sleep peacefully until nearly noon.

Jing Baiyuan returned from "teaching," and upon pushing open the door, he saw the Omega in bed, a bit dazed.

In the first few days, he had thought that Chu Li was just too exhausted lately and needed more rest. But now, seeing him sleep until noon, Jing Baiyuan began to worry.

Jing Baiyuan approached and patted Chu Li's shoulder, trying to rouse him. The Omega woke up but remained in bed, groaning and refusing to open his eyes. After calling out to him a couple more times, Chu Li grew annoyed and swatted at Jing Baiyuan.

However, his wrist was weak, and he didn't put any force behind the gesture.

Jing Baiyuan smiled, catching his hand and placing a gentle kiss on it. He whispered, "Wake up, little pig."

Chu Li opened his eyes unhappily, too tired to fully open them. "Who… did you call a pig?"

Jing Baiyuan Yuanting gazed at him, feeling that there couldn't be a more adorable person in the world. Unable to suppress his emotions, he leaned down and gently kissed Chu Li's corner of the mouth, whispering, "It's almost time for lunch."

Chu Li blushed slightly and felt too embarrassed to continue sleeping.

Although they didn't usually stay in the Snowfield House, Kang Yuan had still set aside a room exclusively for them.

When Chu Li went downstairs, the meal was already prepared.

Just having woken up, he still wasn't accustomed to the cold outside. Sitting at the dining table, he held his chopsticks and blew warm air onto them. Jing Baiyuan Yuanting seemed to have disappeared, leaving him alone.

Lately, he didn't know what was wrong with him; he was extremely sleepy and his dependence on Jing Baiyuan had increased dramatically. If he couldn't see the man for even a moment, he would feel anxious.

After taking a couple of bites, he lost his appetite and put down his chopsticks, searching for Jing Baiyuan.

Half a day passed without finding him, but there was some movement by the door. Chu Li turned his head to look, and the door opened, but no one entered. He was momentarily stunned, then his gaze shifted downward, and he saw a fluffy forehead.

Hmm?

The large forehead pushed against the crack in the door and stepped inside. It was... difficult to say whether it was a cat or a leopard. It looked like a cat, but its body size resembled that of a leopard, and it was somewhat familiar.

Staring for quite some time, Chu Li suddenly realized that this was identical to Little Li Hua Cat!

He shot up from his seat abruptly.

"You... You... It's you... Little Li Hua Cat? No... Yuanting?"

The large cat meowed at him, its voice slightly different from before. It approached Chu Li and brushed its ear against his side. After circling around him, the cat settled behind his chair, resting its chin on his lap while its tail wrapped around the other side, forming a loop around him.

Chu Li gently stroked the big cat's head and cautiously asked, "Yuanting, is it really you?"

The large cat meowed again in response.

Chu Li continued, "When you turn into a cat, you can't speak human language?"

The feline nodded.

It could make sounds, but its feline vocal cords were clearly incapable of producing such complex human speech.

Chu Li was instantly amazed and forgot about his meal as he reached out to stroke the big cat's head. The big cat's fur was coarser and harder than the kitten's, but it was dense and thick. After petting it twice, Chu Li found it quite addictive and tugged on the cat to take it outside.

The big cat was unhappy and growled at Chu Li, hoping he would eat first.

Unfortunately, all it could do now was meow, which held no intimidation at all.

Out of respect, Chu Li turned around to fetch its food bowl, scooped some vegetables, and brought them onto the warship.

Back on the warship, Chu Li casually ate a few bites before poking the big cat. He poked it here and there, making the feline utterly helpless. It finally lay down on the carpet.

Sitting beside it, Chu Li's eyes sparkled as he watched it.

Jing Baiyuan, of course, understood Chu Li's intentions. He didn't want to do this... But after being stared at for a while, he eventually gave in and sprawled on the ground. Chu Li pounced on him, fulfilling his wish of hugging a giant cat cushion.

So comfortable, so warm.

Chu Li buried himself in the soft, thick fur, but as he rubbed against it, the cat hair suddenly transformed into a muscular chest, and the cat in his arms became a person.

Jing Baiyuan, who had transformed, was not wearing any clothes. The two of them were intimately pressed together. Jing Baiyuan's face was slightly red as he whispered, "I've just learned, so I can't maintain it for long."

Chu Li froze for a moment before pulling away from Jing Baiyuan's embrace and gently pushing him. "Hurry up and get dressed."

Ten minutes later, Jing Baiyuan emerged in fresh clothes and spoke to Chu Li, "They taught me some basic techniques, but I haven't fully mastered them yet. My transformation periods are still very short... According to them, the Snow Mountain Beast Clan's transformation trait is highly influenced by emotions. The transformation itself doesn't consume energy, but it's unstable. To stabilize it, one needs to anchor their mental power to a focal point..."

His explanation was rather intricate, but Chu Li understood half of it. Eyeing him up and down, he chuckled. "So you transformed back just now because your emotions were too unstable?"

Despite being together as partners for many years, Jing Baiyuan would still feel bashful when faced with Chu Li's straightforwardness at times.

He didn't say anything, instead leaning down to hug Chu Li tightly.

In the following days, Jing Baiyuan practiced diligently, gradually extending the duration of his transformations. As a result, Chu Li gained a large cat cushion to cuddle with.

He even wanted to hold it at night.

Jing Baiyuan, of course, indulged him, but unfortunately, his abilities were still insufficient. There were often instances where he would revert to human form in the middle of the night while cuddling... As to what might happen during those quiet, late-night hours, one could only guess.

-

After half a month, Jing Baiyuan's transformation technique stabilized, and he no longer shifted unexpectedly at odd times.

When Chu Li ventured out again, he was followed by a large cat, with several cubs of different clans trailing behind. They were all fluffy, finding each other adorable as they looked upon one another.

Originally, they planned to stay for a longer period, but recently, Chu Li had been feeling unwell, showing signs of sensitivity to the cold and excessive sleepiness.

The healers on the snowfield examined him, yet found nothing wrong. However, Chu Li's condition continued to worsen.

In the Snow Mountain Beast Clan, there were no ABO classifications, so illnesses related to pheromones were beyond their expertise. Jing Baiyuan, concerned, inquired about Chu Li multiple times, to which Chu Li responded that he was fine, blaming the harsh cold outside for his reluctance to venture out.

Ultimately, Jing Baiyuan decided to cut their journey short and return home.

Although he would miss the fluffy creatures on the snowfield, Chu Li yearned more for his own home and Little Key. Speaking of returning, he was delighted and, before leaving, asked Jing Baiyuan, "Is it alright for you to leave early? Have you mastered everything that Chief Kang Yuan taught you?"

Jing Baiyuan replied, "The techniques are simple. I'll just need to practice more when we get back."

With Jing Baiyuan's assurance, Chu Li had no further objections.

They informed Kang Yuan of their decision to depart, and Kang Yuan mentioned that the children of the snowfield were reluctant to see them go, proposing to hold a farewell feast for them.

Naturally, Jing Baiyuan and Chu Li accepted such a kind gesture.

That night, they lit bonfires outside. Several bonfires were arranged in the center of the area, keeping them warm.

Chu Li finally took off the thick fur coat he had worn for days and sat beside Jing Baiyuan with a smile.

However, halfway through the feast, Chu Li suddenly felt nauseous. To avoid disappointing the children, he struggled to endure it.

After enduring until the banquet was over, Chu Li rushed to the restroom on the warship as soon as he returned, vomiting violently.

Jing Baiyuan was utterly startled by his exaggerated reaction and followed helplessly behind him.

After vomiting, Chu Li's face turned pale. He leaned against the sink, not saying a word for a while.

Behind him, Jing Baiyuan cautiously supported him, asking, "What's wrong with you?"

Chu Li's expression was somewhat unpleasant. He grabbed a towel nearby to wipe his mouth, whispering, "I'm not sure... Maybe I need to get checked out."

He had a vague suspicion, but he wasn't entirely certain.

Jing Baiyuan reassured, "We can leave tomorrow."

"Um." Chu Li took a moment to compose himself, appearing slightly better.

Jing Baiyuan was still deeply concerned and pressed on, "What happened? Was there something wrong with the food?"

Chu Li shook his head, not willing to elaborate further.

Judging from his expression, it seemed he had an idea of what caused it.

Jing Baiyuan gently patted his back and supported him to lie down on the bed for some rest.

-

Due to Chu Li's unusual condition, Jing Baiyuan bid farewell to the Snow Mountain Beast Clan early the next morning. Kang Yuan escorted him on a quest to find a Stargate that could take them away from this place.

The Star Gate was situated deep within the forest. Jing Baiyuan Yuanting needed to navigate his warship to reach it. On the other hand, the people on the snowfield were still at their most primitive stage of self-sufficiency, devoid of any vehicles. In order to guide them, Kang Yuan transformed into his beast form—a snow leopard. In this form, one couldn't discern his age; all that could be seen was the sleek lines of the leopard and its exceptional leaping abilities.

Other children who were close to Chu Li also followed behind Kang Yuan, resulting in a scene where a snow leopard led the way, with a multitude of diverse young creatures trailing behind.

Chu Li sat serenely by the porthole, gazing at the scene outside. Suddenly, he found it a blessing to live in such an isolated place.

Noticing his reluctance, Jing BaiyuanYuanting said, "This trip was rather spontaneous. Perhaps there will be another opportunity to return in the future… When that time comes, we can stay here for a longer period."

Chu Li smiled. "Let's not disturb them."

The allure of the snowfield lay in its resemblance to a utopian wonderland. However, Chu Li believed that when they were older and could leave their current work environment, they would find their own haven.

As for this place, let it remain as a cherished shared memory.

They soon arrived at the Star Gate, a colossal structure resembling an ancient architectural relic. Before Jing Baiyuan and Bai Yuanting arrived, members of the Snow Mountain Beast Clan were already waiting. They activated the Star Gate, and on the mountaintop, a Star Gate resembling a black hole emerged.

It was identical to the one Chu Li and Jing Baiyuan had seen near Snowglow Planet – a collapsing inward Star Gate.

Jing Baiyuan piloted the warship towards the gateway.

The familiar dizziness ensued, but this time, both were prepared. Seated comfortably in their flight seats, they lost consciousness, just like before...

Upon waking, they discovered that they had left the academy, and the warship had emerged where the black hole had vanished.

However, they were now surrounded by numerous warships. Admiral Qian Yun's disappearance was a significant matter, and Ya Lan had controlled public opinion, keeping the news from spreading. Nonetheless, she remained uneasy and personally came to Snowglow Planet to investigate.

But after absorbing Jing Baiyuan and Chu Li, the black hole gradually disappeared. The surrounding magnetic field returned to normal, leaving no trace behind. It was as if the black hole had never existed at all.

Ya Lan, unable to locate anyone, could only order her people to surround the area where the black hole had previously appeared.

In truth, incidents of the Marshal disappearing abruptly were not uncommon, and she had grown less anxious over time. But this time, it was different – Chu Li had vanished alongside him.

Ya Lan was more worried about Chu Li. If anything dangerous were to happen... with the Marshal transformed into a cat, who would protect Chu Li?

Without realizing it, Ya Lan had come to associate Jing Baiyuan Ting with unreliability.

She had been waiting here for almost a month now, struggling to keep the news under wraps. The Alliance had even caused trouble the day before, but after much effort, she managed to conceal the situation. After two sleepless nights, she was finally able to rest when she was abruptly awakened by her subordinates.

With puffy eyelids, Ya Lan answered the call, her tone laced with irritation, "I hope you have a good reason!"

Her subordinate, startled by her low-pressure demeanor, still managed to stammer out the message, "We've found the Marshal's warship!"

"What?" Ya Lan instantly shook off her drowsiness, sitting up right away. "Where is it? Take me there!"

Ten minutes later, Ya Lan laid eyes on the previously missing warship. However, lacking the necessary clearance, she couldn't board it and could only instruct her ship to wait nearby.

After roughly half an hour, a communication request came from the warship. Ya Lan connected, and to her delight, it was indeed the Marshal! Overjoyed, she hastily arranged for her ship to establish contact with the warship.

After another twenty-odd minutes of struggle, Jing Baiyuan Ting finally managed to carry Chu Li onto the spacecraft... Yes, this time, Jing Baiyuan Ting had awakened first. Up until now, Chu Li was still unconscious.

But his breathing was steady; it would be more accurate to say he was sleeping than in a coma.

Jing Baiyuan Ting was still deeply concerned. The moment they boarded the spacecraft, he requested Ya Lan to examine Chu Li's condition.

There was a resident doctor on the spacecraft who promptly came over to conduct a physical examination on Chu Li.

Everything seemed normal, but in the end, the doctor looked somewhat hesitant at Jing Baiyuan Ting and said, "There doesn't seem to be any problem with his body... He's just asleep due to exhaustion, but... um... well..."

Scratching his head, the doctor struggled to express himself. "Mr. Chu might... be with child."

"What?" In that instant, Jing Baiyuan Ting felt a sudden silence around him as everyone held their breath, awaiting the doctor's clarification.

The doctor was also quite awkward. "It's just too soon to be certain... How about we schedule another checkup in half a month?"