After the Black Moonlight’s "Death Escape" Failed [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 46

Chapter 46: Snow Leopard and White Wolf

◎ First day of seriously learning to be a snow leopard: The scam ◎

Even though the great white wolf had almost brought its head right to Jiao Qingyin’s mouth, the latter remained tense, not following the other’s lead at all.

She had not yet lowered her guard against the white wolf.

The creature was full of suspicious points—an ordinary wolf could not possibly be a match for Jiao Qingyin. Since it possessed such formidable strength, it had to be an important character related to the progress of the world line. Yet, even in the “complete version” of the plot Jiao Qingyin had just received, this wolf did not exist.

Thus, Jiao Qingyin raised a paw, slapped the wolf’s head that was getting closer and closer, and spoke with great majesty: “Ji-aow.”

Hearing her own milky, high-pitched cry, Jiao Qingyin immediately shut her mouth. It turned out her earlier impressions weren’t illusions… her cries really were strange.

In Jiao Qingyin’s original world, the snow leopard species had gone extinct long before she was born. Almost no visual records remained, so her understanding of snow leopards was limited to the name. But no matter how she thought about it, a leopard was a fierce beast. How could a fierce beast… make a sound like that!

Jiao Qingyin pulled a serious face. When she made this expression in her human form, it usually appeared cold and dangerous. But now, a snow leopard cub putting on a serious face only made one want to reach out and squish it.

The only audience member present almost lost control. Al had been struck right in the heart by that “ji-aow,” and in the next second, seeing that utterly adorable expression, her emotions were instantly ignited. Visually, the entire wolf seemed to puff up by a size.

The timid and easily startled Jiao Qingyin jumped in place, her long tail slapping Al right across the face with a pa.

The force of her tail was significant, but the struck Al didn’t dodge. Instead, after being hit square in the face, she revealed a profoundly silly smile.

In her wolf form, Al was massive with a sharp gaze and fur so white there wasn’t a single stray color. These traits had left Jiao Qingyin with a mysterious first impression. But now, with her mouth open and tongue lolling out, that aura was completely dissipated.

Jiao Qingyin even felt that for a moment, the creature looked less like a wolf and more like a clumsy dog.

Her heart softened inexplicably. This great white wolf reminded her of her own little wolf pup. When the pup went missing, its body had just started to grow. If it were still alive, would it have grown this big?

The chaotic thoughts flashed by and were deliberately ignored. Jiao Qingyin held up the collar she had looped around her front paw and said, “Help me put it on.”

Her voice was still “ji-ji-aow-aow,” sounding like she was acting spoiled. Jiao Qingyin could only try to use short sentences to express her meaning.

Al’s breathing grew heavy, but she agreed before Jiao Qingyin could notice.

Because they were using animal paws, they struggled for a long time before finally successfully putting the collar back around Jiao Qingyin’s neck. Feeling the slight constriction at her throat, Jiao Qingyin wasn’t quite used to it, yet the sensation made her relax.

This collar that once belonged to Al was like an anchor. With it there, she had courage.

Touching the collar, Jiao Qingyin looked up, wanting to state her next plan, only to hear the white wolf ask: “Why didn’t you use magic to put it on?”

Jiao Qingyin: “…”

She had forgotten.

At this moment, she fully realized how much becoming a snow leopard had affected her—not only were her actions restricted, but her intelligence was clearly being assimilated with that of a young animal. Since crossing over, Jiao Qingyin had even felt the urge to drink milk several times, which she had forcibly suppressed.

However, Jiao Qingyin quickly found a flaw. “Why didn’t you ask that earlier?”

If the other had spoken up sooner, they wouldn’t have wasted all that time.

The white wolf’s gaze did not flicker. She crouched before Jiao Qingyin, her voice serious but somehow husky. “Because I’ve never put a collar on a per… an animal before. I wanted to try.”

Jiao Qingyin opened her mouth, but couldn’t think of how to respond to that.

The topic of the collar reminded her of why they had fought earlier, so she asked: “Why did you say the collar was yours before?”

Al remained silent for a long time. Just before Jiao Qingyin grew suspicious, she gave an answer: “…I mistook it for mine.”

“You have a similar collar?” Jiao Qingyin was incredulous. She had viewed this white wolf as a wild animal or a plot character in disguise. She hadn’t expected the creature to have… been kept by someone.

“Yes,” Al lowered her head even further, her ear tips twitching slightly in the cold wind. “But I lost her.”

In the “aowoo-aowoo” dialogue of beasts, there was no distinction in the pronunciation of personal pronouns. Jiao Qingyin thought she meant she had lost the collar. Seeing the entire wolf wilt, she instinctively offered comfort: “It’s okay. If it’s lost, just ask your… master for another one.”

She thought she was saying something perfectly ordinary, but the white wolf’s eyes suddenly widened.

“Will the master give it to me?”

She looked so expectant that Jiao Qingyin nodded along. “They will.”

The white wolf seemed to want to say more, but Jiao Qingyin didn’t continue the conversation. Instead, she circulated her magic, leaped up, and bounced onto the back of the other’s neck.

The back of the neck is a vital weakness for most animals. Jiao Qingyin thought her actions would provoke a violent reaction from the white wolf, but the other only let out a soft “aowoo” and relaxed her body. It was as if she were afraid the leopard wouldn’t stand steady and fall off.

Jiao Qingyin indeed nearly tripped over the white fur, but fortunately, relying on a feline’s superior balance, she adjusted her posture. Then she spoke in a deep voice: “Ji-aow.” Take me down the mountain.

According to the map provided by the System, the snowy mountain she was on wasn’t too far from the Prince’s fief. At the speed of a horse, it would take about two days. With the white wolf as a mount, they should reach the fief within one day.

However, Al grew anxious because she couldn’t see Jiao Qingyin. Even though she could feel the warmth of the other pressed against her, the lack of the little snow leopard’s figure in her line of sight caused her an uncontrollable sense of panic.

She was afraid that if she didn’t keep her eyes on Jiao Qingyin, the other would suddenly disappear. She feared the other would encounter danger she wouldn’t notice. Most of all, she feared… that today’s encounter was just a dream.

Not being able to look at Jiao Qingyin constantly made her lose all sense of security.

Al turned her head to look at the little leopard on her back. She tried her best to resist the urge to carry the other in her mouth, but she couldn’t help a sound escaping her throat.

Her Jiao Jiao… so small, so fluffy, like a doll. She could eat her in one bite. The other was so small, how could she let her out of her sight?

Al’s fangs began to show.

Jiao Qingyin sensed something was wrong. She had been struggling with her own unruly tail, but looking up and seeing the wolf’s shimmering blue eyes, her fur stood on end. Thinking the other was refusing to obey orders, she used her front paws to pa-pa smack Al’s forehead several times until the white wolf completely flattened her body and let out a weak whimpering sound.

Training beasts is exhausting. Jiao Qingyin added a threatening low growl, then took her short legs and walked unsteadily across Al’s furry back, sighing.

She finally found a comfortable spot, curled up, used her long tail to wrap around herself, and then tried to growl in her roughest voice: “Ji!” Depart!

She unconsciously flicked her tail. As Al began to run, her long tail slapped against the wolf over and over.

Al’s eyes moved slightly. Several black tentacles emerged from her body, wrapping around that soft tail. Jiao Qingyin noticed nothing, only wondering for a few seconds why her tail felt a bit heavier before focusing entirely on the spectacular mountain scenery.

Al finally felt at peace.

The mountain air was piercingly cold, but for them, it was the most comfortable temperature. Jiao Qingyin flew along with Al. Looking out, the field of vision was filled with an endless snowy plain. The wildness deep in her genes was triggered; she couldn’t help but stand tall with great ambition, wanting to do something.

But before she could do anything, a sudden gust of wind blew. The entire snow leopard tumbled backward, nearly rolling off Al’s body.

Fortunately, Al braked in time and turned to bite the back of her neck, preventing Jiao Qingyin from falling off the cliff during high-speed movement. With the little leopard in her mouth, Al couldn’t speak, but a fierce low growl still rumbled from her throat.

Even though Al was absolutely certain she wouldn’t let Jiao Qingyin fall, the accident just now made her tremble. If she hadn’t tied the tentacles to the tail, if she hadn’t caught her, if she had run a bit faster or been distracted—the white wolf let out another roar of suppressed fury.

Jiao Qingyin was dazed. Held by the neck with her limbs dangling, she felt an indescribable sense of fulfillment, as if… she had returned to her mother’s embrace.

But the fulfillment was fleeting. In the next second, she was stunned by Al’s roar. A snow leopard’s hearing is excellent; Al roaring at such close range made Jiao Qingyin’s ears ring. Her round little ears wilted, and the whole leopard looked pitiful and helpless.

Grievance and panic made Jiao Qingyin’s tail instinctively curl up to her mouth. Without thinking, she opened her mouth and ah-wu bit down on it.

Thus, when Al calmed down a bit and set Jiao Qingyin down to emphasize safety matters, what she saw was a little snow leopard with watery eyes, helplessly biting her own tail.

Al felt as if she had been punched in the face; she couldn’t say a single word.

“…Ji.” Jiao Qingyin finally came to her senses, realizing why the other was angry and… how embarrassing her behavior had been.

Just because she was yelled at twice, she actually… Jiao Qingyin spat out her tail and flicked it away. But the tail had a mind of its own and swung right back. Jiao Qingyin was furious; she stepped on it with one paw and stomped several times, as if beating up an disobedient tail.

Seeing this, Al got anxious first. She stepped forward, bit Jiao Qingyin’s neck again, and resumed running before the other could react. Being able to tangibly feel that Jiao Qingyin was with her, and seeing the back of her black-and-white head, Al ran faster than before, like a white hurricane.

At night, Al brought Jiao Qingyin into a human town.

They leaped silently across rooftops, noticed by no one. Jiao Qingyin had already learned how to use her limbs. Ignoring the tail that occasionally refused to follow orders, her movements were entirely those of a qualified snow leopard.

They stopped one after the other on the roof of a shop selling dairy products.

An hour ago, Al had heard Jiao Qingyin’s stomach let out a gurgling protest and realized belatedly that the other was a cub who needed care. She had hunted a wild deer for Jiao Qingyin. The latter smelled the fresh blood and immediately perked up, but with one bite, she threw everything up.

Jiao Qingyin didn’t believe it and tried attacking the most tender piece of meat Al picked for her. After a long struggle, she only left a series of tiny, shallow tooth marks. Only then did she realize she had overestimated herself—she hadn’t been weaned yet! Even if she forced the meat down, she’d just vomit it up the next second.

When Al discovered this, she appeared extremely remorseful, blaming everything on her failure to take care of Jiao Qingyin. She had no experience caring for cubs and assumed Jiao Qingyin was as strong as herself. The reality was that while Jiao Qingyin could flatten a mountain with one paw, she was still a tiny snow leopard.

She couldn’t be yelled at, couldn’t be ignored, couldn’t walk too much at once. She needed milk, she needed care, and she needed to be taught how to run and jump bit by bit. Al remembered how well Jiao Qingyin had cared for her when she was a cub. The other gave her everything she needed and used kisses and hugs to heal the cynical girl who wanted to destroy the world.

Al began to vaguely understand what she needed to do.

In the dead of night, the shop was already closed. Al and Jiao Qingyin jumped down from the roof. The former raised a paw, and the lock on the door immediately fell off.

“Let’s go,” Al said, reaching for the back of the little leopard’s neck again.

By this time, Jiao Qingyin was so hungry she was dizzy. She had consumed too much energy today without replenishment, so she couldn’t dodge Al’s movement. She was dizzily carried into the shop and dizzily sank into a pile of something like cushions. After an unknown amount of time, she woke up to a warm fragrance.

In the darkness, the great white wolf was tilting its head, watching her. The source of the fragrance was a saucer of milk pushed toward her.

“…Ji?” It’s warm?

Al nodded, pushing the milk until it was right where Jiao Qingyin could drink it by lowering her head. Jiao Qingyin was so hungry she couldn’t tell north from south and immediately dived in, drinking greedily. She worked very hard, but her belly didn’t bulge at all; instead, she felt hungrier the more she drank.

Sensing something was wrong, Jiao Qingyin looked up and saw the white wolf in front of her suddenly grin—it was laughing at her. Jiao Qingyin raised a paw and felt a wet patch of milk on her face. She hadn’t found the right method. After drinking for a long time, not a drop of milk had entered her mouth, but she had certainly washed her face.

Jiao Qingyin was somewhat embarrassed and angry. When the wolf brought a towel from somewhere, she used magic to wash her face clean first.

“Ji!” Don’t laugh!

Even though she said so, the white wolf still looked like it couldn’t help it. However, it gave her some face by not laughing to her face; instead, it turned away and let out two strange “aowoo” sounds.

Jiao Qingyin grew even more annoyed. She stared at the fragrant milk as if facing a great enemy. After a moment, she used wind elements to tilt the saucer and poured the milk directly into her mouth.

Al wanted to personally teach the little leopard how to drink milk, but seeing this scene, she could only regretfully withdraw her gaze.

Full and satisfied, Jiao Qingyin began to feel sleepy. The town they were in wasn’t far from the Prince’s fief. Jiao Qingyin originally planned to retrieve her body tonight to avoid any complications, but as a cub, she was truly disappointing—she could barely keep her eyes open.

At this moment, the white wolf spoke to her: “What do you plan to do at the Prince’s fief?”

“I want to enter the Prince’s Manor.”

“…Why go there?”

“Because I’m looking for someone.”

“Looking for who…?”

“Looking for… why are you asking so much?”

Hearing the continuous questions, Jiao Qingyin cleared her head and immediately stopped talking. She didn’t want to tell this stranger too much. They had only known each other for a day; they didn’t know each other’s identities, and it wasn’t appropriate to talk deeply.

But to her surprise, the white wolf slowly lay down, resting its head at a level equal to hers, and said: “I know who you are looking for.”

Jiao Qingyin’s face and movements didn’t change at all. “Who?”

“It’s that Grand Magister named Al, isn’t it?”

Jiao Qingyin’s pupils constricted slightly. On the surface, she still looked sleepy, but she didn’t notice that her restless tail had already completely exposed her true emotions. Seeing this, Al’s eyes appeared even darker in the night.

Jiao Qingyin pretended to be curious. “What if it is her?”

“That Grand Magister’s lover seems to have… run away from home a few years ago. So she has been looking for her.”

Jiao Qingyin froze. She hadn’t expected the matter between her and Al to have spread so widely that even a beast in the snowy mountains knew. But… “run away from home”…? Is that what Al told others?

“She used many methods but couldn’t find her. So everyone says…”

Al paused. Jiao Qingyin instinctively asked: “Everyone says what?”

“…” After a moment of silence, Al spoke slowly in a voice even she felt was incredibly ethereal. “Everyone says she was abandoned. Her lover will never come back.”

“She was detested by her lover, destined to be forever alone.”

However, in reality, no one dared to say such things. Jiao Qingyin didn’t know yet that Al had overthrown the Empire four years ago. On the original Prince’s fief, she had established a small country ruled by elected officials. She remembered the words Jiao Qingyin had casually mentioned and planted them like a seed left behind.

From the Consul down to the vagrants, everyone knew this Grand Magister who would personally protect the land when disasters struck, and everyone knew she had a lover she missed dearly. Even people outside the small country held the same understanding—because Al had plastered portraits of Jiao Qingyin across the entire continent, demanding that all races report to her immediately if they saw anyone resembling her.

No one dared to say the Grand Magister’s lover wouldn’t return. They all sincerely wished for their reunion and long-lasting love—no one who had seen Al’s world-shaking power could doubt her will.

Only Al herself would say such words.

“How is that possible!”

Before Al could say anything else self-deprecating, Jiao Qingyin retorted sharply. Her milky “ji-aow” sounded very serious now. “She was not detested by her lover!”

A faint light lit up in Al’s eyes.

“Who is saying these things?” Jiao Qingyin flipped over and sat up, her large tail shaking with anger. “Did she not come forward to stop the spread of these rumors? She—”

Al was waiting for her to continue. She desperately wanted to hear words like “I didn’t abandon her” from her mouth. But… the other stopped. She seemed to suddenly remember something else. The tail that had stood up in anger slowly went soft. A few seconds later, she lay back down.

Al’s newly warmed heart was doused with a bucket of ice water. Holding onto the last shred of hope, she spoke: “You…”

Jiao Qingyin let out a yawn, her front limbs stretching forward and her tail tensing in a big stretch. “I’m going to sleep.”

After saying that, she turned around, leaving Al only a white-and-black back view.

Not long after, her breathing became steady and long. Al, however, felt as if she had fallen into a cold cellar; her entire body was frozen like ice.

Jiao Jiao… she didn’t refute it. She admitted she abandoned me. She admitted she wouldn’t come back. She—she really didn’t come back to see me.

Jiao Qingyin wanted to enter the Prince’s Manor. Only Al lived there now; all the knights and servants had been sent away. Besides Al herself, in that vast manor, the only thing left was… Jiao Qingyin’s body.

Al instantly understood the truth, realizing the purpose of this trip. Jiao Qingyin came back because she had stolen her body. Once she got the body back, what Al would face was Jiao Qingyin leaving her once again—

Al’s eyes turned a deep crimson in the moonlight. She stared at the sleeping snow leopard. Countless black tentacles emerged behind her, growing like the branches of a tree, about to completely envelop the little leopard.

At this moment, Al saw the leopard’s ears twitch. The round ears were full of elasticity, like two small pieces of pudding. Al almost reflexively retracted all the tentacles within a single breath and then quickly closed her eyes—

Two or three seconds later, she heard the little leopard call her in a soft voice.

Using a control that almost made her vomit blood, Al resisted answering. Soon, there was a rustling sound from the leopard’s side. A snow leopard is an extremely agile, silent beast; when one deliberately tries to hide its presence, almost no prey can find it.

Al pretended to sleep, remaining oblivious until the little leopard jumped onto the window sill, nimbly left the shop, and ran onto the street. Then, she snapped her eyes open.

The white wolf disappeared in the darkness, replaced by Al dressed in a black robe. Her face was terrifyingly grim. In an instant, she arrived outside the shop.

She was strong enough now. She would not give Jiao Qingyin any chance to escape. Either the other would stay by her side forever, or she would carry her with her forever—no matter which one Jiao Qingyin chose, she would never be separated from her again.

Thus, the little leopard, who had just started running, crashed headlong into a suddenly appearing obstacle.

She spun around dizzily twice before managing to stand steady. Looking up, she met a face she knew all too well. Silvery-white long hair, a beautiful face, and eyes that were a different color than usual but clearly red from anger…

—How could Al be here!

Sensing the overwhelming pressure coming from the other, like a gathering storm, countless thoughts flashed through Jiao Qingyin’s mind. She missed Al terribly and fantasized every day about returning to the past with her. But… but she didn’t want to reunite with her at this time at all—

Jiao Qingyin knew Al too well. If she didn’t get her body back first, once the other discovered her goal, she would definitely hold her body hostage. Then, regardless of whether she finished the mission, future work would be a huge problem.

However, the other shouldn’t know the leopard in front of her was her, so…

Jiao Qingyin’s mind whirled. She realized this might be a golden opportunity to survive. So, before Al could speak, she moved first.

With a pa-ji, her left foot tripped over her right, and she tumbled down at Al’s feet. Before the other could stiffly lean down, she used her two front paws to grab Al’s ankle. Then, enduring the shame, she let out a pitiful, aggrieved cry: You bumped into me, pay me.

Al remained motionless, as if sealed by the snow leopard clinging to her leg. Seeing the first move didn’t work, Jiao Qingyin could only grit her teeth and continue the next. She crawled up, leaned against Al’s leg, and rubbed her furry cheek against her calf, then “ji-aow ji-aow”‘ed a long string.

“Scam, take me away, scam, take me away, scam…”

Taking advantage of the fact that Al “couldn’t understand,” she kept repeating those one syllables in a very sweet voice, insisting that Al take her home. To an outsider, it would surely sound like a long string of spoiled, cooing words.

Al, who could actually understand what the little leopard was saying: “…”

She was somewhat dazed. She even began to wonder if she was truly dreaming.