Cool Alpha Pregnant with a Dryad’s Cub - Chapter 10

Once freed from the man’s iron grip, Zhuoti lost all her strength and slumped to the ground, gasping for air.

The man had been flung aside by Gongsun Wu, tumbling several times before spitting out a mouthful of black blood. The blood reeked with a foul stench so potent it made Zhuoti’s stomach churn with nausea.

The man looked up, ready to lash out in a rage, but the moment he saw Gongsun Wu, he was struck dumb with terror. He kowtowed frantically, his forehead thumping against the ground. “Great… Great One.”

Gongsun Wu stood tall, her back to Zhuoti as she shielded her. Her wide sleeves fluttered in the wind. Zhuoti couldn’t tell if Gongsun Wu had said anything, but the man lowered his head, trembling violently.

“Begone,” Gongsun Wu said coldly.

The man scrambled away on all fours, fleeing toward the south a direction that led only to the nearby Mount Luyi.

Gongsun Wu turned around and reached out a hand to Zhuoti on the ground.

Zhuoti didn’t take it, choosing instead to stand up on her own. “Thank you,” she said, her voice raspy.

Gongsun Wu pointed toward her neck. “Are you injured?”

Her neck throbbed. Even without looking, Zhuoti knew there were likely bruises from where he had squeezed her. She touched the area lightly. “I’m fine.”

Gongsun Wu’s gaze shifted to the wound on Zhuoti’s palm. “This place isn’t safe, you must protect yourself from now on.”

“Why?” Zhuoti asked. “Who was he? Do you know him?”

“I don’t,” Gongsun Wu replied.

“Then why did he try to… drink my blood?” Zhuoti stared at her, refusing to believe they were strangers. That man had been scared out of his wits the moment he saw her.

A faint smile played on Gongsun Wu’s lips. “I truly don’t know him. As for the why, perhaps you should go and ask him yourself?”

Her smile was a captivating blend of elegance and effortless charm. Seeing two such different styles coexist in one person was mesmerizing. Zhuoti felt as if she were under some kind of spell. It was a familiar sensation, one she felt had happened… quite recently.

“Then why did you show up here? And how did you happen to save me right on time?” Zhuoti pressed.

“I was just passing by,” Gongsun Wu smiled softly.

City A was massive. Could it really be such a coincidence?

Zhuoti didn’t buy it, yet she couldn’t find a flaw in the explanation. She looked at Gongsun Wu, then at the puddle of black blood on the ground. She wondered what kind of martial arts Gongsun Wu practiced to be able to lift a grown man with one hand and toss him aside so easily. Such strength was incredible.

Beep, beep!

A car horn blared behind them, startling Zhuoti. She turned to see a black car. The driver stuck his head out the window. “Is this the car you ordered? Why didn’t you pick up the phone?”

Zhuoti quickly checked her phone. In the chaos, she had accidentally muted it.

“That’s me!” Zhuoti walked toward the car, then paused and looked back. “Are you heading back?”

“I’ll make my own way,” Gongsun Wu said, anticipating her question.

“Just get in. We live in the same place, we’re neighbors,” Zhuoti said, opening the rear door. “Don’t be polite.”

Gongsun Wu walked over slowly and stood beside Zhuoti. She leaned down to peer inside the car. “Is it fast?”

“Very fast,” Zhuoti replied, though she didn’t understand why she was asking.

“How fast?”

“If there’s no traffic, we’ll be home in fifty minutes,” Zhuoti said.

“Fifty minutes… how long is that?”

Zhuoti: “…”

Is there something wrong with her head? Zhuoti thought to herself. Glancing at Gongsun Wu’s traditional attire, she tried a different concept. “Less than half a double-hour.”

“That long?” Gongsun Wu straightened up. “I’m not getting in.”

Zhuoti gave her a shove. “Just get in! You’re not seriously planning to walk back, are you?”

Caught off guard, Gongsun Wu’s head was pushed into the car. She scrambled the rest of the way in, grumbling, “I can get in myself. A young lady shouldn’t be so uncouth.”

“Stop dawdling.” Zhuoti squeezed into the back seat beside her.

The air inside the car was a bit stale, so Zhuoti pulled a freshener from her bag and gave it a few sprays. Usually, it was just a psychological comfort and didn’t do much, but today it seemed remarkably effective. The air cleared instantly, replaced by a crisp, refreshing scent… like the fragrance of trees.

Zhuoti took a few sniffs. The scent was coming from Gongsun Wu. It was lovely, like breathing in the heart of a forest.

“What were you doing out here anyway?” Zhuoti asked.

Gongsun Wu, who was staring out the window with curiosity, didn’t even turn her head. “I was bored.”

“Oh.” Zhuoti pursed her lips, then added, “Were you trying to go to Mount Luyi? The sanatorium is only two kilometers south of here.”

“What mountain?”

“The only mountain in City A, Mount Luyi. The north side is dangerous, but there’s a temple on the south side.”

“Oh, I see,” Gongsun Wu replied casually, touching the car’s interior. This vehicle’s speed was average, but it was much faster and more comfortable than the carriages of centuries ago. It didn’t jolt, it wasn’t loud—humanity had developed so rapidly.

Zhuoti watched her. “That man from earlier… the direction he ran in leads to Mount Luyi.”

Gongsun Wu paused slightly, then smiled. This little human was clever, trying to bait her for information while she was distracted. She had only made it in time today because the spiritual sense she placed on Zhuoti last night hadn’t faded, allowing her to sense the danger.

She didn’t want to explain, but she couldn’t monitor Zhuoti for danger every second, nor could she keep wiping her memory. Gongsun Wu subtly moved her fingers, casting a sound-sealing barrier inside the car, isolating them from the driver.

“I want to ask you something,” Zhuoti said. “That bit about… drinking my blood. What did that mean?”

Gongsun Wu tilted her head. “Ask him.”

“Then how did you know he was going to hurt me? How did you save me at the exact right moment?”

“Passing by.”

Zhuoti glared at her. “Do you really think I’m that stupid?”

Gongsun Wu chuckled. “Little Bodhi Tree, you should be more careful. Especially someone like you with an ‘Extreme Yin’ constitution. Your blood is… like the flesh of Tang Sanzang to them.”

“Huh?” Zhuoti was completely lost. “What does that even mean?”

Gongsun Wu tilted her head, tracing a circle in the air with her finger. “You’re so pretty, how can you be so dim?”

“You’re the dim one,” Zhuoti snapped.

“Don’t you know about the flesh of Tang Sanzang? I’ve only watched ten episodes,” Gongsun Wu said, “and even I understand. Those monsters want to eat you.”

Zhuoti rolled her eyes. Monsters? What nonsense. She decided Gongsun Wu was the foolish one—she’d clearly watched too much TV.

“Fine, if you don’t want to tell me, don’t. What a load of rubbish.” Zhuoti shifted further to the right, trying to distance herself.

However, the car was small, and Gongsun Wu’s robes were voluminous, taking up most of the back seat. Zhuoti turned off the audio in her earbuds and tried to listen to Gongsun Wu’s inner thoughts. Over the past few days, she hadn’t been able to capture a single thought from her. She didn’t know if it was because their houses were too far apart or if this woman truly had nothing on her mind.

Zhuoti dismissed the latter. She had never met anyone like that. Words can lie, but the heart cannot.

The traffic was heavy, and it took an hour to reach home. Throughout the ride, Zhuoti didn’t hear so much as a sigh from her companion. Distance could no longer explain this silence.

As Zhuoti got out of the car, she looked back to see Gongsun Wu hesitating inside, struggling with her intricate robes. Zhuoti walked around to the left side and opened the door.

Gongsun Wu looked surprised. “This side opens too?”

Idiot. Zhuoti rolled her eyes internally.

Gongsun Wu stepped out and patted Zhuoti lightly on the shoulder. “My thanks, Little Bodhi.”

She elegantly straightened her clothes and began walking toward her house, but stopped abruptly when she saw Zhuoti following her.

“I promised the fox I’d come see it when I got back,” Zhuoti explained.

“The two of you certainly get along well,” Gongsun Wu said, flicking her sleeve.

Before they even reached the glass villa, the white fox had pawed the door open and come charging out, streaking toward them like an arrow.

Mother! Mommy!

Zhuoti paused. This little thing… could it please not use those two names together? It made her relationship with Gongsun Wu feel very strange. Fortunately, no one else could understand it.

Banning ran to Gongsun Wu’s feet first, rubbing against her as a greeting, before leaping toward Zhuoti.

Mother, catch me!

Zhuoti instinctively caught the fox. As it nuzzled her, she laughed. “You’re just like a dog. Do foxes like rubbing against people too?”

Banning bounced and wiggled in her arms. Zhuoti held its hindquarters with both hands; it wasn’t very big, but it was surprisingly heavy.

“Little White,” Gongsun Wu said, “she’s injured. Don’t jump.”

The fox in her arms stopped instantly. It twisted its head around, looking everywhere. Where is Mother hurt?

“My hand. It’s almost healed already,” Zhuoti said helplessly. This tiny wound had been brought up so many times today she was starting to feel embarrassed.

Two people emerged from the glass house: Xu Zhuangyuan and a woman Zhuoti didn’t recognize. The woman had ear-length straight hair, healthy wheat-colored skin, and lovely features.

When she saw Gongsun Wu, she blurted out, “Boss, how did you suddenly just fl—”

Xu Zhuangyuan tugged on her arm. She caught herself quickly and covered it with a smile, looking at Zhuoti who was holding Banning. “Hello, I’m Zhu Xuelu.”

“Zhuoti,” she replied. “I live next door.”

Banning jumped down from Zhuoti’s arms. It looked up at her and said, Mother, let me see your wound.

“It’s really fine.” Zhuoti scratched under its chin.

Banning insisted, I want to see.

“Fine, look.” Zhuoti held out her left palm.

The bleeding had stopped long ago, and the surface had scabbed over. Banning’s ears drooped. It nudged the wound with its nose and then stuck out its tongue, wanting to lick it.

Zhuoti pulled her hand back. “I put iodine on it, don’t lick it.”

I’ll have Mommy treat you, Banning said. Mommy is amazing, she can fix it in a heartbeat.

The fox walked over to Gongsun Wu. Mommy, heal Mother’s injury.

Gongsun Wu didn’t understand the meaning of the fox’s yapping. She leaned down to pick it up, but Banning batted her hand away and bit her sleeve, tugging her toward Zhuoti.

“What are you doing?” Gongsun Wu asked.

Save Mother! Banning let go and paced back and forth between Zhuoti and Gongsun Wu. Mommy, hurry and save Mother!

To an outsider, the scene of the two women and the fox looked incredibly intimate. Zhu Xuelu watched in disbelief, whispering, “Didn’t you guys just move in a few days ago? How did Ningning get so close to the neighbor?”

“I have no idea,” Xu Zhuangyuan said.

Zhu Xuelu was green with envy. “Ningning won’t even let me hold him.”

Banning continued its whimpering plea to Gongsun Wu, who couldn’t understand, while Zhuoti understood perfectly. Feeling helpless, Zhuoti scooped up the pacing fox and smoothed its fur. “I’m fine now, really. I’ve seen you, but I haven’t eaten yet, so I need to go home and get some food. Be a good boy.”

Let Mommy cook for you, Banning said. The meat Mommy makes is delicious.

“You keep that for yourself,” Zhuoti laughed. “Come find me when I’m not busy.”

Zhuoti looked at Gongsun Wu. “Thank you for today. I’ve said my hellos, so I’ll be heading back.”

Gongsun Wu nodded. As Banning tried to follow, she said, “Little White, come back.”

Banning stood by her feet, looking dejected.

Gongsun Wu scooped it up with one hand. Zhu Xuelu and Xu Zhuangyuan crowded around. Xuelu asked, “Boss, who is she? Why is Ningning so fond of her?”

Gongsun Wu asked, “Did you notice?”

“Notice what?”

“Her,” Gongsun Wu said, watching Zhuoti’s retreating back. “She was having a conversation with Little White.”

Xuelu didn’t understand. “So? We talk to Ningning all the time.”

Gongsun Wu glanced at her as if she were a fool. “Not ‘talking to,’ but ‘conversing with.'”

“Oh…” Zhu Xuelu realized it a moment later. “Oh! It did look like that, but… how is that possible? Ningning hasn’t taken human form, he’s just a regular animal.”

Gongsun Wu held Banning up. “Little White, can she understand what you say? If yes, lift your tail.”

Banning looked thrilled and instantly snapped its tail upright.

Support Cool Alpha Pregnant with a Dryad’s Cub