Legacy World 3.8 In Trouble

[Erm... BaiXue, he's angry right? Why's he so angry at us?]

/How'd I know?/

[That's LongFei, isn't it?]

/He matches the description./

[He didn't sound like a grumpy man in the book!]

"What were you doing in the cave for so long?" His voice was low but his tone revealed the height of his rage.

BaiXue frowned. /How did he know how long she spent in the cave?/

[I was paying full attention! I really didn't see him!] BaoBao defended himself.

"Shocked that I knew? Of course I would know everything that happens in my garden. I saw how you lured her out. Were you challenging her? Did you think you'd win?!" The more he talked, the more he looked like he was about to burst.

BaiXue felt no obligation to reply him. The moment he unreasonably exploded at her like that, he lost the hold he had on her. So, BaiXue dashed off once she could. However, a mere few meters away, her limbs suddenly turned to jelly, causing her to tumble hard on the ground. Did she lose her footing somehow? Did she trip over something? Or did she trip over herself? No, something was wrong. Everything looked hazy. She had no strength to move, much less pick herself up. It became hard to breathe. It was like her insides burned while her skin was painfully cold. LongFei appeared by her side in a split second, but she was already out of it and unresponsive. 

[Just from that tiny amount from a tiny scratch?! Oh, come on! Isn't this too much of a disadvantage?!] BaoBao whined and panicked in BaiXue's stead. He had been planning to warn her about it once she got to a safe place. 

LongFei's worried gaze travelled up and down BaiXue's little furry body. His fingers slightly trembled above the nick on her back. It was so small that it was barely bleeding. However, as anyone could tell now, it was deceivingly harmless.

/Tsk! I was too slow!/ Sparkly sky blue aura surrounded LongFei and BaiXue. It eventually grew so heavy that it hid them from view. A silver dragon, with silver hair that was fairer than its body, emerged from the dense aura. LongFei promptly and gently wrapped his tail around BaiXue, then set the basilisk's body aflame with ice cold flames that shot out of his mouth. After that, he took off for the peak of the tallest mountain - His home.

LongFei had been flying around in the sky as usual.

He started this habit around a year ago, when his heart mysteriously started to feel unsettled. Not knowing the cause or cure for it led to constant restlessness. So, he constantly flew around to cope with it.

He had superb eyesight that could see the smallest details from high up in the sky. So, it was easy for him to spot an injured woman on one of the mountains. She entered a small cave then collapsed inside. Although the woman dazzled in his eyes, his heart did not feel moved nor was he worried for the woman in the least. He was still preoccupied with his unease. Still, he felt a strange compulsion to check on the woman. Thinking that he had nothing better to occupy his time with anyway, he gave into the compulsion.

Thus, he got acquainted with the woman called FengJiao. He spent one month nursing her back to health, then spent the following months looking out for her. However, she did not seem very appreciative. She even seemed to find him annoying. She mentioned something about him being too arrogant and domineering but he did not understand nor care. He was brought up being told that he was the strongest and was meant to stand above anyone else in the world. So, he did not see anything wrong with those qualities.

A few months later, it was during one his flights that he noticed someone new in his garden. 

This girl's looks did not dazzle him like FengJiao's appearance did, but he could not seem to take his eyes off of her. The things that this girl occupied herself with was entertaining to him. It even cured the unease in his heart and resolved the restlessness he had been plagued with. As a result, he stayed on the mountain peaks to keep watch over her.

Weirdly, the compulsion he felt to check on FengJiao did not go away. Finding that he had the time to do so, he still satisfied the compulsion whenever it got unbearably irritating, so that it would stop bothering him. 

LongFei gradually realised that the girl that had his rapt attention was actually systematically scouring through every inch of the mountains. He wondered what she seemed to be looking for and what about her made him unable to keep his eyes off her. She was no beauty nor the most adorable by people's standards. However, he liked the way she determinedly looked for whatever she was looking for. He liked her gestures and her every move. Before he knew it, he began to value this unassuming beauty and charm.

Finally, the day came when she lured the basilisk from the cave. Thinking that her goal was to find the basilisk's home, he deemed her as reckless and daring. As much as he disapproved of it, he felt the urge to indulge her and let her have some fun. However, he got increasingly worried the longer she stayed in it. Once the basilisk turned onto the path towards the cave, he knew that the little rabbit had no way out. Just as he turned into a dragon to help if she needed assistance, the flash of white that shot out of the cave made his stomach drop. 

/Fool! That's not enough!/ He immediately flew down from the peak.

/She dares to bare her fangs!/ He changed back into his human form in mid air and landed on the basilisk heavily. Thoughts of the little rabbit's death flashed to the forefront of his mind and fueled his rage. Consumed by his anger, he stomped his way to the foolish little rabbit. Before he knew it, words flew out of his mouth. Somewhere in the recesses of his mind, he knew how unreasonable he was being. He was a stranger to her. She would not have known how long he had been watching her. However, what was done and said could not be taken back.

When she took off without answering him, surprise and regret replaced anger. 

When her small weak body collapsed onto the ground, his heart heart dropped along. A complex mix of frustration, anger, guilt, and anxiety overwhelmed him as he rushed her to his house for treatment. /I won't let her die under my watch!/

He filled a white jade bowl with ice cold water, then soaked her in it to slow down the spread of the basilisk poison. He left BaiXue in the room and rushed to the kitchen to prepare the all-cure herb. This herb was incredibly rare and hard to grow but something told him that BaiXue was well worth the cost of treatment. He cursed at how his flames were ice cold instead of flaming hot. If it was flaming hot, he would be able to speed up the entire process and feed her the soup even sooner.

When the medicine was finally ready, he hurried back to BaiXue. Her breathing was laborious. Her breath and body was still hot even though her lips and nose turned blue from the cold. He blew on the hot soup. His cold breath quickly cooled it down to a good temperature for consumption. However, the soup trickled out of her mouth. LongFei frowned and stroked the rabbit's face with the back of his fingers.

The familiar sensation on her cheek woke BaiXue up. Everything was still in a blur and spun around her. Her entire body hurt, burned, and was freezing cold at the same time. The urge to go back to sleep was extremely strong, but a deep and firm yet soothing voice kept her grounded. "Drink this. You have to. It's medicine. It'll help. Come on."

LongFei gingerly took her out of the jade bowl.

"Try to exert a little strength and change yourself back. It'll be easier that way. Please, try." He  continued to urge and encourage her.

Despite all that he said, BaiXue only registered the two words that told her what to do. She had to drink. Drink what? She had to change. Change?

[Medicine! Medicine! Human! Change back into your human form!] BaoBao exclaimed, full of panic and fear.

BaiXue used the last of her strength to change back into her human form.

LongFei quickly lifted her upper body up and fed her with a spoon.

When something warm and wet pressed against her lips, BaiXue obediently opened her mouth. Liquid flowed into her mouth, which she gulped down with some difficulty. The pain lessened with every sip she took. Once it completely subsided, she gave in to the pull of sleep with a sigh relief. 

LongFei carried BaiXue's now shivering body to a bed in the room further into the house. He covered her with a thick warm blanket then went off. He soon came back with a glorious white pelt, a thicker blanket and a set of clothes in his hands.

Without thinking much, he changed her clothes into his dry ones, laid the pelt onto the wet bed so that it was dry again, then placed her down and covered her with the new thicker blanket. Throughout it all, he only had one thing in mind - Her well-being.

Although BaiXue was out cold, BaoBao was conscious and could see everything that happened. His jaw dropped when he saw what LongFei did to BaiXue, then screamed inside. He felt a mix of different emotions. He felt enraged for BaiXue's exposure, irritated that he could have been the one to help BaiXue change, but happy that LongFei seemed to care about her a lot.

BaoBao did not know how BaiXue would feel about this, so in a bid to protect her dignity, he decided to keep this a secret.

The next morning.

BaiXue turned over in her sleep. It was toasty, warm, soft, and very comfy. She did not feel like getting up at all. For the first time, she was actually feeling lazy. As quickly as that thought came, it left. The thought was so unfamiliar to her that it jolted her right awake. Her eyes flew open. She found herself in an unfamiliar room with white walls and sky blue wooden roof. It was spacious, had valuable looking items set up as decorations, and clean and pristine. She sat up slowly in puzzlement, then frowned to find herself in blue garments that was made for a man.

/BaoBao, did you do this? Where am I? Whose clothes is this?/

[You're in LongFei's house. He saved you but I changed your clothes because you were freezing after being dunked in ice cold water.]

/I was dunked in ice cold water?/

BaoBao explained everything that happened only altering the part about LongFei changing her clothes for her.

/I see... I should thank him properly then./

Just as she had that thought, he came in the room with the intention to check on her. 

"You're awake. How're you now?"

"I'm feeling perfect. Thank you for your help. I'll repay your kindness some day." BaiXue said. She then looked down and lightly coughed before continuing, "Sorry for taking your clothes like that. I probably did it while sleepwalking... or something like that."

BaoBao's jaw dropped. He prayed that LongFei would not clarify the matter.

LongFei slightly frowned in confusion. "What're you sorry for? I was the one who took it. Do you think you could have changed by yourself in the state you were in?"

"What?"

He frowned even more. "Are you sure you're feeling perfect? Why is it that you have trouble understanding me?"

/BaoBao, I didn't know that you were LongFei. Since when did you change into him, huh?/

BaoBao went quiet and did not reply. [Stupid LongFei and his big mouth!] He thought secretly to himself.

/BaoBao...?/ BaiXue warned.

[I just wanted to protect your dignity and save some of your face for you!] BaoBao cried out his explanation.

/Did you think I'd be embarrassed or something? I'd rather that than make a mistake like this again, do you understand?/

BaoBao was shocked. He realised he spared a thought for her feelings for nothing. [Okay...]

Not getting a reply, LongFei walked forward and placed his hand on BaiXue's forehead.

The sudden warmth of his hand on her forehead made her widen her eyes a little in surprise. She pushed his hand away. "I said I'm feeling perfect. I understood you perfectly clear too."

He kept his frown on, as he said, "Say that earlier then." /How worried do you want me to be?/

She lightly pursed her lips.

[Erm... The second male lead is really quite... something in this world.] BaoBao commented.

/No wonder the female lead doesn't like him even though she was the only one he ever cared for./

"Can I have my clothes back?"

"Why can't you?" He never stopped frowning. /She just needs to tell me she wanted it back, why the need to ask?/ He walked out feeling genuinely puzzled.

[Did he just leave the room?] BaoBao could not understand him. [He could have at least told you where your clothes are!]

/You can locate it for me anyway. Besides... I think he's-/

LongFei returned with her dried clothes in his hand. She concluded that the second male lead of this world was really bad at expressing himself and was crude in his actions.

"Thank you." She reached out to take her clothes.

"Do you need me to help you?" He asked suddenly as she touched her clothes.

"I'm fine. Just leave the room, please. Thanks again." She easily replied, unfazed by his question.

LongFei nodded and left the room.