”


  “Little Leopard, we are safe now.”


  The leopard boy blinked and blinked before responding: “Thank you….”


  “Don’t thank me, before it was you who helped me when I was hurt.” Patting the other side like he’s some sort of adult, Bai Xiachen starts getting ideas again like he usually does. “This place is too unsafe, why don’t you come with me? I can’t be at ease leaving you here alone once I leave this place.”


  There’s shock on the leopard boy’s face, but more were that of surprise and happiness. Almost choking due to the tears that’s swelling up: “You… you would take me in?”


  Bai Xiachen gives a heavy nod: “My mother is a very good person so I’m sure she would love to have you around, don’t worry.”


  “Do you like your mother very much?”


  Seeing how the little steambun would always genuinely smile when mentioning Bai Yan, the leopard boy unconsciously began to envy him. It couldn’t be helped. Since his birth, this kid has always been alone without any supervision or family. To finally have a grasp of what it means to experience kinship was something entirely new and enticing for him.

  Proud in his demeanor: “Of course I like my mother, she’s the greatest and best-looking woman in this whole wide world. She’s gentle and kind and the sweetest person you can find. It’s the very reason why I came here, it’s to enhance my own strength so I can protect her from those mean people who wishes to harm her.”


  “Then do you not mention anything about your father/”


  “My father?” Bai Xiachen’s mouth instantly puckered up with a sour note. “He is a big baddie who always try to steal Mother away from me. But out of consideration that he likes to beat those bad people away from my mother, I have reluctantly accepted him….” When speaking up to here, the little steambun suddenly paused like he’s thought of something else. “Actually, Baddie Father isn’t that bad, he can be nice to me sometimes. It’s just that he always tries to hog Mother’s attention all day long and wouldn’t let me sleep with her at night anymore.”


  That’s right, after Di Cang came into this pair’s life, the poor child’s been unable to share a bed with Bai Yan. The direct consequence of that was Bai Xiachen questioning his own origin and believing he’s adopted from the streets.

  “Little Leopard, let’s get out of here first, I don’t want to give those ladies a chance to catch us for a second time.” Giving a long sigh, Bai Xiachen gave one final glance at the oddly silent settlement behind himself before fleeing off into the sunset with his friend in toe.

  ……


  There’s a town nor far away from where the valley was located. At first this place was still bustling with noise, but that quickly changed into a calming silence when the two boys appeared.

  Whose children are they? What a lovely pair of boys, the first pretty like a girl and the second just as fine like a piece of jade.

  Little Leopard rarely makes contact with other people so this experience was something very new to him. Perhaps it’s the look he’s getting, or the added attention, but the kitty boy definitely didn’t like this and took shelter behind his friend’s back. He’s just too timid and afraid for these sort of crowded events.

  Understanding the issue, Bai Xiachen promptly pat the other kid’s shoulder as reassurance: “Don’t be afraid, with me here no one will hurt you.”


  That day it was he who got saved and it was he who brought the leopard boy out from his former home. In the end Bai Xiachen here holds a huge responsibility to look out for the other boy, after all, it was his own negligence that allowed the females from the Sky Clan to kidnap the kid in the first place.