Cen Kaiwen approached the bear, and to Baili Weibu's astonishment, he actually bent down and gently patted its head, speaking softly to it as if to comfort it.

  Gradually, the brown bear grew calm, its tongue slowly licking the wound on its front paw.

  Though its body remained tense, Baili Weibu couldn't help but be puzzled. The bear's behavior was so unnatural—it went against everything she knew about these creatures.

  "It'll be fine soon," Cen Kaiwen said as he squatted down. He then reached for the trap embedded deep into the bear's paw. With a slight frown, he pulled both sides with force.

  A sharp *crack* echoed through the quiet forest, harsh against the stillness.

  The metal trap shattered into pieces in his hands, falling limp to the ground beside the bear′s paw.

  Warm blood poured from the wound, staining his hands as he gripped the trap.

  The brown bear let out a low growl, possibly from the pain or perhaps from the relief of being freed. Baili Weibu didn’t care to distinguish between the two; what concerned her now was the man in front of her—what kind of strength or courage, or perhaps sheer recklessness, made him do something so suicidal?

  After all, with a single swipe of its paw, the bear could easily crush his skull. Yet, from beginning to end, he showed no fear, not even a hint of hesitation. As an ordinary person who had just arrived, this behavior made no logical sense.

  He tore off a sleeve from his sweater, rolled it into a strip, and carefully tied it around the bear's wound to stop the bleeding.

  Once he had done all that, he exhaled slightly, giving the bear a pat on the head. "You′re strong. In a few days, you′ll be fine. But be careful next time. You′re not always going to be this lucky. Let's go."

  The brown bear shook its head, awkwardly shifting its heavy body. After a few attempts, it managed to pce its injured paw on the ground and limped off into the woods. After a few steps, it turned its head to look back at Cen Kaiwen, and to Baili Weibu's shock, there seemed to be a hint of moisture in its eyes.

  Baili Weibu immediately thought she must be hallucinating. A wild brown bear could understand human speech and even cry...

  Cen Kaiwen waved at the bear, signaling it to move on, his face expressionless.

  Once the bear′s figure and scent disappeared into the night, Baili Weibu quickly strode up to him, locking eyes as she asked, "Who are you?"

  "I'm not human," he suddenly grinned mischievously. "That should be the most logical answer."

  "You..." She was left speechless, unable to find the words to respond.

  "Just as you're born not to fear yaokais, I'm born not to fear animals," he said, his pyful expression fading as he spoke more seriously. "Whether it's small creatures or fierce beasts, they're all friendly to me. Maybe they sense I have no intention of harming them, so they're not wary of me. Animals are sensitive that way." He gave her a mysterious smile.

  "Really?" She asked, half-believing.

  "We're both yaokais," he ughed heartily, then added, "Looks like we won't be going home tonight. Hopefully, we can find a way out by morning."

  "Let's just hope we don't freeze to death before sunrise," Baili Weibu tightened her coat. "We should head to that cave we passed earlier. It's at least better than standing out here like fools."

  Soon, the two of them settled into a sheltered spot inside the massive cave. The silence inside was so profound that even the sound of a pin dropping would have been audible.

  "You really have guts," Cen Kaiwen joked after a brief silence, giving Baili Weibu a thumbs-up. "If it were any other girl, she’d probably faint right away just from seeing such a huge bear."

  "Not like you. Not only are you not afraid, but you even dared to treat the bear’s wound. I thought you were the quiet, refined type, but your strength is pretty impressive. You actually crushed that trap with your bare hands!" Baili Weibu turned to him, eyeing him with a look of curiosity. "How did you do that?"

  "A moment of urgency, I guess," Cen Kaiwen said, leaning comfortably against the stone wall. "When something like that digs into your flesh, it really hurts. They should let humans try it for themselves; then they'd know what it feels like."

  Baili Weibu could clearly see the coldness flicker in his eyes.

  He stared bnkly at the faint light filtering in from outside the cave, speaking to himself, "They just want to live quietly in their own homes. But even that isn't allowed. Humans are constantly destroying their homes and exterminating them—cutting down trees, hunting relentlessly. It's disgusting." He turned his face to look directly at Baili Weibu, a strange smile forming on his lips. "Am I right?"

  Baili Weibu was taken aback for a moment. After a brief pause, she nodded and softly said, "It seems... like that."

  Baili Weibu felt a heavy weight pressing down on her chest, suffocating but not painful. The images of the hunters—their triumphant grins as they posed with their dying, bloodied prey—fshed through her mind. The sounds of the bear's anguished cries echoed in her ears, and she felt a knot tighten inside her. The cruelty of it all was choking her, even though the feeling wasn't physical. It was like a stone lodged in her heart, weighing her down.

  The silence between them stretched out, thick and uncomfortable.

  Leaning against the cold stone wall, Baili Weibu could no longer keep her eyes open. A wave of exhaustion hit her, and despite the tension that lingered in the air, her eyelids grew heavy. She finally succumbed to sleep, her body desperate for rest.

  In the dream, someone was calling her name. It was a woman′s voice, full of urgency and sorrow, calling out again and again,Weibu... Weibu."

  The sound was so filled with emotion that Baili Weibu couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness, as if the cry itself had reached into the depths of her soul.

  It's my sister, right? The sister I haven't seen in many years...

  Cen Kaiwen looked at her, already asleep and sprawled on the ground. Due to the cold, she instinctively curled up into a ball, shivering slightly. Her small red lips moved occasionally, mumbling incoherent words in her dreams.

  He took off his outer garment and gently covered her with it.

  The entire world fell into a complete silence. He stood up and left the cave, returning a moment ter with a crimson berry in his hand. He gently pced it beside Baili Weibu. A cool, sweet fragrance emanated from the fruit, drifting into her slightly twitching nose...

  "Nothing but failure after failure!"

  The old man frowned at Baili Weibu, gave a dismissive wave, and left.

  "I warned you that the people of the Baili family are not to be trusted, but you insisted on showing compassion," the middle-aged man said angrily to Baili Weibu's parents.

  "Your branch fled from China to Romania years ago under the guise of a hunt, all to protect the unborn girl. And now, look at the consequences of your actions—for yourselves and for all of us in the Centaur Cn. Pain, strange illnesses, even death! Your elder daughter has already caused trouble once, and now your younger daughter as well... sigh!"