Part 2
Zong Hao sat there, momentarily forgetting to react, his beast eyes unblinking as they watched Ning Yunyi. When the heat was turned off, he immediately tried to help carry things, but Ning Yunyi stopped him. “I bought you a new bowl. You’re not allowed to carry it on the floor anymore.”
Zong Hao immediately listened and put his paws on the counter, staring longingly at the steaming egg drop fermented rice soup. Those plump, white tangyuan rolling in the osmanthus and egg drop soup were particularly tempting.
He desperately swallowed his saliva to keep from looking too eager, but thinking that he was currently just a beast, he didn’t have much of a burden and even couldn’t help but wag his tail quickly.
Ning Yunyi saw this, and his expression stiffened for a moment. Fine, as long as he’s happy.
Ning Yunyi was afraid the big cat would break the bowl, so he thoughtfully carried the two large bowls of tangyuan out. One bowl for each. He put down a spoon and looked at the big cat, who was already staring intently. “Eat.”
As soon as he spoke, the big cat began to hook the spoon with his paw. He had grown very proficient with it over this time. He immediately bit into a plump white tangyuan to put into his mouth. Ning Yunyi remembered something and hurriedly said, “Be careful, it’s hot…”
Sure enough, in the next moment, a certain someone was burned. But even so, he only puffed out air and was reluctant to spit it out.
The sight was so painful for Ning Yunyi to look at that he inexplicably looked down. Eat as much good food as you can now, because after I say it, you’ll probably have no appetite for the next few days.
To ensure it was sweet enough, he had added a lot of rock sugar, hoping the sweetness would dampen the shock of the news to come.
Zong Hao never thought he could have an extra late-night snack like this in addition to his three daily meals. His beast eyes sparkled as he looked at Ning Yunyi, who rubbed his nose.
That gaze was hard to resist, and he even thought about waiting until the other woke up tomorrow to tell him. But considering that the Crown Prince was currently on the verge of being exposed, any delay would mean more danger for that benefactor.
So Ning Yunyi sighed and looked at the obedient big cat sitting opposite him. “Are you full?”
Zong Hao responded, even giving a very thoughtful meow. If he weren’t worried about being disliked for shedding, he would have wanted to step forward and let Ning Yunyi pat his head in gratitude.
In the next moment, he heard Ning Yunyi speak while propping his chin with one hand. “You’ve seen it too; I’ve been exceptionally good to you tonight.”
Zong Hao nodded seriously. It was quite good. Since I was the one deceiving you, you’re a great person for not kicking me out.
Ning Yunyi: “Actually, I’m worried about something. I want you to help me decide whether I should tell Marshal Zong.”
Zong Hao was stunned. Him? It has something to do with him?
Ning Yunyi didn’t look at the big cat and continued, “You saw the distress signal flare tonight. I gave it to Rui Hu before, the leader of the Shifter Alliance. They almost suffered a great disaster tonight. Fearing she wouldn’t have such good luck next time, she told me something and asked me to speak of it if the situation of shifters ever changes. It was then that I learned something, and this matter might be related to Marshal Zong. But I’m not certain yet, so I’m considering whether I should say anything.”
Zong Hao looked at him in confusion. Leader Rui Hu? Something related to him?
Ning Yunyi finally looked at the big cat. “Are you wondering how it could be related to Marshal Zong? These two people have nothing to do with each other, right? But as you know, Young City Lord Bai is Marshal Zong’s nephew. He’s in his thirties. Rui Hu is forty years old. She was born in an underground city specifically designed to imprison shifters and extract their mental power. When she escaped as a child, she was saved by a lady with very strong mental power… considering the timing and a shifter with mental power strong enough to shake the base, break an opening, and make those people spare no effort to trap her… I suddenly have a suspicion, though it hasn’t been confirmed.”
From the moment Ning Yunyi mentioned Young City Lord Bai and the events thirty years ago, Zong Hao froze. He immediately understood what Ning Yunyi meant.
His older sister had disappeared at that exact time, and there weren’t many people in the entire Interstellar with such powerful mental power back then.
For those people to have trapped shifters so early to extract mental power, they naturally wouldn’t look for those with low mental power; they would only look for very strong ones. His sister was the perfect candidate, and most importantly…
His sister had disappeared in the insect tide, her body never found.
Ning Yunyi lowered his eyes, unable to bear looking at the big cat across from him, who was completely caught in a storm of shock and grief.
Likely, the other was also afraid, so he suddenly shrank in size. The kitten, no larger than a palm, curled into a ball. Out of anger and shock, his fur stood on end, making him look pitiful and sad.
Ning Yunyi waited for him to calm down a bit before continuing softly, “You should have understood what I meant. I suspect the benefactor who saved Rui Hu was Lady Zong. After all, no one ever saw her body. What if she was only seriously injured then and was unfortunately captured by someone with ill intentions? Otherwise, how could there be so many high-level mental power users hidden on Capital Planet? But this hasn’t been confirmed, so I’m still hesitating whether to tell Marshal Zong. Big Cat, help me decide—should I say it?”
Zong Hao recovered faster than Ning Yunyi expected. He quickly jumped onto the table and looked at Ning Yunyi with firm eyes. “Meow!” (Say it!)
He even nodded his head as he spoke. If he weren’t worried about being disliked, he would have expressed his meaning even more urgently and firmly.
Ning Yunyi let out a soft breath. “Alright, I was also more inclined to say it. Although Rui Hu was young and doesn’t clearly remember her benefactor’s appearance, she said she would definitely remember if she saw a photo. Since you also think it’s okay, should I contact Lord Ichi?”
This time, Zong Hao jumped straight to the floor and circled Ning Yunyi’s legs, desperately expressing his willingness.
Ning Yunyi had only been using this as an excuse to tell the big cat. He quickly contacted Ichi, expressing his wish to meet Marshal Zong.
Sure enough, Ichi refused on the grounds that Marshal Zong hadn’t fully recovered and wasn’t on Capital Planet these few days. He added that if there was anything, he could tell him directly, and he would pass it on.
Ning Yunyi took the opportunity to ask for a family photo of Marshal Zong. Although Ichi was surprised, because the Marshal had spoken to him beforehand, he only said he would give him word tomorrow morning.
Ning Yunyi then went to sleep. Behind him followed the big cat, his footsteps heavy. Ning Yunyi didn’t look back, thinking that the big cat probably wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.
After Ning Yunyi went to sleep, he soon saw the big cat contact Ichi, the message synchronized to his wristband. Ning Yunyi’s heart was complicated, so he simply turned it off and chose to sleep. There would be a tough battle ahead.
The next day when Ning Yunyi woke up, there was already a message from Ichi on his wristband, sending exactly what he had asked for—a family photo of Marshal Zong.
There were only three people in the photo: Old Master Zong, Lady Zong, and Marshal Zong.
Without delay, Ning Yunyi took the cropped photo of Lady Zong alone on his wristband and went to find Rui Hu that evening, while also treating her wounds.
After he finished treating her again, Ning Yunyi looked at the still-listless Rui Hu and spoke. “I have another purpose for coming here this time. I want the Alliance Leader to help me confirm something—is the benefactor you saw back then this person?”
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thank you for the chapter!