Chapter 165: The Golden Prince’s Fury

His golden scales were streaked with soot. His wings, usually pristine, were battered from flying through collapsing temple debris. There was a gash across his chest that was still bleeding.

And he was absolutely furious.

The mercenaries froze. Every single one of them.

No one moved.

Blades clattered to the stone floor. Bows were dropped. A bear mercenary near the back actually fell to his knees.

“You made a mistake. And I won’t forgive it,”

Fire erupted from his palm.

But the mercenaries—

Their weapons melted in their hands. Their leather armor charred and cracked. The bears dropped to their knees, clutching their arms, their chests, their faces. The jaguars scrambled for the tunnel entrance, but the fire was faster. It didn’t kill them. It didn’t need to.

“Please,” a jaguar begged, his voice raw. “Please, we didn’t know—”

He stopped.

The fire vanished.

“Where is Li Hua?”

“The ice,” a jaguar whispered. “The cub’s ice. It melted.”

“When the temple collapsed. The ceiling fell. The ice… cracked. She was gone when we looked.”

Gone.

That meant Li Hua was still out there somewhere.

“We’ll find her later,” he said. “Right now, we have other problems.”

“Leave,” he said. “All of you. Leave this territory and never return. If I see any of your faces again, I will not bother with warnings. The Burning Sky will come himself.”

They scrambled for the tunnel, crawling over each other, desperate to escape. Within moments, the cavern was empty of everyone except the survivors.

“Star-thief,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry I wasn’t faster.”

“Barely.”

And at Han Shān’s absence.

No one answered.

Then Zhāo Yàn spoke. “The poison. His heart stopped. We had to leave him.”

“At the temple. In the mud. We—”

“Wait,” Bai Yue said. “Cāng Jì, wait—”

“He’s dead. There’s nothing—”

He shifted.

“Stay here,” he rumbled. “Protect the cubs. I will return.”

The ceiling exploded outward, stone and soil raining down as the Golden Prince tore through the earth like it was paper. Sunlight flooded the cavern. Birds scattered.

~

Bai Yue paced the edge of the spring. The jaguar survivors tended to their wounded. Mo Xiao stood guard at the tunnel entrance, his amber eyes fixed on the darkness. Zhāo Yàn sat with his back against the wall, his nine tails wrapped around himself like a blanket.

Zhēn sat with Tao Zi, the two of them pressed together, waiting.

A roar.

Cāng Jì crashed through the hole in the ceiling, his golden scales streaked with fresh blood, not his own, and in his claws, cradled with impossible gentleness, was Han Shān.

But his chest—

The jaguars scattered. Bai Yue ran to the spring’s edge as Cāng Jì lowered Han Shān into the glowing water.

For one terrible heartbeat, nothing happened.

The water began to glow brighter.

But his chest didn’t rise.

Zhāo Yàn was beside her, his hand gripping hers so hard she felt bones grind. Yàn Shū was on Han Shān’s other side, pressing two fingers to his throat, searching, praying.

The cubs huddled together. Zhēn had her arms around Ruì Xuě. Yòu Lín had his face buried in Glimmer’s neck. Tao Zi stood apart, his dark eyes fixed on the Snow Leopard in the water.

The water glowed.

And glowed.

A cough.

Han Shān’s body arched in the water. Water erupted from his lungs. His eyes flew open, blue, confused, alive.

She threw herself into the water, wrapping her arms around him, pressing her face against his neck. He was cold. He was shaking. But he was breathing.

“Of course I’m crying, you absolute idiot. You died.”

“Your heart stopped. The poison—the mercenaries—we had to leave you—”

Behind them, Ruì Xuě stirred.

Zhēn tackled him. “You’re awake! You’re awake, you’re awake, you’re AWAKE!”

“You weren’t breathing before! Now you’re breathing! This is better!”

“Did Uncle Sparkles save us?”

Yòu Lín was crying now, great heaving sobs, his face buried in Glimmer’s neck. Glimmer was crying too, her green scales streaked with tears.

“Barely,” Mo Xiao said, but he was smiling. His amber eyes were wet.

“No more adventures,” he said. “For at least a month. I’m serious. I’m putting my foot down.”

“Don’t mock me. I have had a very traumatic day.”

“The prince is safe,” she said. “The Snow Leopard lives. The dragon is healed.” She looked at Tao Zi. “Our long nightmare is over.”

Cāng Jì stood up. His golden scales were still streaked with soot. His chest was still bleeding. But he was smiling.

“You flew through a collapsing temple,” Bai Yue said.

“To save us.”

“You’re family, Cāng Jì.”

“Star-thief,” he said quietly, “you are never going to let me forget this, are you?”

He huffed. But he was smiling.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep