At that moment, a radiant butterfly—glowing with holy white light—appeared in midair.
It was nearly two meters tall, wings fully spread, and its large aqua-blue eyes brimmed with compassion for all living things.
With each graceful flap of its wings, it released a gentle mist of milky-white scale powder.
The wings shimmered with intricate golden patterns.
On its head sat a noble crown embedded with precious gems—an accessory specially designed for pet beasts to enhance their strength.
"Butterfly, Goddess of Light—activate Goddess Light Protection," came a firm command.
"Then follow with Goddess Light Forgiveness."
The voice belonged to Zhang Lingxue. The moment she emerged from the secret realm and saw her student under attack, her anger surged.
The Goddess Butterfly suddenly flapped its wings, and two soft white halos enveloped Ye Bai and Li Weiyang.
Just then, a flaming red bullet struck the light barrier—but it only trembled slightly before stabilizing.
Nearby, the Diamond Ant collapsed, while the Thousand-Transformations Silkworm leapt atop it, twisting its body and shattering the ant into pieces.
Although the ant's mandibles were as hard as drill bits, the joints between its body segments were fragile—just a bit of force could easily separate the head from the body.
Seeing Ye Bai and Li Weiyang protected by the light barrier, Killer Z realized she had missed her best chance to strike.
She clenched her teeth, then waved her hand and recalled the smoke-emitting Bullet Ant back into her pet space.
Killer Z knew her window of opportunity had closed, and her position was likely exposed. She had no choice but to retreat.
At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the entrance. Reinforcements tasked with guarding Li Weiyang had finally arrived.
"Consider yourself lucky," she muttered.
A pair of thin, cicada-like wings unfolded from her back, and she leapt off the top floor like a falling fairy.
A group of men in black watched her descend and weave through the traffic below. Their leader barked, "After her! If she escapes, we'll have a hard time explaining this to the academy."
"Secure Li Weiyang and escort her to the Imperial Capital immediately!"
The Goddess Butterfly's antennae glowed, releasing two beams of soft white light.
The healing light fell on Ye Bai and Li Weiyang.
Ye Bai instantly felt a warm energy spread throughout his body.
It felt like soaking in a hot spring—his injuries visibly began to heal.
Even the bloodstains on his body vanished.
Wait—the bloodstains were gone?!
Ye Bai looked down at the blood-soaked towel in his hand, only to find it pristine white again.
((‖)) Cleaner than fresh laundry.
Where was the blood?
Where was the blood he had risked his life to get from Li Weiyang?!
Surrounded by bodyguards in black suits, Li Weiyang was treated like a celestial being held aloft by stars.
She gave Ye Bai a long, thoughtful look before turning and walking away without hesitation.
Just as Ye Bai prepared to leave, several men in black stopped him. They were all wearing suits and sunglasses.
On their lapels was a badge featuring a robed figure gazing up at the starry sky.
This was the emblem of the Night Watch—a special operations unit akin to the Dragon Group. They were specifically dispatched to escort Li Weiyang to Imperial University.
But for some reason, the Night Watch hadn't shown up during the earlier ambush.
"Apologies for the intrusion."
The leader of the Night Watch gestured, opening a dimensional space. With a loud bang, an enormous Shar-Pei dog emerged, wagging its tongue as it sniffed Ye Bai.
After sniffing him, the pet beast shook its head at the Night Watch leader.
Receiving confirmation, the man in black nodded, then motioned for his team to make way, allowing Ye Bai to leave.
At that moment, Zhang Lingxue approached.
"Stop staring—she's awakened the rare A-rank talent Eye of Insight and has already secured a place in the top school."
"The people who came to pick her up are definitely envious, right?"
"Even though the Eye of Insight is an auxiliary talent and doesn't enhance combat, it can see hidden evolutionary paths in pet beasts. She's definitely headed toward advanced research."
Zhang Lingxue gently patted Ye Bai's shoulder.
"Student, do you want me to tell you how the Thousand-Transformations Silkworm evolved into the Goddess Butterfly?"
"If you can discover an alternate evolutionary path for the silkworm, not only could you earn the title of Intermediate Researcher, but you'd also secure early admission to top-tier universities."
"My Goddess Butterfly recently advanced and learned the skill Purification."
"That's how your blood was cleansed."
"Impressed?"
"I did it for your own good. To prevent anyone from using Li Weiyang's blood for curse-type skills, all traces of blood must be eliminated."
Zhang Lingxue paused and continued, "With over a billion people in the Yan Kingdom Alliance, only a handful awaken the Eye of Insight—each one is protected."
"You saved Li Weiyang today. The Yan Kingdom Alliance will surely reward you generously."
After that explanation, Ye Bai finally understood: even if the Goddess Butterfly hadn't purified the blood, the Night Watch would have.
There was never any chance for him to obtain Li Weiyang's blood through underhanded means.
Ye Bai clicked his tongue and smiled helplessly.
All that effort… for nothing.
Some things just aren't meant to be.
Back at school, Zhang Lingxue addressed the class.
"By the way, students, a quick announcement: the distribution boxes we were supposed to hand out today will be postponed due to the earlier incident and the emotional stress on students. The new distribution time is tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, the students slowly dispersed.
Ye Bai also returned to his cozy home—a two-story house by the street, located in an urban village.
A five-character sign hung on the front: Fang Yuan Nurture House. But after years of weathering, the dot on the first character had faded, changing it to Wan Yuan Nurture House.
Hearing Ye Bai approach, a plump gray-skinned chinchilla opened the gate with a goofy, affectionate expression.
This little guy had once been seriously injured and left to die, but Ye Bai rescued it and brought it home. Since then, it had been part of the family at Fang Yuan Nurture House.
Ye Bai named him Da Hui.
Da Hui was skilled at household chores and kept the entire place spotless. He was also a great cook.
However, Da Hui had one major flaw—he often brought back stray or abandoned pets, secretly sneaking them into the nurturing house.
Seeing Ye Bai return, Da Hui looked guilty and tried to block Ye Bai's line of sight with his large body.
Ye Bai sighed and held his forehead.
He didn't need to look—he already knew.
Da Hui had picked up another stray.
(End of Chapter)