Chapter – 77
Struck by Lightning
Days gradually returned to calm.
Recently, Li Qingqing kept sticking close to Ling Mo, whether on purpose or not.
Ling Mo was soft-hearted. Although he no longer felt the irritation he once had toward her, they still weren’t very close.
And with two little cubs always following them around, her plan to seduce him had yet to start.
That day, she casually picked some fruits, coaxing the two little cubs.
“Here, for you.”
The little cubs especially loved these red fruits—they were sweet, and all young cubs liked sweets.
Ling Xiao Tuan reached out to take some, but Li Qingqing quickly withdrew her hand and hid it behind her back.
“Wait! Eating my fruits comes with conditions,” Li Qingqing said mysteriously.
Ling Xiao Yu’s curiosity was instantly piqued.
“What conditions?”
Ling Xiao Tuan, small but always pretending to be mature, saw her talking about conditions just to get a fruit and immediately refused.
“Hah, a fruit with conditions? I’m not eating it!”
Seeing that he was still impossible to fool, Li Qingqing had to use her trump card.
“Ahem, plus a dish personally made by me!” she said, looking determined.
Ling Xiao Tuan’s mouth watered. He wiped the drool at the corner of his lips, still hesitant.
“You’re tricking me. What’s the condition?”
Li Qingqing walked back and forth, testing their patience.
Finally, Ling Xiao Tuan couldn’t hold it anymore and shouted,
“Fine! Just tell me—what’s the condition?”
Seeing their mood tense enough, Li Qingqing continued:
“The condition is, you can’t disturb me and your brother all day today!”
He had expected something serious, but it was just this small request.
“No problem!” Ling Xiao Tuan agreed instantly.
Ling Xiao Yu, however, hesitated.
“But what if we’re in danger? Then our brother won’t be able to save us!”
“Oh, what danger could there be in the tribe? Besides, I can protect you!” Ling Xiao Tuan snatched the fruit from her hand, handing some to Ling Xiao Yu, stuffing some in his mouth.
“And… don’t forget… to make us dishes too.”
Seeing the two kids handled, Li Qingqing patted one of their heads and happily went to find Ling Mo.
Ling Mo usually spent his time watching the cubs play or training his gold-based abilities not far from the Silver Tiger Tribe. That place was open, with no trees—perfect for calling lightning without harming anyone.
She thought Ling Mo must be there and didn’t dare stop running.
From afar, she saw the clear sky suddenly streaked with lightning. There were no signs of rain, but then thunder began to strike the earth.
“It must be Ling Mo!” she thought, and ran faster.
Before she could reach him, a lightning bolt had already struck.
“Watch out!”
At the thunder’s explosion, she saw Ling Mo suddenly turn around. His usually gentle purple eyes showed panic for the first time. The storm crackled around his palms, splitting the blazing lightning with force.
The shockwave carried ash and debris toward her. She felt herself wrapped in a protective embrace, smelling of masculinity and warmth.
“Are you looking for death?” a deep scolding sounded over the thunder.
She looked up. Ling Mo’s silver hair glimmered with lingering electricity, his right arm shielding her and scarred by the burning lightning.
From afar, the cubs’ panicked cries reached them. The two little ones followed the sound of the lightning. Ling Xiao Yu’s silver hair was full of grass, and Ling Xiao Tuan still held half-eaten red fruit. The previous “deal” was clearly forgotten.
“Brother!” Ling Xiao Yu cried, seeing her brother’s injured arm.
Her little legs carried her to him.
“Waaah! Brother, what happened to your hand?”
Ling Xiao Tuan also ran, tripping on a stone. Normally, he would have been upset at the stone, but now he only cared about his brother’s injury.
Li Qingqing examined his hand—it was a severe wound.
“So… gold-based powers can still be injured by lightning?”
Hearing her innocent words, Ling Mo laughed, forgetting the pain in his arm.
“Of course it can.”
Li Qingqing felt guilty, thinking he was hurt saving her. She activated her wood-based abilities, ready to heal him.
“No use. Healing spells don’t work on lightning injuries,” Ling Mo stopped her.
“What? How can that be…” Li Qingqing realized she had made a big mistake.
“Gold and wood are opposing forces. Using wood might even worsen the wound,” he explained.
Li Qingqing felt her spirits sink. In a panic, she had forgotten such a simple principle.
Ling Mo, sweating from the forehead, softly comforted her:
“It’s okay. When I first mastered gold powers, I got hurt a lot too—but I survived!”
Hearing this, Ling Xiao Tuan couldn’t help crying, pouting.
“Brother, you… lied! You learned things so fast, you wouldn’t get hurt!”
He clung to Ling Mo’s leg, nose and tears smearing down. Ling Mo shook him off to the ground.
“Enough. Stop crying. You’re not dead!”
“Oh right, not dead.” Ling Xiao Tuan stopped crying, sniffling.
Li Qingqing went to find some hemostatic herbs and returned. The two cubs were still guarding Ling Mo.
She gave them a look: weren’t they supposed to leave them alone today?
Ling Xiao Tuan gave her a mischievous look back: Brother got hurt, so the deal’s off!
Li Qingqing raised an eyebrow.
“No way!”
Ling Mo noticed the odd behavior and asked, frowning:
“What’s going on with you two?”
Li Qingqing didn’t answer. She grabbed one cub and ran all the way back to the tribe.
“Stay put here!” She gave them more sweet red fruit.
Ling Xiao Tuan couldn’t resist, wanting to eat, but Ling Xiao Yu was more worried about her brother.
“Hmph, if you let my brother get hurt again, I won’t be bribed by you next time!”
Li Qingqing realized she had been careless to seek Ling Mo in such danger.
“Okay, okay. I was wrong this time. I promise I won’t let him get hurt again!”
