Peking Opera Cat: I Became A Zi's Brother

"Oops……"

Wu Song held the unconscious Mo Zi in his arms, feeling the internal energy receding like a tide. His legs could no longer support the weight of his body and he began to fall backwards.

"Everyone……"

His voice was weak, and his eyes swept over his companions who were running towards him. Before he finished speaking, he completely lost consciousness.

"Wusong!"

Bai Tang rushed forward and caught the collapsed Wu Song steadily.

"It's okay, it's okay, I'm just tired..."

He put his trembling hands into Wu Song's nose and felt the weak but steady breath, and his heart finally relaxed a little.

Da Fei carefully picked up the unconscious Mo Zi, his eyes red and his voice choked with sobs:

"It's all my fault for not protecting you..."

"..."

Xiaoqing forced herself to stand up, and a faint breeze condensed from her fingertips, gently brushing away the sweat on Wu Song's forehead, and whispered:

"Don't blame yourself for now, find a place to put them."

Mingyue silently took off her cloak and spread it on the ground to make room for the two of them.

Haipiao was anxiously searching for herbs, tears falling on the ice.

The cats worked together to find a relatively hidden cave on the edge of the ice field. After a simple cleanup, they settled Wu Song and Mo Zi.

Xiao Qing stayed by Mo Zi's side, occasionally using a handkerchief soaked in clean water to wipe her pale cheeks;

Da Fei squatted beside Wu Song, like a child who had done something wrong, and kept muttering:

"You must wake up..."

Bai Tang held Wu Song's hand and repeated the heroic scenes of the battle over and over again, as if this could wake him up.

……

Night fell quietly, and the ice field was shrouded in darkness. Only the flickering campfire in the cave added a touch of warmth to this cold world.

"Hmm~"

After an unknown amount of time, Wu Song slowly opened his eyes and felt as if his head was being pricked by countless needles, causing unbearable pain.

He subconsciously put his hands to cover his head and muttered to himself:

"What's wrong with me? Didn't I remove Sister A Zi's chaos?"

"..."

He lifted the simple cloth curtain and walked out of the tent. The cool night wind blew in his face, making him instantly sober up.

The scene before him warmed his heart: Dafei was squatting by the campfire, flipping the fish on the grill and humming a tuneless tune;

Bai Tang and Hai Piao were playing around, and although their movements were very small, for fear of hurting their wounds, the smiles on their faces were particularly bright;

Xiaoqing and Mingyue leaned against each other, talking in low voices, and low laughter could be heard from time to time.

"Hey, Wusong, you're awake!"

Bai Tang was sharp-eyed and was the first to spot Wu Song, shouting excitedly.

The cats all turned their heads, their smiles growing even brighter.

"Wusong!"

Da Fei quickly dropped the grilled fish in his hand, ran over in two steps, and hugged Wu Song, almost strangling him to the point of suffocation.

"Finally, I managed to wake you up! You didn't even know how worried we were!"

Wu Song looked at everyone's faces, which were still filled with smiles despite being injured, and his eyes couldn't help but become moist.

He blinked hard and smiled:

"I'm sorry to have worried everyone. I'm fine now. Sister A Zi..."

"Sister is fine, she's just still unconscious."

Xiaoqing walked forward with gentle eyes.

"But don't worry, she will definitely wake up with us here."

"correct……"

Da Fei scratched his head and suddenly leaned closer to ask:

"Wusong, why did you suddenly faint earlier? Did you run out of rhythmic energy?"

Wu Song subconsciously covered his head again, gasped, and a look of pain appeared on his face.

After calming down, he spread out his palms, stared at the mysterious rhythmic lines flowing on his forehead, and said in a deep voice:

"Not really. I can feel the rhythmic energy in my body is still there, but... I can't control this newly acquired fourth level of rhythmic energy at all."

"Um?"

Xiaoqing, who was tidying up, turned her head suddenly, her eyes full of shock:

"What? Wu Song, are you also experiencing this? I feel like my body can't keep up with the power of the fourth quarter. Every time I mobilize my rhythmic energy, it feels like a tangled mess is rushing through my meridians..."

"?"

Bai Tang's eyes widened, her ponytails swaying with her movements, and her rosary beads clattering between her claws.

"Hey? Didn't you guys break through? Then why can't you directly master the fourth stage of rhythmic power? I remember when I broke through the third stage, I just took a nap, and when I woke up, I could play around with rhythmic power! You two, no, even Dafei, it seems that when you three broke through the third stage, there seemed to be some impact. What's going on?"

He was so anxious that he paced back and forth, his claws unconsciously stroking the rosary, and his originally bright pupils were now filled with anxiety.

"Uh……"

Da Fei scratched the back of his head, causing the hair on his head to curl up, and his silly expression revealed deep confusion:

"I can't figure it out either! When I broke through to the third level, I slept for two whole days and nights. When I woke up, I couldn't even get up. My whole body felt like it was falling apart. This time, after the breakthrough against Chaos, something was even more wrong. Look!"

He carefully lifted the corner of his clothes, revealing a bandage that was still bleeding. The wound was surrounded by a strange blue-black color, and there was a faint sense of chaos flowing under his skin.

"These wounds are healing several times slower than usual, and every time I practice Qigong, I feel like there's a ball of ice running around in my meridians!"

"Hmm~"

Xiaoqing frowned slightly, the wind lines between her brows dimming. She took a deep breath, trying to gather a wisp of water energy, but as soon as a bean-sized green light lit up in her palm, it was instantly extinguished like a candle in a sudden downpour.

She stared at her trembling fingertips, her voice carrying a rare solemnity:

"The transition from the third to the fourth stage might not be a simple accumulation of strength. You see, our breakthroughs all occurred during life-or-death battles with Chaos. At that time, our meridians were repeatedly impacted by the Chaos aura. It's likely that the erosion of Chaos altered the trajectory of our rhythmic energy, like... like muddying a clear stream."

"..."

Mingyue silently wiped the cracked double axes, and the metal surface reflected her tense profile.

The ice crystals on the axe blade mixed with dried blood, glowing dark red under the reflection of the campfire.

She suddenly tightened her grip on her weapon, the axe handle creaking as she glanced at Wu Song and Xiao Qing in turn:

"Perhaps it's just like what I said when we first met—your bodies simply can't keep up, or rather, your current bodies can't withstand the power of the fourth stage. It's like using a bamboo basket to hold boiling magma. Even the strongest container will shatter instantly once it's overloaded. The erosion of chaos has only accelerated this tearing, exposing the problem prematurely."

Her voice was low and calm, but it made the atmosphere in the cave even more solemn.

"Humph……"

Wu Song clenched his fists, and the lines on his forehead suddenly emitted a dazzling golden light, burning the air and making it sizzle.

He took a step forward, and the ice beneath his feet shattered.

"No matter what, we must find a way. Sister Mo Zi hasn't woken up yet, and Chaos could return at any time. We can't afford to lose our strength!"

His eyes were like torches, sweeping over each of his companions in turn, the flames burning in his eyes.

"Just like before, no matter what lies ahead, whether it's a dangerous place or a sea of ​​fire, we'll go through it together! This time, we must not only defeat Chaos, but also defeat ourselves!"