Chapter 47 Special Meaning

The snow-capped mountains were freezing, yet the atmosphere was cozy and warm.

Having eaten and drunk her fill, Nian Tu took a brief nap. When she woke up, she felt someone gently stroking her cheek.

The person's fingertips bore rough, hardened calluses, but the pressure of the touch was so light, so feather-soft, that she could barely feel it.

Her eyelashes fluttered a few times, and Nian Tu opened her eyes, murmuring, "...Uncle Feli?"

The hand resting on her cheek paused slightly, then casually and smoothly withdrew. "Awake? We have already left the snow-capped mountains."

During the time Nian Tu was asleep, Feli had received an urgent message: an empire arsenal had been bombed, suspected to be the work of interstellar pirates. Intelligence reports suggested that the pirate leader, Jiao, might have surfaced there.

If it were merely a bombed arsenal, the matter, while serious, would not have warranted the Marshal himself taking the field.

However, the personal appearance of Jiao made it well worth Feli's time to make the trip himself.

After all, Jiao was not only tactically cunning and adept at concealing his whereabouts, but also possessed SS-level strength, having severely wounded more than one S-level general of the empire in past engagements.

This malignant tumor had to be uprooted.

With an emergency business trip disrupting the original three-day vacation plan, Feli could only apologize profusely to Nian Tu, promising to take her out to play again next time.

Had it been any other female, she probably would have thrown a reckless temper tantrum.

Instead, Nian Tu rubbed her eyes and flashed a soft, sweet smile. "It's alright, Uncle."

Between soaking in the hot springs amidst the snow mountains and petting small animals, she felt her trip had already been fully worthwhile.

Before leaving the planet, the aircraft carried Nian Tu to overlook the land from high above, soaring across oceans, sweeping over deserts, and passing vast grasslands...

On the grasslands, herds of cattle and sheep migrated in groups, while wild horses galloped with flying hooves, kicking up billowing waves of dust.

"Lions!" Nian Tu suddenly reached out and pointed toward a pride of lions.

Her eyes brightened as she turned her head to look at Feli. "Uncle, you're a lion too, right?"

Xion and Feli looked so much alike; would he look even more similar in his beast form?

Facing the little female's expectant eyes, Feli helplessly nodded.

Naturally, he would do his utmost to grant Nian Tu's request.

The aircraft landed.

Accompanied by a gasp of surprise from Nian Tu, a robust, black-maned male lion materialized upon the grassland.

Nian Tu opened her mouth slightly in astonishment.

A black-maned male lion!

The male lion before her was young and powerfully built, his amber beast pupils deep and piercing. Rugged muscle contours outlined a wild, untamed grace, and the fierce winds of the vast prairie blew across his body as though he were born to be the absolute ruler commanding this domain.

Nian Tu gazed dazedly at the male lion, feeling as though she were seeing a different side of Feli.

In his human form, Feli always gave her the impression of a stern elder, but transformed into a lion, he exuded the vibrant, explosive passion and overflowing hormones characteristic of a young male.

His dominance was magnified severalfold upon shifting into his beast form. Even as a fellow male lion, Xion appeared much more lively and juvenile by comparison. While Nian Tu could easily play and banter with Xion, facing Feli, she didn't quite dare to act rashly.

The black-maned male lion emitted a deep, powerful roar.

In an instant, the herbivores were scared out of their wits; aside from a few paralyzed with terror on the spot, the rest scattered and fled in all directions. Even fellow predators like leopards crept away in cautious stealth, having never heard such a deterrent roar before.

When had such a formidable male lion ever appeared in this territory?

It wasn't just the other animals that were perplexed; the original masters of the territory—the very pride Nian Tu had pointed at moments ago—were equally baffled.

The lionesses vigilantly guarded the cubs. The male lions of the pride, a pair of brothers in their prime, tracked the sound and scent side-by-side to confront Feli.

The moment they caught a clear sight of Feli, the pair of lion brothers actually felt a twinge of cowardice.

The two sides stood looking at each other, creating an extreme contrast.

For the first time, Nian Tu realized just how gargantuan male orcs truly were—

Even if the two opposing male lions were added together, they still fell far short of Feli's towering height and massive build.

Not only did his physical specs crush the opposition, but the black-maned lion's presence was also extraordinarily intimidating; a single calm glance was enough to project overwhelming deterrence.

The atmosphere grew tense. Nian Tu gently tugged at Feli's mane, whispering an anxious urging, "Let's hurry up and leave, Uncle."

In a male lion's dictionary, there was no such thing as retreating without a fight. Even if those two wild lions were clearly no match for Feli, in order to defend their cubs and their status within the pride, they would still charge forward and fight him to the death.

Nian Tu had no desire to watch them tear each other apart.

The sensation of the little female pulling his mane was exceptionally subtle. The black-maned lion nudged Nian Tu with his muzzle twice, lightly licking the back of her neck. He seemed thoroughly displeased with that obstructing necklace, letting out a threatening growl in his throat that made the opposing pair of male lions even more tense.

"!" The damp, slightly tingling sensation on the back of her neck gave Nian Tu a thorough shiver.

For felines, the back of the neck held a very special significance.

While elders would carry their juniors by the scruff, it was generally restricted to mothers carrying their unweaned cubs.

More often than not, a male would grip a female's scruff as a gesture of assertion, courtship, or pinning her to the ground...

Nian Tu vaguely sensed that something was amiss.

Before she could dwell on it, Feli shifted back into his human form the very next second, scooped her up, and leaped onto the aircraft, interrupting her train of thought.

She opened her mouth blankly, unable to utter a single word.

On the return journey, Feli's optical computer kept buzzing with urgent reminders.

Several legions had already rushed to the bombed arsenal, simply waiting for the Marshal to arrive and take command.

Not even having time to accompany Nian Tu to register their guardianship, Feli dropped her off at home and had to immediately set off to track down the space pirates.

"Wait for me to return, and we'll go handle the registration."

Registration?

Nian Tu blinked, only then realizing he didn't mean marriage registration, but rather guardianship registration. With slightly reddened earlobes, she nodded, "Be careful out there."

Feli stroked her head, his gaze lingering briefly on the blue iris necklace around her neck. "This is...?"

He had wanted to ask earlier why she was wearing this necklace, and whether someone had given it to her.

Nian Tu deserved only the very best; she shouldn't be wearing a trinket like this.

Feli's mind rapidly scanned several expensive custom jewelry stores, as well as the high-end pieces about to go under the hammer at major auction houses.

If Nian Tu liked jewelry and accessories, he would lay the finest treasures at her feet for her to choose from.

"Hmm?" Nian Tu touched the necklace, holding it up for him to see. "It's a gift."

"Which male gave you a gift like this?" Feli frowned slightly.

Both Xion and Lu Zhan currently possessed substantial fortunes; they weren't impoverished schoolboys anymore—how dared they present such a shabby gift to brush Nian Tu off?

Nian Tu stared in astonishment. "This..."

Wasn't this the gift you gave me?

The air went still for a few seconds. Her brain whirring at high speed, she suddenly realized she seemed to have mistaken who gave her which gift.

So... why on earth would the seemingly prim and proper Feli give her rabbit ears?!