**Disclaimer: This chapter contains violence/gore.**

BaiXue changed into her rabbit form to pretend to be just another normal animal in the forest as the mob walked past the foliage she was hiding among. 

"Are you really planning to let them be?" The paranoid woman asked the man who seemed to be leading the rest.

"Of course not, how can we let such a dangerous thing live and threaten our peace?"

As the mob left the area, BaiXue hopped closer to the hut to check on the family. The father was trying to comfort the crying mother in his arms while the pretty baby looked at her parents with confused teary eyes.

BaiXue hopped back to her camp.

It was not made clear in the book but it seems that this may be the norm for people who change into mystical creatures. MengYao and FenFang were not the exceptions. FengJiao and her village were the odd ones.

The world's consciousness fill in all the missing details of the book to make it a complete world. BaoBao explained without waiting to be prompted. 

This would mean that there is likely a created history of this world that the book did not cover then. Perhaps it could be useful knowledge for me...

Suddenly, BaiXue sighed softly. I'm still far too weak for my liking.

After a moment of silence, BaoBao asked BaiXue what was still bugging him. What do you think will happen to the couple?

They'll obviously suffer.

Can't we help? BaoBao felt very sorry for them.

You want me to?

Don't you want to?

...

Sorry, that was a dumb question.

BaiXue had caught enough food to last her for another day, so she did not bother with hunting and went straight into her martial arts practice. While practicing, she had a passing thought about how a more appropriate training ground would help her gauge her current strength.

BaoBao unexpectedly spoke up and interrupted her practice to point out that there was a seemingly secluded part of the beach a little distance away from her camp. He informed her how no one went there from the previous day till this moment.

BaiXue decided to scout the area and found that it was a quiet corner tucked away behind various big and small rock formations. There were also medium sized pillars that were far taller than her and has a width of two elephant legs that she could use as a makeshift punching bag. 

Good job BaoBao. BaiXue said in a pleased tone which made BaoBao jubilant. 

BaiXue punched and kicked the rock pillar. Through assessing the damage she dealt on the pillar, she noted how her kicks were significantly stronger than punches. She wondered if it was influenced by her animal form where her hind legs were stronger. She thus tried kicking in her rabbit form to test its strength but would only end up powerfully propelling herself off the pillar. As a result, she continued practicing in her human form for the rest of the day.

 

The next day, she entered the village. She played the role of a perfectly unsuspecting traveler on her way to some place else but taking in the sights along the way. She pretended to be exploring the village and naturally stayed in the same area as the couple wherever they went. 

When BaoBao informed her that a group was gathered in the forest, she loitered in the forest in her rabbit form. She found out that it was the same group of people from before. They were devising various schemes to be used against the family. While it made BaoBao fume, BaiXue remained dispassionate. Her eyes even carried a hint of boredom. 

When the group dispersed, she returned back to tailing the family and only went back to her camp when the family retired to their home for the day, which was before sunset. She would then spend the remainder of the day practicing diligently at the secluded part of the beach. The only rest she had were when she was cooking, eating, and sleeping.

She passed the next three days doing the same thing. The family was constantly troubled with petty crimes and assassinations. However, the mother was crafty enough to win against being framed and the father was strong enough to defend and protect his family. BaiXue and BaoBao witnessed how the couple never let anything that was going on cause a waver on their smile they always showed to their baby. 

On the fourth day when BaiXue was about to head back to her camp after the family returned home, BaoBao alerted her to new movements by the family. Instead of playing with their baby like they usually would, they were hastily going around the house and packing their belongings. 

Looks like today's issue was their last straw. 

BaiXue went back to the window to eavesdrop on their conversation. 

"Sorry baby, excuse your daddy and mummy for now, we have to pack and move by tonight!" The mother cajoled the baby who was gurgling and looking for the usual playtime she would get everyday.

The father joined them by the mother's side and hissed in a low voice, "How dare they try to poison our dear baby." He reached out a hand to lovingly caress the side of the baby's face, drawing out happy gurgles. 

The mother hugged the father and said in a soft voice. "No one touches our baby. We'll not give them the chance to."  

The father hugged her back. "That's why we will leave by tonight before anything gets out of hand and results in something we can't handle." 

BaiXue, someone else is approaching.

BaiXue changed to her rabbit form and hid in a corner of the outside of the house. Unbeknownst to the family, they were being spied on by someone other than BaiXue.

When the moon hung high up in the sky, the family left their house through the back door. They did not get far from their house before they found themselves surrounded by a huge mob.

"Humph! Where are you thinking of going?" It was the same antagonist from the start.

"What are all of you doing? We just want to live in peace. Let us go." The mother said.

"Do you think we're dumb?"

"Do you think we'll let you grow strong outside only to come back to finish us all off?"

"You really won't let us go without a fight?" The father asked for the last time.

"The only way for you to leave this place is by dying."

Before anyone could react, the father changed into a gigantic crocodile to plow his way through the crowd. The mother got onto his back with the baby in her arms and threw out darts coated in poison. Those with land fighting prowess in their animal forms transformed. These included other crocodiles, komodo dragons, and snakes. The others supported in their human form and used weapons. 

The mob held the advantage.

BaiXue knew that the situation was finally dire so took out the small black flute and blew it. It made no sound. BaiXue wondered if she used it wrongly or if it was supposed to be that way.

The family was chased to the area where BaiXue had been training at for the past few days. She did not have the time to wonder about something uncertain so decided to blow onto it once more before stashing it away while following the crowd. 

She calmly watched as the couple fought hard to defend themselves. If MengYao did not come soon, the family would likely lose their lives here. 

The father headed towards the pillar that BaiXue had been using as her punching bag and noticed how worn down it was. An idea instantly flashed in his mind. He rushed straight into the pillar and told his wife to jump off just before he made contact with the pillar. 

His sudden self-destructive behaviour stunned the mob for a moment and that gave him the chance to swing his tail once more. The pillar cracked at its weakest point and collapsed with a loud boom. It crushed those who were hot on his tail and caused a divide between him and the others who were slightly further away. This gave his family time to run further away.

BaiXue's lips twitched. She was tempted to curse. It took him a bash and a swing of a tail to collapse a pillar that could withstand days of her attacks.

I really need to find a way to become strong in this world.

Just as she thought of following the group that was already running off, something fluttering in the wind caught her eye. It seemed stuck to the part of the pillar that used to be its top. She went to inspect it.

Animal skin embedded in the rock pillar? How?

She stomped onto the pillar with full force a few times and a chunk of it fell apart. She picked up the animal skin among the debris.

Writing?! BaoBao exclaimed at the same time she had the same thought.

This world had no system of writing, no book, and no recordings anywhere. As if knowledge was only passed down through word of mouth and drawings.

BaoBao, looks like you got your wish. BaiXue kept the animal skin safely within her robe then hastily took off to chase after the group. 

She intended to help the family. It was thanks to the father that she had made such a discovery after all. She took it as a fair trade for her help. BaoBao silently cheered and felt that the father was really lucky.

Everyone was now in the forest. 

Another flurry of arrows flew towards the family. The father swung his tail and broke most of the arrows, the rest were affected by the wind generated from the swing and and missed their targets. 

Spears followed immediately after the arrows. One crocodile shapeshifter unafraid of getting hit with friendly fire ran along with the wave of spears towards the father to engage him in a fight. His wife jumped off his back quickly and ran behind a tree to avoid being a burden in her husband's fight. However, being engaged in the fight caused him to get pierced in the shoulder. 

"Darling!!" His wife screamed out.

The baby in her arms sensed her mother's fear and anxiety, so started wailing out loud. The baby's fear activated her charm abilities and caused the villagers' minds to become a little foggy. The one closest to it was the most affected and went into a daze. This gave her father a chance to bite onto his opponent's neck and snapped his head clean off with a death roll. 

Just as they thought they could run away successfully, another crocodile appeared from the side. He had stuffed his ears with cotton in his human form then went up to their side to sneak an attack. His teeth landed on the father's neck and drew blood. 

Suddenly, a white flash appeared and struck the second assailant from the side of his belly before he could chomp down fully onto the father's neck. He rolled over a few times before crashing into a nearby tree. Before he was given a chance to recover, he got stomped on again on the top of his head which was hard enough to cause his head to rebound off the ground. This gave him a mild concussion.

Tsk, his hide's tough.

BaiXue had already gathered spiritual energy in her leg whenever she kicked but it did not even leave a scratch behind. She jumped up again but this time to break off a thick and long branch with a kick. Just as she did, the crocodile recovered and roared in anger. She took the chance to immediately twist her body and kick the broken branch, causing it to fly straight into the crocodile's open mouth. The branch flew with a great force that it pierced through the body and before stopping at the tail. 

Pfft. Skewered crocodile. Maybe he'd make a tasty crocodile meat. BaoBao snickered.

Everyone else saw the exchange and was stunned into stillness. They were hesitant due to their wariness about this newcomer. They looked on as BaiXue approached the father in her rabbit form and saw her whisper something to him. Soon after her mouth stopped moving, the father went to his wife. 

When the crowd saw the mother getting onto the father's back, they realised that the family was slipping away from their grasp. They chased after the family that ran to the left of BaiXue instead of further behind her. With their attention fully returned to the family, they quickly forgot about BaiXue.

BaiXue jumped up to a tree and kicked several branches to break them and send them flying towards the group. She did it so rapidly that the tree lost half of its branches in a mere few seconds. The branches were embedded in the ground in front of the mob with some people hit or impaled together with it. She successfully formed a barricade and stopped them in their tracks. 

BaiXue then kicked up a storm. She spun in circles while executing sweeping kicks against the ground that swept soil, dirt, and leaves up. It made everyone cough and cover their eyes to shield it from the things that were flying around. When everyone opened their eyes, they found that there was no one to be seen anywhere.