Zhang Qiling was awakened by a rough, warm sensation on his face.
The soft sound of water droplets hitting a puddle echoed faintly, suggesting a damp, enclosed space.
The moment his consciousness cleared, his body tensed, his aggression reaching its peak. However, as he opened his eyes, Zhang Qiling unexpectedly saw a familiar, large face.
On that dark visage, a pair of deep green eyes emitted a brilliant glow, but they no longer held hostility.
Seeing Zhang Qiling stir, the cat slowly stopped licking his face, stretched lazily, and then crouched on the ground, its long, bristly tail neatly coiled around its paws.
The paw that Zhang Qiling had just severed had apparently healed. Zhang Qiling observed closely and found faint red threads flashing at the connection point of its severed paw and body, suggesting the cat had intelligently reached an agreement with the parasite.
The parasite helped reconnect its blood vessels to reattach the severed paw, and in return, it allowed the homeless parasite to huddle at its paw.
This attempt was akin to seeking skin from a tiger, but Zhang Qiling looked at the appearance of the giant cat before him and, for a moment, couldn't distinguish which party was the "tiger."
The rough papillae on a feline's tongue caused his face to burn.
Zhang Qiling skillfully ignored the discomfort. In fact, after the collisions in the rough waterway, his entire body was throbbing with pain.
Although he reacted in time and took crucial protective measures, the unpredictable nature of the swift current meant he couldn't dodge every sharp edge.
The Black Gold Ancient Blade remained tightly gripped in his hand, and seeing him notice it, it hummed softly in his pale hand with delight.
The location he was in was indeed a damp, stone-sealed passageway, with water droplets occasionally condensing and falling from the crevices in the ceiling.
His clothes were wet and clung to him, making him cold. However, with his wounds, activating the Qilin tattoo to generate heat was not a good idea, so he suppressed it.
Beside him was a large pool, with channels around it guiding the overflowing water away. It seemed this pool was the endpoint of the water outlet.
... He had likely been rescued from the water by this cat.
Zhang Qiling turned to look at the cat. It was very dim here, with only a faint light from an unknown source illuminating the area.
The cat's pupils dilated in the darkness, appearing round, which gave it a touch of cuteness.
... Although the bareness of its back somewhat diminished this cuteness.
This cat was a materialized creature, yet it possessed its own emotions and thinking abilities. It understood Zhang Qiling's kindness in picking it up in time, preventing it from being skewered and roasted on the bronze tree.
So, after smelling its way to the red-line parasite and having its paw mended, it looked up, saw the drenched little Zhang in the water, and immediately dove in to pull him out.
... If materialized beings could be so vibrant, what difference would there be between them and actual living creatures?
Zhang Qiling couldn't quite grasp it. He subconsciously reached out to pet the cat's head, but the dense spikes quickly made him abandon the idea.
His bones were probably not broken...
He stopped resting, assessing his injuries, and tried to stand up by supporting himself with one hand on the back.
But the moment he pressed down on the stone behind him, the stone suddenly shot out with a yelp!
Zhang Qiling: ...?!
The stone hadn't gone far before the lurking giant cat swatted it back. After rolling a few times on the ground, it stopped in front of Zhang Qiling.
Looking closely, the "stone" was bare, with only a few stray hairs proving it had once been a furry creature. It was now trembling under the cold and the giant cat's imposing presence. When it looked up, it revealed a familiar ghostly face, looking incredibly wronged.
... This was clearly a water monkey that had been stripped of its fur by an unknown individual (the giant cat).
Zhang Qiling was momentarily bewildered, then suddenly remembered the mysterious heavy object that had violently struck him in the whirlpool.
Case closed, that was this meddling monkey.
It seemed that during his unconscious period, the cat and monkey had gotten along splendidly and had become quite friendly.
Seeing him gradually understand everything, the cat let out a proud meow beside him, its voice hoarse, completely lacking any feline softness.
But Zhang Qiling surprisingly found it quite cute from the bottom of his heart, wondering if the series of collisions had somehow skewed his aesthetic sense.
After standing up, he had also assessed his physical condition. Apart from a larger wound on his waist, the rest were bruises and minor abrasions.
As he moved, blood seeped out from his black clothes due to pressure. Zhang Qiling thought for a moment and guided the giant cat to drink a little.
The giant cat was not an evil spirit, and the Qilin blood might help in its recovery.
The cat tasted a small amount and quickly stopped, indicating it no longer needed it. Seeing this, Zhang Qiling tore off a strip of cloth from the edge of his hem for a makeshift bandage. During this process, the parasites in the cat's paw retracted tightly into its flesh, pretending they didn't exist.
The cloth strip wasn't long enough, making it difficult to bandage as securely as before, so he eventually removed the bandage from his left hand to supplement it.
... There was no other way. Most of his equipment had been flung away in the whirlpool. Now, all he had on hand were the Black Gold Ancient Blade he held tightly, the grappling hook wrapped around his waist, and a small flashlight tucked into his inner pocket.
Even the warm scabbard of the Black Gold Ancient Blade was gone.
He took out the flashlight and turned it on, adjusting it. After the collision and submersion, the flashlight looked like it was on its last legs, emitting light intermittently.
Zhang Qiling was instantly transported back to his exploration in the forbidden land of the Tibetan region years ago, when he also seemed to have a struggling flashlight.
... At times like this, he missed Hei Yan Jing's night vision. If he were here, many things would be simpler.
The water flow in the pool beside him still seemed turbulent, indicating that the whirlpool on the other side had not subsided. For him in his current state, diving back in was not a wise choice.
Although he was very worried about Pangzi and Wu Tianzhen, he also knew their abilities well. As long as they didn't overthink things on the bronze tree, they wouldn't be in great danger.
... They shouldn't be overthinking things, right?
Zhang Qiling paused, then decided to search this space further for any hidden passages that might lead directly through.
If not, then even if the whirlpool was still active, he would have to attempt to pass through it.