IW: Chapter 241 - Nidalee: Bai Ye has ill intentions towards me, endure! Ahri: It's hunting time!
"Did you manage to resolve this yourselves?"
Irelia's eyes swept across the clearing, taking in Bai Ye and the others. Seeing the ground littered with the bisected corpses of the Noxian vanguard, a surge of genuine joy filled her heart. If the Vastaya possessed this level of raw combat strength, their involvement would be a monumental turning point for the defense of Ionia.
While the Vastayan tribes had historically kept a frosty, unfriendly distance from human civilization, they had always coexisted under a fragile, domestic peace. But if the Noxian empire managed to permanently occupy these lands, the Vastaya would find no peace at all.
Noxus's tyrannical doctrine and unrestricted plundering of the land's raw spiritual magic had already pushed the First Lands to a breaking point. Millions of Ionians were suffocating under the empire's iron grip, praying for salvation—and so, the people stood up. In the face of absolute annihilation, common citizens had spontaneously banded together, forging a jagged, rapidly expanding resistance army.
Irelia stood at the absolute vanguard of that movement.
For her, leadership was a crushing, suffocating weight. She could feel the desperate expectations of thousands of displaced souls riding on her every word, her every strike. She carried their collective grief, and she would not stop until every last Noxian boot was driven out of Ionia.
"No. He did it," Rengar muttered, gritting his teeth. As fiercely independent as the hunter was, he was a creature of honor; he couldn't deny that Bai Ye's sudden intervention was the sole reason they weren't currently pinned to the dirt.
Following the direction of Rengar's nod, Irelia shifted her gaze toward Bai Ye, her sharp demeanor softening into an expression of profound gratitude.
Before she could speak, Rengar took a heavy breath and addressed her directly. "By the way, Irelia... regarding your previous proposal for an alliance? I accept. We will help you drive the Noxians into the sea."
When Irelia had first tracked down Rengar's tribe to request a unified front, the hunter had arrogantly dismissed the idea, believing his pack needed no human help to survive. But the terrifying efficiency of today's ambush had shattered his illusions. The war had evolved past a point where he could simply act on his own whims. Deep down, a bitter truth resonated: if he maintained his stubborn isolation, today's slaughter would happen again, and next time, there would be no wandering swordsman to pull them from the grave. To protect his pack, Rengar was willing to swallow his pride and bury his prejudices.
"You are more than welcome in our ranks!" Irelia replied, a brilliant, uncontainable smile breaking across her face. This was an astronomical victory for the resistance.
Turning her full attention back to Bai Ye, her eyes traced his unfamiliar silhouette. "And what of you? Are you also a child of Ionia?"
With the war escalating to horrific proportions, the vast majority of foreign merchants and travelers had long since fled the continent. Logic dictated that anyone remaining to wander the blood-soaked provinces had to be a native.
Coupled with his flawless, righteous intervention against the empire, Irelia saw more than just a passing stranger—she saw an apex warrior. She wanted to extend her hand, to invite this mysterious swordsman to stand by her side and break the spine of the Noxian army together.
"I just came from Noxus."
"..."
He's a Noxian?
Rengar turned his head to look at Nidalee.
Nidalee hadn't mentioned this before.
"Then you must have found Noxus's actions intolerable, which is why you came to help, right?"
That was the only thing Irelia could think of. Since Bai Ye decided to help, he must have found Noxus's actions intolerable.
In fact, it wasn't just Ionia; many other places had also suffered Noxian invasions.
Since the founding of Noxus, its expansion had never ceased.
"I'm not. I just came to join the fun."
In fact, after his previous conversation with Swain, Bai Ye realized that the other party didn't seem to care about winning or losing at all.
After all, this war was destined to be lost.
Ultimately, if LeBlanc hadn't controlled the emperor and started this war, it would have been impossible to wage two wars simultaneously, especially since the other one was against Demacia.
Demacia was not a weak nation. Now, Darius and many Noxians were deeply entrenched in this war.
If they could successfully invade Ionia, that would be a miracle.
So Bai Ye's purpose in coming here was simply to have some fun and make some acquaintances.
Because of his contact with Swain, Bai Ye also had a new plan.
Originally, he was constrained by LeBlanc. Being targeted by LeBlanc without the strength to change it was not good news for him.
But now, he only needed to stall for time. Once Swain gained power in the Immortal Bastion and began to contend with LeBlanc, that would be the best time for him to intervene.
So he didn't want to get too close to Noxus, or rather, Swain, but he also didn't want to be too far away. He needed to maintain a somewhat detached relationship.
"Joining the fun."
This was a war zone.
You're truly not afraid of death.
Although Bai Ye said it so casually, on a battlefield where death could come at any moment, no one's mood would be so relaxed, right?
"You don't need to worry about me. I have my own way of doing things."
He wouldn't act recklessly here. If he encountered something he couldn't handle, he might not even know how he died.
"Alright."
Irelia had originally wanted to invite Bai Ye to join, but since Bai Ye had his own ideas, there seemed to be no need to persuade him further.
After bidding farewell to Irelia, Bai Ye embarked on his solo journey.
Rengar chose to leave with Irelia. They needed to discuss how to defend against Noxus.
And behind him, there was a little tail following along.
"What? You're not going back?"
Bai Ye turned around, looking curiously at Nidalee, who had been following him the whole way.
She must have her own purpose for being here.
"I just want to follow you and see. Besides, I know healing spells. If you get hurt, I can help you."
Nidalee actually wanted to repay Bai Ye's kindness.
"So you're just going to follow me like this?"
Bai Ye asked somewhat strangely. Logically, Nidalee shouldn't just leave like this, right?
They wouldn't casually travel around Valoran.
"Mm-hmm, I want to leave with you, but before I leave, I need to go back and tell them."
Nidalee seemed to have made a certain decision. She wanted to leave here and travel around Valoran with Bai Ye.
Of course, it was mainly to repay his kindness. Once she finished repaying him, she might choose to leave or decide whether to continue following Bai Ye based on her own feelings.
Because she was afraid that once she parted ways with Bai Ye this time, she would have no way to repay his kindness for saving her. He wasn't like an Ionian.
If she had been saved by Irelia, she would have joined the allied forces against Noxus and contributed there.
But Bai Ye was different.
Meanwhile, Bai Ye was pondering whether to bring Nidalee on this journey.
It seemed like having a companion on the road wouldn't be bad.
After a moment of thought, Bai Ye nodded, "Okay, let's go to your tribe first."
"Mm-hmm."
Seeing Bai Ye agree, Nidalee felt an inexplicable sense of joy.
Inside the tribe.
Many Vastaya were waiting for Nidalee's return. When they had returned earlier, Nidalee had said that although Bai Ye had let them go, no one knew if it was an enemy trap.
So, Nidalee chose to keep a close eye on Bai Ye over there, but she hadn't returned until now, which truly worried them.
Now, upon seeing Nidalee, all the Vastaya present breathed a sigh of relief.
"Nidalee, you're back?"
The person with the lisp couldn't speak clearly.
"Neeko!"
Nidalee hurried forward, looking at Neeko with excitement. She hadn't seen Neeko among the captured people earlier.
She had originally thought Neeko was in another group, but now seeing Neeko, she couldn't help but feel relieved.
Upon hearing Nidalee's words, Bai Ye also looked over sideways.
Neeko?!
Is that the Neeko who can transform?
The legend says that if you have Neeko, you have everything?
"Neeko, where did you go earlier?"
Nidalee worriedly stroked Neeko's head.
She had been so worried about her earlier. Hearing Nidalee's words, she immediately lifted her head and said proudly, "Neeko went to notify others to save you!"
At that time, when she saw Nidalee and the others being captured, she immediately went to find other Vastaya for help.
Rengar was one of them.
Although there were many sub-races within the Vastaya, they could unite against external enemies.
"So it was you, thank you."
A look of understanding flashed across Nidalee's face. She had been wondering why Rengar had come earlier.
Before, everyone in their area had been captured and taken away by the Noxians. Now it seemed Neeko had escaped earlier. Thinking of Neeko's disguise ability, she felt relieved.
The two reminisced, and Nidalee also expressed her intention to leave.
Upon hearing that Nidalee was preparing to leave, Neeko's face showed a hint of reluctance.
"Nidalee is leaving?"
Neeko still wanted Nidalee to stay.
However, Nidalee didn't belong here, and she had known for a long time that Nidalee would leave.
But when she heard that Nidalee was preparing to leave, she still felt a little reluctant.
"Yes, I will still be in Ionia."
It was just a temporary departure from here.
Nidalee had heard from Bai Ye when she arrived that he would temporarily stay in Ionia.
"Mm-hmm, then Nidalee, please be careful!"
Neeko urged. She felt that Nidalee still needed to be careful.
After bidding farewell to Neeko and the others, Nidalee embarked on the journey with Bai Ye.
"Speaking of which, can Neeko transform into anyone?"
"Yes... why do you ask?"
Nidalee looked at Bai Ye somewhat strangely. He hadn't asked before, so why suddenly now?
"Nothing."
Cough...
If only he had known, he would have abducted Neeko.
Bai Ye secretly regretted it, but since the opportunity was missed, so be it.
"By the way, your Vastaya, this is?!"
Bai Ye walked strangely to a bush, squatted down, and looked at the white fox in front of him, his heart somewhat shocked.
Ahri?!
In his perception, the woman he had just seen suddenly turned into a Nine-Tailed fox, with a pearl beside her.
It seemed she had just awakened not long ago.
Speaking of which, ever since he was shared with Haoshoku luck, he really seemed to be like those protagonists, picking up all sorts of strange things wherever he went!
Shaving, and then picking up an Ahri?
"A little fox from the Vastaya, seems to have been abandoned here?"
"This is not a little fox."
Nidalee didn't notice?
That's right.
The Ahri in front of him seemed to have just awakened not long ago, but she was incredibly gifted.
According to the background story, Ahri seemed to have awakened during the war between Noxus and Ionia.
It was because too many people died in this war, and she absorbed a lot of essences. And now she seemed to be in disguise, wanting him to take her away and then absorb his essence?
Speaking of which, the current Ahri seemed to be a predator, right?
She liked to devour essences and also toy with people's emotions.
Should he take her with him?!
"How about we send her to a nearby Vastaya tribe?"
Nidalee also didn't want to see a newborn little creature die in the wild like this.
They had only just left the tribe. There were many Vastaya tribes in this area. They could place her outside a tribe and let her be adopted.
After all, if she was left here, she might die.
But upon hearing Nidalee say she wanted to send her away, the little white fox, who had been tightly closing her eyes, suddenly opened them. If she was sent away like this, wouldn't she lose this prey?!
Originally, Ahri only wanted to hunt lone individuals, but she had waited here for a long time and hadn't encountered any. It was hard to finally meet some today. Although there were two people, Ahri felt she could still try.
If she was sent away, who knew when she would meet the next one!
So she would absolutely not allow this to happen.
Besides, she was born alone and was not suited for communal living at all.
Opening her eyes, the little fox elegantly trotted towards Bai Ye, her cerulean eyes scrutinizing him. What surprised her was that when her eyes met Bai Ye's, his gaze showed no abnormality whatsoever.
He seemed not to fear her illusionary arts at all.
In the past, as long as her eyes met someone's, that person would fall into the illusion she wove, eventually surrendering their soul.
Although each devoured soul carried the memories of their former life, which sometimes made Ahri feel a touch of sympathy for them.
But now, she was more like a beast with power she couldn't control.
Even with power, she couldn't control it, and she desperately wanted to absorb essence, because she needed essence to maintain her human form.
"It's looking at you!"
Nidalee lifted the little fox into her hands.
However, the little fox struggled for a moment, then elegantly leaped out of Nidalee's hands.
This woman is so rude!
The little fox thought to herself, then, still unwilling to give up, she continued to stare at Bai Ye, wanting to activate her illusionary arts and try again.
This was why she didn't want to engage more than two people, because it could lead to unpredictable situations.
"She seems to really like you!"
Nidalee mumbled, a bit surprised. Logically, she and the little fox should be closer than Bai Ye, right?
Why did this little fox seem so unwilling to be close to her?
"Is this liking me?"
Bai Ye said somewhat strangely. Didn't she notice that this little fox had been using illusionary arts on him the whole time?
She didn't manage to trap him in her illusion the first time, and now she's starting again?
This little fox is really persistent.
"Isn't it?"
Hearing Bai Ye's words, Nidalee also looked at Bai Ye strangely. She felt it was liking, but from Bai Ye's words, he didn't seem to think so.
"This little fox likes you so much, why don't you take her with you?"
Nidalee, with her chattering, still wanted him to take the little fox.
This little fox is probably itching to attack him right now, isn't she?
Taking her directly, wouldn't that be giving the little fox an opportunity?
The little fox, however, felt a bit happy inside. She hadn't expected Nidalee, this woman, to not be so detestable after all.
Before, she had actually felt a bit disheartened.
If she couldn't control Bai Ye with her illusionary arts, then, judging by their previous conversation, she might be sent away later.
So, although she was unwilling, she had no other choice. But now, if Bai Ye took her away, she could try many methods later.
"Do you really want me to take her?"
Ahri's strength was still relatively weak, and her future growth potential was high, so taking her now seemed quite good.
However, the early stage would be a bit dangerous.
"But I think she likes you a lot..."
Nidalee also saw that the little fox liked Bai Ye very much, so she just mentioned it. If Bai Ye wasn't willing, she wouldn't say anything.
After all, she couldn't force Bai Ye to take her with him and leave.
"Then let's take her."
If he were to abandon a potentially good combatant in the future just because of a little danger, Bai Ye felt it was unnecessary.
Besides, if he was even afraid of Ahri, who hadn't fully awakened in her early stages.
Then he might as well give up on everything in the future.
Hearing that Bai Ye was going to take her, a hint of joy flashed across the little fox's face, and she made up her mind that she would definitely absorb Bai Ye's essence later.
He's so strong.
If she absorbed his essence, she would definitely become more powerful, right? At least it would allow her to maintain her human form for a long time, right?
Ahri actually felt some guilt about absorbing essence.
After all, not all the people she killed were bad.
It was just instinct that made Ahri want to absorb essence while also wanting to maintain her human form.
"From now on, I'll call you Ahri."
Ahri?
The little fox looked up at Bai Ye, somewhat bewildered. Did she have a name now?
Tilting her head, she didn't feel much resistance to this name.
Only...
A strange and indescribable feeling arose in the little fox's heart.
"And you said you didn't like her!"
Nidalee thought about what Bai Ye had just said. She had thought Bai Ye wouldn't take Ahri with him.
Now it seemed Bai Ye really liked Ahri.
"I didn't say I didn't like her, did I?"
Nidalee's thought process left Bai Ye at a loss for words.
It seemed he hadn't said anything before.
"Forget it, let's go. Let's find a place to stay in town soon."
Bai Ye didn't want to rest in the wild. Although towns weren't exactly safe now.
But in the wild, he could encounter fierce beasts or Noxus attacks at any time, and Bai Ye didn't want to sleep poorly at night.
They found a nearby small town. Ahri, nestled in Bai Ye's arms, was pondering how she could absorb Bai Ye's essence, while Nidalee curiously observed everything in the city.
Everything she saw in her eyes was so unfamiliar.
"Haven't you been to a city?"
Nidalee's appearance caught Bai Ye's eye, and he asked her curiously.
Had she really never been?
There should be people in Ixtal, right?
Even from Ixtal to Ionia, they should have encountered people along the way.
Unless...
Bai Ye thought of something. Perhaps Nidalee had avoided humans the entire way, which was why she was like this?
"Mhm, mhm. We generally don't have too much interaction with humans, because we're afraid of unexpected incidents."
Nidalee nodded, her words indeed confirming his previous question.
These inter-species issues had existed in Valoran for a long time and couldn't be changed with just a few words.
The distrust between the two sides, Bai Ye even felt there was no need to say anything.
Arriving in a human city for the first time, Nidalee remembered everything: the surrounding shops, the street vendors, and so on.
At the same time, the other people around also looked at Nidalee curiously.
Although everyone in Ionia knew about the Vastaya.
But the Vastaya had always hidden deep in the mountains and rarely appeared.
Naturally, few people had seen a Vastaya before. Now that a living one had appeared, they were naturally quite curious. Being stared at like this made Nidalee quite embarrassed.
She had originally wanted to continue looking for differences here, but after noticing the gazes of the people around, Nidalee also shrank back, trying to hide behind Bai Ye so that others wouldn't see her.
She also started to worry.
"Will they think I'm a freak?"
Nidalee murmured softly. In human eyes, she must be a freak, right?
Already a bit nervous, she became even more so after thinking about this.
"No, you're quite beautiful, aren't you?"
Bai Ye was a little surprised. Nidalee didn't have any strange features. If Nami were here, others looking at a mermaid might indeed have a different look in their eyes.
But Nidalee, in her human form, was truly beautiful by standard. She had a good figure and was good-looking. Even he couldn't help but want to take a second look.
"Really?"
Nidalee widened her eyes, and that trace of unease in her heart seemed to diminish significantly with Bai Ye's words.
Did he really think so too?
"Of course."
"Mhm, mhm, Bai Ye, you are a good person!"
Good person?
He hadn't expected that complimenting her beauty would result in a 'good person' card.
For a moment, Bai Ye didn't know what to say.
"Let's go. We'll find an inn to rest first."
Forget it.
Perhaps Nidalee didn't know about these things.
Let's just settle dinner and sleeping for tonight first.
"Nidalee, how about... I get you another room?"
Bai Ye never expected that Nidalee would choose to share a room with him.
Her reason was that she didn't want to spend so much money; she could stay in the same room as Bai Ye.
When he first heard Nidalee's suggestion, his first thought was to agree. After all, a beautiful woman was offering to share a room with him; how could he refuse?
But to Bai Ye's surprise, this was a trap!
Although Nidalee said she would stay with him, as soon as they entered, she immediately transformed into a leopard and lay down on the floor. Bai Ye instantly became uneasy.
His side had directly turned into a zoo.
A fox, a leopard... He suddenly felt lucky that Neeko hadn't come. If Neeko had come, would there be an extra chameleon beside him? Neeko... she should be a chameleon, right?
Bai Ye was also somewhat unsure what species Neeko truly was.
"No need, Bai Ye, you don't have much money. Let's save some!"
Nidalee shook her head. She didn't want to make things difficult for Bai Ye. After all, from what she understood from Bai Ye, he had just come from an arena, so he probably didn't have much money. So, she thought it was better not to.
She felt that things were quite good now.
"Don't worry, I used to live in the jungle. This environment is already much better than the jungle. I'll just sleep on the floor!"
Nidalee patted her chest and said that she was fine and Bai Ye didn't need to worry about her.
Listening to her words, Bai Ye opened his mouth, then couldn't help but sigh inwardly. Actually, he wanted to say that he didn't mind her sleeping on the bed, and of course, if she could revert from her leopard form, that would be best.
But Bai Ye couldn't bring himself to say it.
If he said that, wouldn't it expose him as a pervert?
No, that's not right...
He should be a small pervert, after all, he was still young!
"Alright."
Bai Ye finally said no more, lying on the bed and looking at the ceiling, feeling the cold wind blowing in from outside.
Although the young lady often slept in the jungle and was very resistant to cold, he couldn't help but feel bad for her.
In this cold winter night, Bai Ye felt that he must give Nidalee a warm embrace.
Thinking of this, Bai Ye still couldn't help but probe, "Nidalee, if you feel the floor is too cold, you can come up onto the bed. Don't worry, I really don't mind!"
And... he actually didn't mind at all!
"Don't worry about me, Bai Ye. I've slept in far colder and harsher places than this," Nidalee replied softly, her voice steady in the darkness. "You shouldn't worry so much. I've heard that you humans have much weaker constitutions, so make sure you stay warm tonight!"
She refused him yet again.
Though she felt a strange, inexplicable tension in the air, she still appreciated his concern. When they had first checked into the inn, she had already resolved that Bai Ye shouldn't cater to her. She was here to accompany him and repay a debt of honor, not to be pampered like a delicate city dweller.
Faced with a total shutdown for the second time, Bai Ye finally raised his hands in defeat.
Alright, alright, fine!
So that's how it's going to be!
With Nidalee's stubborn rejection, Bai Ye knew there was no point in pushing the issue any further. Even if he practically begged her, her fierce independent streak would just make her say no again. He might as well just get some actual rest.
Rolling over and closing his eyes, Bai Ye let the exhaustion catch up to him. He had been marching alongside the resistance forces for days on end without a decent night's sleep, and his body was deeply craving the respite.
Before long, a faint, rhythmic breathing echoed through the quiet room.
The moment the steady rhythm of his sleep filled the air, the little fox curled up in the corner—who had supposedly been fast asleep this entire time—abruptly snapped her eyes open. Her slitted pupils gleamed with a mischievous, predatory light in the shadows.
The hunter had bided her time. Now, the real hunt was about to begin.
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