Chitterfang was nothing like the Blood Rats in size or temperament.
But the resemblance was undeniable.
A mutant.
Something that should not exist.
And as Han Yu stared at the rat, his mind, which had been circling the same walls over and over again, suddenly slipped through a crack he had not noticed before.
He froze.
'Wait...'
Slowly, his hand stopped moving.
Chitterfang tilted its head, confused by the sudden stillness.
Han Yu's eyes sharpened.
He had been thinking like a disciple.
Like an artisan.
Like a cultivator trying to navigate official channels.
That was the mistake.
He did not need permission.
He did not need a mission.
He did not need to enter the Kidney Peak himself.
He only needed to deliver a message.
A message that would never be logged, never be filtered, and never be intercepted by formation arrays designed for cultivators and slaves.
His gaze dropped fully to Chitterfang.
The rat stared back at him innocently.
