Shen Jianxi was eventually taken to the hospital by a kind neighbor, who also called the police for her.
Thanks to the timely police report, the couple hadn't managed to escape and were apprehended. The metal box they threw downstairs was also confiscated by the police as evidence.
When she woke up, it was already the morning of the third day. All the other patients in the ward were accompanied by their families, except for Shen Jianxi.
Shen Jianxi had a thick bandage wrapped around her head and was wearing a hospital gown. The first thing she did was pay her medical bills for the past few days.
After paying the medical expenses, her already depleted wallet was in even worse shape.
Due to the exorbitant cost of medication, Shen Jianxi insisted on being discharged from the hospital, despite attempts to dissuade her.
Dragging her weakened body back home, she shed her dirty clothes and went to the bathroom. Although she couldn't shower yet, wiping herself with hot water should be fine.
The person in the mirror, with her once beautiful hair, now looked like it had been chewed by a dog. Because the wound was on her head, the hair at the back of her head had been shaved.
She carefully examined her pale appearance and then her gaze suddenly froze when she noticed something.
Where was her necklace?!
Her neck was bare. Shen Jianxi steadied herself. She quickly took out the bag she had packed from the hospital and searched through it, but after checking everywhere, inside and out, there was still no sign of the necklace.
Now she was truly panicked.
Since the day she received the necklace, she had never taken it off. Even in the most difficult times, she had never considered selling it.
Could the couple have taken it? Or had it fallen off at the hospital?
Shen Jianxi sat blankly on the bed, trying to recall every detail, subconsciously mumbling the word "necklace" repeatedly.
Suddenly, she felt a warmth on her neck. She looked at the vanity mirror and was surprised to find the missing necklace now hanging on her neck.
Everything that had happened just now felt like a dream.
She tentatively reached out to touch her neck. The moment her fingers brushed against the necklace, the gem instantly emitted a blinding blue light that filled the entire room.
Shen Jianxi instinctively closed her eyes, felt a sense of weightlessness, and then landed on something soft.
"Ah!" A howl of pain came from beneath her. "Who attacked this great me?!"
She opened her eyes. The surrounding scenery made Shen Jianxi forget to get up.
The cozy little cabin was gone, replaced by towering trees that were several times larger than those she had seen in any primeval forest.
"You haven't had enough sitting!"
An angry shout came. Before Shen Jianxi could even figure out where she was, she was flipped onto the ground. The grass beneath her cushioned the fall, but it jolted her back to her senses.
Sitting up, she turned to look in the direction of the voice.
Huh? What is this thing???
Her regained composure collapsed again the moment she saw the creature before her.
The... well, it should be a male, and it looked like a young raccoon.
But it wasn't quite a raccoon. It had a human-like form, tall and handsome, but with a pair of ears on its head and, at its back... Shen Jianxi couldn't see his back.
Reaching out to prod the male in front of her, Shen Jianxi finally saw that behind him was a furry tail with black and yellow stripes.
All in all, it was definitely a young raccoon.
"Why are you, a female, touching me?!" The little raccoon-man seemed to have been assaulted and leaped backward. As he moved, the animal hide wrapped around his waist slipped down a bit.
He tugged at it behind him, completely unconcerned.
"You... what kind of creature are you?" Shen Jianxi found her voice, swallowed hard, and then mustered the courage to ask.
"Can't you tell?" The man's eyes widened in disbelief. He gestured with his hands in front of him, "I am the mighty, valiant, handsome, dashing, bold, agile, and distinguished... Bear Clan member." As he said this, the man's obsidian-like eyes flickered.
"But, which clan are you from? Why don't you have any physical characteristics?" The man, unaware that he had already been exposed, looked around her curiously as if he had discovered a new continent.
Although she hadn't figured out where she was, seeing the man in front of her, Shen Jianxi had a rough idea.
She quickly adjusted her demeanor and calmly replied, "Oh, I'm from the Tiger Clan. As for physical characteristics... I had a stunted growth, so you can't see them."
Shen Jianxi spoke falsehoods with a straight face, but her heart was a little uneasy. She was just fabricating based on common clans from beast-world novels she had read, but she wasn't sure if they existed here.
Fortunately, this male seemed to have a low IQ. After hearing her words, he nodded in sudden understanding and then patted her shoulder sympathetically, "Then you must have been discriminated against in your clan."
Among beasts, whether it was the weak Rabbit Clan or the powerful Tiger and Lion Clans, underdeveloped beasts were abandoned at birth. Even if they were lucky enough to grow up with their clan, they would face immense discrimination.
Shen Jianxi continued along his line of thought, "Yes, that's why I left the clan."
At this statement, the man's eyes widened in surprise. Leaving one's clan was something even robust male beasts dared not do. Yet, this thin, small female was bold enough.
Thinking of this, a playful glint appeared in his eyes. He put on a pitiful expression, "I also left my clan. My name is Xial, what's yours?"
"My name is Hu Xixi." She observed her surroundings. She had randomly made up a name.
"Hu Xixi, Tiger Xixi..." Xial repeated her name a few times and then smiled brightly, "Xixi, have you found a dwelling? It's very dangerous for beasts who have left their clans if they don't find shelter quickly."
Dwelling... How could she possibly have one? Thinking of this, Shen Jianxi felt a headache coming on. Suddenly finding herself in a completely unfamiliar place had her mind in disarray. Because of this, she didn't notice that the bandage on her head had long since disappeared, and even the wound at the back of her head and the shaved hair had been perfectly restored. Suduan Novel Network
Without waiting for her answer, Xial got the answer from her expression.
He stepped forward and familiarly grabbed her arm, "Let's go! I'll be a good person today and take you to find one!" With that, he pulled her in a certain direction. His strength was such that Shen Jianxi stumbled along, dragged like a little chick, completely unable to resist.