"Little snack?"
Li Tianming narrowed his eyes, his golden-black pupils meeting the house-sized eye before him.
Before Shixiao, he was no bigger than a fly.
After looking at him a few more times, Shixiao could not help laughing dumbly. He shrugged and said cheerfully, "Beibei, this little runt is your backer? He looks like a tiny mosquito, barely any meat on him. I've seen plenty of outsiders. They all have one very obvious trait: when they can't win, they run. Give the rope around their legs a tug, and they burrow straight underground. You expect this little mosquito to save you?"
Shixiao laughed so hard that his shoulders shook. He was thoroughly amused.
Beibei grew even more flustered. She hurriedly said to Li Tianming, "Big brother, hurry and leave. This has nothing to do with you. I can't drag you into this."
"Too late!" Shixiao's expression turned vicious. "He used that toothpick to poke my finger open, and he still wants to leave? I remember people like this are called beastmasters. There's not much meat on them, but they carry Desolate Beasts with them, and those are delicious!"
As he spoke, Shixiao glared at Beibei, then fixed Li Tianming with a tiger's gaze. "Little mosquito, release your Desolate Beasts! If you fill my belly today, maybe I'll spare your life. Heh heh."
"What about her?" Li Tianming asked.
"Her?" Shixiao planted his hands on his hips. "Everyone in the village knows she'll be my girl someday. She's the only one who doesn't know it. Not everyone gets to enjoy such good fortune. If she follows me, she won't have to be everyone's punching bag in the village anymore. Isn't that wonderful?"
"I don't want to... I don't owe you any soulstones, and my father never borrowed any either." Beibei gritted