A Soul Beast Beaten Up While Passing By

The next morning.

As the first rays of dawn dispersed the forest mist, Le Ling, still asleep, heard a pitiful, low cry.

"What was that sound?"

Le Ling was awakened by it.

Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she vaguely looked toward where the strange sound had come from.

Not far directly in front of her, a large red-and-white bird lay on the ground, barely alive and unable to move. It could only let out miserable, feeble cries.

"What... what is going on?!"

"Where did this bird come from?!"

Blinking her beautiful eyes, Le Ling stared blankly at the unidentified large bird.

Suddenly, the man behind her pulled her into his arms.

Only then did Le Ling realize that she was lying on Qian Daoliu's lap again—and had apparently spent the entire night there.

"Don't tell me I climbed onto your lap by myself again last night!!"

She glared at the man through gritted teeth as she struggled.

Once, she could accept being told that she had climbed onto a man's lap voluntarily. But twice? Who the hell would believe that?!

Qian Daoliu restrained her soft body with both hands and said with a faint smile, "You didn't climb onto my lap last night. But a soul beast passed by, and I was worried about your safety, so I carried you onto my lap."

"A soul beast passed by?!"

Le Ling raised a brow and looked at the large bird ahead of them. "You mean it?"

Qian Daoliu nodded.

"Shortly after you fell asleep last night, this Crimson Bright Bird arrived. I found that its attributes and cultivation level suited you quite well, so I simply caught it. I waited for you to wake up before finishing it off so you could absorb its soul ring."

Caught it?

Le Ling looked at the Crimson Bright Bird, which was practically on its last breath, again.

This was what he called catching it?!

It had clearly been beaten half to death!

Frowning, she asked, "Why didn't I hear anything?"

Qian Daoliu explained, "I used my domain to protect you and block out the sound so it wouldn't wake you. Naturally, you couldn't hear anything."

"Get up and freshen up first. After breakfast, you can absorb the soul ring. Then we'll go to Sunset Forest to find a suitable third soul ring. We won't look here anymore!"

Le Ling asked in confusion, "Why change locations for no reason?"

"There probably aren't any soul beasts here suitable for your third soul ring. We might gain something different by changing locations!"

In truth, Qian Daoliu suddenly wanted to change locations because he had discovered last night that Chen Xin and the other two were nearby as well.

To prevent his Ling'er from crossing paths with Chen Xin again, he decided they might as well go somewhere else.

After all, Star Dou Great Forest was not the only place with soul beasts. There was also Sunset Forest!

After hearing him out, Le Ling felt that he had a point.

Mainly because they had searched for an entire day yesterday without encountering a single suitable soul beast.

If this Crimson Bright Bird had not somehow provoked this man while passing by last night, her second soul ring might still have been nowhere in sight!

Le Ling got out of Qian Daoliu's arms. When she was about to take out her water pouch to freshen up, she discovered a ring on the ring finger of her right hand.

Where had this ring come from?

She frowned and examined it, only to realize that it was the very ring Qian Daoliu wore on his hand!

It had to be that bastard. He must have put it on her hand while she was asleep last night!

Angrily, Le Ling immediately tried to remove the ring. Yet for some reason, no matter how she tugged at it, it would not come off.

"Take it off! Now!!"

She held up her right hand before him and demanded that he remove the ring.

Qian Daoliu had finally managed to put it on her while she was asleep. How could he possibly be willing to take it off now?

He directly took hold of her right hand, lowered his head, and quickly kissed it. "Since you're already wearing it, just keep it on. Besides, having a Storage Soul Guiding Device will make it more convenient for you to carry things."

Le Ling angrily shook off his hand.

She knew he had done it on purpose, so he definitely would not agree to remove it if she asked. She would take it off herself instead. But for now, she needed to freshen up and absorb the soul ring first.

After washing up, Le Ling did not feel hungry, so she skipped breakfast and began absorbing the soul ring.

She knew the dagger from yesterday was inside the storage ring, so she did not ask Qian Daoliu. Out of habit, she opened the storage ring herself, took out the dagger, and finished off the Crimson Bright Bird.

That bird had already been beaten to the brink of death by Qian Daoliu, yet he had deliberately kept it barely alive so that Le Ling could grant it release after she woke up.

An hour later.

The Crimson Bright Bird's thirty-thousand-year soul ring had been fully absorbed.

The moment Le Ling finished absorbing the soul ring, another fox tail of the same color suddenly appeared behind her, where there had originally been only one.

And the soul ring of the Crimson Bright Bird she had just absorbed encircled the new tail.

The Crimson Bright Bird was an avian soul beast with dual fire and light attributes. It possessed a skill called Crimson Light Storm, and after absorbing its soul ring, Le Ling naturally inherited that skill as well.

Her Soul Power Level had also risen to level thirty-six after absorbing two soul rings.

The soul ring absorption was complete.

Just as Le Ling stood up and was about to leave, Qian Daoliu strode over to her, bent down, and directly scooped her into his arms.

He then unfurled the wings of the Six-winged Angel and flew into the air with her.

"What are you doing?"

Le Ling was startled when he suddenly took her flying.

"Walking out of Star Dou Great Forest would be too slow. It'll be faster if I carry you and fly out. Otherwise, it'll be around evening by the time we reach the town, and we won't have time to go to Sunset Forest."

To avoid running into Chen Xin and the other two while leaving, Qian Daoliu simply carried Le Ling out of the forest by air.

Besides, walking out really would take quite a long time.

He did not want to stay overnight in the town near Star Dou Great Forest. What if Ling'er ran into Chen Xin there again and was truly lured away to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?

Le Ling had yet to forgive him, so there was quite a risk that another man might steal her away!

Hearing his words, Le Ling felt that he was acting strangely.

"Are you in a hurry?"

She looked at him curiously.

Qian Daoliu explained, "No. I simply think that if we can leave in half a day by flying, why waste nearly an entire day walking?"

"And I'm carrying you, so you don't have to tire yourself out walking. Isn't that good?"

With that, he lowered his head with a smile and looked at her as he asked.

Le Ling turned her face away, unwilling to respond to him.

Afterward, while the man carried her through the air, she had nothing else to do, so she kept picking at the ring finger of her right hand.

She wanted to get that storage ring off!

Qian Daoliu saw it and urged, "Ling'er, just keep it on, all right? Stop trying to take it off."

Le Ling shot him a sidelong glance. "You forcibly kissed me yesterday, held me while I was asleep last night, and even put a ring on me. I haven't settled any of those scores with you yet!"

"How do you want to settle them?"

Qian Daoliu held her tighter and coaxed, "When we return to Spirit City, come live in the Worship Hall and settle them with me slowly, all right?"

"Who wants to live in your Worship Hall? I want to stay in the Papal Palace!"

Le Ling pressed both hands against him and snapped back at him in refusal.

At that moment, Qian Daoliu recalled how he had previously sent Steward Yao to investigate why Ling'er had entered Spirit Hall by participating in the maid recruitment.

After thinking it over, he decided to ask her now.

"Ling'er, can you tell me why you participated in Spirit Hall's maid recruitment?"

"If there was anything you needed, you could have come directly to me for help. There was no need to enter Spirit Hall this way."

Qian Daoliu looked at her, though he had guessed that she might not tell him the reason.

But as long as it concerned her, he wanted to know.