Testing

"Beibei—" Tang Ya draped herself over her boyfriend's shoulder and dragged out the plea coquettishly.

She was not wealthy either, but she could still afford a small processing fee. Since they were traveling, she naturally refused to make herself suffer—was she supposed to gnaw on dry rations while smelling something this delicious? That was too cruel!

"Fine, fine, fine, I'm going. You're the greediest one here." Beibei smiled indulgently before heading into the woods.

Before long, he returned with prey: several fish stunned by electricity, two rabbits, and a pheasant. He then crouched beside the river and cleaned them.

"Here, little one." Tang Ya generously stuffed three silver soul coins into Huo Yuqing's hand. "These are fairly big animals. Thanks for your hard work."

She could tell that the little boy before her likely came from a difficult family background. If she could help, she would help.

"Thank you, big sister!" Huo Yuqing accepted the silver soul coins with flattered surprise. Her entire fortune amounted to only seven silver soul coins, so three was already a considerable sum to her.

People always felt a little more confident when they had money in their pockets.

The girl shot Wang Rui a grateful look. If he had not suggested charging a processing fee, she would not have earned those three silver soul coins.

Wang Rui winked at her.

Beibei's wild game was soon hung over the campfire as well.

During that time, the four of them exchanged names. Tang Ya then began circling Huo Yuqing, staring pitifully at the grilled fish and roasted rabbits over the fire.

Beibei sat on a large rock by the river, watching her with barely restrained laughter.

Little Huo's BBQ truly lived up to its reputation. Wang Rui quickly received the rabbit Huo Yuqing had roasted. After breaking off two rabbit legs for her, he began gnawing on the rest under Tang Ya's envious gaze.

Every strand of rabbit meat was tender yet springy. The juices were perfectly sealed beneath the slightly charred, crisp skin, while the saltiness and the fragrance of perilla were just right—this was the best rabbit Wang Rui had ever eaten in his life as a Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

Then he noticed Tang Ya's gaze turning horrified. The roasted rabbit was so delicious that, without realizing it, he seemed to have chewed up and swallowed the bones too.

"My teeth are good." Wang Rui grinned, revealing a mouthful of white teeth.

"A little too good, aren't they?" Tang Ya said, dumbfounded.

However, after eating her fill, a certain Three-Eyed Golden Lion decided it was time to stir up some trouble.

A strange ripple that only soul beasts could sense spread out from Wang Rui.

Having received the Imperial Auspicious Beast's command, the pocket on Huo Yuqing's body wriggled a few times, and Aunt Rat's tiny head poked out.

"Get back in!" Startled, the girl hurriedly pressed the white rat's head back into her pocket.

Even if Aunt Rat was incredibly cute, not everyone could accept someone keeping a rat as a friend. What if this pretty big sister was terribly afraid of rats?

Tang Ya, however, moved quickly. She grabbed the white rat by the scruff and pulled Aunt Rat straight out of Huo Yuqing's pocket.

"A Brocade Rat?" Tang Ya raised a brow and held Aunt Rat before her eyes. The little rat kicked frantically with all four paws, its tail whirling like a windmill as it struggled desperately. "Beibei, come look!"

"One of the most common soul beasts in human residential areas... There's already a silver marking on its back. This Brocade Rat should have a hundred years of cultivation," Beibei said.

"Big Sister Tang Ya, please give her back to me." Huo Yuqing immediately panicked. Forgetting all about the grilled fish over the fire, she tugged on Tang Ya's sleeve and pleaded incoherently. "She's very clean, not dirty at all. I bathe her often, and she's always stayed in my pocket. She won't dirty your grilled fish. Big Sister Tang Ya, I'll give the money back to you. Could you please return Aunt Rat to me?"

"Ahem." Beibei cleared his throat. "Xiaoya, give her back. Don't tease the child."

"What did you call me?" Tang Ya's willow brows shot up. She casually tossed the white rat back to Huo Yuqing and glared at Beibei.

"Fine, fine, Teacher Xiaoya, Teacher Xiaoya, I was wrong." Beibei raised his hands in surrender, enduring the pain with happiness as his girlfriend tugged at his cheeks.

Huo Yuqing caught Aunt Rat in a fluster and carefully put her back into her pocket. "Don't suddenly come out again," she whispered in warning.

Aunt Rat let out two weak squeaks before burrowing into the bottom of the pocket and trembling.

"Little Brother Huo, that rat isn't your backup soul ring, is it?" After teaching Beibei a lesson, Tang Ya turned back. Not noticing Huo Yuqing's displeasure, she spoke bluntly.

"This Brocade Rat may provide a hundred-year soul ring, but it can't give you any useful Soul Skills." She earnestly lectured Huo Yuqing, completely failing to notice that the girl had lowered her head to grill the fish, her face devoid of expression.

"Brocade Rats are probably the offspring of mouse-type soul beasts from the Star Dou Forest breeding with ordinary rats. They started appearing in human-populated regions thousands of years ago. But these things aren't as strong as real soul beasts, and no one has ever seen one with Thousand-Year Cultivation. They're just prolific. Though they do produce soul rings, the Soul Skills they grant soul masters are useless things like reducing one's presence." Tang Ya spoke seriously. "If you use it as a soul ring, it'll ruin your whole life."

"I understand. Thank you, big sister," Huo Yuqing said softly. "I absolutely, absolutely won't use her as a soul ring."

She knew Tang Ya meant well. She also understood that most people would view Aunt Rat that way, and she knew that since she had not shown how she felt about Aunt Rat, Tang Ya's reaction was perfectly normal.

It was only today that she had confirmed Aunt Rat was a soul beast. But Aunt Rat was still the only family she had left. She had accompanied her and her mother through so many difficult years. So what if she was a soul beast?

Hearing Tang Ya describe Aunt Rat as merely a "backup soul ring" made Huo Yuqing feel terribly, terribly sad. Yet she understood that it was not the pretty big sister's fault. Tang Ya had been trying to help... anyone would have thought the same way.

Maybe I'm just being unreasonable... Huo Yuqing lowered her eyes. Every bit of goodwill she had felt toward Tang Ya evaporated at that moment.

Watching from the side, Wang Rui could not help narrowing his eyes.

Truly worthy of a woman who could hear that someone's parents had both died and respond, "Ah, that's wonderful."

Tang Ya's emotional intelligence had always been reliably terrible.

In the end, the only victor was the Three-Eyed Golden Lion.

Wang Rui had tested the place that Silver-Patterned Brocade Rat held in Huo Yuqing's heart, as well as Huo Yuqing's attitude toward familiar soul beasts. Huo Yuqing's current goal was to break through her bottleneck, yet she would rather risk her life entering the Star Dou Forest for a ten-year soul ring that might not suit her at all than harm Aunt Rat and obtain the nearby hundred-year soul ring.

Wang Rui was more than happy to give her reaction full marks.

At the same time, Tang Ya had taken a severe hit to her favorability.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion had simply won everything.

"Actually, Brocade Rats are pretty cute," Wang Rui said in a very good mood.

"...Thank you." Huo Yuqing smiled faintly and spoke softly.

"Ahem..." Beibei also knew that his girlfriend had behaved somewhat inappropriately, but Tang Ya clearly had not realized it, and he did not know what to say. He could only change the subject. "Little Brother Huo, you carry a soul beast around with you. Are you from the Beast Sect?"

I was chatting with a big shot just now, and apparently there's a new book-entry event if you update four chapters a day for four or five consecutive days!!! I only just found out!!!

And I'm still only updating twice a day while stockpiling drafts!!!

I'm the ultimate idiot!!!!!

Wuwuwuwuwuwuwuwu, I don't know if it's too late!!!