Feeling the tremble beneath his hand, Xiao Xiao furrowed his brow almost imperceptibly.
But in the eyes of the Pipa ghost, Lord Xiao Xiao was smiling at it.
His gentle smile soothed its anxious, pounding heart.
It calmed down.
"Heh-heh..."
So scary.
It murmured.
At the time, it had nearly thought it would meet the same fate as those other captured monsters.
Xiao Xiao squeezed the Pipa ghost's arm.
Just as expected, it felt cold to the touch.
"Pipa ghost."
He led it behind the large tree beside them.
"It's all right."
"You're safe now."
"Don't be afraid."
"Heh-heh~"
The Pipa ghost was a little confused by the warmth in its arm.
For the first time...
It had felt a human's warmth.
It was... The Pipa ghost tilted its head.
It couldn't describe what the feeling was.
Wonderful?
The Pipa ghost wondered uncertainly.
So it didn't respond to Lord Xiao Xiao right away.
"Pipa ghost?"
The monster's dazed expression made Xiao Xiao raise an eyebrow.
He let go of the Pipa ghost's arm, then lightly flicked its forehead with a bent finger.
The Pipa ghost blinked.
It came back to its senses.
It reached up and touched its forehead.
Hmm.
It didn't hurt.
It lowered its eyes to its arm.
Its hand was gone.
The Pipa ghost stared blankly.
A sudden flash of inspiration came to it.
It remembered an image it had seen at some point.
It held out its hand to Lord Xiao Xiao.
Xiao Xiao paused in surprise.
He looked at the Pipa ghost.
The Pipa ghost gazed at him expectantly.
Its earlier shock and fear had faded.
He looked at the hand it had extended toward him again.
This gesture...
He reached out and took the Pipa ghost's hand.
"Do you want to