On the condition that she never left his sight!

"Don't call me Little Bunny!"

Xiao Wu let go of Ye Qiu's hand, scrunched up her face, and took a few steps back to put a little safe distance between them.

"Fine! I won't call you that. But are you coming or not?"

Ye Qiu shrugged.

He just thought the cute expressions that pink bunny made when he teased her were pretty amusing.

"Are you telling the truth?"

Xiao Wu rubbed her little bottom, blinked her panda eyes, and eyed Ye Qiu suspiciously.

"Of course I am!"

Ye Qiu nodded, his expression perfectly serious.

He'd been selling candy for two years, so he had a tiny bit of savings. Two ordinary sets of bedding should be well within his budget.

Besides, this trip outside was a good chance to test how much of a boost he got when he wrapped Xiao Wu up, and whether it gave him any other abilities.

Seeing that Xiao Wu was still thinking it over, Ye Qiu didn't have the patience to wait around.

He turned, picked up his little cloth bundle, asked Wang Sheng where in town he could buy bedding, then headed for the door.

"Hurry up and follow me!"

Only when Ye Qiu's voice came from outside did Xiao Wu snap out of it. She grabbed her little pink shoulder bag and hurried after him with quick, short steps.

Her movements were a little strange as she ran.

"Hey, slow down! I'm sore..."

Watching Ye Qiu's back, Xiao Wu scrunched up her face, held her bottom and lower back, and hurried to catch up.

"Hey! Wait for Sister Xiao Wu!"

It took Xiao Wu a while to catch up with Ye Qiu. Then, without a hint of hesitation, she grabbed his arm.

"I'm not 'hey'!"

"Slurp~"

Ye Qiu rolled his eyes. He was sucking on a lollipop.

"Hey, you—you said you only had one left! You lied to Sister Xiao Wu!"

Xiao Wu stared at the candy in Ye Qiu's mouth, her craving flaring up as her pink lips twitched.

Ye Qiu glanced at her and ignored her.

"Ye Qiu. Sister Xiao Wu is talking to you!"

Xiao Wu scrunched up her face and raised her voice, not in the best of moods.

"How did I lie to you? I said I only had one carrot-flavored one left. This one's grass-flavored!"

As he explained, Ye Qiu pulled the green lollipop from his mouth, held it between his fingers, and waved it in front of Xiao Wu.

Her eyes followed the candy. Then, with a patient look, she pleaded, "It doesn't have to be carrot-flavored. Sister Xiao Wu isn't picky. Can you give me another one?"

"Sure."

"Really? Then hurry, hurry—put it in! Ah~"

At Ye Qiu's agreement, Xiao Wu's face lit up with delight. She parted her red lips and opened her mouth, waiting for him to put it in.

But Ye Qiu shook his head and explained, seeing her disappointment. "I can give you one, but not now. If you cooperate with me later, I'll give you one."

"Can't you give it to me beforehand?"

Xiao Wu clutched his arm and gave it a couple of playful shakes. Her soft pink lips pouted slightly, looking as tempting as pudding.

"No!"

Ye Qiu flatly refused, then looked down at her hand gripping his arm and rolled his eyes at her.

"Why do you keep holding on to me?"

"I-I'm still sore. This makes it easier."

Xiao Wu awkwardly explained. Then she remembered that this guy was the reason her bottom hurt in the first place, and couldn't help snorting.

"Hmph! It's all your fault!"

"Haha."

Ye Qiu gave an embarrassed laugh.

It was true. He'd hit her, so he ought to help her along.

He didn't have many good qualities, but he was thrifty and took responsibility.

She was standing very close to him, but compared to when he turned into venom and wrapped her up tightly later, this little bit of distance was nothing.

Shoulder to shoulder, the two of them headed out of the academy.

All along the way, Xiao Wu kept her face turned toward Ye Qiu, looking at him as if he were her sweetheart—or, more accurately, staring at the thing in his mouth.

Ye Qiu kept teasing her now and then, calling her Little Bunny. Watching the expressions change on Xiao Wu's pretty face was really amusing.

Pink and soft...

They hadn't gone far before the smile on Ye Qiu's face grew even wider. The fine hairs that had risen slightly on his body had returned to normal.

Ye Qiu knew—

Spider Sense was warning him.

By now, he was completely out of Tang Hao's faintly oppressive gaze.

A figure was concealed in the shadows beneath the dormitory building.

Under a black bamboo hat was a disheveled face covered in stubble. The man's burly frame was dressed in a dirty, moldy coarse hemp tunic.

It was Tang Hao!

Watching Xiao Wu and Ye Qiu walk away, Tang Hao's expression didn't change. A glint flashed in his lifeless eyes.

He hadn't expected to be so lucky.

He'd run into another Hundred-Thousand-Year Transformed Soul Beast, and it had coincidentally become classmates with his son.

Tang Hao wasn't worried about this Soul Beast.

At first, he'd hoped something might happen between her and his good son, just as it had between him and Ah Yin, so that things would be easier to handle later.

But after seeing how Xiao Wu and Ye Qiu got along, he changed his mind.

His goal had never been a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring.

It was to restore the Clear Sky Sect to its former glory!

If possible, Tang Hao didn't want his son to become emotionally attached and spend the rest of his life, like Tang Hao himself, mired in guilt and regret.

Even if he got a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring that way,

he'd still be a useless wreck like his father!

But now things were different.

If she and that kid Ye Qiu got together, it would be much easier to scheme against them.

Control Ye Qiu, force her to sacrifice herself, then eliminate all traces!

Tang Hao remained there for a long time, until Ye Qiu and Xiao Wu disappeared from sight.

As he stood deep in thought, Tang Hao suddenly felt thirsty. He glanced at the empty wine bottle in his hand, looked once more in the direction Xiao Wu had gone, then quietly slipped away to steal some wine.

He'd already made up his mind.

No matter who Xiao Wu ended up with, he, Tang Hao, had already reserved that Hundred Thousand Year Soul Ring and Soul Bone for his son!

On the condition that—

That Soul Beast never left his sight!

By the time Ye Qiu and Tang San arrived to register at Notting Academy, it was already afternoon.

Now, the sun was setting.

The sky had turned golden, and the western horizon looked like a gleaming golden sword stretching across the mountain peaks.

Ye Qiu carried two new sets of bedding. His expression was less than cheerful as he ambled back toward the dormitory.

Xiao Wu followed behind him.

She was carrying a large quilt.

The corners of her eyes were still damp. She walked even more awkwardly than before, and her previously unblemished right eye now sported a black eye as well.

She was now a genuine protected animal.