"Poor little kitten, do you have an owner?"
"If not, are you planning to find one?"
"If you do, are you planning to replace them?"
"If you don't want to replace them, would you mind having one mo—forget it, I don't have that kind of fetish."
A sunny smile appeared on Bai Mu's face.
"Who are you? Why did you help me?"
Zhu Zhuqing watched Bai Mu warily, her cool voice carrying a trace of barely noticeable tension.
She had thought a kind person had saved her, but Bai Mu's words and actions—he didn't seem like a good person!
"I'm just a passing Trainer."
Bai Mu tilted his head slightly upward, a hint of pride surfacing on his calm face.
"As for why I helped you—"
He paused, then smiled at the cat ears atop the girl's head. "Who wouldn't like a genuine cat-eared girl?"
Hearing this, Zhu Zhuqing's heart tightened. She glanced sideways at Zygarde, which had effortlessly wiped out the wolf pack, and silently assumed a fighting stance.
"What are you nervous about? Do I look that much like a bad guy?"
Bai Mu spread his hands and walked toward Zhu Zhuqing as though completely defenseless. "Or is this how you treat someone who saved your life?"
"..."
Zhu Zhuqing said nothing, her gaze icy as she scrutinized him.
As a girl who was naturally kindhearted, she could not bring herself to repay kindness with hostility.
But if Bai Mu dared harbor improper intentions toward her, even if it meant perishing together, she would never let him off!
"Those injuries are pretty serious. Little Kitten, you're quite tough."
Bai Mu stepped in front of the girl, clicking his tongue in amazement as he looked at the wound on her shoulder and raised his hand toward her.
"Hell Hundred Claws—"
Zhu Zhuqing instinctively wanted to attack, only to suddenly discover three Spirit Rings lighting up beneath Bai Mu's feet—yellow, purple, and black!
Century Spirit Ring! Thousand-Year Spirit Ring! Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Ring!
In an instant, a chill shot up her spine and straight to her head, freezing her in place.
Her gaze shifted, and she found Zygarde staring intently at her neck as well.
It seemed that if she dared make any rash move, it would dare give her a little separation of head and body!
"Such a good girl. They feel pretty nice."
Bai Mu reached out and gave the girl's cat ears a couple of rubs, then patted her head with a satisfied expression.
Eek~
When her cat ears were touched, Zhu Zhuqing felt as though an electric current had run through her entire body, leaving her numb. An unusual blush even spread across her cool face.
"As a reward—I'll treat you."
The First Spirit Ring lit up, and a strange wave spread from Bai Mu's body to Zhu Zhuqing's.
Her bleeding wound began healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
No! It wasn't just her injuries!
Even her depleted Soul Power had recovered!
"A healing Spirit Skill?"
Surprise flickered in Zhu Zhuqing's beautiful eyes. She stared at Bai Mu for a few seconds before lowering her gaze to the Spirit Rings beneath his feet.
If even a Century Spirit Ring was this powerful, how strong would his Thousand-Year and Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Rings be?
"Thank you."
Only after confirming that Bai Mu bore her no hostility did Zhu Zhuqing relax her guard slightly.
"No need to thank me. Just lower your head obediently and let me play with you for a while."
As Bai Mu spoke, he raised his hand toward her cat ears again.
Zhu Zhuqing's expression turned cold, and she decisively pulled away from him.
Bai Mu showed no embarrassment as he asked, "Tell me, why are you alone in the Star Dou Great Forest?"
Zhu Zhuqing furrowed her brows slightly. After a moment of silence, she said softly, "It's a shorter route. I'm going to Suotuo City."
"Suotuo City?"
Bai Mu feigned confusion. "What are you going to that godforsaken place for?"
"...To find someone."
Zhu Zhuqing clearly did not wish to say more.
But those two words had already revealed enough information.
According to the original course of events, Zhu Zhuqing would arrive in Suotuo City not long after Tang San.
That meant that if he arrived in Suotuo City together with Zhu Zhuqing, he should be able to meet Tang San within a few days!
"Let me think—"
Bai Mu wore a thoughtful expression. "There seems to be an academy called Shrek in Suotuo City, right? The person you're looking for wouldn't happen to be there, would they?"
Zhu Zhuqing abruptly raised her head. "You know Shrek too?"
"I heard it's an academy that only accepts Monsters, but I don't believe there's a Spirit Master more monstrous than me."
Bai Mu grinned.
"That's true—wait! Your Spirit Rings!"
Zhu Zhuqing nodded in deep agreement, then suddenly widened her eyes at the Spirit Rings beneath Bai Mu's feet.
The yellow, purple, and black Spirit Rings from before had somehow become yellow, yellow, and purple!
"Spirit Rings?"
Bai Mu looked down and asked in confusion, "Don't you like the colors? I can change them if you don't."
The moment his words fell, all three Spirit Rings turned a vivid, terrifying red!
"Three hundred-thousand-year—"
Zhu Zhuqing's breath caught.
The next second, the colors of the Spirit Rings changed again, cycling continuously through red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
Seeing the girl's stunned expression, Bai Mu smiled.
Zygarde's invisibility relied on the refraction of light. After enough practice, making Spirit Rings invisible or changing their colors was no longer a problem for him.
"Spirit Rings can actually change colors—"
Zhu Zhuqing could not calm her turbulent emotions for a long time.
"Bai Mu, martial spirit Zygarde, Level 40 assault-type Battle Soul Elder. What about you?"
Bai Mu smiled faintly.
Since obtaining his Third Spirit Ring, aside from Time Hunting, he had successfully raised his level from 30 to 40!
Forty!
Zhu Zhuqing's heart skipped a beat. Forcing herself to remain calm, she said, "Zhu Zhuqing, martial spirit Hell Spirit Cat, Level 27 agility-attack-type Battle Soul Grand Master."
"Oh! So you're the young lady of the Star Luo Empire's Zhu Family."
Bai Mu looked as though he had suddenly understood. "I heard there's a wealthy young man from Star Luo in Suotuo City whose name sounds a lot like mine, called Dai Mubai. You aren't going there to find him, are you?"
Zhu Zhuqing's face darkened. She shot Bai Mu a cold glance. "What does it have to do with you?"
"It has a lot to do with me!"
Bai Mu smiled slightly, then asked, "Do you know what the flower language of a stray little kitten is?"
Zhu Zhuqing froze. "What?"
"First come, first served!"
Bai Mu looked deeply into Zhu Zhuqing's eyes, then seized the back of the girl's neck with lightning speed. "Since I caught you first, you'll be mine from now on!"
"Let go of me!"
Like a wild kitten with raised fur, Zhu Zhuqing struggled desperately, yet she still could not escape the human's clutches.
At last, she pursed her lips and said stubbornly, "I already have a marriage engagement! Let go of me!"
Bai Mu nodded seriously. "That's right. That's a bonus point for you."
Zhu Zhuqing gritted her teeth and revealed her background. "I am the second daughter of the Zhu Family, the fiancée of the Star Luo Empire's Third Prince."
"A future imperial consort?"
Bai Mu's eyes lit up. "Even more bonus points!"
Zhu Zhuqing: "???"
"All right, you might think I'm joking, but actually—"
Bai Mu released his grip on the girl and spread his hands. "I'm serious."
"It's meaningless. My fate was decided long ago—"
Zhu Zhuqing fell silent for a while before speaking softly. "To survive, I have to seize that one and only hope."
Her voice was very soft, yet it carried a certain dejection and unwillingness.
"The only one? There's nothing in this world that is truly one and only, especially fate!"
Bai Mu smiled. "Besides—your fate is decided by me, not heaven. Understand?"
"By you?"
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes flickered, her expression complicated.
"By me!"
Bai Mu nodded slightly. "Perfect. I also want to visit that Shrek Academy and see what kinds of Monsters are there. Want to come with me?"
As he spoke, he turned and walked toward the nearest wolf carcass.
Zhu Zhuqing did not answer. She stared deeply at Bai Mu's back for a moment, then burst forth at full speed and vanished into the dense forest.
She ran away. Do you need me to catch her and bring her back?
Zygarde called out.
"No need. Let her go."
Bai Mu smiled indifferently and continued Time Hunting on his own.
Slowly turning the wolf corpses scattered across the ground into part of the Time Domain.
"As expected of Douluo Continent's must-eat list, not bad—"
Thinking of Zhu Zhuqing's pure yet seductive, cool cat-eared appearance, Bai Mu's eyes gleamed with intense interest.
Of course, what stirred his heart even more was—
As long as he could find Tang San and determine Tang Hao's location, he could find an opportunity to go deepen his relationship with the Blue Silver Emperor.
"Ah Yin, wait for me!"
Before you continue