Sigh!

The excited Night Glow Beast stopped when it heard the voice and looked toward where it had come from. It saw Zheng Li.

Huh?!

That despicable, ugly human?

Was he trying to kill Baobao again?

He was asking for it!

It had been wanting revenge anyway!

"Chirp, chirp!" The Night Glow Beast let out an angry cry and charged at Zheng Li, its body glowing as it did.

It was going to teach Zheng Li a lesson!

Zheng Li: "..."

Was this ability similar to the Ultra Bomb? Was it going to blow him up?

Just then, a stream of information entered his mind.

"So this is the surprise?!"

Zheng Li's mouth twitched, his expression extraordinarily strange.

And so...

Who gave you the nerve? You need a good thrashing?

"Stop!"

Just as the Night Glow Beast was about to crash into him, Zheng Li spoke a single word.

"Hold back!"

As if issuing a command, Zheng Li spoke to the Night Glow Beast. When his voice fell, the beast was dumbfounded.

The glow surrounding its body vanished as soon as Zheng Li spoke.

Night Glow Beast: "??"

What happened to Baobao's powerful Soul Skill? It was just gone? Because of what that ugly human said?

"Come here and let me pet you!" Zheng Li beckoned to the Night Glow Beast, which was right in front of him and looked exactly as it had in life—just as cute as before.

Hug me? Ugly human, you must be dreaming!

Huh? Wait!

What the hell! Why couldn't Baobao control her body?

Looking at Zheng Li right in front of her, the Night Glow Beast cried, "Chirp, chirp, chirp! (No!)"

"No? That's not up to you." Zheng Li shook his head slightly, then reached out with both hands and stroked the white fur on either side of the Night Glow Beast's face.

"Mmm~"

So soft~

Zheng Li's hands sank right into the fur.

The wonderful feel was irresistible. He couldn't help rubbing it as he said, "So you're just fluffy!"

Without the white fur, the Night Glow Beast was only about twelve centimeters in diameter.

His words made the Night Glow Beast furious. She struggled, all the while chirping.

Translated, it meant: Who's fluffy?! Ugly human! Get your dirty hands off me! Believe me, Baobao will blow you up!

Zheng Li didn't care. He smiled and said, "You even call yourself Baobao! You've been cultivating for two thousand years, so there's no way you're a little kid. I never expected you to be so childlike."

According to the Valley of Love and Emotion, the Night Glow Beast was quite intelligent.

"Chirp, chirp!"

Ugly human, who said I call myself that? Baobao is my name! Let go of me!

The Night Glow Beast kept struggling.

"Huh? Your name is Baobao? That..." Zheng Li was surprised.

"Chirp, chirp!"

What? Ugly human, you got a problem with it?

Zheng Li: "...No. It's a nice name. Also, call me Zheng Li."

After saying that, without waiting for the Night Glow Beast to reply, Zheng Li suddenly let her go and bowed deeply. "Baobao, I'm truly sorry for killing you. I..."

"Chirp, chirp!"

Her wings beat. A flash of golden light streaked by, and the Night Glow Beast slammed into Zheng Li's stomach. He went flying backward.

To hell with you! Ugly human, you dare bring that up?! Baobao will kill you! If an apology fixes everything, how about Baobao kills you a few times and apologizes afterward?

Zheng Li: "..."

There was something he wanted to say, but he didn't know if he should!

Could they not have a proper conversation?!

Seeing that, Baobao turned into a streak of golden light and chased after him.

Helpless, Zheng Li had no choice but to leave the Sea of Consciousness first. He had one thing to say: Valley of Love and Emotion, you really are a pain in the neck!

"Chirp, chirp?"

Huh? Where did that ugly human go? Chickened out? Come back and fight Baobao for three hundred rounds!

After leaving the Sea of Consciousness, Zheng Li rubbed his temples.

The so-called surprise was the soul of the Night Glow Beast, Baobao.

The Valley of Love and Emotion had connected them with a contract. Well, if he had to describe it, it was a master-servant contract.

If the master died, the servant died. Baobao couldn't disobey his orders, and she couldn't hurt him or Xiao Nai. Of course, Baobao still had her own free will. Otherwise, she wouldn't have acted like that just now.

She was rather like a Soul Spirit, though the two were fundamentally different.

How should he put it? Once Baobao left the Valley of Love and Emotion, she couldn't fight like a Soul Spirit or use the Soul Ring Skill she had granted Zheng Li. Aside from the abilities given to her by the Valley of Love and Emotion, though, she could simply stay outside as much as she wanted.

Zheng Li wasn't surprised in the least. After all, a god was in control of the Valley of Love and Emotion.

Zheng Li naturally knew nothing about the hazy figure in the Gold and Silver Space at the time.

As for the ability the Valley of Love and Emotion had given Baobao, it let her increase the power of a light-attribute Soul Skill once a day—by about twenty percent.

Don't underestimate that twenty percent. Sometimes it could save a life.

The ability wasn't limited to him, and it didn't ignore level differences. Its limit was two stages above his own.

In other words, since he was currently a Soul Grandmaster, this ability could only work on Soul Ancestors at most.

Of course, this ability wasn't the second Soul Skill granted by the thousand-year Night Glow Beast Soul Ring.

According to the information the Valley of Love and Emotion had given him, it had handed Baobao's soul over because he hadn't been able to bring himself to kill her. He should have received only that ability.

So... the ability was the real surprise, and Baobao was an extra bonus.

There was another reason, too: Xiao Nai was usually lonely all by herself in the Sea of Consciousness. Now that Baobao was here, she could keep Xiao Nai company.

Zheng Li was all for that.

Oh, right. Baobao was female. If she'd been male... he wouldn't have accepted it.

The Sea of Consciousness was like a home. He and Xiao Nai were the owners of that home, so what did it mean for another man to suddenly move in?

Zheng Li vaguely remembered a conversation between Tian Meng and Ice Empress. It had happened during the auction of the Ice Jade Scorpion Left Arm Bone.

Tian Meng had meant that he was only a Soul Ring, and as long as nothing happened to Huo Yuhao, nothing else concerned him. Then he'd talked about how hard Huo Yuhao was working, and finally teased Ice Empress with, "Come on, let's take a nap together."

Zheng Li remembered Ice Empress's exact words: "Who's taking a nap with you?!"

Tian Meng had then meant that neither of them had bodies, and both of them were sealed inside Huo Yuhao's Sea of Consciousness. What else could you call it but sleeping together?

Was he joking? Not necessarily.

Even if his Sea of Consciousness really had been altered by Electrolux the way Huo Yuayo's had, he wouldn't accept that. He never would.

Baobao was an exception. Since she was female, he could let it slide.

Just then, Xiao Nai asked, "Did it work? What's the surprise?"

Hearing Xiao Nai's voice, Zheng Li interrupted his thoughts and smiled. "It really is a big surprise. Why don't you go back to the Sea of Consciousness and see for yourself, Xiao Nai?"

Xiao Nai tilted her head in confusion. She was curious now.

Then she turned into a golden gleam and returned to the Sea of Consciousness.

Baobao: "Chirp, chirp?!"

It's you! You're the other ugly human! The one who beat Baobao to death! I'll fight you! Give me your life, ugly human number two!

Xiao Nai, who could understand Baobao too, remained perfectly calm...

Two days later.

Zheng Li and Wang Xin'er arrived at a city.

The city was called Lunye City.

Xiao Nai had already returned to the Sea of Consciousness. Zheng Li remembered that the little girl had looked as if she'd seen a ghost.

"We can finally see a city! Good food! Here I come."

Wang Xin'er's eyes lit up.

"What? Are you saying you have a problem with the food Xiao Nai and I make?"

At the sound of his voice, Wang Xin'er stiffened and turned around. "Pervert! You're a pervert who doesn't even spare your own Martial Soul. Stay away from me!"

That reaction showed just how hard it had hit the little girl when she found out that Xiao Nai was Zheng Li's Martial Soul.

Zheng Li: "..."

Little girl, be honest. Who carried you on his back these past two days? Where would you be without me?

It was only today that the poison in the little girl's body had started to slowly wear off, and she'd regained a little of her energy.

He simply shook his head and followed her into Lunye City without taking offense.

After buying clothes, eating, and stocking up on dry rations, vegetables, and seasonings, they settled down at an inn.

"Didn't I get you a room? What are you doing in mine?" Zheng Li asked calmly, his arms folded in front of him as he looked at the little girl on the bed.

Wang Xin'er casually waved a hand. "What's the problem? You've got a beautiful girl keeping you company, and that's how you treat me?"

"Heh. You're scared, aren't you?"

Earlier, the little girl had asked Zheng Li how he'd been kidnapped. He hadn't had anything to hide, so he'd told her about the crooked inn.

Now...

Wasn't it obvious? She was afraid she'd be kidnapped again if she fell asleep.

Caught out by Zheng Li, Wang Xin'er instantly blushed and snapped in embarrassment, "W-who's scared?! I just thought you'd be too bored, so..."

"Then thanks, but there's no need. With Xiao Nai keeping me company, I won't get bored."

Zheng Li waved a hand, cutting Wang Xin'er off.

Who knew that when Wang Xin'er heard that, her eyes lit up. "Right, Xiao Nai is the one I'm worried about. I'm afraid you'll do something to her, so I came to keep an eye on you."

Zheng Li: "...Fine. Do whatever you want."

Keep an eye on him? Afraid he'd do something? Sorry, but Xiao Nai was already his. Even if he did something, it wouldn't be a problem.

Xiao Nai wasn't very emotional, but she was quite traditional, just like him. They hadn't shared their first time until the night their wedding date was set.

"Tch... Boring."

Seeing that Zheng Li wouldn't argue with her and had simply sat down cross-legged to start cultivating, Wang Xin'er muttered to herself.