Xuanyuan Sheng didn't expect this thing to listen to him, so he had only one demand of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion: stay quiet.
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion wasn't very intelligent and wasn't aggressive at the moment, so it was fine to keep her nearby.
Any other Soul Beast, and that wouldn't have been possible.
"Is this our lunch?"
Xiao Xiao suddenly sounded curious.
Xuanyuan Sheng followed her voice and saw that, at some point, Xiao Xiao had caught a little pig. She was holding it down while it kicked its legs wildly.
"I don't think so. It looks more like someone's pet Soul Beast," Ma Xiaotao said thoughtfully, stroking her chin.
The Soul Beast was clean, and its fur was sleek. It didn't look at all like a creature that lived in the wild. It looked more like the kind of Soul Beast someone kept as a pet, like a cat or a dog.
But Ma Xiaotao suddenly noticed that everything around them had gone quiet.
The others were all looking at her strangely.
Zhang Lexuan rubbed her forehead helplessly. "Xiaotao, there's no way someone else is keeping it as a pet. This Soul Beast appeared on the outskirts of the Star Dou Great Forest. Maybe it was just born unusually clean."
Still, it was strange for a pig to care about being clean. Hearing Sister Lexuan's words, Xuanyuan Sheng pictured a fastidious pig and couldn't help laughing.
Xiao Xiao held the little pig upside down by its hind leg.
"But this thing is kind of cute."
Xuanyuan Sheng walked over and felt Xiao Xiao's forehead. Her temperature was normal; she wasn't delirious with a fever.
Xiao Xiao's cheeks were rosy.
"Come on, don't you think this little pig is ugly-cute?"
"No."
"No."
"No."
"No."
Xiao Xiao thought her ears were playing tricks on her. How had she heard four answers? Puzzled, she scratched her head.
Xuanyuan Sheng patted her on the head. He hadn't expected the looks-obsessed Xiao Xiao to have such a peculiar interest in bizarre things.
She wouldn't go for something plain ugly, but if it was both ugly and weird, she'd have to examine it closely.
"Hehe... Actually, it crawled out from beside Xiao Sheng. It may be ugly, but I think it has the same taste in beauty as me."
Xiao Xiao bashfully drew circles on the ground with her foot.
She really wasn't fond of the Soul Beast's face, but at least it had good taste, so she wanted to keep it.
Everyone understood what Xiao Xiao meant. The little girl wanted to keep the Soul Beast, which was why she'd gone on at such length.
Zhang Lexuan rubbed her head. "I thought you really wanted to eat it."
At the mention of being eaten, the little pig struggled with all its might in Xiao Xiao's hands, trying to escape and flee the danger.
Its reaction caught Zhang Lexuan's attention, too.
"This pig seems pretty intelligent. It heard us talking about eating it and is struggling to get away."
"Really?"
Xiao Xiao looked even more delighted.
If it was smart, maybe she could train the little pig to do backflips. Then, when she got the chance, she could trick... ahem, invite Xuanyuan Sheng over to her house.
"Sister Lexuan, then can I...?"
Xiao Xiao gazed pleadingly at Zhang Lexuan, but her hands showed no sign of letting the little pig go.
"All right, all right. You can keep it."
Zhang Lexuan had no particular plans for the little pig. Since Xiao Xiao wanted to keep it, and it wouldn't interfere with what they had to do next, there was no problem.
Ma Xiaotao didn't feel like competing with the girl for the pig, either. A pet? Just hearing the word made it sound like a lot of work.
She wasn't interested at all. It wasn't nearly as motivating as the thought of stealing the neighbor's younger brother's heart.
Xiao Xiao happily hugged the little pig Soul Beast and whispered in its ear, "Hehe, little pig, you have to become my capable assistant. I'll be counting on you from now on."
A humanlike look of terror appeared on the little pig's face. It tried to struggle, but Xiao Xiao was a girl with monstrous strength.
"Ah..."
"What's wrong, Xiao Sheng?"
The girls all looked toward Xuanyuan Sheng, who had made the sound.
He covered his arm and smiled sheepishly. "It's nothing. I just accidentally pulled a muscle."
Once they had all turned away, Xuanyuan Sheng muttered quietly to the one beside him, "Are you a dog? Why are you biting people?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's aggrieved voice rang in his ears.
"That's my toy. Humans really are so annoying."
"You brought that pig here?"
Xuanyuan Sheng hadn't expected the Auspicious Beast to have a habit of raising pigs. Didn't she only eat light-attribute Soul Beasts?
Could she really be raising pigs?
"I... I brought it here."
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion sounded unsure at first, but then she suddenly regained her confidence.
Even if she hadn't raised it, she'd been the first to find it.
The previous night, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion had found this creature that could change into a Soul Beast on its own. She'd thought it was fun, so she carried it off. But after spending the whole night trying to get it to play with her, it still wouldn't turn into a person.
She'd thought she'd found one of her own kind, but it turned out to be nothing more than a little pig with the Power of Fate attached to it.
If she weren't so picky about food and unwilling to eat anything but light-attribute Soul Beasts, that thing that had dared to trick her would definitely have become her breakfast.
"I can't do anything about it if you brought it here. It's Xiao Xiao's pet now." Xuanyuan Sheng helplessly spread his hands. The Auspicious Beast couldn't be allowed to appear, so the pig was an ownerless creature now.
"If you don't give it back, I'll... I'll..."
Xuanyuan Sheng raised an eyebrow. "And what will you do?"
"I'll stay by your side and never leave." The Three-Eyed Golden Lion seemed to have found a way to threaten this human.
This human was tiny, so his home had to be tiny, too. She'd move right in and keep him from sleeping.
And then she'd be the master of the house.
To win her over, this human would not only return the pig but also serve her all sorts of delicious human food.
The thought made the Three-Eyed Golden Lion grin smugly.
Idiot.
That was Xuanyuan Sheng's simple assessment of her.
What a load of crap. Did she think she could get into Shrek without being discovered?
"Xiao Sheng, I'm taking Xiao Xiao to get a third Soul Ring for her Gauntlet Martial Soul. Once she absorbs it, we'll head back to Shrek. We should both be home this afternoon."
Xuanyuan Sheng nodded and watched them leave.
Xiao Xiao wanted a Soul Ring suited to strength, and those Soul Beasts weren't hard to find.
Xiao Xiao just felt that her physique had improved and wanted to obtain a higher-ranked Soul Ring.
Absorbing a Soul Ring was the most time-consuming part, so all they had to do was wait for Xiao Xiao to finish absorbing hers.
Xuanyuan Sheng ignored the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, who was sulking nearby. They'd be heading back soon anyway, though having her around was a bit of a nuisance.
She'd done nothing but make trouble and distract him the whole time.
After they'd waited for nearly half a day,
Zhang Lexuan and the others returned with Xiao Xiao.
As if showing off, Xiao Xiao displayed her third Soul Ring to him.
A black Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring hovered in the air.
Before you continue