Do You Mean Your Daughter Is Named Xiao Wu?

The perspective now shifted to Xiao Qing. At her usual pace, Ye Qing should have returned long ago, so she got up and went to the warehouse to see what had delayed him. There was practically no one in this forest capable of threatening Ye Qing in terms of strength, and under Self-Discipline No. 3's requirements, everything in Ye Qing's warehouse had been stacked as neatly as bricks. She was thoroughly puzzled, but when she arrived, she saw a shocking sight.

Her Lord Qing Di was actually flirting with that Rabbit he had picked up. She even began imagining all sorts of things.

"Lord Qing Di is never affectionate with me, whether in beast form or human form. Could it be that he can only accept his own kind... Then wouldn't I never have a chance?!" For a moment, Xiao Qing felt that her entire... snake life had suffered a devastating blow. She did not know that Ye Qing's era had spawned people whose values followed facial features as long as someone was attractive, nor did she know that Ye Qing simply could not accept the reality of being in a beast's body.

"Lord Qing Di, what are you doing?" However, Xiao Qing quickly pulled herself together. She thought to herself, Even if Lord Qing Di really only likes his own kind, I'll prove that I'm far better than those female rabbits.

Ye Qing was not surprised to see Xiao Qing arrive, but the Rabbit panicked.

"It's over, it's over! That human caught up with us!"

"A human?" Watching Xiao Qing draw closer, Ye Qing understood. This Rabbit had never seen a Spirit Beast that had undergone Shape Transformation, so Xiao Qing looked like a human to her.

The Rabbit had her own thoughts as well. She thought Ye Qing was a young member of her own kind who had never encountered humans before. Feeling her body again, she found that her limbs had little strength left, and she immediately made up her mind.

"You're still young. Big sister has no strength left to run, but I still have a child. She's by a lake to the east, beneath a dead tree beside three large stones. Help big sister take care of her child. I'll lure that human away. Find a chance to leave with some food..."

Looking at the Rabbit before him, who seemed to be entrusting her child to him, Ye Qing felt deeply moved. The other party clearly knew she could not escape and had made this decision because she wanted him to care for her young, but if she had ignored him from the start, she should have been able to get away. This was the first time Ye Qing had experienced concern from a stranger.

"Stop running. She's a Spirit Beast. How could there be humans here?"

"But this human's house—"

"I built it. And haven't you noticed that you can understand what she's saying?"

"Is that so..."

"If you don't believe me, listen again."

"...That's true, but I still think I should run."

"Don't worry. She's just talking big... probably."

Ye Qing had also heard what Xiao Qing had said just now. She had said, "You female Rabbit over there! Stay away from my Lord Qing Di!"

Still, Ah Rou took a step back, away from Ye Qing. Her instincts told her danger was near. She had seen Xiao Qing's expression before—it was like those Spirit Beasts guarding their food in years of scarcity.

After some explanation, Xiao Qing finally understood that this was all a misunderstanding.

"So I still have a chance. Go, Xiao Qing! Lord Qing Di is definitely yours!" After encouraging herself internally, Xiao Qing looked at the Rabbit again.

"What's your name? How did you end up here while looking for food?"

"My name is Ah Rou. I was chased here by a Rock Fox."

"I thought you were one of Lord Qing Di's kind who had come looking for him. You were lucky to run here. Do you know where this is?"

"I don't. Is this the deep part of the forest?"

"Nope."

"That's good. I'm only a three-thousand-year Soft Bone Rabbit. If I ran into the depths, I'd be finished."

"This is the Core Area—the very core of the Core Area."

Ah Rou felt her limbs stiffen slightly, but Ye Qing said,

"Don't listen to her nonsense. This place is merely close to the center of the forest. It's still far from the Core Area." However, Ah Rou did not relax at all. To her, being near the center or in the Core Area made little difference. Her race was inherently weak; even weaker carnivorous Spirit Beasts could kill her. In a region where Ten-Thousand-Year Spirit Beasts roamed everywhere, danger lay everywhere for her. But then she reconsidered. Ye Qing had said this was his home, which meant he lived here. The surroundings should be safe, right?

However, Xiao Qing immediately poured cold water over her hopes, as if she had seen through her thoughts.

"Forget it. The Spirit Beast in front of you is no weakling. This is Lord Qing Di, a peak Spirit Beast with seven hundred thousand years of cultivation, one of the strongest beings in the Star Dou Great Forest. He merely kindly concealed his aura so as not to affect the surrounding Spirit Beasts..."

To be honest, if Xiao Qing had not put it that way, even Ye Qing would not have known he was thinking like that. He simply wanted Xiao Qing to live less oppressively.

"Se-seven hundred thousand years? But aren't Spirit Beasts only able to live for one hundred and one thousand years at most...?"

"The Spirit Beast world is not as simple as you think. Rest for the night and go back tomorrow morning. If you need food, just take whatever you want."

"No, I have to go back. Xiao Wu can't sleep if she doesn't see me. If she comes out looking for me and runs into danger, that would be terrible."

Ye Qing had not paid much attention to it at first. He only felt that this Rabbit was having a hard time in the middle of winter, and her willingness to sacrifice herself just now had moved him somewhat, so he intended to help however he could. After all, his warehouse was fully stocked. If that was not enough, he could just use energy to stimulate growth. That stuff was excellent fertilizer. If Di Tian knew energy was being used like that, he would probably come fight him again.

But the name Xiao Wu caught his attention. Since arriving in this world, he had never felt this happy.

"Let me confirm something. The Xiao Wu you just mentioned—is she your daughter?"

"Yes."

"What race are you? Be specific."

"Aren't you a Rabbit too...? I'm from the Soft Bone Rabbit clan. Wait, what are you planning to do? My daughter isn't suitable for you. You're far too old." The moment the subject turned to her daughter, Ah Rou showed no weakness at all. Her eyes were filled with strength and motherly love.

"...I'm not a Rabbit. Forget it, that isn't important. So you're a Soft Bone Rabbit, and your daughter Xiao Wu is also a Soft Bone Rabbit, right?"

"Yes. Of course my daughter is the same as me. What's wrong?"

"You called yourself my big sister just now, didn't you?"

"Yes... I thought you were a Rabbit too, and... I'm willing to apologize."

"No, no, there's no need. Since you were my big sister for a moment, then your daughter is my niece. As her Uncle, there's nothing wrong with me going to see my niece, right?" Though his body was strong enough, his heart still belonged to the person he had been in his previous life. He did not think there was anything strange about calling a Rabbit who had lived for thousands of years his big sister.

Besides, Ah Rou's sacrifice and courage just now had earned a measure of his respect. Husband and wife were like birds in the same forest—when disaster came, each flew its own way. Anyone willing to give themselves for a stranger, no matter the circumstances, deserved respect. Besides, even if he said so, Ah Rou would not truly regard herself as his big sister. That was determined by strength.

"I suppose... there's no problem with that."

"Let's go. Right now. I can't let my niece go hungry. Xiao Qing, watch the house for a while."

"Didn't you just say it was dangerous at night...?"

"That's dangerous for you. There aren't many things in this forest that can threaten me."

Xiao Wu and Soft Bone Rabbit—when those two terms were linked together, it was an enormous surprise for Ye Qing.