Ye Qing: Are You Targeting Me?

At four in the morning, Ye Qing woke up on schedule. No, it would be more accurate to say he had never fallen asleep, because he had remained conscious the entire time. He had not reincarnated as a human, but neither had he turned into some skeletal undead, nor did he have some passive ability forcing him to remain calm. Ever since then, Ye Qing had been wrapped in warmth. It would be impossible to say his heart had not stirred at all. He was starting to admire Liu Xia Hui, who could remain unmoved even with a woman in his lap.

Because of the Heaven-Swallowing Hou's influence, his sensitivity to time had greatly diminished. Not on a microscopic scale, but a macroscopic one. He still handled matters down to the second, but he had also accepted the Long-lived Species' perception of time. Other than Shape Transformation, he seemed to have gained the ability to treat years as days. Thankfully, that was why his temperament remained the same as before, rather than turning him into some old hermit from the deep mountains.

Over the course of the night, he had played the roles of philosopher, biologist, thinker, linguist, psychologist, and many others, pondering all sorts of questions.

"Didn't they say snakes are cold-blooded animals? Though I suppose if they stayed cold-blooded after turning human, Xu Xian would have been frozen into an icicle back then."

"But... is coiling really a snake's instinct?" Unlike Ye Qing, Xiao Qing slept soundly with a smile on her face. As for whether she was truly asleep, only Xiao Qing herself knew. If Soft Bone Rabbits could become bonelessly soft through talent, then snake-type Spirit Beasts surpassed them in that regard. When it came to maximizing contact area, Xiao Qing had reached the limit of her human form.

Ye Qing was currently like a body pillow, held in the middle by the curled-up Xiao Qing. He could also feel something wet against his ear. If he had guessed correctly, it was Xiao Qing's saliva.

Ye Qing then got out of bed. This time, Xiao Qing did not need any of Ye Qing's elaborate wake-up methods. She directly transformed into a Nine-Section Jade, wrapped herself around Ye Qing, and followed him out.

"You're quite diligent today."

"I'm happy. But where are you going, my lord? This isn't the usual route."

"I'm planning to expand my team. Xiao Wu just arrived, so let her get comfortable for a few days. Today, we're going to find that bear."

Ye Qing planned to drag in an acquaintance to make up the numbers. Ah Rou and Xiao Wu had only just arrived, and he did not intend to immediately make a move on them. As for Di Tian, Dragon Clan cultivation could involve sleeping for decades at a time. Disturbing someone's cultivation would not be good. He also felt awkward about approaching Bi Ji, because she gave him the impression of being a caring older sister. She might have just finished treating other Spirit Beasts and gone to rest.

Randomly grabbing a Spirit Beast from the roadside would damage his reputation. Therefore, Xiong Jun became his target. In any case, his cultivation had long since made hibernation unnecessary.

And so, Xiong Jun was ruthlessly woken by Ye Qing, then ruthlessly dragged out to do aerobic exercise.

"You dragged me out here just to do this?"

"This can make you stronger. Aerobic exercise increases endurance."

"I don't understand what you're saying. But are you even fooling yourself? At this speed, neither you nor I would feel tired even after running for three days. If you have nothing better to do, I can spar with you. Why bother tormenting me in winter?"

"It won't be for nothing. This is for you." As he spoke, Ye Qing casually tossed over a jar. Xiong Jun looked at the jar in his hands. It was neither too big nor too small for him, but Ye Qing's tiny body clearly should not have been able to carry it.

"Where did you pull that out from?"

"A Soul Tool I got from humans. Try it. Maybe you'll want to get up at this hour every day in the future."

Xiong Jun stubbornly opened the jar.

"!!"

"What is this? Even Soul-Eating Bee honey can't compare to it."

"Hell Horned King Bee honey. The bees themselves are highly venomous, but their honey is top-quality. So? Keep it up for three days, and I'll give you a huge barrel."

"Deal."

The honey had been exchanged through the system. With just a little of it, Xiong Jun persisted for four days, earning Ye Qing twenty points. Xiong Jun felt that he had made a killing, but Ye Qing was definitely not losing out either. However, Ye Qing did not yet know that when he returned to the Castle, he would suffer an enormous shock.

The sun rose. Xiong Jun returned happily with his honey, while Ye Qing headed back to his Castle. But when he saw the state of the courtyard, he was so angry that he began to tremble.

One look inside, and Xiao Qing understood why Ye Qing had stopped.

"My lord, perhaps you should just give up on that obsession. I like you no matter what you look like..."

"No, Xiao Qing, you don't understand this..."

In the courtyard, Ye Qing saw two humans. He did not recognize the older one, but the younger one was like a miniature version of Xiao Wu's template. Though she looked like a three-year-old child, Ye Qing could tell from her outline and features that she was Xiao Wu. At that moment, Ye Qing desperately wanted to ask: why could everyone in my home undergo Shape Transformation except me?!

"System, don't you have anything to say?"

"The host's Castle is permeated with thin energy from the God Realm."

"I know. I take in a few breaths every day, and it feels quite comfortable. Then what?"

"The energy diluted by the host remains energy from the God Realm. According to the system's analysis, this energy optimizes an individual's body and promotes evolution... ^&%$"

"Say something I can understand."

"The energy in the host's courtyard allows Spirit Beasts to gain the ability to undergo Shape Transformation. The required amount varies according to the Spirit Beast's age, and it affects every Spirit Beast except the host."

"Forget it. It'll only be ten years at most. I won't hold it against you this time."

"There would be no use in the host holding it against the system..."

"..."

When Xiao Wu saw Ye Qing return, she staggered toward him. She was probably still unaccustomed to a human body, so she transformed back into a rabbit halfway there and hopped straight into Ye Qing's arms.

"Uncle, I'm hungry. Can I eat the carrots in your storeroom?"

"If you want some, go take them. You don't need to ask me about something like that."

"Mom said I had to get your permission first. Then I'm going." With that, she ran toward the place where Ye Qing stored his carrots.

Ah Rou's human form made her look like a refined young lady. She was currently clearing the snow from the Castle. For some reason, Ye Qing always felt as though Ah Rou was his parent whenever he looked at her. Maybe it was because she naturally possessed a maternal glow?

"My lord, about what I said before, about asking you to call me sister... please pretend you never heard it. I wouldn't dare act as your sister." Ah Rou stepped forward and said.

"It's fine. I don't care about that. I quite like that girl Xiao Wu, so let's leave it as it is."

"But..."

"Then call me big brother instead. By the way, Ah Rou, have you ever eaten or drunk anything strange before? Something that should have benefited you. If so, do you remember where it was?" Seeing that Ah Rou could not relax, Ye Qing casually suggested it. After all, top-tier Ferocious Beasts were unattainable existences to ordinary Spirit Beasts. She had not known at the time; otherwise, Ah Rou would never have referred to herself that way.

"Something strange?"

"Yes. It should have happened after you had Xiao Wu, since Soft Bone Rabbits themselves aren't very strong..."

"Emmmm, no. But I once ate a crystal-like carrot. It wasn't as tasty as yours, my lord, but I slept for a very long time afterward."

"That should be it. Do you remember where you got it?"

"Two enormous bird-type Spirit Beasts were fighting at the time. I hid in a cave, and it fell from the sky afterward..."

Ye Qing did not know how to comment on that. Perhaps this was the will of the world? But if it had been dropped during a battle between flying Spirit Beasts, it might really have come from Sunset Forest. Still, it did not matter. Once he had enough spare self-discipline points in the future, he could have as much of this stuff as he wanted. As he spoke, Ye Qing glanced at the mission list and was surprised to find that a mission had changed.

Mission: Key Figure Xiao Wu: Series Three: The True Sister Xiao Wu (??? ten thousand points). Progress changed from zero to 5%.

"Could it be..."