Your Name

The blue-white streak of light abruptly slowed several meters above the ground, then hovered steadily.

The gale died down, revealing the astonishing figure within.

The creature hovering before them was nothing like the small, cute, round-headed white beast from before!

It had nearly doubled in size, its sleek, agile form brimming with strength.

Its entire body was covered in the pure, holy feathers of the Void Feather, their edges shimmering with deep black-and-white starlight. Sunlight glinted off them with a mysterious, noble sheen.

A pair of enormous Spirit Wind Wings beat slowly behind it. Each flap stirred a gentle yet immensely powerful current of air, lending its hovering form an air of elegance and authority.

Its eyes were sharp as an eagle's, glimmering with wisdom and power, and held the detached gaze of one looking down upon all living things.

Th-this... This was clearly another Soul Beast! A flying Soul Beast so powerful, beautiful, and imposing that it took their breath away!

"Th-this is..." One of the guards spoke hoarsely, barely managing to get the words out.

They had only just seen the little beast instantly kill the thousand-year-old Scarlet Mad Lion yesterday, yet the aura radiating from this Soul Beast was even more powerful than that little beast's had been.

Xue Qinghe's heart pounded wildly, as if it might leap from his chest.

He stared fixedly at the figure in the sky. It was him! It had to be! Though his form had changed beyond recognition, the occasional glimmer of liveliness deep in his eyes left Xue Qinghe utterly certain.

How was this possible?! In just one night?! How could a Soul Beast undergo such a tremendous transformation, as if it had been reborn? This was completely beyond everything he knew about Soul Beasts!

Even his grandfather, Qian Daoliu, had never heard of such a being... Could it really be the juvenile form of some legendary divine beast?

Shock and indescribable joy overwhelmed Xue Qinghe in an instant.

His earlier disappointment and worry vanished, replaced by an even more fervent desire and determination!

This Soul Beast was worth hundreds, thousands of times more than he had imagined! He had to do whatever it took to mend their relationship and even... get him.

Xiao Yu hovered in the air, calmly surveying the ground below.

First, he glanced at Yu Yi, who hovered respectfully nearby, and sent him a thought through Wing-Type Affinity: "Well done. You may leave."

Only then did he turn his gaze to Xue Qinghe.

For some reason, facing Xiao Yu's gaze, Xue Qinghe felt an aura of kingship—the same kind he had once sensed from Xue Ye.

He took a deep breath, forcing down the tension that had risen inside him.

Ignoring the guards' worried looks, he ventured, "Are you that mysterious Soul Beast?"

He knew Xiao Yu could understand him, so he spoke plainly.

"Oh~" Xiao Yu nodded slightly. It was obvious at a glance, so there was no point hiding it. Besides, this person had brought him food. He couldn't exactly reject such a warm gesture.

He could tell that yesterday's incident had been caused by another human and had nothing to do with this person. He wasn't one to punish people by association, and since it hadn't affected him anyway, it was fine to let the matter end there.

But there was one thing he was curious about: just who was this person? It was hard to believe his family was so unconcerned about him always coming to the Soul Beast Forest.

He had been to the outskirts of this Soul Beast Forest before. Though a wall blocked the way, that wasn't unusual. As far as he remembered, in the original story, the only Soul Beast forests that weren't governed by humans were the Star Dou Forest and Sunset Forest.

So he could only be sure that he wasn't in the Star Dou Forest or the Sunset Forest.

"It really is you!" Seeing that Xiao Yu didn't seem hostile toward him, Xue Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed he hadn't held yesterday's events against him.

"Oh~" Xiao Yu called up to the Soul Beasts circling overhead. "You can go now!" There was no point in them flying up there forever. They could all head home.

Chirps and squawks rang out from the sky as the Soul Beasts scattered in every direction. It was a true scattering of birds and beasts, and the spectacular sight left Xue Qinghe and the others stunned.

"This Soul Beast can actually command so many Soul Beasts—even ones of different species." One of the guards stared at Xiao Yu in disbelief. Just what kind of being was he?

"Oh, right. I brought you some fruit. Would you like it?" Xue Qinghe suddenly remembered and hurriedly offered the fruit basket in his hands to Xiao Yu.

Compared to Xiao Yu's current size, though, that little bit of fruit hardly seemed enough.

Xiao Yu smiled at Xue Qinghe's eager attempt to curry favor. This human was pretty interesting. Most people would have been so scared by the sight that they wouldn't know which way was up, yet this one was still trying to befriend him. He clearly wasn't an ordinary person.

Xiao Yu nodded. He'd take the fruit. He was a food lover, after all. It didn't matter how much there was; as long as he had something to eat, that was enough.

When Xiao Yu reached out with a claw, the nearby guards were so startled that they thought he was about to attack. Only Xue Qinghe understood what he wanted and held out the fruit basket.

"Mm, these are all my favorites. How is this guy more attentive than a woman?" Xiao Yu was a little surprised as he ate. He shot Xue Qinghe a puzzled glance. The man was clearly a man, wasn't he?

Xue Qinghe, meanwhile, had no idea what to make of the strange look in Xiao Yu's eyes.

Putting that aside, as he looked at Xiao Yu, now grown so much larger, Xue Qinghe instinctively reached out.

Xiao Yu glanced at his hand but paid it no mind. This was their arrangement, after all.

When Xiao Yu didn't react, Xue Qinghe felt even more at ease and rested his hand on Xiao Yu. The familiar sensation reassured him. It was just as it had always been.

Only the two guards remained wary of Xiao Yu. The way he looked now, he was far less harmless than before. Their concern was understandable, after all—he was the crown prince.

"Come to think of it, I don't think I ever learned your name." After taking a moment to enjoy the familiar feeling, Xue Qinghe withdrew his hand, suddenly realizing he had never asked.

Since he couldn't learn this Soul Beast's identity from his grandfather, he might as well ask him directly. He was so intelligent, after all.

Perhaps this was the first time a human had ever asked a Soul Beast its name. Soul Beasts in human form didn't count.

Xiao Yu didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked at Xue Qinghe. When asking someone else's name, you should give your own first. Besides, he was curious who this person was. Someone like him couldn't possibly be some nobody in the original story.

Seeing Xiao Yu's expression, Xue Qinghe somehow seemed to understand what he meant. He chuckled and said, "Sometimes I really feel as if you're human. My name is Xue Qinghe."

He had considered giving his real name, but the two guards were standing right behind him. Naturally, he couldn't say it in front of them.

Xue Qinghe didn't notice that Xiao Yu had suddenly frozen at those words.

"What do you mean, your name is Xue Qinghe???"