Xue Beng, what exactly do you want to do?!

The next day.

Xiao Yu woke up on a wooden platform; the breeze sweeping through the high altitude was the most refreshing thing for a wing-type sprite.

Hmm~ although it's a bit hard, it's much better than a tree branch, and I don't have to worry about falling off if I move around. After waking up for a while, Xiao Yu felt a bit emotional looking at the masterpiece he had created last night.

"Alright, let's look at today's task first." Xiao Yu casually opened the panel.

[Daily Task: Flap wings one thousand times (Incomplete)]

"This again." Xiao Yu was already used to it. Seeing the content of the task, he returned to the ground and began to practice.

On the other side, Xue Qinghe had also finished washing up.

Thinking of how Xue Beng had taken the initiative yesterday to suggest traveling to the Royal Soul Beast Forest together, a trace of suspicion rose in her heart.

Xue Beng had always been a wastrel, but his recent behavior seemed to be deliberately trying to get close, which forced her to be on guard.

She decided to summon Xue Beng to probe his intentions further.

When Xue Beng learned that Xue Qinghe had summoned him, he felt both nervous and excited.

He had barely slept last night, repeatedly refining his plan.

He knew full well the status Xue Qinghe held in his father's heart, and he understood that he had to seize every opportunity to damage the other's prestige.

The carriage he had meticulously prepared was the key to his plan.

He quickly tidied his appearance and headed toward the crown prince's residence with the carriage covered in a thick white cloth, accompanied by two trusted Soul Ancestor guards.

"Imperial Brother." Xue Beng bowed respectfully, a habitual, slightly exaggerated smile on his face.

Xue Qinghe's gaze swept over Xue Beng and finally landed on the mysterious carriage.

The outline beneath the white cloth was distinct, looking like a huge box, faintly exuding an aura of restlessness, even mixed with a trace of a very faint bloody scent.

This was definitely no ordinary object.

"Fourth Brother, what is this?" Xue Qinghe pointed at the carriage, her tone gentle yet carrying an unquestionable inquiry. "Our trip is to the Royal Soul Beast Forest; bringing this item might be inconvenient."

Xue Beng's heart tightened, but he feigned ease on the surface. "Imperial Brother, please don't be offended. This is a little secret of mine; I thought I'd give you a surprise. Once we reach the depths of the forest, you will naturally know."

"Opening it now might disturb others, which wouldn't be ideal. Shall we set off quickly?" His tone carried a hint of pleading and impatience, attempting to change the subject.

Xue Qinghe sneered inwardly. A surprise? I'm afraid it's a shock. The more Xue Beng tried to cover it up, the more it proved that there was a problem with this object.

But at this moment, the "Xue Qinghe" she was playing was a warm and benevolent elder brother, who should have basic trust in his younger brother, especially in front of outsiders.

Forcibly inspecting it would only make her appear suspicious and petty, damaging the image of the crown prince.

Besides, how much trouble could a mere Xue Beng cause? In the face of absolute strength, any conspiracy seemed ridiculous. She suppressed the anger and vigilance in her heart and decided to remain calm.

"Very well, then I will follow your lead. Let's go." Xue Qinghe nodded faintly and turned to lead the way, though her vigilance had already been raised to the maximum.

The sun was high, and the group had already penetrated deep into the Royal Soul Beast Forest. The carriage still followed closely behind Xue Beng, the white cloth never removed.

Along the way, Xue Qinghe requested several times for Xue Beng to uncover the cloth for inspection under the guise of safety: "Fourth Brother, there is no one here now. Soul beasts roam within the forest, and the aura of this object is unclear; I fear it may attract danger. It would be better to let me take a look."

Each time, Xue Beng hurriedly waved his hands, finding various excuses to stall: "Imperial Brother, rest assured, this thing is harmless. It's just... it's just that I want to save it for the most critical moment to reveal! It's almost time, we're almost there!"

Fine beads of sweat seeped from his temples as he calculated the distance, terrified that Xue Qinghe's patience would run out.

The two Soul Ancestor guards beside him also tightened their bodies slightly; they knew what was in the carriage, and they knew even better that if it were exposed prematurely, the plan would be completely ruined.

Xue Qinghe looked at Xue Beng's appearance of feigned composure that couldn't hide his guilty conscience, and her anger grew even more intense.

What on earth is this Xue Beng playing at? If not for the constraints of her identity, she would have really wanted to rip off that eyesore of a white cloth immediately.

She suppressed the urge and said coldly, "Xue Beng, we are near our destination. How long do you intend to keep up this charade? Tell me immediately, what exactly is inside!"

Seeing Xue Qinghe's gloomy face and stern tone, Xue Beng panicked.

He glanced at the guards beside him and thought of the "trump card" he had meticulously prepared, feeling a bit more confident. He apologized with a smile, "Imperial Brother, calm your anger! Don't be impatient, the surprise will be..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a sudden change occurred!

A violent crashing sound and a dull, painful beast roar erupted from inside the carriage! "CLANG! ROAR--!" It was as if the thing inside had sensed some extreme threat and was frantically trying to break free from its restraints.

The entire carriage shook violently as a result.

"It's alive?!" Xue Qinghe's eyes sharpened, and her suspicions were instantly confirmed.

Her figure moved like lightning; before Xue Beng and the guards could react, she had already flashed to the side of the carriage and grabbed the white cloth!

"Imperial Brother! No!" Xue Beng exclaimed, his face turning deathly pale in an instant.

"RIP!" The white cloth was violently torn off by Xue Qinghe!

A sturdy cage made of refined steel was exposed to the sunlight.

Inside the cage, a massive lion covered in new and old scars, its eyes manic and terrified, was slamming frantically against the cage walls—it was clearly a thousand-year soul beast, a Scarlet Mad Lion!

"A Scarlet Mad Lion?!" Xue Qinghe's pupils shrank, and she instantly understood Xue Beng's intention!

No wonder he was so persistent about coming along! It turned out he wanted to use this ferocious thousand-year soul beast to deal with the mysterious soul beast she had tamed! He wanted to use a clash between soul beasts to probe, or even publicly humiliate, her as the crown prince!

If his own soul beast were to lose, Xue Beng would inevitably broadcast it far and wide to strike at his prestige; if the Scarlet Mad Lion were to lose control and injure someone, he would be unable to escape the responsibility!

"Xue Beng!" Xue Qinghe spun around abruptly, his gaze like a blade piercing straight at Xue Beng, his voice containing the fury of thunder: "Sneaking into the Royal Soul Beast Forest with a thousand-year Scarlet Mad Lion! What exactly are you intending to do?!"

"Are you trying to disturb the soul beasts and trigger a riot, or are you trying to use it to commit some illicit act?!"

With his plan completely exposed, cold sweat trickled down Xue Beng's back, but he knew he absolutely could not admit his true intentions at this moment.

He forced himself to remain calm, squeezing an innocent smile onto his face: "Imperial Brother, calm your anger! It's a misunderstanding, a huge misunderstanding! This Scarlet Mad Lion... it, it is actually a 'pet' that this younger brother has newly tamed!" He deliberately emphasized the word "pet."

"A pet?" Xue Qinghe let out a cold laugh, his gaze sweeping over the numerous whip marks and dried bloodstains on the Scarlet Mad Lion's body, "You certainly keep your 'pets' in a unique fashion!"

Biting the bullet and ignoring Xue Qinghe's sarcasm, Xue Beng continued to quibble: "This younger brother heard that you had also found an incredible soul beast companion here, Imperial Brother, and on a whim, I just... I just wanted to bring it here to have a friendly spar and exchange pointers with your soul beast."