I'll Call You Qiu'er

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion, having waited a long time without receiving a response from Qin Yue, paced back and forth atop the tree. It knew that humans came to the Star Dou Forest to obtain Soul Rings, but who knew whether it would ever encounter such a strange human again?

Under that strange fragrance it simply could not resist, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion spoke again. "Human, can you not leave? I can catch Soul Beasts for you to eat."

Qin Yue's lips twitched. He had no intention of being kept, so he hurriedly refused in his heart, No, no. Soul Beasts have their habitats, and humans have theirs. It's fine to visit once in a while, but actually staying would be really uncomfortable.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion let out a "Wuu" and lay motionless on the tree in utter despair. Scarlet King, following behind it, became tense at once and hurriedly checked whether some blind Soul Beast or human nearby had offended the Auspicious Beast.

Sensing that Qin Yue had already left the range of their spiritual connection, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion hurriedly got up and chased after him. It kept a distance where the leading human would not notice it, then racked its brains over how to persuade Qin Yue to stay.

But even the Three-Eyed Golden Lion understood that the chances of Qin Yue truly staying were slim. The reason was simple: Di Tian and the others often told it not to do this or that, yet it never listened either.

Qin Yue followed the main group for a while longer. The initial tension of being watched had long been cast aside, and he had begun considering how to become friends with the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. It did not need to be the kind of friendship where they would die for one another; it would be enough if they could exchange a few words whenever they met in the Star Dou Forest.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was an Auspicious Beast. Befriending it meant gaining a protective talisman in the Star Dou Forest. So long as he did not investigate the secrets within the Land of Great Calamity, he could walk around with impunity.

Just then, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, secretly following Qin Yue and the others, suddenly had a flash of inspiration. It finally remembered what that strange fragrance on Qin Yue truly was and hurriedly said, "Human, I remember why you smell so good!"

"Why?" Qin Yue asked with interest.

"That is fate! I smelled the Echo of Fate on you!" The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's voice was incomparably excited, even more so than when it had first formed a connection with Qin Yue.

Qin Yue frowned slightly and asked without revealing anything, "The Echo of Fate? What exactly does that mean?"

"Wuu~" The Three-Eyed Golden Lion thought for a moment before explaining uncertainly, "The Echo of Fate is very complicated. The reason I am called an Auspicious Beast is because of this. In other words, you are humanity's 'Auspicious Beast'!"

An Auspicious Beast among humans? Qin Yue narrowed his eyes, then suddenly understood. What Echo of Fate? Wasn't this just luck under another name?

But wasn't Huo Yuhao the child favored by fate during the era of The Unrivaled Tang Sect? I haven't even taken those opportunities ahead of him yet, so why has this luck somehow come to me? Has the God King noticed this situation? He won't shift his target because of this, will he?

Qin Yue could not make sense of it no matter how he thought about it, so he simply tossed the question to the Three-Eyed Golden Lion to see whether this senior Auspicious Beast had a more specific explanation.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion was stumped and began to stammer. It had been born an Auspicious Beast—how could it possibly know why a human would become one? This was making things far too difficult for a beast...

Qin Yue suddenly thought of something and continued asking the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, "Can you tell when the Echo of Fate on me appeared? How is it different from the one on you?"

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion's eyes lit up at once. This was something it really could answer, and it immediately rattled off a great deal:

"There is a difference! Although we both have the Echo of Fate, mine constantly affects the entire Star Dou Forest, while yours is completely locked inside your body. It smells super good!"

"And I couldn't control my power very well when I was first born. You're a little stronger now than I was at birth, so you must have been born some time ago! About... six years?"

Six years?! A thunderbolt seemed to flash through Qin Yue's mind. Six years was far too easy a time to associate with something. Six years ago was when he awakened his Martial Soul, and it was also when he obtained the Thunder Hell Vine Soul Ring!

If the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's judgment was correct, then this luck had nothing to do with Huo Yuhao at all. It had belonged to Qin Yue from the very beginning.

Moreover, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion had explained clearly how the two powers differed. The power it possessed that affected the entire Star Dou Forest was undoubtedly the "Auspicious Domain." It could double the growth rate of Soul Beasts within its range and double the chance of Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts breaking through their bottlenecks. It was the undisputed Imperial Auspicious Beast.

The one on Qin Yue, however, was different. The Three-Eyed Golden Lion had described it as being "locked" within his body, and Qin Yue immediately thought of the "miracles" that had appeared on him.

After entering Shrek Academy, Qin Yue had twice encountered the strange fortune of his Soul Power suddenly surging. Before, he had been completely clueless about this, but after the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's reminder, he realized that this was likely the "Echo of Fate" on him.

The powers of the two Echoes of Fate were completely different. One acted upon a race, while the other acted upon oneself, yet both could be called miracles.

The sense of crisis in Qin Yue's heart instantly reached its peak. He had to become friends with the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. Otherwise, if it casually let this slip one day, he would be in serious trouble!

Di Tian was fiercely protective of the Imperial Auspicious Beast's existence, but if he learned that humans also had an "Auspicious Beast," his killing intent would undoubtedly be utterly pure.

Thinking of this, Qin Yue took the initiative to chat with the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. "By the way, what is your name? I can't keep calling you Auspicious Beast, can I? Also, my name is Qin Yue. Stop calling me human all the time."

"A name?" The Three-Eyed Golden Lion suddenly stopped. It said uncertainly, "Three-Eyed Golden Lion? That is my species."

"A species is a species. How can it be a name? Just like I am human, but I am not called Human—I am called Qin Yue." Qin Yue's lips curled upward as he patiently guided it.

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion fell silent. It suddenly recalled that Di Tian and the others all had names, while it seemed that it truly did not have one.

Feeling the dejection coming through their spiritual connection, Qin Yue "suddenly realized," "You don't have a name of your own? Then, as your friend, how about I give you a name that belongs only to you?"

Though the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was curious about what a "friend" was, it cared even more about Qin Yue wanting to name it. "Alright, alright! Hurry up and tell me so I can hear it~"

Time passed bit by bit. Amid the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's anxious and uneasy wait, Qin Yue's voice finally rang out. Warm, gentle goodwill like the setting sun flowed through their spiritual connection.

"We met in autumn, so I'll call you Qiu'er."