A Foreboding Premonition

"Qiu'er..."

The Three-Eyed Golden Lion silently repeated the name. Though she could not read a single word and had no idea whether the name was good or bad, the sincere emotions in Qin Yue's mental link could not be faked. She immediately replied excitedly:

"Qin Yue, Qin Yue, then I'll be called Qiu'er from now on! You mustn't forget."

"Qiu'er, you're a little silly. I gave you that name, so how could I forget?"

"I guess that's true~" Qiu'er wriggled awkwardly atop the tree, then asked Qin Yue curiously, "Qin Yue, Qin Yue, what did you mean by 'friend' just now? Am I your friend?"

"A friend..."

Qin Yue paused slightly. Explaining the meaning of this word to the uneducated Qiu'er would be rather difficult. After a brief thought, he smiled faintly.

"A friend is someone with whom you share a good relationship and a certain foundation of trust. Like you and me right now—we can already be called friends."

"Beyond that are close friends, who can share their thoughts and help each other when they encounter difficulties."

"And finally, confidants. They understand each other very well, trust each other deeply, and share an even stronger emotional connection."

Qiu'er let out a mournful "Wuu." Her head felt like it was about to explode, and she could not understand a word Qin Yue was saying. She hurriedly interrupted him.

"Qin Yue, Qin Yue, what you're saying is too hard to understand. I don't get it."

Qin Yue had expected this and chuckled.

"Qiu'er, you've stayed in the Star Dou Forest ever since you were born. Among the Soul Beasts you know, are there any that are especially close, where thinking of one makes you think of the other?"

Thinking of one while also thinking of another? Qiu'er closed her eyes and pondered carefully for a while. Then her eyes lit up. "Yes, yes! Di Tian and Bi Ji are very close. They always appear together! And Zi Ji often shows up behind Di Tian and Bi Ji too! Are they the friends you were talking about, Qin Yue?"

"That's right. And their relationship is even closer—they're confidants."

Friends, close friends, confidants... Qiu'er repeatedly savored Qin Yue's words in her mind, and her eyes grew brighter and brighter. "Qin Yue, Qin Yue, I want to be confidants with you too!"

Di Tian and the others had always treated her well, but after spending so long with them, she would inevitably feel uncomfortable at times. It was nowhere near as comfortable as being with the sweet-smelling Qin Yue.

"Alright. We'll be confidants for life." Qin Yue laughed helplessly.

Having received his answer, Qiu'er cheered joyfully. She rolled back and forth on the tree several times before calming down a little, then instinctively wanted to catch a Light-element Soul Beast and share its delicious brain matter with Qin Yue.

But at that moment, Qiu'er suddenly remembered why she had chased after him in the first place and abruptly froze. Through the mental link, she pleaded pitifully, "Qin Yue, Qin Yue, you're my only confidant. Can you please not leave~?"

Qin Yue had long known this was coming. The dagger was finally revealed. "I still have many things to do, so I can't remain in the Star Dou Forest. But don't we have a mental link between us? Whether I'm by your side or not is the same, isn't it?"

A mental link? But once the distance gets too great, the link will automatically break... Qiu'er lay gloomily atop the giant tree, quietly watching Qin Yue's receding figure in the distance.

Just as the Shrek group finally left the Mixed Zone and entered the Outer Zone of the Star Dou Forest, Qiu'er, who had been racking her brains, suddenly remembered that she really did have a way to solve the distance problem of their mental link. She hurriedly leaped down from the tree and used the forest's cover to gradually close the distance between herself and Qin Yue.

"Qin Yue, Qin Yue, can you avoid that human leader and meet me alone? I have something I want to give you!"

What treasure could Qiu'er possibly possess? Nothing more than the Fate Guidance contained within her third eye. Qin Yue suddenly felt an indescribable sense of guilt. Qiu'er's decision could not be separated from his deliberate guidance, and the sincerity flowing through the mental link was almost blinding.

But guilt was guilt. Qin Yue did not regret what he had done. Rather than letting Qiu'er unknowingly fall into God King Tang's scheme, giving the Fate Guidance to him would at least allow him to help her—and completely eliminate the possibility of that so-called "Wang Qiu'er" ever appearing.

Moreover, both he and Qiu'er bore the Echo of Fate. Judging from the inexplicable attraction Qiu'er felt toward him, one plus one between them would definitely not equal two.

"Qin Yue, Qin Yue, why aren't you answering me? It's really something very good!"

Qin Yue came back to his senses and said apologetically, "Sorry, I got distracted just now. Wait a little longer. I'll part ways with them at the edge of the forest, and then you can come see me. That way, no one will discover us."

Upon hearing this, Qiu'er immediately slowed down. She had originally planned to see whether she could secretly bring Qin Yue out. If that failed, she would fight the human leader if necessary. No matter what, she had intended to get it done. Now that Qin Yue had offered a better solution, she naturally went along with it.

Scarlet King, following behind Qiu'er, was filled with confusion. A sense of foreboding rose in his heart. Why was the Auspicious Beast staring so intently at a group of humans? That was a team from Shrek Academy, led by a Title Douluo. If she attacked them, it would certainly trigger another conflict between the Star Dou Forest and Shrek Academy.

Out of concern for the Auspicious Beast's safety, Scarlet King had no intention of returning to the Core Zone to report to Di Tian just yet. Instead, he decided that no matter what the Auspicious Beast wanted to do next, he would lend her a hand.

Of course, some necessary persuasion was still unavoidable. He moved a little closer and began earnestly trying to talk Qiu'er out of it.

While perfunctorily responding to Scarlet King's advice, Qiu'er kept her eyes fixed on Qin Yue's movements. She could not wait to resolve the distance problem with their mental link. Then she could find Qin Yue whenever she wanted.

That's right—even Qin Yue did not know that Qiu'er had already decided to sneak out of the Star Dou Forest. After the Fate Guidance, she would be able to sense Qin Yue's exact location. All she needed to do was shake off Scarlet King, who had been following behind her, and she could secretly go find Qin Yue!

Because of Qiu'er's presence, no Soul Beasts appeared along the way to harass them. The entire group traveled at a very good pace, and by noon on the second day, they had already left the Star Dou Forest.

The moment they left the forest, Qin Yue sought out Qian Duoduo, the highest-ranking person in charge of this soul-hunting team. He explained that he wanted to take the opportunity to return to Forest Spirit City and reassure the clan members who had grown pessimistic about the future.

Shrek Academy, which had been keeping an eye on Qin Yue, naturally knew about the Qin Clan's drastic changes during this period. Qian Duoduo waved his hand and approved half a month of leave, while also reminding him that the academy would be Qin Yue's greatest support. If he encountered any difficulties, he could come to the academy for help.