"Awoo."
The Dark Demon Evil God Tiger immediately lowered itself obediently, curling its massive body into as tight a ball as it could and exposing the softest part of its neck.
Carrying Zhu Zhuqing, Gu Chensha lightly leaped onto its back and settled her securely in place.
"Go to Base Number Three."
He patted Wangcai on the head. "Watch your step. If you jostle her, I'll skin you and use your hide as a cushion."
Wangcai's ears twitched, and it hurriedly nodded.
It set off toward the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest, moving so softly its steps were almost inaudible.
It was supposed to be a forbidden evil creature that struck fear into the hearts of every Soul Master and Soul Beast, yet at that moment it looked just like...
A dog thief.
A man, a beast, and a tiger made their way forward at an unhurried pace. They had no need to worry about some clueless Soul Beast being drawn over by the smell of blood.
With Wangcai around, it only had to release the faintest hint of its aura, and every Soul Beast within five kilometers would flee in terror.
The entire Star Dou Great Forest—and, indeed, every Soul Beast forest on the continent—followed a similar hierarchy: the outskirts, the outer ring, the mixed ring, the Core Circle, and the Great Ferocious Land.
The outer ring belonged to decade- and Hundred-Year Soul Beasts. Farther in lay gathering grounds for Hundred-Year and Thousand-Year Soul Beasts, with the occasional lone Ten Thousand Year Soul Beast roaming through.
The mixed ring was dominated by Ten Thousand Year Soul Beasts.
Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts lived in the Core Circle.
And the deepest region, the Great Ferocious Land, was the domain of the "Ferocious Beasts" that surpassed ordinary hundred-thousand-year Soul Beasts.
Before long, Wangcai stopped in front of a stone cave concealed by dense vines.
The entrance was narrow and hidden, and the cave within was so dark that one couldn't see one's hand in front of one's face.
If Zhu Zhuqing had been awake, she would have found it hard to imagine that her powerful teacher lived with this ferocious tiger in such a cramped, gloomy place.
But the Dark Demon Evil God Tiger knew its way around. Carrying Zhu Zhuqing and Gu Chensha, it headed straight inside.
After passing through a narrow passage more than ten meters long, they emerged into a wide-open space.
It was a secluded valley surrounded by mountains, about the size of two soccer fields.
At first, Gu Chensha had given the place a name: Spirit Spring Hidden Show Valley. Later, he couldn't be bothered to call it that and simply named it "Base Number Three."
In the middle of the valley lay a hot spring, five meters across, shrouded in steam and giving off a faint sulfurous scent. It never ran dry.
A few stately medicinal herbs of varied shapes grew by the water. Their leaves were thick and glossy. Gu Chensha had transplanted them from different places over the past few centuries, and there were only a scant handful.
Beneath the eastern rock wall stood a short, gnarled old tree with sparse branches and a few blue-green fruits hanging from them.
On the other side of the hot spring was a level stone platform, covered with soft, dry beast hides. A dozen or so crookedly arranged clay bottles and jars sat on top, clearly the handiwork of some clumsy old monster.
This was hardly a treasure trove brimming with rare natural treasures. The spiritual energy here was somewhat denser than outside, but nowhere near the wonders of the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well or Qiankun Asking-Love Valley.
It was more like a seasoned Soul Beast's personal retreat.
Hidden, safe, and sufficient. That was all.
The valley had no cover overhead, but with a Dark Demon Evil God Tiger of ten thousand years guarding it, no Soul Master or Soul Beast dared trespass.
Whenever some ignorant newcomer wandered in, Wangcai dealt with them right away:
If it liked the look of them, it made them a snack. If it was in a bad mood, it killed them outright. Only when it was in a good mood would it show mercy and chase them away.
The Iron-back Centipede that had blundered into Zhu Zhuqing and the others earlier was one of the ones it had chased off.
In the Star Dou Great Forest, where the strong preyed on the weak, talk of kinship between species or Soul Beast sentiment meant nothing to it. It was all nonsense.
Gu Chensha casually plucked a few healing herbs and walked over to the stone platform to grind them with practiced ease.
Wangcai obediently lay down beside the platform, making its neck hollow as soft as possible so it wouldn't hurt the person on its back.
The valley was quiet. Only the thudding of the pestle and the bubbling of the hot spring broke the silence.
Who knew how long had passed before Zhu Zhuqing's eyelids began to flutter as she lay on the enormous stone bed.
A faint sulfurous smell and the fragrance of herbs lingered beneath her nose. Soft beast hide covered her, and warmth slowly seeped into her cold limbs.
She jerked her eyes open, her body immediately tensing.
Unfamiliar stone walls, an unfamiliar valley, and...
The black giant tiger that had nearly killed her!
It was dozing a short distance away, its huge tail sweeping the ground every now and then.
Zhu Zhuqing's heart leaped into her throat, and she instinctively shrank back.
Her jumbled memories surged in like a tide:
The Iron-back Centipede's sharp claws, the Phoenix-tail Crested Serpent's poisonous mist, and that final, sky-shrouding giant claw...
And the tall figure that had stood in front of her.
"You're awake?"
A deep voice came from beside her.
Zhu Zhuqing slowly turned her head and saw Gu Chensha sitting beside the stone platform, holding a pestle. The stone mortar was filled with dark green herbal paste.
Sunlight streamed in through the valley entrance, falling on his black hair and tracing it with a soft golden edge.
His dark golden eyes gazed at her quietly.
She parted her lips, but her voice was horribly hoarse.
"Teacher..."
Gu Chensha set down the pestle and reached out to ruffle her hair, just as he used to.
But Zhu Zhuqing flinched as though she'd been burned. She turned her head sharply and buried her face in the beast hide.
Gu Chensha's hand froze in midair, and his expression stiffened.
Looking at the girl's stubbornly turned head, he sighed helplessly.
This was bad. She was really angry this time.
He turned to look at Wangcai nearby. It was pretending to sleep, but secretly peeking over with the corner of its eye.
Their eyes met. Wangcai immediately squeezed its eyes shut even tighter, and its tail stopped moving.
Gu Chensha's eyes lit up. He had an idea.
He climbed down from the stone platform as quietly as he could and went over to Wangcai.
"Awoo?"
Wangcai opened one eye and tilted its head, looking confused.
Gu Chensha pointed solemnly toward Zhu Zhuqing.
"You scared her pretty badly just now."
Wangcai drooped its head at once, letting out a wronged whimper as it rubbed its big head against Gu Chensha's trouser leg.
She was the one who summoned that giant spider and scared me first. I could already smell you, so I held back and didn't go for the kill...
Gu Chensha paid no attention to its little act.
"When you go over there, if she hits you, don't dodge and don't fight back. And make sure you yelp like it really hurts."
He patted Wangcai's head and added in a low voice, "After she's done, act cute."
"Awoo?"
Wangcai tilted its head, utterly baffled.
It had lived for so many years, and all it knew was fighting. How was it supposed to know what "acting cute" meant?
Gu Chensha covered his face.
After thinking for a couple of seconds, he leaned close to Wangcai's ear and whispered a few words.
Wangcai's eyes went wide, its face full of disbelief.
I'm the mighty Dark Demon Evil God Tiger, a forbidden existence in the Star Dou Great Forest, and I'm supposed to play the victim and act cute for a little human girl?
This was a disgrace beyond all measure!
But when Gu Chensha's gaze grew steadily colder, it immediately caved.
All right, then... well, when you put it that way.
What was dignity compared to staying alive? It had no desire to wind up with a few more holes in its hide like when it was little.
Before you continue