At dusk, the sun sank toward the horizon, and the rosy glow slowly faded. The sky shifted from warm red to deep blue, and the breeze grew a little chilly. Night gently gathered up the last of the daylight, and the two of them finally emerged from the Star Dou Great Forest.
After saying goodbye to Zhang Lexuan, Su Qing ambled onto the country road leading to the Heaven Dou Empire. Watching the boy's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Zhang Lexuan wore a complicated expression. They hadn't spent much time together, yet this fellow had left an indelible mark on her heart. She couldn't say why, but it felt rather nice.
"Has she left yet? What if she's still standing there watching me go? Maybe... I should look back?"
As Su Qing walked farther away, his thoughts started churning. If Zhang Lexuan was still standing there watching, he couldn't just make a beeline for the forest. Otherwise, she'd surely catch him and give him a thorough beating. He didn't know about anywhere else, but at the very least, the back of his head would end up covered in lumps.
"Better check with my spiritual power. What if I look back and she's still there, thinking I'm afraid to go home alone, and insists on escorting me? Then I'd be in trouble."
Thinking this, he once again sent his spiritual power behind him. After confirming that Zhang Lexuan had left, he breathed a sigh of relief and took a long stride back into the forest.
"Ni, come!"
He hadn't gone far when he stopped and called out. A moment later, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion came bounding over, grabbed him by the collar, and tossed him onto her back before racing toward the Land of Great Calamity.
"Hey, Ni, you're a grown girl now. You need to be more composed. You can't keep charging around so recklessly."
Su Qing looked helplessly at the drool smeared all over his back. She'd probably come looking for him before she'd even caught her breath, and was so tired she was drooling.
"Hehe, if I come find you sooner, I get more time to play with you. You think I can't do that little bit of math?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion didn't care about any of that. Now that she'd found him, she had to keep him around for a few days. She absolutely wouldn't let him run off after less than two days like last time. This time, he had to play with her for at least five days—no, seven. Better yet, he should stay here forever. Then she wouldn't be bored, and she could smell that lovely scent on him every day.
At that, Su Qing smiled helplessly and stopped lecturing her. Instead, he found a comfortable position and rested his head against the soft fur at the back of the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's neck. He had to admit, furry things were adorable to look at and soft to touch. They were simply perfect.
Seeing how carefree she looked, Su Qing's heart softened, and he completely forgot that he'd said he was going to settle the score with her.
After watching the stars from the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's back for a while, Su Qing took out the Storage Ring Zhang Lexuan had given him and idly turned it over in his hands. The Auspicious Beast saw this after opening her third eye and gaining an all-knowing perspective. The moment she spotted the ring, she asked without a second thought:
"Are you going to mate with that human?"
"Pfft—cough, cough."
The sudden question nearly made Su Qing choke to death on his own spit. Once he'd finally recovered, he explained, "I'm still young. I'm not going to mate with anyone. And who taught you to say things like that?"
But the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was running too fast. She hadn't heard the first sentence, and missed the rest of what he said. After pondering his words for a moment, she asked again, "Then what kind of Soul Beast are you going to mate with?"
"You...!"
Those words nearly gave Su Qing internal injuries. He swore he'd make whoever had corrupted the Three-Eyed Golden Lion pay.
"Who taught you to say that?!"
Seeing Su Qing get angry, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion feared he'd stop playing with her, so she immediately sold out Xiong Jun. It had happened when Xiong Jun used honey to coax a female bear into mating with him. The Three-Eyed Golden Lion had happened to see it, and he'd gone on to explain the subject to the Auspicious Beast in detail—though he'd only shared his own views.
"Xiong Jun, you've got it coming. I'll definitely toss you into the Divine Beast Forest to toughen you up!"
Meanwhile, Xiong Jun was still in his cave, busy helping his race reproduce. Out of nowhere, he sneezed, and an icy chill ran through him. Suspecting he'd caught a cold, he hugged the female bear across from him even tighter...
"Su Qing, how about you give me a name?"
After Su Qing had called her "Ni" countless times, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion grew dissatisfied. Di Tian had a name, Su Qing had a name, even her Lord had a name, but she didn't have one! It wasn't fair at all!
"Isn't your name the Auspicious Beast?"
Su Qing smiled. Of course he knew that wasn't the Three-Eyed Golden Lion's name, but he couldn't resist teasing her.
"Can't you tell I'm glaring at you?"
The Three-Eyed Golden Lion tilted her head and tossed him to the ground. Then she lowered her head and rolled her eyes up at him.
"Oh! You're learning!"
Seeing the Three-Eyed Golden Lion act so out of character, Su Qing had to admit she seemed to be getting smarter.
"Idiot!"
She couldn't tell what he meant by that, but one look at Su Qing's blatant, mocking expression told her it couldn't be anything good.
"Okay, okay. I know who you learned that from—your precious Lord, right?"
Su Qing didn't take the weak, almost coquettish insult seriously at all. Like Gu Yuena, she suffered from a lack of education. Even her insults came out limp.
"You... You're infuriating! I'm never playing with you again!"
Seeing that he didn't take her seriously at all, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was so mad that the fur on her neck stood on end. But she soon regretted it. Su Qing was her only playmate, and in her haste, she'd forgotten that.
"Really?"
She'd barely finished speaking, but her guilty look gave her away. Su Qing moved closer, raised his eyebrows at her, and asked with a teasing grin.
There was no way the little one could outsmart Su Qing, a seasoned schemer. She was so angry she couldn't speak, tears welling in her eyes. Seeing this, Su Qing stopped teasing her and patted her head, his voice gentle as he said:
"Don't be angry. How about I give you a super lovely name?"
The moment Su Qing tried to comfort her, her anger vanished. But so she wouldn't seem too easy to placate, she only gave a quiet little hum. She didn't realize that her rapidly wagging tail had already given her away.
Su Qing didn't call her out, though. Instead, he discussed a few options with her. After carefully comparing several names, she decided to take Di Tian's surname, since that would make her sound more imposing...
"Then you'll be called Di Yueyao!"
"Yay, yay! There are two kings in this name. It suits me, the Auspicious Beast, perfectly! Su Qing, you're so clever!"
After watching Su Qing write "Yueyao" on the ground, the Three-Eyed Golden Lion was overjoyed. She knocked Su Qing over and rubbed against him affectionately.
After she'd plowed him along for two li, Su Qing looked at the huge hole torn in the back of his clothes, then at Di Yueyao, who was wagging her tail with satisfaction. A deep sense of helplessness welled up inside him...