The Divine Steed, Little Horse, Named Red Hare

Ban Shu stood up and scanned his surroundings, but finding no strange shadows, he had no choice but to give up the search.

Crouching down, Ban Shu tried to soften his tone as much as possible: "Little one, don't be afraid. I'm not a bad person. Are you hurt?"

Seeming to sense that Ban Shu meant no harm, the foal gradually stopped trembling and let out a few soft whinnies.

Seeing that it was no longer so resistant, Ban Shu tentatively reached out his hand, wanting to stroke the foal's head.

Watching Ban Shu's hand approach, the foal instinctively wanted to shrink back, but in the end, it stopped and obediently let Ban Shu pet it.

Only then did Ban Shu get a clear look at the foal. Although it was still young, he could tell that it appeared to be some kind of spirit beast.

However, none of that mattered. Ban Shu didn't care about spirit beasts or anything of the sort; with the backing of Spirit Hall, whatever Ban Shu said it was, that was what it had to be.

"By the way, little one, where is your mother?"

Ban Shu asked gently while stroking the foal's head. Although he didn't know if it could understand him, he had to try.

After a long while, the foal let out two soft cries, though Ban Shu couldn't be sure what it was saying.

"You don't know?"

Ban Shu scratched his head, looking a bit troubled. Since that was the case, why not just take it in?

Since the Painted Halberd had guided him here to find this little horse, it must have been to solve his problem of needing a mount.

Indeed, as someone who possessed the Divine Steed Ban spirit, how could Ban Shu not have a super-strong warhorse?

Although the Divine Steed Ban itself was also...

"Um, little one, how about... you come with me?"

Ban Shu reached out his hand and asked tentatively: "You don't have anywhere to go anyway, so why not come with me? I promise to feed you until you're nice and plump."

"If you agree, whinny twice. If you don't agree, do a 360-degree Thomas flair while standing on your head."

"..."

"Alright, since you didn't answer, I'll assume you agree."

Ban Shu chuckled, reached out, and scooped the foal into his arms, gently patting its head: "Little one, follow me from now on, and you'll be living the good life."

Although it couldn't understand what Ban Shu was saying, the foal held in his arms didn't resist; it even licked his hand, appearing very affectionate.

Perhaps the foal had already started to think of Ban Shu as its mother?

"Xiao Ban! Xiao Ban! Where are you!"

Just as Ban Shu was happily holding the foal, Bibi Dong had already arrived with Qian Xunji and Golden Crocodile Douluo.

"Sister Dong'er, Teacher, Grandpa Golden Crocodile, I'm here!"

Ban Shu summoned the Painted Halberd and channeled his spirit power, causing countless bolts of lightning to erupt, turning it into a brilliantly bright light tube.

Qian Xunji followed the light to stand before Ban Shu, carefully looking him up and down to ensure there were no mishaps before finally letting out a sigh of relief.

Then, Qian Xunji stood with his hands behind his back, his face stern: "Xiao Ban, you are far too undisciplined! Running into the forest without a second thought—what would you have done if something had happened?"

"Even if there were no spirit beasts, what if you had been hurt by some poisonous insect or magical plant? The Star Dou Great Forest is no joke!"

Ban Shu knew he had been a bit impulsive, so he hurriedly lowered his head to admit his mistake: "Teacher, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have run off on my own."

Seeing Ban Shu's sincere attitude, Qian Xunji's tone softened significantly: "Xiao Ban, you must realize that you came out with Dong'er. If something had happened to you, would you want Dong'er to feel guilty for the rest of her life?"

"I'm sorry, Teacher. I was wrong."

Golden Crocodile Douluo, standing to the side, saw that it was enough and chimed in to smooth things over: "Ji'er, I think little Xiao Ban already knows he was wrong. Let's just let it slide this time."

Hearing this, Qian Xunji sighed softly and turned to head back.

Seeing Qian Xunji relent, Ban Shu also breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a touch of warmth in his heart.

Qian Xunji truly cared about him; regardless of whether it was because he valued his talent, he was currently treating him very well.

In these six years, besides Bibi Dong, this was the first time someone had been so concerned for his safety. This feeling of being cared for wasn't bad at all.

"You."

Bibi Dong watched Ban Shu standing there grinning foolishly, and helplessly reached out to tug his ear, dragging him back: "Hurry up, what are you still standing there for?"

"Ouch! It hurts! It hurts! It hurts!"

Watching the two juniors bickering, Golden Crocodile Douluo stood with his hands behind his back, a smile on his lips. Coming here this time was truly the right choice.

Dragging Ban Shu back to the camp, Bibi Dong finally noticed that he was holding a foal in his arms.

"Ban Shu, where did this come from? It's so beautiful."

Bibi Dong asked curiously, reaching out to pet it, but unfortunately, the foal was afraid of everyone except Ban Shu, so she had to give up.

"Oh, this is what I gained from going out just now."

Ban Shu held up the foal to show everyone: "The Painted Halberd suddenly acted up, and I followed its guidance to find this little guy."

"Why would your spirit suddenly want you to find this horse?" Bibi Dong was curious. Did spirits come with after-sales service now?

"Well..."

Ban Shu pondered for a moment before answering, "My martial soul exerts even greater power when paired with a warhorse; that must be the purpose behind its guidance."

"But aren't ordinary horses unsuitable for spirit masters?"

Bibi Dong reached out to tease the foal. "Can this little guy really handle it?"

"Don't underestimate it. It's a genuine spirit beast."

Ban Shu stroked the foal's mane, which resembled flickering flames and felt warm to the touch. "I've named it Red Hare, after the mount of a legendary powerhouse from the past."

"Red Hare..."

Bibi Dong rubbed her chin and nodded. "It has a nice ring to it. We'll go with that."

Just then, Qian Xunji appeared before them with a cold expression. "It's getting late. Go to sleep."

"Yes, Teacher."

Ban Shu hurriedly stood up and returned to his tent, with Bibi Dong following close behind.

Watching their retreating figures, the coldness on Qian Xunji's face faded, replaced only by a soft sigh.

In truth, this was all an act for Ban Shu's benefit; as a teacher, he had to maintain a certain level of dignity.

"Hehehe."

Golden Crocodile Douluo, standing to the side, chuckled as he stroked his beard. "Ji'er, is all this really necessary?"

"Second Uncle, regardless of the circumstances, I am a teacher. I must maintain some authority, right?" Qian Xunji sighed deeply.

Seeing that Golden Crocodile still intended to tease him, Qian Xunji quickly moved to his side. "Second Uncle, you should go rest as well. I'll take the night watch."

"Hahaha, very well."

Golden Crocodile nodded with a smile, abandoning his intent to banter further, and turned to head back to his tent to rest.

Only then did Qian Xunji breathe a sigh of relief, sitting down by the campfire to rest.

There was no helping it; the young ones couldn't be ordered around, and the elders were even less so, leaving only Qian Xunji—a middle-aged man caught in the middle—to shoulder everything.