Mount One-Eyed Violent Bear

"You bit me just now, so I'm kissing you back. We're even," Liu Erlong said, sounding perfectly justified.

Deng Tianxin's eyes widened. It felt as if a bolt of lightning had struck the crown of his head; the expression on his small face shifted from shock to shame and indignation, and finally to utter despair, all within half a second.

He opened his mouth to say something, but in the end, nothing came out. He only let out a long, mournful sigh filled with grief and indignation.

"How does you kissing me make us even? I bit you to get revenge, and you kissing me is also revenge, so didn't I just bite you for nothing?" Deng Tianxin looked at Liu Erlong and complained.

"Then how do you think we should settle it?" Liu Erlong watched him with great interest.

Deng Tianxin thought about it seriously, only to realize he couldn't come up with a plan that wouldn't leave him at a loss.

Bite her back?

If he bit her and she kissed him, that really would be the "even" she was talking about.

But when he bit her, he had clearly been trying to get revenge. How did he end up getting kissed again after taking his revenge?

No matter how he did the math, he was the one losing out.

"...Forget it," Deng Tianxin gave up on thinking. His head drooped, and he slumped into Liu Erlong's arms like a deflated balloon. "I can't beat you anyway, so just kiss me if you want."

Liu Erlong was amused by Deng Tianxin's reaction. She pulled him closer into her embrace and reached out to brush aside the stray hairs on his forehead that were matted together by saliva.

She used her sleeve to wipe the drool off his dragon horns, her movements as natural as if she were taking care of her own younger brother.

Deng Tianxin had already abandoned all struggle. Lying on her shoulder, his small face was a portrait of hopelessness, and his entire being radiated the dejected aura of someone who had completely given up on life.

In the blink of an eye, it was the next morning.

"Stand up."

"Sit down."

Hearing Deng Tianxin's voice, Liu Erlong opened her eyes, feeling somewhat puzzled.

She saw an absurd sight: Deng Tianxin was training the One-Eyed Violent Bear.

Liu Erlong rubbed her eyes, thinking she was still dreaming.

The seven-thousand-year-old One-Eyed Violent Bear, which had nearly driven her and Deng Tianxin to a dead end the night before, was sitting on the ground like a well-trained dog.

Its head, which was larger than Deng Tianxin's entire body, was tilted slightly. Its right eye was fixed intently on the little guy in front of it, its tongue lolling out as it panted heavily.

Deng Tianxin stood before the violent bear, his small hands behind his back, his little chest puffed out high, a look of satisfaction on his face that Liu Erlong had never seen before.

"Lie down." Deng Tianxin raised a hand.

The One-Eyed Violent Bear immediately lay down, resting its massive head on its two front paws, as obedient as a puppy waiting to be fed.

"Roll over." Deng Tianxin rotated his hand.

The One-Eyed Violent Bear didn't hesitate to flip to the side, rolling through the dew and grass clippings on the ground before exposing its furry belly.

There was a deep, old scar on that belly, but in the morning light, it didn't look ferocious; instead, it looked somewhat comical.

"Alright, alright, stand up." Deng Tianxin clapped his hands, fished a piece of dry biscuit from his pocket, and tossed it toward the bear.

The violent bear opened its massive mouth, caught the biscuit with precision, crunched it twice, and swallowed it before continuing to stare longingly at Deng Tianxin.

Liu Erlong finally couldn't help but speak up: "What are you doing?"

Deng Tianxin turned his head and flashed a brilliant smile: "Training a bear. This stupid bear licked me like that last night; if I don't train it to be my mount, I won't be able to swallow this grudge."

Liu Erlong looked at the One-Eyed Violent Bear lying obediently on the ground, then back at Deng Tianxin, and remained silent for a full three seconds.

Then, Liu Erlong stood up from the outer garment spread on the ground, walked over to Deng Tianxin, and reached out to touch his forehead: "You don't have a fever, do you? This is at least a seven-thousand-year-old soul beast, and you want it to be your mount?"

"So what if it's seven thousand years?" Deng Tianxin patted the massive head the bear had nudged toward him.

The violent bear squinted its single eye in enjoyment and let out a low, rumbling purr.

While petting the One-Eyed Violent Bear's head, Deng Tianxin said, "It's strange, actually. After I woke up, I found it was exceptionally well-behaved. It listens to everything I say."

He guessed it was because of his domain, which had caused the One-Eyed Violent Bear's hostility toward them to vanish.

As for why it was so obedient, he wasn't sure.

Liu Erlong walked around the One-Eyed Violent Bear, her gaze sweeping from its obediently squinted eye to its short tail, which was wagging so hard it was almost a blur, and then from its neatly tucked front paws to the patch of flattened grass on the ground.

She had lived for seventeen years and had seen at least eight hundred soul beasts, but the scene before her still made her feel as though her common sense had been dealt a significant blow.

A One-Eyed Violent Bear with at least seven thousand years of cultivation, which had been ferociously trying to tear her and Deng Tianxin to shreds just last night.

Yet now, it was like a hunting dog that had been trained for three years, staring longingly at the dry biscuit in that little guy's hand.

"You really did find a blessing in disguise," Liu Erlong said, crossing her arms, her tone a mix of amusement and wonder. "Getting licked for a while in exchange for a seven-thousand-year-old mount—this deal isn't too bad after all."

"What do you mean 'not too bad'?" Deng Tianxin tossed the last piece of biscuit into the bear's gaping mouth and brushed the crumbs off his hands.

Deng Tianxin turned his head to look at her with an expression that said, Are you kidding me? "This is a massive profit, okay! A seven-thousand-year-old soul beast as a mount—even that old witch doesn't have that kind of treatment!"

That was true.

Although Bibi Dong was the distinguished Saintess of the Martial Soul Hall, her mount was merely a specially bred hundred-year-old soul beast horse. Compared to the genuine seven-thousand-year-old One-Eyed Violent Bear in front of them, the difference was roughly that of a house cat and a tiger.

The more Deng Tianxin thought about it, the more smug he became. His mouth stretched almost to his ears as he began to envision the majestic scene of himself riding the violent bear back to the Martial Soul Hall.

By then, every student in Martial Soul Hall would have to crane their necks to look up at him, and even Qian Xunji would have to see him in a new light.

Watching Deng Tianxin look as though his tail was about to wag all the way to the heavens, Liu Erlong couldn't help but chuckle.

While stroking the One-Eyed Violent Bear, Deng Tianxin said, "From today on, your name is Liu Dalong."

"Dalong?" Liu Erlong's brow twitched imperceptibly. She crossed her arms over her chest, her tone shifting slightly, "Why that name?"

She couldn't shake the feeling that Deng Tianxin had ill intentions in naming the One-Eyed Violent Bear that.

The bear was called Dalong, and her name was Liu Erlong...

Liu Erlong instantly understood what Deng Tianxin meant; he was treating her like his number two mount.

At this thought, Liu Erlong secretly mused, I'll make a note of this grudge for now.

Deng Tianxin was busy burying his face in the One-Eyed Violent Bear's furry ears, and without looking back, he replied casually, "It sounds good! My dragon horns paired with its bear-like appearance—'Dalong' sounds so imposing. Besides, it just sounds good. Do I need a reason to pick a name?"

Liu Erlong: "Heh..."