Liu Erlong didn't lose her temper right away.
She simply stood there with her arms crossed, a smile at the corner of her mouth that sent a chill down Deng Tianxin's spine.
Deng Tianxin was busy rubbing the Violent Bear's fluffy ears, completely unaware of the murderous aura slowly gathering behind him.
He was still muttering away as he planned his grand vision for the future. "When the old witch comes back, I'll ride Big Dragon to the city gate to pick her up. Then she can ride her little busted-up horse while I ride a seven-thousand-year-old Violent Bear. Let's see if she still dares to spank me..."
A hand came to rest on his shoulder.
"Little Tianxin." Liu Erlong's voice was unbearably gentle, just like Bibi Dong's tone right before she lost her temper.
Deng Tianxin's muttering abruptly stopped. He slowly turned around and looked up at Liu Erlong's meaningful smile. A familiar sense of danger shot up his spine, and his butt clenched instinctively. He knew that feeling all too well—in the past year, whenever Bibi Dong had worn that expression, what came next had left a lasting impression.
"You just said—why did you name it Big Dragon?" Liu Erlong bent down, bringing her face close to his, so close that their eyelashes nearly touched.
"Because... because it sounds mighty and imposing?" Deng Tianxin's voice weakened despite himself, and his little legs began to inch backward.
"Mighty and imposing." Liu Erlong nodded and repeated the words, then abruptly changed tack. "My name is Erlong, and it's called Big Dragon. Am I supposed to take that as meaning I'm its substitute in your heart? Your second-choice mount?"
When those last four words came through her clenched teeth, Deng Tianxin finally realized just how badly he'd messed up.
He hadn't thought that much about it when he picked the name. He'd simply felt that the One-Eyed Violent Bear and Big Dragon were meant for each other.
"No, no, no!" Deng Tianxin waved his little hands so fast they were nearly a blur. "Sister Erlong, just hear me out. I came up with Big Dragon on the spur of the moment. It really has nothing whatsoever to do with your name. I swear!"
"You swear?" Liu Erlong raised an eyebrow. "Swear what?"
"If even one word I said is a lie, then I'll... I'll..." Deng Tianxin's eyes darted around wildly. "Then I'll never get to eat the cook's braised pork ribs again!"
Liu Erlong stared at Deng Tianxin for several seconds, then suddenly reached out and gently pinched his cheek, pulling it sideways.
"Ow, ow, ow—"
"I'll remember this grudge for now." Liu Erlong let go and lightly patted his reddened cheek. Her tone was casual, but it sent a bone-deep chill through Deng Tianxin. "When you're grown up, I'll settle the score with interest."
Rubbing his cheek, Deng Tianxin muttered pitifully, "Can't I just change its name now? How about Little Stool? Or Stinky Furball?"
"Too late." Liu Erlong headed toward the Violent Bear without looking back, then swung up onto its back in one smooth, dashing motion.
Once Liu Erlong was seated on the bear's back, she looked down at Deng Tianxin. "Coming up? Do you want Big Dragon to carry you, or do you want me to carry you?"
Deng Tianxin shivered and hurriedly clambered onto the bear's back. He carefully sat in front of Liu Erlong, trying to curl himself into a ball and make himself as inconspicuous as possible.
Feeling two more people on its back, the Violent Bear gave a low rumble in its throat and shook its head. It seemed to have no complaints about being demoted from king of the forest to public transportation.
"Big Dragon, move out!"
Deng Tianxin slapped the bear's back, and the One-Eyed Violent Bear immediately took off at a run.
The mountain wind whistled past their ears, and the trees on either side streaked by.
Deng Tianxin clung tightly to the thick fur on the Violent Bear's nape, but his mind was still turning over Liu Erlong's words: When you're grown up...
Why did that sound so familiar?
Hadn't Bibi Dong said something similar?
He counted on his fingers. Bibi Dong had said she'd settle the score with interest when he grew up, and Liu Erlong had said the same thing.
Those two women were both experts at holding grudges, and both of them had hearts smaller than a needle's eye.
When he really grew up, he feared his butt wouldn't survive the combined weight of those two grudges.
"Hyah!" Deng Tianxin slapped the bear's back with all his might, venting his indignation by urging his mount on.
"Roar—" The Violent Bear let out a deafening roar and sped up, sending several wild rabbits fleeing in every direction from the roadside.
Sitting behind him, Liu Erlong watched Deng Tianxin getting bounced around but trying to tough it out. The corners of her mouth lifted a little higher as she reached out to steady him by the waist and keep him on the bear's back.
She'd remember this grudge, but she suddenly felt that raising this little rascal and settling the score slowly once he was grown might actually be pretty interesting.
The One-Eyed Violent Bear ran for the entire morning. It was nearly noon.
Deng Tianxin suddenly slapped the bear's back, his voice brimming with excitement. "Big Dragon, stop! Take the fork on the right!"
The One-Eyed Violent Bear skidded to a sudden halt, its four paws gouging deep furrows into the dirt road. Then, without hesitation, it turned onto the overgrown path to the right.
The sudden turn pitched Liu Erlong forward, nearly knocking her chin against the back of Deng Tianxin's head.
Liu Erlong steadied herself and frowned. "What's wrong? This isn't the way to Heaven Dou City."
"I found what I need." Deng Tianxin thought for a moment, then explained to Liu Erlong.
Liu Erlong nodded and didn't press him for details.
The Violent Bear ran along the path for about the time it took to burn an incense stick. The way ahead suddenly opened up, revealing an abandoned village.
"Here?" Liu Erlong looked around.
There was nothing but dilapidated houses and wildly overgrown weeds.
"Right here." Deng Tianxin slid off the bear's back. His little legs stepped over broken stones and dead leaves as he walked straight toward the middle of the village.
It was as if an invisible thread were pulling him along. He turned this way and that, then finally stopped in front of an old wall covered in wisteria.
Deng Tianxin raised his little hand. A ball of pink-gold light shone in his palm.
He closed his eyes and drew upon the power of the God of Love Godhood within him.
The light slowly spun in his palm, turning faster and brighter until it bathed his whole little face in a warm, rosy glow.
The air began to change.
Countless tiny points of light drifted in from all directions, as if drawn by an invisible force, converging on Deng Tianxin's palm.
The points of light were pink-gold, each no bigger than a firefly. They were almost invisible in the sunlight, but gathered together, they formed a slender river of light that wound through the dilapidated ruins.
More and more points of light gathered, growing denser until they gradually coalesced into a fragment above Deng Tianxin's palm.
It was an extremely tiny fragment, only the size of a fingernail. It was crystal clear, with pink-gold light flowing within it.
It hovered above Deng Tianxin's palm, slowly rotating and giving off a warmth that made the heart feel cozy.
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