Pokémon: Jinyu!

The Golden Dragon King had bestowed a name upon her.

In the Soul Beast Realm,

that was an unparalleled honor!

Jinyu seemed to vaguely understand this too, and happily spun around in circles.

Watching Jinyu frolic in his palm, Lu Chuan couldn't help the corners of his mouth from curling up.

For a moment,

he even thought it might be nice for Jinyu to be Xiao Wuyue's pet.

But that thought

was quickly dismissed!

How could there be anyone in the Soul Beast Realm who lived off someone else!

"Jinyu, I'll find you a pretty young lady in a bit. From now on, your job is to protect her."

"Even though you're weak, you have the Sky Azure Bull Python's genes inside you, so your future is limitless. You need to get your act together, understand?"

Lu Chuan stared at the palm-sized Jinyu in his hand and gave her her first mission.

Jinyu nodded hazily, then instinctively looked toward Bi Ji.

Lu Chuan couldn't help laughing.

The little one even knew who was pretty!

So full of spirit,

he liked her,

but she couldn't pick the wrong person!

He hurriedly turned Jinyu's head straight, afraid the little one would set her sights on Bi Ji.

"Not her. She could crush you with a single finger. How could you protect her? I mean someone else. She hasn't come back yet."

Lu Chuan patiently explained it to Jinyu,

but the little one clearly needed to work on her comprehension.

Sure enough,

after Lu Chuan said a few more words,

the little one simply froze in place.

Seeing this, Bi Ji couldn't help chuckling.

"My lord, don't make things difficult for the little one.

Her cultivation is still shallow. It's already quite impressive that she can understand some of what you say.

You can give her the details after the Silver Lord returns. She might understand them more easily."

"True!"

Lu Chuan nodded,

then stopped dwelling on it

and comfortably enjoyed Bi Ji's attentions.

The room stayed quiet for quite a while.

Only then did Lu Chuan suddenly speak.

"By the way, Bi Ji, has anything happened over at the Spirit Pagoda recently?"

At that, Bi Ji's hand paused slightly.

"Yes. As for Tang Ziran... people from the Spirit Pagoda have already started approaching him."

Lu Chuan frowned, a cold glint flashing through his eyes.

"When did this happen?"

"Just last week."

Bi Ji spoke softly.

"They sent Mr. Tang an invitation, saying they were impressed by his background in mecha design and pharmaceutical research and wanted him to join a confidential project.

The pay is extremely high: one million Federation Coins just for joining. But he wouldn't be allowed to quit midway.

Mr. Tang hasn't given them a definite answer yet, but he seems tempted."

Lu Chuan fell silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

It was about the same as the timeline he remembered.

The Spirit Pagoda had set its sights on Tang Ziran when Wuyue went to Eastsea City,

and drawn him into the "Beast Emotion Inhibitor" project,

before ultimately killing him once the project was complete.

He remembered that part of the story clearly!

Back when he read it,

he had been young,

and had even been unable to hold back his tears.

But this time, he wouldn't let history repeat itself.

"Keep watching them,"

Lu Chuan said calmly,

but his voice carried a chilling certainty.

"If they dare to take my dad by force, you know what to do."

Bi Ji smiled and nodded.

"Don't worry, my lord. No one can hurt your family right under my nose."

Her voice was still gentle,

but it held all the commanding presence befitting a five-hundred-and-eighty-thousand-year-old Ferocious Beast!

Lu Chuan looked up at Bi Ji, so full of authority,

and couldn't help smiling.

Bi Ji smiled too.

Their hearts were as one.

Lu Chuan reached out, took Bi Ji's hand, and gave it a gentle tug, drawing her in front of him.

Bi Ji went along with it and sat on Lu Chuan's lap,

wrapping both arms around his neck,

her eyes gleaming with a smile.

The nights in Eastsea City were lively,

with lights blazing,

and all kinds of food lining the streets.

When Tang Wuyue came home,

she held a candied hawthorn skewer in her left hand

and an ice cream in her right,

her little mouth ringed with reddish-brown sugar and milky-white cream,

making her look just like a little kitten.

"Big brother, I'm home! Where are you?"

As soon as she got in, the little girl raised her voice and eagerly called for Lu Chuan.

Her shout made Lu Chuan's ears ring.

He covered his ears,

thinking it was such a shame the world didn't have The Voice of China!

His little sister's voice was exactly the kind Han Hong would have hoped for—a sound that could shatter the world!

Of course,

he kept that complaint to himself.

To keep Tang Wuyue from shouting again,

Lu Chuan quickly stuck one hand out from behind the sofa,

revealing where he was.

"Stop yelling. I'm over here!"

Tang Wuyue immediately looked toward his voice.

Seeing Lu Chuan sitting on the sofa,

she kicked off her little leather shoes,

then ran over to him barefoot, pattering across the floor,

and shoved the candied hawthorn into his mouth.

"Have a bite! It's really sweet!"

Lu Chuan couldn't help laughing helplessly.

In this whole world,

his little sister was probably the only person who dared to force him to eat something!

But what could he do? She was his little sister.

He could only spoil her.

He took a small bite,

praised it with, "Very sweet, very sweet,"

and only then did Tang Wuyue happily pull the skewer back

and start eating it herself.

She took three at a time,

her cheeks instantly puffing out like a little hamster's.

Lang Yue came in behind her,

and seeing the way her daughter was eating,

felt her heart sink with exhaustion.

"Wuyue, how many times have I told you? Slow down when you eat. A girl should chew her food properly."

"Oh, I know..."

Tang Wuyue mumbled indistinctly.

Though she agreed,

Lu Chuan could guarantee

she hadn't taken a word of it to heart.

Tang Ziran came in last, carrying some daily necessities.

The family chatted for a while,

then Lang Yue got ready to take Tang Wuyue to bathe.

Tang Wuyue obediently followed her mother toward the bathroom,

but halfway there, she suddenly turned around,

blinking her big eyes at Lu Chuan.

"Big brother, is there something you want to tell me tonight?"

Lu Chuan paused slightly.

He had no idea how the little girl had figured it out.

But he did have something to tell her,

so he decided not to hide it.

"Go take your bath first. When you're done, come to my room. I'll show you something good."

At that, Tang Wuyue's

eyes lit up at once.

Then,

she tugged Lang Yue by the hand and ran toward the bathroom,

leaving Lang Yue at a loss whether to laugh or cry.

About half an hour later,

Tang Wuyue finished her bath

and changed into a little pink pajama set.

But as soon as Lang Yue finished drying her hair,

the little girl eagerly knocked on Lu Chuan's door.

"Big brother! I'm done! Open the door!"

The door opened, and Lu Chuan stepped aside to let her in.

Tang Wuyue darted inside,

climbed onto Lu Chuan's bed,

sat cross-legged,

and looked at him expectantly:

"What good stuff? Hurry up and show me!"

Lu Chuan saw how eagerly his little sister was waiting.

He didn't keep her in suspense.

He sat down across from her.

Then he slowly held out his right hand.

Jinyu was coiled quietly in his palm.

Her dark green scales shimmered softly in the light.

Her tiny head lifted a little.

Her amber eyes curiously studied the little girl in front of her.

A lot of girls were afraid of snakes.

But Lu Chuan wasn't worried in the least that Tang Wuyue would be afraid.

And things turned out just as he expected.

The little girl wasn't scared at all.

On the contrary, she was afraid of startling Jinyu!

She stared straight at the little snake in Lu Chuan's palm.

She didn't blink once.

It was as if she were looking at an incredibly rare treasure!

"Big brother... what is..."

The little girl asked in a hushed voice.

"Her name is Jinyu."

Lu Chuan held his hand out a little farther. "I'm going to give her to you."

Tang Wuyue carefully reached out and gently touched Jinyu's head with her index finger.

Jinyu didn't shy away.

Instead, she leaned forward of her own accord.

She rubbed her little head against Tang Wuyue's fingertip.

Then, following her finger,

she slowly, ever so slowly, crawled into her palm.

The little girl's hand was small.

Coiled there, Jinyu filled her entire palm.

She lifted her head.

She flicked her tongue at Tang Wuyue.

In those amber eyes,

Tang Wuyue's reflection shimmered.

In that single instant,

she seemed to understand.

The person Daddy wanted her to protect was this little girl in front of her!

For that, she would grow stronger!