This Auspicious Beast Was Far Too Improper

"What's with those faces?"

"I gave you each a drop of Qilin blood essence, and you're still not satisfied?"

"Beasts shouldn't be too greedy. One drop of blood essence is plenty. Even if you want more, I can't squeeze any more out."

Ye Tian watched the expectant looks on the Titan Giant Ape's and Sky Azure Bull Python's faces turn hideous in an instant, and he felt a little guilty.

No way. Did one drop of Qilin blood essence do nothing?

What if they refuse to accept the deal and demand more?

They can't squeeze me dry and make me give their bloodlines back, can they?

No. I need to talk my way through this. By rights, Qilin blood essence carries a trace of Qilin essence and the fortune of an Auspicious Beast. It should be a tremendous boon to Soul Beasts.

Whatever. I've already taken their bloodlines. Giving them back is out of the question. I'll bluff my way through if I can.

Bibi Dong listened to Ye Tian's thoughts with a wry smile.

Good grief. After all that, he didn't even know whether Qilin blood essence did anything for Soul Beasts.

He had been bluffing the whole time!

Was that how an Elder Auspicious Beast was supposed to behave?

Why did she feel that Ye Tian was less an Auspicious Beast and more a thoroughly cunning human?

This Auspicious Beast was far too improper!

"Lord Auspicious Beast, to be honest, your Qilin blood essence hasn't done much for us."

The Sky Azure Bull Python saw Ye Tian's grave expression and could only chalk it up to bad luck.

He could hardly fight an Auspicious Beast over a little bloodline.

If he injured the Auspicious Beast, heavenly punishment would surely fall upon him.

He wasn't about to do something so thankless.

"You don't know a damn thing!"

"Qilin blood essence isn't meant to boost you in an instant. It awakens your potential and your bloodlines, and that takes time."

"Haven't you felt the extra share of Auspicious Beast fortune upon you?"

"With that fortune, your cultivation speed and your chances of surviving tribulations will both rise dramatically."

Ye Tian shouted to cover his guilt, bluffing on the basis of what he knew about Qilins and Auspicious Beasts.

The Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape both froze.

Ye Tian had a point. They really could sense an extra share of Auspicious Beast fortune upon them.

That fortune could indeed benefit them.

"See? You can feel it yourselves."

"Don't worry. Given time, the Qilin blood essence will fully awaken your potential. Your bloodlines will grow purer and might even transform."

"So look at the long term, not just the present. Let the bullet fly a while longer."

Seeing that the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape were starting to believe him, Ye Tian kept bluffing.

"Da Ming, Er Ming, Lord Auspicious Beast is right."

"Qilin blood essence is a treasure beyond compare. Not every Soul Beast gets an opportunity like this."

"Perhaps your bloodlines are too powerful for the benefits to be obvious so soon."

"In fact, both Xiao Wu's bloodline and mine have improved considerably."

"Perhaps its true power will only emerge once we've fully absorbed the drops of Qilin blood essence."

Ah Rou could feel the changes in her body and wholeheartedly agreed with what Ye Tian had said.

Although the Qilin blood essence had entered their bodies, it was still something foreign. Fully absorbing it and making it their own would take time.

Perhaps only then would its wonders truly reveal themselves.

She hadn't understood what Ye Tian meant by letting the bullet fly a while longer, though.

"Lord Auspicious Beast, we misunderstood you."

"Aunt Rou is right. We were too impatient. Thank you for granting us your blood essence, Lord Auspicious Beast."

The Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape trusted Ah Rou completely. Since she and Xiao Wu had both improved noticeably, perhaps they had something to look forward to as well.

"Now that's the right way to think."

"All right, it's getting late. I'll be leaving. There's not much for me to do here anyway."

"Ah Rou, would you come with me and take care of my daily needs?"

Ye Tian thought Ah Rou was quite sensible. She had known to speak up for him and respected his status as an Auspicious Beast.

In that case, he would keep her by his side.

After all, Bibi Dong would become Pope sooner or later, and she would have less time to spend with him.

With Ah Rou around, he would also have a full-time caretaker.

"Lord Auspicious Beast, I would be honored!"

Ah Rou accepted Ye Tian's invitation without hesitation. Attending to an Auspicious Beast personally was an immense honor.

"Good. Then come with me."

"Xiao Wu has only just become a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, so she won't be leaving with us."

"She's safest here."

Ye Tian couldn't have been happier that Ah Rou had agreed so readily.

Heh. I didn't expect Ah Rou to agree so quickly.

Even if Dong'er gets too busy to pay attention to me, I'll have someone to play with.

Ah Rou would make a pretty good backup, too.

Hearing Ye Tian's thoughts, Bibi Dong immediately felt threatened.

Ye Tian was an Elder Auspicious Beast, a Qilin with extraordinary abilities. She was counting on him to help her defy fate and change her life.

If Ye Tian took Ah Rou away with him, Bibi Dong might well lose his favor.

No. She had to stop this, even if she could only put it off for a few years.

"Little Tiantian, she's a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast who took human form."

"If she leaves the Star Dou Great Forest with us, people will discover what she is."

"I remember that a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast in human form remains in its juvenile stage until its Soul Power Level reaches sixty. Before then, it's easy for others to detect its true form. After it passes level sixty, it enters the mature stage, and only a Titled Douluo can sense it."

"To hide from a Titled Douluo as well, she would need to reach the rank of Soul Saint."

"This lady's Soul Power Level probably hasn't reached sixty yet. If she comes with us, she'll be discovered easily."

Bibi Dong had learned a great deal at Spirit Hall and was well acquainted with the stages a Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast passed through after taking human form.

"Dong'er, you're right."

"Her Soul Power is only at level fifty-nine. It would definitely be dangerous for her to leave with us now."

"Ah Rou, stay at the Lake of Life and focus on cultivating. Once you reach the rank of Soul Saint, I'll come back and take you out."

"With your aptitude and that drop of Qilin blood essence, I'm sure you'll break through in just a few years."

Ye Tian really had overlooked the issue of her Soul Beast identity. As an Auspicious Beast, he could disguise himself completely as a small animal without being discovered.

Ah Rou couldn't do that. For her safety, he couldn't act recklessly.

He wanted to help Ah Rou defy fate and live on, after all.

"Yes, Lord Auspicious Beast. I'll do whatever you say."

"Don't worry. I'll reach the rank of Soul Saint as soon as I can."

Ah Rou was deeply moved by Ye Tian's concern for her safety. She silently vowed to reach the rank of Soul Saint as soon as possible so she could serve him well.

"Mm. We're off, then!"

"Er Ming, take us out."

Ye Tian nodded, leaped into Bibi Dong's arms, and nestled his head between her two plump, succulent fish heads. He listened to her heartbeat, giving them a kick now and then.

He had originally wanted to stay a few more days to see if he could awaken Gu Yuena and find where Di Tian and the other Ferocious Beasts slumbered.

But he didn't know whether the Qilin blood essence would help the Sky Azure Bull Python and the Titan Giant Ape, so he had to leave first, before those two blockheads changed their minds.

Besides, he could return to Spirit Hall with Bibi Dong, deal with Qian Xunji's secret chamber first, and find a new mother for the future Qian Renxue.

Bibi Dong was quietly relieved that Ye Tian had listened to her. She hardly cared about his impertinence.

As long as Ye Tian belonged to her alone, nothing else mattered as much.

She was confident that over the next few years, she could forge a deep bond with Ye Tian that no one could replace.

The Titan Giant Ape obediently served as their mount once more, carrying Ye Tian and Bibi Dong out of the Star Dou Great Forest.

"Huh? Isn't that Yu Xiaogang?"

"What's he doing?"

"Why is he hugging that tree, kissing it like mad and grinding against it?"

"Heavens, does he think that tree is his wife?"

Lying in Bibi Dong's arms as they rode the Titan Giant Ape, Ye Tian suddenly sensed Yu Xiaogang's presence.

He looked up and saw Yu Xiaogang behaving strangely, grinding against a tree half a meter thick.