Who would take care of the little bunny?

After recognizing the little rabbit, Houtu pointed a finger at it and began healing it.

Watching from afar, Gungun felt a little tired, so it lay down on the ground and quietly waited for Houtu to finish.

What, go over and watch?

What was there to see? A waste of energy.

"Hey, fatty, don't you think your master is too softhearted sometimes? Wasting magical power to save a Soft-Bone Rabbit-what's she planning to do, take it home to eat?" Gonggong had wanted to continue discussing how the two of them could deal with Ao Yue and Meng Zhang, only for Houtu to suddenly run off to save a rabbit. Speechless, he plopped down beside Gungun and spoke to it.

"Mm." Gungun grunted in agreement, continued watching Houtu from afar, then closed its eyes and went to sleep.

"Hey, fatty, I'm talking to you! Don't fall asleep!" Pleased that Gungun agreed with him, Gonggong had wanted to chat some more. Who could have guessed it would suddenly close its eyes, rest its head on its two thick bear arms, and prepare to sleep? Gonggong's eyes widened, and he immediately snapped at it.

"Uh, Lord Ancestral Witch, did you need anything else?" Dragged back from its journey into dreamland by Gonggong's voice, Gungun opened its eyes, raised its head slightly, and asked helplessly.

"You, you... why are you still so lazy? You were sleeping the last time I saw you, and now you're sleeping again?" Pointing at Gungun's slothful form, Gonggong challenged it as though he had never seen such a creature before.

"Haah, Lord Ancestral Witch, I'm not lazy. I just suddenly felt a little sleepy and wanted to rest." As it spoke, Gungun yawned again.

Gonggong: "..."

How was that any different from being lazy?

"Gungun, come here." Just then, Houtu's voice came from over there. The instant her words fell, Gungun vanished from its spot, its body passing uncontrollably through space to arrive beside Houtu. Then...

Thud! Already lying flat, it dropped onto the ground there, making the earth tremble a few times.

"Haah, Lady Ancestral Witch, what is it?" After landing, Gungun yawned and asked Houtu.

Seeing Gungun looking ready to fall asleep again, Houtu's breathing grew heavier. Her delicate brows knitted as she held out the still-unconscious Soft-Bone Rabbit in her arms and said, "I intend to adopt this child. From now on, you'll be responsible for taking care of her."

"..." Gungun's sleepy panda eyes stopped moving for a few seconds, then immediately turned into dead-fish eyes.

"I don't want to," Gungun said. With that, it rested its head on its bear arms again, closed its eyes, and went to sleep.

It wasn't that it absolutely had to sleep right now. Rather, its stomach suddenly hurt a little, and its body felt a little cold, as though it had caught a cold before transmigrating. What was going...

Wait, Ao Yue said it was best to eat only one Ice Crystal Dragon Fruit a day, and I... ate three. Surely nothing's really going to happen? Gungun thought.

[I ate three Ice Crystal Dragon Fruits. Surely nothing's really going to happen?]

Seeing this big fat bear dare to refuse her and even lie straight down to sleep, Houtu's already furrowed brows tightened further. She raised her right hand to smack its bottom, but just then, Gungun's inner voice reached her ears. Hearing those words, she immediately stopped.

Then she very naturally lowered her palm gently onto its back and stroked it, asking in a slightly gentler tone than before, "Gungun, are you feeling unwell?"

"No, I'm just a little sleepy and want to sleep. Haah~" Gungun answered with its eyes closed, then yawned again.

Then it really fell asleep.

Since it was asleep, there was no inner voice.

Unable to hear anything, Houtu grew a little anxious.

She hurriedly examined Gungun's condition and discovered that apart from being a little chilled, nothing was seriously wrong. After eating three Ice Crystal Dragon Fruits, it seemed to have refined all their supremely cold spiritual energy in one go, and had now entered a state of dormancy. During this dormant period, its body would gradually be nourished. In short, its physical body would grow somewhat stronger.

Once she understood this, Houtu breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, continuing to stroke Gungun's back gently, she looked at it, then at the Soft-Bone Rabbit held in her left arm, and thought, Gungun will be dormant for at least a year, and I have other things to do as well. I can't spare the attention to care for this child. Who should I entrust her to?

Apart from those who had not been on the grassland, this little rabbit was now the sole survivor of the Soft-Bone Rabbit Race.

Houtu felt she bore a great deal of responsibility for the race's destruction. Though the strong devouring the weak was commonplace in the Primordial World, and the Soft-Bone Rabbit Race was so weak that it had long been reduced to food raised collectively by many great races, still!

They were not enemies of hers or of the Witch Race. Nor had they been wiped out because she, Gonggong, or Ao Yue wanted to eat them. They had simply been unlucky and caught in the crossfire.

Thus, the compassion deep within Houtu's heart made her feel she ought to adopt this child and give her a place to live, so she would not be bullied outside or hunted by other living beings. This would also preserve a trace of the Soft-Bone Rabbit Race's bloodline.

"Little sister, what's wrong with this fatty?" As Houtu considered whom to entrust with the Soft-Bone Rabbit's care, space rippled and Gonggong arrived. Looking at Gungun sleeping flat on the ground, he noticed something was off and asked Houtu.

"It was greedy and ate three of the Ice Crystal Dragon Fruits Ao Yue gave it in one go. It also refined all their supremely cold spiritual energy. Now it's so cold that it's fallen asleep, and it probably won't wake up for another year," Houtu answered, turning to look at Gonggong.

"Ao Yue? Gave it spiritual fruit?" Hearing Houtu's words, Gonggong was somewhat bewildered. Ao Yue was already Eastern Emperor Taiyi's guardian, while Gungun was Houtu's battle pet. Why would he give it spiritual fruit?

After the great battle at the foot of Mount Buzhou a hundred years ago, Houtu had only told them that she had wanted to save Ao Yue, but Taiyi had swooped in first. She had not told them about Gungun using the Vermilion Bird Banner and the dragon pearl to heal Ao Yue-not because she had deliberately concealed it, but because it was not the main point.

"Mm." Hearing Gonggong's question, Houtu nodded, then briefly explained what had happened between Gungun and Ao Yue.

After listening, Gonggong understood. In that case, that dragon brat wasn't so detestable after all.

"Fourth brother, I want to bring this child back to the Witch Race. Who do you think I should leave her with?" After clearing up Gonggong's confusion, Houtu glanced down at the Soft-Bone Rabbit in her arms and asked him.

Hearing the question, Gonggong first nodded, then prepared to think. However...

Two seconds later, he froze.

What, you're asking me a question like that?

"Fourth brother?" Seeing that Gonggong had not answered and seemed a little distracted, Houtu called to him.

"Uh, how about... Hou Yi?" Think it over, think it over-but he had no idea how to think through a question like this. So Gonggong simply blurted out a name without thinking.