"Second Miss, you even have the leisure to keep a pet! I happen to have a demon pet myself. Why not let them fight and give everyone a good laugh?"
As Xiao Liang looked at Lin Ran, whom Ye Xiwu lavished with affection, a cold glint flashed through his eyes. Only upon hearing his words did Lin Ran turn his gaze toward him, discovering with some astonishment that this guy seemed to have feelings for Ye Xiwu!
Lin Ran climbed onto Ye Xiwu's chest, nuzzled her, and shot Xiao Liang a provocative glance. His antics delighted Ye Xiwu so much that she kissed his little head.
"As expected of Second Miss-even your pet is so intelligent!" Xiao Liang did not get angry, either, and spoke with a cheerful smile.
A simp! This Xiao Ze is a simp! Verdict delivered!
"Sixth Prince, let's forget it. My Little White is delicate and frail. How could he possibly beat your demon pet?" Ye Xiwu refused without hesitation. She certainly did not want to see Little White hurt. This Sixth Prince had a belly full of dirty tricks, and she could not be bothered to deal with him.
Lin Ran ate the food Ye Xiwu fed him while meowing. In fact, he was telling Tantai Jin to teach this damned fatty a lesson after absorbing the demonic power. After all, the Sixth Prince had bullied him plenty.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, under Xiao Lin's watchful gaze, Ye Xiwu reluctantly let Ye Bingchang board the carriage as well. Lin Ran slept sprawled on Ye Xiwu's lap. Life at the Ye residence had been far too comfortable lately; now he grew sleepy whenever he ate his fill.
Ye Xiwu considerately stroked Lin Ran's fur. Halfway through the carriage ride, the system's notification suddenly startled him awake.
[A Golden Core Stage demon has been detected within three kilometers of the host. Its location has been marked for the host!]
Lin Ran did not immediately go to kill the demon. Instead, he returned to the Ye residence and, while Ye Xiwu was taking a nap, quietly slipped out and raced toward the demon's location.
As it turned out, the demon kept running toward the outskirts, leaving Lin Ran no choice but to chase it all the way out of the imperial capital. Once he entered a mountain range, a dense barrage of system notifications instantly rang out.
This mountain range is a demon nest! Lin Ran counted and discovered that the mountains held sixteen Golden Core Stage demons and one greater demon at the Nascent Soul Stage!
"I'm rich, I'm rich! This will buy so many Sacred Beast Origin Pills!"
Lin Ran grew to the size of an ordinary tiger and charged toward the demon closest to him.
Three days later, to Lin Ran's frustration, the last three Golden Core Stage demons had gathered with the Nascent Soul Stage demon. They, too, had realized someone was hunting demons, but they believed a powerful disciple from an immortal sect had descended the mountain.
Lin Ran exchanged for thirteen Sacred Beast Origin Pills and swallowed them all in one go. His aura immediately grew considerably more powerful.
"System, can I beat a Nascent Soul Stage demon now?"
[Host, your actual combat strength is equivalent to the middle Spirit Severing Stage. You can absolutely give this demon a one-sided beating. Please proceed without worry!]
"Okay! I'm being cautious, not afraid of dying!" Lin Ran muttered, reverting to his true form. His true form was now nearly eight meters tall and looked far more imposing than before.
After dealing with the Nascent Soul Stage demon, Lin Ran was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was worth ten thousand Origin Points.
He exchanged for another thirteen Sacred Beast Origin Pills. After swallowing them, Lin Ran's combat strength reached the late Spirit Severing Stage. Such strength would place him at the level of an elder even in some major immortal sects.
He had been out long enough this time. Lin Ran did not linger any longer and ran straight back to the Ye residence.
A servant saw that Lin Ran had returned, hurriedly picked him up, and went to find Ye Xiwu.
"Miss, Miss! Your pet has been found!"
Ye Xiwu pushed open the door, and sure enough, there was Lin Ran. She looked him over and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing that he was completely unharmed, only to become furious afterward. This Little White had run off without a word and worried her to death!
Ye Xiwu ordered a servant to buy a cage, but Lin Ran threw a tantrum and rolled about, leaving her no choice but to have the servant toss the cage aside.
In the days that followed, the Ye residence returned to its usual peace. Every day, Lin Ran slept after eating his fill and ate after sleeping his fill. Occasionally, he went out for a stroll with Ye Xiwu.
Sometimes, Lin Ran would also sneak out of the Ye residence at night to kill a few demons and exchange for some Origin Pills. His strength grew at a respectable pace!
New Year's Eve was only two days away. The imperial capital was particularly lively, with lanterns and festive decorations everywhere. Lin Ran lay on the rooftop, yet in this freezing weather, he did not feel the slightest chill.
"Little White! Come down! I'll take you out to play!" Ye Xiwu called from below. Amusement flashed through Lin Ran's eyes, and he jumped straight from the roof into her arms.
Ye Xiwu brushed the snowflakes off Lin Ran's fur and held him happily as she took Chun Tao out to the streets to buy all the supplies needed for the New Year.
Of course, buying New Year's supplies was Chun Tao's job. Ye Xiwu could buy whatever she wanted!
After shopping outside all day, Ye Xiwu was a little tired, while Chun Tao was utterly exhausted. After all, she was carrying all the bags, large and small.
"Let's go back, Chun Tao. I can't walk around anymore. We can just have the servants come out tomorrow to buy the rest."
"Yes, Miss!"
The two had barely started back toward the Ye residence when a group suddenly blocked their path. These people wore hooded cloaks and black robes. Ye Xiwu and Chun Tao were so startled that they dropped their purchases and turned to run.
But a black-robed figure drew a sword and thrust it straight at them. Lin Ran instantly perked up. He had thought they had run into robbers! Now it seemed these people had come to assassinate someone!
Chun Tao was just about to shield Ye Xiwu behind her when the black-robed figure's sword was already upon them.
Looking at the longsword thrusting toward her, Ye Xiwu closed her eyes in despair. Yet after waiting two seconds, she heard only a sharp crack and felt no pain, so she opened her eyes in confusion.
The sword-wielding figure flew backward, knocking over several people behind them. Lin Ran nuzzled Ye Xiwu's face.
"Meow-meow, meow!"
Ye Xiwu looked at the sword blade broken into two pieces, glanced around in confusion, and finally fixed her gaze on Lin Ran.
"Little White, did you do that?"
Lin Ran nodded, jumped from Ye Xiwu's arms to the ground, grew to the size of an adult tiger, and swiftly ended the assassins' lives.
Ye Xiwu and Chun Tao stared at Lin Ran's back, utterly dumbstruck! So Little White was this powerful!
After dealing with the black-robed figures, Lin Ran shrank again and leaped back into Ye Xiwu's arms, nuzzling her cheek.
Chun Tao picked up the New Year's supplies scattered across the ground and happily returned home with Ye Xiwu. As for Little White, they chose to keep his secret.
As soon as Ye Xiwu returned home, she went to report what had happened, though she claimed an immortal had helped them in the end! Ordinary people all knew that immortals existed in this world. In fact, disciples of immortal sects often appeared in the mortal world when they descended the mountains on business.
When Ye Xiwu's father learned of the assassination attempt against her, he flew into a rage and immediately began investigating the matter.
The uproar spread until the entire capital knew that the Ye residence's most beloved Second Miss had been targeted for assassination. For a time, many more patrols appeared throughout the capital.
Ever since learning that Lin Ran was no ordinary creature, Ye Xiwu no longer required him to sneak around even when going out alone. She simply waited quietly at the Ye residence for his return.
At night, Lin Ran quietly wriggled out of Ye Xiwu's arms. It was time to hunt again! He had set himself a small goal: to go out and kill one Golden Core Stage demon every three days!
He had already killed all the demons near the capital. Only some minor demons remained, and they were not worth much. He could not be bothered to wipe them out to the last one, either.