Is it you, Xiu’er?

As Chu Jiuning turned her head, she met the dangerous gaze of a majestic Pixiu that was staring right at her.

She couldn’t help but swallow nervously, patting the Dragon Soul Bead she held in her hands before returning it to its original place.

“Dear brother, please don’t misunderstand. I… I never intended to take it away. I was merely helping to dust it off, truly,” she explained, but her words sounding like a feeble excuse.

The Pixiu clearly didn’t believe her nonsense. She pointed behind the Pixiu and exclaimed, “Look! UFO!”

In the next moment, she ran along the cave wall towards the exit. But as she ran, her feet suddenly left the ground, lifted up by the Pixiu’s powerful grip.

Roar…

“I’m not tasty! I have tough skin and don’t even like bathing. Mosquitoes shake their heads when they smell me. Spare me, please!” she pleaded.

As she saw herself getting closer and closer to the Pixiu’s gaping mouth, Chu Jiuning bit her lip, turned her head away, and tightly closed her eyes, unwilling to face her impending fate.

She had already mentally prepared herself for sacrifice, but to her surprise, instead of the excruciating pain of being chewed and swallowed by the divine beast, she felt a warm and moist sensation.

Opening her eyes slightly, she saw the Pixiu with its mouth wide open, repeatedly licking her with its crimson tongue.

Could it be that the divine beast didn’t want to eat her? Could it be because…

Filled with joy, she looked up at the colossal creature before her and tentatively asked, “Xiu’er, is it you?”

Roar…

Hey! It really was Xiu’er!

Xiu’er was a little Pixiu she had saved in the fourth world. In gratitude for saving its life, the little creature had led her to several treasures. More than half of the gold bars she had obtained earlier were from those treasures.

Truly, encountering a Pixiu, the divine beast was a rare and unexpected fortune.

So, why did she want to keep the two little Pixius she had seen earlier? She didn’t want to steal beads but lose her life, but instead, she risked her hard-earned wealth.

However, now it seemed that misfortune could turn into a blessing.

The ancestors didn’t deceive her!

“Xiu’er, I never expected you to grow so big in such a short time,” Chu Jiuning exclaimed excitedly.

Roar...

Although Xiu’er could only respond with roars, she could hear the same joyous emotion in its voice as her own.

“Xiu’er, please ask your companions to stop. The two people outside are my friends,” she said, as Xiu’er gently placed her back on the ground and hurriedly went out to intervene.

Peering into the cave, Jian Tong, who was crouching at the entrance, saw the Pixiu suddenly fly out again and quickly looked inside.

“Junior Sister!” He felt that his Junior Sister was probably in a dire situation.

Just as he was about to wipe away the tears in his eyes, a familiar voice suddenly came from the cave.

“Second Brother, I’m fine. Come in.” Was his Junior Sister still alive? Was it real or just an illusion?

“Junior… Junior Sister, you haven’t turned into a ghost, have you?”

Inside the cave, Chu Jiuning rolled her eyes in silence, placed her hands on her hips, and rushed to the entrance. “Second Brother, you’re the one who turned into a ghost!”

Jian Tong saw that Chu Jiuning was unharmed and couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. “Junior Sister, are you really fine?”

Chu Jiuning snorted lightly, then turned her gaze to the returning Pixiu. Jian Tong also looked in that direction. He grabbed her hand in fear and wanted to run, but she broke free and stood still.

“Second Brother, don’t worry. They won’t harm us,” she assured him.

Jian Tong: ???

As he looked at Chu Jiuning’s smiling face, he suddenly had the feeling that the one standing beside him was a big-shot. His knees couldn’t help but tremble. Where did this sudden urge of kneeling come from?

He saw Chu Jiuning approach the two Pixiu with a smile and say, “Xiu’er!”

The Pixiu named Xiu’er immediately lay on the ground. It closed its eyes,and seemed to enjoy being caressed and rubbed by Chu Jiuning.

Jian Tong watched in astonishment, wondering what kind of potion his Junior Sister had given this divine beast. It looked so impressive!

At that moment, the two little Pixiu also hopped out of the cave.

Seeing Xiu’er’s loving gaze towards the two little Pixiu, Chu Jiuning seemed to realize something and exclaimed in surprise, “Xiu’er, are these two little ones… your babies?”

Roar... Xiu’er proudly responded.

Chu Jiuning couldn’t help but touch her head with both hands. “Oh My!”

Her gaze shifted, and she looked at the other Pixiu. “So, this one must be your husband, right?”

Xiu’er, who had lived closely with Chu Jiuning for several years, understood her way of speaking.

Roar...

Little Snowman: Master, even Xiu’er was married with children, why are you still single?

Chu Jiuning fell silent and turned to Jian Tong, saying, “Second Brother, quickly go find Brother Fei Yu and the King of Sea.”

Jian Tong responded with an “Oh” and then remembered Fei Yu and Yue An.

When Jian Tong returned to the entrance of the cave with the heavily injured Fei Yu and Yue An, Chu Jiuning approached Yue An and took out something from behind him, handing it to him.

“Here, this is the Dragon Soul Bead you wanted.” Yue An looked at her in disbelief, his gaze meeting her eyes. Her eyes were as clear as autumn water, exuding a captivating and gentle power.

He hesitated for a moment, slowly reaching out to take the pearl from her hand.

However, as soon as his hand touched the bead, a strong metallic taste surged up his throat, causing him to instinctively grab her hand and cough violently.

She held onto his hand and asked with concern, “Are you all right?”

Yue An coughed for a while before gradually calming down.

And he noticed their tightly intertwined hands. He suddenly felt a scorching sensation in his palm and quickly withdrew his hand, his face dark and uncertain.

Chu Jiuning paused, looking at the Dragon Soul Bead still in her hand, and asked, “Don’t you want this anymore?”

How could that be? He raised his hand, carefully pinching the bead between his thumb and index finger, and then solemnly said, “Thank you.”

Chu Jiuning smiled faintly and turned to Jian Tong, saying, “Second Brother, you help Eldest Senior Brother with his injuries, and I will help the King of Sea.”

Yue An instinctively wanted to refuse, but when the words reached his lips, he inexplicably said nothing.

During the healing process, he felt his injured organs gradually being repaired, and soon he fell into a comfortable sleep.

When he woke up, the first thing he heard was a string of laughter like silver bells filling his ears.

He slowly opened his eyes and saw a lively figure playing with a shuttlecock, accompanied by two little Pixiu bouncing around.

The curve of her upturned lips and the strands of hair swaying with each movement created a beautiful sight, with a hint of fragrance in the air.

For some reason, this laughter and figure made him feel at ease. So, he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep once again.

But then he felt his body rapidly descending, wanting to scream but unable to make a sound, only allowing himself to continue falling.

Soon, the scene suddenly changed, and he opened his eyes to find himself standing in a vast blue ocean.

Not far away stood two familiar figures, and he immediately recognized them as himself and his brother, Yue Chi.

In front of them stood a divine beast, a Water Qilin taller than mountains.

This…this was the moment when he and his brother first encountered Chu Jiuning!