Chapter 4: Your Daughter Is Truly Kind and Adorable
The instant Chen Chang'an sensed killing intent aimed at his daughter, his instinct to protect her overrode any thought of whether he might face a powerful enemy. Without hesitation, he unleashed his full aura.
Even he did not realize that at this moment he was like a furious lion, the surging true essence within his body stirring the very heavens. The originally clear blue sky darkened as black clouds converged, forming a swirling vortex above the valley.
The grey bear nearly wet itself, jamming its head desperately into the ground, wishing it could burrow all the way down.
The fierce battle he imagined never happened.
Chen Chang'an scanned the area with his spiritual sense but found nothing — only his daughter looking up at him with starry eyes full of admiration, and at her feet, a grey bear with its head buried in the dirt, its round rear exposed, trembling all over.
A bear?
Chen Chang'an stayed cautious — the black serpent from years past was still fresh in his mind, and this was a mammal, higher on the food chain than any reptile.
But judging from the way this bear shook in fear, it was worlds apart from that snake who attacked at the slightest provocation. It was probably just an ordinary animal.
He retracted his aura, probed it briefly, and confirmed the bear was indeed pathetically weak and suffering from serious internal injuries. By his estimation, it was only slightly stronger than his daughter.
He relaxed.
Seems I overreacted.
Patting his daughter's head, he then gave the bear a kick on its rear.
The grey bear first felt the suffocating aura vanish, then pain on its backside as it tumbled sideways. Just as it was about to beg for mercy, it heard the curious voice of the little girl it had moments ago intended to kill.
"Daddy, what are you doing?"
"Seeing if this bear is just a normal bear or one of those that's gained sentience."
Chen Chang'an pressed his foot on the bear's belly.
The grey bear, a flash of inspiration striking it, instantly cleared its gaze and feigned a blank, confused look.
"Gained sentience? Is that like the monsters in your stories? If it's a monster, what will you do, Daddy?" Chen Xingcai asked, eyes wide.
Chen Chang'an crouched down to meet her gaze. "Xingcai, seeking benefit and avoiding harm is the best survival rule for humans. If it's a monster, that means one day it could pose a danger to us."
He looked back at the bear, his expression growing more dangerous. "And dangers should be dealt with as early as possible."
Then, remembering how his daughter usually amused herself, he sighed, patting her head with some pity. "Of course, if it's just an ordinary grey bear, Daddy will place a restriction on it and make it your pet."
"Yay! Then I'll have a playmate. Thank you, Daddy." Chen Xingcai happily planted a big kiss on his cheek.
At that moment, the grey bear praised its own quick thinking.
It decided right then that from this day forward, it was nothing more than an ordinary, non-speaking grey bear.
And to be the pet of a Saint Venerate's daughter?
That wasn't humiliation — as humans said, 'Even a seventh-rank official gains status at the prime minister's gate.'
As the daughter's pet, it was practically the Saint Venerate's pet.
With that, wouldn't it be able to swagger in front of other demon kings in the future?
So the grey bear hurried to nuzzle its furry head against the little girl's hand, as if it had never once harbored killing intent toward her.
This bear is surprisingly perceptive.
Chen Chang'an nodded, channeled his true essence, and tapped the bear's brow.
The grey bear didn't dare resist. It felt a cool current flow into its mind and then quietly settle there.
"I've placed a restriction inside this grey bear," Chen Chang'an told Chen Xingcai. "If it ever has even the slightest thought of harming you, it will immediately be wracked with unbearable pain."
Chen Xingcai's eyes lit up in expectation.
Seeing her pitifully hopeful look, Chen Chang'an smiled, ruffling her hair. "Go play."
"Okay! Little Grey, I'll take you to see the fruit I planted." Chen Xingcai's small hand grasped the bear's massive paw.
Little Grey…
The grey bear was full of black lines in its mind, but it didn't dare resist, letting the tiny girl lead it into the forest.
I might not have a name of my own, but my underlings used to call me Grey Bear King. "Little Grey" doesn't sound imposing at all.
Grumbling inwardly, it trudged along behind her.
As they walked, it realized that it had, by a twist of fate, managed to stay near a Saint Venerate. Its thoughts began to drift.
This human girl is young and seems easy to manipulate. If I can control her, wouldn't that mean I could have a Saint Venerate following my orders?
It grew more pleased with this idea the more it thought about it.
I've heard many human fathers dote heavily on their daughters. That Saint Venerate might seem terrifying, but he looks like the type that's easy to talk to…
While it was lost in these schemes, it failed to notice that the girl who had been hopping along in front suddenly stopped.
Not realizing in time, it walked straight into her path.
Luckily, it snapped back to awareness at the last moment, frantically braking. Its powerful legs gouged deep marks into the earth, stopping it an instant before impact.
What the hell is this little brat doing? If I'd hit her, even ten lives wouldn't have been enough to pay for it.
A wave of lingering fear was quickly followed by a flicker of anger toward Chen Xingcai.
But before it could act on that thought, something in its mind suddenly split apart. A wave of excruciating pain ripped through its entire body, like knives slicing every inch of its flesh, inch by inch.
"Wu… wu wu…" The agony robbed it of even the ability to speak, leaving it writhing helplessly on the ground.
It didn't know how long it took for the pain to fade. By then, the grey bear had no strength left, lying on its back like a dead dog, staring blankly at the blue sky and panting heavily.
Just as it began to recover, the light above dimmed.
A small head blocked the sunlight, shielding its eyes from the glare.
Because the light was now behind her, the bear could clearly see her face.
Even if demon and human aesthetics differed, it had to admit this girl was indeed favored greatly by the heavens.
Beyond her heaven-defying talent, even at just a few years old with features not yet fully matured, her delicate face and bright, lively eyes promised she would one day be a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms.
Right now, she was smiling faintly at it. The smile was so soothing that, for a moment, it forgot the pain from earlier.
When the mountain breeze brushed past, there was even a sense of drunken warmth.
"Daddy's restriction is really powerful."
Her softly murmured words were not loud, yet every syllable was clear. A chill instantly spread through the grey bear's heart.
Standing there with her hands behind her back, she looked every bit the innocent, adorable child for her age — but her eyes held the playful malice of a cat toying with a mouse.
In the next moment, it felt as though it had fallen into an icy abyss.
"Little Grey, you wanted to kill me earlier, didn't you?"