Hearing Gu Xun's rebuke, Dong Qianqiu froze for a moment. Then, glancing at the soul rings floating around Gu Xun and the Heaven-Supporting Spear in his hand, she realized she had wrongly accused him.
"Uh... I guess not..."
Dong Qianqiu felt awkward, her cheeks flushing slightly. Now she felt too embarrassed to face Gu Xun.
"Alright, stop overthinking it. Humans and spirit beasts signed an agreement. We're partners now."
"Oh."
Dong Qianqiu responded awkwardly, but when she saw Gu Xun's displeased expression, she scratched her head in embarrassment.
Then Dong Qianqiu stepped closer to Gu Xun, wrapping her arms around Gu Xun's and apologized.
"I'm sorry, Gu Xun. I misunderstood you. It won't happen again."
As she spoke, she nudged Gu Xun's shoulder with her head, looking rather ingratiating.
"Didn't you know you have to bare your belly when apologizing?"
Gu Xun remained arms-crossed, staring at Dong Qianqiu. Dong Qianqiu froze for a moment, then flushed bright red and yanked her arm free.
"Bah! Pervert! What kind of apology is that?! Creep!"
Hearing this, Gu Xun glanced toward the Lake of Life and whistled. Paopao instantly darted over.
"Paopao, show me your belly."
Gu Xun addressed Paopao directly in front of Dong Qianqiu. The highly intelligent creature promptly rolled over, exposing its snow-white belly.
Gu Xun reached out and gave it a gentle rub before turning to Dong Qianqiu.
"See? That's what a sincere apology looks like."
At his words, Dong Qianqiu imagined herself lifting her shirt, exposing her belly for Gu Xun to stroke.
The mere thought of that scene instantly flushed her face crimson, a wave of extreme shame and indignation washing over her.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"
Dong Qianqiu lunged at Gu Xun, kicking and punching wildly. However, due to her height disadvantage, Gu Xun easily pinned her down with one hand.
Dong Qianqiu could only helplessly flail her tiny fists in the air, attempting to strike Gu Xun, but to no avail.
"Not a shred of sincerity. Fine, I'll show mercy and take you for a tour of the Spirit Beast Forest."
"Bastard! You just love picking on me!"
Dong Qianqiu felt utterly frustrated, completely outmatched and unable to stand up to Gu Xun.
"Let's go. Are we going to see the Spirit Beast Paradise or not?"
"Coming!"
Hearing Gu Xun's call, Dong Qianqiu immediately trotted to catch up. Soon, the two wandered through the Spirit Beast Forest.
"Wow! What a huge bear!"
Dong Qianqiu clung to Gu Xun's arm, her petite frame pressed tightly against him. These spirit beasts looked terrifyingly fierce.
Only when pressed against Gu Xun did Dong Qianqiu feel secure. Then, she spotted a colossal bear resembling a small mountain.
Upon seeing Gu Xun approach, accompanied by a young girl, the Bear Lord paused briefly before speaking.
"Greetings, Master."
Dong Qianqiu gasped in shock. The creature could speak? That meant it was a hundred-thousand-year-old spirit beast!
"It's fine. Mind your own business. I'm just wandering."
Gu Xun waved dismissively, then began strolling around with Dong Qianqiu. Once they were far from the giant bear, Dong Qianqiu still felt a lingering sense of dread.
"Gu Xun, was that talking beast just now a hundred-thousand-year-old spirit beast?"
"Mhm. A half-million-year-old spirit beast. The Dark Gold Terror Claw Bear King, Bear Lord."
Gu Xun explained upon hearing the question. Dong Qianqiu was utterly stunned by the revelation—a 500,000-year-old ferocious beast!
Dong Qianqiu froze in place for half a minute before gasping in shock.
Her small hand trembled as she held up five fingers, her voice quivering as she asked.
"Five... hundred-thousand years?!"
"Right, don't worry. As long as you don't provoke him, he's actually quite gentle."
Gu Xun patted Dong Qianqiu's head, offering a word of comfort, but Dong Qianqiu still hadn't recovered from the shock.
Gu Xun and Dong Qianqiu continued strolling through the Spirit Beast Forest. Soon, a girl appeared—golden vertical pupils, a pair of fluffy tiger ears, dressed in a white gown with black stripes, her long hair matching her attire; white base with black stripes.
"Lord Brother!"
Dong Qianqiu froze at the clear, feminine call, then watched as the beautiful girl suddenly threw herself into Gu Xun's arms.
"Oh, it's you. I thought you were supposed to be cultivating right now?"
Gu Xun ruffled the cat-like head as he spoke. This girl was Di Tian's adopted daughter, the Tiger King Lan Hudie.
"Ugh, cultivation is so boring! When will you take me somewhere fun, Brother?"
As Lan Hudie spoke, a fluffy black-and-white tail emerged from behind her. Dong Qianqiu instinctively glanced at the tail protruding from beneath her skirt. She froze for a moment, then her pupils instantly dilated in shock.