Xu Zirong had never expected such a tiny gesture to have such an effect. His smile widened. Bai Hua might be despicable, but apparently some of the tricks he used were effective.
“Big Brother, why are you so angry?” Xu Zirong asked, feigning innocence.
Xu Ziyan was speechless. How was he supposed to explain his embarrassment to his precious younger brother, who hadn’t even reached puberty yet?
Besides, he’d never known his ears were so sensitive. Getting so flustered by a mere puff of breath was simply ridiculous!
“It’s nothing. Just don’t do that beside my ear again, understood?” Xu Ziyan said, resorting to his authority as an older brother.
“All right,” Xu Zirong replied obediently, although he had already begun making a mental list of things to try.
Xu Zirong remembered that in his previous life, he had begun going through puberty at around twelve. He expected those changes to come soon, but had no intention of acting rashly. For now, he was the physically weaker one; until he had the strength to overpower his brother, he would bide his time.
Xu Ziyan shook his head helplessly as his brother looked at him with an innocent expression.
Good grief! His little brother was simply too adorable to scold!
He criticized himself for spoiling Xu Zirong so thoroughly, but he knew that unless a serious principle was involved, his affection would defeat every attempt at discipline.
Seeing that familiar helpless look again, Xu Zirong smiled shyly while marking the interaction as another success in his private mental notebook. His brother had noticed nothing unusual.
The brothers traveled for an entire day, bantering along the way. At last they stopped before a lush green bamboo forest filled with drifting white mist.
“Is this the place?” Xu Ziyan asked quietly.
Xu Zirong nodded. Whatever had been calling him was somewhere in the bamboo forest.
He hesitated. “Big Brother, why don’t you let me go in and investigate first?”
“What are you talking about?” Xu Ziyan frowned. “How could I let you take a risk while I’m here?”
Xu Zirong fell silent. When it came to protecting him, his brother could not be argued with.
“All right. Since we’re already here, we’ll go in together. If there’s something inside that resonates with you, it might be an opportunity meant for you.”
With some trepidation, Xu Zirong followed his brother into the green bamboo forest.
Mist swirled among the stalks, making it difficult to see even five meters ahead.
Although their master had said the Azure Spirit Secret Realm was generally safe, Xu Ziyan refused to be careless. He advanced slowly, checking each stretch of the path repeatedly.
The mysterious object served as a beacon for Xu Zirong, so they were in little danger of getting lost. His blood seemed to sing in response to it, pointing unmistakably toward the right direction.
Without noticing, Xu Zirong began walking faster. Once Xu Ziyan was satisfied that the bamboo forest seemed free of traps, he quickened his pace as well.
After walking for almost half a shichen, Xu Zirong abruptly stopped.
“What’s wrong?” Xu Ziyan asked.
“We’re here,” Xu Zirong said quietly. The thing calling him was just ahead.
The brothers looked forward together and now noticed a clearing hidden beneath the fog.
At that moment a breeze passed through the bamboo forest and swept the mist from the clearing, revealing what lay within.
Crunch, crunch!
The faint sound of chewing seemed absurdly loud in the silent forest. Both brothers stared in surprise.
Xu Zirong had imagined many possibilities, but never that the thing resonating with the Blood Sea Heart Scripture would be such a… demonic beast? He had expected a blood core or some other treasure left by a former practitioner.
Crunch, crunch!
The creature apparently had not noticed its two spectators and continued enjoying its meal.
Xu Ziyan stared at the creature that looked rather like a rabbit, unable to speak for some time.
It resembled a rabbit in almost every respect. The thing it was chewing really was a carrot, and even its hopping movements looked ordinary.
Yet this pink ‘rabbit’ had a pair of deer antlers growing from its head.
Crunch, crunch!
The antlered rabbit munched happily until the long, slender carrot vanished.
Finally sensing their gaze, it slowly turned to face the brothers. Its bright red eyes regarded them steadily. Then, from nowhere, it produced another carrot and continued crunching as it stared.
“This… is the treasure calling you?” Xu Ziyan asked uncertainly. The little creature hardly looked dangerous.
Xu Zirong nodded in equal bewilderment. “I think so…”
They stared at each other for a long while. After finishing its second carrot, the rabbit finally hopped closer.
It bounced to Xu Zirong’s feet and examined him with an appraising expression. Apparently finding him barely acceptable, it lifted a paw and gave a little pat.
Xu Zirong’s expression turned decidedly strange, and Xu Ziyan could not help asking, “What’s wrong?”
“Big Brother, it wants to make a spirit-beast contract with me,” Xu Zirong said, torn.
To tell the truth, the Blood Demon had never kept a spirit beast in either lifetime. He considered them mostly useless and could not decide what to make of this rabbit’s proposal.
Xu Ziyan stared at the apparently delicate creature. Cultivators usually wanted powerful beasts as their companions, and this rabbit, antlers or no antlers, did not look like a formidable fighter.
He had never heard of anyone choosing a rabbit-type demonic beast as a serious combat companion. Such cute creatures were usually given as gifts to female cultivators, since rabbits were often gentle and attractive.
Xu Ziyan did not offer any advice. The decision should belong to Xu Zirong.
Sure enough, Xu Zirong agreed after a brief hesitation. Anything that could resonate with the Blood Sea Heart Scripture should not be dismissed so easily.
After the contract was made, the rabbit gave Zirong another look that seemed to say, ‘At least you have some sense.’ The corner of Xu Zirong’s eye twitched. Why did he suddenly feel like giving this creature a smack?
The pink antlered rabbit yawned, sprang onto Xu Zirong’s shoulder, settled down comfortably, and half closed its eyes.
Both brothers’ pupils contracted in shock.
Rabbit-like beasts were often fast, but this one’s speed was extraordinary: neither brother had been able to follow its leap with his eyes.
Xu Zirong narrowed his eyes, a small smile curling his lips. This rabbit-shaped creature was clearly not as simple as it appeared.
Xu Ziyan looked between the rabbit and his brother and suddenly wanted to laugh. Their half-lidded expressions were remarkably alike.
Their excursion had unexpectedly gained them a spirit-beast companion, so it was hardly a wasted trip.
Nevertheless, the rabbit seemed lazy and greedy. It spent its days lounging on Xu Zirong’s shoulder, producing carrots from nowhere and chewing them or falling asleep.
Three days after leaving the bamboo forest, the brothers were certain the rabbit was anything but ordinary.
Its extraordinary speed was one clue. Its ability to conjure carrots at any time was another.
Only a few demonic beasts possessed independent storage spaces, and they were invariably formidable. The Golden Behemoth puppet they had created belonged to that class: creatures of similar strength could open private spaces to store their treasures.
Despite appearances, demonic beasts prized heavenly materials and earthly treasures. Before taking human form, they could hardly refine pills and artifacts in beast shape, so naturally formed treasures were especially important to them.
If someone could open a living demonic beast’s storage space, they would find that stronger creatures generally had better collections. A Golden Behemoth’s hoard would make most human cultivators envious. Unfortunately, when such a beast died, its connection to that space disappeared. Without its master’s control, spatial turbulence would soon tear the space apart.
Once the space was destroyed, its treasures vanished as well. The independent space currently housing their Golden Behemoth was created anew when it became a puppet.
As for whether this rabbit had treasures in its own space, Xu Ziyan did not even bother asking. The longer they spent with it, the more unfathomable it seemed. Becoming Xu Zirong’s spirit beast did not mean it would surrender its hoard to Xu Zirong.
After all, the rabbit itself had proposed the contract. Such agreements were the highest-grade spirit-beast contracts, founded on equality. Neither party could force the other to obey.