"Buzz, buzz, I never expected such a spiritual creature to thrive in this mountainous area!" Bi Qi marveled silently. Although the large dragon fish before her couldn't strictly be considered a magical beast, its strength surpassed that of ordinary low-level magical beasts. Moreover, if allowed to evolve in this mountainous area, it would inevitably become a magical beast one day.
"It seems this young girl is in for trouble!" Bi Qi observed from a distance. As the large dragon fish appeared, the little girl immediately halted her movements, retreated swiftly, and narrowly avoided the dragon fish's attack. However, the dragon fish, with a "splash," reentered the pool and leaped out again, this time targeting the young girl directly.
Witnessing this, the young girl's expression turned grim. She quickly dodged to the side, narrowly escaping the attack once again. However, the dragon fish seemed relentless, leaping repeatedly and blocking the young girl's path, preventing her from approaching the Three-Leaf Lotus.
"Damn fish spirit!" The young girl cursed in frustration. Things had unexpectedly become quite tricky. In a moment of urgency, her eyes flashed with determination. Instead of dodging left and right, she swiftly retreated.
Seeing the young girl seemingly considering a retreat, the dragon fish displayed a smug expression. Tauntingly, it made a symbolic killing motion mid-air. However, before it could land back into the pool, the young girl, who had suddenly retreated, charged forward again during this brief opening. Taking advantage of the opportunity, she arrived beside the dragon fish. With her entire strength focused, she swung her sword at the dragon fish. With a loud "bang," the dragon fish howled in pain, tumbling towards the distance.
Unfortunately, the dragon fish's body was tempered by spiritual energy, making it exceptionally tough. Coupled with the insufficient force behind the young girl's strike, the dragon fish suffered no significant injuries. On the contrary, the young girl's wrist was slightly swollen from the recoil.
However, the young girl had no time to care about her own injuries at this moment. Her gaze sharpened as she directly rushed towards the Three-Leaf Lotus. With the dragon fish sent flying, it was the perfect opportunity to seize the treasure.
One must admit, the young girl's strategic retreat-turned-advance impressed Bi Qi. He believed that, even in his previous life when he was thirteen or fourteen, he wouldn't have matched the girl's strength and tactics.
At this moment, the young girl arrived in front of the Three-Leaf Lotus in the blink of an eye. Her right hand swiftly reached out, directly grabbing towards the flower bud. At such a close distance, the young girl was confident of success.
However, fate had other plans. Just at this critical moment, the dragon fish leaped out of the pool once again. Though it was at a certain distance from the young girl, if she didn't retreat in time, she would undoubtedly be bitten.
In front of the young girl were two choices. The first was to give up on the Three-Leaf Lotus, exit the water pool area, and retreat completely. The second was to continue advancing bravely, but it remained uncertain what consequences awaited her after obtaining the treasure and enduring an attack from the dragon fish. The seemingly simple decision caught Bi Qi off guard, as the young girl unexpectedly chose the latter, seemingly determined to face the consequences head-on.
"This girl is out of her mind!" Bi Qi, witnessing the scene, couldn't help but be stunned. He initially thought the girl would retreat, but she turned out to be fearless and relentless. Immediately, Bi Qi cursed under his breath, not hesitating anymore. A stone, concealed in his sleeve, appeared in his hand. With a swift motion, the stone transformed into a streak of light, shooting towards the scene. Bi Qi felt helpless at this moment because there was no way he could let the girl get into trouble. If something happened to her, he knew his family would send numerous people to search the mountain, and his secret sanctuary wouldn't stay hidden.
With a "bang," just as the girl successfully touched the Three-Leaf Lotus, thinking she was about to be attacked by the nearby dragon fish, a stone came flying from the side, hitting the dragon fish square in the face. The dragon fish howled in pain and fell back into the pool. This sight left the girl somewhat astonished.
"What are you waiting for? Come back quickly!" However, at this moment, Bi Qi's urgent and frustrated urging came from behind the girl. She snapped back to reality, immediately reacting. With a wave of her right hand, she plucked the bud of the Three-Leaf Lotus, then swiftly turned around. When the dragon fish reappeared, the girl had already returned to a safe zone, leaving the dragon fish roaring discontentedly at the edge of the pool.
The relieved girl breathed heavily, not recovering from the shock for a while. When the dragon fish was less than half a meter away, she seemed to have sensed the scent of death. She could even hear her own heartbeat. In that moment, the girl truly felt fear and regret. If given a choice, she would never go through such an experience again.
Fortunately, the world was still beautiful, and the final outcome relieved the girl's anxiety. At this moment, she looked at Bi Qi seriously, then nodded heavily and said, "Bi Qi, thank you!" The girl knew that if it weren't for the stone thrown by Bi Qi, she would have met a tragic end, let alone obtain the Lotus Leaf. So, she genuinely thanked Bi Qi, feeling that his sudden appearance was a divine arrangement, fulfilling her wish.
Of course, the girl was completely replaced by excitement at this moment, never considering how Bi Qi had helped her in that critical moment. Moreover, she didn't question how a five-year-old child could muster the strength to throw a stone and knock down a dragon fish weighing hundreds of kilograms.
"Big sister, let's go, hurry! That monster is so scary!" Bi Qi, unaware of the girl's thoughts, shouted, pulling his throat. His current goal was to get the girl to leave quickly because he had no idea what crazy actions she might take.
The girl, after the tumult caused by Bi Qi, finally came to her senses. She subconsciously nodded and said, "Okay, let's go back!" After that, the girl led Bi Qi back along the same path they came from.
However, both of them remained silent along the way. The girl walked ahead, contemplating continuously, while Bi Qi lazily followed behind, occasionally surveying the surrounding environment.
Until the two of them left the mountain, the girl stopped and turned to look Bi Qi up and down. Finally, she revealed a rare smile and extended her hand, saying, "Bi Qi, I'm glad to meet you today. I'm called Bi Yun, and I guess you can consider me your cousin!"
"Bi Yun?" Bi Qi widened his eyes, finding it amusing that he narrowly escaped being named this before he was born. Unexpectedly, he had encountered a Bi Yun today, and she was a girl. Thinking about this, Bi Qi suddenly felt a sense of familiarity and smiled, respectfully addressing her, "Cousin Bi Yun!"
Although Bi Qi addressed her warmly, he didn't extend his hand to shake Bi Yun's hand. Bi Yun was momentarily stunned, then her face showed a hint of displeasure. Regardless of whether Bi Qi liked it or not, she directly grabbed his small hand and pulled him towards the Bi family, saying as they walked, "Bi Qi, you helped me today, so I owe you a favor. If you ever need help in the future, just come to your sister."
During the conversation, the two had already entered the courtyard of the Bi family. Although Bi Qi tried to break free, Bi Yun didn't allow him to succeed. This made Bi Qi quite helpless because it was the first time he walked proudly on the main road of the family, feeling the warm gazes of his relatives. He couldn't withstand such a scene.
"Bi Qi, where do you live? Sister will accompany you back!" Bi Yun walked for a while before suddenly asking.
Bi Qi was startled by the question and quickly waved his hand, saying, "No need to trouble yourself. I belong to a branch, and I know the way back myself!" With that, Bi Qi pointed in the opposite direction of the main family, indicating that he didn't want to go the same way as Bi Yun.
Indeed, seeing that Bi Qi lived in the opposite direction, Bi Yun didn't insist. Moreover, this was the Bi family, and Bi Qi wouldn't be in danger or get lost here. So, Bi Yun didn't persist and said, "Alright then, go back on your own. Sister has some matters to attend to. But in five days, it's Sister's big day, so you must come!"
Saying this, Bi Yun showed a charming smile, leaned close to Bi Qi's ear, and whispered, "If you don't come, I'll tell your parents about today's events. I guarantee you won't hear the end of it!" With that, Bi Yun giggled and left.
Bi Qi stood speechless in place, not sure whether to laugh or cry. If his parents found out he had ventured into the mountains, he probably wouldn't be allowed to leave the house again. Thinking of this, Bi Qi shivered and thought about the so-called important day five days later mentioned by Bi Yun.
"Oh, right, five days later is the assessment day for the twelve-year-old disciples. Bi Yun probably wants me to attend as a spectator!" Bi Qi's mind became clear instantly, understanding Bi Yun's intentions. In the Bi family, every twelve-year-old disciple had to undergo a unified assessment to distinguish their strengths and weaknesses. In other words, if they performed well, they would receive focused training from the family. Otherwise, they would remain ordinary disciples.
"It seems I can't escape this time!" Shaking his head helplessly, Bi Qi knew he couldn't refuse. He didn't dwell on it any longer, turned around, and walked towards his own courtyard.
The next morning, at the same time, Bi Qi left home early. Ah Hui, understanding the situation, silently watched as Bi Qi departed. Unlike before, Bi Qi hurriedly rushed out this time. Once he left the house, he swiftly avoided everyone using his powerful perception, transforming into a streak of light heading straight into the deep mountains.
Bi Qi didn't go to the gorge where he usually practiced but instead arrived at the secluded mountain hollow from yesterday. Just like yesterday, the hollow remained silent, but the Three-Leaf Lotus in the pool was missing its bud, losing the chance to continue growing.
"Phew, it's still here!" Bi Qi silently rejoiced. While the flower bud of the Three-Leaf Lotus was a rare treasure, the leaves were also valuable. Fortunately, it seemed that Bi Yun was unaware of this, so she only hastily took the flower bud yesterday.
"Hehe, luckily the dragon fish lacks spiritual intelligence. If it were another magical beast, the flower bud would have been lost, and these three leaves would have been taken long ago!" Bi Qi sighed in relief. Immediately, his aura began to radiate, and within his chaotic dantian, a silver light flashed. A silver-white elemental crystal, Bi Qi's Chaos Crystal, suddenly appeared.