"Beibei—" Tang Ya clung to her boyfriend's shoulder, drawing out her words coquettishly.
Though she wasn't rich, she could afford a small processing fee. Naturally, while traveling outside, she wouldn't let herself suffer—how could she nibble on dry rations while the air was filled with such tantalizing smells? That would be too cruel!
"Alright, alright, I'll go. You're the greediest of us all." Beibei smiled indulgently before heading into the woods.
Before long, he returned with his spoils—a few fish he had stunned with electricity, two rabbits, and a pheasant. He then squatted by the riverbank to clean them.
"Here you go, little friend," Tang Ya said generously as she handed Huo Yuqing three silver soul coins. "These catches are pretty big. Thanks for your hard work!"
She had noticed that the boy in front of her probably came from a poor background, and helping him a little wouldn't hurt.
"Thank you, big sister!" Huo Yuqing accepted the silver soul coins with a mix of gratitude and surprise. After all, her total savings amounted to only seven silver soul coins, so to her, three coins were a significant amount of money.
When someone has money in their pocket, they naturally feel more confident.
The girl glanced at Wang Rui gratefully. If it hadn't been for his suggestion to charge a processing fee, she wouldn't have earned these three silver coins.
Wang Rui winked at her.
The game Beibei had brought back was soon roasting over the campfire.
In the meantime, the four of them exchanged names. Tang Ya then began circling around Huo Yuqing, staring pitifully at the roasting fish and rabbit over the fire.
Beibei, sitting on a large rock by the river, couldn't help but laugh at her antics.
Xiao Huo's barbecue skills were indeed well-deserved. Wang Rui quickly grabbed one of the roasted rabbits, tore off two legs for Huo Yuqing, and then began eating amid Tang Ya's envious gaze.
The rabbit meat was tender and springy, with every fiber soaked in flavorful juices. The slightly charred exterior perfectly sealed in the taste, while the salt and perilla leaves provided just the right seasoning—it was the best rabbit Wang Rui had ever tasted.
However, he soon noticed Tang Ya's expression turning horrified—the roasted rabbit was so delicious that, without realizing it, he had crunched and swallowed the bones.
"I have good teeth." Wang Rui grinned, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth.
"Good to the point of being ridiculous!" Tang Ya said, dumbfounded.
But some three-eyed golden lion, after a hearty meal, couldn't resist stirring up trouble.
A strange energy ripple, perceptible only to soul beasts, spread from Wang Rui's body.
Responding to the command of the Emperor Beast, something stirred in Huo Yuqing's pocket. A small head poked out—it was Auntie Mouse.
"Get back in!" Startled, Huo Yuqing quickly pushed the white mouse's head back into her pocket.
Even though Auntie Mouse was very cute, not everyone would be comfortable with someone keeping a mouse as a companion. What if this pretty sister was terrified of mice?
Tang Ya, however, was quick. She grabbed Auntie Mouse by the scruff of her neck and pulled her out of Huo Yuqing's pocket.
"A brocade mouse?" Tang Ya raised an eyebrow as she held up the struggling Auntie Mouse, whose tiny paws flailed and tail whipped like a pinwheel. "Beibei, come take a look!"
"It's a common soul beast in human living areas… It already has a silver stripe on its back. This brocade mouse likely has a hundred years of cultivation." Beibei observed.
"Tang Ya, please give her back to me. I beg you." Huo Yuqing panicked, forgetting all about the fish on the fire. She clung to Tang Ya's sleeve, babbling incoherently, "She's very clean, not dirty at all. I bathe her regularly, and she stays in my pocket all the time. She won't dirty your fish. Please, Tang Ya, I'll give you back the money—just give Auntie Mouse back, okay?"
"Ahem." Beibei cleared his throat. "Xiao Ya, give it back to her. Don't tease the kid."
"What did you just call me?" Tang Ya raised her brows, tossing the white mouse back to Huo Yuqing before turning to glare at Beibei.
"Alright, alright, Teacher Xiao Ya, Teacher Xiao Ya, I was wrong." Beibei raised his hands in surrender, letting his girlfriend tug at his face with a mix of pain and amusement.
Huo Yuqing hastily caught Auntie Mouse and gently put her back into her pocket. "You mustn't pop out like that again," she whispered.
Auntie Mouse let out two weak squeaks before burrowing to the bottom of her pocket, trembling.
"Little Brother Huo, is that mouse of yours meant to be your backup soul ring?" Having scolded Beibei, Tang Ya turned her attention back to Huo Yuqing, not noticing the girl's unease. She spoke carelessly.
"Although this brocade mouse can provide a hundred-year soul ring, it won't offer you any useful soul skills." She earnestly began explaining to Huo Yuqing, oblivious to the girl's downcast expression as she focused on roasting her fish.
"Brocade mice are believed to be a crossbreed between rodent soul beasts from the Star Dou Forest and ordinary mice. They began appearing in human settlements thousands of years ago. But these creatures aren't as powerful as true soul beasts, and no one's ever seen a brocade mouse with a thousand-year cultivation. They reproduce a lot, and although they produce soul rings, the soul skills they provide are useless—like reducing one's presence." Tang Ya spoke seriously. "If you use it as a soul ring, it could ruin your future."
"I know. Thank you, big sister." Huo Yuqing lowered her voice. "I would never, ever use her as a soul ring."
She understood that Tang Ya meant well and realized that most people would react the same way toward Auntie Mouse. It wasn't Tang Ya's fault.
Only today had she confirmed that Auntie Mouse was a soul beast. But so what? Auntie Mouse was her only remaining family, the one who had accompanied her and her mother through so many tough times. So what if she was a soul beast?
Tang Ya's description of Auntie Mouse as merely a "backup soul ring" made Huo Yuqing feel incredibly sad. But she also knew that this wasn't the pretty sister's fault—Tang Ya was genuinely well-meaning, and anyone would have thought the same.
Maybe I'm just being unreasonable… Huo Yuqing lowered her eyes. At that moment, any goodwill she had toward Tang Ya evaporated entirely.
Wang Rui observed from the side, narrowing his eyes slightly.
This was indeed the kind of person who could respond to someone saying their parents had died with "Oh, that's great news."
Tang Ya's emotional intelligence had always been dependable.
In the end, the only winner was the three-eyed golden lion.
Wang Rui had tested Huo Yuqing's attachment to the silver-striped brocade mouse and her attitude toward familiar soul beasts. He discovered that while Huo Yuqing's current goal was to break through her bottleneck, she would rather risk her life in the Star Dou Forest to obtain a possibly unsuitable ten-year soul ring than harm Auntie Mouse for a hundred-year soul ring.
Wang Rui was more than happy to give her response a perfect score.
At the same time, Tang Ya had suffered a significant drop in goodwill.
The three-eyed golden lion had scored big.
"Actually, brocade mice are pretty cute," Wang Rui said cheerfully.
"…Thank you." Huo Yuqing smiled faintly and replied in a low voice.
"Ahem…" Beibei knew his girlfriend had been a bit out of line, but since Tang Ya seemed unaware, he couldn't say much. He could only change the topic. "Little Brother Huo, since you carry a soul beast around, are you from a beast sect?"
(End of chapter)