"What's going on… Why isn't this soul beast attacking us anymore?"
"Yeah, it even looks like it's not hostile at all…"
The three were baffled.
Meanwhile, nestled in Hu Liena's arms, Shi Hao caught a whiff of a sweet, fragrant scent. It smelled… really good. Wait, what just happened?
Was this big sister… protecting me?
Shi Hao wasn't stupid. He knew that while the White Tiger didn't seem impressive to him, to others, it must have looked terrifying. That Hu Liena had instinctively shielded him genuinely surprised him.
"Elder sister… you're squishing me," Shi Hao mumbled.
Hu Liena's face turned red as she quickly let him down—but she still instinctively stayed protectively in front of him.
"Be careful… this soul beast is extremely dangerous."
"You mean my big kitty?" Shi Hao scratched his head with a goofy grin.
"Don't worry. It's really well-behaved. As long as no one provokes it, it won't hurt anyone."
"Right, big cat?"
"Meow~"
The White Tiger let out a soft purr. In front of this little boss, it didn't dare act out of line at all—lest it get beaten again.
Shi Hao turned and began scolding the tiger.
"Big Cat, you still haven't given me any beast milk today. Are you slacking off?"
"You went off to play with them and didn't take me along. Hmph."
"And didn't Daddy say you're a soul beast? You're not supposed to be playing with humans!"
"Why didn't you protect yourself? Look at the state you're in!"
The White Tiger whimpered a few times, sounding both aggrieved and wronged.
"Awoo… Awoo… Meow… Meow…"
It was trying to explain that it was those three who tried to kill it first. That it only fought back because it couldn't find beast milk or food for its little boss—not because it wanted to fight.
Hearing this, the three exchanged looks of disbelief.
What… did this kid just say? That this powerful soul beast—one with at least thirty thousand years of cultivation—was his pet?
Was that even possible? Could a soul beast of this level actually submit to a human?
Looking at the giant tiger now lying obediently beside the boy like a house cat, the whole thing felt surreal. Just moments ago, it had been a rampaging monster!
"Meow~"
The tiger padded over to Shi Hao and gave a brief, subdued explanation of what had happened.
After listening, Shi Hao's expression darkened slightly.
So they had also "claimed" this soul beast beforehand?
That sounded familiar… Wasn't that exactly what the last group of people said?
His little face turned serious, and a flicker of displeasure appeared in his eyes.
He turned his sharp gaze toward the trio. If these three also started acting unreasonable… he would get angry.
And when he got angry—even he was scared of himself!
"This soul beast… was defeated by my Big Cat. So it's our prey."
Shi Hao's tone hardened.
"You got a problem with that?"
If they wanted to fight him over it, he was ready to throw hands.
"Of course not! It's yours, obviously—it was your soul beast that defeated it, after all. We wouldn't dream of taking it."
"And besides, if you hadn't shown up when you did… we might not have made it out alive," Hu Liena said sincerely.
None of them tried to argue. As members of the Golden Generation of Spirit Hall, they had their pride.
The only reason they attacked earlier was because they thought it was just a wild soul beast. Now that they knew it had a master, that changed everything.
"Oh? You're really not going to fight over it?" Shi Hao scratched his head.
"Nope. Not at all."
"Alright then."
Shi Hao decided these three were clearly more reasonable than that last group. His impression of them improved noticeably.
Still, given his recent experiences with strangers, he didn't plan to stick around for long. He turned to hop onto the White Tiger's back, ready to leave.
The three were startled. A child… riding a soul beast like it was normal?
Just as he was about to go, a voice called out from behind him:
"You're just going to leave like that? We hurt your soul beast without realizing it was yours, and you saved our lives—shouldn't you at least give us a chance to apologize?"
"Yeah! Let us at least thank you properly… Hey, little guy, why not stay for a bit?" Hu Liena stepped in front of him, while Xie Yue and Yan quickly followed suit.
As members of the Golden Generation, they rarely took interest in anything—but this little boy, who commanded a terrifying soul beast as casually as if it were a house pet, had piqued their curiosity.
They had to get to know him better.
"Uh… I don't think that's necessary—"
Gurgle~
Shi Hao's stomach betrayed him with a loud rumble. His face flushed red with embarrassment.
Damn it… I really haven't eaten all day…
"Pfft… what an adorable little guy," Hu Liena chuckled. She had already noticed the occasional growl from the tiger's belly during their earlier battle. And now, hearing Shi Hao mention beast milk? Yeah, the poor kid must've been starving.
As soon as he heard the words "something tasty," Shi Hao's eyes practically lit up with stars.
"Really?! You've got tasty food?"
"Of course we do." Yan opened his soul tool and took out a pile of prepared rations—things Shi Hao had never seen before.
"And don't worry—we don't lie to kids," he added.
Hu Liena gave Yan a look. "Could you not say it like we're some kind of child tricksters?"
Shi Hao hesitated for a moment, then figured… Well, there was good food, might as well eat before heading out.
He looked down at his tiger and gave its head a pat.
"Big Tiger, you stay too. Try a little. Some of this stuff looks new."
The White Tiger naturally didn't object. Honestly, it hadn't eaten some of these delicacies either—these people definitely weren't ordinary.
So they all sat down together.
Yan wasn't stingy. He laid out a spread of rare ingredients—some were ready to eat, others needed cooking. Luckily, as a fire-type soul master, he was also quite handy in the kitchen, so everything was ready in no time.
Before long, the grass was covered with plates, and the air was filled with an irresistible aroma.
Shi Hao's eyes sparkled with hunger, and his mouth started to water—but he still held himself back and didn't touch anything yet.
Seeing this, Hu Liena asked curiously,
"What's wrong? Aren't you hungry? Is it not to your taste?"
"No, no! I love it. It smells amazing!" Shi Hao replied seriously.
"But Daddy taught me that when someone invites you to a meal, you have to let them eat first. That's called manners."
He said it with a straight face, and Hu Liena couldn't help but laugh.
"You little thing… how are you this cute?"
She ruffled his hair gently, her eyes full of affection.
"Alright then—let's eat together!"
"Okay!!"
_
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