Wang Weizhi proposing to cooperate with Wanjiangui Sect now? Something’s clearly off here…’ Lin Jiu muttered silently. She kept her composure and continued to observe Qin Yunxi.
Qin Yunxi bowed his head again, “Yes, Master. Wang Weizhi seeks our cooperation. Though young and unruly, he fought with all his might against the devils and is the only clear stream in the Wang family’s muddy swamp. Outraged by the Wang family’s cowardice act of deserting their post and abandoning allies, he ventured alone into the territory of the devils, hoping to turn the tide on his own. By a stroke of luck, he discovered the Huang Chuan Secret Realm.”
Wei Liang chuckled softly. “You trust him.”
“Yes,” Qin Yunxi replied without hesitation. “I have already agreed to work with Wang Weizhi, and I ask for your permission to explore the secret realm.”
Wei Liang nodded. “Go.”
A glimmer flashed in Qin Yunxi’s eyes. “I wish to bring Seventh Junior Sister with me.”
At this, Wei Liang finally lifted his gaze to look at him. “Do as you like.”
Standing in such proximity, Lin Jiu couldn’t help but notice a subtle tension between the two men. There was a subtle, unspoken battle going on, but she couldn’t quite grasp it. She glanced at the female lead, who remained silent the entire time, her expression cold with signs of exhaustion. Even when she heard that Qin Yunxi wanted to take her to the Huang Chuan Secret Realm, there was no visible reaction on Liu Qingyin’s face.
“Then…” Qin Yunxi flicked his wrist, summoning his cold sword. “Disciple will slay Doulong and depart immediately.”
“Go ahead,” Wei Liang replied, his face expressionless as he gently draped his arm around Lin Jiu’s shoulders, leading her outside.
“Wait, wait!” Lin Jiu suddenly smiled as she slipped away from Wei Liang’s grasp, stepping forward to press down on Qin Yunxi’s sword.
“Hmm?” Qin Yunxi lowered his gaze, watching her with inquisitive eyes.
Standing some distance away, Liu Qingyin also lifted her beautiful eyes and fixed them on her.
“I think this Doulong is quite adorable,” Lin Jiu said, “Why not let me keep it as a pet?”
Qin Yunxi’s pupils shrank, and the sword in his hand trembled slightly, emitting a sharp clang. “What did you say?” He opened his mouth in disbelief.
Lin Jiu blinked innocently, tilting her head. “Is something wrong?”
The crease between Qin Yunxi’s brows deepened, and before he could react, Wei Liang was already standing in front of Lin Jiu, his tall figure casting a shadow over her small frame. His gaze, cold and intense, bore down on her.
“You want Doulong?” Wei Liang’s voice had a hoarse edge to it.
Lin Jiu always felt a bit uneasy in front of him. She nodded lightly.
A smile flashed on Wei Liang. Though it was a faint, fleeting smile, there seemed to be a deeper meaning behind it. “Then I’ll erase its mind and give it to you as a pet.”
Qin Yunxi’s eyes darkened at the words, his thin lips pressed tightly together as a vein bulged on the back of his gripping hand.
These subtle changes were all noticed by Lin Jiu, who remained calm as she said, “Don’t.”
“Oh?” Wei Liang raised an eyebrow. “But this beast is very fierce and will not be tamed.”
Qin Yunxi added, “After erasing its mind, it will still have formidable strength and can serve as a combat pet.”
Lin Jiu shook her head. “A warrior can be killed but not humiliated. If you’re going to castrate it, you might as well just kill it with one strike.”
Qin Yunxi chuckled. “Erasing its mind isn’t the same as castrating.”
“In my eyes, there’s no difference,” Lin Jiu insisted. “One is mutilating the body, the other the soul.”
Wei Liang rubbed his forehead, his lips twitching with a hint of amusement. “I see. We shall do you wish,” he said, his voice cold and low.
With that, he waved his sleeve, taking both Lin Jiu and Doulong away from Yunhe Peak.
An incense stick’s time later, Doulong, now reduced to about the size of a calf, was tossed into the bridal chamber by Wei Liang. He lazily leaned against the bed, lifting his right hand to signal that Lin Jiu could now tend to her ‘adorable pet.’
Lin Jiu stared helplessly at the beast. In the novel, it clearly said that Doulong was a large, fluffy creature that was nice to pet. But this one? It had patches of bald skin covered in ugly, scabby wounds, with only a few tufts of matted hair tangled with mud and blood. Its body was full of injuries, leaving no place to start.
‘Where did it all go wrong?’ She mused, knowing the answer.
Of course, it was Qin Yunxi. In the original plot, Qin Yunxi had long since died, so it wasn’t he who brought Doulong back—it should have been either the second disciple Gu Fei or the fourth disciple Murong Chun.
Since his junior brothers managed to capture Doulong without a scratch, Qin Yunxi naturally could, too. He must have deliberately tortured the beast into this pitiful state, likely as a test of Wei Liang’s reaction.
This conjecture caused Lin Jiu’s heart to skip a beat. She sneakily glanced at Wei Liang, feeling a jumble of emotions stuck in her chest, and tried to open her mouth, but no words came out.
Suddenly, there was a loud “huff” beside her, as a massive head, the size of a millstone, nudged against her arm. Lin Jiu turned her head and saw the fierce beast nudging its head under her arm, grinning up at her.
‘Grinning?!’ She blinked in shock. Upon closer inspection, the beast had a naturally enormous mouth, with the corners of its lips curving upwards, almost reaching its eyes, giving it a goofy and ingratiating smile. It opened its mouth so wide that it almost took her whole arm inside.
“Hiss—” Lin Jiu froze, every hair on her body standing on end, too scared to move.
“It likes you,” Wei Liang said with a lazy tone.
Lin Jiu was stunned. The reason why she saved Doulong was because she knew how to deal with it. This beast had two weaknesses: one was a ticklish spot buried under its ear, and scratching it continuously for a year or so would tame the creature. The other was its obsession with a spiritual herb called the ‘Jumping Bee’—so much so that it would risk its life for just a bite. In the novel, after Wei Liang erased Doulong’s mind, it took Liu Qingyin a great deal of effort to exploit its weakness and fully subdue it.
Lin Jiu hadn’t expected to tame it, just keep it tied up outside to guard the house. By feeding it some Jumping Bee herbs regularly, she figured it would eventually develop some attachment. That way, if someone came looking for trouble again, she could let Doulong loose on them.
Having a guard dog did sound reassuring, but now Wei Liang said this fierce beast liked her?
“Likes me? Because I saved it? Is this beast really that sentient?” Lin Jiu cautiously pulled her arm out of Doulong’s big mouth.
Doulong nudged her with its dirty head again. Lin Jiu stepped back and carefully examined the creature. It had a massive head with two short horns on top and round black eyes beneath. The nose was flat, looking a bit squashed, with a gigantic, upturned mouth. Its compact body and stubby limbs gave it the appearance of a pressed salted duck while sitting, but its oversized head made it resemble a plump bean sprout when standing.
Doulong was undoubtedly terrified of Wei Liang. It hid behind her, occasionally peeking at the man with anxious, timid eyes.
Wei Liang shifted slightly, getting up from the bed. Immediately, Doulong shuddered, desperately trying to hide its enormous bulk behind Lin Jiu, letting out pitiful whimpering sounds.
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