Xiao Chen picked up the little creature from the ground. It was as soft as a snowball, its large eyes blinking with a pitiful, helpless look. It made no move to resist.
Holding the fluffy bundle, he walked deeper into the marshland and cast a doubtful glance at the three skeletons standing rigidly upright. What had gotten into them? Were they afraid of something? Yet there was no other ferocious beast in sight. Could it be this little spirit of snow? Impossible.
He dismissed them and hurried over to inspect the sacred sapling. The reason he had returned here after being ambushed by the royal celestial maiden Zhao Lin'er was precisely because the divine seedling was still rooted in this spot.
The sacred sapling, no taller than a palm's breadth, shimmered with rainbow light. Hazy radiance billowed around it, infusing the area with vibrant life. Even the ancient tree in which it was rooted had benefited greatly, its bark turning a lush green and gaining a measure of spirit.
Just then, the pitiful white ball of fur in Xiao Chen's arms blinked its bright eyes with a gleam entirely different from before. Before he could react, it transformed into a streak of white light—*swoosh*—and shot toward the ancient tree. With one swift motion, it yanked the sacred sapling out of the ground.
Xiao Chen's heart clenched. This was disastrous! Yanking it out so violently might snap the sapling's roots!
But worse was to come. The little white beast—like a cross between a tiger cub and a lion whelp—clutched the sapling tightly to its chest and rolled over and over in the forest, joyful and excited, like a child who had just been given candy. Then it opened its mouth and bit down on the jade leaves!
Everything happened too fast. Xiao Chen had no chance to stop it. Only when the beast began to chew noisily with little *ya-ya* cries did he rush over and grab it.
The white ball clung stubbornly to the sapling, refusing to let go. Still, Xiao Chen was somewhat relieved to see that the roots weren't broken and the two translucent jade leaves were still intact. The little thing wasn't gnawing—it was sucking.
A false alarm!
The creature was far too reckless. Xiao Chen tried to separate it from the sapling, but the grip was too tight. As if guarding its food, the little thing even let out a few low growls.
Not wanting to hurt it, Xiao Chen carried it over to the three skeletons. The skeletons were craning their necks to see. The moment they noticed Xiao Chen approaching, they instantly flopped down stiffly onto the bone pile, making Xiao Chen alternate between exasperation and amusement.
He lined up the three skeletons side by side, set the white ball down beside them, and observed silently.
The little beast, as if starving, sucked on the two jade leaves with loud, smacking sounds. To Xiao Chen's astonishment, each time it sucked, the translucent leaves rippled with watery light, which flowed continuously into its mouth.
It was rapidly absorbing the energy of the seven-colored sacred tree! Its bright eyes were filled with satisfaction, no longer the pitiful look from before. Its expression was far too human.
Xiao Chen had a feeling this little beast was anything but ordinary. Still, he didn't dwell on it—after all, it was so small, and he couldn't believe the three skeletons would actually fear it.
The sun had already dipped westward, and hunger gnawed at Xiao Chen. He hunted a yellow goat in the nearby forest and began roasting a leg by the marsh. Soon, the aroma wafted out—golden, sizzling goat leg, complemented by pineapple and other fresh fruits. His appetite roused, he started his evening meal.
Just then, the little white beast seemed to have had its fill. It carelessly dropped the sacred sapling to the ground, letting it take root on its own in the marsh. Xiao Chen shook his head. This creature truly had the mind of a child.
But what it did next startled him. The white ball rolled around the three skeletons, blinking its bright eyes as if in deep thought. Then, suddenly, it stood upright like a little monkey, stretched out its tiny paws, and *click-clack*—disassembled the three skeletons!
Xiao Chen was dumbfounded. He had already been amazed that a creature resembling a tiger cub could stand like a monkey, but this sudden burst of violence left him utterly dumbstruck. It was too sudden.
Fortunately, the skeletons were only taken apart at the joints, not smashed to pieces.
"Ya-ya-yaya…" The little white beast shook the three skulls forcefully while pointing with one paw at the nearby sacred sapling, as if angrily interrogating them.
Yes, anger! Though it was just a beast, its expression was so vivid that anyone could read its mood.
Still crying *ya-ya*, it pulled off Qin Guang Wang's forearm bone, grabbed it like a club, and began tapping it on the three skulls, as if punishing them. The whole series of actions was so deliberate and amusing that it was hard not to be entertained.
The three skeletons stopped pretending to be dead. Their lower bodies and rib cages had been mostly dismantled. They propped themselves up on their arm bones and sat there, looking as wilted as frostbitten leaves.
*Dang-dang-dang…*
The little white beast tapped their skulls with the forearm bone, pointed at the sacred sapling, and continued its *ya-ya* questioning. The skeletons seemed at a loss. They exchanged glances, then all three raised their bone arms and pointed at Xiao Chen.
Xiao Chen was speechless.
Those three skeletons had no sense of loyalty! To be intimidated by a fuzzy little beast was already pathetic enough, but now they had the nerve to betray him so spinelessly. He was utterly beyond words.
*Swoosh!*
A flash of white light. Xiao Chen felt as if he'd been lifted by clouds and wind—he was inexplicably hurled into the air. Only then did he realize, with horror, that this little beast was far beyond ordinary, far surpassing his expectations!
He twisted his body midair into a combat stance, bursting with dazzling light, and descended toward the ground. But before he could land, the little white beast below blinked its big eyes, waved a tiny paw, and a sheet of white light enveloped him. *Swoosh*—he was tossed into the air again.
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