"Achoo! Achoo!"
Zi Yan, who had been merrily digging through a field of precious medicinal herbs, suddenly felt an itch in her nose. She sneezed twice in quick succession, rubbed her little nose, and muttered suspiciously, "Who's talking about me behind my back?"
She glanced at Xiao Jietian first, then immediately shook her head. It couldn't be him—he would never speak of her so gently. If he had something to say, he would simply spank her bottom instead.
Her gaze then shifted to the massive black bear sprawled dejectedly on the open ground not far away. "Little bear, are you the one chirping about me?"
The black bear lifted its head in confusion, pointing a thick paw at itself as if to say, "Me? Talking about you?"
"Grandma, how could I dare? I don't want to die!" the bear wailed in a voice that sounded exactly like a several-hundred-pound fatty complaining. He had merely been napping peacefully beside his herb garden when two heavy slaps had descended from nowhere.
"Do you know how much psychological trauma those two slaps caused this bear?"
"Didn't I only take a tiny bit of your medicinal herbs?" Zi Yan lectured him with a righteous expression, hands on her hips. "Look at your stingy, money-grubbing face! You must learn the virtue of selfless contribution. Hoarding everything for yourself is far too selfish!"
Having finished her sermon, she did not forget to scoop another mouthful of the treasured Jade Emperor Bee honey the bear had guarded so jealously.
"Yes, yes, Grandmother's teaching is correct. You truly are this bear's role model…" The black bear dared not refute a single word. One must not be fooled by the little girl's adorable appearance. The terrifying force behind her slaps, combined with the overwhelming pressure of a superior bloodline, reduced even a dignified sixth-tier high-level magical beast like him to the status of a meek grandchild.
Moreover, the man lazily reclining on the tree branch above radiated an even more terrifying aura. His instincts screamed that any reckless move would send him straight to meet his ancestors.
"Hmph, good that you understand." Zi Yan clapped her hands, casually tossed something into the remaining pile of herbs, and skipped toward Xiao Jietian. "Xiao Jietian, let's go! On to the next stop!"
Without waiting for his reply, she sniffed the air a few times and excitedly scampered off in a new direction.
Xiao Jietian watched her bouncing figure with eyes full of doting affection before slowly following behind.
Once the two had vanished into the forest, the black bear finally dared to stand up, relieved that his life had been spared. Yet when he looked at his once-glorious collection—now reduced to nothing but low-grade scraps—his face crumpled into a myriad of tragic expressions.
Zi Yan turned her head and whispered to Xiao Jietian beside her, "Look, he learned so much today that he can't bear to see us leave. See how excited his eyes are?"
Black lines appeared on Xiao Jietian's forehead. He glanced back at the black bear, whose eyes were still leaking tears like a heartbroken grizzly, and thought silently: Are you sure those aren't tears of joy because the little demon has finally departed?
"Of course," he replied with a gentle smile, rubbing Zi Yan's head. "After all, our Zi Yan is simply too adorable."
He had seen everything—both her "robbery" and the little gift she had left behind.
…
After Xiao Jietian and Zi Yan disappeared completely, the black bear shuffled over to the pitiful remains of his herb pile with a drooping head. Suddenly, he noticed a small jade box resting on top.
Curious, he pried it open with a claw. Inside lay a single lustrous pill.
Before he could examine it closely, a tender voice drifted out from the jade box:
"Big stupid bear, seeing how honest you've been, this Young Miss is tired of eating these anyway. Since I really like your treasured honey, this shall be your reward."
"This… this… this is actually a seventh-grade Transformation Pill!!!" The black bear's small eyes widened into saucers, his face frozen in disbelief.
He was only a sixth-tier high-level magical beast. Who knew how many more years it would take to reach the seventh tier and gain human form?
For any magical beast below the seventh tier, a Transformation Pill was the ultimate treasure—an irresistible temptation.
He gazed gratefully in the direction Zi Yan had gone, then dashed into his den with the pill clutched tightly.
Once inside, he tossed the precious pill into his mouth without hesitation.
…
That day, Zi Yan dragged Xiao Jietian across half the mountain range. From time to time, the mournful wails of magical beasts echoed through the forest—sounds so pitiful they would make any listener grieve and shed tears.
"So many medicinal herbs… yet the big stupid bear's honey is still the best." Zi Yan sat comfortably on Xiao Jietian's lap, scooping a spoonful of honey from the jar in her arms. She took a bite, her eyes narrowing in pure bliss as her short legs swung happily back and forth.
She scooped another spoonful and offered it to him. "Since you've been so good to me, have a taste."
"I don't want to eat it that way," Xiao Jietian said with a mischievous smile. He gently turned the spoon back toward her own lips, then leaned down and kissed her small mouth the moment she took the honey.
Zi Yan's eyes flew wide open. Her entire body froze, the jar slipping from her fingers.
Xiao Jietian swiftly caught it with a thread of Dou Qi—if it shattered, the little dragoness would surely explode in fury.
(If anyone from the modern world had witnessed this scene, they would undoubtedly shout, "Three years minimum, death penalty maximum!"
Oh… but she is actually a legal loli over a thousand years old. Then it is perfectly fine. Misunderstanding resolved.)
Zi Yan's mind went completely blank. She could only let Xiao Jietian lead.
"Hmm… this imported honey is indeed excellent. Incredibly sweet," Xiao Jietian murmured with a satisfied smile.
The words snapped Zi Yan back to reality. She remembered the kiss—and how her senior sisters had once told her that everyone has many "firsts" in life, including a first kiss. Xiao Jietian had just taken hers.
Her little face gradually flushed crimson. Then she recalled that she was his little wife anyway, and it was only a matter of time. Her thoughts instantly cleared.
"Hmph! You always bully me!" She pouted. "Just like Sister Fei Yan said—you're a big bad guy, the endlessly evil kind… like a dog!"
Black lines once again covered Xiao Jietian's forehead. Zi Yan's hobby was exactly the same as Medusa's: eavesdropping. She must have overheard that conversation somewhere.
After wiping her mouth, she suddenly stared at her empty hand and nearly jumped up in panic. "Ah~~ Where's my honey?!"
"It's right here."
Xiao Jietian waved his hand. The jar floated obediently into her grasp. Zi Yan clutched it to her chest like a priceless treasure. "Since you protected my honey, I'll forgive you this once."
Then, without warning, she leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. "This is your reward for being so careful. Now we're even."
With that, she happily resumed eating her honey, shaking her head in satisfaction.
Xiao Jietian gently toyed with her twin ponytails, smiling softly. "Even? Is that how you calculate it? Then we can try again next time…"
An unknown amount of time passed. Night had fallen. Xiao Jietian, who had been quietly playing with Zi Yan's hair, suddenly stiffened. His expression turned vigilant.
"Who's there? Come out!"