He had seen how Han Yue repaid Xiao Tian after he helped her, and Han Yue had done the same. And at that time, Xiao Tian had been very happy. So why was he completely stunned when it came to her? Not sure. She needed to observe more.
"Alright, you go down first. I'll start refining for you now." Xiao Tian patted her little bottom.
"Ouch! What are you doing!" Zi Yan felt his hand and immediately jumped out of his arms, covering her rear. A strange glint flashed through her eyes—one she herself didn't notice. For Zi Yan, old in years but young in mind, she hadn't yet recognized what was stirring inside her. She put on a fierce expression and glared at Xiao Tian. "If you pat my butt again, I'll never forgive you."
"Alright, alright. I won't do it again next time." Xiao Tian saw her face puff up like a red pufferfish and reached out his sinful hand to ruffle her hair into a complete mess. "Alright, you play here by yourself for a bit. I'm going to start."
Hearing his words, the huffing Zi Yan glanced at the storage ring in Xiao Tian's hand. She could only surrender to the pills. Reluctantly, she squatted off to the side and began drawing circles in the dirt. *Draw circles and curse you!*
Seeing her like this, Xiao Tian couldn't help but laugh. He had told her many stories over time to bridge the gap between them. Tender flowers still needed to be watered with care. For these transformed Magical Beasts with young minds, they were endlessly curious about many things—especially stories.
Xiao Tian spent half an hour refining the medicinal ingredients Zi Yan had given him into pills. "How long have you been saving these?" At first, he had been startled by the sheer volume inside the ring. More than fifty high-grade medicinal ingredients, along with many lower-grade ones. For the lower-grade materials, he simply fused them together and then divided the mass into individual pills.
"Not long, actually. After you helped me refine the last batch, I wandered around the forest whenever I had free time. And occasionally I'd 'visit' the elders in the storeroom. And you've been disappearing so much lately—I definitely needed to prepare more. Otherwise, what would I eat?" Seeing Xiao Tian's surprised expression, Zi Yan awkwardly scuffed her toe against the ground.
After putting all the pills away, she suddenly remembered something. She puffed out her chest, placed her hands on her hips, and held her head high. "You told me last time that if I followed you, you'd make sure I always had pills to eat. But after you said that, you vanished. I don't care—you have to compensate me. Even though I'm small, I'm not young, and I'm not that easy to fool. You must compensate me."
Xiao Tian looked at Zi Yan's arrogant, self-righteous pose. It reminded him powerfully of a certain tsundere. "Alright, alright. I'll compensate you." He stepped forward, grabbed the back of her collar, and lifted her into the air.
"What are you doing?! Don't think that just because your realm is higher now, you can bully me. I'm telling you—I'm not made of mud." Zi Yan watched herself being hoisted up in such an undignified manner, her short legs flailing uselessly. Even as she spoke with a tone that warned she was not to be trifled with, her eyes darted around nervously, terrified someone might see her current state. She had once been number one on the strong ranking. Now she was number two. A truly prominent figure.
"Don't resist. I'm taking you somewhere."
Hearing this, Zi Yan looked up at Xiao Tian in confusion. Her hands flew to her flat chest. "I don't want compensation anymore. Please put me down. I'm still small. I'll die."
Xiao Tian's forehead creased with dark lines. He should have known better than to tell her so many stories and other things. "What exactly are you imagining?" He rapped her sharply on the head, physically sobering her up. Zi Yan clutched her head, looking exactly like Tom Cat mid-wail.
"I'm taking you to a place so you can get familiar with it. From now on, you can come find me here."
"Really? You're not lying?" Zi Yan fixed him with a skeptical stare, as if to say, *I'm very smart. Don't try to fool me.*
"When have I ever lied to you?" Xiao Tian lifted her until she was level with his eyes.
"You still say that! Last time you promised to tell me a story the next day, and you still haven't!" Zi Yan huffed, her cheeks puffing up.
"Pfft~" Xiao Tian poked her face with a finger. Zi Yan immediately deflated with a squeak.
"Don't do that! I'm angry! And you still haven't explained yourself!" She bared her teeth and swiped at him, but her short arms couldn't reach.
*Pat!* "Alright. Relax your mind. Don't resist."
Zi Yan covered her little bottom and pouted, glaring at Xiao Tian. *I can't believe this young miss was bullied so badly today. Sooner or later, I'll get my revenge.*
"What, still not convinced?" Xiao Tian placed his hand behind her back. Zi Yan felt the threat and could only force a smile. "No, no, no. You're mistaken. I'm completely convinced."
Xiao Tian knew perfectly well she was outwardly submissive and inwardly cursing him. He didn't care. As long as he was stronger, he could bully her as much as he pleased. He grabbed her and vanished from the spot, reappearing in the Heaven Punishing Divine Realm.
The moment Zi Yan saw the magnificent realm spread out before her, her eyes filled with wonder. She forgot entirely that she was being carried, her gaze darting everywhere. "Where is this place? There's so much energy here. There must be tons of medicinal ingredients. Do you want me to help you dig some up?" She stretched out her perception and sensed countless treasures hidden throughout the realm. She couldn't help but swallow.
Xiao Tian saw her money-grubbing expression and smiled. "I'll tell you where this is later. No rush right now." He carried her slowly toward the Eternal Dream Palace, deliberately taking his time so she could glimpse part of the realm. After all, dragons loved shiny things, and most of the buildings here were made of glazed tiles and brilliant crystals that sparkled under the sun.
"If you won't tell me, then don't. Who cares anyway." She feigned indifference on the surface, but inside, her mind was racing with schemes to trick him into revealing this place's location so she could sneak in and start digging.
Xiao Tian had spent enough time with her to read her perfectly. "Then you should wipe the drool off your chin."
Zi Yan swiped at the corner of her mouth, found nothing, and realized she'd been tricked again. *Damn it! He fooled this young miss again!* She crossed her arms, turned her head, and let out a huff, her whole posture screaming, *I'm angry but I'm not going to say it. You guess.*
They entered the Eternal Dream Palace. Yun Yun and the others had finished their daily cultivation and were gathered in the lakeside pavilion, keeping Xiao Ling and Xiao Meng company. When Xiao Tian walked in carrying Zi Yan, the women noticed immediately. A flash of surprise crossed their eyes. Ya Fei, the one most attached to Xiao Tian, came to his side first.
"Xiao Tian… what is the meaning of this?"