Shen Manyi dashed to the herb garden as if fleeing, crouched down, and pretended to fiddle with the leaves of a Dragon Blood Vine.
Her cheeks were burning hot, and her heart was still pounding wildly.
"This is bad, this is bad…"
Shen Manyi muttered under her breath, slapping her face hard.
"Shen Manyi, get a grip! That's your brother! Even if he's fake, you must not let your mind wander!"
"Pfft, what a hypocritical woman." Tangyuan's voice was full of contempt.
"What do you know! I… I was scared by him!"
Shen Manyi insisted stubbornly. "He's such a huge menace, suddenly getting that close—who wouldn't be scared?"
"Oh? Is that so?" Tangyuan drawled lazily.
"Then why didn't you dodge when he patted your head?
Why didn't you run when he wiped your face? I think you were clearly enjoying it."
"Shut up!"
Shen Manyi, her thoughts exposed, flew into a rage out of embarrassment. She grabbed Tangyuan off her shoulder and pinched its face, pulling it apart in both directions.
"Say one more word, and you'll never eat my cooking again!"
"Wuwu… you heartless woman… let go of this Divine Beast's handsome face…" Tangyuan protested in a muffled voice.
Just as the master and servant were horsing around, a powerful and overbearing Yaoqi suddenly swept down from the mountainside.
"What is that?!"
Shen Manyi's expression changed. She immediately shielded Tangyuan in her arms and stood up warily.
"ROAR—!"
A deafening roar erupted, and in the next moment, a massive shadow loomed over the entire herb garden.
Shen Manyi looked up and gasped sharply.
There, hovering in midair, was a colossal beast—shaped like a Qilin, with a single horn on its head and its entire body covered in azure scales.
Its huge bell-like eyes were fixed greedily on the immortal herbs in the garden, drooling with desire.
"Wh-what kind of monster is this?!"
Shen Manyi's face turned pale with fright, and she instinctively backed toward the house.
"Just an Azure Kirin Beast."
"Judging by its look, it's after your precious treasures."
Tangyuan's voice carried a hint of disdain as it wriggled out of Shen Manyi's arms and hopped onto her shoulder.
"Then what do we do? It looks so fierce!" Shen Manyi's heart was pounding with anxiety.
"What's there to fear? This Divine Beast is here!"
The Azure Kirin Beast hadn't yet sensed any danger. It stared greedily at the immortal herbs.
After letting out another roar, its massive claw reached toward the Seven-Haze Exquisite Flower!
Inside the room, Xiao Mo's gaze sharpened, and he was about to make a move.
But Tangyuan was faster. A streak of white shot out from Shen Manyi's shoulder.
"BANG!"
A dull, heavy impact.
The arrogant Azure Kirin Beast was knocked over and pinned to the ground by Tangyuan, unable to move.
The entire scene was bizarre to the extreme.
"You… what are you?!"
The Azure Kirin Beast spoke in human tongue, its voice filled with shock and disbelief.
It could feel emanating from that tiny cat paw a terrifying pressure that came from the depths of its bloodline.
"What this Divine Beast is—is a low-level Lingshou like you even worthy of asking?"
"Speak. Where did you come from, little beast? Who sent you?"
As the words fell, an even more terrifying Shenshou Weiya crashed down.
The Azure Kirin Beast's body began to tremble violently, and it begged for mercy in terror.
"Sp-spare me, Divine Beast! I am the sect's guardian beast!
I just wandered here by accident! Please, since this is my first offense, lift your noble paw and let this little beast go!"
Standing not far away, Shen Manyi was completely dumbfounded.
She knew Tangyuan was a Shanggu Baihu, but she never imagined it was this powerful!
One paw and it had pinned down such a huge beast?
Tangyuan smacked the Azure Kirin Beast's head with its paw, looking down at it from above as it scolded:
"Look at you! What a pathetic sight! You're like a starving ghost reincarnated, daring to steal from this Divine Beast's master. Doesn't Guiyuan Jianzong feed you?"
The Azure Kirin Beast felt deeply wronged. "Divine Beast, you don't know! Those people at the sect are so stingy!
All they give me are ordinary Lingguo—not even enough to fill the gaps between my teeth!
This little beast hasn't tasted anything with immortal energy in centuries…"
"So you came to steal?" Tangyuan gave it another smack.
"Pathetic thing! If you ever dare to set your sights here again, this Divine Beast will peel off your scales one by one and use them as doormats!"
"I won't dare! I won't dare again!" The Azure Kirin Beast was scared out of its wits.
Just then, Xiao Mo walked out slowly.
His gaze swept over the trembling giant beast,
and finally landed on Tangyuan, who was standing atop the beast's head, hands on hips, swaggering triumphantly.
A flicker of curiosity passed through his eyes, barely perceptible.
"Brother!"
Seeing him, Shen Manyi felt as if she'd found her pillar of support. She ran over with quick steps and grabbed his arm.
She tilted her face up, pointing at Tangyuan with pride.
"Brother, look! Isn't our Tangyuan amazing!"
"That big guy just now tried to steal my flowers, and Tangyuan pinned it down with one paw!"
"Let's see if it dares to come again!"
The young girl chattered on, her face full of pride and excitement, as if she herself had defeated the Azure Kirin Beast.
Xiao Mo's gaze shifted from Tangyuan to her radiant smiling face.
He looked at her bright, sparkling apricot eyes, at her cheeks flushed with excitement.
He said nothing, only raised his hand.
Shen Manyi thought he was going to pat her head again and instinctively prepared to accept it.
But unexpectedly, Xiao Mo's arm passed over her,
reaching straight for Tangyuan, who had just jumped down from the Azure Kirin Beast's head and was striding proudly back to claim credit.
Tangyuan sensed a presence locking onto it and instinctively tried to dodge quickly.
However, Xiao Mo's movements, though seemingly unhurried, arrived first, cutting off all its escape routes.
So, under the shocked gazes of Shen Manyi and Tangyuan,
that large hand with clearly defined knuckles lightly grasped Tangyuan by the scruff of its neck and lifted it up entirely.
The person and the beast stared at each other wide-eyed in midair, the air seeming to freeze for a moment.
Xiao Mo's dark eyes were unfathomably deep, as if they could see through everything.
In Tangyuan's golden beast pupils, wariness and bristling fur were evident.
A moment later, a faint curve lifted at the corner of Xiao Mo's mouth, a glimmer of understanding flashing in his eyes, his voice a few degrees gentler than usual.
"So it's the Divine Beast White Tiger."
Tangyuan's entire body stiffened, staring at him in disbelief.
"Meow meow meow!"
"How does he know this Divine Beast's identity!"
"Little girl, tell him to let this Divine Beast go, how rude!"
Shen Manyi was also a bit stunned, but seeing Tangyuan going crazy in her mind, she quickly snapped back to attention,
snatched it back in one motion, hugging it tightly to her chest.
She laughed dryly: "Hehe, brother, Tangyuan is still young! You'll scare it."
Xiao Mo didn't mind. He withdrew his hand, turned his gaze to the Azure Kirin Beast still lying on the ground playing dead, and his voice returned to its usual coolness.
"Get back to the back mountain. Don't come out freely again from now on."
"Yes! Thank you, Jianzun! Thank you, Divine Beast Lord!"
The Azure Kirin Beast, as if pardoned, scrambled away, transforming into a streak of green light and vanishing into the sky.
Shen Manyi hugged the still bristling Tangyuan, thinking that since they'd already been exposed, she might as well take the opportunity to let them bond.
So, she offered Tangyuan toward Xiao Mo, speaking with a hint of presenting a treasure.
"Brother, it's very soft. Do you want to pet it?"
Xiao Mo looked at the ball of white fluff, not moving.
Tangyuan roared frantically in Shen Manyi's mind.
"Shen Manyi! You're offering this Divine Beast up to be petted like a kitten? Where is this Divine Beast's dignity!"
Shen Manyi retorted without mercy: "Shut up! You're so weak. Hurry up and curry favor with my brother.
If you ever reveal yourself in front of outsiders, at least you'll have someone to protect you."
Tangyuan instantly yielded, hanging its limbs lifelessly as it let Shen Manyi stuff it into Xiao Mo's broad palm.
Xiao Mo held Tangyuan in one hand, naturally stroking its fur with the other.
But his gaze was meaningful as he looked at Shen Manyi.
This sister of his—the secrets she carried were truly more than ordinary…