Second-tier magical beasts were easy for the two of them to handle. Before the sky had fully darkened, they had already killed enough second-tier magical beasts, retrieved their cores, and completed the first task they had taken on.
“Now it’s time for third-tier magical beasts.”
Third-tier magical beasts were a challenge for Long Haochen, but in Bai Xi’s eyes, they were just piles of money.
However, acting at night was still relatively dangerous, so they temporarily left the swamp area and planned to spend the night in the forest, resuming their actions early the next morning.
They had just fallen asleep for a short while when they heard the roar of a magical beast and someone shouting for help.
“Can’t people let others sleep at night?”
Bai Xi and Long Haochen opened their eyes simultaneously, and Long Haochen’s eyes were already filled with curiosity—he wanted to go and take a look.
Since Bai Xi was also curious to know who had provoked a magical beast in the middle of the night, she nodded, and the two of them walked side by side toward the source of the sound.
As they drew closer, the sounds became clearer. Bai Xi grabbed Long Haochen’s hand, and a faint golden-red light flashed in her eyes.
The entire forest gave them a different feeling.
Long Haochen didn’t know what change had occurred to them, but Bai Xi did.
At this moment, anyone who didn’t see them with their own eyes would only think they were two ordinary birds, not strangers approaching.
Finally reaching the source of the sound, they saw a serpent-type magical beast relentlessly chasing a boy wielding dual swords, who appeared to be around their age.
The boy was already injured, and now, poisoned by the serpent-type magical beast, he was in a weakened state and could no longer bear the weight of his dual swords.
The swords, once light and convenient for him, had now become a burden. Yet, he couldn’t bring himself to discard them. It was unclear whether the swords or his life were more important to him.
“Is that a third-tier magical beast?”
Bai Xi wasn’t skilled at identifying such things and asked uncertainly.
“Yes.”
Long Haochen glanced over and nodded firmly. “But this…”
“What a coincidence—it’s you.”
Before Long Haochen could finish, Bai Xi had already excitedly charged forward.
“But this is a peak third-tier magical beast!”
Long Haochen wanted to say that this magical beast was beyond their capabilities and that they shouldn’t overestimate themselves. However, Bai Xi had already raised her sword and charged forward, so he had no choice but to follow.
Two people working together were better than one.
In any case, he wouldn’t let his younger sister face it alone.
As Bai Xi charged forward, the serpent-type magical beast had already begun coiling around the boy’s body.
Looking at this enormous snake, even if Bai Xi wasn’t highly knowledgeable about magical beasts, she knew that if no one helped tonight, the boy would only end up in the snake’s belly, leaving no trace behind.
“There’s no time.”
Muttering to herself, Bai Xi threw her heavy iron sword.
Whenever there was no time or when she was too angry, Bai Xi would let her sword lead the way. The heavy sword, which other Knights never let go of, was forcefully used by Bai Xi as a hidden weapon.
The heavy sword struck the giant snake in a remarkably precise location.
It blocked the snake’s gaping maw from reaching the boy and was embedded deeply enough to cause the snake pain, loosening its grip slightly and preventing it from constricting the boy as tightly.
Bai Xi seized the moment, whipping the coiled whip from her waist toward the boy who had already steeled himself for death. It wrapped around him, yanking him out of the snake’s jaws.
The entire sequence took less than a second.
“Am I… not dead?”
The boy trembled as he opened his eyes, only to see the giant serpent charging toward him. Despite its massive size, its speed remained astonishingly fast.
At the same time, he caught sight of the figure standing protectively in front of him.
The moon was out tonight, its light bathing her in a soft, sacred glow.
“Xi Xi, you’re too impulsive.”
A boy’s voice, seemingly scolding but filled with affection, rang out as another figure wielding dual swords joined the fray.
Both appeared to be around his age, and he assumed their strength couldn’t be much greater.
Worried they might underestimate the magical beast’s rank and end up dragged down by him, the boy quickly called out a warning.
“This is a third-tier magical beast—it’s very difficult to deal with. You should leave now.”
Truthfully, he could have taken advantage of the giant serpent being held back and made his escape. But he couldn’t cross that line in his heart; he couldn’t bring himself to be ungrateful.
Even though he was truly terrified, his voice trembling as he spoke.
Nearly dying in the snake’s jaws had almost become a psychological scar for him.
Long Haochen spared a moment to reply, “It’s fine, we can handle it.”
Only when actually facing the peak third-tier magical beast did Long Haochen realize it wasn’t as strenuous as he’d feared. Both he and his sister were proficient in Divine Defense Block, a skill that grew stronger the greater the challenge.
Working together, the siblings managed to defeat the serpentine magical beast after some effort.
Bai Xi glanced at the boy, whose eyes still held traces of fear, and gently coaxed him.
“It’s just a third-tier magical beast. Pick up your sword—we can take it down together.”
Her gaze seemed to carry a peculiar power, compelling the boy to lift his sword. He channeled his Knight skills and swung with all his might at the giant serpent.
After landing a solid strike, the boy suddenly felt a wave of relief wash over him.
It was liberation; it was rebirth.
“Still, we did most of the work killing this magical beast, so the crystal core is mine.”
As she spoke, Bai Xi deftly finished off the giant serpent, extracted the crystal core, and stored it away.
The boy didn’t respond. When Bai Xi glanced back, she happened to see him rummaging through his pockets, then holding out a small handful of second-tier magical beast crystal cores.
His eyes sparkled, brighter than the crystal cores themselves. A smile graced his face, making him look like an obedient little puppy, gazing at Bai Xi with puppy-dog eyes.
“I won’t fight you for the crystal core. You can have all of these too. Thank you for saving me.”
“We don’t lack these second-tier crystal cores. You should keep them for yourself.”
Before Bai Xi could refuse, Long Haochen, sensing trouble, abruptly declined on her behalf.
Perhaps driven by an overprotective older brother’s intuition, Long Haochen couldn’t shake the feeling that this boy was here to charm his precious sister—like a pig eyeing the finest cabbage.
The mere thought of it was enough to torment a brother as devoted as him.
Long Haochen, usually known for his gentle and good-natured demeanor, found his temper fraying at the edges.
Ignoring Long Haochen, the boy took two steps closer to Bai Xi, still holding out the crystal cores. He looked at her with wide, innocent eyes, pleading pitifully.
“Are these crystal cores not good enough? I can find better ones. I just want to repay my debt to you, sister, for saving my life.”
For no apparent reason, Long Haochen felt his anger flare even hotter.
“His meaning is my meaning. Keep these for yourself, I have already received your gratitude.”
Faced with two pitiful-looking children, Bai Xi naturally chose to comfort her own child first.
The phrase “his meaning is my meaning” immediately cheered Long Haochen up, and he thought to himself that he would use this line in the future.