Transforming into a stunningly beautiful fox spirit, leaving a scar on the heart of a prodigy.

Su Xiaojiu felt as if ten thousand crows had flown over her brain, cawing noisily and leaving a mess of chicken feathers.

child?

Bai Jiu?

"System, I retract my previous statement. This tiger isn't innocent; he's got a screw loose!"

Su Xiaojiu roared inwardly, "We've only met twice! Only twice! And he's already thought of the child's name? Is his next step to decide which mountain the child should cultivate on?"

[Some demons engage in direct courtship behavior, immediately planning their future after identifying a mate. This behavior aligns with the racial characteristics and romantic nature of their target.]

"Thank you for your explanation!"

Looking at the expectant eyes of the silly tiger in front of her, Su Xiaojiu felt a chill run down her spine.

Should we refuse outright?

No way, looking at how serious he is, I'm afraid I'll be heartbroken on the spot, and my affection for him will drop to zero.

Should we go along with him?

Absolutely not! She doesn't want to become a mother out of nowhere.

In the blink of an eye, Su Xiaojiu's dramatic spirit ignited.

The surprise on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a sly and playful smile.

"You want me to give birth to your little tiger cubs?"

She deliberately dragged out her words, leaned forward slightly, and gently tapped Bai Yin's muscular chest with one finger.

Bai Yin's body tensed instantly, and the place where her fingertips touched felt so hot it was almost burning.

He nodded vigorously, as if afraid she wouldn't see him.

"That won't do." Su Xiaojiu changed the subject, and seeing his frozen expression, she smiled even more mischievously. "The bond between us monsters isn't something that can be built on words alone."

Bai Yin was stunned: "Then...how can that be?"

"You have to fight for it." Su Xiaojiu took a step back, beckoned to him with her finger, and her azure eyes flashed with a defiant light. "Let's play a game."

"game?"

"Okay, I'll run, you chase." Su Xiaoshou tilted her head, smiling brightly. "If you can catch me, I'll consider... Bai Jiu's matter."

For monsters, chasing and being chased is an instinct ingrained in their very bones.

This is not just a game, but also the oldest courtship ritual.

Bai Yin's breathing suddenly became rapid.

She...she's responding to me!

She accepted!

Overwhelming ecstasy overwhelmed his already limited rationality.

"good!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the girl's figure flickered, and with a simple illusion, she instantly disappeared into the morning mist.

All that remained was a string of silvery laughter and a faint, lingering fragrance of gardenias.

"Come and chase me, Little White!"

Bai Yin stood still and closed his eyes.

He didn't understand those complicated spells and couldn't calculate her location.

But he had his own way of doing things.

His nose twitched slightly as he greedily savored the sweet fragrance in the air.

It's the taste.

Clean and crisp, like the first handful of melting snow on a mountaintop.

He had read in an ancient book that every demon has its own unique scent.

When two demons become partners, their scents will blend together, and they will never be able to separate for all eternity.

His scent is that of a cold jasmine fragrance, imbued with the malevolent energy of metal after years of fighting.

She is like a gardenia, sweet but not cloying.

Perfect match.

Bai Yin opened his eyes, and there was no longer any confusion in his golden vertical pupils, only the focus and fervor of a hunter locking onto his prey.

He grinned, revealing a wild and untamed smile.

The next moment, his bones made a sickening cracking sound.

His body size increased dramatically.

The tattered Taoist robe was torn to shreds, revealing the bulging muscles and silver-gray hair beneath.

In just a few breaths, the uneasy boy disappeared.

Instead, there was a huge white tiger, three zhang long and taller than a person.

Its silver-gray fur shimmered with a metallic sheen in the morning light, the bright red king-shaped demon mark on its forehead seemed to be burning, and the black and white stripes extended from its back to the tip of its thick tail, exuding an explosive sense of power.

"roar--"

A tiger's roar that shook the mountains and forests resounded.

Bai Yin pushed off with all four legs, his massive body transforming into a silver lightning bolt, following the scent of flowers as he rushed into the depths of the dense forest.

……

Su Xiaojiu leisurely controlled her speed as she weaved through the forest.

She didn't really intend to run away.

This silly tiger may look clumsy, but its cultivation level is quite high. If it really runs, my little arms and legs wouldn't be enough for it to swat me with one claw.

She just wanted to keep him hanging on, to enjoy the cat-and-mouse game.

By the way... let's boost our favorability again.

[Ding! Target Bai Yin's favorability increased by 5. Current favorability: 35 (Heart-fluttering).]

[Ding! Target Bai Yin's favorability increased by 5. Current favorability: 40 (Devoted).]

【Ding! ...]

Su Xiaojiu was in a great mood as she listened to the notification sounds that kept ringing in her mind.

The favorability rating has skyrocketed, like it's on a rocket.

She glanced back.

You won't be surprised if you don't look, because once you do, you'll be shocked.

What is that silver lightning bolt that's relentlessly chasing us?!

That enormous size, that fierce aura, that king character burning red on his forehead...

[System! That's Bai Yin?!]

[Yes, host. The target has revealed their true form: the Geng Metal White Tiger.]

Su Xiaojiu stumbled and almost tripped over a tree root.

What she thought was a kitten turned out to be a fierce tiger full of primordial energy?

The difference in body size is just outrageous!

"roar!"

The roar of the tiger behind them grew closer and closer, carrying a hint of urging.

Su Xiaojiu dared not play anymore and immediately increased the speed to the maximum.

A fox and a tiger, one in front and one behind, engaged in a chase in the vast mountains and forests.

Su Xiaojiu was panting heavily as she ran. When she looked back, the big tiger was following behind her with ease, even taking the time to flick its tail.

It seems like he's... teasing her?

Su Xiaojiu immediately became unconvinced.

"Hey! Xiaobai! Hurry up! Haven't you eaten yet?" She deliberately turned around and shouted at him.

Upon hearing her provocation, Bai Yin let out a low roar and suddenly increased his speed even further.

Seeing this, Su Xiaojiu also became interested and decided to play freely.

She would stop abruptly, turn sharply, and sometimes use the tree trunks for leverage to leap and bound, her movements as nimble as a real forest fox.

Bai Yin was enjoying himself; he wasn't in a hurry to catch up with her, but simply savored the pleasure of the chase.

Watching her nimble figure darting about in front of him, Bai Yin's huge tiger face revealed an expression that could only be described as doting.

He pretended to be tired, deliberately slowed his pace, and his movements appeared somewhat clumsy.

Su Xiaojiu fell for the trick as expected.

Seeing that Bai Yin had slowed down, she assumed he was exhausted, so she also slowed down and turned back to make a face at him.

"Can't keep up, big guy?"

It's now!

A glint of light flashed in Bai Yin's eyes.

He secretly activated a spell he had learned from the slovenly Taoist priest.

Shrinking the earth to an inch!

The space in front of them instantly distorted.

Su Xiaojiu felt a blur before her eyes, and a strong gust of wind attacked from behind.

Before she could react, the collar of her clothes tightened suddenly at the back of her neck, lifting her into the air.

A huge tiger's face was right in front of me.

Those golden, vertical pupils were filled with a triumphant look.

It's over.

He's been caught.

Su Xiaojiu's heart skipped a beat, but then a bad idea popped into her head.

She closed her eyes, tilted her head, and her limbs went limp instantly. She hung motionless in Bai Yin's mouth.

Playing dead.

Bai Yin, with Su Xiaojiu in his mouth, was about to throw her onto his back when he suddenly felt that his "prey" had stopped moving.

He paused for a moment, then gently shook his head.

no response.

He carefully placed Su Xiaojiu on the ground and gently nudged her with his large tiger head.

Still no response.

Bai Yin panicked.

His smug expression vanished instantly, replaced by boundless fear.

What happened?

He clearly controlled his strength; he only grabbed her collar and didn't hurt her at all.

Was she too fragile and scared to death?

Thinking of this possibility, Bai Yin felt as if the whole world had turned gray.

He let out a mournful whimper, and tears welled up in his enormous tiger eyes.

Just then.

The "corpse" on the ground suddenly opened one eye and winked playfully at him.

The next second, Su Xiaojiu suddenly jumped up from the ground and patted Bai Yin's big head.

"Stupid tiger! Are you scared stiff?"

She laughed so hard she almost fell over. "Don't you know foxes have nine lives?"

Bai Yin stared at her blankly, not reacting for a moment.

Only after confirming that she was really alright did my heart finally settle down.

He was overwhelmed with joy.

He wasn't angry. Instead, he lowered his head and affectionately rubbed his furry cheek against Su Xiaojiu's arm.

itch.

Su Xiaojiu giggled as he rubbed against her.

Seeing that she was happy, Bai Yin also let out a pleasant snore.

He opened his mouth wide, grabbed Su Xiaojiu by the back of her collar again, and gave her a gentle shake.

"what!"

Su Xiaojiu exclaimed in surprise, and flew up before landing steadily on Bai Yin's broad and sturdy back.

Before she could even settle in, Bai Yin used all four legs to propel himself into a streak of light, running wildly through the mountains and rivers.

The wind whistled in my ears, and the scenery on both sides rushed past.

At first, Su Xiaojiu clung tightly to Bai Yin's tiger fur, afraid of falling off.

But gradually, she relaxed.

She even tried to loosen her grip, sit up straight on the tiger's back, and open her arms to embrace the oncoming gale.

"ah--"

She shouted wildly at the vast open space.

"roar--"

Bai Yin also looked up to the sky and roared in response.

At this moment, Su Xiaojiu completely forgot about all the strategy missions, the system, and the vengeful spirit in the secret realm.

She was simply a monster who enjoyed freedom and speed.

And a kindred spirit who is willing to carry her across mountains and rivers.

They ran for an unknown amount of time until the moon was high in the sky, when they finally stopped on a wide-open mountaintop.

Bai Yin transformed back into human form, his breathing somewhat unstable.

Su Xiaojiu jumped off his back, her face flushed, still excited.

"That was awesome!" she exclaimed sincerely.

Looking at her wind-blown, messy hair and those incredibly bright eyes, Bai Yin felt a wave of tenderness wash over him.

He stepped forward, raised his hand, and naturally tucked a stray lock of her hair, which had been ruffled by the wind, behind her ear.

"Jiu'er".

He called softly, his voice filled with unprecedented tenderness and affection.

Su Xiaojiu's body stiffened slightly.

She neither avoided his touch nor corrected his affectionate address.

She simply raised her head and quietly looked at him.

Under the moonlight, the boy's features softened, and his golden eyes were filled with her reflection, earnest and focused.

"Jiu'er," Bai Yin called out again, as if to confirm something. He looked into her eyes and said in an extremely solemn tone, "From now on, I will protect you."

This is not a request.

It is a promise.

A promise from the Tiger Demon of the Western Continent, the heaviest promise.