"Boss... you have to run! This thing is after me!" Ling Luoxi was both touched and frantic when he heard Xu Luo's voice.
"Master Mao?" Xu Luo called out.
"Hmph, you weak little human. I just called you weak and you wouldn't listen, right? At a time like this, who else can you rely on but Master Mao?" Seeing Xu Luo ask for help, Miaomiao puffed up with pride again.
It shot out of Xu Luo's pocket and pounced directly at the massive black Spirit Beast that was desperately chasing Ling Luoxi.
BOOM!
In that instant, the incomparably powerful aura of a Tier Nine Spirit Beast erupted from Master Mao's body.
The massive black Spirit Beast, which had been about to pounce on Ling Luoxiâwho had slowed down a fraction of a second, distracted by his shoutingâsuddenly shuddered. It whipped around and let out a roar that was both terrified and resigned in the direction of Miaomiao's attack.
ROAR!
"It's a black-striped giant tiger! A Tier Three Spirit Beast!" Xu Luo blurted out. He had recently spent his free time poring over the notes Huangfu Chongzhi gave him and often discussed them with Huangfu Chongzhi in person, so his knowledge of various strange beasts, Spirit Beasts, and Spirit Medicines was much greater than before.
"You little thing, why aren't you lying down and obediently waiting for Master Mao to kill you?" Miaomiao landed arrogantly on a tree branch and spoke coldly to the Tier Three Spirit Beast, the black-striped giant tiger, below.
"Wh-what's going on?" Ling Luoxi had been on the verge of giving up, ready to close his eyes and wait for death. He never expected that the ferocious black tiger that had been chasing him for so long would suddenly turn around and obediently prostrate itself.
Although it was letting out threatening growls from its throat, if one listened carefully, it sounded more like it was begging for mercy!
Ling Luoxi couldn't hear Miaomiao's voice, nor did he see the small yellow figure on the branch at all.
Even if he had seen a cat the size of his palm, he certainly wouldn't have thought anything of it.
'Miaomiao, don't kill it. It could be useful.' After sending a telepathic message to Miaomiao, Xu Luo walked over to Ling Luoxi.
Though he had temporarily escaped with his life, Ling Luoxi was not in good shape.
Xu Luo could feel an incomparably powerful force within Ling Luoxi's body, surging relentlessly as if it might cause him to explode at any moment.
It had been more manageable when he was running for his life, but now that he had stopped, the situation immediately became much more severe.
"What's wrong?" Xu Luo asked, looking with concern at Ling Luoxi, whose forehead was beaded with sweat, clothes were soaked through, and who could barely speak.
"I... I was on night patrol when I saw a... plant with... a few fruits on it. They had this tempting aroma, so I couldn't resist. I picked one and ate it. Who knew... the damn thing was filled with... a massive amount of energy. I was so happy that I ate... all four of them... S-sorry, Boss... I was too greedy. I let the brothers down. If I had known, I would have left some for everyone... But now... I feel like I'm going to burst and die from being so full, WAHHH..."
As Ling Luoxi spoke, he couldn't help but burst into tears.
He had just earned military honors and been ennobled, which should have been a matter of great honor for his ancestors. But who could have predicted this? Out of a moment of greed, he'd swallowed four Vermilion Fruits packed with energy, leading not only to a chase from the guardian Spirit Beast but also the danger of his body exploding.
"I was wrong... WAHHH... I shouldn't have been so greedy. I've let the brothers down, I've let my mom and dad down..." The more Ling Luoxi cried, the more distraught he became.
Xu Luo keenly sensed that the vast energy inside Ling Luoxi's body was growing more and more violent, as if it could rupture his body at any second!
Just then, his Shaking Light Star Soul trembled slightly. An idea sparked in Xu Luo's mind, and he said in a low voice, "Give me your hand."
Ling Luoxi gritted his teeth against the pain in his Dantian and gave his hand to Xu Luo.
The moment Xu Luo grasped Ling Luoxi's wrist, the Shaking Light Star Soul in his Dantian flashed with excitement. Immediately, the violent power raging inside Ling Luoxi's body surged through his meridians, rapidly gathering in the arm Xu Luo was holding.
Then, it traveled up Xu Luo's arm and into his Dantian.
The Shaking Light Star Soul in his Dantian glowed with a brilliant light, like a feasting taotie, crazily absorbing the energy.
In the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the vast and surging energy in Ling Luoxi's Dantian had been completely devoured by the Shaking Light Star Soul!
Sensing that the Shaking Light Star Soul was still not satisfied, Xu Luo quickly let go of Ling Luoxi's hand. 'I'd better not let it drain all of Ling Luoxi's power,' he thought. 'That would be a problem.'
"Huh? The... the violent energy inside me... it's gone?" Ling Luoxi looked astonished, a mix of happiness and disappointment on his face.
He had gotten his life back, but that immense power was gone.
"Boss... how did you do that?" Ling Luoxi asked, looking at Xu Luo with curiosity.
"You should just be glad you're still alive!" Xu Luo shot him a glare. "Don't ask questions you shouldn't be asking!"
"Er..." Ling Luoxi meekly lowered his head. He knew very well that he was in the wrong today. If he hadn't been greedy and had only taken a single Vermilion Fruit, he never would have faced the crisis of his body nearly exploding.
In the end, it was all due to a moment of greed.
Greed is something everyone experiences. But what made Ling Luoxi feel most guilty was that his boss had, not long ago, given all his military merits to them. General Yuwen had even secretly told them about it, mentioning specifically that Xu Luo had requested they not be informed.
Even though their boss later received a great reward from the Emperor, that was because the Emperor was wise, not because Xu Luo was being disingenuous!
And yet here he was, greedily swallowing all the Vermilion Fruits just to enhance his own strength... In truth, if there had been a dozen or so Vermilion Fruits, Ling Luoxi would have definitely picked them to share with his brothers.
But there were only four!
How could he divide them? Who should get them? In a moment of impulse, Ling Luoxi had simply stuffed all four Vermilion Fruits into his own stomach.
And this was the result.
"Boss... I'm sorry." Ling Luoxi finally lowered his head, admitting his mistake. He then said meekly, "Boss, can you help me keep this a secret? I promise... I'll never make a mistake like this again!"
Xu Luo wasn't sure how to explain what had happened to Ling Luoxi, so he was surprised when the man asked him to keep it a secret. He smiled and said, "It's alright, I'm not blaming you. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this."
Hearing this, Ling Luoxi let out a long sigh of relief, the great weight in his heart finally lifted.
At this moment, Ling Luoxi's feelings for Xu Luo had gone beyond mere respect and turned into adoration!
First, Xu Luo had saved his life. Strictly speaking, he had saved him twice!
Once by saving him from the Spirit Beast that was still lying there like a docile cat; and a second time by using some unknown method to draw out the terrifying energy from his body, saving him from the crisis of exploding.
These two life-saving acts, combined with his own shame, elevated Xu Luo's image in Ling Luoxi's mind to a level that he could only look up to in awe.
One had to remember that Ling Luoxi, formerly a top student at the True Martial Academy, was also very proud at heart!
Even the Emperor didn't seem all that lofty in his eyes!
Just then, Xu Luo received a telepathic message from Miaomiao: 'This little guy has been subdued by Master Mao. How do you want to eat it? Roasted or stewed... This thing wouldn't dare put up any resistance!'
'Miaomiao, what do you think about making it our mount?' Xu Luo had been entertaining this idea from the moment he first saw the huge, sturdy black tiger.
'Master Mao's mount... seems to be you, human!' Miaomiao sneered. 'You're the one who wants a majestic-looking mount, aren't you?'
Xu Luo was speechless. He wanted to say, 'I'm not your mount,' but when he thought about it, didn't Miaomiao spend all day sleeping in his pocket?
"You know, Master Mao, I'm getting the feeling that you... haven't been lacking Star Power recently?" Xu Luo said with a cold laugh. "As for this black tiger, I don't want it. Kill it or let it go, it's all up to you, Master Mao! I have no intention of being anyone's mount. From now on, let's just go our separate ways!"
"Hehe, Master Mao was just joking with you. You're not that petty, are you? It's just a mount, what's the big deal? If Master Mao gives an order, would it dare disobey?" For Miaomiao, things like integrity were useless.
That's what it said, but in its heart, it was thinking: 'Damn human, how dare you threaten your Master Mao like that! Hmph... Master Mao will remember this. Just you wait until the day Master Mao grows into a true Heaven-Swallowing Fox!'
Xu Luo snorted, walked over to the trembling black tiger, and patted its head. "Alright, get up. Look how scared you are. It's not like I'm going to eat you!"
The black tiger rolled its eyes in a very human-like way. 'Do you think I'm afraid of you?' it thought. 'Despicable human, I'm afraid of that damned Tier Nine Spirit Beast!'
But obviously, that damned Tier Nine Spirit Beast was in league with this shameless, bastard human...
'ROAR... Dammit, how could a Tier Nine Spirit Beast possibly be with a human?'
The black tiger was utterly bewildered and felt incredibly wronged. Not only had its guarded Vermilion Fruits been stolen, but it had been roped into this mess as well...
Ling Luoxi, watching from the side, was dumbfounded. In his and the others' eyes, Xu Luo had just been a young genius, talented in both literary and martial arts. He had even occasionally thought that his boss was just lucky to have a good mother...
If not for Madam Xu seeking out medicine for Xu Luo, how could his strength have surged in such a short time?
If not for the Xu Family's profound scholarly heritage, how could Xu Luo possibly know so much?
But now, Ling Luoxi, who thought he understood his boss well, suddenly realized that the mysteries surrounding him ran far deeper than anything they had seen.
It was as if he were shrouded in a mysterious aura; the closer one got, the less clear he became.
"Alright, let's head back." Xu Luo vaulted onto the black tiger's back, making Ling Luoxi so envious his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
He didn't dare ask to ride along, though. Just moments ago, that black tiger had looked like it wanted to swallow him whole.
By this time, Miaomiao had already slipped back into Xu Luo's pocket unnoticed and was now bombarding his ear with complaints before it would finally quiet down.
"Hmph! Master Mao does all the work, and you reap all the benefits! You bastard! You cunning, shameless human, AAAAAAHHHH!"