The little girl realized she had been discovered but didn't seem embarrassed at all. She nimbly climbed down from the tree, crouched beside the pot, and nearly drooled into it.
"Who are you? Why were you in the tree?" Ye Lanshan grabbed the little girl directly and pulled her close.
"Then who are you? Why did you choose to tempt me here?" The little girl's eyes were still fixed on the pot, desperately eager to eat the meat inside.
"Do you really want to eat it?" Ye Lanshan found her gluttonous expression amusing.
"Hey, you haven't answered me yet—why are you tempting me here?" The little girl grumbled, dissatisfied that she was dodging the question.
"I wasn't trying to tempt you here. This is something I made for myself. Even if you want to eat it, I might not let you." For some reason, Ye Lanshan felt like teasing this little girl.
"Let me tell you, eating your food is an honor for you. If it were someone else's food, I wouldn't even bother!" The little girl lifted her chin proudly, looking haughty.
"It's just a Windstorm Eagle. Acting like you're so noble." Shangguan Xin sat nearby, speaking elegantly, but her words were dripping with disdain.
"Since you know I'm a Windstorm Eagle, you should realize I'm a divine beast now. A divine beast!" The little girl's eyes widened in disbelief as she stared at Shangguan Xin, unable to fathom that someone would know she was a divine beast and still look down on her.
Ye Lanshan was indeed shocked to learn she was a divine beast, but she quickly shrugged it off. After all, she already had an ancient divine beast—a phoenix—so ordinary divine beasts didn't interest her much.
"It's just a divine beast. Is it really worth all this fuss?" A glint of calculation flashed in Ye Lanshan's eyes. Though she already had the ancient phoenix, who would complain about having more contracted divine beasts?
"Do you even know what a divine beast is? Believe me, if I stomp my foot, thousands would flock to please me, and all kinds of spirit beasts would heed my command." The little girl felt these two were the strangest people she'd ever met.
Other humans either feared her, tried to claim her, or groveled to win her favor. But these two, upon learning she was a divine beast, remained calm and even showed a hint of contempt.
"Oh, and so what?" Ye Lanshan stirred the soup in the pot with a ladle and added some spices.
"Since you know I'm a divine beast, why not just offer me this pot of soup?" The little girl stared at the soup, her stomach growling audibly.
"We don't know each other. Why would I give you the soup?" Ye Lanshan gave her a strange look.
"My name is Ying Huarong. Now we know each other, so can I eat this?" Without waiting for Ye Lanshan's reply, the little girl rushed to the pot, reaching out to grab the meat.
"Wait, did I say you could eat it?" Ye Lanshan reached out and pulled her away from the pot.
"Hey, what's your deal? We know each other now, and you still won't let me eat?" Ying Huarong pouted, her anger starting to flare.
"I never said we know each other," Ye Lanshan replied, completely unafraid. Even if Ying Huarong was a divine beast, so what? Beside her was Shangguan Xin, a demonic entity. Even the ancient phoenix might not be a match for her, let alone this ordinary little divine beast.
"Then what do I have to do for us to 'know each other'?" Ying Huarong held back her anger for the sake of the delicious meal.
"Give me fifty spirit stones, and I'll treat you to this meal." Would Ye Lanshan let her eat so easily? Of course not. This was just bait—she had to play the long game to reel in this fish.
"What? Where would I get that many spirit stones? You're being unreasonable." Ying Huarong's eyes darted around for a moment before she realized Ye Lanshan was asking for money. Fifty spirit stones for one meal? That was daylight robbery—no meal was that expensive.
"Look, you're not my person, and you won't pay. Why should I feed you? But since we've crossed paths, I'll let you have one taste." Ye Lanshan spoke casually, as if she truly didn't see a divine beast as anything rare or powerful.
"Then, if I become your person, can I eat this delicious food every day?" After taking a sip of the soup, Ying Huarong smacked her lips, craving more.
"Of course. I never shortchange my own people." A smirk curled at the corner of Ye Lanshan's mouth, knowing she had taken the bait.
"In that case, I want to contract with you." Ying Huarong grabbed her finger and bit it.
"Huh? I thought I'd be the master and you the servant. How did it turn out the other way?" After the contract was formed, Ying Huarong looked confused. She had planned to become the master, ordering Ye Lanshan to cook whatever she wanted. But now she was the servant? How strange.
"Is that weird? When humans contract with spirit beasts, isn't the human always the master?" Ye Lanshan was puzzled. In her experience, all master-servant contracts made humans the masters.
"That's probably just what you think. In reality, if there's a huge gap in strength, the stronger party becomes the master. But your constitution is different, so you can't be compared to ordinary people." Shangguan Xin had initially wanted a master-servant contract with her too, but when she found it impossible, she settled for an equal contract instead.
"Oh, I see." Ye Lanshan nodded in understanding.
"So can I eat now?" Ying Huarong hesitated for a moment before letting it go. Nothing was more important than eating right now.
"Of course, eat as much as you like."
Now that Ying Huarong was her contracted beast, Ye Lanshan wouldn't be stingy enough to deny her food.
But she soon regretted it. This girl had an astonishing appetite—she devoured the entire pot of soup, leaving not a drop for Ye Lanshan.
"Um, sorry about that. The soup was just too good, and I couldn't stop myself." Ying Huarong looked at Ye Lanshan, who was radiating icy coldness, with tearful eyes, feeling wronged.
"And you think 'sorry' is enough?" Ye Lanshan snorted, her cold aura intensifying.
Ying Huarong cautiously ventured, "Then... how about I catch another one for you?"
"That's more like it. And if you find any chickens or something, bring one back too." Ye Lanshan's expression finally softened.
"Got it! I'll go catch one right now." In a flash, Ying Huarong vanished from their sight.
"Though this divine beast is pretty dumb, capturing it without any effort shows you've got some skill." Shangguan Xin, who had only contracted with Ye Lanshan because Wu Jiao said she was the chosen one, now felt a hint of genuine admiration for her.