"Ah!" As expected, Nangong Mian hadn't even reached the stream when she was startled by the demon beast poking its head out of the water.
Seeing that Nangong Mian was fine, Su Liushang hid his worry and scolded, "Hey, what are you screaming for? If you alert the demon beasts, we're all done for."
"I'll do whatever I want, mind your own business." Nangong Mian was already badly frightened by the demon beast, and Su Liushang's words only made her feel even more wronged.
Mo Ran was already in a bad mood after being tricked by Ye Lianshan earlier, and their bickering only irritated him further, so he said coldly, "Shut up."
A chilling aura emanated from Mo Ran, scaring them both into silence, leaving them only able to glare at each other.
In truth, the demon beast had woken up the moment they started arguing, but it was clever and chose not to attack then, waiting instead for them to let their guard down.
However, after spotting the beast, they grew more cautious, testing every step they took. By the time they reached the stream, the beast could no longer hold back. It leaped out of the water, opening its massive jaws to bite them.
"What are you spacing out for? Run!" Su Liushang grabbed Nangong Mian and dodged the beast's attack.
For once, Nangong Mian didn't talk back. Instead, she said, "I want it to be my contract beast."
"Are you crazy? That's a fifth-rank green snake. With your strength, you can at most contract a third-rank demon beast." Su Liushang held onto Nangong Mian tightly, afraid she'd recklessly provoke the snake.
Ye Lianshan noticed the look in Nangong Mian's eyes as she stared at the snake and asked, "Why do you want it as your contract beast?"
Nangong Mian said softly, "My sister's contract beast is a green snake."
Seeing the nostalgia in Nangong Mian's eyes, Ye Lianshan didn't press further but said, "With your current cultivation, contracting it would be very difficult." Before Nangong Mian could feel disappointed, she added, "But contracting its child is more than enough."
"Roar~" The green snake, annoyed that they were ignoring it and chatting so leisurely, roared to assert its presence.
Ye Lianshan glanced at the snake, then turned to Nangong Mian and said, "Don't worry, with me here, I'll make sure you get a green snake." Finally, she summoned her Flame Tiger and attacked the green snake together.
The others were startled to see the Flame Tiger, not expecting Ye Lianshan to have a sixth-rank demon beast.
Ye Yutian frowned deeply, realizing that even in such a dangerous situation before, she hadn't revealed her trump card, yet now she casually summoned her contract beast for someone she barely knew.
He felt a vague irritation but couldn't pinpoint why. He was increasingly certain that Ye Lianshan was trouble, and he needed to stay away.
Soon, the green snake was overwhelmed by the combined assault of the human and beast. "Don't worry, if you hand over your child, we won't kill you."
Hearing that their target was her child, the green snake flew into a rage. It forced itself to attack Ye Lianshan and the Flame Tiger wildly.
"Why bother? You know that even if you don't hand it over now, we'll find it ourselves after we kill you," Ye Lianshan said while dodging its attacks. "We can sit down and talk this out. We can swear that if you give us your child, not only will you be safe, but your child will also have great prospects."
"I doubt you want it to lose its mother and freedom at such a young age," Ye Lianshan guided the snake toward the desired outcome.
In the end, the green snake relented and handed over its child.
"Nangong Mian, come over and contract it now!" Ye Lianshan called out.
She expected Nangong Mian to happily come and contract it, but instead, Nangong Mian said, "I want to truly rely on my own ability to contract, so I can't do it. I'm sorry for wasting your time and effort."
Seeing her conflicted expression and reddened eyes, Ye Lianshan smiled slightly and said, "It's fine. We came here to train anyway. I enjoyed that fight, so how could it be a waste?"
Deeply moved, Nangong Mian said, "Lianshan, I've decided you're my best sister from now on. If you ever have any trouble, just tell me, and I'll help you solve it."
"You? Help others with their problems? It'd be a miracle if you could take care of yourself," Su Liushang mocked.
"Hey, Su Liushang, are you physically incapable of not opposing me?" Nangong Mian glared at him with wide eyes, as if she wanted to devour him.
Ignoring her fierce look, Su Liushang continued to tease, "Yeah, you're right. I do want to oppose you. What can you do about it?"
Furious, Nangong Mian stomped her foot and turned her back to him, sitting motionless on a rock. Seeing that she seemed genuinely angry, Su Liushang quickly tried to appease her.
Meanwhile, Mo Ran asked coldly, "Now will you tell us what you know?"
"Since you're so eager to know, I'll tell you. That Sikong Kuang at the academy is an impostor."
"An impostor? Why should I believe you?" Mo Ran's eyes gradually filled with killing intent.
"Believe it or not, I've told you what I know." Ye Lianshan shrugged, completely ignoring his murderous gaze.
Mo Ran immediately grabbed her neck and leaned close to her ear, saying, "You'd better not be lying to me, or I'll snap your neck."
"Is that so? I wonder if your hand is faster, or my dagger." Ye Lianshan smiled sweetly, showing no fear.
Mo Ran froze, clearly feeling a dagger pressed against a certain private part of his body.
"Grabbing me like this makes me really nervous. What if I slip?" Ye Lianshan said wickedly.
"Hmph." Mo Ran snorted and let go.
"That's more like it." Ye Lianshan discreetly withdrew the dagger.
"Since we've rested enough, let's go." A voice laced with coldness reached everyone's ears, making them shiver as they all looked at Ye Yutian, puzzled by his mood.
In truth, Ye Yutian didn't know why either. Seeing Ye Lianshan's interaction with Mo Ran left him feeling inexplicably irritated.
On the road, Ye Lianshan found that bickering with Mo Ran was endlessly entertaining, so she decided to have some fun at his expense to get back at him for choking her, teaching him the lesson that "it's better to offend a petty person than a woman."