Chapter 37: When the Snipe and the Clam Grapple

Yun Zhao comforted him, "Don't be afraid, I will protect you."

Qi Yan finally realized that Yun Zhao thought he was afraid because they were about to enter the Nanmu Forest.

"I'm not afraid," he scoffed. "It should be me protecting you."

He wanted to say more, but a thunderous roar suddenly erupted not far away, sounding as if it were charging straight toward them.

Qi Yan frowned. "It’s a Golden Core stage demonic beast. If a fight breaks out, stay far away!"

Yun Zhao glanced ahead; several ancient trees had already been knocked over by the unknown beast. She nodded hurriedly. "I understand!"

With that, she let go of Qi Yan’s hand, grabbed the young child, and dashed behind a tree to hide, determined not to be a burden to Qi Yan and the others.

Qi Yan: "..."

There was no need to hide just yet.

The beast reached them in moments—a Flaming Golden Lion.

As the one with the highest cultivation among them, Bai Lingxiao said in a low voice, "Everyone, be careful. I cannot discern its cultivation level!"

The moment the Flaming Golden Lion spotted them, it let out a roar, kicked its back legs, and lunged at Gu Dinghan, who had the weakest cultivation.

Gu Dinghan scrambled to dodge, cursing, "This beast is clever; it only picks on the soft persimmons!"

"Are you a soft persimmon, then?" Meng Wenchang retorted. "Hurry up and help!"

When the Flaming Golden Lion failed to catch Gu Dinghan, it quickly shifted its target toward Qi Yan. Bai Lingxiao rushed forward to assist. Meng Wenchang followed, taking his place beside Bai Lingxiao to fight side-by-side with her.

Gu Dinghan rubbed the tip of his nose, wondering why Meng Wenchang had been so hostile toward him lately. Had he offended him somehow? But this was no time to ponder; he summoned his life-bound spirit sword and joined the fray.

Yun Zhao and the child crouched behind the tree, watching the battle. Yun Zhao said calmly, "This lion has kicked an iron plate. Although the four of them aren't as strong as the beast individually, three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang. They can wear it down with a wheel tactic."

The child asked, "Senior Sister, who is Zhuge Liang?"

Yun Zhao faltered and changed the subject. "That’s not important. Watch how they fight; let’s learn from them."

As two weak Foundation Establishment cultivators, they could only watch; joining the fray would only be a gift to the enemy and a distraction to their own side. But as she watched, Yun Zhao noticed something strange.

"Child," Yun Zhao said suspiciously, "are they holding back?"

For instance, that last move by Qi Yan could have severely crippled the Flaming Golden Lion’s hind leg, yet it only left a shallow scratch.

Gu Dinghan had even stopped fighting altogether, taking the time to pull a waterskin from his storage bag for a drink.

The child observed for a moment. "Indeed. They must be using the Flaming Golden Lion as a sparring partner."

"Although there are many beasts in the Nanmu Forest, you usually only encounter beasts of this level deep within the inner forest."

"But with so many of us, including four Golden Core cultivators, most high-level beasts wouldn't dare come out to provoke us."

Since they had finally caught a Golden Core beast that had wandered out on its own, they wanted to sharpen their skills.

"Also," Yun Zhao frowned, "the Flaming Golden Lion seems hesitant. It looks like it's protecting something."

In her previous life, Yun Zhao loved watching wildlife documentaries—the ones with the humorous commentary. While entertaining, she had learned quite a bit about animals. Though demonic beasts were different from ordinary animals, they were largely the same.

Combining her knowledge from the *Compendium of Demonic Beasts*, she kept her eyes fixed on the lion's abdomen.

She said uncertainly, "Child, take a look. Is the Flaming Golden Lion's abdomen..."

"Senior Sister Zhaozhao," the child interrupted, "there are people!"

She gestured for Yun Zhao to look at the shrubs to the southeast. Yun Zhao glanced over nonchalantly; indeed, there were many people there, at least ten.

Yun Zhao’s face tightened. She whispered, "I don't know if they are friends or foes. I wonder if Yan and the others have noticed."

The child withdrew her gaze and whispered, "Senior Sister Zhaozhao, they are using high-level concealment artifacts. I am quite sensitive to such things, which is why I noticed."

"And," the child added after a careful sensing, "among that group, there should be at least three Golden Core cultivators."

Yun Zhao understood. It seemed Qi Yan and the others hadn't noticed.

Their intentions were unknown, but Yun Zhao felt they couldn't continue fighting the lion. If the lion were defeated and Qi Yan’s group exhausted their spiritual energy, they would both be weakened, allowing the others to reap the benefits.

Yun Zhao thought for a moment and whispered into the child's ear. The child nodded, and they both suddenly jumped out.

The child channeled her spiritual energy, sending wooden vines to wrap around Qi Yan, his companions, and the lion. She didn't seek to bind them, merely to delay them for a second.

In that second, Yun Zhao shouted, "Stop! Everyone, stop! Don't fight anymore!"

At those words, Qi Yan’s group and the lion instinctively broke free of the vines, but they all trembled and looked at Yun Zhao in confusion.

What was going on?

Yun Zhao took the opportunity to run between them, looking deeply distressed. "Don't fight anymore!"

"Let’s sit down and talk this over. There must be some misunderstanding, right?"

Gu Dinghan was dumbfounded. "Zhaozhao, have you lost your mind?"

Bai Lingxiao and Meng Wenchang mirrored his bewildered expression.

Qi Yan sniffed the air slightly and said to the Flaming Golden Lion, "Let's stop fighting. Shall we go aside and talk?"

The Flaming Golden Lion let out a low roar, eyeing them warily until it sensed an aura of its own kind, at which point the guard in its eyes slowly faded.

It let out a roar. Yun Zhao probed, "You agree?"

The Flaming Golden Lion nodded.

Although there was a communication barrier between cultivators and beasts, beasts could understand human speech.

Yun Zhao and Qi Yan exchanged a look. Qi Yan took the initiative to produce a medicinal pill and offered it to the lion.

It sniffed it briefly before consuming it.

Meng Wenchang asked in surprise, "It trusts us that much?"

Aren't beasts usually resistant to cultivators? When did it become so trusting?

Yun Zhao lied through her teeth, "Perhaps we look like good people. You didn't use lethal force when you were fighting it, after all."

Gu Dinghan's brain couldn't quite keep up, and he blurted out, "We didn't..."

They hadn't *intended* to avoid lethal force; they just wanted to use the beast for practice before killing it.

Meng Wenchang pinched his arm hard, and Bai Lingxiao gave a low cough. Gu Dinghan felt the pain, realized what Yun Zhao meant, and shut his mouth.

Seeing the six people and the lion reconcile, the people behind the shrubs grew restless.

A young man among them clenched his fists in frustration. He gritted his teeth, ready to stand up.

"Young Master," the old man behind him held him back, "don't be impulsive!"

He Yongrui said anxiously, "If they make peace, all our waiting will have been for nothing!"