Bai Ran pursed her lips and nodded, "That's right."
If the person from the Nine Heavens was who she suspected, it could only be one of the Jade Pond Palace Goddess, the Divine Emperor, or Mo Ze.
Or perhaps their subordinates, but if that were the case, the consequences would be truly unimaginable…
If Qing Hua and Qing Xue were in their hands, and they used them to threaten her, what then?
At Bai Ran's signal, Qing Feng took out the communication jade pendant and infused it with spiritual energy. As expected, he could not contact Qing Hua and the other.
Qing Feng stared at the jade pendant for a long time, his pupils trembling, "How can this be…?"
He couldn't contact them? Were they in danger?
Bai Ran's expression also turned solemn. Something had happened…
Those from the Nine Heavens had used her to approach Qing Feng and the others, teaching them a large amount of cultivation techniques.
If Qing Feng and the others had not been strong enough, they would not have been able to break through the Heavenly Dao laws to reach Bai Ran.
And the purpose of sending the two of them to her side was self-evident.
—To use the lives of the other two to coerce her.
If Qing Feng and the other had not come to Bai Ran’s side, Bai Ran would not have known about the danger Qing Hua and the other were in…
Such cunning methods… Bai Ran's palm gradually clenched, her eyes flashing with coldness.
She had been deceived…
A chill ran down Qing Feng's spine. They had caused trouble for their master…
"Master…" His expression was panicked, his lips pale.
Bai Ran sighed softly, unable to offer words of comfort for a moment. She merely gave him a reassuring look.
There was no avoiding it; those people had finally found her weakness.
Jing Feng, Dong Ling, Long Jinhan—everyone around Bai Ran was powerful, making them difficult to deal with.
Those from the Nine Heavens had therefore targeted the relatively weaker and less experienced Qing Feng and the other three.
Just who was it… Bai Ran's eyes were filled with coldness, staring intently at the expensive communication jade pendant on the table.
In the courtyard, the small mink in Qing Yue's arms was exceptionally well-behaved.
Xiao Zi stood to the side, staring intently at it. What exactly was this thing?
A spirit beast? Or a mystical beast?
The small mink tilted its head to look down at him, its expression very human-like. However, after a brief stare, the little creature snorted and turned away.
Xiao Zi blinked, a smile appearing on his face, "Mocking me? Believe it or not, I'll skin you and make a mink robe!"
The small mink froze, then abruptly turned and pressed against Qing Yue's cheek, nuzzling him with its little head, as if saying there was a strange person over there and it was very scared.
Qing Yue noticed the mink's unusual behavior and followed its gaze to the paw-waving Xiao Zi.
Xiao Zi's outstretched hand froze in mid-air. He met Qing Yue's gaze, and the scene became incredibly awkward.
"Um… it was all a misunderstanding…"
Xiao Zi retracted his hand, apologized, and then glared at the little creature on Qing Yue's shoulder.
The little mink rolled its eyes, its nostrils flaring, practically bursting with smugness.
Xiao Zi stared at it, unable to hit or scold it. He could only suppress his anger and stare fixedly at the arrogant little mink.
"You like Qing Qing?"
Xiao Zi froze. Qing Yue reached out, plucked the little creature from his shoulder, and handed it to Xiao Zi.
The little creature was stunned for a moment, then its expression turned terrified, its little paws desperately clinging to Qing Yue.
Xiao Zi curved his lips into a wicked smile and nodded at Qing Yue, "Thank you. I will definitely take… good care of it."
He reached out and pried the small mink's paws off one by one, holding the little creature in his embrace.
The small mink was stiff, curled up in Xiao Zi's arms, not daring to move at all, completely different from its earlier demeanor.
"Continue, weren't you very arrogant just now?"
Xiao Zi reached out with his long fingers and tapped the small mink's head.
Looking at its appearance, Xiao Zi couldn't help but smile, "Indeed, a mink relying on its master's power. Now it's quite well-behaved."
The small mink seemed like a deflated ball, passively enduring Xiao Zi's large hand.
"What are you? A spirit beast? A mystical beast?"
Xiao Zi scratched the little creature's belly and asked without reason.
The small mink turned its face away, refusing to look at him, as if angry with him.
Xiao Zi's eyebrows twitched slightly. With a flick of his wrist, while Qing Yue wasn't paying attention, he lifted the little creature from his embrace and turned it around.
"Still putting on a face? I know you can understand what I'm saying."
The little creature was dangled by its feet, feeling dizzy. The entire mink felt unwell, "Put me down!"
Xiao Zi was startled by the sudden female voice and immediately let go.
The small mink landed steadily and glared fiercely at the "vixen" behind it, as if accusing him of inhuman torture.
"You… you can talk!"
For a moment, Xiao Zi's mind couldn't process anything. He looked at Qing Yue behind him, then at the little creature on the ground.
Qing Yue remained unresponsive, as if he hadn't heard the small mink's words.
Telepathic communication? Xiao Zi immediately thought of this possibility, "Were you communicating telepathically just now?"
The small mink scanned Xiao Zi from top to bottom, its round eyes filled with disdain, "Otherwise? As the dignified Demon Emperor, you don't even understand this?"
The small mink stuck out its pink tongue and licked its fur, as if cleaning the spots Xiao Zi had touched.
"What are you? A mystical beast?"
Xiao Zi crouched down, looking curiously at the small mink in front of him.
However, the small mink merely glanced at him and still did not answer his question.
"Is your master Qing Yue? Or Qing Feng?"
"……"
"Why can you break through the barrier?"
"……"
"You really can't speak human words?"
"……"
Why was this guy so noisy?
The small mink raised its head and stared directly at Xiao Zi, "You're annoying, get away from me!"
Xiao Zi gazed at the furry ball in front of him. After a long moment, confusion appeared on his face, "Are you avoiding me?"
Ever since they met, this little thing had been constantly evading his gaze and trying its best not to answer his questions.
It even didn't want to be near him. Something was not right…
The small mink froze, its body visibly stiffening. Its tone became a little unnatural, "What are you talking about?"
Xiao Zi did not reply. Instead, he stood up and looked at Qing Yue not far away.
His purple eyes seemed to hide endless coldness, "You clearly know I am the Demon Emperor, yet you still tried to trick me?"
They might have guessed wrong. This small mink was not the contracted beast of these two. Its master might be someone else…
Spiritual energy surged in Xiao Zi's hand, and the temperature around him involuntarily dropped.
"The ability to break barriers, agile and cunning. With their strength, it would be impossible for them to have contracted it."
The small mink's body tensed. It had been exposed. How was it possible…? How had he figured it out…?
Its dark eyes flashed with the cunning glint of a scheme. The small mink glanced at Qing Yue from the corner of its eye.
Suddenly, a miserable cry rang out. Qing Yue turned back abruptly.
He saw that on Qing Qing's snowy white fur, bright red blood was constantly flowing. It was now weakly lying at Xiao Zi's feet.
Around Xiao Zi, spiritual energy was still swirling, seemingly just after an attack.
Xiao Zi was startled. This creature!