Because Nie Zhen'er didn't have a spirit weapon yet, she could only fight with the Fire Void Spirit Beast with her bare hands.



Luan Qing Xiao stood on the side just in case the Fire Void Spirit Beast harmed Nie Zhen'er.



Although the Fire Void Spirit Beast appeared empty-brained, its movements were quite agile, making Nie Zhen'er unable to touch it.



The human and beast pair fought for an hour, but still weren't able to determine a clear winner. Luan Qing Xiao said helplessly, "You two can play as long as you want, however it's getting dark."



The Fire Void Spirit Beast replied, "I’m not fighting anymore. Little fairy is so beautiful, I can't even bear to strike her."



Nie Zhen'er came back to Luan Qing Xiao, panting, with red cheeks and sweat on her forehead.



Luan Qing Xiao took out a handkerchief to help her dry her sweat, and said to the Fire Void Spirit Beast. "We definitely will be taking the Fire Fruit. Since you don't want to fight against Zhen'er, compete with me instead."



The Fire Void Spirit Beast slumped on the ground with all four feet up facing up, "I'm this tired and you still want to fight me. The Little Fairy's Mistress is simply too mean."



"Then what do we need to do for you to hand over the Fire Fruit?" Luan Qing Xiao walked to the Fire Void Spirit Beast and pointed her sword at it.



Luan Qing Xiao’s long sword has a sword spirit. Previously, it was burned by the Fire Void Spirit Beast’s blue flame and has been infuriated. Therefore before the sword body reached the Fire Void Spirit Beast, the sword glare already turned substantive and shaved a layer of fluff off its belly.



The Fire Void Spirit Beast was startled. It quickly got up and hid under the Flaming Inferno Tree. "Why are you this serious?!"



"If you don't give me the Fire Fruit, I can only take it myself." Luan Qing Xiao lifted her sword and walked towards the Void Fire Spirit Beast, "I heard that killing the Guardian Spirit Beast can also obtain the things it protects. It seems you’re going to be the first Spirit Beast to die under my sword."



"Little fairy, save me!" Fire Void Spirit Beast rushed towards Nie Zhen'er.



It had long discovered that Luan Qing Xiao attached great importance to Nie Zhen'er, so it immediately asked Nie Zhen'er for help.



The Fire Void Spirit Beast has been playing with Nie Zhen'er just now and accidentally used up all of its spiritual power. It would have been fine if it could return to the pool to recover its spiritual power, however it was blocked by Luan Qing Xiao and couldn’t even hide.



Fortunately, there was this kind Little Fairy here. The Fire Void Spirit Beast was sure that Nie Zhen'er will save itself. Luan Qing Xiao would definitely spare it because of Nie Zhen'er's face.



Nonetheless, the Fire Void Spirit Beast didn't notice one thing. Although Nie Zhen'er could influence Luan Qing Xiao, she never wanted to make things difficult for Luan Qing Xiao.



Moreover, Luan Qing Xiao came here specifically to harvest the Flame Fruit for her. Nie Zhen'er frowned and said to the Fire Void Spirit Beast. "I'm sorry, Little Cutie. I'm afraid I can't save you."



Seeing there is no hope for help, the Fire Void Spirit Beast turned into a toddler with hands and feet as it cried. He climbed up to the Flaming Inferno Tree and picked a Fire Fruit, "Here, I’ll give up everything. Just don't kill me!"



Luan Qing Xiao coldly snorted, "Pluck the other one too."



Being stared by Luan Qing Xiao’s icy gaze, the Fire Void Spirit Beast didn't dare to play any more tricks. He quickly picked off the other Fire Fruit. "There are only two..." His heart was bleeding in pain.



He wore a red bib with little pigtails on his head. He seemed extremely cute with his big eyes and small mouth.



Having experienced Nie Zhen'er's cuteness, Luan Qing Xiao was already immune to the Fire Void Spirit Beast’s cuteness. She took the two Fire Fruits and retracted the tip of her sword.



"Zhen'er, come and eat the fruits." Luan Qing Xiao turned to Nie Zhen'er.



The big eyes of the Fire Void Spirit Beast were filled with tears as he watched the red fruit in Luan Qing Xiao's hand pitifully. "I only have two. Originally, I planned to savor them slowly, yingyingying."



Nie Zhen'er took the Fire Fruits and smiled embarrassedly at the Fire Void Spirit Beast. "Little Cutie, don't be sad, don't you guard the Flaming Inferno Tree? It can still bear more fruit in the future."



The Fire Void Spirit Beast wiped his tears, "The Flaming Inferno Tree takes ten years to  sprout, ten years to bloom, ten years to bear fruit before another ten years for the fruits to mature. Forty years are so long and boring, plus there is only me here. The time passes sooo slow. Yingyingying, I miss my mother~"



After consuming the Fire Fruits, Nie Zhen'er walked to the Fire Void Spirit Beast and knelt down to touch his head. "Where is your mother? Why did she leave you here by yourself?"



The Fire Void Spirit Beast sobbed, "My mother was killed by a cultivator 40 years ago."



Nie Zhen'er responded, "I'm sorry, Little Cutie. I didn't mean to touch your sore spot on purpose."



"It's okay, I know you didn't mean it." The Fire Void Spirit Beast cried enough and wiped away his tears. "Since you guys have already taken the Fire Fruit, you should leave."



"Little Cutie… …" Nie Zhen'er looked up at Luan Qing Xiao helplessly, "Mistress."



Luan Qing Xiao leaned over and picked up the Fire Void Spirit Beast by one of its pigtails.



The Fire Void Spirit Beast was frightened into shouting, "What are you going to do? Quickly let me down."



Nie Zhen'er was also shocked and instantly sprang up.



Luan Qing Xiao turned the face of the Fire Void Spirit Beast to face her. "You feel lonely and bored. How about you sign a contract with Zhen'er and leave the Snowy Gale Secret Realm with us?"



"Huh?" Fire Void Spirit Beast didn't expect Luan Qing Xiao to say this.



"I, I need to protect the Flaming Inferno Tree. This is my destiny, I can't leave with you guys..." Fire Void Spirit Beast dully uttered.



"Just take the Flaming Inferno Tree along with you." Luan Qing Xiao said lightly, "Now you only need to answer whether you want to sign a contract with Zhen'er or now."



The eyes of the Fire Void Spirit Beast suddenly became rounder. “Yes, yes, yes. I want to leave here!" His little hands and feet waved happily.



Luan Qing Xiao handed the Fire Void Spirit Beast to Nie Zhen'er and Nie Zhen'er panicky hugged him in her arms.



"Mistress?" Why did she suddenly have to sign a contract with the Fire Void Spirit Beast?



"I can see you like him very much. It just so happens that he doesn't want to stay in the Snowy Gale Secret Realm anymore. Isn't it perfect for both of you to sign the contract?" Luan Qing Xiao said, picking up Nie Zhen'er's hand. She moved her index finger to her lips and gently bit on her fingertips, causing red blood drops to immediately appear.



"Press the blood against the Fire Void Spirit Beast’s forehead."



Nie Zhen'er hurriedly pressed her stinging fingertips to the Fire Void Spirit Beast's forehead and saw a burst of red light surging from the Fire Void Spirit Beast's body. When the red light dissipated,  a flame-like contract mark was added to the Fire Void Spirit Beast's forehead. .



The contract was completed.



Nie Zhen'er felt it was very mysterious. It felt like she could understand what the Fire Void Spirit Beast was thinking.



[Master, when shall we leave? ]



Nie Zhen'er suddenly heard the voice of the Fire Void Spirit Beast, causing her to blink in surprise. "Mistress, Little Cutie is talking in my head!"



[Aiya, when Renjia talked to Master, why did Master have to tell your Mistress~] The Fire Void Spirit Beast said dejectedly.



"Little Cutie, he-he won't let me tell Mistress what he said to me." Nie Zhen'er told Luan Qing Xiao everything that the Fire Void Spirit Beast said like a megaphone.



The Fire Void Spirit Beast gave up communicating with Nie Zhen'er in her Knowledge Sea, and followed Nie Zhen'er to address Luan Qing Xiao as Mistress. "Mistress, hurry and put the Flaming Inferno Tree away, and my little pool too. I want to go play in the outside world~"



Luan Qing Xiao uprooted the Flaming Inferno Tree and planted it into her space. The water in the pool was nothing special, but there was a fire crystal at the bottom of the pool, which could help the Fire Void Spirit Beast restore its spiritual power. So Luan Qing Xiao just moved the fire crystal into the pool in her own space.



Initially, she wanted to put the Fire Void Spirit Beast into her space. However, seeing that he wanted to see the outside world that badly, she didn't put him inside.



When leaving, Luan Qing Xiao saw the Fire Void Spirit Beast lying in Nie Zhen'er's arms. She stopped and said to the Fire Void Spirit Beast, "Return to your beast shape and walk by yourself."



The Fire Void Spirit Beast pouted aggrievedly and glanced at Nie Zhen'er pitifully with his big eyes.



Nie Zhen'er couldn't help but caress him comfortingly. "Behave, Little Cutie. You’re already a big child, you should walk by yourself." As she was talking, she leaned over and placed the Fire Void Spirit Beast on the ground.



The Fire Void Spirit Beast reluctantly changed back to his beast shape with stubby limbs and followed by Nie Zhen'er's feet.



Luan Qing Xiao took them back to the top of the mountain by her sword and the three of them walked down the same way as they came.



The orange halo of the setting sun fell on the ground as the Fire Void Spirit Beast gleefully jumped around in the grass and the breeze blew Nie Zhen'er's long hair back… …



Luan Qing Xiao was immersed in enjoying the beautiful scenery when she saw a man and a woman suddenly appearing in front of them.



Judging by their clothes, they should be a disciple of Qiu Luo Zong, one of the six major sects.



Both of them wore moon-white robes: the man wore a jade guan li, while the woman wore a jade hairpin in their hair buns.



The two behaved intimately: the woman’s face revealed her spoiledness whereas the man’s was gentle and tolerant.



"Ah, Senior Brother. There is a Spirit Beast here, it looks so cute." The woman saw the Fire Void Spirit Beast bouncing in the grass and pointed at it.



The man asked, "Does Junior Sister like it? I heard that the Spirit Beasts in this Snowy Gale Secret Realm were all ownerless. Senior Brother will defeat it and let it sign a contract with you."



Nie Zhen'er and Luan Qing Xiao, who were standing aside, were completely ignored by them.



Seeing the man was about to raise his hand to take out the weapon, Nie Zhen'er hurriedly said. "This brother, Little Cutie has already signed a contract with me. It’s now my spiritual pet."



When the man saw Nie Zhen'er, he fell into a daze for a split second.



The woman walked over and scanned Nie Zhen'er up and down a few times. "Which tiny  sect are you from? Don’t you know who we are?"



Nie Zhen'er didn't recognize Qiu Luo Zong's clothes and accessories, so she shook her head. "I don't know."



The woman pulled the man behind her and glared at Nie Zhen'er. "Then listen carefully, we are disciples of Qiu Luo Zong. My Senior Brother is Yang Xia Chen, the direct disciple of Qiu Luo Zong’s Palace Lord, and I am the Palace Lord’s only daughter, Wei Qing Lu!"



"It turned out to be Senior Brother Yang and Senior Sister Wei." Nie Zhen'er said.



"Now that you know who I am, hurry up and terminate the contract with your spiritual pet to hand it over to me. Don't worry, I won’t take it without giving you some benefits." Wei Qing showed a haughty appearance.



By this time, Yang Xia Chen's expression has returned to normal. He patted Wei Qing Lu's shoulder to assure her before walking in front of Wei Qing Lu and asking Nie Zhen'er. "This Junior Sister is?"



"My name is Nie Zhen'er."



"It turned out to be Junior Sister Nie." Yang Xia Chen speculated that Nie Zhen'er's sect was too minor, because she was embarrassed to mention the name of her sect. He then continued, "Junior Sister can also see that Qing Lu has taken a fancy to this Spirit Beast, right? I have a spiritual weapon called the Gold Weaved Jade Fan. If Junior Sister Nie is willing to cut the contract, this Gold Weaved Jade Fan will belong to Junior Sister."



Nie Zhen'er didn't want whatever this Gold Weave Jade Fan was. She shook her head and said, "I’m not exchanging, Little Cutie has already signed a contract with me. I like him very much, and he likes me very much too. I can't give him to you guys."



"It's just a spirit beast. Me taking a fancy to it is its blessing. If it follows me, I can feed it spirit fruits every day. Is there something you, a small disciple of a poor sect, can provide? It seems that my Senior Brother was too gentle just now to give you the false impression that you could reject the offer. If you don’t change your mind, I will kill you. That way your spiritual pet will naturally become an ownerless thing."



"The Gold Weave Jade Fan or your life, you can choose it yourself!"



Sensing the anger in Nie Zhen'er's heart, the Fire Void Spirit Beast hurriedly ran over with his short legs. When he saw the fierce woman in front of Nie Zhen'er, he rushed over without hesitation and shouted. " You’re not allowed to bully my Master!"



It's a pity that the Fire Void Spirit Beast forgot he had already exhausted his spiritual power and was pushed aside by a swing of Yang Xia Chen's sleeve. His body rolled a few times on the soft grass before finally stopping at the base of Luan Qing Xiao's feet.



"Mistress, they’re bullying Master--" The Fire Void Spirit Beast grabbed Luan Qing Xiao's shoes and snitched.



"I saw everything." Luan Qing Xiao uttered coldly.



Just now, she had concealed her breath. So only now did Yang Xia Chen and Wei Qing Lu notice that there was another person standing next to her, a woman who seemed like someone they wouldn’t want to mess around with.



The two of them couldn't figure out Luan Qing Xiao's cultivation base. However, seeing Luan Qing Xiao's clothes were as shabby as Nie Zhen'er, they believed a person sent out by a minor sect was at most the Golden Core. There’s no way they, two Golden Cores, couldn't beat one Golden Core cultivator?



After Wei Qing Lu heard the Fire Void Spirit Beast uttering human words, she wanted to snatch it even more. She pulled on Yang Xia Chen's sleeves, "Senior Brother, I want that spirit beast. You have to help me."



__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Notes:

Knowledge Sea (识海): where a cultivator stores all their memories and techniques as well as how cultivators communicate between each other privately