Chapter 73: The Game

Ripples spread across the surface of the lake as a massive shadow roamed the depths.

Sensing movement on the water, Senior Brother Wei Yu hurriedly flew over the lake, golden light radiating from his body.

The shadow at the bottom of the lake flicked its tail, swimming back and forth, but showed no intention of surfacing.

Senior Brother Wei Yu gripped his light spear, ready to launch an assault at any moment.

A long time passed, and under the illumination of the golden light, the lake surface returned to calm, and the shadow below vanished with it.

Senior Brother Wei Yu clenched his right hand. "This damn beast."

Senior Sister Tao Yu's brows were furrowed with worry as she stepped forward and took Senior Brother Wei Yu's hand. "Senior Brother."

Senior Brother Wei Yu sighed. "It was my impulsiveness, and I even dragged you into this danger, Junior Sister."

"But I can't help but think, if I hadn't suggested coming here, would Junior Brother Bai have avoided this disaster?" Senior Brother Wei Yu's expression was pained.

"The one who should have been taken is me, the Senior Brother who failed to fulfill his duties."

Senior Sister Tao Yu's eyes held a hint of sadness as she gently held the young man's arm. "Senior Brother, I will stay here and wait with you."

Looking into the beautiful eyes of the young woman beside him, Senior Brother Wei Yu felt a complex mix of emotions.

By all logic, being captured by a Golden Core Stage spirit beast meant almost certain death, especially since four days had already passed.

Was there really any possibility of survival?

What was he even doing here now, waiting to be wiped out by the Golden Core Stage spirit beast?

"I'm sorry, Junior Sister. Because of a whim of mine, I've put you in this danger as well." Senior Brother Wei Yu's eyes were filled with worry.

"It's fine, I trust your decision, Senior Brother." Senior Sister Tao Yu's tone was gentle.

One day. I will wait one last day.

I must be responsible for Junior Sister's safety.

If the spirit beast still hasn't appeared by then, I will come back here secretly.

Staring at the azure lake surface before him, Senior Brother Wei Yu's left fingertips turned white from gripping, while he allowed Senior Sister Tao Yu to lean against his right arm.

…

Thud—, thud—.

The sound of heavy objects landing came from outside the cave, irregular and alternating.

Clutching the spirit stone in his hand, Junior Brother Bai Ming shivered and hurriedly ran back.

He was all too familiar with this sound.

The Giant Lizard had returned.

Junior Brother Bai Ming dared not hesitate; he put down the spirit stone and trotted all the way back to the small nest made of leaves. As the sound grew closer, he simply curled into a ball.

Hiss, hiss.

The Giant Lizard's footsteps slowed, but the sound was right in front of him.

Plop.

A sound came from the floor as something dropped; it wasn't the clatter of a hard object, but rather the dull thud of something soft yet heavy hitting the ground.

At the same time, a thick scent of blood wafted through the air.

The intense stimulation triggered his nerves; Junior Brother Bai Ming felt a bit of heart palpitations, yet couldn't help but feel a bit of curiosity.

He felt that the Giant Lizard seemed to be right beside him, perhaps even watching him at this very moment.

A tongue stained with fresh blood approached the curled-up Junior Brother Bai Ming, carrying the scent of mixed saliva and blood.

As the tip of the tongue was about to touch his cheek, Junior Brother Bai Ming felt a wave of hot air mixed with the scent of blood, and he felt like losing his mind.

This feeling of being at the mercy of another was truly unbearable, as if he were waiting to be eaten.

When the tip of the tongue was only an inch away from Junior Brother Bai Ming's cheek, he secretly turned around and faced the other way.

But a warmth came from Junior Brother Bai Ming's neck.

"It's licking my neck!"

"Bastard."

The tongue tip tapped lightly, then coiled around, as if it were teasing Junior Brother Bai Ming.

After enduring half an hour of torture, Junior Brother Bai Ming's nerves were on the verge of collapse.

"Just licking, who could stand that?"

He secretly opened his eyes, wanting to see what was going on.

But who would have thought that as soon as he opened his eyes, he met the Giant Lizard's golden vertical pupils.

The Giant Lizard was actually facing him, having wrapped its tongue around to lick his neck.

Who could have guessed this?

Before Junior Brother Bai Ming could recover from his shock, the long, thin tongue coiled around his entire body and pulled him out of the small nest.

When the restraint on his body disappeared, he realized he had been gently placed on the ground.

And the source of the bloody smell was a strangely shaped large fish.

It was entirely blue, with narrow fish eyes and a round, bulging belly, looking somewhat like an inflated pufferfish.

"At least it's a fish." Junior Brother Bai Ming breathed a sigh of relief.

The Giant Lizard lowered its head and nudged the large fish toward Junior Brother Bai Ming.

Looking at the large fish in front of him, Junior Brother Bai Ming was a bit stunned.

"Could it be for me to eat?"

"I've really been kept as a pet."

Junior Brother Bai Ming pointed at himself and asked tentatively, "Is this for me?"

The Giant Lizard nodded gently and made some hissing sounds.

It could understand human speech; this creature had intelligence.

Junior Brother Bai Ming moved cautiously, inching toward the large fish, glancing at the Giant Lizard from time to time.

Seeing that the Giant Lizard was just watching quietly, he felt slightly more at ease.

"Can you understand what I'm saying?" Junior Brother Bai Ming was a bit unsure.

The Giant Lizard flicked its tongue and spat out a cyan-green orb of light from its mouth.

Qingming Storm Soul.

It hadn't absorbed it?

The cyan-green orb of light floated slowly into his hand, and Junior Brother Bai Ming felt a bit hesitant.

"Do you like it very much?"

The Giant Lizard slapped its tail on the ground, seemingly in response.

"So that's it." Junior Brother Bai Ming suddenly realized. "You want me to repair it."

"Hiss, hiss—"

Junior Brother Bai Ming sighed lightly. "I didn't expect that this was the reason I wasn't eaten."

Looking at the green orb of light in his hand, Junior Brother Bai Ming hesitated for a few moments, then looked up at those golden vertical pupils.

"I can help you repair it, but before that, you have to let me out."

The Giant Lizard did not respond; it crawled up to Junior Brother Bai Ming in one step, its massive head pressing right in front of him.

A bloody maw opened before his eyes, and a thick scent of blood wafted from within.

Low growls emanated from the Giant Lizard's massive mouth, seemingly threatening the young man before it.

The blood-red tongue was inches away; Junior Brother Bai Ming's muscles were tense, but he didn't retreat a single step, staring straight into those terrifying vertical pupils.

The tip of the tongue coiled around Junior Brother Bai Ming's head, tightening bit by bit, as if it were about to rip his head right off.

As the tongue tightened, Junior Brother Bai Ming felt a wave of suffocation; his heart pounded faster and faster, as if it were about to jump out of his chest.

Hoo—.

After several dozen breaths, the Giant Lizard withdrew its tongue. Junior Brother Bai Ming saw the light again; he took a deep breath, and the tension in his chest eased as well.

Thump, thump, thump.

The ground suddenly emitted a massive vibration.

The Giant Lizard slapped its tail against the blue ground, venting the dissatisfaction in its heart.

Is that so? It considers me a trophy it captured, so how could I just leave? But at the same time, it wants to obtain a complete Qingming Storm Soul.

It is conflicted.

Subjected to the pressure brought by the Giant Lizard, Junior Brother Bai Ming braced himself, his face remaining unmoved.

This was his only chance; he couldn't give up no matter what.

Moreover, this plan actually had a huge loophole.

A fatal loophole.

In fact, just using the water from this lake to irrigate it day and night could help the Qingming Storm Soul recover!

If the Giant Lizard found out, he would be done for.

However… it didn't seem to know.

Watching the Giant Lizard's displeased expression, Junior Brother Bai Ming actually felt a sense of relief in his heart.