The Iron Winged Leopard, a Rank Seven High-Grade Profound Beast, gains the ability to fly upon reaching maturity. Its four powerful claws can rend ironstone, its movements are agile, its speed astonishing, and it possesses extraordinary spiritual intelligence. A mature Iron Winged Leopard can easily match, if not surpass, an initial-stage Sky Profound master! A peak-strength Iron Winged Leopard is powerful enough to rival an ordinary Rank Eight Profound Beast, making its cubs exceedingly rare and sought after—who would have imagined that Dugu Xiaoyi possessed one?

However, judging by its tiny body, barely a foot long, this was clearly a newborn Iron Winged Leopard cub! The Dugu family certainly spared no expense to acquire such a rare treasure as a pet for their daughter! And now, this tiny cub was struggling determinedly to crawl out of Dugu Xiaoyi’s embrace. Its pair of pitch-black eyes fixed on Jun Mo Xie, holding an unmistakable expression of yearning!

“Be good, Little Whitey, don’t wriggle. Big Sister will feed you something delicious in a moment.” Dugu Xiaoyi was quite puzzled. Ever since her father managed to acquire this little thing three days ago, she had instantly adored it; and because it had been separated from its mother right after birth, the little leopard was quite frail and hadn't moved much, usually just nestling in her arms. Why was it reacting so strongly to get out today?

“So, its name is Little Whitey,” Jun Mo Xie glanced at it once, smiled, and offered a compliment: “What an adorable little fellow.” Jun Mo Xie generally felt no affection for these beastly creatures, so he offered a casual pleasantry and prepared to turn away, needing to find a way to track those mysteriously originating assassins.

Seeing him turn, the tiny Iron Winged Leopard abruptly let out sharp, anxious squeaks, struggling frantically to break free from Dugu Xiaoyi’s hold. Its four tender little paws scratched hard, and the direction it was straining toward was none other than Young Master Jun Mo Xie.

“This little thing seems to like you very much.” Dugu Xiaoyi stared with wide, round eyes, visibly shocked. Ever since she obtained the cub, she had taken it everywhere—eating, drinking, and sleeping—yet it had never shown her such affection. Seeing Jun Mo Xie for the first time today, why such an extreme reaction? It was truly bizarre!

“But I certainly don’t like it,” Jun Mo Xie frowned, glancing sideways at this so-called “Rank Seven High-Grade Profound Beast.” He shook his head regretfully. What a pity; the little thing was just too small; if it were twice its size, it would have barely made a decent stew.

Dugu Xiaoyi snorted, displeased by Jun Mo Xie’s words. After hesitating a moment, seeing how intensely her Little Whitey yearned, she finally couldn't bear it. Holding the small body, she walked up to Jun Mo Xie and pleaded, “Little Whitey likes you so much; hold him for a while. If you can make him happy, I’ll forgive you for taking liberties with me earlier.”

The closer he got, the more animated the tiny Iron Winged Leopard cub became. It made soft ‘wuwu’ sounds, stretching out its tender paws towards Jun Mo Xie, much like an infant reaching out small hands asking to be held. Its eyes were full of longing and joy.

Hesitating, Jun Mo Xie sighed internally. With this distraction, the chance of tracking down those assassins had completely vanished. Helplessly, he reached out and accepted the cub.

The moment the little leopard landed in his arms, it stretched its limbs contentedly, as if waking from a long nap. It took several greedy breaths of the scent radiating from Jun Mo Xie, emitting deeply satisfied little hums from its pink mouth. Its fluffy little head burrowed into Jun Mo Xie’s chest, comfortably resting against his front, apparently ready to settle down for the long haul.

Dugu Xiaoyi watched from the side, her beautiful eyes wide with astonishment! What, what was happening? Although this little thing was small, ever since the Dugu Family entrusted it to her, it seemed to understand that Dugu Xiaoyi would be its future master. Even before officially undergoing the taming ritual with a Beast Tamer, it hadn't rejected her. On the contrary, it treated everyone other than Dugu Xiaoyi with cold disdain, including Dugu Wudi who carried it back.

Why was it showing such intimacy to Jun Mo Xie, whom it met for the first time today? This was utterly unnatural!

In fact, Young Master Jun was equally baffled, finding the situation genuinely strange. With a helpless look at the little creature preparing to reside on him long-term, he smiled wryly, “Is this a Profound Beast that swears lifelong loyalty once bonded? And a top-tier Rank Seven quality one at that? How can it be easier to trick than an ordinary puppy? The rumors must be false!”

Dugu Xiaoyi flushed deeply, feeling utterly humiliated. She stepped forward angrily, intending to take the little thing back from Jun Mo Xie’s arms. That Jun Mo Xie was too detestable! She didn't even mind his earlier forwardness, yet he was making her lose face now! How hateful!

But…

Something even harder to believe occurred: seeing Dugu Xiaoyi attempting to reclaim it, the little creature abruptly snapped its eyes open. Hostility filled its gaze. It whined incessantly, fiercely opening its toothless mouth to threaten, while its tender little paws clutched tightly onto Jun Mo Xie’s collar—it was resolutely refusing to leave the embrace of this stranger it had just met.

Dugu Xiaoyi grabbed its body and pulled, but couldn't budge it. Its four little paws seemed anchored to Jun Mo Xie. As her body was pulled away, its claws remained desperately snagged on his collar, squeaking loudly in utter reluctance.

Dugu Xiaoyi scratched her head, looking at Jun Mo Xie in shock, and suddenly blurted out a sentence: “Jun Mo Xie, are you perhaps its mother?”

Jun Mo Xie instantly felt his face darken with exasperation! What nonsense was that? If he were its mother? Wouldn’t that make him a beast too?

Not only Dugu Xiaoyi and Tang Yuan couldn't figure out what was happening, but Jun Mo Xie himself was utterly bewildered. The truth was, the Hongjun Pagoda carried by Young Master Jun had already transformed his body far beyond the norm with the purest Heavenly and Earthly spiritual energy, coupled with the wondrous effects of the Heaven-and-Earth Creation Art. Jun Mo Xie’s body was practically brimming with the world’s most essential spiritual energy—more potent than Tang Monk’s flesh!

While ordinary people and lower-tier Profound Beasts couldn't perceive this supreme spiritual energy, high-grade Profound Beasts absolutely needed it for growth! Especially for young, high-grade Profound Beasts, it was the most irresistible, fatal temptation!

After much effort, he managed to detach the little creature from himself. His clothes were ripped open in two large holes.

Ignoring the cub’s frantic, high-pitched squeals, Jun Mo Xie swiftly threw it back into Dugu Xiaoyi’s arms. “Here, take it. Hold on tight.”

Dugu Xiaoyi hastily caught it carefully, shooting him an annoyed glare: “Couldn't you have been gentler? What if you dropped him?”

The little leopard, held in Dugu Xiaoyi’s arms, squeaked anxiously, struggling desperately to press towards Jun Mo Xie. Its eyes seemed misty, appearing utterly heartbroken. Dugu Xiaoyi’s heart softened, and she was about to hand him back again. Startled, Jun Mo Xie leaped back, maintaining a distance, and fled in hasty retreat: “It’s getting late, I’ll be leaving now.”

Dugu Xiaoyi stomped her foot resentfully, muttering a few words, then suddenly scolded the little leopard in her arms: “It’s all your fault! Why are you so useless? Is he your mom or your dad!”

The little leopard looked up at her innocently with wide eyes, then suddenly lowered its head, gazing mournfully after Jun Mo Xie as he left, emitting two low ‘wuwu’ sounds. It leaned listlessly against her, completely drained of energy.

“Alright, alright. I’ll take you to find him in a few days,” Dugu Xiaoyi conceded. The little leopard was far from reaching a level of spiritual awareness, so it couldn't understand her words or react. Yet, after saying this, Dugu Xiaoyi herself suddenly felt a flicker of joy, immediately followed by embarrassment—she couldn't quite figure out why!

“Huh? Where is Princess Lingmeng? She came out with me, how did she suddenly disappear?” Dugu Xiaoyi finally noticed her companion was gone and frowned in surprise, complaining a few times: Leaving without even telling me, how… too much!

Jun Mo Xie, accompanied by his guards, bid farewell to Tang Yuan and headed towards the Jun Residence. Turning a corner, he found a palanquin waiting quietly ahead. Protected by dozens of guards, the escort was far more formidable than the last time. Standing before the palanquin was an aloof, lonely, almost desolate figure: Ye Guhan!

Princess Lingmeng was waiting for him here!

“It turns out to be Your Highness Princess Lingmeng! What a small world, we meet again; it must be fate,” Jun Mo Xie raised his eyebrows in feigned astonishment. As soon as he spoke, Ye Guhan’s gaze, sharp as cold lightning, fixed directly on him. Hearing his glib words, Ye Guhan couldn't help but frown slightly.

“Jun Mo Xie, I have serious business with you,” Princess Lingmeng slowly emerged from the palanquin, her expression icy. Her long, elegant eyebrows furrowed slightly with distaste, radiating a chilling coldness that pushed others away.

Serious business? Did he have any unserious business? When seeking a favor, one should be humble, yet she puts on this sort of demeanor? Jun Mo Xie inwardly grumbled but feigned immense delight on his face: “Fate brings us together from a thousand miles away. Princess, command me whatever you wish, whether it's serious or not, I will certainly do my utmost… Ah! Could it be that the Princess has finally responded to my unwavering devotion and wishes to make me the Imperial Son-in-Law? Heaven is merciful, dreams come true, Fate plays its tricks…” A string of nonsense tumbled out!

Ye Guhan snorted heavily, killing intent flashing in his eyes, and shouted sternly: “Insolent! How dare you speak such reckless nonsense! Truly presumptuous!”

“Insolent! How dare you speak such reckless nonsense! Truly presumptuous!” Jun Mo Xie roared back undeterred, “What are you? I am discussing serious matters with the Princess here. Is there any room for a nameless nobody like you to interrupt?”

Of course, Jun Mo Xie recognized Ye Guhan. What left the deepest impression on him that day was not Ye Guhan’s profound martial arts, but the sentence Ye Guhan uttered at the end, praising the suicidal assassin leader: A true man! This utterly pedantic appraisal left Jun Mo Xie feeling deeply chilled and thoroughly disdainful of this contemporary in the martial world.

Ye Guhan’s gaze sharpened, locking onto the Young Master Jun. The atmosphere around them instantly became heavy, and a desolate, bleak aura suddenly arose—the prelude to Ye Guhan’s impending explosive rage and murderous intent!