The young eagle looked very content in Li Jiaying’s arms. Since Li Tan’s intention had originally been to cheer Li Jiaying up, his goal was achieved, and he couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the girl and the bird.
“Tan’er, what is this?” Li Yang’s voice of curiosity sounded from behind. Li Tan turned around and realized this was the first time he had revealed Xiaobai in front of the family, so he briefly explained: “This little guy was something I accidentally found in the Zhuixian Domain last time.”
Li Yang curiously approached Xiaobai, slightly lowered his head, and gently stroked its feathers with his hand. The feathers were incredibly smooth and pleasant to the touch. But suddenly, with a “coo” sound, Xiaobai fiercely pecked his hand.
“Oh no! Father, are you okay?” Li Jiaying asked with concern.
“Haha, I’m fine. This little guy has quite a temper!” Li Yang laughed as he withdrew his hand. Obviously, Xiaobai hadn’t pecked very hard—it was likely just expressing its dislike. This wasn’t particularly surprising. If roles were reversed, would anyone like being touched constantly?
“Tsk tsk tsk!” Li Jiaying puffed her cheeks and sternly scolded Xiaobai: “That’s not right! You mustn’t be naughty!”
“Guru!” Xiaobai arrogantly turned its head away. This was clearly a protest.
Li Jiaying’s eyes sparkled mischievously as she said to Xiaobai: “If you won’t listen, I’ll tell my brother to stop feeding you.”
“Guru!” Xiaobai shivered, then lowered its head after a moment. This was likely a sign of compromise.
Li Tan watched this amusing scene with a smile when suddenly a thought appeared in his mind.
Across the Nine Provinces, most families or sects would raise a powerful beast as a guardian. Before his rebirth, Li Tan had also planned to do this, but due to You Kuang’s betrayal, he had run out of time.
This time around, Li Tan’s ambitions extended far beyond revenge—he wanted to develop his family into one of the most prestigious powers in the Nine Provinces. Therefore, wouldn’t raising a guardian beast also be appropriate?
The cultivation of a guardian beast must begin from the beast’s infancy, and Xiaobai seemed perfectly suitable. Additionally, the guardian beast needed a close caretaker, and Li Jiaying appeared to be a perfect fit.
This seemed almost divinely arranged.
Smiling slightly, Li Tan asked Li Jiaying, “Ying’er, do you like Xiaobai?”
Li Jiaying nodded joyfully, “Yes!”
“And you, little guy, do you dislike Ying’er?” Xiaobai hesitated, seemingly not understanding Li Tan’s words, but shook its head anyway.
Satisfied with this, Li Tan nodded and announced, “Then, Ying’er, Xiaobai will be under your care from now on.”
Li Jiaying was stunned and asked in confusion, “Under my care? Does this mean my brother doesn’t want it anymore?”
“No, not at all. It’s just inconvenient for me to take care of it. Would you be willing to look after it for your brother?” Li Tan gently replied.
Li Jiaying nodded enthusiastically, as if a child who had just received a longed-for toy, “Of course I will!”
“And you, little guy, have no objections, right?”
“Gugu gu!” Xiaobai chirped twice. Although its meaning was unclear, it didn’t seem to object. Plus, it was clearly quite fond of Li Jiaying. Thus, Li Tan finalized the arrangement.
“Alright then. Xiaobai officially belongs to Ying’er now.”
“I understand!” Li Jiaying joyfully spun around, rubbing her cheek against Xiaobai’s wing. Surprisingly, Xiaobai actually seemed to enjoy this treatment.
“Tan’er,” Li Yang looked at Xiaobai thoughtfully.
“Is there something wrong, Uncle? Is it inconvenient at the shop?” Li Tan asked.
“No, no, nothing like that.”
“Then what’s the matter? Just tell me directly.”
“Well, I was just wondering—is this really a young ferocious beast?”
Actually, Xiaobai was a young demon beast, not a ferocious creature. However, revealing this information directly to Li Yang might not be wise. As the saying goes, an ordinary person is blameless, but possessing a treasure might invite trouble. If news that “the Li family has a young demon beast” were to spread, it could attract enemies that would be difficult to handle at this stage.
So Li Tan nodded, “Yes. At the outskirts of the Zhuixian Domain, only ferocious beasts would exist.”
Li Yang nodded with slight doubt, “That’s true, but this little one seems unusually intelligent.”
“Uncle, you’re overthinking.”
“Perhaps…”
“Uncle, the referee is back on the stage.”
Li Tan pointed at the arena, decisively shifting the topic.
At this moment, the referee had returned to the arena. Under the glow of the reddish evening sunset, he loudly announced: “The first round of the Frostblade Festival martial competition has concluded. The second round will begin at dawn tomorrow. Everyone, please return to your rooms to rest. For safety reasons, please do not enter or leave the Liu family’s estate freely!”
The elimination rounds were held at the Liu family’s estate, and as per tradition, they had prepared guest rooms for all participants.
The main purpose of providing these rooms was to allow competitors to rest properly, as running back and forth would be tiring. Naturally, participants were allowed to decline the offer if they wished, but usually no one did so, as it might appear disrespectful to the hosts, giving the impression of saying, “Your place is too shabby for me to stay here.”
Therefore, after the referee’s announcement, the ordinary spectators were quickly dispersed, and servants brought tea to the rest areas of various families while also guiding them to their accommodations.
After sipping some tea and waiting briefly, Li Zhen descended from the high platform and hurried over. Seeing Li Jiaying lively and energetic, he finally relaxed.
“Is Ying’er alright?”
“She’s fine, perfectly okay,” Li Tan replied.
Gritting his teeth in anger, Li Zhen said, “The Lin family has gone too far!”
“It was indeed excessive, but let’s drop the matter for now,” Li Tan interrupted Li Zhen’s words and pointed at Xiaobai, “Take a look at this little one.”
Li Zhen was immediately drawn to the bird’s attention, displaying the same curious expression as before, and reached out to touch it.
Predictably, he was pecked by Xiaobai.
“Xiaobai! Don’t be rude to Uncle!” Li Jiaying angrily pressed down on Xiaobai’s head, while Li Tan chuckled and said, “Once this little guy grows up, our Li family will gain additional protection.”
If previously Li Zhen and Li Yang had considered Xiaobai’s presence merely as a way to cheer Li Jiaying, Li Tan’s words immediately made them understand. However, their reactions were not particularly strong.
In their understanding, Xiaobai was simply a young ferocious beast. Even when grown, it would likely only match the strength of a late-stage cultivator.
Li Tan, who knew the truth, simply smiled without clarification. This would serve as a pleasant surprise prepared in advance for them.
Meanwhile, on the side, Li Hantian’s expression darkened upon seeing Xiaobai. Vaguely recalling how his youngest brother had been bullied by Li Xiu, who had been sent by Li Tan, he showed no particular reaction—or perhaps didn’t know how to react. As usual, he remained isolated in a corner, making Li Tan feel slightly troubled.
How could this personality be corrected?
It was indeed a bit troublesome. Li Tan couldn’t stay with them for long; even at Feiyu Sect, he would only be around for about a month.
“Sigh, I can only take things as they come,” Li Tan sighed, looking at the “problem child” curled up in the corner.
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