Feng Xiaobai stammered, his eyes flickering uneasily. Seeing that his mother wasn't going to let it go easily and that this situation was different from before, he knew he couldn't just gloss it over.
With a sigh, he shut his eyes tightly, steeled his resolve, and blurted out, "I've never encountered such things before. They only started showing up this year. And Mother, you can't blame me. They came to me on their own, not the other way around."
Zhao Shuning frowned. Ancient fierce beasts seeking out Feng Xiaobai on their own? It was hard to believe. These beasts were highly spiritual. And Xiaobai had said "these," which meant Zhao Shuning's suspicion was right. The blood wolf wasn't the first divine beast to form a contract with him.
At this thought, Zhao Shuning gasped in shock. She suppressed her surprise and carefully examined Feng Xiaobai. After confirming that he seemed fine, she finally relaxed.
Normally, if one were to form contracts with multiple fierce beasts simultaneously, the spiritual forces of these beasts within the master would conflict, eventually devouring the master's body. But here was further proof that Feng Xiaobai, her son, was indeed the master of the Ten - Thousand - Year Blood Ring.
This identity was so rare that even Zhao Shuning, as his mother, felt her eyes well up. It was a once - in - ten - thousand - years occurrence. She had lived for so long and this was the first time she had ever seen a master of the Ten - Thousand - Year Blood Ring, and this master happened to be her very own son.
"Mother, I really didn't mean to hide it from you. At first, I was afraid they would hurt you. Later, I found that they were really nice to me and would do whatever I asked. I planned to tell you after I formed a contract with Little Blackie. But I didn't expect—"
He didn't expect that before the contract was formed, Zhao Shuning had discovered the matter and almost lost her life at Little Blackie's paws.
Zhao Shuning took a deep breath. So many things had happened today that it was hard for her to take it all in at once. She inhaled deeply and asked, "Tell me, besides this blood wolf, have you encountered any other huge and fierce beasts?"
"Yes—" came Feng Xiaobai's soft voice.
Zhao Shuning was mentally prepared. "Go on."
"I've seen a grizzly bear, a lion, a tiger, and a snake. And there's this big thing with a really long neck that hides in a shell but doesn't look like a turtle."
"What?"
"I think I heard you mention it once. I think it's the Xuanwu."
Feng Xiaobai shrank his neck, seemingly afraid of his mother's impending outburst.
Xuanwu? One of the four ancient divine beasts? Zhao Shuning felt dizzy. Feng Xiaobai quickly rushed behind her and supported her.
After Zhao Shuning finally regained her senses, she asked, "Those beasts didn't hurt you?"
"They came to me on their own. I was scared at first, but then I found they meant no harm. They even showed me the blood ring on their heads. I accidentally formed that so - called contract with them."
It's a blood contract, son! A blood contract! Forming a contract means those beasts are willing to recognize you as their master! Do you even realize that?
"Where are they now?"
"They left."
"Left?"
Feng Xiaobai nodded and explained with a wronged look, "I was afraid they would scare you. You're a woman, so you must be easily frightened."
Zhao Shuning squinted her eyes, a hint of danger glinting in them.
Feng Xiaobai continued, "Mother, Xiao Qiu'er is also a girl. I wanted to leave the green snake for her as a pet. But as soon as she saw it, she fainted. I thought—since Xiao Qiu'er was so scared of the snake, you—"
Feng Xiaobai's meaning was clear. In his eyes, his mother was even more timid than Xiao Qiu'er?
Seeing the anger in his mother's eyes, Feng Xiaobai simply threw up his hands. "If you want to hit me, just do it."
"You wanted to give the green snake to your sister? Feng Xiaobai, how old is your sister?"
"She's the same age as me, Mother. I've already admitted my mistake. I was afraid they would scare you and Xiao Qiu'er, so I made them leave. You can't keep harping on this, can you?"
At the end, Feng Xiaobai mumbled something under his breath.
Zhao Shuning was really speechless with Feng Xiaobai. Feng Xiaobai and Xiao Qiu'er were both her children, but why were their personalities so different? She was sure she hadn't taught Feng Xiaobai such things.
What would Bu Ran think if he saw that she had raised his son like this? A man like Bu Ran probably wouldn't like Xiaobai's kind of personality.
"Mother, you're showing that expression again. It's not a big deal. You're making it seem like the sky is falling."
Zhao Shuning gritted her teeth. "Feng Xiaobai, are you itching for a beating?"
Feng Xiaobai remained silent, thinking his mother was just being overly worried.
"If your father knew about you—"
Feng Xiaobai shook his head and said, "If my wise, valiant, peerless, and one - of - a - kind father knew that I'm such a rascal, he would surely discipline me severely. A man like my father would never allow his child to be a little hooligan like me. You discipline me for my own good, to prevent me from bringing shame to Father's family."
"Father bears the surname Feng. His background is extraordinary, and his family is huge. I'll have to meet my grandparents in the future. They're not ordinary people either. They're all very easy - going, but I can't take advantage of that. I should be diligent, humble, do things in an orderly manner, and speak gracefully. I can't disgrace the Feng family."
Zhao Shuning was taken aback. She really had no idea what to do with Feng Xiaobai.
"Mother, you always say the same things when you educate me. I can recite them by heart. Don't you have anything new?"
Mother didn't seem like someone with a mental problem. So why was she so deeply trapped in this dream about Father?
Fortunately, Zhao Shuning had lost all her spiritual power. Otherwise, if she knew that Feng Xiaobai was regarding her as a crazy person at this moment, she would probably vomit blood in anger.
Feng Xiaobai was so glib - tongued. His words made Zhao Shuning angry, but she was unable to refute him or find a reason to do so.
"You know your sister is—"
"Xiao Qiu'er is afraid of snakes. After that incident, I haven't taken her to meet my other friends. This time, we met Little Blackie because of its two injured cubs. It was Xiao Qiu'er who found them."
Oops. It seemed this excuse wouldn't work either. Was there any old matter she could dig out to give Feng Xiaobai a good beating?
A son knows his mother best. Feng Xiaobai rolled his eyes and said to Zhao Shuning with a look of disdain, "Mother, you've said so much. Aren't you just looking for an excuse to beat me? Just go ahead."
Feng Xiaobai obediently lay on the stone bench, sticking out his butt. He mumbled, "Women are just like this. They say one thing but mean another. If you want to beat me, just do it. Why do you have to beat around the bush and try to find a justifiable reason?"