The giant bear continued, "My name is Shu Xiong, and I belong to the Wild Giant Bear clan. When your mother was little, she lived with her tribe around Tianling Spring, and my cave was not far away. Nowadays, because of human greed and the merciless slaughter to advance their cultivation realms, the Qingqiu Nine-Tailed clan has been imprisoned and exploited. Compared to the past, the Qingqiu Nine-Tailed foxes are extremely rare now; you wouldn't even see a few of them across the entire Forest of Ten Thousand Demons, home to tens of thousands of Demon Beast species."
By the end of this, a look of fierce anger appeared on Shu Xiong's face. Humans continually slaughtered others purely for their own selfish desires, causing countless lives to perish along with them!
"Your mother came to my cave out of playfulness, but she wasn't scared when she saw me. She even started plucking my fur! At first I didn't want to bother with her, but if I ignored her any longer, I was going to go bald. Seeing how tiny she was, I really couldn't bear to hurt her, so I tossed her onto my back and carried her back to her tribe."
As Shu Xiong recalled this, a trace of sorrow flickered in his eyes.
He couldn't even remember how much time had passed. He only remembered that the little fox from back then had grown into a Demon Venerable revered by all.
Outside, the rain was still falling, and the two humans and one bear were already thoroughly soaked.
"Let's go inside the cave and talk."
With that, he turned and walked back into the cave.
Mu Qingxue did not guard against him either. Choosing to trust his words, she followed him inside.
Ling Yu wanted to say something, but seeing Mu Qingxue's current state, he knew he couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he simply followed behind her.
Inside the cave, Ling Yu took off his upper garments and wrung out the water. He gathered some dry bamboo in the cave, piled it together, and said to Mu Qingxue, "Miss Mu, could you help light a fire?"
Mu Qingxue looked at herself, and a small cyan flame flickered at her fingertips. With a gentle flick, she ignited the pile of bamboo.
Once Ling Yu retrieved his outer robe, he used a wooden stick to prop his clothes and coat up near the fire to dry.
Shu Xiong looked at the two of them in silence, a faint smile appearing on his majestic face.
Shu Xiong continued, "From then on, your mother would come to visit me whenever she had free time. She would climb onto my back and gently scratch around with her claws. She was quite mischievous."
"A few years later, by the time your mother was thirty, she had already reached the Stage 3 Demon King realm. That was unprecedented in the entire Demon Realm, and indeed the entire world.
"Your mother was a genius of the Nine-Tailed clan.
"Instead of continuing her cultivation as a Demon Beast, she chose to take human form and go out to travel the world."
Hearing this, Mu Qingxue couldn't help asking, "She went out right after taking human form?"
After taking human form, the spiritual energy within the body was extremely thin, and it took some time to fully recover.
Moreover, because one was unaccustomed to the new body, even basic walking could be difficult. Therefore, one had to wait until accustomed to the body before making further plans. During this period, if no one protected her, her situation would become extremely dangerous.
Although taking human form had many benefits, the risks were too high, which was why many Demon Beasts were unwilling to do it.
"Of course not. Your mother wasn't that foolish. After taking human form, she originally had no intention of leaving the Forest of Ten Thousand Demons. But a few years later, when she reached the peak of the Stage 3 Demon King realm, she found that she was completely unable to break through, so she had no choice but to go out and travel to seek her fortune!"
Mu Qingxue stared blankly at the campfire. To advance from Demon King Level 1 to Stage 3 in just a few years—aside from Mu Yun, you couldn't find a third person like that in the entire world.
Seeing Mu Qingxue in a daze, Ling Yu couldn't help smiling. The girl's hair was still damp, and a droplet of water slid down a strand clinging to her cheek. Combined with the firelight casting a slight flush across her face, she looked utterly adorable.
He no longer cared about Mu Qingxue's identity. Human or beast, Mu Qingxue had saved his life, and no matter what, he would never suspect her of being a bad person.
People could be good or bad, and the same went for Demon Beasts.
Seeing Mu Qingxue's drenched appearance—which looked remarkably like Jiu Qing back when she braved the heavy rain just to "pluck his fur"—Shu Xiong felt a deep sense of gratification.
"Later on, your mother traveled outside for eight years and successfully advanced to the Demon Emperor realm. But unlike eight years prior, she now had a Level 5 Stage 2 human man by her side."
Shu Xiong paused to collect his thoughts, then continued.
Mu Qingxue, who had just been spacing out, perked up with interest. She was dying to know how her father had won the approval of the tribe back then.
"Then how did my father win the tribe's approval?"
Shu Xiong shook his head. "Your father never won the approval of the Nine-Tailed clan. They always believed that humans and demons could never be together, because the humans in their eyes were just like the Demon Beasts in the eyes of humans."
A puzzled expression crossed Mu Qingxue's face. If the tribe hadn't approved of her father, how did she come to exist?
"Then how did they end up together in the end?"
"The patriarch of the Nine-Tailed clan wanted to place Jiu Qing under house arrest, forcing her to separate from Mu Yun. But that completely enraged Jiu Qing. With her Stage 2 Demon Emperor realm, she easily broke out, taking Mu Yun with her. The Nine-Tailed clan at the time couldn't stop them, so they had no choice but to let them go.
"Later on, the two of them built a wooden house near Tianling Spring and lived a very happy life. Eventually, both of them broke through to the Level 7 realm, and at that time, even the heavens and earth changed color."
Entranced by the story, Mu Qingxue was utterly bewildered when Shu Xiong suddenly stopped talking. "What happened next?"
Ling Yu was already stunned. His hand, which had been warming by the fire, froze in mid-air as he thought to himself, "So Miss Mu's parents were both Level 7 powerhouses! No wonder there wasn't a single powerful Demon Beast anywhere near the wooden house—it was because they had set up a barrier!"
Scratching his head awkwardly, Shu Xiong said, "After that, I don't know. They set up a barrier so outsiders couldn't see inside, and any slightly larger Demon Beast couldn't possibly get in. But I could sense the aura of a new human life appearing over there."
Hearing this, Mu Qingxue had a sudden epiphany. So her parents had set up the barrier to protect her from harm.
After that, Shu Xiong lay down and said no more. He had told them everything he knew, and now it was time to sleep.
Ling Yu looked at Mu Qingxue, his expression blank and entirely cold.
Noticing his gaze, Mu Qingxue turned to look at him. Seeing his indifferent expression, she gave a wry smile. "I'm a Demon Beast. It's not too late for you to run away now."
Ling Yu gave a faint smile and said softly, "I never said I was going to run. So what if you're a Demon Beast? Since you saved my life, it proves you're not a bad person. I'm just a little angry that you lied to me."
A warm current washed over her heart. She had expected Ling Yu to feel fear, terror, and panic upon learning her true identity, but his reaction was something Mu Qingxue could never have imagined.
"Thank you!"
Tears glistened in Mu Qingxue's eyes, and her voice was slightly hoarse.
This sudden expression of gratitude left Ling Yu baffled. Why was she thanking him out of the blue?
"What are you thanking me for? I didn't do anything."
With that, he tossed a few more pieces of bamboo into the campfire, his smile never fading.
Watching this, Mu Qingxue couldn't help smiling as well, her eyelashes fluttering in a very cute manner.
"Ling Yu, come here."
Mu Qingxue beckoned to him.
"What is it?"
Without hesitation, Ling Yu walked over to her side.
Mu Qingxue patted the empty space beside her, signaling him to sit down.
Though he had no idea what she was up to, Ling Yu sat down next to her anyway.
"What's wrong, Miss Mu?"
"Sleep!"
With that, Mu Qingxue leaned her head against Ling Yu's shoulder and closed her eyes.
Before he could even react, she had already leaned on him. The moment she rested against him, Ling Yu's body instantly stiffened. He felt like he was sitting on pins and needles, completely at a loss.
A flush crept up his neck, though it was largely hidden by the flickering firelight.
He turned to look at Mu Qingxue; perhaps due to the firelight, her face was also slightly flushed.
Because Ling Yu wasn't wearing an upper garment, some of Mu Qingxue's loose strands of hair brushed against his back, making it tickle slightly.
At last, Ling Yu managed to calm his racing mind, stopped letting his imagination run wild, and began quietly meditating.
...
The morning sun rose, and brilliant rays streamed into the bamboo grove, filtering through the gaps in the bamboo stalks and into the cave.
Because of the rain from the previous night, many tender bamboo shoots had poked up from the earth, and the air was filled with the fresh fragrance of bamboo.
Mu Qingxue blinked sleepily, sat up straight, and stretched. The campfire had already gone out, leaving only a few glowing embers.
Her clothes had dried completely from baking by the fire all night.
She turned to look at Ling Yu. He was sitting on the ground bare-chested, deep in meditation. A breeze blowing into the cave ruffled the locks of hair across his face, giving him the dashing air of a handsome young man.
To keep him from catching a chill, Mu Qingxue draped his outer robe over his shoulders. She glanced at Shu Xiong; he was still fast asleep, completely motionless.
Ling Yu had already sensed it the moment she draped the clothes over him. He opened his eyes and looked at Mu Qingxue, who was currently squatting beside Shu Xiong, pulling out his fur one strand at a time.
Last night she had been wondering why her mother loved plucking his fur so much, but now, experiencing it firsthand, she found it was indeed quite fun.
Shu Xiong had woken up earlier than them, but he hadn't moved because the two of them were blocking the cave entrance and he couldn't get out.
Turning his head to look at Mu Qingxue, who was squatting right beside him pulling out his fur, he said speechlessly, "Is it fun?"
Hearing his voice, Mu Qingxue looked over. Shu Xiong was staring at her with dark lines all over his face. At that moment, her hand was still clutching one of his hairs. She gave an awkward smile, yanked the hair out, and replied, "It's pretty fun!"
Ling Yu couldn't help chuckling at the sight.
"You're awake? Let's go!"
Seeing that he was awake, Mu Qingxue prepared to resume their journey.
They still had about two and a half days of travel left before they could walk out of the Forest of Ten Thousand Demons.
Ling Yu put on his clothes, patted the dust off his trousers, nodded, picked up his bundle, and began walking out.
Standing in the bamboo grove outside the cave, the two of them waved at Shu Xiong, who was still standing inside. Mu Qingxue shouted, "Goodbye, stinky bear!"
Then she turned and continued walking eastward in the direction of Yun City.
Carrying the large bundle and with the weapon "Yun" strapped to his back, Ling Yu followed close behind Mu Qingxue.
Shu Xiong watched their retreating figures, a sorrowful look in his eyes, and sighed softly, "Little girl, your daughter has grown up, and she's just as pretty as you..."