Chapter 122: Unexplained Hostility

“Are you… Xiao Cai?” Tu Lu asked hesitantly.

In his memory, Xiao Cai was always a peculiar little girl who disliked talking and appeared almost mute. Later, though he learned her true identity and understood it was merely a disguise, he had never seen her take action.

But this strike—was far too overwhelming.

He was taken aback. In that blow, he truly felt no ripple of magical power. Clearly, Xiao Cai’s cultivation level had been suppressed, yet even with her power restrained, she remained immensely formidable. That grayish-white aura, delivered so unexpectedly, might have overwhelmed even a Revered Divine being…

However, considering her identity as a Seven-Color Giant Dragon, it wasn’t hard to comprehend…

“That’s right, it’s me,” Xiao Cai said excitedly.

When Tu Lu called her down, she felt no need to bother with the short young man any further. To her, he was just a half-hearted qualified practitioner, someone she could deal with at any time. Chasing after him was far less worthwhile than talking to Tu Lu.

After all, she hadn’t spoken with the young master in a long time.

But while she remained still, Blue Chubby moved forward.

He was naturally timid, even more cautious than Xiao Cai. Her true identity must remain concealed; if revealed, Xiao Cai would be finished. That didn’t matter much to her, but he would be doomed as well. Though the short young man was merely a half-hearted practitioner and unlikely to discover Xiao Cai’s secret, better safe than sorry—so he pursued him.

“That is…”

Seeing Blue Chubby rush out, Tu Lu frowned.

Xiao Cai smiled. “He’s a follower. I call him Blue Chubby. He’s the one we met earlier. His abilities are quite good, so I kept him close. If the young master likes, I’m happy to hand him over.”

Tu Lu broke into a sweat; why would he want Blue Chubby? He wasn’t some kind of admirer.

Nevertheless, the situation embarrassed him somewhat.

Xiao Cai had just appeared here and already gained a powerful follower, while he had been repeatedly pressured and nearly faced disaster. Comparing themselves was infuriating—the gap was just too vast.

But considering Xiao Cai’s true identity made it easier to accept. After all, she and Gongsun Yan’s previous incarnation were an almost invincible Seven-Color Giant Dragon!

Still, the thought left a knot in his heart, for he had seen the cave paintings there. If those paintings were true, the positions of himself, Xiao Cai, and Gongsun Yan would be extremely awkward!

“What’s wrong, young master? Could it be that seeing me reminded you of your sister?” Xiao Cai coyly asked, winking.

Tu Lu was startled and quickly discarded the chaotic thoughts swirling in his mind. Curiously, he asked, “By the way, where is your sister?”

“Oh, she didn’t come.”

Hearing Tu Lu ask about Gongsun Yan, Xiao Cai’s expression dimmed slightly, though Tu Lu didn’t notice. Just as he was about to inquire about their surroundings, she suddenly snapped back to attention and looked nearby.

“Blue Chubby is back.”

Upon hearing this, Tu Lu had to shift his focus from Xiao Cai and Gongsun Yan to glance toward Blue Chubby.

He saw the man panting heavily, his face pale and exhausted. Upon spotting Tu Lu, his expression darkened further.

If Blue Chubby hadn’t suddenly called out to Xiao Cai, the short young man would have been finished with just a few more blows from her, no need for Blue Chubby to risk himself.

Though he thought this, he dared not say anything to Tu Lu because of Xiao Cai.

Tu Lu was puzzled. It was obvious Blue Chubby disliked him, yet he had never provoked the man.

Xiao Cai, distracted by Tu Lu’s question about Gongsun Yan, hadn’t noticed the two men’s expressions—or perhaps she had, yet simply didn’t care—and asked, “Is that guy dead?”

“Yes,” Blue Chubby said, pulling a pale blue crystal vial from his chest and respectfully handing it over.

He added, “Though he was only a half-hearted qualified practitioner, he was no pushover. I’ve survived three trials of the Dao Sovereign and possess half a Dao Sovereign’s body, yet he nearly escaped. This vial contains purified true spirit essence taken from him. Please examine it, master.”

Xiao Cai nodded, took the vial, and without hesitation pumped the essence directly into Tu Lu’s body!

Not only was Tu Lu stunned, but Blue Chubby was also shocked, his face darkening as he nearly cursed in frustration!

Though it was but a small vial of true spirit essence, it was of the highest quality. One vial alone equaled the combined essence from the White-Robed Demon King and others from before. Unless one possessed a special constitution like Xiao Cai, it could easily forge one or two complete Supreme Mysterious bodies!

Even Blue Chubby coveted such a treasure himself, as his Supreme Mysterious body was still incomplete. Had Xiao Cai used it on herself, it would have accelerated her completion of the Supreme Mysterious body, ensuring their safety in the Supreme Mysterious Realm sooner. Yet she gave it to Tu Lu!

What a waste!

He could plainly see Tu Lu was only at the Purple Mansion realm. Using a top-quality true spirit essence on a Purple Mansion cultivator was a huge loss!

But the next moment, Blue Chubby’s eyes widened as his breathing grew rapid.

Since there was no malice sensed, Tu Lu did not resist Xiao Cai’s actions—or rather, he couldn’t. Soon, faint pale white patterns began to emerge on the four fingers of his right hand, excluding the thumb…