“When you learn a lesson with your body, you will remember it,” Bai Chen’s smile softened as he handed the little blue snake back to Wen Xiu. “In the future, don’t let anyone touch it so casually.”
When Wen Xiu took back his spiritual familiar, he noticed Bai Chen smiled just now. Even the little snake was staring at him, looking cute and adorable. The resemblance between the owner and the spiritual familiar was so astonishing that Bai Chen almost reached out to pat Wen Xiu’s head but quickly withdrew his hand.
As Wen Xiu calmed down, the blush and embarrassment on his face gradually faded. He looked down at his spiritual familiar and asked another question, “But why is mine… so small?”
“It’s normal because you still can’t control your spiritual power yet. But the size of the spiritual familiar is not related to your ability, so there’s no need to worry too much.”
The little blue snake stuck out its soft tongue towards Wen Xiu, but upon sensing Jin Long’s curious gaze, it curled up in Wen Xiu’s hand, coiling itself together.
Suddenly, Bai Chen asked, “Are you really afraid of me?”
“Hmm?” Wen Xiu replied, somewhat guilty, “No…”
Bai Chen smirked, “The spiritual familiar reflects the truest reactions of its owner. You can’t hide anything from me.”
Wen Xiu instantly felt as if his whole body had been thoroughly seen through. He wanted to explain but didn’t know what to say, “I’m not afraid; I just don’t know you very well. After all…”
“I am a demon,” Bai Chen responded with words that were difficult for Wen Xiu to say, “I know stereotypes are hard to correct. But you are a Guide, and from now on, you have to learn to use your spiritual power to replace your eyes and rediscover everything in the world. Whether I am harmful to you or not, you should know this better than me.”
“Now, what can be done? What should I do?” Wen Xiu looked at Bai Chen with a pure innocence in his gaze.
Bai Chen suddenly had a strange feeling, as if, no matter what he said, Wen Xiu would listen. He looked at the curled-up Xiao Lan She, which also lifted its head slightly to sneak a peek at him, its eyes round and bright, seeming both curious and fearful. He looked back at Wen Xiu and said without changing his expression, “Leave it here; after spending a day with Jin Long, it should be fine.”
“Okay.” Wen Xiu actually agreed, seemingly having forgotten all the words Bai Chen had just said.
Bai Chen wasn’t sure if Wen Xiu trusted him too much or simply didn’t regard him as an outsider. However, Wen Xiu’s lack of wariness towards people was evident, and there have been cases of spiritual familiars being killed after leaving their owners. The fate of those Guides or Sentinels was like losing their souls, leaving their bodies as empty shells. Bai Chen wouldn’t blame Wen Xiu; a more effective way than spoken words was to teach Wen Xiu a lesson by letting him learn from his own experiences.
Sure enough, before Wen Xiu left, he placed Xiao Lan She down. Xiao Lan She refused to leave him, nervously wrapping its tail around his fingers several times. Just then, Jin Long approached and breathed a hot breath, which made Xiao Lan She sway a few times. Eventually unable to bear the weight anymore, Xiao Lan She finally fell.
Before Wen Xiu could reach out to catch it, Jin Long used its head and caught it. The trembling Xiao Lan She looked at Wen Xiu as if to seek help. If it weren’t for the fact that snakes can’t scream, Wen Xiu almost thought it was about to cry. He gently said to Xiao Lan She, “Don’t be afraid…”
The owner and the spiritual familiar should have a telepathic connection and be able to communicate without words, but Wen Xiu obviously hadn’t grasped this yet. Bai Chen watched quietly, making no moves to interrupt them. Finally, obedient boy Wen Xiu even politely said to Bai Chen, “Please take care of my spiritual familiar.”
Bai Chen responded with “en” and watched Wen Xiu’s departing figure, then lowered his gaze to Xiao Lan She, who was struggling to catch up. He didn’t need to say anything; Jin Long had already positioned itself in front of Xiao Lan She.
Xiao Lan She glanced around and probably felt that humans were more approachable, so it crawled towards Bai Chen, perhaps seeking his protection.
Bai Chen conveniently grabbed Xiao Lan She and looked at the little creature, which was staring at him with its round black eyes, “Do you like me?”
Xiao Lan She couldn’t answer him, but upon noticing that Jin Long didn’t come any closer, it seemed to gradually relax and started to roll around in Bai Chen’s palm. After rolling around till it got tired, it stopped moving; it had fallen asleep.
The owner and the spiritual familiar’s routine are in sync. Seemingly, when Wen Xiu went home and fell asleep, Xiao Lan She also closed its eyes to rest.
Bai Chen couldn’t resist, so he gently touched the smooth body of Xiao Lan She with his fingertips. Xiao Lan She rolled over a little but wasn’t startled awake, remaining completely still.
When Wen Xiu woke up at dawn, he couldn’t understand why he felt a bit itchy all over.