“I get the feeling you’re not really someone who keeps promises, are you?” Bai Feng crouched down, his gaze locked onto Zuo Qiu’s eyes. “Can you tell me why you’re doing this?”

“B-because... I want to follow my master…”

As Zuo Qiu met Bai Feng’s cold stare, an overwhelming fear surged within her. She wanted to look away, but Bai Feng gripped her chin, forcing her to maintain eye contact.

“Is that so? Then why choose to be a dog? If you want to follow me, there are other identities you could choose from, right?”

Though Bai Feng’s tone was soft, Zuo Qiu felt an intense pressure, as if she were facing not a human, but a giant whose veins flowed with lava, its surface ablaze with flames.

She opened her mouth, feeling as if the flames were consuming her, the air she inhaled scorching, causing her throat and lungs to ache.

“...B-because, I... I want to live. I don’t want to die. I want power. I want revenge on Hei Lian…” Overwhelmed by fear, tears streamed down Zuo Qiu’s face as she poured out her innermost thoughts. “I have nothing left to offer except myself. Please don’t hand me over…”

“...Alright.”

Bai Feng studied her for a moment before releasing her chin.

Zuo Qiu immediately collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath, her body trembling.

“Th-thank you, master, woof…”

“Get up. And don’t bark like a dog.” Bai Feng stood, looking down at Zuo Qiu. “That’s an order.”

“Yes!” Zuo Qiu quickly scrambled to her feet.

“Take off the collar too.”

But this time, Zuo Qiu shook her head. Though fear flickered in her eyes, she mustered the courage to say, “I’m sorry, but I refuse. Only wild dogs don’t wear collars.”

“…”

Bai Feng continued to stare at her, but this time she lifted her head to meet his gaze, her eyes revealing a hint of defiance.

‘Ha, so she really is the child of fate.’

This time, he understood. Zuo Qiu didn’t genuinely want to be his dog; her true desire was to survive, even to seek more. Being a dog was indeed humiliating, but it also meant she wanted to bind herself to him, not remain a disposable outsider.

As for the collar, it was her way of expressing her determination, even her submission.

But this behavior held no sway over him. If he wanted to shake her off, he could easily do so… No, was this really a transaction, or was she begging for his mercy?

He observed Zuo Qiu, whose expression, aside from fear, showed no anxiety, but rather a hint of expectation.

It seemed he had a decent image in her eyes. Did she think he wouldn’t refuse her?

---

Chapter 120: If I let her go just like that, wouldn’t I be at a loss?

Bai Feng pondered for a few seconds, and he had to admit Zuo Qiu was right.

At this moment, he truly didn’t intend to refuse.

After all, the system had already bestowed him with luck points. If he let her go now, wouldn’t that be a loss?

Moreover, while he had left a little something inside Zuo Qiu to prevent her from leaking information about him, keeping her by his side was clearly a more secure option.

And he genuinely wanted to take down that old hag Hei Lian. Who could be more suitable for dealing with a demonic villain like her than Zuo Qiu, the child of fate?

His earlier decision to save Zuo Qiu was partly motivated by the desire to have her confront Hei Lian.

The only issue was that the loyalty of a child of fate like Zuo Qiu couldn’t be guaranteed.

No, it seemed there was no need for guarantees. Keeping her close would allow the system to exploit her for luck points, and ideally, after dealing with Hei Lian, she could leave on her own. By then, he should have already reached the Divine Transformation stage, or even the Void Refinement stage. Bai Yu Mo would have grown as well, and he wouldn’t have to worry about secrets being exposed.

“Alright, I accept your proposal.”

A smile returned to Bai Feng’s face as he extended his hand toward Zuo Qiu.

Zuo Qiu let out a small sigh of relief. She glanced at Bai Feng’s outstretched hand, hesitated for a few seconds, and then placed her face against it.

Bai Feng looked down at her, and she widened her eyes, staring back at him.

“What are you doing?”

Zuo Qiu’s face showed a hint of confusion. “Isn’t this what you meant? I’ve seen my senior sisters play with their pets like this.”

“...I meant a handshake!” Bai Feng used his other hand to grab her face, fiercely rubbing her cheeks. “Since you want your face rubbed so much, I’ll give it a good squeeze!”

“...I-I’m sorry!”

After thoroughly ‘playing’ with Zuo Qiu, Bai Feng finally released her head.

He exhaled, looking at Zuo Qiu, whose hair was now a mess. “Do you know how to get out of here?”

“I’m not sure.” Zuo Qiu shook her head. “I only know this is a temporary space created by Hei Lian using a special spiritual artifact.”

“A temporary space, huh?”

Bai Feng surveyed the desolate surroundings. Aside from the ground, the only thing present was an almost endless amount of demonic energy.

It certainly didn’t resemble a normal secret realm.

He recalled that temporary spaces were usually unstable, so breaking out shouldn’t be too difficult.

With that thought, he activated the Yin-Yang pattern to scan the area, quickly identifying several weak points. After a moment of contemplation, he summoned the Immortal Fire to burn away the demonic energy.

“Go, burn away the demonic energy nearby.”

In the next moment, the Immortal Fire shot up into the sky, racing toward the direction he pointed.

As the demonic energy was consumed by the flames, the weak areas began to twist and warp.

‘It really works.’

Unlike stable secret realms, temporary spaces required constant maintenance to remain stable. Bai Feng surmised that the demonic energy was one of the energy sources stabilizing the space. As long as he burned away most of it, the temporary space would begin to collapse due to a lack of energy.

Bai Feng glanced at Zuo Qiu, who was hiding behind him, her face pale with fear. He reminded her, “Get ready to leave.”

“Yes, master.” Zuo Qiu nodded eagerly.

“By the way, you reminded me.”

Bai Feng suddenly reached out and grabbed the chain around her neck, pulling it close to him. He stared into Zuo Qiu’s frightened eyes and said firmly:

“Remember not to mention this to anyone else, and don’t call me master. Just say you’re my follower, or even a servant repaying a debt of gratitude. Otherwise, I’ll show you what a real dog is like.”

“Yes, m-master… no, young master.”

Zuo Qiu quickly nodded, hastily correcting herself.

“Good.”

Bai Feng then released the chain from her neck.

Zuo Qiu might not care about her dignity, but he certainly did.

If others found out he had taken a girl as a dog after disappearing for just a moment, his reputation would be ruined. He’d probably be stopped on the street by passing children of fate looking to gain experience points.

Oh, and the collar!

Bai Feng looked at Zuo Qiu, who was staring at the ground, too afraid to speak. He slowly reached out to her neck. “Listen, I’ll take the collar off for now.”

To prevent Zuo Qiu from refusing, he added, “At least don’t wear it in front of others. You can wear it however you like in private.”

Zuo Qiu stiffened for a moment, but upon hearing Bai Feng’s words, she nodded without resistance, allowing him to remove the collar from her neck.

“Um…” Zuo Qiu pointed at the collar in Bai Feng’s hand. “Can I keep this?”

“Hmm? Sure, no problem.” Bai Feng glanced at the ordinary collar in his hand and tossed it to her, adding, “Don’t forget what I told you. Don’t expose our relationship in front of others, and don’t cause me any trouble.”

“Yes.”

Zuo Qiu nodded quickly. Instead of putting the collar in her storage bag, she slipped it onto her wrist.

Seeing this, Bai Feng didn’t say anything further, as long as it wasn’t around her neck.

As they spoke, the flames continued to burn, and the space began to twist even more.

“Let’s go.”

Bai Feng grabbed Zuo Qiu’s arm, and he also touched the jade given to him by the sect leader just in case. Then, he tightened his grip on the bamboo sword and swiftly thrust it toward the area where the space was distorting.

Crack…

The space before him instantly filled with cracks, and in the next moment, it shattered completely, revealing a blurred street scene.

Bai Feng stepped through, suddenly feeling a dizzying whirl and a churn in his stomach.

Just as he was about to vomit, the scene before him finally settled into calm.

“Phew, finally out.”

Bai Feng took deep breaths, suppressing the urge to vomit that was almost rising to his throat.