"I... made a slight adjustment to the collar..."

Zuo Qiu slowly lifted her head, revealing the black accessory around her neck. It was still made of leather, retaining the structure of a metal buckle. Compared to the previous collar, this one had more decorative patterns, and the edges had been smoothed out, making it much less likely to be mistaken for a spirit beast collar.

Bai Feng: "..."

Seriously, why are you so fixated on the collar?

"I'll hide this in the bell, so you don't have to worry about it being discovered."

Zuo Qiu took out a metal bell that fit perfectly over the collar.

"Wait, let me just say this directly." Bai Feng rubbed his forehead. "I have no interest in whether you want to be a dog or not. I'm helping you only because we share a common enemy. I need you to deal with Hei Lian, understand?"

"Mm..." Zuo Qiu nodded. "So, can I carve your name on it?"

"..."

So I just explained everything for nothing!

Seeing that Zuo Qiu was unyielding, Bai Feng decided not to bother persuading her anymore. If she wanted to be that way, so be it.

He took the sphere and used his spiritual power to carve his name into it.

"Thank you, Young Master."

Zuo Qiu finally let out a sigh of relief, quickly taking the sphere and placing it inside the bell, which she then wore around her neck.

Her adjustments to the collar and her request for Bai Feng to carve his name were not because she was obsessed with being a dog.

Rather, she had noticed that Bai Feng had been unusually cold towards her lately, treating her like a stranger who wasn't even a friend.

In fact, the only time he had approached her in recent days was to ask for her help with some advertisement, and afterward, he had given her a few spirit stones as payment.

This had sparked a sense of crisis within her; this was not the kind of relationship she wanted.

Especially now that she could no longer return to Lian Shen Zong. Even if she did, she would face punishment from the sect, and in severe cases, she could be stripped of her cultivation and expelled. She didn't want to become a wandering cultivator, so the only thing she could do was cling tightly to Bai Feng.

Moreover, she didn't want to be a servant or maid who could be easily discarded or used as a bargaining chip by some second-generation cultivators. She wanted to be a loyal companion by Bai Feng's side.

To achieve this identity, she had to show Bai Feng her determination, and the collar around her neck was one of the ways to do that.

After putting on the bell, Zuo Qiu gave it a gentle shake, and it emitted a clear, melodious sound.

Then she seemed to remember something and quickly pulled out a sturdy rope from her storage bag. "Oh, right, Young Master, this is for you."

"What is this...?" Bai Feng picked up the rope, which looked oddly familiar.

He shot a glance at Zuo Qiu. You, the child of destiny, are really going all out, huh?

You don't have some weird kink, do you?

"It's... um, a rope."

Zuo Qiu's gaze shifted slightly. Although she had made up her mind, she still felt embarrassed discussing such matters.

Seeing her reaction, Bai Feng couldn't help but think: So you can feel shy too!

He tugged on the rope in his hand, a dismissive smile spreading across his face.

You made me accumulate so much luck value, and now you dare to come in front of me and bring up bad memories? Fine, let me take this chance to 'humiliate' you a bit, so you can see reality and not think I'm easy to talk to.

Once you realize the truth, then think about whether you still want to be a dog!

So he pretended not to understand and looked at Zuo Qiu. "What kind of rope is this? I'm a bit confused; can you explain it to me?"

"Ah?"

Zuo Qiu quickly looked up, only to see Bai Feng's smug smile, and she immediately understood he was doing it on purpose.

But when you're under someone else's roof, you have to lower your head. She could only suppress her embarrassment and explain, "It's... it's a dog leash, for walking dogs."

"Mm, now I get it." Bai Feng nodded, then shifted the conversation. "But why are you giving me a dog leash? If you don't explain it clearly, I won't understand!"

"Uh... um..." Zuo Qiu's face turned bright red, and she clutched the hem of her robe, her body trembling slightly.

Bai Feng felt a rush of satisfaction: 'Ha, if you can't handle it, just leave. Just be a tool for me, nothing more.'

"If you can't say it, then don't. Stop thinking about these things every day. Once we deal with Hei Lian, you can go wherever you want..."

He waved his hand, but before he could finish, he saw Zuo Qiu take a deep breath, seemingly finally suppressing her embarrassment.

She looked up, staring at Bai Feng, and said each word clearly: "I am the master's dog. This leash is for walking me. Please use the leash I gave you to walk me."

Bai Feng: "?"

Wait, you really dare to say that? Don't you have any sense of shame, child of destiny?

[Beep, detected that the host is extremely shameless, forcing Zuo Qiu to admit that the leash is for walking her, deepening her understanding of her identity. Reward: Luck Value +213, "Guide to Raising Spirit Pets."]

Damn, I was wrong, bro! I won't do it again next time! Please spare me from your divine powers!

Why was I even teasing her in the first place?

I swear I won't be so mouthy again!

---

Chapter 126: The Trembling Celestial Bone

After the system forcibly filled him with luck value, Bai Feng immediately lost his mood.

He glanced at Zuo Qiu, whose face was nearly bursting from embarrassment, and waved his hand weakly. "Alright, I'll take the rope. You should go rest now."

"Mm... goodbye, Master."

Zuo Qiu felt a wave of relief wash over her; as long as he agreed, that was good enough.

She could hardly bear to look up, and after bidding farewell to Bai Feng, she hurriedly left.

Back in his room, Bai Feng began to seriously contemplate Zuo Qiu's situation.

He guessed that Zuo Qiu was forced by her circumstances to cling to the only lifeline she had.

After all, her situation was indeed dire. Not only had she been in contact with Hei Lian, but she had also attacked a talented disciple from another sect. Given that Lian Shen Zong was a place where the strong preyed on the weak, her return would likely not end well.

Looking at it this way, Zuo Qiu's intentions became clear.

She undoubtedly wanted to leave Lian Shen Zong and become part of Tian Jian Zong, or even become a member of the Bai family.

One had to admit, Zuo Qiu, the child of destiny, was quite bold, willing to decisively abandon her identity as a disciple of Lian Shen Zong to become a servant of the Bai family.

'If this issue isn't resolved, Zuo Qiu probably won't give up easily.'

Bai Feng tapped his fingers on the table, but for the moment, he had no perfect solution.

No, he had misjudged his goal. What he really needed to do wasn't to drive Zuo Qiu away, but to keep her at a distance to prevent her from doing anything strange that would allow the system to exploit her and fill him with luck value.

After all, once the child of destiny grew stronger, they would likely develop their own ambitions and wouldn't want to remain under his thumb. Sooner or later, they would want to leave. What he needed to do was to get through this period and fast-forward to the point where he could use the child of destiny to deal with Hei Lian and then let her go.

'Then I should find an opportunity to send Zuo Qiu out for training.'

Soon, Bai Feng had an idea.

If he was going to put on a show, he might as well go all out. To prevent Zuo Qiu, the child of destiny, from overthinking, he planned to create a portable formation for her. He had just received a reward from the system for reaching minor success in weapon forging, so he could craft her a set of spirit equipment. Then he could choose a distant location for her to train long-term.

However, that would have to wait until they returned, as Zuo Qiu was still in a 'restricted movement' state.

"Looks like there's nothing else to do today. I might as well practice for a bit."

Bai Feng stretched and opened the system to begin practicing the body tempering technique rewarded by the system.

He was quite looking forward to this celestial technique, curious about what surprises it would bring him.

Speaking of which, he had always wanted to complain that the names of celestial techniques were rather plain. Is this what they mean by 'the great way is simple'?

---

"Brother, have you been eating well...?"

In the evening, Bai Yu Mo pushed the door open but quickly lowered her voice.

She looked at Bai Feng, who was meditating, and carefully stepped around him. When she saw the empty bowl on the table, a smile spread across her face.

But just as she was about to pick up the bowl to wash it, she felt a sudden tremor in her celestial bone.

"What’s going on?"

Bai Yu Mo frowned slightly, glancing around. When her gaze landed on Bai Feng, her celestial bone trembled again.

"Brother?"

She set down the empty bowl and quietly approached Bai Feng.

As she got closer, her celestial bone continued to tremble, as if something ahead was drawing its attention.