The chaos beast was basking in its new habitat, its body brimming with revitalized energy. It lifted its head and locked eyes with the caterpillar.
The two creatures stared at each other, an unspoken understanding passing between them.
The blue caterpillar’s eyes turned dark, and it glared at the Little White,
"You...what are you doing here? You should be in the summoned plane, right?"
Little White, however, just smiled with a silly look and tilted its head.
Seeing his silly look and the blue caterpillar, he almost threw up blood.
Even after struggling so much, he was still late.
The blue caterpillar almost cried and threw a fit.
But remembering how Gu Jin wasn’t there, he gritted his teeth and held back his tears.
What’s the use of crying now? She doesn’t remember him, and he isn’t her contracted beast yet.
Taking a deep breath, he asked Little White,
"Hey, lead me to her."
Thinking about the cuddles and how he could now coil around her, the blue caterpillar was overjoyed.
Little White blinked at the blue caterpillar, its tail swishing lazily in the energy-rich pond.
It tilted its head again, feigning innocence, but the glimmer in its eyes suggested it knew exactly what the caterpillar wanted.
"Lead me to her," the caterpillar repeated, its tiny voice filled with frustration.
Little White let out a small, amused chirp before stretching its limbs and hopping onto the edge of the pond.
It shook its body slightly, letting the water droplets scatter before eyeing the caterpillar with a teasing glint.
Then...it ignored the blue caterpillar.
Blue Caterpillar: "..."
It was so angry that it wanted to beat the White lizard, but remembering how it would advance once its intelligence was cured, the blue caterpillar endured his anger.
After all, it was the leader of all the beast under Gu Jin.
He could only humble himself and say,
"Hey...could you please...lead me to her..."
The White Lizard ignored the blue caterpillar.
It was only then that the blue caterpillar realized that something was wrong, and it stared at the white lizard with a suspicious gaze,
"Hey...have you regained your intelligence?"
The White Lizard finally cast an indifferent glance in the blue caterpillar’s direction, its golden eyes flashing with something unreadable.
The blue caterpillar felt its tiny legs tremble.
This wasn’t the same silly, blank-faced lizard it had known before.
No, there was something different—something dangerous—about Little White now.
"Y-You really did regain your intelligence!" the caterpillar stammered, inching back slightly.
Little White slowly stretched its limbs, the sheen on its scales growing brighter as it absorbed more chaotic energy.
Then, with an air of complete disinterest, it flicked its tail and said, "So what if I have?"
The blue caterpillar nearly tumbled over in shock. "You—you can talk now?!"
Little White smirked, showing off its sharp teeth.
"I always could. I just didn’t feel like wasting my breath on you."
The caterpillar choked on its own frustration.
"You—! Do you know how hard I worked to find Gu Jin? How long I waited for her at the academy dorms, only to realize she wasn’t even there?!
And now, when I’ve finally found her location, you’re acting all high and mighty?!"
Little White tilted its head. "And?"
"And?!" The caterpillar was ready to explode. It took a deep breath, calming itself with great difficulty.
"Look, we both want what’s best for her, right? So be a good lizard and take me to her."
Little White observed the caterpillar for a long moment before sighing.
"You’re still as annoying as ever. Go and reflect on yourself. And wait for 2 months. She can’t form a contract for the time being."
The blue caterpillar wanted to argue, but just a look from Little White was enough to make it give up.
It could only hide in one of the corners and grumble. If only it hadn’t encountered the white lizard.
Looking at the sturdy and chaotic energy-enriched environment, the blue caterpillar asked with envy in his tone,
"Who built this for you?"
"Who else?" The white lizard arrogantly replied.
"That guy? Oh! What is his name in this life? Is he rich? Or is he poor like in the last lifetime?" The water caterpillar asked with interest.
The white lizard smirked,
"He was the one who had messed up this time. From what I have heard, master had chased him first this lifetime."
"What? Crazy! In the past lifetime, it was he who had chased the master relentlessly, and only after he reached the Transcendent Stage did the master agree to be with him." The blue caterpillar lamented.
Then, as if remembering something, he asked,
"That guy must be very regretful right now."
"He is. He had given me bribes so that I would side with him. Well, thanks to the spiritual fruits he had given, my intelligence recovered, and I have started my cultivation." The White Lizard said in a haughty tone.
"As long as I become Master’s pet, I will receive some bribes too. Brother, what do you think? Will that guy be able to become Master’s fiance by the transcendent stage?" The blue caterpillar asked.
"From the looks of it, even till the ascension, he won’t be able to chase her." The White Lizard commented.
The blue caterpillar hesitated before saying,
"Should we tell master about his sacrifices from the past life? Maybe she will become soft-hearted and give him a chance? After all, he was bad to us in the past life."
"If we tell her now, it will only complicate things," Little White said coolly.
"Master has no memory of the past. If she suddenly learns about all that happened before, she may feel obligated rather than genuinely choosing him. That is not what he wants."
The blue caterpillar sighed in frustration.
"Tch, but at this rate, she won’t even look at him. If anything, she seems even more determined to keep her distance!"
Little White chuckled.
"That’s his fault for messing up. But it’s entertaining to watch, isn’t it?"
The caterpillar huffed, crossing its tiny legs.
"I guess. He’s suffering, and that’s always fun to see. But still, he was good to us before. He even helped protect Master when she was in danger."
Little White’s gaze softened slightly.
"He was. And despite everything, he’s still doing it now. But if we tell her too soon, she might run further away. It’s better if she figures things out naturally."
The blue caterpillar grumbled but begrudgingly agreed.
"Fine, fine. But if she starts falling for someone else, I’m telling her everything. I refuse to watch him get NTR-ed in this life."
Little White rolled its eyes.
"Master isn’t someone who changes her mind easily. Besides, did you forget how persistent he is? Even if she refuses him a thousand times, he’ll still chase her. That’s how he won in the past life, isn’t it?"
The caterpillar thought for a moment before sighing dramatically.
"True. That idiot is stubborn to the core."
Little White smirked.
"Exactly. So, let’s just sit back and enjoy the show."
With that, the two beasts settled into a silent truce, watching from the shadows as their master’s story unfolded once more.
This time, the game had changed, but the players remained the same.
And no matter what happened, they would ensure that Gu Jin had the best companion by her side—whether she knew it yet or not.
Unaware of the conversation between her beast, Gu Jin was cultivating.
She was planning to go to Lightning Mountain and get the thunder seed.
Her thunder element won’t break through until and unless she gets a Mystic Seed, and it would be great if she could get Solar Vein, too.
The next day, when she went to her classroom, she felt gazes from all directions.
Gu Jin knew the meaning of such gazes.
Admiration. Jealousy. Greedy. Envious. Friendly.
Some wanted to befriend her, somewhat to have a match with her, while some were jealous of her progress.
To some, she was a thorn, while to others, she was a red rose.
But to Gu Jin, it didn’t matter.
Currently, all that mattered to her was...resources.
On entering the room, she was greeted by the bouquet of flowers, followed by a passionate confession,
"Miss Gu, I like you and admire you. Can you give me the chance to pursue you?"
The classroom fell into a hushed silence, every pair of eyes watching, waiting for her response.
Some held anticipation, others schadenfreude, eager to see whether the campus goddess would accept or mercilessly reject the confession.
She glanced at the bouquet of flowers in his hands.
They were expensive spirit blooms, infused with faint traces of spiritual energy. A thoughtful choice, but ultimately useless to her.
"Not interested," she said flatly and walked past him, taking her seat.
A low murmur swept through the room.
The young man stood frozen for a second before his expression twisted in embarrassment.
He forced a chuckle, trying to salvage his dignity.
"Miss Gu, I understand that you don’t know me well, but I’m sincere. Can’t you give me a chance?"