Jiao Long strode forward and helped Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) up, laughing heartily, "We are both spirits of the vast land, and we should help each other. There's no need for thanks. So don't call me a benefactor, just call me Jiao Long."
If Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) couldn't hear his thoughts, she would have truly been deceived by this distinguished and elegant Jiao Long.
However, the moment they touched, she heard him think, "It's a pity I got entangled with that weasel spirit for too long, otherwise this inner core would be mine. Taotao's birthday is in a few days, and I could have ground the inner core into peach cakes for her as a birthday gift. But it's okay, this rabbit might look silly, but its original form is quite cute. Taking it back to play with Taotao wouldn't be bad either!"
Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) now realized that Jiao Long's previous rescue of the original owner was not sincere. However, with her soul changed, she wouldn't be foolish enough to believe him again. So, she pretended to be shy, twitched her ears, and said softly, "Alright, then I'll call you Brother Jiao!"
"Whatever you like!" Jiao Long waved his hand dismissively. "By the way, Qiushui, your cultivation is still unstable after just transforming. This place has been known to that weasel spirit, and he might come looking for you again. Therefore, I suggest you find a new place to live!"
Knowing that Jiao Long wanted her to follow him, Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) cooperatively raised her small rabbit eyes and asked with confusion, "But I don't know where to go?"
"How about this..." Jiao Long pretended to ponder for a moment before saying, "About eighty kilometers east from here is a lake near where I live. There's also a sister who has cultivated into a spirit from a peach tree, named Tao Taotao. She is very kind-hearted and often helps other little spirits. If you really have nowhere else to go, you could come with me to find her for help."
"Brother Jiao saved my life, of course, I'm willing to follow you," Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) said with eyes full of trust.
Jiao Long tilted his head slightly, avoiding her burning gaze, and said, "Then there's no time to delay, let's set off quickly!"
After Jiao Long had been carrying Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) for a while, he turned back and said, "Qiushui, you've just transformed and your spiritual power isn't very strong yet. Traveling is quite draining. Why don't you transform back into your original form, and I'll carry you?"
Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) said gratefully, "Thank you, Brother Jiao!" Then she turned and transformed into her original small white rabbit form, leaping into Jiao Long's palm. A free mode of transportation, why not take advantage of it?
Jiao Long held the fluffy little white rabbit in one hand, and with a shout of "Hold on tight!" he began to use his "Shrink to an Inch" technique, speeding eastward.
Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) tightly gripped Jiao Long's finger with her small rabbit claws. Listening to his true thoughts, she couldn't help but pout her lips. Because at this moment, Jiao Long was thinking, "If I travel at this rabbit's speed, I'll definitely miss Taotao's birthday. It's better if I carry her, then we can get there faster!"
On the third day of their journey, Jiao Long and Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) were resting on a rock by the roadside.
Suddenly, a group of human bandits appeared. They had tied up a young woman and were swaggering towards the mountain.
Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) was still in her small white rabbit form. Seeing that Jiao Long had no reaction, she hopped closer and whispered, "Brother Jiao, aren't we going to save that woman? She's in danger!"
Jiao Long smiled and replied in a low voice, "The ones in danger should be those bandits!"
While Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) was still wondering, she suddenly heard screams from the mountain, which soon fell silent.
A while later, a beautiful woman walked down from the mountain. It was the same young woman who had been tied up by the bandits. However, this time she looked even more alluring.
The beautiful woman slowly walked over, "Oh my, I didn't know you, a Flood Dragon, had started raising rabbits! That doesn't suit your temperament!"
"Hu Meiniang, does it concern you what I raise?" Jiao Long said coldly.
Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) then realized that the woman was also a spirit, but her cultivation was too shallow to see through her true form.
"Oh, why are you so fierce? I was just a little curious! Everyone in this area knows you admire Tao Taotao, that peach spirit. Now I see you with a rabbit spirit, so I was surprised and asked," Hu Meiniang swayed as she walked forward and reached out to stroke the little white rabbit's fur.
Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) didn't want to be touched by just anyone. She dodged aside with a flash and then revealed her human form.
Unexpectedly, Hu Meiniang raised an eyebrow, her eyes showing a look of adoration, "Haha, so it's such a cute little white rabbit! I like your human form even more, sister. Come, let sister touch your little cheeks..."
Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) couldn't dodge in time. Her cheeks were soon held by the other woman and rubbed. At the same time, she heard Hu Meiniang's thoughts: "Wow wow wow, so cute, I really want to take her back to my cave and rub her every day!" For once, her thoughts and her words matched.
Finally managing to escape the woman's clutches, Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) rubbed her slightly reddened cheeks and pouted, "Sister Hu, how can you touch others without their permission?"
"Haha, you white rabbit spirit are so naive, you must have just transformed not long ago!" Hu Meiniang stopped her hands, but her eyes still held a seductive glint, "Don't go with that smelly Flood Dragon. Come with me! I'll take you out to see the human world and enjoy yourselves!"
Before Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) could reply, Jiao Long flashed in front of her, blocking Hu Meiniang. "Hu Meiniang, we've always minded our own business. A little joke today is fine, but don't try to bewitch my sister Qiushui again."
Jiao Long then turned back to Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) and said, "Qiushui, Hu Meiniang is a ten-thousand-year-old fox spirit. Fox tribes are skilled at bewitching people and absorbing Yang energy. This cultivation method is not suitable for you. You'd better come with me to find Taotao!"
"Okay, Brother Jiao. You are my savior, so of course, I'm willing to follow you." Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) knew that she was Jiao Long's birthday gift to Tao Taotao, so how could she leave halfway?
Hu Meiniang shook her head with some regret, "What a pity, Sister Qiushui. I don't want to fall out with this Flood Dragon today, so I have no choice but to give up on you. But remember, if you ever want to leave, you can come to Liuyao Mountain and find me. Just call my name loudly once you enter the mountain. Remember: my name is Hu Meiniang!"
Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang) nodded somewhat blankly and whispered gratefully, "Thank you, Sister Hu. But Brother Jiao is very good to me, and I trust him!"
Hu Meiniang rubbed Bai Qiushui (Xiao Wenqiang)'s chubby little face again, then turned and swayed away into the distance, disappearing in the blink of an eye.