Seeing Gu Qingqing's actions, Rong Ye was momentarily stunned, and in his gaze toward Gu Qingqing, there was a hint of tender pity that he himself hadn't noticed. After reading the words on the ground, he was stunned again, subconsciously repeating them aloud, "Gu, Qing, Qing," he lifted his head, looking at Gu Qingqing, "Gu Qingqing, it's a very nice name."
Gu Qingqing liked her name very much. Hearing Rong Ye praise her name, she immediately showed a bright smile, thinking: This brother is not only good-looking but also good at giving compliments. He's really a good person.
Seeing Gu Qingqing smile, Rong Ye also breathed a sigh of relief. He was really afraid that Gu Qingqing might burst into tears. What gave him the most headache was when children cried, especially since Gu Qingqing was a girl!
"Can I call you Geng Geng then?"
Gu Qingqing felt very favorable towards Rong Ye at the moment. Hearing him say this, she directly nodded. Ever since the old lady passed away, no one had called her "Geng Geng" anymore.
"Little Qingqing, are you here by yourself?" Having noticed that Gu Qingqing wasn't the kind of child who cried whenever displeased, Rong Ye felt much more at ease. He looked at Gu Qingqing's clothes, which didn't seem like those of a child from a wealthy family, and seeing her appear alone in the mountains, he guessed she might be an orphan but still wanted to confirm.
Gu Qingqing nodded, looking at Rong Ye with some confusion.
"Is there anyone else in your family?"
Gu Qingqing shook her head.
"Then, would you be willing to come with me?" Rong Ye gazed at Gu Qingqing and softly asked.
Currently, he was all wounded and not suited to stay outside. He had to rush back to Spirit Hidden Mountain to heal. If someone else had saved him, he could have given them some Spirit Stones or Magic Treasure to repay the life-saving grace. But as it was Gu Qingqing, a five-year-old who saved him, he couldn't do so. After careful consideration, taking Gu Qingqing back to the sect with him was the best choice.
Spirit Hidden Mountain had little connection with the outside world, and the senior brothers each had their own peaks without interfering with each other. If Gu Qingqing stayed in his peak, he could protect her, and when she grew up, if she had any desires, he could fulfill them for her!
Gu Qingqing looked at Rong Ye in shock, then took a step back, warily eyeing him.
Even though she usually couldn't refuse the requests of good-looking people, she had just met Rong Ye. Even if she had saved his life, she didn't consider leaving with him!
Noticing Gu Qingqing's reaction, Rong Ye was taken aback and realized he was being too hasty. Gu Qingqing, even though a child, had managed to live alone until now, definitely wasn't a child who would go off with just anyone. Otherwise, she would have been taken away long ago and wouldn't still be here.
He lowered his eyes, thought for a moment, and didn't bring up taking Gu Qingqing with him again.
Just as he was about to retrieve something else for Gu Qingqing from the Qiankun Ring, the ground suddenly shook, and a powerful aura enveloped the cave where they were staying, making both Rong Ye and Gu Qingqing's expressions turn somewhat grim.
"It's a six-tier demon beast!" Rong Ye stood up from the grass bed and walked over to Gu Qingqing's side, "Don't be afraid, I will protect you!"
His expression wasn't good. In his peak state, let alone a six-tier demon beast, even an eight-tier demon beast wouldn't scare him, but currently, he was only halfway healed, his Spiritual Power was not yet restored, and all the talismans on him had been used up in the previous battle. This fight was probably going to be tough!
Upon hearing about the six-tier demon beast, a trace of terror flashed in Gu Qingqing's eyes. Shaoyun Mountain was just the outskirts of the Ten Thousand Miles Mountains, where the highest-ranked demon beasts were usually only third-tier. A six-tier demon beast like this one was mostly found in the inner regions and was very rare, not usually appearing in places like Shaoyun Mountain.
She, such a little one, had to avoid third-tier demon beasts, let alone a six-tier demon beast!
Her small hand couldn't help but clutch Rong Ye's sleeve, fearfully hiding behind him.
"Little Qingqing, let's head outside first." Rong Ye grabbed Gu Qingqing's hand and ran to the outside of the cave.
The ground was still shaking, and they could hear the roars of the demon beast. It seemed someone was fighting with the beast, and the sounds were getting closer, clearly indicating that the person was quickly approaching their location.
Rong Ye, though injured, still had his Divine Sense intact. He released his Divine Sense towards the direction from where the sound was coming.
About five hundred meters from where Rong Ye and Gu Qingqing were, a tiger about three meters high with horns on its head was attacking four people.
This kind of tiger was known as a Lightning Silver Tiger, precisely the six-tier demon beast Rong Ye had mentioned.
And the four people being chased were a middle-aged man, two young men, and a young woman.
The young woman's shoulder was injured, seemingly clawed by the tiger, with the wound still bleeding. However, she didn't dare to heal herself and continued fighting.
The middle-aged man in a short green suit appeared to have the highest cultivation among the four. He was continuously casting spells to fend off the Lightning Silver Tiger's attacks, trying to buy time for the other three to escape.
The other two young men, one in black and the other in blue, had decent cultivation levels among youngsters, but there was still a gap between them and the Lightning Silver Tiger. At this moment, both were somewhat injured and awkwardly avoiding the Lightning Silver Tiger's attacks.
"Second Martial Uncle, we can't go on like this. This place is already the periphery of the Ten Thousand Miles Mountains. If the Lightning Silver Tiger gets out of here, the people outside will be in trouble!" The young woman glanced at a place not far away, her brows furrowed, while blocking the Lightning Silver Tiger's attack, she said to the middle-aged man beside her.
The middle-aged man took a brief look at the surroundings and found that it was indeed as the young woman said, making him frown too, "This Lightning Silver Tiger is too powerful. It seems it is almost at the peak of the six-tier. With the capabilities of the four of us, we are simply unable to handle it."
Hearing this, the young woman felt somewhat helpless too.
As the saying goes, they had bad luck. Originally intending to find a fifth-tier Vermilion Jade Flower in the inner regions of the Ten Thousand Miles Mountains, they unexpectedly encountered the frenzied Lightning Silver Tiger. The second martial uncle, being the highest in cultivation among them, only had just reached the sixth-tier. As for the two senior brothers, they were considered outstanding among the young generation but were only at the peak of the fourth-tier. The youngest, the young woman, had only a fourth-tier cultivation. Such a group, admitting they couldn't withstand a frenzied peak six-tier Lightning Silver Tiger, could only be pursued relentlessly.
Along the way, they did encounter others, but upon seeing the Lightning Silver Tiger, everyone turned and ran. Seeing they were about to leave the range of the Ten Thousand Miles Mountains, letting the Lightning Silver Tiger get outside would not only harm them but also the people out there would be in trouble!
During the time Rong Ye used his Divine Sense to observe, the Lightning Silver Tiger was getting closer to where he and Gu Qingqing were. Just like the four people, Rong Ye knew if they left, the people outside Shaoyun Mountain would suffer disaster. After all, a peak six-tier demon beast was already among the top existences on this continent. Judging by the Lightning Silver Tiger's appearance, it had fallen into a frenzy. Those with low cultivation, and even ordinary people without cultivation, encountering the Lightning Silver Tiger, would meet certain death!