"Look at those little eyes of yours!" Rina Chu teased again. "Do you know why you still can't take human form? It's because you're way too obsessed with food! Forget about meals, forget about meat—only then can you transform, got it?"
Leon Zane didn't want to hear her nagging. Starving, he dove headfirst into the rice bowl, fighting for food.
"Hey! You little rascal!" Rina Chu grabbed him. "If you keep this up, I'll send you back to the General! I'm done taking care of you!"
Leon Zane looked at her: Do I need you to take care of me? You broke girl!
"Scared now, aren't you?" Rina Chu laughed, smoothing the fur on his head. "Remember, you dragons don't need to eat."
I seriously do!
Your Highness, I don't want to stay here as a spy anymore!
I want to go home...
...
The next day, at lunchtime again, Azure Phoenix asked Rina Chu, "Did you finish all the food you packed home yesterday?"
"I ate it!" Rina Chu replied. "But..."
"What is it?"
"I ate it all myself... I was too lazy to cook dinner last night..."
Azure Phoenix: "..."
Rina Chu: "By the way, I've been trying to come up with a name for her, but nothing good comes to mind. How about you help me pick one?"
"Sure! It's a female snake, and she has some pretty spots, so let's call her... Dotty!"
"Dotty... Okay! It's a bit plain, but at least it's easy to say."
...
Rona Zhu saw how lively they were chatting about spirit pets, without a trace of worry, and couldn't help but ask, "Sister, aren't you worried at all?"
"Worried about what?" asked Azure Phoenix.
"Yesterday, Prince Zane Tuoba was carried down the mountain like that after being defeated. I doubt he'll let this slide!" Rona Zhu's worry was written all over her face.
"What's there to be afraid of?" Azure Phoenix said with a grin. "Stick with me, and you won't have to worry about a thing!"
"If the General were here, then there'd be nothing to worry about. But he's gone to the border, what if..."
"Even if the General isn't here, we've got nothing to fear!" Azure Phoenix patted Rina Chu on the shoulder. "With a sixth-rank Spirit Master around, what could possibly scare us? We're awesome!"
"Haha! As long as you're not scared, I'm good. If I'm fed, the whole family's fine—so there's nothing to worry about!" Rina Chu said cheerfully.
They were all bragging together when suddenly, Lucas Hua arrived.
"Lucas Hua!" Azure Phoenix waved at him with a smile. "What brings you here?"
Lucas Hua walked over, his face serious, and whispered a few words to Azure Phoenix.
"What?" Azure Phoenix jumped up. "An army?"
Lucas Hua nodded. "No less than five thousand men, fully armed, heading straight for Spirit Alliance Mountain."
Azure Phoenix glanced at Rina Chu, and Rina Chu looked back at her. Both raised their eyebrows.
"It must be Prince Zane Tuoba's men! What do we do now?" Rona Zhu's voice trembled with fear.
"Don't be scared, Rona." Bobby frowned. "No army from any country would dare attack the Spirit Alliance outright."
Cultivation requires Rebirth Pills.
A strong army needs Rebirth Pills.
And the Spirit Alliance is the supplier of those pills.
Plus, the Spirit Alliance is fiercely protective of its own.
No country would send troops to attack its own Spirit Alliance.
Even if a nation had a conflict with its local Spirit Alliance, they'd escalate it to the higher-ups to seek a solution.
Otherwise, offending the Spirit Alliance is basically cutting off your own future.
"Exactly!" Azure Phoenix said. "Lucas Hua."
"Yes," Lucas Hua replied.
"Send me two of your people." The Falcon Team members are all Spirit Masters, mirror rank or above.