Nonsense! How could my adopted son be a villain?

A rustling sound kept coming from the bushes.

Xu Lingguang hadn't gone far when he looked back and saw that the black snake had actually followed him.

It crawled slowly, its body twisting in an "S" shape in the grass, its head slightly raised, its big black eyes staring blankly at Xu Lingguang.

Xu Lingguang stopped and looked at it: "Why are you here again?"

The black snake flicked its tongue and hissed.

Xu Lingguang didn't understand. He turned the black snake's head in another direction and pointed to the distant mountains: "You can go back to the mountains now."

After saying that, he got up and continued walking.

After walking a few steps, I heard rustling sounds behind me again.

Xu Lingguang turned around: ...

After several repetitions, he realized that the snake seemed to have coiled around him. No matter what Xu Lingguang said, it followed him firmly, looking both dazed and pitiful.

It is not large in size; the thickest part of its body is only as thick as two of Xu Lingguang's fingers. When it crawls and stops in the grass, it has a kind of half-dead beauty.

This is also one of the reasons why Xu Lingguang mistook it for Song Nanchu.

After spending a month with Song Nanchu, he noticed that Song Nanchu was very aloof in human form, always appearing as a refined and elegant gentleman, but the curve of his smile never really changed. He was much more realistic in his original form, mostly hanging lazily from the rafters and ignoring people, but occasionally crawling around in the shadows of a corner of the house, suddenly jumping out to give you a fright.

Although Song Nanchu firmly denied that he was deliberately trying to scare him, Xu Lingguang inexplicably felt that he was.

This snake's behavior and demeanor were very similar to Song Nanchu's, except that its eyes looked dull and it did not have the sinister feeling that Song Nanchu occasionally revealed.

Xu Lingguang couldn't shake off the snake, so after thinking for a moment, he picked it up and put it back in the cage: "If you don't want to leave, then come with me."

Anyway, we already have four babies at home, so having more snakes isn't a problem.

Most importantly, he was also wondering if he could still keep his composure if he were to run into Song Nanchu in the future and see the snake he was raising.

Just thinking about it made Xu Lingguang unable to suppress his smile.

Xu Lingguang returned home under the cover of night.

Because the kids were home, the house wasn't dark when we came back this time. Warm lights shone through the windows, making it very cozy.

Xu Lingguang's eyes were full of smiles. He held the candied hawthorn in his hand, led the donkey into the yard, and said loudly, "Muyun, Yurong, Yunfeng, Zhaoling, I'm back. Look what gifts I brought you."

Cheers came from the courtyard, but only Yu Rong, Yun Feng, and Zhao Ling came out to greet them; Mu Yun was nowhere to be seen.

Xu Lingguang distributed candied hawthorns to the three cubs and was surrounded by their cheering cubs as he entered the yard. He turned back and asked, "Where's Muyun? You didn't bully him—"

The word "ba" stuck in his throat; he was too shocked to utter it completely.

Xu Lingguang's relaxed smile vanished, and he stood up straight with a serious expression, looking at Lan Jian, who was lying in the courtyard, with reverence: "What brings you here?"

His eyes darted left and right, and he noticed that Muyun was hiding by the window in the house, peeking out. It must be Lanjian who had come, and Muyun was too scared to come out.

Lan Jian waited here for a long time after discovering that the restriction he had placed had been triggered.

He looked Xu Lingguang up and down, then slowly changed the position of his two front paws and put them together. His silvery-white fur was shimmering in the moonlight, exuding elegance.

"Who did you meet on your way down the mountain?"

Xu Lingguang was taken aback for a moment, then recalled the unexpected encounter on the way and the sudden burst of light from his body. He tentatively asked, "Today I met a cultivator who tried to kill me. My defensive array couldn't block his arrow, but he suddenly died at the last moment. Is that related to you?"

Xu Lingguang was well aware of his own abilities. If his opponent hadn't been suddenly killed at the last moment, he probably would have been dead by now.

After much thought, only Cheng Huang seemed to have the ability.

Lan Jian nodded: "This is one of the contents of the contract."

Xu Lingguang paused for a moment, carefully recalling the terms on the scroll. It didn't mention anything about protecting his personal safety. He said with some doubt, "It wasn't written on the scroll at the time."

Lan Jian didn't explain further, but slowly stood up: "The power of the contract weakens with use, and can only be used a maximum of three times. I came here only to warn you not to abuse this power."

After saying that, he rode away on the clouds, leaving Xu Lingguang with only a cold, indifferent back view.

"They walked way too fast..."

Xu Lingguang scratched his face, unable to even utter a "thank you" before he could say it.

Seeing that Lan Jian had left, Mu Yun rushed out of the window and anxiously climbed onto Xu Lingguang, crying out, "Where's mine? Where's mine?"

Xu Lingguang handed him the candied hawthorn, squatted down, and saw the three little ones licking the candied hawthorn with great curiosity. He pinched Yu Rong's ear and quietly asked him, "Do you know what the power of a contract is?"

He still found it amazing; the power of the contract sounded like some kind of passive counterattack skill.

It's a pity there were only three times.

In this dangerous world, three times is still a bit too few.

Yu Rong was busy licking the sugar coating off the candied hawthorns. In the midst of his busy work, he looked up and thought for a moment before saying, "That is the power of blessing."

Xu Lingguang's curiosity was piqued: "What is the power of blessings?"

Yu Rong frowned, unable to explain clearly. Yun Feng, standing beside him, gave him a disdainful look and proudly said, "Only auspicious beasts can do this. Cheng Huang and Phoenix are both auspicious beasts, and they can use the power of blessings. Ordinary people who receive the protection of the blessings of auspicious beasts can avoid danger and live a long life..."

She rattled off a long list of benefits, and Xu Lingguang's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Isn't this just an invincible buff that can reflect all damage and also benefit oneself?

What a good thing!

Xu Lingguang looked at the three little ones expectantly: "Can you do it?"

Yun Feng glanced at him shyly: "Only my eldest brother knows that."

Xu Lingguang gave a disappointed "Oh". Lan Jian had come over specifically to remind him that he could only use it three times, so it seemed that she was not willing to bless him again.

He sighed regretfully, comforting himself that one should be content, as he still had two more chances to use.