Then, Let Them Offer Their Loyalty!

In that instant, Larilo felt a surge of jealousy.

Of course, she hadn't really come to think of Qiu Tu as her "boyfriend".

Although in the past few nights, she had dreamt of Qiu Tu, and her feelings towards him had inexplicably started to change.

But... she was still a long way from liking or accepting Qiu Tu.

It's just that... all creatures have a sense of "territory" and a desire for "victory".

Qiu Tu was clearly her worshipper, and he had been the first to express his feelings to her.

Even though Qiu Tu might have been deceiving her... Larilo felt that Qiu Tu couldn't possibly be sincere towards her sister either!

So...

Even if she were being deceived, she was the first one to be openly deceived!

Why was her sister now relentlessly pursuing Qiu Tu? Or... why had Qiu Tu started to deceive her sister instead of continuing to deceive her?

Thinking like this, Larilo clenched her fists...

Of course, she wasn't the type to believe whatever Qiu Tu said.

So, even after listening to Qiu Tu's story, Larilo hesitated for a moment before tentatively asking, "She gave you a Wood Dragon?"

"You've already received it?"

Upon hearing this, Qiu Tu shook his head, "Not yet..."

Larilo felt a slight unease in her heart.

Over the years, fooling believers had actually led Larilo to accumulate a lot of interpersonal experience. One of the lessons she learnt was: don't look at what a person says, but what they do.

The human heart is overly complex, full of too many lies and deceptions.

The flattering speech of humans is the most abundant of all creatures'. Enough to confuse your mind and interfere with your judgement.

And that applied to this conversation as well: Qiu Tu had rambled on and on about Zhao Ji giving him a gift and his inability to resist.

He even painstakingly described the Wood Dragon, Dai Tou, but didn't seek it out. Isn't that the biggest red flag?

'Isn't there definitely a problem here?'

With that thought, Larilo couldn't help but recall the last time, when Qiu Tu had told her the story of going with Zhao Ji to deal with the Wood Dragon.

A flicker of "enlightenment" crossed Larilo's mind: Could it be that Qiu Tu had already heard about Dai Tou from Zhao Ji last time, and remembered it to come and bluff her now?!

The more she thought about it, the more Larilo felt that it was the case.

But... to know, Dai Tou was different from the Wood Dragon. Thinking this way, Larilo couldn't help but continue to ask, "Then why don't you accept it?"

Qiu Tu looked at Larilo, then said with utmost seriousness, "Your Highness, do you wish to hear the truth or a lie?"

Larilo's crimson eyes shifted slightly, and she asked, "What's the lie? And what's the truth?"

Qiu Tu looked at her and smiled, "The lie is... I still can't let go of you, so I'm hesitating."

"And the truth?" Larilo asked.

Qiu Tu looked at Larilo, his face deliberately showing a hint of greed, "The truth is... if Her Highness Zhao Ji could offer such conditions,"

"Why shouldn't I come to ask you?"

"Your situation is much worse than hers', you might also have some good treasure."

Upon hearing Qiu Tu's words, Larilo managed to keep her face unchanged, but inside she scoffed: Keep the deception going! The fox's tail is showing now, isn't it?

Larilo felt she saw through it all.

Qiu Tu was swaying between herself and her sister on the surface, but in fact... he was likely just trying to exploit her desperate situation, hoping to gain benefits from her!

How could she fall for such a ruse!

Then, just as Larilo was thinking this.

Qiu Tu made another move.

He slowly raised his hands to his chest, palms facing each other, swiftly changing through several hand gestures.

Then he whispered a few words, "As dawn breaks, life renews, ancient trees reach for the skies, roots intertwined, with 'Life' as the core, through 'Reproduction' and 'Healing' pathways resurrect..."

Watching Qiu Tu's movements, and listening to the slightly embarrassing "curse" he was chanting, Larilo's eyes slowly widened.

She looked at Qiu Tu in disbelief, her eyes no longer holding the previous "strategizing" and ease.

Because... the gestures and "curse" Qiu Tu was using were her own creations...

Back then, when Zhao Ji killed the Wood Dragon that had been guarding the Xinjie Territory, Larilo was actually a bit angry.

Because she had agreed with Zhao Ji to use that Wood Dragon as a mount.

Now, with the Wood Dragon dead, she couldn't possibly ride Zhao Ji, could she?

Back when the relationship between the two sisters was still very good, Zhao Ji saw that Larilo was unhappy, so she came up with a way to obtain a Cataclysmic Treasure, which could condense the dispersing soul of the Wood Dragon and the Cataclysmic Power of 'Life', creating a new Cataclysmic Creature.

So... she spent some time for Larilo, reconvening the soul of the Wood Dragon, giving it a new life, which became Larilo's pet: Dai Tou.

Since this was a creature created by Zhao Ji, at first Dai Tou did not obey Larilo's commands.

So... Larilo had a sudden inspiration, drawing from the concept of a "safe word" in SM [BDSM].

Then she had Zhao Ji set up a "curse" and "gestures" for the Wood Dragon. As long as it heard the curse and saw the gestures, it had to obey, making it easier for Larilo to control it.

And so, Larilo gradually gained control over the Wood Dragon.

Although, after completely taming the Wood Dragon, Larilo no longer needed the "safe word".

But... the curse was still deeply branded in Dai Tou's soul, causing it to instinctively grow close to or obey the person who "summoned" it using this set of gestures and curse.

This set of curse and gestures, because they were created by Larilo. When summoning Dai Tou, she was very careful to ensure that no other creature saw her before she summoned it. So... theoretically, only she and her sister Zhao Ji knew about it.