Chapter 163: Leo the Bad wolf

After taking one full round around the pond, he stopped exactly where he had started.

Moon slid down from his back and patted the big white wolf with genuine pleasure.

The thick fur under his palm felt cool and soft.

Rio stood still and let him stroke as long as he wanted, only occasionally turning his head to sniff the air.

Moon’s breathing slowly evened out.

Since the flame was still insufficient, he did not push himself again to refine a spirit-grade pill. Forcing it would only waste more materials and leave him coughing blood for nothing.

Not to mention he was short of many ingredients.

The fresh air around the pond cleared his mind.

He suddenly had a plan.

He sent Rio back to Frostbane, then turned and entered the Lupine Palace.

Inside, the open ground was quiet.

He saw Nox there sitting on his usual platform.

Nox had been in Malong City this entire time.

He and Oshan had brought back a large amount of supplies. Right now the goods were piled up at the foot of the mountain near their cave.

Oshan was busy making a proper dwelling in the place he had found suitable.

And Nox went inside the Lupine Palace to practice his formations.

When Moon approached, Nox did not even lift his head.

"You’re busy these days?" Moon asked, sitting down beside him.

"Um... We should leave the gorge tomorrow. Levi hired a mercenary group heading to the west. We will go with them."

Moon was surprised.

He had not known what Nox was doing outside. His original plan had been to sneak out at some point and find a way to the west by himself.

Going with Levi would make things much easier.

"You met him?" he asked.

"Hmm. We met. He asked for the poison-removing pill formula as his payment." Nox finally lifted his face to look at Moon. "I said you would decide later."

Moon thought for a moment.

If the poison-removing pill became common, more people would start venturing into the gorge. But the formula itself was almost useless outside.

There were no Stardust Cinder Lilies beyond this place.

Still, he would hold onto the formula until he finished the treasure hunt and completely detached the Lost Realm from the gorge.

"We will talk about it later. What are you making?" Moon looked at the jade slips, ink, and other tinkering tools scattered around Nox. "Trying to make an offensive array?"

"Hmm. We are going outside. Even with Levi’s protection, there might still be traps."

Moon knew that too.

He sat there for a while longer, then stood up.

He did not leave immediately.

Looking at Nox’s lowered head and concentrated expression, he suddenly felt a strange hollowness in his chest.

Something was missing.

He turned and saw that Axe was also busy on the other side of the open ground. But Lupine was nowhere in sight.

’What the hell are all of them up to these days?’

He had planned to go straight to the Flame Garden, but instead he just stood there.

Then, without thinking too much, he stepped closer to Nox, lifted the man’s chin with two fingers, and said,

"Hey..."

Nox’s eyes fluttered for a moment.

"Why are you suddenly so cold to me?" Moon asked.

"I’m not," Nox replied in a low voice.

"You are," Moon insisted.

Then, without giving Nox a chance to respond, Moon lowered his face and kissed him loudly.

Then he turned and entered the Flame Garden before Nox could say a single word.

Nox touched his wet lips and stared at the empty space where Moon had been.

After a moment, a smile finally bloomed on his face.

.

.

.

Meanwhile, inside the flame garden, Moon’s own face was burning.

Not from the fire essence of the garden.

From pure shame.

He had actually gone and kissed someone on his own.

And like that.

What was wrong with them suddenly ignoring him?

His thoughts were still a complete mess when he finally met Leo.

Leo was locked inside the chamber.

Yesterday, after racing in the lost realm, he had been increasingly restless.

And kept running and ruining the orchids inside the flame garden. That almost made Xiao Hong faint from anger.

Her orchids were all precious herbs to refine higher-grade pills. Even one petal from them can fetch thousands of high-grade spirit stones.

What was this illiterate fool wolf thinking? So, in rage, Xiao Hong locked him inside the chamber.

So, when Moon finally opened the door, the immediate weight fell on him.

A massive body of thick red fur and heat slammed into his chest and almost threw him back out.

Moon screamed at the top of his lungs,

"Hell, Leo, get up.... What the ...."

But the wolf was still a wolf.

He kept his weight on Moon and licked his face all over.

He kept his weight on Moon and licked his face all over. His hot, rough tongue dragged from Moon’s chin to forehead without any shame.

"Yuuuk hiss... move...."

Moon pushed the wolf’s face away with both hands.

He finally crawled out from under the hellish weight as he panted.

Before the wolf could pounce on him again, Moon quickly cast a locking spell and bound Leo in place with his spiritual qi.

Leo growled and howled around the spiritual net, claws scraping against the barrier, but he could not get out anymore.

He became increasingly agitated. His red eyes burned with pure fire.

Looking at the rabid wolf, Moon shivered.

’Heaven! I even thought to have sex with this wolf once!!!’

He thought, watching how aggressively the wolf was jumping around to break the spiritual net. ’Forget it. I would not even get close to him.’

In his heart, he complained nonstop and thought Rio was better.

If only he would not be like that, Moon could have kept that silent one beside him.

But he knew it was all temporary.

When they got back to their human forms, they would each turn into jerks again and would not even think about letting him ride on their backs.

It would already be good if they just left him alone in peace.

If Ugo, Nox, and Axe ever knew what he was thinking all along, they would probably vomit blood.

Moon wiped the sticky wolf saliva off his cheek and looked at the bound red beast with a complicated expression.

"Xiao Hong, let’s go to my cave. I am going to make the soul contract."

Xiao Hong flew to his side, tiny red form hovering near his shoulder. She looked at him worriedly.

"You sure? You were a little weird a few moments ago. Maybe calm your soul first?"

Though she liked to play around, in matters of seriousness she still felt the obligation to do her part as senior.

"I am okay. I am not going to push what’s impossible anymore." Moon said, lowering his head a little.

Xiao Hong looked at his lowered head and felt suspicious.

She had noticed that even though this man looked very collected on the surface, he often did reckless things the moment his thoughts became messy.

Still, she did not stop him.

They took Leo with them and teleported to the same terrace in front of their cave.