After learning about the situation, Long Miaomiao was not stingy with her praise.
She said to the little fellow, "Cultivating for over a decade, self-taught, you do possess some talent. With this fortuitous encounter, I believe that if nothing unexpected occurs, you will achieve something in the future."
To be praised by the Dragon God was considered a great honor.
The little fellow said shyly, "Thank you, Lord Dragon God, for your praise. May your words come true."
He then released his concealment spell, dug out a small wooden tablet, and brought it to Long Miaomiao.
Long Miaomiao reached out with her dragon claw to receive it.
The little fellow then said, "At that time, it was this item that I discovered, which led to my current achievements. Lord Dragon God, please take a look. Is this the item you were looking for?"
Long Miaomiao picked up the small wooden tablet and immediately nodded.
She had possessed two fragments of the Fuxi Qin. Even though this fragment did not look the same as the two she had previously owned, she could sense from its aura that it was a true fragment of the Fuxi Qin.
Long Miaomiao replied to the little fellow, "Indeed, it is this item. Now, we can both be at ease. What do you wish to exchange with me?"
The little fellow had already made up his mind, weighing the benefits of guarding such a treasure versus exchanging it. He was naturally willing to trade with Long Miaomiao.
However, he dared not be overly greedy.
To have this opportunity to ask for favors from the Dragon God was already a tremendous fortune. If he were to be too greedy, he would have to worry about the saying, "Greed can lead to ruin."
Therefore, after serious consideration, the little fellow said, "I do not have such great ambitions. Since embarking on the path of cultivation, I have only wished to cultivate well. Lord Dragon God mentioned earlier that if I were willing, I could cultivate by your side."
"I dare not be greedy for more benefits. As long as Lord Dragon God agrees to take me under your wing, I will be content and willingly offer this treasure to you."
The treasure he offered had essentially enabled him to gain sentience, clear his mind, and smooth his path of cultivation. The benefits he could gain by following a dragon would also be fundamental.
If he could gain Long Miaomiao's favor by following her, and make her happy, she might even bestow more benefits upon him.
Therefore, choosing to follow Long Miaomiao was undoubtedly a better option.
Such benefits were far beyond what this fragment could compare to.
With these potential benefits, he did not need to ask for more. If Long Miaomiao was pleased and saw his discretion, she might even grant him additional rewards, which would yield the same result.
In short, this was the decision the little fellow had made after weighing the pros and cons.
Long Miaomiao listened to the little fellow's terms and observed him for a moment.
She had already prepared herself to have this little fellow by her side. Now, seeing that he was clever, articulate, and already understood some worldly matters, with decent cultivation talent, she felt he was suitable.
Although he had some ulterior motives, they were not malicious.
Furthermore, after gaining sentience, although he had become more cunning, he had not lost his kindness and was still willing to help humans in distress in the mountains.
Long Miaomiao thought that even if this little fellow had some schemes, it would not be a problem to fulfill his wish.
Thus, Long Miaomiao said, "I understand your intentions, and since you harbor no ill will, I do not mind. However, there is one thing I hope you will understand."
The little fellow quickly bowed and said, "I am listening to Lord Dragon God's teachings."
Long Miaomiao said, "I can agree to your condition. From now on, I will keep you by my side and let you cultivate with me. If you have any questions during your cultivation, feel free to ask me. I will not hold back."
"I promised you earlier that I would bestow a benefit upon you, and I will do so. Since you have not specified what you want, I will consider it carefully before deciding and bestow upon you something suitable."
"However, I have only one request for you."
The little fellow readily agreed, "Lord Dragon God, please speak."
Long Miaomiao said sternly to the little fellow, "I want you to maintain your original heart. No matter what you face in the future, do not commit evil deeds. Do good deeds often. This does not mean you must do good deeds unconditionally. Having a mind of your own and acting within your capabilities is a good thing, but it is good if you are willing to help when you can."
"However, you must absolutely not do anything evil. If one day you violate this, I will not only expel you but also take action to clean house."
"Will you still agree to this?"
The little fellow did not need to think much.
Since he began cultivating, he had been able to perceive certain things. Accumulating virtue and doing good deeds actually brought great benefits to the cultivation of spirits like them. Although cultivating the righteous path was slower, their cultivation would be more solid and stable.
They would also be less likely to be troubled by heaven and earth.
However, if they made a mistake and took the evil path, doing things that harmed lives, they would almost never be able to turn back. Even if their progress was rapid, it would not last. Perhaps one day, they would be struck to death by heavenly lightning, their souls scattered, with no chance for repentance.
This little fellow was rare in his foresight and naturally understood the consequences.
He replied to Long Miaomiao, "I understand Lord Dragon God's meaning. I can guarantee that I will do more good deeds and refrain from evil, and will not do evil even if it seems small."
"Our cultivation is already very difficult, and we are subject to many restrictions. Once we commit evil deeds, one day, we will be judged by heaven and earth, causing our cultivation to be all for naught. I understand what I should do."
Long Miaomiao nodded with satisfaction, "You are quite intelligent."
"From now on, you will follow me. I have accepted the item. As for the additional reward, you will follow me first. Once you learn the method of storing items, I will give you the item, so that you will not have to carry it in your mouth everywhere when you are by my side."
The little fellow had no objections.
Long Miaomiao then asked him, "Since you will be following me from now on, what is your name? I should know how to call you in the future."
Hearing Long Miaomiao say this, the little fellow rolled his eyes and replied, "To be honest, Lord Dragon God, I was born in this snow mountain. It seems I am the only one in this mountain who has gained sentience and cultivated. Before this, I was just a wild beast, not understanding much, and had not given myself a name."
"Lord Dragon God, if you do not mind, would you bestow a name upon me?"
With these words, whether the little fellow had a name before or not, it was as if he did not.
Having Long Miaomiao bestow a name upon him was a form of flattery and a way to draw closer.
Long Miaomiao accepted his overture and did not inquire whether he originally had a name. She simply pondered for a moment before speaking, "Since you are following me, you shall bear the surname Long, like me. Your given name will be... Zhaozhao. From now on, you will be called 'Zhaozhao.' What do you think?"
"Long, Zhao, Zhao... Long Zhaozhao!"
The little fellow, or rather, Long Zhaozhao, repeated his name several times. He was also quite excited. This was a proper name, and to share the surname with Long Miaomiao was a great gift, showing Long Miaomiao's regard for him. He had no complaints whatsoever.
He immediately thanked Long Miaomiao excitedly, "Thank you, Lord Dragon God, for bestowing this name!"
Long Miaomiao was not very good at naming. Her own name was a testament to that.
When she named herself, she wanted to leap over the dragon gate and transform into a dragon, so she gave herself the surname Long. When choosing her given name, she wanted to reflect her birth in water and her love for it, so she chose the characters "Miao Miao," which contained many water radicals and lacked much cultural depth.
Naming Long Zhaozhao was similar.
The name "Zhaozhao" did not have any special meaning. She had simply removed the radicals from the character "Diao." She had initially intended to say "Zhao Zhao," but before it left her lips, she felt it was a bit too simple, so she chose "Zhaozhao."
Fortunately, Long Zhaozhao seemed very pleased and did not find the name crude.
Seeing how much Long Zhaozhao liked his new name, Long Miaomiao was also satisfied. She said to Long Zhaozhao, "Zhaozhao, then it is settled. I have two companions here, and I have obtained the item. It is time to reunite with them. You will come with me."
Since Long Zhaozhao had already expressed his desire to follow Long Miaomiao, he naturally obeyed and immediately replied, "Yes."
Long Miaomiao then coiled her dragon tail around Long Zhaozhao and brought him back to the snow mountain. She transformed back into her original form, picked up Long Zhaozhao, and prepared to return.
After all this time and delay, she needed to inform Ye Tiancheng that she had retrieved the fragment.
Long Zhaozhao, in his heart, was very curious.
He wondered what kind of powerful great monsters Long Miaomiao's companions would be.
He did not expect that Long Miaomiao would have humans by her side, nor did he assume that they would be as weak as himself.
Someone like him, after pledging allegiance to Long Miaomiao, was merely a subordinate or pet. To be called a companion by Long Miaomiao meant they were beings of equal standing.
As Long Miaomiao carried Long Zhaozhao back, she suddenly heard a series of very familiar footsteps.
With her keen senses, she could naturally recognize that the owner of these footsteps was Ye Tiancheng and the little fox.
Long Miaomiao felt puzzled.
Hadn't Ye Tiancheng and the little fox agreed to stay in the house to investigate the situation? Why had they come outside? Could something have happened?
However, her spiritual sense left at the small house had not detected any danger.
Long Miaomiao sensed her remaining spiritual consciousness again and confirmed that no danger had occurred. Moreover, it was likely that no one was left in the small house at the moment.
Not knowing what had happened, she immediately held Long Zhaozhao and headed towards Ye Tiancheng and the others to understand the situation.
Long Miaomiao had indeed spent a considerable amount of time obtaining the fragment. Ye Tiancheng and the others had gone out to look for Long Miaomiao at noon, and it had been quite some time since then.
Finding Long Miaomiao was not easy for Ye Tiancheng and the little fox.
Firstly, they knew that Long Miaomiao was unlikely to be in danger, so their focus was more on finding the whereabouts of the fragment. Secondly, it was difficult to search for someone in the snow mountain. One reason was that communication devices were malfunctioning and could not be used for contact. Secondly, they could not shout for people on the snow mountain.
Otherwise, if they accidentally triggered an avalanche, it would be disastrous.
However, they could not return without finding Long Miaomiao, as it would be difficult to explain to the owner of the house, making them seem strange. Ye Tiancheng and the others did not want to expose themselves easily, as they had other purposes for being there.