"Chirp——!"

  Miss Jiu let out a sharp, ear-piercing chirp, a sound filled with anger and determination. Her tiny, fluffy body slammed into Damao’s wrist with incredible force—far more than anyone would expect from such a small bird. Damao let out a loud yelp of pain as a sharp numbness shot up his arm, and the knife slipped from his grasp, clattering to the ground with a loud, echoing crash that shattered the silence of the hot spring area. The sound was so loud, so sudden, that it echoed off the walls, making everyone jump.

  Damao’s face turned bright red with anger, his eyes narrowing into dangerous slits as he glared at Miss Jiu. He let out a low, guttural roar, his voice filled with rage: "You damn little chubby bird! How dare you ruin my plan? I’ll crush you to death, pluck your feathers, and steam you for dinner! You’ll regret crossing me!"

  With that, he lunged forward, stretching out his fuzzy, clawed hand, grabbing fiercely at Miss Jiu, trying to squeeze her tiny body until it broke. His eyes were filled with murder—he was furious that this tiny bird had dared to stand in his way, that she’d ruined his perfect moment.

  But Miss Jiu was small and incredibly agile, faster than Damao could have imagined. She dodged his hand with a quick, graceful movement, flitting away like a tiny white shadow. Before Damao could react, she charged straight at his face, aiming for his eyes—her sharp little beak glinting, ready to peck. Even though she was tiny and her power was no match for Damao’s, she’d been with Jieyou and Jiuge for a long time, and she’d absorbed some of their spiritual power. When she fought with all her heart, she could still hurt him—and she was determined to protect her master, no matter what.

  Damao let out a yelp of surprise—he’d never expected this tiny bird to be so fast, so fierce. He quickly closed his eyes and covered them with his hand, scrambling backward to avoid her beak. He was terrified of getting his eyes pecked out—without his eyes, he’d be useless, and his brothers would turn on him in an instant. So he cowered, his hand clamped tightly over his face, completely caught off guard by the tiny bird’s attack.

  At that exact moment, the sleeping Jieyou was woken up by the loud crash of the knife and Miss Jiu’s sharp chirps. She opened her eyes slowly, her vision still a little blurry from the wine, her head throbbing slightly. But as she looked around, her eyes cleared, and the last of her

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  Miss Jiu let out a sharp chirp, her tiny body slamming into Damao’s wrist with incredible force. Damao felt a numbness in his wrist, and the knife slipped from his hand, clattering to the ground with a loud crash—ear-splitting in the quiet hot spring area.

  Damao’s face darkened, and he glared at Miss Jiu angrily, roaring, "You damn chubby bird! How dare you ruin my plan? I’ll crush you to death and steam you for dinner!"

  With that, he stretched out his fuzzy hand, grabbing fiercely at Miss Jiu, trying to squeeze her to death.

  But Miss Jiu was small and agile. She dodged his hand with a quick movement, then charged straight at Damao’s eyes. Even though she was tiny and not as strong as Damao, she’d been with Jieyou and Jiuge for a long time, so she had some spiritual power. When she fought with all her might, she could still hurt Damao.

  Damao didn’t expect the little white bird to be so agile. He quickly closed his eyes and covered them with his hand, afraid she’d hit them.

  At that moment, the sleeping Jieyou was woken up by the loud noise and Miss Jiu’s chirping. She opened her eyes slowly, still a little hazy with leftover drunkenness. Looking at the scene in front of her—the four furry monsters, the knife on the ground, Miss Jiu fighting Damao—she instantly realized what was happening: she’d been targeted. These monsters wanted to kill her and make her into beauty wine!

  Jieyou’s eyes turned icy cold in an instant, her drunkenness vanishing completely, replaced by a terrifying aura. She sat up slowly from the cutting board, rubbed her eyes, and stared at the four monsters coldly, saying, "You’re asking for death!"

  Anyone who dared to touch her, anyone who dared to hurt the people around her—they all had to pay the price! These furry monsters had the audacity to target her, to try to kill her and make her into wine? They were truly ignorant of their own limits!

  When Damao heard Jieyou’s voice, he quickly put down his hand and looked at her, surprised. He hadn’t expected the little girl to wake up so quickly, and even more so, he hadn’t expected her to exude such a powerful aura—one that made him feel a little afraid.

  But he quickly regained his composure, staring at her with a sinister smile. "Little girl, you’re awake? It doesn’t matter—today, you’re destined to become our beauty wine. No one can save you!"

  With that, he winked at the other three monsters and shouted fiercely, "Ermao, Sanmao, Simao—attack together! Kill this little girl and the chubby bird! Today, we’ll finally taste the beauty wine!"

  Hearing Damao’s order, Ermao, Sanmao, and Simao nodded, staring at Jieyou and Miss Jiu with fierce eyes. Then they charged forward together, trying to capture them in one go.

  Jieyou let out a cold laugh, showing no fear at all. She waved her hand, and her spiritual power surged around her, a bright white light bursting from her body, instantly covering the entire hot spring area. Xiaobai heard the commotion too, rushing over from the other side of the spring, standing in front of Jieyou in a flash, staring fiercely at the charging monsters. A fierce battle was about to begin.