Mu Li placed the little mouse on the table and cast a simple binding spell to keep it from escaping.
The mouse spat out item after item until it could produce no more. Finally, it lay flat on the table, gazing at Mu Li with pleading eyes, as if to say: I’ve given you everything—now let me go.
Of course, Mu Li had no intention of releasing it. She caught an egg that was about to roll off the table, examined it closely, but couldn’t tell what creature it belonged to. Carefully, she set it back in the middle.
The mouse immediately dragged the egg beneath itself. Unfortunately, the egg was larger than its whole body, so it wobbled comically as it tried to perch on top.
Could it be its own egg? Mu Li shook her head, dismissing the absurd thought. Even in a cultivation world, species inheritance couldn’t change so drastically.
Amid the clutter, a few ornate feathers stood out. Mu Li picked them up, finding them vaguely familiar but unable to recall which creature they belonged to. Regretfully, she set them down again.
The mouse quickly snatched the feathers back into its little arms.
Mu Li laughed, amused. “Don’t worry, I won’t steal your things.”
Clearly, this mouse had a spatial ability. A mouse with its own storage space was far rarer than a few herbs or pills. Mu Li immediately decided she wanted to contract it. But she didn’t yet know the method for contracting spirit beasts—she’d have to visit the library first.
Meanwhile, the mouse was busy piling its treasures beneath itself, though it was far too small to cover them.
Mu Li chuckled. “I really won’t take your things. Go ahead, put them back in your space.”
The mouse seemed to understand. It looked at her twice, then began retrieving its items one by one, though Mu Li couldn’t see where they went.
Generously, she took out a bottle of pills from her pouch, poured a few into her hand, and offered them.
Her gesture worked. The mouse relaxed, hopped into her palm to collect the pills, then spat out a spirit herb—apparently offering a trade.
“Well, aren’t you clever?” Mu Li’s desire to contract it grew stronger. She rubbed its round ear affectionately, then tucked it into her pocket and headed for the library.
Books on spirit beasts weren’t hard to find, though there weren’t many. Mu Li selected two volumes on contracting spirit beasts, skimmed them quickly, and began the ritual.
The contract went smoothly. The texts had warned of resistance from the beast, but she felt none. Perhaps the mouse wanted access to her pills, or perhaps it had only just awakened intelligence and lacked the strength to resist.
Either way, the contract ensured it couldn’t run away. Mu Li rewarded it with more pills, letting it scamper around the library while she searched for a comprehensive bestiary.
To her surprise, the mouse turned out to be a rare spirit beast—the Treasure-Seeking Mouse. Its greatest gift wasn’t its storage space, but its innate ability to sense spiritual energy. The higher the grade of the item, the stronger its perception. Though weak in combat and difficult to raise, many cultivators longed to contract one to help locate rare treasures.
“Am I too lucky? Contracting a random mouse and it turns out to be rare? Isn’t that the kind of fortune reserved for protagonists?”
But then she remembered—the male and female leads had contracted dragons, phoenixes, white tigers, beasts whose very names radiated majesty. A little mouse couldn’t compare.
Better not to think about competing with protagonists. Having died once, Mu Li valued her life too much. She pushed aside unrealistic thoughts and focused on the present. She caught the curious Treasure-Seeking Mouse as it hopped around the library. “What should I name you? How about Duoduo?”
Thanks to the contract, she felt a subtle spiritual bond. Her pet seemed pleased with the name, which made Mu Li smile.
“Alright, you’ll be Duoduo from now on. We may not be the world’s protagonists, but we’ll seek treasures, earn wealth, and aim to be the richest in the cultivation world.”
Mu Li was a generous master. After refining pills, she always let Duoduo choose first before bottling the rest.
Fortunately, Duoduo was clever. It usually took only two or three pills, grabbing a couple more only when it found something it especially liked.
Their companionship was harmonious. With trust established, Duoduo even contributed all the spirit herbs from its storage space.
Mu Li gathered enough materials to attempt a Foundation-Building pill—the Peiyuan Pill. Refining it was far harder than Qi-Training pills. She wasted many herbs and ended up with only five pills.
Duoduo seemed fascinated by them, circling the furnace excitedly, though it didn’t eat one as it usually did.
Mu Li guessed its spiritual power was too low to digest Foundation-Building pills. She poked its fluffy white belly. “Don’t worry. Once you advance, you’ll be able to eat higher-grade pills.”
Duoduo rolled in her palm, squeaking softly—half sulking, half acting spoiled.
Mu Li soothed it, then set aside the five Peiyuan Pills in a separate bottle. She decided to sell them later to see their price. Though she could keep them for her own use, she was too poor. Without selling, she wouldn’t have money to buy more herbs. Still, she reassured herself: with alchemy mastered, she’d never lack pills again.
Soon, her month of house arrest ended. Mu Li carried her newly refined pills to the same shop as before.
“Senior, you’ve finally come!” A clerk greeted her warmly, as if he’d been waiting.
Mu Li paused at the bustling shop, hesitating for a moment.
The clerk, perceptive, said, “Please, come to the second floor. It’s quieter there.”
Mu Li nodded and followed him upstairs.
The shopkeeper was busy with accounts, but when he saw her, he quickly set the ledger aside.
“Daoist friend, welcome! Please, sit.” His smile grew even broader. “How many pills are you selling this time?”
Mu Li appreciated his straightforwardness. She took out her recent harvest and said calmly, “All of these.”
Seeing even more pills than last time, the shopkeeper’s eyes lit up. Having already experienced this alchemist’s habit of mixing grades together, he quickly sent the clerk to fetch another assistant.
“Oh? These are Peiyuan Pills?” he exclaimed, picking up the bottle from the pile.