Linglong watched Shu Jianyue and Chaotian for a long while, then looked at the book in Shu Jianyue’s hands, before finally asking, “If you find a way out, could you take me with you?”
Shu Jianyue closed the book and looked at her. “What about your pack?”
Linglong glanced back. “I can’t look after them for a lifetime. Once I leave, a new Wolf King will naturally rise.”
“I don’t want to spend my whole life drifting aimlessly and wasting away in this realm, either.”
Shu Jianyue didn’t find anything wrong with this mindset. After all, people were inherently selfish, let alone the Shouzhu, who were renowned for being cold-blooded.
“Not yet, but I’ll search a bit more. However, it’s very likely located in that mountain.”
The expectant light in Linglong’s eyes instantly dimmed. Then what hope was there? There was a Yingmang there on the verge of transforming into a Flood Dragon.
Shu Jianyue stood up and surveyed her surroundings. “I’ll take a look around. If there are no findings after three days, we’ll go look for that Yingmang.”
Xixi was still waiting for her outside. If she took too long, who knew if the little girl would start overthinking things.
She was so clingy; if her mother didn’t return for a long time, she would definitely think she had been abandoned.
It wasn’t that children who didn’t cry had fewer thoughts, but rather that the children with the most thoughts were often the quietest.
Chaotian pondered for a moment and asked, “Master, are we really going to find that Yingmang?”
Shu Jianyue nodded. “If we don’t find any other abnormalities in these three days, then we can only go there and face the Yingmang.”
“Inside that Yingmang’s cave, there is also a Shencao—the fifth-ranked Chiyou Jiecao. He must have relied on the Chiyou Jiecao to cultivate to his current level of power.”
Chaotian looked at her in surprise. “Chiyou Jiecao?”
Shu Jianyue nodded. “This Shencao is also the most difficult to subdue among all Shencao.”
What she couldn’t understand, however, was that if it was the hardest to subdue, why was it afraid of that Yingmang?
When it had sensed the presence of her Mental Power back then, it had even seemed faintly elated!
Linglong watched them leave, wanting to follow, but she was somewhat mindful of the unborn pup in her belly.
……
Over the next three days, Shu Jianyue rode the Yinyue Xionglang and traversed almost every corner except for that mountain, harvesting many unique spiritual herbs.
With Chaotian present, no Lingshou dared to step forward and disturb them.
However, they found nothing abnormal. Apart from an abundance of spiritual treasures, there was nothing out of the ordinary.
Thus, they still had to go confront that long Yingmang.
Over these three days, Shu Jianyue had also devised a plan. If it worked, they would get out; if not, she and Chaotian would just have to hide inside the space.
At this moment, she was standing atop a barren, desolate hill devoid of even a blade of grass, staring down at her feet in a bit of a daze.
Beneath this place was actually a Lingshi Kuang!
Right now, she could be considered penniless, without even half a spirit stone to her name. She had constantly been trading with the Hunyuan Sect for various texts and classics, but had completely forgotten to exchange for spirit stones.
Who could blame her when her space had everything she could ever want? She had never needed to go out and buy anything.
Seeing her staring blankly at the ground, Chaotian asked, “Master, what’s wrong?”
Shu Jianyue lightly kicked the ground beneath her feet. “Underneath this is a Lingshi Kuang.”
Chaotian was also stunned. This desolate hill, so ordinary that not even a single stalk of spirit grass grew here, had a Lingshi Kuang?
Shouldn’t a mountain with a Lingshi Kuang be lush with spirit herbs and plants?
If an outsider were to look at this, they would never imagine there was a mineral vein beneath this mountain, as he hadn’t sensed any difference in the Lingqi here compared to other places.
Shu Jianyue turned and walked toward the nearby cliff. Below, there was a newly dug cavern from which one could enter and see the Lingshi Kuang.
Presumably, it had been dug out by the Yanliao Xiyi inside, who had just stepped into the Huaxingqi.
Shu Jianyue and Chaotian arrived at the cavern entrance, glanced up at the cliff, raised an eyebrow, and walked in.
Linglong, who had just arrived, poked her head out over the cliff. After a moment of thought, she decided not to go down and instead sat nearby to wait.
Shu Jianyue looked at the Yanliao Xiyi before her. Before she could even make a move, Chaotian released his pressure, causing the lizard to instantly drop flat to the ground, a series of whimpers escaping its throat.
The Yanliao Xiyi was suffering in silence. This was a spirit mine he had painstakingly discovered! He had barely finished digging the cave a few days ago, and already someone was here to rob him—and it was even a Divine Beast lord!
What a miserable life!
Looking at his richly expressive face, Shu Jianyue let out a soft laugh and said, “Leave this place, and I’ll give you six special Spirit Fruits. They’re far more useful than this spirit mine.”
The Yanliao Xiyi looked at Chaotian. Seeing him narrow his eyes, the lizard immediately shook his head like a rattle-drum. “N-No need, Little Fairy! This humble one will leave right away!”
Hearing the words ‘Little Fairy,’ Shu Jianyue burst into laughter. “We’re taking the cavern you just dug out, so consider this compensation. Just take them. You’re in the Huaxingqi now after all; have some backbone.”
The Yanliao Xiyi took the six Spirit Fruits and darted out abruptly, kicking up a flurry of dust.
Shu Jianyue quickly held her breath, but still couldn’t hold back a couple of light coughs.
Chaotian hurriedly swept the billowing dust out of the cave.
Once out of the cave, the Yanliao Xiyi immediately stuffed all six fruits into his mouth. Who knew if he could keep them once he went outside? Inside his own belly was the safest place.
Sure enough, as soon as he climbed up, he saw the Wolf King sitting there, frightening him so badly he nearly tumbled off the cliff.
“W-Wolf King Linglong!”
Linglong glanced at him sideways. “They chased you up?”
The Yanliao Xiyi nodded. “The cave I just finished digging was stolen from me. What a miserable life.”
Shaking his head, he continued walking, and once he was a fair distance away from Linglong, he dashed off at full speed.
Had he offended the stars today? Why was he encountering danger after danger in rapid succession!
Shu Jianyue retracted all her Mental Power, condensing it into a blade that enveloped the entire Lingshi Kuang and pulled it into her space.
Yuchuan, who was splashing around in the pond inside the space, saw a massive, beautiful mountain suddenly appear on the bank and immediately scrambled ashore, flailing about.
“Wah, pretty… Mother, come in!”
Looking at Yuchuan’s state, Shu Jianyue fiercely suppressed the urge to give him a beating. Was this little brat sent by the heavens just to torment her?
He was covered in mud, and a few fish were flopping around on the bank; if they weren’t tossed back into the water soon, they’d be reincarnating in the next moment.
Shu Jianyue tossed the fish back into the pond and withdrew her Mental Power. If she kept looking, she was afraid she wouldn’t be able to resist beating the little brat to death.
She had cut the Lingshi Kuang very smoothly, so he shouldn’t be able to climb it.
This only proved that she had underestimated her son’s mobility.
The moment the Lingshi Kuang vanished, the mountain began to collapse.
Chaotian transformed into his true form, quickly carrying Shu Jianyue out of the cave and leaping to the opposite mountain before the collapse was complete.
Linglong, who had been waiting on the mountain the whole time, had already fled when the mountain first began to shake.
Waiting at the foot of the mountain and watching, she saw them cross over to the opposite side and immediately ran over as well. “The three days are up. When do you plan to go look for that Yingmang?”
Shu Jianyue raised an eyebrow at her. “What, not scared anymore?”
Linglong cleared her throat softly. “I was never afraid of death to begin with. Otherwise, how do you think I earned my position as Wolf King? I’m merely mindful of the child in my belly.”
“We’ll go first thing tomorrow morning. Since you’re pregnant, don’t come inside. Wait for us outside, and if we deal with it, we’ll call you.”
“Even if you went in, you probably wouldn’t be of much help anyway.” Shu Jianyue’s words were already quite polite, stopping just short of telling her outright that she would only hold them back.
Linglong was also self-aware enough to know her own limits, but doing nothing at all felt a bit too shameless, didn’t it?
Therefore, she decided to go find two more helpers.
With that thought, she transformed into her true form and galloped away.