“The best way to dispel fascination is to possess it.”
Su Tangxing said this to her Master.
Fox Master raised an eyebrow, lifting his eyelids to glance at her. “Oh?”
His fiery red fur swayed in the wind. Su Tangxing’s gaze swept past it as she asked, “Are there any foxes in the mountains that haven’t awakened their spiritual intelligence?”
“Yes,” Tiankuang replied. “They are all my fellow clansmen and descendants.”
Su Tangxing: “…Alright. Some things don’t necessarily have to be obtained.”
She heard Fox Master let out a derisive laugh.
Then, in a pleasant young voice, he said, “Well, there’s a litter of cubs. I can take you to play with them.”
Although the Fox Mountain Range was mostly occupied by their sect, due to its vast territory and sparse population, wild animals and Spirit Beasts were still abundant. It was common to encounter them while walking along the mountain paths.
But before Fox Master could take her to pet the foxes, that night, under a full moon, a wolf howl startled Su Tangxing just as she had fallen asleep.
She put on her outer robe and pushed open the window to look outside.
The flowers that were bright and dazzling during the day now appeared quiet and gentle under the night sky. The distant forest, draped in moonlight, echoed with one wolf howl after another from its depths.
“Go out and take a look.”
She called out to the Puppet in her mind.
The Puppet emerged from the neighboring room and patrolled the surroundings.
Su Tangxing wasn’t actually worried.
The defenses of her Cultivation Cave, combined with the offensive capabilities of the Heaven-grade Puppet, were more than enough to protect her unscathed.
Moreover, if it were a Spirit Beast, those living here generally wouldn’t actively attack Cultivators.
After listening to the wolf howls for half the night, not a single wolf appeared in sight. It finally quieted down in the latter half of the night.
Yawning, Su Tangxing lay back down and had the Puppet enter her room to stand guard.
The skeleton used to craft the Puppet was large, estimated to be nearly two meters tall. Clad in formidable, cold, and rigid black armor, the weapon in its hands was dark and heavy. Even under the moonlight, it showed no gentleness; instead, the black seemed to seep with a deep red, as if soaked in blood.
As long as the “heart” remained, the flames in the Puppet’s eye sockets would never extinguish.
The quietly burning flames fell upon Su Tangxing’s back.
An intense feeling of being watched made her turn over.
Su Tangxing stared at the two points of light.
“Turn around.”
The armor clinked softly as the Puppet obediently turned its back.
Though no longer being stared at, its presence remained overwhelmingly strong.
Su Tangxing tried her best to adapt to its existence and pulled the quilt over her face.
The next day, while milking cows together with Lin Xiangqing, she mentioned the wolf howls she had heard the previous night.
Lin Xiangqing reassured her, “Don’t be afraid. This happens occasionally.”
Su Tangxing asked, “There are many animals in our sect. Do newly admitted disciples ever encounter them?”
“Yes,” Lin Xiangqing replied. “Last month, a junior brother accidentally stepped on a venomous snake’s tail while sweeping the stone steps and got bitten. But don’t worry, our junior brothers and sisters at Elixir Peak are very skilled at treating such things. Many alchemists outside aren’t as proficient as they are.”
Every profession has its specialties.
Just like how doctors in Yunnan are more adept at treating mushroom poisoning.
Su Tangxing nodded and asked further, “Everyone seems very knowledgeable about Spirit Beasts. I’d like to learn about this as well.”
Lin Xiangqing said, “It’s a compulsory course in the sect. Didn’t the Great-Grandmaster teach you?”
“No.”
“…Then perhaps he forgot.” Lin Xiangqing smiled helplessly. “If the Great-Grandmaster doesn’t mind, I can explain it to you.”
“I don’t mind. Thank you.”
“But,”
Su Tangxing hesitated before saying, “Won’t it tire you out?”
This great-great-grandson is delicate and frail, barely clinging to life as it is. I’m truly afraid that if he overexerts himself, his already short lifespan will be cut even shorter.
“He won’t,” Lin Xiangqing said with a slight smile. “I know my limits and will act accordingly.”
That’s good.
Su Tangxing nodded, then shifted her consciousness to browse her Spirit Beast Codex.
The game was too vast, with an overwhelming number of Spirit Beasts. Even Divine Beasts from the Classic of Mountains and Seas had been crammed in. Despite reaching the max level, she had only collected 20% of them, which left many completionist players deeply unsatisfied.
The rarer the Spirit Beast, the harder it was to collect—Divine Beasts were no exception.
Su Tangxing had never even encountered a phoenix.
She wondered if, by lifting the level restrictions now and summoning the Gate of Ten Thousand Beasts, she might be able to call a phoenix over and ask it to spare some blood to treat her great-great-grandson. If there was any left over, it could be used for both alchemy and Artifact Refining—killing two birds with one stone.
Closing the Spirit Beast Codex, she noticed the entirely grayed-out handsome men codex. Only then did she realize it seemed different from how it was in the game—there was an extra line of small text:
“Romanceable characters converted, now displaying the player’s affection level toward each character.”
Sorted by their order of appearance in the game, the first was her brother, Mu Liuyun.
It should have shown 2% unlocked, but now it was gone, with the romance progress reset to 0.
Before a codex entry is fully unlocked, the image remains darkened, and each character’s name is only revealed after encountering them.
Rong Ye’s name appeared further down the list, already exposed, but his progress was also 0.
Su Tangxing glanced at the gray silhouette, then at Rong Ye himself beside her—
He seemed even uglier today.
The Calamity Curse cast by the Fox Master himself made him grow more hideous with each passing day, and after his Spirit Root was sealed, his Cultivation Base had plummeted.
No wonder he always wore a sour expression, looking perpetually displeased.
Casually flipping further through the codex, she found the names of the Fox Master and Fox Martial Uncle on the last page.
Just as expected.
Su Tangxing closed the system interface, too lazy to look any further.
Rong Ye was acutely sensitive to others’ gazes.
In the past, when disciples stole glances at him, filled with shy admiration, he paid no mind—even finding it irritating.
Now, whenever a disciple sneaked a look at him, Rong Ye couldn’t help wondering, Are they mocking me?
The moment he sensed Su Tangxing’s gaze, he turned to meet it, his eyes sharp. “What are you looking at?”
Su Tangxing replied, “Deciding what tasks to assign you.”
Rong Ye pressed his lips together, glaring at her darkly.
Su Tangxing could tell at a glance that he was seething with anger.
But that had nothing to do with her. Meeting his gaze head-on, she said, “The sect needs Magical Artifacts to replenish its inventory. You’ll help refine them. Mid-tier artifacts will suffice—just one of each of the eighteen weapon types.”
Rong Ye’s brow twitched violently. He shot to his feet, laughing in furious disbelief. “You make it sound so simple! Do you have any idea how much time and effort it takes to refine high-tier Magical Artifacts? Spending over a decade on a single piece doesn’t even guarantee success… Eighteen of them? Do you think I’m a donkey?!”
“No rush on that,” Su Tangxing lifted her eyes. “Keep your voice down in public.”
“Then, for now, refine a few sets of tools for me. I’ll provide the materials.”
Rong Ye snorted coldly and sat back down.
Her Storage Ring contained gifts from the elders on the day she formally acknowledged her master. Su Tangxing took out a portion and pushed them toward Rong Ye. “If these aren’t enough, come find me. But given your skill level, you probably won’t waste too much material.”
Rong Ye didn’t accept them. Instead, he crossed his arms, leaned back, and tilted his chin up. “I’ll provide the materials myself, and I guarantee your artifacts will be high-tier. In exchange, have your master lift the Calamity Curse on me.”
That bold and spirited pose would have been quite pleasing to the eye if performed by a handsome young man.
But now, Su Tangxing simply averted her eyes. “These don’t require such high-level materials. You don’t have to do it.”
“…” Rong Ye choked back a response.
He gathered all the materials into his storage ring in one go.
“Fine, I’ll do it.”