After the people from the Qingyun Sect left.
Su Ning let out a long breath of relief: “Junior Sister, let’s leave quickly too, in case they regret it…”
I shook my head.
Didn’t move.
I stared at the Vermilion Fruits in front of the giant python.
The giant python stared at me.
We locked eyes.
It blinked.
I blinked too.
The three Vermilion Fruits were still lying on the ground.
Using the tip of its tail, it pushed one of them toward me.
Then, carrying its egg and the other two fruits, it turned around quickly and vanished into the depths of the dense forest.
Its speed was so fast, it seemed terrified that I might ask for more.
I picked up the Vermilion Fruit and looked at my senior brothers.
My senior brothers had collectively petrified.
Gu Chenguang muttered: “It… it gave you one?”
I nodded.
Yan Chuan’s voice floated with disbelief: “A Vermilion Fruit that only bears fruit once every five hundred years… it gave you one?”
I continued to nod.
Murong Zhuo held his forehead: “I feel a bit dizzy.”
Gu Chenguang nodded: “Me too.”
I held up the fruit: “Sixth Senior Brother, how do you eat this fruit?”
Gu Chenguang struggled to find his voice: “Eat it directly. It can increase cultivation by at least one minor realm. It works best for fire-element cultivators.”
I nodded.
Then I turned around and stuffed the fruit straight into Yan Chuan’s mouth.
Yan Chuan: “???”
He wanted to spit it out.
I had already held his mouth shut.
“Swallow it.”
Yan Chuan’s eyes turned red.
Not out of emotion.
He was choking.
“Cough, cough, cough~~” He finally managed to swallow the fruit with tears in his eyes, “Junior Sister, you…”
Before he could finish his sentence.
A red glow began to emit from his body.
It was the kind of red light radiating from beneath the skin.
Su Ning reacted extremely fast: “Quick! Protect him!”
Several senior brothers immediately formed a circle, guarding the surroundings vigilantly.
Yan Chuan sat cross-legged, his aura fluctuating violently.
Half an hour later.
The red light subsided.
Yan Chuan opened his eyes.
His aura was noticeably different.
Su Ning asked tentatively: “A breakthrough?”
Yan Chuan felt the spiritual energy inside his body and grinned, laughing like a hundred-plus-year-old child: “Late Golden Core stage.”
Murong Zhuo felt a little sour: “Even though you rank fourth among us, your cultivation is now third.”
He paused, then added indignantly: “I hate this.”
Gu Chenguang silently jotted down in his small notebook:
—— Record of Junior Sister’s resource allocation:
—— Vermilion Fruit ×1.
—— Beneficiary: Yan Chuan.
—— Result: Mid Golden Core → Late Golden Core.
—— Note: I want to be stuffed with fruit too.
Yan Chuan walked over, opening his mouth as if wanting to say something.
I waved my hand: “Fourth Senior Brother, you’ve protected me so many times. It’s just a fruit.”
Yan Chuan fell silent for a moment.
Then he rubbed my head with so much force I was almost pressed into the dirt.
“Junior Sister, if anyone bullies you in the future, Fourth Senior Brother will be the first to charge in and twist his head off to use as a chamber pot!”
I: “…Thank you, Fourth Senior Brother, but no need for the chamber pot.”
……………………
Having resolved the snake swarm crisis.
We prepared to leave the secret realm.
Walking to the entrance of the secret realm, we discovered…
We couldn’t get out!
The exit of the secret realm was sealed by a faint curtain of light.
No matter what we tried, we couldn’t pass through.
Gu Chenguang flipped through his notebook, and when he reached a certain page, his expression changed drastically.
“I forgot about this… This secret realm only opens once every ten days.”
Everyone: “…”
I counted on my fingers.
We’ve been in here for three days.
That leaves… seven more days.
We still have to stay in this secret realm for seven days.
Looking at my senior brothers, I suggested: “How about… we go find Eldest Senior Brother?”
My senior brothers shook their heads in unison.
Su Ning: “No way! The middle perimeter is too dangerous!”
Yan Chuan: “There’s a dense demon beast zone separating the outer and middle perimeters!”
Murong Zhuo: “The mid-tier demon beast we encountered earlier was just a coincidence!”
Gu Chenguang: “Besides, Eldest Senior Brother is on a guard mission. Going over rashly will interfere with his work.”
I nodded my head: “Oh.”
Then I began walking toward the deeper part of the outer perimeter.
Senior brothers: “…Junior Sister, where are you going?”
I turned back: “To find Eldest Senior Brother, of course.”
Senior brothers: “Didn’t you just nod your head?!”
I said with righteous confidence: “My nod meant I heard you, not that I agreed!”
Senior brothers: “…”
In the end, under my persistence, they still followed along.
After all, leaving me here alone would be even more dangerous.
We cautiously crossed the outer perimeter.
Occasionally, we encountered low-tier demon beasts.
The moment they saw me, they ran.
Occasionally, we encountered mid-tier demon beasts.
The moment they saw me, they hesitated for a second, and also ran.
Occasionally, we encountered packs of mid-tier demon beasts.
The moment they saw me, they held a brief discussion, and then collectively detoured around us.
My senior brothers went from initial nervousness to complete numbness.
Su Ning couldn’t help but ask again: “Junior Sister, are you sure your dad was just a hunter?”
Without batting an eye, I said: “Yep. A very impressive hunter.”
Yan Chuan muttered softly in a whisper: “Did this hunter hunt sacred beasts or something…”
I didn’t answer, because he guessed right.
Gu Chenguang nudged me slightly to the side: “Junior Sister, could you stand a bit further back? There seems to be a valuable one over there.”
I looked at Gu Chenguang: “Sixth Senior Brother, you’ve changed.”
Gu Chenguang replied with a straight face: “I am merely considering the sect’s finances.”
And just like that, we passed through smoothly without any obstacles and entered the middle perimeter.
Upon entering the middle perimeter area, the atmosphere was noticeably different.
The trees were taller and grander.
The light was dimmer.
The spiritual energy in the air was richer.
We walked for an hour.
Finally, we heard the sound of human voices.
Su Ning made a hand signal, and we quietly crept closer.
Parting the bushes, we saw a clearing.
In the clearing, a group of young men and women dressed in luxurious magic robes were resting.
Surrounding them were various spiritual beasts.
There were wolves, leopards, eagles, and foxes.
And there was also one…
I rubbed my eyes.
Is that a pig?
Pink, round, and plump, lying at a female cultivator’s feet and snoring away.
That female cultivator stroked its fur with one hand while stuffing spiritual fruits into its mouth with the other.
One after another.
All of them were spiritual fruits.
Valuable spiritual fruits.
Looking at that pig, I fell into deep thought.
Even a pig gets such lavish treatment?
This world is way too unfair.
…
Meanwhile, at the edge of the crowd, a white-robed figure was sitting cross-legged in meditation.
It was Eldest Senior Brother.
Shen Qingchen.
With his eyes closed, spiritual energy circulated all around his body.
His aura seemed even more steady and grounded than when he had left the sect.
“Eldest Senior Brother!”
I broke free from Su Ning’s hand and rushed over.
Shen Qingchen opened his eyes.
Seeing me, a rare look of shock flashed across his face.
Then he opened his arms, catching me as I threw myself into his hug.
“Why are you here?”
I said: “We came to find you!”
Shen Qingchen looked up at the senior brothers behind me.
Su Ning gave an awkward chuckle: “Eldest Senior Brother, long time no see.”
Yan Chuan scratched his head: “Um… we came out to make a little extra cash.”
Murong Zhuo blinked: “And to drop by and visit you on the side.”
Gu Chenguang smiled: “Surprised?”
Shen Qingchen fell silent for two seconds.
Then he asked: “Did you encounter any demon beasts?”
Su Ning froze: “Uh, we did encounter some.”
Yan Chuan scratched his head: “Both low-tier and mid-tier ones.”
Murong Zhuo blinked: “But… it’s a long story.”
Gu Chenguang handed over his notebook: “It’s all recorded here. Eldest Senior Brother can read it at your leisure when you have time.”
Shen Qingchen remained silent for three seconds.
Then he let out a sigh.
“We’ll talk after we get back.”
Just then, people from the Beast Taming Sect walked over to greet us.
Leading them were a man and a woman.
The man was quite handsome and sturdily built, with a bright, cheerful smile.
The woman was gentle, quiet, and elegant—the very one who had been feeding the pig just now.
“And who might you all be?” The man looked at us.
Shen Qingchen introduced us: “My junior brothers and junior sister.”
The man was stunned for a moment, then cupped his fists: “So you are fellow Daoists from the Sword Sect! Honored to finally meet you!”
I asked Su Ning in a low voice: “What honor are they talking about?”
Su Ning whispered back: “Honored to know how poor we are.”
I: “…”
The man introduced himself: “I am Li Bufan, Second Disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, Early Golden Core stage.”
The woman bowed slightly: “Qing Liuliu, Third Disciple of the Beast Taming Sect, Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment.”
The two looked very young, around twenty years old.
But deducing with my three-year-old intelligence, these two had to be at least a hundred years old or more.
After all, there are no twenty-year-old Golden Core cultivators in the cultivation world.
Unless they’re cheaters like me.
Looking at them, I replied politely: “Hello big brother, hello big sister.”
Qing Liuliu clutched her chest: “Oh my goodness, you called me big sister! You’re so cute!”
Beside her, the pink pig snorted, flipped over, and went back to sleep.
Qing Liuliu immediately squatted down to stroke its fur: “Good boy, you’re still the cutest.”
I: “…”
A human is worse off than a pig.
This was the very first time I had a deep understanding of this phrase.
I couldn’t help but ask: “Big sister, is this… a spiritual beast too?”
Qing Liuliu smiled: “This is my contracted beast, the Seven-Color Glazed Pig.”
I blinked.
A pig.
Seven-Color? Glazed?
It looks completely pink no matter how you look at it.
I asked again: “Then what… is this pig useful for?”
Qing Liuliu gently stroked the pig’s head: “The Glazed Pig is a rare treasure-hunting spiritual beast capable of sensing heavenly treasures and earthly rare materials. Although its combat power is ordinary, it’s very cute.”
I took a glance at that pig.
It let out a snore, rolled over, and kept sleeping, drooling all over the ground.
Cute?
Alright then.
Aesthetics are indeed a matter of personal taste.