The Snow Cloud Ribbon nestled in Zhong Wuxi’s arms, lashing its beautiful, fluffy tail back and forth like a concubine seducing an emperor.
The Little Ball glared furiously at the Snow Cloud Ribbon. When it realized the ribbon could not see it, the anger on its face shifted into a cold indifference, as if it viewed all living things as mere grass and trees.
Zhong Wuxi was startled.
The Little Ball drifted before him, pointed at the Snow Cloud Ribbon curled in his arms, made a complex gesture, and then pointed at Zhong Wuxi.
Zhong Wuxi did not understand the gesture, but he grasped the meaning. “Are you saying you do not care about it; you only care about me?”
The Little Ball nodded, smiling as it cradled its chubby cheeks. Its eyes were large and bright, as if they held all the stars in the sky.
“But I do not like you.”
Zhong Wuxi observed the Little Ball’s reaction, but it did not get angry. Instead, it busied itself rolling a small snowball and sculpting it into a snowman that looked remarkably like a baring-its-teeth Zhong Wuxi, and then, it sat on the snowman, crushing it flat.
The Snow Cloud Ribbon, having successfully intimidated the Flame-Ice Beast, turned its head triumphantly, only to see the Little Ball’s actions. It shrieked in terror: “Ah, a ghost!”
“Master, there is a ghost over there that built an ugly snowman and crushed it!”
Zhong Wuxi remained silent.
After exacting its revenge, the Little Ball vanished in satisfaction. Zhong Wuxi coaxed the three-hundred-year-old infant spirit beast: “You saw wrong. There are no ghosts here.”
The Snow Cloud Ribbon did not believe him, so Zhong Wuxi added, “This is Jimo Peak, the residence of the Xuanqing Sect’s Holy Monarch. No ghost would dare come here.”
“That is true. But ghosts are not as terrifying as that white-robed fiend.”
Zhong Wuxi was suddenly curious. “My Master spent a whole month taming you, which means your cultivation is quite high. Why are you so afraid of him?”
“Of course, it is because…” The little fur ball clutched its mouth tightly. “My mother said that I should not listen to what I shouldn’t, not ask what I shouldn’t, not speak of what I shouldn’t, and not believe what I shouldn’t.”
“That is the only way to live a long life.”
Zhong Wuxi suddenly understood. “So, there were times you clearly heard me talking to the void, but you never asked because you remembered your mother’s words.”
The little fur ball huffed and raised its head proudly.
Zhong Wuxi stroked its furry little head. “Your mother is very wise.”
“Of course she is!” The Snow Cloud Ribbon glanced sideways at Zhong Wuxi. “Otherwise, how could she have ascended?”
Zhong Wuxi picked up the little fur ball and rubbed it vigorously. “You hold quite a grudge.”
The Snow Cloud Ribbon transformed into a ribbon and floated in the air, looking as if it dared him to do something about it. With the young beast no longer causing trouble, Zhong Wuxi began to ponder the cold indifference he had just seen on the Little Ball’s face, a look identical to his Master’s.
The Little Ball must be a shred of his Master’s divine sense. He had thought so before, but the Little Ball’s emotions were so rich and worldly, unlike the Master he knew.
Now, it seemed the Little Ball was indeed a shred of his Master’s sense, or perhaps a residual fragment. If the Little Ball was truly a part of his Master, it meant that his Master, many years ago, had also possessed human emotions and desires.
The Snow Cloud Ribbon reverted to its true form and threatened the Flame-Ice Beast: “You are merely my substitute. Master will never love you; only I can have Master’s affection.”
“If you do not compete with me, I can tolerate your existence,” the ribbon said, recalling scripts written by Sister Qingluan. “I am not a small-minded creature.”
Zhong Wuxi remained silent.
The Snow Cloud Ribbon looked smugly at the Flame-Ice Beast: “You see? I am the spirit beast that makes Master happy. Master smiles whenever he sees me.”
A small fur ball acting tough in front of a snow bird many times its size was a difficult sight to take seriously. Zhong Wuxi laughed for a while before remembering something else.
He had asked Ye Yizhou earlier, and this training trip abroad could last anywhere from a month to half a year. Although his Master had always lived alone, he must have grown accustomed to Zhong Wuxi’s companionship over these past fourteen years. Once he left, his Master would be all alone on Jimo Peak.
Zhong Wuxi had learned the technique of puppet-making. If he made a puppet and infused it with a shred of his own spiritual sense, could it not take his place and keep his Master company?
Once a cultivator reaches the Spirit Transformation stage, their Nascent Soul becomes a Primordial Spirit, and their divine sense becomes immensely powerful. The Ascension Staircase Secret Realm had been formed by a mere shred of his Master’s sense. Though Zhong Wuxi was only at the great perfection of Foundation Establishment, he was confident he could manipulate a puppet with his own sense.
“Master, there is something wrong with this Xiao Xue. It ignores everything I say,” the Snow Cloud Ribbon complained, walking over. “It makes me embarrassed to call it a dull bird.”
“Is it not said that the Flame-Ice Beast has no gender and a soul but no spirit? To be incomplete in soul usually means to be a bit dim,” Zhong Wuxi teased. “Is being a bit dim not good? That way, you do not have to worry about it competing for my affection.”
The Snow Cloud Ribbon looked at the Flame-Ice Beast. “My mother told me the Flame-Ice Beast had no gender, but I have never seen a real one before. I did not know it had no spirit.”
“I read it in an ancient book. Master has a vast collection; if you want to read, I can borrow a few for you.”
The little fur ball flopped on the ground, looking at Zhong Wuxi with an expression that screamed I’d rather not. Zhong Wuxi could not help but laugh.
The Snow Cloud Ribbon leaned close. “Master, what are you doing?”
“I am making a puppet.”
Zhong Wuxi sculpted a small snowman and infused it with a shred of his spiritual sense. The little snowman stood up shakily, took a few stumbling steps, and then collapsed into a heap.
“I want to make a puppet to keep Master company, but I cannot find suitable materials,” Zhong Wuxi said, troubled. “Snowmen are cute, but snow is too fragile.”
The Snow Cloud Ribbon suggested, “There are many small spirit beasts in the Qingyuan Realm that are cute but have low spiritual power. Why don’t you catch one and give it to that white-robed Immortal?”
Zhong Wuxi pursed his lips. “No, only I can accompany Master.”
The little fur ball tugged at its long rabbit ears. “That sentence sounds familiar.”
Zhong Wuxi turned his head and stared at it in silence.
The little fur ball turned into a white silk ribbon and lay still on the ground. Zhong Wuxi looked at it thoughtfully. “Sewing a doll out of fabric should be more durable than a snowman, but I do not know how to sew.”
“Master, if you want to make a durable puppet, you cannot choose fabric, as it has no spiritual energy,” the Snow Cloud Ribbon drifted over. “Only objects infused with spiritual energy can effectively carry your sense.”
“What kind of object has spiritual energy?”
The Snow Cloud Ribbon thought for a moment. “Bodhi Island has a type of white rootless soil. It is vast and boundless, capable of carrying all things in heaven and earth. You can use it to mold a clay puppet and infuse it with your own sense.”
Zhong Wuxi frowned. “Liu Wan once said that Wuchen is from the Du’e Pavilion on Bodhi Island. Bodhi Island is under their jurisdiction. It would not be polite to go to someone else’s territory to steal soil.”
“I have been to Bodhi Island; those Buddhists are the easiest to get along with,” the Snow Cloud Ribbon said. “Besides, the Du’e Pavilion has always been on good terms with the Xuanqing Sect. Why else would Wuchen, a disciple of the Du’e Pavilion, come to the Xuanqing Sect to study?”
Zhong Wuxi found this reasonable. “Then we shall go to Bodhi Island.”
He took out a scroll. “This is the Ten Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains map given to me by Senior Brother Xuan Mu. It can transport me anywhere I wish to go.”
The Snow Cloud Ribbon flew over happily. “Then let us go now!”
“Do not be rash.” Zhong Wuxi unfurled the scroll and silently recited the incantation Xuan Mu had taught him.
Zongzheng Lan was meditating in the courtyard when suddenly someone crashed into the Fire Spirit Tree in front of him, scattering Fire Spirit Fruits everywhere.