“Brother Xiao?” She carefully parted the long fur before her eyes, meeting a pair of pitch-black pupils. The giant wolf twitched its ear tips, emitting a low rumble from its throat.
Xiao Lie turned his head, the rumbling in his throat abruptly shifting into a low growl. His beastly eyes fixed dead on Bu Ranchen and Shi Zhouzhou, an invisible pressure enveloping the two.
Bu Ranchen leaned on his sword while half-kneeling on the ground, while Shi Zhouzhou was pressed so hard by the pressure that one knee sank into the earth.
Shen Ci threw her entire body forward to wrap her arms around his neck, nuzzling against the fur under his jaw. Her voice was anxious yet carried a gentle coaxing tone: “They’re my senior brothers! We were playing flying high, Brother Xiao don’t be angry…”
The moment she finished speaking, the pressure instantly dissipated. Bu Ranchen and Shi Zhouzhou collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.
The two exchanged glances, seeing shock reflected in each other’s eyes – this demon wolf possessed cultivation at least at the Golden Core level or above.
Shen Ci stood on her tiptoes, waving her small hand before the giant wolf’s eyes. Calling out with lingering fear: “Brother Xiao?”
The snow wolf suddenly shook its ears, the demonic energy around it receding like tidewater. In the blink of an eye, it transformed back into the familiar, simple-minded youth.
Only then did Shen Ci breathe a sigh of relief. Brother Xiao’s profound cultivation, combined with his demon form, was quite frightening.
She dashed to her senior brothers like a whirlwind, and after confirming they weren’t injured, introduced with a smile: “Senior brothers, this is Xiao Lie, Brother Xiao. He’s A-Ci’s good friend.”
Then glancing back at Xiao Lie’s sullen face, “Brother Xiao, they’re my senior brothers, Bu Ranchen and Shi Zhouzhou.”
Xiao Lie crossed his arms, turned his head and snorted. He refused to acknowledge these detestable humans.
Directly scooping up Shen Ci, he flew toward the Back Mountain.
Bu Ranchen and Shi Zhouzhou suddenly snapped out of their daze and were about to give chase, only to be blocked by an invisible barrier.
As the two grew increasingly anxious, the young girl’s clear voice rang out: “Senior brothers, don’t chase! A-Ci is fine!”
Hanging like a small sack from Xiao Lie’s arm, she still managed to wave her hand: “I’ll make honey-glazed spirit chicken for you when I return tonight!”
Bu Ranchen swallowed hard, “He… won’t hurt A-Ci, will he?”
Shi Zhouzhou also forced himself to calm down, “Probably not. Didn’t little junior sister say he’s her friend?”
He was comforting Bu Ranchen, and comforting himself as well.
Bu Ranchen slumped to the ground dejectedly: “Just after my breakthrough, when I finally felt hopeful about cultivation and was so happy…”
Shi Zhouzhou patted his shoulder, “When little junior sister called him Brother Xiao, the demonic energy fluctuations clearly softened considerably. Don’t worry.”
Back Mountain.
Shen Ci stared at the ground covered with colorful, vibrant, eye-catching mushrooms, falling into deep contemplation…
She turned to meet Xiao Lie’s sparkling, bright eyes, forcing out a difficult smile: “Brother Xiao is amazing, the mushrooms you picked are so beautiful!”
Xiao Lie patted his chest and laughed heartily.
He bent down to gather the mushrooms, presenting them to Shen Ci like treasures: “A-Ci cook.”
Shen Ci: “…”
She suddenly remembered something – back in the mortal realm when they were starving, it wasn’t like they couldn’t eat them, but after eating they’d be half-dead for a while.
Shen Ci thought randomly.
A derisive laugh sounded in her ear: “Stupid wolf.”
Both turned their heads simultaneously. Jun Quxiye stood not far away, leaning against an ancient pine tree, his well-defined fingers idly twirling a black iron folding fan.
With a light tap of his fan tip, the mushroom in Xiao Lie’s arms suddenly burst into flames and turned to ash. “You dare pick the Heart-devouring Fungus cultivated by Blind Mo? Tired of having that wolf fur too neatly groomed?”
The dappled shadows of pine needles fell upon him. Though his posture appeared leisurely and languid, it inevitably called to mind a snow leopard at rest—elegance wrapped in a hint of danger.
Shen Ci suddenly had a brain lapse and asked, “Then… what would happen if Senior Mo ate it himself?”
Jun Quxiye snapped his fan open, covering half of his handsome face, the visible phoenix eyes curving slightly: “How he would fare, I don’t know.”
“But you two…”
He looked at them with a mocking smile, the meaning clear—they’d be in for more trouble than they could handle.
Xiao Lie’s wolf ears flattened against his scalp. Oh no, oh no! He’d been so engrossed in picking mushrooms he’d forgotten all about this! He remembered Mo Cheng was quite fond of cultivating plants and such.
Shen Ci swallowed hard and quietly retreated half a step.
“Scared?”
Her voice sounded somewhat faint. “Se-senior, is this Heart-devouring Fungus very difficult to cultivate?”
“Difficult as scaling the heavens.”
Jun Quxiye twirled his folding fan leisurely. “It requires tears from mermaids of the Eastern Sea, phoenix fire from Western Mountains, and nourishment with the heart’s blood of a Nascent Soul cultivator…”
No sooner had he spoken than he saw the young girl’s face take on a “my life is over” expression. Unable to resist, Jun Quxiye leaned down to intimidate her: “However, if someone were to offer a certain foolish wolf’s demon core as apology…”
Shen Ci stared in horror, her eyes round.
Xiao Lie let out an “awoo” and leaped thirty meters away. Jun Quxiye finally chuckled softly, pine needles on his shoulders trembling and rustling as they fell. His laughter was clear and pleasant, yet carried a hint of feline cruelty toying with its prey.
“You’ve grown increasingly bored these days.”
A cool voice sounded behind them. Shen Ci and Xiao Lie jolted, stiffly turning to see the man himself, Mo Cheng, who had appeared soundlessly behind them at some unknown moment.
Jun Quxiye tsked and leaned back against the tree. “Oh, finally willing to emerge from your medicine den?”
Sensing Shen Ci’s anxious emotions, Mo Cheng shot Jun Quxiye a displeased look.
Ignoring him, Mo Cheng waved his sleeve and swept Shen Ci away, disappearing from sight in an instant. Xiao Lie finally snapped out of it—so Jun Quxiye had been toying with him and A-Ci all along!
He bared his teeth fiercely at Jun Quxiye before turning to chase after them.
Watching their retreating figures, a flicker of surprise passed through Jun Quxiye’s eyes. That foolish wolf Xiao Lie was one thing—you could lure him away with a bone—but what was up with Mo Cheng? Quite protective of that little girl.
He let out a disdainful sneer. “Just a little sprout who hasn’t even grown up yet. How dull.”
Meanwhile, on the other side, Mo Cheng methodically brewed himself a pot of tea, calm and composed.
Shen Ci and Xiao Lie stood before him like two children who had done wrong, neither daring to speak.
Mo Cheng tilted his head, the corner of his lips lifting slightly. “What’s this? All acting like quails?”
Shen Ci secretly glanced up at him and cautiously ventured: “Senior, that Heart-devouring Fungus… is it really that hard to grow?”
Xiao Lie also pricked up his ears to listen.
Mo Cheng took a leisurely sip of tea, saying nothing.
Shen Ci had always been sensitive to emotions. She could sense Mo Cheng wasn’t angry, so she grew slightly bolder.
“Um, senior, I’m quite good at growing spiritual plants. If you need…”
She trailed off, unsure how to phrase it.
Just as she was growing anxious, a soft chuckle came from above her. “You really are quite the silly girl.”
Shen Ci looked up in pleasant surprise. “Senior, you’re not angry?”
Mo Cheng said with amusement, “If I were truly angered, you and this foolish wolf would have long turned to ashes.”
Shen Ci let out a long sigh of relief, then flashed Mo Cheng a bright smile. “Senior wouldn’t do that.”