Before leaving, he filled in the pit where the thousand-year Earth Yellow Essence had been dug out with small stones, covering not only the hole but also the surrounding formation cores, attempting to erase all traces that anything had ever existed there.
After burying everything, he suddenly thought of an idea. Staring at the pile of stones, he let out a sly chuckle, leaving the little mouse looking utterly confused.
He had found this place because of Xiao Fan. Since such a great opportunity existed here, Xiao Fan might very well return. But Xiao Fan did not know what the opportunity actually was. That meant he could easily tamper with things.
Racking his brain, he fabricated a cultivation technique and carved it onto the cave wall. Beside it, he added commentary describing how extraordinarily powerful the technique was, but also inscribed that to cultivate it, one must first castrate oneself.
After finishing the engraving, he even smeared some dust over it to make it look old and weathered. Dusting off his hands, he looked at his masterpiece and nodded in satisfaction before leaving with the little mouse.
After restoring the stone to its original position, Hai Dali returned to the shore and circulated his cultivation technique to dry both himself and the little mouse.
Seeing no movement around him, he knew that his disappearance had gone unnoticed and felt relieved.
He found a rock and sat down, holding the little mouse up in one hand while stroking it with the other. The little mouse seemed to have resigned itself to its fate, wearing an expression of enjoyment.
Looking at its adorable appearance, Hai Dali felt quite fond of it. Realizing it had no name, he said, “If you’re going to follow me, you need a proper nickname. Since you’re round and plump, I’ll call you Tudou.”
The little mouse stared at him with its round eyes, head tilted.
Seeing its innocent and puzzled expression, Hai Dali declared firmly, “Objection overruled. From today on, your name is Tudou.”
He then remembered that this little fellow was a thief who had stolen from the herb fields.
Who knew whether anyone had ever seen it before?
Putting on a stern face, he warned, “If there are outsiders around, I’ll hide you. Don’t make any noise and get discovered. If someone finds you, they might roast you and eat you.”
“Zhi zhi zhi.”
At his warning, the little mouse trembled all over and squeaked repeatedly, as if begging to go home and no longer follow him.
Seeing how frightened it was, Hai Dali felt that his words might have been too terrifying, perhaps a bit excessive. He gently patted it and comforted it, “Alright, alright. As long as you behave and don’t get discovered, nothing will happen. Even if you’re accidentally found, I’ll do my best to protect you.”
His reassurance seemed to give it a sense of security, and it soon calmed down.
After soothing the little mouse, he looked at the sky. The horizon was already turning pale with the first light of dawn. He tucked it into his chest and went to patrol the herb fields, waiting for Xu Peng to relieve him. Find the original chapter at novelping dot com.
Not long after, Xu Peng arrived to take over. After a brief exchange of greetings, Hai Dali hurried back to the bamboo hut.
Once inside, he took out the little mouse and the thousand-year Earth Yellow Essence. The moment the little mouse saw it, it became excited, squeaking nonstop.
Seeing its eager expression, Hai Dali thought that since it had just begun following him, he should not treat it poorly. He wanted to appear as a generous boss, so with a bit of reluctance, he pulled off a root strand and tossed it to the little mouse.
The little mouse grabbed the root and quickly scurried aside, chewing it vigorously.
Watching its tiny body open its mouth wide to eat, Hai Dali wondered whether it was eating a bit too much. This was a thousand-year Earth Yellow Essence. Even its root strands were not something ordinary spirit beasts could withstand. It had already eaten two strands in a row. Was it really fine?
Soon, after finishing the root, the little mouse seemed thoroughly satisfied. Dragging its round belly, it slowly ran under the bamboo bed, found a comfortable spot, and fell asleep.
Shaking his head, Hai Dali stopped paying attention to it and looked at the thousand-year Earth Yellow Essence in his hand. “It’s a pity I don’t know alchemy. I can only eat it directly. That’s such a waste.”
In the end, he cut off a small slice with his sword and swallowed it. The moment it entered his stomach, his entire body grew hot. He quickly circulated his cultivation technique to refine it.
Although he no longer had Qingzhi’s assistance recently, he had not neglected his cultivation. Every day, he found time to train. Still, he felt that he was far from the 8th stage Qi Refining Realm and nowhere near breaking through.
“8th stage Qi Refining Realm. I actually broke through with just this slice of thousand-year Earth Yellow Essence!”
Feeling the powerful surge after his breakthrough, Hai Dali was overjoyed.
He could clearly sense that not only had his cultivation improved, but his mind had also become clearer. His spirit was stronger, his thinking sharper, and even circulating his cultivation technique felt smoother.
He cut another slice and swallowed it. After refining it this time, the effect was noticeably weaker than the first.
However, he did not stop consuming it. He would never finish such a large piece on his own anyway.
Looking at the more than half that remained, Hai Dali sighed helplessly.
This was his fifth time refining it. This time, he barely gained even a trace of cultivation, ultimately remaining at the peak of the 8th stage Qi Refining Realm.
“Forget it. Its primary function was never to raise cultivation anyway. In less than a month, I’ve advanced three realms. That saved me several years, even more than a decade compared to others. What do I have to complain about?”
After consoling himself, he carefully wrapped the thousand-year Earth Yellow Essence and pondered how to store it.
Without a treasure capable of concealing its aura, carrying it on his body would make it easy to detect. If he buried it in the hut, he feared the little mouse might dig it up and eat it.
After weighing the pros and cons, he decided to bury it inside the hut. It was no longer of great use to him anyway. It might as well benefit the little mouse. He only needed to keep a small portion to take back with him.
Still, he would have to warn the little mouse. Even if it stole some, surely it would not dare eat too much.
It would be best if he could obtain a storage treasure during this period. That way, he could carry it safely.
He dug a deep hole in the corner of the hut and placed the wrapped thousand-year Earth Yellow Essence inside. After filling it with soil, he stepped on it several times. Only when it looked completely undisturbed did he feel reassured.
He wondered whether this could deceive the little mouse. But then he remembered how extraordinary it was. It had even dug through underwater stone crevices to find the thousand-year Earth Yellow Essence. Such a simple arrangement probably would not fool it.
Shaking his head, he glanced at the little mouse.
Seeing it sleeping soundly, he left it alone.
Sitting cross-legged on the bamboo bed, Hai Dali circulated his cultivation technique and quietly sensed his newly broken-through realm.
Although he had relied on medicinal power to break through, his cultivation technique expelled residual impurities from the medicine while simultaneously tempering his body. It utilized the medicinal effect very efficiently, so there was no sign of unstable foundations.
On the contrary, he felt as though he could break through to the 9th stage Qi Refining Realm at any time. Yet he also sensed that something was lacking. After thinking for a long time, he realized what he lacked was mental state.
Since he had not advanced step by step through slow cultivation, his temperament had not fully caught up.
Therefore, in the short term, he did not intend to break through further. Letting things flow naturally would be best.