Chapter 14 Grasshopper Zhong Jiuli didn't know if she was worried about...
After washing up and putting on her clothes, Bai Zhu went around the screen and saw the little white tiger on the bed curled up in the corner, its round little belly rising and falling with its breath, as if it had already fallen asleep.
"You heartless little thing, you fell asleep without even waiting for your mother." She chuckled softly, quietly got into bed, and flicked a wisp of wind from her fingertips, extinguishing the candlelight in the room, plunging it into darkness.
As night deepened, the bustling border town fell silent.
In the dimly lit room, the little white tiger lying on the bed twitched its ears slightly, while the person beside it breathed deeply, clearly fast asleep.
Bai quietly opened his eyes, his gaze clear and bright, showing no sign of sleepiness; he had clearly been pretending to be asleep.
After holding back for a long time, Xiao Wang finally couldn't help but ask, "You still haven't told me what good thing you got?"
"A cultivation technique that looks incredibly powerful and cool, perfect for the protagonist to practice," Bai replied in his mind. "Don't bother me, I need to study this new technique."
After saying that, she closed her eyes again, her mind sank into her sea of consciousness, and reached out her claws to touch the golden Great Creation Scripture.
In an instant, the Great Creation Scripture burst forth with a dazzling light.
The ancient and desolate books slowly opened, and countless mysterious runes flew out from the pages, flowing and colliding like a galaxy, finally transforming into a training room that looked like it was cast in gold.
In the center of the room appeared a small golden tiger whose entire body was made up of characters; it was almost identical to Bai.
However, Bai is entirely white, while it is entirely golden.
The little golden tiger opened its mouth and let out a deafening roar, carrying an aura of dominance over the world.
Bai was also knocked to the ground by the roar of the little golden tiger. She stared at the little tiger in a daze and muttered softly, "Why is it a tiger?"
Little Golden Tiger glanced at her sideways, stroking his beard as he said, "If you're a tiger, then naturally I am a tiger."
"Young man, your aptitude is so poor, you must work hard. The supernatural powers of our clan are not so easy to cultivate."
Little Golden Tiger not only has the same size as White Tiger, but even their voices are exactly the same – a childish, babyish voice.
It's rather incongruous that it tries to act all old-fashioned.
"Awooo!!!" Bai also sat up and roared angrily. Why was this little thing still using the tiger-body attack trick?
"Not bad, that's starting to look like it. Come on, let me see what you're capable of." The little golden tiger flashed and instantly appeared in front of Bai Ye.
"Take this claw." Before the words were even finished, Bai had already been ripped through by its claw.
Three translucent claw marks appeared on Bai Ye's consciousness.
Bai only caught a glimpse of the little golden tiger when it retreated to its original spot, tucked its paws behind its back, and struck a pose of a hermit tiger.
"Young man, you're too slow." Little Golden Tiger still maintained his arrogant attitude, his voice full of disdain.
Bai also looked down at the wounds on her body. Despite such severe penetrating wounds, she couldn't feel any pain. It seemed this place was quite magical.
"Senior, you were derived from the Great Creation Scripture...?" Bai pondered for a moment. What was derived from the scripture should be: "Scripture Spirit?"
Xiao Jin stroked his little mustache and said with a weathered look, "No, I am neither a living being nor a magical artifact, but the indestructible will condensed from the essence of all living beings."
Bai also fell into deep thought upon hearing this. She thought of the scene she had just witnessed, a world-ending war in which countless lives perished.
Could it be that all the creatures that died in that great battle eventually transformed into this fragment of the Great Creation Scripture?
Wouldn't I have struck gold? Possessing this cultivation technique is like having all kinds of living beings as my teachers?
Bai raised his eyebrows and said in a whimsical tone, "Little Jin, do you know everything? Is there a cultivation technique that you can learn in one day, reach Foundation Establishment in one day, Core Formation in two days, and Ascension in three days? I want to learn that kind of technique."
Little Golden Tiger scoffed at this, "Wishful thinking!"
"The path of cultivation is inherently defying the heavens. Even if a powerful cultivator sacrifices their own essence to infuse your body with their life's cultivation through the empowerment technique, you will still be nothing more than a waste with a high realm but no corresponding combat power."
It raised its hand and made a grasping motion, and countless golden runes appeared from its palm. Those runes continuously collapsed and condensed, eventually transforming into dazzling stars.
The Way of the Stars unfolds in its palm; the stars revolve, their brilliance flickering, carrying with them a certain Great Dao rule.
Just as Bai was mesmerized by what he saw, the stars suddenly collapsed, and an invisible shockwave swept through the entire training room.
In Xiao Jin's palm, a black hole appeared out of thin air. The black hole slowly rotated and devoured everything around it, whether it was light or spiritual energy, all of which were annihilated in the black hole.
Bai Ye, who had just gotten up, found his knees bending uncontrollably, his bones groaning under the weight, as if an invisible ancient mountain was pressing down on his head.
Xiao Jin calmly watched the little white tiger struggling to stay afloat. Just as her consciousness was about to collapse, it casually clenched its open palm, the black hole dissipated, and the oppressive force vanished.
"Huff..." Bai staggered and fell to the ground, panting heavily. Her eyes were filled with shock as she looked at Xiao Jin. This little tiger was so strong that it could easily create a black hole.
After Xiao Jin finished his grand speech, he began to preach in a casual manner: "True cultivation requires taking one step at a time, laying a solid foundation, and refining each realm to its extreme. Only then can one go further on this path of defying the heavens."
Do you understand?
Bai nodded repeatedly, excitedly saying, "I understand, I understand! Senior, please teach me!!!"
Xiao Jin said, "You're still too weak. You should start by strengthening your muscles and bones."
Bai patted his butt and stood up, assuming a starting stance: "Senior, teach me a move first, the one you used to hit me with just now."
Xiao Jin nodded in agreement: "Look carefully, this martial art is called 'Instant Step Sky-Splitting Claw'. It has thirty-six moves and was created by our White Tiger clan's ancestors."
It waved its claws lightly in the air, golden light flashing at the tips, and thirty-six small golden figures instantly appeared in the training room, each holding a different posture.
"Did you figure anything out?" Xiao Jin asked.
Bai scratched his head, somewhat puzzled, and said, "I think I felt a fluctuation in space."
Xiao Jin nodded: "That's right. People of my race are born with the ability to comprehend the laws of space. Even before you have begun your cultivation, you can still sense spatial fluctuations."
"Now, try to activate the power of your bloodline and swing your claws like I did just now." Little Gold demonstrated again, its claws flashing with light as it deliberately showed Bai Ye the entire path of energy flow within its body.
Bai also held her breath and focused her mind. In this strange little room, she could see her entire body internally, and soon she discovered the abnormality.
Inside her dantian, she found the little green sprout that had appeared before, but since it had saved her life, now was not the time to worry about it.
She calmed her mind and carefully sensed that trace of bloodline power. After an unknown amount of time, Bai's eyes suddenly lit up; she had found it.
Golden light shimmered on the tips of her claws.
"Whoosh!" Bai's attack was as swift as the wind, his sharp claws creating a whooshing sound as they swung.
Three golden claw-like beams tore through the air. Although their power was much weaker than Little Gold's, they did resemble it in some ways.
A hint of approval flashed in Little Golden Tiger's eyes. "Good, now coordinate with the movement technique!"
With a flicker of its body, it transformed into a series of golden afterimages, displaying itself before Bai Ye: "Remember, the true Instant Step Sky-Splitting Claw requires speed, accuracy, and ruthlessness! If you can integrate it with your movement technique, killing enemies beyond your level will be a piece of cake, and you will be an invincible existence among your peers."
Bai Ye's amber eyes were fixed on the golden figure. Her muscles were tense, and her figure transformed into a white lightning bolt, flashing rapidly in the training room.
With each leap, golden light flashed from the tips of its claws.
The flow of time here seems to be different from that of the outside world. Bai also felt that he had lost count of how many times he had swung his claws, perhaps hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands of times.
Her moves have evolved from being clumsy at first to flowing smoothly now, with each claw leaving a shallow mark on the golden wall.
Xiao Jin squatted in the corner, his golden eyes slightly narrowed, his gaze always following the white shadow that kept flashing in the air.
Its mustache curled slightly, and a remarkably human smile spread across its eyes. Its gaze was like that of a loving elder looking at a promising descendant, brimming with affection.
"Alright, junior, that's enough for today's training. Your mind can't handle such intense practice. It's time to go out." Xiao Jin interrupted Bai Ye's training.
Bai didn't even have time to retract his final claw strike before being forced to leave the training room.
With a "rip," the thin blanket covering her tore open.
Bai rubbed his eyes and sat up, looking at the tattered thin blanket with a sense of helplessness.
With a creak, the door was pushed open, and familiar footsteps approached the bedside. Bai Ye looked at Bai Shu who was approaching and whispered, "Mother, I accidentally tore the quilt."
Bai Shu chuckled: "It's alright, I'll compensate the shopkeeper with some money later. We should set off now."
She picked up Bai Ye, quickly wiped her face, and headed downstairs.
Outside the inn, Aunt Pang and her companions stood guard beside the rhinoceros horn cart. The cart, which had been filled with mountain goods, was now filled with bulging burlap sacks.
Inside were salt, spices, and coarse cloth—things the tribe couldn't produce on its own—as well as some of the children's favorite candies.
After settling the bill with the innkeeper, Bai Shu carried Bai Ye out of the inn and boarded the oxcart waiting at the door.
"Let's go!" Auntie Pang waved her hand, and her long whip cracked in the air.
The rhinoceros let out a low growl and pulled its cargo towards the outskirts of the city.
After getting on the bus, Bai ate some of the food that Aunt Pang had prepared in advance, then curled up in a corner and closed his eyes to pretend to sleep.
She had been cultivating all night, and although she didn't feel physically tired, she felt like she had stayed up all night.
Sitting in the swaying truck bed, Bai fell asleep without realizing it.
......
On the other side, inside the tree hollow.
Zhong Jiuli leaned against the haystack, her eyes half-closed, seemingly lost in thought, but upon closer inspection, she appeared to be gazing at the cave entrance.
Her slender, jade-like fingers gently shook a blade of grass. In a flash of inspiration, the ordinary grass seemed to come alive, its stem twisting and curling. In an instant, a lifelike grasshopper appeared in her palm.
Zhong Jiuli casually placed the grasshopper she had made aside. Beside her, dozens of identical grasshoppers had already piled up.
The little tiger hadn't come for two days, and she didn't know if she was worried about him, as she kept staring blankly at the cave entrance.
It's as if their hands have a mind of their own, and in their spare time they knead dry grass to weave these toys to amuse children.
The image of that little guy covered in blood kept appearing in my mind, and I would occasionally drift off during meditation.
She found it a little funny herself, but after spending a few hours with the little guy, she was already so attached to him.
A note from the author:
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Zhong Jiuli: The second day without Little Tiger, I miss her~ [heart]
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