Chapter 17: "Isn't it called Little Black?" Zhong Jiuli asked knowingly...
Bai was so touched by the voice that her ears tingled. She unconsciously twitched her beard and looked back.
Zhong Jiuli's illusory figure stood in mid-air, her white robes fluttering without wind. Although it was just a projection of her divine consciousness, the pressure it brought was even more terrifying than facing her directly.
She glanced up at the mustache, and a crisp "click" sound rang out in the air.
The man with the mustache twisted his sword hand in a bizarre way, and an invisible pressure crushed his bones.
His face was drained of color, and blood was seeping from all seven orifices. The protective aura of a Foundation Establishment cultivator was as fragile as paper in front of Zhong Jiuli's divine sense projection.
"Senior... have mercy! I was blind and didn't recognize your greatness. I injured your spirit beast. I am willing to apologize." A broken plea escaped his throat as his knees sank heavily into the mud.
Zhong Jiuli let out a barely audible snort, "Considering the difficulty of your cultivation, I'll spare your life! You may escape death, but you won't escape punishment!"
Before the words had even finished, the man with the mustache, whose heart had been in his throat, was sent flying backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing straight into an ancient tree. Splinters of wood mixed with blood splattered everywhere, covering the ground.
When the smoke cleared, a human-shaped hole was clearly visible in the tree trunk not far away. The man with the mustache was twisted and wedged into the tree trunk, with only half of his arm hanging limply outside.
Bai blinked her big eyes and glanced at the human-shaped tree hole, then turned to look at the nonchalant Zhong Jiuli.
Secretly, I said to Xiao Wang, "Your female lead is so strong! Why would such a strong and beautiful woman like a little tiger?"
Because Yezai is the cutest little tiger in the world, every woman would love Yezai.
"We only have a pure revolutionary friendship, please don't flatter me."
Zhong Jiuli glanced at the little white tiger still lying on the ground, then lightly lifted her fingertips, and a wisp of breeze lifted the little white tiger's furry bottom to help her up.
"Get up quickly and go home. Don't wander around in the mountains!" After giving this instruction, her figure transformed into starlight and flew back into Bai Ye's body.
Bai touched the dissipated light spot on her chest, took out the emerald green grasshopper, and examined it closely.
"Is that you, Zhong Jiuli? Is your soul hidden inside?" Bai asked the grasshopper in a low voice.
The emerald green grasshopper lay quietly in her palm, and did not speak to her as she had expected.
【Ye Zai, this divine soul should exist independently; it will only appear when you face a life-or-death crisis.】
After finishing his statement, Xiao Wang added, "This is based on my analysis of the data I've collected, and it may not be accurate."
"I think you're right, that must be it. She actually gave me something to save my life. Sure enough, you can't be too soft-hearted to accept a favor." Bai narrowed his eyes, his mustache twitching, looking quite smug.
Have you noticed something?
"What?"
The sunlight is a bit too bright!
Bai looked up at the sun, which was already halfway up the sky, and suddenly remembered that she had sneaked out in the middle of the night.
"Hey, Xiao Wang, you didn't even remind me!" Bai Ye took off running, and before running away, he didn't forget to go to the man with the mustache and take away the long sword that had fallen to the ground and the storage bag hanging from his waist.
Why are your movements so practiced?
"If you don't loot the boss's corpse after defeating it, what are you even fighting for? This is a reward, you know that?!"
Despite Bai's swift journey, by the time she returned to the tribe, the sun was already setting.
It shouldn't have taken that long, but that mustachioed man chased her all the way, and in her panic, she ran further and further away, making the journey back to the tribe much longer.
The village was quiet, not a soul in sight; no one knew where everyone had gone. Bai peered through a crack in the fence.
【Aya, it's above your head.】
As soon as Xiao Wang finished speaking, A Yu jumped down from the fence, grabbed her ear, and shouted, "The young clan leader is back! The young clan leader is back! No need to look anymore!"
"Ayu, let me go first, my ears hurt so much!" Bai said pitifully. She was afraid that she would hurt the little brat if she used too much force, so she didn't dare to break free.
Ignoring what Bai Ye said, A Yu ran and shouted, her clear voice echoing throughout the entire tribe. In an instant, all the children in the tribe ran out of their houses, watching the pitiful young chieftain being dragged home by A Yu, who was pinching his ear.
Dayue ran quickly to Ayu, slapped her hand away, and freed Bai Ye: "Ayu, don't bully the young clan leader. My mother said that when I grow up, I will marry the young clan leader. She is mine, and you are not allowed to bully her!"
"No, that's not true! My mother said that the young clan leader wants to marry me!" Ayu retorted loudly, and then she stepped forward to snatch Bai Ye back from Dayue's hands.
The two children were fighting over Bai Ye like they were fighting over a doll, pushing and shoving each other, and it looked like they were about to start a fight.
"Stop fighting!" Bai shouted, breaking free from their grasp.
She shook off the ruffled fur on her body and said irritably, "I'm not getting married. I don't want any of you. Don't fight."
After saying that, she tried to leave, but the two brats pounced on her, pinning her to the ground. They both shouted in unison, "Why don't you want us? You have to have us!!!"
The children watching the commotion saw the three of them piled up on top of each other and immediately swarmed over them, haphazardly piling on top of each other.
For a moment, the sounds of laughter and playful fighting were deafening, almost lifting the roof off.
Just as the children were having a great time, the heavy footsteps of adults could be heard in the distance.
They searched in the mountains all day without even seeing a trace of the young chieftain. Exhausted, they returned to the tribe to find their children causing chaos.
"Dayue!!! She's causing trouble with her sisters again!"
With a loud shout, Dayueniang accurately pulled her daughter out of the crowd. Without saying a word, she slapped her chubby little bottom twice.
The previously boisterous children, upon hearing the two crisp slaps, instantly became much clearer-eyed, each one shrinking their necks and standing still, not daring to breathe.
After they all dispersed, the adults finally saw that the young chieftain, whom they had been searching for all day, was actually in the tribe.
Bai Ye had just gotten up when he saw Bai Shu's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot. He thought to himself, "Oh no, it seems my mother is really angry."
"Mother~~" The little voice was timid, and her wet eyes were full of pleading.
Given her disheveled puppy-like appearance, she looked both cute and pitiful.
Bai Shu rolled up her sleeves and strode toward Bai Ye. She had only taken two steps when Aunt Wu and Aunt Pang grabbed her from both sides as if facing a formidable enemy.
"The child is still young, teach him slowly, don't hit him!" Aunt Wu held her arm tightly. "It's a good thing that the child is a little naughty. Look at Aunt Da Yue, she didn't die of anger!"
Dayue Niang: ......?
The plump aunt immediately chimed in, her chubby cheeks trembling as she nodded: "That's right, that's right!" She leaned close to Bai Shu's ear and whispered, "Besides, this is our young clan leader. If you beat her in front of all the children in the clan, how will she establish her authority in the future?"
While the two of them were trying to persuade him, their eyes kept glancing sideways at Bai Ye, their eyebrows practically knotted together!
Bai Ye immediately understood, and darted forward, tightly hugging Bai Shu's leg with her two little paws, rubbing her fluffy head against her body: "Mother, I was wrong, please don't be angry."
"Okay, okay! Don't be angry!" the aunties agreed in unison.
Bai Shu said helplessly, "Let me go, I won't hit her."
The two immediately let go of each other. Bai Shu, now free, reached out and picked up Bai Ye. Instead of holding her as usual, he grabbed the back of her neck with one hand and lifted her up.
Bai Shu called out to everyone, then carried Bai Ye home. Bai Ye's four paws dangled in the air as he was carried like this the whole way.
Once home, Bai Shu placed her on a stool and put on a serious expression: "Sit down."
Bai sat obediently, tilting his head back to look at Bai Shu, waiting for his mother to scold him.
"Where did you go?" Bai Shu sat down in front of her and took her hand in his, asking.
“I went to the Jackal Tribe and taught them a lesson. I ran into a little trouble on my way back, which caused me some delay. I’m sorry, Mother, for making you worry.”
Bai knew she couldn't keep everything from her, or her mother would overthink things, so she chose to be ambiguous.
Bai Shu touched the soft fur along the edge of her paws, where there were some dried bloodstains, which looked like they were from running for too long and the paw pads had bled.
"Did you encounter someone very dangerous?" Bai Shu asked.
"Ah..." Bai was stunned for a moment, then shook his head: "No, I run so fast, how could anyone catch me?"
"Little liar!" Bai Shu's voice was low, her face showing a desolation that Bai Ye couldn't decipher. "You think your mother can't handle these troubles, right?"
"No, that's not true!" Bai retorted loudly. "In my heart, Mother is all-powerful."
Bai Shu stared at her child for a long time, then finally didn't ask anything more. She carried her out of the room and went to the yard to fetch clean water to bathe her.
The atmosphere between the mother and daughter only eased after they finished dinner. Bai Shu said to Bai Ye, "Go and distribute those monkey wines, and deliver them to the aunties one by one later. They've been searching for you all day in the mountains."
"Okay, Mother." Bai obediently went to work in the yard.
After delivering monkey wine to every household, Bai returned to his own courtyard carrying even more things.
"I sent you to deliver monkey wine, and you've robbed all the aunties' stored grain?" Bai Shu stepped forward, helped her unload the basket from her back, and took the bundle hanging on her head.
"I don't want it either, but my aunties insist on hanging things on me." Bai breathed a sigh of relief as she unloaded the burden.
The aunties all decorated her like a Christmas tree, with things jingling and tinkling all over her.
Bai Shu patted her head and said, "If you want to go out in the future, don't sneak out at night. Tell your mother first, and your mother won't stop you."
"Really?" Bai asked, somewhat incredulous.
"Of course, when has your mother ever lied to you? Are you going out tonight?"
Bai, without even blinking, spouted nonsense: "I'm tired today, I want to sleep."
"Alright, go and rest then. Mother is asleep too." Bai Shu said, then got up and went back to her room.
Bai Ye stared at his mother's retreating figure, somewhat puzzled. "Xiao Wang, do you think Mother is plotting something?"
[Little Wang doesn't know, does the baby need to sleep?]
"Let's not sleep. We'll go see Zhong Jiuli in a bit and bring her some monkey wine. She just saved us today."
Bai returned to his room and eagerly took out the spoils of the day: a storage bag embroidered with dark patterns and a longsword that gleamed with a cold light.
She casually placed the longsword on the table. It was clearly a standard-issue longsword issued by the sect, and taking it out would easily cause trouble. She could sell it next time she had the chance to go to the city. Her attention was entirely on her storage bag.
The storage bag had the divine imprint of the little mustache, and Bai tried several times but couldn't open it.
"Do you need my help?" Little Green quietly peeked out from Bai Ye's body, its emerald green bud swaying gently in front of her.
Is it free?
"Dream on!"
Bai also clutched the storage bag tightly: "You're not planning to take a share of the spoils again, are you?"
Little Green said righteously, "Sharing the spoils with your friends is what you should do, isn't it? You stingy, stinky tiger!"
"You're right!" Bai grinned, a smug smile spreading across his face. "A boss like T can't be too stingy!"
"I'm the boss, you stinky tiger!" Little Green said angrily, but still managed to separate a bright green root and plant it on the storage bag.
With a "pop," as if a bubble had been popped, the divine consciousness belonging to the mustache shattered like a bubble.
Before Xiao Lü could act, Bai grabbed the storage bag and probed its contents with his divine sense.
Upon seeing this, she couldn't help but gasp in astonishment. The man with the mustache was incredibly wealthy. His storage bag contained tens of thousands of low-grade spirit stones, over a dozen bottles of scattered pills, and numerous spiritual herbs and medicines radiating spiritual energy.
What she didn't know was that all the possessions the mustachioed man had accumulated over twenty years of studying in the immortal sect were here.
Bai handed the storage bag directly to Xiao Lü and said generously, "You can choose which ones are useful to you."
"Hehe, then I won't call you a stinky tiger anymore." Little Green awkwardly picked out all the spiritual herbs, medicines, and most of the spirit stones.
Bai's cheeks twitched, but in order to save face for his boss, he stubbornly remained silent.
With a pang of regret, she packed up her storage bag, opened the window, and jumped out. She silently left the tribe and ran towards the tree hollow.
......
Upon seeing that familiar little head, Zhong Jiuli couldn't help but chuckle, "Why are you getting more and more sneaky each time?"
Bai crawled in on all fours, saying, "You don't have a door here. If you're sleeping, I won't just barge in! Otherwise, it would be impolite."
“You’ve done things that were even more rude than this before!” Zhong Jiuli said with a strange expression.
She hadn't forgotten that when she first woke up, the little guy had stripped her clothes off and was lying in her arms with his face covered in blood.
Bai didn't want to recall that embarrassing incident, so he pretended not to understand what the other person was saying. He started pulling out bottles of monkey wine one after another, and before long, dozens of jugs of monkey wine were piled up in the tree hollow.
Zhong Jiuli interrupted, "Wait, you... stole all the monkeys' inventory?"
"No, I didn't steal the monkey wine." Bai Ye said with a serious expression, "This was obtained through a trade. The monkey wine I got this time is older. Drinking it might help heal your injuries."
Zhong Jiuli gazed at the monkey wine for a long time before finally saying softly, "There's no need to worry about me so much; my injuries are healed."
"But you're not fully recovered yet, and doing these things isn't difficult for me. Besides, you saved my life, so giving you some monkey wine isn't much of a burden!"
Hearing this, Zhong Jiuli recalled that she had sensed the mark being triggered that morning. She hadn't expected that the little guy would encounter danger so soon after getting the item.
"Did you encounter a high-level demonic beast?" Zhong Jiuli asked with concern.
"No, it was a cultivator. You broke all his bones."
"Hmm." Zhong Jiuli nodded slightly. "Keep that grasshopper safe. It should keep you safe in this desolate state."
"Then... how many times can it be used?" Bai asked in a low voice.
If she could use it without restrictions, she'd start courting disaster.
Zhong Jiuli glanced at her sideways and warned her, "If you go and provoke the great demon of the wilderness, even if I give you several more divine souls, I'm afraid I still won't be able to protect you."
Bai scratched his cheek. "Can all these beautiful women read minds? My mother can, and so can Zhong Jiuli. They can always accurately guess what she's thinking."
"I didn't say I was going to provoke a powerful demon," Bai muttered softly.
Seeing Zhong Jiuli reach for the monkey wine out of the corner of his eye, Bai Ye jumped up as if his tail had been stepped on. "I suddenly remembered that my mother left me a midnight snack, so I won't disturb your drinking. Goodbye, Zhong Jiuli."
Before Zhong Jiuli could reply, Bai Ye disappeared in a flash. She didn't want to face a drunken woman causing trouble again.
Zhong Jiuli watched the little guy's retreating figure, feeling somewhat puzzled. Did she look too fierce?
A soft, charming laugh drifted into the tree hollow.
Zhong Jiuli's gaze swept across the newcomer with lightning speed.
"Liu...Xianyue?" Zhong Jiuli's voice was somewhat surprised, clearly not expecting the person to be her. "Are you just passing by?"
Liu Xianyue, dressed in a fiery red dress and adorned with jingling jewels, swayed her slender waist as she approached Zhong Jiuli.
She glanced at Zhong Jiuli, who was lying pale in the haystack, her eyes playful. "Do you think I would happen to come to this desolate place?"
Zhong Jiuli asked, "How long did you watch from outside the cave?"
"I arrived with her! It's a pity that some people only have eyes for the cute little tiger." Liu Xianyue's words were incredibly sarcastic.
After saying that, she clicked her tongue twice in disgust, lifted the hem of her fiery red skirt, sat down next to Zhong Jiuli with an air of superiority, and casually took out a bottle of healing pills that were extremely rare and expensive, and stuffed it into Zhong Jiuli's hand.
Zhong Jiuli paused for a moment, then subtly distanced herself from her.
Why don't you ask me what I'm doing here?
Liu Xianyue glanced at her and continued, "Are you not speaking because you're afraid of owing me a favor? You, the sect leader of the Sanqing Sect, the number one sect in the Nine Provinces, are you afraid you can't repay a favor from a small merchant like me?"
"How did you find this place?" Zhong Jiuli asked an unrelated question.
“Jiang Zhiming predicted that you would appear in the Desolate State. Do you know how much I paid to persuade her to come out of seclusion?” Liu Xianyue said, clutching her chest in heartache.
Thinking about what I gave away still makes my heart ache.
Zhong Jiuli said, "You are not a small businessman, Boss Liu. Money is just an external thing."
Liu Xianyue kept glancing at Zhong Jiuli's face out of the corner of her eye.
The woman still looks the same.
Her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, and her white clothes were as white as snow. She was like the bright moon in the heavens, and no matter how mortal world was, it could not touch her in the slightest.
"Heh... I'm just an ordinary person, I can't be like you, Grand Master Zhong, who regards money as dirt."
Liu Xianyue leaned closer, her red lips parted slightly, and said with a hint of teasing, "Tell me, if you didn't treat money like dirt and had some healing medicine with you, would you be in this state, holed up in this monster cave recovering from your injuries?"
“This place is very nice. If Boss Liu finds it unpleasant, he may return to his Wanxiang Pavilion,” Zhong Jiuli said expressionlessly.
Liu Xianyue turned her head arrogantly: "You want to kick me out? I'm not leaving! I'll stay here and guard you! Humph! Put away all your wine and make some room for me."
Zhong Jiuli put away the monkey wine, not to make room for Liu Xianyue, but because she was afraid that Xiao Hei's good intentions would be wasted.
Liu Xianyue nodded in satisfaction and tossed out a carved and jade-inlaid canopy bed. The light cloud gauze hanging from the bedposts swayed in the wind, and the luminous pearls inlaid on the bed ceiling illuminated the entire tree hole as bright as day.
"I'll stay here!" Liu Xianyue kicked off her embroidered shoes with gold thread, climbed onto the bed, propped one hand on her cheek, and looked at Zhong Jiuli in the haystack. "Want to come up and sleep? My bed is much more comfortable than your shabby haystack."
Zhong Jiuli silently turned over, sat cross-legged with her back to her, and took the healing pills to refine their medicinal power.
"Are you sure you're not coming up? Do you know how many people want to get into my bed? Sect Leader Zhong~~" When she said the last four words, her tone was drawn out and soft, extremely seductive.
Zhong Jiuli ignored her, so she continued talking to herself, "I arrived in the border town a few days ago. Do you want to know how many more people have come here looking for you?"
Only her voice could be heard inside the tree hollow. Zhong Jiuli was meditating and healing his injuries, ignoring her. Liu Xianyue found it boring and gradually stopped talking.
Not long after, Zhong Jiuli finished refining the medicinal power and opened her eyes to look out of the tree hole.
Liu Xianyue released her divine sense to investigate, then covered her mouth and chuckled, "Oh dear, it's someone I know."
Zhong Jiuli asked her, "Do you know her?"
"Ha, you kidnapped someone's child, of course the mother is worried!"
"Is she Xiao Hei's mother?"
"Little Black?" Liu Xianyue teased, "I never thought that even our Sect Master Zhong could be deceived!"
Hearing her say that, Zhong Jiuli wasn't too surprised. She had previously thought that the little guy had just given her a fake name to fool her.
Liu Xianyue rolled out of bed, walked barefoot on the dry grass toward the cave entrance, and waved to Bai Shu, who was climbing a tree: "Fellow Daoist, we're here!"
"You should climb this one!" The charming voice carried a hint of mischief.
Bai Shu froze, not expecting to be discovered as soon as she started climbing. She just wanted to see who this person was that had her little one running around outside all day.
"Alright, I'll lend you a hand, fellow Daoist!" Liu Xianyue flicked her slender fingers, and a streak of crimson light flew out from her fingertip. The red light coiled around Bai Shu like a serpent, lifting her up into the air.
By the time Bai Shu came to her senses, she was already standing inside the tree hole.
"I apologize for disturbing you so late at night..." Bai Shu straightened his slightly disheveled clothes and chuckled dryly, "I hope I didn't disturb your rest!"
Zhong Jiuli's gaze fell on Bai Shu's face. She hadn't expected that Xiao Hei's mother would be such a young woman with such outstanding temperament. Moreover, she seemed somewhat familiar.
She shook her head slightly and said, "I won't bother you."
Bai Shu didn't know what to say. She lowered her gaze, somewhat afraid to look at the woman leaning against the haystack.
Even though she was looking down at the other woman from her superior position, and the woman had a gentle smile on her face, she still felt like a mortal summoned by a god.
It felt like when she first stepped into the ancestral hall as a child, facing the towering statue of the deity, she was so careful that even her breathing became cautious.
Liu Xianyue suddenly spoke up, breaking the awkward atmosphere in the tree hole, "Fellow Daoist, there's no need to be nervous. Sect Master Zhong really likes your little tiger. Just say what brings you here."
Bai Shu raised his eyelids, glanced at Liu Xianyue, and carefully chose his words, saying, "I see that you seem to be injured, senior. I suppose your injuries have not yet healed. If you don't mind, you can come to our tribe to recuperate!"
She paused for a moment, then added, "Although my humble abode is dilapidated, it is still more comfortable than this drafty tree hole."
Before Zhong Jiuli could speak, Liu Xianyue readily agreed, "Okay, let's go now."
After saying that, she hurriedly packed up the canopy bed she had just taken out, turned to Zhong Jiuli and asked, "Can you walk? If you can't, I can carry you~~"
Zhong Jiuli stood up and nodded to Bai Shu: "Then I'll trouble you for a few days."
Bai Shu was speechless, too embarrassed to say that she hadn't planned to invite the woman in red from Wanxiang Pavilion. Since she had already agreed, she could only silently lead the way.
The three of them set off for the White Tiger Tribe under the moonlight. With Liu Xianyue, a chatterbox, there was no awkwardness in the atmosphere. They chatted along the way and soon returned to the tribe.
After settling the two men in, Bai Shu returned to his room, lay on the bed, and breathed a long sigh of relief. He was finally relieved that he no longer had to worry about his son running around outside all day.
......
In the other room, Bai opened her eyes in surprise. Just now, Xiao Wang had suddenly reminded her that the mission was complete.
"Could Zhong Jiuli be a drunkard... and have drunk all that monkey wine?" Bai Ye muttered to himself.
However, since the mission was already completed and the reward was in hand, Bai didn't think much of it.
She took out the five Body Tempering Pills that Xiao Wang had given her as a reward, opened the jade bottle, and tilted her head back to pour them all into her mouth.
"Hey kid...you should eat it in several portions." Little Wang didn't even have time to stop her.
However, Bai Ye couldn't care less about Xiao Wang at this moment. The surging spiritual power rushed into her body. In that instant, she felt her blood boiling and burning, and the entire tiger was smoking.
The spiritual power of the Body Tempering Pill surged wildly through the meridians, forcibly stretching, tearing, and repairing those originally delicate meridians in a continuous cycle.
Bai felt as if she had turned into a boiled poached chicken, placed on a cutting board, with a pair of invisible giant hands grabbing her burning body, about to tear her apart inch by inch, turning her into a spicy and delicious shredded chicken.
This kind of pain is unbearable for ordinary people, but Bai is no ordinary person either.
Years of physical training had taken their toll on her, and she had endured far too much suffering. The tearing pain she was experiencing now was nothing compared to this.
Most importantly, she could feel that with each tearing and rebuilding, her meridians were becoming stronger and wider. The meridians that were originally as thin as spider silk could now accommodate streams of spiritual energy.
Bai also let out a soft breath. The first wave of spiritual energy cleansing had ended, and it was still bearable.
Just as she was preparing to receive the second wave of spiritual energy, a small green sprout suddenly emerged from her dantian. Like a bandit, it devoured all the spiritual energy, leaving not a single drop for Bai Ye.
Bai was stunned for a moment, then gritted his teeth and shouted, "Little Green, you'd better come out and explain yourself to me."
"You don't actually think I'm after your Body Tempering Pill, do you?" Little Green yelled.
Bai's face darkened. "If you don't want my pills, why are you consuming my spiritual energy?"
"You wait, I'll dig you out of my dantian right now!" Bai Ye said, then got up to find a knife to stab his dantian.
"You stinky tiger, I'm trying to help you. Your physique still needs to be strengthened. Breaking through to the Qi Refining stage now will only do you harm."
Little Green huffed and puffed, "And another thing, when someone who's pretty saves you, you offer them wine and thank them profusely. I've saved you so many times, and all you give me is poop? You stinky tiger, what's wrong with me taking a little of your elixir?"
“I paid you, I gave you most of the honey, and you still stole my pills. Besides, you said last night that you wouldn’t call me a stinky tiger.”
"If I don't eat your food, where will I get the energy to save you!"
"Thank you so much!"
Little Green swayed its tender buds, waving its hand smugly like a little person: "No need to be polite, and I'm not taking your pills for nothing, I'll give you something good."
As she finished speaking, she extended a tender green shoot. The shoot was entirely emerald green, as if it were carved from the finest jade, with every line shimmering with a luminous light.
A crystal-clear drop of jade dew hangs on the tip of a leaf. The dew is emerald green, and there seems to be starlight flowing inside, exuding a refreshing fragrance.
"What are you standing there for? Quickly grab a jade bottle to catch it! The smell will spread soon, and what if someone tries to snatch it?" Xiao Lü urged.
Bai also came to her senses, took out a small jade bottle from her spatial storage, caught the drop of jade dew, looked at the contents of the bottle, licked her lips, and asked, "What is this? It looks delicious?"
Little Green: "...It's my saliva. Drinking it can temper your body, and the effect is a hundred times better than your Body Tempering Pill. Do you want to drink it?"
Bai's face stiffened. This bean sprout was definitely taking revenge on her!
[Hey kid, just treat her like a dish, then you won't feel guilty.]
"Hmph, I'll drink it then, I'm not afraid of you!" Bai said, raising the jade bottle high and pouring it into his mouth.
Little Green hurriedly stopped her, "Wait, silly tiger, you can't drink this stuff. If you drink it all in one gulp, you'll explode and die. You should use the jade dew to soak in water and absorb it."
Their commotion got a bit too loud and reached outside the door.
Suddenly there was a knock on the door, and Bai Shu's voice rang out from outside: "Aye, are you awake? Mother thinks she can hear your voice."
"You're awake!" Bai replied, putting away the jade bottle and walking towards the door.
Just as she was about to open the door, she saw that her once snow-white fur was now a patch of black and red, dirty and smelly. She reached out and tried to pick at it, but the scabs were stuck to her fur and she couldn't remove them.
I can't go out like this.
"If you say you're wrong, I'll help you clean it up," Little Green said smugly.
Bai gritted his teeth and whispered, "I was wrong."
"You're smart to know what's good for you." After Xiao Lü finished speaking, Bai was enveloped in a faint green light, and the scabs automatically detached from her body, condensing in the air into a ball-like object.
Bai was disgusted by her own associations. She casually put the "chocolate ball" into her spatial storage, opened the door, and went out.
Bai Shu waited outside the door for a while, and seeing the little tiger walking out looking so energetic, he teased, "Did you sleep well last night? Did you sneak out?"
"No, I was in the house all night..." Bai Ye suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
Her eyes widened as she stared at the woman sitting in the main room, her mouth agape in astonishment.
"Mother, I might not be fully awake yet... I need to go back to sleep for a while." Bai stammered as she walked towards her room.
Zhong Jiuli looked at her with a half-smile and called out, "Xiao Hei!"
Bai froze, his fine short hairs standing on end, like a white dandelion.
"Is his name Xiao Hei?" Zhong Jiuli asked knowingly.
“No, I heard the Bai chieftain call her Aye,” Liu Xianyue added, adding insult to injury.
Bai lowered his head, his eyes fixed on the ground, trying to find a way to escape.
Bai Shu found it amusing to see her little one's embarrassed expression. She bent down, picked up Bai Ye, patted her little head, and whispered, "Tell your sisters what your name is!"
Bai Ye lowered his eyes and secretly glanced at Zhong Jiuli. Seeing that her expression was normal and she did not show any displeasure, he mustered up his courage and raised his head. "Zhong Jiuli, actually my name is Bai Ye! I'm sorry I didn't tell you my real name before."
After apologizing, she added a defense, "I didn't mean to lie to you. When you're out in the world, it's always good to have a few different names!"
After she finished speaking, the women in the room all laughed. Liu Xianyue laughed so hard that she shook her head, and took the opportunity to lean on Zhong Jiuli's shoulder.
Zhong Jiuli raised her hand to block the clattering head, and looked at Bai Ye with a very obvious smile in her eyes.
Bai was a little uncomfortable with their laughter and said angrily, "What are you laughing at? Don't you have any reputation outside?"
Liu Xianyue laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight. She wiped away the tears that welled up in her eyes and replied, "Yes, but the names of my sisters are not as famous as yours, Young Hero Xiao Hei."
After laughing, she continued, "By the way, little one, aren't you pretending to be stupid anymore?"
Bai rolled her eyes, too lazy to pay attention to this woman who looked so bad, turned her head and snuggled into Bai Shu's arms, leaving only her fluffy back of her head facing them.
Just then, someone knocked on the courtyard gate.
Bai Shu smiled apologetically at the two of them, then picked up Bai Ye and went to open the door.
Outside the courtyard, Ayu looked up excitedly and said, "Clan leader, the people from the Immortal Sect have arrived! My mother asked me to call you. The Immortal Leader wants us to gather in the open space by the river."
"Okay, I understand." After saying that, Bai Shu picked up A Yu, put her on his shoulder, and walked outside.
Bai Ye and A Yu sat on Bai Shu's shoulders, one on each side, and discussed in hushed tones about the immortal sect's recruitment of disciples.
The aunties and their children waited at the door. As soon as Bai Shu arrived, the group immediately set off towards the river.
On their way, they encountered the aunties from the Iron-Eating Beast tribe.
Sitting on Aunt Bear's shoulders, Ahua waved to Bai Ye from afar, "Ah Ye~~~"
A clear, childlike voice cut through the crowd and reached Bai Ye's ears. She looked in the direction of the voice and waved in response, "Ahua~"
Aunt Xiong carried her daughter and squeezed through the crowd to stand in front of Bai Shu so that the little ones could chat.
The children gathered together and started laughing and joking. They were still young and knew that the sect's acceptance of disciples was very important, but they were not as serious and nervous as the adults, so they did not have too much psychological burden.
The riverbank was packed with people, a dark mass of people from several nearby tribes.
On the river, a huge spirit boat hovered. The boat was surrounded by spiritual light, and a tall blue flag, about ten feet high, fluttered at the bow. The three large characters "Qingxuan Sect" in the center of the flag were written in a vigorous and powerful style, each stroke containing a sharp sword intent.
Bai also gazed at the spirit boat in the distance. Although it had been magnified many times, she still felt that it looked familiar.
I don't know if all spirit boats look the same, or if this spirit boat is carrying the group of people with the mustache.
She felt it was best not to show up; it would be terrible if it were one of those guys with the mustache.
Bai Ye tugged at Bai Shu's sleeve and whispered in her ear, "Mother, put me down first, I'll come back to find you later."
"What's wrong? Don't you want to see the excitement? This kind of scene is quite rare," Bai Shu asked, puzzled.
"I want to climb the tree to see. You guys go to the riverbank and meet up with the aunties first, so as not to keep Ayu and the others waiting."
Seeing her insistence, Bai Shu had no choice but to put her down halfway and instructed her, "There are many people ahead. Just pick an old tree nearby and climb up it. Don't go any further."
“Alright, Mother, you can go ahead!” Bai readily agreed.
Bai Shu stood there for a while and waited. Seeing that she had indeed obediently climbed up the tree to watch the fun, he continued walking forward with peace of mind.
Along the riverbank, children spontaneously formed a long line. Several male disciples dressed in blue robes stood at the front of the line. In front of them was a long table with a spirit-testing stone on it.
One by one, the children of the appropriate age stepped forward to touch the spirit-testing stone. Most of the children who touched the stone emitted a five-colored spiritual light.
Some children showed no reaction after touching the spirit stone.
The male disciple in charge of registration showed no change in expression; they were already used to this kind of situation.
Outside these Hundred Thousand Mountains, among tens of thousands of tribes, you can find very few children with only one spiritual root. Taking in a child with five spiritual roots is considered a waste of resources.
The children knew that anyone whose name was not registered was considered beneath them by the immortal sects.
The children who touched the spirit-testing stone but were not kept returned to their elders with long faces.
On the spirit boat, a burly man with a large beard leaned half his body out over the railing, his large, bell-like eyes fixed on the crowd below.
When they finally saw Bai Shu and her group in the crowd.
He immediately turned and rushed into the cabin, his rough voice booming: "Master Qian, I saw that group of people. That little beast attracted a fifth-level ferocious beast, causing our tribe to lose more than a hundred lives."
The middle-aged man who had been resting with his eyes closed slowly opened them, glancing at the mustachioed man slumped to the side. He said slowly and deliberately, "Nephew, have you seen it? In this desolate land, why should we bother searching?"
He brushed off non-existent dust from his clothes. "Let your uncle teach these arrogant barbarians a lesson."
The man with the mustache forced a smile: "Uncle Qian is a brilliant strategist!"
With his hands behind his back, Mr. Qian flew out of the cabin, his wide robes fluttering in the wind.
A gasp immediately erupted from below, and the children's cheers were especially clear and cheerful: "Wow, it's a fairy! Look, there really is a fairy!"
The man surnamed Qian deliberately circled in the air for several times, his flowing robes truly giving him an ethereal, otherworldly air. After basking in the envious gazes of the crowd, he finally stopped above the White Tiger tribe members and spoke condescendingly:
"I have heard that you are harboring a ferocious beast, a beast of extreme savagery that has claimed the lives of hundreds. I now order you to hand over that beast, or else..."
His voice was infused with spiritual power, making the eardrums of the crowd below ache.
Everyone covered their ears in pain, and Bai Shu looked particularly unwell. Aunt Pang and Aunt Wu shouted at the top of their lungs, "What ferocious beast? Our tribe doesn't have any ferocious beasts!"
The man surnamed Qian snorted coldly, and a beam of green light flew out from his sleeve, crashing straight down into the crowd. The green light landed and turned into a gust of wind, blowing Aunt Pang and the others away.
"I am not negotiating with you. Either hand over the ferocious beast or leave immediately. My Qingxuan Sect is a reputable and righteous sect, and we do not accept disciples who associate with ferocious beasts."
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone's eyes fell on Bai Shu and the others.
Most of the people from the nearby tribes are acquainted with each other, and they see each other all the time. Everyone knows that there is a little tiger in the White Tiger tribe.
It seems that the little tiger must have offended these immortals somewhere, and now it's being targeted.
Aunt Xiong stood in the crowd, a look of worry flashing across her face. If such a high and mighty immortal wanted to make things difficult for them, they, as mortals, would be powerless to resist.
The women of the White Tiger tribe felt everyone's gazes and their faces turned grim. The children's faces were filled with fear and panic. They didn't know what was happening, but they knew that the villain flying in the sky was going to bully their young chieftain.
Ayu angrily shouted, "You're the bad guy, the big bad guy, the bully!"
Before she could finish speaking, an adult nearby covered her mouth.
"You've got some nerve, daring to curse!" the man surnamed Qian hissed, flicking his sleeves and sending another gust of wind crashing down on the children below.
"Take this!" A crisp, childlike voice pierced the air.
Everyone only saw a blur before their eyes, and a snow-white figure shot into the sky like lightning.
Bai Ye's claw strikes the gust of wind, narrowly shattering it and preventing the scoundrel from harming A Yu and the others.
Upon seeing Bai Ye rush out, everyone panicked and shouted, "Aye, run! Don't come any closer!"
A smile flashed in Qian's eyes. He had long anticipated that the little beast would be unable to restrain itself after seeing him hurt someone.
"You beast! How dare you be so insolent!" the man surnamed Qian shouted dramatically, one hand behind his back and the other clenching his fist in front of him.
In an instant, the weather changed dramatically. A large cyan hand formed from spiritual energy appeared out of thin air, like a five-finger mountain, and pressed down on Bai Ye who was rushing towards him.
Bai was also in mid-air, with nowhere to grab onto, and saw that the giant palm covered an area of nearly a hundred meters in radius, with no way to avoid it.
If you can't avoid it, then fight!
Bai Ye's eyes were calm. She was a protagonist who could bend and stretch, and at crucial moments, she knew how to shout, "Sister's here!"
"Sister Green, give me some spiritual energy!"
Xiao Lü was delighted by being called "Sister Lü," and the little green sprout in her dantian swayed gently, instantly unleashing a surge of spiritual energy.
Bai also felt the sudden surge of spiritual power within his body. His amber eyes narrowed slightly, and his snow-white forepaws shone with a dazzling golden light as he reached out to grab the giant hand in the air.
With a "rip," three golden claw-like rays split the giant hand in two.
Although the attack was effective, the remaining half of the giant blue hand continued its momentum, slamming down with the power of heaven and earth, resulting in a loud "boom".
Bai's small body crashed to the ground like a meteor, creating towering waves on the river. The sparkling water splashed several meters high, drenching the faces and heads of everyone on the riverbank.
"Aye!!!"
"Young Clan Leader~~"
The people of the White Tiger tribe were furious; the child they had watched grow up was being wantonly slaughtered.
"You old bastard, I'll fight you to the death!" Bai Shu's eyes were bloodshot. He picked up a boulder weighing nearly a thousand pounds, and with a heart-wrenching roar, the boulder streaked across the sky like a meteor.
Aunt Wu and the others grabbed thick branches and small pieces of gravel from the roadside and threw them into the air without a care.
"Hmph! Overestimating yourselves!" The man surnamed Qian snorted coldly, not even glancing at the crowd. He casually waved his sleeve, and a cyan light screen appeared out of thin air. The flying stones and wooden sticks crashed into the screen and instantly turned into dust, falling down in a flurry.
A wave of despair washed over everyone. This was the reality of mortals facing immortals—like a mayfly trying to shake a tree, unable to budge the opponent in the slightest.
Just then, the river, which had gradually calmed down, suddenly surged violently, and a towering wave, hundreds of feet high, shot into the sky and slammed into the blue figure in mid-air.
Caught off guard, the man surnamed Qian was struck by the wave and sent flying backward, smashing through dozens of ancient trees before regaining his balance.
Amidst the waves, Long Jiao's massive, mountain-like body burst forth from the water, her golden tortoise shell reflecting a dazzling light in the sunlight, making her resemble a golden war god.
Bai stood proudly atop Long Jiao's head, its snow-white fur fluttering in the waves, its amber tiger eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit.
Faced with the pressure of a Golden Core stage expert, the tiger and the tortoise not only did not back down, but instead bravely met the enemy head-on.
A Yu's joyful voice rang out from the crowd: "It's Jiao Jiao!! That's wonderful, Jiao Jiao saved the young clan leader."
The children, including Dayue, were all pleasantly surprised. They knew Jiaojiao and knew that Jiaojiao was Aye's good friend.
"You audacious lowly people, how dare you collude with demons to commit murder! Kill them!" the man surnamed Qian shouted.
Upon hearing the order, the male disciples were stunned for a moment, then drew their longswords without hesitation and assumed an attack stance.
They were just waiting for their martial uncle to make the first move before following suit.
The man surnamed Qian's face was contorted with rage. As a Golden Core cultivator, being defeated by a small demon beast in front of everyone was worse than being killed.
His eyes blazed with murderous intent, and his spiritual energy surged like a volcanic eruption.
"Clang!"
A clear and melodious sword cry resounded through the sky. A long sword gleaming with spiritual light flew out from the spirit boat. The man surnamed Qian grabbed the long sword and unleashed more than a dozen sword shadows in succession.
"Run!!! That bastard is going to kill someone!" Bai shouted at the stunned crowd below.
The people on the riverbank also realized something was wrong; the immortals were truly going to kill them all. Countless sword shadows swept across the entire riverbank with indiscriminate attacks.
Wherever the sword's shadow passed, ancient trees were snapped in half, boulders collapsed, and nothing was spared.
People dared not imagine what a hellish scene would unfold if the sword's shadow fell upon a crowd. Limbs would likely lie scattered everywhere, corpses strewn across the land.
Bai realized that everyone was trapped, so she stomped on Jiao Jiao's head and her small figure shot out, intending to use herself to block the sword shadow.
She was gambling that Zhong Jiuli's soul could instantly appear and block the sword shadows. However, just as she sprang out, a soft, long tongue wrapped around her and dragged her back.
Long Jiao put the little tiger directly in her mouth, roared to the sky, and a dazzling golden light shone on the tortoise shell. A golden tortoise shell phantom appeared out of thin air, its shell shimmering with spiritual light, protecting the crowd on the riverbank behind it.
"Clang clang clang!" The sword shadows struck the tortoise shell one after another, bursting out the sound of metal clashing.
Each sword strike caused the tortoise shell phantom to tremble violently.
"Hmph, you like to block? Let's see how many attacks you can block!" The man surnamed Qian's face was ferocious as he swung his longsword again.
Dozens more devastating sword shadows attacked, cleaving deep trenches in the ground wherever they went.
The rumbling sounds continued, and cracks began to appear on the huge golden tortoise shell phantom, spreading like a spider web, but it never broke.
Having just withstood one wave of attacks, the disciples' longswords fell once more, causing the tortoise shell phantom to tremble violently again.
Long Jiao roared fiercely, and cracks appeared on the thick golden tortoise shell.
Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, yet she stubbornly maintained her defense. Long Jiao had only one thought in her mind: Ye Zai cannot die, not a single person here can die today. She wouldn't let Ye Zai bear the burden of any innocent life!
"You bastard! Prepare to die!" Bai let out a deafening tiger's roar. Golden flames ignited in Jiao Jiao's amber pupils as the creature shot out from her mouth.
Golden light surged from the tips of her claws, gathering all her power as she clawed down towards the man surnamed Qian's throat.
The man surnamed Qian's eyes narrowed. For a moment just now, he felt an unparalleled pressure, as if what was in front of him was not a cub, but an ancient god from the primordial era.
He didn't dare to be careless and instantly set up several spiritual energy shields in front of him.
However, the moment the golden claw mark made contact with the spiritual energy shield, the shield became as fragile as paper, shattering at the slightest touch. Then came the second and third layers, with the spiritual energy shield crumbling layer by layer.
The explosive surge of spiritual energy crushed the surrounding rocks into dust, and amidst the flying dust, a hoarse and painful cry could be heard.
Bai also managed to strike and retreat quickly. When the dust settled, all that could be seen were three deep, bone-revealing wounds on the shoulder of the man surnamed Qian.
"You beast!!!" The man surnamed Qian's face was ferocious as his long sword transformed into a silver streak, aiming straight for Bai Ye's throat.
Bai stood still, blood still dripping from her claws, her gaze calm as the longsword rapidly enlarged before her eyes.
Just as the sword tip touched the snow-white down on her neck, Qian's arm exploded, sending bone fragments and flesh flying everywhere.
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Author's Note: [Dog head holding a rose][Dog head holding a rose] A super long chapter is here!
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