Chapter 20 Where's the hair? We can't run around naked anymore...
Zhong Jiuli pointed to the distant mountain peaks and said, "This is a blessed land of the Myriad Elephants Pavilion. It is the perfect place for you to temper your physical body and strengthen your bones."
Hearing her say that, Bai instantly suppressed her wandering thoughts. So she really came here for training, and looking at the stars was just something she did on the side.
Okay, she's just too young.
I almost fell for this powerful cultivator's flirting skills.
She looked in the direction Zhong Jiuli was pointing and saw a bare mountain peak standing not far away. The mountain was steep, with jagged rocks and no vegetation. At the top of the mountain, a silvery waterfall cascaded down from the summit, the water powerful and thunderous.
The entire mountain peak was a rusty red color, like dried blood stains deposited on the stone walls. Under the moonlight, the mountain peak emitted a dark red halo, looking somewhat ferocious.
"Is there anything special about that mountain?" Bai asked, tilting his head back.
Zhong Jiuli didn't answer her question. Instead, he carried her through the air and landed not far from the bald mountain.
“There are many wonderful aspects!” Zhong Jiuli let go of Bai Ye’s hand and let him get down to the ground. “You will understand once you climb up from the foot of the mountain.”
"Oh," Bai responded, took a deep breath, and stepped onto the crimson earth.
In an instant, an invisible pressure fell on my shoulders, as if I were carrying a small mountain on my back, incredibly heavy.
Bai also looked up in surprise, gazing at the towering cliff. Was this actually a gravity training ground? Excitement ignited in her eyes. No wonder Zhong Jiuli said this place was suitable for tempering one's muscles and bones. Cultivating in such an environment would indeed be twice as effective with half the effort.
She adjusted her breathing, took a few tentative steps, and after adapting to the effects of gravity, she began to climb upwards using all four limbs. Bai climbed the first few hundred meters with ease.
But as she climbed higher, the gravity intensified, and by the time she reached one-third of the way up, she was drenched in sweat, her snow-white hair clinging to her slender body.
Bai looked up at the endless mountain wall and glanced back at the path he had taken to climb it. After all that effort, he had only climbed a third of the way?
She roared and continued to move her body, which weighed over 10,000 pounds, up the mountain. With each step, her bones creaked under the weight, and her flesh and internal organs deformed under the pressure.
Zhong Jiuli stood with her hands behind her back, her gaze following the little tiger. Every time Bai Ye trembled and swayed, she wanted to fly up and hug her.
But each time, just as she was about to make her move, that figure would unleash new power and continue climbing upwards.
Under the moonlight, Bai Ye's claws were already a bloody mess, leaving dark marks on the rust-red cliff face. She thought to herself with a bittersweet smile, "Now I know why this cliff is rust-red."
Anyone who climbs this mountain will surely leave behind a trail of blood and sweat.
"Hey kid, how about we call it a day?" Xiao Wang advised her.
"Climb another hundred meters!" Bai said through gritted teeth. She could barely see the scene in front of her anymore, and sweat dripped down like raindrops, blurring her vision.
A buzzing sound filled my ears, and every cell in my body was screaming, "Lie down, rest, give up! You don't have to work so hard. You are the protagonist. Even if no one else on this continent can ascend, you can too."
"Okay, I'll count for you!" Xiao Wang said in a low voice, watching the small figure move inch by inch in the moonlight, climbing forward step by step with bloody footprints. The distance of one hundred meters seemed like an insurmountable chasm to her at this moment.
【Eighty meters! 】
【Sixty meters! 】
Ten meters!
In the last ten meters, Bai stopped, took a deep breath, spat out a mouthful of blood, and rubbed his head against the ground, slowly moving towards it.
Every inch I moved felt like my bones were being crushed. After what seemed like an eternity, Xiao Wang's joyful, tearful voice echoed in my mind.
[You did it, my dear!! Sob sob, you're such a good boy, you're so amazing!]
The moment Xiao Wang's voice rang out, Bai could no longer hold on. The strength in her claws loosened, and the entire tiger instantly collapsed to the ground, unable to even move a finger. Only the slight rise and fall of her belly proved that she was still alive.
She closed her eyes wearily, when suddenly she caught a whiff of a cool fragrance, and a pair of gentle hands lifted her up.
Bai Ye lifted his eyelids slightly, looking at Zhong Jiuli's stunningly beautiful face so close to his own, and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm a little dirty."
Zhong Jiuli looked down at her, a hint of emotion flashing in her eyes that she herself was unaware of. She raised her hand and covered the little tiger's eyes, saying, "Go to sleep."
"Okay," Bai mumbled, then immediately drifted into a deep sleep. In the last moment before her consciousness faded, a warm current seemed to envelop her battered body.
But she was already lost in a dream.
Bai also returned to that old apartment building that was older than her. The mottled walls were covered with ivy, and the hallway had the familiar motion-sensor lights that never turned on and the rusty iron railings.
Pushing open the creaking security door, a familiar scent rushed towards her. She walked through the living room into her room, which was still as cramped as ever. There was a worn-out desk with a missing leg, propped up with books. Her textbooks were on the desk, and an old fan on the floor creaked and groaned. The cool breeze blowing from the rotating blades had dispelled countless sweltering summers.
In the kitchen, the mother, wearing a floral apron, stood with her back to the kitchen door. The range hood roared, but it could never remove the scattered fumes.
"Mom!" Bai shouted in a hoarse voice.
With her back to the kitchen, she ignored her calls, busy with her work, preparing plate after plate of delicious dishes, filling the small dining table. Like every mother waiting for her child to come home for dinner, she happily prepared the food her child loved.
"Mom!" Bai shouted.
The next second, warm water flowed into his mouth, carrying a rich spiritual energy. Bai was choked and coughed violently, his limbs thrashing in the water, making a splashing sound.
A hand reached into the water and pulled her up from below.
"Did you have a nightmare?" Zhong Jiuli's voice came from above.
Bai opened his eyes. The sunlight overhead was dazzling. Beside him was a pool of milky white spring water bubbling with spiritual energy. Above him was a familiar woman. There was no dilapidated apartment building, nor was there his mother.
"It wasn't a nightmare, it was a beautiful dream," Bai said, shaking his head.
Zhong Jiuli looked down at the little tiger's particularly thin figure after it was soaked, but did not ask any questions. She simply hummed in agreement and casually made a dust-removing spell.
A gentle breeze, warmed by the sun, swept by, carrying away the dampness from Bai Ye's clothes.
Bai shook her fluffy fur, leaped down from her arms, and raised the corners of her mouth to reveal two sharp little tiger teeth, returning to her energetic state.
"Thank you, Zhong Jiuli. This place is indeed very suitable for cultivation. I'm going to continue climbing the mountain."
Before she could finish speaking, she darted out like an arrow, her snow-white figure disappearing into a tiny dot in just a few leaps, almost invisible.
Zhong Jiuli watched the departing figure and muttered to herself, "He's even more determined than me. Looks like I need to hurry up and heal my injuries. I can't let this little guy outdo me."
......
Time flies when you're cultivating, and in the blink of an eye, the two of them had been in this blessed land for over a month.
After this period of hardship, Bai is no longer the same as before. The "Devil Mountain" that used to torment her to the point of near death is now something she can easily climb to the top of.
This was the name she secretly gave to this wretched mountain. Bai was really exhausted by this mountain. On the tenth day, she had already climbed to within a hundred feet of the summit.
However, it was this final hundred feet that tormented her for nearly a month. The closer she got to the summit, the more the gravity increased exponentially. Each day, she could only advance a few feet before collapsing to the ground, bleeding from all seven orifices.
A week ago, she rushed forward a few more feet, only to be crushed by gravity, her bones shattered, and she vomited mouthfuls of internal organs.
Fortunately, Zhong Jiuli arrived in time, carried her down the mountain, and placed her in the spiritual spring pool for two days before she recovered.
But it was all worth it! She is not the same person she used to be.
"Xiao Wang, what's the plot going to happen next?" Bai asked in his mind.
She was already fantasizing about leaving this place and dominating the world.
"It's still all sorts of '□□□' characters. It's so strange, I can't see any of the nearly one hundred chapters of the story." Xiao Wang's voice was full of confusion; she didn't know why she couldn't read the contents of the book.
"I really think you're completely unreliable. Are you a fake mastermind, or did you get the wrong script?"
【I'm so sorry, I don't know why this happened.】
"It's alright, even if the protagonist doesn't know the plot, he can still dominate!" Bai said confidently. After saying that, she opened her mouth and let out a loud "roar" towards the foot of the mountain, the roar echoing through the mountains and fields.
After letting out a roar, Bai felt completely refreshed. Was this what it felt like to be a master? She stretched out her claws and swung them forcefully down on the crimson rocks, instantly sending sparks flying and leaving three distinct claw marks on the summit of "Demon Mountain".
This is to prove that he has conquered the mountain.
Zhong Jiuli flew over from afar, standing in mid-air atop the mountain peak, her eyes meeting Bai Ye's bright gaze.
"I'm fine!" Bai quickly explained, "I was just happy to have climbed to the top, so I let out a shout."
After saying that, she reached out her claws somewhat embarrassedly and started scratching at the rubble on the mountaintop, trying to cover the claw marks she had just left.
She belatedly realized that her behavior was no different from leaving a "xxx was here" graffiti.
“I know!” Zhong Jiuli’s lips curled up slightly. With a flick of her finger, a beam of white light shot out, instantly carving out a large flat area on the steep mountaintop.
Bai was astonished, her mouth agape. She couldn't fathom just how strong Zhong Jiuli was. After all, she had used all her strength to leave only a few marks, while Zhong Jiuli had flattened the mountain with a casual wave of her hand.
But wait, isn't what Zhong Jiuli did considered damaging other people's property? Isn't this place Wanxiang Pavilion?
Zhong Jiuli's voice, carried on the mountain breeze, came: "Young Hei, don't daydream. The real cultivation is about to begin!"
As she finished speaking, the entire mountain suddenly seemed to come alive, lighting up with countless runes.
"Huh?" Bai stared wide-eyed at the constantly lighting runes. As more and more runes lit up, the pressure she felt increased until she could no longer stand and was forced to lie on the ground.
Her cheek was pressed against the ground, her pink tongue softly resting on her lips, and she was breathing heavily in pain.
What is this? All that painful training before was just an appetizer before the main course?
Was her ambitious spirit just now a bit premature?
Zhong Jiuli looked at her little tongue sticking out and felt a little itchy, inexplicably wanting to pinch it.
She suppressed the strange thought that suddenly popped into her head and said, "When you can leap a hundred feet high from here, you will have completed the initial physical tempering."
After saying that, her figure disappeared from Bai Ye's sight once again.
Bai was panting heavily. He gritted his teeth and struggled to stand up, but his body was only a few dozen centimeters off the ground when the force of gravity pressed him back down.
"Hey kid, it's okay if you lie down and rest for a while, no need to stand up right away."
Bai also thought it wouldn't work. Zhong Jiuli could fly around under this gravity, as if she couldn't even feel its existence, while she couldn't even stand up. This was too lame. How could someone like her be worthy of being the protagonist alongside the other?
"Ugh!" she roared, her sharp claws digging deep into the crimson rock, finally managing to stand up.
She remained standing there, feeling the transformation of her bones and flesh under the immense pressure on the mountaintop.
About half an hour later, Bai tentatively took her first step. The moment her paws touched the ground, she suddenly understood the profound meaning behind Zhong Jiuli's leveling of the mountaintop.
The once steep and uneven mountain wall is now as smooth as a mirror, making it easy to walk on. Even if she accidentally falls, she won't get hurt.
"So thoughtful...the queen of picking up girls in the cultivation world?" Bai muttered to himself.
[Hey kid, don't wrong the female lead, she's never been in a relationship.]
"Even though they've never been in a relationship, how do they all know how to please girls?"
Is it possible that in her eyes, you're a cute little tiger, and she doesn't see you as a girl at all?
"You little bastard, shut up and don't disturb my cultivation," Bai said angrily, grinding his little tiger teeth.
On another mountain peak shrouded in mist in the distance, Zhong Jiuli stood against the wind in a plain white robe, her robes fluttering as if she were an immortal.
Her eyes reflected the trembling, snow-white figure on the opposite cliff. Only after confirming that the other party had begun to move slowly did she close her eyes and withdraw her outward divine sense.
A smile appeared on Zhong Jiuli's lips. Long ago, when Bai Ye repeatedly broke through his own limits, she realized that she should not devote too much concern and interference.
Excessive care can become a shackle that prevents fledgling eagles from spreading their wings.
Throughout history, those who have achieved the Great Dao have all forged a path to survival from the most dire circumstances. The spiritual plants carefully cultivated in a greenhouse can never compare to the pine trees that grow freely on sheer cliffs.
She should have understood this long ago, but seeing the little guy suffering made her act rashly out of concern.
......
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, another half year has passed.
After Bai completed the high jump on the mountaintop, Zhong Jiuli took her to the waterfall at the foot of the mountain. When she first stood under the waterfall and was washed by the water, she was almost crushed into a pulp.
The force of the water, amplified by gravity, as it falls from the sky, the sensation of it hitting you is something you have to experience to know – it's incredibly intense.
After enduring the impact of the waterfall for more than a month, she was finally able to climb against the current to the top of the mountain.
Just when Bai thought the trial was finally over, Zhong Jiuli, without saying a word, carried her to a volcano.
Seeing the volcano bubbling and spewing lava, Bai had a bad feeling. Was this woman going to throw her into the lava pool for a bath?
Fortunately, Zhong Jiuli wasn't that twisted, but she was close. She threw Bai Ye on the ground, left with the words "I'll pick you up in three days," and then drifted away.
Before Bai could even adjust to the sudden surge in temperature, the sky above her head suddenly darkened, and countless burning fireballs erupted from the volcano, crashing down on her like meteorites falling to earth.
"Awooo!" Bai roared in a sorry state, using all four limbs to dart around in the open space, trying to find a place to hide.
But there was nowhere to hide in this place. The fireballs were falling faster and more densely, leaving her with almost no way to escape.
"Don't run away, use your physical strength to withstand the impact of the fireball." Zhong Jiuli's voice suddenly exploded in his mind.
"Okay!" Bai responded loudly, looking up at the sky. The orange-red fireball grew larger and larger in her amber eyes. She desperately suppressed her biological instinct to fear fire, stomped her foot on the ground, and instantly shot into the sky like a small cannonball, crashing into the rapidly falling fireball.
With a deafening roar, the fireball in the sky exploded, and the splashing lava was as dazzling as shooting stars.
If it weren't for the extreme temperature, where watching shooting stars here would be like being roasted alive, the scenery would be quite beautiful.
Bai, covered in lava, burst forth from the exploding fireball. The crimson lava scorched her snow-white fur, turning it charred black in no time.
Besides the smell of sulfur, Bai could also smell the burnt smell of his own fur being charred, as well as a faint aroma of roasted meat.
After scorching her skin and muscles, the rich fire elemental energy began to penetrate her body, tempering her bones and internal organs.
After carefully sensing the changes in his body, Bai roughly understood his current state.
If we were to compare her to a sword embryo, then the previous six months of tempering and refining were about shaping and removing impurities from the embryo.
Now we've reached the final step: quenching. Quenching is the most crucial step in sword forging, as it determines the quality of a sword.
Once the quenching is complete, it's time for the divine sword to be unsheathed.
Having figured this out, Bai was no longer afraid of the barrage of fireballs. She endured the burning pain of the flames and began to rush into the fireballs again and again, letting the scalding lava scorch her body.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye. When Zhong Jiuli's figure reappeared, Bai was momentarily dazed. Had they already survived three days?
It doesn't seem so hard to get through after all!
Zhong Jiuli looked at the little tiger, which was completely black and looked like charcoal, and a trace of heartache flashed in her eyes. She waved her hand to stop the seemingly endless fireball.
"Hey~ Zhong Jiuli, I'm still alive!" Bai Ye grinned, and as she grinned, a piece of charred old skin fell off her lip with a "crack".
"Not bad, very well done," Zhong Jiuli praised, then took out a small jade bottle and handed it to Bai Ye. "Eat it."
Bai took the small bottle and, without caring what it was, tilted her head back and poured it into her mouth. She ate whatever Zhong Jiuli told her to eat; after all, for the past six months, Zhong Jiuli had given her a pill, elixir, or herb from time to time.
The pill melted instantly upon entering his mouth, its medicinal power flowing through his meridians. Bai sat cross-legged and began to refine the medicinal power.
A powerful force erupted from within him, and in an instant, all the bones in his body made a crisp cracking sound. His blood and qi surged like a dragon in flight, and his vitality was inexhaustible.
A series of "crack" sounds rang out as the charred remains covering Bai Ye's body peeled away inch by inch, revealing new flesh and blood.
The new flesh and blood had a faint jade-like luster, as white as jade, without any blemish or flaw.
A few breaths later, Bai slowly opened her eyes, feeling as if she had inexhaustible strength. She gently clenched her fist, and the air made a slight rumbling sound. Faint golden patterns appeared between her knuckles, which was a symbol of the blood and qi in her body being condensed to the extreme after her physical body reached its peak.
Something just didn't feel right. Bai touched his smooth arm and finally realized what was wrong.
Where is her fur?
"Heh~" Zhong Jiuli chuckled and tossed her a set of clothes. "Little Hei, put these clothes on. You can't run around naked anymore."
Bai hurriedly caught the clothes, and looking at the red bib embroidered with a little white tiger on the top, his head was still a little dizzy.
The white tiger looked exactly like her, but since she was completely naked, she decided to put her clothes on first.
She grabbed the little bellyband and started haphazardly putting it on, her mind a complete mess. Had she actually turned into a human?
How did she turn into a human? She wasn't prepared at all. Did Zhong Jiuli see her naked?
A jumble of random thoughts popped into Bai's mind.
Seeing that she was dressed in a mess, Zhong Jiuli simply squatted down, took the clothes from her hands, and began to put them on her one by one. After the belt was tied, the robe began to shrink to fit Bai Ye's size.
"Look, are you satisfied?" Zhong Jiuli nodded in satisfaction, flicked her finger and released a stream of spiritual energy, which condensed into a mirror of light in front of Bai Ye.
Bai looked up at the little girl in the mirror. The child in the mirror was about four or five years old, with long, smooth, silvery-white hair falling over her shoulders, the ends of which were slightly curled. Her round little face was exquisitely sculpted, with a touch of childish baby fat, and her amber eyes were clear and bright, as if there was fire burning within them, which was also a manifestation of her blood and qi being condensed to the extreme.
She wore a white robe with a round neck and red embroidery, the robe embroidered with fine cloud patterns in gold thread, which shimmered in the sunlight. The cuffs were fitted, a white jade belt was tied around her waist, and she wore a pair of black boots.
Bai blinked blankly, and the little dumpling in the mirror blinked too. She hesitated and raised her hand, and the chubby little hand in the mirror also raised in sync, with light pink fingertips and a few cute dimples on the back of the hand.
"This is me...?" Bai Ye's voice was somewhat hesitant.
"If it's not you, then who else could it be?" Zhong Jiuli's voice came from above.
Bai looked up at the woman who was much taller than him, then looked down at his own short legs, and said with some resentment, "Why is she a child?"
Zhong Jiuli crouched down to be at eye level with her and explained, "Although you have taken human form, your original body is still in the cub stage. Therefore, after taking human form, you will look like a human child."
"Then I can turn back into a tiger, right?" Bai asked.
"Of course, how it transforms is entirely up to you."
After Bai closed his eyes and felt it for a while, he was relieved to confirm that he could indeed change his form at will.
She worried that if she went away for a while and then returned home as a human, her mother would be frightened.
Seeing the unpredictable changes in her small face, Zhong Jiuli assumed that she did not like human form and asked softly, "Don't you like human form? Your physical body has now been tempered to the extreme, and you can draw qi into your body to start cultivation at any time. The human form is naturally more suitable for cultivation than the form of a demon beast, so I found a transformation pill for you to help you transform into human form."
"No, I really enjoy being human," Bai Ye said. "Did I just take a transformation pill?"
"Um."
Bai nodded in sudden realization, "Thank you, Zhong Jiuli, you are such a kind person."
"Why are you giving the female lead the 'friend card' again? You've given her the 'friend card' so many times already." Xiao Wang suddenly chimed in with a complaint.
“Because she’s wonderful. Don’t you think she’s wonderful? She’s so beautiful and so gentle,” Bai replied.
Over the past six months, the two have spent every day together, and her opinion of Zhong Jiuli has completely changed. At their first meeting, she did indeed find him somewhat frightening. Cold as ice, he seemed ready to kill at any moment.
But now that they've spent time together, Bai realizes that Zhong Jiuli's kindness is always quiet and unspoken. She rarely says words of concern, but she always offers care and support when Bai needs it.
"It's no trouble at all. I'll tie your hair up for you." After saying that, Zhong Jiuli took out a red hair ribbon, and her slender fingers went into her smooth white hair to gather the stray silver strands together.
Bai stared blankly at the woman in the mirror, half-squatting behind her and intently tying her hair.
Her fingertips, cool to the touch, landed on the back of my neck, sending a slight tingling sensation through me.
"Zhong Jiuli," Bai called out to her.
Zhong Jiuli glanced up at her reflection in the mirror: "Hmm?"
"Shouldn't there be some kind of magic spell, like snapping your fingers or something, and then your hair just sticks up by itself?"
Hearing her adorable words, Zhong Jiuli smiled and said, "Yes, young hero Hei, would you like to learn?"
Bai wanted to nod, but his head was stopped as soon as he moved it.
"Don't move, your hair that you just styled has all come undone."
"Oh," Bai replied blankly.
She really wanted to say, "Use magic!"
But seeing how serious Zhong Jiuli was, she swallowed her words.
"Oh well, maybe Zhong Jiuli has never done anyone's hair before. Let her have her fun!" the young hero thought indulgently.
"Alright, are you satisfied now?" Zhong Jiuli held her head and made her look in the mirror.
Bai glanced at himself in the mirror. His full head of silver hair was tied into two small buns, and the silver hair with a red hairband looked pretty good, but for some reason, he reminded him of Vision, the guy who rode on wheels of fire.
She shook her head, and the two little buns on her head immediately trembled. She looked so cute, but her amber round eyes showed a hint of defiance, which made her little face look both cute and fierce, making people want to pinch them.
"It looks good, but could you please stop teasing me about Little Black Hero all the time?" Bai protested softly.
Before he finished speaking, he suddenly leaped into the air.
Zhong Jiuli bent down and pulled her into his arms, pinching her chubby little face with his fingertips without any politeness. "Then why do you still call me by my first name so disrespectfully all the time?"
-----------------------
Author's Note: [Dog head carrying a rose] is here! The round, fair, smooth, cute and fierce little white dog is here too!
Babies, if I begged for some nutritional supplements, would you think I'm a materialistic woman and leave me? [Please][Please][Please] If you want to leave, you can throw the supplements in my face, then shake your head helplessly, sigh, and say in a hoarse, tractor-like voice, "Women, I just can't do anything with you~"
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