Chapter 21: Pinching Cheeks - Two women hugging like this, it's too ambiguous...
"Why don't you call me 'sister' anymore?" Zhong Jiuli lowered her head slightly, her long eyelashes framed by a cool gaze that seemed to hold a half-smile.
Bai was so dazzled by the sudden beauty that her fair face turned red at a visible speed.
She found it hard to resist the onslaught of beauty, so she simply closed her eyes. As long as she couldn't see him, it wouldn't matter how beautiful he was.
"I suspect you just wanted an excuse to pinch my cheek," Bai muttered under his breath.
"So what if it is? Can't I pinch it?" Zhong Jiuli admitted frankly.
Bai opened one eye, sighed deeply like a little adult, and his round little face was full of helplessness: "What else can we do? Squeeze it if you want, it won't break anyway."
"And could you please put me down? I'm not a little tiger anymore. It's a bit too ambiguous for two women to be hugging like this."
Hearing her old-fashioned tone, Zhong Jiuli couldn't help but chuckle.
Bai heard her laughing heartily, and glared at her, "Don't laugh, am I not a woman?"
Zhong Jiuli's smile deepened, and she said as if coaxing a child, "Yes, she is a woman. Now, shall we take the young hero Bai, who is a woman, home to see your mother?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Zhong Jiuli's feet emitted white light, just as she had done before. With one step, she arrived above the White Tiger Tribe, hundreds of thousands of miles away.
This time, Bai didn't close her eyes either. She clearly saw the spatial ripples generated beneath Zhong Jiuli's feet, with countless profound law patterns flowing in the void.
The flowing runes were reflected in Bai Ye's amber pupils. The mysterious patterns were constantly decomposing and recombining in her eyes, and each law pattern was revealing to her the secrets of higher-level spatial laws.
"So that's how it is..." Bai muttered to herself. When she used the Instant Step Sky Claw earlier, she didn't use the secret of space travel at all. She turned a perfectly good assassination skill into a charge skill.
However, seeing the familiar tribe before him, Bai had no time to comprehend the spatial laws he had just grasped.
When I left, it was the height of summer; now, upon my return, the entire desolate mountain range is covered in snow.
The dozens of houses scattered throughout the village resemble round mushrooms growing in the snow, with wisps of smoke rising from their tops. The familiar aroma of roasted meat wafts through the air, and the sounds of children playing can be faintly heard.
Looking at the beautiful, fairytale-like scene before her, Bai felt her eyes welling up with tears. She turned her head and buried her face in Zhong Jiuli's shoulder, wiping away the tears that had spilled from the corners of her eyes.
Zhong Jiuli rubbed her little head and said, "Do you know how much this robe I'm wearing is worth?"
"Hmm?" Bai also looked up, giving her a look that said, "Have you been possessed by Liu Xianyue?"
Zhong Jiuli chuckled softly, raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and gently coaxed her, "Don't cry, let's go see your mother, okay?"
"Mm!" Bai nodded in response.
The two landed in front of Bai Shu's courtyard gate. Zhong Jiuli put Bai Ye down on the ground, smoothed out her slightly wrinkled clothes, glanced at the gate, and gestured for Bai Ye to knock.
Bai took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, the white breath spreading out in front of his eyes, blurring the slightly dilapidated wooden door.
She raised her chubby little hand and placed it on the courtyard gate, knocking lightly twice.
"They're here!" A familiar voice came from inside the house.
The courtyard gate creaked open, and Bai Shu, dressed in an animal skin coat, appeared before them.
Bai Shu's pupils trembled slightly after he saw the two people standing outside the door.
The mother and daughter met in mid-air, separated by a threshold.
"Mother..." Bai also raised her hand with a smile.
Bai Shu knelt down and pulled her into his arms, responding in a trembling voice, "Yes! Mother is here."
"Mother, why aren't you surprised at all?" Bai asked.
She thought she would have to explain why she had turned into a human, but her mother's reaction was too calm.
"What's there to be surprised about? Even if you came back as a caterpillar, I wouldn't be surprised." After Bai Shu finished speaking, she picked her up and stood up, then called out to Zhong Jiuli at the door, "Senior Zhong, please come in quickly, it's cold outside."
The three of them stepped into the courtyard together, closed the door, and shut out the biting cold wind outside.
The room was warm and cozy, with a crackling fire burning brightly in the stove. In the center of the square table, a copper pot was bubbling with thick, white broth, and thinly sliced spirit beast meat was rolling around in the soup, mixed with the fresh aroma of wild mushrooms, making one's mouth water.
Next to the copper pot was a pot of warmed fruit wine, which emitted the fragrance of plums.
"It seems Mother is taking good care of herself," Bai muttered softly, sniffing.
Bai Shu came out of the kitchen carrying clean bowls and chopsticks, just in time to hear her words. She went up to Bai Ye and pinched her cheek, raising an eyebrow and saying, "What? Do you want your mother to stay at home crying all day?"
"No, that's not true!" Bai covered her face. "I'm happy because Mom didn't stop eating properly just because I wasn't home."
"You smooth talker!" Bai Shu laughed and scolded as he set out the bowls and chopsticks, then picked up the wine pot and poured Zhong Jiuli a cup of fruit wine. "Senior Zhong, please try this. It's a new wine that was just brewed before winter."
After pouring the wine, she turned around and put a few more pieces of stewed, tender spirit beast meat into Bai Ye's bowl.
Under the warm yellow candlelight, the three sat around a square table and enjoyed their first hot pot meal since their reunion.
Bai also held the large bowl, as big as her cheek, and ate without looking up. It had been so long since she had eaten home-cooked meals; they still tasted so good. She hadn't eaten in ages; Zhong Jiuli had been feeding her fasting pills in that blessed land, which was practically child abuse.
After the meal, Bai Shu took Bai Ye for a walk around the tribe. She had been gone for more than half a year, and the aunties had been missing her terribly. As for the fact that she had transformed from a tiger cub into human form, no one reacted much.
Bai Ye's little face suffered a bit, as she was pinched countless times by the aunties along the way.
Bai now realized the downsides of being human. He wished he had stayed a little tiger; at least when he was a tiger, people didn't like to pinch his cheeks as much, they would only pinch his ears at most.
After returning home, Bai locked himself in his room. He sat cross-legged on the bed and activated the Formless Technique in his mind.
He had obtained this technique more than half a year ago, but had not had time to practice it. Now that he finally had some free time, Bai closed his eyes, sank his consciousness into his sea of consciousness, and looked at the incantation of the Formless Technique.
"No self, no form, all forms are me..." Bai Ye softly recited the opening of the Formless Mantra. When she saw that the first level was Transformation into Myriad Forms, she suddenly opened her eyes and asked, "Little Wang, this technique isn't for me to use in transforming into human form, is it?"
"Yes, right? Xiao Wang isn't sure either," Xiao Wang said somewhat vaguely.
Could she say she didn't know? Of course not, Wang Cuihua also had her pride.
Thinking of the scene today where those aunties were messing with his little face, Bai also felt that he still needed to cultivate the first level of the Formless Technique as soon as possible.
For no other reason than to stop women from pinching my cheeks at will!
Bai closed her eyes and began circulating the Great Creation Scripture. Her hands formed an ancient hand seal, and at the same time, she was comprehending the Formless Technique in her mind. As she began to circulate the technique, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth surged in like a tide, forming a visible vortex of spiritual energy around her.
In the next room, Zhong Jiuli, who was meditating, suddenly opened her eyes. She noticed the commotion in Bai Ye's room and couldn't help but sigh. What an amazing little fellow! To be able to create such a spectacle by drawing spiritual energy into his body for the first time is already comparable to the cultivation commotion of an ordinary Golden Core cultivator.
......
Several hours later, Bai also awoke from her meditation. She looked inward at her dantian and saw a swirling cloud of spiritual energy slowly circulating within it, with tiny, increasingly vibrant green sprouts below.
She slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, thinking to herself, "So this is the first level of Qi Refining?"
Although most of the spiritual energy she absorbed was intercepted by Little Green, the remaining amount was enough for her.
If this pace continues, wouldn't it be possible to establish a foundation in just ten days? Bai was amused by his own thoughts. The path of cultivation becomes increasingly difficult as one progresses, and the required spiritual energy increases exponentially. It's far from simple.
She patted her face, got up, got out of bed, opened the window, and leaped onto the roof.
At this moment, the eastern sky was just beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn, a time of transition between day and night, a time of yin and yang merging. Bai sat cross-legged on the snow-covered rooftop, preparing to welcome the first wisp of primordial purple energy between heaven and earth.
However, the morning sun seemed too bright today, so bright that even with her eyes tightly closed, all she could see was a white blur.
Bai raised his hand to shield his eyes, and only then could he see what had happened.
A beam of white light shone brightly from the depths of the desolate mountains, stretching across the sky and earth. The beam of light was surrounded by colorful rays of light, making it extremely eye-catching and resembling the birth of some rare treasure.
The roars of monstrous beasts echoed faintly from the mountains and forests, causing the accumulated snow to slide off in a flurry.
Bai's first reaction was to flip through the table of contents in her mind. She had been studying hard lately, and with the plot being so strange, she hadn't paid much attention to the plot development in a long time.
Before she could take a closer look, Zhong Jiuli suddenly appeared. She stood beside Bai Ye, gazing intently at the strange phenomenon deep in the mountains.
"Zhong Jiuli, did you see anything?" Bai asked, tilting his head back.
“Yes, a secret realm has appeared, which should be a good thing for you. You are now in a good position to enter the secret realm for training. However, it seems that the secret realm will need a few more days to stabilize. There’s no rush,” Zhong Jiuli explained.
Upon hearing this, Bai decisively closed his eyes and continued cultivating. Since Zhong Jiuli said there was no rush, then there was definitely no rush.
After spending these days together, she had completely come to believe in Zhong Jiuli's character; he was definitely a rare and good person in the cultivation world.
Several days passed in the blink of an eye. During these days, Bai had been in seclusion, diligently cultivating. He had already mastered the first level of the Formless Technique, and his cultivation level had reached the fourth level of Qi Refining.
It must be said that her hard work over the past six months has not been in vain. With her current physique, absorbing spiritual energy is as easy as eating and drinking.
After finishing his meditation, Bai pushed open the door and left the room, looking up at the azure sky.
Several more spirit boats flew overhead. In the past few days, spirit boats have frequently been seen flying towards the depths of the desolate mountains. It's unknown how many people have entered the mountains, or how many will come out.
"Come here." Zhong Jiuli's cool voice came from the courtyard.
Bai walked towards the two of them. These past few days, Zhong Jiuli and her mother had been enjoying sitting around the stove in this small courtyard, brewing tea. A pot of tea and a few dishes of snacks were enough to while away the day.
Smoke curled from the stone table, the fire in the stove burned brightly, and Zhong Jiuli leaned casually against the recliner, a fluffy animal skin blanket beneath her, looking extremely comfortable.
Bai Shu held a yellowed ancient book in his hands, slumped in his chair in the same posture, the two of them displaying a tacit understanding reminiscent of old friends.
"Why did you call me?" Bai asked, looking at the two of them.
“The path of cultivation emphasizes a balance between activity and rest. Staying cooped up in your room all day in meditation is not beneficial to your cultivation,” Zhong Jiuli said. “Why don’t you come and pour us some tea?”
"Okay," Bai replied, reaching for the teacup.
Zhong Jiuli waved her hand to interrupt, saying, "Wait a minute, you are not allowed to use your hands. Use your spiritual power to form a hand to hold up the teacup and pour tea for the two of us."
Bai blinked upon hearing this. Isn't this still cultivation?
She thought to herself, "These two women are just trying to exploit child laborers." But she resignedly released her spiritual power and shakily lifted the teacup to pour tea for the two women. Most of the tea spilled from the spout onto the stone table, with only a few drops entering the teacup.
Bai frantically tried to control the teacup, aiming the spout of the teapot at it. But in her panic, the tea spilled out even more, splashing all over the stone table.
The clear tea soup landed on the stone table, condensing without dispersing, and the aroma of tea was intoxicating. The rich spiritual energy transformed into a small, inch-long, azure dragon in the air. The dragon's scales and claws were distinct, and its entire body was as green as jade. It swam and swayed its tail in the rising steam.
Bai took a deep breath of the tea aroma, feeling her mind clear and the fatigue from days of cultivation vanishing. She stared wide-eyed at the spilled tea on the stone table, hesitating whether to lean over and drink it.
These two women certainly wouldn't drink the water spilled on the table, but this tea looks very expensive, definitely very expensive, and it feels so painful to waste it like this.
As if she could read minds, Zhong Jiuli immediately guessed her thoughts and said without blinking, "You dare to lick it and see!"
Bai also immediately chickened out. She didn't dare to do such a shameful thing in front of her mother and Zhong Jiuli, but there was something she dared to do.
Little Green couldn't wait any longer. Since White wasn't making a move, she stretched out two emerald green roots and lay down on the stone table to drink to her heart's content.
Zhong Jiuli already knew of Xiao Lü's existence, so she wasn't surprised at all that Xiao Lü was drinking tea. She raised her hand and tapped lightly on the stone table. After Bai Ye looked over, she said, "Watch closely. Even spiritual power separated from the body should be as easy to control as an arm."
A wisp of light flicked from her fingertip, lifting the teapot and making it spin several times in mid-air. The tea then poured out from the spout, tracing a perfect arc in the air before finally settling into the teacup without a single drop spilling.
Bai clapped along, praising, "Zhong Jiuli, you're amazing! With your skills, you could probably earn a high salary as a tea server at a teahouse in town, right?"
"You're such a chatterbox!" Zhong Jiuli said with a laugh.
She didn't seem to care much about Bai Ye's witty remarks.
However, Bai Shu spoke up. She carefully put away the ancient book she was holding, then looked at Bai Ye and scolded, "I think you need to be taught a lesson. Senior Zhong is instructing you on cultivation, and this is how you talk to him?"
Bai also lowered her head and admitted her mistake, "Mother, I'm sorry, I was wrong."
"Should you apologize to me?" Bai Shu retorted.
"Zhong Jiuli, I was wrong." Bai also apologized obediently.
"I said!!" A charming voice fell from above everyone's heads.
"Shouldn't you apologize to me first?" Liu Xianyue lifted her skirt and flew down from the shimmering spirit boat.
Today she was dressed in an apricot-red, high-waisted ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with a snow-white fox fur draped over her shoulders and a white jade hairpin in her hair, still exuding the air of someone who was extremely wealthy.
However, at this moment, she was clutching her chest, her brows furrowed, and she looked rather distressed.
"Why should I apologize to you?" Bai Ye looked completely bewildered.
Liu Xianyue pointed a trembling finger at the still-wet tea stains on the table, and said with heartache, "You! That tea... a pot costs 100,000 high-grade spirit stones, and you spilled the whole pot! You little rascal!"
"What a spendthrift son!!!" Her voice trembled as she uttered that last wailing, a cry so heartbreaking it would bring tears to anyone's eyes.
Bai also whispered in defense, "Isn't this tea... Zhong Jiuli's?"
Liu Xianyue frowned even more deeply. "Where do you think she got her things from? They all came from my Wanxiang Pavilion!!"
"Then it's hers now that she bought it, why are you so angry!"
"Do you think this ancestor would carry spirit stones? Do you think she would pay for the things she took from the Myriad Elephant Pavilion?" Liu Xianyue said through gritted teeth.
Zhong Jiuli advised at the opportune moment, "Boss Liu, a cultivator..."
"Shut up!" Liu Xianyue interrupted. "Can you even speak human language? You act like a high and mighty ancestor in the Three Pure Ones Sect, but all the money-making work is done by me, Liu Xianyue!"
Zhong Jiuli coughed lightly and changed the subject, saying, "Did you come to see me for something?"
"You wish! Sect Leader Zhong, you have such a big face that I, Liu Xianyue, have to travel all this way to find you?" Liu Xianyue said coquettishly, then turned to Bai Ye and said, "I've come to find my little tiger! Little thing, when are you planning to pay back the money you owe your sister?"
Upon hearing that she had come to collect a debt, Bai Ye quietly hid behind Zhong Jiuli, as she herself had no money to repay the debt.
"I knew you poor little devil couldn't pay your debts. Come with me, I'll take you to the secret realm, and you can dig up some spiritual herbs and medicines to pay off your debts."
After Liu Xianyue finished speaking, she stood up and walked step by step toward the spirit boat in the sky with an air of dominance over the world. Anyone who didn't know better would think that she was about to ascend the throne right there in this small, dilapidated courtyard.
Zhong Jiuli then flew onto the spirit boat, leaving the small courtyard to the mother and daughter.
Bai knew that the secret realm was about to open, so she threw herself into Bai Shu's arms and whispered, "Mother, I'm leaving now. Don't miss me too much. I'll be back soon."
"Go on, don't linger." Bai Shu pushed her little head away without any hesitation.
"A woman who's all talk and no action." Bai muttered, released her, stomped his foot on the ground, and leaped onto the spirit boat.
Bai Shu looked at the bluestone slab that had been stomped on and cursed irritably, "You brat, just wait until you get back and see if I don't teach you a lesson."
"I'm sorry, Mother. I'll help you fix it when I get back." Bai Ye's voice drifted down from the spirit boat.
The words were still echoing in the courtyard when the exceptionally beautiful spirit boat disappeared into the sky.
Bai Shu gazed at the empty courtyard, sighed softly, leaned back in his recliner, picked up the ancient book, and slowly began to peruse it.
......
On the spirit boat.
Bai also curiously touched and looked around, much like Granny Liu when she first entered the Grand View Garden.
Liu Xianyue leaned against the railing, arms crossed, a playful smile curving her red lips as she teased, "Little country bumpkin, never seen the world before!"
"yes."
Bai readily admitted it.
She'd flown in airplanes before, but this wasn't her first time on a flying ship. If she learned this spaceship technology here and could go home, she could get one of these little boats and run a food delivery or ride-hailing service—she'd make a fortune!
Buying a car in three years and a house in five years is not a dream.
"Do you want it?" Zhong Jiuli asked, her tone as indifferent as if she were asking about the weather today.
Bai's eyes immediately lit up, his amber pupils glowing with an alarming intensity. "You're going to give it to me?"
"Dream on!!!" Liu Xianyue said angrily, "This is my spirit boat, you dare to try sending my spirit boat away."
"Pfft... Hahahaha!" Bai Ye suddenly burst into laughter, "Liu Xianyue, you're so stupid. Zhong Jiuli was just teasing you, and you actually fell for it."
Liu Xianyue turned to look at Zhong Jiuli beside her in astonishment. To her surprise, she saw a hint of smugness in Zhong Jiuli's eyes after successfully pulling off a prank.
Zhong Jiuli's transformation surprised Liu Xianyue. In tens of thousands of years, she had never seen him so vibrant.
These changes are all because of that little guy.
She was startled by Zhong Jiuli's change, and even more surprised that the little guy had seen through things she hadn't even noticed, and cooperated perfectly.
You know, she has always considered herself the person who understands Zhong Jiuli the most in the Nine Provinces, but how long has that little guy known Zhong Jiuli?
"Little Tiger, I suddenly remembered that I haven't settled the cost of the spirit boat ride with you yet." Liu Xianyue took a few steps closer, pinched Bai Ye's chubby little face, and said something even colder than her icy fingertips, "I'm kind-hearted, so I'll just charge you 1,000 mid-grade spirit stones. Remember, you now owe me 11,000 mid-grade spirit stones."
"You're robbing me!!!" Bai said vaguely.
Hearing her words, Liu Xianyue's smile became even more radiant.
"So what if I rob you? There's no village or shop in sight, high in the sky. What other way do you think you can get here?"
Bai lowered his eyes and slumped his head, saying weakly, "Just write it down, anyway, having too many lice doesn't make you itch."
Liu Xianyue's lips curled up, wanting to tease Bai Ye a few more times. Zhong Jiuli suddenly spoke up: "Boss Liu, stop bullying her. A powerful demon is charging up."
Before he could finish speaking, the entire spirit boat suddenly trembled violently, and Bai was thrown into the air by the force.
Zhong Jiuli flicked her sleeve, catching Bai Ye in mid-air and pulling her into her arms.
"Roar!!!" A beastly roar came from below, the sound shaking the heavens.
"You ignorant fool." Liu Xianyue raised her eyebrows and tossed out several top-grade spirit stones that shimmered with light, embedding them into the array's core.
The surface of the spirit boat immediately lit up with array patterns, and a protective barrier, like moonlight, instantly unfolded. Just as the barrier took shape, a dark shadow suddenly pounced forward, its massive mouth, filled with fangs, opened to its limit, and snapped at the people on the deck.
The sunlight was instantly blocked out as the gaping maw nearly swallowed the entire spirit ship whole, its protective shield teetering on the verge of collapse.
"Are you scared?" Zhong Jiuli's voice rang out in the darkness.
"No, don't worry. So many cultivators have gone into these deep mountains, everything will be fine," Bai said softly.
Zhong Jiuli explained, "Of those cultivators, eight or nine out of ten were fed to the monsters in these mountains. Only a few were able to reach the secret realm alive."
"Huh? They're all dead? Then why did they still rush into these mountains?" Bai asked, her mouth agape in surprise.
Zhong Jiuli gently closed her mouth, "Are you surprised? How many people do you think could survive the jaws of this ferocious beast?"
As if to prove her words, the ferocious beast suddenly raised its head and roared. Deep within its barbed throat, a ball of crimson flame surged and condensed like magma.
"Damn it, you spitting filthy thing!" Liu Xianyue frowned and impatiently took off the snow-white fox fur coat from her shoulders.
As she was taking off her clothes, the ball of light collided with the protective shield.
Bai also felt as if he heard a crisp "crack" sound. The protective shield was as brittle as the lowest quality glass, and it shattered at the slightest touch under the impact of the flames.
The shattered spiritual energy exploded into dazzling fireworks in the air, but none could match the brilliance of the rapidly approaching crimson flame.
Wherever that beam of light touched, even the air itself was scorched into distorted black holes.
"You annoying guy, I didn't dress up so beautifully today to fight!" Liu Xianyue cursed angrily, and with a light flick of her wrist, a flame appeared in her palm.
Firelight against flame, a duel between fires.
Liu Xianyue's firelight was an extreme red, while that flame was more like the crimson of magma. When the two collided, there was no thunder and fire as one might have imagined.
The flames vanished instantly upon colliding with the fire, like a mud ox sinking into the sea, without even a sound.
The ferocious beast, entirely black and covered in hideous scales, stared blankly at the few small humans on the deck. A look of confusion flashed in its millstone-sized vertical pupils, as if it were wondering where the flames it had emitted had gone.
"Sect Master Zhong, are you just going to hold the little tiger and watch the show?" Liu Xianyue rolled her eyes at the two people watching the show.
Zhong Jiuli looked down at Bai Ye in her arms and said casually, as if she were giving a lecture, "Watch carefully."
As soon as she finished speaking, she and Bai Ye vanished from the spot in an instant.
Bai only felt a blur before her eyes, and in an instant they were on top of the ferocious beast's head. Only then did she get a clear look at the beast's appearance. It resembled the Taotie from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, but was much uglier. It was probably a demonic species with some Taotie bloodline.
She saw Zhong Jiuli extend her jade-like fingertips and grasp the beast's long horn, then forcefully slam it down with a deft touch.
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Author's Note: [Dog head holding a rose] From now on, the update time will be changed to 8 PM every day.
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