Chapter 121 The Rat Immortal was the only one to ascend to heaven...
“We don’t sell this black leopard.” Before Yun Tianjiao could speak, Yu Siran stepped forward and blocked the black leopard behind her.
The innkeeper looked at Yun Tianjiao again, still unwilling to give up, and said, "The price is negotiable."
"You heard it too, we're not selling this black panther," Yun Tianjiao replied sternly.
The innkeeper, having been rebuffed, realized that although there were only two young girls in front of him, their demeanor suggested they were no ordinary people, and he dared not offend them. He had no choice but to give up, but still muttered with some regret, "Ah, what fine fur they have, so glossy and smooth..."
Black Panther remained silent, but before following Yun Tianjiao and the others upstairs, he lifted his hind leg and urinated at the innkeeper's feet.
"Oh my god! This beast! Where is it peeing?" The boss stomped his feet in anger.
Zhiwei, who was hanging on Yu Siran's body as the Demon-Slaying Blade, almost collapsed when he saw this scene. If he were still in his original form, he would definitely strangle the black panther to death.
How will he face the Princess in the future?
Yun Tianjiao wanted to laugh, but considering the innkeeper's feelings, he forcibly held back, scolded Black Panther, and gave the innkeeper another silver ingot, "I'm sorry, Black Panther is young and a bit mischievous. This is compensation for you, please bear with him."
Black Panther was smug, his amber eyes giving the innkeeper a cold glance, his tail held high, and he followed Yun Tianjiao and Yu Siran with a bit of swagger.
Yun Tianjiao only booked one room and stayed there for three days. That night, she woke up in the middle of the night and suddenly got out of bed.
The little bell she hung under the window was shaking, making a soft, crisp tinkling sound.
The black panther, lying on the floor, twitched its ears and woke up, its shimmering eyes in the darkness looking towards Yun Tianjiao.
Yun Tianjiao gestured for the black leopard to be quiet, then walked to the window and took off the bell, putting it into his sleeve.
This was hung up the day she checked in; she could sense the fluctuations of spiritual energy. She heard from the innkeeper that a rat fairy would be performing a ritual to change one's luck in the coming days, and all the rat demons would go to the altar to listen to the teachings of the enlightened rat fairy.
With so many demons gathered in one place, it is bound to cause fluctuations in spiritual energy. As soon as this bell rings, it is highly likely that the ritual is about to begin.
Seeing the black leopard raise its head, Yun Tianjiao bent down and patted its large head, whispering, "You stay here and guard Si Ran well. I have already set up a barrier around the room. As long as you don't go out, you will have a peaceful night. I should be able to come back before dawn."
Black Panther quietly tilted his head and looked at her, it was unclear whether he understood or not.
Yun Tianjiao tiptoed out of the room. In the lobby of the inn, there was only a waiter on night duty, who was sleeping soundly with his head nodding as he leaned on the counter.
She walked straight past the waiter without waking him, and went out of the inn. Then she took out the bell that could sense spiritual energy fluctuations, held it in her hand, identified the direction, and was about to follow the source of the spiritual energy fluctuations when she suddenly felt a noise behind her.
Yun Tianjiao turned around and saw a black leopard.
"Didn't I tell you to stay and watch over the Second Miss? Why did you sneak out?" Yun Tianjiao scolded her angrily.
At that moment, a figure with a small bun peeked out from the shadows, carrying a large knife on its back.
"Elder sister..." Yu Siran called out timidly, playing with her fingers and looking innocently at Yun Tianjiao.
A man and a leopard, both with round eyes, stared at each other expectantly.
Yun Tianjiao sighed, "Never mind, since we're both awake, let's go together."
It was midsummer, and while the nights inside the Xuanxiao Sect were still quite hot, a cool breeze could already be felt here. Yun Tianjiao's fingertips were chilly from the cold, and he glanced at the black leopard beside him, then put his fingers inside its ears to warm them.
The black panther seemed to be enjoying itself, its eyes slightly narrowed as it purred softly.
Yu Siran suddenly felt a lightness behind her, as the Demon-Slaying Blade was suddenly drawn from its sheath, startling her with a cry of surprise. She thought the blade was about to go berserk again and cause trouble for the leopard.
Fortunately, this time the Demon-Slaying Blade did not strike the black panther, but instead hovered in front of the two sisters, trembling slightly and emitting a pale golden light.
As the light enveloped his body, a sense of warmth followed.
Yun Tianjiao couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "This knife even has this kind of function!"
Yu Siran's eyes widened in amazement. "So it can also keep us warm."
Yun Tianjiao withdrew her hand from the leopard's ear, and the black leopard nuzzled her with its tail with a hint of resentment. The leopard's eyes were fixed on the Demon-Slaying Blade hanging above its head, looking quite resentful.
The two men, the leopard, and the knife maintained this strange formation and quickly left the main city, heading towards the woods in the suburbs.
As they drew closer to the source of the spiritual energy fluctuations, they could hear rustling sounds all around them, like small animals darting through the grass.
"Oh, elder sister, look! So many mice!" Yu Siran whispered, both excited and scared.
Yun Tianjiao instructed Yu Siran to sheath the Demon-Slaying Blade. The two then affixed several talismans to their bodies to conceal their presence and followed the direction the rat swarm was moving, heading deeper into the dense forest.
Gradually, the surrounding sounds changed from the initial squeaking of mice to mumbled murmurs that humans could understand.
"Hey, hurry up, or we won't be able to get a front-row seat!"
"Want a front-row seat? You're dreaming!"
"Yes, so many rat demons have come tonight. I heard that those who wanted to get close to the center of the altar and catch a glimpse of the senior's true face came three days in advance to reserve a spot!"
"Huh? Does that mean we'll never get to the front?"
"It would be worthwhile just to hear the teachings of a senior. He is the only senior who has ascended to the celestial realm. He is an honor for us lowly beings! If we could hear a few words of guidance from him, our cultivation might improve by a lot!"
"Yes, maybe we can even ascend to become immortals..."
Yun Tianjiao listened to the rats' discussion and couldn't help but feel curious.
How come she's never heard of any deity who was originally a rat demon?
The Heavenly Realm has always placed the greatest importance on one's origin. People like the God of the Fu Luo, who cultivated from mortals to gods, especially feel inferior and cannot hold their heads high. If they were to ascend as demons, what would the gods say about them? They would probably be famous in the Heavenly Realm by now. How come no one has heard a word about them?
Deep in the dense forest, the trees gradually thinned out, no longer blocking out the sun as before. Under the pale moonlight, Yun Tianjiao could see a dilapidated temple in the distance, which appeared to have been built by human worshippers and later abandoned.
The temple's outer walls were covered with vines and weeds, as well as... rats of all shapes and sizes. The open space surrounding the temple was also teeming with rats.
Yun Tianjiao wasn't afraid of any of this, but Yu Siran was terrified. Feeling the furry touch rubbing against her feet, her big eyes filled with tears, and she was almost about to cry.
Zhiwei saw Yun Tianjiao turn around, seemingly wanting to come over and pick up Yu Siran. How could he bear to let her be so tired? He let out a faint, clear clang of his sword and drew a barrier around Yu Siran, immediately isolating the little mice.
Yun Tianjiao paused his outstretched arm towards Yu Siran, then withdrew it. He raised an eyebrow and glanced at the Demon-Slaying Blade, thinking to himself: As expected of the treasured blade that later recognized her as its master, it still has a good understanding with her.
They quickly approached the temple. To be on the safe side, Yun Tianjiao did not enter the temple. Instead, she went around to the side and found a window. Standing under the window, she could clearly see the rat immortal performing the ritual, and if anything unexpected happened, she could easily escape in time.
After all, according to what these rats said, the Rat Immortal was a celestial being, and Yun Tianjiao was not sure whether their Xuanxiao Sect's talismans could evade the eyes and ears of this celestial being.
After waiting for about an hour, Yu Siran was lying on the black panther, almost asleep. At this moment, the noise of rats that filled the temple suddenly disappeared, as if someone had cast a silencing spell, and everything returned to silence.
In the gentle breeze, only the rustling of grass and trees could be heard.
Suddenly, a golden light flashed within the dark temple, accompanied by the soft chanting of Buddhist scriptures, and a slender figure appeared in the gentle golden light.
Yun Tianjiao looked out the window and was taken aback.
This Rat Immortal... is actually the God Venerable Gongxin!
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