Chapter 35, first published on Jinjiang Literature City, is a bonus chapter!
"Injuried?"
Yao Sisi looked him over and saw that he was lively and energetic, so his injuries had obviously healed. "Are you alright now? Oh, by the way, I saw you glancing at the chicken on that other person's table a few times. I specially ordered a lot for you this time. Take it all with you when you go back!"
Rijiu: "Thank you, Sisi! I'm definitely much better now!"
While eating, Yao Sisi said, "I called you here today for another matter. The shape of that flying artifact has been decided. We plan to make it look like a cloud, so it can blend perfectly into the sky. It's just... a little eerie when the sky is clear and blue..."
Rijiu: "Hmm? Couldn't we just make it into a blue cloud, or a cloud that changes color? If there's a thunderstorm, it could even turn into a dark cloud and blend in."
Yao Sisi was taken aback: "Dark Cloud...aren't you afraid of flying too high and getting struck by lightning?"
Ri Jiu paused, blinked, and said, "Sisi, you're right. After the fifth rank, there is a lightning tribulation. Human Golden Core cultivators also have lightning tribulations. I've heard they're extremely terrifying. The unlucky ones are directly struck into ashes. Let's stay away from thunderstorms. As for... let's skip the ones with dark clouds."
Seeing that his spiritual light was more subdued and his aura much stronger, Yao Sisi asked, "Are you at the third level now?"
Rijiu: "Yeah, if we encounter the Flame Serpent now, it won't be as difficult as last time! Sisi, when are we going to get revenge?"
Yao Sisi: "No rush. My cultivation level is still low. Once you advance, you'll be at the early Foundation Establishment stage. I need to catch up as soon as possible. You should focus on consolidating your cultivation and repairing the array plate. After I finish what I need to do here, I'll start refining weapons, but... the materials are hard to find."
She briefly explained her thoughts and took out a list: "Some of the materials for refining can be found in the Mystic Beast Forest. Please keep an eye out for them for me."
Ri Jiu accepted the materials list, carefully examining the items she had checked. "Good, now that my cultivation is higher, I don't need to be as timid as before. I can explore further now, and I'm sure I can find these things!" He then cautiously inquired, "Sisi, that man who wanted to take the demon core last time, did he give you any trouble?"
Yao Sisi: "No, we don't usually see each other, so he can't make things difficult for me. It's you living outside without any supervision that's the most dangerous."
Ri Jiu: "I'm already at the third rank, so I'm not afraid of him anymore! By the way, Sisi, would you like to see my demon core?"
Yao Sisi: "???"
Is this something that can be viewed freely?
"Are you out of your mind! Why are you looking at demon cores for no reason..."
Ri Jiu: "There won't be any problems with leaving the body for a short time. We demons are different from demon beasts; we're not that fragile!"
Yao Sisi waved her hands repeatedly, "That won't do either. Besides, this place is full of all sorts of people. What if someone uses a secret technique to steal your demon core? You have to be very careful about this in the future, and don't take out your demon core!"
Rijiu sniffed, realizing that what she said made sense, but she just couldn't help wanting to share it with her...
"We'll see when we have the chance! By the way, Sisi, after advancing in rank, I discovered a new way to form a contract. I can form a contract with you using your demon core!"
Yao Sisi: "..." She didn't have a demon core!
"How do you still remember this after all this time?"
Ri Jiu chuckled, saying somewhat childishly, "It's a pity that a demon core contract isn't as stable as a soul contract. If someone takes the demon core, the contract will be transferred along with it..."
Yao Sisi took a bite of the succulent Xuan Beast meat. Hearing what he said, she asked curiously, "If the Daoist Contract is taken from the demon core by someone else, wouldn't that mean you have an extra 'lover' for no reason? And this 'lover' is most likely the enemy who framed your real lover!"
"The key question is, under these circumstances, how do we take revenge? We can't just kill the one who stole the core, can we? Wouldn't that be breaking the contract and incurring divine punishment? And wouldn't the demon core be damaged again? According to the laws of the world, it can't be transplanted indefinitely, can it?"
Ri Jiu was so impressed by her insightful remarks that he started to seriously consider the matter. "It seems that we need to add a clause to the contract that allows the taking of the demon core. If my demon core is taken by a bad person, Si Si must avenge me. My contract with you allows you to help me kill him, and then keep my demon core for your own use. You can also convert my demon power into your spiritual power and store it in your body. Don't let it fall into the wrong hands!"
Yao Sisi: "..."
"Can we not make a contract with the demon core? Why are you suddenly telling ghost stories..."
Ri Jiu: "That's right, the contract on the demon core is really too painful!"
Yao Sisi: "..."
No… how did she get caught up in this? They didn't actually need a contract at all…
Yao Sisi glanced at the table, added a piece of the mythical beast's heart and liver to her mouth, hoping to nourish her mind and eyesight...
After the two had a hearty meal, she looked at Ri Jiu's wagging tail and pink ears. This outfit was too flashy, and he couldn't completely control it. She said, "Wait here for me. I'll buy you a veil to wear."
Rijiu: "Okay, but can I have the darker color?"
Yao Sisi nodded. Even if he hadn't said anything, she was planning to buy a dark color anyway, since a light color wouldn't have been much of a hindrance for him.
She went downstairs to buy him a deep red one, almost so deep it was nearly blackish-purple.
After Ri Jiu put it on, he instantly transformed from a bewitching handsome man into someone unapproachable, as if he were a eccentric monk, making people afraid to get close to him.
Yao Sisi: "Not bad, very perfect, but you need to wrap your tail with a cloth around your waist and then just put on a cloak so it won't be noticeable. There should be a cloak in the casual clothes I bought for you before, put it on before you leave."
Ri Jiu nodded and said, "Sisi, after we leave the Mystic Beast Forest and head to another region, could you take me to buy clothes again? What if we have to travel for several years and these clothes will be worn out?"
Yao Sisi didn't think too much about it. "We definitely need to prepare before leaving, but ordinary clothes are not suitable for combat. We should make some soft armor."
Rijiu: "Soft armor... did you make it yourself, Sisi? Can I have the bellyband style?"
Yao Sisi was speechless: "...We'll talk about it later!"
Ri Jiu said, feeling wronged, "How long will it take?"
Yao Sisi: "..."
After they parted ways, each had their own things to do. Yao Sisi purchased a batch of materials to hone her weapon-refining skills. She then flashed into the space and reluctantly activated a time array that would last for a year.
Although this formation can be activated as long as there are Xuan Stones, staying in the space for a long time makes her very anxious. She wonders if it's because the rules within the space are incomplete, making it unsuitable for her to stay for extended periods.
The most suitable formation for her is still the one-month time array. A year is too long. It would give her plenty of time to go through all the skills from beginning to end, except for refining weapons, drawing talismans, and concentrating her mind.
Although her skills were becoming increasingly proficient, she also felt that she couldn't stay inside any longer...
Yao Sisi clearly felt that the less mysterious and profound something was in the space, the slower her progress became. This time, she only stayed in the space for three months before coming out.
On the other side, Qi Mu received the medicine from Yao Sisi. When he returned, he cleaned his body himself without relying on anyone else and then applied the medicine little by little.
Superior quality medicine is far superior to inferior quality medicine; it contains fewer impurities and its efficacy is significantly stronger.
The creamy ointment spread across the scar, and he felt a slight tingling sensation—the feeling of granulation tissue rapidly healing and repairing. As he gradually applied it all over his body, the tingling sensation intensified.
Soon, many of his scars faded, and each cut became shallower. With the potion's effectiveness, one more application might completely heal him without leaving a single scar.
However, among the numerous scars all over his body, there was a wound several inches long on his chest. This wound was marked with animal claws and was only a finger's width away from his heart, showing how dangerous it had been.
Qi Mu gently touched the old marks, as if he could still remember the raw flesh and the icy chill that had gripped him, his body feeling like it had deflated and was at the mercy of others. He pursed his lips, put on a blouse, and went to the mirror. In the bronze mirror, his body was tall and beautiful, his smooth and thick black hair loosely tied with a headband and draped down his back, with a few playful strands of hair brushing against his side and falling in front of him.
Under the nightlight, the young master had lost his usual gentleness and instead appeared somewhat aloof.
He held the medicine bottle to his lips, gently kissed it, and then poured out a little cream to slowly smooth the mark on his chest...
Only after he had covered the marks on his chest with his own ink did he let out a soft sigh, as if reflecting his current state of mind, and uttered words that seemed ambiguous, "Deeply touching, like strings being strummed..."
He applied the paint little by little, adding a touch of ambiguity under the cool moonlight...
In her private residence, Yao Sisi emerged from her spatial dimension and, under the moonlight, picked up her brush to draw talismans. She clearly felt that her inspiration was no longer suppressed after she came out, and the talismans she drew were more fluid than before.
"The room isn't suitable for weapon crafting. Let's go out tomorrow and see if there's a weapon crafting room we can rent!"
Once all the materials are gathered, we can try to forge a flying artifact!
The next day, Yao Sisi was resting in the mansion when she met Qi Mu before even leaving. The young master was not wearing Mi Li today and looked clean and refreshed, so it seemed that his scars had healed.
"Miss Sisi, I've come to bring you spring water."
Yao Sisi accepted his kindness and smiled, "Young master's gift is just in time; I was planning to use it in the next few days!"
Qi Mu looked at her, her body brimming with energy and her cultivation solid. He wondered how she had managed to increase her cultivation so quickly without any unstable foundation. "Your cultivation seems to have improved even more, but the Xuan Qi here is so thin. Is it no longer sufficient for your cultivation?"
Yao Sisi: "Although it's a bit thin, I'm not cultivating all the time. I usually rest here the most."
Qi Mu said, "Ordinary cultivation is already a problem, let alone at the crucial moment of a breakthrough. When you are about to break through, you can come to the manor with me!"
Yao Sisi: "It's still a long time before the next breakthrough!"
Qi Mu thought for a moment and said, "Miss Sisi, is it because you didn't want to trouble me that you didn't tell me these things before? But by the time you break through next time, we will already be engaged, so no one can say anything if you come to the manor to cultivate."
Yao Sisi accepted her kindness, "Young master is right, then I'll have to trouble you for my next breakthrough."
Qi Mu: "Breakthrough is a big deal, how can it be considered troublesome? I should thank you for helping me recover so quickly."
Yao Sisi smiled, and the voice of the artifact spirit popped into her mind.
"Master! Go with him, go with him, to the estate!"
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Author's note: This is to make up for the updates I missed when I wasn't feeling well.
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