Chapter 133

“Did it work?”

As soon as Song Pianxian left, Manzhi slinked into the room with her fox tail swaying behind her. Yawning and stretching lazily, she asked. Without needing Yu Yi’s response, the lingering satisfaction on Yu Yi’s brow revealed the outcome: “Oh, you’ve indeed regained your Gold Core.”

Yu Yi acknowledged this with a languid sound, seeming rather unenthusiastic.

It was peculiar indeed. Manzhi had stumbled upon news of someone spreading information about Yu Yi in the black market during one of her aimless wanderings. No need for deduction—it was clearly the Qu Family’s mischief at play.

Yet, to set this trap, Yu Yi not only failed to inform Song Pianxian but also subtly fanned the flames, emboldening these audacious fools to attempt her life. Now that her plan had succeeded, why did she appear discontent?

Just as Manzhi was about to speak, a kitten emerged from under the bed, sporting a bright white qi-concealing bracelet around its neck like a pet collar. Without sparing a glance at Manzhi, it leaped onto the bed, pouncing on Yu Yi, scratching and nudging her with its furry head. In response, Yu Yi swiftly pinned down the cat’s head with one hand.

“It’s just because I tossed you aside earlier; don’t be so delicate,” she chided.

Yu Yi glared at Manzhi, her fingers twitching as she gently stroked the kitten’s fur. Despite its dark appearance, the little creature felt surprisingly soft.

“You’ll have to release it outside for now,” said Manzhi. “From the looks of it, we’ll reach Tianfeng Province within a few hours. Once there, find a mutated beast.”

Among the vast variety of demonic beasts, some could produce unique mutations with peculiar appearances and significantly greater strength than ordinary beasts. Judging by description alone, locating a young black panther wouldn’t be too challenging.

Yu Yi pinched the thin cat ears thoughtfully. “There is another way.”

A significant part of Flying Phoenix Valley’s business involved trading demonic beasts, so naturally, this merchant ship carried a diverse assortment on board.

When Yu Yi approached Lu Yi about finding a companion for the silver fox, she readily agreed. Lu Yi promptly summoned Lu Ge, who managed the demonic beasts, and presented Yu Yi with dozens of Beast Containment Bags containing various mutants to choose from.

Among them was a wind-thunder leopard, seemingly just weaned, small yet lively with large, spirited eyes and a bold demeanor.

As a fifth-stage demonic beast, due to its mutation, this wind-thunder leopard possessed power comparable to a sixth-stage beast. While a sixth-stage mutant would be highly coveted elsewhere, it wasn’t impressive enough for someone like Yu Yi. Observing the selection, Lu Yi suggested, “Perhaps consider a different one? I recall there’s also a mutated phoenix-like luan available.”

Lu Ge, visibly displeased, had deep affection for his beasts. Like an old hen fiercely guarding her chicks, the burly man protested,

“Don’t be fooled by its fifth rank; this wind-thunder leopard is destined for greatness. Look at its fur—no ordinary wind-thunder leopard has such jet-black coloring, as if scorched by nine layers of thunderstorms.” His tone swelled with pride towards the end. “It signifies auspiciousness, a good omen for overcoming tribulations.”

Lu Yi nearly burst out laughing but held her tongue. Before she could respond, Yu Yi spoke up:

“The wind-thunder leopard it is. I quite like it.”

Puzzled, Lu Yi exclaimed, “Huh?”

Then realization dawned on her. It seemed her friend was truly eager to repair her meridians and resume cultivation, willing even to indulge Lu Ge’s silly remarks.

How many times had Lu Yi witnessed her sister’s heartache over losing her cultivation? Once a prodigious cultivator, now reduced to an ordinary person…

Overwhelmed by empathy, tears welled up in Lu Yi’s eyes. “Sister, don’t worry. I’ll ensure they diligently search for remedies for you.”

Yu Yi, cradling the wind-thunder leopard, smiled politely, slightly taken aback.

Later, Yu Yi exchanged the wind-thunder leopard with the contracted kitten from Manzhi Cave. She placed the contracted beast outside while nurturing the wind-thunder leopard within a monster pouch, promptly refining her deception further.

The two creatures didn’t look identical, especially in size, but fortunately, contracted beasts were inherently unique. With a mere thought, Yu Yi could easily make her contracted kitten mimic the appearance and cultivation level of the wind-thunder leopard.

Instantly, the slightly grown kitten transformed back into a tiny, fluffy newborn.

Yu Yi held it by the scruff of its neck, ready to recount Lu Ge’s praise for the black-furred creature, when Song Pianxian returned:

“I heard you acquired a little leopard.”

Yu Yi paused, shifting from holding the little black cat by the nape to cradling it in her arms. “This is the one,” she said.

“Let me take a look.” Smiling, Song Pianxian approached closer.

Earlier that morning, there had been a disturbance caused by sea beasts. Out of concern for their bond with the Lu Family, she went to investigate. To her surprise, within this short span, Yu Yi had obtained yet another young leopard.

The situation seemed abrupt, but considering Yu Yi’s youthful nature, spontaneous impulses were not uncommon. However, Song Pianxian felt a subtle unease, as if her intuition was sounding a sharp alarm—

Her train of thought was interrupted by the smooth, velvety touch at her fingertips. Lowering her gaze, she noticed that before Yu Yi could even offer the kitten, the little leopard had stretched half its body forward, reaching towards her. Its fuzzy belly draped between them, forming a delightful round curve, beckoning to be stroked.

Song Pianxian wasn’t typically fond of animals, but this feline caught her eye. She gently petted the leopard cub’s head and scratched under its chin, causing the small creature to close its eyes and purr contentedly.

“It’s quite obedient. Is it lightning-affinity? Later, I’ll find some inner cores for it to eat.”

Yu Yi remained silent, covertly pinching the cat’s hind leg, but the kitten continued purring loudly, unperturbed. 

Frustrated by this obsequious feline, she glared at it, feeling somewhat wronged.

Wasn’t this her contracted beast?

Just after having that dream, could the cat already be so eager to please Song Pianxian? Weren’t contracted beasts supposed to align with their masters? Why didn’t it consider Yu Yi even a little?

Watching as the cat shamelessly took advantage of its newfound sister, Yu Yi began contemplating the possibility of changing cultivation techniques and refining away her bonded creature.

As if sensing her thoughts, the kitten strained to twist its head backward, looking up at Yu Yi with timid curiosity. Then, with a push from its front paws and a kick from its hind legs, it leaped out of Yu Yi’s arms and clung onto Song Pianxian’s hand.

The cat was only about the size of a human hand, resembling a black fur glove draped over Song Pianxian’s porcelain-white wrist. Both Yu Yi and Song Pianxian stared, momentarily stunned by the feline’s actions.

In the next instant, the cat opened its mouth with a chomp, biting down on Song Pianxian’s hand.

Yu Yi quietly drew in a breath, her expression unreadable.

The kitten’s tiny milk teeth left two small indentations on the back of Song Pianxian’s hand, accompanied by a trace of glistening saliva.

As the little black cat continued nibbling, it made Song Pianxian’s hand sticky and messy. Its large eyes glanced up at her face, seemingly checking if she was getting upset. The entire cat exuded a clumsy charm, filled with a touch of foolishness.

Yu Yi clenched her jaw tightly, feeling dizzy with anger. Impressive skills, indeed.

The little black cat swiftly became Song Pianxian’s new favorite pet, and she often held it close to tease and play with whenever idle.

In just half a day, Yu Yi counted precisely: Song Pianxian had embraced the cat seven times, scratched its chin thirteen times, stroked its belly five times, and smoothed its tail twice.

Unable to bear it any longer, Yu Yi directly asked Manzhi, “How can you kill your own contracted beast?”

Manzhi stared at her wide-eyed, seemingly incredulous that anyone would pose such a question. Just as Manzhi was about to respond, cheers erupted from the passengers outside:

“We’ve arrived at Tianfeng Province!”

Most cultivators spent extended periods on land, feeling uneasy aboard ships. With numerous sea beasts lurking nearby, they could hardly sleep soundly. As Tianfeng Province emerged faintly on the horizon, the cultivators on deck couldn’t help but burst out in excitement.

Yu Yi’s conversation with Manzhi came to a halt. She led Manzhi and Yin Bi to the deck, tiptoeing to gaze at the distant, hazy outline of the continent.

Nearby, someone enthusiastically expounded upon the unique features of Tianfeng Province to their young disciple:

“…To the north of Tianfeng lies Buye Province, but it wasn’t always called that; its former name was Mingyi Province. Six thousand years ago, during the epic battle between righteous and demonic forces, demonic cultivators invaded Tianfeng through Mingyi Province. They slaughtered all the Daoist cultivators there, crafting lamps from human skins and burning corpse oil within them.

“At the border between Tianfeng and Mingyi Provinces, countless human skin lamps burned for seven days and nights. Their flickering light illuminated Mingyi Province as brightly as midday, banishing even the darkness of night.

“Indeed, after such a massacre across Tianfeng, ‘Buye’—the province without night—was born.”

Yu Yi raised an eyebrow. In her previous life, she had visited Tianfeng Province but never heard this tale before. It sounded both intriguingly fresh and somewhat exaggerated.

Coincidentally, someone else seemed skeptical too, exclaiming, “Demonic cultivators may be bloodthirsty and brutal, but would they have the inclination to make lamps from their victims?”

The elderly storyteller chuckled, his voice carrying the weight of experience. “It’s not what one might expect, but fate had it so—the day coincided with the Demon Empress’s birthday.”

Yu Yi paused, looking down at the contracted beast nestled in her arms, a silver fox pure as snow.

“The Demon Empress’s innate magical artifact takes the form of a lamp—and this was how her demon generals celebrated her birthday by slaughtering Tianfeng Province.”

Yu Yi effortlessly recalled that during their first encounter in the secret realm, Manzhi’s magical artifact had indeed been a lantern.

“Yu Yi.”

Her name was called from behind. Yu Yi’s gaze grew somber as she took one last look at the silver fox before composing her emotions. Tucking away strands of hair disheveled by the wind, she turned around.

It was Lu Yi who had hailed her from afar, accompanied by Song Pianxian—likely they had come together after the meeting.

Yu Yi smiled warmly. “I heard we’re approaching Tianfeng Province and wanted to take a look.”

“Our ship is swift; we’ll arrive within another quarter-hour,” Lu Yi said cheerfully. “Elder Song and I have agreed—we’ll still stay together once we reach Tianfeng City. The merchant company has already arranged accommodations for us.”

“I appreciate your hospitality, both yours and Elder Lu’s.”

“Oh, no need for such formality with me—but do you know Qian Du, the governor of Tianfeng City? He loves hosting feasts. We haven’t even disembarked yet, but somehow he got wind of our arrival and invited us to tonight’s Heroes’ Feast.

“I originally intended to let you rest, but given the extensive business ties between my family and his estate, it would be difficult to decline without causing offense. So, I must trouble you to accompany me to this banquet.”

Yu Yi did not refuse, responding calmly,

“Accompanying you to the banquet is only natural,” Yu Yi said with a slight tilt of her head and a casual tone, genuinely curious rather than guarded. “But I don’t understand… The Heroes’ Feast gathers many distinguished guests, yet I am but a cripple. What purpose could there be for me to attend?”

Lu Yi choked, unsure how to respond.

What else could it be? Surely Qian Du wanted a closer look at the legendary half-divine artifact—the life-substituting puppet.

Fortunately, Yu Yi didn’t require an answer; she already knew.

“I imagine he wishes to witness your grace firsthand.” With a soft sigh, Yu Yi stroked the cat nestled in her arms and gazed warmly at Song Pianxian.

“Don’t belittle yourself,” Song Pianxian gently chided her. “The winds are strong out here; let’s go inside together.”

As she spoke, half of Song Pianxian’s demeanor conveyed concern, while the other half seemed slightly uneasy, as if forgetting something crucial under similar circumstances. Her intuition had always been frighteningly accurate, aiding her numerous times in completing missions. Yet today, it repeatedly contradicted her—and all concerning matters involving Yu Yi.

Song Pianxian’s gaze softly fell upon Yu Yi walking beside her, who was absorbed in carrying a small black panther cradled in her arms.

The sight of the pure and lovely maiden with her innocent, youthful beast companion was bound to soften anyone’s heart. Yet to Song Pianxian, if this picturesque scene were likened to a delicate flower, her cautious intuition felt like crystalline morning dew.

Though seemingly inconspicuous and not detracting from the flower’s beauty, it weighed heavily as silent water, ever-present, pressing upon the bloom like its own shadow.

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu

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