Chapter 3: Meow 😺

“A… a Hypnosis Collar?”

Nan Xi’s mind was spinning wildly.

A scene flashed before his eyes, dragging him back to his childhood when Master Gui Xianren had tossed him beneath a roaring waterfall.

Back then, it was hard enough just to stand in the violent currents while hundreds of massive boulders tumbled down from above.

Yet, Nan Xi’s current state was neither like those boulders nor like his childhood self.

He felt like the tiny fish and shrimp at the bottom of the water, being crushed into powder.

‘Who in their right mind gives their disciple a collar in a life-or-death situation like this?’ he wondered.

‘What kind of “master” hands this over as a “dharma treasure” and says, “Good disciple, put this on your opponent and she’ll obey you”?’

Nan Xi discreetly measured the distance between himself and Tiansi.

They were separated by a round stone table, a straight-line distance of no more than 4 feet.

With the speed of a Golden Core Stage cultivator, he could cross that gap in the blink of an eye.

However, that was assuming their strengths were comparable.

‘It’s a three-to-seven split, I suppose,’ he thought.

Specifically, it meant that in 3 minutes, he would be killed seven times.

No…

Maybe there was still a chance.

With a sense of desperate resolve, as if he were already throwing a cracked jar to the ground, Nan Xi ignored Tiansi’s slightly puzzled gaze.

He reached his other hand into his right sleeve and quickly tore open the next Brocade Pouch.

‘An… an hourglass that can briefly pause time in a localized area!?’

Wait, don’t panic. There was still one last Brocade Pouch.

‘Handcuffs that render the target unable to move once they are locked on!?’

Looking at the various wonderful little tools scattered across the tea table and the ground, Nan Xi suddenly felt the urge to laugh from sheer frustration.

‘Should I expect anything else from Master Gui Xianren?’

It perfectly matched that old geezer’s persona as a lecherous old man.

But as the laughter bubbled up, it quickly turned into a desire to weep.

The three Brocade Pouches that the old man had given him as trump cards had all been used up on his very first day at the Tianhe Sect.

Setting aside how he would handle any emergencies over the next few years…

It was a question of whether Nan Xi could even survive today.

“Hm?”

The Tiansi of the Tianhe Sect, seated across from him, let out a soft hum, as if she had finally waited long enough for Nan Xi to finish opening his pouches.

She successfully pulled his attention back to her.

Nan Xi reflexively looked up, and their eyes met.

Tiansi rested her cheek against her slender fingers, her watery eyes blinking as she watched him with great interest.

“I…”

Fine beads of sweat began to form on Nan Xi’s forehead.

The heart in his chest hammered wildly, pumping blood to his brain as he tried to devise a solution in this brief window of time.

But what could he even do?

According to the old man, these treasures could ensure his safe escape from a powerhouse at the Deity Transformation Stage.

However, the person before him was the Supreme Elder of the Tianhe Sect — a being even more mysterious than the Sect Master herself. Based on the power scaling:

Supreme Elder of the Tianhe Sect ≥ Sect Master of the Tianhe Sect

Sect Master of the Tianhe Sect ≈ Sect Master of the Wuxing Sect

Sect Master of the Wuxing Sect = Peak Samsara Stage

Samsara Stage > Deity Transformation Stage

Therefore, Supreme Elder of the Tianhe Sect > Deity Transformation Stage

Conclusion: ‘My life is over!’

No matter how Nan Xi looked at it, he could not find a way to escape this predicament.

The Imprisonment Handcuffs?

The woman did not look like the type to just sit there and let herself be captured.

The Time-Stop Hourglass?

A localized time-pause might work on cultivators below the Deity Transformation Stage, but the higher the target’s cultivation, the shorter the duration of control.

As for the Hypnosis Collar…

…

‘Wait. Maybe I should put it on myself and offer her my loyalty?’

Nan Xi gave a bitter smile, his gaze drifting to the collar that had fallen to the ground.

He instinctively leaned down, reaching out to pick it up.

But just before his hand could touch the collar, it suddenly vanished from his sight.

“Huh?”

Nan Xi froze. He straightened up, only to realize that the collar had somehow ended up in Tiansi’s hand.

Her slender fingers gently gripped the black leather strap. Her watery eyes carefully scrutinized the small bell at the center of the collar.

“Lady Tiansi, that is…”

Nan Xi reflexively reached out to take it back, but he stopped midway, his hand frozen in the air.

How could he explain that collar?

Should he say he bought it for a cat he planned to keep once he settled into the Tianhe Sect?

Or perhaps say it was a free gift from the Sanyuan Market at the foot of the mountain?

That the shopkeeper could not make change for a large bill and just gave him a small trinket instead?

Or should he just throw the old man under the bus and claim it was a memento?

He could say that on his deathbed, Master Gui Xianren gripped Nan Xi’s hand tightly and said, ‘Nan Xi, this is the last thing I can give you,’ before passing away, and that he only kept it to remember him…

Ding-ling—

A crisp sound of a bell rang out. Amidst the frost and snow at the summit of Tianquan Peak, the sound seemed ethereal.

“L-Lady Tiansi?”

Nan Xi could hardly believe his eyes.

While Nan Xi watched in stunned silence, the Tiansi of the Tianhe Sect had already fastened the collar around her own slender neck.

The black leather pressed tightly against her skin, making her snow-white neck appear even more striking.

Not to mention the gilded small bell. Against the contrast, this normally plain-looking girl now radiated a hint of enchantment.

“Lady Tiansi, what are you doing?”

Nan Xi blinked, still unable to process what he was seeing.

Tiansi also blinked. She tilted her head, seemingly confused by Nan Xi’s words.

The two of them stared at each other.

In the middle of the raging storm, a strange sense of comedy began to brew.

“N-No, that collar is actually…”

“Meow?”

“Huh!?”

Nan Xi’s head snapped up. He, who had been about to offer an explanation, could no longer utter a single word.

The storm engulfing the entirety of Tianquan Peak seemed to cease instantly.

The heavy, leaden clouds began to dissipate, turning into a smear of drifting vapor that floated into the distance.

A gentle breeze kissed the lush leaves of the trees before settling toward the earth.

A ray of twilight pierced through the clouds, adding a final stroke of color to the landscape of the world.

The time for all things to sleep was approaching.

Perhaps wondering why Nan Xi was dazed, the girl known as Lady Tiansi raised her slender hand again.

She curled her fingers into a small fist and held it beside her cheek.

With a gentle shake —

“Meow?”