“Hey, hey, hey! Little White Cat, be good, here’s a fresh Beast Spirit Pill for you!”
Xu Qianlan put on a coaxing posture, cradling in her hands the Beast Spirit Pill that Ling Beasts loved the most.
For high-level Ling Beasts, even the finest delicacies tasted bland; only things brimming with spiritual energy like this truly appealed to them.
“I say, is this really your method?”
Kong Ranran’s lips twitched. Right now, Xu Qianlan looked just like she was teasing a cat.
“If that’s all, even I can do it!”
Xu Qianlan glanced sidelong at Kong Ranran.
The two of them were old acquaintances, though Kong Ranran rarely showed herself in person—she usually sent her Ling Beast instead, her voice carried by it.
She was one who had taken the Beast Taming Art to its peak in the Shenxiao Sect, so her title as Head of Yushou Peak was well-deserved.
Her greatest contribution to the Shenxiao Sect was that the baby Ling Beasts produced at Yushou Peak could become a source of income for the sect; after all, many noble families wished to raise a powerful and obedient Ling Beast at home.
The cost of raising one was far less than that of training a young disciple.
As for Kong Ranran herself, her temperament was childlike; perhaps only with a pure heart could one truly communicate with little animals.
At this moment, Kong Ranran mimicked Xu Qianlan’s cat-coaxing pose.
“Hey, hey, hey! Little White, be good, I’m your mother…”
Xu Qianlan had to stifle a laugh, but then she thought, wait, Jiang Che is considered Little White’s father—what’s this about being the mother?
However, despite their antics, Little White wasn’t calmed in the least; instead, it suddenly slammed into the barrier.
Xu Qianlan was left utterly confused—she remembered Jiang Che used to coax Little White exactly like this.
Irritated, Xu Qianlan said, “Why did you two set up a barrier anyway? I don’t remember there being one before. Did this barrier make it upset?”
“I don’t know either!” Kong Ranran replied innocently.
She’d raised Little White for so long, but rarely spent time with it directly. Lately, it had started sneaking off mysteriously.
The Elders were pressuring her, fearing it might hurt a disciple, so she had no choice but to set up the barrier.
Kong Ranran continued, “Do you remember at the last Recruitment Trial, that child in the Secret Realm who got close to Little White?”
“Huh? Why bring him up?”
Xu Qianlan paused. She recalled that news about Jiang Che had been suppressed by the Zongzhu and he was now hidden away at Lingjian Peak. She also understood the Zongzhu’s intentions.
Obviously, he wanted to keep Jiang Che in the sect.
“That child was able to make an Ancestral Spirit Beast approach him willingly—he must have something special. I originally wanted to take him to Yushou Peak, but since the Zongzhu took him away, there’s been no news.”
Kong Ranran’s eyes fixed on Xu Qianlan’s face. She noticed that whenever that child was mentioned, Xu Qianlan’s expression changed ever so slightly.
“I really don’t know, don’t look at me like that.”
Stare~
Xu Qianlan couldn’t stand being stared at, but Kong Ranran’s line of thought made her recall something.
“Step outside for a bit. Let me talk to Little White. I think I know what’s going on. And, remove the barrier, too.”
Kong Ranran eyed Xu Qianlan with some doubt.
“You have a way?”
“Mm.”
Seeing Xu Qianlan’s confidence, Kong Ranran decided to leave first and see what she could do.
She raised her hand, ready to remove the barrier.
“You’re sure you don’t want the barrier? The Heiwen Lion may be a fifth-rank Ling Beast, but since Little White has undergone reversion to its ancestral form, its strength is at least late Nascent Soul Stage now.”
Kong Ranran shot Xu Qianlan a glance that instantly annoyed her.
Angrily, Xu Qianlan retorted, “How much do you look down on me, huh? I’m at the Xuxu Stage!”
No sooner had she spoken than Kong Ranran started checking Xu Qianlan’s body.
She lifted Xu Qianlan’s arm, then pressed her ear to Xu Qianlan’s abdomen, as if listening for something.
Xu Qianlan’s lips twitched, and she spoke stiffly, “Can I ask what you’re doing?”
“Nothing, just worried you’re weak. I heard you’re keeping a man at home.”
Xu Qianlan almost laughed in anger—she hadn’t expected her own disciples to gossip this much.
“Kong shimei, haven’t you ever heard the old saying, ‘There are no worn-out fields, only tired oxen?’”
Kong Ranran shook her head.
What Xu Qianlan wanted to say even more was that, in fact, she was still a maiden.
Kong Ranran let the barrier drop, then took her Ling Beast and left, leaving only Xu Qianlan and Little White.
“Little White, calm down. It’s me, Xu Qianlan. Are you acting like this because something happened to Jiang Che?”
Xu Qianlan’s gaze grew grave, no trace of her earlier playfulness left. When it came to Jiang Che, she could not be careless.
The moment she spoke, the fierce expression on Little White’s face eased significantly.
Xu Qianlan was taken aback—she’d guessed right. That meant Jiang Che was in trouble.
“Can you sense where Jiang Che is now?”
Little White paused for a moment, then nodded, then shook its head.
Xu Qianlan was left even more confused.
“So do you know or not?”
She grew anxious, but quickly composed herself.
“You at least know the general area, right? Take me!”
Little White looked at Xu Qianlan, then crouched down to let her climb on.
“Xiao Che, wait for me.”
……
Qin Zifeng’s residence was deathly silent.
Jiang Che’s wrists were bound behind his back, his mind racing for any way to break free.
The ropes bit tightly, his wrists burning. He tried twisting them, hoping for even the slightest slack, but the coarse hemp didn’t budge at all.
“Huff…” He let out a silent breath, suppressing his irritation.
That old man had left for a while now—why hadn’t he come back? Was he preparing something? Or waiting for someone?
This endless suspense was even more nerve-wracking than a confrontation.
He didn’t know that at this very moment, Qin Zifeng was in the next room, frowning as he studied the Soul Search Technique booklet Zhao Zi’ang had tossed him.
This technique wasn’t some incomprehensible forbidden art, but for an old man like him who’d only dabbled in cultivation and lacked talent, understanding its intricacies still required time.
“Damn it…” Jiang Che cursed inwardly, not knowing when Qin Zifeng would make his move.
The rope was so tight! He struggled again, but only managed to make his wrists hurt even more.
Just then—
“Little guy, don’t move. I’ll help you.”
A deliberately lowered male voice suddenly sounded in the silent room, close at hand.
Jiang Che jolted in shock.
That voice… he’d only just heard it not long ago!
“Wu Qing?” He blurted out in astonishment, “What are you doing here?”
“I’ve been following you the whole time.”
Wu Qing’s tone was as unhurried as always,
“When I saw you guys enter this old man’s house and not come out for ages, I suspected something happened.”
“Uh…” Jiang Che was momentarily speechless, not sure how to respond.
“What is it?” Wu Qing sounded a bit puzzled.
Jiang Che couldn’t help but grumble, “You always sound so refined—so why are you playing stalker now?”
But this ghostly way Wu Qing appeared and disappeared reminded him of something, though on second thought, he decided to let it go.
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