Mortal: I really didn't want to be reborn as Zi Ling!

"Miss—those two Blood Jade Spiders are throwing a tantrum again!"

On this day, Zi Ling was in seclusion cultivating when her maid's communication talisman suddenly lit up in the secret room.

His voice was anxious, tinged with helplessness, clearly indicating that this wasn't the first time he'd encountered something like this.

Zi Ling did not respond immediately.

She sat cross-legged on the futon, her eyes slightly closed, her internal energy slowly circulating along her meridians, only a quarter of an hour away from completing a full cycle of energy.

A pale purple aura flickered around her, casting layers of light and shadow on the walls of the secret chamber.

A moment later, she exhaled a breath of stale air and slowly opened her eyes.

"Okay. You can go now."

After dismissing the maid, Zi Ling did not get up immediately.

She glanced down at her dantian, which was three times the size of an ordinary person's. The spiritual energy in it had already accumulated to the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage, just one step away from the middle Foundation Establishment stage.

In seven and a half years, she went from consolidating the early stage of Foundation Establishment to touching the threshold of the middle stage. This speed is already considered miraculous for a cultivator with three spiritual roots, but for someone with her dantian capacity, the resources consumed are more than three times that of an ordinary person.

If it weren't for the booming business of Miaoyin Sect in recent years, coupled with the occasional free cultivation resources she obtained from Jin Kui, even with her special physique, she would never have been able to reach this level of cultivation.

But Zi Ling was still not satisfied with just that.

Because she lacked the essence of demonic beasts, she had no way to make the most of the remaining pearl within her body.

Of course, the most crucial point is that Zi Ling doesn't want to be exposed.

Therefore, she waited for Han Li to come to her door, but unfortunately, she waited for seven and a half years.

Zi Ling stood up, pushed open the door, and walked out of the secret room.

She walked along the corridor for a short while and then arrived at the insect breeding room.

As soon as I pushed open the door, a pungent, fishy smell hit me.

The room was in complete disarray—the Spirit-Feeding Pills on the stone platform were gnawed into pieces, several jade boxes were overturned on the ground, there were several spiderweb-like cracks on the walls, and even several bluestone slabs on the floor had been lifted up.

Two fist-sized blood jade spiders were perched on the top of the stone platform, shoving each other with their pincers, making a crisp clattering sound, like two children fighting for territory.

Upon seeing Zi Ling push the door open and enter, the two Blood Jade Spiders simultaneously stopped moving, and their eight small, dark eyes turned to her in unison.

One of them let out a low hiss, as if complaining; the other simply turned around and faced her with its rear end.

Zi Ling looked at the chaotic scene before her, her face expressionless.

These two blood jade spiders were brought back by her when she went to Xiaohuan Island alone seven and a half years ago.

Not only them, but also the swarm of gold-devouring insects, except that the gold-devouring insects are much easier to manage than these two little creatures.

She had assumed Han Li would arrive in Tianxing City in three or four years at most. She planned to return the Blood Jade Spider then, and take the opportunity to strengthen their relationship and propose exchanging the Azure Origin Sword Manual.

But she waited and waited, and Han Li never showed up.

In order not to miss the other party, she even made someone specifically look for the name "Li Feiyu", but what was the result?

This person was not listed in the registers of any of the major inns in Tianxing City or in the entry records of the immigration office; it was as if he had vanished into thin air.

Zi Ling even suspected that the battle on Kui Xing Island eight years ago, caused by her parents killing Elder Gu, had led to Wu Chou Teng chasing after Han Li and actually killing him.

However, she had been keeping an eye on the movements of Jiyin Island all these years, and there was no news of Wu Chou's cultivation level increasing dramatically.

On the contrary, after Wu Chou was severely injured by the blood-red shark-man formed from the remnant pearl, his cultivation level dropped from the mid-stage of Core Formation to the early stage, and he has not yet recovered.

If Wu Chou really killed Han Li and obtained the things in Han Li's storage bag, Ji Yin Island wouldn't be so quiet.

So she could only continue to wait.

But these two blood jade spiders didn't wait for anyone.

Because they had never been fed with their own blood and essence, and were not their true owners, these two little guys were exceptionally mischievous.

When they were young, things were fine; Zi Ling had plenty of ways to subdue them.

Now that it's grown bigger, its temper has also gotten worse. It throws a tantrum every few days, and each time it makes a complete mess of the larval breeding room.

Zi Ling sighed and reached into the spirit beast pouch at her waist.

A dark golden light flashed.

A demonic mantis covered entirely in a dark gold carapace appeared in the insect rearing chamber.

It is about half a person tall, and its two forelimbs are like two gleaming scythes with a cold, sharp glint in their edges.

The reflection of two blood jade spiders was shown in the compound eyes on its head, and its mouthparts opened and closed slightly, emitting a fine, teeth-grinding friction sound.

The two blood jade spiders fell silent instantly.

The two little creatures that were just swaggering around were now frozen in place as if they had been frozen in place, their eight spider legs pressed tightly against the stone platform, not daring to move an inch.

This golden-backed mantis was also found by Zi Ling on Xiao Huan Island.

According to the timeline in the original work, after Han Li left, the Golden-backed Demon Mantis hatched, but it attracted the Gold-Eating Insects as soon as it hatched and was devoured by them.

When Zi Ling arrived at Xiao Huan Island ahead of time, the insect eggs had not yet hatched or been devoured.

In order to have another means to deter the Blood Jade Spider, she made a contract with the insect egg.

Her choice proved to be correct.

The Golden-backed Mantis has a natural ability to suppress the Blood Jade Spider.

Zi Ling stepped forward, bent down to pick up the overturned jade box, and patted off the dust.

She straightened up, looked at the two obediently lying blood jade spiders on the stone platform, and tapped her fingers on the stone:

"Behave yourself from now on."

"You eat my food, drink my water, and dare to wreck my place. If your master doesn't come to bail you out—"

She paused, then glanced sideways at the golden-backed mantis beside her, which seemed eager to pounce.

"I fed you all to it!"

Whether the Blood Jade Spider understood or not, Zi Ling didn't know.

But the Golden-backed Mantis clearly understood.

Its dark golden compound eyes suddenly lit up, the frequency of its mouthparts rubbing increased significantly, and its two scythe-like forelimbs slightly raised, moving even closer to the blood jade spider on the stone platform.

Its impatient appearance suggested that it would pounce on Zi Ling and feast as soon as she gave the order.

Upon seeing this, the two blood jade spiders simultaneously let out a weak hiss and huddled together, trembling.

Zi Ling rolled her eyes at the Golden-backed Demon Mantis and casually put it back into her spirit beast pouch.

This thing must not be given to the Golden-backed Demon Mantis. If it eats the Blood Jade Spider, it can forget about ever trying to take the Void Heaven Cauldron again.

She kept these two little creatures not just to maintain her relationship with Han Lipan.

After putting away the Golden-backed Demon Mantis, Zi Ling prepared to go next door to check on the Gold-Eating Insects.

Compared to the Blood Jade Spider, the Gold-Eating Insect is much less troublesome.

As long as they are fed with feeding pills containing Nelumbo nucifera at fixed times, they will stay quietly in the larval rearing room without making a fuss.

After more than seven years of breeding, the swarm has grown from a few hundred to several thousand. Although it is still far from being able to fight, it has already taken shape.

Zi Ling had just reached the door, but hadn't even had a chance to push it open—

"Miss! Miss—"

The maid she had just dismissed came running back.

Footsteps echoed in the corridor, audible from afar.

When he got close, he was out of breath, his hands on his knees, his shirt soaked with sweat, and he was too panting to speak a complete sentence.

"Panting and out of breath, not at all ladylike, what kind of behavior is that!"

Zi Ling frowned, her voice unconsciously taking on a stern tone.

She was always lenient with her own people, but in public, demeanor was the face of Miaoyin Sect.

Fan Jingmei has mentioned these details countless times, but this girl never learns from them.

The maid finally caught her breath and looked up. The expression on her face was completely opposite to her panting. Her eyes were full of excitement, shining as if she had discovered some incredible treasure.

"Miss—the person you're looking for has appeared!"

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