Genius Beast Tamer

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The women gave a self-deprecating laugh, but simply shook their heads, unwilling to say anything more.

As Han Wuxie looked puzzled, Xiao An's mother stepped forward, pulled Han Wuxie aside, and explained in a low voice, "They believe they have fallen into prostitution and have no heart or face to face their parents and family. For them, staying here might be better than going back. After all, some villages are very strict about it. If they go back, they will no longer be virgins and may be drowned in a pig cage or burned alive. They might not even be able to save their lives."

Han Wuxie stiffened slightly, and Xiao An's mother sighed, "Not everyone was abducted here. Some were abandoned by their families because they wanted sons but only had daughters. Or perhaps their families were poor and they were sold here. So when they left, they had nowhere to go."

Han Wuxie frowned, walked up to the women, and asked gravely, "Are you really unwilling to come with us?"

The women continued to shake their heads, their eyes filled with bitterness, yet their resolve remained firm.

Han Wuxie sighed. She wanted to deal with the madam, but before she could, the children's parents had already beaten her to it.

Watching the children reunite with their parents, seeing the parents angrily rebuking the madam, and seeing the bitter looks in the eyes of the women who clearly didn't want to stay but still chose to, it was as if I could see all walks of life in an instant.

Is this the helplessness of mortals? Han Wuxie frowned.

"Master, shall we go?" Little White whispered.

Han Wuxie nodded slightly, and quietly left when no one was paying attention to her.

The vast palace was patrolled by waves of guards.

Han Wuxie was young and small, so he easily slipped past the patrolmen and went inside.

"This place is so big, I wonder where the Emperor lives?"

Xiao Bai said, "Master, why don't you ask the person in the mirror?"

Han Wuxie took out a mirror, and the person in the mirror guided them through the artificial hill and into the Hall of Mental Cultivation by feeling their way through the dark path.

Han Wuxie sneaked into the room. The person inside was breathing evenly, so they must be asleep.

She was plotting how to abduct him without him noticing, but the man in the yellow robe on the bed suddenly sat up.

The man in the yellow robe stared coldly at the intruder.

Xiao Bai swiftly appeared in front of Han Wuxie, transforming into a cute white-haired man.

Seeing the rabbit suddenly transform into a white-haired man, the man in the yellow robe's eyes darkened, and he sneered, "I was just wondering who killed that detestable Sun Hao. I only knew that a white-haired man broke into the Wu Kingdom's palace and killed him! So it was you who killed him!"

"Since you know I killed him, you should also know that his Siberian tiger died at my hands. You'd better be smart and come with us obediently!" Xiao Bai's eyes were deep, and his voice was full of intimidation.

The man in the yellow robe looked at the mirror in Han Wuxie's hand, his gaze turning colder, and said, "I know why you've come here. You want to help Sima Yan?"

The mirror reflected Sima Yan's appearance, which was exactly the same as the man's.

The person in the mirror glared and roared, "Sima You, I know it's you! You must have taken over my body!"

Sima You glanced at the mirror indifferently, then suddenly stood up, surrounded by wisps of black mist. His face became ferocious, and black vortexes appeared on his forehead and between his brows.

"A demon cultivator! He's a demon cultivator!" Xiao Bai stood firmly in front of Han Wuxie, explaining, "Master, the black vortex on his face is demonic light; he's a demon cultivator at the Demonic Light stage!"

"The Demonic Light Stage?" Han Wuxie frowned. "I don't know much about demonic cultivators, but now is not the time to study those things! I just want to know, if you and I join forces, can we deal with him?"

(Here's a breakdown of the levels for demon cultivators: Demonic Light Stage, Refining Light Stage, Condensing Light Stage, Core Formation Stage, Devouring Stage, Demonic Infant Stage, Separation from Infant Stage, Divine Travel Stage, Chaos Stage, Tribulation Transcending Stage, and Mahayana Stage. These are listed from weakest to strongest.)

Little White pouted, looking fearfully at the guy displaying his cultivation, and said with a bitter face, "Master, only top-grade beasts can travel in the Martial World Continent. To go to the Cultivation Continent, one must become a Saint-level beast! I'm just an ordinary level four spirit beast now, and Master is only a mid-stage Martial Master. Even if we join forces, we'd have a hard time dealing with the experts of the Martial World Continent, let alone a demon cultivator from the Cultivation Continent!"

Han Wuxie gritted his teeth, drew his longsword from his cloth bag, and stood beside Xiao Bai, fighting alongside him. He said, "Even if I can't keep my promise, I will do my best!"

After speaking, she looked at the person in the mirror, who was filled with gratitude but did not want to make things difficult for them, saying, "I don't know when Sima You became a demon cultivator. If you can't do it, don't force yourself!"

Han Wuxie smiled calmly and said, "I know what I'm doing! If I can't beat them, I won't fight them head-on. I understand the principle of 'as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn'!"

Han Wuxie looked at Xiaobai and said, "Let us see what demon cultivators are like. We'll have to face them eventually! If we can't win after the fight, we'll run away immediately!"

Xiao Bai hesitated slightly, but before he could speak, the demon cultivator gave them no time. The demonic light on the other's forehead took shape. He gathered his demonic power in his hand and muttered strange incantations. The black energy around him swirled up, and he gradually floated. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open, and the black energy in his hand gathered into a trident.

The trident struck Xiaobai, who had no time to dodge and was stabbed in the shoulder.

Even a rabbit with exceptional agility is powerless against the speed of a demon cultivator, let alone Han Wuxie.

Unable to stop the swiftly moving demon cultivator, Xiao Bai's trident was already aimed at Han Wuxie's forehead, accompanied by the demon cultivator's arrogant laughter: "Escape? You brat, do you think you can come and go as you please here? If you lose, you must leave your life behind!"

The opponent's trident came at a fierce speed. Han Wuxie wanted to retreat, but it seemed that his will was locked and he could not move at all.

The trident was just a hair's breadth away from piercing her brow when she roared and rapidly recited her cultivation mantra. Her inner strength surged forth like a raging river, and her powerful willpower allowed her to successfully resist the opponent's demonic power. The moment the trident touched Han Wuxie's forehead, it transformed back into its original demonic energy. The demonic energy swept over Han Wuxie's body, causing her great discomfort, but it did not cause fatal damage.

"Master, are you alright?" Xiaobai ran to Han Wuxie's side, clutching her shoulder.

Han Wuxie shook her head and forced a smile, but a lot of the demonic energy had just entered her body and mixed with her internal energy, making her feel very uncomfortable, even like the pain of putting a flame into an ice cave.

"How is this possible!" The demon cultivator roared furiously, staring at his destroyed trident. "Who are you? Why are you completely unharmed when my demonic energy entered your body?!"

Han Wuxie suppressed the discomfort in his body and feigned nonchalance, saying, "Demonic energy? Would it work on me? You've already attacked us; isn't it our turn to attack?"

The demon cultivator calmed down and busied himself using strange incantations and demonic energy to try to gather a new trident.

Han Wuxie nudged Xiaobai with a smile and said anxiously, "What are you daydreaming about? Don't give your opponent any time!"

As she spoke, she handed her sword to Xiaobai, and then took out a dagger from her cloth bag. The seven gems on the dagger shone with a mysterious light containing infinite power. This was the Seven Star Dagger that Old Man Han originally wanted to give to Han Xingyu, but Han Xingyu didn't want it!

Han Wuxie made a gesture, and Xiaobai and she attacked the demon cultivator at the same time.

The demon cultivator was focusing all his efforts on gathering his trident. He remained unfazed by the attack, coldly stating, "This is Sima Yan's body. You came here for this, to destroy him?"

Upon hearing this, Han Wuxie and Xiaobai both stopped in their tracks.

"What a pair of idiots!" The demon cultivator successfully gathered the trident, and suddenly spun it in his hand. The dense demonic power carried a dark and dim light, and the afterimage left behind when he swung it was like a crack in the void, from which a sharp whistling sound came out.

Han Wuxie and Xiaobai tried to dodge, but the trident's light shot in three directions, leaving them no chance to escape.

A black light, like a sharp sword, pierced through Xiaobai's leg. Xiaobai's knee hit the ground, and he spat out a mouthful of black blood. The scene before his eyes gradually blurred. Then another black light followed, heading straight for his heart. Just when he thought he was about to die, a silver light flashed and deflected the black light.

Han Wuxie was also being chased by the black light, but suddenly fell into an embrace that smelled of ice and snow. Although it smelled of snow, strangely, the embrace was very warm.

Han Wuxie looked up at the person carrying her, and to her surprise, it was Bing! That Ice Fox!

"What are you doing here?" Han Wuxie asked, puzzled.

Bing's expression was somewhat awkward. She placed Han Wuxie next to the heavily injured Xiaobai and said coldly, "I only used the Soul Transfer Technique to help you put the people in the mirror back into their bodies, but in return, you leveled up for me. Although I profited, I don't like owing people anything!"

The demon cultivator narrowed his eyes, recognizing the newcomer, and said with a playful tone, "The fox clan? I didn't expect there to be one among them. Your companions on the cultivation continent are the most 'comfortable' and 'pleasant' tools!"

He deliberately emphasized the words "comfortable" and "pleasurable," and he used the word "tool" to describe the fox clan, which was clearly a sign of extreme discrimination against them.

A rage seemed to burn in Bing's eyes, but the rage was also icy cold. In fact, cold burns are more excruciating than hot burns! Offending an easily angered thug might just mean death, but offending an icy person and igniting their anger would make even dying a difficult experience!

Ice took a step, as if taking a stroll, but her speed was astonishing. In the blink of an eye, she appeared behind the demon cultivator. The demon cultivator was still looking at the afterimage in front of him, thinking that Ice was still in the same place, but he did not know that the person in front of him was already behind him.

When the demon cultivator realized what was happening, he heard a chant, a deep and cold voice, like a death warrant, or a power that could control everything.

The soul seemed terrified of the voice. The demon cultivator wanted to attack the person behind him with his trident, but found that he couldn't move a finger at all. This body was never truly his own; it always failed him at crucial moments.

The chanting seemed to engulf his soul, and he gradually lost his strength.

A black figure emerged from the body, with ice-cold hands outstretched. The chanting in his mouth gradually materialized into silver runes. However, the demon cultivator's soul struggled and resisted. Although demon cultivators at the Demon Light stage were the worst among demon cultivators, they still had the ability to break free from top-grade beasts!

Bing's face grew paler and paler, and the physical runes began to fade. He felt that he was about to overexert himself. Even if he had reached the highest level, he was still far behind the lowest level of demon cultivators, the Demon Light stage.

Just as he was about to be defeated, and the demon cultivator's soul was about to break through his defenses, a melody suddenly reached Bing's ears, as if it had brought him boundless power.

Han Wuxie smiled slightly at him and continued to play the zither with concentration.

Xiao Bai sat cross-legged, using the sound of the zither to heal his injuries.

Although the sound of the zither helped, the power of ice was not consumed too quickly. However, the gap between ice and demon cultivators cannot be compared without consuming power. It's like water flowing slowly in a cup, but it can never be as much as water in a bucket.

A streak of blue light, almost invisible to the naked eye, flew out from the ring on Han Wuxie's finger and instantly entered Bing's body. Bing only felt a powerful force assisting him, but he believed it was the power from Han Wuxie's zither music.

Hua Qianye, inside the ring, closed her eyes, silently chanted Sanskrit, and runes appeared in her palm.

The runes that Bing chanted gradually grew larger, with a faint blue light surrounding them. The demon cultivator's soul struggled desperately, but its power was exhausted. In the end, it could not withstand the suppression of the huge runes and was enveloped within them. After three breaths, it finally broke free and was split into pieces by the runes. Its soul turned into a wisp of charred smoke and disappeared with the wind, turning into ashes.

Bing breathed a sigh of relief, and Han Wuxie also stopped playing the zither and looked up at Bing.

For the first time, Bing broke into a smile, and when he looked up at Han Wuxie, his gaze froze.

Bing's smile is warm, like eyes studded with diamonds, as if countless stars are twinkling within them, making people feel happy and warm because of his smile.

"You have a beautiful smile." Han Wuxie praised sincerely.

Bing blushed and turned around, saying, "Should we put the person in the mirror into this body?"

Han Wuxie handed the mirror to Bing. Bing's hand seemed to be able to see through the mirror, pulling out Sima Yan's soul from it and quickly stuffing it into the space between the eyebrows of that body.

"He'll wake up in three hours," Bing said, frowning. "I shouldn't owe you anything now."

Han Wuxie smiled gratefully and said, "Thank you for coming. If you hadn't come, Xiaobai and I might have lost our lives here."

She nudged Xiaobai, who was somewhat unwilling. Actually, its master was so focused on playing the piano that it probably didn't see it, but it had inadvertently caught a glimpse of the blue light. It knew better than anyone that its boss was its true benefactor today, but it couldn't say it out loud, so it could only say to Bing, "Thank you."

Bing nodded lightly, turned to leave, but then seemed to remember something and stopped, saying, "That demon cultivator is dead. His companions should find out soon. You should leave here quickly too."

"His companion?" Han Wuxie's expression immediately turned serious.

Bing said, "When his soul was destroyed, I discovered a restriction deep within his soul. That restriction did not harm him at all; it was clearly just a decorative device to send a message. Once he died, his companions would know."

"He must be the real culprit who has disrupted the Nine Provinces Continent." Han Wuxie frowned and said, "Sima You became a demon cultivator because that person must have guided him. Sima You is already so difficult to deal with, so the person who guided Sima You to become a demon cultivator must be even more powerful. If he comes, Sima Yan will definitely be questioned when he wakes up. I can't just leave."

Little White sighed slightly, "Master, we need to know our place! Stop being so hot-blooded and righteous. We almost lost our lives just trying to help someone!"

Upon hearing this, Han Wuxie lowered his head and remained silent.

A chilling voice suddenly echoed in Xiaobai's mind: "You're disciplining her? Only I can discipline her!"

"Ugh..." Xiaobai was on the verge of tears. He reminded himself countless times not to talk too much, because the boss was always watching, but he never learned his lesson!

Little White quickly comforted him, "Master, it's Little White's fault. Little White has no right to tell you what to do! Don't be angry, don't send me away!"

Han Wuxie shook his head vigorously. "Don't worry, I'm not that petty. I won't kick you out just because you said a few words to me! You're right, I was just overestimating myself! Xiaobai, thank you for being willing to tell the truth."

Han Wuxie raised his head, smiled, and said, "Let's take Sima Yan with us."

Xiao Bai said with some guilt, "Master, I..."

"Don't say anything more, let's go!" Han Wuxie said with a gentle smile.

Bing looked at the child, his heart slightly moved. He had always heard that once someone became a beast pet, they would have no say, like a servant, unable to control anything, having to obey orders, and constantly facing the danger of being abandoned and losing all their cultivation. But now, looking at Han Wuxie and Xiaobai, he seemed to be gradually becoming less averse to humans.

Xiao Bai carried Sima Yan's body, while Han Wuxie scouted ahead, and they secretly left the palace.

When they reached a safe place, they realized that Bing had been following them the whole time.

"Why are you following us?" Xiaobai asked, becoming somewhat unfriendly.

Han Wuxie glared at Xiaobai, who then pouted. Although she knew this guy wasn't her savior, her master considered him his savior, so she had to pretend to be, right?

Xiao Bai's attitude softened slightly, and he put on a somewhat insincere smile, saying, "Excuse me, Young Master Ice Fox, why are you following us? Since you don't owe us anything, and we don't owe you anything, we're even. Shouldn't we go our separate ways and go home?"

Bing looked somewhat embarrassed, frowned for a long time, and said, "That person's companions may be on their way. I'll escort you back."

"You're so kind?" Xiaobai asked, somewhat skeptical.

Han Wuxie coughed, and Xiaobai, with a bitter face, said insincerely, "Then thank you very much, Young Master Ice Fox!"

Bing's expression darkened slightly, but she quickly regained her icy composure and continued to follow them.

A green and a blue light flashed, and a dark shadow caught up. Just two gusts of wind that passed by caused Han Wuxie, Xiaobai, and Binghu to feel a tightness in their chests and lose consciousness.

The cloaked man looked mockingly at Han Wuxie, Xiaobai, Binghu, and Sima Yan lying on the ground.

"So it was you who ruined my plans."

He raised his hand, and a ball of black flame appeared in it. "A few greenhorns ruined my plan. You really can't underestimate the rising stars."

He had intended to burn them to ashes, but then a glint of something flashed in his eyes, a sinister smile seemingly flickering in his blue and green pupils. He withdrew his hand, and the flames vanished at the same time.

"Judging by appearances, they are indeed virgins! It seems such a waste to let you die in vain; they'll be perfect for cultivating my Soul Devouring Technique!"

He lifted his cloak, revealing a gaunt face with two enormous eyes that looked as if they were about to pop out.

A sudden burst of blue light!

Blindingly bright!

Just as his green and blue eyes snapped shut, a gust of wind forcefully pried open his eyelids, and two bead-like eyes fell out.

"Who goes there!" The blind man couldn't see anyone, but even if he could, he couldn't see Hua Qianye now, because Hua Qianye was a soul. The reason Hua Qianye gouged out the man's eyes as soon as he appeared was simply because he didn't want to be questioned about why he used invisibility. He was already annoyed by the questions, so rather than waiting for him to think that he used invisibility out of fear, he might as well just blind him!

"Who I am is unimportant," Hua Qianye coldly sneered. "I didn't kill you outright, but I have some questions I need you to answer while you're alive, you demon cultivator!"

"You..." A powerful spiritual pressure pressed down on him, and the Core Formation stage cultivator hoarsely said, "My lord, what do you have to say? Just ask!"

"Since you are a cultivator of ghosts, why is Sima You in the palace a cultivator of demons? Besides you, who else is in the Nine Provinces Continent? Explain your entire plan for going to the Nine Provinces Continent."

The ghost cultivator knelt on the ground, answering sincerely and honestly, "I was originally a demon cultivator, so I knew how to cultivate demons. But later I discovered that devouring the souls of young boys and girls made cultivation faster, so I switched to the ghost path, using my Yin-Yang Eyes to distinguish the extremely Yin and extremely Yang souls of young boys and girls. I unintentionally traveled from the void to the Martial World Continent, only to find that everyone there was a martial artist with incredibly strong consciousness. Even if I devoured their souls, I found it difficult to refine them. So I braved countless dangers, traversing the Misty Swamp and the Desolate Forest, to reach the Nine Provinces Continent. At first, I only wanted to devour as many souls as possible, but greed made it impossible for me to stop!"

Hua Qianye sneered, "If it's just about devouring souls, why bother getting involved with the royal family here?"

The cultivator hurriedly explained, "I gained Sima You's trust, making him believe I had a powerful backer. In reality, I was just a lost soul who had inadvertently lost my way. I originally intended to pit Sun Hao and Sima You against each other, but they both sided with me, allowing me to trick them into offering me young boys and girls as tribute. However, Sun Hao died mysteriously. Sima You is ambitious and wants to unify the Nine Provinces. I felt he was difficult to control, so I planned to let him unify the Nine Provinces first. Once he does, I'll have him find me five thousand young boys and girls. With these souls, I can reach the Demon Infant stage and then disappear. My only goal is to become a powerful being when I return to the cultivation continent!"

Hua Qianye wore an extremely sarcastic smile. Many people might be deceived by his honesty and sincerity, but Hua Qianye was not so easily fooled.

"You'd better be smart and tell the truth, or I won't necessarily wait for you to speak. I can use the cruel methods of you demon cultivators to find out everything I want to know."

The man trembled slightly; he understood that the other party was referring to the question about digging out one's tongue.

However, this method can only be used by experts in the Divine Travel stage.

Could the opponent be a master in the Divine Travel stage?

The man, filled with resentment, roared, "You're from the Cultivation Continent? Since you're an expert from there, you should know that we demon cultivators and ghost cultivators have joined forces! No matter who you are! My presence here is an order from above. If you kill me, you won't escape unscathed!"

"Since you refuse to talk, it seems I have no choice but to resort to drastic measures!" Hua Qianye's voice turned icy.

The man jumped up, intending to attack, but suddenly found himself unable to move. A tremendous wind pressed down on him, distorting his face.

Hua Qianye raised her hand, and Feng forcibly pried open the man's mouth. A sharp gust of wind, as swift as a knife, cut off his tongue.

"Ah!" the man screamed in agony.

Hua Qianye said nonchalantly, "It seems that to cut off a living tongue, you have to die for your soul to retain its consciousness on the living tongue, right?"

The man tried to speak and beg for something, but his tongue was gone. Hua Qianye, as if swatting a fly, clapped his hands and pressed the man down so hard that he couldn't move. Like two solid boards, he flattened the man with a "smack".

The blue flames landed on the ground, seemingly knowing where the bodies were. They did not accidentally injure the unconscious Han Wuxie and the others lying on the ground. They burned the bodies with great care. When the bodies were burned to powder and carried away by the wind, the fire on the ground also went out at the same time, without even injuring a single blade of grass.

The living tongue floated in mid-air, carrying a touch of eeriness.

Blue runes flew out of Hua Qianye's mouth, swirling around her tongue before disappearing into it.

Hua Qianye asked calmly, "How did you end up in the Nine Provinces Continent?"

"I was sent by my superiors."

"The higher-ups? Who exactly are they, what organization? What's your identity?"

"My superiors are in charge of me. I am a cultivator of ghosts, and I was originally a cultivator of demons. So this time, the cultivators of demons and the cultivators of ghosts are cooperating, and I was assigned to be the negotiator. I was assigned here to collect the blood of five thousand boys and girls, and I must do this secretly without letting the cultivators find out. So I bribed Sima You and Sun Hao, hoping to use their imperial power to collect five thousand boys and girls without anyone knowing."

"Why collect blood from the Nine Provinces Continent? Why not from the Martial Arts Continent or the Cultivation Continent?"

"Only the children of the Nine Provinces are the most ordinary boys and girls, without any martial arts cultivation or internal strength, nor the cultivation or spiritual energy of cultivators. The boys and girls of the Nine Provinces possess unique and pure spiritual energy of heaven and earth. If these children are used for a blood sacrifice, along with a prior curse on the vampire, a path can be opened between the Immortal Realm and the Mortal Realm."

"So the curse on the vampires was also placed by you," Hua Qianye asked coldly. "Your eagerness to open that path suggests that the leaders of your organization are from the Demon Realm, right? Wanting to go home, that's why you've caused so much trouble in the mortal realm?"

"Yes. Although I have never seen it, I have heard that it is a Xuanmo (a type of demonic entity)."

(Let me briefly explain the hierarchy in the Demon Realm: Heavenly Demon, Mystic Demon, Illusion Demon, Demon King, Demon Emperor, Great Luo Illusion Demon, Luo Tian Supreme Demon, Demon Lord, and Immortal Venerable.)

"Just a minor Xuanmo. It seems that the demons who remain in the mortal realm aren't that strong either." Hua Qianye narrowed his eyes and looked at Huo She, saying, "I've asked enough questions. You can disappear now." As soon as he finished speaking, a dazzling blue flame blazed, and Huo She turned into dust.

Hua Qianye looked at Han Wuxie lying on the ground, sighed softly, and said helplessly, "It seems you still can't live without me!"

He slowly walked to Han Wuxie's side, and looking at Han Wuxie's face, he once again forgot that he was just a soul.

Reaching out but finding nothing, he sighed deeply and said with a wry smile, "This time, you should know how many shortcomings you have, right? After this experience, you should be even more curious about everything in the cultivation world, and you should work harder at cultivation, right? If I'm not mistaken, you little girl, you'll probably be in seclusion for a long time, won't you?"

"Get up!" Hua Qianye manipulated the wind into a hand, blowing up the branches on the ground and hitting Xiaobai hard on the head.

Xiao Bai woke up groggily, looked at Hua Qianye with a puzzled expression, and asked blankly, "Boss, why are you out here? What happened?"

Hua Qianye gave a dangerously smirk. "I asked you to protect Han Wuxie, and now you're asking me what happened?"

Little White blinked blankly, then suddenly shouted, "The demon cultivators have caught up! We didn't even have to make a move; the wind they were passing by knocked us unconscious!" He jumped up and down anxiously, crying, "Where's Master? Where's Master?"

Hua Qianye rolled her eyes and pointed to the person next to him.

Little White turned its head and exclaimed, "Master's here! Master's here! Master's alright! Thank goodness!"

"Be quiet, don't wake her." Hua Qianye frowned and said, "I've already killed that person. However, I can't reveal that I killed him, so you have to act."

"Acting?" Little White frowned. "So, I have to lie to my master again?"

"I guess so," Hua Qianye said helplessly.

Little White stood up, suddenly becoming very excited, and said, "I won't lie to Master anymore! Boss, you'd better not lie to Master anymore either!"

Hua Qianye didn't expect Xiaobai to talk to her like that. She frowned slightly in displeasure, but eventually relaxed and sighed, "I just hope that she won't depend on me and can learn to grow on her own."

Xiao Bai's gaze sharpened, and he said seriously, "Boss, I'm not trying to be mean, but you always say it's for Master, for Master, but in my eyes, you're clearly just running away!"

Hua Qianye narrowed her eyes and said coldly, "What? You just taught your master a lesson about self-awareness, and now you're trying to teach your boss a lesson?"

"Uh!" Xiaobai's face turned a little embarrassed. He stammered, "I...I...wasn't I...just stating the facts?"

"The facts?" The dangerous light in Hua Qianye's eyes intensified. "I want to hear your so-called facts. If they don't turn out to be true, I don't need to emphasize it again, do I?" Hua Qianye's gaze fell on the tree branch on the ground, where a flame was burning and the branch was creaking.

Xiao Bai shuddered. This was too obvious! Couldn't he have come up with some other tricks besides roasting himself?

Xiao Bai licked her dry lips and said with difficulty, "On the surface, you're doing this for Master's good, to help her grow and learn to face things alone, that's why you don't appear. You lie to Master, saying you're looking for a body that's not in the ring. Actually, you're just running away, afraid to face the fact that if you can't find a body, your magic will disappear!"

Seeing that Hua Qianye remained silent, Xiaobai mustered her courage and said in one breath, "In the Immortal Realm and the Mortal Realm, you can't sense the location of your body at all. Obviously, you know better than anyone else that your body is definitely in the God Realm! But you also know that you are a soul residing in the ring, that is, a spirit of the ring! The ring's owner doesn't go to the God Realm, and you can't cross the boundary. You can only wait until the owner becomes a god before you have a chance to go to the God Realm to see if your body is there. But you also know that the owner is still young. Even if the owner has the best aptitude, it's impossible for them to become a god in a short time. You compare the time it took for your body to disappear with the time it took for the owner to become a god, and you finally realize that the soul disappeared much earlier, so you're in despair!"

Hana Chiba frowned.

Xiao Bai glanced at him cautiously and continued, "You definitely won't be able to find your body and will eventually disappear. So what you need to teach your master isn't independence or growth, but the fact that one day she will lose you. First, let her get used to life without you. You're running away from the truth! Not telling your master the truth is also running away! Your lack of faith in your master is also a form of running away! Don't you think your master is special? Can't you trust her? Maybe if you tell her that your body might be in the divine realm, she will work harder, and maybe she can go to the divine realm before you disappear! Why not face it optimistically instead of making the worst-case scenario plan?"

Xiao Bai blurted out everything on his mind, and regretted it immediately afterward. He had reminded himself more than once not to talk too much or cause trouble, but he could never control his mouth and just spoke his mind!

Xiao Bai glanced cautiously at the boss, afraid that if the boss got angry, a ball of fire would fly over.

Xiaobai was slightly surprised when she looked at Hua Qianye.

Hua Qianye remained motionless, her head bowed as if deep in thought, her eyes lowered as if reflecting on her mistakes.

After a long while, a gentle breeze blew by, carrying fallen leaves, and Hua Qianye slowly spoke, "I didn't say anything because I was afraid she would have another burden, and I didn't want to become a burden to her."

Xiao Bai was stunned. He didn't expect his boss to speak his mind to him. He thought his boss was ignoring him and ignoring what he had just said.

"Boss, don't overthink it. We're just stating the facts. There's no question of taking responsibility."

Hua Qianye shook her head and said in a low voice, "Because we've spent five years together, I feel I understand her very well. Although she doesn't say it on the surface, she remembers everything firmly in her heart. From a very young age, she knew she had no spiritual root, no immortal root, and was a good-for-nothing. But afraid of hurting her mother, she always pretended to be innocent and ignorant, while silently working hard to get rid of the label of 'good-for-nothing.' Even after going to the Han family, she never gave up. After learning about her father's good intentions, she became even more determined to work hard and get rid of the idea of ​​being a good-for-nothing. But from that time on, her initial idea of ​​just getting rid of being a good-for-nothing changed to wanting to become strong, to protect her family, not only to get rid of being a good-for-nothing, but also to become a powerful being in the immortal realm! From then on, she had the heart of a strong person and wanted to become a powerful being in the immortal realm! Her current goal is only to become a powerful being in the immortal realm and to protect her family. If I told her that if she didn't disappear, she had to go to the God Realm, given her personality, what do you think she would do?"

Xiao Bai looked miserable.

Before Xiaobai could speak, Hua Qianye answered her own question, "Given her personality, she definitely won't tell me outwardly that she's determined to go to the God Realm to help me find a body. But she'll definitely work even harder. From now on, her goal won't just be to become a powerful immortal, but to become stronger, go to the God Realm, and help Hua Qianye find a body! Tell me, am I a burden to her?"

Hua Qianye chuckled self-deprecatingly, "When I first met her, I thought I was invincible in the immortal realm. This little girl was lucky to meet me. I would change her, I would help her become strong, I was her benefactor! I was so proud! But now? When we arrived in the mortal realm, I gradually discovered that even without me, she could become strong by studying and training on her own. On the contrary, I need her help, I need her to go to the divine realm to help me find a body! From benefactor to someone who needs help, this feeling is actually a blow to my pride! Although I was told a long time ago that helping her was helping myself, and I knew that I might need her help in the future, when that time actually comes, I feel a little inferior and self-pitying."

"Shouldn't we help each other out?" Xiaobai pouted. "You've been friends for five years, do you really have to be so calculating about this?"

Hua Qianye smiled wryly and said, "You wouldn't understand."

Xiao Bai said unhappily, "Tch, of course I don't understand if you don't tell me! And how do you know I definitely wouldn't understand even if you told me?"

Hua Qianye coldly replied, "Because I have my pride. I like helping her, but I don't like her helping me. It's a matter of pride as a man! To put it bluntly, I don't like being a kept man!"

"Pfft!" Little White burst out laughing, but quickly covered his mouth, stammering for a long time, "Big...big boss, could you at least remind me before you try to be funny? How can you do this? Do you even know what 'living off a woman' means? How can you use it here? You're not the master's man, you're just a spirit at best!"

Hua Qianye's face darkened slightly. Xiao Bai looked up and saw this, then quickly looked down, pretending not to have seen anything, and said awkwardly, "Although Boss is a spirit, he's still a man. It's true that he can't rely on a woman's help; it's really a bit embarrassing." As he spoke, he looked at Hua Qianye with extremely resentful eyes, as if he were an incorrigible child, and said, "But how much is face worth? Don't suffer for the sake of saving face! No matter what, some things have to be made clear. You can't keep hiding forever, can you?"

"I'll wait until she goes to the Martial World before I come out," Hua Qianye said calmly.

"What's the difference? Is there any real difference between coming out now and coming out after going to the martial arts continent? Back then, when your master asked you, 'Where is your body? Haven't you found it?' how would you answer?"

"Just say it was my imagination, that there was no physical presence, and then gently persuade me."

"Illusion? Two words? You think you can get away with that? Master isn't stupid!" Xiao Bai crossed her arms and said, "If I can figure it out, do you think Master can't? There are no bodies in the Immortal Realm, no bodies in the Mortal Realm, so where are the bodies? Only in the Divine Realm! Doesn't Master know that himself?"

"She knows it's her business, anyway, it wasn't me who said it." Hua Qianye actually started acting like a rogue in front of Xiaobai for the first time ever.

"Hey!" Little White chuckled wryly, "I get it now, Boss. You're trying to make Master realize on her own, to make her figure out your body is in the God Realm, so she'll come and help you herself! That way, it won't be you begging her for help! You'll save face! You've got a really good plan! So shrewd!"

Hua Qianye coughed a few times awkwardly, his expression instantly turning serious as he said, "That's not how it is; you wouldn't understand."

"That's exactly right! I know it perfectly!" Xiaobai raised her head, a little smug.

Hua Qianye was displeased and could only explain, clarifying, "If she goes to the Martial World Continent, I can say that I couldn't find a body on the Nine Provinces Continent, so I went to the Martial World Continent, and if I couldn't find it there either, I'd go to the Cultivation Continent. She would gradually become stronger, unlike now, where I directly say that my body might be in the God Realm, putting immense pressure on her! Regardless of whether she ultimately reaches the God Realm, she is growing little by little, and I don't want to force her to grow too fast!"

Xiao Bai pouted and said awkwardly, "Do you have to be so serious? I guess I was being petty. Okay? I know you mean well, so don't be so nervous!"

Hua Qianye said coldly, "I'm not going to waste time arguing with you, you stupid rabbit. Let's get down to business!"

Hua Qianye said solemnly, "Listen carefully now. When Han Wuxie wakes up, tell him that I placed a life-saving talisman on him. When his life was in danger, the talisman automatically activated, severely injuring the Ghost Cultivator. You then subdued the Ghost Cultivator. From the Ghost Cultivator, you learned that there are Xuanmo from the Demon Realm in the cultivation world. They have joined forces with the Demon Path and the Ghost Path to curse the Blood Clan. They also sent Ghost Cultivators to the Nine Provinces Continent to find five thousand boys and girls, intending to open a passage between the Immortal Realm, the Demon Realm, and the Mortal Realm through a blood sacrifice!"

Little White said reluctantly, "I don't want to lie to my master."

"You have to lie, whether you want to or not!" Hua Qianye glared angrily.

Xiao Bai sighed and said, "Or I could just knock her unconscious and pretend I don't know anything. That's better than lying to her!"

"No," Hua Qianye said coldly.

"Why don't we let Ice Fox explain?" Little White pointed to the ice on the ground and said, "Let him lie!"

Hua Qianye saw that Xiao Bai looked like he was ready to die and refused to lie to Han Wuxie, so he couldn't do anything about it. This rabbit was getting bolder and bolder and wouldn't listen to either soft or hard tactics.

Hua Qianye was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Fine, then just pretend to faint."

"Huh!" Xiao Bai was slightly surprised, not expecting his resistance to work! Afraid that Hua Qianye would regret it, he hurriedly said, "I'm dizzy!" After saying that, he collapsed to the ground.

Hua Qianye could only shake his head and sigh as he watched Xiao Bai clowning around.

With a wave of his hand, he transformed the tree branch into the likeness of the ghost cultivator.

A cold wind brushed against her face, and Bing shifted uncomfortably, but then seemed to realize something, quickly getting up with a wary expression.

When he saw the ghost cultivator in front of him, and then looked at the unconscious Xiaobai and Han Wuxie, his brows furrowed even more deeply.

Seeing the other person's yin-yang eyes, Bing asked in a deep voice, "Are you a cultivator of ghosts?"

Xiao Bai cautiously opened her eyelids a tiny bit, squinting at the outside world. She was startled, thinking that the ghost cultivator had really appeared again. Then, Hua Qianye's voice came to her mind: "Wake up Han Wuxie and kill the illusion I created with this fox. That will get this matter over with."

Xiao Bai hurriedly got up, feigning fear, and said, "Ice Fox, this... isn't this a ghost cultivator?"

The Ice Fox frowned and said, "Wake up your master! Without her playing the zither, we probably wouldn't have a chance to fight back at all!"

Xiao Bai hurriedly pushed Han Wuxie hard. Han Wuxie opened his eyes blankly and saw the man with the Yin-Yang Eyes. His heart skipped a beat.

"Is it that person's companion? They caught up so quickly!" Han Wuxie's expression turned serious.

Bing said sternly, "There's no time for you to daydream! Start playing the piano!"

Little White roared angrily, "Are you ordering my master around?"

He stared coldly at Xiaobai and said in a low voice, "Now is not the time to cause trouble!"

Xiao Bai knew in her heart that it was an illusion created by Hua Qianye, so she remained calm and even picked a fight out of boredom. However, Bing was unaware of this and thought that this was a tough battle, and that she might lose her fox life here today!

Han Wuxie stopped talking and took out his zither to play. The stirring music carried a strong sense of desolation.

Xiao Bai nonchalantly picked up his sword, while Bing looked ready to die, and the two charged toward the ghost cultivator.

Hua Qianye casually created some black smoke to make the illusion launch some attacks, not wanting to lose too easily.

Bing kept chanting Sanskrit, and runes shot out like sharp swords. Ice spikes formed in his palms, shimmering with silver light and containing electricity.

Xiao Bai leaped nimbly, closely following behind Bing. Bing forcefully pierced the demon cultivator's head with an ice spike. Xiao Bai cooperated to restrain the ghost cultivator and fought with him. Bing forcefully pulled out the ice spike, seemingly with a pulling force, trying to pull out the opponent's soul as well.

The cultivator roared angrily, sending them flying.

Xiao Bai and Bing both fell to the ground. Xiao Bai's knee slammed into the ground, and he rubbed it in pain, rolling his eyes and thinking to himself: "Boss, it's just acting, you don't have to be so serious, do you? It hurts!"

As Xiao Bai was feeling resentful, the ghost cultivator pounced on him. Xiao Bai let out a strange cry and jumped up, roaring inwardly: Boss, you did this on purpose! You're clearly retaliating for the fact that I just exposed your secret!

Xiao Bai was utterly defeated by the demon cultivators, but Bing thought Xiao Bai was deliberately diverting the enemy's attention to give her a chance to ambush them. She even said to Han Wuxie, "Your rabbit doesn't look like much, but it's quite brave in crucial moments!"

Han Wuxie smiled slightly, but her eyes held a hint of bitterness. Her zither music remained the same, but one could vaguely hear a trace of hesitation and bitterness in it.

While Xiaobai and Bing were fighting the demon cultivator, Han Wuxie played the zither, but her mind was wandering. In fact, she had already woken up, but she didn't know why. It might be because she had inhaled a trace of demonic energy from the demon cultivator earlier. Although she had been knocked unconscious by the demon cultivator, she woke up quickly, as if that demonic energy was helping her to regain her senses.

Later, when she heard Hua Qianye's voice, she tried to adjust her breathing so that he wouldn't realize she was actually awake.

He could hear Xiaobai and his conversation clearly.

Their words linger in my mind.

Is Hua Qianye's body in the realm of gods?

Can I go to the realm of gods before he disappears?

Can I help him find a body?

Hua Qianye really understands me. Knowing all this puts a lot of pressure on me. But at the same time, I do have a new goal: to become a god, not just a powerful being in the immortal realm!

Becoming a god... Sigh, can I really do it?

"Master, what are you thinking about? Why is the music so sad and lacking in spirit? We're going to lose!" Little White shouted as it fled in disarray after being beaten by the demon cultivator.

With a pained expression, Bing dodged the demon cultivator's attacks time and again. Her face was exhausted, and her voice even carried a hint of resentment as she said, "Could you play something a little more uplifting? I'm almost out of strength!"

Han Wuxie snapped out of his thoughts and quickly apologized, "I'll revise the music right away, you guys hang in there!"

Hua Qianye, inside the ring, frowned slightly, thinking: What's wrong with this little girl? Something seems off!

As Han Wuxie's melody became more powerful, Xiaobai howled and pounced on the ghost cultivator. If Zi Tong were there at this moment, she might have mistaken this rabbit for one of her own kind!

Taking advantage of Xiaobai's sudden attack, while the Ghost Cultivator was focused on defending against Xiaobai, Bing swung his ice spike in a sneak attack, firmly embedding the ice spike into the Ghost Cultivator's heart. Xiaobai then used his sword to pierce the Demon Cultivator's dantian. The two attacked together, and with the Sanskrit chanting from Bing's mouth, they destroyed the Demon Cultivator's body and soul.

Xiao Bai and Bing lay down on their backs, exhausted, panting heavily.

Han Wuxie put away her zither, her forehead covered in sweat. Although playing the zither seemed elegant, it consumed a lot of mental energy.

"I wonder if he has any companions?" Han Wuxie asked with a frown and a serious expression.

Bing shook his head and said, "This ghost cultivator is very powerful. He doesn't have any restrictions or communication devices on him. He should be a rogue cultivator from the cultivation world, without any organization."

Han Wuxie breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I hope so."

Xiao Bai asked, "What should we do about Sima Yan?"

Han Wuxie pondered for a moment, looked at Bing, and asked, "Will he wake up on his own?"

Bing nodded and said, "An hour has passed now, and it will wake up on its own in two more hours."

"Send him back to the palace," Han Wuxie said to Xiaobai.

"Huh? Send him back?" Xiaobai pouted. "Aren't you going to worry about his safety?"

Han Wuxie said, "Now that the demon cultivator and the ghost cultivator are both dead, he should be safe returning to the palace as the Emperor of Great Jin. It would be more dangerous for him to come with us. His only goal is to reunite with his family. Why should we take him away? Let's send him back to the palace."

Xiao Bai nodded, frowned, looked at Bing, then at Han Wuxie, and said, "Master, I'm going to see someone off. I'm a little worried about leaving just you and Binghu here." The implication was clear: I'm afraid Binghu will eat you!

Han Wuxie glanced at the Ice Fox and subconsciously touched his nose, meaning that he couldn't smell anything and it was fine.

"Go ahead, it's alright. I'm a little tired and want to rest. I'll wait for you here."

Xiao Bai pursed his lips, remaining silent as he hoisted Sima Yan onto his back and quickly headed towards the palace.

Only Bing and Han Wuxie remained. Bing, like an ice block, kept everyone at arm's length and naturally wouldn't speak.

Han Wuxie gradually felt a little awkward and asked in confusion, "Bing, there's no danger now, why aren't you going back to the snow mountain?"

Bing replied seriously, "Since Xiaobai is leaving, I must stay to protect you."

"It's alright, I can wait for him myself. You can go back." Han Wuxie smiled calmly.

Bing pursed her lips slightly, as if struggling for a long time, before finally speaking: "Is Xiaobai your only spirit beast? If something like this happens, and he goes to do something else while you're alone, won't it be dangerous?"

Han Wuxie frowned slightly, sensing a hidden meaning in Bing's words. She teased, "Having a spirit beast is already quite an achievement. Who would want to be a pet for a little girl like me? A person can only contract one pet, not a second one."

"I'm willing!" Bing suddenly said very seriously, "As long as I'm truly with you, whether there's a contract or not doesn't really matter."

"You?" Han Wuxie was slightly stunned, and said in disbelief, "Bing, you're not kidding, are you? You're willing to come with me? Why?"

Bing was silent for a moment, then looked up and stared directly at Han Wuxie, saying, "I wasn't really sure this was true. I leveled up just by listening to you play a piece, but today your music not only leveled me up, but also gave me power in battle that wouldn't be quickly depleted. Even when facing enemies stronger than me, I can wear them down and eventually kill them. My purpose in cultivating is to go to the cultivation world to rescue my companions. I want to be by your side, listening to you play music. If I can rescue my companions in the future, I will repay you and continue to stay by your side."

Han Wuxie smiled wryly and shook his head, saying, "Actually, you've been cultivating very quickly on your own. My music isn't always useful; it was the first time you heard it, so you had a deep understanding of it."

"Are you... rejecting me?" Bing became a little nervous.

Han Wuxie smiled calmly and said, "Following me will do you no good." Han Wuxie looked into the distance and thought of Hua Qianye. If they were still in the Immortal Realm, Hua Qianye would have chosen someone else instead of him, and found a powerful Immortal Venerable to help that person level up. He should have gone to the God Realm to find a body long ago, right? If Bing hadn't followed him, he could have cultivated on his own and gone to rescue his companions in no time. But if he followed him, he would have to wait for him to improve his cultivation before he could go to the Martial World Continent. He would have to keep waiting before he could go to the Cultivation World Continent. It would be too much of a waste of his time.

"Following you, I can listen to you play the zither and improve myself. Why wouldn't there be any benefits?" Bing frowned, thinking Han Wuxie was deliberately making excuses. "I won't hinder you. I will protect you during this time, just like Xiaobai, and I will obediently listen to you. Although you can no longer form a contract with me, I will act as a contracted beast and obey all your commands! I can swear on that, don't you humans all believe in this?"

Han Wuxie frowned, then shook his head and said, "I don't have much time to play the zither for you; I need to cultivate myself."

"When you occasionally play the piano for Xiaobai, I'll be there and definitely won't bother you! You can't possibly not upgrade your contracted beast, can you?"

"I may not have time to play the piano for Xiaobai. My own strength is too weak. I may need to go into seclusion for a long time."

"I can wait for you to emerge from seclusion. I can guard the gate for you and prevent anyone from disrupting your seclusion!"

"When I emerge from seclusion, I will travel to the martial arts world to gain experience."

"I must also go to the Martial World before I can go to the Cultivation World. I can go with you."

"It might take me a long time to emerge from seclusion. Besides, hasn't the upgrade effect of my music on you gradually diminished?"

"Although you played the zither to help me in the last two battles, I only went from the early stage of the second-level of the top-grade skill to the middle stage. But for me, to have such an effect in a day is still very fast. Normally, it would take me at least a hundred years to improve these skills."

"A hundred years?" Han Wuxie was startled and finally understood why the ice man had become so clingy. His music was indeed very tempting to beasts! This ice fox was willing to do this to level up, just to follow him. Fortunately, it couldn't smell the immortal bone scent on his body. If it could, wouldn't it pounce on him and start biting him without a second thought?

We absolutely must not let him follow us. If his nose recovers and he smells the aura of immortality on me, wouldn't that be dangerous?

The more she thought about it, the more chilled she felt. Bing suddenly moved closer and asked in confusion, "Why is your face getting paler and paler?"

Han Wuxie, unaccustomed to his sudden closeness, quickly retreated, coughing violently as he said, "It's nothing, it's nothing! Why hasn't Xiaobai returned yet!"

"You haven't answered me yet. Can I come with you?" Bing frowned.

Han Wuxie made a face and said awkwardly, "Bing, you're more free to cultivate on your own. Don't suffer with me. I really don't have time to play the zither for you!"

"Oh." Bing nodded sullenly and said nothing more.

Han Wuxie breathed a slight sigh of relief, but looking at Bing's dejected appearance, he felt a little wicked for thinking such a bad person. Actually, Bing didn't seem like a bad person. He only lowered his stance because following him could help him improve his level. Just based on the fact that he rushed to save him so as not to owe him anything, it was certain that even if he knew that Bing had immortal bones, he wouldn't eat him. He wanted to improve his cultivation quickly in order to save his companion. How could someone who goes to save others harm others in order to save them?

But even if he doesn't eat me, I can't take him with me. As I said, I really don't have time to play the piano to help him improve. It's no use for him to follow me.

Xiao Bai went back and forth at almost his fastest speed. When he returned, he found the atmosphere a little strange, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong.

"Master, shall we go back to the mountain?" Xiaobai looked at Han Wuxie.

Han Wuxie stood up and left with Xiaobai. Bing did not follow. Han Wuxie glanced back at him and saw that he looked very lonely, so he was too embarrassed to say anything more.

"Master, what happened after I left? Why didn't that ice fox continue to follow us?"

Han Wuxie shook his head and said, "Never mind him, let's go back quickly. Tianci and Xingyu must be worried."

Seeing that its master wouldn't tell, Xiaobai could only remain silent, occasionally glancing back at the Ice Fox that stayed put.

After walking a distance, Xiaobai saw that Ice Fox was still in the same spot and sighed inwardly: "Thank goodness it didn't follow! I was really worried that if it tasted the sweetness of rapid leveling up, it would stick with its master forever, and I would lose my status!"

Back in the mountains, Han Tianci and Han Xingyu were already waiting impatiently. As Han Wuxie had told them before she left, they had reached the peak of martial arts. The two little ones were eager to wait for their sister to return so they could ask her about everything that had happened while she was away. However, when their sister returned, she only asked them indifferently whether they had reached the peak of martial arts. Upon hearing that they had reached the peak of martial arts, Han Wuxie simply smiled with relief, said, "I'm going to cultivate," and left.

Han Tianci asked, puzzled, "Xiao Bai, did things not go smoothly this time?"

Xiao Bai pouted and said, "It's alright. Although we encountered a lot of things, overall, it was completed satisfactorily."

Han Xingyu scratched her head and said, "But why does Sister Wuxie look so serious? After coming back, she didn't even rest before rushing off to cultivate."

Xiao Bai sighed and said, "This time we encountered demon cultivators and ghost cultivators. Master discovered the huge disparity in strength, which is why we did this."

"What?" Han Tianci exclaimed in astonishment, "You encountered demon cultivators? Ghost cultivators? Were they very powerful? Is my sister alright?"

Xiao Bai rolled her eyes and said, "If she gets injured, how can she cultivate? Demon cultivators and ghost cultivators, generally speaking, are beyond our current capabilities!"

Han Xingyu asked curiously, "If it's something we couldn't handle, how come you're all unharmed? Did Hua Qianye appear to help you?"

Thinking of Hua Qianye, Xiaobai could only lie and say, "No, he didn't appear. It was the Ice Fox we were looking for who helped us." After saying that, Xiaobai sighed inwardly. This Ice Fox had inexplicably done a great deed. It had nothing to do with him. It was all the boss's credit!

"Ice Fox?" Han Tianci was stunned, and Han Xingyu was also stunned at the same time.

Xiao Bai nodded and said, "Yes, Ice Fox saved us."

Han Xingyu quickly shook her head and said, "That's not what I'm asking about, look!"

Xiao Bai turned to look at the spot Han Xingyu was pointing at, jumped up as if its fur had been bristled, and roared, "You bastard, you actually turned into your true form and secretly followed us!"

At this moment, Bing was in the adorable form of an ice fox. She wagged her large silver tail, raised her head, and walked directly past Xiao Bai, ignoring her, and headed towards Han Wuxie's room.

"Hey, hey, hey, stop right there! Master is practicing his internal energy cultivation technique, you absolutely cannot disturb him!" Little White hurriedly chased after him, but although the Ice Fox looked like it was taking a stroll, its speed was beyond Little White's reach.

When Xiaobai reached Han Wuxie's door, it stopped in its tracks, looking mournful. It put its hands together and said, "Ice Fox, don't blame me for not warning you, if your master's cultivation is disturbed, the disturber will suffer greatly."

A furious roar erupted from inside the room, "Why did you follow me here! Didn't I tell you I didn't have time to play the zither for you! How dare you disturb my cultivation! What if I suffer a qi deviation! What if I can't get home! What if I can't see my mother again! Are you going to take responsibility for all of this? Get out of here! Don't think you can get away with this just because you've turned into a fox! Stop whining! Looks like you won't learn your lesson until I teach you a lesson! You're asking for it!" This was followed by a series of loud smashing sounds. Finally, the Ice Fox slunk away from the room, its silver fur now filthy, clearly showing countless footprints, handprints, and table leg marks…

Little White covered her mouth and chuckled, squinting her eyes as she teased, "Serves you right! I don't even dare disturb Master when he's cultivating, and you still come here asking for a beating!"

Han Xingyu and Han Tianci exchanged a glance and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Ice Fox hung its head, looking miserable, but still stood guard at the door, as if obediently waiting for Han Wuxie to finish his cultivation.

Han Xingyu sighed, "It seems this ice fox has become attached to Sister Wuxie!"

Han Tianci smiled wryly, "My sister's charm is truly immense; she's gained a top-tier demonic beast so easily. It seems our journey to the Martial World Continent isn't far off!"

A sinister voice came from inside the door: "You two still have time to gossip here? If I come out of seclusion and you haven't reached the early stage of martial arts..."

Before Han Wuxie could finish speaking, Han Xingyu and Han Tianci let out a strange cry and rushed into the courtyard, drawing their swords and slashing at each other.

Cultivation in progress...

---Aside---

This chapter is over 16,000 words long! I originally planned to write 2 or 3 more chapters to finish the third episode, but I found that this is the only chapter left!

Episode 3 is over. Next episode, Episode 4: The Beasts are coming, even more exciting! Those who like handsome men are in for a treat, as all sorts of beasts will be coming for the scent!

Tomorrow's update time: 19:30!