Genius Beast Tamer

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Han Wuxie gently patted Han Tianci's back and asked with a soft laugh, "Tianci, if it were me in danger back then, would you have pushed me away and chosen to sacrifice yourself?"

Han Tianci didn't hesitate for a moment, replying confidently, "Of course!"

Han Wuxie asked with a smile, "Why would that be?"

"Because my sister is very important," Han Tianci replied earnestly.

A wise glint flashed in Han Wuxie's eyes. She smiled gently and asked softly, "I'm important, so you chose to sacrifice yourself, leaving me, whom you consider important, behind. But have you considered that I'm the older sister? To me, you're the most important. If something happens to you, how can I face Mother? How can I face everyone? As the older sister, if I can't protect my younger brother, how can I face my family? Didn't you also deny your older sister the chance to shield you from danger?"

"I..." Han Tianci lowered his head and said weakly, "I didn't think that much. I felt that my sister was more important than myself. I didn't want anything to happen to her, and I didn't think about what would happen afterward."

Han Wuxie gently wiped away the tears on Han Tianci's eyelashes, patiently guiding him, "I asked you this because it's just a hypothetical question. If you can't even think things through carefully enough with a hypothetical question, then in a real situation like that, in the heat of the moment, there's even less time to consider so many things. Now, put yourself in Xingyu's shoes. Wouldn't your first reaction be to protect those more important than yourself, sacrificing yourself, without even considering what would happen to the person you were protecting after your sacrifice?"

Han Tianci lowered his head, a hint of emotion flashing in his eyes, and murmured softly, "So, in his heart, I am very important, just like my sister is to me. Although he doesn't say it or call me brother, in his heart, the fact that I am his brother has long been established!"

Seeing that his younger brother had come to his senses, Han Wuxie's expression instantly changed from gentle to stern.

She adopted a lecturing tone towards her younger brother, calling him by his name directly: "Han Tianci, after what happened, you shouldn't blame others instead of examining your own problems! Have you ever thought about why you couldn't stop the danger when it came, and why someone had to sacrifice themselves to temporarily avert it? Have you ever considered why you couldn't protect your brother and instead had to make him sacrifice himself to protect you?"

Han Tianci lowered his head even further, blaming himself, "It's because my strength is too weak. If I could have subdued the tiger demon, Han Xingyu wouldn't have pushed me away with the idea of ​​sacrificing himself. Perhaps, given his personality, he would have watched the show from the sidelines, waiting for me to kill the tiger demon, and then come over to snatch the demon core and tiger skin."

Han Wuxie couldn't help but chuckle, nodding and saying, "Indeed, if you had that ability back then, Xingyu, that little lazybones, wouldn't have helped you. She would have only come to snatch it away when you finally succeeded!"

Han Tianci smiled with relief and said sweetly, "No matter what problem I encounter, my sister always manages to help me understand it in the best way, making me realize the reasons behind it and my own shortcomings. Sister, you are like a guiding light in my life. Without you, I don't know how long I would have been stuck in this dead end!"

Han Wuxie affectionately flicked Han Tianci's nose and chuckled, "I was going to teach you a lesson, but seeing how sweet your words are, I'll pass!"

Han Tianci hurriedly shook his head, anxiously saying, "Sister, scold me! Scold me for what I did wrong! Otherwise, I won't know where I went wrong, and I'll make the same mistakes again!"

Han Wuxie chuckled, "We've taught them all the lessons they needed to learn. I was just teasing you. Look how nervous you are!" She sighed, her voice heavy with concern, "However, our strength remains our weakness. If it weren't for Hua Qianye, we would have been food for the beasts long ago during our trip to the Misty Swamp."

Han Tianci nodded and said, "If we successfully pass through the desolate forest and reach the Martial World Continent, I must find many people to practice against. I've heard that there are many formidable sects on the Martial World Continent, and I must challenge all of their leaders! While I'm at it, I'll secretly study their techniques, taking their essence and discarding their dross, integrating them into my own style to become stronger!"

Han Wuxie chuckled, "Didn't Qinglang say that the martial arts manuals of the Martial World Continent are no match for what we have? Why bother learning theirs?" Han Wuxie patted his ring and said, "Hua Qianye, it's time for you to come out!"

Hua Qianye appeared lazily, yawning, and asked, "What is it?"

Han Wuxie narrowed his eyes, amused. He knew that the man had been spying on everything outside, yet he pretended not to know anything! Didn't he think acting was tiring?

Han Wuxie said, "We've almost finished studying the secret manuals you gave us. Shouldn't we get a new batch?"

Hua Qianye curled his lip and said, "It took you three years to finish reading the manuals I gave you before, that's a bit slow!" He flicked his finger, and a box of books flew out from the illusory black ring on his finger. He said calmly, "If it takes you more than three years to finish reading these books, don't ask me for new ones. My manuals aren't for people who are physically and mentally useless!"

Han Tianci snapped angrily, "Who's physically disabled? Explain yourself clearly!"

Hua Qianye ignored Han Tianci and looked at Han Wuxie indifferently, saying, "Actually, for you, studying those secret manuals is secondary. Tomorrow we're going to the Desolate Forest. The Snake King's zither is somewhat useful now. Shouldn't you study the beast-taming tunes your great-uncle taught you? Perhaps they'll come in handy tomorrow!"

Han Wuxie frowned and said, "Those tunes were useful in the Immortal Realm, but after arriving in the mortal realm, I can't control the beasts at all when I play them."

Hua Qianye narrowed his eyes, leaned close to Han Wuxie's ear, and said somewhat ambiguously, "In the Immortal Realm, the music used to control celestial beasts naturally follows the tones of those beasts. Your great-uncle never imagined you would come to the mortal realm, so naturally he wouldn't teach you the tones of music for controlling mortal beasts. But many things are essentially the same. You have your talent, and I think you should be able to figure out your own beast-taming music that complements that talent."

"Hey! Hua Qianye, why are you standing so close to my sister? She's not hard of hearing!"

"Exactly, boss! Even though you're a spirit, you shouldn't be like this. You're still a man, and getting so close to a woman, don't you think it's inappropriate?"

"What's the use of you, a mere soul, getting so close? I can't sense anything. How boring!" the Snake King spat.

Hua Qianye turned his head, and a murderous aura swept over the three of them. The three trembled slightly, lowered their heads, and dared not make a sound.

Hua Qianye picked at her ear and said coldly, "I'm going back to my ring. There are too many sparrows here; it's too noisy!"

Before Han Wuxie could ask any further questions, Hua Qianye had already returned to the ring. She looked at Han Tianci, Xiaobai, and Zhu Fengmo (the Snake King) with some anger.

"Go back to your rooms!" Han Wuxie was displeased because he wanted to ask Hua Qianye more about the Beast Taming Melody, but was interrupted by the three of them.

"But... I'm here to protect my master," Xiaobai said weakly.

Zhu Fengmo nodded and said, "We must protect you!"

Han Wuxie narrowed his eyes and said in a gloomy voice, "Get out and become a doorman! Get out!"

"Master, didn't you say it was cold outside? Didn't you tell me to sleep under the bed?" Little White said aggrievedly.

"Can't I change my mind now!" Han Wuxie sneered, shoving the martial arts manual that Hua Qianye had conjured into Han Tianci, then forcefully shoving the three of them out, and sternly saying, "Han Tianci, you're punished to read all night!"

"Sister!" A wail was cut off by the sound of the door closing.

A biting wind howled outside, and Xiao Bai shivered. Then, she stood obediently at the doorway, motionless like a statue. Zhu Fengmo pouted awkwardly, warily surveying their surroundings, and also wisely stood beside Xiao Bai, remaining still. Han Tianci glanced at the tightly closed door, at the two door gods standing guard, shook his head helplessly, and, carrying a box of books, went back to his room to study.

Han Wuxie patted the ring and said, "They're all gone. Come out now?"

Hua Qianye didn't come out, but his voice came through the ring, "Why would I come out? I've told you everything I need to say. Study the music yourself. I'm sleepy!" He didn't speak again after a yawn.

Han Wuxie lingered on the ring, calling him out not to ask about the melody, but simply to ask for the blue flower he had taken.

Her gaze fell on the purple bouquet that Xiaobai had placed on the bedside table, but her eyes froze at the same time. The purple bouquet that had been placed on the bedside table had all disappeared and turned into a small blue flower lying quietly on her pillow, occasionally emitting a blue light.

Han Wuxie walked to the bedside, carefully picked up the small blue flower that looked fragile and easily withered, gently put it on his head, walked to the mirror to examine himself closely, a shy smile on his lips, and murmured to himself, "It's really beautiful." No wonder he was so mesmerized.

Hua Qianye, inside the ring, had been watching her every move. Seeing her shy smile, he couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile as well. His gaze fell on the purple bouquet he had casually tossed aside, and a sly smile appeared in his eyes.

Xiao Bai, standing outside the door, felt a chill for some reason. He sneezed, scratched his head, and looked bewildered.

Beside him, Zhu Fengmo chuckled wickedly and scolded, "Sneezing for no reason, looks like you've offended a lot of people, even in the middle of the night!"

Xiao Bai scoffed, "Who says sneezing means someone's insulting me! It's just that the wind was too strong, and I caught a cold!"

Zhu Fengmo said sarcastically, "With that thick rabbit fur, you'll catch a cold? Stop pretending!"

"Anyway, sneezing has nothing to do with whether anyone yells at me or not!"

"Our snake clan has a saying: if you sneeze for no apparent reason, it either means someone is talking about you behind your back, or it will rain heavily the next day. But the weather is fine now, so it shouldn't be the second time!"

"Those are your snakes, not our rabbits!"

Han Wuxie heard the conversation outside and sighed softly.

She sat down at the table and gently stroked the strings. Xiao Bai and Zhu Fengmo, who were outside the door, both fell silent and sat cross-legged, not wanting to miss any opportunity.

After playing the zither for a moment, Han Wuxie did not continue.

Han Wuxie stared at the zither for a long time, recalling the tune his great-uncle had taught him. Just as Xiaobai and Zhufengmo were looking disappointed, the zither music started again.

The melodious tune carried a hint of gentleness and a touch of domineering power as Han Wuxie played the piece his great-uncle had taught him.

However, the ability to merge with the music and thus sense the aura of the surrounding beasts was something he had never felt again since leaving the Immortal Realm.

"Why can't I ever merge my consciousness with the music?"

Han Wuxie's mood became somewhat irritable, and the music he played on the zither became chaotic and disorderly.

Xiao Bai and Zhu Fengmo's expressions gradually turned ugly, their brows furrowed more and more tightly, their expressions pained and irritable.

Little White couldn't help but shout, "Master, please stop playing! Please, my head hurts so much! I feel so irritable and uncomfortable!"

"Annoyed? Discomfortable?" Han Wuxie's eyes lit up slightly as he asked, "Does this piece of music make you feel irritated?"

Xiao Bai replied, "Yes, we can learn a lot from Master's music. The leveling up is because Master's music made me realize that the Immortal Realm is not the end, and I gained insights into the heart of the strong, the primordial beasts, and so on. These are all things Master has come to understand. But now, Master's mind is agitated, and the music he plays also becomes agitated. Those of us who are deeply immersed in the music also feel agitated, even more agitated than Master. Although we ourselves don't feel that agitated, because of Master's music, we cannot resist this agitation arising in our hearts, which makes us feel very painful!"

Han Wuxie narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he had realized something. His fingers moved like flowing water, lightly stroking the strings. It was like a glimmer of hope in the face of adversity, and the melody, full of spring, was filled with joy.

Little White chuckled and said, "Master is in a good mood now, and Little White is happy too!"

"So that's how it is!" Han Wuxie suddenly understood. The music in his hands seemed to have merged with his state of mind and soul, as if the music could express what he was thinking.

Xiao Bai and Zhu Fengmo were drawn into the world of music without realizing it. Their souls seemed to be pulled, beyond their control, yet they were captivated by this feeling and loved being drawn in.

Han Wuxie played the tune her great-uncle had taught her again, but when she reached certain parts of the melody that were subtle and poignant, she would incorporate her own will and change the pitch.

At this moment, the beasts listening to the music are like newborn babies. They do not understand language or what their parents are saying, but they can tell each other's joys and sorrows from some syllables and intonations.

Han Wuxie's zither music fully incorporates joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, along with his own willpower, allowing beasts to discern his thoughts. Thus, like infants, even though they don't understand what their parents are saying, they will be terrified and subconsciously obey when their parents speak in a stern tone.

Animals will subconsciously obey the changes in the tune played by the musician.

When animals delve into the music, they become like newborn infants. Everything that follows changes because of Han Wuxie's music. Like blank sheets of paper, the infants know nothing and understand nothing. However, through the patient guidance of their parents and their words and actions, they gradually learn their parents' ways of handling things, their language, and how to communicate with them. Because of this sense of intimacy, they become inseparable from the object of their patient guidance, naturally developing a sense of dependence, intimacy, and even obedience.

Although the feeling of kinship will be severed when the music ends, what is learned from the music, like language learned by an infant, will be integrated into the animal consciousness, thus allowing the animal to level up.

Having figured all this out, Han Wuxie created her own Beast Taming Melody. Of course, this melody was only effective for her alone. Even if Wanlicang, the great-uncle of the Beast Taming God Clan, played the melody created by Han Wuxie, it would not have the same effect as Han Wuxie's playing. That was because of her amazing talent, which was unique to her. No talent could be repeated. It was a gift from heaven to the cycle of gods and humans.

Hua Qianye, inside the ring, lay on her back in a sea of ​​flowers with her eyes closed. The music she played on the piano reached her ears, and she hummed along with the melody, a deep smile of admiration on her lips.

Bing, who had transformed into an ice fox and was nestled in bed, suddenly opened her eyes wide, twitched her ears, and darted out the window.

When the Ice Fox transformed into an icy handsome man and arrived at Han Wuxie's door, he saw that Xiao Bai and the Snake King were already sitting cross-legged, quietly comprehending, as if they were about to level up. He quickly sat down next to Xiao Bai and sat cross-legged as well.

Han Wuxie's playing was not loud, but for beasts, hearing is probably more sensitive than sight or smell. The people in the post station were asleep and did not notice the nighttime music at all, but the desolate forest was greatly disturbed by the music!

Early the next morning.

Han Tianci arrived at Han Wuxie's room with dark circles under his eyes from staying up all night reading, only to find the strange scene of Snake King, Xiaobai, and Bing sleeping together comfortably.

Han Xingyu caught up with Han Tianci and, seeing this scene, couldn't help but smirk mischievously, saying, "Three grown men sleeping together, it really makes one's imagination run wild!"

Han Tianci rolled his eyes at him and said with a sneer, "What's in your head? Nothing good!"

Han Xingyu sneered, "How much better could you be? If you didn't have these things in your head, how would you know that what I just said meant something malicious?"

Hearing the commotion outside, Han Wuxie opened the door. Snake King, Xiaobai, and Bing were leaning against the door. As the door opened, they all leaned towards Han Wuxie.

With a swift movement, Han Wuxie struck Snake King, Little White, and Ice, who fell awkwardly onto the threshold, their sleepy eyes wide with pain.

Xiao Bai rubbed its eyes, and upon seeing Han Wuxie, it pounced, wrapping its arms tightly around Han Wuxie's arm, and said affectionately, "Master, you're amazing! Xiao Bai is now top-tier! Top-tier!"

"What kind of top-grade?" Han Tianci asked blankly, "A top-grade spirit beast?"

Han Xingyu exclaimed in astonishment, "Isn't the rabbit just a regular level 5? It leveled up five times in one night? No way!"

Han Tianci scratched his head and said, "I was reading last night and I thought I heard very faint zither music. Could it be my sister playing? Did she play the zither all night just to help them level up?"

Han Xingyu stepped forward with a pained expression, forcefully pushed Xiaobai aside, and tugged at Han Wuxie's sleeve, signaling Han Wuxie to squat down. He was only eight years old, and his height only reached Han Wuxie's waist.

Han Wuxie squatted down, looking at Han Xingyu with a puzzled expression.

Han Xingyu leaned close to Han Wuxie, staring at her with wide eyes, and finally said with a pained expression, "Sister Wuxie definitely has dark circles under her eyes!"

Han Wuxie was speechless for a moment. So, all he did was watch this!

Han Xingyu glared angrily at Xiaobai, the Snake King, and Bing, and sternly reprimanded them, "You've gone too far! So what if they're Wuxie's contracted beasts? Why should you expect Wuxie to play the zither for you! Leveling up depends on your own true strength. You don't work hard yourself; all you do is stare at Wuxie playing the zither for you!"

Xiao Bai, Snake King, and Bing all looked completely innocent.

Han Wuxie hurriedly waved his hand and said, "I was practicing music by myself last night. I didn't mean to play for them. They didn't ask me to play for them either. They just listened to the music to level up."

Han Tianci asked blankly, "Sister, why did you suddenly think of practicing music? You haven't had time to touch the piano for three years!"

Han Wuxie smiled and replied, "Because Hua Qianye told me that my talent can not only help beasts level up, but also tame them. Although the tunes my great-uncle taught me after I descended from the Immortal Realm are useless to the beasts of the mortal world, I have created my own beast-taming music based on my talent and those tunes!"

"Really? Sister can control the beasts of the mortal realm? Then we'll be invincible! Organizing a beast army would definitely allow us to dominate the martial arts world!" Han Tianci exclaimed excitedly.

Han Xingyu chimed in, "Let alone the martial arts world, if we could control more Saint-level demonic beasts and Saint-level spirit beasts, we'd be invincible even in the cultivation world! Wahahahaha!"

Han Wuxie smiled modestly and said, "Because Xiaobai, Bing, and Zhufengmo are all my contracted beasts, although my music can control them, I cannot be sure whether it can control other beasts that are not contracted beasts. We will have to wait until we enter the desolate forest to confirm whether the music is effective for non-contracted beasts."

"It will definitely work!" Han Tianci and Han Xingyu encouraged each other in unison.

Han Wuxie couldn't help but chuckle at their mischievous antics. He patted their heads and feigned seriousness, saying, "You two, don't rely too much on beasts. What good is being invincible in the mortal realm if we don't improve our own power? Our goal is to cultivate spiritual roots and ascend back to the immortal realm!"

Han Tianci and Han Xingyu both rubbed their heads and answered earnestly, "We won't forget!"

Han Tianci narrowed his eyes, a glint of cunning in them, and said in a gloomy tone, "Once we return to the Immortal Realm, I'm definitely going to 'visit' the Heavenly Clan!"

Han Xingyu toyed with her little pigtails sticking up on her head, a wicked smile playing on her lips, and said, "I also want to visit Han Tianci's grandfather's house!"

Han Tianci raised an eyebrow and grinned mischievously, "I'll definitely take you 'visiting'! Don't hesitate to ask for anything you fancy!"

Looking at the calculating glint in his two younger brothers' eyes, Han Wuxie couldn't help but sigh.

Her gaze became somewhat distant. Tianci Manyue left the Tian family, but she didn't really experience those cold words and those unkind and contemptuous looks firsthand. Her disgust for the Tian family only came from hearing from others that he had been kicked out as a child, which made her angry.

Recalling the scenes from her childhood in Tianjia, her heart couldn't help but feel cold. The contemptuous gazes of her relatives were like sharp daggers, piercing every piece of her heart. She didn't care about other people's opinions, but the thought of those contemptuous, disdainful, and hurtful words coming from the mouths of relatives who shared the same bloodline with her still made her feel chilled.

Han Tianci stepped forward, tightly grasped Han Wuxie's hand, and said in a deep voice, "Sister, although I don't know what kind of life you lived in the Tian family before you were five, just by imagining it, I can guess it wasn't good! We have no immortal roots, no spiritual roots. In the immortal realm, even ordinary immortals without family backgrounds don't look at us well, let alone those who think we've disgraced the family. Compared to you, sister, I'm much happier. I practically grew up in the Han family, under their protection. Actually, I have no impression of the Tian family, and I've never even met my so-called grandfather. But that feeling of hatred for the Tian family has long been deeply rooted in my heart. It's not because of anything else, but just because of the pity in my grandfather's eyes when he looked at you, I can guess that you must have had a hard time in the Tian family before you were five, and Mother must have had a hard time too. So in the future, I will definitely take back everything the Tian family owes us for you and for Mother!"

Han Wuxie affectionately ruffled Han Tianci's hair, shook his head, and said, "The Tian family doesn't owe us anything, and there's no need to ask for anything back. From the moment we left the Tian family, we had absolutely no connection with them! Remember, our surname is Han, not Tian! Whether the Tian family is doing well or badly in the future, it has nothing to do with us! If the Tian family is doing well, we don't care about any benefits! If the Tian family is doing badly, don't expect us to help them! It's very simple: apart from Father, we'll treat all members of the Tian family as strangers!"

Han Tianci remained silent for a moment, and for the first time did not obediently nod, because he did not want to simply let the Tian family go, let go of those enemies who had made things difficult for his mother, father, and sister, causing his father to hide and preventing his family from reuniting! In his eyes, the Tian family was not relatives, nor strangers, but enemies who had separated him and his father by blood!

Seeing that her younger brother wouldn't agree, Han Wuxie knew that some things couldn't be forced upon him. She herself felt hatred, but she didn't want it to infect him. She hoped he would remain uninvolved, free from resentment, and be happy. However, many things weren't as she wished. If she tried to suppress her brother's anger, it would backfire. It was better to let things take their course. Besides, whether they could return to the Immortal Realm or not was still uncertain.

Han Wuxie looked at Xiaobai, Zhufengmo, and Bing, and asked, "Xiaobai has reached the highest level, what about you two?"

Bing slightly curled the corners of his mouth, but his icy expression remained unchanged, which felt somewhat strange. He replied, "I've reached the fourth level of the highest grade."

"Two levels?" Han Wuxie frowned and said, "It seems that the higher the level, the less the music can help you."

"Two levels is already a lot." Bing waved his hand and said, "The time to upgrade after reaching the top grade is much longer than that of the ordinary grade. It took me about 1,500 years to go from the ordinary fifth grade to the top grade, but in the later stages of the top grade, it should take about 1,000 years to upgrade one level, and there is no guarantee that you will not encounter a bottleneck."

Han Wuxie nodded slightly and looked at Zhu Fengmo.

Zhu Fengmo smiled wryly, "Because I had already advanced from Saint Level 3 to Saint Level 5, listening to the zither all night didn't help much. I only advanced from the early stage of Saint Level 5 to the middle stage of Saint Level 5."

Han Wuxie nodded and said, "Indeed, it's difficult to level up much in the short term. The music of the zither mostly evokes things that you didn't fully comprehend during your previous cultivation. If you haven't cultivated at all, there's nothing to comprehend, so naturally you can only comprehend from the music, but the things you comprehend will naturally be relatively few."

At this moment, Qinglang, Mowu, Heifeng, Manniu, and Zitong had arrived. They were dressed neatly, carrying bundles, and looked ready to set off at any time.

The group headed towards the desolate forest, which was full of strange trees.

Han Tianci's eyes occasionally flashed with golden light; he and Han Xingyu had completely become two professional diggers.

"Hahaha! A thousand-year-old ginseng!" Han Xingyu happily collected the medicinal herbs.

"Hahaha! A ten-thousand-year-old Xuanmu root!" Han Tianci happily collected the refining materials.

Looking at the two crazy kids, Qinglang, Mowu, Heifeng, Manniu, and Zitong were speechless.

Little White followed Han Tianci around, hoping to get some benefits. These rare treasures were of great benefit to them, the beasts!

Han Tianci thus became the commander, since rabbits are experts at digging holes.

Han Tianci's eyes kept flashing with golden light, and his fingers pointed here and there like a conductor's baton. Xiao Bai diligently dug here and there!

Seeing that Han Tianci had gained another subordinate, Han Xingyu pointed at Zhu Fengmo and Bing, like a general inspecting his troops, and arrogantly said, "Hey, you two, unleash your beastly nature and dig!"

Zhu Fengmo glanced sideways, pretending not to hear.

With an iron face, he looked at Han Wuxie.

Han Wuxie said with a wry smile, "Alright, stop fooling around. We've collected enough, let's hurry on our way!"

"Hehehe, everything you dug up is on my territory, so leave it all to me!" A shrill voice rang out, and an old man dressed in earth-colored clothes emerged from the ground. He was short and stocky, with a kind face, but his eyes were sinister and filled with greed as he looked at Han Wuxie.

Zi Tong protected Han Xingyu, Xiao Bai protected Han Tianci, Zhu Fengmo protected Han Wuxie, and Bing protected Qinglang, Mo Wu, Hei Feng, and Man Niu. Countless rats sprang out from the ground and attacked them.

The squeaking of the rats was terrifying. Their numbers were so vast that, as far as the eye could see, there were rats everywhere within a ten-mile radius!

Zhu Fengmo narrowed his eyes. He had been hiding his aura, but now his arrogance suddenly surged. As soon as the scent of snakes was released, the countless rats that had been attacking him fiercely suddenly scattered in terror.

The short, stocky old man was slightly taken aback. He only knew that the other party had a rabbit that had just reached the highest grade and a level 5 ice fox. He thought that this man was human like everyone else, but he did not expect that he was his natural enemy - a snake!

However, the short, stocky old man still harbored a greedy hope, wishing that the snake was only at the eighth level of the highest grade, so that his own ninth-grade power would definitely give him an overwhelming victory!

But something that almost scared him to death happened. Zhu Fengmo's arrogance soared, and the power she revealed rose directly from the eighth level of the top grade to the fifth level of the saint grade!

"My goodness!" The short, stocky old man was so terrified he nearly wet himself, trying to burrow back into the ground, but it was too late. Zhu Fengmo pounced, his lower body transforming into a thick tail that tightly wrapped around the old man. With an extremely seductive smile, he said in a sinister tone, "Since becoming a shapeshifting demon beast, I've been learning from humans. It's been a long time since I've returned to a primitive life, a long time since I've tasted the flavor of rats. I'm starting to miss it!"

"Ah!" the old man pleaded, "Holy Serpent, spare my life! Holy Serpent, spare my life! I didn't mean to offend you, Holy Serpent, please! I'm old, this meat doesn't taste good..."

Zhu Fengmo narrowed her venomous and alluring eyes, took a deep breath, and flicked out her tongue like a snake's tongue before quickly retracting it. She chuckled wickedly, "Oh, it's a top-grade level nine rat, quite an excellent tonic! If I eat you, I should be able to cultivate for a few fewer years and reach the sixth level of the Saint rank, right?"

"My goodness!" the old man cried out in grief.

With a loud cry from the old man, the ground rippled violently, and with a loud "bang," the ground cracked open, revealing a fierce old woman with white hair and a face full of wrinkles.

"Mother!" The old man's cries grew louder, and Zhu Fengmo, who was tied up with a snake's tail, was almost driven crazy by the noise.

When the old woman saw the old man tied up, she roared, "My son, your mother has come to save you!"

A powerful pressure of divine sense pressed down on Zhu Fengmo. Zhu Fengmo's snake tail went limp, and the old man broke free, quickly escaping behind the old woman. He let out a strange laugh and said, "Mother, these guys are all nutritious delicacies. If we catch them and take them back, we can have a comfortable winter!"

Zhu Fengmo's snake tail transformed back into legs. He stood in front of Han Wuxie, his expression grave. "It's a Saint-level 8 rat demon! Let that soul form come out. Without him, we might not be able to do it!"

Han Wuxie narrowed his eyes slightly, shook his head, and held out his hand, saying, "Give me the guqin. I can try out my Beast Taming Melody. If it doesn't work, I can call him again!"

Zhu Fengmo took out an ancient zither from his sleeve. His clothes were a magical artifact passed down from the snake clan.

Han Wuxie sat cross-legged, placed the zither on his lap, took a slight breath, and gently stroked the strings.

The old woman sneered, "Little girl, it's no use showing off your talents. I don't like listening to the zither; I prefer to swallow you whole!"

As she spoke, the old woman lunged at Han Wuxie, but her lunging motion suddenly stopped uncontrollably.

Qu Yin suddenly burst into a rage. The old woman clutched her knees in pain and rolled on the ground, while her rat son exaggeratedly banged his head against a tree.

Xiao Bai, Zhu Fengmo, and Bing were enveloped in a blue spiritual aura, and could no longer hear Han Wuxie's zither music.

Han Wuxie looked gratefully at Hua Qianye, who had appeared. He had indeed been negligent; while punishing the rat demon, the zither music would also have harmed Xiaobai and the others. Fortunately, Hua Qianye appeared and set up a sound-silencing barrier to protect them.

The old woman felt she couldn't control her power; her demonic energy was completely locked by the zither music, rendering it unusable and ineffective. A powerful will was cursing and urging her soul on. She felt as if she had done many wrong things, feeling guilty and remorseful. However, it wasn't that she had actually done anything wrong; it was just the feelings, the pain, guilt, fear, and confusion that the zither music brought her.

"Demon sound! You are a demon cultivator, you terrible little girl! Don't play it, don't play it..." The old woman went mad and lunged at Han Wuxie, but because of her headache, she collapsed weakly to the ground. She roared again and again, her voice gradually becoming hoarse and weak, and her consciousness gradually blurred.

Finally, she burst into tears. Her son had already been crying loudly, and the two of them cried together, begging for mercy: "Stop playing! Please, we know we were wrong, we were wrong! Don't be angry, don't get angry at us anymore, please stop playing..."

The furious, roaring music stopped. The old woman knelt on the ground, head bowed, but a hint of savagery flashed in her eyes. She lunged at Han Wuxie with all her might, baring her teeth and claws.

Han Wuxie frowned slightly, his fingertips returning to the strings. A single note, however, was like a sharp blade propelling the air. It had no effect on humans, but this blade was like a real flying sword, piercing through the old woman's brow, carrying a demon core, and shooting out from the back of her head, turning into nothingness. An earth-colored demon core landed on the ground, and the old woman's body rapidly shrank, turning into a rat.

When her rat son saw his mother's corpse, he let out a piercing scream, knelt on the ground and kowtowed wildly, too frightened to speak.

Han Wuxie stared blankly at her fingers. She didn't know how that stream of air, like a flying sword, appeared. She had only acted out of desperation when the old woman pounced on her. When she played the zither, she was filled with anger and killing intent. Who knew that the killing intent would turn into a flying sword, killing a Saint-level 8 demon beast that was stronger than Zhu Fengmo so quickly and so incredibly.

Han Wuxie looked at the old woman's son who kept kowtowing and sighed slightly. She had indeed stopped playing the zither at first because she wanted to let them go, but the old woman was not giving up and still wanted to kill her. Her tragic death was no one else's fault but her own, even though she knew that if she didn't kill her, the old woman would kill her.

But seeing the old woman's son's sorrowful appearance, I couldn't help but feel a little bitter. They must have lived for ten thousand years, right?

If they hadn't been greedy, with the old woman's Saint-level 8 strength and her son's top-grade 8 strength, they would probably be fearless in the desolate forest, quietly cultivating, and sooner or later they could become half-immortal beasts, or even immortal beasts!

"What a pity?" Hua Qianye had somehow walked up behind Han Wuxie.

Han Wuxie smiled bitterly, "A little bit, but I understand that if I don't kill her, I'll be the one who dies. I'm not utterly wicked, but I'm not foolishly kind either."

Hua Qianye reached out to pat her head, but then realized he had forgotten he was a soul. A faint disappointment flashed in his eyes. He straightened his face, trying to hide his disappointment, and said awkwardly, "No matter what, your Beast Taming Melody should be a success. From now on, you can easily deal with any beasts below the eighth level of Saint rank that come because of your immortal bone aura. However, you can't be too arrogant. You may not need to be afraid of Saint rank beasts, but there are already eighth level Saint rank beasts in this small desolate forest. It's hard to say whether there aren't Xuan rank or half-immortal rank beasts elsewhere. It's still uncertain whether your melody will be effective against them. You still need to cultivate your own power to be on the safe side."

---Aside---

One more update~

Tomorrow's update time: 19:30