Mistaking My Wife for a Spirit Pet - Chapter 1
Chapter 1
The morning light slowly rose from the east. The thin mist lingering over the entire mountain had not yet dissipated, and the creatures within the mountains had awakened.
A clear cry of a crane sounded.
A person at the foot of the mountain nimbly rose into the air, stepping on a spell formation, and flew deep into Moon Mountain. After a short time, the person and the crane landed in a cluster of trees.
Initially, Nan Zhi had not planned to come to this secret realm. It was just a short while ago that her junior sister, Su Qingyi, had obtained a piece of gossip from a teahouse in the city—Jade-Lin City’s auction house was preparing to buy Hanging Moon Fruits at a high price.
As soon as the news spread, it immediately caught the attention of various people, who were all eager to act and compete to obtain them.
“How can I miss out on such a good thing?” Nan Zhi slightly curved the corner of her lips, a hidden smile in her eyes.
She had few hobbies in this life, but she loved money the most. Naturally, she had to join in on this excitement.
According to the Records of the Nine Continents, the Hanging Moon Fruit often grows in deep forests with beautiful streams. Whenever the fruit ripens, it attracts the essence and spiritual energy of the world, drawing the ferocious spiritual beast, the Golden-Striped Dragon Python, to come and take it.
But this time was different; there were no traces of the Golden-Striped Dragon Python here. Nan Zhi secretly mumbled “strange” to herself and slowly walked toward the fruit trees.
She sniffed and thought that this batch of Hanging Moon Fruits would probably be ready to be picked in one night, so she began the process of ripening them.
Spell seals fluttered in her hands. A spell formation was activated by spiritual energy and began to operate layer by layer under her feet. From this, the fruit’s fragrance became even more intense, and one of the fruits on the tree began to sway, a sign that it was ripe and about to fall.
With the thought of not letting a single one drop, Nan Zhi took a step toward the fruit tree, but she stopped after just two steps.
Behind the tree was a conspicuous patch of white…
The wind blew, and soft fluff fluttered in layers. A closer look revealed a small, cat-like white tiger with a striped forehead and piercing eyes.
A hint of confusion flashed in Nan Zhi’s eyes, and then her heart began to itch. She tried to lighten her steps and walked toward the little white tiger.
Where did this little guy come from?
He looks so well-behaved even when sleeping…
She looked around and, sensing no one, she knelt down to carefully examine it.
The little white tiger’s sleeping form was obedient and serene. Its pink, upturned nose would occasionally twitch. The fluff on its body was soft and neat, so exquisite that it seemed out of place in its surroundings.
It was more like…
A spirit pet that a human cultivator would hold in their arms and take meticulous care of, because it was rare to see such an exquisite little thing in a secret realm.
The more Nan Zhi looked, the deeper the desire in her eyes became. She looked around again, lightly coughed to cover her intentions, and then shakily reached out her hand.
“Hiss…”
The little white tiger’s fluff was softer than she had imagined. It was so soft it made Nan Zhi’s heart completely melt. The rare indulgence was too much for her to resist.
Actually, she had a secret preference.
She really liked these soft, delicate, fluffy cubs. However, the demon race was different from the human race. Most of the demon race considered human cultivators raising spirit pets a disgrace. And for a member of the dragon race to raise a spirit pet, it would sound bad.
After all, from the demon race’s perspective… this was not raising a spirit pet; it was keeping one of their own as a forbidden plaything.
Whether they had gained sentience or not, if she really dared to raise a spirit pet, the dragon race’s reputation would likely get even worse.
But…
Why is this little treasure so well-behaved?
Which muddled female cultivator was so careless to have left it behind?
Nan Zhi couldn’t resist. She rubbed the little white tiger again and again.
After a few rubs, the unconscious tiger finally reacted. But its eyes remained closed, and a light, impatient grunt came from its mouth.
The sound was very cute and made Nan Zhi’s heart itch uncontrollably. Desire flickered in her shallow golden eyes.
As desire rose and fell, her heart stirred, and she lowered her head.
Her nose lightly brushed against the fluff. The milky scent immediately filled her nasal cavity. She instinctively took a sniff.
Why does this little treasure smell so good?
The sounds it makes are so good, too.
Her heart uncontrollably turned to water. The delight on her face was obvious, but after a short while, the delighted expression began to droop.
She didn’t even need to think; this little white tiger had an owner.
How could anyone possibly have the heart to abandon such an adorable and exquisite tiger cub that was clearly well-cared for? It was probably lost by accident, and its owner was likely desperately searching for it right now.
Nan Zhi suddenly sighed and reluctantly looked at the little treasure in her arms.
It was not advisable to lose ambition to playthings. She still had to do the right thing.
Helping the little treasure find its owner was also necessary, but before that, she had to pick the Hanging Moon Fruits first.
She held the little white tiger in one hand and performed a spell with the other.
Flames ignited on her fingertips and flew toward the trees bearing the Hanging Moon Fruits. For a moment, the rich fragrance of the Hanging Moon Fruits in the air became even more intense, reaching a level that was almost overpowering.
Nan Zhi’s nostrils flared. With a frown, she made a hand seal and concealed herself in the forest.
According to the Records of the Nine Continents, when the Hanging Moon Fruit ripens and falls, there is a high probability of attracting the Golden-Striped Dragon Python, and a small probability of attracting the Golden-Striped Dragon Python King. Many cultivators flee upon smelling the scent, as the Golden-Striped Dragon Python is a seventh-rank spirit beast, equivalent to a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Nan Zhi was not worried about this. She had entered the Nascent Soul realm long ago and had the pure bloodline of the dragon race. Objectively speaking, she was almost invincible in the same realm and could even fight a higher-level opponent.
In just a moment, a subtle rustling sound came from not far away.
Large patches of half-human-high grass in the forest began to shake, a sign that the Golden-Striped Dragon Python was about to arrive.
Nan Zhi cast another spell and concealed her aura as well.
Soon, a few golden-bodied Golden-Striped Dragon Pythons emerged from the grass with their triangular snake heads, slowly crawling to the foot of the tree. Their bodies were intertwined. Their green, vertical pupils stared ominously at the Hanging Moon Fruits, and their fangs, dripping with saliva, were eager to act.
This was a very normal action, but Nan Zhi narrowed her eyes and noticed something was wrong.
A group of injured Golden-Striped Dragon Pythons had come. Their bodies were twisted, their movements slow, and there were even traces of red bl00d left where they crawled.
There were indeed signs of a struggle in the surroundings. Could it be that the little white tiger’s owner was injured and fled without being able to take it with them?
Nan Zhi thought about it. Perhaps it wasn’t asleep but was injured and unconscious. The demon race was always vigilant. There was no reason for it not to wake up with such a commotion.
It’s probably like this. After all, the injuries of these Golden-Striped Dragon Pythons looked too severe.
Soon, the Hanging Moon Fruits were almost ripe. Under the operation of the spell formation, the Golden-Striped Dragon Pythons gradually realized something was wrong and prepared to flee.
Nan Zhi was quick. She summoned a clean, straight dragon bone, which floated directly behind the pythons.
The serpentine instincts of the pythons made them restless. They arched their bodies and made a warning sound at the dragon bone: “Hiss, hiss—”
Nan Zhi’s heart was calm. She composedly controlled the dragon bone.
The straight dragon bone seemed to have gained sentience. It flew toward the snakes as fast as a gust of wind.
“Roar!”
Upon contact, the Golden-Striped Dragon Pythons cried out in pain, tormented by the dragon bone that, despite having no blade, was as sharp as a knife.
Nan Zhi held up two fingers and quietly chanted, “Transform.”
Instantly, the spell formation rose from the ground, and a raging inferno ignited all around. For the prey, there was now no escape.
Seeing this, the Golden-Striped Dragon Pythons frantically slammed against the barrier blocking their path, hissing continuously, seemingly cursing the cultivator who had yet to appear as a devious person.
Nan Zhi was calm about this and even managed to spare a moment to give the little white tiger a pat.
After hundreds of years of experience, she had met some rogue cultivators and learned some unconventional tricks from them, such as this Dark-flame Purple Fire which specializes in restraining snakes, along with other strange fighting styles. Before long, the pythons that had been yelling in the formation were refined by the fire. The Hanging Moon Fruits were also ripened to a full red.
Nan Zhi closed her eyes to consolidate her realm for a moment. Then she picked the Hanging Moon Fruits one by one, and even the valuable things around her were not left behind.
If you were to ask her why she was so ruthless, she would silently scream: The dragon race is too poor!
So poor that she had worn one piece of clothing for three hundred years. So poor that she didn’t have money to replace her compass even after its paint had chipped. So poor that the handle of her talisman-drawing pen was frayed, but she was still using it.
After clearing the area, Nan Zhi almost laughed at her poverty. She then meticulously cleaned everything up and prepared to go to the next place to “sheer the wool.”
Before coming to this secret realm, she had heard that the Dead-Bone Grass would appear here.
So, she had set up a spell formation in that place in advance, waiting to sell the rare flowers she had just picked at a high price to cultivators who wanted to break the formation.
But before that, she had to make a trip to the Golden-Striped Dragon Python King’s cave. The reason was simple: the Golden-Striped Dragon Python King’s skin and internal organs were very valuable and could be sold at a high price to an artifact refiner.
Nan Zhi couldn’t help but sigh. What a damn, busy day.
…
It was night. The moon was dark, and the wind was high.
Nan Zhi had planned to scout the Golden-Striped Dragon Python King’s cave under the cover of night, but due to the delay caused by the little white tiger, she had to abandon the plan.
For this, she tried to use it as an excuse to pet the little white tiger in her arms again. But unlike before—
The little white tiger in her arms let out a soft “ying” sound.
Nan Zhi was suddenly stunned. A hint of confusion appeared in her eyes before she slowly lowered her head.
The little white tiger’s eyes, like polished glass, were filled with a watery mist. Its adorable appearance gave it a clumsy look. A soft, low grunt came from its mouth.
“…”
Nan Zhi’s breath hitched. A thought of viciously tormenting the tiger cub in her arms arose at an inopportune moment.
Of course, as a dignified dragon, she would never do such a thing. But under the little white tiger’s bewildered gaze, she slowly revealed a smile and lowered her voice to sound gentle.
“Little baby.”
“Are you awake?”
Yu Shu, who had just opened her eyes and been called “little baby” by her mortal enemy, the dragon: …