The Beloved Master's Mad Dog Disciple - Chapter 38

The pitch-black environment was so dark that one couldn’t see their own hand in front of their face. Not a single…

The pitch-black environment was so dark that one couldn’t see their own hand in front of their face. Not a single glimmer of light pierced the darkness, yet the woman’s voice echoed relentlessly, growing louder and louder.

Bo Xuenong and Shen Yanting continued to plummet downward, drawing closer to the source of the voice, but still no light appeared.

Suddenly, Bo Xuenong recalled how, within the spiritual formation, Shen Yanting would instinctively sit closer to her whenever her spiritual light flickered during cultivation.

Master loves light.

Bo Xuenong swiftly channeled her spiritual power, causing a verdant spiritual mist to emanate from her arms. The soft green glow illuminated a small area, swirling around her body.

They still couldn’t see the woman speaking, but the woman sensed the movement and shrieked into the darkness, “Who’s there!”

The voice came from below.

Shen Yanting curled the red cloth wrapped around Bo Xuenong’s neck, a faint golden light flickering at her fingertips. Their descent accelerated sharply.

Bo Xuenong glanced at Shen Yanting in surprise.

Shen Yanting seemed eager to meet the woman speaking.

Just as they were about to land, countless emerald vines surged toward them, their tendrils snapping Bo Xuenong out of her thoughts. She gripped the Suspended Ink Sword and swung it forcefully, severing the vines that swarmed around them. They landed steadily on the ground.

The vines didn’t relent, thrashing more aggressively and advancing with increasing speed.

Shen Yanting released Bo Xuenong and Liu Huairou. The moment the pressure eased from her neck, Bo Xuenong surged forward, slashing through the nearest vines. She wove through the tangled mass with the Suspended Ink Sword, quickly realizing these vines were no ordinary threat. Each vine was exceptionally thick, capable of absorbing Spiritual Qi, and bristled with long, vicious thorns.

The thorns were razor-sharp; a moment’s carelessness could leave one’s skin scraped raw.

Worse still, the vines regenerated at an alarming rate.

Bo Xuenong glanced back to see Shen Yanting already forming hand seals. Her heart sank.

She wanted to be Shen Yanting’s blade.

A razor-sharp blade.

Bo Xuenong refused to let such a minor nuisance require Shen Yanting’s intervention. She tightened her grip on the Suspended Ink Sword, pressed the blade against her left palm, and yanked it down with brutal force.

The sword sliced through her palm, its blade stained crimson with bl00d.

As her fingers slid along the sword’s length, the fresh bl00d suddenly ignited, flames erupting along the blade.

Bo Xuenong straightened, gripping the sword hilt tightly with both hands. With a powerful swing toward the vines, the flames detached from the Suspended Ink Sword, instantly transforming into fiery birds that surged toward the vines. The verdant tendrils ignited instantly, the conflagration spreading rapidly.

The towering flames illuminated the entire formation, finally revealing the speaker’s full form.

She was completely bound by dense, thorny vines, only her head remaining exposed. The thorns had pierced her skin, bl00d trickling down the vines, staining them crimson.

Though her features were exquisitely refined, her prolonged lack of water and bl00d loss had left her complexion pale and wan. Her dark, lustrous eyes stared blankly ahead, unfocused.

After a long moment, the raging flames finally reflected in her pupils, which contracted sharply. “Heavenly Cuisine Sect beasts! If you’re going to kill me, at least spare me the fire! Give me a quick death!”

Shen Yanting cast a deep glance at Bo Xuenong, then with a subtle shift of her form, appeared before the female cultivator.

Before the female cultivator could react, Shen Yanting severed the vines binding her, freeing her from their grasp. Just as she reached out to take the cultivator’s arm and pull her away, she realized something was wrong.

She couldn’t find a place to touch her.

A silver-white snake coiled around the cultivator’s neck, its slender body winding down her left shoulder and arm, all the way to her palm. A greyfur rabbit perched on her right shoulder, while an arm-length purple centipede wrapped around her right arm. A massive golden-shelled turtle clung to her back, and a giant white spider dangled from her chest.

Shen Yanting’s hand froze in mid-air.

The female cultivator looked drained of Spiritual Qi by the formation, her body already weak and burdened by the menagerie of beasts. Without the support of the vines, she swayed precariously, on the verge of collapsing.

Seeing her about to fall, Shen Yanting unleashed a surge of spiritual power, transforming it into a semi-transparent whip that coiled around the cultivator, the turtle, and the wolf. With a swift tug, she pulled them away from the center of the vines.

Bo Xuenong hurried to meet Shen Yanting.

Noticing Shen Yanting’s apparent concern for the female cultivator, Bo Xuenong lowered her head, feeling deeply dejected.

Bo Xuenong was somewhat afraid that Shen Yanting would blame her for setting the fire, accusing her of endangering the female cultivator. However, after Shen Yanting carried the cultivator away from the flames, she set her down gently, took Bo Xuenong’s hand, and stared at the newly formed scar on her palm, her brow furrowing. “Nong’er, this isn’t how the Spirit Fire Technique is supposed to be used.”

“M-Master,” Bo Xuenong lowered her head guiltily. “It was just so quick.”

Her innate talent for Formation and Talisman Arts was mediocre, but she excelled at techniques, especially those designed for killing. Bo Xuenong even possessed the ability to modify gentle techniques, making them faster and more lethal.

Due to the warlike and bloodthirsty nature of her bloodline, Bo Xuenong’s innate talent in this area was exceptional. She had successfully read Guan Caimei’s memories on her first attempt using the Soul-Searching Technique.

Shen Yanting pressed her lips together slightly but ultimately said nothing more. She retrieved a medicinal ointment and applied it to Bo Xuenong’s palm.

As the cool pads of her fingers slowly rubbed the ointment into the wound, Bo Xuenong should have felt pain or cold, but instead, she felt warmth first.

Bo Xuenong secretly exhaled, yet her palm grew even warmer.

And slightly itchy.

Her gaze drifted unconsciously across the formation. The female cultivator sat slumped on the ground, staring blankly at the towering flames, struggling to believe the scene unfolding before her eyes.

Gui Nian’an and Liu Huairou, seeing the strange cultivator covered in demon beasts, instinctively distanced themselves from her.

The vines grew fewer, and the flames gradually dimmed.

Bo Xuenong, having applied the medicine, wiped her slightly sweaty hands and pointed at the female cultivator. “Master, who is she?”

Bo Xuenong’s voice startled the female cultivator awake. She finally reacted. “You’re not from the Heavenly Cuisine Sect. Who are you?”

The light had grown dim.

Shen Yanting raised her hand, and wisps of golden mist dispersed from her palm.

The pale golden mist rapidly coalesced into small lanterns that floated upward, suddenly illuminating the dark array as brightly as day.

The female cultivator’s eyelashes fluttered twice as she stared at Shen Yanting in disbelief. “Heavens! Sister Shen! It’s been over five hundred years! I never expected to see you here! Did you come to rescue me?”

Shen Yanting nodded slightly, her demeanor distant and polite, unlike the female cultivator’s warmth. “Fellow Daoist Si, it’s been a long time.”

The female cultivator, still seated on the ground and weighed down by the pile of creatures, wriggled forward twice. “Sister Shen, we’re practically family! Can we skip the formalities? I’m in so much pain! Come help me share the burden, or my little darlings will die!”

Shen Yanting’s eyelid twitched.

She didn’t move.

The female cultivator blinked at Shen Yanting. “Sister Shen?”

Shen Yanting extended her hand, a faint golden mist enveloping her palm. Under the Female Cultivator’s expectant gaze, she reached forward, then abruptly stopped.

After a moment of hesitation, she finally reached for the Greyfur Rabbit.

The instant her hand touched the rabbit, the golden mist enveloped it completely. Ensuring every strand of fur was thoroughly coated in Spiritual Qi-infused mist, Shen Yanting lifted the rabbit from the Female Cultivator’s shoulder and placed it on her own left shoulder.

A soft golden light spread across Shen Yanting’s shoulder. The Greyfur Rabbit shrank slightly, its tiny claws gripping the fabric of her robe as it settled securely into place.

The Female Cultivator winked and gestured toward the other demon beasts clinging to her body, urging Shen Yanting to take a look.

Ignoring her pleading eyes, Shen Yanting produced two pills—a Vitality Restoration Pill and a Healing Pill—and fed them to the Female Cultivator.

The Female Cultivator grumbled, “Sister Shen, it’s been years! Why are you still so partial to Huihui? Silverfur followed you too, you know.”

She craned her neck toward Shen Yanting, gesturing for her to notice the snake coiled around her throat.

Shen Yanting regarded the Female Cultivator with a complex expression. “You’re not at your last breath yet. Your little darlings won’t die.”

The female cultivator was still trying to persuade Shen Yanting when her peripheral vision caught sight of Bo Xuenong standing close by. Her eyes lit up as she noticed the fluffy ears atop Bo Xuenong’s head. “Sister Shen, I just heard her call you ‘Master.’ Is she your disciple? She must be as virtuous and talented as you. Why don’t you ask her to let my hearts and livers cling to her? I’m sure they’ll behave themselves.”

Shen Yanting hesitated, but Bo Xuenong immediately stepped forward. “Alright.”

Bo Xuenong agreed before Shen Yanting could even ask.

Shen Yanting gave Bo Xuenong a strange look, but Bo Xuenong smiled. “Master’s friend is our friend. Shouldn’t we help?”

This was a lie.

The truth was that the female cultivator had just praised Bo Xuenong for being like Shen Yanting.

Shen Yanting, in a surprisingly good mood, extended her hand. Pale azure spiritual mist enveloped her palm as she first reached for the snake. Mimicking Shen Yanting’s movements, she removed the silver serpent from the female cultivator’s neck. Just as she was about to place it around her own neck, Shen Yanting nudged her arm. In the end, the silver serpent only coiled around Bo Xuenong’s left arm, though it wrapped several more times than it had on the female cultivator.

Bo Xuenong noticed a faint “Spirit” character on the snake’s head, finally realizing the female cultivator’s identity. She must be from the Beast Taming Sect, and these creatures were her Beast Tamers.

The key difference between Beast Tamers and ordinary demon beasts was the presence of their Master’s character on their bodies. Beast Tamers could share power with their Masters, and correspondingly, injuries and healing were shared as well. The intense blaze earlier had obscured Shen Yanting’s appearance, likely due to the backlash of Demonic Power, which had temporarily impaired her vision.

When a Master was injured, they could draw upon their Beast Tamer’s Demonic Power to mend their body. Conversely, when a Beast Tamer was injured, they could draw upon their Master’s spiritual power to heal themselves.

However, when both parties were critically wounded, they could only cling to each other for survival, as the female cultivator and her beasts were doing. Typically, in such situations, the Human Cultivator would first heal their wounds using medicinal pills and Spiritual Herbs, after which the Beast Tamer would absorb Spiritual Qi from their Master to mend itself. In this precarious state, if the Master’s Spiritual Qi circulation ceased, the Beast Tamer would perish.

The female cultivator was critically injured and on the verge of losing consciousness at any moment.

If she lost consciousness, her Spiritual Qi would cease circulating, causing all her Beast Tamers to die.

This was why the Female Cultivator insisted on sharing her Spiritual Qi with Shen Yanting.

While Beast Tamers couldn’t directly absorb Spiritual Qi from other cultivators, they could temporarily sustain themselves by attaching to another cultivator willing to share their energy. This prevented them from completely draining their Master and ensured they wouldn’t perish if their Master lost consciousness.

At this point, separating all the Beast Tamers from the Female Cultivator was the best course of action.

Shen Yanting only took the Greyfur Rabbit, likely because… she disliked Beast Tamers without fur.

As Bo Xuenong pondered this, she transferred all the Beast Tamers from the Female Cultivator onto herself. Only after completing the transfer did she understand why Shen Yanting had only taken the Greyfur Rabbit.

The silver serpent was slick and slimy, its injuries causing it to uncontrollably drip mucus that quickly soaked her right sleeve. The spider in her arms periodically spat silk toward her face, while the turtle on her back was also dripping wet. The centipede on her left arm continuously dripped venom.

Shen Yanting had been right to take only the Greyfur Rabbit.

The Female Cultivator was covered in far too much bl00d—Bo Xuenong hadn’t even noticed it earlier.

Bo Xuenong’s lips twitched violently as she forced a smile. “This young lady’s Beast Tamer is quite… unique.”

The female cultivator, now relieved of all her burdens, stretched her arms and collapsed flat on her back. Her body was covered in a dense network of wounds, her bl00d-soaked robes clinging to the ground. Though she had cursed the Heavenly Cuisine Sect with such vigor moments before, she now seemed utterly drained of strength. Yet when she heard Bo Xuenong’s words, she managed to raise a hand. “Good eye!”

After responding to Bo Xuenong, she rolled over and her weary eyelids drooped shut, as if she might fall asleep at any moment.

She looked utterly exhausted. Her ability to remain conscious despite her grievous injuries was solely due to her desperate efforts to support her Beast Tamer.

Shen Yanting lowered her gaze, studying the female cultivator. “Fellow Daoist Si, don’t sleep here. We need to get out.”

“Those heartless bastards at the Heavenly Cuisine Sect have linked the confinement formation to the Sect-Protecting Grand Formation. We can’t escape unless we break the Sect-Protecting Grand Formation first.” The female cultivator forced her eyes open, her gaze shifting to Shen Yanting. Her pale lips moved slightly. “Sister Shen, let me recover my strength, and then we’ll break the formation together.”

The Sect-Protecting Grand Formation was unlike any other formation.

The Sect-Protecting Grand Formation was the foundation of the sect, passed down through generations. Each generation of Formation Cultivators replenished it with spirit stones, while each Sect Leader and Elder replenished it with spiritual power. Over centuries, this accumulated power far surpassed that of ordinary high-level spiritual formations.

The more formidable the sect, the more powerful and enduring its Sect-Protecting Grand Formation.

The Heavenly Cuisine Sect had deep roots and was rapidly growing in strength. The spiritual power contained within its Sect-Protecting Grand Formation was terrifying beyond measure.

Shen Yanting understood this perfectly, yet she insisted, “We can’t wait. I’m taking you out of here now.”

“Really?” The Female Cultivator’s eyes brightened momentarily, but her face quickly fell again. “Even if you could get us out, Sister Shen, you’d be completely drained. We’d still have no chance of escaping those beasts from the Heavenly Cuisine Sect unscathed. It’s better to wait until I’ve recovered some strength.”

Shen Yanting glanced casually at Gui Nian’an and Liu Huairou. “I can’t wait.”

The Heavenly Cuisine Sect already knew Shen Yanting had discovered the secret of Lanshou Village. They might send someone to erase all traces of the Spirit Supplement’s existence there, which would make things far worse.

She hauled the Female Cultivator to her feet and was about to carry her on her back when Bo Xuenong couldn’t help but step forward. “Master, let me carry her.”

The Female Cultivator could only stand with Shen Yanting’s support. She squinted at Bo Xuenong. “Um… Little disciple, there’s no room left.”

Bo Xuenong’s body was completely covered in Beast Tamer creatures, leaving no space for another.

This was true, but Bo Xuenong wasn’t pleased.

She couldn’t help but think, Why isn’t this woman dead? If she were, we could just put her in the Storage Jade Bracelet.

Gui Nian’an, having noticed Shen Yanting’s acquaintance with the Female Cultivator, moved closer. She observed the subtle shift in Bo Xuenong’s expression. “Um… Miss Bo, shall I carry her?”

Shen Yanting glanced at Bo Xuenong and readily handed the Female Cultivator over. “Thank you.”

The Female Cultivator offered no resistance, obediently settling onto Gui Nian’an’s back.

As soon as she leaned against her, she shivered. “You’re so cold.”

Corpse Cultivators naturally lacked warmth.

Gui Nian’an didn’t explain, but she noticed Bo Xuenong’s expression softening slightly.

Bo Xuenong shifted the spider in her arms upward and asked Shen Yanting earnestly, “Master, which way should we go now?”

“To find the array’s core.”

Shen Yanting gently pressed two fingers together and slowly traced a pattern in the air.

A pale golden mist surged from the shapeless pattern, gradually coalescing into a golden butterfly.

Once fully formed, the butterfly gently shook its wings, scattering golden dust as it suddenly darted eastward.

Shen Yanting swiftly grabbed the cloth strip around Bo Xuenong’s neck. “Let’s go.”

Gui Nian’an, carrying the female cultivator on her back, cradled the cultivation-less Liu Huairou in her arms and followed behind.

The drowsy female cultivator, her eyes snapping wide awake the moment she saw Shen Yanting grasp the red cloth strip, called out, “Sister Shen, you still haven’t told me your disciple’s name!”

Shen Yanting, walking at a moderate pace, pointed to Bo Xuenong. “This is my disciple, Bo Xuenong.”

After a moment’s thought, she gestured to Liu Huairou. “Her name is Liu Huairou, from Lanshou Village.”

“I’m Gui Nian’an,” Gui Nian’an introduced herself, adjusting Liu Huairou in her arms. “This is my mother.”

The female cultivator craned her neck forward, straining to see their faces clearly. “Your mother is much prettier than you.”

Gui Nian’an and Liu Huairou’s expressions darkened simultaneously. The beauty granted by the Contending Blossom Talisman brought them no joy.

The female cultivator continued rambling, “We’re quite fated, aren’t we? I’m not as pretty as my mother either.”

The Female Cultivator mentioned her mother, prompting Shen Yanting to suddenly remember she needed to tell Bo Xuenong something. “Her name is Si Xianling, the Young Sect Master of the Beast Taming Sect. Her mother is Sect Leader Mo’s martial aunt, and used to be my Grand Martial Aunt.”

Bo Xuenong raised an eyebrow in surprise, unsure if Shen Yanting was explaining why she was so familiar with Si Xianling.

Si Xianling immediately chimed in, “Before my father and mother dissolved their Dao Companion bond, I used to visit the Cloudmist Sect often. I loved pestering Sister Shen for bets and even lost Huihui and Silverfur to her once! Thankfully, Sister Shen wasn’t very interested in Beast Taming, giving me a chance to win them back. But after my parents separated, my mother forbade me from going to the Cloudmist Sect, and my father wouldn’t let her come to the Beast Taming Sect either. Now, whenever I want to see her, I have to send a message and meet her somewhere else.”

As they reminisced about the past between the Beast Taming Sect and the Cloudmist Sect, Shen Yanting suddenly recalled the aura of hundreds of tamed beasts they had sensed at the Heavenly Cuisine Sect. “Fellow Daoist Si, besides you, who else in the Beast Taming Sect can command over a hundred beasts?”

“Zhu Ningfu, of course,” Si Xianling sighed deeply, leaning against Gui Nian’an’s shoulder. “She’s the current Sect Leader of the Beast Taming Sect, so naturally she has that authority.”

Shen Yanting was stunned. “The Sect Leader of the Beast Taming Sect has changed?”

“Sister Shen, where have you been hiding since you left the Cloudmist Sect? How could you not know about this?” Si Xianling murmured, a rare hint of sorrow in her eyes. “My father died four hundred years ago.”

Si Xianling’s background was somewhat unique. In the Cultivation World, most Dao Companions focused solely on advancing their cultivation, rarely investing time in romance. Her parents, however, were an exception. They not only loved each other deeply but also chose to conceive a child, jointly passing down their bloodline.

Yet, despite her mother being a Supreme Elder of the Cloudmist Sect and her father the Sect Leader of the Beast Taming Sect, Si Xianling was born with only mediocre innate talent.

This was why she was raised in the Beast Taming Sect rather than the Cloudmist Sect.

The Beast Taming Sect possessed Spirit Beasts with special bloodlines. By forming a contract with one, Si Xianling could enhance her own innate talent. To ensure a Spirit Beast with a special bloodline would deem her worthy, her parents even had her surname changed to match the Spirit Beast’s. After bonding with a Spirit Beast, they continued to nurture her bloodline and spiritual root with various Spiritual Herbs.

Si Xianling was considered a fortunate Second-Generation Immortal. Despite her lacking innate talent, her parents never abandoned her or sent her to the mortal realm. Instead, they meticulously nurtured her spiritual root. Even after her spiritual root was fully developed, they never pressured her to cultivate diligently or demanded she bring them honor.

Si Xianling had always been meticulously cared for, making this her first serious injury.

Hearing this, Bo Xuenong couldn’t help but ask, “Senior Si, why were you at the Heavenly Cuisine Sect?”

Si Xianling’s temper flared instantly. “I was enjoying myself in Divine Moon City that day when I sensed the aura of a Demonic Cultivator. Seeing him mingling with members of the Heavenly Cuisine Sect, I followed them. At first, I thought he was a spy from the Demon Sect who had infiltrated the Heavenly Cuisine Sect. But then I discovered that the sect itself was raising Demonic Cultivators! The Heavenly Cuisine Sect is raising Demonic Cultivators! Of course I couldn’t let that stand. I would have escaped unscathed, but they trapped me in this place and drained my energy with a formation, leaving me with these injuries. Even my Beast Tamer is on the verge of death.”

Si Xianling had likely encountered one of the children from Lanshou Village.

Bo Xuenong pondered this silently, while Shen Yanting and the others maintained their composure. Si Xianling began to suspect she hadn’t made herself clear enough.

Si Xianling raised an eyebrow, her expression peculiar. “The Heavenly Cuisine Sect—a righteous sect—is raising Demonic Cultivators! Why aren’t you even a little surprised?”

“The Heavenly Cuisine Sect doesn’t just harbor Demonic Cultivators,” Bo Xuenong said simply, recounting the events of Lanshou Village. Si Xianling listened, her eyes widening in disbelief. “No wonder they were so desperate to trap me in this hellhole! They were hiding such vile secrets, afraid I’d uncover them. They’re truly a pack of beasts! Once I get out of here, I’ll make sure everyone knows about the Heavenly Cuisine Sect’s atrocities.”

Shen Yanting shook her head in disapproval. “Fellow Daoist Si, we can’t make this public. If the truth about the Human Talismans and Spirit Supplements gets out, not a single one of the hundreds of people in Lanshou Village will survive.”

It took Si Xianling a moment to realize what Shen Yanting was worried about. “Sister Shen, aren’t you being a bit paranoid? Aside from those Demonic Cultivators, who in their right mind would covet another’s flesh and bl00d?”

“You don’t covet it because you don’t lack it,” Shen Yanting said, cutting to the heart of the matter. “Aren’t all those people in the Heavenly Cuisine Sect outwardly righteous cultivators?”

Si Xianling took the warning to heart. “Then I won’t tell anyone.”

When she looked at Gui Nian’an and Liu Huairou again, her gaze had clearly softened, now tinged with sympathy.

Shen Yanting glanced back several times before finally asking Si Xianling, “Fellow Daoist Si, what’s your relationship with the current Sect Leader of the Beast Taming Sect?”

“Not bad, what’s wrong?”

Shen Yanting told Si Xianling about sensing hundreds of Beast Tamer auras outside the Beast Taming Sect, suspecting collusion between the Beast Taming Sect and the Heavenly Cuisine Sect. Initially, Si Xianling had dismissed the idea, but after learning that the Beast Taming Sect had changed Sect Leaders and that Si Xianling’s father had died, Shen Yanting’s suspicions resurfaced.

Hearing about the hundreds of Beast Tamers outside, the corners of Si Xianling’s mouth couldn’t help but twitch upward. “It seems there’s hope for destroying the Heavenly Cuisine Sect after all!”

After her moment of glee, Si Xianling remembered to reassure Shen Yanting. “Sister Shen, don’t worry. Zhu Ningfu is my stepmother. Those Beast Tamers are probably here looking for me. She’s been very good to me, and besides… even if she wanted to treat me badly, her beasts wouldn’t allow it. She fully inherited my father’s beasts, and you know how devoted they were to me.”

Bo Xuenong looked puzzled. “Fully?”

“Mm-hmm,” Si Xianling nodded. “Yes, even the Lifebound Beast. That’s why it’s a complete inheritance.”

Shen Yanting was utterly bewildered. “The other beasts, fine, but the Lifebound Beast… how is that even possible?”

Bo Xuenong was equally puzzled. Even someone like her, who knew nothing about Beast Taming, understood that to become a Beast Tamer, one had to choose a Lifebound Beast upon reaching the peak of Foundation Establishment to continue cultivating. While it was true that demon beasts generally lived far longer than Human Cultivators, leading to multiple generations of humans sharing the same Lifebound Beast, it was highly improbable for two consecutive Sect Leaders to share the same Lifebound Beast. After all, the current Sect Leader couldn’t have been barely ready to choose their cultivation path when the previous Sect Leader died, could they?

Si Xianling understood their confusion and murmured softly, “She’s like you, Sister Shen—a Dual Spirit Root cultivator who chose only one path. She was originally a Spirit Transformation Realm Pill Cultivator. After my father and mother separated, he got together with her. She’s not only more skilled than my mother at capturing my father’s heart, but she also made him believe that she was the only suitable successor to the Beast Taming Sect, and he left all the Beast Taming techniques to her.”

Shen Yanting: “There’s something wrong with Zhu Ningfu.”

Si Xianling: “Why do you say that, Sister Shen?”

Shen Yanting: “Dual Spirit Root cultivators who choose only one path can only focus on that path once they begin cultivating. If they try to switch to the other path after reaching a certain level, their cultivation realm will plummet.”

Dual Spirit Root is a symbol of innate talent, but cultivating it is extremely difficult.

To advance to the next realm, one must break through two bottlenecks simultaneously. This is an excruciating ordeal for the impatient, and it risks scattering one’s focus, wasting their innate talent and achieving nothing in either path. Mo Tingshu’s ability to become the youngest Sect Leader of the First Sect stems from her mastery of not just two paths, but her proficiency in both.

For Zhu Ningfu to choose another path at the Spirit Transformation Realm would not only cause her cultivation to regress, but her alchemy skills would stagnate until her Beast Taming abilities caught up. Had she been at a lower cultivation level, such as the Golden Core Realm or below, choosing another path might have been understandable. But at the Spirit Transformation Realm, it seemed illogical.

Shen Yanting, also possessing a Dual Spirit Root, had chosen only one path. She understood this matter far better than Si Xianling and the others.

Bo Xuenong listened intently to Shen Yanting’s explanation, then nodded. “Master speaks with reason.”

Si Xianling didn’t respond immediately. After a long pause, she said, “Zhu Ningfu may indeed have ulterior motives, but she would never collaborate with the Heavenly Cuisine Sect to harm me. My father’s Lifebound Beast is Huihui’s mother, after all. If Zhu Ningfu tried to harm me, her own Lifebound Beast would never allow it.”

“Mother of Huihui.”

Bo Xuenong distinctly remembered Si Xianling calling the greyfur rabbit “Huihui.”

She pointed hesitantly at the soft, docile-looking greyfur rabbit perched on Shen Yanting’s shoulder. “Senior Si, is this your Lifebound Beast?”

Si Xianling nodded. “That’s right.”

Bo Xuenong found this even stranger. “Shouldn’t it have the surname Si? Aren’t you supposed to take the surname of your Spirit Beast?”

Si Xianling tilted her chin. “Exactly! Its full name is Si Tingxuan, and its nickname is Huihui.”

Seeing her old friend, Shen Yanting’s expression brightened slightly.

She gave Si Xianling, who was now preening with smugness, a look that spoke volumes. “You’d better keep calling it that when it wakes up.”

Si Xianling instantly fell silent.

Bo Xuenong immediately understood. There was no nickname at all. Si Xianling was simply amusing herself while Si Tingxuan and the others were unconscious.

The greyfur rabbit wasn’t just Si Xianling’s Lifebound Beast; it was also the special Spirit Beast capable of keeping her in check.

Wait a minute.

She had just said she’d lost both the rabbit and the snake to Shen Yanting.

Even her Lifebound Beast lost?

Was Si Xianling betting half her life away?

Bo Xuenong’s gaze toward Si Xianling shifted, but Si Xianling remained oblivious. No longer able to easily drift off to sleep, she began searching for amusing distractions to keep herself awake.

Her eyes circled Bo Xuenong’s single, furry ear before she finally blurted out, “Little disciple, why do you only have one ear?”

Bo Xuenong instinctively reached up to cover her ear. Shen Yanting, following the golden butterfly, gently pushed Bo Xuenong forward, shielding her from Si Xianling’s gaze. Correcting Si Xianling’s address, she said, “Nong’er is my disciple, not yours.”

Was this… asserting dominance?

Bo Xuenong couldn’t have been happier. She even forgot to cover her ear, joyfully declaring, “That’s right! I belong to Master!”

“I can say it too!” Si Xianling raised a finger. “I belong to my Mother!”

Bo Xuenong muttered, “Mother and Master are different.”

Si Xianling retorted, “How are they different? Haven’t you heard the saying, ‘One day as a master, a lifetime as a mother’?”

“I’ve heard it,” Bo Xuenong said after glancing at Shen Yanting several times. “But Master said she won’t be my mother.”

Si Xianling was instantly wide awake.

Her energy surged as she leaned against Gui Nian’an’s shoulder, her eyes darting around. Suddenly, she called out to Shen Yanting, “Sister Shen, I can never repay your life-saving kindness. The only way to show my gratitude is to offer myself to you!”

Bo Xuenong stopped in her tracks. “I’ve already offered myself! You can’t do the same!”

Si Xianling’s eyes gleamed as she stared intently at Shen Yanting. At that moment, she had completely forgotten her exhaustion and even the pain from her injuries.

Sensing the burning gaze behind her, Shen Yanting stiffened slightly and tugged the red cloth, quickening her pace with Bo Xuenong in tow.

The cloth tightened around her neck, leaving a faint red mark from the sudden pull.

Bo Xuenong didn’t utter a sound, merely stretched her neck forward and matched Shen Yanting’s pace.

Si Xianling’s eyes shone even brighter.

Even her own Beast Tamer companions never behaved this obediently.

Purposely straining her voice, Si Xianling called out, “Sister Shen, should I pretend to be blind now?”

When Shen Yanting and Bo Xuenong turned around, they saw her grinning. “If necessary, I can even pretend to be deaf!”