The Sickly Beauty and Her Guide Leopard - Chapter 15

Jian Li felt indifferent toward Yan Qingshuang, occasionally thinking she was remarkably patient with solitude.

As a blind cultivator, Yan Qingshuang did everything alone—exploring Mystic Realms solo, taking on high-difficulty missions.

Jian Li grinned, her tone carefree. “My suggestion is the most practical. Just chop it off and be done with it!”

Yan Qingshuang knew Jian Li was trying to comfort her, so she agreed, “Alright, let’s be done with it.”

Hua Feiyi silently noted this. Perhaps this “Xiao Li” Spiritual Beast truly possessed Great Demon bl00d, her nature a chaotic mix of good and evil, her temperament unpredictable.

Jian Li loved the picturesque scenery here. She leaped to the ground, eager for a post-breakfast sprint.

After informing Yan Qingshuang, she darted off, covering a hundred meters in a flash.

A Great Goose, now sentient, roamed the area. Spotting the unfamiliar Spiritual Beast trespassing on its territory, its territorial instincts flared.

It’s well-known that the Beast Clan has heightened environmental sensitivity, but this Little Snow Leopard was an exception.

Only when a sharp pain pierced her rear did Jian Li yelp, “Who’s the pervert pecking my butt?!”

She howled all the way, the Great Goose relentlessly pursuing her, its beak aimed squarely at her rear.

The commotion drew several other Spiritual Beasts, who poked their heads out to watch the spectacle.

Jian Li rolled into Yan Qingshuang’s arms, sobbing for protection.

The Great Goose spotted Hua Feiyi and stretched its neck, stubbornly demanding food.

“Boss Hua, why haven’t you been feeding us lately?”

Hua Feiyi replied without looking up from the Spirit Mirror, where she was posting a mission, “Busy. I’ll hire someone to feed you later.”

“Oh, then I’ll be off,” the Great Goose flapped its wings and turned to Jian Li. “With your cowardice, you’d better stay out of this.”

Once the Great Goose had left, Jian Li wailed, “We have the identity tokens now. Let’s go! I’m scared of geese.”

Hua Feiyi coughed a few times, her gaze lingering on the pair of humans and Spiritual Beast as if they were the only ones present. The Little Spiritual Beast didn’t realize she could understand Beast Speech.

“It’s not about meddling. You can’t even lift a finger—how could you possibly help her?”

So you can understand me after all, Jian Li thought, half pleased and half dismayed. Now I can’t even chat privately with Little Shuang without you eavesdropping.

Yan Qingshuang spoke up for her, “It’s truly very clever.”

Hua Feiyi scoffed, “Don’t flatter it. Can cleverness be eaten like Spirit Stones?”

Jian Li quickly retorted, “Yes, it can! I can even take on missions to earn money.”

Hua Feiyi, seeing she wasn’t bluffing, chuckled. “Very well. I happen to have a mission to feed a Spiritual Beast. Dare you accept it?”

Just feeding an animal? Jian Li thought earnestly. How simple is that? In modern society, so many people keep pets. You don’t risk your life just by feeding them!

What kind of animal would eat its caretaker? That’s just cutting off its own food supply!

“Of course I dare! It’s a piece of cake,” Jian Li declared confidently, boasting shamelessly.

“The Little Spiritual Beast is so interesting,” Hua Feiyi cooed. “Good girl. Let Auntie pat your head.”

Hua Feiyi’s striking beauty could easily make one’s heart flutter. Jian Li poked her head out and said haughtily, “Pat gently.”

Yan Qingshuang subtly shifted her body, leaving Hua Feiyi patting empty air.

“Don’t go. It’s dangerous,” Yan Qingshuang warned, her voice as cold as a winter’s frost.

“Chang Chi’s side is dangerous, and now this is dangerous too? Don’t be such a worrywart,” Jian Li retorted.

“A Spiritual Beast, no matter how well-fed, remains a beast,” Yan Qingshuang insisted. “Its savage nature will never change.”

“But I’m a beast too! Everyone calls me a little beast. In your eyes, I’m just a beast, right?” Jian Li twisted in Yan Qingshuang’s arms, refusing to be held, and flung out the words in a fit of pique. She leaped down and bounded over to Hua Feiyi, introducing herself and listing her hobbies while adorably gnawing on her tail.

“You Beast Tamers are the best! You understand me. I’ll take the mission.”

Hua Feiyi pinched her little ear with satisfaction. “Good. I’ll give you extra Spirit Stones later.”

A bonus! Jian Li’s spirits soared even higher. She glanced sideways at Yan Qingshuang, but there was no reaction.

Yan Qingshuang knew she had spoken rashly. The lingering warmth of Jian Li’s soft fur still clung to her chest, yet the little beast hadn’t approached her again.

She crouched down, extending her arms toward Jian Li, her pale wrists gleaming like moonlight in the sunlight.

“Come here. I’ll take you to lunch.”

Eat, eat, eat! Jian Li grumbled inwardly. That’s all you ever think about. I wasn’t born just to eat!

But after a morning spent devouring ten steamed buns, she casually asked Hua Feiyi, “Hua Hua, what’s good at the Dining Hall today?”

Hua Feiyi checked her Spirit Mirror for messages from her food cultivator friend. “They have chicken, duck, fish, and goose, plus iced bean cakes for dessert.”

Goose.

Jian Li cheered inwardly. The pain from the Great Goose’s pecking had left a small shadow on her heart, and she wanted to make up for it by getting back at its kin.

Of course, Jian Li wanted to freeload off her employer. Before she could even start clinging to Hua Feiyi, she felt herself lifted into soft, gentle arms.

She struggled weakly, then sighed, “Hugging without warning? You have no manners.”

Yan Qingshuang: “I want to apologize.”

“Don’t say ‘sorry’.”

“Then what should I say?”

“You should say, ‘Xiao Li, as compensation for your emotional distress, I’ll treat you to two Great Goose legs’.”

“Alright, I’ll buy ten.”

Their dynamic hardly resembled a normal master-servant relationship. Based on Hua Feiyi’s years of experience and personal observations, she suspected this pair of human and beast were more than just friends.

Yan Qingshuang’s possessiveness was overwhelming, and Jian Li clearly had no choice but to submit.

Everyone knew Yan Qingshuang’s ruthless past when it came to slaying Fiends. In Mystic Realms and on missions, she’d slaughter them like chopping vegetables, without so much as a blink.

Now, Yan Qingshuang was preying on this tiny Spiritual Beast. Perhaps years of lonely nights in her empty chambers had left her desperate for companionship.

But with Yan Qingshuang’s rigid and humorless nature, she was making things difficult for the Little Spiritual Beast.

As a Beast Tamer, showing care for the well-being of Spiritual Beasts was a fundamental requirement.

Hua Feiyi stole a sympathetic glance at Jian Li. “Xiao Li, if you’re ever unhappy, you can come find me here, or just contact me through the Spirit Mirror.”

Jian Li’s heart warmed. “Okay, Hua Hua, you’re such a kind person!”

Yan Qingshuang remained silent, waiting for them to exchange Spirit Mirror Spiritual Imprints, laugh, and say their goodbyes.

Hua Feiyi was talkative, sharing stories and observations that made Jian Li clutch her stomach with laughter.

As they flew to the Dining Hall on a Celestial Crane, Jian Li leaned against Yan Qingshuang’s leg, chattering excitedly. “I want to visit Spirit Taming Peak more often. As an animal myself, it feels like coming home.”

“Hua Feiyi is really nice too. She said all Beast Tamers are sociable and get along well with Spiritual Beasts.”

“The scenery is amazing—pure, natural, and unspoiled. And no one looks down on me there!”

Yan Qingshuang said flatly, “The Great Goose bullied you.”

Jian Li shook her head. “Well… not entirely. As soon as Hua Feiyi showed up, it behaved itself.”

After a long pause, Yan Qingshuang finally grunted in acknowledgment.