A New Punching Bag Has Appeared—How Could We Afford to Stand Still?
Just as Shu Fu was cleaving through the waves with her greatsword—which was written as “greatsword” but pronounced “propeller”—Jiang Xuesheng was having an entirely different sort of adventure on the opposite shore of the lake.
To put it simply, that adventure was—
“Fellow Daoist Feng, sit here and rest. I’ll go catch you a rabbit! Or perhaps a squirrel? Or maybe you’d prefer a little fox?”
“Move aside. What would a refined and tranquil beauty like Fairy Feng want with those trifles of yours? Take them home while you still can. They might amuse girls around ten years old.”
“Fellow Daoist Feng, I caught this wild goose by the lake. It matches your temperament perfectly. Have a look and see whether it pleases you.”
“Go on, get out of here! You dare present that dull gray goose as a treasure? Fairy Feng, look at mine! This is a multicolored pheasant, with a tail a full four feet long and feathers of the finest brilliance!”
“Fairy Feng is a beauty of unparalleled grace, transcendent and beyond the mundane. How could she possibly be compared to such vulgar things? Now, my white crane would be just the thing to complement her snow-white robes…”
…
To all the flattery above, Jiang Xuesheng responded equally—with an elegant yet distant smile. From time to time, he would even offer a soft-spoken word of thanks, sending the male cultivators into raptures and inspiring them to work even harder, eagerly running errands for “her.”
He had to admit, this strategy worked rather well.
Every one of these men had a gleam in his eye. The word “lust” might as well have been written across their foreheads. Clearly, they were harboring improper intentions toward a married woman.
Jiang Xuesheng felt not the slightest bit guilty about squeezing some free labor out of them.
However, since each of them had ulterior motives, getting them to help search for her “husband”—that was, Shu Fu—was not going to be so easy.
It all started half an hour earlier.
The moment Jiang Xuesheng opened his eyes after entering the secret realm, he found himself standing in a vast, snow-covered wilderness. As far as the eye could see, the land was wrapped in silver, with ice sealing the earth for a thousand miles and snow drifting across ten thousand.
Every now and then, one or two snow rabbits bounded past. From a distance, they looked like plump balls of fluff. Up close, however, their legs were six feet long, their muscles solid, and a single kick could punch a hole through a person’s forehead. They were in no way inferior to the Qiongzhi Jade Rabbits.
Likewise, within the bounds of this snowy plain, cultivators were unable to use their spiritual power.
At first, Jiang Xuesheng paid it little mind, assuming it was merely one of the secret realm’s deliberately troublesome arrangements. But he soon noticed that Song Yayan, the young master of Fengyi Sect, had rosy cheeks and was striding along briskly. He was most likely using spiritual power to ward off the bitter cold, making him considerably more nimble than everyone else.
…It seemed that this Autumn Hunting Tournament was not quite as fair as Fengyi Sect had claimed.
Or rather, the so-called “powerful spirit beasts” were nothing more than a gimmick. From the very beginning, the entire arrangement had been prepared for the young master.
A wedding night and a glorious success—the young master’s wedding had been scripted to perfection. The other cultivators were merely extras brought in to run alongside him.
For the sake of putting on a show for his only son, Sect Master Song had certainly gone to considerable lengths.
Jiang Xuesheng was neither surprised nor interested in exposing or pursuing the matter. From beginning to end, the only thing he cared about was the trace of phoenix aura lingering around Song Yayan.
Judging solely by his appearance and manner of speech, Song Yayan was the very image of a young master from an aristocratic family: composed and courteous, modest and refined, possessing every virtue of “gentleness, goodness, respectfulness, frugality, and humility.” Men and women alike found themselves predisposed to like him.
Jiang Xuesheng rarely encountered someone so impeccably polished. Song Yayan seemed as though he had been drawn with compass and ruler; even at a cursory glance, not a single flaw could be found.
There was, however, one respect in which Song Yayan was no different from any other male cultivator—
He was exceedingly fond of Feng Xueyan, deliberately or otherwise putting on a display before her and presenting himself as a graceful young gentleman amid a troubled world.
This suited Jiang Xuesheng perfectly. Naturally, he let Song Yayan perform as he pleased, occasionally probing him with indirect questions.
“There are countless spirit beasts in this secret realm, of so many different kinds. It is truly enviable. Might I ask whether the Young Sect Master has some special method for capturing so many spirit beasts?”
Had anyone else asked such a question, it would have been not only rash and offensive, but also suspiciously akin to prying into another sect’s secret arts. Nine times out of ten, they would have received nothing but a cold look.
But Feng Xueyan was a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms. Even if her words overstepped somewhat, Song Yayan, immersed in the pleasure of being admired by a lovely woman, had no intention of holding it against her.
On the contrary, in order to display his magnanimity before the beauty, he even revealed a vague hint or two.
“It is a rather strange story. I suppose it was simply a destined opportunity in my life. As everyone knows, the Fengyi Sect does not excel in beast taming. Yet, through a fortunate twist of fate, I learned a unique method of controlling beasts. Only then did our sect begin to flourish. It may be said that Heaven has favored us.”
As for what that opportunity had been, or where he had learned this beast-taming art, he kept his lips firmly sealed, unwilling to reveal even a single word.
Jiang Xuesheng was in no hurry. For the moment, he merely echoed Song Yayan in a soft and gentle voice, elevating the young man’s pride to the clouds. Every word he spoke landed precisely where it itched, coaxing Song Yayan into a state of delighted contentment until he regarded this beauty more and more as a kindred confidante.
The moment the group left the snowfield, everyone let out a long breath of relief. They brought forth an assortment of flying artifacts, preparing to scatter throughout the secret realm in search of opportunities.
Song Yayan looked around, but his fiancée was nowhere to be seen. The other male cultivators were all such unpleasant sights that they offended the eye. Thus, he turned to Jiang Xuesheng with impeccable courtesy.
“Madam Shu, may I give you a ride?”
He deliberately emphasized the word “Madam,” making it clear that he was honorable and aboveboard, with not the slightest improper thought toward another man’s wife.
Of course, this gentlemanly pose might have been more convincing if his fingertips had not brushed, whether intentionally or not, across the back of Jiang Xuesheng’s hand as he helped him onto the artifact.
Jiang Xuesheng acted as though he had noticed nothing. Lowering his eyes, he gave a graceful curtsy. “Thank you, Young Sect Master.”
For some reason, ever since entering a relationship, he felt that both his temper and his acting had improved considerably. Perhaps it was because he had honed them through all those theatrical sparring matches with Shu Fu.
“Please, Madam, there is no need for such formality. You are older than I am; simply call me Yayan.”
Song Yayan lowered his gaze to him, warmth and brilliance flowing between his brows and eyes, his expression endlessly gentle and approachable. “If possible, I would also like to find the spirit pet best suited to you, so that you may return fully satisfied. May I ask what kind of creature you like?”
Jiang Xuesheng’s brow eased, his eyes glinting as they shifted. “If I said I liked the strongest one, would the Young Master find it for me?”
Song Yayan’s expression stiffened. “Well…”
“Just kidding. Don’t take it seriously.”
Jiang Xuesheng smiled and changed the subject. “Young Master, I noticed you’ve been heading straight in one direction the whole way, as though you already have a destination in mind. Where exactly are we going?”
“No, I don’t have any particular plan…”
Song Yayan looked briefly embarrassed at having his thoughts laid bare, but quickly recovered his composure. “I simply have a feeling that we should go this way. Madam, please trust my instincts.”
Right. Another talented actor.
How could Jiang Xuesheng fail to see it? Song Yayan clearly already knew where the “strongest spirit beast” was hiding. This autumn hunt was merely for show; everyone was silently playing along.
And the reason Song Yayan had brought him along was simply because he was attracted to beauty and wanted to bask in a lovely person’s admiring gaze. There was no chance he would hand over the spirit beast to someone else.
In that case…
—Didn’t that just make him want to steal it even more???
While Song Yayan was busy admiring himself, Jiang Xuesheng’s mental progress bar raced ahead. He was already considering what color ribbon to tie around the spirit beast when he gave it to Shu Fu.
Of course, if the beast turned out to be too ugly, or too clever and inclined to start some epic forbidden romance between human and beast with its mistress… then forget it.
When it came to human-beast romances, one of him was more than enough.
…
Meanwhile—
“Gu poison?”
Holding the panda cub in her arms, Shu Fu stared at Xie Fangnian in alarm.
“Elder Xie, are you certain? There’s gu poison in the panda? But this is a panda!”
“If you do not believe me, split open this iron-eating beast’s head and see for yourself whether there are gu parasites living inside.”
Xie Fangnian remained unmoved, delivering this horrifying statement in an icy tone. “And it is not only this one. Every iron-eating beast you brought here, as well as the turtle beneath your feet, bears signs of gu parasites dwelling within their bodies. This iron-eating beast cub has an unusual constitution and rejects the parasites particularly strongly, which is why it suffered such a severe backlash.”
“It may be that every spirit beast in this secret realm is the same. The hook snake that appeared earlier may also have escaped from here.”
“…”
Even Shu Fu, bold as she was, felt a chill run through her at the thought of how widespread and malicious this scheme might be. “Could it be that Fengyi Sect’s so-called beast-taming techniques all rely on gu parasites…?”
Xie Fangnian answered cautiously, “We cannot conclude that yet. Someone may be meddling behind the scenes. To lure and capture so many spirit beasts, Fengyi Sect must have other methods.”
“If Fengyi Sect is responsible, then they must have captured the spirit beasts, controlled them with gu parasites, and released them into the secret realm.”
Shu Fu steadied herself and forced down her nausea as she continued, “Then they hold an autumn hunt, inviting cultivators from all across the realm and encouraging them to ‘tame’ spirit beasts implanted with gu parasites.”
—And after they were “tamed,” what then?
—What role would these spirit beasts, carrying gu parasites and scattered among sects throughout the land, ultimately play?
…Come to think of it, could gu poison be transmitted from beast to human?
Nothing could be more horrifying the more you thought about it.
But for now, the most pressing matter was to detoxify the panda cub, who was barely clinging to life.
Saving one human life was worth building a seven-tiered pagoda; saving a panda’s life meant saving the hearts of millions upon millions of panda lovers!
Following Xie Fangnian’s instructions, Shu Fu reached beneath his chin, parted the cat’s soft white fur, and removed the golden storage bell hanging around his neck. From it, she took out the pills he carried with him.
Perhaps Xie Fangnian had gotten so used to being a cat over the past two days that Wang Jingze’s “it’s actually delicious” theorem had begun to take effect. The moment Shu Fu’s fingertips brushed his chin, he unconsciously began to purr, startling even her.
“Elder Xie?”
—Are you all right?
—Can you at least try to act like a person?
Xie Fangnian: “…It’s nothing. This is my first time turning into a cat. I seem to have gotten a little too deeply into the role.”
Shu Fu: “…Why don’t you just stay a cat from now on? You seem to be enjoying yourself.”
Fortunately, although Xie Fangnian’s body and mind were gradually becoming more catlike, his knowledge and capabilities remained undiminished. He soon directed Shu Fu in preparing the medicine, then had her give it to the panda and the turtle, suppressing the gu poison in their bodies.
“This gu poison is of mysterious origin, and we still don’t know what it does exactly. However, there is one thing I can be certain of.”
Xie Fangnian explained to her, “If a spirit beast refuses to obey, the gu worm will inflict unbearable pain upon it. My pills cannot cure the poison completely, but they can sever the connection between the offspring gu and the mother gu, allowing them to escape their master’s control.”
Shu Fu was only half convinced. “And how exactly did you figure that out?”
“It’s simple.”
Xie Fangnian raised a paw and pointed toward the big panda sitting behind her with a foolishly blank expression. “Take a look at his front paws.”
“The Iron-Eating Beast’s claws should normally be extremely sharp. But nearly all of this one’s claws have broken off. I suspect that, in the throes of excruciating pain, he clawed and scratched wildly until his claws were worn down to nothing.”
Shu Fu: “…………”
To be honest, ever since leaving Qingcheng and setting foot on Yaoguang Peak, everything had gone so smoothly for her that she had rarely felt such intense fury.
Ling Fengqing was too vicious, too despicable, exuding the stench of rotting flesh from a sewer in every way. Shu Fu had always felt that no one could possibly rival him; “the most shameless person alive” barely did him justice.
But this time, seeing the panda’s worn and cracked claws, seeing how weak and listless the cub was, Shu Fu once again experienced a rage she had not felt in a long time.
—You ×××××! Did you hear me? I’ll ×××××× you!!!
“…”
The big panda had no idea why she suddenly looked so grim. After sitting there blankly for a moment, he turned around and snapped off a stalk of wild sugarcane. Gripping it with both paws, he balanced it atop his head and split it neatly in two, then offered one half to Shu Fu.
This only sent Shu Fu into an even greater fury.
Still, she accepted the sugarcane, bit into it with gritted teeth, and said coldly:
“Good. The execution list for this month is settled. Whoever did this, I’ll hammer bamboo slivers beneath his fingernails.”
