An Illustrated Guide to the Famous Cats of the Cultivation World
Early the next morning, at Qixu Mountain—or rather, since this place was a false “Qixu Mountain,” from now on they would use its real names again: Thousand Autumn Peak and Ten Thousand Generations Valley.
After the Phoenix Fire had raged through the night, the grand and magnificent buildings of the Fengyi Sect remained exactly as they had been. The people inside them, however, presented an entirely different picture.
When Shu Fu found Song Yayan, she almost failed to recognize him.
Then again, recognizing him was the difficult part.
For at that moment, Song Yayan had become a human-shaped lump of charred flesh, his features impossible to make out.
The pure Phoenix Fire had entered his body, coursing between his spiritual platform, blood vessels, and internal organs. It raged and seared him without pause, yet it would neither threaten his life nor cause him to lose consciousness.
It was as though he were being roasted over a fire every moment of every day, yet would never actually cook through.
As for the rest of the Song family, more or less all of them had spiritual fire enter their bodies. Some were struck by the backlash of the venom and died silently; others lingered on the brink of death, unable to endure even a moment more of the torment. Lacking both the courage and the strength to take their own lives, they could only weep and beg for a swift death, pleading to be granted a merciful end.
“I’m not killing them. They brought this on themselves.”
Jiang Xuesheng spoke lazily. “I know Phoenix Fire. It hurts terribly, but it’s no worse than when the venomous parasites act up. They were the ones who provoked the phoenix, so they should suffer the consequences themselves.”
“Then I’m not killing him either.”
Pinching her nose, Shu Fu glanced disdainfully at the charred lump by her feet. “Cheer up, Young Master Song. After everything you’ve been through—broken bones, having your bird chopped off, and your eggs smashed—things can’t possibly get any worse for you now. Don’t you find that incredibly reassuring?”
Song Yayan: “……!!!……q#@%fs￥*H@%*bf#!!!!”
Shu Fu spread both hands. “Mm. He looks pretty cheerful.”
“I’ve already contacted Tianxuan Peak and asked them to send people over to clean up the aftermath. All these people will be taken back and imprisoned. As for the Phoenix Fire carried across the distance, consider it their farewell gift.”
Jiang Xuesheng stood with his hands behind his back, quietly raising his eyes toward the resplendent Fengyi Sect. A teasing smile touched the corners of his lips.
“Let’s hope they enjoy it.”
……
Next came the matter of dealing with the spirit beasts and venomous parasites.
The spirit beasts sent out by the Fengyi Sect were scattered across the land, in sects and schools of every kind. But they had not been ordinary “gifts.” Through this method, the Fengyi Sect had not only built up favors and risen to fame, but had also rendered a great service to the Demon Lord Six Poisons, sending his venomous parasites into countless households. No one knew how many innocent, unsuspecting people had been infected.
Although the true culprit, the Demon Lord Six Poisons, was dead, the quantity of queen parasites found on him was not particularly large.
If some of the queen parasites had fallen into the hands of other demonic cultivators…
The most urgent task was to trace the parasites’ whereabouts and examine everyone who had handled them, eliminating the hidden danger before it could take root.
Clearly, this was an enormous undertaking. Among the upright cultivators who diligently regarded the rise and fall of the world as their responsibility, who knew how many would once again have to work overtime with passionate dedication? And this time, their consecutive overtime would probably have to be measured in years.
“Most of the spirit beasts rescued from the Fengyi Sect are weak or seriously injured. I think we should let them recuperate here for a while, then make plans gradually.”
After Fat Cheep’s ark landed, Qin Huan had worked tirelessly on behalf of the spirit beasts. Only after settling them all in and administering the appropriate treatment did he come to report, sporting a pair of enormous dark circles beneath his eyes.
“There’s one more thing. I have a favor to ask…”
Before he could finish, Jiang Xuesheng answered with a smile, “Are you going to say that you want the disciples of White Deer Mountain to move into Thousand Autumn Peak and take care of these spirit beasts?”
“After all, you came here for the spirit beasts in the first place.”
Qin Huan froze. “Master Tanhua, you saw through me from the beginning?”
“Indeed. Ever since the first night we met, when you released the Bifang at the inn, I have been suspicious of you.”
Jiang Xuesheng called it suspicion, but there was no hostility or wariness in his gaze. His manner remained gentle. “Among spirit birds, the Bifang is no ordinary creature. Since you can tame one, you must be one of White Deer Mountain’s foremost beast tamers. You could not possibly be an ordinary disciple.”
“Not at all.”
Caught off guard by the compliment, Qin Huan sheepishly scratched his cheek. “I’m actually fairly ordinary myself. Compared with my master, I still have a long way to go.”
“Huh? Huh? Huh?”
Bai Tian, who had sworn brotherhood with Qin Huan at first sight, looked utterly bewildered. He turned his head back and forth between them like a bobblehead. “What are you talking about? If Fellow Daoist Qin isn’t an ordinary disciple, then who is he? Wasn’t he here to scout the way for White Deer Mountain and seek refuge with the Fengyi Sect?”
“Seeking refuge was merely a pretense. Scouting the way was the real purpose,” Jiang Xuesheng explained. “Fellow Daoist Qin must have sensed that something was wrong and deliberately come to investigate whether the Fengyi Sect was mistreating spirit beasts or harboring some ulterior motive. If they were, White Deer Mountain would naturally uphold justice on Heaven’s behalf—no, that is, ‘uphold justice on behalf of the spirit beasts.’”
“That is exactly so.”
Qin Huan grew even more embarrassed at having his intentions exposed so neatly. “The disciples and I agreed that if the Fengyi Sect was benevolent, we could consider seeking refuge with them. If the Fengyi Sect was evil, then White Deer Mountain would have to cross swords with them. We absolutely could not allow spirit beasts to fall into the hands of evil people.”
At this point, he solemnly composed himself and bowed formally toward Jiang Xuesheng.
“This junior, Qin Huan, is the chief disciple of White Deer Mountain’s eleventh-generation sect master and the twelfth-generation sect master. I pay my respects to Master Tanhua.”
Jiang Xuesheng was not surprised in the least. He replied offhandedly, “You may rise—peacefully… Ah, no. Just dispense with the formalities.”
Bai Tian: “…???”
“No, wait. Fellow Daoist Qin? Brother Qin? Qin… Sect Master Qin?”
He truly had not expected that the “beautiful woman” with whom he had fallen in love at first sight would be a man, or that the “brother” with whom he had sworn brotherhood at first sight would be senior enough by generation to be his father.
“What exactly is going on? Can someone please explain this to me?”
“To be completely honest, I have spent many years cultivating in seclusion or searching for rare beasts in the outside world, so I am still a stranger to the cultivation world.”
Qin Huan offered an apologetic smile. “In recent years, my master felt his strength and spirit declining, so he decided to pass his legacy on to me. It’s just that… my master dislikes trouble, while I happen to be the sort who loves stirring it up. As a beast-taming cultivator, I simply could not turn a blind eye to the Fengyi Sect’s suspicious behavior.”
“Wait, wait a moment.”
Bai Tian felt dizzy. He waved his hands repeatedly. “Then, Brother Qin… Sect Master Qin, may I ask how old you are?”
The youth with the ponytail answered frankly, “A little over one hundred and twenty. In the cultivation world, that still counts as young.”
“……”
Bai Tian’s eyes rolled back, and he toppled backward, limp as a rag, into Handan’s arms. “Senior Sister, you’re the only one in this world who has any warmth left…”
“Of course!”
Handan proudly thrust out her chest. “Counting the time I spent as a lotus flower, I’m already three hundred years old this year! Compared with this little brat, I’m far more reliable.”
Bai Tian: “…………”
Jiang Xuesheng paid no attention to his breakdown. He turned back to Qin Huan and said, “Actually, I think moving the entire White Deer Mountain Sect here would be a sound strategy. After all, White Deer Mountain borders Lingxiao City and is troubled by it day and night. It is hardly a good place for cultivation.”
Qin Huan hesitated. “But… is that really all right? It feels a little like taking over someone else’s home…”
“Who’s the cuckoo, and who’s the magpie? That remains to be seen.”
Jiang Xuesheng turned away, his gaze roaming over the three glittering characters on the gate—“Fengyi Gate”—before he smiled meaningfully.
“In any case, Sect Master Qin, give it some thought. I hope your sects—those who once bowed to Lingxiao City—can be the starting point for a new path.”
“Besides, this ‘relocation’ is only a temporary measure, not a permanent one. Even overwhelming power must eventually come to an end. When Lingxiao City falls, you’ll be able to return home in glory.”
…
And so, most of the spirit beasts stayed at Qianqiu Peak, where the disciples of White Deer Mountain took care of them. Once they had recovered, they could decide for themselves whether to stay or go.
But the seal father and son and the panda family Shu Fu had rescued refused to stay behind, insisting on following her.
Shu Fu didn’t think she needed so many spirit pets, but she couldn’t bring herself to turn them down. In the end, she bonded with the giant seal and the giant panda, and offered to help look after their young as well. Once the little ones were grown, they could leave her and strike out on their own.
Handan had also acquired a snow hare in the secret realm. Watching Shu Fu surrounded by little mochi-like furballs tumbling all over the place, she could only think:
The kid next door is crying with envy! .jpg
“…”
Jiang Xuesheng stared at the panda, lost in thought. “Fuer, that iron-eating beast is male.”
And he even gave her a princess carry!
Terrifying!
Jiang Xuesheng had roamed the martial world for centuries, and this was the most terrifying rival he had ever faced!
“Don’t worry, sir.”
Hugging a panda cub, Shu Fu tried to reassure him. “Look, he already has a whole bunch of kids. He’s just a kind, single dad.”
Qin Huan said, “That’s not quite right. These iron-eating beasts are a group, not a family. The biggest one says he’s the ‘big brother’ of the other cubs.”
Jiang Xuesheng immediately said, “Fuer, I object to you bonding with the iron-eating beast.”
“Your objection is overruled.”
“…”
The panda cupped its cheeks in both paws and gave Jiang Xuesheng a goofy, innocent wave.
It was undeniably adorable—but why did it look so punchable?
Of course, the panda wasn’t the only one asking to be punched.
Ever since he’d poured everything he had into unleashing his spirit fire, Xie Fangnian had been bedridden, delirious and barely conscious. He could only manage a few waking hours each day.
With his primordial spirit damaged, his spiritual energy spent, and his body all but worn out, even an iron rooster couldn’t have held on much longer.
And now, far from Lingxiao City and without Ling Shanhai’s regular maintenance, he was clearly nearing the end.
Shu Fu and Feng Jinyu were frantic with worry, but Jiang Xuesheng remained perfectly unruffled. No matter how they pressed him, he gave the same cryptic one-word answer:
“Wait.”
Wait? Wait for what?
Could Xie Fangnian really afford to wait, looking as though he had one foot in the grave?
As it turned out, they did get what they were waiting for.
On the third day, a soot-black Pomeranian with a golden brocade pouch around its neck came bounding up the mountain, panting for breath.
“Elder Xie! Is Elder Xie here? A-Yue got it! I brought it back for you!”
The black Pomeranian was, of course, Xuan. Shu Fu caught him and asked, bewildered, “Brought what?”
“The spirit wood! The spirit wood!”
Xuan was so winded he nearly collapsed, panting furiously to cool himself down. “The thousand-year-old phoenix flower on Qiwut Mountain was burned down by demonic cultivators years ago, but its roots are still underground. With proper care, it can grow back. Later, Sect Master Ling sent people to dig it up, roots and all, and transplant it to Lingxiao City.”
“A-Yue said Elder Xie had always wanted that spirit wood, but because of the sect master and the First Young Master, he could never get his hands on it. Now that the First Young Master is dead, the sect master had no choice but to hand some of the city’s affairs over to A-Yue. That’s how we finally found an opportunity. But the spirit wood will still need a lot of care after being transplanted.”
“…”
Shu Fu’s mouth hung open. After a long moment of thought, she turned to Jiang Xuesheng, who wore an expression of serene detachment.
“‘The Great Dao gives fifty, and Heaven derives forty-nine’—is this the one thread of hope it was talking about?”
Jiang Xuesheng shook his head. “I know nothing of Yuandu’s plans. I only thought that if we came up empty at Fengyi Gate and failed to find the princess, he might have kept a way out for himself.”
He sounded perfectly serious, but inwardly he was thinking:
Now that Feng Yuandu has become a phoenix-flower spirit, he’s neither a Fat Cheep nor a cat. At least he can’t come after Shu Fu again.
Which means his only rival is the panda…
—And yet, when he went to visit his cousin that day, he found Xie Fangnian transformed into a white cat once more, lying on the bed with all four paws in the air and his soft belly exposed.
Jiang Xuesheng stared in shock. “…Yuandu, have you no shame?”
Xie Fangnian replied without a trace of embarrassment, “I just find this pose more comfortable than either my human or bird form. If you don’t like it, you can transform too.”
That night, Shu Fu opened the door to find Jiang Xuesheng absorbed in a picture book:
A Field Guide to the Famous Cats of the Cultivation World.
Shu Fu: “…”
Oh no. There goes another one.
