The Girl in the Bamboo did not stop, moving swiftly ahead on her own.
Many parts of the abandoned mine had already collapsed, leaving passages too narrow for people to get through. Only a tiny young beast like the kitten could squeeze nimbly between the gaps.
The Girl in the Bamboo raised a hand and opened a passage, taking the lead as she pursued it.
After roughly the time it took an incense stick to burn, the Desert Spirit Cat kitten finally stopped. It paced anxiously in circles.
“Meow!”
The Girl in the Bamboo halted, and the others soon caught up.
“Look up.”
She had already found the source of the anomaly.
Above their heads, a tangled network of thick roots clutched tightly at the sand and earth, spreading stubbornly in every direction.
Ye Chenyan took the unusually docile kitten from Yu Qingtang’s hands and gently rocked it.
“What are you going to name it?”
“Hmm...” Yu Qingtang did have an idea, but he was a little embarrassed to say it. “You go first. Didn’t you raise Lightning before? Don’t you have some kind of naming theme?”
Ye Chenyan squeezed the kitten’s paw.
“This one is Yu-and-Ye.”
His eyes curved with his smile as he pointed at the kitten in Yu Qingtang’s arms.
“And that one is Ye-and-Yu.”
Yu Qingtang: “...”
Ye Chenyan glanced at him, looking rather disappointed. “You don’t like them? Then you name them.”
Yu Qingtang pointed at the one in his arms.
“Prosperity.”
Then he lifted the kitten he was holding.
“Fortune.”
Ye Chenyan: “...”
The two stared silently at each other.
Tu Jiaojiao finally couldn’t take it anymore.
“What kind of names are those? How are they supposed to hold their heads up in public?”
“If you ask me—this one should be Blazey, and this one Flamey...”
Yu Qingtang casually pointed at Ye Chenyan.
“And this one can be Fiery?”
Ye Chenyan: “...”
The Girl in the Bamboo let out a soft laugh.
Yu Qingtang turned to her. “What would you name them, Miss Bamboo?”
She froze, then lowered her eyes.
“No Illness. No Calamity.”
Those sounded considerably more respectable than anything the three of them had come up with.
Yu Qingtang was just about to nod when the ground suddenly trembled.
Author’s Note:
Ye Chenyan: My head is full of the two of us.
Yu Qingtang: My head is full of getting rich.
Tu Jiaojiao: My head is full of fire.
Yu Qingtang: You know, in the original story, do you think Tu Jiaojiao fell for you because your name literally has three fires in it?
Ye Chenyan: “...”
Hanging from the roots of the unknown plant overhead were numerous victims.
Several weaker beasts had already been reduced to nothing but shriveled hides and fur. Most conspicuous of all was a spider the size of a millstone. The plant’s roots had pierced straight through it and pinned it in place, but its segmented legs were still twitching faintly. It clearly wasn’t dead yet.
Beside it, two adult Desert Spirit Cats looked tiny by comparison.
“They’re still alive.” The Girl in the Bamboo stared without blinking. “But this plant...”
“It’s a Killer Thorn, a species unique to the deserts of Rongzhou.” Tu Jiaojiao’s expression turned grave. “Be careful. If you attack it, its roots will go berserk...”
“Before we even do anything,” Ye Chenyan said, glancing behind them, “it looks like it’s already set its sights on us.”
He had not missed the roots silently lowering through the tunnel behind them.
“Tch.” Tu Jiaojiao did not hesitate either. “Do it!”
The Girl in the Bamboo raised her hand and severed the roots outright.
Every beast that still retained some trace of life dropped to the ground. Anything capable of struggling back to its feet immediately seized the opportunity and fled at top speed.
But the two Desert Spirit Cats tried several times and still couldn’t stand.
The Killer Thorn’s roots had pierced directly through flesh to drain their strength. No one knew how long they had been hanging there, but by now they had been completely exhausted.
“Meow!”
The kitten dashed toward the two adults on all fours.
The Girl in the Bamboo turned her head and blocked the writhing roots and falling sand above it.
Yu Qingtang pulled a food box from his storage ring, scooped all three cats into it at once, and bolted. He darted neatly around a corner and slipped into the center of the group.
“Got them! Got them!”
Then he turned his head—
and saw the millstone-sized spider waving all eight legs as it ran even faster than he had.
Whoosh!
It shot straight over his head.
Yu Qingtang’s mouth fell open.
“Miss Bamboo, you saved that one too?!”
There were claw marks across its back. Apparently, it had fought the two Desert Spirit Cats earlier.
“In the wilderness, the strong prey on the weak. There is no right or wrong in that.” The Girl in the Bamboo looked up. “If it can be saved, then save it.”
“We’re making too much noise. Watch out for a cave-in.” Tu Jiaojiao glanced warily toward the way back. “Let’s get outside first!”
“Once we’re in the open, surely a few cultivators like us can deal with one lousy tree?”
Yu Qingtang poked his head out.
“A tree counts as a living thing of the wilderness too, doesn’t it? Miss Bamboo, why not spare it as well?”
“It doesn’t count,” Tu Jiaojiao rejected immediately. “This Killer Thorn is still just a sapling. If it fully matures, not a single living creature within a hundred li will survive!”
The Girl in the Bamboo nodded slightly.
“I understand.”
“Let’s get out first. Just in case, bring the other kittens too.”
Yu Qingtang clutched the three cats and scampered away.
“Coming through! Coming through!”
Ye Chenyan stayed close behind him. He wrapped an arm around Yu Qingtang and sent him upward in one motion.
“You go first!”
“Got it!”
Yu Qingtang held the food box over his head and leapt out, calling to the others waiting outside the mine.
“Make way!”
He hurriedly shoved the kittens into Kong Shanyu’s arms when the boy came over to see what was happening, then spun around and pulled out his qin.
“I-I-I’m ready!”
Caught completely off guard, Kong Shanyu blurted, “What happened?! Where did these Spirit Cats come from?!”
Behind him, Tu Jiaojiao burst out of the opening and immediately lashed out with her whip.
Fire spiritual power surged along the long whip.
The Killer Thorn had thick, powerful roots, yet aboveground its disguise looked incredibly frail. It resembled nothing more than a malnourished dead branch that a strong gust of wind might carry away.
Before the whip could even reach it, the Killer Thorn yanked its roots free from the ground and took off running like a startled animal.
Yu Qingtang’s mouth dropped open.
“Whoa—”
He knew this was the cultivation world and all, but did a fleeing tree really need to run that much like a person?!
He had been bracing himself for a major battle.
A flash of green crossed his vision.
The Girl in the Bamboo appeared directly in the Killer Thorn’s path, jade-green bamboo in hand.
The horrifying tree collapsed in an instant, as though all life had been drained from it.
Yu Qingtang: “...That’s it?”
Where was the epic battle?
Tu Jiaojiao flicked her wrist smugly.
“A little sapling like this can only bully small beasts in the first place. Those Desert Spirit Cats must’ve been weak when it caught them, or they never would’ve fallen prey to it.”
“If people at our level couldn’t deal with something like this, it could already call itself a regional overlord.”
Ye Chenyan looked genuinely surprised.
“You actually know a phrase like ‘regional overlord’?”
Tu Jiaojiao ground her teeth.
“Don’t push it, Ye.”
“How are the cats?” Ye Chenyan stepped over to Yu Qingtang.
He was still carrying the other kittens. He set them down in front of the two adults as well.
“Maybe seeing their kittens will help?”
Tu Jiaojiao craned her neck to look, but since she started sneezing whenever she got near furry animals, she could only watch from a safe distance.
“How bad are the injuries?”
“The wounds are huge...” Yu Qingtang looked worried. “Where’s Senior Brother Du Heng’s ointment? Put some on them!”
“Can they take pills?”
The group exchanged uncertain looks.
No one dared feed them anything at random, so for now they could only apply some medicine for external wounds.
Perhaps it was because their kittens were nearby, or perhaps they simply had no strength left to remain wary.
The two adult cats lay obediently while the medicine was applied, occasionally extending their tongues to gently lick their young.
“This isn’t working!”
Tu Jiaojiao abruptly stood.
“The ointment isn’t helping! I’ll contact Chi Yantian!”
“He used to mess around with this kind of thing all the time while raising Flamelet. He’ll definitely know what to do!”
She pulled out a transmission stone and tried to contact Chi Yantian, circling anxiously around the cats while maintaining a safe distance.
At last, Chi Yantian’s voice came through the transmission stone.
Tu Jiaojiao didn’t give him a chance to speak.
“How do you treat a Desert Spirit Cat injured by a Killer Thorn? Skip the greetings and think of something!”
“Who was going to greet you?!” Chi Yantian snapped back immediately. “Desert Spirit Cats have fire and wind attributes. Feed them some fruit containing those two attributes to restore their strength. Don’t wash the wounds with water. Clean them with fire spiritual power.”
“And stay away from them yourself. You’ll just sneeze the moment you get close and become useless...”
There was a pause.
“You’re in the desert? Which part?”
Tu Jiaojiao froze.
“Don’t tell me you actually came?”
“Of course I came!” Chi Yantian scoffed. “I heard someone had the nerve to impersonate me. I rushed here day and night the second I found out!”
“I’m almost inside Rongzhou now. That bastard isn’t dead yet, is he? You left him breathing, right?”
“He’s not dead,” Tu Jiaojiao muttered.
The others had already found spiritual fruit with the appropriate attributes and were feeding it to the Desert Spirit Cats. Only then did she have the attention to spare for him.
“Forget about him for now. The demonic beasts underground in Rongzhou are in turmoil. Once you arrive, head toward the southern oases. You’ll run into Heavenly Fire Cult people along the way who can point you in the right direction.”
“Got it. I’ll be there soon.” Chi Yantian was reliable enough when discussing serious matters. “Did the clan elders make any predictions about what’s underground?”
Tu Jiaojiao motioned one of the Heavenly Fire Cult disciples forward.
Only after she saw him begin treating the Desert Spirit Cats’ wounds did she answer.
“The clan elders said this is no small matter. They couldn’t divine anything definite, but they suspect...”
“It may have something to do with immortals.”
She glanced at Yu Qingtang.
“And your Brother Yu—you knew he was a man and didn’t even bother telling me! Forget it, that’s not important right now. Anyway, your Brother Yu deduced that an immortal abode may be about to emerge underground. There could be a major disturbance.”
Chi Yantian sounded taken aback.
“My Brother Yu can do that too?”
After the initial treatment, the Desert Spirit Cats were visibly improving.
Yu Qingtang finally relaxed and looked up with a smile.
“To tell you the truth, even I didn’t know I could do that.”
The way Tu Jiaojiao described it made him sound like some unfathomable master strategist who could calculate every possibility in advance.
Practically Tianji Zi’s equal.
“Anyway, it’s impossible to explain properly.” Tu Jiaojiao waved a hand. “If we can’t explain it, we’ll just say you divined it.”
She still couldn’t approach the cats, but she looked no less anxious.
“How are they? Will they survive? In this condition, they probably can’t hunt. Maybe I should take them back to the Heavenly Fire Cult for now.”
Kong Shanyu hooked his fingers over the edge of the food box and secretly stroked a Desert Spirit Cat’s fur with a few fingertips.
Then he cleared his throat and put on a perfectly solemn expression.
“You probably can’t, can you? You start sneezing the moment you see them. Ahem. Cloudmarsh Sect, on the other hand, has no such concerns.”
“No concerns?” Tu Jiaojiao snorted. “You look like you can barely put them down. Does your father even allow you to keep cats?”
Kong Shanyu’s heart immediately started pounding, but he still put on a brave face.
“For something this trivial, this young sect master can make his own decisions!”
“Hold on!” Yu Qingtang immediately scooped up the cleverest kitten, along with the timid one Ye Chenyan had taken a liking to. “These two are already mine.”
He paused.
Then he realized that stealing someone’s kittens right in front of their parents without even asking was a little shameless.
He looked expectantly at the two adult cats.
“Is that okay? I promise I’ll take good care of them. I’ll be responsible for them.”
The two demonic beasts were quite intelligent.
At his words, they pulled the two kittens into their embrace and painstakingly licked them clean. Only after that did they take the kittens by the scruff and place them in Yu Qingtang’s hands, gently bumping their noses against him.
Yu Qingtang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
“You even know to clean the kids up before sending them off.”
He turned toward the Girl in the Bamboo, whose expression had softened noticeably.
“Miss Bamboo, don’t you want one?”
“They’re injured now and can’t raise their own young anyway. Having someone adopt the kittens would be for the best.”
Tu Jiaojiao noticed the Girl in the Bamboo’s hesitation and spoke considerately.
“Desert Spirit Cats aren’t social animals to begin with. Once the kittens are capable of hunting for themselves, they would eventually leave their parents anyway.”
The Girl in the Bamboo’s gaze flickered.
“...That isn’t why.”
She glanced at Kong Shanyu.
“Cloudmarsh Sect can take them. I... still don’t know where I’m going myself. I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to care for one properly.”
Yu Qingtang could see that she was feeling lost about her future.
So he thoughtfully left her some room to change her mind.
“Then once you’ve figured things out, how about going to Cloudmarsh Sect and asking for one?”
The Girl in the Bamboo’s eyes shifted slightly.
For once, a faint smile appeared on her face.
“All right.”
Kong Shanyu had clearly already counted the kittens as members of Cloudmarsh Sect. He muttered rather reluctantly,
“...Only if they agree to go with you.”
“All right,” the Girl in the Bamboo said again.
Then she reached out and gently stroked the kitten’s soft fur.
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