Chapter 39 : Poison Spike Rat
Yun Qingyue had recently been in seclusion to comprehend insights, so she didn't have much time to constantly watch over Jiang Mo. However, she hadn't forgotten about the little white tiger in her courtyard, so every evening she would take time to emerge from seclusion to check if she was well and if she had any needs.
As for Jiang Mo sneaking out every day, Yun Qingyue naturally knew about this. The barriers of the small courtyard were under her control, so she was naturally aware when someone entered or left. However, the white tiger was a divine beast, not a domesticated cat, and she couldn't possibly keep her confined all the time. So if the little white tiger wanted to go out, she could go out—there was actually no need to sneak away. But each time she returned, Yun Qingyue would carefully observe whether she was injured.
Today was no different. As soon as the little white tiger returned, Yun Qingyue's piercing gaze noticed her swollen face.
Well, this little tiger cub must have gone out fighting again; the Jianbing's reputation for belligerence wasn't undeserved. But this time, who knows whom she had provoked to suffer such a loss, with blows specifically targeting her face.
Jiang Mo didn't know she had been seen through at a glance. When she saw Senior Sister, she was almost constantly cautious, keeping her face turned to the side, not wanting to expose her injury—she had her pride too. Aside from her status as a dignified divine beast, just the fact that a tiger had its face kicked swollen by a rabbit was an extremely embarrassing thing to admit. She didn't want to add another black mark to her history!
Fortunately, Yun Qingyue was habitually considerate. Seeing the little tiger cub's embarrassment, she didn't expose her. She just expressed her usual concern with a few words, then took her to soak in the spirit spring, naturally reducing the redness and swelling on her face.
By the next day, the little white tiger was once again a spirited tiger, and while Yun Qingyue was in seclusion, she again ran to the back mountain.
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Recently, the little white tiger had begun to diligently farm points, and going out early and returning late had almost become a habit. But this time, this habit was broken.
It wasn't even noon when the tiger and system returned, and from a distance, one could hear the little tiger cub's "awoo" "awoo" calls. If Divine Lord Zhiming had been present, he would have heard a string of indistinct grumbling: "System, what are you doing? You actually had me catch hedgehogs? You didn't even know what hedgehogs in the cultivation world are like, and you just sent me in—are you trying to kill me?!"
The system followed behind her like a timid wife, not daring to make a sound, its light orb noticeably dimmer than usual.
Only after the host finished scolding did it whimper in protest: "Host, Host, I didn't mean to. I was just misled by modern experience. They're so small, appearing completely harmless. Don't many people in your modern world keep hedgehogs as pets?"
Jiang Mo felt pain all over her body, but hearing this, she was still angry: "This isn't the modern world, this is the cultivation world, the cultivation world!"
Indeed, this was the cultivation world. The system couldn't connect to the internet and thus lacked common knowledge—hedgehogs in the cultivation world were entirely different from modern hedgehogs. Although the hedgehogs here were also small, with the one selected for the host's practice being only palm-sized, the hedgehogs here not only had spines, but their spines could be shot out like hidden weapons or flying needles. The smaller the hedgehog, the smaller the spines, the harder they were to guard against.
Sure enough, the little white tiger had been hit as soon as she appeared, before she could even act. Despite being very fine spines, her fur failed to provide defense, and worse, these spines were poisonous. Now her body was both numb and painful, with a poison debuff attached. She had no choice but to return and seek Senior Sister's help.
The system couldn't refute, but it also felt wronged.
It truly had no ill intentions and hadn't meant to harm its host. It selected hedgehogs as new prey simply to help her learn to deal with different opponents. There was no alternative, since the host couldn't receive her inheritance before reaching level 41, and she probably couldn't learn most cultivator spells either. So it could only try its best to hone her physical abilities and help her learn more attack and defense techniques.
Jiang Mo also saw that the system had no ill intentions, which is why she trusted its arrangements. Unfortunately, the system's lack of common knowledge had led it to repeatedly harm her... Jiang Mo was furious, but aside from verbally berating it a few times, what could she do to a system that had good intentions but poor execution?
There was nothing she could do. She could only bear her once-again swollen face and seek help from Yun Qingyue.
The little weakling tiger passed through the barriers of the small courtyard, rushing all the way to the door of the room where Yun Qingyue was in seclusion. She raised her paw to knock but hesitated. Looking up, she asked the system: "Senior Sister is in seclusion now. Could she be at a critical moment? If I disturb her rashly, might I cause her to deviate or something? I've heard the heart demons in the cultivation world are formidable."
The system didn't dare make a sound, as today's events had just confirmed its lack of common knowledge. It feared that a careless remark might harm Yun Qingyue, and then the host would never forgive it. But if it tried to stop the host... her body was becoming increasingly painful and swollen, probably due to the poison taking effect—how could she endure it?
Indeed, it was unbearable. The little weakling tiger didn't want to disturb Senior Sister's seclusion, but waiting until evening when Yun Qingyue emerged seemed impossible.
The places where the hedgehog's spines had pierced were too painful, and not knowing how potent the hedgehog's poison was, Jiang Mo was more concerned about her life despite her other considerations. So after a brief hesitation, she raised her paw, extended a claw, and gently scratched at the door—cultivators had keen senses; if Senior Sister was still partially aware of the outside world, she would surely hear.
She scratched at the door and pricked up her ears to listen, but heard no movement inside.
So she scratched again and once more listened carefully, but still, there was no response.
Jiang Mo immediately became disappointed and anxious. Just as she was about to pound on the door regardless, she heard the system say: "Host, Host, I have an idea. We don't need to disturb Senior Sister. Why not go to the Spirit Beast Garden? They'll certainly have a solution."
Between being laughed at by others and enduring the pain or disturbing Senior Sister, Jiang Mo hesitated for only two seconds before turning to leave.
But just as she had turned around, the door behind her opened with a "creak." She instinctively looked back and, seeing Yun Qingyue in her blue robes, felt as though she had found her savior.
At the same time, Yun Qingyue also saw the completely swollen little weakling tiger. The cold-natured beauty remained silent for a slightly longer moment than usual, then her beautiful brows furrowed slightly as she asked: "Did you... poke a hornet's nest?"
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In the cultivation world, hedgehogs weren't called hedgehogs but Poison Spike Rats. Although they didn't look much like rats, the words "poison" and "spikes" were extremely apt. Moreover, though these small creatures were only second-grade spirit beasts, they were famously troublesome—high-level cultivators wouldn't bother hunting such small things, while lower-level ones often got careless, but none ever gained any advantage.
Similarly, in the spirit beast community, Poison Spike Rats were equally disdained. They were small with little meat, covered in poisonous spines that would cause pain for a long time if you were pricked, and could potentially cause death by poison if you were pricked too many times. Thus, the vast majority of spirit beasts were unwilling to provoke them.
Also because they had no natural predators, these small creatures were ubiquitous in the back mountains, avoided by both cultivators and spirit beasts alike.
Yun Qingyue couldn't understand why Jiang Mo would provoke a Poison Spike Rat. At first glance, seeing the little white tiger completely swollen with stings, she thought she had accidentally disturbed hornets. After all, this little one was greedy, and if she had mistaken a hornet's nest for a beehive, wanting to get some spirit honey, that would be understandable. But Poison Spike Rats had nothing to offer except their poisonous spines, making them completely unnecessary to provoke.
Jiang Mo felt wronged but couldn't explain, so she could only pitifully "awoo" a couple of times, hoping Senior Sister would help heal her quickly.
Fortunately, Yun Qingyue wasn't someone who missed the point. Seeing the little tiger cub's pitiful state, she didn't bother with reprimands or lessons in common sense, just sighed lightly and began treating Jiang Mo's injuries.
A Golden Core cultivator's divine sense was extremely practical; at least when facing such a furry creature, a sweep of divine sense could easily see through the fur covering to determine exactly how many fine spines were embedded in the little white tiger's body. After confirming this, Yun Qingyue waved her hand, and an invisible force, like a magnet, pulled out all the spines stuck in the flesh without missing a single one.
The tiny fine spines, when counted, numbered several dozen. But removing the spines wasn't the end. Yun Qingyue also took an antidote pill from her storage ring and fed it to the little white tiger, gradually relieving the numbing and painful sensations.
The little tiger cub stood up and shook her fur. Finally free from pain, she went to nuzzle Senior Sister's hand in gratitude.
However, just as her head touched Yun Qingyue, she suddenly cried out in pain with an "awoo," her paws instinctively covering her head. But pressing her paws on the areas where the poisonous spines had pierced only made it hurt more—this was the aftereffect of being pricked by a Poison Spike Rat. Even with the spines removed and the antidote taken, touching the injured areas would still be painful for several days, enough to teach a thorough lesson.
The little tiger cub was in so much pain that tears welled up in her eyes. With teary tiger eyes, she looked at Yun Qingyue, appearing utterly pitiful... Now that she was so pitiful, wouldn't Senior Sister do something more? Like give her a pain-relief pill?
But Yun Qingyue knew she wasn't in danger, so she remained unmoved and instead gave her a proper education about Poison Spike Rats. Finally, looking at the little tiger cub as one would look at a naughty child, she earnestly advised: "You can go out to play, and you can go out to fight, but remember not to provoke strange-looking spirit beasts. Some spirit beasts not only have powerful attacks but are also poisonous. Rashly provoking them will only hurt you."
Just like this time, the little white tiger was hit by dozens of poisonous spines without any preparation. If it had been an ordinary Qi Refinement spirit beast, nine out of ten would have died from the poison. It was only thanks to the Jianbing's naturally high rank that, even with her cultivation plummeting, she wouldn't be killed by a second-grade poisonous beast. Otherwise, it wouldn't just be a matter of pain for a few days.
However, Jiang Mo had still tasted the bitterness, and with a sense of painful understanding, she nodded and secretly glared at the system.
The system felt guilty and couldn't face its host, so it hid behind Senior Sister...
Yun Qingyue hadn't detected the system's existence, and although she saw the little tiger cub seemingly nodding in understanding, no one could trust a naughty child's promises. So after some thought, she decided to keep the little white tiger by her side for the near future—being pricked by a Poison Spike Rat wasn't a big deal, and it wasn't bad for young beasts to experience some hardship, but with the sect competition and the Three Sect Martial Arts Competition approaching, it would be better if outsiders didn't witness the divine beast Jianbing's antics.
Her slender, fair fingers gently rubbed the little tiger cub's uninjured ear, and Yun Qingyue's cool tone revealed concern: "Recover well, and don't go out and cause trouble for a while. Just stay by my side."
Jiang Mo still wanted to farm points and was somewhat reluctant, but since it was Senior Sister's instruction, then... it was acceptable.