Chapter 93 : White Dragon Fish
The troublesome little white tiger wasn't appeased after being led away—on the contrary, she grew angrier. Senior Sister had told her to convince the Sect Leader, but now she was carrying her away. Had she truly decided not to take her along?!
The little white tiger was fuming. After being carried away, she turned her head aside, refusing to even look at Senior Sister.
Seeing her throwing this little tantrum, Yun Qingyue felt both irritated and amused. After several unsuccessful attempts to smooth the tiger's fur, she simply carried the little white tiger away from Little Spirit Peak. Only when they were flying through the air on her sword did the little white tiger react. She gripped Yun Qingyue's arm with both paws and looked down at the bustling plaza and the ongoing matches on the platforms, momentarily hesitant to speak.
Actually, Senior Sister shouldn't have left at this time—she should have stayed to observe the matches. After all, those currently on the platforms could potentially be her future opponents, and knowing both oneself and the enemy was the key to never being defeated. Even Zhong Heng had remained below the platform.
The little white tiger felt this was wrong, but she was currently angry with Senior Sister and didn't want to offer advice, which made her even more frustrated.
Yun Qingyue didn't seem to have given this much thought. She flew swiftly on her sword, but didn't take the little white tiger very far—after leaving Mount Tianyang, she went to a canyon formed by two nearby spirit peaks.
This canyon was stunningly beautiful, with distant peaks layered upon peaks, lush vegetation nearby, and a waterfall rushing down the canyon to splash into a pool below, raising layer upon layer of mist. The weather today was particularly fine; as sunlight fell through the mist, it formed a small rainbow over the waterfall. Looking up, the entire scene was breathtaking, enough to open even the most constricted heart.
The little white tiger had been sulking, but when suddenly brought to such a beautiful place by Senior Sister, her tiger eyes couldn't help but brighten. She secretly glanced at Senior Sister, observing her beautiful, peaceful profile, and her heart involuntarily skipped a beat.
Judging by Senior Sister's temperament and cultivation level, she had clearly been heavily influenced by Peak Master Qingyu—someone who spent all day immersed in cultivation would hardly have leisure in mind. Bringing her here today must mean she'd noticed her anger and specifically came to comfort her. Realizing this, the little white tiger felt a sweetness in her heart, and her previous frustration dissipated considerably without her even noticing.
Sure enough, after the human and tiger landed, Yun Qingyue found a protruding boulder to sit on. She casually placed the Fuxue Sword beside her, then pinched the little white tiger's furry paw: "What's wrong? Are you unhappy?"
With her paw pad being pinched, the little white tiger wasn't really angry anymore, but still turned her head away pridefully with a "hmph."
Yun Qingyue could see she wasn't truly angry, but merely dissatisfied, so she said: "I promise you, this trip down the mountain will only last a year. I'll return after one year. Your cultivation isn't sufficient yet, and I'm only at Nascent Soul myself. If you follow me out like this, it would be quite dangerous. If someone covets you, I might not be able to protect you."
Hearing this, the little white tiger's ears twitched slightly. Though she wanted to maintain her proud demeanor, she couldn't help turning back to ask: "What do you mean by covet? What can't you protect? I'm just a little tiger—who would covet me?!"
Yun Qingyue stroked her head and sighed: "But you're not an ordinary tiger; you're Jianbing." Without waiting for the little white tiger to ask further, she explained: "Do you know why cultivators hunt spirit beasts? Because they're treasures from head to toe. Their fur and bones can be used to forge weapons, their blood and flesh can be refined into medicines, their spirit cores can assist cultivation... Do you understand now?"
After hearing this, the little white tiger suddenly shuddered, recalling what the system had blurted out earlier—tiger skin, tiger bones, tiger blood were all valuable items. So the system wasn't just pouring cold water or scaremongering; it was truly this dangerous?!
Yun Qingyue felt the little white tiger's body stiffen and knew she understood. But rather than comforting the tiger cub, she continued: "Those are merely spirit beasts, while you are a divine beast. Do you know how many people would compete for a single drop of your blood, a scale, or a feather at an auction house, and at what astronomical prices?"
The world bustles for profit; the world struggles for gain.
This saying applied not only to the mortal realm but equally to the cultivation world. In fact, due to cultivators' constant struggle against fate and the cultivation world's ruthless survival-of-the-fittest nature, this principle manifested even more vividly there.
Yun Qingyue had reached Nascent Soul at a young age and had the backing of a major sect like Xuanqing Sect, making her certainly not someone to be trifled with. However, there were many in the world with higher cultivation than Yun Qingyue who didn't fear Xuanqing Sect. If she openly traveled with the little white tiger, perhaps no one would dare do anything to them openly, but there would likely be many plotting against them in secret.
The little white tiger suddenly felt like Tang Monk's flesh—the legendary monk from Journey to the West whose flesh granted immortality—and could only safely remain in Xuanqing Sect. But would she have to stay in Xuanqing Sect forever, never leaving the sect again? Or would she have to wait until she matured after three thousand years before going down the mountain?
That was impossible! Three thousand years was an eternity—just thinking about it made the tiger despair!
The little white tiger immediately grew agitated and in her distress blurted out this question. Yun Qingyue didn't refuse to answer but stroked her head and said: "At least until you have the ability to protect yourself."
But this threshold of self-protection was too vague, so the little white tiger looked up and asked: "What counts as the ability to protect myself?"
Yun Qingyue thought for a moment, then answered: "At the very least, you should be able to defeat me first."
The little white tiger looked at her, then at the Fuxue Sword lying beside her, and instantly deflated, her tail drooping. After a while, she asked again: "You said you'd only be gone for a year this time. Do you promise to come back after a year?"
Yun Qingyue considered this, still uncertain, but told the little white tiger the truth: "After a year, the small secret realm discovered by Tiandao Sect will open. Most of us disciples participating in the martial arts competition will likely enter it. I should return by then, but if I'm running late, I might go directly to the secret realm entrance."
The little white tiger immediately became alert upon hearing this. She raised herself to look at Yun Qingyue with vigilance and dissatisfaction: "Then how long will this secret realm expedition take?"
Yun Qingyue shook her head: "I don't know, but since it's a small secret realm, the opening period shouldn't be too long."
After listening, the little white tiger still felt uncomfortable. She suddenly asked: "Senior Sister, if I can raise my cultivation to Nascent Soul during this year you're away, would you take me along to explore the secret realm?" Without waiting for Yun Qingyue's response, she added: "Since Tiandao Sect discovered the secret realm, they must have secured it. Only disciples from the three sects will enter; there won't be outsiders threatening us."
Her reasoning was sound. With disciples from the three sects entering the small secret realm, a third would be from Xuanqing Sect. Buddha Sect's people wouldn't cause trouble, and would Tiandao Sect's people dare set their sights on her? Besides, Senior Sister wasn't someone to be trifled with.
Calculating all factors, if the little white tiger insisted on following to the secret realm then, the dangers would only come from the secret realm itself.
After careful consideration, Yun Qingyue found she couldn't decide definitively and didn't want to discourage the little white tiger's cultivation enthusiasm, so she said: "Let's wait until you restore your cultivation to Nascent Soul then. Regardless, with higher cultivation comes fewer restrictions."
The little white tiger deeply agreed with this.
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The little white tiger's anger, like before, was easily soothed. After Yun Qingyue promised the one-year agreement, she became somewhat more settled, while also looking forward to exploring the small secret realm a year later. She was determined to cultivate diligently.
However, cultivation was a matter for later. Having come to this canyon, they couldn't leave empty-handed.
Looking at the canyon's beautiful scenery, the little white tiger was reluctant to leave so soon, especially considering the impending separation. She wanted to spend more time with Senior Sister. So she hugged Senior Sister's arm, her face full of righteous certainty: "Since we're already here and haven't had time to properly enjoy the scenery, wouldn't it be a waste to leave now? Let's appreciate the landscape before going."
Yun Qingyue didn't object, having already refused enough in the past few days. She feared the recently pacified little white tiger might throw another tantrum. So she agreed, not only carrying the little white tiger to view the scenery beneath the waterfall but also sharing stories of the past.
This canyon wasn't randomly chosen by Yun Qingyue. In her spare time from cultivation, she had often come here to sit. Listening to the waterfall's sound and watching the distant clouds and mist made her heart feel peaceful. Here, she didn't need to worry about cultivation or the various affairs of her junior brothers and sisters or the entire Mount Mingxia—visibly relaxed and at ease.
The little white tiger lazily lay across Senior Sister's lap, watching her occasionally dip her hand into the pool to scoop up clear water. Her heart also grew calm—if only they could remain like this forever, without strife or separation. Unfortunately, such thoughts could only remain dreams.
As she mused, a bold fish swam to the edge of the pool, curiously poking its head up to look at the two.
Perhaps because the canyon was rarely visited by people, and cultivators who practiced abstention from food had little appetite, this fish was clearly unafraid of humans. Unfortunately for it, today it encountered the little white tiger. Perhaps due to her feline instincts, watching the fish swim back and forth before her, the little white tiger couldn't resist the temptation. With one swipe of her paw, she scooped it up and slapped it onto the shore.
The fish was stunned for a moment but quickly began struggling violently, jumping and trying to escape back to the pool. However, the more it struggled, the more the little white tiger was attracted. With a tiger pounce, she pinned the fish down.
It must be said that fish in the cultivation world differed from those in the mortal realm—not only were they beautiful, but they were also truly strong. The little white tiger was nearly caught off guard and almost let it escape. Finally, she simply slapped the fish further from the pool with her paw, then trotted over to crouch beside the dying white fish to observe it, ultimately unable to identify what species it was.
Yun Qingyue solved the mystery for her: "This is a White Dragon Fish, said to have a trace of diluted dragon bloodline."
The little white tiger stared at the White Dragon Fish and found that while it was indeed beautiful with an elegant form, it resembled neither the dragon fish she knew from before her transmigration nor a true dragon. This White Dragon Fish had neither horns nor claws and didn't look particularly imposing. If anything stood out, it was the two particularly long white whiskers at its lips, which gracefully resembled dragon whiskers.
As a White Tiger of the same rank as the Azure Dragon, the little white tiger naturally had no particular thoughts about any dragon bloodline. Looking at the lively White Dragon Fish, she pondered for a moment before asking Senior Sister just one question: "Is this fish good to eat?"
The White Dragon Fish's struggling movements seemed to pause momentarily, then it jumped even more vigorously.
Yun Qingyue pursed her lips in silence for a moment, then answered: "The meat is delicious."