Chapter 130 : Catnip
Yun Qingyue gave the little white cat a penetrating look, but ultimately didn't pursue the question of exactly who she had heard from. However, now knowing that You Yi was collapsed from poison at the entrance, she couldn't simply ignore him. After some consideration, she took out a bottle of antidote pills and handed them to Jiang Mo: "We've nearly finished excavating the Spirit Crystal. You should go give You Yi a couple of antidote pills first, lest he actually die from poisoning here."
Jiang Mo was somewhat reluctant, but that was still a human life, and she wasn't truly heartless enough to ignore someone in mortal danger. So after a bit of childish pouting, she finally accepted the medicine bottle and ran to the entrance, not forgetting to give Ruan Le another swipe with her paw before leaving.
Seeing this, Yun Qingyue seemed to want to say something but hesitated, finally giving Ruan Le a pitying look before saying nothing.
She hadn't lied—the Spirit Crystal mine was indeed nearly excavated. The Five Elements Essence, much like divine beasts, was quite languid, capable of slumbering in one place for thousands or tens of thousands of years. Spirit Crystal wasn't easily formed; only places closest to the Five Elements Essence could be deeply influenced and gradually condense into Spirit Crystal. Though cultivators didn't know the true appearance of the Five Elements Essence, discovered Spirit Crystal mines had predictable dimensions.
The smallest Spirit Crystal mine was only fist-sized, while the largest didn't exceed the height of a person. This particular Spirit Crystal mine was neither large nor small, about half a person's height, though the companion black rock formed by the Metal Spirit Crystal was somewhat troublesome, slowing down the excavation.
Yet however troublesome the black rock might be, it couldn't withstand a cultivator's persistence. Four-fifths of the mine had already been excavated.
The golden Spirit Crystal now exposed to the air, rich metal-attribute spiritual energy washed over them. The little white tiger's earlier reluctance to go give You Yi medicine wasn't without influence from the Spirit Crystal—White Tiger belonged to the metal attribute, so staying in such a metal-rich environment was exceptionally comfortable, like a cat finding warmth in the depths of winter, naturally feeling lazy and unwilling to move.
Sure enough, the little white cat's trip was remarkably swift; she had barely left before returning. Besides the now completely empty medicine bottle she returned, nothing seemed amiss.
Seeing this, Yun Qingyue could only shake her head and turn back to continue her mining endeavor.
Perhaps having reached the final stage, with the black rock's structure compromised, the excavation difficulty had significantly decreased. Yun Qingyue flipped her ice sword, changing its trajectory as vigorous sword energy burst forth, severing the last entanglement between the black rock and the Spirit Crystal.
The little white cat's eyes brightened, and she immediately leapt forward. Then her four limbs relaxed, and the entire cat not only "splat" against the Spirit Crystal but also rubbed her chin against it...
The sight was so money-obsessed that even the system couldn't bear to watch.
However, the system misunderstood her this time. Jiang Mo was essentially a salted fish by nature, not a money-grubber. Besides, her Senior Sister was right there—even if she were a money-grubber, she would never do something so embarrassing. But the Spirit Crystal's attraction to the White Tiger came not from its value, but from that pure and abundant metal spiritual energy. It was like dangling a fish before a hungry kitten—how could she not be tempted?
The little white cat couldn't resist and rushed forward. After getting close to the Spirit Crystal, she was even more affected, unconsciously beginning to rub against it. Then, as she continued rubbing, a flash of white light surrounded her, and the little white cat disappeared, replaced by a small white tiger with black stripes.
Yun Qingyue initially hadn't planned to intervene, watching the little white cat hugging the Spirit Crystal like a beloved cat toy. But she hadn't expected this "cat toy" to be made of catnip—the little white cat couldn't resist and revealed her original form while rubbing against it. Only then did Yun Qingyue grow concerned, pinching the little white tiger by the scruff of her neck and lifting her up, meeting those round tiger eyes still filled with bewilderment.
Fortunately, even "high on catnip," the little white tiger didn't struggle, her dazed expression both innocent and docile.
Yun Qingyue ultimately couldn't bear to scold her. Taking the tiger back into her arms, she gently tapped her head with a curved forefinger: "Alright, this Spirit Crystal was excavated for you anyway, so there's no need to be so eager." After a pause, she added: "We need to leave quickly."
According to the little white tiger's earlier account, You Yi had merely fainted from poison, but the little white tiger had just poured an entire bottle of antidote pills down his throat, likely clearing the poison and waking him before long. Though Yun Qingyue had saved the brother and sister, the Spirit Crystal mine was too significant—she didn't want to leak even the slightest information, so it was better not to meet face to face if possible.
The little white tiger raised her paws to hug her head. Though her Senior Sister's tap hadn't been forceful and she didn't feel any pain, she still habitually displayed a wronged expression, taking the opportunity to act spoiled, whimpering in a manner entirely unlike a tiger.
Yun Qingyue sighed helplessly, freeing a hand to stroke the tiger's head before preparing to store away the excavated Spirit Crystal mine.
Seeing this, the little white tiger hurriedly stopped her: "Senior Sister, let me keep this Spirit Crystal mine."
Yun Qingyue looked at her suspiciously, having witnessed the little white tiger's earlier addiction to "catnip" and worrying she would be affected. But the little white tiger argued forcefully: "This Metal Spirit Crystal is useful to me. Rather than storing it in a storage ring, why not put it in my innate space? That way, I can access metal spiritual energy for cultivation at all times, perhaps even comprehending laws ahead of schedule."
Yes, divine beasts all possessed innate spaces. Unlike the storage treasures cultivators refined through techniques, a divine beast's innate space was like a small independent world, intimately connected only to them—no one could deprive them of it or open it.
The secret realm was full of dangers, and no one knew what they might encounter. Hiding the most precious Spirit Crystal in the little white tiger's innate space was indeed the safest option. Yun Qingyue had no reason to refuse, though she still warned: "The Spirit Crystal can stay with you, but don't cultivate while in the secret realm. Otherwise, if you lose control and expose your identity, it will cause trouble."
The little white tiger looked at her thick tiger paws with their restored stripes, feeling momentarily guilty, but ultimately nodded obediently.
༻༺❀༻✧⋆｡°✩☽༓☾✩°｡⋆✧༺❀༻༺
You Yi hadn't expected the Flame Poison Scorpion King to be so formidable. Though he hadn't been hit by those stingers, not even making contact from a distance, he had still been poisoned. Moreover, the Flame Poison Scorpions' fire poison was so virulent that once it took effect, he didn't even have time to react—his storage ring contained ample antidote pills, but he had no opportunity to take them.
As he closed his eyes, he saw the pursuing Scorpion King, his last thought being that he was certainly doomed.
A boat capsizing in a ditch—did he regret getting involved in this mess? Perhaps, but in his final moment before consciousness faded to darkness, he had no time to consider such things. His last thought was that he might never have the chance to wake again.
But heaven favored him, and You Yi, who thought he would never wake again, opened his eyes once more to the desert's blazing sunlight. Dazzled by the blinding light, he hastily closed his eyes, his head still somewhat dizzy. But with a cultivator's robust constitution, he quickly recovered, realizing he hadn't died, and a tremendous joy suddenly rose in his heart.
Without time to wonder why he hadn't been devoured by the Scorpion King, You Yi's first reaction upon regaining consciousness was to quickly find antidote pills to counteract the poison. But as the thought occurred to him, he suddenly exclaimed in surprise and spat out something with two "ptui" sounds.
The exclamation of surprise came because he suddenly discovered the fire poison in his body was gone; apart from the weakness following poisoning and detoxification, his spiritual energy circulated without the slightest hindrance. Then he felt something strange in his mouth and after spitting twice, wiped his lips to find a white hair—soft and fluffy, seemingly from some young beast's fur...
So what exactly had happened? Could some spirit beast have saved him and fed him medicine to counteract the poison?
You Yi's typically composed face showed bewilderment for the first time. He slowly sat up and found himself still in the black stone forest, though no trace of Flame Poison Scorpions remained.
This discovery caused his heart to tense and then relax. His gaze swept around, unsure if this was where he had collapsed. But he quickly realized it wasn't, as his scanning gaze discovered a familiar figure—not far away, a silhouette lay prone on the ground. Judging by that familiar form and clothing, who else could it be but his unfortunate junior sister?
Joy dispersed the gloom of being implicated.
You Yi's eyes brightened, and he lost his composure, scrambling over.
Ruan Le was certainly still alive; You Yi sensed her aura as soon as he approached. Upon reaching her and turning her over, he found his junior sister disheveled but indeed alive and well. Overjoyed, he examined her further, finding her physically unharmed, and patted her face to wake her: "Junior Sister, Junior Sister, wake up..."
Under You Yi's calls, Ruan Le quickly awakened with furrowed brows, feeling a dull pain in her neck as if struck by something. Fortunately, cultivators' constitutions weren't weak, so even after being struck, she quickly sat up holding her neck.
"Senior Brother You?" Ruan Le was exceptionally delighted to see You Yi: "Did you return to save me earlier?"
You Yi had indeed returned to save her, but he had been too late and hadn't seen any trace of Ruan Le. Now he had no desire to take credit for someone else's deeds, so he recounted everything that had happened, concluding by asking: "Junior Sister, you were saved by someone—did you see their identity or appearance clearly?"
Ruan Le was embarrassed and had to explain how she had accidentally stepped into a hole in the ground. She only remembered falling into a pit and perhaps seeing a flash of golden light before everything went black. As for who had saved them and how they appeared here, she was even more confused than You Yi.
After hearing this, You Yi pondered for a moment, sensing something unusual. Looking at this strange stone forest that blocked divine sense, he finally said to Ruan Le: "Junior Sister, it seems all those Flame Poison Scorpions have withdrawn. Why don't we search this stone forest to see if we can find the hole you mentioned."
Ruan Le felt uneasy, but since the Flame Poison Scorpions had indeed withdrawn, she ultimately agreed to her senior brother's suggestion.
With divine sense blocked, the two spent a full three days searching the neither large nor small stone forest before finally finding the hole Ruan Le had described—the traces clearly showed it had been artificially excavated, though the hole had now been destroyed, and whoever had dug it had long since disappeared. Who knew what secrets lay beneath this destroyed hole?