Chapter 358 : A Decade or So
Spirit stones serve the purpose of storing spiritual energy, essentially functioning like batteries. Based on the amount of spiritual energy they store, cultivators classify them into high, middle, and low grades. Premium spirit stones, however, are different—not only can they store spiritual energy, but after their stored energy is depleted, they can even absorb scattered spiritual energy from the air, gradually returning to their original state.
For these reasons, in Jiang Mo's eyes, spirit stones were like batteries, with premium spirit stones being rechargeable ones.
Were spirit stones valuable? Naturally. Besides their practicality, they served as the universal equivalent in the cultivation world—the recognized currency. There are people in this world who view money as dirt, but the vast majority still love money...
Those were Jiang Mo's thoughts about spirit stones just moments ago.
Now, watching the hard spirit stone being pecked like tofu and swallowed by the Little Swan Goose, Jiang Mo felt her entire tiger self falling apart. She was horrified, no longer concerned with the Little Swan Goose's attitude, and quickly extended her hand to scoop up the bird chick. Anxiously, she examined her all over, paying special attention to gently rubbing the Little Swan Goose's belly, afraid she might feel a hard lump.
Fortunately, she didn't. The Little Swan Goose who had devoured nearly half a premium spirit stone remained in the same condition—her tiny belly hadn't protruded at all, and it still felt soft to the touch, as if swallowing the spirit stone had been merely Jiang Mo's hallucination.
Jiang Mo sighed with relief after completing her inspection, but the Little Swan Goose was extremely annoyed by this handling. After angrily calling out several times, the little one suddenly flapped her wings and flew up from Jiang Mo's palm—heaven knows how those fluffy little wings managed to lift her—she flew to the same height as Jiang Mo's face, then delivered a flying kick to Jiang Mo's face.
Indeed, though the Swan Goose was small, her strength was considerable; Jiang Mo could feel the pain on her face.
Fortunately, the Little Swan Goose's revenge ended there. After angrily kicking Jiang Mo, she turned around and darted toward the table filled with items. She plunged down, accurately finding the premium spirit stone she hadn't finished earlier, and took another bite.
Jiang Mo rubbed the spot where she'd been kicked, feeling utterly helpless, but seeing how excited the Little Swan Goose was, she didn't want to stop her. She could only convince herself: "It's fine, it's just one or two premium spirit stones. Since Senior Sister ate them without issues, let her eat. Once they're gone, they're gone. Everything else on the table is edible; the spirit stones are just appetizers..." Wait, who uses spirit stones as appetizers?!
The self-persuasion failed, and Jiang Mo watched anxiously as the Little Swan Goose finished the two premium spirit stones, still unsatisfied.
During this time, Jiang Mo's own curiosity got the better of her, and she secretly took a spirit stone and tried it herself—the tiger's teeth were quite good, making the premium spirit stone crunchy, but asking her to swallow it was too much for a tiger. The feeling was no different from eating a mouthful of glass shards.
Jiang Mo couldn't understand the Little Swan Goose's taste and was more worried she might get sick. Therefore, when the Little Swan Goose finished those two premium spirit stones and looked at her expectantly, she pretended not to notice and certainly wasn't going to offer more.
Fortunately, the Little Swan Goose didn't insist. Seeing there were no more premium spirit stones, she turned her attention to other foods rich in spiritual energy.
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The Little Swan Goose's appetite was astonishingly large. Not only did she drink all the sweet dew water the Golden Peng had given, but she also cleared everything Jiang Mo had placed on the table. Only after consuming the last two milk-scented fruits did she pat her belly, showing some satisfaction.
Jiang Mo, with her chin resting on her palm at the table, had watched the entire eating show, her mood shifting from initial shock to eventual calm. By now, she had stopped wondering where all the food the Little Swan Goose had consumed went—she actually knew those items were rich in spiritual energy, and after entering her belly, they must have transformed into spiritual energy for her Senior Sister's use, but the speed of digestion was truly too fast.
Finally, as the Little Swan Goose finished eating and showed signs of satisfaction, Jiang Mo secretly sighed with relief.
The fully-fed Little Swan Goose relaxed her entire body, her plump little wings attempting to rub her belly in a human-like manner, though they were still too short. Her adorable demeanor made Jiang Mo's hands itch, and she quietly extended a finger, intending to help her rub.
Unfortunately, the Little Swan Goose was not appreciative. As soon as Jiang Mo extended her finger, not even touching her, she immediately looked over vigilantly.
Faced with her Senior Sister, even if she was now small and had lost her memory, Jiang Mo didn't want to offend her. Therefore, under the Little Swan Goose's vigilant and sharp gaze, she silently withdrew her extended finger and sat up straight.
Seeing this, the Little Swan Goose stared at her for a while before gradually lowering her guard.
Eat, sleep, repeat—perhaps the nature of all cubs. Having just enjoyed a feast, the Little Swan Goose relaxed her vigilance and was immediately overcome with drowsiness. She opened her mouth for a small yawn, then her eyelids drooped, and her phoenix eyes gradually closed.
Before long, the once highly vigilant Little Swan Goose had fallen asleep right in front of Jiang Mo, which was both amusing and exasperating.
Seeing this, Jiang Mo felt both irritated and amused. She then gently poked the Little Swan Goose, but couldn't wake her. Finally, with no other option, she picked up the tiny creature and carried her to the bed.
However, sleepiness is perhaps contagious. The Little Swan Goose slept so soundly, and Jiang Mo had been mentally tense for so many days. Now that she had finally reached the reassuring place of the Buddha Sect, shortly after placing the Little Swan Goose on the bed, she too felt waves of drowsiness.
At present, besides her Senior Sister, there was nothing urgent requiring her attention. Jiang Mo thought for a moment, then turned and lay down on the bed. Looking at the Little Swan Goose beside her pillow, she probably felt the size difference between them was too great, so with a thought, she transformed back into her tiger cub form. Then, with her fluffy tiger paw, she scooped the sleeping Little Swan Goose directly into her embrace before contentedly closing her eyes and falling asleep.
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Divine beasts' perception of time differs from ordinary people. Their lifespans are exceedingly long; it takes three thousand years to reach adulthood, making a day or a month seem insignificant to them—ordinary people might sleep for a night at most, but divine beasts sleeping for a thousand years are not uncommon.
Fortunately, Jiang Mo didn't fall into an endless sleep at another sect. Undisturbed, she slept for only three days.
This was thanks to the Little Swan Goose, who woke up after three days and, discovering herself in the tiger cub's embrace, struggled free, incidentally trampling the tiger cub's face in the process. Though small and not heavy, the commotion was enough to wake the deeply sleeping tiger cub. When the tiger cub opened her eyes, she saw the Little Swan Goose, slightly larger than before.
This wasn't an illusion. The White Tiger extended her paw and measured the Little Swan Goose, finding she had indeed grown a bit—which was no small feat. Divine beasts naturally grow slowly; back then, the tiger cub ate and drank excessively at the Xuanqing Sect for a year without growing, yet here the Little Swan Goose had grown after just three days?!
The White Tiger was extremely delighted and jumped up from the bed with a flip, startling the Little Swan Goose with her overly active movement. The little one chirped in a crisp voice, seemingly protesting.
Jiang Mo jumped down from the bed, shook her fur, and transformed back into her human form.
The Little Swan Goose had an even worse impression of Jiang Mo's human form, immediately turning her back angrily, unwilling to pay her any attention.
Seeing this, Jiang Mo felt somewhat helpless. After thinking for a moment, she flipped her palm, and a spiritual fruit rich in energy appeared. She poked the Little Swan Goose's back, and when she turned around fiercely, Jiang Mo immediately offered the spiritual fruit.
The diminutive Senior Sister was quite easy to please—just moments ago she had been furious, but now she was immediately won over by a spiritual fruit. The Little Swan Goose's phoenix eyes brightened; having awakened from her sleep, she seemed hungry again. She spread her wings and pounced on the fruit, happily eating her breakfast, no longer concerned with disliking Jiang Mo. Even when Jiang Mo took the opportunity to examine her down, she paid no attention.
Before long, the Little Swan Goose had finished the spiritual fruit, and Jiang Mo had completed her examination.
The Little Swan Goose had indeed grown a bit, but there wasn't much change; she was still covered in down like a cub, with no sign of growing feathers. It was unclear whether this was due to insufficient time or because the spiritual energy in the food she had eaten earlier wasn't enough.
Jiang Mo pondered this while continuing to feed her, promptly taking out a spiritual herb and passing it over. The Little Swan Goose began to nibble on the herb.
After feeding her more than a dozen items this way—perhaps because this time she was being hand-fed rather than left to eat freely from the table—the Little Swan Goose's gaze toward Jiang Mo gradually changed from vigilant to affectionate. Sometimes, after finishing one item, if Jiang Mo didn't immediately provide another, she would gently peck Jiang Mo's fingertip as a reminder—unlike the forceful peck earlier that broke through her defenses, this time the Little Swan Goose's action was more like coquetry.
Jiang Mo had thus found a shortcut to gain favor, and the person and cub quickly developed a harmonious relationship. It was at this time that Jiang Mo picked up the Little Swan Goose and left the room, naturally not forgetting to continue feeding her.
She remembered that the Golden Peng seemed to live nearby and wanted to ask about the Little Swan Goose's growth.
The Golden Peng was different from Divine Lord Zhiming. Though the latter had high talent and cultivation, he was extremely lazy, seizing any opportunity to sleep. The Golden Peng, on the other hand, rarely fell into deep sleep, sometimes cultivating, sometimes going out, and sometimes attending scripture readings.
Jiang Mo's timing was perfect; the Golden Peng had just returned from wandering outside, neither cultivating nor away. Seeing Jiang Mo arrive with the Little Swan Goose, he smiled and said, "Little tiger cub, how have you been these past few days? Have you recuperated well?"
Jiang Mo was accustomed to being called Jianbing in public and little tiger cub in private, so she neither confirmed nor denied it. She simply raised the Little Swan Goose she was holding in her palm and asked the Golden Peng, "Look, has she grown bigger?"
The Golden Peng had excellent eyesight; not even the slightest change in the Little Swan Goose could escape his eyes. He nodded and said, "Yes, she has grown."
Hearing the Golden Peng's affirmative answer, Jiang Mo drew the Little Swan Goose back to herself and frowned, saying, "But isn't she growing too quickly? I remember I didn't grow this fast back then." After a pause, she added, "The sweet dew water you gave her that day, she drank it all in one go, and she also ate many of my spiritual herbs and fruits... She also gnawed on two spirit stones; should that be a problem?"
The Golden Peng's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, showing none of Jiang Mo's alarm: "What problem could there be? Are you really raising her like a cub?!"
Jiang Mo blinked, not answering, but her expression clearly said, "Isn't that right?"
The Golden Peng laughed and replied, "Of course not. She's merely recovering. Her original foundation is there, so the recovery process is naturally much faster than the growth process. You just need to ensure she has sufficient spiritual energy intake, and she can grow very quickly. Perhaps in a decade or so, perhaps in just three to five years, she will return to her original form." As he spoke, he extended his hand, seemingly wanting to touch the fluffy cub.
However, before the Golden Peng's hand could touch even a hair of her Senior Sister, Jiang Mo had already drawn her back into her arms, protecting her even more fiercely than a mother with her cub. The Golden Peng was rendered speechless and could only awkwardly withdraw his hand.
Jiang Mo pretended not to notice and asked again, "I know she needs spiritual energy, but is it really okay for her to eat spirit stones?"
The Golden Peng shook his head and said matter-of-factly, "If she's willing to eat them, of course there's no problem."
Hearing this, Jiang Mo was relieved, but she quickly became worried again—her savings were not small, but at her Senior Sister's rate of consumption, they might not last long. It seemed it was time to go treasure hunting to replenish her food supply.