Chapter 96 : Luo Yusi’s Way Down the Mountain
Chapter 96: Luo Yusi’s Way Down the Mountain
Early the next morning, Long Tao woke up right on time.
After tidying himself up, he had just pushed open the courtyard gate when he saw Luo Yusi already waiting outside.
She seemed to be in an excellent mood today and had deliberately restrained her demonic aura.
Her massive golden spider body flowed with a gentle sheen under the morning light, while her upper human form wore a simple, dark-toned outer garment that made her golden hair appear even more dazzling.
“Shall we go?” Upon seeing Long Tao, obvious delight surfaced in Luo Yusi’s eyes as she smiled and suggested, “I know a shortcut.
It’s much faster than taking the mountain path.”
“A shortcut?” Long Tao felt a little curious.
Luo Yusi did not answer directly.
Instead, she lowered her upper body slightly and tilted her head in indication.
“Hop on.”
“This!? Wouldn’t that be… rather disrespectful?”
Long Tao naturally understood the basic etiquette of dealing with the Demon Race.
Treating someone as a mount was about the most direct form of insult there was—one that could get you beaten to death on the spot, with the sect handing down only a light sentence afterward.
“It wouldn’t work for anyone else, but you’re a friend!” she said frankly.
“Besides… there’s no one around here. Just don’t go telling people everywhere.”
Seeing how sincere she was, Long Tao suppressed the slight unease in his heart and carefully climbed onto the broad back of her spider body.
To his surprise, the surface of the spider body was not the cold, hard carapace he had imagined.
Beneath his touch, he could feel a layer of fine, soft golden fuzz—warm and resilient.
It was just that the brilliant luster made it easy to mistake for a hard shell.
He had barely adjusted his seat when Luo Yusi very naturally pulled his arm over and wrapped it around the position of her human waist.
The motion was smooth, without the slightest hint of coyness or reserve.
“Hold on tight,” her voice carried a trace of barely perceptible laughter.
“It might get a little fast in a moment.”
Through the thin fabric, Long Tao could feel the slenderness and warmth of her waist.
With his face close to her golden hair, he could even catch a pleasant, exotic fragrance.
His heart skipped a beat.
Before he could properly savor the subtle sensation, Luo Yusi had already moved!
She did not head for the usual mountain path.
Instead, she went straight to the steep cliff behind the small courtyard.
Before Long Tao could even react, Luo Yusi’s six spider legs leapt off without hesitation!
“Waaah!”
The sudden sensation of weightlessness made Long Tao instinctively tighten his arms, pressing almost entirely against Luo Yusi’s back.
The roar of rushing wind filled his ears.
However, the downward plunge did not last long.
Luo Yusi raised a hand, and several nearly transparent silver spider silks shot out, precisely adhering to the rock face of the opposite cliff.
Using the elasticity and traction of the silk, together with her six sharp legs, she stepped, leapt, and slid down the nearly vertical cliff face as if walking on level ground!
Her movements were fluid and elegant, yet carried the wild ferocity and power unique to the Demon Race.
This was far more thrilling than any flight spell or movement technique! Long Tao clung tightly to Luo Yusi’s waist, feeling the weightlessness of every bound.
The mountain wind made it impossible for him to open his eyes, forcing him to bury his face against her back and rely on her body for a sense of security.
The extreme speed and peril of the sheer cliffs mixed with the warmth of the woman before him and the fragrance of her hair, forming an intensely heart-pounding experience.
Luo Yusi seemed to greatly enjoy this wild dash through the mountains, occasionally letting out clear, ringing laughter.
Her judgment of the terrain was incomparably precise, always finding the optimal footholds and routes.
A mountain path that would normally take quite some time to traverse was completed in less than the time of one incense stick using her near “vertical descent” method, and they arrived at the foot of the mountain.
“How was it? Fast, right?”
After reaching a small path on the outskirts of Qixia Town, Long Tao jumped down to the ground, still recovering from the adrenaline.
Luo Yusi turned around and asked him with a slightly smug expression, her golden hair somewhat tousled from the high-speed movement.
“Fast doesn’t even begin to cover it… That was incredible! Just… a bit too exciting.”
Seeing his slightly pale yet exhilarated expression, Luo Yusi could not help but laugh softly.
She reached out to tidy his hair, which had been blown completely out of place by the wind.
“You’ll get used to it next time. Let’s go.”
……
The Spirit Pet Market of Qixia Town truly lived up to its reputation.
The moment they stepped into its bounds, a noisy, surging wave of mixed spiritual energies of various attributes rushed toward them.
Shops lined both sides of the street, and large numbers of cultivators had simply set up stalls on the ground, displaying all manner of strange and marvelous spirit pet juveniles, beast eggs, or related items.
The dazzling spectacle left one’s eyes spinning.
“So lively!” Luo Yusi could not help but exclaim in admiration, her six eyes curiously scanning all around.
Having lived on the peak for a long time, she rarely came to places so full of everyday bustle.
Amid her excitement, she also keenly sensed the varied gazes directed at her—curiosity, amazement, and fear all mixed together.
However, after experiencing the secret realm expedition, the courage of this Spider Young Lady had grown considerably.
Though still somewhat unaccustomed to so much attention, she straightened her chest and hung the jade token representing her status as a Demon Race guest of the Nine-Xia Heavenly Sect more prominently at her waist.
Fortunately, this was the Spirit Pet Market, where cultivators and spirit beasts of all shapes and forms abounded.
Aside from being a bit too gorgeous and eye-catching, she did not stand out as especially out of place.
“Look over there,” Luo Yusi pointed to a stall with several large basins filled with fine sand.
Inside them, a few palm-sized little beasts resembling pangolins darted nimbly through the sand, leaving trails of spiritual light behind.
“Those are Treasure-Seeking Weasels. They don’t have much combat power, but they possess an innate sensitivity to minerals and spiritual herb seeds that contain spiritual energy. Many herb gatherers or miners keep one as an assistant. They’re very practical.”
Long Tao observed with interest.
He saw the little beasts twitch their noses lightly and soon dig out tiny crystal fragments from the sand with great precision.
The two then moved on to a stall selling aquatic spirit pets.
Inside huge water tanks, several vividly colored fish swam leisurely.
“These are Illusion-Color Koi,” Luo Yusi explained.
“It’s said that keeping them in the waters of a cave dwelling can gradually improve the water-attributed spiritual energy field, making the environment more suitable.
And since their swimming姿态 is so beautiful, many people also buy them simply as ornamental fish.” As she spoke, her gaze lingered for a moment on the shimmering tails, revealing a faint appreciation.
“You’re always saying you don’t like going out, but you’re pretty familiar with these little guys,” Long Tao said, seeing her look like an experienced guide.
“That’s not true. It’s just that my hometown in the Myriad Demon Mountains also has markets like this.
When I was little, I often went browsing with my mother, so I naturally became familiar with them.”
The two chatted as they walked.
After strolling for a while, Long Tao looked at the dazzling array of spirit pets before them and suddenly thought of Xiao Ying’s unfathomable time-based talent.
He then asked, “Yusi, with Xiao Ying’s unique talent in the Power of Time, if she were to choose a spirit pet, what kind would be more suitable? By common sense, shouldn’t she choose one that complements her talent?”
Hearing this, Luo Yusi slowed her steps and pondered seriously.
“The Power of Time… that talent is far too rare and transcendent to be measured by common sense,” she said thoughtfully.
“When ordinary cultivators choose spirit pets, they do often consider complementarity to make up for their own shortcomings. But Xiao Ying’s situation is completely different.
With a talent as extremely rare as hers, rather than dispersing her focus to patch up insignificant weaknesses, it would be better to specialize completely and push her own strengths to the extreme.
I think she should instead seek a spirit pet that also possesses potential in perceiving or manipulating time.”
Long Tao’s own cultivation was still shallow, so he did not dare speak rashly, but he felt Luo Yusi’s words made a great deal of sense.
Complementary strengths were a steady path, but that was a choice for ordinary people.
For someone like Xiao Ying, a once-in-a-billion peerless talent, she should walk a single path to the end and infinitely amplify her advantages.
As for shortcomings in other areas, she was, after all, a personally transmitted disciple of True Person Zhiying—those could easily be compensated for with high-grade artifacts, secret treasures, or even sect resources.
“You’re right,” Long Tao nodded in agreement.
“An ultimate talent should walk an ultimate path.”
The leisurely time in the market temporarily dispelled many of Long Tao’s worries and also gave rise to even more indescribable fondness for the special friend beside him.
However, neither of them noticed that at a street corner not far away, two familiar pairs of eyes had already taken note of them.