Chapter 13: She Hadn’t Touched That Tail Yet!
The little protagonist, free from the clutches of blackening, was easy to please.
One moment she was nearly driven to despair by an elder’s lecture, the next, someone gave her some food, and happiness returned to her face.
After lunch, Mu Tao cleared the table, her big, fluffy tail swaying, and gradually disappeared into the swirling snow.
Li Yu sat by the window, watching the small figure until the bright red of her clothes was no longer visible, then let out a soft sigh.
Si Qinglan strolled over to the window, stood beside Li Yu, and asked casually, “What are you sighing about?”
Li Yu: “Nothing…”
She just felt that Mu Tao had been wronged again today.
She was the one who couldn’t answer her disciple’s questions, yet it was the eager-to-learn little disciple who was scolded.
It made her feel incredibly guilty.
Si Qinglan was silent for a moment, then said seemingly offhandedly, “I know, you think I was too harsh. She just wanted to understand the meaning behind those unusual parts of the manual.”
Despite her casual tone, Li Yu sensed a hint of displeasure.
To appease her colleague, Li Yu quickly explained, “I didn’t know how to say those things. I’m grateful that you were willing to play the bad cop; why would I blame you?”
“Good to know!” Si Qinglan glanced at Li Yu, noticing the troubled look on her face, and sighed. “I thought you would never teach her any spells.”
Li Yu said in a low voice, “I have to at least teach her how to protect herself.”
Those words sounded noble, right?
But ultimately, she had no choice!
Mu Tao was the protagonist.
With the protagonist’s halo, whether she taught her now or not, Mu Tao would eventually become incredibly powerful.
Since she couldn’t suppress it anyway, it was better to be proactive, gain some favor, and ensure her own survival.
Si Qinglan: “The cultivation manual you gave her is full of unorthodox methods. Though it retains a foundation in immortal techniques, it also carries the potential for demonic cultivation.”
Li Yu: “…”
What did “potential for demonic cultivation” even mean?
Si Qinglan: “Don’t you understand what that means?”
Li Yu frowned.
—She didn’t understand, how could she?
Si Qinglan’s tone was serious. Could there be some hidden danger in this manual?
She was so curious that, despite the risk to her compatibility, she asked, “What else could it mean?”
“You’re asking knowingly!” Si Qinglan frowned, exasperated. “I know, you’re confident that this manual is harmless to her, that cultivating based on this won’t cause rejection from the Demon Bone nor cultivate any demonic energy—but the foundation you’ve given her is wrong. If others see it, what will they think of her, and what will they think of you?”
Li Yu: “What would they think?”
Si Qinglan: “A disciple secretly practicing demonic cultivation, and a master who teaches her disciple demonic cultivation!”
Li Yu: “So?”
Si Qinglan: “So, no one else can know about this!”
Li Yu: “Is that all?”
Si Qinglan: “What else do you want?!”
Just that?
She had imagined all sorts of consequences, like damaged foundation, drastic personality changes, and loss of control over the Demon Bone, but it turned out to be just a matter of reputation damage.
Why didn’t she say so earlier?
Si Qinglan, seeing Li Yu’s nonchalant expression, rolled her eyes dramatically. “You really are…”
Li Yu: “Really what?”
Si Qinglan: “Impossible to reason with!”
Li Yu smiled and shook her head. “Regardless, thank you, Si Qinglan.”
Si Qinglan opened her mouth, hesitated, and finally said, “I really can’t understand you anymore!”
Hearing those words, Li Yu braced herself for at least five or six days of inactivity.
But to her surprise, Si Qinglan actually increased her compatibility significantly upon leaving.
Seeing the number jump to 91%, Li Yu felt a wave of astonishment.
She really couldn’t understand this colleague.
But whether she understood her or not didn’t affect her lazy, eat-sleep-repeat life.
Regardless of her compatibility, life went on.
In the blink of an eye, the snow covering the mountain melted into spring.
And spring, after a brief cold spell, quietly gave way to summer.
Li Yu used to work every day, yearning for holidays to sleep in.
Now, every day was a holiday. Having spent so much time in bed, she started exploring her surroundings during her free time.
Since the original owner rarely appeared outside of Chaoxi Pond, Li Yu didn’t dare venture into crowded areas.
Thinking back, it had been almost half a year since she arrived. The most adventurous thing she had done was stroll around the Heavenly Pond within her limited territory.
Although Chaoxi Pond was quiet, her small courtyard wasn’t.
She had a colleague who frequently visited for chats and a little disciple who brought her meals every day at noon and dusk, rain or shine.
There was no reason to be bored.
Strangely, since Si Qinglan had stumbled upon the cultivation manual incident, her compatibility hadn’t dropped much.
She seemed to have genuinely built a good relationship with her colleague, their conversations covering a wider range of topics.
Si Qinglan loved to talk. Whether others responded or not, she would just keep going.
Li Yu played the role of a good listener, hoping to glean some useful information. But she soon realized that this immortal was a true idler, doing nothing all day but gossiping.
Yesterday it was about inner disciples fighting over cutting in line for food; today it was about the love-hate relationships between natural enemies among the mountain spirits.
One moment she would be talking about who had a crush on whom, the next, about who couldn’t stand whom.
In short, she devoured every piece of gossip on Mount Chao Yao, big or small, a true omnivore of rumors.
Li Yu, curious, once asked, “Don’t you cultivate?”
—I don’t cultivate because I don’t know how. Why don’t you?
Si Qinglan replied, “I’ve hit a bottleneck.”
Yes, she had hit a bottleneck.
That day, Qingxuan Revered One, who had single-handedly founded Mount Chao Yao to protect its inhabitants, under the curious gaze of her colleague Cangming Revered One, unabashedly declared the reason for her lack of cultivation: “I’ve been stuck at a bottleneck for two thousand years!”
Such a straightforward declaration was irrefutable!
As expected of Mount Chao Yao, the first immortal sect to be destroyed in the latter half of Demon Bone.
Look at the three revered ones protecting the mountain:
One was troubled by her disciple’s unstable Dao heart; another was stuck at a bottleneck and slacking off every day.
The remaining one, whose Dao heart and cultivation seemed stable, was a champion sleeper, wide awake when nothing was happening, but falling asleep at the first sign of trouble.
Mount Chao Yao’s destruction was not undeserved!
Speaking of Mount Chao Yao’s destruction, it was impossible not to mention the little protagonist who would destroy it.
The little protagonist’s current mental state was very stable.
So stable that it was as if she had never experienced a lonely childhood, never been ostracized, and was never the “little waste” people called her.
She seemed quite cheerful, but her blackening value hadn’t decreased any further.
Li Yu was initially puzzled by this persistent 10%.
But then she thought, who didn’t have a little darkness in them?
A worker’s blackening value upon receiving a WeChat message about mandatory overtime on Friday night was probably over 30%.
So, the little protagonist having a constant 10% wasn’t a big deal.
Mu Tao was becoming increasingly lively and cheerful.
Perhaps due to their prolonged interaction, the initial respect and formality had faded.
The days of red-rimmed eyes, tears, and timid whispers seemed like a distant memory.
One morning, Mu Tao came knocking on Li Yu’s door early.
Her calls of “Master” were clear and melodious, filled with uncontainable joy.
Li Yu got up and opened the door. The girl outside looked up at her, her smile brighter than the flowers on the mountain.
But at first glance, something felt different.
Li Yu admitted that she wasn’t very observant.
If a colleague wore new clothes or got a new haircut, she wouldn’t notice unless someone pointed it out.
So, as her little disciple stood before her, hands behind her back, posture straight, her large, almond-shaped eyes eagerly awaiting praise…
Li Yu asked blankly, “Why are you here so early today?”
Mu Tao blinked, stood on tiptoe, and twirled around. Seeing no reaction from her master, she tugged at her ears.
“Master!” She shouted, as if wanting to announce it to the world. “I’ve fully manifested my human form!!!”
It took Li Yu a moment to understand.
The little girl who always twitched her ears, wagged her tail, and bounced around her could now fully maintain her human form.
She happily ruffled Mu Tao’s hair. Mu Tao leaned into the affectionate gesture, her head lowered obediently.
As Li Yu smiled, a realization dawned on her.
The little girl who always twitched her ears, wagged her tail, and bounced around her had achieved a complete human form.
No one would mock her for failing at basic transformation spells anymore.
This was undoubtedly a good thing.
But, but…she hadn’t touched that tail yet!
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