After a long while, Mo Tiange suddenly looked toward the direction the giant ape had left and said, "It's coming."
Yang Chengji and Tian Can's expressions changed drastically. They could sense a chaotic aura, its intensity unmistakably that of the giant ape.
The two rose, about to flee in separate directions, but Mo Tiange said, "Hold on, Fellow Daoists."
Yang Chengji turned his head and glared at her. "Does Fellow Daoist Qin have some method to subdue this thing?"
After what had just happened, Mo Tiange already knew that Yang Chengji was even more suspicious by nature than she was, so she paid it no mind. She turned to Tian Can. "Fellow Daoist, if you trust me, please wait here a moment."
A flicker of suspicion passed through Tian Can's eyes. "What does Fellow Daoist Qin intend to do?"
At that moment, the giant ape's aura drew closer. Beneath the cover of its chaotic aura, the three of them sensed another spiritual presence—it seemed to be a Fifth-Rank demonic beast...
Mo Tiange smiled and shook her head, then turned back to Yang Chengji. "If Fellow Daoist Yang does not wish to take the risk, you may leave now."
Yang Chengji looked at her, then stared at Tian Can for a while, ultimately not moving.
He very much wanted to know why this woman was so composed. Could there be some hidden reason?
The giant ape's figure soon appeared before their eyes. Yang Chengji and Tian Can both gripped their magical treasures, ready to strike.
However, the next moment, Mo Tiange raised her head, saw the small creature sitting on the giant ape's shoulder, and waved her hand. "Feifei."
Seeing her, Feifei let out a "squeak," leaped down from the giant ape's shoulder, and pounced into her arms.
"Master, don't let others know I can talk," Feifei's lazy voice sounded in her mind at the same time.
"What are you up to now?" Mo Tiange replied with her Divine Sense.
Feifei buried its head in her shoulder and chuckled twice in her mind. "Playing dumb. A spirit beast that can talk would arouse others' greed, you know."
"..." Mo Tiange asked, "Did you deal with that thing?"
"Mm-hmm," Feifei's voice carried a hint of dissatisfaction. "It's not called 'that thing.' Its name is Stone."
"It even has a name?" Mo Tiange was surprised.
Feifei grew even more displeased. "Names aren't a human monopoly. Look at Xiao Fan's family—they even have surnames."
"..."
"Fellow Daoist Qin, what is going on?" Yang Chengji asked, recovering from his shock. "This thing... it's not attacking us?"
Mo Tiange patted Feifei's head and, imitating Ling Yunhe, fed it a spirit pill as a reward before letting it go play with the giant ape again.
Yang Chengji and Tian Can watched as the ape and the "fox" slowly walked away, then immediately turned their questioning gazes to Mo Tiange.
Facing their looks, Mo Tiange remained calm. "This is my contracted spirit beast. It is a Feifei."
"Feifei?" Yang Chengji was puzzled. "What is that?"
Mo Tiange said, "If it knew Fellow Daoist Yang called it a 'thing,' it would certainly be unhappy."
"..."
Seeing Yang Chengji's bewildered expression, Mo Tiange couldn't help but smile and explained, "The Feifei is a type of divine beast from ancient legends. Raising one can dispel worries. This Feifei was found by me in the outer seas. It is said to possess the bloodline of the ancient divine beast Feifei. Although it is a Fifth-Rank spirit beast, it doesn't know any spells. I usually keep it just for amusement. I never expected it to be useful at a critical moment like this."
"Feifei..." Tian Can murmured the name, then suddenly looked up. "Could it be the legendary Feifei that is born able to coexist peacefully with all spirit beasts, and even ferocious beasts won't harm it?"
"Exactly," Mo Tiange nodded. "However, before today, I thought this was just a legend. After today's events, I can confirm that my spirit beast is undoubtedly a descendant of the Feifei."
"No wonder Fellow Daoist Qin came back and was so composed," Tian Can let out a sigh. Only now did he truly calm down.
Yang Chengji gazed in the direction where the giant ape and Feifei had disappeared, silent for a long time.
"Fellow Daoist Yang?" Tian Can called lazily, glancing at him sideways. "Do you have any objections?"
Tian Can's attitude toward Yang Chengji had never been particularly friendly, and now his words carried a tone of sarcasm.
A flush rose on Yang Chengji's pale face, and he glared at Tian Can with some annoyance.
Tian Can let out a cold snort, his gaze full of disdain.
"Fellow Daoist Tian Can," Yang Chengji's eyes revealed a youthful defiance as he stared coldly at Tian Can. "Everyone has their secrets. Why be so aggressive?"
Hearing this, the disdain in Tian Can's eyes instantly turned fierce. He glared viciously at Yang Chengji, but beneath the ferocity, there was a trace of hesitation, as if he couldn't be sure whether what Yang Chengji said referred to what he thought it did.
Yang Chengji snorted, turned his gaze away, and spoke coldly, this time to Mo Tiange. "Fellow Daoist Qin, you let your spirit beast go off with that giant ape. Aren't you worried something might happen?"
Mo Tiange had been watching the two of them, finding it quite amusing. Suddenly hearing Yang Chengji's question, she was momentarily caught off guard. After thinking for a moment, she said, "They left in high spirits. A spirit beast's intuition is the most accurate. I believe nothing will happen."
Yang Chengji nodded but asked again, "Where did Fellow Daoist Qin obtain this spirit beast? Was it already Fifth-Rank when you got it?"
"This spirit beast..." Mo Tiange thought for a moment. "It was obtained in the North Sea. As for exactly where in the North Sea, I don't remember anymore. I've had this Feifei for a long time. It was just born when I found it." (What Tianji called the East Sea would likely be considered the North Sea in Yunzhong.)
"Oh?" Yang Chengji pursued with interest. "Does Fellow Daoist Qin remember what was around that sea area? Were there any landmarks?"
Mo Tiange glanced at him. "Does Fellow Daoist Yang want to go find one?"
"Indeed, I have that thought," Yang Chengji admitted without concealment. "If raised to Fellow Daoist Qin's level, it would be of great use at times like this."
"Heh," Tian Can shot Yang Chengji a glance. "Fellow Daoist Yang, you are a Demonic Cultivator. As a Demonic Cultivator, raising a spirit beast probably isn't easy, is it?"
Yang Chengji looked at him, his gaze turning cold. "Ling Yunhe is a Dao cultivator, yet he keeps an exotic beast that cultivates death energy. Why can't I, a Demonic Cultivator, raise a spirit beast?"
The two stared at each other, eyes blazing.
Seeing this, Mo Tiange sighed helplessly and spoke up. "Fellow Daoists, this giant ape is temporarily dealt with. What should we do next? Do you have any opinions?"
"Naturally, we should find the others," Yang Chengji said. "We accepted the task; we should see it through. Besides, his actions were somewhat commendable."
Tian Can finally didn't contradict him. "Mm, let's find the others first."
With the three in agreement, Mo Tiange took out a spirit talisman from her robes, flicked her finger, and the talisman ignited into flames, transforming into a streak of light that vanished into the sky.
Before setting out, Ling Yunhe had already prepared several contingency plans, including what to do if they were separated, which he had explained to everyone in advance. Now, without needing further discussion, Mo Tiange released the Message Talisman. As long as the other three were unharmed, they should all return to rendezvous.
Not long after Mo Tiange sent out her Message Talisman, a Sound Transmission Talisman quickly returned from the sky. Mo Tiange caught it, and the talisman ignited without fire, Ling Yunfei's voice ringing out: "Is Fellow Daoist Qin alright?"
Receiving this talisman, Mo Tiange frowned slightly. This Ling Yunfei was not as simple as she had originally thought. Instead of taking the time to send a Sound Transmission Talisman, he could have come to rendezvous directly, which would have been faster. It showed he was actually quite cautious.
"I'm fine. Come quickly to rendezvous," Mo Tiange sent back a Sound Transmission Talisman.
After a while, two streaks of light finally appeared at low altitude. Before long, Ling Yunfei and Tian Zhiqian landed.
"So you two Fellow Daoists are already here?" Ling Yunfei looked at Yang Chengji and Tian Can in surprise.
"We turned back long ago," Tian Can said flatly.
"Oh?" Ling Yunfei's gaze swept between the three of them, his face full of confusion. "What exactly happened? Could you three Fellow Daoists explain it to the two of us?"
Tian Can and Yang Chengji were not accustomed to giving explanations. Hearing this, they naturally looked at Mo Tiange. Mo Tiange had no choice but to recount the events to Ling Yunfei and Tian Zhiqian.
"So that's how it was," Ling Yunfei said after hearing the whole story, a flash of excitement in his eyes as he asked Mo Tiange, "May I ask where Fellow Daoist Qin obtained that spirit beast?"
Mo Tiange smiled upon hearing this. "Fellow Daoist Yang asked this question just now. To be honest, it was a very long time ago. I only remember it was in the North Sea. As for exactly where in the North Sea, I no longer remember."
"Oh..." Ling Yunfei's face was full of disappointment.
The five of them waited for a while longer, but there was still no sign of Ling Yunhe. Ling Yunfei grew impatient and was the first to ask, "Could something have happened to my Second Brother? It's been so long and he hasn't returned."
"That's hard to say," Tian Can snorted. "The giant ape was lured away by the Feifei, but before that, whether Fellow Daoist Ling was even alive, none of us knew."
"..." This Tian Can—when he didn't speak, it was fine, but once he started, he only said unpleasant things.
Mo Tiange thought for a moment and used her Divine Sense to call Feifei back.
Not long after, Feifei appeared in everyone's sight. The giant ape was nowhere to be seen.
"Squeak-umm," in everyone's eyes, Feifei wagged its tail, pounced up, and clung to Mo Tiange, not moving. At this moment, Feifei's impatient voice already sounded in Mo Tiange's mind: "Why did you call me back?"
Mo Tiange stroked its head, pretending to soothe her spirit beast. Smiling on the outside, she communicated via Divine Sense: "I should ask you. Where did your Stone go?"
"It went home, of course," Feifei rubbed its head against her. "Is that what you wanted to ask?"
"Of course not. Did you ask it where the person it was chasing earlier is?"
Feifei tilted its head, thought for a moment, then jumped down from her. "Seems like he escaped. But I'm familiar with the aura on him. I can find him."
"Let's go," Mo Tiange waved to the others. "It will lead us to Fellow Daoist Ling."
The other four looked at each other and finally followed.
Although it was Feifei's first time in Carefree Valley, it seemed very familiar with the surroundings. It hopped left and right, leaped over several piles of rubble, and finally stopped in front of a large tree.
"Squeak-umm," it called.
"Here," Mo Tiange spotted Ling Yunhe lying under the tree, his aura faint.