In the end, Feng Ning still took the Nine-Turn Resurrection Pills back to her own courtyard.
Nine-Turn Resurrection Pills were not easy to refine. Not to mention the rarity of the materials, just the alchemy technique itself—from the first turn to the ninth, not a single mistake could be made—made the difficulty self-evident.
Feng Ning was no fool. She wouldn't refuse Nine-Turn Resurrection Pills worth over ten thousand spirit stones, especially not three of them.
After Feng Ning left, Mo Tiange sat down, covering her face as she chuckled quietly.
Qin Xi said, "You've thoroughly offended Feng Ning."
"So what if I offended her?" Mo Tiange replied, completely unconcerned. "Even if she complains to Master, we're in the right." What cultivator never got injured? Besides, she had specifically compensated with three Nine-Turn Resurrection Pills—wasn't that sincere enough? Who told Feng Ning to bring up that marriage talk, deliberately trying to upset her?
Thinking of this, Mo Tiange felt displeased again. So, before she appeared, he had almost been betrothed to someone else.
Qin Xi glanced at her, noticing her unhappy expression. After a moment's thought, he decided to explain. "Actually, Senior Ding Luan often joked about it, and Master loves to joke too, so..."
"So you almost got engaged?" Mo Tiange asked, giving him a sidelong look.
"Not 'almost.' It was purely a joke. I never took it seriously..."
"Alright," Mo Tiange said after a moment's consideration. "Then tell me all at once if you have any other romantic entanglements."
Qin Xi thought very seriously for a while, then said earnestly, "There aren't any. Even if there were, they had nothing to do with me." In the over one hundred years before meeting her, his life had been uneventful—cultivation, gaining experience, nothing else. Any romantic matters were other people's business, unrelated to him personally.
"Really none?" Mo Tiange was skeptical.
"Really none," Qin Xi affirmed, extremely and very certain, trying his best to make his expression appear utterly sincere. Actually, there was no need to explain this Feng Ning matter; there had never been anything between them. It was just a few jokes from their elders. If not for this coincidental mission together, no one would have even mentioned it.
However, he felt quite happy inside. Her reaction showed she cared about him.
Two miscellaneous duty disciples cleared away the Wind-Thunder Bird's carcass, wiped the area clean, and brought in clean chairs. After casually exchanging a few more words, the two of them each began their cultivation.
Mo Tiange took out the Thunder Pearl Jing Xingzhi had given her some time ago, infused her divine sense into it, and began studying its structure. This Thunder Pearl could paralyze someone for several breaths. If she could figure out how it worked, her Heavenly Thunder Great Method would become even more powerful.
While she was researching, Feifei's voice sounded in her ear: "Let me out! Let me out!"
Mo Tiange channeled her spiritual energy, tapped her spirit beast bracelet, and released Feifei. "What is it?"
Once out of the spirit beast bracelet, Feifei stretched lazily. "It's stifling in there. I'm coming out to wander around."
Since they were here to slay demonic beasts, letting Xiao Huo and Xiao Fan out could easily cause misunderstandings, so Mo Tiange had left them in the Void Heaven Realm. Only Feifei, after taking human form, couldn't stand staying in the Void Heaven Realm and always wanted to be where there were people, so it stayed in the spirit beast bracelet to come out anytime. Besides, this was its hometown! How could it hide in a spirit beast pouch after coming here?
"Then go wander as you please. Remember to bring your token."
Feifei lazily pointed at the Xuanqing Sect Daoist robe it was wearing. "Wearing this, who would even ask?"
"That's hard to say. With your appearance, anyone can tell you weren't among the people we brought."
"Got it," Feifei said, pouting. It straightened its robes, conjured a water mirror to tidy its long hair, decided it was impeccably handsome, and then hummed a tune as it left the Sect Leader Hall.
Watching its retreating figure, Mo Tiange couldn't help but shake her head. How did she end up raising such a spirit beast? Before it took human form, it was fine—just spent all day grooming its golden fur. But after becoming human, it even needed a mirror. She wasn't that particular herself.
As Feifei walked out of the Sect Leader Hall and passed through the square, Bai Yanfei suddenly called out, "Senior Brother!" Seeing Feifei ignore him, he raised his voice. "Senior Brother, please wait!"
Feifei stopped, looked around to see no one else, then pointed at its own nose while looking at Bai Yanfei. "Me?"
Bai Yanfei nodded, walked closer, and cupped his hands in greeting. "Senior Brother, how come I've never seen you before?"
The entire Xuanqing Sect only had about forty Core Formation cultivators. They saw each other all the time; even if they hadn't spoken, they recognized each other. There was no reason for an unfamiliar Core Formation cultivator to suddenly appear, especially one at the late Core Formation stage.
Feifei was currently at the seventh rank, equivalent to a human cultivator's late Core Formation stage.
Hearing this, Feifei lazily waved a hand. "It's normal you haven't seen me. It'd be strange if you had."
Bai Yanfei grew even more puzzled. "May I ask which uncle-master you study under, Senior Brother?"
Feifei pointed at the Sect Leader Hall. "There."
Bai Yanfei was taken aback. "Uncle-Master Shoujing and Uncle-Master Qingwei? They only have one disciple..."
Feifei interrupted him. "Who said I'm a disciple? I'm Mo Qingwei's spirit beast!"
"Spirit beast?!" Bai Yanfei's eyes nearly popped out of his head as he looked Feifei up and down. The youth before him was exceptionally handsome, with a few strands of gold mixed in his black hair. The pupils of his eyes seemed to be rimmed with a circle of golden threads, giving him an eerie yet beautiful appearance. Bai Yanfei was quite confident in his own looks, but before Feifei, he could only admit defeat.
A spirit beast more handsome than a human? How were the rest of them supposed to live?
"Here," Feifei said, taking an identity token from its robe and waving it before Bai Yanfei. "See? I'm not lying."
This identity token had been specially made by the Deacon Hall. When Feifei ran to the Deacon Hall asking for robes and a token, the deacon on duty was dumbfounded. Although the Xuanqing Sect had many Nascent Soul Dao Lords, none had a spirit beast that had taken human form and come to the Deacon Hall demanding an identity token. Unable to decide, the deacon reported it to Elder Xiyi, the Questioning Affairs Elder. Elder Xiyi sent a voice transmission to Mo Tiange to confirm it was true, then specially issued Feifei an identity token and registered it in the disciple roster.
Bai Yanfei examined this specially made Xuanqing Sect identity token, confirming the aura sealed within matched Feifei's, before finally believing it.
After a moment's hesitation, he still addressed it, "Senior Brother, things are busy right now. Would you be willing to lend a hand?"
Feifei was just tired of staying in enclosed spaces. What it did didn't matter, so it asked, "Help with what?"
Bai Yanfei pointed at the Foundation Establishment cultivators. "These juniors aren't coordinating well. I'm stretched thin. Could I trouble you to help instruct them a bit?"
Feifei glanced over. It was just groups of ten forming a Ten Directions Formation. Although it wasn't skilled in combat, it was, after all, at the seventh rank. A look was enough to understand.
"Alright." Idling was idling anyway.
Bai Yanfei smiled and bowed respectfully. "Thank you for the trouble, Senior Brother."
Feifei looked around, then pointed randomly. "You, you, and you. Your three squads, follow me."
The thirty disciples looked at Feifei, then at Bai Yanfei. The three leaders acknowledged the order and led their squads over.
Feifei walked toward the mountain gate with its hands clasped behind its back.
"Senior Brother," Bai Yanfei called from behind. "You can have them return when it gets dark."
Feifei didn't turn its head, just waved a hand to show it understood. Leading the thirty disciples, it soon vanished from sight.
Bai Yanfei stared at the spot where they disappeared, silent for a long time.
After a while, a bitter smile appeared on his face.
A spirit beast. It was actually a spirit beast. That Senior Sister Mo's spirit beast's cultivation was even higher than his. Who could he compare to now? And he had politely called a spirit beast 'Senior Brother'... Back in the day, a spirit beast was just an animal to him. When would he ever have addressed one so respectfully as 'Senior Brother'...
Leaving aside Bai Yanfei's self-pity, Feifei led the three squads of Foundation Establishment cultivators and was about to leave. Tang Shen, responsible for guarding the mountain gate, didn't dare be careless. Upon receiving a disciple's report, he immediately rushed over.
Ever since the demonic beasts attacked the mountain, Bixuan Pavilion's mountain-protecting great array had been fully activated, sealing the mountain gate. Otherwise, how could the cultivators inside Bixuan Pavilion alone withstand the demonic cultivators' attacks? Currently, disciples were strictly forbidden from entering or leaving, both for their safety and to prevent anyone from leaking Bixuan Pavilion's situation to the demonic cultivators.
"Senior Brother!" Seeing Feifei, Tang Shen cautiously sized it up and bowed. "May I ask how I should address you, Senior Brother?"
Feifei couldn't be bothered to explain again. It simply took out its token and waved it before Tang Shen.
The token clearly stated its origin: 'Feifei, the Feifei spirit beast under Dao Lord Qingwei.'
Seeing the words 'Feifei,' Tang Shen was stunned. He suddenly remembered that Senior Uncle Qingmiao had once given Elder Ye a Feifei.
He was shocked. He recalled that Feifei back then was only first rank. Now, its cultivation was actually higher than his, and it had even taken human form.
Only now did he realize how formidable that Elder Ye's methods were. Feifei in the East Sea were at most second or third rank; he had never heard of a seventh-rank one. Not only had she raised a Feifei to the seventh rank, its advancement speed was astonishingly fast. Come to think of it, could a seventh-rank spirit beast take human form? He was puzzled.
"Um... Senior Brother," Tang Shen said after some thought, deciding to address it as a human cultivator anyway. "May I ask why you wish to leave the mountain gate?"
Feifei pointed at the group of cultivators behind it. "Taking them out for training."
"Is that... necessary?" Tang Shen said. "Our sect is so large. You can train anywhere. Besides, it's dangerous outside. What if you encounter demonic beasts attacking the mountain?"
Feifei said, "I'll bring them back in time, of course."
"..." Tang Shen hesitated, then said, "Trouble you to wait a moment, Senior Brother. I need to request instructions first."
Feifei muttered, "So troublesome. It's just going out."
Tang Shen smiled politely. "These are extraordinary times. Please forgive me, Senior Brother." With that, he took out a voice transmission talisman, spoke a few words, and with a wave of his hand, sent it flying toward the Sect Leader Hall.
Not long after, the voice transmission talisman flew back. Tang Shen received it, and a single sentence came from within: "Let it be."
He then took out a command token, lightly shone it, and opened a small gap in the formation just large enough for two people to pass through. "Senior Brother, please."
Feifei led the thirty Foundation Establishment disciples, swaggering out of Bixuan Pavilion.
After everyone had exited, Tang Shen waved his token, and the formation closed again. He didn't leave immediately but stood there blankly, watching Feifei gradually move away.
A spirit beast. It was just a spirit beast... In comparison, he was truly incompetent.
Feifei didn't know that its appearance had made two talented cultivators feel ashamed of their own inadequacies. Leading the group of Foundation Establishment disciples, it excitedly headed toward the seaside.