Unintentionally revealing the chips in her hand.
Tang Muxi felt that Jiang Yin was truly clever, able to come up with such a clever and witty method. She couldn’t help but hug her and plant a kiss on her cheek.
“Senior Sister, you’re so smart! How come I couldn’t think of that?”
Clearly, they had the same information, yet Jiang Yin could analyze so much of the “inside story” and find corresponding solutions, while she could only stare blankly.
Tang Muxi sighed softly, feeling a bit melancholic, “If only I could share a bit of Senior Sister’s wisdom.”
Jiang Yin didn’t expect her to suddenly hug her, and was momentarily stunned. When she felt the soft, warm lips covering her face, her heart skipped a beat. It felt ticklish, like a strand of silk wrapping around her heart, constantly teasing her.
She almost wanted to bite the girl and take her in.
It had only been half a month since she had closed herself off, thinking she had thoroughly controlled her desires, but she didn’t expect to be thrown off balance the moment she came out.
Jiang Yin sighed inwardly, reaching out to lightly touch her kissed cheek, her throat burning with heat. She pretended nothing was wrong and pushed her away, scolding, “What are you doing, acting all touchy?”
Tang Muxi chuckled, sticking out her pink tongue playfully.
“By the way, I almost forgot to give this to you.”
Suddenly remembering something, she began rummaging through the dome of jade, eventually finding a fruit that had been frozen in ice.
Tang Muxi cast a spell to unfreeze it and handed the mixed-element spirit fruit to Jiang Yin, saying, “Senior Sister, eat this.” This was one she had saved from last time; Jiang Yin had been in seclusion and hadn’t consumed it yet.
Now that she had just broken through to the Golden Core stage, she could take the spirit fruit to further enhance her spiritual awareness and body, improving her Dao bone, which would also be of great benefit for her future breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage.
Jiang Yin recognized the mixed-element spirit fruit and instinctively declined, “I don’t need it; you eat it.”
In truth, she could use it, but it was too precious, and she felt unworthy to accept it.
Having just broken through to the Golden Core stage, it was precisely the time to further strengthen her physique. With this spirit fruit, the effects would be beyond her expectations. But since she had already taken the fruit from her hand, she felt it would be inappropriate to take anything else.
Tang Muxi pouted, looking unhappy, “Senior Sister, I’ve already given it to you, so of course it’s worth it. Don’t refuse. Besides, just now Senior Sister gave me advice, so consider it a reward.”
To gain a ground-level spirit fruit just by talking? If that were the case, all the cultivators in the world would be talking away.
Jiang Yin’s gaze met Tang Muxi’s clear, sparkling eyes. After a moment of staring, she finally relented, “Fine, I’ll eat it.”
Saying that, she reached out to take it. Unexpectedly, Tang Muxi suddenly dodged, blinking her eyes and bringing the spirit fruit closer to her mouth, “I’ll feed Senior Sister.”
Jiang Yin frowned, feeling a headache coming on.
When did this happen? Why was she suddenly so keen on feeding? She should have nipped this in the bud from the start, but now she found it hard to resist.
“Senior Sister, eat it.” Tang Muxi pushed it closer again, the tender fruit almost touching Jiang Yin’s lips.
Jiang Yin was distressed, giving her a complicated look, then glancing at the spirit fruit. Gritting her teeth, she maintained a straight face but felt her ears turning red as she took a bite.
Fortunately, the spirit fruit wasn’t large, and without seeds, she could finish it in a few bites.
However, it was inevitable that some juice would drip down, staining Tang Muxi’s fingers.
The mixed-element spirit fruit was a ground-level treasure, and even a bit of juice had endless uses.
Tang Muxi couldn’t bear to waste it, naturally bringing her fingers to her mouth.
Seeing this, Jiang Yin’s breath hitched, “You…”
“Hmm?” Tang Muxi turned her head in confusion, her expression sincere and straightforward, showing no signs of anything unusual.
Instead, it was herself who felt a dry throat and a mind filled with sordid thoughts.
Jiang Yin couldn’t hold back and turned to flee.
Having gotten Jiang Yin’s idea, Tang Muxi set off again the next day to the canyon in the south of the mountain.
The ominous clouds from the tribulation yesterday had yet to disperse, and it had rained heavily throughout the night, continuing with a light drizzle into the morning.
The sky was dark and gloomy, making the already jagged and strange canyon appear even more menacing.
From a distance, it looked like a headless path leading to the abyss.
Tang Muxi swallowed hard, feeling the spirit plant in her bag, and her fear gradually shifted to a sense of pain.
After thinking all night, Tang Muxi decided to subtly “show off” her wealth. These spirit plants were of decent quality, and their prices were not cheap; compared to the yellow-grade ones from yesterday, they were worlds apart, so the senior should notice.
When asked, she would present the prepared explanation.
There were many reasons for her loss of cultivation, but if it was to avoid this place, it was likely that she had been injured or schemed against by some powerful beings who had not yet revealed themselves. Since she was still maintaining her presence, it was definitely not a hopeless situation.
If she could resolve this and then exchange it for treasures from the ice pool, it wouldn’t be a loss.
Moreover, thinking of that familiar feeling was truly hard to ignore.
Once bitten, twice shy. Tang Muxi held the luminous pearl and cautiously walked through the canyon.
This place was indeed dark; with the poor weather, once she entered the canyon, even the light above her head disappeared, leaving only the faint glow of the luminous pearl in her hand.
After walking for a quarter of an hour, Tang Muxi finally reached a familiar spot.
“Senior!” she called out loudly, her clear voice echoing in the canyon, lingering like a magical sound.
“Little Green Vine! I’ve brought you something to eat.”
The cave was beneath the ground, and after a long time without any response, Tang Muxi stomped her foot.
“Senior, Little Green Vine, I’ve come to find you…” She shouted tirelessly for a while, her throat becoming dry, before a section of vine slowly emerged from the ground.
Tang Muxi was overjoyed and quickly grabbed it. In just a moment, she was pulled into the cave.
This place was no different from yesterday, with the same ice pool, the same dim light, and the surroundings still pitch black.
Before Tang Muxi could speak, a cold laugh came from the depths of the ice pool: “I had no idea there were such rude people in the world.” The voice was still hoarse and unpleasant.
Knowing her cultivation was damaged, Tang Muxi was no longer afraid and replied with a playful smile, “Where’s the rudeness? I missed you, senior, and after tossing and turning all night, I brought gifts to visit you first thing in the morning.”
As she spoke, she took out the spirit plant: “Here, Little Green Vine, do you want to eat?” Her tone was teasing, like coaxing a cat.
The green vine felt embarrassed and annoyed at being called “little,” wanting to wrap around her again. However, when it realized that today’s food was a spirit plant, it immediately froze, uncertainly curling up to it but not eating, seemingly doubting its authenticity.
Tang Muxi laughed boldly, reaching out to touch its vine, feeling a refreshing chill.
Having soaked in the ice pool for so long, this creature had also absorbed a similar aura.
Upon closer contact, Tang Muxi found it indeed resembled her cold pool, unable to resist the temptation for a moment.
“Eat, it’s all for you, enough to fill you up.”
The green vine was suspicious, but seeing her sincere expression and glancing at the depths of the ice pool, where no one was stopping it, it finally decided to eat.
These are all high-quality Xuan-level spirit plants, their power is far more refined than Huang-level, and they are incredibly delicious.
The green vine ate one, comfortably wriggled its body, and smacked its nonexistent mouth, approaching Tang Muxi with a hint of flattery. It remembered clearly that it could eat its fill.
Tang Muxi felt its eagerness and couldn’t help but smile. She patted the vine a couple of times before taking out the second plant: “Here.”
The green vine happily accepted it and began munching away.
After repeating this four or five times, the green vine finally couldn’t eat anymore. It curled up into a ball, looking satisfied as it lay in Tang Muxi’s arms.
Just yesterday, it had been fierce and irritable, but now, after just a few Xuan-level spirit plants, it was completely docile.
Tang Muxi was both surprised and delighted, so she just held the green vine and petted it wildly.
Whether it was an illusion or not, after eating the Xuan-level spirit plants, even its leaves seemed more vibrant.
Deep in the ice pond, Wen Fei clearly observed the scene outside. Feeling the green vine’s obedience and flattery, she felt quite unsettled.
“You really are generous,” she said, her tone laced with sarcasm, a hint of coldness, and a noticeable tinge of jealousy.
In the past, high-quality Xuan-level spirit plants were hardly worth mentioning, but now, with her Dao bones destroyed, she had little of value to offer. The only precious thing she had was the Little Green Vine in front of her.
Even she was reluctant to use Xuan-level spirit plants to feed spirit pets, yet this person had taken out so many in a row.
Foolish and wealthy.
Tang Muxi didn’t catch the senior’s tone; she simply thought it still sounded fierce and habitually replied with a smile, “I’ve been lucky lately and found many treasures, so of course, I’m a bit generous.”
The senior dismissed it: “What treasures could you possibly have?”
Tang Muxi chuckled inwardly, knowing she had hooked her: “Of course, I have some. There are things like Hunyuan Zitu, Ziyun Tengguo, and Qilin blood, among others. I even have quite a few Hunyuan spirit fruits that can improve Dao bones. The reason I’ve been wandering in the mountains recently is that there are too many spirit springs, so I’m looking for precious spirit plants to cultivate. If you need anything, senior, feel free to ask; I might just have it.”
It was a bit of an exaggeration to say she had everything, but not too much—just a slight embellishment on the quantity.
At worst, she could go to the Gathering Treasure Pavilion for a draw; small amounts of money weren’t hard to come by.
Tang Muxi’s mind was racing with possibilities, and after saying this, she realized she seemed to have quite a bit of money.
Good looks, wealth, a house, high talent, and a Senior Sister who dotes on her.
Shocking! The winner of life turned out to be herself! Tang Muxi began to feel a bit vain.
Wen Fei had only asked casually, but when she heard Tang Muxi mention “Hunyuan spirit fruit,” she suddenly froze.
“You have Hunyuan spirit fruit?” she couldn’t help but ask.
Her Dao bones had been destroyed, causing her cultivation to plummet, making her almost indistinguishable from a mortal. If it weren’t for the precious Qiluo Green Lotus and the ice pond protecting her, she might have died long ago on that chaotic night.
But the Qiluo Green Lotus and the ice pond couldn’t repair her Dao bones; they could only barely sustain her life with their pure power.
Hunyuan spirit fruit was different.
While its main function was to eliminate impurities from Dao bones and enhance both spiritual awareness and physical strength, it was far more useful to her than the Qiluo Green Lotus given her situation.
If she could obtain a Hunyuan spirit fruit… perhaps she could repair a portion of her Dao bones and regain some of her cultivation.
Wen Fei gently pinched her fingers.
“I have some, senior. Do you need it? Feel free to ask; I’m very easy to talk to.”
Tang Muxi smiled gently, and she probably had an idea about her injuries.
This trip truly turned out to be worthwhile.
