Chapter 19

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Chapter 19

Gong Wu glanced at the fluffy cub five zhang away. As she stepped forward, she appeared before it in the blink of an eye.

The Leopard was startled, and the little girl was startled too, stepping back only to immediately return to her senior brother’s side.

Ji Yang couldn’t help but chuckle, saying, “That was quite a stride you took.”

She seemed momentarily unsure of her footing, reaching out to steady herself against the wall, hesitant to take another step.

Just moments ago, the little Leopard had been growling fiercely, but when Gong Wu startled it, it let out a soft, almost kitten-like sound and curled up, trying to hide.

Though Gong Wu’s cultivation hadn’t advanced, her agility had suddenly reached the level of moving like the wind.

She spent a few moments relearning how to use her legs, carefully controlling her steps to move slowly and deliberately, yet swiftly when needed.

Ji Subei watched from the side, nodding in approval. “Very impressive; you might even outpace a fierce beast by several lengths.”

Gong Wu pondered for a few seconds before saying, “I want to untie it.”

“What if it bites you again?”

“Then I’ll leave it to you.”

Ji Subei lowered his gaze and gave a soft hum of agreement, snapping his fingers.

The vines binding the cub’s limbs began to loosen and unravel, and Gong Wu focused intently on the cub’s movements, knowing it could attack at any moment.

When she had broken through her bottleneck, she had been splashed with the blood of the six-eyed Leopard, so it was no surprise the cub sought revenge.

Sure enough, the little cub tested its limbs, and in the next moment, it bared its fangs and lunged at Gong Wu.

Its killing intent was palpable, and even Ji Yang instinctively raised his sword, ready to strike if necessary.

The cub was far more agile than an adult beast, darting forward like a shooting star, straight toward Gong Wu.

In the next instant, the girl’s hand shot out, her fingers closing around the cub’s vital point faster than it could react.

The little Leopard was stunned, lifted into the air before it even realized what had happened, its tail flicking anxiously.

Gong Wu set it back down calmly and said, “Try again.”

The little Leopard let out a fierce growl, attempting to adjust its angle and strike at her throat with even greater speed.

But before it could leap into the air, the girl pressed it down with a single hand.

Though Gong Wu didn’t possess great strength, her reflexes and speed had reached a level of great success. To her, the Leopard’s movements seemed to unfold in slow motion, allowing her to effortlessly suppress it.

The little Leopard sat bewildered on the ground, momentarily frozen in place.

It was clever enough to realize it stood no chance against the creature before it, either in combat or in flight, and felt a twinge of fear.

Ji Yang nodded with satisfaction, bending down to pick up a human bone marked with deep teeth imprints.

“This den of Leopards has likely preyed on the nearby farmers and villagers. By all rights… we shouldn’t leave any survivors.”

Once they’ve tasted human blood and flesh, they could grow up to become a menace.

Gong Wu hesitated for a moment, her heart unwilling to kill it.

She crouched beside the cub and reached out to stroke its head.

The little Leopard attempted to bite her hand, but before it could even focus on her hand, its head was being gently rubbed over and over.

“Meow!!”

It twisted, shook, and rolled, trying countless ways to bite Gong Wu’s hand, yet each time it was met with a gentle pat on the head.

Ji Yang chuckled, “You look like you’re petting a turtle.”

The little Leopard seemed to understand his words, its fur bristling instantly.

“Hey, let’s make a deal,” Gong Wu said calmly, withdrawing her hand. “You can stay by my side and hunt wild game in the mountains, but you must never eat humans again—unless it’s a really bad person I approve of.”

“What do you say?”

“If you refuse,” she glanced regretfully at the scattered bones of cows and sheep and the rotten human head tossed into the pile of leaves, “well, you might have to reunite with your mother sooner than expected.”

The little Leopard hesitated for a long while, tentatively pawing at the human bone Ji Yang had set aside.

“No,” Ji Yang shook his head. “Gnawing on corpses is off-limits too.”

The cub let out a couple of whimpers, flicking its tail in irritation.

Its nature was as fierce and bloodthirsty as its parents, but at that moment, it was no match for the two individuals before it.

Gong Wu pricked her index finger and began drawing a binding contract in the air, though she hesitated once more.

“Do you think… Master would allow me to keep a pet?”

Ji Yang shrugged nonchalantly. “In Tianhua Palace, with only the three of us living across a dozen rooms, you could even house an elephant if you wanted.”

Once the binding contract was formed, the little Leopard could only regain its freedom if Gong Wu’s soul were to perish entirely.

Until then, it would have to remain within her command and never harm anyone she cared about.

The little Leopard instinctively grasped the terms of the contract. After a few low growls, it finally pressed its forehead against the contract.

The moment its forehead touched the glowing seal, a crimson spiritual mark seeped into its brow, gradually fading until it was invisible to the naked eye.

“From now on, you’ll be called Juju,” Gong Wu declared, naming it quickly based on its fur pattern. “Your full name will be Gong Hua Juju!”

The cub turned its head away, reluctantly accepting the name.

With everything settled, they began packing their spoils to take back to the Rebirth Temple.

The ‘first rare treasure’ mentioned by the wall was hard to determine—whether it referred to the Leopard’s skin or the two eggs.

Neither of them was particularly materialistic; they wouldn’t mind handing over all the items to the Rebirth Temple.

After shrinking the bodies of the adult and young Leopard, they stashed them into their bags, cradled the eggs, and prepared to set off.

The little Leopard kept anxiously looking at its mother, trying to nuzzle against their bundle.

Ji Yang softly replied, “If the Rebirth Temple doesn’t want them, we will give them a proper burial.”

Juju thought for a moment and brought back a human leg bone that he had gnawed on with his twin brother, as if insisting on keeping this toy to accompany his brother.

Ji Yang silently paused for a moment but eventually took the leg bone, shrinking it and placing it into the bundle, agreeing to bury it together.

When they arrived at the Rebirth Temple, the sky was already bright.

The line had grown much longer than before, and seeing the armed guards lining up suggested that some high-ranking officials were also there seeking answers.

They brought their bundle in front of the Maternal Buddha statue by the wall, waited for a moment, then stepped forward to unfold the package.

“Which one do you want?”

“In that cave, the first thing you took was an egg.” Different voices came from the wall’s crevice, as if the responders had changed shifts: “We only want the first one you took, the one without patterns.”

Among the two spiritual eggs standing knee-high, only one could gently sway; the other likely had lost its warmth for too long and had faded to a solid color without any spiritual energy.

The monk took the lifeless egg and joyfully said, “This is a rare and excellent medicine. Even a spoonful can cure bleeding disorders. I’ll take it to the cold storage right away.”

“The rest of the items are yours to take.”

A voice from the wall sounded relaxed, as if it had just taken a breather. “Now, I will tell you the answer you seek.”

Before she even spoke, Gong Wu’s heart was already in her throat, and she unconsciously grasped the hem of her sleeve.

Ji Yang, though expressionless, also held his breath, focused intently.

The woman’s voice from below was deep and cold, carrying the insight of having seen through three thousand lifetimes.

“Your master did not casually accept three disciples as he appears to.”

“In fact, each of you was carefully selected after thorough searching, placed into a pile of abandoned infants, and skillfully taken away without raising any suspicion.”

“Your senior sister did not reach the Heavenly Authority realm; she entered Opening Sun only at sixty. However, she had a fateful connection, and during her travels, a celestial being enlightened her. On that day, she ascended and became a minor deity.”

“And both of you are among the fastest in the world capable of ascending to immortality.”

The woman sipped half a cup of tea, then steadily refilled it.

“Indeed, all disasters stem from his brother.”

“His brother’s lingering soul was gathered in the Demon Realm, now loyal to Soul Cliff.”

“If you want peace in the world from now on, it’s best to kill your master with a single sword to avoid further troubles.”

Gong Wu felt like she had fallen into an ice chamber, stunned as she held onto the umbrella.

That umbrella was a gift from her master.

She couldn’t understand, couldn’t grasp every word that the wall had said.

Because of the Path of Emotionless, Ji Yang had filtered out most of his emotions and retorted to the wall, “So, he found us three based on your information?”

The voice from the wall calmly replied, “That becomes a new question.”

Gong Wu stepped forward quickly, a million questions flooding her mind.

Why? Why did the master do this?

Is he still in contact with his brother? Why do you want us to kill the master?

Does that Paper Person have any connection with the Master? What about Jin Yan Tuo?

The person within the walls, sensing her thoughts, spoke slowly, “Esteemed benefactor, if you wish to ask all these dozen questions at once, you must adhere to the rules.”

“Not only must you queue again for each question, but each also requires a different token of proof.”

Attempting to unravel all causes and effects and foresee the future in one go is but a delusion born of obsession, leading one deeper into entrapment.

Ji Yang fixed his gaze on the dark crevice beneath the Maternal Buddha’s feet and, taking Gong Wu by the hand, began to walk away.

“We’re heading back.”

With his decision made, he declared firmly, “First, we’ll join Master Ancestor to rescue our Master, and then we’ll ask him everything directly.”

When Gong Wu spoke again, her voice was strained.

“Should we inform Master Ancestor about today’s events?”

They exchanged a glance, their steps heavy with the weight of their thoughts.

…That was their Master, who had raised them since childhood, as dear as a blood relative.

The silence lingered, unanswered.

The two returned to Moonfire Valley, burdened with their concerns. As soon as the little Leopard caught sight of everyone, it excitedly arched its back and hissed.

Gong Wu absentmindedly tapped Juju on the head, admonishing, “No biting.”

Juju, displeased, bared its fangs and refused to let anyone touch it.

The senior sister and brother gathered around to marvel at the fierce beast, not forgetting to share the day’s good news.

“Master Ancestor has borrowed a spirit beast from Ba Jing Tower, and this afternoon we’ll set out to infiltrate Jin Yan Tuo.”

Gong Wu’s eyes widened in surprise. “Ba Jing Tower in the North Sea?!”

“Exactly,” the senior sister said with relief, “Thanks to the assistance from Zhi Bai Guan and Ba Jing Tower, entering that accursed place, Jin Yan Tuo, is currently impossible!”

Earlier, disciples had taken to sword flight to scout the area and discovered that the surrounding mountains were tightly guarded by Magical Formations; even the slightest touch could provoke fatal consequences.

The caves deep within the mountains were the most defensible, and if they were to charge in openly, the opposing side might well kill all the hostages beforehand!

Ji Yang, already preparing to depart, pondered, “What is Ba Jing Tower’s plan?”

“They’ve borrowed the Tunneling Whale,” the brother from Yuncang Palace quickly explained. “That giant whale can carry nearly a hundred people in its belly and moves quite swiftly!”

“We’ll enter via the water route and catch them off guard!”

Juju tilted its head, listened for a while, and then let out a howl, positioning itself as if eager to leap into action.

Gong Wu calmly patted the little Leopard’s head.

“Stop dreaming; you can’t even bite through its fish skin.”