Volume 2 Chapter 37

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Volume 2 Chapter 37: Departure

And so, under Xu Qingfan’s gaze, the little creature stumbled towards its mother.

The little creature was originally standing at a distance, curiously watching its mother catch food for it, never expecting the possibility of its mother’s defeat. In its view, its mother was invincible. At the beginning, things went just as it had imagined; its mother had the advantage and chased the "prey" all around.

But soon, things took a sudden turn for the worse. The once clear view in front of it became shrouded in a thick fog, and its mother’s roars in the mist grew increasingly angry and anxious. Hearing its mother’s angry and anxious roars, it started to feel uneasy. Suddenly, it noticed its mother’s roars changed, becoming shrill and full of pain. Unable to bear its unease any longer, the little creature quickly ran in the direction of the roars. However, to find its mother, it had to pass through the dense fog. Though its instincts warned of the danger in the fog, it pushed forward to find its mother.

Unlike its mother, the little creature clearly lacked the same resistance to the fog. As the fog entered its body with each breath, it felt its head becoming dizzy, its strength waning, and its steps growing heavier. Finally, with the determination to see its mother, it managed to push through the fog.

But once out of the fog, the sight before it left it stunned. The once mighty and strong mother now lay powerless on the ground, her eyes dimmed, with bright red blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. Seeing her arrival, its mother did not even raise her head. The "prey" she had been hunting stood quietly in front of her, staring at her.

"Woo…"

Seeing its mother lying weakly on the ground, the little creature let out a low call to tell her it had arrived, but was shocked to find no response from her. She did not extend her warm, wet tongue to lick the little creature as she usually did.

Seeing that its mother still ignored it, the little creature became anxious. Despite its weak body and dizzy head, it scrambled to its mother’s side, letting out a soft call again, only to find there was still no response. Nudging her large body with its head, the little creature hopelessly realized its mother remained still, lying motionless on the ground.

Just when the little beast was about to do something more, it could no longer withstand the onslaught of the mist and fainted.

After the little beast fainted, it leaned weakly against its mother, as if unwilling to be apart even in unconsciousness.

Do demon beasts possess intelligence? Humans, as the pinnacle of all creatures, certainly don’t care to study such matters, but Xu Qingfan distinctly sensed a feeling of sadness and attachment in the young beast’s eyes.

Looking at the unconscious young beast before him, Xu Qingfan’s expression was complex. He repeatedly took out and put away the "Ruler of Wither and Flourish."

Xu Qingfan undoubtedly harbored intense hatred for the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast that destroyed his home. The young beast before him was clearly the offspring of the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast, and Xu Qingfan ought to kill it. Moreover, once the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast grows up, it becomes irritable and harms many lives, so killing it would be a public service. Furthermore, high-level demon beasts like the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast often have high intelligence, and this young beast had already seen Xu Qingfan, so eliminating it would prevent future troubles.

In short, there were countless reasons to kill this young beast, and it would be an easy task to kill this unconscious little creature. Before it matured, its scales were far less sturdy than its mother’s. Xu Qingfan’s "Ruler of Wither and Flourish" could penetrate its body with ease. Yet, perhaps it was the little beast’s current vulnerable form or its desperation in searching for its mother that held Xu Qingfan’s hand. Though he intended to kill it, he couldn’t bring himself to do so.

Suddenly, Xu Qingfan recalled the look the little beast gave him before it fainted—a gaze mixed with despair, sorrow, and resentment. He felt he had seen that look somewhere before.

Yes, four days ago, the moment after Xu Lin died, wasn’t that the same look Ting’er gave him? Only Ting’er was skilled at hiding her true feelings behind a serene facade.

At this thought, Xu Qingfan couldn’t help but glance in the direction where Ting’er was, only to be surprised that Ting’er had already crossed the mist, walking towards the young beast. The mist, which even the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast feared, seemed to have no effect on Ting’er.

Yet, Ting’er did not glance at Xu Qingfan at all. She went straight to the side of the unconscious little creature, gently picked it up, and then turned silently to gaze at Xu Qingfan.

Although Ting’er simply looked at Xu Qingfan without saying a word, Xu Qingfan clearly understood her intention from her eyes.

She intended to care for the little creature herself, preventing Xu Qingfan from killing it.

Seeing Ting’er’s cool yet determined expression, Xu Qingfan sighed softly and said, "As you wish."

Xu Qingfan knew that the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast, this unique creature, could only grow by eating Spiritual Herbs, otherwise it would remain as it appeared now its entire life. Without enough Spiritual Herbs to feed this little creature, it could never threaten Xu Qingfan. So, facing Ting’er’s insistence, Xu Qingfan, although helpless, did not push further. Moreover, he also didn’t have the heart to kill the little creature, as it was the mother who destroyed Xu Family Village, and this creature was innocent.

After seeing Xu Qingfan agree, Ting’er did not express much, simply holding the little creature as she quietly returned to her original spot.

Watching Ting’er’s small and slender figure, Xu Qingfan sighed slightly, unsure of when he could ever change Ting’er’s character.

Ten days later.

Xu Qingfan was silently paying respects at a graveyard, where there was only one headstone inscribed with the words "Tomb of the Xu Family." Ting’er, holding the little creature, silently followed beside Xu Qingfan, mimicking his actions in offering respect. If not for the cool expression on her face and the purple-blue flame pattern, she would indeed appear to be a perfectly well-behaved little girl.

Over the next ten days, Xu Qingfan first spent eight days meditating to restore his depleted Spirit Qi, then used the remaining time to gather and bury the scattered remains at the old site of Xu Family Village.

The remains at Xu Family Village were already unrecognizable, destroyed by the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast years ago. After all this time, it was even harder for Xu Qingfan to identify them. Moreover, these remains were not all from the Xu family. Over the years, many others from the Southern Wasteland, lured by the Spirit Qi emitted from the nearing maturity of the lingzhi, came with ill intentions and were slain by the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast, leaving their bodies at the site as well. As for the remains of Xu Qingfan’s parents and the Second Elder, they were nowhere to be found.

With no other choice, Xu Qingfan gathered all the remains and buried them together, ensuring the souls of the Xu family members would have a resting place.

As for the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast’s body, Xu Qingfan found an open space and buried it as well. Before burying it, he collected parts that could be used to make spiritual medicines and artifacts, such as the blue scales, tusks, and its four white hooves, all excellent materials for crafting artifacts. The beast’s blood and eyes were essential for certain spiritual medicines, and the beast’s inner core was a rare treasure in the cultivation world. Although Xu Qingfan couldn’t use these items yet, he couldn’t let them go to waste.

The little beast finally woke up from its three-day slumber, confused and unable to find its mother, it cried out anxiously until Ting’er’s soothing efforts calmed it down. Surprisingly, despite the Blue-eyed Cloud-foot Beast’s usual ferocity, the little beast would relax at Ting’er’s gentle touch and even act playfully in her arms, treating her like its new master. Only when alone with the little beast did Ting’er’s face lose its usual cold expression.

However, when Xu Qingfan appeared after finishing his meditation, the little beast charged at him angrily, seeking revenge for its mother. But, without having undergone any growth, the little beast was no match for Xu Qingfan and was knocked back by an Iron Vine. Even after being thrown back, it tried to attack again but was held down by Ting’er’s hands.

Since then, the little beast seemed to realize it couldn’t defeat Xu Qingfan and, always nestled in Ting’er’s arms, stopped causing trouble. Yet, whenever it saw Xu Qingfan, it would still growl and whimper, full of resentment.

After paying his respects three hundred and nine times, Xu Qingfan took a last look at the graves and sighed softly before turning to Ting’er, saying, "Let’s go."

With that, Xu Qingfan summoned the "Three Meters Green Silk" that transformed into a streak of azure beneath their feet, quickly carrying them north towards Middle-earth.

After Xu Qingfan and Ting’er had both left, the old site of Xu Family Village became quiet once more. Only the desolate breeze from the Southern Wasteland witnessed the former glory and decline of this place.