Chapitre 107: Chapter 107: Returning to the County Town
Lin Xiao estimated that if he hadn't been so cautious and delivered a few extra blows to be sure, the array disk might have returned even more spirit stones.
He recalled that when he killed the Silver Frost Python Demon, the Yin-Yang Life and Death Array had only returned five spirit stones.
This was a testament to the strength of that demon. He figured that if the Silver Frost Python Demon hadn't been weakened by injuries, the array might not have been able to destroy it so easily.
When Lin Xiao finally returned to the county town, dawn was just breaking.
Upon entering the small courtyard, he found Sun Yigao pacing back and forth while reading a book, while Liu Yunan and Jiang Youfu were sitting under the eaves, meditating.
Seeing him return, the three of them were overjoyed.
"Xiao Ge'er, you're finally back!"
"Yeah, we were so worried!"
"Xiao Ge'er, how did it go?"
Inside the house, Tuan Tuan, hearing the commotion, limped out despite still recovering from its injuries.
"Meow!"
Lin Xiao looked at Sun Yigao in surprise and asked, "Hey, Yigao, why are you here? Didn't you have an exam?"
Sun Yigao replied, "Today, we wait for the results of the first round. If I pass, the next round will be in two days."
Hearing this, Lin Xiao was relieved. He had been worried that Yigao might have missed the exam out of concern for him. If that had been the case, he would have felt terribly guilty.
Seeing that everyone was eager to hear what had happened, Lin Xiao smiled and said, "Let's go inside and talk."
They all followed him into the house.
After sitting down, Lin Xiao briefly recounted the events, including how he rescued the children and dealt with the black-robed man. He also mentioned encountering Mo Yuanjiao and his guard.
Liu Yunan and Jiang Youfu listened with great interest.
"That guy was truly despicable, kidnapping so many people just to set up that formation for a lousy spirit stone mine. He was heartless!" Liu Yunan clenched his fists in anger, his veins bulging on the back of his hand.
Jiang Youfu popped a handful of roasted beans into his mouth and said, "No kidding! If someone had captured me and drained me like that, my grandma would've cried her eyes out. Just thinking about it makes my heart ache."
Lin Xiao turned his gaze to Tuan Tuan, who had relaxed in the cozy nest they had made for it after hearing that the black-robed man had been killed. He asked, "Tuan Tuan, how did you manage to cultivate to the seventh level of spiritual enlightenment in just a few years? Can you tell us?"
Tuan Tuan, licking its left paw, glanced at him disdainfully and replied, "You already know that place is a spirit stone mine, don't you?"
After smoothing its fur, Tuan Tuan continued, "About seven or eight years ago, I went out to play and was spotted by someone riding in a carriage. They had their servant catch me and take me away. That person lived in Liaoju Prefecture."
"Later, I found an opportunity to escape, but I didn't know my way around Liaoju Prefecture and ended up wandering into that dense forest by accident. I fell into that spirit stone mine's entrance. I tried many ways to get out, but I couldn't. So, I survived by eating the mice and insects in there. The spiritual energy inside was so dense that I started cultivating almost by accident."
"When I reached the fifth level of spiritual enlightenment, I was finally able to climb out of that hole. I returned to find Old Lady Fang, but… she was gone."
At this point, Tuan Tuan lowered its head in sadness.
Lin Xiao and the others couldn't tell if missing those years with Old Lady Fang was a blessing or a curse for Tuan Tuan.
Seeing Tuan Tuan's sadness, they didn't know how to comfort it.
But Tuan Tuan quickly shook off the feeling. After all, it had been several years since then.
"After that, I often went to the dense forest in Liaoju Prefecture to cultivate and occasionally returned to this courtyard to rest."
Hearing this, Lin Xiao scratched his nose awkwardly.
"Well… you might not need to go there to cultivate anymore."
Tuan Tuan looked at him in confusion. "Meow?"
Sun Yigao and the others were also puzzled. Why would Xiao Ge'er suddenly tell someone not to cultivate?
Seeing their confused looks, Lin Xiao explained, "That place doesn't have a spirit stone mine anymore. It's been sealed off by a mountain wall."
Before leaving, he had stuck his head into the cave entrance, which had once been guarded by a spiritual lock array. Inside, there was no trace of spiritual energy, and he saw that the path leading to the tunnel had been blocked by thick rock.
Lin Xiao guessed that the system had likely swapped the interior of a mountain near the sect for the spirit stone mine.
"Meow?!" Tuan Tuan's fur bristled in shock.
"How am I supposed to cultivate now?!"
Tuan Tuan had previously tried cultivating in the small courtyard without the abundance of spiritual energy from the mine. The results were minimal. If it had to rely solely on this courtyard, it might take a decade to advance even one level!
For a cat that had tasted the sweetness of rapid cultivation, this was unbearable!
The old lady was gone, and if it couldn't cultivate anymore, what was the point of life?
Seeing Tuan Tuan so upset, Sun Yigao thought for a moment and then turned to Lin Xiao, asking, "Xiao Ge'er, can I take on a disciple?"
Hearing this, Lin Xiao immediately nodded. "Of course!"
Lin Xiao didn't directly ask Tuan Tuan to join the sect because he knew that cats generally had wild natures. However, Tuan Tuan seemed to be quite sentimental, so he thought it would be better to maintain a relationship with this little demon cat rather than relying solely on offering a place to cultivate.
But he already had too many disciples and felt that he wasn't a very competent master. So, he hesitated.
Given that the sect had benefited from Tuan Tuan's discovery of the spirit stone mine, he was relieved when Sun Yigao spoke up.
With Lin Xiao's approval, Sun Yigao turned to Tuan Tuan and asked, "Would you like to become my disciple and join our sect to cultivate together?"
Tuan Tuan didn't refuse but hesitated. "Your sect? Is the spiritual energy abundant?"
Sun Yigao nodded. "Naturally."
"Do you have any other disciples?"
Sun Yigao smiled. "No, I've never taken on a disciple before. In fact, we've met before. When I was three years old, my father brought me to visit the Fang family. So, we're old acquaintances."
Although he didn't remember it, his father had mentioned it yesterday, so he used it to create a sense of familiarity.
Tuan Tuan moved closer to him and sniffed him carefully.
The scent wasn't familiar… but it was pleasant.
It was a comforting smell, like the feeling Old Lady Fang used to give it.
After thinking for a moment, Tuan Tuan nodded slightly. "Alright, I'll be your disciple."
Watching the scene unfold, Lin Xiao couldn't help but sigh internally. Little creatures like this are so easy to win over. Whether it's Tuan Tuan or Xiao Luan, they're both too easy to persuade.
Sun Yigao gently stroked Tuan Tuan's head and said warmly, "In the future, if you ever want to come back and visit, you're always welcome."
"Meow~" Tuan Tuan, feeling comfortable under his touch, softly purred and closed its eyes in contentment.
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