The Aloof Master Relies on This Cat's Kisses to Survive - Chapter 6

No More Indulgence!

The rain continued to fall.

The night was misty, the mountain scenery ethereal.

Ming Xi’s dark eyes were like ink-soaked whetstones, so bright that one could see the cage-fires of the distant mountain gate reflected within them.

Just like the dream-fire that had burned fiercely in the torrential rain eight years ago, the light flickering in those eyes was as full of prayer and innocence as the souls who had died miserably in the explosion were loud and shrill in their cries.

This beast must not be indulged any further, but Ji Wu needed her now.

Her slender fingers climbed onto Ming Xi’s shoulder as Ji Wu leaned forward, wrapping her arm around Ming Xi’s waist to pull her close.

Cool fingertips brushed downward along the neckline, pushing aside Ming Xi’s rain-drenched collar. When they pressed against her collarbone, the warmth of the touch met the steep chill of the skin.

However, the effect reflected on Ming Xi’s face was quite the opposite; her soft, snowy cheeks flushed like clouds glowing with sunrise, almost warm enough to dry the raindrops.

The Master is close to her! She initiated the closeness!

The cat is triumphant!

Ming Xi watched as Ji Wu leaned in front of her and, just as Ming Xi had done on the couch earlier, lightly nipped her collarbone.

The unique, clear fragrance of Ji Wu unraveled the faint, grassy scent of the rainy mountain forest. Ming Xi didn’t know what this scent was called, but she loved it dearly.

It felt so good—as wonderful as a kiss from her Master.

Ming Xi was dazed by the allure. By the time she snapped out of it, Ji Wu had already used this moment of proximity, harmonizing with the comfort Ming Xi provided, to rebuild the foundation of the vanished array.

Once the task was done, Ji Wu quickly pulled away.

“Is this enough? It’s not enough!” Ming Xi looked at the restarted array. “Master, Master, I want more.”

“There is indeed… more that is needed.” Ji Wu lowered her head, recalling the request from the clan elders.

She was naturally of a detached temperament and rarely concerned herself with the world, yet she was burdened by clan ties. It was for this reason that she had agreed to participate in the Dongfang clan’s siege of Ming Xi eight years ago.

This rebellious beast acted willfully and without order. If Ji Wu still possessed her cultivation from back then, she would certainly kill her again. Regarding the act of slaying Ming Xi specifically, Ji Wu felt no regret.

It was only that the two were currently in a bonded contract.

The Dongfang elders had implored Ji Wu to temporarily deal with this beast because a large portion of the spiritual energy flow that cultivators relied on originated from Spirit Mountain. While Ming Xi was dormant, the blessings of Spirit Mountain had been heavily exploited by humans. Now that she had awakened and was pushing back, the cultivators who had relied on the mountain to increase their power were all being affected.

At best, their Dao-hearts were unstable; at worst, they would suffer a deviation and fall into madness.

Ji Wu’s visit to the Xuanling Sect to repair the array was also for this purpose. Either Spirit Mountain or the Dream Beast—one of them had to be at peace.

“Okay!” Ming Xi was filled with joy, her peach-blossom cheeks blushing crimson, making her petal-like eyes appear even more charming. “Ma—Ma-Ma, please give your orders!”

How could she know that in Ji Wu’s eyes, she was covered in sin? She only knew that her Master had a need!

Unfortunately, after hearing her, Ji Wu’s expression hardened back into a coldness she had only just managed to relax.

Zuzu (Grand-grand)?

Zuzu?!

Ji Wu straightened her back. The emotions she had just suppressed were nearly triggered again by those two words from Ming Xi.

The beast had called her that before—calling her “Zuzu.”

Because when the world spoke of Ji Wu, they called her “Great Ancestor Master” (Shizu).

Ming Xi had tried to learn it a few times but found the title too long. She took it upon herself to change it to “Zuzu,” insisting on calling her that to her face every time.

It was incredibly annoying, rude, and frivolous.

This beast truly had not changed her nature despite losing her memory—or perhaps, she hadn’t lost her memory at all?!

Ji Wu swallowed her discomfort and spoke clearly: “I trouble you to save Qianyao.”

Hmph, Qianyao, Qianyao.

“What’s wrong with her? Is she watching the rain?” Ming Xi was quite annoyed and somewhat disappointed, so she simply feigned ignorance. “Master, the rain makes you look so beautiful. Ming Xi likes it very much. Can we try doing it in the rain next time?”

“Do not speak nonsense. I will not enter a dream with you again,” Ji Wu refused in a cold tone.

This Dream Beast had just said she hated the rain, and now she wanted to be in the rain… to do what in the rain?

Truly born of nature and raised by the wild; she was shameless and unpredictable.

Ming Xi’s expression slumped. She pouted and grumbled something unintelligible under her breath before finally letting out half a sentence: “So cold-hearted.”

Ji Wu patiently brought it up again: “Qianyao is trapped by Dream Babble. Extract her immediately.”

Dongfang Qianyao’s spiritual talent was very high. At her age and level of cultivation, having talent that was too high was actually a double-edged sword. For instance, right now, Dongfang Qianyao had been easily drawn into the lingering delusions of a Babble Ghost.

“What does that have to do with me? Ming Xi is not her guardian beast,” Ming Xi didn’t understand. “And she doesn’t call me ‘Sister’.”

Ji Wu furrowed her brows. “That Babble Ghost was born from the commoners who died unjustly at the hands of the Notion Demon. The reason it…”

The reason it transformed so quickly was because Ming Xi was here.

A vigorous Spirit Mountain, a reviving Dream Beast, and a damaged array—with these three things, yin-evil was like the decaying air of the plum rain season, growing happily and willfully.

The grievances and unwillingness of dozens of people who had died suddenly transformed into a Babble Ghost. Having been scattered by a single strike, it was naturally difficult to appease, and thus it rushed headlong into the weakest yet most fertile spiritual body.

If Dongfang Qianyao could not break free from this mournful babble, she would be eroded by them, losing her composure and her sanity. If it became more serious, she might even drop dead on the spot.

“…Never mind.” Ji Wu knew that further talk was useless, and she had no standing to demand anything of Ming Xi.

She raised her hand and held up two fingers, bringing them to her mouth as if to bite down.

Gathering spiritual energy through blood was the most direct use of spiritual arts. When a technician was at a dead end and their spiritual power was dissipating, they would often forcefully summon energy at the cost of damaging themselves.

How could Ming Xi bear to see Ji Wu get hurt over such a small matter? “Fine, fine, I’ll do it.”

She stretched, dragged her feet to stomp on a few puddles at the foot of the mountain, and dawdled over to stand behind Dongfang Qianyao. She opened her palm and placed it on the girl’s shoulder.

Ming Xi patted her lightly and uttered only one word: “Awaken.”

As that ethereal incantation echoed in her ear, Dongfang Qianyao’s mind suddenly cleared. “I see it!”

“It’s the street vendors! It’s the East Street not far from the mountain gate. This Babble Ghost is condensed from the souls of those who just died there.”

Ji Wu nodded and said nothing more.

She didn’t want Dongfang Qianyao to recover and investigate Ming Xi’s method of dismantling the array. The beast’s move just now was too flamboyant; she hadn’t bothered to hide her identity at all.

The sudden disappearance of the mountain-protecting array would surely provoke a reaction from the Xuanling Sect. Others would likely arrive soon to investigate.

Ming Xi’s identity was not suited to be known by too many people. After all, the whole world believed the Dream Beast was dead.

That was a rumor spread by the Dongfang clan during the chaos. By the time Ji Wu found out, it had already been accepted by the world. If it were said now that the Dream Beast had not been slain, it would inevitably stir up unrest again.

Not to mention that Ming Xi was born to love chaos. “Oh? So this Babble Ghost was born from the resentful obsessions of street vendors?”

She pestered Dongfang Qianyao with more questions. “The things in the Demon Records that Sister mentioned just now—does that include this Babble Ghost?”

“Yes. A Babble Ghost is more dangerous than a Notion Demon. It can enter dreams and erode a living person’s energy. Since that mountain-guarding Dream Beast vanished, they haven’t appeared for eight years.” Dongfang Qianyao’s expression did not relax. “Now that Spirit Mountain is reawakening and Babble Ghosts are reappearing, I fear disaster will soon break out across the land.”

“Is that so? That sounds quite scary,” Ming Xi exclaimed with exaggerated sentiment. “But I don’t think it’s very dangerous.”

“Tonight is only because Sister Ji Wu is here, and the Babble Ghost is newly born and hasn’t entered a dream yet—” Dongfang Qianyao stopped mid-sentence and suddenly gasped. “That Babble Ghost was newly born!”

“Yeah, isn’t that what you said? The souls of the street vendors,” Ming Xi added.

“But since that Babble Ghost was born from the vendors killed by the Notion Demon, it wasn’t the thing that caused the initial abnormality in the array.” Dongfang Qianyao started to panic.

The reason she had noticed the abnormality in the array was that a powerful monster had emerged from the mountain and fled into the world.

But the Babble Ghost just now had only formed after she arrived. The timing was wrong.

“Ah, is there something else? What is it?” Ming Xi blinked, looking satisfied as if there was more fun to be had. “Is it more powerful than this Babble Ghost? Sister, do the Demon Records say which demon in Spirit Mountain is the most powerful?”

“According to the Spirit Mountain Demon Records, there is another type of monster called a Nightmare Demon that is even more ferocious, but…” Dongfang Qianyao shook her head to herself. “The most powerful should be the Divine Lord, only…”

The Divine Lord of Spirit Mountain—the mountain-guarding Dream Beast—had already been exterminated by Ancestor Ji Wu eight years ago.

Upon hearing those two words, Ming Xi became lost in thought.

Divine Lord?

Don’t know her. Want to meet her.

The Dongfang elders said the Master was so severely injured because of that “bad thing,” and even Ming Xi’s forced eight-year hibernation was blamed on the pressure from that Divine Lord.

This was bad. Not only did Ming Xi want to meet her, but Ming Xi was also determined to give her a sound thrashing!