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Chapter 3: Mimi — Even Younger Than Me

There are Nine Thousand Prefectures in the cultivation world: six thousand lower prefectures, two thousand middle prefectures, and one thousand upper prefectures, each one a grand thousand world.

Jiugai Prefecture is the largest of the upper prefectures, home to both the most renowned cultivation nation, the Zhou Kingdom, and the greatest sect in the cultivation world, the Tianshu Sect.

The Zhou Kingdom's hundreds of thousands of teleportation arrays connect countless worlds large and small. Because it borders the Tianshu Sect to the east, the tens of thousands of teleportation arrays in the eastern region require no spirit stones and can be used free of charge.

"Look! Tianshu Sect disciples!"

Before the teleportation array, a group of young men and women approached with swords on their backs, their wide sleeves billowing, drawing the gazes of those around them.

They were outer disciples of the Tianshu Sect, assigned a sect mission to travel to another lower prefecture.

As the greatest sect in the cultivation world, the Tianshu Sect had limitless resources and naturally no shortage of teleportation arrays. Yet these disciples still chose to use the outside world's arrays, enjoying the countless burning and fawning stares along the way.

They passed by one person standing silently and indifferently at the roadside. The disciple at the tail end of the group glanced over.

The person wore a plain white veiled hat half-draped over a blue robe. Beneath the thin gauze hanging from the hat was a pair of slender, jade-like hands, cradling a small, round, and adorable beast with faint spiritual energy. As the light veil drifted up, it revealed an unremarkable face.

The Tianshu Sect disciple lost interest and looked away, catching the low murmurs of complaint from the senior disciples ahead.

"The steward plays favorites, dumping all the dirty and exhausting work that the inner sect doesn't want onto us. It wasn't always like this..."

Before, when 'that person' had overseen the sect's affairs, sect missions under their management were clearly divided according to ability, treating everyone equally.

"It hasn't even been that long, and everything has already changed..."

"Stop talking. I heard the sect master intends to bestow 'Chenjie' upon Senior Brother Xiao."

'Chenjie', the second-ranked sword after 'Yanluo', was a world-shaking sword of slaughter forged from immortal iron left behind by an immortal, obtained by the Tianshu Sect master's first disciple, Chen Moqing, after venturing alone into an extremely perilous secret realm.

Since then, 'Chenjie' and its master had slain demon clans, suppressed the Demon Abyss, and become a legend in a single battle, renowned across all Nine Thousand Prefectures.

Chen Moqing had died, and 'Chenjie' was taken back by his master, Yu Bai.

A pair of snow-white fluffy beast ears perked up slightly. The whispered conversation those Tianshu Sect disciples believed no outsider could hear fell clearly into Cang Shun's ears.

He lazily raised his eyes. From this angle, he could make out the human's refined jawline. Those thin, sharp lips held no curve whatsoever, neither pleased nor displeased, utterly still.

Not long ago, they had still been in the northern border of the Zhou Kingdom, needing to use a concealment talisman to pass through a directional teleportation array.

The Demon Emperor who had been carried off by a fluffy creature was still upset, and said sullenly: 【You are nothing but a Qi Refinement stage. Once you leave here, you still won't be able to escape your enemies.】

Chen Moqing said nothing. He simply drew a low-grade concealment talisman, then took out a single snow-white strand of fur.

Before Cang Shun could react, he watched his strand of fur be refined by Chen Moqing in an instant—and a high-grade concealment talisman was complete.

Cang Shun: "???"

Chen Moqing had clearly not expected to be able to refine Cang Shun's material so instantly. It seemed this Demon Emperor had helped him after all. He patted the Demon Emperor's noble little head as a gesture of thanks.

Cang Shun: "......"

He had not! He absolutely had not!

The Demon Emperor's soft fur puffed up again, clearly unable to comprehend why this human could refine his things so easily.

If he could refine his fur today, then tomorrow he might even be able to—

Chen Moqing rather casually patted the little fluffy ball, now puffed up into a soft cotton cloud, and with an equally casual air tucked the two thin white strands of fur that had fallen loose into his sleeve.

Cang Shun: "..........."

Using the high-grade concealment talisman refined from the Demon Emperor's fur, they passed through the teleportation array at the northern border's edge without leaving any trace.

At that moment, even if Yu Bai stood right before him, he would not be able to see through his disguise within the span of an incense stick's burn.

The eastern border's teleportation array activated. This was a great array node connecting many lower prefectures. Traveling from an upper prefecture down to a lower prefecture was easy, but ascending from a lower prefecture to an upper prefecture was nearly impossible for anyone who was not a native of the upper prefecture or a sect disciple.

Chen Moqing raised his eyes. His gaze pierced through the countless shifting array patterns and fell upon the grand, ancient city, heavy with history. At the distant peak of its towering walls, above the drifting clouds, a magnificent and majestic phantom silhouette of a sect floated suspended in the air.

The next time they met, it would be to settle things with the sword.

Without looking back, he stepped onto the wide open road.

...

Dongzhou Prefecture, one small prefecture among the six thousand lower prefectures. In the land to the southwest, the mountains were clear and the waters beautiful, the wind blowing through bamboo groves and shimmering across the river's surface.

An ox cart made its way through the mountain wilderness. A young man in black with his hair tied back sat in the rear, eyes closed, legs crossed, his posture upright. The dirt road was bumpy, and sheaves of rice occasionally knocked against him, yet it did not disturb his cultivation.

A round, snow-white little beast lay sprawled beside him, bored with nothing to do, occasionally lifting a paw to bat at the high ponytail hanging down to his waist.

After a thousand years, seeing the mortal world again for the first time, Cang Shun was full of curiosity and enthusiasm, asking this and that into Chen Moqing's ear one question after another, mewing and murmuring, with no concern for whether he was bothering anyone.

【What about the Demon Abyss?】

【You have slumbered for so many years, yet you still know of the Demon Abyss. It must have appeared in the world once more.】

"It has been sealed."

【Oh? Who did it?】

Chen Moqing said nothing.

Cang Shun rolled over: 【It certainly wasn't you. If you had been the one to suppress the Demon Abyss, how could you have ended up in such a prefecture?】

Chen Moqing let out a soft laugh, "Fair point."

A leaf drifted down from the air. The snow-white little beast's head followed its movement, then suddenly lunged forward, deftly catching it, twisted in midair, and leaped back onto Chen Moqing.

It flicked its tail with great smugness.

After batting the leaf around for a while and growing bored, it moved on to pawing at the rice sheaves grown by the old man driving the ox cart.

A slender hand gently pressed down on the fluffy little paw and tucked it back.

【Stingy.】

Cang Shun let out a few grumbling huffs, then after a moment lifted his paw again to bat at the dark hair tip hanging before his eyes.

By midday, the ox cart had traveled from the countryside to a small nearby town. A long queue stretched from the city gates, and a wonton stall had been set up in the muddy ground, steam rising and billowing from the pot.

The old man driving the ox cart glanced at the wonton stall and swallowed, then fumbled out a small half of a cold, hard flatbread from his coat pocket with his dark, cracked hands.

Chen Moqing walked over to the wonton stall, pulled out the few copper coins he had, ordered two bowls of wontons, and invited the old man to sit with him.

The wontons, with their thin skins and generous fillings, dropped into the piping hot clear broth, bobbing and tumbling among the chopped scallions. The old man had a heavy palate and with trembling hands added several large spoonfuls of chili, red oil spreading across the surface of the clear broth, the spicy hot soup rolling warmly through his belly.

Chen Moqing also added a small spoonful of chili oil to his own bowl. He had just picked up his spoon when two snow-white fluffy paws appeared on the edge of the table, followed by a small head resting on top, staring unblinking at his bowl.

Chen Moqing thought of how, over these past months, this palm-sized little beast had followed along beside him nibbling on grass roots. He dug out his last few coins, ordered one more portion of wontons, bought the bowl and spoon together, and gently slid it in front of Cang Shun.

【I want that too.】

Cang Shun stretched out a paw toward the chili oil jar.

Chen Moqing said nothing, only scooped up a spoonful of clear broth with the purchased spoon and let a single small drop of chili oil fall in.

Cang Shun drank a mouthful of soup directly from his hand.

"......"

His fur puffed right up, and he let out a hissing and gasping sound.

Without a word, he buried his head into his own clear broth.

With four liang* of wontons in his belly, a flushed warmth rose on the old man's face. He wiped the greasy corners of his mouth with the back of his hand, said 'great kindness of an immortal,' and drove the ox cart into the city.

*t/n; a traditional Chinese unit of weight. 1 liang ≈ 50 grams (about 1.76 oz), so "four liang of wontons" would be around 200 grams.

"Meow."

The snow-white little beast lifted its head from the empty bowl.

【Is there more?】

Chen Moqing pulled back his sleeves to show that nothing remained between them but empty air.

Along the way, the small number of spirit stones he had exchanged for the low-grade talismans he had drawn were all gone. For the past few days, they had been sleeping out in the open.

Cang Shun calmly thought for a moment, then let out another "mew".

【How about you take my fur and sell it for money?】

Chen Moqing looked in silence at this Demon Emperor who had gnawed on grass roots alongside him for two months, and began to wonder whether all the hardships the Demon Emperor had ever suffered in this life had been endured at his side.

Though this life had only been a few months long.

Then he refused, "No."

Even in this remote place where Cang Shun might be taken for an ordinary demon beast, if his fur were to circulate out into the world, someone might still detect the aura of a Demon Emperor.

He was not worried about Cang Shun shedding fur carelessly. After leaving the northern border, this Demon Emperor seemed to have cast some kind of spell on himself to secure his own fluff, and it was no longer possible to run a hand over him and have a few strands come loose.

Upon hearing this, Cang Shun fell uncharacteristically silent.

He cherishes my things so much.

The thought drifted through his mind without warning, like a small petal falling onto the surface of a lake, stirring the faintest ripple.

Chen Moqing raised his hand and divided his remaining half bowl of wontons between himself and Cang Shun.

Then he noticed that this Demon Emperor glanced at him once, then again.

Within the span of just a few seconds, he looked over at him repeatedly.

"Eat quickly. We set off when you're done."

"......"

In the afternoon, Chen Moqing strolled through the city cradling the snow-white little beast, whose fur had somehow become noticeably softer.

This was a mortal settlement, and cultivators were rarely seen here. The occasional one who passed through was no higher than the Qi Refinement stage, so naturally there was no place to exchange talismans for spirit stones.

He was penniless, and the place he needed to reach was still several hundred li away.

Qingzhu City, the largest city in Dongzhou Prefecture, and a gathering place for many talisman cultivators.

He had come into contact with the talisman path in his early years, but Yu Bai considered everything outside the sword path to be inferior and had scolded him for it several times. Afterward he only researched it privately in his spare time, and no one in the sect knew he was actually also skilled in talismans.

In recent days he had also attempted to walk the sword path again. Though he had a Qi Refinement cultivation base, he could no longer condense even the faintest trace of sword intent.

Yu Bai's four streams of sword qi still resided in his spiritual sea. Even if he could one day rebuild his foundation, the moment he condensed the slightest sword intent, it would be scattered by Yu Bai's sword qi.

Chen Moqing felt no discouragement over this. One day, he would eventually be able to cleanse the sword qi through external means, or surpass the peak of the Mahayana stage through his own power. When that day came, every shackle would crumble to dust.

The sun sank in the west. A small merchant caravan of only a few people, loaded with goods, made its way eastward.

In the single-horse carriage at the rear of the caravan, the snow-white little beast sat on a cushion, having claimed a corner of a black robe for itself.

Not long before, a wealthy young master in the caravan had been purchasing tea leaves in the city to sell in Qingzhu City. The tea house had tried to pass off mid-grade tea as a similar upper-grade variety, and Chen Moqing had exposed this. The young master expressed his gratitude repeatedly, and upon learning that Chen Moqing was headed the same way, invited him to travel together.

For some reason, ever since the young master's warm invitation a moment ago, a certain Demon Emperor's expression had been rather strange, and now his voice carried an odd, affected lilt: 【Just a single type of tea and you can spin out thousands of things to say about it. Humans really do put on airs of refinement.】

Chen Moqing replied calmly, "My family was poor when I was young. Thanks to the kindness of good people, I worked in a tea house for several years. You come to know these things when you've seen enough of them."

Cang Shun went quiet all at once.

【I'm sorry.】

Two seconds passed, and he spoke in a small voice.

Chen Moqing was mildly surprised and lowered his lashes.

The snow-white little beast hung its head, curled itself into a small round ball, and gently kneaded the corner of his robe with its paw.

"Brother Jiang!"

A bright-eyed young man ducked in through the carriage door. It was none other than the wealthy young master, Liu Yu.

Chen Moqing had introduced himself outside as 'Jiang Yu,' Hearing this 'Brother Jiang,' he returned a calm, easy smile.

Cang Shun's brow furrowed slightly, and he began scratching at the carriage wall with his paw.

The carriage was not large. Young Master Liu squeezed in beside Chen Moqing, his arm pressing against him. Chen Moqing shifted slightly to the side.

Cang Shun scratched one gouge after another into the carriage wall.

Liu Yu was naturally sociable. He pulled Chen Moqing into easy conversation, and before long was working his way around to asking whether the small young demon beast at his side had a name.

Chen Moqing lowered his eyes. Cang Shun met his gaze and lifted his chin with arrogant pride.

You may announce my name.

Chen Moqing raised his eyes, "Mimi."

Cang Shun: "???"

Liu Yu watched the snow-white little beast leap up all at once, tip its little head back, and let out a loud stream of mews and cries at its owner. He burst into laughter, "Truly a name that fits!"

"Brother Jiang, I am quite fond of your spirit pet. I would like to offer a thousand spirit stones to purchase it. Would Brother Jiang be willing to part with it?"

The paw Cang Shun had raised froze in midair. His demon eyes narrowed.

Liu Yu was a cultivator at the early Qi Refinement stage. He could tell that this Brother Jiang had a similar cultivation level, at most mid-stage. Cultivators who had only recently begun their practice were often most in need of spirit stones.

Chen Moqing smiled lightly and casually gathered the snow-white little beast into his arms, "He is of the utmost importance to me. Parting with him is absolutely out of the question."

This Demon Emperor had seen his hand, so he would never hand him over to anyone. That would be no different from seeking his own death, placing his own throat in the hands of another.

Cang Shun nestled in Chen Moqing's arms, his round demon eyes wide and unblinking, gazing up at those brows and eyes that held the faintest trace of a smile.

He was that important to him? Important enough to be irreplaceable?

Well, alright then.

The round little beast settled down quietly, its soft belly pressing snugly against that slender wrist.

Liu Yu said nothing more, and with a smile invited Chen Moqing to be sure to visit his home once they reached Qingzhu City. When the time came to part, he even gave Cang Shun a cupped-fist salute, "I'm off then, Mimi."

Cang Shun: "???"

As he climbed down from the carriage, Young Master Liu, for reasons unknown, seemed to catch his right foot on his left, and tumbled down with a loud thud, letting out a yelp of pain.

Chen Moqing was about to go down, but Liu Yu had already picked himself up, laughing and saying "it's fine, it's fine," while frantically glancing left and right before hurrying off.

He was gone, leaving behind a local specialty, osmanthus cake.

An expensive pastry, with a refined mold, even the wrapping oil paper was of the finest quality.

Chen Moqing gazed at the pale white pastry, the darkness in his eyes still and quiet.

A small snow-white head leaned in again.

Why are you unhappy?

...Is it because that person left?

Cang Shun said nothing, pressed a paw down on the osmanthus cake, and snatched it away swiftly.

Chen Moqing lifted his lashes and said, "Go ahead and eat it."

In the end, nearly a small half of the osmanthus cake found its way into a certain Demon Emperor's belly.

Cang Shun swallowed the sweet little treat, counted the remaining pieces of osmanthus cake, then glanced over at the person beside him who had resumed his cultivation. He raised a paw, stacked the remaining pieces neatly, and said: 【Inside your body, there are four streams of sword qi far surpassing your own cultivation.】

Chen Moqing's brows knitted tight, a faint sheen of cold sweat breaking out on his forehead, too preoccupied to pay attention.

【If the sword qi can be cleansed, there is still a chance to re-cultivate the sword path.】

Chen Moqing opened his eyes, "Please instruct me, Senior."

Cang Shun let out a grumbling hum.

Chen Moqing personally held out a piece of osmanthus cake.

Cang Shun paused for a second, then bit into it directly from his hand, chewing away.

【Who was it that injured you?】

Chen Moqing: 【My master. Peak of the Mahayana stage.】

Cang Shun let out a scoff.

【A mere Mahayana stage. Once my cultivation recovers to seven parts, I can help you cleanse the sword qi.】

Chen Moqing: "May I ask what your current cultivation level is, senior?"

【This pastry tastes quite good.】

Chen Moqing closed his eyes and continued his cultivation.

Cang Shun: "......"

A moment later, a low male voice drifted out quietly: 【In my five thousand six hundred years of life, this is the first time I have encountered a human like you.】

"Five thousand three hundred years and one year ago, the Demon Emperor perished."

Chen Moqing's eyes remained closed, his clear and pleasant voice flowing like a gentle stream through the forest.

"So you should be two hundred and ninety-nine years old."

"Three hundred years for the demon race, converted to human years, is not yet eighteen."

"You are even younger than me, Mimi."

Cang Shun: "......"

How does he remember everything about me so clearly?

He really does care about me, doesn't he?

A certain Demon Emperor went quiet again.

Two seconds passed, then the snow-white little beast slowly crept onto Chen Moqing's lap, its long fluffy tail drooping down and brushing across his wrist.

"I need to cultivate now. Please move."

Chen Moqing raised his hand and lifted the esteemed Demon Emperor from between his knees, setting him down in the corner to the side.

Cang Shun: "......"

The snow-white little beast huffed indignantly, turned its body around, and once again presented the cold and dignified roundness of its back, ignoring him entirely.

Chen Moqing paid no mind to the small commotion beside him. His consciousness returned to his spiritual sea, gazing from afar at the vivid red token hanging high above the abyss.

Several days of cultivation passed, yet he still could not break through to the Foundation Building stage.

For a Qi Refinement to break through to Foundation Building, spiritual energy had to be used to flood and scour the spirit platform, ensuring it held firm and did not collapse. The process was like scraping flesh with a dull blade, a tempering of both body and mind.

An ordinary cultivator could try again and again after failing, but he had only one chance. Failure meant death.

The best approach was to obtain a third-grade Spirit-Guarding Talisman, one capable of keeping a Golden Core cultivator's spiritual sea stable.

However, a third-grade talisman could only be refined by a talisman cultivator at the Golden Core stage or above. In the many lower prefectures, a Golden Core cultivator was already someone who could dominate a region. Enlisting a Golden Core talisman cultivator, or purchasing a third-grade Spirit-Guarding Talisman, would require an enormous price.

There was, however, another method.

The carriage lurched in fright, jolting violently. Chen Moqing's body pitched forward from the force, and just as he reached out to brace himself against the window frame, a powerful yet gentle force held him, pressing him back down onto the cushion.

He turned his gaze to the side. Cang Shun beside him met his eyes in silence for two seconds, then snapped his head away.

"Come out. We know you are here. We have been waiting."

A cold voice came from above the carriage.

"If you do not emerge within three breaths, one person dies. If you do not emerge within ten breaths, ten people die."

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