“SECT LEADER,” Mo Tianliao said as he followed Tianlang to the courtyard.
“So, you were the one who raised Qingtong for all those years?” Tianlang looked coldly at him. He was completely serious now.
Mo Tianliao met the sect leader’s eyes. “He’s been with me since he was a kitten.”
“Bullsh—ahem, he got separated from me when he was still young, and then you just took him away, you shameless thing!” Tianlang was beside himself with anger as he thought of all those years he had spent looking for his precious junior, only to find him on the brink of death with a damaged divine soul. How could he not be furious?
Mo Tianliao rubbed his nose, feeling a little pricked by his conscience. Back then, he’d thought the little kitten was pretty, and he hadn’t even stopped to wonder if it was a spirit beast; he’d simply glanced around to make sure that no one was watching, then scooped it up and fled miles away on his number one flying ship in Taixuan.
But then again, what was that about a sect leader with a cat as his junior? Mo Tianliao narrowed his eyes and was about to say something when the sect leader took him by surprise and threw a punch at him. There was nothing he could do to withstand or dodge a soul transformation cultivator’s fist, and so instead he immediately withdrew his divine soul from his face.
Thud! The blow connected, and the sect leader yelled in pain. He hadn’t even used spiritual power, but hitting a divine tree with his bare hand hurt like hell!
“Are you all right?” Mo Tianliao asked with concern, suppressing his laughter.
Tianlang-zhenren paced in a circle, fuming. He raised his hand to hit him again, then thought better of it. Baring his teeth, he hissed, “I can’t stop Qingtong if he wants to keep you by his side, but he’s weak now. Don’t let him fight, and never let him cultivate to the next stage.”
With a damaged divine soul, the soul transformation stage was his limit. He wouldn’t survive a heavenly tribulation.
“I understand.” Mo Tianliao frowned. “His divine soul should still be on me. Is there any way for me to return it to him?”
Tianlang paused and scrutinized Mo Tianliao’s expression. He didn’t seem to be faking it… “You think splitting a divine soul is so easy?” Tianlang snorted. “You can do it, if you want to become an idiot.”
Mo Tianliao’s divine soul wasn’t a spirit soul; it couldn’t withstand a split. And even if he managed to do it, there was no guarantee the part of Qingtong’s divine soul could be returned to the rightful owner. Tianlang told Mo Tianliao that soul-splitting was a forbidden art, and their knowledge of it was incomplete. Qingtong had been taking an enormous risk when he attempted it, with no idea whether he would fail or succeed.
Finally, Tianlang made Mo Tianliao swear a simple blood oath not to reveal the secrets he’d seen in the sect and stormed off in a huff.
Mo Tianliao stood in the courtyard for a long time, slowly clenching his fists. So what if it was a forbidden art? He would find a way to cure Qingtong, even if he had to travel to the ends of the earth.
He returned to the room, and the tiger looked up at him in silence.
Patting the tiger on the head, Mo Tianliao looked at the man on the bed. Qingtong wasn’t asleep, and he opened his eyes when he sensed his presence.
“Does it still hurt?” Mo Tianliao asked softly.
Qingtong ignored him and tried to prop himself up.
“Don’t move.” Mo Tianliao reached out to support him. “Just tell me what you need. I’ll get it for you.”
Qingtong pushed him away. “I want to sit in the sun.”
The tiger roared. Shizun, I’ll carry you on my back.
“You’re finally willing to talk to me.” Mo Tianliao smiled as he picked up the struggling Qingtong in his arms and headed for the courtyard. The disgruntled tiger followed behind and tried to bite him on the butt: I’m usually the one carrying Shizun!
The spring sunshine shone down on the bamboo rocking chair, pleasant and warm. Mo Tianliao played with Qingtong’s left hand. His fingers were long, slender, and fair, but the palm was pink, just like those soft paw pads. It made him want to take a bite. He was just raising the hand to his mouth when he felt a chill, and he looked up to meet a pair of cold, beautiful eyes staring at him. For a moment, his heart stopped.
How could he have forgotten that the person before him now wasn’t his cat but his beautiful Shizun?!
Sheepishly, he put his master’s hand back, instead stroking the bracelet with two fingers. The gems glittered brilliantly in the sunlight. “I’ve lost mine somewhere. Maybe you can stop wearing this now.”
This bracelet was one of a pair; Mo Tianliao had a similar, albeit wider, bracer. His physical body had been obliterated back in the Annihilation Valley, but his bracer should have survived; he just didn’t know who’d taken it.
Qingtong pulled his hand back and looked down in silence.
“All right, all right. I won’t interfere.” Mo Tianliao smiled. “I’m planning to go out for a while—”
“Whatever for?” said Qingtong, looking up at him.
With his Pawpaw, Mo Tianliao could prattle on and on for as long as he pleased, but looking at his master always made him think twice about acting so casually around him. It was as if they were getting to know each other all over again. There was a weird sense of unfamiliarity along with their unbreakable closeness.
“For training, and to find Taishi.” Mo Tianliao dragged over a bamboo stool and sat by the rocking chair. Taishi was the name he had given to the divine artifact he had yet to complete.
“That old garbage?” Qingtong frowned. His disdain for the unfinished divine artifact was obvious. If it hadn’t been for that menace, this dumbass wouldn’t have been hunted down by millions of people and ended up being obliterated. He’d finally returned to life, so why seek that troublemaker again?
Mo Tianliao smiled. He knew his cat wasn’t fond of Taishi. “It’s useful,” he replied. He wasn’t looking for the divine artifact so he could rule the world or seek vengeance. Those were secondary. If he wanted to cure his cat, however, he had to find Taishi.
It was widely believed that divine artifacts held the title of “divine” for just their destructive power, but in fact, that wasn’t true. The reason magical and spiritual artifacts were “artifacts” to be used by people was that they lacked spiritual intelligence. Even celestial artifacts were controlled by humans. Only divine artifacts developed their own spiritual intelligence, surpassing the limits of their “artifact” nature.
And the spiritual intelligence of a divine artifact was formed of the natural world over millennia. As such, these artifacts were privy to knowledge that the average person wasn’t. Mo Tianliao had to find that thing, complete the final step of the refining, and make it tell him the way to repair a divine soul.
But Qingtong mercilessly poured cold water on his convictions. “You’ve only just established your foundation. You’ll be just courting death if you look for it.”
Any magical artifacts forged by Lord Duantian would trigger a mad scramble for them once they appeared. Price wasn’t the only constraint; some of them were unattainable even if you had the money, especially that divine artifact that had led to his demise. Every time it appeared, bloodshed would follow.
Mo Tianliao smiled. He naturally had his own way of getting it back.
Hearing this, the tiger clung to Qingtong’s leg and bobbed his head. Shizun, let me go with Shidi. I promise I’ll bring him back in one piece.
Qingtong swatted the tiger’s head aside. “I’ll go with you,” he said coldly, glaring at Mo Tianliao with contempt. His meaning was clear: You’ll probably end up blasted to smithereens again if I’m not there.
After a stunned moment, the corners of Mo Tianliao’s lips curved into a smile. “All right.”
✦ ✦ ✦
MINI EXTRA
Woozy Sect’s Gossip Weekly Special: Interview with Qingtong-zhenren
Reporter Tiger: Where did you first meet Woodworker?
Guest Appearance Qingtong: By the river.
Reporter Tiger: Did he save you after you tried to end it all over relationship problems?
Guest Appearance Qingtong: I was just catching fish.
Reporter Tiger: …I heard the sect leader has agreed to your relationship. Is that right?
Guest Appearance Qingtong: Why would that dumb dog’s opinion matter to me?
Reporter Tiger: …So that means you have the parents’ blessings!
Guest Appearance Qingtong: *smacks him* Watch your words!
Reporter Tiger: You may not hit reporters during interviews!
Guest Appearance Qingtong: *flashes claws* Say that again?
Reporter Tiger: You may hit reporters during interviews… QAQ