Adding Incense

"Eat up, quick. The meat's about to burn."

"Ah..."

"Stop sighing long and short. Things had come to this; eat when it was time to eat, drink when it was time to drink. Let's continue with that Longevity Wine from before..."

"How could I possibly eat?"

"If you can't eat, wouldn't that be a waste? Besides, we could keep looking. This wasn't the only Snow Spirit Antelope here. Didn't you see a whole herd last time?"

"Yes..."

"I actually think this was a good thing. It showed that the stupid snow leopard had a way to find Snow Spirit Antelopes. What we needed to figure out was how to tell it that we wanted them alive, not dead. Once we solved that problem, Snow Spirit Antelopes wouldn't be difficult anymore. It could find however many you wanted."

"My heart still aches..."

"What's wrong?"

"The thought of the spirit beast I planned to take as a soul beast being casually caught and eaten by this fellow makes my heart ache!"

"Well... I truly hadn't expected the Snow Spirit Antelope to be this weak. But didn't you say soul beasts grew alongside their masters? Don't just look at what's right in front of you, okay?"

"Yes..."

"Besides, Snow Spirit Antelopes were a type of antelope. That didn't necessarily mean they were weak. Being preyed upon by Snow Leopards wasn't strange; they were natural enemies, after all. It simply had no way to resist. Don't you think?"

"Now that you put it that way, Xiaolou, my heart aches even more! No, I can't choose a Snow Spirit Antelope anymore. The moment I close my eyes, all I see is it lying over the fire—a leg of lamb—and you sprinkling Xianglan Seeds over it."

"These were July Fragrant Orchid Seeds, the kind planted by