With the auction drawing near, Li Wuyang was worried about spirit stones, and even his interest in browsing stalls had faded considerably. That day, he wandered aimlessly through the relatively quiet miscellaneous goods district, riding Huaihuai while Little Fire lazily trailed behind and Yingying napped on his shoulder.
Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar tiny golden figure sneaking around in front of a stall.
It was the little golden bandit squirrel that had stolen his Lingzhi Mushroom and pinecones before!
The little squirrel had its eyes on a golden spirit fruit the size of a longan, fragrant and enticing, and its tiny paws twitched eagerly. The stall owner was a fierce-looking Bear Demon with a face full of brawn, currently dozing off.
Li Wuyang immediately flared up. "Well, well! It's you again, you little thief! I've finally caught you today!"
He was just about to rush over and catch it red-handed when the little squirrel moved with incredible agility, turning into a streak of golden light and zipping across the stall. The golden spirit fruit vanished in an instant, while the Bear Demon noticed nothing!
Having succeeded, the little squirrel turned and tried to flee.
How could Li Wuyang let it go? He immediately urged Huaihuai after it and shouted, "Thief! That squirrel stole something!"
The Bear Demon woke with a start. Seeing that the spirit fruit was gone, he flew into a rage and howled as he gave chase.
The little squirrel was scared out of its wits and fled desperately, darting left and right between the crowded stalls at astonishing speed.
Li Wuyang rode Huaihuai in relentless pursuit, while Little Fire perked up as well, joining the hunt with a low growl. For a moment, the entire area was thrown into chaos, drawing the attention of stall owners and passersby alike.
In its panic, the little squirrel chose the wrong path and plunged headfirst into an extremely narrow dead-end alley piled high with junk!
"Let's see where you run now!" Li Wuyang and the Bear Demon blocked the alley entrance.
Trapped in the corner, the little squirrel clutched the golden fruit and trembled all over, its large eyes filled with despair.
The Bear Demon angrily moved to crush it to death.
But Li Wuyang had a sudden thought and stopped him. "Brother Bear, wait!"
The Bear Demon glared at him unhappily. "What? It stole my Golden Scale Fruit!"
Li Wuyang smiled. "It's only a little squirrel. Its crime doesn't warrant death. How about this? I'll compensate you for the fruit it stole." He took out a Mid-grade Spirit Stone he had received from setting up his stall earlier.
The Bear Demon looked at the spirit stone, then at the trembling little squirrel, and snorted. "Lucky little pest!" He took the spirit stone and left with a stream of curses.
Only Li Wuyang and the little squirrel remained in the alley.
The little squirrel looked at Li Wuyang uncertainly, unable to understand why this human had helped it.
Li Wuyang crouched down and gave it what he believed was a friendly smile. "Little one, we meet again. You robbed me last time, and I caught you again this time. What do you think we should do about that?"
The little squirrel shrank back. After hesitating for a moment, it carefully pushed the Golden Scale Fruit in its arms toward Li Wuyang, its little eyes full of flattery.
Li Wuyang laughed. "Now you know how to suck up to me? Why didn't you do that earlier?" He did not take the fruit. Instead, he reached out and lightly tapped its tiny head with a finger. "You seem pretty clever. How about you follow me from now on? I guarantee it'll be better than being a thief."
The little squirrel tilted its head as if considering it. It sniffed the aura around Li Wuyang—the lingering Dao resonance of the Great Dao Imprint—then looked at Huaihuai and Little Fire behind him, as well as Yingying, who was peering curiously from his shoulder.
In the end, it seemed to make up its mind. Clutching the Golden Scale Fruit, it scampered onto Li Wuyang's other shoulder, the one not occupied by Yingying, rubbed affectionately against his neck, and then stuffed the fruit into his hand.
"Chirp, chirp! (Boss, I'll follow you from now on! This is my gift for meeting you!)"
Holding the Golden Scale Fruit, still warm from the squirrel's body, Li Wuyang did not know whether to laugh or cry. Did this count as becoming friends through a fight? He had traded one Mid-grade Spirit Stone for a Treasure-Seeking Mouse?
He stroked the little squirrel's smooth fur. "All right, then from now on, your name will be... Jinbao! You'll specialize in helping me find treasures!"
Jinbao happily chirped twice, found a comfortable spot on his shoulder, and lay down.
And so, Li Wuyang's party gained another member: Jinbao the Treasure-Seeking Mouse.
With the new addition, Li Wuyang was in high spirits. He felt this might be a good omen. He decided to try his luck outside the auction house again and see if any opportunities arose.
When he arrived before the Myriad Treasures Tower, the auction was about to begin, and people from all sides were entering one after another. Naturally, an "idle bystander" like Li Wuyang was stopped outside.
As he looked around, Jinbao suddenly became restless on his shoulder. Its tiny paws tugged hard at his hair as it pointed toward a gorgeously dressed young man in the distance, who had just stepped down from a luxurious carriage and was surrounded by a crowd... and at the sachet hanging from his waist.
"Chirp! Chirp! (Treasure! Boss! There's a treasure there! A very, very fragrant treasure!)"
Li Wuyang followed its gaze. The sachet looked perfectly ordinary, but if Jinbao was this excited, it had to be extraordinary! The richly dressed young man had a noble aura and heavily guarded attendants. He clearly was not someone to provoke.
"How... am I supposed to get it?" Li Wuyang was troubled. Was he supposed to steal it? The risk was too great!
Just then, the richly dressed young man seemed to get into an argument with another group. The two sides began quarreling, and the scene became somewhat chaotic.
An opportunity!
Li Wuyang's thoughts raced. He whispered to Jinbao, "Jinbao, it's up to you! Be careful!"
Upon receiving the order, Jinbao turned into an almost invisible thread of gold. Taking advantage of the chaos, it silently slipped over, brushed against the richly dressed young man's waist, and swiftly hooked with its tiny paw—
Whoosh!
The sachet vanished!
Jinbao instantly returned to Li Wuyang's shoulder and stuffed the sachet into his hand. The whole process was as fast as lightning, and no one noticed!
Li Wuyang's heart pounded wildly. He quickly tucked the sachet into his clothes, grabbed Huaihuai, and prepared to leave this troublesome place.
He had only taken a few steps when he heard the richly dressed young man roar behind him, "Where is my Spirit Calming Sachet?! Who stole my sachet?!"
The guards descended into chaos.
Li Wuyang did not dare look back. He quickened his pace, blended into the crowd, and swiftly disappeared.
Only after returning to his inn room did he finally breathe a sigh of relief and take out the sachet. It was exquisitely crafted and gave off a faint, strange fragrance that calmed the mind and soothed the spirit. When he opened it, he discovered that besides the incense, there was a small purple token hidden inside. Neither gold nor jade, it was smooth and translucent, with an ancient character for "Xuan" carved upon it.
"What... is this?" Li Wuyang held the token and sensed a trace of strange spatial fluctuations and hidden Dao resonance within it.
Jinbao chirped smugly, seeking praise and a reward.
Li Wuyang rewarded it with a spirit fruit, then carefully studied the token, but could make neither head nor tail of it.
"Never mind. I'll put it away for now. It might come in handy at the auction." He vaguely felt that this token might bring a turning point.
(End of Chapter Sixteen)
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