The Dog That Eats

After listening to Li Qingjun's recounting, Qin Yi pondered for a while before asking, "Bangbang, what happened back then?"

Liusu said lazily, "I don't know. Anyway, we didn't have so many problems back then. Didn't I tell you before? Back then, we directly intervened in the mortal realm, which was a theocratic system, different from the current model. As for why it's become like this now... even the Netherworld has collapsed, so many rules are different now. Anyway, in the Land of Chaos, where humans and immortals live together, we haven't seen any problems."

"The Land of Chaos are a small place after all, and the Thousand Mountains Alliance is just a mountain city, not worth relying on." Qin Yi thought for a while, but couldn't figure it out, so he didn't dwell on it. "Anyway, who would give up the empire they've worked so hard to build just because they listened to a few Daoists talking nonsense? It's not child's play. So many interests are tied together around Wu Xian. If he just says he'll leave the world, who will be responsible if the world descends into chaos? These old Daoists don't know anything about politics, they just close their eyes and say they'll give up."

Taotie said, "He might not be ignorant; he might even be waiting to trick you into taking your disciple away so they can take over?"

Li Qingjun nodded. "Possibly, but I don't really trust the Taiyi Sect. Now that Wu Xian determined to bring peace to the world, we should support him."

Qin Yi pulled out the Black Fur Ball: "Did you say those words just now? You seem to know a lot?"

Taotie looked at him with disdain. "Humans, they're all so cunning. If I had been in front of him just now, I would have definitely noticed his greed."

"You think you're so capable?" Liusu said disdainfully. "There are only humans here now, why don't you come out and see if you can detect any greed?"

Taotie was stunned for a moment; it really couldn't detect any greed here.

It thought for a moment, then forced out, "You just haven't encountered anything that would make you show your true colors. Before, you were all smiles while holding that Blood-Chilling Nether Marrow in the ring. Don't think I didn't know that it was a substandard item that was accidentally absorbed into a superior one, and you were very happy about it."

"So what?" Liusu rolled her eyes. "Do you know the difference between greed and normal needs? Even if I wanted the Blood-Chilling Nether Marrow, I wouldn't risk my life to charge into the Qian Yuan Formation for it. The Dark Essence was right in front of us, and we could all stand still. Ask yourself if you could do that too; you'd be drooling by now, wouldn't you?"

The Taotie hung its head and remained silent.

Qin Yi asked, "Has the Blood-Chilling Nether Marrow reached its peak?"

"Well, it was only slightly lacking to begin with, but this Blood Nether Altar is of a much higher grade. After absorbing some of its essence, it will be perfect." Liusu smiled and said, "Now we can consider other things."

"So, what we need now... besides the Netherglow Jade Crystal, is there any progress on the others?"

Before the words were even finished, Taotie's eyes lit up, and drool dripped down its face. "Where is the Netherglow Jade Crystal?!"

Qin Yi punched it on the head and stuffed it into the ring.

The Taotie struggled. "Wait, wait, wait! You're looking for these things to reshape your physical body, right?"

Qin Yi stopped. "You knew?"

"The nature of these things is obvious from the name: Blood-Chilling Nether Marrow to nourish the bloodline, and Netherglow Jade Crystal to create the spiritual platform. Liusu Su has Creation Bone... If I'm not mistaken, you also need Celestial Soul Profound Soil to Jian Mu Fruit to transform the six internal organs, to refine and fuse them with Chaos Fire, and ideally, they should be bathed in Heavenly Evolution Radiance..."

"You really know a lot about this?" Liusu was impressed. She had calculated these things by re-analyzing the Dao of Life in the Kun Peng Purple Mansion, and Taotie knew them just by listening.

"Of course I know," Taotie said smugly. "I've eaten most of them!"

Liusu grabbed it and said, "Those things aren't for eating! Spit them out!"

"Cough cough, don't pinch me..." Taotie said laboriously, "I know where Jianmu is!"

Liusu was taken aback. "Hey, you and I haven't been born for tens of thousands of years, so the landscape has changed a lot. Your previous knowledge doesn't count. Otherwise, do you think I know less than you?"

"That's different. It's like I wouldn't dare say where the Celestial Soul Profound Soil is, but I dare say where the Jianmu Tree is, because I came from there, and I have the Unseen connection with it." Taotie said nostalgically, "The peaches there were so delicious..."

Stop reminiscing, just tell me where it is!

"Uh..." Taotie's eyes widened for a moment, then he said with a forced smile, "My soul power is too weak right now to sense it."

Liusu poked her head into Qin Yi's ring and pulled out Wolf Tooth Club.

"Help! Help me!"

When Li Wuxian came to find his master again after the court session, he saw Qin Yi and Li Qingjun squatting on the ground playing with a ball.

Li Qingjun dropped a piece of meat, and a Black Fur Ball pounced on it, devouring it clean.

Qin Yi tossed another Spirit Stone in another direction. The Black Fur Ball hadn't even finished swallowing the meat scraps when its eyes lit up and it pounced on the Spirit Stone, swallowing it whole in one gulp.

The poor dog finally earned its food by trading its worth...

Li Wuxian found it adorable. "Master, what is this?"

"Oh." Qin Yi said kindly, "This is Master's pet, named Tao Tao."

Taotie turned its head and glanced at Li Wuxian, then suddenly drooled.

Li Wuxian frowned and took a half step back. She keenly sensed an extremely dangerous feeling, as if the cute furball she was facing was an ancient ferocious beast.

Qin Yi knew this guy must have sensed some kind of imperial luck or something, and was acting up again, so he kicked him. The Black Fur Ball rolled several times and tragically ended up lying motionless in the corner.

The ferocious beast seemed to vanish instantly.

Li Wuxian blinked, knowing there was something wrong with this "Tao Tao," but didn't ask. She simply bowed to Li Qingjun and said, "Aunt..."

Li Qingjun had been avoiding her all along, including the fact that it was she who went to see Qing Xuanzi this morning instead of Qin Yi; all of this was deliberate. Li Wuxian Daoist Nun's willingness to appear before her now was tantamount to announcing her forgiveness.

Li Qingjun said with a straight face, "Didn't you say that from your macro perspective you still think your aunt is being pretentious?"

"Uh..." Li Wuxian shook his head. "My aunt carried me through the encirclement, fled thousands of miles, her battle robe stained with blood... If it weren't for my aunt, how Wu Xian, be here now, so self-righteously calling others pretentious?"

Li Qingjun stared at her for a long time, then sighed softly.

In other words, she genuinely believed everyone was being overly sensitive. She was an emperor with well-defined values, not a child who needed to be educated. However, she knew perfectly well who treated her well and valued those relationships highly. Rather than an apology, it was more accurate to say she was making concessions.

"Never mind." Li Qingjun didn't dwell on it any longer, but simply said, "I met Qing Xuanzi this morning, and he thinks that you, as a cultivator, will likely face more setbacks if you try to become the Human Emperor. We're not sure how much of what he said is true, but it's best to keep it in mind."

Li Wuxian paused, her thoughts mirroring Taotie's earlier. "Could it be that he's still harboring wicked intentions?"

Qin Yi finally said, "Whether it is or not... you know we can't stay long, so you need to take precautions."

"Why couldn't Master stay any longer?"

"Because my bet with the Witch God Sect only concerns whether they interfere with you. In reality, I am still wanted by them. This can be considered a tacit understanding of a temporary truce. Once they start causing trouble for me again, it will be me who implicates your kingdom." Qin Yi said, "Of course, I also have some things to do and cannot stay for too long."

Li Wuxian frowned and thought for a while, "When does Master plan to leave?"

Qin Yi grabbed the Black Fur Ball: "Once this guy recovers his Huiyang form, it'll be about time."

Li Wuxian looked at the droopy Black Fur Ball and poked it twice. "What does it eat?"

"I eat everything."

"Hmm?" Li Wuxian casually picked up a plate from the stone table, which had several pieces of fruit on it. "Tao Tao, time to eat."

The gluttonous beast devoured the fruit in one gulp, and even swallowed the plate with a crunching sound.

Then, looking utterly dejected, he lay there muttering, "It doesn't taste good."

Li Wuxian stared blankly at the vanished plate. "Could it have cultivated by eating?"

Qin Yi snapped his fingers, "That's right. Theoretically, the stronger the energy it consumes, the faster it recovers. In reality, it can even grow by eating dirt."

Li Wuxian stroked his chin, examining the Taotie, thinking to himself that this thing grows by eating, and then grows until Master Huiyang has to leave...

Should we ask the chef to poison it?

Taotie suddenly shivered, as if some malice was surrounding it, even more ferocious than Liusu.