Little Demon Yaoying

Before the Primordial Creation Furnace, Lin Xiao formed spirit seals with his hands, controlling the furnace fire and directing groups of blue-robed Daoists to use spirit seals to collect the spirit pills spraying out of the pill furnace.

Primordial Creation Furnace—this was the name Daoist Master Yizhen had racked his brains over for a long time before coming up with for the pill furnace. The words "Primordial Creation" gave this high-grade Precious Artifact pill furnace a trace of ancient, mysterious aura, while naturally laying a thick layer of gold over Daoist Master Yizhen's own face as well. The word "Creation," meanwhile, had even won nods of approval from the Daoists. After seeing the grand spectacle of Lin Xiao refining pills, this furnace's cooperation with him had not disgraced the word "Creation."

As his spirit seals shifted, Lin Xiao raised the furnace lid and was ordering the Daoists arranging the ingredients to prepare the next batch of medicinal herbs when an extremely thin streak of azure light flew from the horizon and shot into an azure jade leaf hanging at his waist. With a faint "ying," the leaf abruptly flew up, circled Lin Xiao three times, then sped toward the direction from which the azure light had come.

Lin Xiao let out a furious roar. His hand seals scattered, and he mounted a streak of red light in hot pursuit of the jade leaf.

The supervising Daoists immediately panicked. They had no idea what had made Lin Xiao abandon the six batches of pills still being refined inside the furnace in such haste. Among the several kinds of pills being refined today was the rather precious spirit medicine Golden Spirit Liquid, an excellent remedy capable of repairing injuries to a golden core. With Lin Xiao gone, those six batches of spirit pills in the furnace were bound to go wrong, and the wasted medicinal ingredients would be no small loss. The Daoists looked at one another, helpless as they circled the pill furnace that was gradually beginning to emit a scorched fragrance.

Riding his sword-light close behind the swiftly flying azure jade leaf, Lin Xiao streaked across the sky like a red meteor. As he raced through the air on his sword, a trace of anger gradually rose in his heart.

He recognized the direction the azure jade leaf was flying toward—it was Medicine Mountain of the Origin Sect! Though he did not know why Qingchu had suddenly gone wandering around Medicine Mountain, since the emergency signal he had given her had been sent from there, she must have encountered trouble there! Would someone in Medicine Mountain make things difficult for Qingchu? The faces of Princess Xiu and her party of five flashed before Lin Xiao again. "Hmph. Do they really think I, Lin Xiao, do not know how to kill?" Lin Xiao clenched his teeth tightly, and the anger in his heart surged even higher. To Lin Xiao, Qingchu was like the little dog he had raised as a child. How could he allow others to bully her?

With a "shh~~~," the azure jade leaf swept over the courtyard at the entrance to Medicine Mountain and shot straight toward a valley beyond more than a dozen peaks. Lin Xiao glanced down in surprise at the Origin Sect disciples of Medicine Mountain below, who were staring blankly up at him, then frowned and thought, What is Qingchu doing in such a remote back mountain? Could it be—

The moment he thought of the foul words Qingchu's two senior brother attendants had spoken to her, strands of purplish-red lightning flashed from Lin Xiao's eyes. Jiang Zizai's Supreme Clarity Thunderfire True Art had made some progress in Lin Xiao's hands over these past days. As he continuously refined pills before the furnace, the abundant Spiritual Energy in the furnace fire had been absorbed into his body. The electric light in his eyes now added several measures of intimidating majesty to his handsome face. Seeing the guiding azure jade leaf trail a streak of azure light into a pitch-black, secluded valley, Lin Xiao descended on his sword-light with a dark expression.

Qingchu, who was jumping about anxiously at the cave entrance, saw a streak of red light descend from the sky and immediately cried out in delight, "Brother Lin! Quick, come save us!"

She pounced onto Lin Xiao, grabbed his sleeve with one hand, and desperately tugged him toward the cave.

Lin Xiao froze slightly. Suddenly seeing a delicate, beautiful young girl leap at him, he instinctively nearly slapped her away. Fortunately, Qingchu's cry came in time. Recognizing her voice, Lin Xiao withdrew his right palm. He glanced at Qingchu's smooth, flawless face and nodded inwardly. Wonderful. Ancestor Huayu's Jade Muscle Cream truly is marvelously efficacious. Since Senior Yiyi is so interested in Beauty-Nourishing Pills, Jade Muscle Paste must be the same.

Qingchu dragged Lin Xiao into the cave in a flurry. The instant he entered, Lin Xiao sniffed sharply several times. A dense medicinal scent filled the air. Narrowing his eyes, he carefully distinguished the properties of the medicines within it, then suddenly barked, "Who is so muddle-headed? There are hundreds of thousands of commonly used, rarely used, and rare medicinal ingredients in the cultivation world, yet no one has ever dared to mix the medicinal effects of so many herbs together to refine pills! Who mixed countless medicinal effects together? This medicinal property, I fear—"

Qingchu tugged hard at Lin Xiao's sleeve and cried in a sobbing voice, "Brother Lin, something happened to Little Qing! She's about to be burned to death! Hurry and save her!"

With a "whoosh," the green moss covering half the cave abode turned to ash amid flames. The clump of bluish-purple moss in the pool had shrunk to no more than half a fingertip in size and was now spinning feebly in the water. From time to time, a strange flame burst from the moss, while great patches of green moss across the cave floor were burned into black ash. The moss chirped "ji ji," like a chick frozen stiff in a blizzard, letting out its final cries before death. Qingchu crouched by the pool, tears dripping one by one into the water.

Lin Xiao knelt on one knee, utterly ignoring the flames that occasionally flared beneath him. He dipped a finger into the strangely colored liquid in the pool and lightly smacked it in his mouth. "Ugh!" Lin Xiao's face twisted fiercely. The taste of the pool water was bizarre to the extreme—sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty, all five flavors present in perfect clarity and purity. They pierced from his tongue straight into his belly, almost making him vomit. Yet those five flavors had blended into an exceedingly strange mixed taste. The burning, searing flavor rushed straight into Lin Xiao's head, making his vision darken slightly as he nearly fainted.

"This is clearly a whole pool of poison!" Spitting out the medicinal liquid, Lin Xiao hurriedly took several detoxifying spirit pills and tossed them into his mouth. Only then did he ask calmly, "What is this monster?"

"Little Qing isn't a monster!" Qingchu looked at Lin Xiao pitifully, scratching at the ground with her fingers as she said in a deeply aggrieved voice, "Little Qing is a patch of moss from Medicine Mountain. She absorbed the Spiritual Energy of all kinds of medicines over thousands of years in Medicine Mountain, as well as the medicinal liquids that dripped down when the herbs were harvested, and only then did she gain intelligence. She is Qingchu's—apart from Uncle Li—only friend!"

Apart from Li Le, who cared deeply for Qingchu, this patch of moss was her only friend?

Lin Xiao's gaze shifted slightly, and he looked at Qingchu with pity and gentleness. He could imagine it: amid the countless medicine mountains of the Origin Sect, a lonely little girl and a tiny patch of moss that had gained intelligence met by chance. Two equally ignorant little creatures became friends. They met among the mountains and chatted among the mountains.

Under the moonlight, amid the cold wind, a little girl with an ugly face and a wriggling little moss demon that could only let out shrill "ying ying" cries each spoke their own words, yet both could understand the other's meaning. Likewise, each could make the other understand what they meant. This should have been friendship, shouldn't it?

Narrowing his eyes, Lin Xiao said calmly, "Do not worry. She merely has too much spirit medicine and Spiritual Energy within her body, but does not understand how to refine it. Her body cannot withstand the medicinal power, and it is about to be burned apart by it."

Countless records from the Great Luo Pill Scripture rapidly flipped through Lin Xiao's mind. He said softly, "Though her original form is a patch of moss, and her innate gifts are somewhat poor, so her intelligence will be weaker as well, she still counts as a plant spirit. One of the ancestors of my Great Luo Pill Dao, Ancestor Wanye, loved enlightening all sorts of plant and tree spirits for amusement. There happens to be a section here on the Wood Spirit Art he used to enlighten those spirits back then. Though it is not some profound and exquisite method, it is exactly suited to a little demon like this one who has yet to take human form."

Qingchu gazed eagerly at Lin Xiao and did nothing but nod again and again.

Little Qing, who was still giving off wisps of flame, shouted loudly, "I'm not a monster~~~ Ji ji~~~ I'm not a monster~~~ Ji, it hurts~~~ I'm a monster!"

Lin Xiao shook his head and slowly recited the Wood Spirit Art, allowing Little Qing to comprehend it herself.

These plant and tree spirits possessed no meridians or acupoints. They merely accumulated all kinds of energy by instinct. If they were lucky, they could rely on that gathered energy to transform into demons. If they were unlucky, the energy, too powerful for their fragile original bodies, would blast them to pieces—or simply draw down all kinds of heavenly and earthly tribulations.

The Wood Spirit Art was a rudimentary method that taught these little demons how to control the Spiritual Energy within their bodies, then use it to refine their forms.

Little Qing chirped "ji ji" several times before suddenly diving into the pool. At once, the water within the several-foot-wide pool, saturated with dense medicinal power, rapidly vanished, entirely absorbed into Little Qing's body. Little Qing's body swelled to the size of a water vat. The furry clump of moss wriggled rapidly as waves of thick medicinal fragrance continuously spread from within her body, forcing Qingchu to retreat again and again. The green moss on the ground and the moss in the water channels also rose in threads and wisps, merging into Little Qing's original body.

With his hands clasped behind his back, Lin Xiao calmly watched Little Qing refine the powerful medicinal energy within her body according to the method. In a low voice, he said, "You are a demon, but your original form is but a patch of green moss. From now on, you shall be called Yaoying!"

Raising his right hand toward the sky, Lin Xiao activated the Supreme Clarity Thunderfire True Art. A hair-thin streak of purple lightning descended from the heavens, striking Little Qing, who was wriggling rapidly and continuously letting out shrill "ji ji" cries.

Qingchu screamed, "Brother Lin, do not hurt Little Qing!"

Lin Xiao said nothing.

The purple thunderfire contained a thread of Skyfire True Essence from within Lin Xiao's body, supremely yang and unyielding, while Little Qing was a moss demon of utmost yin and cold. Once yin and yang joined, an extraordinarily wondrous transformation immediately occurred.

The lightning exploded across Little Qing's body. Great swathes of moss were blasted apart and flung far away. A cloud of green smoke rolled out, and a slender, graceful figure slowly emerged from within it. She was a little girl with pale green skin, dark green hair, and clear, lovely emerald-green eyes. Her appearance bore a ninety-percent resemblance to Qingchu's.

The little girl blinked at Lin Xiao, stared blankly at him, and then broke into a foolish grin.

A moss demon was born with exceptionally poor endowments. This little demon Lin Xiao had named Yaoying truly was not very clever.

Lin Xiao patted Yaoying on the head and said calmly, "Qingchu, Yaoying will be in your care from now on. Hurry and teach her some things!"

The little demon giggled. Pointing at her own nose, she repeatedly exclaimed happily, "Yaoying! Yaoying! I have a new name! Hehe, it sounds better than Little Qing!"

Qingchu walked happily before the little demon, gently stroked her cheek, and laughed softly. "Little Qing, from now on, you are my little sister!"

The two little girls looked at each other, then suddenly burst into giggles.