Exiting Seclusion

Wu Tian returned to Qiyun Cave and found that the dark clouds hanging over his head had thinned considerably, though they still remained. He couldn't help but frown slightly.

"Could that fatso still dare to make a direct move against me?"

He suppressed the irritation in his heart. "Whatever, I'll just stay in seclusion in the cave for this period and not go out."

With that thought, he calmed his mind and spirit, casting the Thunder Sound Curse, Fire Pupil Curse, Cloud Water Spell, and Gather Wind Spell one by one. After a round of spells, he cleansed his turbid energy, opened his acupoints, and immersed himself in cultivation.

Canteen.

By evening, Wu Xia'er had already fallen asleep. Wu Lian and Huang Ren, husband and wife, had been busy all day and only lay down now.

"Xia'er's immortal root is wind and fire attribute. The best choice is to go to Fire Crow Cave. Senior Sister Yao at Fire Crow Cave knows me, and she's already in the Law Refining Realm. She's kind-hearted and gentle."

"However, for Xia'er to be accepted into Fire Crow Cave, we'll have to visit the Law Transmission Hall and offer some benefits to that steward."

Even lying in bed, Wu Lian was still calculating. "Besides that, once Xia'er reaches the Qi Nurturing, Form Condensing realm, she'll need to choose a monster, peel its skin and flesh to cultivate a beast form, and extract its Yin soul to refine her true form."

"But Fire Crow Cave has its own flock of fire crows, so we won't have to worry about that. I was thinking of giving Senior Sister Yao some Jade Visage Fruit then and asking her to arrange a high-quality one for Xia'er."

"Also, didn't we say we wanted to prepare a defensive spell artifact for Xia'er? The Wind Fire Whip is indeed quite suitable for Xia'er. The materials we've accumulated are almost enough, but we're still a bit short on Yin Soul Silk."

"I was thinking of going to Senior Brother Man Xiong to see if he has any extra. Interacting with him might also help build a connection."

"If all else fails, we'll have to exchange merit points for it, which would be another expense..."

Listening to his wife's incessant chatter, Huang Ren held her close and remained silent. He felt guilty. Wu Lian had followed him for so many years without enjoying any blessings, instead spending her days around the stove.

The once fiery and beautiful girl now had wrinkles at the corners of her eyes, spent her days in the smoky kitchen, reeking of oil and soot, and had barely worn any new clothes.

Now, she was even more worried for their daughter...

As he drifted in thought, he realized that Wu Lian had fallen asleep at some point while talking.

She was too tired, having to get up and busy herself before dawn every day.

Huang Ren turned his head slightly, looking at his wife's face. Although she was getting older, he could still vaguely see her youthful beauty, especially her figure. Due to cultivation, her slender waist and rounded hips retained their charm.

He sighed softly. He had felt a pang of reluctance earlier, but now he finally made up his mind.

"In a few days, when I go to transport ingredients, I'll make a trip to Wild Dog Cave..."

"Don't blame me. Any monster that comes to Skull Mountain won't live long; they'll eventually have their skin and soul stripped away."

Thinking this, the lingering guilt in the depths of his heart seemed to dissipate considerably.

Huang Ren tightened his arm around his wife, gently kissed her forehead, and slowly closed his eyes.

Wu Tian was unaware of Fatty Huang's intentions. Although he could sense the impending disaster, he couldn't just rush over and bite the fatso to death.

Fatty Huang had cultivated for decades; he simply couldn't defeat him.

Even telling Wu Xia'er would be useless. After all, the incident hadn't happened yet. Telling her directly, "Your father has malicious intent towards me?"

When? What does he intend to do to you? How will he act?

With no answers to any of these questions, a dog trying to tell a human that their father intended to harm it?

Anyone would find it baffling, even speechless.

How could the inexplicable words of a dog compare to the father who gave birth to her?

However, this looming disaster weighed heavily on him, causing him great distress.

Even hiding in the cave didn't make the disaster disappear.

After returning from the Canteen, several days passed. Wu Tian had opened five acupoints, and his Tongyou Qi had also become much purer, growing slightly from its original wisp.

With the addition of True Qi, the cultivation speed of the Thunder Sound Curse and Fire Pupil Curse had indeed become much faster than before.

The four spells, opening acupoints, and refining True Qi – his daily schedule was packed.

When he was hungry, he would eat a few bitter bamboo leaves, then use the Cloud Water Spell and Gather Wind Spell to water the bitter bamboo, allowing the spiritual root to grow vigorously.

During this time, Wu Xia'er naturally sent him messages. Wu Tian mostly listened, rarely replying.

"White Dragon, I've been assigned to Fire Crow Cave."

"My master is so beautiful and gentle. Do you think I'll be as pretty as her when I grow up?"

"I started learning new spells today. Master taught me the Fire Smoke Spell and Ride Wind Spell. They're so difficult! I studied for a long time before I barely managed to memorize them. I don't know when I'll be able to get started."

"Waaah, Mom came to see me! She said she's going to Qiyun Cave tomorrow. I begged her for a long time to take me with her, but she refused."

"Wuwuwu, Mommy doesn't care about me anymore. I miss White Dragon..."

Listening to the little girl's happy, melancholic, or annoyed words, Wu Tian felt things were much livelier. The mountains were lonely and austere. When cultivating in seclusion in the cave, time seemed to fly by unnoticed. With her around, he felt a lot warmer.

However, the dark clouds of disaster above his head cast a shadow over his heart.

"This can't go on. I wonder what tricks that Fatty Huang is up to."

"And Aunt Wu is coming tomorrow. I wonder what for?"

Wu Tian pondered for a long time without reaching a conclusion. He could only temporarily set aside his distracting thoughts and continue to diligently cultivate the four spells and open his acupoints.

By the time morning arrived, he had just finished cultivating the Fire Pupil Curse and inhaled a wisp of morning sun's purple energy when he heard movement from behind his cave dwelling.

He saw Man Xiongmu emerge from the quiet room. Upon seeing Wu Tian, he couldn't help but laugh aloud, "Who cast this Sound Transmission Curse on your head? I never thought of conversing with you this way."

He couldn't help but burst into laughter, then returned to his own quiet room, took out a sound transmission talisman, and cast it on Wu Tian's forehead as well.

The two curses intertwined, forming increasingly complex patterns. Blue light flowed, making Wu Tian appear even more spirited.

"White Dragon's Child, can you hear me?"

Wu Tian activated the sound transmission curse with his True Qi and replied, "Master Man Xiong, I can hear you."

This title was something he had carefully considered.

Calling him "Master" directly felt a bit improper, as he hadn't officially joined the sect yet, and he wasn't sure of Man Xiongmu's intentions, especially since he was a monster.

Calling him "Master Man Xiong" was both affectionate and not abrupt.

After all, Man Xiongmu was indeed teaching him the Dharma.

Hearing Wu Tian's clear, slightly youthful voice, Man Xiongmu's face also broke into a smile. "Junior Sister Wu Lian from the Canteen transmitted a message to me yesterday, saying she wanted to come over. I suppose she has something she needs to discuss with me."

"I haven't had much of a harvest during my recent seclusion. I'm thinking of taking on some missions and heading down the mountain. Firstly, to earn merit points, and secondly, to find some materials for refining Dharma."

"After I see my guest, I'll head to the Mountain Patrol Hall. You should stay in the cave dwelling and cultivate diligently."

Upon hearing this, Wu Tian replied, "Understood, Master Man Xiong."

After he finished speaking, he looked up at the sky. The oppressive dark clouds had grown even denser, and his eyes immediately turned icy.