The Three Greatest Pleasures of Beast Life

The Kong Yuan Divine Mountain lies beneath a vast snow-capped peak.

This name perfectly matches the temperament of the Northern Ao Continent.

Some have estimated the size of the five continents, with the Central Yuan Continent the largest, but also having the largest population. Northern Ao Continent, the second largest continent, has a smaller population than Eastern Ying Continent, where the Demon Race resides.

Therefore, the first impression of the Northern Ao Continent is that it is vast and desolate.

The journey from North Pole City in the Northern Ao Continent, to Kong Yuan Divine Mountain is long and arduous. Moreover, given You Su's special circumstances, he dared not show his face and had to travel discreetly.

He remained dressed in the same unassuming manner, leaving footprint after footprint in the snow.

Bai Ze, transformed into a miniature white cat, curled up in his arms, occasionally peeking out with its little head, its tiny eyes darting around as it curiously surveyed this unfamiliar world.

The cold wind was biting, and snowflakes were falling. The world of the Northern Ao Continent was covered in silver, as beautiful as a painting.

You Su tightened his animal-skin robe, squeezing the white cat out:

"Come out and grow bigger so I can ride you."

Bai Ze nimbly rolled around in the snow, immediately stopping his fall.

Upon hearing You Su's words, Bai Ze angrily hissed at You Su:

"You think you can ride me? Why won't you let me?"

You Su thought for a moment and said, "We'll take turns. You ride me for a while, and I'll ride you for a while. That's fair."

Bai Ze shook his head. "Do you think I'm a stupid pig? I can ride you as fast as I want, but you can ride me as slow as you want. I'm losing money on this deal!"

"Then don't get on me, you're filthy," You Su said disdainfully.

In fact, You Su knew that he couldn't possibly turn Bai Ze back to its original form so he could ride it on his journey. Whether or not the Divine Beast recognized it was only a secondary reason; the main reason was that it would be too conspicuous. Bai Ze was a well-known Divine Beast in the Northern Ao Continent, and being recognized by others could easily bring about unnecessary trouble, which was clearly not something that either the human or the beast wanted to see.

Upon hearing this, Bai Ze examined its fur and quickly licked it twice in an attempt to salvage the situation. However, the grime on its body had accumulated over many years, and it couldn't be cleaned off in a short time.

"You talk like you're so innocent." Bai Ze rolled his eyes, then leisurely followed at You Su's feet.

Although it was as bright as day, it was still only before dawn in the Central Yuan Continent, so there was not a single person to be seen on this already deserted road.

This made Bai Ze relax a lot, and he dared to jump out of You Su's arms and walk around on his own.

"I need to find a place to take a bath," You Su murmured.

Back in the Central Yuan Continent, because he had to practice swordsmanship every day, he would take a bath every day, regardless of the season, to keep himself clean. There was a fire talisman array there that provided hot water at any time, and the clear mountain spring water was inexhaustible, so taking a bath was something that You Su was used to very much.

But since jumping into the sea, it has been more than a month since I last took a bath. Back in the Snow Mulberry Tribe, even fire was a scarce resource, so how could I afford to boil water for bathing so often? Now that I've arrived in North Pole City, unexpected events have prevented me from enjoying a bath for long before I have to continue my journey.

What is taking a bath?

"Boil a bucket of hot water, soak in it, lather with soap, and wash your body clean. This is what it means to take a bath," You Su explained.

"Won't they drown?" Bai Ze had never seen so much water before.

A sage once said that bathing is one of the three great pleasures in the world. So as long as you feel so uncomfortable that you faint, you won't drown in the bathwater.

"Is he really that powerful...?" Bai Ze scoffed, then asked, "Which sage is he?"

Bai Ze was very curious about the sage that You Su mentioned, because even it had overheard from those who had prayed for blessings on Azure Mountain Cang in the past that Bai Ze was a divine Divine Beast that would be born at the same time as the sage's descent into the world.

Although it knew that it was simply born on the summit of Azure Mountain and had nothing to do with any so-called sage, it was still very interested in the word "sage".

"It's me," You Su answered without any shame.

As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Ze was so angry that his left leg went weak and he buried his face in the snow.

If the saint who brought me into this world were you, I would wish I could disappear back into the ground.

It quickly shook its head. "So many people come to my house to pray for blessings, but I've never seen anyone as shameless as you before."

You Su ignored it.

After walking for a while longer, Bai Ze, feeling utterly bored, decided to temporarily accept that You Su was indeed the saint in order to chat and relieve his boredom.

"What are the other two good things?"

"Have a meal."

"Mmm! That's right! That's right!" Bai Ze nodded its head lightly, unusually agreeing with You Su's words. "And what about the other one?"

"Sleep."

"That's right! It seems you really do have the makings of a saint!" Bai Ze jumped up happily, thinking that You Su was truly amazing, having guessed all of its favorite things: eating and sleeping, except for bathing.

You Su didn't seem particularly happy; she merely glanced back at it and asked indifferently:

Does the Gong Bai Ze exist in this world?

Bai Ze tilted his head slightly, looking bewildered, and said, "Maybe. Why are you asking this?"

"The sleep I'm talking about isn't the kind of sleep you're thinking of. Once you find a male Bai Ze, you'll understand what I mean." You Su continued walking.

Bai Ze stood there, completely bewildered. "Stop keeping me in suspense!"

But You Su simply ignored him.

A cold wind howled, and even though You Su was wearing animal skin, he couldn't help but shiver.

Bai Ze seized the opportunity and suggested:

"How about we turn back? Otherwise, how long will it take to get to the next town... We'll need to rest before we can continue our journey, and you can take a shower. Oh, and just prepare two bear paws for me, the hot kind."

Bear paws are a rare delicacy even in the Northern Ao Continent. A few days ago, Bai Ze was traveling with the Snow Mulberry Tribe, and naturally, it was given the best food. Bai Ze, who had spent thirty years in the cave eating only the wind and dew and only occasionally ate meat, was also astonished. It never expected that the bear meat, after being roasted, would taste so much better than the raw meat. It was as if a whole new world had been opened for it.

"It was I who killed the city lord, not you," You Su replied coldly.

Traveling through the snow is a tedious and boring task, and even the most beautiful scenery can become tiresome. So Bai Ze walked around You Su's legs in a figure-eight pattern to find a bit of fun.

You Su deliberately paused suddenly, causing Bai Ze to bump solidly into his heel.

Bai Ze grumbled and walked away, rubbing its fluffy head with its paw. It said disdainfully:

"You talk a big game, killing a cultivator of the same realm makes you so arrogant."

You Su was also dazed upon hearing this, completely ignoring Bai Ze's sarcasm.

He is now fairly certain that he has reached the Water Condensing Upper Realm, but not long ago, this was a realm he dared not even dream of.

Chuyun City, he considered City Lord Liu was at the peak of the Water Condensing Upper Realm, to be the strongest person in the city. But he never expected that in just over a year, he would have reached the same level as the city lord at that time.

If he were still in the Xuanxiao Sect, he could even become the city lord of a remote town, just like them.

But he was just a traveler alone in a foreign land.

Wait a minute... doesn't that mean his cultivation level has already caught up with his master's?!

"You are Mountain Spirit born from Azure Mountain, why are you so weak?" You Su asked curiously.

Upon hearing this, even Bai Ze's beard bristled with anger. "I'm just tired! Otherwise, I would have eaten you!"

You Su retorted, "You call yourself Mountain Spirit? I doubt even Azure Mountain itself would want to admit it."

Bai Ze angrily clung to You Su's calf, intending to bite him hard, but all he could bite was the thick animal hide, and he couldn't hurt You Su at all.

"Mind your own business! I'm just being patient!"

You Su, however, saw through the little Divine Beast's disguise. "When you entered the cave, your eyes were scarlet. But until now, your eyes haven't changed color. Why?"

Bai Ze paused, but You Su showed no intention of waiting for it. Or rather, You Su, preoccupied with its own journey, didn't consider the matter particularly important.

Bai Ze quickly followed, his head lowered slightly.

"Actually... I think I know I've been deceived by those people..."

"Well, I don't think you're that stupid," You Su said casually.

Bai Ze was furious but helpless. "They left me a lot of food, just like the people who used to come to me for blessings, asking me to protect those big rocks. They spoke so kindly, and the food they gave me was so delicious, of course I was willing... But I found myself becoming more and more irritable and lazy. I used to hunt in the mountains often, but now I just want to stay in my cave. I sleep when I'm hungry, and I'm hungry again when I wake up. Slowly, slowly, I even lost my strength..."

"It's Soft God Powder," You Su quickly gave the answer. "This is a drug commonly used by human cultivators when hunting large spirit beasts. They inject the Soft God Powder into the prey that these spirit beasts love to eat. While the spirit beasts are feasting, the Soft God Powder will wear down their will and strength, making it easy for them to capture them."

"Then why don't they come and arrest me?"

"The Soft God Powder cannot tame spirit beasts. It's used to hunt them and obtain their valuable materials. But because you are Bai Ze, they dare not kill you; they only dare to deceive you."

"Oh..."

After uttering the "oh," Bai Ze remained silent for a long time.

It was furious that it had been deceived, but also felt helpless about its loss of power. How could it have been so easily fooled? It had really done a terrible job as a Mountain Spirit.

"The Soft God Powder isn't poison. Focus on your cultivation and don't touch that stuff again. Your power will have a chance to return." You Su appeared cold towards this only companion on the long journey, but was actually gentle.

"Really?!" Bai Ze exclaimed excitedly. "By the way! You said they wouldn't dare kill me, so does that mean I can go crazy in front of them?!"

You Su turned around, looked at the white-gray kitten as if it were a fool, then grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and tucked it back into her arms.

Even a cornered dog will jump over a wall, let alone a person.

You Su patted Bai Ze's round head, "But if the rumor that you can't kill Bai Ze is true, then one day when you really encounter someone you absolutely must kill, just run into his sword. It's a bit clumsy, but it's still a way to die together."

"Don't want!"

Bai Ze shook its head. It wasn't afraid of the cold, but it also liked warm places, and You Su's embrace was especially warm. Although this human was annoying, he was like a cozy little campfire.

"I was just saying, just to scare them when I can't beat them, it's not like I'm really going to die."

Survival is an animal's instinct, and spiritual beasts are no exception. Even if they become spiritual beings and become Divine Beast, the instinct to cherish life is still ingrained in their bones.

"Then stay hidden. There are houses ahead, don't expose yourself unless necessary."

You Su stuffed Bai Ze's head inside.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds, casting dappled patterns on the village and adding a touch of warmth to this tranquil place.

You Su looked around and realized that the place was deserted and an abandoned village.

This is not unusual; after all, in this freezing weather, everyone would prefer to go south.

After confirming that no one was around, You Su, who hadn't had a proper rest in a long time, found the most well-maintained-looking room and went inside.

Fortunately, there was still some unused firewood and some household items that couldn't be taken with them.

The most life-saving thing was probably that round bathtub.

Having found a direction, You Su went outside and shoveled snow, dumping it all into a bucket.

By lighting the firewood with a fire-starting technique, the snow gradually melted into water.

It took some effort for You Su to finally get rid of his clothes. He was shivering from the cold, but once he stepped into the heated tub of water, he felt alive again. A warm current rose from the soles of his feet and quickly spread throughout his body, taking away the fatigue and cold from the journey.

Bai Ze hovered by the eaves of the bucket, clicking his tongue in amazement. "You're not going to boil yourself, are you?"

But in the next instant, You Su pulled it into the bathtub.

Bai Ze splashed water, instinctively resisting, just like a virtuous young lady being forced.

But soon, the respectable young lady gradually stopped struggling under the massage of the 'experienced' scoundrel.

Its little eyes were wide open as it savored the comfort brought by the hot water. This was a wonderful feeling that Bai Ze, who lived in the freezing cold all year round, had never experienced before. Its head was spinning, and half of its tongue was unconsciously sticking out of its lips.

"Hey, is it cooked?"

You Su shook Bai Ze, but Bai Ze, engrossed in enjoying itself, ignored him completely. It simply closed its eyes, fully savoring this rare moment of comfort. After a while, it slowly opened its eyes and looked at You Su with a satisfied expression.

"You're right," Bai Ze said with a hint of languor, praising, "You truly are a saint who understands the heart of beasts! The three great pleasures of a beast's life are eating, sleeping, and bathing!"

You Su chuckled softly. The two of them, one human and one beast, soaked quietly in the bathtub, surrounded only by the gentle murmur of water and the occasional gust of wind. This tranquility brought You Su a sense of peace. He closed his eyes, letting his thoughts drift freely.

Suddenly, You Su opened her eyes because she could hear the soft rustling of footsteps in the snow coming from outside the door.

This volume attempts a road movie style, so it might feel a bit bland at times. Don't worry, you'll reunite with some of the female leads in this volume, and the dream about the daughter who came looking for you will be useful! Also, brothers who want to join the group, join the second group!!