Su Jiuer stared at the wooden puppet before her, surprise filling her eyes before turning to joy. She stretched out her two fluffy little paws and hugged the puppet tightly.
This puppet was a carving of her true form, the little fox.
The puppet was carved so vividly and delicately that anyone could tell how much care had gone into it.
"You wake up and immediately hug a puppet of yourself. Are all foxes this narcissistic?" Xu Yan said, watching Su Jiuer hug the little fox puppet.
He had a strange feeling, as if the little fox could understand what he was saying, so he often found himself talking to it without thinking.
Hearing Xu Yan, Su Jiuer glared fiercely at him, then drank a few mouthfuls of water. Sure enough, she felt much better.
Thinking of the True Spring brew's potency still sent a shiver down her spine. She'd only touched a tiny bit to her tongue to taste it, yet she'd ended up completely drunk.
At the same time, she understood more clearly just how terrifying Xu Yan was. He drank True Spring brew like water, and his cultivation was unfathomable.
"Let's paint a picture. I'll paint you passed out in the wine bowl," Xu Yan said, looking at Su Jiuer as an idea came to him.
He did as soon as the thought struck. After clearing off the table, he left only Su Jiuer and the little fox puppet on it. He even moved the little water tank onto the counter.
Once he'd fetched his painting tools, Xu Yan began to paint. The moment his brush touched the page, Dao intent surged forth, enveloping the entire front room of the shop.
But he couldn't sense it himself. He was wholly absorbed in the Painting Dao.
Su Jiuer, sitting on the table and hugging the little fox puppet, watched Xu Yan paint, entranced by the Dao intent as it emerged.
In her eyes, Xu Yan was creating a world—a boundless world condensed from Dao intent.
The way she looked at Xu Yan gradually changed, and reverence and admiration rose in her heart without her realizing it.
Only when the painting was finished and the Dao intent returned to it did Su Jiuer emerge from the world of Dao intent.
Then she saw herself sprawled in the wine bowl in the painting and hurriedly turned her face away.
This was way too embarrassing!
"How do you like the painting, little fox?" Xu Yan asked with a smile, looking at Su Jiuer.
The Su Jiuer in his painting was exactly as she'd looked when she'd passed out in the wine bowl earlier. There wasn't the slightest difference, as if the scene had been recreated.
Su Jiuer turned away, refusing to look at the painting—or Xu Yan.
Still, even though the painting was embarrassing, she was happy too. While immersed in the world of Dao intent, her cultivation had broken through as naturally as water flowing into a channel.
Her cultivation had advanced from the late stage of the Spiritual Consciousness Realm to its peak, just one step away from the Spiritual Roaming Realm.
"I'm a little hungry. Porridge really is too easy to digest," Xu Yan said, feeling a pang of hunger.
Then he went to cook.
Su Jiuer was full of disdain. He was obviously an old monster who no longer needed to eat, yet he still claimed to be hungry. He was clearly just greedy.
Half an hour later, she'd fallen prey to the irresistible aroma too, eating even more enthusiastically than Xu Yan.
That afternoon, when Jiang Li came to clean, he spotted Su Jiuer and exclaimed in surprise, "Divine Doctor Xu, your pet is so cute!"
It was his first time seeing such an adorable little fox, and he couldn't help liking her.
"She's all right. She just eats a lot and is lazy," Xu Yan replied leisurely, watering the plants in the backyard.
Before meeting Su Jiuer, he'd never known foxes could be so lazy. She slept in late, but still ate plenty.
He had no idea where all the food Su Jiuer ate went. She was so small, and she didn't seem all that bright, either.
"Divine Doctor Xu, your green-haired turtle is beautiful too!" Jiang Li shouted, noticing the green-haired turtle in the little water tank on the counter.
He liked small animals too, but his family could barely afford to feed themselves, let alone keep a pet.
The green-haired turtle lazily opened its eyes and glanced at Jiang Li. A barely perceptible look of approval appeared in its eyes, as if praising Jiang Li's taste.
Hearing Jiang Li, Su Jiuer looked toward the green-haired turtle. Only then did she realize something was very strange about it.
It looked an awful lot like the Heaven Shaking Divine Turtle from the legends of the Demon Race!
But she wasn't sure if this was actually the Heaven Shaking Divine Turtle. She'd only read about it in the ancient texts of the Demon Race and had never seen one in person.
The green-haired turtle noticed Su Jiuer looking at it, but didn't care. It closed its eyes again, seemingly going back to sleep.
In less than a quarter of an hour, Jiang Li had finished cleaning. "Divine Doctor Xu, I'll head back now."
Early the next morning, Qin Tian arrived, bringing someone with him.
His friend, Jiang Taiyuan, the Sect Master of Tianya Sect.
After staying at Tianya Sect for several days, Jiang Taiyuan couldn't sit still any longer. He'd gone to Qin Tian and asked him to accompany him on a visit to Xu Yan.
He wasn't very familiar with Xu Yan, and was a little afraid to go alone.
Qin Tian could do nothing with this old friend of his, so he had no choice but to agree.
He wanted to visit Xu Yan anyway, so he might as well bring Jiang Taiyuan along.
"Old Mr. Qin Tian, and old Mr. Jiang Taiyuan too. What brings you here?" Xu Yan said with a smile.
He found these two old men quite amusing. They were both at an advanced age, yet they kept calling him senior.
Anyone who didn't know the truth would surely think he was some hidden master.
"Senior Xu!"
Qin Tian called out respectfully.
"Senior Xu!"
Jiang Taiyuan followed Qin Tian's example and greeted him too.
"Gentlemen, do either of you know how to play chess?"
Xu Yan nodded in greeting, then asked.
Qin Yudie hadn't come to play chess with him these past two days, and he'd grown unaccustomed to it. He'd been thrashing her every day before.
"I know a thing or two," Qin Tian said confidently.
His chess skill was the best in Tianren Sect. Qin Yudie had learned to play from him.
Jiang Taiyuan often played chess with Qin Tian. Though he wasn't as good as Qin Tian, he was still decent. He eagerly volunteered, "I can play too!"
Right now, he just wanted to build a good relationship with Xu Yan. He'd encountered a hidden master like this, and if he didn't seize the chance to get close, he might never get another.
Xu Yan's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected both old men to know how to play chess, and they both sounded pretty confident.
So he brought out the chessboard, ready to have a proper match against them.
"Senior Xu, please make the first move."
Qin Tian spoke up.
"Sure!"
Xu Yan figured Qin Tian might truly be a chess expert, so he gladly accepted and placed a piece on the board.
Boom!
Boundless Dao intent surged across the chessboard. In Qin Tian's eyes, it wasn't a chess game at all, but a world of Dao intent.
He was stunned. You could play chess like this?
This was already a clash of Dao intent. How could Qin Tian possibly stand a chance against Xu Yan? He was utterly defeated after just a few moves.
He said bitterly, "Senior Xu, you really can do anything."
He'd thought Xu Yan meant an ordinary chess match, but the man had actually woven Dao intent into the game. What the hell could possibly beat Senior Xu?
Nearby, Su Jiuer experienced the Dao intent once more, and it put her in a very good mood.
She was especially pleased to see Qin Tian get thrashed. She secretly thought he'd brought it on himself, daring to play chess against an old monster like Xu Yan.
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