At dawn, I got up. I had not slept deeply the night before; the fragment of the Beginner Spirit Beast Taming Guide the system had given me had kept running through my mind. I had memorized every word, especially the section about the "weakness period."
It would come.
I knew it would come.
When I left the cultivation quarters, I carried a small cloth pouch containing the Clear Heart Grass powder I had prepared the night before. This grass was not something found everywhere; only after the system prompted me had I located it on the valley's northern slope. Drying it, grinding it, and removing the impurities had taken an entire half-day. Now, it was evenly mixed with spirit crystal fragments. The scent was faint, but to that silver-white spirit beast, it should have been impossible to ignore.
Beside a bluestone ten zhang away, I had already placed three newly condensed spirit crystals. They were larger and clearer than last time, each one repeatedly nourished with the pure energy I had drawn in through meditation. The sunlight had not yet reached the ground, dew still clung to the grass tips, and the air was damp and cold—the time when it would be most relaxed.
I sat on the coiled roots of an old tree some distance away, legs crossed and hands on my knees, slowing my breathing. I did not close my eyes. I merely lowered my gaze and watched those spirit crystals from the corner of my eye. There was not the slightest fluctuation of spiritual power around me; even the flow of energy in my meridians was held perfectly steady. I could not rush, and I could not panic.
After waiting about half an incense stick's time, there was movement in the woods.
A shadow glided out of the mist, as light as wind brushing over grass. It stopped five paces away, its ears twitching slightly as its nose softly sniffed the air. Its movements were slower than before, and the light on its horn was not as bright. A small patch of fur on its shoulder clung to its skin, as though dampened by dew.
Now.
I did not move or make a sound. In my sea of consciousness, I silently recited the incantation for the Binding Spell, a reward the system had given me after I answered its question correctly. Spiritual power flowed down through my meridians, seeped into the soil from my fingertips, and spread along the grass roots like an invisible net, silently covering the place it was about to step.
It finally came closer.
Its front hoof stepped onto a stone beside one of the spirit crystals. Its body leaned forward slightly as it lowered its head to smell the powder mixed with Clear Heart Grass. At that moment, its weight settled completely, its limbs relaxed, and even its tail drooped lower.
I opened my eyes, raised both hands with my palms facing down, and said softly, "Bind."
The threads of spiritual power beneath the ground instantly tightened. A circle of almost invisible light rose from the grass, wrapping around its limbs and body. There was no explosive sound, nor any sign of struggle. It only let out a brief cry, like a startled bird, then fell quiet.
I immediately got to my feet and walked over.
It stood where it was, eyes wide and chest rising and falling quickly, but it did not struggle with force. The restraint was not tight; it was more like it gently encircled its body, keeping it from running away. I could feel its fear, but it did not lash out.
I crouched down, still half a step away from it.
"You ate the things I left behind," I said. "And I sat there every day without harming you. I am not your enemy."
It looked at me, its gaze still wary, but it was no longer as hostile as before. I slowly extended my hand, palm up, and held it before its nose. It shrank back slightly, but did not retreat far.
I moved forward another inch.
My fingers were only two finger-widths from its face. I could see its nostrils tremble faintly as it sniffed my scent. After a few seconds, it did not dodge.
I gently touched its forehead.
It felt cool, like touching a stone in the early morning. Its fur was smooth and carried a faint sense of wind, as though air currents were slowly circulating within its body. I withdrew my hand, took out the last spirit crystal I had nourished for three days from my robe, and placed it on the ground before it.
"You do not have to eat it," I said. "But I want you to know that I will not force you."
It lowered its head to look at the crystal, then raised its head to look at me. This time, its ears were no longer pinned back but stood naturally upright. I let out a breath of relief and began recalling the Beginner Contract Rune the system had rewarded me with.
Stroke order, starting point, blood-guiding method... I had memorized them all.
I bit my fingertip and raised my hand to draw the rune between its brows. When the first stroke fell, it shuddered but did not move. As the second stroke passed across its forehead, the pattern began to emit a faint silver glow. When the third stroke was completed, the light flashed and sank beneath its fur.
An extremely faint resonance sounded in the air, like wind passing over a harp string.
It suddenly knelt down, front legs bending as its whole body lowered to the ground, its head bowed. This was not submission. It was more like... acknowledgment.
I placed a hand on its back. This time, it took the initiative to rub against my arm.
The system flickered in my sea of consciousness. There was no question and no punishment notice. Only one line appeared: "Beginner contract successfully established."
I smiled.
Not with a loud laugh, nor with the urge to leap up in excitement. The corners of my mouth simply lifted naturally. After so many days of waiting, reflecting after failure, and adjusting my methods again and again, I had finally reached this point.
I stood up, and it rose with me, standing half a step behind and to my side. Not too far, not too close. When I took a step forward, it followed. When I stopped, it stopped as well.
"Let's go back," I said.
It did not react, but I could feel that it followed me more steadily.
By the time we returned to the cultivation quarters, the sky was fully bright. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting mottled patches of light and shadow across the ground. I walked slowly, allowing it to adjust to its surroundings. It occasionally stopped to sniff the grass by the roadside or looked up at birds flying overhead, but it never strayed too far from me.
Once inside, I took out the jade slip and flipped to the last page.
I picked up my brush and wrote, "Second capture, contract successfully formed."
Before the ink had dried, I heard a soft sound behind me.
It gently nudged the corner of the table with its horn, as if reminding me of something.
I turned back to look at it. It was staring at the brush in my hand, its gaze a little curious and a little serious.
I set down the brush, walked to its side, and reached out to stroke its neck.
"From now on, this will be your place," I said.
It lowered its head and leaned against my shoulder. Its body heat passed through my daoist robe, warm against me.
I had not expected it to accept me so quickly.
Outside, the stream continued flowing. Wind passed through the cracks in the window and stirred the papers on the table. I remained seated, while it lay beside me, its ears twitching now and then as it listened to the sounds outside.
At noon, I tried circulating my cultivation technique through a cycle. It lay on the floor with its eyes closed, but its ears kept moving in time with my breathing. When my spiritual power circulated to my dantian, it suddenly raised its head, flared its nostrils, and let out a soft hum, as though responding.
I continued cultivating.
This time, I absorbed spiritual energy a little faster than usual. It was not much, but it was undeniably there.
Could it... really affect cultivation?
Before I could think further, it suddenly stood up and turned toward the door, its ears fully erect and body taut.
I stopped circulating my energy as well and looked outside.
The door was closed. No one was walking outside, and there were no footsteps. Yet it stared in that direction without moving, as though it had sensed something.
I slowly rose to my feet, walked to the door, and placed my hand against it.
The wood was cold.
Just as I was about to pull the door open, it suddenly blocked my way, its head facing outward and its horn pointed toward the entrance.
Its breathing grew heavier.
I held my breath too.
Beneath the gap under the door, a patch of shadow was slowly moving.