Black Pool

Dongfang Wanyu played a little dirty. While they were still fighting, she released the level-five Winged Elephant, then slipped away unnoticed with Dongfang Minghui, leaving the others to tear into one another like dogs.

All along the way, Dongfang Minghui's eyelid kept twitching. Her heart fluttered uneasily, and she felt as though something bad was about to happen.

"Seventh Sister, do you think they'll know we did it?" She looked every inch the good little girl with a guilty conscience after doing something bad.

Dongfang Wanyu glanced at her. "What are you worried about?" Those two groups had fought so fiercely over the treasure that few of them would likely survive.

Dongfang Minghui hesitated, opening her mouth, but under the heroine's piercing gaze, she couldn't get a single word out.

When Dongfang Minghui saw that she had brought her to the injured Winged Elephant's lair, her mouth fell open in astonishment. Only now did she truly understand what it meant for the mantis to stalk the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it.

"Seventh Sister, you're not planning to-" Take the Winged Elephant Magic Beast away, are you?

The heroine made a shushing gesture, and Dongfang Minghui covered her mouth in understanding.

On the Seven-Colored Continent, a level-five Winged Elephant Magic Beast mount was extremely precious and difficult to capture. Even in the great Lineages, only a handful of highly gifted talents in whom their Lineages placed their hopes could have mounts of their own.

For someone as unfavored as Dongfang Wanyu, obtaining a mount meant relying solely on her own strength.

So... Dongfang Minghui instantly understood her intentions and wholeheartedly supported her decision.

"There's another Winged Elephant inside the cave, a female. If you charge in like this, you probably won't gain anything," Qing Mo said frankly.

Two level-five Winged Elephant Magic Beasts were not something just anyone could handle.

"Let's wait a little longer."

Dongfang Wanyu knew full well that opportunities were hard to come by. She had to seize each one firmly.

With nothing to do, Dongfang Minghui lay on the ground, concealing her presence so perfectly that even Dongfang Wanyu beside her was surprised.

"Oh, wait." Qing Mo suddenly spoke. "Wanyu, you really are lucky. The female Winged Elephant inside is giving birth. I think you could make good use of this chance."

Dongfang Wanyu's expression shifted as she grasped what Qing Mo meant.

Between a Magic Beast forced into a contract through violence and one she could raise from infancy as it grew, she found the latter far more appealing.

"No wonder that Winged Elephant insisted on returning to its lair despite its serious injuries. Its young is about to be born inside."

"Be careful. Winged Elephants are fiercely protective of their young. Once they discover your intentions, they'll probably go berserk on the spot. You'd already struggle against a level-five Magic Beast, never mind a berserk one," Qing Mo cautioned.

Dongfang Wanyu felt she needed to prepare something. She looked at Dongfang Minghui lying beside her, and an idea suddenly flashed through her mind.

"Ninth Sister, I remember that when your spiritual power awakened, it was wood-element," Dongfang Wanyu suddenly remarked.

Dongfang Minghui stared blankly and murmured, "It doesn't really count as wood-element." If only it were. Then the Dongfang Lineage wouldn't have let her spend all these years running wild.

Dongfang Wanyu didn't care whether she actually had the wood element. What she did know was that Dongfang Minghui possessed an inexplicable affinity with plants.

"Your Seventh Sister needs you to help her with something."

Hearing those words from the heroine's mouth nearly scared Dongfang Minghui to death.

"Seventh Sister, what do you want me to do?"

Dongfang Wanyu described what she wanted. Dongfang Minghui listened in a fog, but her contracted magic plant understood.

"Purple Cloud Fruit. It grows in the Black Pool and is a nourishing fruit that can restore a Magic Beast's vitality. It's extremely attractive to Magic Beasts. None below level nine can resist it."

For once, the damned magic plant gave Dongfang Minghui a straightforward explanation in all seriousness.

Clearly, this request was the perfect opportunity to demonstrate her goodwill and loyalty to the heroine. Dongfang Minghui agreed without a second thought.

"All right."

"Are you sure your Ninth Sister can get you the Purple Cloud Fruit? Don't forget it grows in the Black Marsh. With her being a mere novice spiritual practitioner..." Qing Mo had little faith in her, at any rate.

Dongfang Wanyu watched her retreating figure. "Won't we know once she tries?"

Along the way, Dongfang Minghui asked here and there, learning the direction of the Purple Cloud Fruit from the flowers and grasses. Before she could ask anything else about it, her damned magic plant interrupted.

"Tch, instead of asking them, you'd be better off begging me. Come on, beg. If I'm in a good mood, maybe I'll help you get the Purple Cloud Fruit." The damned magic plant huffed haughtily.

Dongfang Minghui rolled her eyes, not bothering to respond.

Even now, she couldn't understand what method this lecherous magic plant had used to establish a blood contract.

"Tsk, tsk. You don't believe me?" The damned magic plant could sense a sliver of her thoughts. "Purple Cloud Fruit isn't easy to get. Your Seventh Sister's setting you up."

"She would never." Dongfang Minghui remained stubborn, like a dead duck whose beak was still hard.

"Purple Cloud Fruit grows in the Black Pool, which is a swamp. Do you know how many bleached bones lie beneath it? The Magic Beasts that want Purple Cloud Fruit are as numerous as hairs on an ox-too many to count. But those that actually get it are few enough to count on one hand."

"And do you know what lives beneath the swamp?"

"A Three-Headed Snake. Supposedly, it's lived beneath this Black Pool for a very long time. With that spiritual power of yours, it'll definitely swallow you alive."

Dongfang Minghui was speechless. Could they still play nicely together or not?

At first, Dongfang Minghui had solemnly promised herself that she would get the Purple Cloud Fruit. But after listening to the damned magic plant's endless muttering along the way, her resolve began to waver.

"Heh. If I get swallowed alive, you'll be dead too."

The damned magic plant immediately fell silent.

Dongfang Minghui felt rather pleased with herself. At last, she could shut this lecherous magic plant up. She had almost forgotten that the blood contract bound not only her, but this damned magic pet as well. From now on, they stood as equals: glory for one meant glory for both, and ruin for one meant ruin for both.

She had finally broken free of her former position as the weaker party.

The closer she got to the Black Pool, the more cautious Dongfang Minghui became. Every few steps, she checked her surroundings, afraid a Magic Beast would snatch her away the moment she let her guard down.

"Could you show a little backbone? My lifelong illustrious reputation is about to be ruined by you." Helplessness colored the damned magic plant's childish voice.

"Just daring to come here is already giving you plenty of face." If this hadn't involved the heroine, she would have fled long ago. No normal person would come somewhere this dangerous.

Soon, she discovered a group of not-so-normal people attempting to approach the swamp at the center of the Black Pool.

Dongfang Minghui was speechless. What absolute bullshit. These people were after the Purple Cloud Fruit too.

"They're stronger fighters than you. Their chances of getting the Purple Cloud Fruit are very high." That ill-timed voice sounded in her mind again.

"Even a blind person could see that." Dongfang Minghui had long since learned to conceal her presence. Since her aura was close to the wood element, ordinary people would have a hard time detecting her in this forest unless she exposed herself.

"Once they defeat the Three-Headed Snake, we'll snatch the Purple Cloud Fruit," Dongfang Minghui discussed with her damned little companion.

"That's doable, but I have one condition." See? She still couldn't do without it.

"Go ahead," Dongfang Minghui said helplessly. She couldn't do anything too difficult anyway, and snatching the Purple Cloud Fruit from so many people really would require its help. Yes, she needed those long, tormenting vines.

"If there's an extra Purple Cloud Fruit, you have to give it to me."

"Aren't you and that thing the same kind?" Born from the same root, why torment each other so fiercely? Dongfang Minghui gaped. Her little companion had turned her worldview upside down.

"Idiot," the childish voice cursed outright.

"Do you want it or not? Insult me again, and I'll eat any good things we find from now on before you get any." She had now learned to use her advantages.

Her damned little companion fell speechless.

"I may be a magic plant, but I need to absorb energy too." Besides, its main body had previously been injured. Left with no choice after encountering such a good-for-nothing, it had resorted to the worst possible option to preserve its life.

Dongfang Minghui finally understood. Magic plants needed energy, she needed energy, and everything needed energy. They simply needed different kinds.

"All right, deal." She agreed readily. Purple Cloud Fruit was useless to her anyway, and someone else would be doing most of the work.

For the first time, human and pet reached a harmonious, mutually satisfactory agreement.

"Young Master, once we lure the Three-Headed Snake out of its lair, we'll lead it away. You and the grand elders can seize the opportunity to take the Purple Cloud Fruit."

In the outside world, even a single Purple Cloud Fruit was priceless and impossible to buy.

Hidden in the grass, Dongfang Minghui watched the group divide into two teams. One kept throwing pitch-black balls into the swamp from above the Black Pool. Each ball exploded as soon as it landed.

Boom-boom-boom.

The explosions continued without pause, blasting the swamp into utter chaos. Bones, pelts, and creatures living in the swamp were hurled into the air. Even lying on the ground, Dongfang Minghui could feel the violent tremors, let alone the Three-Headed Snake that lived within the swamp.

Seeing no movement inside the swamp, the group threw several more balls into it in quick succession.

A tremendous noise rang out, accompanied by a furious roar.

"Hide. The Three-Headed Snake is angry." At her little companion's warning, Dongfang Minghui scrambled up a tree as swiftly as a monkey. With its vines helping wrap her up, she disguised herself as part of the tree.

Sure enough, after three rounds of explosions, the entire swamp began to boil. Countless black spiders, each about the size of an ant, surged out from within.

"Ahhh! It itches!"

"They're poisonous! Run-now!"

The sight of that densely packed swarm made Dongfang Minghui's scalp crawl and goosebumps rise all over her body. The little creatures were extremely excited, surging straight toward the crowd without sparing even the trees.