Come Hear What Happened Next!

"Er Dan, were you laughing at me just now?"

The moment her master left, Lan Yue turned a "vicious" look on the spirit tortoise lounging nearby.

Er Dan pretended nothing had happened and slowly crawled away.

"Oh, so that's how it is, Er Dan. Do you never want fresh grilled fish again?" Lan Yue folded her arms, planted her feet on a raised part of the rock, and looked down at the spirit tortoise below.

Sure enough, Er Dan froze, then slowly turned around and raised his head.

"That's more like it. We're going to be best buddies from now on. How could you laugh at me?" Lan Yue smiled.

"Let's make a deal. Why don't you sleep up here on this rock? You can sleep anywhere anyway, and it's bound to be more comfortable up here."

Lan Yue was just about to swindle Er Dan into coming up when a voice transmission arrived from her master.

Guangji: Don't try to find a loophole. You're the only one who can stay inside this formation. Even the spirit tortoise won't help.

Lan Yue immediately hung her head, utterly guilty.

[Lan Yue: No, how will I know it won't work unless I try it myself? Take a gamble, and a bicycle could turn into a motorcycle. Maybe I'll win my freedom!]

She was about to bend down and pull Er Dan up when she spotted a dazzling streak arcing through the distant sky.

As that streak came into focus, Lan Yue's jaw dropped.

"Silver... Silver Snow? What happened to you? Did you go out robbing houses?"

She could hardly be blamed for her surprise. Silver Snow was covered in festive decorations: not only was a huge red flower hanging from its hilt, but all sorts of things were draped over its blade, so many that they practically wrapped its entire body.

Silver Snow stopped short as it flew over, nearly whacking her with its hilt.

"Did other people give you all these?" Inspiration struck Lan Yue.

Laden with gifts, Silver Snow nodded its hilt and bent its blade slightly.

If it hadn't been in the form of a long sword, it would probably have planted its hands proudly on its hips.

[Silver Snow: Those people gave all of these to me. To me!]

With everything hanging from its body, Silver Snow proudly circled Lan Yue several times.

Lan Yue spotted a whole string of supreme-grade spirit stones among the gifts and couldn't help swallowing.

There were also several spirit artifacts gleaming blue and violet, and their grades looked anything but low.

On top of that, a string of jade bottles hung from Silver Snow's hilt. Each had been sealed using a special method, and the pills inside were of equally impressive quality.

"Um, Silver Snow..."

[Silver Snow: What is it? Go ahead.]

"Listen, you're my Imperial Sword now, aren't you? You're my little darling, my sweetheart, my precious treasure." Lan Yue coaxed it gently.

With every "little darling" and "sweetheart," Silver Snow's heart blossomed with joy, and it even began circling much faster.

[Silver Snow: Of course! I'm the only darling you're allowed to have!]

"So your things are my things, and all my things are yours too, right?" Lan Yue grinned, showing her pearly whites.

At those words, Silver Snow slowly stopped circling and sank into thought.

[Silver Snow: That... does sound somewhat reasonable.]

"Right? How could I ever hurt you? From now on, we're one. Anyone who wants to snatch you away will have to step over my corpse!" Lan Yue declared with soaring spirit.

Hovering in the air, Silver Snow nearly welled up with tears of gratitude, nodding its hilt again and again.

[Silver Snow: You're right! Boohoo, I'm so glad I met you! I should have come looking for you sooner!]

"So, for your safety, let me put those things away for now. With all that hanging from you, everyone nearby will stare, won't they?"

[Silver Snow: Now that you mention it, lots of people did look at me on the way here.]

"Exactly. You noticed correctly. Those people are actually coveting your things! So hand them over for me to put away. Once you're grown up, I'll give them back." Lan Yue smiled sweetly.

Finding her argument perfectly reasonable, Silver Snow removed the items one by one and set them in front of Lan Yue.

[Silver Snow: Then put all these away for me now. I'll find even more things in the future!]

A white, long-haired cat sprang out of the silvery-white sword, jumped onto the rock, and nudged the gifts toward Lan Yue little by little.

Lan Yue swiftly swept everything into her Spatial Ring, grinning from ear to ear.

"By the way, Silver Snow, where did all these things come from?" She already had a vague suspicion.

[Silver Snow: Those humans said I'd done a great deed saving people yesterday, and they all started piling things onto me! I kept saying no, no, but they still insisted on hanging them here!]

The white, long-haired cat lifted its head haughtily, acting as though it didn't care.

"That's fine. If anyone else gives you things, take them all, as long as they're good!" Lan Yue's heart bloomed with delight.

[Silver Snow: All right, I'll listen to you! Since you like them so much, I'll reluctantly accept!]

"Yes, yes! Our Silver Snow is the best!"

Lan Yue held the cat and scratched its chin as something else flew over from the distance.

This time, however, it was a lifelike Paper Crane. Once it reached her, a familiar voice rang out.

"Junior Sister, come hear what happened next!"

Lan Yue looked at the formation circle beneath her. At that moment, she suddenly felt like the Tang Monk trapped inside a protective circle, except his kept demons out, while hers kept her in.

"Hey, Senior Brother, why don't you come find me instead? I can't get out!" Lan Yue grabbed the Message-Carrying Paper Crane and added her own voice to it.

Then she flicked her right hand, sending the pale yellow Paper Crane into the air. After circling in confusion a few times, it slowly flew back.

The Message-Carrying Paper Crane flew so slowly that Silver Snow couldn't stand watching. It scooped the crane up and vanished with a whoosh.

Li Bai, who was eavesdropping on his master and the other elders' discussion, had no time to react before a bright silver sword skimmed his hair and embedded itself in the wall, nearly frightening him into a faint.

"Silver Snow, let's make a deal. Could you be a little more discreet next time?" Li Bai kept rubbing his poor, pounding heart.

Silver Snow proudly curved its tip, then batted the dazed Message-Carrying Paper Crane out a moment later.

After hearing Lan Yue's voice, Li Bai was filled with regret.

"No problem. I'll go find Junior Sister!" How could he leave his junior sister sitting there all alone? Gossip was meant to be enjoyed together!

He was just about to draw his Glazed Glass Sword when he noticed the silvery-white sword hovering in front of him.

"Silver Snow, are you offering me a ride?" Li Bai looked astonished, utterly overwhelmed by the favor.

"Then... I'll give it a try?" He had only just lifted his foot when he felt his entire body leave the ground.

The ground rapidly fell away beneath him, and a chill brushed the back of his neck.

Li Bai: "????"

Looking down, he discovered that both his feet were dangling in midair, with no Spirit Sword beneath them at all.

"Silver Snow, how about I use Sword Flight myself?"

Silver Snow paid no attention to him. Instead, it swooped down and arrived in front of Yun Xi.

Yun Xi had been about to head to Spirit Moon Peak. Happening upon Silver Snow, her face lit up.

"Silver Snow, what are you..." She glanced at Li Bai hanging from the Spirit Sword and couldn't help laughing.

"Do you want to take me along too?"

Silver Snow nodded its hilt repeatedly.

"Why don't you lead the way, and I'll follow behind?" Yun Xi suggested.

She stepped straight onto the Embroidered Sword in her hand and rose into the air.

Silver Snow was deeply disappointed, but it still took the initiative to fly ahead and lead the way.

And so Lan Yue, who was so bored she was practically giving off smoke, saw her senior brother hanging from a Spirit Sword, with Yun Xi following behind.