[Qi Intake successful. Spiritual energy +1] [Qi Intake successful. Spiritual energy +1]
Cultivation was tedious, but once Ye Fei truly cleared his mind and successfully achieved Qi Intake, he found the process rather enjoyable.
Time flew while he cultivated. By the time Ye Fei opened his eyes again, it was already noon.
Over the course of that morning, he had successfully achieved Qi Intake eleven times, gaining eleven points of spiritual energy.
That probably wasn't much, but it was already a delightful surprise to him.
At least he could be sure that, through his own efforts, he could have a future.
"Yip?"
When Ye Fei stood up, Qingxue the Little Fox jumped out of his pocket and perched on his shoulder, tilting her little head as she studied him closely.
She could sense that something was different, but she didn't know exactly what, leaving her utterly puzzled.
"Don't worry. I was just cultivating. Everything's fine."
Ye Fei stroked the little fox's head and took her back to the wooden cabin, where he put on a pot of mutton stew. It would be their lunch and dinner for the day.
Of course, they wouldn't eat only meat. They would have it with bread that tasted of nothing but wheat.
"Rawr... awoo..."
Just as the stew began to smell delicious, a tiny, babyish cry came from his pocket.
"The cub's awake..."
Ye Fei looked down at his pocket. He had been so happy cultivating that morning that he had forgotten he had a new pet in there.
He reached into his pocket and gently cupped the tiny cub in his hands. Looking at the little white tiger, now covered in short white fur and resembling a newborn kitten, Ye Fei's gaze softened without his noticing.
Few people could remain unmoved by such an adorable little creature. He, at least, was very fond of the cub.
"Yip!"
The little fox jumped into Ye Fei's hands, raised a paw, and swatted the cub.
This was the little creature that had tricked her and was now competing with her for her human.
"Awoo~"
Thinking the fox wanted to play, the little white tiger flopped onto one side in Ye Fei's palm, rolled over, and raised tiny paws to hug the little fox's foreleg, rubbing a little head against her leg.
"..."
Watching the little fox go rigid all over, Ye Fei kept his expression under control so he wouldn't laugh.
He knew the little fox wasn't particularly fond of the newcomer. After all, she had been his only pet, and suddenly having a stranger around was bound to upset her.
But the little fox, who had wanted to pick a fight just moments earlier, was now completely stunned by the little white tiger's affection.
The little white tiger wasn't shy at all, clinging to the little fox and nuzzling her until she lost all desire to be angry.
"Yip..."
Qingxue the Little Fox raised her head and looked at Ye Fei pitifully. She truly had no idea what to do now.
This cub, born only a little while ago, was far too clingy!
"The cub really likes you..."
Watching the little white tiger still trying to snuggle against the little fox, Ye Fei smiled and set them both on the table.
They could go play on their own. He still had to serve the meat soup.
The little fox wouldn't eat the little white tiger, and the little white tiger couldn't beat her in a fight yet, so what was there to worry about?
"Yip!"
Seeing Ye Fei busy himself with his work, the little fox turned, raised a paw, and pressed it straight onto the little white tiger's belly.
"Awoo?"
The little white tiger stayed obediently in place, curling up all four paws and tilting a little head toward Little Fox.
"Yip, yip, yip!"
The little fox lowered her head and barked at the little white tiger a few times, then released the cub and sat obediently at a corner of the table, waiting for the meal.
"Awoo..."
The little white tiger got up and copied her, waiting beside her.
Although they were different species, the pets could still communicate with each other.
Ye Fei, however, couldn't understand their exchanges. He hadn't yet learned an ability that would let him communicate with beasts.
After serving the meat soup, he didn't forget his new pet either.
Throughout the meal, the little white tiger followed the little fox's example.
When the little fox drank the soup, the cub tried lowering a little head to drink as well.
When the little fox ate meat, the cub also held it down with a paw, tore off pieces, and chewed them up before swallowing.
[Pet: Qingxue (level 5 Snow Fox cub), loyalty 100, combat power 25, Sharp Claws and Sharp Teeth, speed, burst power, healthy and lively] [Pet: Feng Bai (level 2 white tiger cub), loyalty 100, combat power 15, Sharp Claws and Sharp Teeth, Beast King Aura, speed]
Feng Bai was the name Ye Fei gave the little white tiger.
It had been very windy when the white tiger arrived.
The little white tiger had no objections whatsoever. The cub probably didn't understand whether the name sounded nice anyway.
As for why the cub's loyalty had been maxed out from the start, Ye Fei could only assume it was because the adult white tiger had chosen a master on the child's behalf.
The cub loved to romp around, and once the little white tiger grew familiar with the little fox, the two white fluffballs began running all over the yard.
The snow that blew in and slowly accumulated in the yard had stayed perfectly smooth over the past few days. Once they started playing, however, it became a complete mess, and peace was nowhere to be found.
Fortunately, the little fox still knew not to touch the planted areas. She deliberately avoided them while leading the little white tiger around, sparing the newly sprouted vegetables from being trampled.
Ye Fei spent the afternoon cultivating again. Although the blizzard beyond the fence had weakened somewhat, it didn't look as though it would stop anytime soon.
Today's random quest was to go hunting. Once Ye Fei confirmed that the wind and snow weren't stopping, he decisively chose to abandon it.
Points were certainly valuable, but he still had to consider the circumstances.
"Yip, yip~"
"Awoo~"
After an afternoon of cultivation, Ye Fei watched the two little white fluffballs rush over and jump onto his legs the moment he stopped. He stroked their little heads, one with each hand.
If there had been mood notifications, he felt sure his screen would have been flooded with "Mood +1" right then.
"Tired from playing?"
Looking at the snow in the yard, Ye Fei felt a headache coming on.
How had two such tiny creatures managed to turn the snow throughout the entire yard into this kind of chaotic beauty?
"Yip~"
Thinking Ye Fei was praising her, the little fox jumped onto his shoulder and rubbed her little head against his cheek.
"Awoo~"
The little white tiger immediately jumped onto his other shoulder and copied the little fox's affectionate behavior.
With both of them acting cute and cuddly, Ye Fei couldn't bring himself to say anything more.
They wouldn't understand even if he said something. He might as well sweep the yard.
It was almost dark. After a day of cultivation, he had accumulated twenty-five points of spiritual energy, though he didn't know whether he would have to save up a thousand before anything new happened.
At least, there had been no changes in him yet.
"Stop messing around..."
Ye Fei watched the two Little Dumplings start running in circles and chasing each other across the ground he had just swept. Helplessly, he could only stop, worried that one sweep of his broom might send the two featherlight creatures flying.
But while he worried, the two little ones remained completely oblivious. They thought Ye Fei was playing with them and kept darting past his feet...
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