Vital Qi Species: Sleepy Bugs

"Wow! We're really flying!"

Clinging tightly to the crimson leopard's body, Big Girl cried out excitedly.

The crimson leopard rose on clouds, the fiery clouds beneath her feet blazing fiercely as she crossed more than a dozen meters in the blink of an eye.

Taking Big Girl's mortal flesh into account, Xiluo neither flew very high nor moved very fast.

Even so, the scenery flashing past all around them thrilled Big Girl so much that she even forgot to breathe for a moment.

Li Boyang, on the other hand, was in the carrying basket.

Having ridden high-speed trains and airplanes in his previous life, he was surprised, but did not act as though he had never seen the world, the way Big Girl did.

After all, Xiluo's current speed was, at most, only that of an ordinary car from his previous life.

By Li Boyang's mental calculations, Xiluo could probably reach the mountain god temple in under twenty minutes, given the distance of a dozen or so kilometers.

Reality, however, proved that Li Boyang's thinking had been a little too simplistic.

Through the Heavenly Eye's perception, a dozen or so kilometers had not seemed particularly far.

But only when Li Boyang personally arrived near the mountain god temple did he realize why Xiluo had treated the matter so seriously.

An ordinary person simply could not find the road leading to the mountain god temple.

To ordinary eyes, a mist that was not particularly thick shrouded the area around the mountain god temple.

This mist had no particularly great effect, but it could mislead outsiders about which direction to take at crucial moments.

Without Xiluo guiding them, even if they knew there was a Flying Peak in the mountains and a mountain god temple atop Flying Peak, they would never be able to find that peak.

A soul-bewildering formation?

Li Boyang's voice rang out in Xiluo's and Big Girl's minds, carrying a hint of surprise.

At a time like this, the Spirit Rhinoceros Horn's wonderful usefulness became apparent.

The Spirit Rhinoceros Horn communicated directly with the mind, unaffected by the speed of the wind outside, and could convey its holder's thoughts accurately and clearly.

This was a special form of communication that transcended language and writing.

Even though Xiluo had never heard the term "soul-bewildering formation," she could understand Li Boyang's meaning directly.

"A soul-bewildering formation?"

"That's quite an interesting way of putting it."

"But this isn't any sort of soul-bewildering formation. It's caused by Flying Peak's unique terrain and climate."

"A large part of the reason my elder sister chose to build the mountain god temple on Flying Peak back then was the presence of this mist."

With the advantage of flight, Xiluo ignored the complicated terrain and mist, soon entering the area of Flying Peak.

No wonder this mountain god temple has remained undiscovered despite being so close to the village.

Thinking this, Li Boyang lowered his head with a complicated expression and glanced at the various protective charms and peace talismans on his body.

Chen Yun had gone through a thousand hardships and ten thousand struggles to obtain these protective charms and peace talismans.

Just like the red hat on his head, these protective charms were expressions of a mother's love.

Thus, despite knowing full well that these talismans had no effect whatsoever, Li Boyang had carefully kept them as treasures.

I'll protect you, no matter what means I have to use.

Only after personally setting foot on Flying Peak did Li Boyang realize that he had still underestimated this mountain.

Xiluo did not land directly beside the mountain god temple.

Instead, she landed halfway up the mountain, still some distance from the mountain god temple.

This was clearly a man-made path, and it looked as though someone tended it year-round.

Looking into the distance, he saw blue-gray stone steps winding and spiraling all the way from the foot of the mountain to the mountain god temple.

Whoosh!

As Xiluo leaped down from midair, the flames beneath her feet swiftly set the nearby weeds alight.

Only then did Li Boyang realize why she had landed here.

The weeds here did indeed seem somewhat more plentiful than elsewhere, and needed clearing in advance.

Otherwise, the winding stone steps would be concealed here by weeds and vines, leaving the way up the mountain impossible to make out.

"Fire! What beautiful fire!"

Still clinging tightly to Xiluo's body, Big Girl laughed at the flames that seemed to possess a spirit of their own.

After all, those fiery serpents burned only weeds and vines, leaving everything else untouched down to the finest hair.

Such a wondrous sight was bound to excite Big Girl.

Huh? What's that?

Just then, Li Boyang suddenly saw a bug fly out from among the fiery serpents.

For some reason, Li Boyang kept feeling that the bug looked familiar. He must have seen it somewhere before.

"That's a sleepy bug."

As she walked lightly up the stone steps, even Xiluo's voice seemed much more cheerful.

"The last few times I visited your house, I used these sleepy bugs to send your father and mother into a deep sleep."

With this reminder from Xiluo, Li Boyang immediately remembered.

He had assumed it was some Divine Ability or Law Technique of Xiluo's, never expecting it to be the effect of these little bugs.

These bugs can send people into a deep sleep?

With a touch of curiosity, Li Boyang examined the buzzing bug closely.

"That's right! If you like them, I'll give you a couple later."

Seeing Xiluo being generous for once, Li Boyang was just about to say something when he heard her add another remark.

"They're practically overrunning the place anyway. You can raise a whole brood if you want."

At this point, Li Boyang distinctly caught a hint of anticipation and gloating in Xiluo's words.

Are these sleepy bugs troublesome to raise?

Li Boyang had no experience keeping pets, but he had heard that they were a lot of trouble.

"No, these sleepy bugs are actually very easy to raise..."

"Just find somewhere warm and damp with abundant vital Qi and plant some grasses, and they'll soon breed a whole bunch."

"They don't even like biting people, and they'll actively drive away nearby mosquitoes and other bugs. Keeping a bunch at home couldn't be more convenient."

Casting a suspicious glance at Xiluo, Li Boyang wanted to say something more, only to see that Big Girl, whose daring knew no bounds, had already reached out to catch the sleepy bug.

The next second, the startled sleepy bug abruptly spread its wings and flew toward Big Girl's ear.

"Ah!"

At this, it was Big Girl's turn to be somewhat frightened and try to dodge.

Fortunately, Li Boyang, in the carrying basket, had sharp eyes and quick hands, reaching out in time to catch the panicking sleepy bug.

Looking back at this scene, Xiluo finally stopped concealing the smile on her face and continued her explanation.

"Of course, these sleepy bugs are very timid. At the slightest rustle of wind through grass, they'll burrow into an animal's ear..."

"And as it happens, they can release a special scent..."

"Any living creature that smells this scent will quickly fall into a deep sleep."

"A large part of the reason Flying Peak is so quiet is precisely because of these sleepy bugs."

With black lines covering his forehead, Li Boyang stared at Xiluo, who enjoyed the spectacle without caring how much trouble it caused, and finally understood where that hint of anticipation had come from.

Do you really want to see me make a fool of myself that badly?

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