“Ah Chuo!”
Ning Yuzhou looked joyfully at the girl in the spiritual field. Just as he was about to walk over, he suddenly heard a panicked voice: “Don’t come any closer!”
His steps paused, and a slightly surprised expression appeared on Ning Yuzhou’s face, though he didn’t move forward.
The surrounding spiritual grasses were extremely lush, growing wildly. To the uninformed, it might seem as though the place had been abandoned for countless years, leading to an overgrowth of weeds, with no trace of the orderliness that a spiritual field should have. Because the spiritual grasses were growing so well, the girl hidden among them revealed only her head and the slender, fair neck below it, with faint glimpses of…
Ning Yuzhou suddenly realized something, his expression freezing.
Wen Qiao, like an alert rabbit, crouched among the spiritual grasses, watching him nervously. She muttered, “Can you bring me some clothes? I don’t know how to materialize clothes for now.”
As she said this, Wen Qiao seemed a little embarrassed.
The inheritance had taught her how to materialize clothing when transforming into human form. But her strength was insufficient—just transforming had consumed all her energy, leaving her temporarily unable to create clothes, so she could only hide like this.
Ning Yuzhou found it amusing. The girl in the spiritual grass stared at him with her big, round black eyes. Her tender face, still immature, already hinted at the extraordinary beauty she would become in the future.
In the end, Ning Yuzhou returned to the house, looking for the chest Wen Qiao had brought with her when she married. He took out a light green dress and brought it back.
“J-just hang it there,” Wen Qiao whispered.
Ning Yuzhou hung the clothes on a vine extended by the Stone Gold Python Vine behind him. The vine, like a sneaky snake, slithered silently through the grasses and delivered the clothes to the human girl in the spiritual field.
Wen Qiao took the clothes, her black eyes fixed on the man outside the spiritual field.
Blushing slightly, she whispered, “Husband, can you turn around?”
Ning Yuzhou silently glanced at her and turned his back.
Wen Qiao, looking at the man with his back to her, quickly put on the clothes.
Although she had spent a few months as a patch of grass, being in human form without clothes felt extremely strange and insecure.
“Husband, I’m ready.”
Hearing her voice, Ning Yuzhou turned around and immediately saw the girl standing in the spiritual field. Dressed in a light green outfit, she looked fresh and elegant. Her delicate features were breathtakingly beautiful—her brows natural and dark, her lips unadorned yet ruby red, and her clear, water-like eyes gazed at him with a soft brilliance, making his heart skip a beat.
Wen Qiao smiled at him, dimples blooming at the corners of her lips, with tiny tiger teeth faintly visible.
So cute.
Compared to her unparalleled beauty, Ning Yuzhou found her adorable smile even more endearing. He returned a gentle smile and beckoned her, “Ah Chuo, come here.”
Wen Qiao carefully stepped over the surrounding spiritual grasses and walked to Ning Yuzhou.
Ning Yuzhou lowered his head to examine her. Her fair skin was like ice and jade, with a faint blush on her cheeks. Compared to her past pallor and frailty, she now looked like a healthy young girl. Of course, perhaps due to her previous malnutrition, she still appeared slim and delicate, exuding an air of fragility that aroused pity.
Taking her wrist, he probed her condition and discovered that the fiery toxin in her body had completely disappeared.
A look of surprise appeared on Ning Yuzhou’s face.
Wen Qiao obediently let him examine her and said, “Maybe it’s because I died once and my body was reshaped, so the fire poison is gone.”
Earlier, Wen Qiao had also checked her own body. Her body was now very healthy—not only had the fire poison that had been corroding her disappeared, but the issue of her damaged spiritual apertures was also resolved. All thirty-six spiritual apertures could now store Yuan Spiritual Energy without worrying about it leaking away.
It seemed that dying once and gaining a transformed yao body brought unexpected benefits.
Compared to the flesh and blood bodies of humans, a yao body was naturally stronger. Although her yao body was just a tiny seedling, it was still a type of yao body.
Her meridians were still a bit fragile, but other than that, there were no major issues. As for her innate frail meridians, that could be remedied later. It would only take some time and was completely manageable.
After Ning Yuzhou finished his examination, his expression softened, and he naturally felt relieved.
Spiritual apertures are where cultivators store their Yuan Spiritual Energy. If there was a problem with them, it was one of the most difficult issues to treat.
Now that Wen Qiao had healed on her own, there was no need to rack his brains to find a cure for her, which was the best outcome. By comparison, the fragility of her meridians wasn’t a big deal. Given time, he could find natural treasures to widen her meridians, supplemented by a treatment plan, and she would surely recover.
Wen Qiao’s unblinking eyes stared at him. Seeing his softened expression, she couldn’t help but smile.
“Huh, your cultivation…” Wen Qiao looked closely at him and noticed that he was now at the late Entry Yuan Stage. She smiled faintly. “You’ve made progress too.”
Ning Yuzhou chuckled. “Just now, Father came by and was still lamenting that my cultivation level is too low and that my cultivation speed is too slow.”
Remembering that he hadn’t yet told her about the space in detail, he proceeded to explain it carefully.
Wen Qiao was amazed, unable to believe that there was such a miraculous bloodline in the world. She sincerely said, “You’re incredible to have inherited such a powerful bloodline.”
Ning Yuzhou, however, shook his head. “Though it’s powerful, it comes with many limitations. This space is one such limitation.”
For most people, having a mustard seed space would indeed be a good thing, but it restricted his cultivation speed. Without persistence and determination, spending so much time on cultivation without making progress could easily lead one astray, causing self-destruction without realizing it.
The Five Emperors Bloodline was indeed strong, but the Dao of Heaven maintains balance. With such strength, it also imposes restrictions, ensuring it doesn’t become so overpowering as to disrupt the survival of all living beings.
Wen Qiao seemed to gain some understanding.
Finally, she said, “It’s okay. My cultivation speed is fast. I’m already at the Yuan Bright Stage now. I’ll protect you in the future.”
Her husband possessed a powerful and extraordinary bloodline, along with a mustard seed space, essentially carrying treasures within him. Yet his cultivation level was limited, making him vulnerable. If someone discovered his unique bloodline, they might covet it and even resort to killing him to seize his treasures. Worse yet, someone might attempt to extract his bloodline for their own use. Such risks couldn’t be ignored.
The young girl was serious and earnest. Ning Yuzhou’s heart softened as he smiled and nodded. “Alright, I’ll wait for Ah Chuo to protect me.”
Wen Qiao made a small sound of agreement, silently resolving to work hard and never slack off in her cultivation.
After transforming into a yao body, Wen Qiao’s cultivation had leapt to the Yuan Bright Stage, crossing another major realm.
This cultivation speed was nothing short of defying the heavens—astonishing and shocking.
But considering that she had survived near-death experiences to achieve her yao body, it wasn’t surprising.
Ask anyone in this world—who else could be as fortunate as she was? From being a frail half-yao who likely wouldn’t have survived past twenty, she had gained an opportunity that freed her from an early death and set her firmly on a smooth path of cultivation.
Wen Qiao understood that all of this was thanks to Ning Yuzhou. If he hadn’t taken her to Lintai Hunting Valley, carefully nurtured her health, and even after thinking she had died, refused to give up and exposed his space to help her transform…
All these deeds were no less than those of a parent giving her life again.
Compared to her biological parents, what Ning Yuzhou had done for her was no less significant.
—
After Wen Qiao transformed into human form, Ning Yuzhou led her out of the spatial space.
As soon as they stepped out, Wen Qiao sensed something crashing into her arms. Acting instinctively, she grabbed it and found herself holding a fluffy little rabbit.
The demon rabbit rubbed furiously against Wen Qiao, clearly overjoyed that its little seedling was back.
But as it continued rubbing, it suddenly noticed something was off. It stared intently and froze in shock.
The little seedling was gone?!!!
No, wait—the little seedling had turned into a person!
Ning Yuzhou frowned slightly and picked up the bewildered demon rabbit, moving it aside. He then turned to Wen Qiao and said, “You should rest for a while. This is where I cultivate in seclusion. No one dares to intrude here.”
Wen Qiao nodded, understanding his point.
Previously, she had been just a small seedling with no clear indication of when she might transform into human form. Yan Shou had thought she was dead, and Emperor Chenghao had claimed to the public that she had been taken away by an outsider cultivator. After all, she was no longer in Dongling. If she suddenly appeared now, it would certainly raise suspicion.
Thinking about the enemies who had caused her parents’ deaths and whether they might be secretly watching Dongling, Wen Qiao pursed her lips. She understood they needed to remain cautious and hidden for now.
Ning Yuzhou left for a short while and returned with a food box in hand.
The box contained spiritual foods.
After more than two months, the two of them were finally able to sit down and eat together again.
Eating normal food again, Wen Qiao was so moved she nearly cried. Being a little seedling that could only consume medicinal liquid had been incredibly tough.
The demon rabbit, seeing how much they were enjoying their meal, curiously hopped onto the table. After observing for a while and finding it uninteresting, it settled on the side, munching on a spiritual pill.
After the meal, the two sat together to discuss their future plans.
“Now that it’s not convenient for you to appear in public, why don’t we leave Dongling?” Ning Yuzhou proposed. “We should also take the opportunity to explore other places as part of our cultivation journey.”
There were many things they needed to accomplish, but at this stage, the most important thing was to gain experience and increase their strength.
Wen Qiao nodded, having no objections to his arrangements.
“How about we set off in a month? During this time, I’ll refine more spiritual pills and talismans. Raising a rabbit isn’t easy,” Ning Yuzhou said meaningfully.
Wen Qiao glanced at the demon rabbit, which seemed perpetually glued to its spiritual pill, and sighed in agreement. Supporting a family was truly no simple task.
Then, curiosity got the better of her. She asked, “What level of spiritual pills can you refine now? And what level of talismans can you draw?”
“In terms of spiritual pills, most are Yellow Grade at the moment, though I can also refine some Mysterious Grade pills. However, the success rate for those isn’t very high.”
The grading of spiritual pills ranged from Sacred, King, Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, to Yellow, with Yellow Grade being the lowest, typically the entry-level pills for novice alchemists.
During his month-and-a-half of seclusion, Ning Yuzhou hadn’t solely focused on cultivation but had also practiced alchemy and talisman crafting.
In fact, the reason his cultivation speed seemed slow wasn’t just because of managing the spatial space—it was also because he spent most of his time on alchemy and talisman crafting.
Wen Qiao was about to comment that being able to refine Mysterious Grade pills after just over a month of cultivation was already remarkable when she heard him say, “Pills that aren’t of supreme grade contain too many impurities and can’t be considered good pills. If cultivators consume too many of them, the accumulated impurities and pill toxins in their bodies will hinder their cultivation.”
At that, Wen Qiao silently closed her mouth.
Alright, she knew that her husband was a perfectionist. Even in alchemy and talisman crafting, he pursued perfection. If it wasn’t a supreme-grade spiritual pill or talisman, he wouldn’t use it, nor would he give her any subpar pills. Previously, the spiritual pills had been crafted by the Ning Clan’s alchemists, and since Ning Yuzhou couldn’t demand too much, he hadn’t stopped Wen Qiao from using them.
Now that he could refine pills himself, he naturally insisted on the best.
“As for talismans, most are currently top-grade Yellow-level. Supreme-grade talismans are very rare. I still lack some proficiency and need more practice,” Ning Yuzhou continued.
Wen Qiao silently looked at him.
Ning Yuzhou smiled at her gently and said, “Although pills, talismans, tools, and arrays are only considered auxiliary methods, they can catch opponents off guard in battle, buying time to turn the tide. No matter what, one must first survive to talk about anything else.”
Wen Qiao took his words to heart. Her practical combat experience was limited, so Ning Yuzhou’s guidance was invaluable.
After finalizing their departure date, Ning Yuzhou entered seclusion again.
Since Wen Qiao couldn’t appear in public, she naturally stayed with him. Seeing how focused he was on refining pills, she asked him to send her into the spatial space so she could organize the spiritual grass fields inside.
She brought the demon rabbit with her into the space.
The moment they entered, the demon rabbit was stunned by the sight of the vast field of spiritual grasses.
So many, so many spiritual grasses.
The demon rabbit, overjoyed, pounced into the field, aiming for the eighth-grade Earth Dragon Silk Orchid.
Wen Qiao quickly stopped it. “The Earth Dragon Silk Orchid hasn’t matured yet. You can’t eat it. When it ripens, I’ll ask Yuzhou if he can spare you a blossom.”
The demon rabbit glanced at her and ultimately didn’t chomp down on the Earth Dragon Silk Orchid.
Naturally, it had to listen to its little seedling, and it certainly couldn’t afford to offend the alchemist. Otherwise, it wouldn’t get any spiritual pills in the future!
—
Over the next few days, Wen Qiao meticulously tidied up the spiritual fields within the space.
The fields quickly underwent a complete transformation. No longer resembling a neglected patch of weeds, they were now carefully organized and neat.
Wen Qiao had a natural affinity for spiritual grasses and was familiar with their habits and types as if they were precious treasures. She rearranged their positions based on their preferences and needs, pairing them according to their symbiotic characteristics. Every spiritual grass that had been relocated now looked vibrant and flourishing.
When Ning Yuzhou found time to check in, he saw Wen Qiao busily working in the space like a little honeybee. Smiling, he returned to focusing on his alchemy.
The demon rabbit followed Wen Qiao around, often sneaking bites of the leaves and fruits of the spiritual grasses when she wasn’t paying attention. Fortunately, it knew better than to consume entire plants, allowing them to continue growing. Otherwise, Wen Qiao would have had no choice but to kick it out and bar it from reentering.
One had to admit that the demon rabbit was clever, skillfully pushing the boundaries of Ning Yuzhou and Wen Qiao’s tolerance without crossing the line.
After finishing the organization of the space, Wen Qiao had nothing else to do, so she resumed cultivating and nurturing the spiritual grasses. Once they matured, she harvested them, processed them, and set them aside for Ning Yuzhou to use in alchemy.
The space housed nearly a hundred varieties of spiritual grasses, over eighty of which were low-grade. These grasses could be combined into formulas for more than ten types of spiritual pills, perfect for Ning Yuzhou to practice with.
Worried she might get bored staying in the space, Ning Yuzhou occasionally let Wen Qiao out for some fresh air.
Wen Qiao didn’t particularly enjoy going out, so whether she left the space or not didn’t matter much to her. When she wasn’t in the space, she would sit nearby and watch Ning Yuzhou refine pills.
Ning Yuzhou’s alchemy skills grew increasingly refined. The Yellow-grade pills he crafted progressed from top-grade to supreme-grade. His refining speed was astonishing—he could produce over a dozen furnaces of pills in a day, and every batch was of supreme-grade.
Once he had fully mastered Yellow-grade pills, Ning Yuzhou began refining Mysterious-grade pills.
He selected only a few types of Mysterious-grade pills to work on, and after successfully crafting supreme-grade pills for all of them, he paused, deciding not to continue for now.
Wen Qiao noticed him setting out his talisman brush, talisman ink, and talisman paper. She walked over to help him grind the ink.
Talisman ink was made from the blood of yao beasts, combined with minerals and medicinal herbs to enhance the grade of the talismans drawn with it.
Just like talisman brushes and talisman paper, the better the quality of the talisman ink, the higher the grade of the resulting talisman.
Wen Qiao didn’t understand any of this, but Ning Yuzhou patiently and gently explained everything. She listened carefully and tried her hand at mixing ink, making her first batch of talisman ink.
Ning Yuzhou lightly sniffed the ink and smiled. “Not bad, it’s low-grade talisman ink.”
Wen Qiao: “… Just low-grade?”
Seeing the disappointed look on her face, Ning Yuzhou wondered if he had been too blunt. He softly reassured her, “For your first time mixing ink, producing low-grade talisman ink is already impressive. Many people fail on their first attempts and need to try several times before successfully making talisman ink.”
Wen Qiao gave a small “oh” and asked, “What about your first time? What grade of talisman ink did you make?”
“Supreme-grade.”
Wen Qiao: …………
Sure enough, comparing oneself to others only led to frustration. Her husband was truly a genius.
After failing several more times, Wen Qiao finally managed to produce mid-grade talisman ink. Realizing she wasn’t cut out for this kind of meticulous work, she decisively gave up to avoid wasting more materials.
For some reason, it seemed she just wasn’t suited for such delicate tasks. She much preferred combat. Like when she spent ten consecutive days fighting the Ice Tear Frog on its territory—she never felt bored and could have fought for another ten days.
After watching Ning Yuzhou for a while, Wen Qiao grabbed the demon rabbit and went next door to practice her sword skills.