A slightly sunken patch of land. There, a fox lay curled up, fast asleep.
‘A fox…?’ In an instant, Seo Ryang took a step back. His eyes, now sharp and focused, gleamed like blades. Though his aura had been suppressed to maintain his hidden form, a razor-sharp killing intent flickered in his pitch-black pupils.
‘Could it be a spirit beast?’ Of course, it had to be. Even a top-tier internal martial artist like himself couldn’t approach this area due to the overwhelming demonic energy. There was no way this was an ordinary fox. But…
‘…Hmm.’ A faint smile crept onto Seo Ryang’s tense face. ‘It’s… cute?’
It was a fox, but a baby fox at that. Curled up in a ball, its chin resting on its front paws, it looked utterly adorable. Its small, unformed nose and snout made him want to pinch it, and its unusually large ears for a fox were as smooth as silk. Its golden fur shimmered, and its bushy tail was even larger than its body.
‘Wow…’ He was enchanted, utterly enchanted. The more he looked, the wider his smile grew. His head spun, and his fingers itched. If it weren’t for his assassin’s patience, he might have hugged it on the spot.
‘How can a spirit beast be this cute?’ Its very existence was a defense mechanism. No matter how wicked this little fox might be, no one would dare to scold it. Why? Because it was just too adorable.
For a moment, Seo Ryang forgot the situation and was busy admiring the fox. Then he paused. ‘A fox? A spirit beast?’ What kind of fox spirits were mentioned in the Shan Hai Jing?
‘…I don’t remember.’ He had never seriously read the Shan Hai Jing in the first place. But he had heard some rumors.
‘Could it be a nine-tailed fox?’ The legendary nine-tailed fox spirit said to live in Qingqiu Mountain. Even without the Shan Hai Jing, it was such a famous spirit that it immediately came to mind.
Seo Ryang glanced at the fox’s tail. ‘Nope. Just one tail.’ And besides, it was too cute to be a nine-tailed fox. He had heard that the nine-tailed fox’s beauty was so overwhelming that even its demonic aura was mesmerizing. This little fox was different. There was no demonic aura, not even the usual spiritual energy one would expect from a spirit beast.
Dazed, Seo Ryang stared at the little fox for a while before slapping his own cheeks. ‘Damn it, this isn’t the time for this.’ Reluctantly, he decided it was time to move on.
As he turned to leave, he couldn’t help but glance back at the little fox. It kept catching his eye, and he realized he was thoroughly enchanted. ‘Tch, if it’s still here when I come back, I’ll wake it up.’
With great effort, Seo Ryang suppressed his reluctance and started walking again. But then…
‘…Huh?’ He was baffled. ‘What’s this? The end already?’ Except for the path he had come from, all directions were blocked by bamboo. Thick bamboo stalks, thicker than any he had ever seen, were densely packed together.
‘Did I reach the deepest part in just that short time? How is that possible?’ He looked around. ‘It’s smaller than I thought. Or did I take a wrong turn?’
After looking around for a while, he closed his eyes and awakened his spiritual sense. Whoosh. His fist clenched instinctively. ‘Yes! This is it! The spiritual energy here is the densest!’ He had finally found it.
‘This feels a bit anticlimactic.’ He had prepared so much, even bringing the leaves of the rare Gul Song tea to mask his scent from spirit beasts sensitive to smell. But now, it felt like he had overprepared.
Seo Ryang opened his eyes and ran his hand over the bamboo stalks. ‘Huh!’ His face showed shock. ‘Incredible.’ The spiritual energy here was terrifyingly dense. Even if he gathered all the bamboo he had ever purified and consumed, it wouldn’t compare to a single stalk here. And there were countless such stalks.
‘If I could just purify and absorb three of these…’ He swallowed hard. ‘I’d be undeniably the strongest in terms of internal energy.’
Of course, he wasn’t at a level where he could handle such vast energy. Even in his prime, absorbing two would have been difficult.
With longing eyes, he swept his gaze over the bamboo and sighed. ‘Forget three. Don’t be greedy. If I can take even one properly, that’s already a blessing.’
The bamboo was too thick. Not just heavy, but its size made carrying more than one impossible. ‘Well, getting even one is already a stroke of luck.’
The spiritual bamboo here wasn’t just remarkable for the quantity of its energy, but for its quality. It was pure and holy, filled with a sacred aura. While demonic energy was incompatible with pure divine energy, this bamboo would be an unparalleled material for demonic cultivation. Moreover, his Dark Shadow Demon Art still retained much of the Buddhist martial principles. Depending on how he refined it, he could gain far more true energy than an ordinary demonic cultivator.
Seo Ryang grinned. ‘Alright, mission accomplished.’ Just a little… just a tiny bit…
‘Man, this is a bit disappointing.’ The amount of internal energy didn’t determine one’s strength. But if his body could handle it, more energy wouldn’t hurt. Especially for a top-tier expert with the insights of a grandmaster, the applications would be endless.
Moreover, spiritual energy greatly aided in developing the upper dantian, or the brain’s abilities. The miraculous abilities of the upper dantian, which even enlightened monks took decades to achieve, could be obtained in a short time with this energy.
‘Don’t overdo it, don’t overdo it. Just take one. Even the sect doesn’t harvest more than necessary.’ Seo Ryang clicked his tongue and suddenly looked down at the ground.
‘Huh?’ There was a small bamboo shoot protruding from the ground. He looked around. ‘Just this one bamboo shoot?’
Hmm…
Snap! He pulled the shoot out by its roots and shook off the dirt.
At the same time…
Flash! The little fox’s eyes opened.
Its eyes shimmered with a dazzling array of colors. The cute fox Seo Ryang had seen earlier was gone. In its place was an incredibly mysterious, yet eerily bizarre gaze.
Slither. The little fox slowly rose and looked at Seo Ryang.
Flash, flash! Its multicolored eyes flickered, unreadable.
Normally, Seo Ryang’s keen senses would have noticed, but he was too busy cleaning the bamboo shoot.
After examining it for a while, his eyes widened. ‘Wow, what is this?!’ The spiritual energy was incredibly pure. The quantity wasn’t much—just a bit more than the bamboo shoots commonly found near his residence. But the quality was higher than any bamboo in the deep area, as pure as spring water. It was like the core of pure spiritual energy.
‘Isn’t this basically spiritual essence?’ In terms of spiritual medicine, it was on par with Kong Qing Stone Milk. He had heard it took a hundred years, or maybe a thousand, to produce a single drop.
‘It’s so pure I don’t even need to refine it.’ Crunch! Seo Ryang bit into the bamboo shoot.
He expected it to be tough, but it turned soft the moment it touched his teeth. As he chewed, it liquefied and slid down his throat.
‘Ah! The aroma is amazing… huh?’ Seo Ryang tilted his head. ‘What’s this? Why isn’t there any reaction?’ The liquefied bamboo shoot had gone down smoothly, but he didn’t feel any surge of energy. It was just like eating a good tonic, warming his stomach slightly.
The only difference was that it seemed to digest incredibly quickly, turning into flesh and blood almost instantly. Other than that, there was nothing special.
Crunch, crunch, crunch! He chewed and swallowed several times, but still, no significant effect.
‘I knew it. Spiritual essence? What a joke. I must have used up all my luck in my past life to encounter such fortune again.’
Slither. Seo Ryang finished eating the bamboo shoot and drew his sword.
His hidden form had long since dissipated, and demonic energy surged from his entire body. He grumbled incessantly, clearly not his usual self. He was unusually careless. Normally meticulous and focused, he was now utterly negligent, as if bewitched by a demon.
Yet, his determination to harvest the bamboo and split it open showed just how terrifying his sense of purpose was.
Whoosh. A reddish aura enveloped the blade in his hand. The demonic energy of the Dark Shadow Demon Art had concentrated to the point of becoming visible.
Seo Ryang swung the sword haphazardly.
Crack! ‘…Huh?’ What’s this? Why isn’t it cutting?
He alternated his gaze between the sword and the bamboo, then shoved the remaining bamboo shoot into his mouth and gripped the sword with both hands. He swung again.
Whoosh! Thud! ‘…’ Seo Ryang’s eyes bulged.
The sword, infused with demonic energy, only embedded itself into the surface. A strike that could cleave through solid rock had merely chipped the bamboo’s outer layer.
‘Look at this. It really is different, huh?’ Swoosh! He pulled the sword out and closed his eyes.
Focusing his stance, he aimed the blade.
Sssss! A translucent red aura, sticky and dull yet bright and dazzling like flames, enveloped the blade. It was a contradictory energy, embodying both darkness and brilliance.
This was the pinnacle of skill, achievable only by those who had reached the state of Body and Sword as One.
Mind Chasing the Sword, Sword Energy Wounding the Enemy. A powerful sword aura swirled within the blade.
Seo Ryang’s eyes flashed. ‘Severing Moon.’
Flash! A red streak split the air.
Slither. The bamboo, cut at its base, slowly tilted.
Boom! The ground shook.
He had expected it to be heavy due to its size, but this was beyond imagination. Carrying it would be impossible; he’d have to drag it.
Sheathing his sword, Seo Ryang crouched by the fallen bamboo and tapped its surface. ‘This could even be used as a weapon. Just how concentrated is the spiritual energy for bamboo to turn into steel? Truly amazing…’
Crunch. Lick, lick. ‘Huh?’ What’s this? A familiar sound and a sharp pain.
Seo Ryang looked down at his left hand. ‘…What?’ Lick, lick. Crunch, crunch. The little fox was wagging its tail, gnawing on his finger. Not just that—it was happily licking the blood flowing from his hand.
The sweet aroma of the bamboo shoot was long gone, replaced by the metallic scent of blood.
Twitch. Sensing his gaze, the little fox looked up.
Their eyes met, sparks flying in the air.
A moment later. ‘Ahhh!!’ Meow! Seo Ryang fell backward but quickly righted himself and drew his sword.
Though a bit flustered, the aura he emitted upon drawing the blade was formidable. His killing intent had diminished, replaced by a sharp, instinctive readiness.
Squeak… The little fox hesitated, stepping back.
Its head lowered, retreating step by step, looking pitiful. Seo Ryang, who had immediately drawn his sword, felt a bit embarrassed.
‘Huh? But you…’ ‘…’ ‘What? When did you wake up?’
The fox couldn’t answer. It kept lowering its body, retreating until it finally lay down, resting its chin on its front paws and looking up at Seo Ryang.
Its posture was utterly pitiful. Seo Ryang scratched his head. ‘You were just sleeping in this dangerous place, and now you’re acting like this?’
Swish, swish. Its large tail wagged continuously.
Considering foxes were cunning, it didn’t seem scared. If he had to guess… ‘Disappointed?’
Seo Ryang chuckled. ‘Nonsense.’
Slither. He sheathed his sword and picked up the bamboo. At least, he didn’t sense any malice or primal ferocity from the fox. His heightened senses confirmed it wouldn’t attack.
Still, if that little thing tried anything, it would only hurt itself.
Seo Ryang shook his left hand. ‘Ow, it hurts. This little thing has a bite stronger than a tiger’s.’
Thud. He lifted the bamboo. It was heavy, but he managed to sling it over his shoulder.
Humming a tune, Seo Ryang walked away with the bamboo on his back.
A moment later. ‘…Why are you following me?’ Seo Ryang stopped, and the little fox, which had been trailing behind, placed its front paws on his thigh and wagged its tail. Its large eyes blinked innocently.
‘…’ It was unbearably cute.
Seo Ryang waved his hand. ‘Shoo, shoo. Go back to nature.’
After walking for a while. ‘…’ The little fox placed its paws on his thigh again, blinking its bead-like eyes and sniffing, as if it had something to say.
Seo Ryang scratched his cheek. ‘Well, it doesn’t look dangerous. It’ll probably leave on its own.’
Dismissing it, he retraced his steps. The bamboo harvest had gone more smoothly than expected, and his steps were light.
And the little fox followed closely behind, its black pupils occasionally flashing with multicolored light.