Chapter 4: Reincarnated Fairy Bai Ling

“Hiss…”

Witnessing this scene, the crowd couldn’t help but suck in a breath of cold air.

Some were so frightened their gazes turned vacant, only gradually recovering after a long moment.

“Dead?”

“How could he…”

“Who on earth is this person?”

“His cultivation is so terrifying, he killed an early-stage Nascent Soul just with his pressure?”

“With Lin Hao dead, the sky over Qingyang City is probably about to change…”

It wasn’t just the onlookers; even Xin’er and Boss Gu standing to the side were thoroughly frightened.

It was clear that Lin Fan’s terrifying nature far exceeded their understanding.

“Alright, the matter is settled.”

“Give me back this little one,” Lin Fan said, extending his hand toward Xin’er.

“Oh… okay!”

Although Xin’er’s face was pale with fright, she quickly composed herself and respectfully returned the spirit cat to Lin Fan.

“Boss Gu, I have one more thing to trouble you with,” Lin Fan said with a smile, stroking the spirit cat.

“It’s no trouble at all, please, just say the word.”

“As long as it’s within my power, I will do my utmost!”

At first, Boss Gu had only thought that although Lin Fan had a mysterious background, he was a relatively easygoing person.

After witnessing Lin Fan’s power firsthand, Boss Gu felt a wave of lingering fear.

‘Sure enough, all the ones with squinty eyes are monsters!’

“I’ve just arrived in Qingyang City and haven’t found a place to stay yet.”

“I wonder if Boss Gu…”

“Understood, understood!”

Boss Gu immediately waved to his subordinate.

“Quick, prepare a top-quality private room for Mr. Lin!”

“Also—have good wine and fine food prepared as well!”

“Then many thanks to Boss Gu,” Lin Fan said, cupping his fists toward Boss Gu.

“No, no, no, it’s what I should do, what I should do…” Boss Gu waved his hands repeatedly, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

After Lin Fan left, Boss Gu pulled Xin’er aside to ask about the task Lin Fan had given her.

After hearing Xin’er’s description, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on Boss Gu’s face.

“Good, very good…”

He then leaned close to Xin’er’s ear and whispered a few instructions.

Meanwhile, Lin Fan looked at the well-equipped and elegant private room, feeling quite satisfied.

“I didn’t expect Boss Gu to arrange things so well…”

“Meow!”

The spirit cat in Lin Fan’s arms suddenly cried out, then broke free from his grasp and, in a few leaps, jumped onto the dining table laden with dishes.

“Are you that hungry?”

Lin Fan gave a bitter laugh, then walked over and stroked the ravenously eating spirit cat.

“Little one, eat slowly, no one’s going to fight you for it.”

[Tsk tsk tsk~ I never thought the cold and heartless great Demon Lord would have such a gentle side~]

The system’s sour voice rang in Lin Fan’s mind.

“I say… when will you be able to show yourself and speak?”

Lin Fan didn’t respond to the jab, instead suddenly asking such a question.

[Once the Host completes the main quest, I can recover my physical body. By the way—why the sudden question?]

The system asked, a little puzzled.

“It’s nothing.”

Lin Fan picked up a wine cup from the table and took a light sip.

“I was just thinking… after you recover your physical body, what kind of puppet would be most suitable to refine you into.”

[You… you dare!]

The system was instantly terrified, its voice trembling uncontrollably.

Although she, as a system, could seal a part of Lin Fan’s demonic energy, it was only a part.

Furthermore, if Lin Fan completed the mission, she had no way of stopping him from recovering his strength.

If someone else had said that, she might have treated it as a joke.

But Lin Fan was different; he was a great demon lord who killed without batting an eye!

“You think I don’t dare?” Lin Fan asked in a playful tone.

[You… you can’t do this!]

[Was it easy for me to inexplicably become your system?]

[And you still want to bully me… wuwuwu…]

Lin Fan’s face darkened.

‘I’m the one being forced to do the mission, aren’t I?’

‘Why is she the one crying?’

“Meow~”

A cat’s cry instantly shifted Lin Fan’s attention.

“Little one, are you full?”

Lin Fan lifted the spirit cat from the table.

“Can you tell me your name now?”

“Meow… Meow meow?”

The spirit cat lying in Lin Fan’s arms licked its paw and widened its eyes, putting on an innocent expression.

“Sigh…” Lin Fan suddenly sighed.

“It seems I really was mistaken.”

“A spirit cat that can’t speak is useless to keep.”

“Might as well fry it up and eat it.”

With that, he picked up the spirit cat in his arms and walked toward a wok of oil.

“Don’t!”

Seeing the wok of roiling hot oil before her, the spirit cat in his arms was so scared its fur stood on end.

It let out a sharp cry and jumped out of Lin Fan’s arms.

“Yo~ A miracle.”

“Can I interpret this as… a genetic mutation?” Lin Fan said with a hint of mockery.

“Wuwuwu~ You bad guy, you big bad guy!”

Seeing that she could no longer hide it, the little creature simply started rolling on the floor.

“If you don’t answer my question…”

Lin Fan pressed forward step by step.

“I really will throw you in~”

“I… My name is Bai Ling!”

At this moment, Bai Ling was in utter despair.

She thought to herself silently: ‘It’s over, it’s all over…’

Although Bai Ling was a noble Nine-Revolving Spirit Cat, her inability to take human form had once made her the laughingstock of her clan.

Finally, one day, Bai Ling felt she could no longer endure this humiliation and, while the patriarch was away, she secretly slipped out of the clan.

She had thought that her life would be better after leaving the clan.

Who would have thought that, lacking experience in the wild, she nearly lost her life several times.

She stumbled her way to the snow mountain and, before she could even catch her breath, was captured by a group of beast hunters.

At the auction, she trembled with fear.
She was terrified that someone would recognize her identity and buy her back to be used in alchemy.

After all, the blood of a Nine-Revolving Spirit Cat was an excellent material for increasing the success rate of pill refinement.

No matter how difficult a pill was to refine, just by adding a single drop of a Nine-Revolving Spirit Cat’s blood, the success rate of the refinement could be increased by at least thirty percent.

Fortunately, no one had recognized her.

Bai Ling naively thought that Lin Fan only saw her as an ordinary spirit cat that couldn’t speak, so she had completely let her guard down.

But…

She was wrong, completely and utterly wrong…

‘Is being captured for alchemy really my destiny…’

Thinking this, a tear slid from the corner of Bai Ling’s eye.

“Bai Ling, is it?”

“The name’s alright, pretty good.”

Lin Fan sat back down at the table and poured himself another drink.

“Eh?”

Seeing that Lin Fan had no intention of capturing her, Bai Ling was a little baffled.

“You… you’re not going to capture me?”

“Capture you?”

Lin Fan glanced at Bai Ling out of the corner of his eye.

“What would I capture you for?”

“Of course it’s for…”

Before the words could come out, Bai Ling quickly swallowed them back down.

‘Could it be that he doesn’t know her true identity?’

‘Or perhaps, he doesn’t know about the alchemy thing?’

‘If that’s the case, there might still be a chance…’

Hope reignited in Bai Ling’s eyes.

“Are you wondering… why I’m not using you for alchemy?” Lin Fan asked in a calm tone.

!!!

As soon as Lin Fan’s voice fell, Bai Ling was so frightened she curled up in a corner, staring at Lin Fan in terror.

“Relax~ I have no interest in using you for alchemy,” Lin Fan said faintly.

‘Is that really the case?’

Of course not.

If this were in the past, and Lin Fan had encountered a Nine-Revolving Spirit Cat, he would have definitely captured it to study it thoroughly.

After all, Lin Fan had only heard rumors about the Nine-Revolving Spirit Cat and had never actually experimented with one.

But things were different now.

Lin Fan had already confirmed Bai Ling’s identity with the system; she was undoubtedly a reincarnated fairy.

If Lin Fan were to harm her, it would be tantamount to giving up his own life.
Lin Fan was not stupid enough to do something like that.

[TL Note: Tantamount – Equivalent to; basically the same as doing something else (used for serious or dramatic comparisons).]

“Really?” Bai Ling was half-convinced.

“Really.”

Lin Fan nodded, then changed the subject.

“By the way, do you want to… transform into human form?”

Although the Nine-Revolving Spirit Cat was a top-tier demonic beast, if it couldn’t transform into a human, its cultivation could at most reach the Earthly Immortal realm, forever unable to step into the Heavenly Immortal realm.

“Transform into human form…” Bai Ling murmured.

“How could I not want to?”

“But…”

“Then there’s no problem.”

Lin Fan interrupted Bai Ling and handed her a white pill.

“Here, eat it.”

“This is…”

Bai Ling looked up at Lin Fan, then lowered her head again, staring at the pill in Lin Fan’s hand, somewhat at a loss.

“A Transformation Pill.”

“What?!”

Hearing Lin Fan’s explanation, Bai Ling was instantly startled.

“What?”

“Don’t believe me?” Lin Fan asked with a frown.

“No, no, no, I believe you, I believe you!”

With such a rich medicinal aroma and such a fine texture, Bai Ling had no reason to doubt it.

It’s just that…

“Senior, why…” Bai Ling murmured.

“I see that your bone structure is remarkable, a good seedling for cultivation.”

“So, I want to take you as my disciple.”

“Is this reason acceptable?”

“Just like that?” Bai Ling found it hard to believe.

“If you’re not willing, then forget it.”

With that, Lin Fan made a motion to take back the pill.

“Don’t!”

At this moment, Bai Ling couldn’t care about anything else.

With a “whoosh,” she pounced into Lin Fan’s arms and swallowed the pill in one gulp.

In an instant, a white light flashed, tightly enveloping Bai Ling’s body.

About half a minute later, Bai Ling’s spirit cat form disappeared, replaced by—a white-haired girl about 156 cm tall, with a slightly dazed and cute look.

“This… Is this really me?!”

Bai Ling looked down at her own pair of fair little hands, her inner excitement beyond words.

“This is great… I can finally take human form, this is great…”

With her wish fulfilled, Bai Ling did not forget her promise.

She immediately knelt on both knees and kowtowed three times to Lin Fan with great solemnity.

[ TL Note: Kowtow – A traditional act of kneeling and bowing deeply (forehead to the ground) to show respect or submission, especially to a superior or master.]

“Disciple Bai Ling pays respects to Master!”

“Ahem…”

Seeing this, Lin Fan couldn’t help but cough twice.

“Master, what’s wrong with you?”

“Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

Seeing this, Bai Ling thought that some old ailment of Lin Fan’s had recurred and hurriedly walked over to ask with concern.

“I say…”

Seeing that Bai Ling hadn’t gotten his meaning, Lin Fan slapped his forehead in exasperation.

“Could you… first find some clothes to wear?”