Chapter 18: The Perils of the Astringent Spiritual Root

On a misty, ethereal mountain range, nestled within a small, ancient wooden cabin.

At this very moment, a maiden clad in a white dress, resembling a banished immortal, was gravely imparting some rather peculiar knowledge to an adorable girl in a light blue floral dress.

“Xiao Xixi, the so-called ‘Astringent Spiritual Root’ refers to individuals born with a special ‘mark’ on their bodies. Their constitution is unique, allowing them to enhance their strength through unusual means. Some claim this ‘spiritual root’ is a dark art, given how rapidly it boosts cultivation, but do you know why no powerhouse on the Path to Immortality possesses such a spiritual root?”

It was Su Mei, the Peak Master of Violet Cloud Peak, who had spoken.

Stared at by Su Mei, Xiao Xixi found herself at a loss for words, unsure how to respond.

In truth, having read the original novel, Xiao Xixi naturally understood why the ‘Astringent Spiritual Root’ ultimately failed to reach the pinnacle of cultivation.

In essence, the reason was quite simple. While this type of spiritual root allowed one to absorb the cultivation of others through specific means, the reverse was equally true.

The original Xiao Xixi in the novel, who had bolstered her own cultivation by harvesting the power of villains from the Great Joy Temple, ultimately had her entire cultivation base seized by the villainous boss, Abbot Yun Hai of the Great Joy Temple. She was, in essence, a prime example of this very vulnerability.

Now, with this question posed to her, Xiao Xixi felt that if she were to describe this unique constitution using a metaphor…

The ‘Astringent Spiritual Root’ was, in essence, more akin to a mobile experience pack for high-level cultivators.

As mere experience packs, how could anyone allow them to grow into Immortality-ascending powerhouses?

However, even though she understood the principle, Xiao Xixi was still plagued by the same old problem: she couldn’t speak human language!

Moreover, setting aside the language barrier, Xiao Xixi had no desire to answer the question posed by her beautiful Master, Su Mei, at this moment.

As for the reason for her refusal?

Just moments ago, her naturally enchanting Master had, unbelievably, taken advantage of her inability to speak and once again changed her clothes.

Being changed by another girl was already embarrassing enough.

What Xiao Xixi had never anticipated was that while changing her clothes, her beautiful Master had even indulged in some rather mischievous teasing.

“Xixi, why are you still trembling?”

Then, she had followed with: “Xixi, wow, I never realized all your fur was white, even there…”

Recalling the utterly mortifying scene, Xiao Xixi felt both shy and intensely curious. After all, having ‘all’ her fur be white implied…

Cough, cough… In any case, Xiao Xixi was still quite indignant.

Curiosity aside, Xiao Xixi resolved to express her displeasure at her beautiful Master’s egregious misinterpretation of her ‘fox speak’ just now.

Gazing at her beautiful Master who was looking back at her, Xiao Xixi decided to mimic her earlier behavior, pretending not to understand and ignoring her.

While feigning ignorance in her standoff with her beautiful Master, Xiao Xixi wasn’t idle. She found herself pondering a particular question.

It was important to note that in the original novel, ‘Xiao Xixi’ was brought to Violet Cloud Peak by Xiao Changgu two years after she had fully transformed.

By then, she had already been in her human form for quite some time, naturally appearing fully clothed and presentable.

Consequently, Su Mei remained oblivious to Xiao Xixi possessing the ‘Astringent Spiritual Root’ until the latter eventually betrayed the sect.

However, the thought that her beautiful Master had just discovered her secret, even giving it a little squeeze, now weighed on her.

Xiao Xixi found this situation rather vexing.

She couldn’t tell if this secret, which should not have been revealed, being known by her Master in advance would alter the trajectory of the plot.

****

Su Mei found the little girl, with her delicate face slightly puffed up in her light blue floral dress, utterly delightful.

Instinctively, she reached out and gently poked the puffed-up cheek, which resembled a small ball.

Pfft~

Swiftly, the ‘ball’ deflated as air escaped from those crimson lips.

Watching the soft, white ‘ball’ of a cheek flatten once more, Xiao Xixi turned her small head away.

Though the little girl remained silent, her aura and the unconscious twitch of her head and body seemed to wordlessly declare, ‘I am angry.’

Witnessing an expression she hadn’t seen on anyone in her presence for years, Su Mei found the little one even more amusing.

However, considering the profound importance of the ‘Astringent Spiritual Root’ matter…

She refrained from further teasing Xiao Xixi, who was quickly becoming a bristling little fox.

Instead, she resumed imparting the knowledge about the ‘Astringent Spiritual Root’ from before.

Su Mei’s voice was melodious, like a clear, winding stream flowing beside a mountain ravine.

Listening to her voice, Xiao Xixi felt her fiery mood, which had just been raging, slowly extinguished as if doused with water.

Su Mei’s voice was not loud, much softer than that of the teachers in a traditional classroom.

Yet, for some inexplicable reason, despite the topic being purely educational, Xiao Xixi felt an urge to listen intently this time.

After pondering this for a moment, Xiao Xixi concluded that perhaps this was what people called ‘beauty is justice’?

Su Mei observed Xiao Xixi, noting that while the little one listened attentively, her fair, small face showed no signs of gravity, indicating she still hadn’t grasped the rarity of the ‘Astringent Spiritual Root’.

As a qualified Master, Su Mei decided she needed to administer a strong dose of reality.

Though she called it a ‘strong dose,’ Su Mei merely intended to cite some ‘factually existing’ examples.

One had to understand that on the Cloud Marsh Continent, there was no shortage of fanatical cultivators. They would stop at nothing to advance their cultivation, even going so far as to harm their own family.

Su Mei recalled a particularly extreme case, a story her Master, Master Yun Hui, had recounted when Su Mei first joined the Azure Phoenix Sect.

It concerned a brother and sister who shared a very close bond. By chance, the brother unexpectedly discovered that his sister possessed the ‘Astringent Spiritual Root,’ a talent one in ten thousand.

Subsequently, in his ambition to enhance his own cultivation, the brother cunningly manipulated his naive sister into performing certain ‘acts,’ thereby boosting her cultivation.

After being secretly harmed, the innocent sister remained unaware that the mastermind was none other than her most cherished brother.

Following this, her cultivation skyrocketed with each successive scheme her brother devised.

Yet, with each instance of her brother’s comforting words, her dependence on him only deepened.

The ultimate outcome was that the unsuspecting sister’s cultivation was cruelly seized by her own brother.

Master Yun Hui had specifically recounted this story to Su Mei alone, amidst all her fellow disciples, which was why it remained so vivid in Su Mei’s memory even now.

As for why Master Yun Hui had chosen to tell her this story privately, Su Mei harbored a vague suspicion in her heart.

For, in a certain sense, her own situation was not dissimilar to Xiao Xixi’s.

Unlike the little one’s one-in-ten-thousand innate spiritual root, Su Mei’s own constitution was the exceedingly rare ‘Innate Charm Bone’.

The ‘Innate Charm Bone’ did not allow for the plundering of cultivation as the ‘Astringent Spiritual Root’ did.

However, according to ancient secret texts, those with ‘Charm Bones’ would significantly boost both parties’ cultivation during moments of intimacy.

This very fact led to many men and women with ‘Innate Charm Bones,’ once discovered, being imprisoned by nefarious individuals and forced, day and night, to…

Ever since she joined the peak and received guidance from her own Master, Su Mei had kept this secret buried deep within her heart, guarding it meticulously.

And because she needed to conceal this secret, she had, unlike other cultivators, never sought a dual cultivation partner until now.

Now, observing Xiao Xixi lost in thought before her, Su Mei wished for the little one to also hide her secret as she had, to remain undiscovered by others, and to protect herself.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Su Mei, just like her own Master before her, faithfully passed on this very story to Xiao Xixi.

Yet, as she recounted the tale, Su Mei suddenly realized a significant problem.

The more she spoke, the more she felt that the brother and sister in the story…

…seemed to overlap with Xiao Xixi, this little girl.

The little girl also had a brother, and it seemed she was quite attached to him.

As the story reached its conclusion, Su Mei’s thoughts drifted to Xiao Changgu’s ‘villainous face’.

A vivid image of the adorable Xiao Xixi being bullied until not a single bone remained couldn’t help but surface in her mind.

However, this thought was quickly dismissed by Su Mei.

After all, she could clearly sense that Xiao Changgu’s affection for Xiao Xixi was entirely genuine.

Nonetheless, even though she had confirmed Xiao Changgu was harmless, the thought that the little girl would be cultivating in the Azure Phoenix Sect in the future, a sect with an unknown number of male cultivators, gave her pause.

Having cultivated for many years and gained extensive experience, Su Mei naturally understood a certain ‘skill’ male cultivators often possessed: sweet talk.

Thinking of those deceitful male cultivators, Su Mei glanced at Xiao Xixi, who was currently blinking her innocent eyes, her palm-sized face seemingly inscribed with ‘I’m easily fooled,’ and couldn’t help but feel a pang of worry.

Just as Su Mei was pondering how to prevent this little girl from being deceived by those smooth-talking male cultivators…

Her divine sense suddenly detected a male cultivator approaching the inner sect dormitory.

This male cultivator was none other than Xiao Changgu, who had visited her at the main peak that morning and was now walking back.

Sensing Xiao Changgu drawing nearer, Su Mei suddenly conceived of a potentially perfect solution to prevent ‘Xiao Xixi from being deceived’.

After all, Xiao Changgu had pleaded for a dormitory room for the little girl earlier that morning.

So, for the sake of the little girl’s secret, wouldn’t it be better for her to sleep in Su Mei’s own courtyard?

Who would dare bully her then?