When Xin Xiu returned and didn't see her master, she knew he must be absorbed in crafting spiritual tools again, oblivious to the outside world. All technicians are the same - once inspiration strikes, they throw themselves wholeheartedly into the vortex of creation. Because of this, Xin Xiu had seen less of her master lately, and could only guess that he was working on another earth-shattering masterpiece.
Xin Xiu placed the food she brought in the usual spot in the kitchen. Typically, when she left food on this bamboo tray, her master would know it was for him and come to eat it himself.
Opening the door to the adjacent refining room, Xin Xiu saw an orange-red glow emanating from the central furnace. Her master was indeed hard at work inside the smelting furnace. She didn't go in to disturb him, instead heading upstairs to take a bath, thus missing the chance to see her master's avatar.
Just as Xin Xiu returned to her room to bathe, Shentu Yu finished a stage of his refining work in the furnace and sensed that his disciple had returned. Generally, when she came back late, she wouldn't forget to bring him food.
Although the refining process had temporarily concluded, Shentu Yu couldn't leave the furnace yet, or the materials before him would be wasted. Fortunately, his human form was also present. The tall man with black hair set down the half-sorted materials, flew out of the furnace, and went straight to the kitchen to fetch the honey-glazed chicken wings and caramelized sugar.
He walked while eating from the bamboo tray, his face expressionless. This was an issue that arose when Shentu Yu created his human form, or perhaps the lightning strike had damaged it. When using this human body, regardless of his mood, the face always wore a cold, indifferent expression as if detached from all worldly matters.
However, Shentu Yu felt this wasn't a significant problem. For years, this human form had been searching for refining materials in remote places, rarely interacting with people. There was no need to speak to anyone, let alone make unnecessary facial expressions.
The taste experienced by this body was also savored by Shentu Yu at the furnace, his face showing the same approval and contentment as always. The food was still warm, demonstrating his disciple's thoughtfulness. She must have rushed back to ensure her master could eat it while hot.
What a considerate and filial disciple.
The human form returned to the inner furnace, continuing to eat from the tray, since Shentu Yu's original form wasn't in a convenient position at the moment. It didn't matter who ate it.
However, when the human form ate, it couldn't consume the bamboo tray along with the food. After all, being human, his body and teeth didn't classify bamboo as edible. Shentu Yu only realized this after taking a bite, remembering it was his human form eating, unable to consume the tray.
Oh well.
In the early morning, Shentu Yu's human form quietly left the bamboo house, entering the dewy green forest. He departed from Shuling Mountain as silently as he had arrived, without attracting anyone's attention.
Meanwhile, Xin Xiu was still in dreamland. As usual, she lingered in bed for half an hour before heading downstairs with messy hair to wash up.
The furnace in the refining room was still glowing. She scratched her head, thinking that her master truly lived up to his reputation as a cultivator, often staying up all night. Though for immortal cultivators, it shouldn't be called "staying up late," but rather "cultivating."
The early morning on Secluded Bamboo Mountain was quite interesting, especially by the mountain stream where it was particularly lively. This was the reason Xin Xiu gave up sleeping until noon and got up so early - to see the morning visitors to this mountain stream.
Setting aside the golden monkeys and deer with their sparse fur, what she loved most was a kind of small, pure white, plump bird. These little birds made soft "chirp chirp chirp" sounds, small enough to fit entirely in one's hand, with jet-black bean-like eyes. Their adorable nature struck straight to the heart.
Every morning, dozens of these white birds would come to the calm pool of the mountain stream to preen their feathers. Xin Xiu could see them here at this time every day. Come too early or too late, and they'd be gone. Moreover, she had never seen these birds anywhere else besides Secluded Bamboo Mountain.
A flock of cottony white birds rolled and bathed in the shallow pool, emitting crisp, tender chirps. Their pale yellow feet and brilliantly white feathers sent water droplets flying.
Xin Xiu had long coveted them, specifically bringing back a bag of millet to feed the little birds every morning.
In exchange for the food, these birds allowed her to pet them. As they became familiar with her, they would even hop onto her hand to peck at the food. Sometimes Xin Xiu had nine or ten little white birds perched on one hand, not knowing which to pet first.
These tiny white birds were different from other furry animals. They seemed so fragile that the slightest pressure might crush them. So Xin Xiu only used one finger to gently stroke their heads, and these adorable creatures, having eaten her millet, would raise their little heads to nuzzle her finger in return.
On days when she couldn't cuddle her panda mama, these little white birds kept her going. After cuddling the chirping birds, Xin Xiu found herself missing her panda mama again.
She hadn't seen her panda mama for several days and wondered if something had happened. While searching around Secluded Bamboo Mountain, her feet unconsciously led her towards the back mountain. Under the watchful eyes of the Bamboo Pole uncles, she casually retracted her steps and chatted with them across a ditch.
"Uncles, have you seen a very large giant panda... I mean, an Iron-Eating Spirit Beast?" she asked.
Bamboo Pole Uncle replied, "We've seen many large Iron-Eating Spirit Beasts. Which one do you mean?"
So many... Damn, I'm so envious! Why couldn't I be a guardian of the back mountain?
Xin Xiu elaborated, "The one that's at least three times my size, very clean, with distinct black and white markings, round and chubby. It feels soft and fragrant when you touch it, with a great texture and a very good temperament."
As she described in detail, the Bamboo Pole uncles' expressions gradually changed, looking at her as if she were a criminal suspect.
Xin Xiu's voice faltered as she realized what they were thinking. She explained, "Wait, uncles, I really didn't sneak into the back mountain. I just saw this Iron-Eating Spirit Beast on Secluded Bamboo Mountain. It must have wandered over from the back mountain by accident. You can't blame me for that."
The Bamboo Pole uncles snorted, not believing her words. The back mountain had protective barriers; Iron-Eating Spirit Beasts couldn't come and go as they pleased. How could one end up on Secluded Bamboo Mountain? There was only one Iron-Eating Spirit Beast on Secluded Bamboo Mountain, and that was Senior Brother Shentu.
Bamboo Pole Uncle: "...?" Wait a minute?
They realized something and exchanged glances. So, does this mean Senior Brother Shentu usually transforms into his original form to play with his little disciple?
Bamboo Pole Uncle: "I see. Go on."
Xin Xiu continued, "I used to see her often a while back, but lately she hasn't been appearing. I'm a bit worried something might have happened to her. Could she have gone off to give birth?"
Xin Xiu felt the Bamboo Pole uncles' gazes grow even stranger. Why are they looking at me like that? Say something!
Bamboo Pole Uncles: "It's female?"
Xin Xiu: "Ah, it should be."
She had never raised a panda and hadn't researched how to distinguish between male and female pandas. But when she had cuddled it too vigorously before, she seemed to have felt through the thick fur something that would be censored if named directly, but whose specific function was for nursing. So it should be female, right?
Xin Xiu didn't know that the one she had been cuddling was actually her master, a panda spirit who had cultivated to sentience. When he reverted to his original form, he naturally wouldn't expose himself like other Iron-Eating Spirit Beasts that lacked self-awareness. So Xin Xiu, unable to see any obvious male equipment, had mistakenly concluded it was a "panda mama."
Unable to gather any useful information, Xin Xiu could only quietly leave under the uncles' enigmatic gazes.
"What do you think the Bamboo Pole uncles meant?" she asked later.
"The uncles were probably suspecting that you, big sis, had sneaked into the back mountain," Third Brother confidently stated after hearing her confusion.
Xin Xiu protested, "I'm innocent! If I could sneak into the back mountain, I would have gone to play there long ago. But I really haven't been there."
Second Brother egged her on from the side, "It's fine. My master said it doesn't count as a punishable offense if you don't get caught! He also said that dark and windy nights are best for this kind of thing. Big sis, you must call me when you go next time."
Xin Xiu declared, "Rather than being wrongly accused, I might as well do it for real." She had to find a way to go to the back mountain to check on panda mama and see if she was alright.
The second sister snapped her fingers: "Perhaps we should consult our seniors. Now that we can gather spiritual energy, learning some minor spells should be more than enough, so..."
So they went to Senior Brother Tao Jun's cave dwelling. He was the one who had previously brought back the "foreigner." Having traveled extensively for many years, he had experienced bustling marketplaces and visited many strange and dangerous secret places. Senior Sister Caixin said that Senior Brother Tao Jun used to be the most mischievous, often trying to sneak into the back mountain for adventures. They figured asking him would be the right choice.
Senior Brother Tao Jun's cave dwelling was simple, but it was filled with various odd objects of unknown purpose, messily piled together.
After tidying himself up, Tao Jun turned out to be a rather handsome young man with a face that seemed incapable of mischief. Truly, appearances can be deceiving.
Upon learning their intentions, Senior Brother Tao Jun laughed heartily: "You've come to the right person! Our Shuling Mountain truly produces talented individuals in every generation, not falling short of us seniors. Come, come, let your senior brother teach you some practical and simple minor spells!"
Indeed, they were very practical spells. One was an invisibility spell that allowed one to blend in with the surrounding environment, making them undetectable. The spell's limitation was that it required stillness; any large movements would cause it to dissipate. However, its advantage was that as long as you remained motionless, others couldn't detect your presence at all.
There was also a qi-concealment spell, which was more practical. It was used to suppress one's aura, making it difficult for others to notice you. You could walk around right under people's noses, but its flaw was that it would fail if you had significant physical contact with someone.
"This one is practical. If you go down the mountain in the future and enter those mortal cities, many of them require identity checks at the gates, or they don't allow people with strange appearances to enter. Carrying odd items also makes it difficult to enter the city. That's when you'll need this spell. Once you use it, ordinary mortals will unconsciously overlook you."
There was also a displacement spell that made it appear as if a person had vanished into thin air, when in fact they had just moved behind a barrier a meter or two away. And a sound projection spell that made one's voice sound like thunder, loud and far-reaching, as if coming from the sky, used to intimidate ordinary people.
Senior Brother Tao Jun said, "These two spells work extremely well when used together."
Xin Xiu: I'm a bit curious about what this senior brother has been through.
Senior Brother Tao Jun enthusiastically introduced the displacement spell: "The wonders of this displacement spell are far beyond just this. After all, we walk among mortals, and sometimes when our pockets are empty, we might need to ask those evil rich folks for some living expenses. At those times, the displacement spell can help you rob the rich to help the poor without anyone knowing."
Xin Xiu: I see, so when senior brother went down the mountain, he engaged in swindling and trickery.
However, Tao Jun's expression suddenly became serious: "But remember, the money you take using spells must be ill-gotten gains, and you mustn't take too much. Otherwise, the way of heaven will balance gains and losses naturally. The more you take from mortals, the more you'll eventually lose. If you take from good people, you must compensate them. This is the moral code of us cultivators; we cannot abuse our powers to oppress ordinary people arbitrarily."
"Although illusion spells can temporarily turn pebbles into money, it depends on the situation. If you just want to buy a bun and use a stone turned into money, it would be unfair to the honest small business owner. So in such cases, it's better to take a little from the street bullies."
"Besides that, there's also a shadow projection spell, which leaves your shadow in place, temporarily creating a silent, motionless copy of you that will dissipate after a while. This one is also interesting and essential for cultivators to learn! Moreover, these minor spells don't consume much spiritual energy, are simple to learn, and are most suitable for you who have just started your cultivation journey."
The second sister, still as direct as ever in addressing the core of the issue, asked, "Senior Brother, these minor spells can deceive ordinary mortals, but can they fool our senior uncles when we enter the back mountain?"
Senior Brother Tao Jun laughed heartily: "Of course not! If they could fool the senior uncles, how could they still be the gatekeepers until now?"
Xin Xiu, the second sister, and the third sister: "..." Why did he say so much if it wouldn't work?
"Don't aim too high, kids." Tao Jun patted each of them. "Knowing a bit more is always better than knowing nothing. Remember, it's often these minor spells that can achieve your goals at the most unexpected crucial moments. This is the lesson I've learned from years of life-and-death experiences outside."
