Chapter 89: Ling Xiaobai
Chapter 89: Ling Xiaobai
The little white magical beast tilted its head to the side, its expression resembling that of a human, perplexed and lost.
Chu Ning recalled the voice that had echoed in his mind earlier, resembling the sound produced by the Message Spell.
A thought occurred to him, and he used the Message Spell to ask the white magical beast, "Can you understand me?"
However, the white beast didn't react at all, leaving Chu Ning perplexed and wondering if he had imagined the whole thing.
The white beast continued to wave its hooves frantically, its anxiety evident.
Chu Ning tried to recall the voice he had heard earlier and, after a moment's hesitation, decided to speak to the white beast once more.
This time, instead of using the Message Spell, he employed divine sense to communicate.
"Can you understand me?"
This time, the white beast finally stopped its frantic movements and let out a soft whine.
Intrigued, Chu Ning asked again through divine sense, "Do you want me to let you go?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the white beast nodded vigorously, its whines intensifying.
Suddenly, it seemed to remember something and turned to look at Chu Ning.
"Let me go!"
The next moment, the voice echoed in Chu Ning's mind once more.
Chu Ning was now certain that the white beast was indeed capable of communicating through divine sense, a fact that astonished him greatly.
Even though he lacked extensive knowledge about spirit beasts and magical beasts, he realized that this white beast was no ordinary creature.
After all, according to Chu Ning's perception, this white beast was only a mid-level first-tier magical beast.
Typically, magical beasts of this level lacked the capacity for such intelligence and awareness.
Chu Ning felt that it would be a waste to kill such an intelligent beast.
However, the beast was incredibly fast and seemed to possess some sort of supernatural power.
Even a Restraining Beast Talisman couldn't hold it, and it had somehow managed to pass through the protective restrictions and appear in the Spirit Field.
If he let it go, it would most likely flee immediately.
Chu Ning decided to communicate with the white beast again through divine sense.
"If I let you go, what guarantee do I have that you won't run away?"
The white beast shook its head vigorously and continued to wave its hooves frantically, conveying its distress.
"Let me go!"
At the same time, Chu Ning heard the voice in his mind once more.
Then, it dawned on Chu Ning that while the white beast could communicate through divine sense, it seemed to have just learned how to do so and could only understand his words to a certain extent.
However, it seemed incapable of producing more complex sounds or speech.
After pondering for a moment, Chu Ning used his divine sense to convey his thoughts to the beast:
"I can let you go, but you must promise not to run around wildly. Otherwise, I'll have to restrain you again, and this time..."
As he spoke, Chu Ning revealed several Restraining Beast Talismans and Golden Sword Talismans in his hand.
The white beast's eyes widened at the sight of the talismans in Chu Ning's hand, and a hint of fear flashed in its eyes.
Then, as if it had come to a decision, it closed its eyes.
Immediately, Chu Ning noticed a faint white halo appearing on the beast's forehead.
Simultaneously, the weak voice of the white beast echoed in his mind.
"Blood!"
Chu Ning hesitated for a moment as he understood the beast's request.
It wanted him to drip his blood onto the white halo.
As a transmigrator, Chu Ning had some understanding of what the beast was trying to achieve—it wanted to establish a contractual relationship with him.
However, Chu Ning was hesitant to agree.
He didn't know much about spirit beasts and magical beasts, and he wasn't sure if signing a contract with this beast would have any unforeseen consequences for him.
After all, he was aware that signing contracts with high-level spirit beasts and magical beasts often came with certain conditions and requirements.
In some cases, if a cultivator signed a contract with a high-level spirit beast and the beast died, the cultivator would also suffer harm.
And this beast was clearly not an ordinary creature.
After some thought, Chu Ning shook his head, unwilling to take the risk.
However, seeing the beast's intelligent and aware demeanor, he used his divine sense to communicate once more:
"Never mind the contract. I trust you."
The white beast opened its eyes, and to Chu Ning's surprise, its eyes shone with human-like joy. The white circle on its forehead faded away.
"Whine!"
The little beast let out a cheerful sound.
Chu Ning smiled faintly in response.
Following the instructions for the Restraining Beast Talisman, he performed a set of hand seals and pointed at the white beast with his finger, causing the restraints binding it to disappear instantly.
After some thought, Chu Ning took out a Revitalization Talisman as well.
Upon hearing this, the white beast lifted its head to glance at Chu Ning before nodding slightly, as if to say, 'I trust you too.'
Chu Ning smiled faintly once more. He activated the Revitalization Talisman, and a healing spell enveloped the white beast, causing its wounds to vanish.
Ecstatic, the little white beast spun joyfully in place.
"Whine!"
It let out another cheerful cry towards Chu Ning.
"This little beast is quite interesting," Chu Ning mused, feeling a sense of relief.
Ever since entering Qingxi Sect, he had been cautious and tense. But after this exchange with the little beast, he felt his mood lighten considerably.
However, as he surveyed the pits and craters in his Spirit Field, he couldn't help but shoot the white beast a reproachful glance.
"Look what you've done to my Spirit Field."
Hearing this, the white beast immediately lay down on the ground, almost as if it was admitting its mistake and accepting punishment.
Chu Ning shook his head, deciding not to say anything more on the matter.
Fortunately, he hadn't tended to these spirit plants much since planting them, and the beast disaster had struck soon after. So, the plants hadn't grown much anyway.
All he needed to do was re-stimulate the seeds and replant them, then connect them to the Green Wood Eternal Spring Art, and they should be fine.
With that in mind, Chu Ning began to replant, starting from one corner of the Spirit Field. He took out the seeds of the Golden Origin Fruit and stimulated them before planting.
The white beast watched from a distance as Chu Ning cast his spells.
At this point, Chu Ning couldn't bring himself to fully trust the little beast yet, so he kept the Silver Crystal Frost Bamboo Shield in his hand.
After all, his stimulation technique was instantaneous and required no intricate hand seals.
However, the white beast didn't exhibit any unusual behavior. After following him for a while, it seemed to get bored and found a spot to lie down and sleep.
Knowing that it had already been discovered, the beast didn't bother to burrow underground.
Chu Ning ignored it and continued replanting.
After replanting the Golden Origin Fruit seeds, he took out the Purple Crystal Bamboo rice and began stimulating and replanting those as well.
Once he had filled all the empty spots, Chu Ning didn't leave immediately. Instead, he took out some food from his storage bag and ate while recovering his spiritual energy. Then, he proceeded to cast the Green Wood Eternal Spring Art.
During this process, Chu Ning kept an eye on the white beast several times.
The little beast was sleeping soundly, showing no signs of stirring.
Chu Ning gradually relaxed, feeling that, at least for now, the white beast didn't seem to harbor any malicious intentions.
As Chu Ning neared the end of casting the Green Wood Eternal Spring Art, the white beast finally woke up.
It followed him, staying a few paces away, and wagged its tail as it watched him cast the art.
When it saw Chu Ning casting the art, it let out a series of "whines," and though it didn't communicate via divine sense, Chu Ning could vaguely understand what it was trying to say.
Turning his head, Chu Ning couldn't help but find the situation amusing.
"You're complimenting my spellcasting? You little rascal," he said with a smile.
After casting the Green Wood Eternal Spring Art a few more times to ensure complete coverage, Chu Ning finally stopped and prepared to leave the Spirit Field.
However, as he looked at the white beast, he felt conflicted about what to do with it.
He couldn't just let it go after witnessing its extraordinary abilities. But leaving it here didn't seem like a good idea either, as it might wreak havoc on his Spirit Field again.
It seemed the best course of action was to take it back to the market square and, if possible, try to figure out what kind of spirit beast it was.
So, Chu Ning communicated via divine sense, "I'm heading back. Come with me."
Chu Ning expected the beast to resist or require some persuasion, but to his surprise, it nodded vigorously, indicating its willingness to follow him.
Delighted by its obedient behavior, Chu Ning led the way out. As they exited the Spirit Field's protective restrictions, something suddenly occurred to him, and he asked the white beast curiously, "How did you get past my Spirit Field's protective restrictions in the first place?"
The white beast blinked, then turned around.
Right before Chu Ning's eyes, it effortlessly passed through the protective restrictions as if they didn't exist.
"Can you go out directly?" Chu Ning asked, and before he knew it, the little white beast had darted out of the protective restrictions.
When Chu Ning stepped out, the little beast was wagging its tail.
"What kind of spirit beast are you, and how did you get here?" Chu Ning inquired, intrigued by the creature's extraordinary abilities.
The white beast gave no response, either because it didn't understand its own origins or couldn't convey its thoughts to Chu Ning.
Seeing this, Chu Ning gestured for the beast to follow him, and they set off toward the market square.
Using the Wind Riding Technique, Chu Ning was surprised to find that the little white beast could keep up with his speed without any difficulty. He realized that if the beast truly wanted to escape, he might not be able to stop it.
As they drew closer to the market square, Chu Ning's curiosity about the white beast grew. To his surprise, instead of attempting to flee, the beast seemed to be getting more comfortable with his presence, gradually reducing the distance between them.
By the time they reached Chu Ning's shop, the little white beast was walking alongside him.
Chu Ning opened the shop door, and the white beast followed him inside, its eyes darting around curiously.
Then, it let out a soft whine, calling out toward the backyard.
Chu Ning hesitated for a moment before leading the way to the back of the shop.
The white beast immediately ran toward one of the spirit plants.
Chu Ning recognized it as the Yulanguo, a fruit he had acquired from a wandering cultivator a couple of days ago.
The Yulanguo was an excellent ingredient for pill refining, and its value was comparable to that of the Golden Origin Fruit.
After selling the fruit, the wandering cultivator had offered the tree to Chu Ning.
He suspected that the cultivator might have dug it up from somewhere, and after receiving it, Chu Ning had planted it in the backyard.
Among all the spirit plants in the backyard, the Yulanguo tree was of the highest quality, even surpassing the Qingling Guo in terms of grade.
Connecting this with the beast's intrusion into his Spirit Field, Chu Ning wondered, "Could this spirit beast discern the grade of spirit plants or have a special sense for spiritual energy?"
With this in mind, Chu Ning attempted to communicate with the beast using his divine sense. "Can you sense the grade and concentration of spiritual energy?"
The white beast lifted its head proudly, looking rather pleased with itself.
Chu Ning took out a Yulanguo fruit from his storage bag and asked, "Do you want this?"
The white beast whined eagerly, indicating its desire for the fruit.
Chu Ning tossed a fruit to the beast, which it swallowed whole. Then, it approached Chu Ning and rubbed its head against him.
Caught off guard, Chu Ning knelt down and gently stroked the beast's white fur. Using his divine sense, he said, "With your white fur and small stature, I shall name you Xiao Bai (Little White). And since you're a spirit beast with such sentience, your surname shall be Ling (Spirit). From now on, your name will be Ling Xiao Bai."
"Whine!" The white beast seemed to acknowledge the name with a happy whine.
Chu Ning smiled in response, stood up, and prepared to leave.
However, after a moment's thought, he knelt down again and communicated through his divine sense, "Xiao Bai, if you want to eat something, you must ask me first. Don't just go around eating the things I've planted."
"Whine!" Ling Xiao Bai seemed to understand and responded with a soft whine.
Chu Ning paused before adding, "And don't eat things planted by others without permission."
Ling Xiao Bai whined in agreement, and only then did Chu Ning feel relieved.
There were many other cultivators in the market square who had planted various spirit plants. He didn't want this little beast to cause any trouble.
(End of Chapter)
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