Chapter 103: The Greenwood Beast

“Oh, what a beautiful little beast! Senior brother, come quickly and look—this little beast is so lovely!” In the distance, Tang Wan’s excited cry rang out.

Jiang Yan looked up and saw Tang Wan crouched in the middle of the spiritual herb nursery. She held a stalk of Soul-Merging Grass in her left hand, while her right gently stroked the head of a small, blue-green beast before her. The little creature occasionally flicked out its dainty tongue to lick her palm.

Tang Wan’s laughter, light and melodious, rose each time the creature tilted its head. The little beast would sometimes look up and let out a soft, bleating sound.

“Senior brother, come see! This little beast is so adorable!” Seeing Jiang Yan standing dazed in place, Tang Wan couldn’t help but call out to him.

Just then, another blue-green beast appeared beside her, its crystalline body squeezing against Tang Wan’s arm as it competed for the warmth of her hand with the first beast.

Jiang Yan gazed in astonishment at the two glassy, blue-tinged creatures under Tang Wan’s hand. In his curiosity, he quickened his pace to join her, stretching out his hand to pet one of the small beasts on the head.

Startled, the little beast leapt back, deftly evading his touch, its eyes full of fearful wariness as it regarded him.

Tang Wan’s pretty face bloomed into a smile at his awkwardness. “Senior brother, it seems they’re a bit afraid of you.”

Jiang Yan straightened up, chuckling ruefully. “It seems you have a much higher affinity than I do, Wan’er.”

Just then, a third little beast appeared at Tang Wan’s side, unafraid of Jiang Yan. It stood between the two of them, alternately tugging at Jiang Yan’s trouser leg and nudging Tang Wan with its head.

One after another, more little blue-green beasts materialized before them, until seven in total danced around Tang Wan, lively and spirited. As she gathered stalks of Soul-Merging Grass into her treasure pouch, the little beasts mimicked her, biting off grass at the root and bringing the severed stalks to her as offerings.

Tang Wan accepted their gifts, patting their heads in gentle reproach, before placing the grass into her pouch. Though the severed Soul-Merging Grass could no longer be replanted, it was still useful in alchemy. Despite feeling a pang for the lost herbs, Tang Wan was fond of these clever, almost human-like creatures.

Delighted by her praise, the little beast eagerly bit off another stalk, while the others, seeing its success, soon followed suit—each bringing herb after herb to Jiang Yan as well.

Before long, a small mound of severed Soul-Merging Grass had accumulated in front of Tang Wan.

Jiang Yan watched the pile, curiosity in his eyes as he studied the seven obedient little beasts. What kind of spirit beasts were these, so clever and docile? If only he could bring them back to Mount Hua to help gather herbs—they would make excellent assistants. As the thought crossed his mind, a translucent information screen materialized before him:

Spirit Beast: Azurewood Beast
Grade: Tier One, Mid-level
Special Skills: Azurewood Heaven, Wood Escape

“Azurewood Beasts…” Jiang Yan almost exclaimed aloud. So these little creatures were Azurewood Beasts! No wonder there were precisely seven; they must be the guardians of the Celestial Azure Hookwood.

He swiftly retrieved the runic map from his sect leader’s ring. Focusing his divine sense, he examined the depths of Langya Heaven, where the Celestial Azure Hookwood grew. The seven red dots once hidden by its radiance had indeed vanished.

Watching the Azurewood Beasts crowding around Tang Wan, seeking her praise and shunning him, Jiang Yan couldn’t help but laugh. “So, it seems we have a few amorous Azurewood Beasts here.”

But for once, Jiang Yan misjudged them. Their affection was not because Tang Wan was a woman, but because of her gentle and kind nature and the subtle, soothing wood aura emanating from her cultivation technique. This aura had drawn the beasts, who had been napping near the Celestial Azure Hookwood, out into her presence.

Making up his mind, Jiang Yan quietly edged away from Tang Wan and the Azurewood Beasts, moving deeper into Langya Heaven. He glanced back uncertainly, but to his delight, the beasts remained with Tang Wan, paying him no mind.

In a flash of golden light, Jiang Yan sped into the depths of Langya Heaven, seizing the opportunity to harvest the Celestial Azure Hookwood while the beasts were distracted.

Langya Heaven was a vast, echoing cavern, its spiritual energy dense and the ground thick with wild herbs. As Jiang Yan advanced, he saw clusters of low-grade spirit herbs flourishing everywhere—clearly, after each harvest, the fallen seeds would sprout anew, creating lush growths throughout the cave.

His divine sense swept carefully through the cavern, alert for spirit beasts. Besides the Azurewood Beasts, there were others, but those he encountered were merely low-level and posed little threat. Still, unfamiliar with the terrain, Jiang Yan remained cautious, surveying his surroundings in detail.

Suddenly, he sensed a green sapling radiating a gentle glow—a slender, blue-green tree, growing atop a square block of azure wood. This was the Celestial Azure Hookwood. Its trunk, about the thickness of a forefinger and reaching knee height, was capped with a few lustrous, green leaves. In the dimness of the cavern, the leaves glimmered softly. The trunk rose straight until, near the top, it curved like a graceful fishhook—elegant and natural, resembling a beautiful woman with bowed head, a sight to delight the heart.

Without hesitation, Jiang Yan extended his right hand above the Hookwood, brushing his sect leader’s ring with his forefinger. In a blink, both the sapling and the block beneath it vanished into the ring. The Hookwood proved heavier than expected, nearly unbalancing him, but once inside the ring, its weight vanished, sparing him embarrassment.

Not daring to linger, Jiang Yan activated his Golden Light Traversal and swiftly returned to Tang Wan’s side.

By now, a great pile of Soul-Merging Grass and other spiritual herbs had grown before Tang Wan. The seven glassy Azurewood Beasts were still happily biting off stalks and delivering them to her, eager for her smile before bounding off to fetch more.

“All right, Wan’er, gather up these herbs. We must be off—the Demon Hunt Gate will close soon,” Jiang Yan said cheerfully, pleased with his harvest and no longer interested in luring the Azurewood Beasts back to Mount Hua.

He glanced regretfully at the herbs strewn across the ground, clapped his hands to summon the beasts, and gestured that it was time to leave.

The little beasts tilted their heads, gazing at Tang Wan’s gestures in puzzled bemusement.

Suddenly, Jiang Yan remembered his Spirit Communication Technique. He formed a few seals and cast the spell on Tang Wan and the seven beasts.

Tang Wan started in surprise as a stream of thoughts appeared in her mind. She turned to Jiang Yan in confusion.

With a casual wave, Jiang Yan explained, “It’s the Spirit Communication Technique. Wan’er, you can now communicate directly with the Azurewood Beasts.”

Tentatively, Tang Wan projected her thoughts to the beasts, who immediately responded in kind. For a time, girl and beasts chatted happily in the language of the mind.

As their exchange deepened, Tang Wan’s smile grew ever brighter. Stroking one beast’s head, she looked at the others in marvel, her gaze occasionally drifting to Jiang Yan.

“Senior brother, these little beasts have something on their minds,” she said hesitantly.

“Something on their minds?” Jiang Yan prompted, intrigued.

“They… they want to come with us…”