Since they had a request of each other, the two had the possibility of equal coexistence.
After a simple communication, Ren Yi and the transparent girl finally reached a tentative consensus and gained a basic understanding of each other's situations.
According to the transparent girl, her name was Lan Ling. She came from the ancient surname "Lan" (orchid), which means orchid grass or orchid flower, hailed as a symbol of gentlemen.
During a great catastrophe, the ancient Lan clan suffered a devastating blow. The surviving clansmen fled in all directions, and the largest remaining branch dared not use the surname anymore, changing it to the homophone "Lan" to escape the pursuit of enemies.
Over time, with rest and recuperation, the Lan clan grew stronger. Ambitious clansmen wanted to restore the glory of the ancient Lan clan, but unfortunately, they were wiped out as soon as they emerged.
Only she, still in her swaddle, was rescued by a passing great power.
This great power was none other than Lan Ling's master, Gu Liga. He was recognized as a cultivation genius across the Three Thousand Worlds. In just five hundred years, he had touched the edge of the Great Dao, advanced to the quasi-god realm, and became an unattainable legend in the cultivation world.
Of course, such a legendary story was nothing but a fantasy in the eyes of the insignificant and humble Ren Yi—just gossip that made him gasp in admiration. Envy was the only expression he could muster; he couldn't say anything else.
After a long while...
"Ahem... Miss Lingling, well... let bygone be bygone. I have something to ask you, since you're so knowledgeable." Ren Yi picked up the sleeping cub Ren Xiong. "This little guy won't wake up no matter what. What should I do?"
Under normal circumstances, as long as Ren Yi made a little movement, the cub would wake up alertly and circle around him. Sometimes, if he wasn't careful, he would step on it, making it yelp "Ao Ao Ao".
Now that it was so quiet, he felt quite unaccustomed.
"What should you do? Beat it, flatten it, punch it—if all else fails, kill it. Do as you please!"
The transparent girl, now known as Lan Ling, sat by the bonfire and glanced at him casually.
"Uh~~~ Just pretend I didn't ask!"
Ren Yi rubbed his head in distress. Ren Xiong's body was still soft and warm, not at all like a dead creature. He held it tightly in his arms. Before long, a moist, stinging sensation came from his fingertips, waking him up from his doze.
"Ao Wu~~~"
It turned out that Ren Xiong had woken up at some point and was licking his injured fingertip—all the blood on it was gone.
"Ah! Damn it, it's broken?" Seeing the torn flesh, Ren Yi instinctively put his finger in his mouth to relieve the pain.
Ren Xiong looked at him with bright, innocent eyes, his little tail wagging nonstop, full of vitality.
"Heh! Truly... fools have fool's luck!" Lan Ling shook her head amusedly.
Ren Yi had taken her pill earlier, so his blood naturally contained medicinal properties. If the dog hadn't eaten Ren Yi's blood, it would probably be a corpse by now, not as lively as it was.
That giant spirit rhinoceros beast was no have an empty reputation. Its toxicity was comparable to arsenic or crane's top red in the mortal world. Ordinary people would die immediately after eating it without an antidote, with no hope of treatment.
However, some cultivators, when stuck at a bottleneck in their cultivation or approaching the end of their lifespan, would risk taking it. This was because if they could withstand the toxin, it would greatly transform and enhance their meridians, even stimulating them to break through obstacles.
"Ao Wu~~~ Ao Ao Ao..."
Hearing the commotion, Ren Xiong barked frantically in Lan Ling's direction.
Lan Ling was truly surprised this time: "Huh? You little guy—can you see me?"
Ren Xiong responded with even more vigorous barking.
Lan Ling's interest was piqued. She stepped forward, grabbed Ren Xiong by the scruff of his neck, and lifted him up easily despite his struggles. "Hahaha... You stinky thing! I can touch you! That's great!"
The unexpected joy pulled Lan Ling out of her sorrow. Her previously cold face finally broke into a smile that only a girl could have.
"Woof woof woof~~~" Ren Xiong flailed his little limbs, trying to scratch Lan Ling, but she dodged skillfully.
"No, you're too dirty—you need a good wash."
Although Lan Ling was only a spiritual consciousness body, she had once been a Divine King realm powerhouse and knew many spells in her lifetime.
She joined two fingers together, muttered an incantation, and a stream of clear water gushed from her fingertips, rushing toward Ren Xiong.
It was just a little unweaned cub. Frightened by this spectacle, its fur stood on end, and it let out a pitiful yelp.
Ren Yi felt sorry for it, snatched Ren Xiong back, and shouted: "Let it go! Don't touch my dog!"
"Heh! A little mangy dog—who cares!"
Lan Ling was arrogant. Her initial joy immediately turned to disdain.
When dawn broke, Ren Yi had to bid farewell to the warm cave and continue toward his dream destination.
The snowstorm outside had finally stopped. Seeing the long-absent sun, the world was clear and bright. Ren Yi's mood lifted. He opened his mouth to roar a tune, but before he could make a sound, a water ball suddenly flew from afar and hit him right in the mouth.
It was Lan Ling who had condensed a stream of water with her spiritual energy, stifling his voice—he almost choked to death.
"You... you you..."
Ren Yi clutched his throat, about to cough violently. Lan Ling's delicate little hand roughly covered his mouth, and she shouted sternly: "There are people fighting ahead—don't make a sound!"
Since no one else could hear her, she could speak loudly without restraint. But Ren Yi was clever enough to shut his mouth.
After all, he had seen Chu Hanyang, the top disciple of the Divine Spirit Sect, fight before. He knew that a nobody like him would be nothing but cannon fodder in such a situation—his only option was to stay away.
Holding the cub, he sneaked away, planning to take another route.
Just then, he heard a sharp whistling sound cutting through the air. Looking back suddenly, a cold-glinting long arrow shot toward his face at lightning speed.
He stumbled backward, unable to dodge. At the critical moment, Lan Ling beside him pulled him, allowing him to narrowly escape death.
"Huh?"
A man holding a bow and arrow stepped out of the bushes, staring at Ren Yi in confusion.
"How did you do that?"
In his eyes, Ren Yi's dodge was abrupt and unnatural—he had suddenly shifted sideways as if pulled by an invisible string.
Ren Yi didn't answer. The man's bow and arrow were still pointed at him. He was certain that if he made the slightest movement, the arrow would pierce him without mercy.