When he returned to his mountain peak with the Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon and the Fairy-Trance Spirit Fox, Qi Ping could no longer suppress the excitement in his heart.
"The new animal companions are finally in my hands!"
"And there are two of them!"
Getting both spirit beasts at once was a truly unexpected surprise for Qi Ping!
All his efforts to find more powerful animal companions had not been in vain.
"This time, I have two soul-attribute pets together. One way or another, I should be able to share a decent talent!"
If he could share two powerful soul talents simultaneously, it would be a surprise on top of a surprise.
"I really have Brother Meng to thank for his help this time!"
Meng Yan's actions were something Qi Ping had not anticipated.
He had considered asking Meng Yan for help before, but the thought was extinguished as soon as it arose.
After all, Meng Yan had already helped him enough. To ask the other man to shell out so many spirit stones—putting aside whether he had them or not—Qi Ping would have felt guilty even if he did.
Yet, without him even opening his mouth, Meng Yan had done it for him.
This filled Qi Ping with surprise and profound gratitude.
Therefore, no matter what, he had to repay the man an extra two thousand spirit stones!
It would serve as a partial return for all the help Meng Yan had provided him during this period.
"Over the course of six months, with the Hundred-Spirit Grass growing normally, the spirit stones earned from Spirit-Nurturing Honey should be around eight or nine thousand. That is close enough to ten thousand. I only need to use Plant Growth to cultivate a portion of the Hundred-Spirit Grass..."
Since the timeline wasn't that urgent, Qi Ping decided not to produce a massive amount of honey in the short term.
While he had the confidence to deal with the risks, it was better to avoid trouble whenever possible.
After all, the factions and relationships within Qingshi were intricately intertwined. His greatest fear was hitting a junior only for an elder to show up. If he ultimately provoked a Golden Core cultivator, he would be forced to flee to some unfamiliar land to live as a fugitive.
"Brother Meng is a friend worth making. If he ever encounters danger, I should help him as much as I can!"
Qi Ping could see that Meng Yan was a truly pure seeker of the Dao.
He felt that if a person like Meng Yan did not fall prematurely, he would surely become a pillar of strength in the future.
Old Man Zhou had also told him that no matter how strong one became, as long as there was no conflict of interest, one should avoid making enemies and instead cultivate trustworthy friends. That was the only way to survive better.
In his youth, Old Man Zhou had known many cultivators more gifted than himself, but most of them were dead. They had died due to their aggression and the enemies they made everywhere.
This was because even if one's talent was great, they were likely still an insignificant existence in the grand scale of the cultivation world. Hiding oneself was the better way to live. Much like the disciples of the Qingyuan Sect or the Sky-Fire Pavilion, every generation started with a surge of geniuses, but those who truly grew to maturity were far too few.
Without a background or peerless talent, one had to either possess extraordinary luck or understand the way of survival to live well. Yet, for some reason, so many people believed themselves to belong to the former category...
On the mountain peak, Qi Ping released Ya Ya and the swarm from their spirit beast bags, ordering them to handle the lookout and defensive duties before he prepared for the contract with peace of mind.
The first spirit beast Qi Ping took out from his storage bag was the Fairy-Trance Spirit Fox.
It was a small, fluffy fellow covered in snow-white fur.
In appearance, it bore a striking resemblance to the Shadow Moon White Fox Qi Ping had seen once before.
However, the Fairy-Trance Spirit Fox's body was much rounder and chubbier, looking exceptionally adorable.
The most distinct difference was the unique Fairy-Trance Seal on the white fox's forehead. This was the hallmark of the species; starting from one seal, the more seals there were, the stronger the bloodline.
The little white fox in Qi Ping's hands had only a single seal, but its bloodline had already reached Rank Two High-Grade. In a sense, it was not inferior to Ya Ya.
However, the difficulty of nurturing and upgrading the bloodline of a Fairy-Trance Spirit Fox was even higher than that of Ya Ya. This was likely the reason Meng Yan's senior sister chose to sell it; it was too difficult to develop into a combat force in the short term.
Even Qi Ping lacked the resources to properly raise this little spirit fox for the time being. What he needed most was to share its talent.
"Still not awake?"
Qi Ping looked at the little guy, who was still snoozing, and reached out to gently rub its body a few times.
Feeling the touch, the little spirit fox finally began to stir. It mumbled, shaking its head, and blinked its eyes as it looked at Qi Ping.
Upon seeing Qi Ping's unfamiliar face, the little fox's first reaction was a bit of fear.
However, after sensing Qi Ping's aura, it calmed down. The aura radiating from Qi Ping made it feel very comfortable and safe.
At that moment, the little fox's stomach suddenly let out a growling sound. It seemed it was hungry.
Feeling the hunger in its belly, the little fox looked at Qi Ping with a mix of helplessness and timidity.
Its stomach was empty and it wanted food, but it was a little too afraid to eat.
Looking at the still-timid little creature, Qi Ping reached into his storage bag and took out several Spirit-Condensing Fruits and a slice of Blood Ginseng, placing them before the little fox.
The little fox stared at the spiritual fruits, unable to stop itself from swallowing some saliva, but it didn't eat immediately. It looked up at Qi Ping with a questioning gaze.
To this, Qi Ping smiled and said, "Go ahead and eat, little one!"
"Chirp chirp... (Okay! Then I'm going to eat!)"
"Chirp chirp... (Wait, that's not right. How can I, Fox-Fox, understand what you're saying?)"
The little fox had instinctively responded, and it only realized what had happened after its mouth was already next to the fruit.
Its eyes widened as it stared at Qi Ping. This was simply too inconceivable.
This was the first time in its life, after meeting so many "two-legged beasts," that it had encountered one whose speech it could fully understand!
Its intelligence was not low, so it naturally noticed the difference.
Instinct told it that this two-legged beast was completely different from the others!
"Fill your stomach first. I'll explain once you're full," Qi Ping suggested.
"Chirp chirp... (Alright! That works! But you must remember to tell me later!)"
The simple-minded little fox, having determined that Qi Ping meant no harm, decided to fill its tummy first!
For a little fox of its age, the world was big, but eating was the biggest priority of all!
Still, it remained extremely curious about why it could understand Qi Ping.
Before eating, it sniffed the Spirit-Condensing Fruit and the Blood Ginseng. Finding nothing unusual—in fact, they smelled quite fragrant—it began to eat bite by bite.
It ate very quickly, clearly famished.
However, for it to have slept so soundly while being this hungry was quite a rare feat.
After a while, the Blood Ginseng and spiritual fruits were finished.
Lying on the grass, the little fox used its front paws to rub its round belly, an expression of comfort appearing on its face.
After resting for a bit, it looked back at Qi Ping.
"Chirp chirp... (I'm full! Now can you tell me? Why can I understand you?)"