Chapter 129 – "I Know. Is That a Problem?"
Yun Xi had no shame about curling up next to him in her sleep. And Shi Yi, being who he was, didn't have the heart to push her away. There was a kind of comfort in being trusted like that.
But she wasn't the only one sleeping.
Shi Hao had downed nearly half the pot of the Golden Lion Head broth by himself. The rest went to the group from the Heaven Mending Pavilion and Yun Xi. Each of them would drink half a bowl, then circulate their spiritual energy to refine the divine essence within it.
This became a pattern:
Half a bowl. Refine the essence.Half a bowl. Refine the essence.Half a bowl. Refine the essence.
But no one's spiritual reservoir is limitless. You can't refine endlessly. Eventually, Shi Hao—who went all in—was the first to collapse into slumber. Then the rest of the Heaven Mending Pavilion disciples dozed off one by one, nestled against each other.
Even Yun Xi, red-faced from spiritual exhaustion, couldn't stay awake. Smiling faintly, she leaned against Shi Yi's shoulder and drifted off.
So why didn't Shi Yi drink more of the Golden Lion Head broth?
Simple. First, the stuff was overcooked and mushy—basically stewed for digestion, not taste. Nowhere near the quality of what he could cook himself. Second, the broth was made from the Nine-Headed Golden Lion, a mere Cave Heaven Realm beast. Shi Yi had long since reached the Array Formation Realm, several major realms above it. For someone like him, the divine meat of a beast that low in the hierarchy wasn't even worth raising an eyebrow over.
Time passed. The night slipped by.
Then came the noise.
"Awooo! Awooo!"
Shi Hao woke up bursting with energy, howling like a wild monkey and shaking the whole camp. His yells pulled the rest out of their half-dreaming haze.
"Shi Hao!"
"What the hell are you doing?"
"Someone shut that brat up."
"Why are you making so much noise this early?"
"Grab him and beat some respect into him!"
"He needs to learn to honor his senior brothers and sisters."
The Heaven Mending Pavilion group—male and female alike—were all technically Shi Hao's seniors.
Shi Yi was sixteen. Shi Hao was thirteen.
The Hundred Shatter Mountain Range only allowed cultivators eighteen and younger, which meant the Pavilion disciples were all close to the limit—proud prodigies nearing eighteen, and each one ranked higher than Shi Hao in the sect.
Now, as their "beloved junior" darted around like a slippery loach, their good-natured grumbles turned into a chaotic chase. No one could catch him. Shi Hao leapt from rock to rock, laughing as they fumbled after him.
On the other side of camp…
"Saint Child, you must be laughing at us."
Senior sister Xia Youyu of the Heaven Mending Pavilion covered her face in embarrassment. With the way Shi Hao and the others were behaving, she felt she couldn't face Shi Yi.
Shi Yi gave a gentle smile.
"It's nothing. This kind of playful mischief only brings out the bond between fellow disciples."
He wasn't naïve. He could see the truth.
Shi Hao liked it here. He liked the Pavilion, liked these senior brothers and sisters. Despite the endless teasing, not one of them held real resentment toward him.
Truth be told, he had a better life here than he ever did in the Wu King Manor.
Sure, Shi Yi had made it clear: anyone spreading rumors or slandering Shi Hao behind his back would face consequences. Still, whispers persisted. Some quietly blamed Shi Hao for the fall of Wu King Manor, calling him a cursed star.
Those whispers mostly came from bitter remnants—children of the Rain Clan, or descendants of elders who had been devoured by Bi'an, Yazi, or fully grown Pixiu beasts. Even with respect for Shi Yi, they couldn't swallow their grudge.
It might've seemed like Shi Yi was pulling a Third Hokage—telling people not to talk, while secretly turning a blind eye.
But that wasn't it.
It wasn't that he didn't care. It's that he didn't know how to make them understand. What was he supposed to do? Kill every last one of them?
Here's the truth:
The downfall of Wu King Manor started with the Great Demon King Shi Zhongtian—Shi Hao's grandfather—killing a young Pixiu and stealing its true blood. That drew the wrath of an adult Pixiu, and the retaliation wiped out every elder in the manor.
Shi Hao had no part in that. He didn't plan it, didn't act in it, didn't know about it.
But he benefitted.
Shi Zhongtian stole that pureblood ferocious beast's essence specifically so Shi Hao could be baptized by it. Which meant that when everything fell apart, Shi Hao—though innocent—still reaped the reward.
It's complicated.
The elders were greedy. If they hadn't tried to hoard the Pixiu essence for themselves, they might've survived. Blame greed. Blame fate.
Opportunities always come with risk. Every great chance is a gamble. And when you lose… you pay in blood.
"Hm. Saint Child, there's something I'm not sure how to say…" Xia Youyu hesitated.
The moment someone says that, you know they're going to say it anyway.
Shi Yi's mouth twitched slightly. He sighed inwardly and nodded. "Don't hold back. Speak your mind."
Xia Youyu bowed her head.
"To be honest, sometimes we senior disciples feel ashamed in front of Junior Brother Shi Hao. He's the one putting in the work, yet we're the ones benefiting by following him."
Her voice carried a tinge of guilt. At first, it was understandable—they weren't strong enough to help much. But during the battle with the Nine-Headed Golden Lion, they had been completely useless. They couldn't interfere, couldn't support, couldn't even serve as distractions.
If they'd jumped in, they would've just dragged Shi Hao down. Their presence would've been a liability, forcing him to fight while protecting them. It would've done more harm than good.
"You're all disciples of the same sect. No need to overthink it," Shi Yi said. "Besides, if you're going to put it that way, then I must've lost face by bringing along a female ferocious beast as a freeloader."
He cracked a light-hearted smile.
"You're right, Saint Child," Xia Youyu nodded, relaxing slightly.
Just then, Yun Xi opened her eyes. She shot a glare at Shi Yi before turning to Xia Youyu with a slight pout.
"I'm not freeloading," she said with quiet indignation. "I know where the Undying Divine Spring is."
She was clearly miffed. Shi Yi's joke had touched a nerve. If he didn't smooth things over soon, she was going to be really angry.
"The Undying Divine Spring? You know where it is?" Xia Youyu's eyes went wide.
Her reaction wasn't an overstatement.
After all, that was their mission—find the Undying Divine Spring. The Pavilion had ordered them to recover everything—the waters, the soil around it, even the surrounding sand—anything touched by its life-giving essence.
Because the Pavilion's sacrificial spirit, the ancient guardian of their sect, was fading. If they couldn't prolong its life with the spring's vitality, then it wouldn't be long before enemies circled like vultures, seeking to take their inheritance.
The Undying Divine Spring. Source of life. Fountain of revival.
"I said I know. Is that a problem?" Yun Xi asked, frowning, as if confused by their shock.
"No—no problem at all," Xia Youyu stammered, chest rising and falling with excitement. She hadn't expected this tiny, temperamental beast-girl to be the bearer of such monumental news.
And when the others heard?
Word spread fast through the Heaven Mending Pavilion group.
Even Shi Hao could barely contain himself. He was dancing in place, grinning like a wild ape, practically vibrating with joy.