In the Nine-Colored Valley, the dense energy of heaven and earth coalesced into a misty haze.
Gu He appeared beside the cold pool, holding Qing Lin in his arms.
"Cai'er, come here."
After setting Qing Lin down, Gu He beckoned to Cai'er, who had been playing near the cold pool.
"Yaah! Aah!"
Cai'er seemed thrilled to see Gu He. The moment he spoke, the little creature fluttered her wings and darted to his side, circling around him excitedly.
Gu He chuckled, playing with her for a moment before retrieving a jade vial from his ring to collect the day's Longevity Pearl.
Once finished, he handed a ring to Qing Lin and said, "Qing Lin, this contains the spiritual liquid I prepared for you, along with many jade vials. After I leave, you'll take over my task of collecting a single drop of these green pearls from Cai'er every day. Understood?"
The Longevity Pearl was incredibly precious, and since Cai'er could only produce one per day, Gu He didn't want to waste them. With his departure, this duty would fall to Qing Lin.
Hearing this, Qing Lin obediently took the jade vial and nodded. "Yes, I understand."
She then turned to Cai'er and greeted her in a sweet voice, "Cai'er, long time no see!"
"Yaah! Aah!"
Cai'er buzzed her wings and flitted over to Qing Lin, chirping happily.
Over the past two months, Gu He had often brought Qing Lin here to train. After several interactions, the two—one a young girl, the other a tiny winged spirit—had grown quite close.
Qing Lin extended her hand, and Cai'er joyfully landed in her palm, bouncing gleefully. A smile bloomed on Qing Lin's delicate face, momentarily making her forget that her teacher and senior sister were about to leave.
Seeing the girl's happiness, a trace of relief flickered in Gu He's eyes.
'With Cai'er by her side, Qing Lin shouldn't feel too lonely.'
After letting the two play for a while, Gu He continued his instructions.
"Qing Lin, there's a cave over there where I've raised some… special insects. From now on, you'll need to lure in wild beasts to feed them every week."
He pointed toward the cave where the Bloodthirsty Poisonous Cicadas were kept.
For these creatures to mature, they required a steady diet of flesh and blood. Since he was leaving, this responsibility now fell to Qing Lin.
Gu He then carefully explained several other tasks—tending to the medicinal garden, receiving the sixth-grade medicinal pills delivered by Hai Bodong, and so on.
Once everything was settled, he turned to Cai'er and said, "Cai'er, after I leave, you must protect Qing Lin. Don't let her get hurt."
With Cai'er's spiritual realm soul power, she could easily monitor the entire Misty Cloud Sect. Protecting Qing Lin would be effortless for her.
"Yaah! Aah!"
"Friend!"
"Protect!"
The little creature babbled in her childish voice, nodding vigorously.
Gu He smiled. "Yes, Qing Lin is your good friend. You must take good care of her."
He then turned back to Qing Lin and spoke softly, "From now on, you can stay here and focus on cultivating the Heavenly Snake Art. Train your Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils—with time, you'll catch up to your senior sisters."
"If you ever feel lonely, you can return to the courtyard for a while."
With Cai'er's protection, Qing Lin could move freely through the mountains behind the Misty Cloud Sect.
Moreover, she still had two powerful tamed beasts at her disposal. Even if she encountered a Dou Wang elder from the sect, she wouldn't be helpless.
"Alright, it's time for me to go. Practice well."
"Teacher…"
The moment Gu He mentioned his departure, Qing Lin's face paled. Her eyes shimmered with tears, brimming with reluctance.
Gu He gently patted her head. "Qing Lin, you must learn to be strong. I'll only be gone for a short while."
She nodded heavily, forcing back her tears. "I'll be obedient… Please come back soon…"
With a final nod, Gu He vanished in an instant.
"Teacher…?"
"Teacher!"
Panicked, Qing Lin spun around, searching for him. But when she realized he was truly gone, her tears spilled over, her small frame trembling with sorrow.
The weight of loneliness crashed over her, and she stood frozen, silent sobs wracking her body.
"Yaah! Aah!"
Cai'er fluttered in front of her, chirping as if to console her.
Slowly, Qing Lin's dull gaze regained some life. She cupped Cai'er in her hands and whispered, "Cai'er… Senior Sister is gone. Teacher is gone too… Only you're left with me now…"
"Sigh…"
Deep within the mist, Gu He exhaled softly. Seeing that Qing Lin had steadied herself, he withdrew his extended soul power.
"All little girls must grow up someday…"
Shaking off the melancholy, he focused and summoned his four contracted beasts.
Soon, four figures appeared before him—the Golden Feather Giant Eagle, the Scarlet Flame Demon Python, the Void Beast, and the Black-Scaled Cold Python.
During their time in Nine-Colored Valley, their strength had improved dramatically.
The Golden Feather Giant Eagle had now reached the seventh rank, equivalent to a three-star Dou Ancestor.
The Scarlet Flame Demon Python and the Void Beast had both advanced to the late seventh rank, comparable to a peak nine-star Dou Ancestor.
Thanks to its spatial abilities, the Void Beast could even evade ordinary Dou Venerable-level opponents.
The strongest among them was the Black-Scaled Cold Python, an eighth-rank magical beast.
Evolved from the Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Blue Serpent, the Black-Scaled Cold Python was a pure-blooded eighth-rank creature.
With enough energy, it could reach the peak of the eighth rank—but breaking through to the ninth rank would be impossible without a supreme heavenly treasure to elevate its bloodline.
"All of you, assume human form."
…
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