Days passed steadily in cultivation, helping with chores, and occasionally gazing at the mist-shrouded forbidden area. Xiao Qi's cultivation steadily solidified at the second level of Qi Refining, and his control over spiritual power grew increasingly refined through continuous kitchen "practice." His "vegetable-fruit friendship" with the rabbit spirit had become a habit; every morning, he would always find traces of the food left the previous night being enjoyed in a corner of the kitchen, occasionally with a few more shiny, useless pebbles added.
That evening, the sunset dyed the horizon orange-red. Xiao Qi had just finished his evening class and was preparing to go to the kitchen to enjoy his belated dinner. Just as he reached the gravel path connecting the servants' courtyard and the kitchen, a white figure shot out from the nearby bushes like an arrow, precisely blocking his path.
Unexpectedly, it was indeed that rabbit spirit! Its small, delicate figure stood quietly not far away, as if waiting for something. Sunlight fell on its snow-white fur, reflecting a faint golden glow, making it look like a celestial being.
However, compared to its usual alert yet somewhat leisurely demeanor, it now displayed an entirely different side. It seemed to have lost its usual composure, becoming unusually anxious and restless. It stood upright like a person, its two long ears tightly stretched straight, constantly rotating back and forth, as if alert to all movements around it. In those ruby-like eyes, which should have been alert and lively, there was now an obvious urgency, as if something important made it burn with anxiety.
Even more surprising, within that urgent gaze, there seemed to be a trace of indescribable... plea? This hint of plea made its eyes even softer, as if telling people something. Instead of keeping its distance as usual, it actively approached Xiao Qi's feet, using its furry head to continuously, gently bump against Xiao Qi's calf, emitting rapid "whimpering" sounds, then carefully used its teeth to grab Xiao Qi's somewhat worn gray pant leg, forcefully pulling toward the back mountain.
Xiao Qi was baffled by its sudden action. "Hey, what's wrong with you?" He crouched down, trying to comfort this clearly abnormal rabbit spirit.
Seeing him stop, the rabbit spirit grew even more anxious, released the pant leg, stood up on its hind legs, and continuously gestured toward the back mountain with its front paws, then looked back at Xiao Qi, its red eyes watery, as if about to cry any second. It grabbed the pant leg again, pulling even harder, with such force that Xiao Qi almost lost his balance.
Xiao Qi's heart filled with doubt and unease. He looked at this rabbit spirit before him; its usually clever eyes now revealed an unprecedented panic. Xiao Qi couldn't help but ponder—this rabbit spirit had always been smart and clever, knowing how to maintain an appropriate distance from people, yet now it was so distraught; this was truly abnormal.
Xiao Qi thought to himself—the rabbit spirit was so anxious that it even broke the usual "safe distance" to actively contact him; there must be some reason. It must have encountered something extremely urgent, and this matter might be very troublesome, forcing it to set aside its usual caution and reserve to seek his help.
Go? Or not go? Xiao Qi hesitated.
The back mountain wasn't entirely safe; the deeper one went, the more likely one was to encounter demonic beasts or unknown dangers. His cultivation was low, barely enough for self-protection; if he rashly followed a spirit creature deep inside, the consequences would be hard to predict. Moreover, could this be some kind of trap? Although he had established preliminary trust with the rabbit spirit, he still understood the principle that "different races must have different hearts."
He looked into the rabbit spirit's eyes, filled with human-like anxiety and plea, pure without a trace of impurity, only pure appeal. Recalling these past months—although it had stolen spirit plants, it also understood "compensation," quietly enjoying the food he left each day, occasionally leaving some useless "gifts" in return, maintaining a tacit, tranquil understanding between them. It seemed... not an evil creature.
Seeing Xiao Qi hesitate, the rabbit spirit anxiously spun in place, emitting even more mournful whimpers, once again forcefully pulling his pant leg.
Enough! Xiao Qi gritted his teeth, thinking to himself. If this rabbit spirit truly wanted to harm him, it certainly had countless opportunities to do so, with no need to go through such trouble to set up this scheme. Yet, this rabbit spirit before him appeared so panicked, as if facing a huge trouble. As Xiao Qi thought of this, he couldn't help but feel compassion for this rabbit spirit. After all, this rabbit spirit had given him many benefits—not only gifting him precious "Dew-Gathering Grass," but often accompanying him, relieving his boredom. Now that the rabbit spirit was in trouble, emotionally and rationally, he truly couldn't sit idly by.
"Alright, alright, stop pulling—I'll go with you," Xiao Qi whispered, gently patting the rabbit spirit's head.
The rabbit spirit seemed to understand human speech, immediately releasing the pant leg, a flash of relief appearing in its red eyes. Without further delay, it turned and dashed toward the path leading to the back mountain, extremely fast, yet periodically stopping to look back, ensuring Xiao Qi followed.
Xiao Qi took a deep breath, clenched his fists, felt the faint thread of spiritual power within his body, and subconsciously touched the warm jade pendant on his chest, feeling slightly reassured. Without further hesitation, he stepped forward, closely following that white figure, treading into the increasingly dense forest of the back mountain under the afterglow of the sunset.
The gravel path soon reached its end; ahead lay denser primeval jungle. The rabbit spirit seemed extremely familiar with the route, nimbly weaving between ancient trees with tangled roots and entwining vines, specifically choosing areas where vegetation was relatively sparse, barely allowing passage.
Xiao Qi had to concentrate, employing the "Swimming Fish Steps" taught by Senior Sister Liu Yun, to barely keep up with its speed.
The deeper they went, the darker the light grew. The air filled with the scent of damp soil and decaying leaves, occasionally punctuated by the rustling of unknown insects and distant, faint roars of beasts, adding to the tense atmosphere.
Xiao Qi's heart gradually rose. He didn't know where the rabbit spirit was leading him, nor what awaited ahead. But looking at that white figure faintly visible yet never far away in the dim forest, a peculiar sense of trust supported him, continuing deeper into this mountainous forest that, for a second-level Qi Refining disciple, was already considered dangerous territory.
This time, he wasn't gazing from afar out of curiosity, but truly, following a pleading spirit creature, stepping into the unknown lands of Qingxu Temple's back mountain.