Chapter 114: Dog, You've Been Tricked (Including Extra Chapter)

Outside the grand entrance of the Xuanyuan Tower, in the small plaza, Ning Qi and Xie Wu had long been waiting for the three siblings. As soon as they saw them, Ning Qi waved enthusiastically. "You finally arrived! We've been waiting for you for so long."

"Still early morning now. Unless you came in the middle of the night, there's no way you waited that long," Qing Jin teased with a sharp tongue.

"Don't listen to Kunlun's nonsense. We only just got here ourselves," Xie Wu said with a smile, gently exposing Ning Qi’s old habit.

"Senior Sister, whose side are you really on?" Ning Qi feigned a sorrowful expression.

Xie Wu looked at him and replied, "Sister Xie, you look even more beautiful today," Qing Hu praised sincerely. Indeed, Xie Wu wore a deep, rich purple outfit, appearing both radiant and noble, with none of the coquettish charm she had shown that day. She seemed like a completely different person.

"What can I do? Our sect always has traitors, so we have to be cautious ourselves to avoid being mistaken for them," Xie Wu said with a helpless expression. She despised being confused with Zhang Lihua, though their cultivation methods were similar, naturally bestowing an enchanting beauty effect.

That was why she and Zhang Lihua looked so alike in temperament.

Qing Jin and the others burst into laughter at this.

"Senior Sister Xie, how can you look so different dressing that way?" Qing Hu asked curiously.

"The difference lies in temperament. Zhang Lihua from the Dao Sect likes to appear fragile and pitiful. To distinguish myself from her, I have to act strong and dignified — that suits me better. Look at this outfit; don’t I carry the air of a Dao Sect noble?" Xie Wu explained.

"What exactly is a Dao Sect noble?" Qing Hu inquired.

"A Dao Sect noble refers to the daughters of prominent elders and high-ranking officials within the sect’s various temples and the main mountain gate. Each of these young ladies is like a princess of a small tribe — naturally noble. Oh, by the way, Ruan Qingwu is also a Dao Sect noble. Her grandfather is the Lord of Mount Baijing," Xie Wu said with a smile, pointing at Ruan Qingwu.

Ruan Qingwu smiled demurely, lips pursed: "I'm the real noble—just look at my style!"

"Princess Ruan, very good, very good. You’ve made a fine friend," Qing Hu said cheerfully to Ruan Qingwu.

Ruan Qingwu coquettishly rolled her eyes. "Who said we’re friends?"

"Then there’s no Blue Beauty Clams for you anymore," Qing Hu pouted arrogantly.

"Oh, you’re so unkind! I’m just teasing you. Aren’t we best friends?" Ruan Qingwu quickly cajoled, unwilling to let go of the Blue Beauty Clams.

"Hmph," Qing Hu ignored her.

"Don’t be mad, don’t be mad. Next time I see you, I’ll brew a batch of even higher quality Tortoise Essence Pills — a thousand at a time, how’s that?" Ruan Qingwu pleaded.

Xie Wu watched the exchange, stunned.

Since when did these Dao Sect nobles have to flatter others? And did she just hear those two girls mention Blue Beauty Clams? That was a precious resource for refining and strengthening one’s foundation.

"Shen Qinghu?" At that moment, a snake-eyed youth ran out from the crowd.

"How do you know my name?" Qing Hu was about to stop responding to Ruan Qingwu’s teasing and turned to the snake-eyed youth.

"I investigated you. I even know where your family lives now. Here, take this when you enter the Xuanyuan Tower. I’ll find you then." The snake-eyed youth handed Qing Hu a smooth, pale green jade sphere.

"Why are you looking for me?" Qing Hu asked suspiciously.

"Of course, I’m here to dig for treasures. The test in the Xuanyuan Tower is basically treasure hunting. The first floor is the largest, filled with many spirit caves. Digging to a certain level lets you enter the corresponding floor. When re-entering, you choose one reward, then proceed to the inner secret realm to continue digging and pass the test. Usually, the spirit caves discovered only grant tokens to enter the second floor," the snake-eyed youth explained.

"What if someone is really skilled at finding spirit caves? Could they keep digging forever?" Qing Hu asked, astonished.

"Impossible. The spirit caves have protective barriers; not everyone can enter. If you stay on one floor for more than twelve hours without entering a spirit cave, the Xuanyuan Tower will consider you disqualified and teleport you out immediately. That's why many choose easier spirit caves to dig first. The spirit cave I mentioned is said by my clan brothers to have great treasures, but it’s hard to get within twelve hours. That’s why I came to you."

"Is that spirit cave underground?" Qing Hu asked.

"Yes."

"Then I’m confident. You’ve got good eyes," Qing Hu said.

"I knew you were the right person. I’ll find you once inside. My name is She Shiyilang," the snake-eyed youth said excitedly, almost jumping, but held back by the crowd.

This time, he expected an unprecedented haul.

After he left, Qing Jin couldn’t help but ask, "You’re going treasure hunting with him? Can you trust that guy?"

"If he tricks me, I’ll cook him up. Snake soup is delicious. That guy looks like he’d taste good," Qing Hu replied.

Qing Jin hesitated, "Isn’t that a bit harsh? He sees you as a treasure hunting partner, but you treat him like walking food reserves?"

"When I make snake soup, you can refuse to eat," Qing Hu rolled her eyes.

"Forget it, I’ll help you share it. You can’t eat such a big snake by yourself. It’d be a waste to throw away the rest," Qing Jin said with a righteous face.

"Thanks a lot," Qing Hu grumbled.

Xie Wu and Ruan Qingwu listened to the siblings’ conversation, their expressions strange and hearts pounding. They thought these two were naturally ferocious — all they ever thought about was how to eat those alien races.

Too ruthless, too frightening.

But were those alien races really so easy to catch?

Just then, another group of blue-scaled youths approached.

"Shen Qinghu?"

"My name’s really widespread if even you know it," Qing Hu asked.

"Haha, we went out of our way to find out. Here, take these fish scales. We'll need to find you once inside the Xuanyuan Tower. This is my brother Lan Yifang, and I’m Lan Yishui," the youth handing over the scales said.

"Your names are so fitting—Yifang Fengshui," Qing Hu joked.

"We do have another brother named Lan Yifeng, but he didn’t come this time. He was here last time," Lan Yishui explained.

Qing Hu was speechless — she hadn’t expected their family to truly name their brothers like that.

"What do you want from me? Treasure hunting too?" Qing Hu asked.

"Someone’s already come for you?" Lan Yishui was surprised.

"Yes, She Shiyilang has," Qing Hu replied.

"She Shiyilang, that snake guy," Lan Yishui gritted his teeth. "He’s so arrogant, I always hold back from beating him up."

"Better keep holding back. You can’t beat him. If you rush in, you’ll just get beaten," Qing Hu said. Maybe even eaten.

Lan Yifang burst out laughing. "I told him he couldn’t beat anyone, but he wouldn’t believe it. Now you say it, maybe he’ll listen."

Lan Yishui was annoyed, glaring at his brother.

"Once inside the Xuanyuan Tower, we’ll come find you first. Don’t go with that guy," Lan Yishui warned Qing Hu.

***

"I really am adorable — wherever I go, people like me," Qing Hu said.

The blue-scaled youths who came with Lan Yishui burst into laughter.

"Isn’t that right?" Qing Hu asked them.

"Absolutely," Lan Yishui said.

The others nodded quickly under Lan Yishui’s stern gaze.

Qing Jin and Qing Hu exchanged glances — what to do if their little sister is so popular among the aliens?

Qing Hu even secretly transmitted to her brother, "That blue carp won’t be interested in my Qing Xiao Hu, right?"

Qing Jin calmly replied, "Don’t worry. Qing Hu might be interested in eating fish, but definitely won’t like a carp."

Qing Hu thought over it and found that to be true.

"Shen Qinghu, don’t worry, we’ll help you dig up plenty of treasures. Your snake dragon essence blood..."

"Depends on your performance. I won’t give it away for free," Qing Hu waved her hand with the air of a big leader.

"Fine, watch this," Lan Yishui bit his lip and promised. He seemed truly determined.

After sending them off, Ruan Qingwu immediately warned Qing Hu, "Those aliens are too enthusiastic about you. Be careful they don’t forcibly marry you."

"That wouldn’t be bad. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about what to eat," Qing Hu said.

"Ah?" Ruan Qingwu was puzzled.

"My sister means that if I went to the snake clan, I’d have snake soup every day. If I went to the blue carp clan, I’d have various carp dishes—braised, steamed, spicy, pickled—never the same twice," Qing Jin interpreted.

Ruan Qingwu was speechless.

"Ruan Qingwu worries you’ll be cheated and lose a lifetime of happiness. I didn’t expect you two to be thinking about eating her entire clan," Xie Wu laughed heartily.

"As long as it’s not the zombie or skeleton clans, those with no food or drink," Qing Jin replied for his sister again.

Ruan Qingwu felt defeated. This family’s way of thinking was just not normal.

"We’ll be teleported to different secret realms on the first floor of the Xuanyuan Tower. I’ve made jade tokens. As long as any of us is nearby, the tokens light up. Everyone take one. This way, even if we get separated, we can regroup easily," Ning Qi handed out the white jade tokens he crafted.

Qing Hu looked at the jade sphere, the fish scale, and the jade token in her hands.

"Oh dear, being this popular isn’t always good. Look at me, I haven’t even entered the Xuanyuan Tower and I’ve already received so many gifts," she said like a boastful young lady.

Everyone was amused by her.

"You’re asking for trouble," Qing Jin said, patting his sister’s head.

"You didn’t get any gifts, you’re jealous," Qing Hu said angrily.

"What gifts? They’re just communication tokens," Qing Jin rolled his eyes.

"You don’t have any either," Qing Hu retorted.

"But I at least got a jade token. What do you mean I don’t?" Qing Jin protested.

"Enough, prepare yourselves. We’re going in," Qing Jin quickly separated the quarrelling Qing Hu and Qing Jin. "Be alert once inside. People entering the Xuanyuan Tower come from all kinds of places, who knows which alien clan, what strange habits they have, or if they’re good or bad. Be cautious. Even among humans, caution is necessary. Often, those of the same kind are the most dangerous."

Qing Jin and Qing Hu nodded together.

Seeing the crowd growing, they decided to enter quickly to avoid the crush.

***

Qing Hu flopped down onto the grass with a thump. "What kind of teleportation is this? So fast, so jerky, and unstable. I almost landed headfirst, like a somersault."

Looking around, it was all grass.

She didn’t know where she was. The grass was too tall — each stalk taller than Qing Hu herself.

Was this bullying her for being short?

Once she regained her true stature—ten thousand zhang tall—who would dare look down on her height again?

Grass, pfft.

Actually, the wild grass was innocent; it just grew so tall because Qing Hu was just small.

With the grass growing so high, Qing Hu could only wander near the roots and beneath the leaves, weaving around one huge root after another. She couldn’t tell direction here.

She wished someone would come and point her way.

She felt she was worse off than the little partridges that lived in the grass; at least those knew their way around.

Speaking of partridges, Qing Hu spotted a small group of tiny green-tailed chickens, each about the size of a quail. A mother hen led a brood of chicks, while a rooster strutted around like a guard.

Qing Hu summoned them with a gesture — gravity binding.

The entire flock froze in place, as if stunned.

She hurried over, scooped up all the chickens, and stuffed them into her small shell. She had enlarged the earthen platform inside it. Since she used the power of the Earth Marrow Pearl rather than her own energy, she could immobilize a whole flock at once.

The Earth Marrow Pearl was truly useful. Without it, she could barely handle a single family of chickens, let alone immobilize a whole group.

She realized she needed to stock up more Earth Marrow Pearls. The Nine-Character Spirit-Calming Stele she had raised could both gather divine power and convert Earth Marrow Pearls. She would collect more from the stone stele later.

The wild chickens squawked wildly, terrified.

Even the little insect babies dared not peek out.

They were scared stiff — a group of chicken-eaters had come, planning to make them their meal.

After securing the chickens, Qing Hu explored further.

She found a vast patch of fragrant oil flowers—a ninth-grade spirit treasure. Strange that so many grew here.

The area covered at least ten acres.

Qing Hu scraped the patch up and stored it in her small shell, growing the earthen platform again.

After digging a large pit, she felt a little guilty and filled it with water and some small fish and shrimp she had gathered from a sea area. They weren’t ordinary specimens, so this was compensation for taking the chickens and oil flowers.

As for whether they lived or died... she didn’t concern herself.

Done with that, Qing Hu brushed the dust off her hands and moved on.

Unaware to her, as she left, the small sea area with its fish and shrimp was relocated. The pit was refilled with soil, wild grass grew anew, and the chickens were released into the grass roots to forage on their own.

Nearby, another type of mushroom spirit treasure appeared among the grass roots, seemingly awaiting the next harvester.

***

Howling! Qing Hu pricked up her ears and immediately heard several wolf pups crying.

Finally, something big.

She rushed toward the wolves’ howling.

Nearby, seven or eight young werewolf boys surrounded two small girls with cat ears. The two tried multiple times to escape but were always caught. Their attempts to break through the encirclement failed. The wolves worked in perfect coordination, chasing the girls until they were gasping for breath.

"Since I’ve found you, don’t even think of running," a black wolf youth stood at the edge of the circle, arrogantly watching the cat-eared girls. He was the black wolf young lord taken by a certain brocade-robed man that night.

Qing Hu took a closer look and without hesitation charged forward.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The black wolf youth howled miserably as he was beaten. He barely defended his vital parts. Despite being in late Foundation Establishment stage, if he were at the Qi Refining stage or early Foundation Establishment, he’d have been beaten to vomiting blood.

"Who? Why are you attacking our young lord?"

"Protect the young lord!"

The other seven wolves abandoned the cat girls and rushed at Qing Hu.

Qing Hu didn’t care; she fought one, two, as many as came. But while she was occupied, the beaten youth managed to escape. He scrambled out from under a bully girl’s grasp and was rescued by a wolf, trying to flee.

Suddenly, a voice behind them shouted, "If you dare escape, I won’t spare you."

The black wolf lord collapsed to the ground, ears drooping. Another wolf was confused and wanted to pull him away, but the black wolf lord shook his head. Why run? Ever since offending her, he had suffered misfortune for days, nearly choking on cold water.

As his uncle said, if he offended her again, he’d really be dead.

This black wolf lord didn’t run.

Qing Hu finished off the last wolf and approached him.

The two cat-eared girls had long run off while the wolves charged at Qing Hu, not even looking back to thank their savior.

Qing Hu’s impression of them immediately soured.

In contrast, the wolf pups who didn’t dare run looked much more agreeable.

"Why haven’t you changed your cultivation method?" Qing Hu stood before him, studying his face carefully.

"What cultivation method? Mine’s working fine. I barely started and already broke through Qi Refining to Foundation Establishment. And I’m progressing faster now in mid to late Foundation Establishment, currently at the seventh layer," he said.

"Are dogs just dumb? You got tricked and you still don’t realize it?" Qing Hu looked at him with pity.

"What? I was tricked?" The wolf was incredulous.

"I ask you, have you always had darker fur than the others? Can you see things others can’t? Especially, the sun and moon you see must look different from what others see," Qing Hu asked.

"How do you know that?"

"Black Dog, cough, among black wolves there’s a mutant called the Howling Moon Heavenly Wolf. You know about it, right?" Qing Hu asked.

"You... you understand nothing! We black dogs have no Howling Moon Heavenly Wolf blood. That belongs to the white wolves. We’re black wolves," the black wolf lord said, shaking his head.

"I’ve read secret records from a former temple leader. Black dogs are actually the most concentrated source of Howling Moon Heavenly Wolf blood. White dogs are mutated descendants of black dogs. The original Howling Moon Heavenly Wolf was black and shiny. Why have later Howling Moon Heavenly Wolves all become white dogs?" Qing Hu said.

"What?" The black wolf lord stiffened. "What did you say?"

"I said the Howling Moon Heavenly Wolf was originally black, and only under a special silver moon does it appear bathed in white light, looking white. Why have all later Howling Moon Heavenly Wolves been white?" Qing Hu continued.

Her words stunned the black wolf lord. "Really? Is that true?"

"Of course. Why would I lie?" Qing Hu smiled.

"Then why do all the later Howling Moon Heavenly Wolves come from the white wolf clan?" The black wolf lord angrily questioned. "The white wolves always say we’re not legitimate descendants, that our blood is inferior, that we should be their slaves and servants."

Qing Hu suddenly smacked his head.

"How dare you bare your teeth at me, dog?"

"..." The wolf was speechless, having forgotten she was the boss.

"You really need a lesson, little dog," Qing Hu said.

The black wolf lord, pale-faced and gloomy, looked at her timidly. "I’m sorry. Can you spare me?"

"Alright, but I won’t let you off for free," Qing Hu said.

"Then what must I do to be spared? I’ll go through fire and water," the wolf pleaded quietly.

"That’s acceptable," Qing Hu said. She had been wanting a guide all along. Now that someone had appeared, what better than a dog? He was hired as the guide.

"In the Xuanyuan Tower, you obey me. Then I’ll spare you," Qing Hu declared.

The gloomy dog thought: Isn't this just making me waste a trip to the Xuanyuan Tower?

Qing Hu narrowed her eyes. "What? Don’t like it?"

"No, no. I like it," the gloomy dog quickly replied loudly. Life is more important than anything; he could always come back in a few days.

Qing Hu nodded approvingly.

The dog hurriedly asked, "You said I was tricked. Why?"

"You really don’t know?" Qing Hu asked curiously.

"Know what?"

"Your Howling Moon Heavenly Wolf blood is strong. By your clan’s cultivation method, you should have awakened it years ago. Such a bloodline awakening could boost you directly to mid or late Foundation Establishment, or even Golden Core stage. But you were led to practice a dual cultivation method that severely suppressed your heavenly wolf blood, preventing awakening. That method was tampered with. As you absorb more feminine energy, it disrupts your heavenly wolf blood, shortening your lifespan and damaging your bloodline. Even after forty or fifty years, you might never awaken your bloodline. You’ve been practicing this dual cultivation method for over ten years, right?"

The dog looked despairingly at her, as if awaiting a final verdict.

———End of Extra Chapter———

More updates coming; please keep supporting with votes, hehe.

Le Wen