A nearly extinct spiritual beast that had lived for who knew how many years just vanished.
It was like a whale fall returning nutrients to the sea.
The spiritual cat also repaid the world.
In that instant, the surrounding flowers, plants, and trees became a bit more colorful. Weeds grew wildly, and trees shot up.
Such a beautiful and miraculous sight inexplicably made people feel sad.
Niannian felt a bit sad.
Normally, the lifespan of a spiritual beast could reach ten thousand years. Most of them were solitary and unique, precious treasures bestowed by the world upon the earth.
If there were no external factors, the spiritual cat shouldn't have died so early.
"Who is this Yang Bei you mentioned?" Shen Weixun frowned and carefully recalled what Xiaxia had said before.
When the ghost Xiaxia had called for help before, the three of them had been in a hurry. They had kept hearing this name but hadn't had the chance to ask.
"He's the man I've been following. He's Yang Bei!"
When mentioning this person, Xiaxia's emotions were obviously very agitated. It seemed like she was about to lose control at any moment.
Niannian frowned, stomped her foot, and recited the Heart - Clearing Spell with a hand seal, which finally made Xiaxia regain her senses.
"Sorry, I almost lost control."
"It's okay, big sister. Do you know why he captured your spiritual beast? I clearly saw that he was an ordinary person. How could he recognize a spiritual beast?" Niannian shook her head slightly. It was just a small incident. Moreover, the ghost sister hadn't done it on purpose.
When dealing with kind - hearted lives, whether they were ghosts, demons, or humans, Niannian was always very patient.
"It's all my fault... This whole thing is my fault..." Xiaxia suddenly started sobbing.
She intermittently told the whole story.
It was just like the fable of the farmer and the snake.
Xiaxia's parents had died early, and she had only her elder brother to depend on.
The two of them lived in a valley, isolated from the world. They only went out occasionally when they needed to buy things.
Most of the time, it was her elder brother who went up the mountain to gather herbs or went out to buy things.
Since Xiaxia was a child, the spiritual cat had always accompanied her. Because her elder brother was busy making a living, he couldn't take care of her in every detail.
So most of the time, it was the spiritual cat that accompanied and took care of her as she grew up.
The relationship between Xiaxia and the spiritual cat was very close. The spiritual cat had guarded Xiaxia's family for several generations. It was like an ancestor and was very important to both her and her brother.
One day, her brother brought back a man from outside.
Xiaxia knew that the ancestor was a special being and couldn't be easily exposed to outsiders. When the spiritual cat came home, she blocked its way.
"Brother dragged back an injured and unconscious man from somewhere. Before he wakes up, you go hide in the back mountain first. Come find me when I go gathering herbs tomorrow!"
Hearing that there was a stranger in the house, Lei curiously peeked into the house a few times. Through the candlelight, it could only vaguely see Xiaxia bustling inside.
"Send that man away as soon as he wakes up. I'll go to the back mountain first and come find you tomorrow."
"Xiaxia, isn't the water ready yet?" Xiaji's voice came from inside.
"Brother is urging me. I'm going in first."
After saying that, Xiaxia carried the water basin into the room, and Lei turned around and ran towards the back mountain.
At noon the next day, Lei quickly found Xiaxia. The human and the beast played by the mountain spring pond for a while. After they got tired, they lay on the grass and stared blankly at the sky.
"Is that man awake?" Lei asked.
"He's awake, but he still can't walk. I don't like that man. I don't even want to go home."
Xiaxia turned over and pouted to show her dissatisfaction.
"What did he do?"
Lei asked curiously. There were only Xiaxia and her brother in the valley. When she was a child, she had always wanted someone to play with her. How come she didn't feel happy but instead disliked this stranger when she finally met one?
"He didn't really do anything. He's just really annoying. He's not as good - looking as my brother, and he always asks a lot of questions."
Xiaxia didn't know why she disliked this man. Her instinct told her that this man shouldn't be approached.
"He said his name is Yang Bei, and he came on a trip with his friends and accidentally fell into the valley. Oh, right. He also said that he saw a tiger with human hair flash in front of him last night. Did he see you?"
Xiaxia tapped her head. She had wanted to tell the big cat about this yesterday but had forgotten all about it because she was too busy playing.
Lei didn't answer. It squinted its eyes and carefully recalled.
It had gone for a stroll in the back mountain yesterday and had seen a person.
But that person was dead.
The body was right next to the water pool, badly injured, as if it had fallen into the valley while climbing.
But besides this body yesterday, it hadn't found a second stranger. If that man had really seen it, he couldn't have been too far away.
The eyesight and sense of smell of feline spiritual beasts far exceeded those of other spirits. No one could escape its notice within a hundred meters of where it went.
So this man must be lying.
Spiritual beasts that had achieved sentience couldn't be very stupid.
Lei always felt that this man had ill intentions. It warned, "Don't talk to him during this time. Ignore whatever he asks. Remind Xiaji not to talk carelessly either."
Xiaxia didn't quite understand what the spiritual cat meant, but she still had to listen to the words of the ancestor. Besides, she really disliked that man named Yang Bei, so she quickly agreed.
After returning home, Xiaxia conveyed the spiritual cat's meaning to her brother.
Her brother was a bit slow - witted and most respected the ancestor.
Hearing that Lei disliked this man, he only hesitated for a moment and then decided to let the man recover for one more week and then not keep him anymore.
He was determined to drive the man out.
A week later, Yang Bei's injury had almost healed. He just walked with a limp, but he could still manage to walk out of the valley with some effort.
But he insisted on staying for one more night. Xiaxia's brother was a kind - hearted man and didn't object too much and just agreed.
In the middle of the night that day.
Suddenly, a violent storm hit the valley. The rain came menacingly, as if it was going to destroy everything.
Xiaxia was awakened by a loud thunderclap. She subconsciously looked out of the window. Lei was pacing outside the yard, still guarding the siblings.
"Big cat, come into the house quickly."
Xiaxia pushed open the door and saw Lei's shadow. The strong wind almost blew her over. In such a dangerous weather, she definitely couldn't let the big cat stay alone in the wild.
Lei leaped into the room. Xiaxia quickly closed the door and propped it up with a wooden pole to prevent it from being blown open by the wind. Lei shook its body to shake off the rainwater. Xiaxia, who was splashed in the face with water, giggled.
But in the darkness where no one noticed.
Neither the spiritual beast nor the human noticed Yang Bei, who had been silently standing under the eaves.
He had witnessed the whole process from Lei's appearance to it entering the room.
The corners of Yang Bei's mouth turned up, and a calculating glint flashed in his eyes. The lightning suddenly illuminated his face, making him look a bit sinister and terrifying.
The heavy rain didn't stop until the next morning. The raindrops dripped down the eaves. After being washed all night, the whole valley in the mountains looked even more beautiful. Xiaji stood with his hands on his hips, frowning at the shed that had been blown off by the strong wind.
"Brother, what's wrong?"
Xiaxia, who had just woken up, was still a bit dazed. Seeing Xiaji standing outside in a daze, she asked.