Chapter 372: Zuo Qiu: Young Master, about that reward you mentioned earlier… is it ready yet?
“The Divine Monarch’s people are definitely after that finger.”
Bai Feng’s mind flashed back to the moment he swung open the door and saw that soul-shattering scene. He figured those demon path cultivators, plus the demonic crystals inside their bodies, must have been nourishment sent by the Divine Monarch.
If they really let those demons into the valley and fed that finger a hearty meal, he probably wouldn’t be able to k*ll the finger even with the Extermination Sword Array and Tian Yan Sword. Talk about a tough snack.
“Young Master, what should we do with these folks?” Zuo Qiu, ever so eager to try her hand, asked with a glint in her eye.
“Just wipe them out,” Bai Feng waved dismissively. “Make it quick; we got other things to do.”
“Understood!”
Zuo Qiu nodded sharply, then spun around to face the demon cultivators still circling inside the array.
Perfect timing—her mood was pretty foul right now, so a little venting wouldn’t hurt.
Less than a minute later, she strode out of the array, leaving nothing behind but a handful of demon ashes.
“Feeling better now?” Bai Feng grinned beside her.
“Uh…” Zuo Qiu lowered her head, a bit sheepish—did she really show that much of her mood? And honestly, her methods had been pretty brutal. Maybe she should tone it down a notch? What if the master thinks she’s too vicious and starts to distrust her?
Bai Feng seemed to catch her thoughts and chuckled. “Don’t fuss over it. You’re not deliberately torturing them, and being fierce to enemies isn’t a bad thing. Just do what you’re comfortable with.”
“Oh…” Zuo Qiu still looked a bit conflicted, so Bai Feng switched to a more serious, commanding tone, locking eyes with her. “This is an order from the master.”
“Yes, Master!” she snapped to attention, face brimming with resolve.
‘…Zuo Qiu really doesn’t like hearing compliments, huh?’ Bai Feng silently thought. Every time he tried to butter her up, it was easier just to give a tough command.
“Alright, let’s go,” he announced, pulling out a map and choosing a spot based on a certain pattern—probably some hidden treasure waiting to be found.
—
On the road, Zuo Qiu looked at Bai Feng, hesitating.
Suddenly, Bai Feng spun around and said, “Spill it already—don’t make me guess what you’re thinking.”
“Y-Yes…” Zuo Qiu nodded, then subtly shifted her gaze, whispering, “So, Young Master, about that reward you promised… are those spirit tools ready?”
“Probably… roughly.” Actually, he fabricated those spirit-devices days ago, with beast ears and tails, initially resisted making them, but once he started, he got super motivated—adding many functions and details.
By the time he snapped out of his groove, the beast ear and tail weren’t exactly suitable for gifting. He’d planned to make another set, but the secret realm disaster interrupted him. Now, all he had was the bizarrely modified, somewhat defective spirit tools.
Seeing Zuo Qiu’s eager eyes, Bai Feng coughed. “Eh, they’re a bit imperfect. I’ll improve them and give them to you later.”
“No need! As long as the main functions work!” Zuo Qiu shook her head, all fired up. “Young Master, can I see them?”
“Hmm… just look,” Bai Feng agreed. He’d added quite a few features, but as long as he didn’t activate those, they still looked normal.
He took the spirit tools out of his storage ring—the ears weren’t hanging loppy but wolf-like, sharp and pointy, similar to Husky ears. The tail was fluffy, soft to the touch, and with Little Jiu’s data, it promised to give its user maximum tail-rubbing pleasure.
“So awesome!” Zuo Qiu’s eyes lit up as she stared at the spirit tools. “Young Master, can I touch?”
“Go ahead.”
When she got approval, Zuo Qiu eagerly reached out and stroked the ears, practically itching to wear them right then and there.
“Oh, Young Master, this looks pretty good. Where’s the flaw?”
“Just some logical issues—stuff you wouldn’t understand,” Bai Feng quick-wittedly covered.
Watching her fascinated gaze, he became curious. “By the way, what made you think of making these?”
Zuo Qiu, embarrassed, put down the ears and rubbed her cheeks. “Because I’m your good little dog…”
“…”
Alright, enough of that. Bai Feng sighed—he’d resigned himself to the fact that Zuo Qiu probably wouldn’t turn back into a normal human.
“Young Master, can I try wearing them?” she asked again.
He hesitated, then nodded. “Sure, see if they fit.”
The toy spirit tools looked unactivated, so they didn’t seem too strange. Soon, Zuo Qiu had the ears on her head, but when it came to attaching the tail, she hesitated—how the heck was she supposed to put it on? Let it just hang? Tie it up?
Wait, it’s a spirit device—should just injecting spirit energy work?
Thinking that, she reached out, giving the tail a bit of her spiritual power.
“Wait! Don’t randomly inject spirit energy!” Bai Feng yelled, trying to snatch it back.
But it was too late. The tail’s tip slowly protruded a round thing as she poured her spirit. Zuo Qiu looked up at Bai Feng, whose face stayed calm—yet her cheeks flushed with a hint of red, a little eager.
She murmured softly, “Um… Master, this tail might be better used at night, right?”
During the day, wearing this tail was a bit too stimulating for her.
“……”
—
Later, after all their effort, they finally got inside the secret realm. “Let’s see what treasures are buried inside!” the scattered cultivators, dressed as lone adventurers, said, all with signs of a hard-fought battle.
They cleared away some dirt at the entrance and pushed the door open.
Inside was empty, with many items toppled over, as if a fierce battle once raged here long ago.
This made everyone furrow their brows—after paying such a hefty price to explore, finding nothing would be a total letdown.
“Looks like there’s a room over there.”
“Open it quick!”
“Why’s there only a finger inside?”
“d*mn, all that effort for a finger?!”
As they cursed, one of them suddenly remembered something and said, “Wait—this secret realm probably hasn’t had visitors in ages. How come this finger is still perfectly intact, preserved all this time?”
