Chapter Sixteen
"Ah, little one, if only I had been more sensible back then, if I had patiently waited until Feng Yin completed her Nirvana Rebirth before asking for the Fire Phoenix Jade, she wouldn't have been harmed by me, her spiritual power devoured, her soul scattered across the Three Realms."
In the Forbidden Valley of Great Marsh Mountain, Gu Jin sighed with a sense of loss as he stroked the soft belly of the Water Condensation Beast, reminiscing about that scene in the ancient phoenix tree forest while holding the Drunken Jade Dew. Hanging from his waist was a fiery red stone—the very Fire Phoenix Jade that had turned into an ordinary red rock after scattering Feng Yin's soul and spiritual power.
The Water Condensation Beast had awakened that afternoon but pretended to be asleep for half a day. After listening to half the night's worth of sorrowful regrets and lamentations over past mistakes, it could no longer resist the alluring fragrance of the Drunken Jade Dew. At some point, it had rolled over and gently scratched Gu Jin's fingertip with its tiny, trembling paw.
That scratch made our Little Divine Lord freeze. Gu Jin hurriedly looked down and met a pair of clear, dark, and glistening eyes. The Water Condensation Beast crouched in his arms, its little paw clutching his finger as it gazed at him with adoration.
In less than a second, Gu Jin's heart melted into tenderness. He lifted the little beast to eye level, surprise flooding his eyes. "Ah, little one, you're finally awake?"
The Water Condensation Beast blinked its large, dark eyes and nodded softly. Then, its gaze slowly shifted from Gu Jin's face to the jade pot of Drunken Jade Dew on the stone table beside him.
Gu Jin suddenly understood and laughed. "Are you hungry?"
He quickly placed the Water Condensation Beast on his lap, poured a small sip of Drunken Jade Dew into his palm, and offered it to the little creature. The beast twitched its nose, took two wobbly steps on his leg, and leaned in to lick his palm.
The soft little tongue tapped against his palm, and as Gu Jin watched the contented, innocent expression on the Water Condensation Beast's face, joy surged in his heart. Although he had grown up as a willful and possessive child, in this Forbidden Valley where no other living beings existed besides him, this Water Condensation Beast, so similar to Bi Bo's true form, was his living treasure. He had spent half a year trying to awaken it without success, and now that it was finally awake, he wouldn't hesitate to part with two bottles of Drunken Jade Dew—or even use his spiritual power to nourish it daily.
He laughed with delight and relief, unaware of the cunning triumph hidden in the Water Condensation Beast's eyes—a look entirely unlike that of a newborn, naive, and innocent little creature.
Before long, the Water Condensation Beast had been awake for over half a month. Weak in spiritual power and rather lazy, its favorite pastime was dozing in Gu Jin's arms. Its short legs were treated with great care, rarely touching the ground. Except when Gu Jin bathed, it was almost always carried around. Though it couldn't speak human words and could only emit soft animal sounds, it was exceptionally clever and understood everything Gu Jin said. Another month passed, and Gu Jin, who had unwittingly taken on a motherly role, belatedly realized that a child shouldn't be raised too delicately. One day, after feeding the Water Condensation Beast its fill of Drunken Jade Dew, he placed it on the stone table and began a serious, heartfelt lecture.
"Ah, little one, come, let's discuss something." Seeing the little beast open its eyes wide, Gu Jin bent down and spoke earnestly. "You're a Water Condensation Beast, after all, descended from the lineage of ancient divine beasts. You can't spend all day being carried by me. You need to learn to walk—and to fly." Gu Jin flapped his hands twice and gestured toward the sky with his chin. "You have wings; you must learn to fly."The Water Condensation Beast glanced at him, waddled two steps on the stone table, stretched a leg to prove it could walk, then snorted, poked its tiny claws, retracted its wings, curled into a ball, shook its head, and turned away from Gu Jin—clearly unwilling to learn to fly.
Gu Jin was taken aback, feeling both amused and exasperated. Suddenly, he recalled the difficulties Feng Ran and Tian Qi had faced while raising him by hand in Clear Pond Palace all those years. Raising a child truly was a skilled task.
He recited an Immortal Incantation, and a jade bottle containing Drunken Jade Dew materialized on the table. "Hey, if you fly for a little while every day, I'll give you an extra small bottle of Drunken Jade Dew. How about that?"
Drunken Jade Dew was delivered only once every six months by Qing Yi. For the sake of this Water Condensation Beast's healthy growth, Gu Jin was truly investing heavily.
The little beast's ears twitched, clearly understanding. It wasn’t that the Water Condensation Beast was particularly greedy; Gu Jin didn’t know that while Drunken Jade Dew was merely a snack to him, for a beast with weak Immortal Power, it was a top-grade elixir for stabilizing its immortal spirit. Its daily whining for the dew was simply a desire to shape-shift sooner and shed this weak, beastly form.
"Hey!" Gu Jin walked half a circle and tapped the little beast’s head. "Once my master emerges from seclusion, my confinement period will be over. If you can’t fly, how will you leave the valley? An Immortal Lord like me wouldn’t keep a pet that can’t even fly by his side!" Gu Jin, still youthful at heart, blinked as he tried to coax the seemingly clueless Water Condensation Beast.
The Water Condensation Beast shot him a sidelong glance, silently rolling its eyes inwardly. Although it had only hatched a little over half a year ago, it vaguely felt it had been slumbering for a very long time. If age were truly counted, it might not be younger than this youth. Yet, despite having the intelligence of a teenager, its Immortal Power was too feeble. It had no choice but to pretend to be a helpless, barely walking infant beast—a hardship not easily expressed. Well, this young Immortal Lord was simple, kind-hearted, and genuinely cared for it. It was best to stay by his side for now and focus on shape-shifting into human form first.
After turning over countless thoughts in its mind, the Water Condensation Beast reluctantly nodded, stretched out its wings a couple of times, signaling its agreement.
Gu Jin smiled, his eyes crinkling, as he picked up the soft little beast and hummed a tune while basking in the sun.
The youth’s embrace carried the gentle warmth of licorice and floral scents. Through the gap between his arms, the Water Condensation Beast gazed up at the azure sky.
What would the outside world be like? It tilted its head to look at the youth’s refined face, blinked, and hid the faint smile and longing in its eyes.
Lazy as it was, the little beast kept its promise. Every day, after eating and drinking its fill, it would fly for half an hour in the Forbidden Valley. It seemed naturally gifted at flying, several times flapping its soft wings all the way to the sealing barrier at the valley’s peak. This nearly provoked the seals set by the Celestial Emperor and the old High Lord Dong Hua to gather Divine Power and unleash immortal punishment. If not for Gu Jin keeping a constant watchful eye on it, the beast would have been struck and roasted by the two seals above the valley countless times. The Water Condensation Beast, now skilled at flying yet mischievous as a child, gave Gu Jin endless headaches. Eventually, the anxious youth had no choice but to hold the little beast even while sleeping, lest it slip away unnoticed and cause trouble.With the Water Condensation Beast as company, time in the Forbidden Valley passed swiftly. In the blink of an eye, another half-year had gone by. Qing Yi finally delivered supplies before the Drunken Jade Dew was completely wasted by the little beast. Gu Jin was lazy by nature; even after a century of cultivation at Great Marsh Mountain, his Immortal Power had made little progress. The Divine Power of Feng Yin he had forcibly absorbed back in the ancient Phoenix Tree Forest was all sealed away within his divine core by Tian Qi’s seal. However, over the past six months, he had repeatedly rescued the Water Condensation Beast from the seals with heart-stopping effort, while also devoting himself to cultivation. His Immortal Power had improved significantly, and now he could even nimbly carry the little beast through the two seals without being charred to a crisp.
When he appeared before Qing Yi, elegantly drifting between the two seals with the Water Condensation Beast in his arms, the young disciple was clearly stunned. He had heard that this little martial uncle, despite possessing an enviable spiritual root, only ever basked in the sun at the training grounds with his Drunken Jade Dew, too lazy to cultivate—truly the number one slacker in Great Marsh Mountain’s history. Yet after just half a year, Gu Jin could now handle the Celestial Emperor and their grandmaster’s seals with ease. The speed of his Immortal Power growth was as if he had taken some miraculous pill—it was like the sun rising from the west.
“Little Martial Uncle, what are you holding?”
Gu Jin lifted the Water Condensation Beast proudly. “This is my immortal beast. What do you think? Isn’t it beautiful?”
Who’s your immortal beast? The Water Condensation Beast narrowed its eyes and scratched Gu Jin’s arm with its paw in protest. Gu Jin rubbed its belly soothingly, completely ignoring the little beast’s objection.
Though young, Qing Yi was a legitimate direct disciple of Great Marsh Mountain, blessed with excellent innate talent. With a single glance, he could tell this Water Condensation Beast had meager Immortal Power and couldn’t even shape-shift. Instantly, he felt a bit sorry for his martial uncle. The little one sighed, “Ah, indeed, Martial Uncle. Your immortal beast is so beautiful, one in ten thousand. None of the immortal beasts in Great Marsh Mountain can compare.” The child spoke with utmost sincerity, even slipping into the dialect from his hometown before he began cultivating, which made both Gu Jin and the Water Condensation Beast narrow their eyes in contentment.
“But is there really anything alive in this Forbidden Valley? I heard from my senior brother that ever since you were locked up here, even the lowest-level mole spirits refuse to come down. Oh, Little Martial Uncle, why did you have to provoke the Little Phoenix Lord of Phoenix Tree Island back then? So young, and you’ve already landed yourself in this sunless Forbidden Valley… Look at me, still small and tender-boned. Having to carry this big bucket up and down the mountain every six months—what if I get crushed and stop growing?”
Gu Jin and the Water Condensation Beast stared fixedly at the large bucket brimming with spiritual energy in Qing Yi’s arms, their four eyes gleaming with greed. Unfortunately, the straightforward little disciple was single-mindedly focused on catching up with his martial uncle. Growing impatient, Gu Jin finally interrupted his chattering junior: “Alright, alright. This time, I’ll give you two bottles of the Drunken Jade Dew. When Master comes out of seclusion and I return to the mountain, I’ll give you my set of exquisite chessboard.”Despite his young age, Qing Yi was utterly obsessed with the art of chess, so much so that even the immortal artifact he chose to refine and absorb upon entering the path was a set of chess pieces—a fact well-known throughout Great Marsh Mountain. The little acolyte immediately beamed with satisfaction, narrowing his eyes into crescents. "Oh, Little Martial Uncle, your exquisite chessboard is made of Southern Sea Coral King Jade—it's far too precious to give to me! But my master often teaches me, 'When an elder bestows a gift, one must not refuse.' I can't disobey you, can I? Ah, I'll come find you at Lingyin Peak once you're out! Little Martial Uncle, you're so kind to me—I won't take these two bottles of Drunken Jade Dew. You should drink more of it!"
As he spoke, Qing Yi recited an Immortal Incantation, steadily carrying the half-person-high barrel through the seal toward Gu Jin. Once Gu Jin accepted the Drunken Jade Dew, Qing Yi bowed respectfully and quickly turned to slip away, afraid that if he lingered even a moment longer, Gu Jin might change his mind.
"Qing Yi!" Gu Jin's steady voice came from behind. Qing Yi's little face fell, and he slowly turned around.
A glimmer of amusement flickered in Gu Jin's eyes, but he maintained a stern expression as he solemnly raised the Water Condensation Beast in his arms and addressed his little martial nephew. "I'll give you the exquisite chessboard once I'm out. Tell my senior brothers that I've obtained an immortal beast in the Forbidden Valley. Ask them to record it in the mountain's registry and give it a name."
The Water Condensation Beast in Gu Jin's arms, which had been grumbling and bristling with irritation, suddenly froze. It pried open its tiny claws and looked up at the young man.
Qing Yi was taken aback. He glanced at the Water Condensation Beast in Gu Jin's arms, and only then did he show a hint of seriousness. Great Marsh Mountain was a titan of the Immortal Realm. For thousands of years, it had been the highest-ranking immortal mountain aside from the Phoenix Clan. Every year, countless immortals, mortals, and immortal or spiritual beasts who had shape-shifted into human form sought to join the mountain. Yet Great Marsh Mountain was extremely strict in selecting disciples. Over the past five hundred years, only ten young disciples with exceptional talent and virtuous character had been chosen to enter the mountain. Those who were not selected could remain at the foot of the mountain to cultivate diligently, awaiting the once-in-a-century opportunity to be chosen. In five hundred years, only these ten individuals had been recorded in Great Marsh Mountain's registry—they were the named, legitimate disciples of the mountain. For Gu Jin to ask Xian Shan to record the Water Condensation Beast in the registry was already an immense honor for the creature.
"Little Martial Uncle, but this Water Condensation Beast hasn't even shape-shifted yet?" Qing Yi stammered. A young beast that hadn't even taken human form was merely Little Martial Uncle's accompanying immortal beast. Moreover, for a fellow disciple to be recorded in the registry, the Grandmaster had to personally examine their talent and character. Would Master really agree to record this Water Condensation Beast in the registry?
Noticing the concern in Qing Yi's eyes, Gu Jin smiled, revealing a hint of cunning. "Go tell my senior brother that... Water Condensation Beasts are rare and possess innate healing and calming abilities. I carry it with me every day, and my Immortal Power has advanced by leaps and bounds. I truly can't do without it. Once Master emerges from seclusion, I'll go and apologize to him. The old man certainly won't blame my senior brother!"
After saying this, Gu Jin leisurely flew down into the valley with the Water Condensation Beast and the Drunken Jade Dew, leaving behind his poor little martial nephew burdened with a heavy responsibility.
"Ahhh! Little Martial Uncle, you haven't told me this Water Condensation Beast's name yet! How am I supposed to report to Master and have it recorded in the registry?" Qing Yi belatedly remembered this detail and shouted at Gu Jin's retreating figure.
The figure paused for a moment, then waved a hand dismissively. A lazy voice drifted back. "It hasn't shape-shifted yet—what's the point of giving it a name? That's just unnecessary trouble. Tell my senior brother to refer to it by its species name. After all, Water Condensation Beasts are rare, and ours is the only one in Great Marsh Mountain."The little beast's proud self-esteem was finally thoroughly provoked by that phrase "general reference," and it fluttered its wings, flying away unsteadily.
Gu Jin was taken aback for a moment, no longer paying attention to Qing Yi, and went straight down to the valley bottom to coax the little beast, both amused and exasperated.
From the time Qing Yi left the Forbidden Valley, the sun set and the full moon rose. The Water Condensation Beast had flown to a branch of the phoenix tree, curled up into a ball, and hadn't paid any attention to Gu Jin for two hours.
"Hey, little one, you haven't eaten all day, are you hungry?" Gu Jin, holding a full pot of Drunken Jade Dew, stood under the tree, smiling ingratiatingly.
Among the countless divine beasts in the Ancient Realm, probably none would dare to show displeasure in front of the Little Divine Lord, but this Water Condensation Beast didn't even lift its head.
"Ah, it's not that I don't care about your name—you haven't even shape-shifted yet. In my Cosmic Bag, there's an ancient record of mythical beasts left by the Purple-Haired Uncle, with many majestic and awe-inspiring names of ancient divine beasts. I've already thought about it; I'll spend the next few days carefully considering a good name for you. In the future, when we two brothers roam the Three Realms, how can we do without a powerful and imposing name?" Gu Jin recited an Immortal Incantation and flew into mid-air, pulling out an ancient book embroidered with gold thread from his Cosmic Bag. "Look..."
Seeing that the Water Condensation Beast ignored him, Gu Jin paused, somewhat dejected. Suddenly remembering something, his voice deepened. "I haven't neglected your name. You'll carry this name throughout your life in the Three Realms and Six Paths—this matter is important. I keep it in my heart and remember it well; I haven't forgotten."
The Water Condensation Beast had never heard Gu Jin's voice so low and heavy before. It lifted its head to look at Gu Jin and happened to catch a fleeting glimpse of sorrow in the young man's eyes. It was stunned for a moment, blinked its dark eyes, and clumsily patted Gu Jin's shoulder with its little wings.
Gu Jin stroked its wings and immediately smiled. "You're not angry anymore?"
The Water Condensation Beast's wings stiffened, awkwardly pulling them back from Gu Jin's hand.
"Alright, alright, I know you're not angry anymore." Gu Jin knew that his Water Condensation Beast had an unusually proud temperament. He glanced at the sky and shook the pot of Drunken Jade Dew in his hand. "I won't bother you anymore. I'm going into the house to meditate. I'll leave the Drunken Jade Dew under the tree for you. Come down and drink it when you're hungry." As he spoke, he gently stroked the little beast's head and flew down from the phoenix tree.
The sound of Gu Jin's footsteps entering the bamboo house faded into the distance. The Water Condensation Beast's eyes rolled around, and when it saw the young man's figure disappear into the bamboo house, it fluttered its wings and flew down from the phoenix tree, landing steadily beside the pot of Drunken Jade Dew on the table.
With a wave of its wing, the Drunken Jade Dew in the pot rose into the air, forming a silver stream that fell into its mouth. In an instant, the entire pot of Drunken Jade Dew was completely consumed by the little beast. It smacked its lips, clearly not having had enough. However, Great Marsh Mountain only produced one pond of Drunken Jade Dew every six months, and half of it was always sent to Gu Jin. If it didn't drink sparingly, it wouldn't last until the next time Qing Yi delivered more. The Water Condensation Beast sighed dejectedly, shook its plump little body, and casually glanced around the table. Suddenly, its eyes widened and its gaze fixed intently.Beside the stone table, the large barrel of Drunken Jade Dew delivered by Qing Yi was boldly placed under the wutong tree. Clearly, Gu Jin had been in such a hurry to coax the little beast earlier that he forgot to store it in his Cosmic Bag. The Water Condensation Beast twitched its nose, took a few steps toward the barrel following the fragrance of the Drunken Jade Dew, then stopped with a frown. It went back and forth like this for nearly half an hour before finally glancing at Gu Jin, who was deep in meditation inside the bamboo hut, and then leaping toward the barrel with a look of grim determination.
Never mind, just a tiny sip—that fool wouldn’t blame it! With that thought, it placed one paw on the rim of the barrel, waved its wing, and the Drunken Jade Dew surged into its mouth like a water column.
Perhaps the night was too enchanting, and the little beast was momentarily captivated. As the potent Spiritual Power of the Drunken Jade Dew entered its body, it became as irresistible as opium. Tilting its head back under the soft glow of the full moon, the Water Condensation Beast unknowingly drank every last drop from the barrel, which stood half a person tall. Pure Spiritual Power, mingled with the faint moonlight, swept through its body, and one could even hear the faint sounds of its bones being tempered.
Just then, a shimmering golden light emerged from the heart of the nearby wutong tree and swiftly drifted into the bamboo hut, disappearing into the Fire Phoenix Jade hanging at Gu Jin’s waist.
Under the quiet wutong tree, the little beast, which had been gazing at the moon for a long while, suddenly plummeted to the ground. Though Drunken Jade Dew was an immortal nectar, it carried the potency of wine, and the overindulgent Water Condensation Beast was clearly too drunk to find its bearings. After a while, it struggled to rise, swaying unsteadily as it stumbled toward the faint light inside the bamboo hut.
Inside the hut, with a soft thud, the little beast landed perfectly in that all-too-familiar embrace and promptly fell into a deep sleep.
The moon set, the sun rose, and dawn broke, bringing daylight back to the Forbidden Valley.
Awakening from his meditation, Gu Jin stretched lazily, only to freeze when his hand brushed against something soft and tender in his arms. He opened his eyes and met a pair of familiar, pure, and pitch-black eyes.
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