"Sister..." Xiaobai cried out in fear. Disregarding the lightning tribulation, he flew over to catch Ye Ju. An even faster figure instantly embraced Ye Ju. Ye Ju saw that it was Zhao Yangzi, but she was already depleted of spiritual power, a flicker of gratitude in her eyes. When they landed, fearing another lightning strike, she quickly pushed Zhao Yangzi away.
"Fellow Daoist Ye, your lightning tribulation has dispersed, no need to worry."
Ye Ju looked at the sky. It was gone. Was it that accommodating this time? There hadn't been that many lightning strikes.
She sat down on the spot. Regardless of whether there were more, she would recover her spiritual power first. After drinking a pot of spiritual spring water and eating a few spiritual fruits, she closed her eyes and entered meditation to adjust her breathing.
That day, the people watching the tribulation from afar in Pearl City were stunned. Someone had actually managed to blast away the lightning tribulation, scaring it off.
Suddenly, a rift appeared in the sky, bathed in resplendent light. Following it, a celestial dew and spiritual rain descended. Ye Ju, having weathered the heavenly tribulation, found all her hidden injuries and depleted spiritual power healed and repaired from the inside out by this heavenly bestowed dew. Her dantian and sea of qi spun furiously, absorbing spiritual power from the celestial dew and spiritual rain. The yellow bead in her dantian greedily absorbed spiritual power, constantly solidifying and transforming.
A domain formed with Ye Ju at its center, drawing in spiritual power and pushing away Zhao Yangzi and Xiaobai.
After being repelled, Zhao Yangzi and Xiaobai sat down far from Ye Ju, also cultivating and bathing in this celestial spiritual rain.
Creatures within a hundred-mile radius were blessed. Some spirit beasts gained sentience on the spot and embarked on the path of cultivation.
Those watching the lightning tribulation from afar also sat down, using the opportunity to comprehend the Way of Heaven and break through their own limitations.
The yellow bead in Ye Ju's dantian spun faster and faster, greedily absorbing Earth element spiritual power, while the speed of the other beads slowed. Suddenly, the yellow bead erupted with golden light, and earthen walls rose around Ye Ju, enclosing her in a cocoon of earthy yellow. The Golden Core was formed! The spiritual domain dissipated!
Zhao Yangzi and the others also benefited greatly, being able to passively absorb spiritual power just by sitting near Fellow Daoist Ye. Fellow Daoist Ye was truly a spiritual power magnet! Even spirit gathering grass wasn't as effective as Fellow Daoist Ye!
"Boom~~"
The yellow earthen cocoon exploded, and Ye Ju flew out. While her entrance was striking, her appearance was disheveled, covered in dirt and dust.
Zhao Yangzi was about to step forward when Ye Ju noticed her own predicament...
"Let me go wash up." With that, she flew down towards the lake at the foot of the mountain.
"Sister, wait for me..." Xiaobai hurried after her.
Zhao Yangzi smiled helplessly and shook his head. Then he thought of the commotion Ye Ju's tribulation had caused and the need for cleanup. With a snap of his fingers, a shadowy figure emerged, received its orders, and flew away.
Ye Ju washed herself clean in the water. She sensed Xiao Mo's presence. It turned out that after being expelled from the spiritual pet bag, Xiao Mo had flown over and directly entered the lake. Having been away from water for too long, it was overjoyed to be back. It had been dormant in the spiritual pet bag, and now, bathed in the spiritual rain, its cultivation had also improved significantly.
Seeing how much Xiao Mo enjoyed the lake, Ye Ju decided to let it stay there until she left, and she would pick it up later.
Xiaobai also joined in the water, playing with Ye Ju. After a while, they came ashore. Using her spiritual power to dry their clothes, Ye Ju sat on Xiaobai's back and went to the mountaintop. Zhao Yangzi was still waiting there.
"Fellow Daoist Zhao, thank you. This small gift is just a token of my appreciation." Ye Ju handed over a purple bamboo pot filled with spiritual spring water. She also offered a small basket of spiritual fruits, thanking him for helping her refine the purple bamboo boat and for guarding her during the tribulation. Without allowing him to refuse, she leaped onto Xiaobai and flew back to Pearl City.
Zhao Yangzi held the purple bamboo pot in one hand and a basket of ice spirit fruits in the other.
...Since when were ice spirit fruits so plentiful that they needed to be packed in baskets? Did she grow them herself?
As she prepared to return to the island, Ye Ju sat on Xiaobai's back, pondering what else she needed to buy... She wondered if the island had winter. She recalled Steward Zhu saying that the Tianchen Continent had very long seasons, with each season lasting up to ten months. As winter and the snow season approached, a lot of supplies would be needed. Of course, cultivators were generally immune to the cold, but ordinary people needed to stock up on warm clothing and food.
Unawakened wild beasts would also descend from the mountains, and trade between cities would be significantly reduced. Only major cultivation sects would travel by flying ships, escorting their sect's cargo ships. However, even these would be attacked by demonic beasts. Therefore, winter on the Tianchen Continent was the most dangerous season.
It was now the Mid-Autumn Festival, and winter was still five months away. Ye Ju was unsure if the island would get snow, but considering the current lack of supplies, she decided to double everything she needed to buy. The bamboo house would certainly not be warm in winter, so she needed to buy felt to line the inside, or stuff cotton-like filling into the gaps. She also needed to buy carpets...
As dawn was approaching, Ye Ju returned to the guest courtyard in the hot pot city. The young attendant, A You, was waiting at the courtyard gate, his eyes shining.
"A You, why aren't you sleeping?"
"Fairy, news of your tribulation has spread. Many people will be visiting you tomorrow!"
"Oh, why?" Ye Ju asked, confused.
"Fairy, the commotion from your tribulation was so great. There are very few people with Golden Core cultivation in Pearl City. They will surely want to recruit you?" A You said in a simple, slightly worried tone.
Hmm, this little fellow is quite intelligent. A thought struck her.
"A You, do you have any family?"
"Fairy, I have no family. I am an orphan and have lived by begging since childhood. Last year, I was beaten half to death while fighting for food, and then the steward saved me."
"Then would you be willing to come with me? I'll ask Steward Zhu for you. But let me be clear, if you follow me, you absolutely cannot betray me!"
A You was overjoyed. The first time the fairy had given him food, he had already considered her his benefactor. His spiritual roots were damaged, preventing him from cultivating. The kitchen staff all bullied him. Although Steward Zhu had saved him, it was precisely because of this that he was ostracized by the kitchen staff. He ate poorly and did the most tiring work. When the fairy had given him food, he had already been starving for two days.
A You immediately kowtowed, vowing that if he ever betrayed the fairy, he would be struck by heavenly lightning, his soul scattered, and he would never find peace! As soon as he finished speaking, thunder rumbled in the sky. The Way of Heaven responded, indicating that the oath had been made!
Ye Ju was startled. Did he have to be that extreme? She had learned since arriving in Pearl City that people on the Tianchen Continent did not make oaths lightly because it involved karma. This little fellow was truly ruthless towards himself! She quickly told him to get up. Patting his shoulder, she said that he was her person from now on, and she would ensure he lived a life of luxury.
Then she asked him to prepare brush and ink. A You, stunned by Ye Ju's pat, muttered to himself, "So this is the kind of person the fairy is!"
Ye Ju feared she would forget what she needed to buy, so she wrote a list and instructed A You to purchase the items the next day. She planned to refuse visitors herself tomorrow. She was returning to the island and didn't want to get involved in the power struggles of Pearl City's various factions.
"Sister, don't you like me anymore?" Xiaobai suddenly spoke.
"No!" Ye Ju was confused. She hadn't done anything wrong.
"Sister, then why did you take A You? He's so weak, I could defeat him with one finger." Xiaobai said indignantly.
Ye Ju smiled. This little fellow was actually jealous?
"Xiaobai, Sister likes you the most. Although A You is weak, he can help us with many things, like playing with you. On the island, it's just you, me, and Xiao Mo. We have too few people, right?" Ye Ju explained patiently.
"Moreover, he is often bullied. Can't Xiaobai protect him? Didn't Sister tell you to eliminate evil and help the weak?"
Xiaobai nodded. His eyes lit up. That's right! When Sister is busy, he can play with me, that's great! Then I'll reluctantly protect him!
...