Ye Ju emerged from the Neon Dress Pavilion and sensed she was being followed. She paid it no mind, wandering and browsing until she had purchased everything she needed, especially cooking seasonings.
It was fortunate that the cultivation world had cumin, though not in powder form but as granules the size of rice grains. It was indeed different from Earth's and was called fennel in the cultivation world, with a familiar scent. These seasonings were found in a medicinal herbs shop.
Fortunately, not far from the herb shop was a store called the Harvest Pavilion, which sold spirit rice and various seeds.
Ye Ju browsed with great enthusiasm, holding Xiao Bai as she looked around. She extravagantly bought all sorts of flower seeds, various vegetable seeds, and spirit rice, along with the spirit rice seeds recommended by the shop assistant.
Ye Ju was from the south and had been longing for rice for so long she was nearly mad. In a corner, she also discovered young spirit tea plants and seeds for common medicinal herbs used for healing: ginseng, notoginseng, fleeceflower root... she bought them all. These were all medicinal herbs Ye Ju recognized. Thinking of her own spiritual spring water, planting these would be a trivial matter.
The shop assistant grinned, showing all eight of his teeth, thinking to himself, "Where did this little immortal come from? My sales for the entire year don't even match today's!" Normally, no one bought these things; only occasional members of major cultivation families would pick up rare spiritual plant seeds. After all, every immortal sect had its own spirit fields and outer disciples specializing in growing spiritual plants, and they would keep their own seeds, not purchasing them in large quantities.
These cost Ye Ju twenty top-grade spirit stones. The shop assistant even gifted her many seeds afterward, including some unknown seeds that no one had successfully cultivated yet. Ye Ju accepted them all. Her island was spacious enough, and she was determined to create a paradise!
The person following Ye Ju from the shadows was quite confused. What was this young lady buying? Farming? However, seeing Ye Ju take out top-grade spirit stones without batting an eye, their eyes turned green; she was a fat sheep!
Dressed in a newly bought jade green dress with pale yellow accents, Ye Ju was charming and adorable. Holding her spirit pet, she unknowingly strayed into a deserted alleyway due to her unfamiliarity with the streets.
Suddenly, five or six men in black masks leaped out from outside the alley.
Xiao Bai transmitted to Ye Ju, "Sister, these seem to be around the fourth-tier of spirit beasts."
"Sister, I'll handle it. You don't need to make a move," Xiao Bai said, jumping down from Ye Ju's embrace and positioning himself in front of her.
Ye Ju trusted Xiao Bai. She took out a lounge chair from her spiritual ring and leisurely ate spiritual fruits.
The leader of the black-clad men, seeing Ye Ju's dismissive attitude, was enraged.
"Capture the white fox alive and take that woman down! Sell her to the Flower Apricot Tower. I had intended to send this young lady, with her superior looks, to the Joyous Union Sect. It seems a lowly place is most suitable for her!" the black-clad man ordered coldly.
Xiao Bai didn't know what the Flower Apricot Tower and the Joyous Union Sect were, but he knew they weren't good places. How dare they try to sell his sister! They were asking for death!
Xiao Bai's foxy form enlarged, revealing only one tail. He let out a fierce cry:
"You court death!"
He spat out ice blades, followed closely by foxfire. His body instantly lunged forward, unleashing sharp claws that clashed with swords, creating sparks of gold. In a blink, they were locked in battle.
Ye Ju paused while eating her spiritual fruit, surprised. Was the Flower Apricot Tower what she was thinking of, an ancient brothel? And what was the Joyous Union Sect? Did the name imply...? Ye Ju was stunned. Did such things as cauldrons truly exist in the cultivation world? A shiver ran down Ye Ju's spine!
The black-clad men were startled to hear the white fox speak human words, realizing this white fox had hidden its strength. A spirit pet that could speak was at least fifth-tier. His own cultivation was at the peak of Foundation Establishment, barely able to fight a fifth-tier spirit beast.
However, this white fox, though fifth-tier, only had one tail. Fortunately, it wasn't a legendary Nine-Tailed Spirit Fox, an ancient divine beast that had never been seen on the entire Tianchen Continent. According to legend, a Nine-Tailed Fox possessed innate skills from a young age, and with each additional tail, it awakened a new talent, doubling its combat power. Though this white fox had only one tail, it had cultivated to the fifth tier, indirectly proving its high talent. Capturing it alive and presenting it would be a great merit!
Xiao Bai hid his strength as advised by Zhao Xiangzi. He knew Xiao Bai had cultivated to five tails. Although he didn't know if it was an ancient divine beast, a spiritual fox that could cultivate to five tails would certainly drive the cultivators of the Tianchen Continent crazy. Although the black-clad men were numerous, Xiao Bai's attacks were fierce and swift, leaving the black-clad men struggling to cope. In a short while, two were knocked unconscious by Xiao Bai's tail.
The leader of the black-clad men began to panic. He quickly took out his magical artifact, a purple crystal gourd, bestowed upon him by his sect, specifically for collecting spirit pets favored by the sect. He chanted a spell and shouted at Xiao Bai,
"Receive!"
Xiao Bai suddenly felt a force pulling him. Enraged, Xiao Bai's body grew to three meters tall, revealing his true form. Five large tails swayed behind the fox, beautiful and noble, releasing the ancient spirit beast's pressure. The lower-tier black-clad men were forced to spit blood by the overwhelming pressure.
"Presumptuous!" How dare they use such despicable methods against him.
With an angry strike, Xiao Bai coiled all the black-clad men with his tails and slammed them into the wall. The black-clad men all fainted, except for the leader, whose mouth was bleeding. He struggled to his feet, his panicked expression filled with disbelief as he looked at the five-tailed white fox before him. This was at least a seventh-tier spirit beast!
"Spirit Beast!" His eyes gleamed with madness! Greed overcame his fear, and his heart was filled with elation. If he could capture this white fox, his sect would bestow immense rewards upon him. Perhaps he would even become an inner disciple. He then took a cultivation-boosting pill and mobilized all his spiritual energy to activate the purple crystal gourd.
The white fox's eyes dimmed. The ice blade, imbued with fire spiritual energy, instantly split open the purple crystal gourd. This move was learned from its master.
The black-clad man's eyes bulged, unable to believe his treasure was destroyed.
Just as Xiao Bai was about to deliver a killing blow, Ye Ju softly called out to Xiao Bai. Xiao Bai instantly transformed back into a white fox and returned to Ye Ju's embrace.
"Go back and tell your master to be careful not to provoke someone they shouldn't, and be mindful of how your words today might lead to disaster." Saying this, she showed the black-clad man a token given by Zhao Xiangzi.
Ye Ju, having just arrived in Pearl City, did not want to make enemies right away. Secondly, she couldn't bear to watch Xiao Bai kill anyone. However, she was not one to shy away from trouble. Now that Xiao Bai had been exposed, she learned from Zhao Xiangzi that Pearl City was within the sphere of influence of the Sky-Facing Sect. She decided to use the Sky-Facing Sect's name to deter any hidden rats lurking in the shadows.
As expected, those hidden in the shadows prepared to make a move but retreated upon seeing the token. They had initially thought they were dealing with an unknown rogue cultivator, but it turned out she had connections with a powerful entity like the Sky-Facing Sect.
On a certain pavilion, a masked man withdrew his divine sense, looking slightly surprised. When did the sect acquire this female immortal? Her cultivation was very high, having reached the stage of returning to simplicity. To ordinary people, she would only appear to be at the Foundation Establishment stage.
After the man withdrew his divine sense, Ye Ju glanced casually towards the pavilion. Unsure if he was friend or foe, she didn't give it much thought.
"Guards!" The black-clad leader's eyes went black, and he was knocked unconscious.
Ye Ju, holding Xiao Bai, strode away triumphantly!