Chapter 523 The Demon Bow is Activated!

here might be oversights in many things. Hao Ren himself wouldn’t feel at ease letting his grandmother return to the seaside immediately after being discharged.Therefore, considering the overall situa...Chapter 523: The Demon Bow is Activated! (Little Dragon Asks for Voting Tickets~~)

"Yujia"

Hao Ren spotted Xie Yujia busy in the spiritual field and called out her name.

Xie Yujia, who was bending over to examine a flower bud of a kind of spirit grass named "Heavenward Fragrance," didn't see Hao Ren enter the place. Upon hearing his voice, she happily looked up with surprise, saying, "Oh, you're here."

She wore a light yellow V-neck T-shirt adorned with woven patterns, a white small round cap on her head, and an ankle-length retro dress with floral prints. Paired with the jade bracelets around her wrists, she had a unique blend of modern and ancient styles.

"The Great Lady Mother looks very beautiful," Lu L琳琳 and Lu 莉莉 stood beside the grassland next to the spiritual field and immediately complimented her. However, these compliments were not insincere; Xie Yujia was naturally pretty, and this outfit with a retro style indeed brightened everyone's eyes.

"You both look very beautiful as well," said Xie Yujia.

Lu L琳琳 and Lu 莉莉, who had their long hair cut short, looked fresh and more like modern girls. In white shirts, short skirts, and black cotton socks, they were completely in the style of an English schoolgirl, and as twins, they certainly stood out.

Lu L琳琳 and Lu 莉莉 sweetly smiled at each other, clearly pleased by Xie Yujia's praise.

"Did you return to Donghai City" asked Xie Yujia to Hao Ren.

"Yes, just got back," replied Hao Ren as he looked around the valley that had undergone significant changes. "How did everything suddenly change so much"

"The valley was barren with only wild grass and rocks, nothing but bare ground. We used the leftover of Little White's poop mixed with stream water for irrigation, planted some trees and flowers, and sowed some grass seeds to replace the weeds," Xie Yujia explained with a smile.

The dirt on her hands didn't detract from her beauty at all. It appeared that she hadn't been idle in these more than a month—while her parents were busy at the factory, she came here to take care of the flowers and plants, treating this place like a small home and pouring a lot of effort into it.

"What happened with those snow lion cubs Did you get them" Hao Ren asked as he pointed towards the cute little snow lions rolling on the grass.

"No… You mentioned before that there were some thousand-year-old seven-color Snow Lotus in the snow lion cave of Northwest Tianshan, so I took Little White to check it out when I had time. By the way, I wanted Little White to go back and see its parents," Xie Yujia said.

Girls really were more thoughtful—taking Little White back to see its parents was something Hao Ren hadn't even thought about… he mused to himself.

"There's an ancient array in the lion cave that only cultivators below Second Stage or those at Pulse Formation can enter. Only I could bring Little White there…" Xie Yujia continued.

"What happened then" Hao Ren asked.

Xie Yujia's tone gradually became low, "Little White has now reached the second stage and returned to its home proudly. However… it found out that both of its parents had passed away."

"Oh…" hearing this news, Hao Ren was somewhat surprised as well.

He knew Little White's personality.

With Second Stage strength, returning to the old cave and facing those who were once stronger or bullies it in the past, Little White would certainly show off its power, feeling proud and happy about it.

But when going deeper into the cave and suddenly discovering that its parents weren't there anymore, this shock was undoubtedly a heavy blow to Little White.

This scene Hao Ren hadn't witnessed personally but just imagining it made him feel wistful.

The White Lion was always crazy and irresponsible, unwilling to do things but eager for praise. On the surface, it had many flaws, but its strength of feeling emotionally attached to others was evident.

"And then" Hao Ren paused for a few seconds before asking again.

"Of course, The White Lion was very sad. I noticed that the Snow Lions' den in the Lion Cave belongs to the Northwest Earth Dragon and that they feed on mature snow lotuses inside the cave, so I did not pick those flowers but instead dug up some seedlings intending to plant them at Mystic Peak."

"But before leaving, many adult Snow Lions blocked my way, presenting their cubs to me. Perhaps seeing The White Lion doing well outside, they hoped that I would take all of their children away as well."

Xie Yujia explained.

Hao Ren nodded in understanding.

It was heartbreaking how parents cared regardless of species—humans and spiritual beasts alike. When The White Lion’s parents had asked Hao Ren to take it, they hoped that the lion would no longer be confined; another reason might have been their old age, as they could no longer care for it.

Xie Yujia was moved by seeing those teary-eyed Snow Lions and couldn’t bring herself to refuse. She took in all of these cubs, a scene Hao Ren had anticipated.

Now looking at the carefree Snow Lion cubs frolicking on the grassland, Hao Ren felt more emotional.

"Where’s The White Lion" Thinking about it, Hao Ren asked Xie Yujia.

"It's in its den. It has been quite depressed recently," Xie Yujia pointed to a small doghouse next to Hao Ren’s cave residence.

Hao Ren called out, "The White Lion, The White Lion..."

Seeing that it didn’t respond, he flew over and put his hand inside the doghouse.

As expected, a curled-up ball of fur was hiding within.

Hao Ren pulled its hind legs to drag it out from the stone den.

The current White Lion was completely different from before. Its gaze was lifeless, and its round ears drooped on both sides of its head.

Sigh… without parents, The White Lion truly became an orphan.

Hao Ren felt particularly heartbroken. Normally he would hit and pat it around, but today he couldn’t bear to bully it. He immediately hugged it in his arms and gently stroked its head.

The White Lion was nestled in Hao Ren’s embrace, lifting its black eyes brimming with tears.

"Good boy, good boy…" Hao Ren softly combed through its fur while comforting it.

Despite being at the Second Stage and not having awakened its spiritual intelligence yet, Snow Lions were the most gentle and intelligent among all Tier C Spiritual Beasts. Moreover, The White Lion had a deep bond with Hao Ren as it was brought out from the Heavenly Mountain's Lion Cave by him.

Tweeet… tweeet… tweeet…

The White Lion let out pitiful cries, trembling all over.

Seeing Hao Ren, the sorrow it had been suppressing burst forth. Although it enjoyed being around girls and following Zhen Ciming around, its bond with Hao Ren was still the deepest.

Hao Ren was the first cultivator that Xiao Bai had ever seen, and also the one who took care of it when its parents were gone. This emotional bond was very deep in Xiao Bai's heart.

"Good boy..." Hao Ren dragged out his words as he saw how tearful Xiao Bai usually was. It made him feel uncomfortable too.

"From now on, we will definitely take good care of you. Look, Yu Jia, Ah Zi, Lin Lin, Li Li, they all like you," Hao Ren talked softly to it no matter whether it understood or not.

"Don't cry, Xiao Bai. Your glorious days are yet to come." Hao Ren scratched its soft fur on the head and smiled as he said so.

"No more crying… no more crying…" Lu Linlin and Lu Lili had appeared beside Hao Ren at some point, both of them stroking Xiao Bai's back.

Xiao Bai, whose tears were swirling in its eyes, sniffed and looked at Hao Ren, then at Lu Linlin and Lu Lili. Finally, it gradually stopped crying.

Hao Ren let Xiao Bai out of his arms, and with a whoosh, it transformed into the form of a snow lion, lifting up Hao Ren and then smoothly carrying Lu Linlin and Lu Lili on its back as well.

Swoosh…

Four flames appeared in Xiao Bai's golden paws.

Hao Ren, who had some mental connection with Xiao Bai, could sense the emotions of the little snow lion. Its parents were both rankless grade C demon beasts, but he wanted to help Xiao Bai reach a higher level. Sitting on its back and cruising around Mystic Peak, Hao Ren thought to himself.

In the meadow, several dozen snow lion cubs all looked up at Xiao Bai flying through the air with admiration in their eyes.

They couldn’t change forms; they squatted down in the grass, watching as Xiao Bai flew above them and then tumbled around one by one. Their silly appearance was even cuter than that of Xiao Bai.

Hao Ren jumped off Xiao Bai’s back to land on the grassland and prepared to pick up a cub for some fun, but these snow lions puffed out their little bottoms and scattered in all directions.

Xiao Bai set Lu Linlin and Lu Lili down onto the grassland. The dozens of cubs that had fled then immediately surrounded them.

Gurgle gurgle…

Wherever Xiao Bai ran on the grass, these dozen snow lion cubs would roll after it.

Sitting atop Xiao Bai’s back, Lu Linlin and Lu Lili laughed happily. Any girl seeing a dozen adorable, furry little white lions chasing them around would be melted.

"Haha, looks like Xiao Bai is fine now." Xie Yu Jia, who had been taking care of the spirit grass, walked over from the Spirit Field with a smile upon seeing Xiao Bai play with these cubs and toy with flowers and plants.

The snow lion cubs that were chasing after Xiao Bai immediately swarmed around Xie Yu Jia, cuddling at her feet.

Just like when Hao Ren had taken Xiao Bai out of the Heavenly Mountain Lion Cave back then, these little ones first recognized Xie Yu Jia.

Especially with Xiao Bai’s low spirits in recent days and not having any concern for them, it was all Xie Yu Jia who looked after them; hence they were even closer to her.

"Xiao Bai should be fine," Hao Ren walked over towards Xie Yu Jia. "How did the spirit grass collection go this month"

The dozen snow lion cubs saw Hao Ren walking over and immediately scattered in all directions, except for one that was held by Xie Yu Jia; it snuggled into her arms with a wary look at Hao Ren.

Sigh… I’m not a bad person, right

Hao Ren shook his head helplessly.

"Every day now, there are many people coming to the valley seeking medicinal pills. The jade board is always full of requests and information every day. Some seeds and seedlings of spiritual herbs are quite good, so I exchange them for pills with these people. To catalyze the Seven-Hearted Rainbow Lotus, I collected three ten-thousand-year Golden Hammers in exchange for 30 Eternal Youth Pills."

"How do we take care of these young ones" Hao Ren asked again.

The little white already ate a lot, and adding another dozen snow lions would be overwhelming. Hao Ren had no idea how to raise them.

“I’ve designated a piece of spirit field specifically for growing low-grade spiritual herbs that the snow lions love to eat. Actually, their droppings are quite nutritious and can fertilize the spirit field in return. I don’t plan on confining them; instead, I’ll let them roam freely in the valley as long as there’s an array barrier maintaining it so they won’t be able to escape."

“Moreover, more cultivators are seeking pills nowadays, and the exchange information outside the valley is increasing daily. This needs to be organized every day. I’ve already instructed three nearby sects to handle these matters; unless there’s an urgent matter or something extremely valuable, they shouldn’t come to the valley entrance to post notices or send telepathic messages but should contact the three sects directly.”

“As for the three sects, I’ll give each of them three Foundation Establishment Pill monthly. However, I’m also concerned that they might become complacent, so I’ve stipulated that they must contribute 100 spirit stones to the valley every month as well."

"How do you think about this arrangement" Xie Yujia, holding a snow lion cub, enumerated one by one and asked Hao Ren for his opinion in the end.

“That’s great…”

Hao Ren was rather stunned, as he didn’t know how to handle these trivial matters. But Xie Yujia, who used to be a class monitor, had organized everything perfectly.

If someone could marry Xie Yujia, they’d surely enjoy lifelong happiness—she’s gentle and intelligent, absolutely an excellent manager. Hao Ren looked at her with admiration.

“It’s good that you have no objections,” Seeing Hao Ren agree with her approach, Xie Yujia blushed slightly, stuck out her tongue, and said happily.

To prevent Hao Ren from feeling she was too domineering, she had given up her position as class monitor. But here at the Mysterious Peak, she fully managed it all again; thus, she worried Hao Ren might have some objections to this.

Seeing her happy expression, Hao Ren smiled and suddenly remembered something. He took out a bronze-colored妖弓 (demon bow) from his芥子空間 (芥子 space), about the size of an index finger, and waved it in front of Xie Yujia's eyes.

"What’s this" Xie Yujia blinked her big eyes and asked.

From Xie Yujia’s perspective, this little pendant shaped like a longbow was very exquisite and elegant; it didn’t look like something cheap bought from an ordinary street stall—its material resembled gold but was darker and more ancient and refined.

"It's for you," Hao Ren placed the demon bow in Xie Yujia’s palm. "Try feeling it, see if you can control it—it’s a magic treasure."

“A magic treasure” Xie Yujia was somewhat surprised. She had been cultivating Life and Death Talisman but still hadn’t obtained her own magic treasure yet; the one Amethyst snatched that was stored in Mysterious Peak wasn't suitable for her use.

"Try it," Hao Ren smiled and said.

Since he cultivated the Sword Shadows Technique, he didn’t need any magic treasures. This demon bow could be used with his sword light but as he focused on refining the Xuanwater Sword Art given by Zhao Haoran, he had no intention of switching to a magic treasure involving arrows or bows.

On the other hand, Xie Yujia’s Life and Death Talisman was essentially Five Elements cultivation, but with her current low level, she still hadn’t mastered it well. If this magic treasure could be used by her, giving it to her would indeed be a good idea.

"Mm…" Xie Yujia held the little demon bow in the shape of a pendant, closed her eyes, concentrated, and slowly infused her spiritual energy into it.

The bronze-colored demon bow emitted pale yellow light, gradually growing from the size of an index finger to palm-sized before continuing to grow until reaching one meter tall.

Whir… Whir…

The golden string of the demon bow hummed slightly in response to Xie Yujia’s spiritual energy input.mp into Zhao Yanzǐ's arms as if it didn’t want to be left at home. At the East Sea University, there was a whole group of female students surrounding it feeding it and giving it water while if it stay...