80: Dew Slug

Lin Feng looked, only to see a palm-sized, soft-bodied, translucent Slug, warm and smooth like jade, slowly crawling on his most severely injured left arm.

It moved slowly, leaving behind a thin layer of transparent mucus that emitted a faint fragrance and a weak spiritual glow wherever it passed.

The mucus, upon touching his skin, brought a cool and refreshing sensation.

What surprised him even more was that the pain in the wound covered by the mucus rapidly diminished, the bruising dispersed, and the torn muscles and damaged Meridians began to heal at a visible rate.

'What is this...?' Lin Feng was shocked, holding his breath, not daring to disturb this peculiar little creature.

The Slug seemed to bear him no ill will, still crawling slowly and persistently on his body, secreting its miraculous healing mucus.

Wherever it went, external injuries healed, internal injuries alleviated, and even his depleted spiritual power began to recover faster.

After an unknown period, when the Slug had slowly crawled over his entire body, Lin Feng was astonished to find that his previously severe injuries had miraculously healed.

Not only were his injuries completely gone, but he even felt that the Spiritual Qi within his body had become more abundant and pure.

He cautiously sat up. The Slug seemed to have exhausted its strength, lying softly on his knee, motionless, with only a faint breath of life indicating it was still alive, and its overall glow had dimmed slightly.

'It... healed me?' An incredible sense of gratitude and wonder surged in Lin Feng's heart.

He extended a fingertip and gently touched its cold, slippery body. The Slug wiggled slightly, seemingly undisturbed.

He picked up the tired Slug: 'This creature possesses extraordinary spirituality and astonishing healing power. It's likely the young of some rare Spirit Beast. I absolutely cannot leave it here to fend for itself.'

'It's just... I've never raised a Spirit Beast before,' he gently tucked the docile little creature into the inner layer of his robe, musing,

'When I return this time, I must find an opportunity to consult Senior Sister Xiao of Beast Taming Peak. She is skilled in this Dao and should know how to care for such a wondrous creature.'

With his injuries fully recovered, he followed the faint sound of flowing water and the direction of air currents, painstakingly moving through the dark, winding cave for several hours until he finally found a crevice and saw daylight again.

He breathed a slight sigh of relief, and just as he was about to identify the direction to return to the Sect, the heaven-stealing vine in his Sea of Consciousness Dantian trembled slightly.

'Hmm?' Lin Feng's heart stirred. Following the direction indicated by the heaven-stealing vine, he saw a nearly dead vine stubbornly growing in a shaded rock crevice not far away, with a small, dark golden gourd hanging on it.

The gourd appeared lifeless, but the heaven-stealing vine's perception would not be wrong.

'This gourd... could it be the legendary Immortal Wine Gourd?' Lin Feng looked at the small gourd, his heart filled with doubt. He had only seen scattered records in the Sect, which were vaguely described, making it impossible to be entirely sure.

He carefully harvested the entire withered vine along with the gourd and properly stored them in his black jade bracelet.

Lin Feng flew cautiously, avoiding all possible disturbances, and several days later, he finally returned to the Tianxuan Sect mountain gate without incident.

Stepping into the Sect's territory, his tense mind relaxed slightly. He did not return to Baoyue Peak but went directly to Beast Taming Peak.

In the small courtyard of Beast Taming Peak, Xiao Qinghan was hunched over a desk, drawing a complex Spirit Beast Bloodline Diagram, her brows slightly furrowed, as if she had encountered a problem.

When Lin Feng's figure appeared at the doorway, she was first slightly startled, then her eyes suddenly lit up. She almost instantly put down her jade brush, a smile of undisguised surprise blooming on her face.

"Junior Brother Lin?" She quickly stepped forward, "You... you're finally back. I've looked for you several times at Baoyue Peak these past few days, but I could never find you..."

Her gaze quickly swept over Lin Feng's entire body. Seeing that he was unharmed, she let out a soft sigh of relief, "It's good that you're back, good that you're safe."

Lin Feng cupped his hands in a salute: "I came today to ask Senior Sister for guidance on beast taming. I accidentally acquired something that seems to have spiritual nature, but I don't know its origin or habits. I'd like to ask Senior Sister to take a look."

As he spoke, he carefully took out the Slug from his embrace. The little creature seemed to have regained some vitality from the nourishment of Lin Feng's body temperature, wiggling slightly in his palm.

Xiao Qinghan curiously leaned closer, examining it carefully, and extended a slender finger to gently touch its cold, slippery back.

She observed it for a long time, her delicate brows slightly furrowed, and finally shook her head:

"I'm sorry, Junior Brother Lin, I am unlearned... This creature has a peculiar form, with an introverted spiritual charm and vibrant vitality. It is definitely not an ordinary Slug, but I have searched through my memories, and there seems to be no record of such a Spirit Beast in the Sect's 'Myriad Spirit Compendium'.

Perhaps... it's an extremely rare variant, one not even recorded in the compendium."

Although she didn't recognize the creature, her enthusiasm didn't wane: "However, since it has a connection with you, and its spiritual nature is gentle, it is certainly worth nurturing well." She took out an exquisite gray leather pouch, its opening embroidered with mysterious runes.

"This is a spirit beast pouch," she handed the leather pouch to Lin Feng, "Although the space isn't large, it forms a small world of its own inside, capable of gathering faint Spiritual Qi to nourish Spirit Beasts. You can normally keep it inside and simply warm it slightly with your own spiritual power."

As she explained, she stood a little closer to Lin Feng. The clear and pure aura subtly emanating from Lin Feng brought a rare sense of relief and coolness to her Meridians, which were often uncomfortably hot due to her Cultivation of the "Myriad Spirit Harmonization Art." It was like a long-awaited sweet dew after a drought, and she subconsciously wanted to move closer, to absorb more of that comforting aura.

Her cheeks flushed slightly, and her gaze unconsciously lingered on Lin Feng's focused profile as he listened. An indescribable longing and flutter arose in her heart.

'If I could... intimately blend auras with him, or even... achieve Yin and Yang harmony... perhaps the burning pain from my Cultivation Technique's backlash could be completely alleviated...' This thought made her heart race, yet she was too shy to voice it, unsure how to speak without being presumptuous to this Junior Brother she had a good impression of.

Lin Feng did not notice Xiao Qinghan's unusual thoughts, concentrating fully on the explanation. He took the spirit beast pouch: "Thank you, Senior Sister, for your guidance. This item is exactly what I needed right now."

He carefully placed the Slug into the pouch. The runes at the opening glowed faintly and sealed themselves.

"You're too kind, Junior Brother." Xiao Qinghan pursed her lips and smiled, trying to suppress her thoughts, "In the future, if you have any questions about Spirit Beasts, just come find me. In the Dao of beast taming, Senior Sister can still offer a little help."

She paused, then softly added, "Actually... if Junior Brother has free time, it would be good to visit Beast Taming Peak more often."

Lin Feng didn't think too deeply, only taking it as Senior Sister's warm invitation, and cupped his hands in thanks again: "Certainly. Thank you, Senior Sister, for today. Junior Brother will take his leave now."

Watching Lin Feng's departing figure, Xiao Qinghan sighed softly, her fingertips unconsciously stroking the corner of the desk. That comforting, clear aura seemed to still linger at her nostrils.

'When will he... understand? Or... how can I make him understand...'