CH 36

Chapter 36: Xuanming the Black Panther

After the successful completion of the celebration, the Wolf Clan sent many expressions of gratitude to Yun Zhao. As agreed, Yun Zhao made soft and fragrant little bread rolls to give to Chang Xiao.

Chang Xiao instructed his subordinates to pack the bread into a carriage and stood still for a moment, as if he had something to say.

Yun Zhao asked, "What's the matter?"

Chang Xiao glanced around to ensure there were no onlookers before leaning closer to Yun Zhao and inquiring, "During the celebration, there was some commotion in the mountains and forests..."

"Oh, so that's what you're referring to," Yun Zhao chuckled. "Sun Yang's breakthrough caused quite a bit of damage to the trees, which must have been troublesome for you."

"No, it's not about that," Chang Xiao shook his head.

He continued, "I'm talking about the sound of a dragon's roar! Sun Yang's breakthrough couldn't have caused such a tremendous disturbance."

Before Yun Zhao could reply, Chang Xiao reminisced on his own, saying, "I've heard from some immortals that Lord Ao Yu visited that day. Could it be that he has... recovered?"

Yun Zhao didn't dare to make definitive statements and simply replied, "His condition is improving."

Upon hearing this, Chang Xiao's eyes instantly brightened.

He had heard Lady Xianyue mention that this Dragon Sovereign had rescued the Wolf Clan's leader several times during battles in the abyss. Otherwise, the Wolf Clan's leader wouldn't be secluded in cultivation like he is now.

Chang Xiao patted his shoulder in a righteous manner and said, "If you need any medicinal herbs or immortal flowers, feel free to ask me. You are all esteemed guests of my Wolf Clan, and I will never forget this favor."

Yun Zhao couldn't help but find his words amusing. Chang Xiao was afraid that the young man might not take it seriously, so he wanted to immediately bring some spiritual medicines and supplements.

The persistent demeanor of Chang Xiao left Yun Zhao both amused and exasperated. He assured him that if there was a need, he will definitely seek his help, and finally sent off this enthusiastic benefactor.

As he returned to the courtyard, he noticed the presence of an immortal whom he hadn't seen before.

Clad in white robes with a jade belt, delicate facial features, and slightly raised eyebrows, the immortal stood under the crabapple tree, appearing as if he had stepped out of a painting.

Amidst the sound of claws scratching against wooden planks, Wu Mu and Luo Xue chased after a round pearl, running out of the house.

The pearl rolled to a stop near the immortal's feet, and the two kittens quickly backed away, using their bottoms as brakes. Unfortunately, it was of no use as they both crashed into his shins.

The immortal was amused and let out a light laugh. Wu Mu shook his head and looked up, seemingly fond of the immortal's pristine and clean demeanor, and obediently squatted down.

The black cat’s ears twitched and he exclaimed, "Good morning, White Jade Immortal!"

Hearing his older brother's greeting, Luo Xue hurriedly followed, whispering, "Hello, Immortal..."

White Jade bent down and gently stroked the little heads of the kittens, which were smooth and soft, clearly well taken care of.

He sighed and said, "Kongming True Immortal said that this place is good, looks like he didn't deceive me."

Wu Mu's eyes narrowed as he enjoyed being petted, and his tail swayed from left to right, showing his agreement with White Jade's words.

Yun Zhao's kindergarten is the best place!

After finishing petting the cats, White Jade looked up and saw a handsome young man standing not far away. He smiled and said, "You must be Yun Zhao? I'm White Jade from Chihua Peak, coming from the Northern Land."

While Yun Zhao was preparing food in the kitchen during the celebration, he overheard the attendants gossiping.

White Jade and Si Wuchen ascended from the cultivation world, where they were both Sword Spirits and masters, as well as being brothers. However, there were also attendants who directly hinted that the two were more than just fellow cultivators.

Yun Zhao was puzzled as to why this immortal had traveled such a long distance to Yu Ming Mountain, so he asked, "Is there something I can help you with, White Jade Immortal?"

"Don't be so formal, just call me by my name," White Jade waved his hand and sat down at the stone table.

Yun Zhao couldn't help but ask when he saw White Jade's posture as he sat down, "Is your waist uncomfortable? Let me have Bai ze take a look at it for you!"

White Jade's face turned slightly red, and he quickly waved his hand, saying, "No, no!"

He cleared his throat and explained, "I heard from Kongming True Immortal that you have opened a divine beast kindergarten for taking care of divine beasts?"

Yun Zhao nodded. Most of the divine beasts were taken care of by their respective clans within the immortal realm, so his kindergarten hadn't received any new students for a long time.

Understanding White Jade's intention, Yun Zhao guessed, "So, you want to send a divine beast over for me to take care of?"

Seeing White Jade nod, Yun Zhao felt overjoyed. He warmly offered, "Would you like to visit the dormitory? The beds come in humanoid and original forms, and the facilities in the courtyard have just been set up, which the little ones love. If your cub has any favorite toys, feel free to let me know."

"Oh, by the way, this is the menu for the divine beasts' meals. They will have a small snack in the afternoon and a bowl of milk before bedtime!"

Yun Zhao was getting enthusiastic, but he noticed White Jade feeling a bit embarrassed and rubbing his nose.

Curious, Yun Zhao asked, "Is there any special request? Immortal, please tell me, I will do my best to fulfill it!"

"Well..." White Jade sighed and then whistled.

"Roar!"

A beastly roar came from behind the rockery, and in an instant, a sleek black panther leaped down, reaching shoulder height. Its fur was glossy, its physique agile, and the emerald green pupils within its golden eyes were intimidating.

The panther shook its fur and reluctantly sat down next to White Jade, even in a seated position, it was still taller than Yun Zhao who was standing.

Yun Zhao looked up in awe and exclaimed, "Wow."

"What I'm sending is not just a cub..." White Jade sheepishly made the panther shrink in size, and it grumbled while shrinking, still significantly larger than an ordinary panther.

Yun Zhao asked, "What is this?"

White Jade stroked the panther's back fur and said, "This is Xuanming, the contract spirit beast of my senior brother, Si Wuchen. It came with us to the Upper Realm."

"Unfortunately, in the eyes of the divine beasts of the Immortal realm, they either belong to the immortal clan or are ancient auspicious beasts like Bai ze. Although Xuanming possesses exceptionally profound powers in the cultivation world, it is considered nothing more than a beast from the mortal realm by these immortal clans."

White Jade let out a sigh and continued, "Xuanming has been staying with us on Chihua Peak for a long time, and I'm worried that he might get bored and find it difficult to adapt. So my senior brother asked me to bring it here. Since I saw that you only take in cubs... I don't know if Xuanming can stay?"

Upon hearing White Jade mentioning Si Wuchen, Xuanming inwardly rolled its eyes.

It knew its master too well. He wasn't worried about it being bored at all! It was clearly an act of revenge for ruining his good time, and only White Jade, the idiot, would believe it...

Xuanming turned its head and looked at the gentle young man in front of it. Seeing him on the verge of tears due to White Jade's words, it helplessly looked up at the sky.

Assessment complete: he's just as much of an idiot as White Jade.

At this moment, in Yun Zhao's eyes, the black panther was a lonely and pitiful creature, ostracized in a foreign realm. He readily agreed to White Jade's request.

What did it matter if the beds weren't suitable? He would just buy new ones!

Yun Zhao quickly nodded and said joyfully, "You can rest assured and leave Xuanming to me. The children here have good personalities, and they will definitely have a great time playing with it."

White Jade chuckled. This mountain spirit youth was indeed likable.

After reaching an agreement, Yun Zhao and White Jade signed the contract. White Jade didn't linger in the pavilion for long and left Yuming Mountain with Yun Zhao's gift of a small loaf of bread after paying the spirit stones.

The system chimed in, saying, [Congratulations to the host for receiving a new spirit beast. Please increase the satisfaction level of the black panther Xuanming as soon as possible.]

Yun Zhao was delighted to have a new spirit beast and asked the system to check Xuanming's preferences in the divine beast compendium.

To his surprise, the system awkwardly said, [Xuanming doesn't belong to the Immortal Realm's divine beasts, so its preferences haven't been recorded. You'll have to explore them yourself. But rest assured, it will definitely benefit from the nourishment of the Yu Ming Mountain spiritual veins!]

Yun Zhao only caught one key point in his mind—explore them himself!

He became infuriated and called out to the system again, but unfortunately, the system pretended to be dead and didn't respond.

Yun Zhao sighed helplessly and returned to the divine beast dormitory, intending to arrange the panther's bedding. However, to his surprise, the panther was already lying there, stretching its body and lying belly-down on the carpet. Its black, round ears twitched in Yun Zhao's direction.

Yun Zhao exuded a pleasant fragrance, and although he and Qing Jiao were both mountain spirit clansmen, the young man before Xuanming didn't elicit any aversion from it. The panther curved its tail down and then let it lie flat. It didn't care much since if it got bored on this mountaintop, it would just leave and return to Chihua Peak after having enough fun outside.

By then, Si Wuchen would have calmed down and wouldn't fuss about whether it had obediently stayed in this "kindergarten." Xuanming disdainfully thought that it would be embarrassing to accompany this group of kittens who hadn't even reached a thousand years old.

Yun Zhao didn't know what it was thinking, but he observed the black panther lying silently with its front paws, seemingly dozing off. It must have been shy since it had just arrived. So he brought out the large cushion he bought from the market and spread thick blankets on top of it.

He looked at the soft and thick cushion and let out a sigh, thinking it would be very comfortable to sleep on. He wanted the panther to come and try it, so he called out a few times, but the panther remained motionless. Its swaying tail indicated that the big cat wasn't asleep, just too lazy to respond.

Yun Zhao felt a little discouraged. It seemed that his affinity didn't have any effect on the panther. Just as Yun Zhao was feeling disheartened, Wu Mu walked in with a comb in its mouth, followed by Luo Xue. It placed the comb by Yun Zhao's feet and squatted down.

Wu Mu meowed obediently and said, "Yun Zhao, it's time for you to groom us!"

Yun Zhao smiled and sat cross-legged, allowing Wu Mu to lie in his lap.

The comb was made of sandalwood with closely spaced teeth. Yun Zhao skillfully combed Wu Mu's fur, starting gently and gradually applying more pressure, causing Wu Mu to roll over and meow incessantly.

With watery eyes, Luo Xue summoned the courage to nudge Wu Mu's head. Its round eyes, filled with moisture, stared at Yun Zhao, indicating that it was its turn.

Yun Zhao treated both of them equally and combed Luo Xue from head to tail. When he had groomed the two kittens to the point of drowsiness, Yun Zhao smiled and was about to get up.

Unexpectedly, a massive black paw reached out and gently stopped Yun Zhao's ankle. Looking up, Yun Zhao noticed that Xuanming had squatted in front of him, its gaze fixed on the sandalwood comb in Yun Zhao's hand.

"Do you want to be groomed?" Yun Zhao raised the comb and asked.

Xuanming flicked its round ears backward, grumbled, and lay down, lifting its head slightly to look at Yun Zhao, as if saying, "I'm already lying down. How could you be so oblivious?"

Yun Zhao never missed a chance for close contact with fluffy fur. He immediately exerted all his efforts, determined to make this black panther thoroughly enjoy the experience.

The fine comb teeth glided through the glossy black fur, while the panther's thick, long tail curved and relaxed gradually. Xuanming sniffed the clean scent emanating from the young man and made a rumbling sound in its throat, which was incredibly soothing for Yun Zhao to hear.

Its sharp claws slowly retracted into its paws, rhythmically tapping the air. Yun Zhao noticed and chuckled quietly, lowering his head to focus on taking care of the black panther.

Seeing the panther's appearance, Luo Xue couldn't help but feel envious. It approached and squatted in front of Xuanming. The white cat was a small ball, with a head smaller than the panther's.

Xuanming opened its narrowed eyes and spewed out a few sparks at the curious Luo Xue, almost singeing the fur on its head. Wu Mu was startled and quickly ran over, using its front paws to scratch and inspect its younger brother's little head.

Thinking that Luo Xue would start crying, Yun Zhao was surprised to see the little white cat with bright eyes approaching the black panther again.

Luo Xue asked innocently, "Xuanming, I will grow up to be as big as you in the future, right?"

Wu Mu: "..."

Yun Zhao sighed. When would he be able to make Luo Xue understand that he was a cat, not a panther?

Xuanming seemed to find the naive and innocent look of the little cat adorable. It propped itself up from Yun Zhao's lap, stared at the two kittens for a while, and then bent down to lick the fur on Luo Xue's head.

Luo Xue happily rubbed against the damp fur on the panther, feeling blessed.

This was the recognition of a powerful being! It would definitely grow up to be as big as them!

At that moment, the rabbits ran to the door of the dormitory and shouted, "Lord Yun Zhao, we're going fishing in the mountains. Would you like to join us?"

"Fishing?" Yun Zhao replied, "Yes, I want to! Wait for me while I fetch the fishing gear."

Saying that, Yun Zhao stood up, but was unexpectedly held back by the black panther grabbing onto his leg.

When Yun Zhao turned around and looked into the panther's eyes, he saw a terrifying brightness.

Fish!

Panther, I want to go too!