CHAPTER 38

— Jade-Skin Scalding —

Could it be that without Su Yan, Tong Tong was nothing but a weakling with a combat power of five?

—At least at this moment, the answer was yes.

After Su Yan had effortlessly repelled the surrounding Copper-Skin Ghosts with a single sword strike and smoothly resolved the entire situation, thus rescuing the "utterly defenseless" Tong Tong, she finally had to reluctantly admit—her cultivation was truly pathetic!

Unlike those transmigrators with heaven-defying talents who dominated the battlefield, she was average in aptitude, average in appearance, and even her cultivation was merely average—she couldn't even handle a few Copper-Skin Ghosts, and had been chased around, scrambling and hiding. Compared to the graceful and poised Su Yan, it was simply too pitiful to look at...

It must have been the wrong way she transmigrated!

Tong Tong wallowed in self-pity, glancing at the scattered copper skins on the ground, and suddenly lost interest in picking them up... After stomping away angrily for a few steps, she could no longer move forward. With a soft sigh, she turned her heels and, with a lack of pride, gathered the shattered copper skins into a small Qiankun pouch—doing her best to ignore Su Yan's exasperated and disdainful gaze behind her, she kept comforting herself in her heart: To grow stronger, one needs resources... How can one replenish elixirs for cultivation without enough spirit stones? This is for accumulating strength for the future, it's foresight, it's preparing for the worst, it's enduring humiliation...

—It's definitely not greed!

After tidying up the scattered copper skins as quickly as possible—though they wouldn't fetch as high a price as intact skins, even a mosquito's leg is meat, and one shouldn't be picky—she quickened her pace to catch up with Su Yan. Tong Tong adjusted her facial expression, trying to make her smile appear sincere and grateful, yet not overly enthusiastic or fake: "Senior Brother~ Senior Brother Yan~ Um, thank you so much just now! You're truly amazing! With just a few 'whooshes,' you took them all down! Truly a genius, skilled in both literature and martial arts, handsome and dashing... You're truly a dragon among men, a role model for our generation! My admiration for you is like the waters of the Yellow River, surging endlessly and flowing continuously..."

Tong Tong racked her brains for words of praise, bowing and scraping as she followed Su Yan, carefully observing the other's reaction. However, she saw Su Yan's slender eyebrows lift slightly, her enchanting, narrow eyes glancing over with a half-smile, and she nodded noncommittally: "Go on."

"Huh?" 'Big Iceberg, why aren't you following the usual script? I've talked until my mouth is dry, what more do you want? Go on? As if it's not you who's racking your brains and nearly turning gray with worry...'

Forcing a few dry laughs, Tong Tong suddenly pointed at a faintly visible figure at the corner of the passage and shouted loudly: "Look, there's an enemy!"

Su Yan shot her an annoyed glare, rubbing her ears, which were still ringing from the shout. With Changhong in hand, she swung her sword from a distance, striking at the shadowy figure, only to surprise both of them—there was no sound, no bl0od, as if the strike had landed on empty air and simply vanished!

Not to mention Tong Tong, even Su Yan couldn't hide her astonishment: since it was a test, she had only used twenty percent of her spiritual power, but the angle was perfectly calculated. It definitely shouldn't have produced such a negligible effect... Could it be that the enemy was too strong?

Frowning, Su Yan took two steps forward, chasing after the shifting shadow. As she rounded the corner, she finally caught a full glimpse of the phantom-like figure—though calling it a phantom wasn't entirely accurate. Its nearly transparent skin allowed it to blend into the darkness, making it difficult to see clearly.

"Ningzhi [Gelatinous] Ghost," Su Yan said in a low voice, stopping Tong Tong from stepping closer.

"It looks like jelly..." Tong Tong muttered softly, flipping through her small yellow booklet. Suddenly, her eyes landed on a page, and she rubbed them in disbelief before leaning in for a closer look. She murmured, "Body like congealed fat, translucent as jade, skin like lotus root, dissolving bl0od and essence. Touching it in corpse refinement or bone transformation is forbidden. In the Hundred Ghost Cave... it ranks first?"

Wide-eyed, she looked back and forth at the soft, jelly-like blob before her, finding it hard to believe that this was the top-ranked monster in the Hundred Ghost Cave.

—It's just a piece of lychee jelly...

After a moment's thought, Tong Tong took out a low-grade spirit stone from her Qiankun pouch, aimed at the slowly moving Ningzhi Ghost, and threw it. The stone hit its chest with a soft pat, sinking into its lotus-pink, translucent flesh as if swallowed by an Amazonian swamp, completely enveloped in the gel. Even from a distance, she could almost feel the suffocating despair closing in from all sides, threatening to swallow her whole...

Just as she was feeling uneasy, a sizzling sound, like frying steak, suddenly echoed. Puzzled, Tong Tong glanced around but smelled no steak. Focusing on the Ningzhi Ghost, she realized the spirit stone embedded in its body was changing—dissolving as if doused with legendary corpse-dissolving liquid. In the blink of an eye, nothing remained—unless you counted the bubbles.

Shivering, she stubbornly took out a small piece of Copper-Skin Ghost's loose skin from her Qiankun pouch. Estimating the distance, she channeled energy into her fingers and flicked the skin like a dart into the ghost's body. Bubbles erupted instantly, and the supposedly indestructible, fire-and-water-resistant copper skin dissolved within moments, becoming part of the ghost—just like the spirit stone.

What's worse, the Ningzhi Ghost's body had clearly expanded, evidently drawing energy from the dissolved materials.

"Hiss—" Tong Tong took a few steps back, breaking into a cold sweat at the sight of the unassuming yet lethally powerful Ningzhi Ghost. She quickly leaned close to Su Yan's ear and whispered, "Senior Brother, this one's tough. Let's retreat!"

Her voice was faint, barely audible, afraid that even the slightest disturbance might provoke the ghost or that the air itself could become its nourishment.

—But retreating without a fight? That wasn't the way of a sword cultivator! Her reputation as the Fierce Deity of Chonghua wasn't for nothing!

Tilting her head slightly to avoid the warm, damp breath, Su Yan didn't respond. Instead, she tightened her grip on the Changhong Sword, her expression no longer relaxed.

She gently placed Cookie from her shoulder onto the ground, giving Tong Tong a meaningful look to take care of herself. With a light tap of her toes, she leaped forward, landing in front of the Ningzhi Ghost. With a single downward slash, she cleaved it in two!

Tong Tong's face lit up with joy, but before she could cheer, she watched in disbelief as the two halves of the monster slowly merged back together along the cut, leaving not even a scar behind.

Su Yan continued to slash from different angles, yet the outcome remained unchanged.

Her brows furrowed tightly, and a deeper gravity settled in her ink-dark eyes.

Meanwhile, drawn by the commotion, several sluggish Ningzhi ghosts emerged from the other end of the passage. Though they appeared harmless, they sent shivers down Tong Tong's spine as she watched from a distance.

As the Ningzhi ghosts inched closer, Su Yan slung Changhong over her back and snapped her fingers lightly with her left hand. The nearest ghost was instantly encased in frost, turning into an ice sculpture. With a flash of Changhong's blade, the sculpture shattered into icy fragments.

Tong Tong let out a sigh of relief, feeling a wave of gratitude: Thank goodness Su Yan is here.

Unbeknownst to her, she had already grown so dependent on the other.

Just as Su Yan was methodically dealing with these high-offense, low-defense Ningzhi ghosts, a small figure crept stealthily toward the pile of ice shards. Its furry head leaned in for a sniff, golden eyes gleaming with curiosity. Its round ears twitched, and then—it extended a tiny pink tongue and gave the pale pink ice a tentative lick!

"Cookie! Stop! Don't lick that! It's not food! No licking, ahhh—" By the time Tong Tong noticed and rushed over, it was too late. The little creature was already munching contentedly on the ice shards, crunching them with gusto. After Tong Tong's horrified scream, it glanced over curiously, its feasting uninterrupted, as if the indestructible, corrosive Ningzhi ghost were the most delicious pudding dessert in the world.

"Oh no..." Tong Tong clutched her head in dismay, regretting her failure to keep an eye on her gluttonous pet, letting it throw its life away for nothing—tears welled up in her eyes, on the verge of falling, when Su Yan's puzzled voice cut in: "Strange..."

"What? What is it? Is Cookie going to die? Wuwu... Cookie, I'm sorry! I didn't take good care of you... It's all my fault—wuwu..." Tears streamed down as Tong Tong scooped Cookie into her arms, sobbing uncontrollably.

Seeing her so distraught, Su Yan couldn't help but massage her temples, then tapped Tong Tong's head with the hilt of her sword in annoyance. "Stop crying. It's fine."

"Huh? You're lying... How could it be fine after eating that... wuwu—" Tong Tong lifted her red-rimmed eyes, shooting Su Yan a distrustful glare that clearly said, "Don't try to comfort me, I already know." Su Yan felt a vein throb in her forehead, fighting the urge to knock her out with a chop.

Taking a deep breath, she finally spoke with patience and gentleness. "Trust me, it really is fine."

"R-really?" Tong Tong finally looked up, half-believing, half-doubting.

Su Yan nodded firmly, even offering a soft smile—a rare display of warmth—which finally stopped Tong Tong's tears and made her listen quietly. Su Yan couldn't help but mock herself inwardly: 'I really have no way with this fool...'

"The auspicious beast Zouyu possesses innate abilities to ward off evil and avert misfortune. What is there to fear from mere Ningzhi ghosts?" Su Yan half-knelt, gently wiping the tear tracks from Tong Tong's cheek with her left hand—a tenderness she herself hadn't realized she was capable of. "Have I ever lied to you?"

"Hmm... no." After carefully thinking it over, Tong Tong shook her head, finally managing to stop her tears. Her reddened nose looked somewhat comical, but in her eyes, it held a touch of cuteness. "But what if he gets diarrhea? There's no way to pump its stomach here..."

Tong Tong bit her lip, her worried expression stirring something in her heart. She wanted to say something, but was interrupted by Cookie's low growl: "Awoo~ awoo~"

"What... what's wrong with it? Didn't you say it was fine?" Tong Tong's eyes, which had just dried, welled up with moisture again. Her clear gaze fixed directly on Su Yan, as if accusing her of lying.

"..." Su Yan didn't answer, silently watching as the little creature, after its roar, stretched its limbs, arched its back, and flicked its long tail. A golden rune appeared on its forehead—and on the ground where they stood, a circular array materialized. Dazzling white specks of light gathered on this array, slowly forming unfamiliar characters that seemed like long-lost ancient script, eventually converging into a complete formation pattern—remarkably similar to the teleportation array that had brought them here!

Before she could ponder further, the white light flared brilliantly, and the two of them, along with the creature, vanished from the spot in an instant.

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