Chapter 3: Come, Come, Come, I’ll Give You a Gift

“Xuanshui Pill.”

These three short words exploded like a time bomb in everyone’s hearts. At the same time, they also recalled the promise made by Immortal Wu Yi earlier—whoever could serve the Moonlight Beast well would be rewarded with the Xuanshui Pill.

For these immortals, the Xuanshui Pill was the most coveted treasure. The spiritual power on Beast Island was thin, and under normal cultivation speeds, unless one had extraordinary talent, even after a thousand years, one might not make significant progress. However, if one could obtain the Xuanshui Pill, everything would be different. Not only would it immediately grant basic qualification to enter the Lower Three Immortal Realm, but there would also be a chance to be crowned the leader in the “Beast Island Evaluation” held once every ten years, thus planning for a better future.

But now, this Xuanshui Pill, which drove them to madness, was about to fall into the hands of a mortal. Regardless of Chen Xi’s background, just the fact that he was a mortal with no cultivation talent meant he had no right to possess the Xuanshui Pill.

Handing the Xuanshui Pill to him would be a waste of natural resources.

For a moment, the immortals whispered among themselves, their gazes toward Immortal Wu Yi filled with unspoken words. However, Immortal Wu Yi, sitting in the central seat, did not respond.

Unlike these short-sighted immortals, although Chen Xi had only made one meal, Immortal Wu Yi vaguely felt that some of Chen Xi’s methods resembled those used by ancient beast taming families in legends.

In the Immortal Realm, the techniques for raising spiritual beasts were very mysterious and hard to fathom. But Chen Xi was completely different. After all, he was a mortal, with a lifespan at most a few days. If something could be learned from him, there could be great potential in the future.

As for the Xuanshui Pill, since Chen Xi couldn’t consume it, what harm was there in giving it to him? Five days later, when Chen Xi died, everything would return to its rightful owner.

Thinking of this, Immortal Wu Yi finally spoke: “This matter need not be discussed further, we cannot break our word.”

After hearing this, the immortals were filled with jealousy. But once they had dispersed, Immortal Wu Yi called over his confidant and whispered a few words in his ear.

Immortal Wu Yi was always cautious. While he had plans for Chen Xi, there were some aspects of him that made him wary. Therefore, he decided to send someone to test it first.

—

Zefeng Cave Mansion

Just as Chen Xi came out from the Moonlight Beast’s side, Immortal Wu Yi’s confidant personally escorted him to the vicinity of the cave mansion. As he handed the previously promised Xuanshui Pill to Chen Xi, he said, “In the future, please take good care of the Moonlight Beast.”

After giving the instructions, the person left, leaving Chen Xi alone, who began to curiously examine his surroundings.

It had to be said that, regardless of Immortal Wu Yi’s plans, the new cave mansion arranged for Chen Xi was generous and fair. However, the layout of the cave mansion gave a somewhat intriguing feeling, especially when Chen Xi saw the plaque hanging outside. This feeling grew even more pronounced.

“Zefeng,” Chen Xi silently murmured to himself.

The thirty-first hexagram of the ^[1]I Ching (易经), or Book of Changes, is an ancient Chinese text used for divination and guidance. It consists of 64 hexagrams (six-line symbols) that represent different situations or patterns of … Continue readingI Ching is called “Zefeng”. It subtly refers to the disharmony of the lunar calendar, making it difficult to achieve good things, advising patience in all matters and caution against overthinking. According to the immortal who guided me earlier, the characters on the cave dwelling were inscribed by the famous immortal Lu Yan from Beast Island. So, was this a deliberate warning?

“Heh, interesting,” Chen Xi lightly chuckled, then walked inside.

Unlike the seemingly ordinary exterior of the cave mansion, the interior was luxuriously decorated. The floor was paved with warm jade, the lamps were made of glass, and the furniture made of nanmu wood, inlaid with ivory decorations, was intricately carved, breathtaking in its detail.

“Mo Shu, Mo Yu, pay respects to the master.”

The sudden voice interrupted Chen Xi’s thoughts. Turning around, he saw two young attendants in servant clothes kneeling not far behind him. They were the two puppets assigned by Immortal Wu Yi to serve him. Right behind them was a very familiar face.

It was the male immortal who had pushed Chen Xi out earlier in the afternoon.

When Chen Xi’s gaze landed on him, the immortal quickly put on a respectful demeanor, stepped forward, and bowed, saying, “I am Han Qing, sent by Immortal Wu Yi to serve the honored one.”

At first, Chen Xi was puzzled, but after a moment of thought, he understood. According to Beast Island’s rules, the master of a cave mansion held a higher status than ordinary immortals and could command lower-ranking immortals. Han Qing was one such immortal whom Chen Xi could now control.

Han Qing’s attitude had completely changed. His words were full of flattery, almost as if he truly respected Chen Xi as a superior. Unfortunately, the disdain in his eyes was poorly concealed, and one could easily tell that his intentions were not pure.

After carefully observing the person before him, Chen Xi had no intention of engaging with him. He simply sat down in the master’s chair and leisurely took a sip of tea.

As the lid of the tea cup was lifted, a faint tea fragrance filled the room, but the taste was rather bland, almost like plain water. Chen Xi inspected the tea leaves, noticing a hint of green that allowed him to recognize the type of tea.

It seemed to be duckweed.

In the real world, duckweed was a very common plant. But in the Immortal Realm, it was rare. This was because duckweed was one of the few plants that didn’t contain spiritual power, making it suitable for someone like Chen Xi to consume. Therefore, it wasn’t something to criticize for its thoughtfulness.

However, duckweed was fragile and isolated. The immortals giving him this as a gift was a subtle insult, implying that he was a rootless person. It was deeply ironic.

Putting down the cup, a trace of coldness flashed in Chen Xi’s eyes. As he looked at Han Qing, he became more aware of his true intentions.

Seeing that Chen Xi didn’t seem to like the taste of the tea, Han Qing deliberately spoke up to persuade him, “This duckweed was just picked today. Although it’s a new tea, it’s fresh. Moreover, it’s only available here on Beast Island. Even though the taste is a bit bland, it’s still Immortal Wu Yi’s gift to you, showing how much he values you.”

“Is that so?” Chen Xi said in a noncommittal tone, putting down the tea cup. “You don’t need to serve me here. I’ll look around myself.”

“Yes, honored one.” Han Qing agreed readily and then turned to leave.

After Han Qing left, Chen Xi followed with his two puppet attendants out of the cave mansion.

Unlike the grass hut he had stayed in before, Zefeng Cave Mansion was one of the most beautiful and blessed places on Beast Island. Many of Immortal Wu Yi’s trusted subordinates also lived here.

As instructed by the puppets, Chen Xi greeted a few immortals he met along the way, but the response was minimal. Not only did they look down on him with a high-and-mighty attitude, but the contempt in their eyes was enough to make anyone feel disgusted.

Chen Xi wasn’t surprised. After all, if even Han Qing, a servant sent by Immortal Wu Yi, could openly humiliate him, those with higher status would surely not think highly of him. What he couldn’t figure out was whether this stemmed from their inherent nature or if it was Immortal Wu Yi’s orders.

Chen Xi continued walking, and as it got later in the day, he grew tired and decided to return. However, as he passed by a dense thicket, a conversation between several immortals unexpectedly caught his attention.

Coincidentally, it included Han Qing and Lu Yan, the immortal who had written the plaque for him.

“Han Qing, you’ve been on Beast Island for a long time. How did Chen Xi manage to please the Moonlight Beast?” one immortal asked.

Han Qing snorted coldly, “Who knows? He didn’t even do well with the food.”

“That’s true. Yet Immortal Wu Yi kept his word and really gave him the Xuanshui Pill.”

This time, Han Qing remained silent, but Lu Yan responded with a sinister tone, “I’m just afraid he’ll have the fate to receive it, but not the life to enjoy it.”

The three immortals chatted loudly without any attempt to hide their words. In fact, they had already noticed Chen Xi’s approach, but they didn’t think it worth paying attention to.

Chen Xi naturally understood their petty thoughts. He listened quietly until they finished talking, then raised his voice, “No need to worry, I know how to make use of the Xuanshui Pill. I’m more concerned about those who gossip behind others’ backs, as they might not be able to keep their tongues in check.”

With that, Chen Xi turned and left, not caring about their reactions. By now, he had almost pieced everything together, and it was likely all part of Immortal Wu Yi’s plan.

When Chen Xi first arrived on Beast Island, he had heard that Immortal Wu Yi was extremely strict with his subordinates. If he truly had the intention to treat him well, these immortals would never dare to humiliate him so easily. This suggests that while Immortal Wu Yi might appear kind on the surface, privately he could be scheming something sinister.

Chen Xi had always been one to repay grudges, and he had endured quite a lot in recent days. These people were clearly plotting against him, and it was time for him to fight back. However, his current resources were limited, and he felt like something was still missing.

Wait, resources?

A thought crossed Chen Xi’s mind, and he quickly walked into the inner room. Taking out the Xuanshui Pill that Immortal Wu Yi had given him earlier, Chen Xi held it carefully and examined it.

Unlike the pill he had imagined, the Xuanshui Pill appeared almost like jade but wasn’t quite jade. Its transparent shell contained a semi-transparent liquid that sparkled with starlike glimmers each time it was shaken.

Chen Xi tapped it with his finger and couldn’t help but frown. He had felt that the Xuanshui Pill seemed familiar when he first received it, but he couldn’t recall where he had seen something similar. After playing with it for a while and listening to the sound of the water inside, his memory was suddenly triggered, and he also developed a concrete plan in his mind.

Calling his puppets, Chen Xi asked them for a few items before beginning to experiment with the Xuanshui Pill. Although he couldn’t use it for himself, he could certainly use it to teach these immortals a lesson.

Since they were all waiting for him to die and inherit his position, he would make sure they didn’t get their way. Not only would he make sure they didn’t get their way, but he would also make sure they would never dare to covet his position again.

—

In just one night, the news of Chen Xi scolding the immortals spread throughout Beast Island. Nearly everyone who heard the story thought he was extremely ungrateful. The next morning, when Chen Xi arrived at the teleportation hall, everyone’s gaze toward him was a bit awkward.

Lu Yan, the immortal who had been scolded by him yesterday, directly provoked him, saying, “Young Chen, be careful. The previous Immortal who was good at controlling beasts fed the Moonlight Celestial Beast on the first day, but by the second day, he died a miserable death. It was because the Moonlight Celestial Beast was just starving.”

However, Chen Xi showed no intention of showing him any respect. As he passed by, he contemptuously replied, “Don’t compare me to you worthless people who can’t even get cat food right.” With that, he walked straight onto the teleportation platform.

Although he spoke quietly, since they were all immortals, everyone in the hall could hear him. Moreover, Chen Xi made no attempt to hide his words.

The irony was obvious, as he directly insulted everyone on Beast Island.

In an instant, everyone’s expressions turned dark. Some of the more impatient ones even began to curse aloud. However, just then, the image of the Moonlight Celestial Beast’s cave appeared in the water mirror beside the teleportation array, and everyone’s expression changed immediately.

At this moment, Chen Xi had successfully teleported to the Moonlight Celestial Beast’s cave. Unlike his cautious attitude from the day before, today Chen Xi was brimming with confidence, showing no fear whatsoever. Upon seeing the Moonlight Celestial Beast approaching him, he casually took something out of his sleeve and placed it on the ground, smiling as he said, “Come, come, I have a little gift for you.”

—

Author’s Note:

Moonlight Celestial Beast: I wonder what Xixi is going to make for me to eat today~ 【looking forward.jpg】