Long Ye withdrew his hand, finding the small spirit beast’s indecisive behavior even more endearing. A few pats, and the earlier frustration was forgotten. It was definitely still a cub.

After digging for a while, Long Ye finally managed to unearth the entire ginseng root with a few swift motions. The ginseng had reached its mature stage, brimming with spiritual energy. If it were placed in a basket, it would surely be noticed by others.

As Long Ye was contemplating what to do, a thunderous tremor erupted again from the direction of Jiutian Peak. Though they were not close enough to see the peak, the ground beneath them shook violently.

Shi Qian looked up in shock, wondering what could be causing such a disturbance again.

He was aware of the secret realms—soon, secret realms would begin appearing all over the cultivation world, one after another. The protagonist, Long Ye, would ascend rapidly through these secret realms, growing in strength at a remarkable pace.

However, Shi Qian only knew the rough outline of the plot. The detailed events of this world’s realm weren’t something the Transmigration Bureau had in its records.

Shi Qian and his colleagues at the bureau were meant to correct and maintain the balance of worlds as they naturally unfolded, not forcefully alter them. Doing so would interfere with the world’s self-regulating mechanism, and, in severe cases, could lead to the world’s collapse.

Could these disturbances in the world be related to the secret realms?

Lost in such serious thoughts, Shi Qian’s fluffy face looked quite stern. But that stern expression quickly dissolved into surprise as he was scooped up by Long Ye once again.

Long Ye’s kind, responsible, and reliable nature… weren’t those precisely the traits he was looking for in a “caretaker”?

Shi Qian found himself deeply moved.

Just then, the ground shook with another jolt, causing Long Ye to lose his balance. He crouched down, steadying himself. A crisp “crack” sounded, and the barrier around them shattered. The giant tree before them vanished, revealing they were still in the bamboo forest.

Before them was a large pit, the luxurious underground “home” of the ginseng root, which Long Ye had mercilessly dug up.

As the tremors continued, fresh soil was flung into the air. The sound of a mountain collapse echoed from Jiutian Peak, followed by a massive splash as something crashed into water. Even the streams in the mountains seemed to rise, the sound of rushing water growing louder.

With one hand gripping the ginseng, Long Ye turned to Shi Qian and asked, “Little Qian, can you store this ginseng in your storage space?”

Long Ye was so poor he couldn’t even afford the most basic storage bag.

Shi Qian glanced at the ginseng and mentally measured his own small storage space. He followed Long Ye’s hand, scurrying to the ginseng and grabbing one of its main roots with his tiny paws. With great effort, he dragged the entire plant into his necklace, though in the process, he ended up with dirt smeared all over his white chest fur.

There wasn’t time to clean up. Long Ye, ever tactful, promised, “I’ll give you a bath when we get back.”

Shi Qian squeaked in agreement. “Squeak squeak.”
You said it!

Deep down, he was delighted. Having the great Long Aotian give him a bath—who else could enjoy such a luxury?

With the ginseng stored away, Long Ye quickly led Shi Qian down the mountain, fearing that the tremors might cause further disasters.

Once they reached the road, they saw a radiant light suddenly explode from the direction of Jiutian Peak. A dazzling white glow spread outwards, accompanied by a massive influx of spiritual energy. White mist floated above Jiutian Peak like clouds, and birds filled the sky, flocking as if they were attending a grand festival.

Amidst the flock of birds, several rays of light shot out like meteors, scattering in all directions.

Some lights flew far away, while one headed straight for where Shi Qian and Long Ye stood.

As Long Ye watched the approaching light, his heart raced—it was something he yearned for. But then he remembered the many powerful cultivators on Jiutian Peak. Grabbing the small spirit beast close to his chest, he gritted his teeth, channeled spiritual energy into his legs, and darted away like a leopard, trying to avoid the light chasing him.

That light was the seal for entering the secret realm—a ring of entry. Shi Qian remembered that Long Ye would find one and secretly keep it. It must be this very ring before them now.

But why was Aotian running?

Before he could ponder the question, Shi Qian caught a faint whiff of something dangerous, jolting him into alertness.

There’s definitely a cultivator following the ring.

“Squeak squeak!”

Run, run!

Shi Qian clung to Long Aotian, casting an Earth Escape technique and dragging Long Aotian underground to escape.

Shi Qian’s escape technique was fast, but their pursuer was even faster. A middle-aged Golden Core cultivator used his artifact to capture the light, securing the ring. Then, with a swift movement, he intercepted the escaping aura ahead.

Shi Qian and Long Ye were squeezed out from the soil, dirt covering their faces and bodies.

Shi Qian immediately used his beast techniques to hide his aura, swiftly diving into Long Ye’s sleeve for cover.

The Golden Core cultivator floated down on his sword, hovering in mid-air, looking down on them. “Why are you running?”

Long Ye exhaled deeply, replying respectfully, “Elder, I was simply too frightened and ran. Congratulations to the elder on acquiring such a treasure—it’s sure to make you even stronger.”

“Why be afraid? Everyone desires such treasures.”

“If one lacks the strength, what’s the use of possessing it? I’ve survived until today because my parents raised me carefully. I fear such treasures may bring misfortune.”

“Hmph, clever words, but useless.” The Golden Core cultivator snorted coldly, releasing a wave of spiritual energy to scan Long Ye from head to toe. The energy paused at his sleeve.

“A spirit beast? Let me see it,” the Golden Core cultivator demanded.

No one knew exactly what came with the light from Jiutian Peak. The cultivator suspected that aside from the ring, there might be something else this lowly Qi Refinement boy had picked up.

Long Ye inwardly cursed the man for being unreasonable, but had no choice. He obediently pulled the small spirit beast from his sleeve.

Shi Qian immediately played dead, closing his eyes and going limp, appearing as if he had fainted from fear.

The demon cultivators before had saw him searching for treasure and knew he was a treasure-hunting rat. Now he just pretended to be dead, not believing that this person could tell his magical powers from the appearance of a chinchilla from another world.

The Golden Core cultivator glanced at him and nearly made Shi Qian break character from rage with his next words.

“Such a weak Foundation Establishment spirit beast? I’ve never seen one this pathetic.”