Tao Hu's voice carried on the wind, weaving through the flickering campfire. A few dry leaves tumbled and danced in the night air.
Yarrow and Ji Xiaofei both turned to look at her. She, however, was gazing wistfully at the vast, star-strewn sky.
A long silence settled between them before Yarrow finally spoke.
"And then what?"
Ji Xiaofei tilted her head. "What is transmigration?"
Tao Hu lowered her gaze to meet theirs, blinking blankly. "Aren't you surprised at all?"
Yarrow scoffed. "Your style has been off since the beginning. Of course, we suspected something."
He had already guessed as much, though he hadn't shown it. Still, a strange unease stirred within him. Another transmigrator? Even if she was just a fox, the revelation was unsettling. And judging by her ability to use magic, she clearly hadn't come from Earth.
Tao Hu scratched her head. "I thought you'd be more shocked. Could it be that this world is crawling with transmigrators?"
"If there are, they wouldn't exactly advertise it," Yarrow replied.
But the thought hadn't occurred to him before. What if there really were others? Should he try hanging a couplet on his door when he got back? Something like "Accumulate change but remain unchanged" as a subtle test?
Shaking off the thought, he focused back on Tao Hu. "Then, how did you end up here?"
Tao Hu cleared her throat, adopting a storytelling air. "It all started three hundred years ago, at a pawnshop at the foot of Jade Splendor Mountain—"
"Give me the short version," Yarrow cut in.
She huffed. "Fine. I stole a Daoist priest's elixir. He got mad, threw me into an alchemy furnace, and when I woke up… I was here."
She folded her arms and sighed. "At first, I thought I'd ended up in the West, but after some investigation, I realized things were completely different. That's when I understood—the ancient texts were right. The myriad universes are ever-changing. I had transmigrated."
"Luckily, the few elixirs I stole granted me a spiritual root, so I hid in the forest to cultivate. Recently, I sensed a breakthrough coming, so I decided to seek someone with affinity to grant me a title and help me ascend to immortality."
She turned to Yarrow, her sharp gaze locking onto him. "A few days ago, I noticed you, young friend. Your bearing was extraordinary, and your pure Yang essence remained undisturbed. I thought you had great spirituality, so I used a little magic to, ah, borrow your clothes and followed you for a while before finding this chance."
So that was why he had felt like he was being watched.
He narrowed his eyes. "Then, your world has a lot of powerful magic?"
At this, Tao Hu's expression lit up with excitement. She leapt to her feet, gesturing wildly.
"Of course! Cultivators in my world—oh, the ones you'd call mages—can ride the wind and travel a thousand miles a day! And the true powerhouses? They can fill the sea with a grain of sand or cut down all things in existence with a single blade of grass! They roam the universe like a leisurely stroll—utterly carefree!"
She bent down, plucked a stray blade of grass, and twirled it between her fingers as if proving a point.
Ji Xiaofei's eyes sparkled. She clapped her hands to her chest. "Wow! That sounds amazing!"
Yarrow, however, remained skeptical. "And… what can you do?"
Tao Hu froze mid-motion. The excitement drained from her face. After a long pause, she sighed. "Unfortunately, my comprehension is poor. I eavesdropped on Daoist writings for decades but could never properly learn anything. After all this time, I've only managed to pick up some amateur martial arts."
Yarrow leaned forward, intrigued. "But you remember cultivation methods?"
Tao Hu smirked, lifting a slender white finger. "Plenty."
"For example, the Blessing Life Shining Heaven Art—a technique that absorbs the essence of heaven and earth, harmonizing with the spiritual energy of all living things. Practicing it lets you transcend nature itself, sharpening your senses and glimpsing the grand workings of creation."
"Can you gain immortality with it?" Yarrow asked.
Tao Hu twirled the blade of grass between her fingers and chuckled.
"Like grasping the moon's reflection in water," she said.
"Change one."
"There's also the Quiet Heart Meditation Art," Tao Hu offered. "With it, you can enter meditation within a few breaths, cultivate your mind and spirit, and achieve infinite tranquility."
"Can you gain immortality?"
"It's like watching flowers in a mirror—beautiful, but untouchable."
"No, give me something practical. Something useful."
Tao Hu stroked her smooth chin, tilting her head in thought. "There's also the Grain Abstinence Spirit Calming Art. Master it, and you'll no longer need to eat grains. Your body will feel light, and you'll be free of earthly desires."
Yarrow's eye twitched. What kind of third-rate Taoist cultivation methods are these? Straight out of a discount e-manual from Taobao?
Ji Xiaofei frowned, clearly puzzled. "Why would you want magic that stops you from eating? Isn't it really sad not to enjoy food?"
"Uh… well…" Tao Hu struggled to find an explanation.
Yarrow sighed, utterly speechless. He had expected some profound techniques from her—perhaps even a high-level cultivation method. But looking at it now, she probably hadn't even reached the Qi Refining stage. What a disappointment.
"Forget it. Sleep. We have a long journey tomorrow." Losing interest, he got up and started rolling out his sleeping bag.
"Oh, wait!" Tao Hu suddenly remembered. "There is a dual cultivation method for men and women!"
Yarrow, who had just lain down, shot up immediately.
"I would like to hear more. Please, enlighten me, Daoist priest."
"What's dual cultivation?" Ji Xiaofei asked innocently.
"It's... uh... Cao Pi! Ji Xiaofei, don't interrupt. Daoist priest, continue!"
Tao Hu frowned, trying to recall. "Hmm... I can't remember the details too well. After all, I was just a fox at the time. It didn't seem very useful, so I didn't pay much attention. But... oh! I remember the first sentence!"
Yarrow leaned in. "What is it?"
Tao Hu cleared her throat dramatically.
"If you want to practice this skill, you must first castrate yourself!"
Silence.
Yarrow stared at her, expression frozen. A vein twitched at his temple.
"Are you sure this is a dual cultivation method and not the Sunflower Manual?"
Tao Hu tilted her head. "I think so?"
"Think? If you have to castrate yourself, what part of that is dual?"
"Well, I did say I don't remember clearly!" Tao Hu huffed.
Yarrow buried his face in his hands. "Do you have any normal, usable spells? What about Longevity Art, Thunder Palm, Seventy-Two Transformations of the Earthly Fiends?"
Tao Hu pouted. "This one doesn't have anything like that!"
Seeing Yarrow's incredulous stare, she sighed. "I was just a fox sneaking around a Daoist temple, picking up whatever discarded books the careless little monks left behind. It's not like I had access to the real treasures."
She paused, suddenly turning her gaze to Yarrow with suspicion. "But wait… how do you know about these cultivation methods?"
Yarrow coughed, covering up his slip. "Uh—I read a lot of novels. Our world has a ton of fantasy books about this stuff."
"Ohhh, I see." Tao Hu nodded, easily convinced.
She believed that way too fast. Not the brightest, is she?
"But regardless of how difficult the path to immortality is," Tao Hu suddenly declared, clenching her fist with determination, "I won't give up!" Her golden eyes burned with conviction. "This one will definitely cultivate, become a nine-tailed fox as powerful as my ancestors, ascend to the Southern Heavenly Gate, and meet the Supreme Lord Lao!"
Yarrow thought about the rather colorful history between the Supreme Lord Lao and certain legendary fox spirits. After a moment of consideration, he decided not to bring it up.
Tao Hu suddenly turned to him, grasping his hands tightly. Her delicate fingers were surprisingly warm, and a faint, intoxicating fragrance drifted from her. Yarrow instinctively leaned back.
"You!" she said with intense sincerity. "This one was able to take human form thanks to your presence. It must be fate! Will you accept this one's request?"
"...What request?"
"Let this one follow you in cultivation! When I ascend, I'll take you with me to immortality!"
Yarrow sighed. This fox was strange—extremely strange—but he really had no good reason to refuse.
"Fine," he relented, rubbing his temple. "But you'll have to find a job for yourself later."
"No problem!" Tao Hu beamed. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she grinned at him.
[Tao Hu's favorability increased by 100!] [Tao Hu's favorability has reached level 2. Level-up reward: Heartbeat Coin x20!]
"Huh?" Yarrow blinked. That was a big jump.
"Then from now on, we're companions!" Tao Hu announced.
"Welcome! Hello, my name is Ji Xiaofei," the little girl chimed in, waving. "Yarrow gave me this name!"
"Ohhh, what a fun name," Tao Hu mused. "I'm called Tao Hu because I was born under a peach tree."
"I make great soup!" Ji Xiaofei added enthusiastically.
"Really? I'd love to try it!"
As Tao Hu and Ji Xiaofei chatted away, Yarrow sat back, checking his newly acquired abilities.
[Pseudo-Cultivation: Can replicate a spell or combat technique used by others once, and use it freely within three hours. Note: The effect of spells or techniques that exceed one's own strength will be automatically weakened to match the user's level.]
Yarrow's eyes widened slightly. This… isn't bad.
He had expected Tao Hu to be just another minor cultivator, but her talent turned out to be surprisingly useful.
Still, now he had one more person to worry about.