Chapter 2369: The Aloof Sword Cultivator and His Bound Sword Spirit 13

The dawn light was faint, but through the window of Ke Zhan covered with thin gauze, it had already become much hotter.

Xie Qingmo opened his eyes, his consciousness still a bit hazy, and his gaze instinctively swept to his side.

Jin Chen wasn't lounging in bed as usual; instead, he sat cross-legged on the footstool beside the bed, his dark robe loosely draped, his head lowered, and in his long fingers he cradled a… soft, plump little thing.

Xie Qingmo frowned, staring intently.

That little thing was only palm-sized, hairless all over, its skin a tender pink. It used its two tiny foreclaws to scrape at one of Jin Chen's fingers, its round eyes curiously surveying the surroundings, its little tail flicking back and forth, emitting a young animal's chirping.

Jin Chen gently poked its soft belly with his fingertip; the little thing immediately writhed, letting out a contented purr, as if it found it amusing.

"What is this?" Xie Qingmo sat up, looking at the thing that had appeared out of nowhere, clearly emanating demonic aura yet unusually weak and harmless, his brow slightly furrowed.

Hearing the voice, Jin Chen lifted his head, a playful smile on his face, and lifted the little thing in his palm toward Xie Qingmo.

"It hatched from inside a stone." He jerked his chin toward the stone split in half to indicate.

Xie Qingmo: "……" So it's actually an egg.

Jin Chen teased the little pink ball with his finger; the creature immediately clung to his fingertip, rubbing its small head affectionately against it.

"Pretty cute." Jin Chen remarked, then held it up to Xie Qingmo's eyes. "Xie Qingmo, do you know what kind of demon this is? It looks strange."

Xie Qingmo focused his observation for a moment; the pink ball also opened its big round eyes, gazing back at him in a dazed way.

Xie Qingmo slowly shook his head: "I've never seen it before."

This demon's form seems unrecorded in ancient texts.

【Host, quickly drip blood to acknowledge the master—that's what the original plot says.】

Jin Chen seemed thoughtful, his gaze shifting between Xie Qingmo and the pink ball.

He suddenly grabbed one of Xie Qingmo's fingers, tapping the fingertip lightly on the pad.

A bead of crimson blood instantly seeped out.

"What are you doing?" Xie Qingmo exclaimed, trying to pull his hand back.

Jin Chen moved faster, pinching his finger and precisely placing that drop of blood on the pink ball's forehead.

The blood droplet instantly sank into its pink skin and vanished.

The pink ball trembled slightly, then, as if it had smelled the most tempting scent in the world, it immediately released Jin Chen's finger, eagerly pressing its small head to the injured pad of Xie Qingmo's finger, extending its pink little tongue and delicately licking.

"Enough, you're getting addicted." Jin Chen swiftly snatched the pink ball back and rubbed Xie Qingmo's finger.

At the same time, Xie Qingmo clearly felt in his sea of consciousness an ancient, powerful pressure arise, even if it was still somewhat faint.

Xie Qingmo's pupils contracted, his voice grave: "…It's the offspring of a great demon." Moreover, its bloodline is extremely pure, its rank exceedingly high—definitely not an ordinary demon beast.

He watched the pink ball still licking his finger, appearing utterly dependent, his brows tightening further: "But I'm a sword cultivator; raising a demon pet brings no benefit, only distraction."

"Huh?"

Jin Chen raised one eyebrow, his eyes tinged with disdain: "Who let you keep it as a demon pet? Isn't one sword spirit of mine enough to worry you?"

He extended a finger and flicked the pink ball's forehead, not too hard: "Taming this thing is to make it work; today we need to deal with that guy at the cliff base—having it nearby makes the great demon much easier to kill, idiot."

Xie Qingmo: "……"

He was left speechless by the choking feeling, helplessly saying: "Jin Chen, can't you have a bit… of the awareness that I'm the sword master?"

Jin Chen's heart stirred at those words.

He rose from the footstool, moved fluidly to turn, and knelt on the bed before Xie Qingmo.

His dark robe spread open, and he slightly lifted that overly handsome face, his voice deliberately made soft and slow.

"Yes, master…" he deliberately drew out the syllable, "What do you need me to do for you?"

Xie Qingmo's eyelashes twitched sharply, and an unfamiliar surge rose in his heart.

Almost instinctively, he turned his face away in panic, avoiding Jin Chen's overly fervent and frank gaze: "Not what I meant! Get up quickly!"

The smile in Jin Chen's eyes deepened, yet he readily rose to his feet, making a justified demand.

"Fine then, but you still haven't combed my hair."

Xie Qingmo: "……"

Eh, forget it.

What rules does a sword spirit know? Doing as one pleases is fine too.

——

In the lower hall, everyone was gathered around, eating simple food.

Xie Qingmo descended, holding the curious little pink fluffy demon beast that was peeking from his arms.

"Senior Brother," Xie Qingmo walked straight up to Yun Ze, "you're well‑learned; can you identify this?"

He lifted the pink ball in his arms slightly.

That hairless, odd‑looking pink creature instantly drew everyone's gaze.

"Huh? What is this?" Xing Yan leaned over curiously.

"So small…" Shi Yan widened his eyes.

Liu Qingcheng's gaze fell on the remarkably extraordinary demon beast in Xie Qingmo's arms, his face clouded with worry and incomprehension.

"Second Senior Brother? How… how can you casually raise a demon of unknown origin? Master despises disciples getting entangled with demons—this… this isn't proper, is it?"

However, before he could finish, Yun Ze's shocked voice cut him off.

"No! Qingmo!" Yun Ze sprang to his feet, eyes locked on the pink ball, his face showing undisguised excitement and admiration.

"You did great! Great!" His voice trembled, "This… this is at least the orphan of a flame great demon with a thousand years of cultivation and noble bloodline! Its aura is pure and ancient, exerting innate pressure on demons! For the great demon we face today at the cliff base, having it nearby would surely achieve twice the result with half the effort, greatly reducing the danger."

Yun Ze looked eagerly at Xie Qingmo, eyes full of praise: "This demon cub is extremely rare; supposedly it's innately good at finding treasure, with an extraordinary sensitivity to spiritual veins and earthly treasures! Qingmo, for you this is a tremendous help!"

"Wow! Second Senior Brother's luck is also too good!" Xing Yan exclaimed enviously.

"Congratulations, Second Senior Brother!" Shi Yan also offered his congratulations, simple‑minded.

Lan Yi glanced at the little demon beast, then flicked a look at Liu Qingcheng whose face had instantly turned pale, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly as she softly said, "Congratulations, Second Senior Brother on obtaining this opportunity."

Liu Qingcheng: "……"

Liu Qingcheng really didn't expect that Xie Qingmo could actually have such good luck.

Before, his life-bound sword gave birth to spirituality; among sword cultivators, it is already one in ten thousand.

Now he actually also has a demon beast spirit pet that can search for treasures!】

But unfortunately, such good fortune, he cannot get even a bit of it; how can he be willing?

He must think of a way……

"Xie Qingmo, you need to be careful," Jin Chen lazily muttered in Xie Qingmo's sea of consciousness, "Liu Bai Lian is up to mischief again."