Chapter 42: Drawing a Portrait of the Blood Xue Chiluo

"Does Xiancheng give you trees to plant and people to guard them for free? Who is willing to give without expecting anything in return? Why do you think so beautifully?" Su Jian countered. "Besides, if the vast forest outside the city has no one specifically to maintain and guard it, what do you think will happen? I'm afraid those scattered cultivators outside the city would have already stripped the trees to death long ago."

"Without trees, where will you go to extract Wood Essence Qi then?"

Su Jin fell silent for a moment after hearing this, then nodded in agreement: "I was thinking wrongly. Once I master the spell for extracting Wood Essence Qi, I will sign up to go outside the city to extract it."

Paying taxes is fine, as long as they leave her at least two-thirds.

"Mm, mm, it's good that you understand. Before you go, you must report to me in advance, and wait for me to go with you," Su Jian said.

"Can't I follow the extraction team?" Su Jin felt she had grown up and could do things on her own.

"You are still young; you must have my lord accompany you when going out of the city," Su Jian demanded without hesitation. "You wouldn't want something to happen that makes your mother, a white-haired person, send off a black-haired person, would you?"

Su Jin thought: My mother's hair has always been jet black and shiny. Where is she a white-haired person?

However, her eldest brother was doing this for her safety. Su Jin felt she was not an unreasonable person, so she decided to cooperate with her eldest brother's arrangement.

"Alright, it's getting late. You all go back to your rooms; those who should sleep go to sleep, and those who should cultivate go to cultivate. Little Hua, your aunt has already broken through to Qi Refining Layer Two. How much longer do you need to break through to Qi Refining Layer Four?"

"Probably about five more months," Su Hua said with considerable confidence.

Su Jian paused for a moment, then said in surprise, "I thought you would say before the end of the year. There are still seven or eight months until the end of the year. Do you think you might break through to Qi Refining Layer Four one or two months early?"

"Two or three months early," Su Hua corrected him.

"Ahem, about the same," Su Jian said.

"That's a huge difference!" Su Hua rolled her eyes directly at him. "My little aunt went from a mortal to a Qi Refining Layer Two cultivator in less than a month."

Don't say a month; even twenty days would be a huge difference.

"Being able to break through to Qi Refining Layer Four three months early versus one month early is a huge difference."

Su Jian: "Alright, alright, your father admits he was wrong, okay? Everyone go back to your rooms. You all have class tomorrow."

Hearing Su Jian's words, both Su Jin and Su Hua voluntarily returned to their rooms.

Su Jian watched the two girls return to the house before going back to his own room, where his wife was making him a new robe.

Su Jian sat aside and first adjusted the spiritual energy lamp for his wife to make it brighter. Then he began sending a message to his cousin-grandfather.

"Cousin-grandfather, I have confirmed that Su Jin indeed raised a Blood Xue Chiluo, and this accompanying Wuyi was cultivated by herself."

"What? You say Su Jin cultivated a Blood Xue Chiluo? Is it the kind of Blood Xue Chiluo I know?" The cousin-grandfather received the message from Su Jian and replied instantly.

"Anyway, it's that kind of ancient Wood-element accompanying Wuyi, Blood Xue Chiluo. The kind that can eat insects and take care of spiritual plants," Su Jian continued to reply.

"So how exactly did Su Jin cultivate it? To cultivate a Blood Xue Chiluo, you must have a seed, right? Did she go find a stray Blood Xue Chiluo seed somewhere?" The cousin-grandfather replied instantly again.

"Su Jin did find a stray one, but she didn't find a stray outside; she found a stray within the Clan Academy."

"The Clan Academy gave her two hundred ginseng seeds, one of which was particularly thin and small."

"Su Jin, worried it wouldn't survive, planted it into her own Little Wu Tian. After the seed sprouted, the Blood Xue Chiluo was born."

A certain cousin-grandfather, Su Changying, read the message and nearly turned to stone.

Even such a stray was found by his own eldest granddaughter.

How is this child's skill at finding strays so good?

"Alright, I understand. When you are at home in the future, carefully observe the growth of that Blood Xue Chiluo. See what it likes to eat, how it usually grows, and what special abilities it has."

"I haven't seen any other skills from that Blood Xue Chiluo, but it has one skill that absolutely stunned me. It can eat insects. No matter the species, no matter the size, as long as its tender little root system catches it, it is destined to become its food."

"When it eats insects, it hits every single time," Su Jian said with immense admiration.

Other families' spiritual plants are eaten by insects; their family's Blood Xue Chiluo eats insects. That's just awesome!

"Have you seen that Blood Xue Chiluo with your own eyes? What does it look like exactly? Draw a picture of it for me, and I will come to pick it up tomorrow," Su Changying said.

"How about when you come, cousin-grandfather, I take you to the backyard so you can see it with your own eyes?" Su Jian asked hurriedly.

"Forget it, I won't be able to see it. You don't have Foundation Establishment, so in the eyes of the Blood Xue Chiluo, you might not count as a threat. I am at Purple Mansion; as soon as I enter the courtyard, it will hide," Su Changying said very confidently.

"Ah? It can hide?" Su Jian was somewhat surprised. But what are you saying, cousin-grandfather? What do you mean, 'You don't have Foundation Establishment, so you don't count as a threat in the eyes of the Blood Xue Chiluo'?

Do you mean the Blood Xue Chiluo might also look down on me for having weak cultivation?

Thinking of this, Su Jian's face darkened slightly.

"My threat to it is too great; out of self-preservation instinct, it will also hide. This kind of accompanying Wuyi, in order not to bring danger to its master, once it feels it cannot escape even death, it will seek death itself. They are extremely loyal and filial to their masters," Su Changying maintained his instant-reply rhythm.

"Filial?" Su Jian felt he might have misread. "Cousin-grandfather, why do you say they are filial to their masters? I can understand loyalty, but I really don't understand filial piety?"

"For ancient Wuyi like the Blood Xue Chiluo, the master who hatched them from their shell is their true parent. Naturally, they are both loyal and filial to their parents," Su Changying replied.

Su Jian immediately recalled Su Jin's strange attitude toward the Blood Xue Chiluo just now.

It was indeed just like treating her own child.

"So that's how it is. Then I will go draw a portrait of the Blood Xue Chiluo right now. I will wait for you to come pick it up tomorrow, cousin-grandfather."

"Do not tell outsiders that our family's Su Jin is raising a Blood Xue Chiluo. And try your best to keep her maintaining this secret even when she is outside," Su Changying instructed again.

"Okay, cousin-grandfather, I will carefully remind her first thing tomorrow morning."

"You handle it," Su Changying replied to this last message and stopped sending messages.

Su Jian also decisively put down the Thousand-Mile Message Talisman and pulled his wife to sleep; the clothes can continue being made tomorrow.

Early the next morning, Su Jin was caught by Su Jian and strictly warned again, the theme being that the ancient accompanying Wuyi, Blood Xue Chiluo, is too tempting for others to covet, so she must not mention it to outsiders casually.