Chapter 99: Afraid to Go, I

Su Huchen immediately explained to him: “Because you’re a cultivator, you’ll have to fight; if you fight, you’re bound to lose body parts.

When you engage in combat, you might lose a leg, an eye, or internal organs.

The elixirs we have—even third-rank elixirs—can’t make you grow a brand-new one.

At best, they help repair severe injuries.

I’ve heard only sixth-rank or higher treasure elixirs can restore severed limbs.

The body parts of shape-shifting wood spirits have gentle demonic energy suitable for integration into the human body. After nurturing them for a while, replacing demonic energy with spiritual energy to nourish them, and slowly expelling the demonic energy from the body, those parts become yours.

When Hanlin reaches Foundation Establishment, if he consumes a Devouring Anomaly Pill before cultivation, he can use the body’s reshaping during Foundation Establishment to regrow his missing eye. And since this eye has devoured the original wood spirit’s eye, it may gain additional special abilities.

So a fully shape-shifted wood spirit’s body is highly sought after.

I’ve heard some people deliberately give shape-shifting grass to low-level wood-elemental spirits, encouraging them to transform, then harvest their bodies after transformation.

It’s just a matter of wasting a bit more shape-shifting grass.

Our Xiancheng grows shape-shifting grass. I’ve heard people secretly toss it into the wilds beyond the city, luring ignorant wood-elemental spirits to eat it, then harvesting the partially transformed spirits and sending them back to the city’s treasure vault as medicinal ingredients.

Su Jian opened his mouth wide: “That’s too cruel.”

“That’s why the wood-witch tribes outside the city keep coming to complain. The wood-elemental spirits they raise beyond their tribal borders are often secretly lured away by our people. Do you expect them not to complain?” Su Huchen said seriously.

Su Jian: “...”

Su Hanlin burst out laughing.

“By the way, how’s your discussion with Su Jin? Have you communicated with Xue Chiluo?” Su Huchen asked again.

“I’ve already discussed it with Su Jin. She’s communicated with Xue Chiluo too. It’ll cooperate with you, but it wants good food,” Su Jian said.

Su Huchen burst out laughing.

If it were a mature Xue Chiluo, it might be harder to handle.

But the Xue Chiluo I need to borrow is still just a little one.

“Alright, I’ll come early tomorrow to pick it up. Whatever it wants to eat, I’ll prepare it. The queen worms are out—I already turned those in,” Su Huchen said, spreading his hands.

“Fine,” Su Jian agreed immediately.

Su Huchen then shooed Su Jian away and pulled Su Hanlin aside to talk for a while.

After seeing Su Huchen off, Su Hanlin returned to his room to prepare. He didn’t ask a single word about Xue Chiluo.

Su Jian knew Su Huchen had already briefed Su Hanlin.

The next morning, shortly after Su Jin and the others left, Su Huchen arrived.

He brought several trusted subordinates with him.

As soon as they entered, their eyes gleamed with curiosity.

Xue Chiluo—none of them had seen one in person.

Su Jian went straight to Su Jin’s room and carried out a flowerpot.

Inside the pot grew a plant about a foot tall.

“This is my Xue Chiluo. Little Xue, say hello to Brother Su Huchen and the other brothers.”

“Hello everyone, I’m Xue Chiluo,” Xue Chiluo spoke directly.

Instantly... everyone present was stunned.

Not just them—even Su Hanlin, who had just stepped out of his room to pack and meet Su Huchen, was frozen in place.

“It... it can talk?” Su Huchen exclaimed in shock. He’d assumed he’d need to communicate via spiritual sense.

He never expected it could speak.

“Little Xue ate that... bug, and then it could talk,” Su Jian said.

“Which bug...” Su Huchen started to ask, then realized. “Oh, that one. I get it.”

Su Huchen immediately recalled how the clan chief had slain a queen worm.

Damn it, the clan chief was too cruel.

He actually staged a fake fight just to give Xue Chiluo a queen worm to eat?!

What should he do now? Break off a piece of the nest to give Xue Chiluo a snack?

Hmm, not impossible. Just sneak a piece off. Of course, only if Xue Chiluo likes it.

“Hello, Xue Chiluo. Thanks for your help today. Later, I’ll give you a queen worm’s wing—smell its scent, then track it. That should lead you to the nest,” Su Huchen said.

Of course, this procedure wasn’t his own idea.

It’s standard practice among other Xue Chiluo. To find the nest, he’d arranged it for this little one too.

“Alright. I’ll follow your instructions,” Xue Chiluo said obediently.

Su Huchen took the Xue Chiluo from Su Jian’s hands and exclaimed: “Su Jian, the portrait you gave me didn’t show Xue Chiluo looking like this.”

“It grew after eating a bug,” Su Jian said immediately.

Su Huchen stared at him in silence.

One bug and you blame everything on it.

You guys are something else.

“It really did grow after eating a bug,” Su Jian insisted again.

Even Xue Chiluo chimed in: “I grew because I ate that incredibly fragrant bug. If I could eat more, I’d keep growing.”

Su Huchen fell silent.

He’d already turned in the queen worms he caught.

After leaving Su Jian’s house, they met up with the elite officers of the Police Inspectorate in front of the Magistrate’s Mansion.

Su Huchen opened a small box, revealing a tiny wing inside.

He held the wing before Xue Chiluo: “This scent. Can you track the nest using this?”

Xue Chiluo extended its pale roots, grasped the wing, and in full view of everyone, the wing turned to dust and was consumed.

Xue Chiluo thought: Isn’t this the little wing from the bug I ate yesterday?

Hmm, yesterday’s bug was completely devoured—so this wing must belong to another bug?

“I sense four more fragrant ones inside the Magistrate’s Mansion,” Xue Chiluo pointed.

“Ahem, those are queen worms, not the nest. And we’ve already captured them. We’re looking for the nest outside.”

“The nest is huge, filled with lots of delicious things,” Su Huchen said.

“Ohhh, really big?” Xue Chiluo immediately thought of that incredibly fragrant place.

It had already sensed its location—but dared not go. It was too small; it felt if it went, it might never return to Zu Zu.

“Afraid to go,” Xue Chiluo thought, then bluntly told Su Huchen.

“Ahem, you know where the nest is?”

“There’s a place that’s incredibly fragrant. I don’t know if it’s the nest,” Xue Chiluo said.

“Can you lead us there?”

“Afraid to go. I’ll die,” Xue Chiluo replied.