Chapter 428: Auspicious Beast Presents the Pearl

Black eye patches, a massive body, but black-and-white patched.

Clearly possessing immense physical combat prowess, yet giving off a cuddly, endearing vibe.

Li Guanyi stared at the creature before him, grinned, and said: "Panda?"

The sluggish auspicious beast, seeing it wasn't those monsters, no Jiuli, no Taigu Chilong or brute who'd slain Qiongqi, blinked in stunned silence, glanced left and right, then relaxed—Sun God Bird took flight.

Xuan Hu landed on the ground.

The auspicious beast fixed its gaze on Li Guanyi, finding him impolite, and spoke in human tongue:

"Cat?"

"What cat!"

"You're the cat!"

Li Guanyi said: "Me? A cat?"

He pondered, as if struck by insight, then smiled:

"Hmm, not entirely wrong."

"Barely qualifies as a cat."

No Jiuli seen, no Taigu Chilong seen—only a mild-mannered human. The Shitie Beast exhaled deeply in relief; Sun God Bird calmed too—yet the youngest Xuan Hu remained wary of Li Guanyi, not fully at ease.

Its fur stood on end.

Li Guanyi gazed at the majestic auspicious beast, the Nine Tripods ringing in resonance—he confirmed it was He. Li Guanyi smiled: "So, you're not a panda?"

"I don't know how to address you."

The auspicious beast lifted its head: "Hmph. I do not change my name or alter my stance—I am lord of this southwestern region spanning thousands of li, master of metal and iron, weapons and arms, strong enough to crush mountains, fangs capable of swallowing gold and devouring iron—I am the Auspicious Beast."

"But true Auspicious Beasts are no cat."

"I am a solemn divine beast. You must show me reverence."

"You must offer bamboo shoots, bamboo, meat, and large basins of beast's milk as tribute."

Proud and self-satisfied.

Li Guanyi's right hand felt an urge to pet it.

Just as Bai Hu differed vastly from ordinary tigers he'd seen in his past life.

This divine auspicious beast differed even more from the pandas of his past life—far larger, fur seemingly softer, looking incredibly touchable, and radiating smug satisfaction—perfect for petting.

Resist. Resist.

This isn't a remnant of my past life.

It must be that Jiuli energy, influencing me in reverse.

Li Guanyi restrained himself.

He gazed at the solemn, majestic auspicious beast—towering, fur slightly ruffled, eyes radiating divinity, dignity, and yet… touchable, touchable, so incredibly touchable.

Li Guanyi thought, extended his hand—on his shoulder, the Fire Qilin pulled out a bamboo shoot from nowhere. Li Guanyi stared at the giant Shitie Beast, paused, then tugged the bamboo shoot slightly to the left with his right hand.

The auspicious beast's gaze shifted left.

Li Guanyi's palm moved right.

The auspicious beast's gaze shifted right.

"…………"

"This state, this temperament, this appearance—no mistake."

Li Guanyi pinched the bamboo shoot, then suddenly tossed it—the shoot flipped midair. The auspicious beast's body reacted faster than its mind—a pounce, a snap of its jaws, and it caught the shoot.

Thud—it hit the ground, body stiffening.

Damn, I blew it!

Li Guanyi leapt forward, landing squarely on the giant Shitie Beast's back. The auspicious beast was pure, radiating forest-clear qi—he felt himself sinking into the impossibly soft, fluffy fur of a giant panda.

Duang!

Li Guanyi bounced up from the Shitie Beast's back, then sank back down, bouncing again.

Shitie Beast roared: "I am the Auspicious Beast!"

Li Guanyi snapped his fingers.

The little Fire Qilin pulled out more bamboo shoots from nowhere.

Shitie Beast: "…………"

"But lying down for a while won't hurt."

The little Fire Qilin used a trick learned at the Academy, producing even more bamboo shoots and fruits.

Shitie Beast: "…………"

Face unchanged:

"Cough, uh… my back comfortable? Too soft?"

Li Guanyi burst into laughter. The Xuan Hu Shan Jun grew furious: "Is this how easily you're bought? You, a human—what are you doing here? This place teems with dangers. Leave at once!"

It let out a tiger's roar, fixed its gaze on Li Guanyi, fangs and claws bared.

Li Guanyi pushed himself up, smiling at her.

The void rippled; the boy's hair fluttered and settled, faintly silver. Vast, primordial, divine, and disdainful—the Bai Di-level Bai Hu manifestation appeared behind Li Guanyi, golden eyes coldly gazing down at the Xuan Hu.

Even Li Guanyi's smile now carried a trace of Bai Hu Bai Di's disdain and detachment.

The Xuan Hu's body stiffened, fur bristling.

Li Guanyi reached out.

He unleashed the Liu Xu Si He Divine Art of the Chen Clan, lifted the Xuan Hu into his arms, and proceeded to pet it—black cat, big cat—it was still a cat. He indulged fully, finally releasing the pent-up frustration of his long search.

The Shitie Beast gnawed on the bamboo shoot, sighing with satisfaction: "Such a wonderful taste."

"It's just like the treasures I keep in my cave!"

The Fire Qilin shifted its gaze, face unchanged.

The Iron-Eating Beast shook its body; Li Guanyi landed from the air and saw the auspicious creature sitting up, leaning against the cliff, shoving a large bamboo shoot into its mouth like a snack, saying: "Who are you? Why just now were there so many terrifying aura signatures?"

Li Guanyi's gaze fell to the side.

Mu Taihong took a full-force slap from the fully charged auspicious Iron-Eating Beast right on his own face.

After performing an act even the Jiuli Clan from thousands of years ago would have praised as heroic, he fell into sweet sleep.

But Li Guanyi saw the auspicious creature, saw the pearl, saw Mu Taihong.

Due to Master Wen He Mr.'s constant influence, he immediately deduced the general situation: the pearl's disappearance was indeed this person's own scheme, likely meant to undermine the Southwest King's reputation.

Li Guanyi withdrew his gaze and looked at the wooden box beside the auspicious creature.

Even while eating, the auspicious creature kept the box beside it; Li Guanyi pointed a finger at the box and smiled: "I've given you so many bamboo shoots—could you give me this box?"

The auspicious creature immediately grew wary: "What are you planning to do!!"

"This I cannot give you."

"This is my food ticket for the next few hundred, even thousand years—I can't hand it over to you."

Li Guanyi said: "What?"

The auspicious creature beamed: "A human girl told me to look after someone named Li Guanyi. I figured giving this to him counts as looking after him—it'll guarantee me all my bamboo shoots and meals forever, spring, summer, autumn, winter, three big bowls of beast milk every day."

"That girl was way more generous than you."

"These little bits of bamboo shoots? Not enough, not enough."

Li Guanyi froze, then laughed: "Then do you know who I am?"

The auspicious creature looked at Li Guanyi—youthful, clearly not one of those Jiuli types with arms strong enough to ride horses on—so it relaxed and said: "No idea."

Li Guanyi pointed at himself and smiled: "I'm Li Guanyi."

The auspicious creature's eyes widened instantly, its neck bulging; it stared at Li Guanyi, then at the box, then back at Li Guanyi, wanting to threaten—but didn't know how—so it recalled how the Jiuli Clan had hand-by-hand taught it to eat bamboo.

Finally, it reluctantly forced a snarling, bared-teeth threatening expression and said:

"You're fooling me!"

"You can't be Li Guanyi."

"You're just like the Jiuli Clan—you think I'm stupid, I'm a fool."

Li Guanyi grinned and asked: "Didn't she leave you some way to confirm whether the one who came was truly Li Guanyi?"

The auspicious creature pondered long; the Xuan Hu Shan Jun couldn't take it anymore and said:

"Li Guanyi, listen closely."

"What was your occupation before you met Xue Shuangtao? How much was your monthly salary?!"

Li Guanyi said: "Junior pharmacist at Huichun Hall. One tael per month."

"But because Chen's economy was poor, with heavy taxes, copper coins often replaced silver, and since the strings were incomplete, it came to about eight or nine hundred wen."

The Xuan Hu Shan Jun frowned: "... That sounds right."

"What was the second question again?"

The Sun Divine Bird pondered, then said: "Foolish cat, watch me!"

It circled once and landed on a branch, looking at Li Guanyi, clearing its throat: "So, Miss Xue asked: when you first entered the Xue household, you did something very abrupt to her—do you remember?"

Li Guanyi froze and answered: "... I accidentally grabbed the Young Lady's foot."

The Sun Divine Bird didn't fully grasp the meaning of the question, only said: "Oh, that's right—you just grabbed her foot. Why are you and that girl both so shy about it?"

"Her face turned red then."

"Last question."

At this moment, the auspicious creature thought long and hard, then suddenly slapped its forehead: "Ah! I remember!"

With a bear-like roar, it stood on all fours, its huge eyes fixed on Li Guanyi, speaking slowly: "She asked: do you still remember the promise you made when you left Chen?"

Li Guanyi, who had been wondering what the Young Lady might ask, froze.

These words pulled him back to three or four years ago—as if all these years of warfare across the land, the clashing weapons and iron horses, had become hazy; the escape from Yicheng, the armies surrounding him.

Before that, he had been only a poor boy pharmacist, fired and walking the road with a rumbling stomach, worrying his next meal had no place to come from, thinking he couldn't even afford a roasted goose for his aunt.

Back then, he felt the world vast, Yicheng in Chen bustling with life—heroes, scholars, beauties, talents—all had nothing to do with him; he'd tried his luck at the private school.

Then he saw the girl, then clad in blue, still young yet already clear and lovely, reaching out her hand.

Li Guanyi sat cross-legged beside the stone and said:

"I said I would return."

He picked up a bamboo leaf between his fingers and said:

"I told her to remember—I would return. When I came back, I'd have thousands of troops behind me. I'd become a hero of the world, raise weapons, lead my armies, and come back!"

"I told her to wait for me."

As the auspicious creature rejoiced, the Xuan Hu Shan Jun froze, then couldn't help but swipe its paw, striking the auspicious creature, gritting its teeth: "Miss Xue clearly said later—don't ask him this question!"

"Why did you still ask it?!"

The auspicious creature froze; the Xuan Hu Shan Jun raised its paw to cover its face.

The auspicious creature, chased for over ten days, only now vaguely recalled: at that time, the Xue family's Young Lady, dressed as a boy, had blushed slightly after posing the question and flusteredly waved her hand: "Don't ask him that."

The auspicious creature lowered its head and gulped down milk.

Even the Sun Divine Bird happily munched its refined food.

Only the Xuan Hu Shan Jun was puzzled: "Why not ask?"

The girl gently reached out and stroked the Xuan Hu Shan Jun's back, whispering: "I wanted to ask him—but he was too tired, too busy, fighting across this world. I couldn't ask."

The Xuan Hu Shan Jun was even more puzzled: "Isn't that your promise?"

The girl smiled and said, "Yes, but such a promise should only be brought up by him—I'm the one who remembers it. If I ask like this, doesn't it feel like I'm pressuring him?"

"I don't want it to be like this…"

"Then let's ask something else."

Xuan Hu didn't understand such a question, but he felt the girl's palm was smooth and warm, like jade stored within mountains and rivers—extremely comforting. She stood up, hands clasped behind her back, fingers interlaced, and tiptoed slightly.

A breeze from the southwest brushed past, lifting her black hair slightly.

Xuan Hu asked, "What's the question?"

The girl closed her eyes, fingers entwined, feet landing, then turned back with a mischievous grin: "Then ask him—does he still need money?"

At this moment, Xuan Hu cursed his own incompetence. His tiger claw, capable of shattering armor with ease, struck the Auspicious One—but seemed unable to even break its defense. He gritted his teeth and growled, "You—you—you! That question doesn't count!"

"Last question: do you still need money?!"

Li Guanyi lowered his gaze. He understood the emotion the girl wanted to ask but held back. He laughed softly: "Yes."

Xuan Hu nodded. "Then it's you."

Li Guanyi grinned, but for some reason, this final approval from Xuan Hu left him with a faint sense of annoyance.

Why is it me who needs money?

But thinking of the western city plan, of the spread of literacy among the Thirty-Six Tribes, of infrastructure in Jiangnan Dao, Li Guanyi's forehead broke into a light sweat—and he decisively accepted.

The Auspicious One had been slapped by Xuan Hu Shan Jun many times, yet remained unharmed. Since the matter was settled anyway, it shook its head happily: "Ahahaha, it's you then, oh my."

"Wonderful! After hiding so long, I've finally found you. Here—this is my rations… I mean, my Auspicious One's promise."

"Don't forget!"

The Auspicious One solemnly extended its paw, straining to show three claws.

"Three meals a day. Large bowls of milk."

"This cannot be missed!"

Li Guanyi laughed. "Fine!"

The Auspicious One beamed. "You're a good person!"

Li Guanyi grinned, thinking this thing was too greedy—he worried it might get tricked. He took the wooden box, stroked it, flicked his finger—and twenty-four pearls arranged themselves inside, each enormous, radiating divine aura.

Materials sufficient to forge divine weapons of the soul. Even hanging from a robe, they would likely immune one to observation and divination by the Shiwaisan Sect, shielding against sorcery like Hou Zhongyu's.

Even Murong Qiushui's zither music could hardly harm them.

But Li Guanyi suddenly found these pearls familiar…

Hm? This is…

He studied them closely, then realized.

These pearls… seemed, perhaps, slightly similar to the ones the old man used for lighting in his courtyard.

That "slight" similarity was… a bit larger than that.

Li Guanyi studied them long and hard. The more he looked, the more certain he became—they matched the old man's treasures. He grinned, understanding: the Young Lady must have ransacked the old man's collection while he was away.

At least those few pearls hadn't escaped.

…I wonder what expression the old man will wear when he returns and finds his courtyard torn apart.

Li Guanyi's expression turned strange. As his palm brushed the pearls, he sensed something unusual—his Nascent Soul detected faint imprints hidden within them.

These twenty-four pearls were treasures of the southwest.

Only because of their extraordinary nature could they be mentioned alongside the Nine Li divine weapons' metal, akin to the Nine Tripods of the Nine Provinces, capable of preserving divine aura.

Thus, upon the pearls, as if reflected, appeared the girl's figure—sometimes laughing and chatting, sometimes surrounded by swords, sometimes serene and composed, sometimes tense with worry; sometimes in the south, sometimes in the Central Plains, sometimes autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves, sometimes fine snow settling on winter plum blossoms.

The final afterimage showed the girl, before coming to the southwest, carefully tending to these pearls. She smiled to someone beside her: "Mm, keep the Juan Sect records where they are. Today, I'll read them thoroughly."

"Thank you."

Then she picked up each pearl, gently placing them into the wooden box:

"This one came from the Queen of Ying State…"

"These three were from the steppe Turkic Khan's tent…"

"This one is…"

Li Guanyi seemed to hear the girl's whisper. His expression grew complex.

The world was vast: Chen State, Ying State, the Western Regions, the steppes—all stretched tens of thousands of li. Even riding the finest dragon-horses, traveling from mountain's end to the world's other edge took much time.

These treasures lay in the hands of nobles or Jianghu masters.

Li Guanyi did not know how the girl had gathered each pearl, one by one, and stored them safely. She herself was watched by countless eyes in Chen State, yet still came here amid chaos.

More than twenty years ago, his father scattered these twenty-four pearls across the world for his mother.

More than twenty years later, someone had gathered them back, one by one, for his sake—in exchange for a promise from the Southwest King.

But in the end, after all this, it was only a light laugh.

…Better not ask.

Qin Wu Hou, who commanded awe across the land, held the wooden box. For some reason, he felt these twenty-four pearls heavier than the ancient Tiger Roar Battle Spear used by the supreme rulers eight hundred years ago—so heavy, he almost couldn't hold it steady.

The Auspicious One extended its paw, urging Li Guanyi to take hold, its face taut:

"Hold it tight! Hold it tight!"

"Don't drop it—I'm warning you now."

"Even if you drop it, you still can't break the rules. At least—one large bowl of milk every day. That cannot be missed."

Li Guanyi tucked the box away, nodding gently.

He had originally planned to take the Auspicious One back. Now, with the pearls in hand,

the power to change the southwest's fate was already in his grasp.

Xuan Hu licked its paw, then stared curiously at the Fire Qilin on Li Guanyi's shoulder. It thought the cat looked strangely shaped—even though she was already the highest-grade Auspicious One, ranking just below the unique divine beasts.

But looking at this strange cat, she always felt a chill of fear.

Watching Li Guanyi put away the box, she remembered how Xiangrui had been immersed in a large basin of milk when she sent the Miss away; Xuanhu shook his head and sighed at how this fellow remained as greedy as ever.

Though she had been reborn, she was herself one of the Year Gods, the Lord of the Southwest Mountains, and understood propriety; as she sent Xue Shuangtao off, she paused, then asked with doubt: "That question—if he doesn't come find you?"

The Changfeng Lady thought for a moment and said: "Then I will wait."

"Wait forever?"

"How could I wait forever? I get angry too."

The young girl, with her hands behind her back, smiled: "I must live my own life too. If he doesn't come, I'll marry, have children, and live a wonderful, wonderful life."

"I'll make him die of regret!"

"Make him regret not coming for me!"

Xuanhu's tail drooped slightly.

The voice paused; Xue Shuangtao lowered her eyes and smiled faintly:

"... I originally thought I'd do exactly that."

"But truly, even saying these words makes me unhappy, let alone imagining them."

"So, I suppose I'll still be waiting."

"Whenever I'm angry or afraid, I think he won't come—but then I think again: even if he doesn't come, I'd still believe that perhaps after some time he would, perhaps next year."

"And so, even if he doesn't come, I carry myself forward with a phantom dream."

"Day after day, year after year."

"Until wrinkles appear on my face and my hair turns white."

"Only then will I angrily scold him a few times."

"Knowing he will never come again."

Xuanhu mumbled a few words: "So foolish. You should have rushed over and demanded an explanation from him! He promised—why didn't he come?"

Xue Shuangtao couldn't help laughing; her laughter rang like silver bells. She reached out and ruffled Xuanhu's head, which greatly enjoyed it; after thinking a moment, she smiled: "It is foolish, yes—but…"

She smiled: "But the one I'm waiting for is that young hero who, even if surrounded by the world and hunted by the state, would still raise his battle halberd to the sky and swear he'd come find me."

"If he never comes, then it means the man who once promised me—he who vowed to shatter the world—has already been killed by this chaotic age, by his own hand…"

Xuanhu tilted his head: "Then… you won't wait for him?"

The young girl kicked a stone on the path and smiled:

"Then it means he cannot come for me—and I will fulfill the next part of the promise I made back then. Perhaps having such an experience is itself a joy; at that time, I truly received the vow of my life."

"Now I only need to carry it out."

"I will, again and again, wait for that young man to come find me."

"Until I become an old woman."

"When death comes, perhaps I will still see him."

"I will wait—always."

?? Please vote for monthly tickets, friends!