Chapter 47: Searched for Half a Day — the Root Cause Was Actually Me!

Faced with these doubts from Ye Xiuxiu,

the system gave no response whatsoever.

Was it not so?

Ye Xiuxiu knitted her brows tightly, her gaze sweeping across her surroundings,

striving to think hard about the possible root cause hidden within all this.

Yet, after racking her brain for a long time,

she still could not find a definitive answer.

There was a ninety percent probability that this was the very bottom of the Jinhua Peach Grove,

and, after some investigation,

she found that apart from that single Jinhua cat,

there seemed to be nothing else special about this place.

Ye Xiuxiu stared at the vast expanse of tree roots before her that had been gnawed beyond recognition,

and a shocking notion suddenly surged in her heart.

Recalling how she had just been eating on her own,

in merely this short while,

the number of peaches she had eaten had actually far exceeded what that little Jinhua cat consumed.

This realization made her involuntarily gasp,

and a sense of foreboding gradually welled up in her heart.

"Could it be... that I am the chief culprit behind the destruction of the Jinhua Peach Grove?"

Ye Xiuxiu murmured to herself,

"The root cause of the Jinhua Peach Grove's destruction is that I ate too much!"

【Quest Complete!】

【Your grandfather Ye Songzhi saw the Jinhua Peach Grove destroyed, and because you found the sole remaining Jinhua Peach and saved your grandfather Ye Songzhi's life,】

【he decided to give you all the Jinhua spring water for Body Refining. You discovered the roots of the Jinhua Peach Tree, which are even more effective for Body Refining. You ate a little, then had a realization: if you ate all the roots of the Jinhua Peach Tree, it would cause the Jinhua Peach Grove to die completely, with no possibility of ever growing again.】

【Quest Reward: Beast-Taming Ring.】

Quest complete,

a golden ring radiating brilliant light appeared out of thin air in the system space!

Upon careful examination,

she saw that the ring was covered in runes she did not recognize,

looking extremely advanced.

"Beast-Taming Ring!"

Ye Xiuxiu could not help but murmur softly,

her eyes gleaming with delight.

Then, she turned her gaze to the adorable Jinhua cat beside her,

gently stroked its soft head, and asked softly:

"Little kitty, I wonder if you'd be willing to let me become your master?"

The Jinhua cat seemed to understand Ye Xiuxiu's words,

extending its pink tongue to lightly lick her palm,

its movements gentle and intimate, as if expressing its affection and submission toward her.

Seeing this, Ye Xiuxiu felt a surge of joy and said happily:

"So that means you agree!"

Having said that, Ye Xiuxiu reached into the system space without hesitation,

and carefully took out the golden Beast-Taming Ring.

This Beast-Taming Ring was like an exquisite golden hoop,

radiating dazzling golden light all over,

"The writing on this seems to be..."

Earlier, when she looked at it in the system space, she could only get a general impression,

but now the more she looked, the more familiar it seemed,

what was written looked like the Tightening Hoop Incantation!

Ye Xiuxiu gently brought the Beast-Taming Ring close to the Jinhua cat's head,

and slowly placed it on, while not forgetting to give a caring reminder:

"Little kitty, if you feel any discomfort or reluctance at all, just move your body slightly to let me know, okay?"

"I will absolutely not force you."

However, the Jinhua cat stayed as still as a sculpture, its body not moving in the slightest.

Seeing this, a radiant smile blossomed on Ye Xiuxiu's face.

The instant the Beast-Taming Ring made full contact with the Jinhua cat's head,

it suddenly shot out a blinding golden light,

which swiftly merged into the Jinhua cat's body like a bolt of lightning.

At the same time, Ye Xiuxiu felt a wondrous power instantly establish a connection between her and the Jinhua cat.

This connection was faint and elusive,

Yet it was exceptionally clear,

as if some unseen connection existed between them.

"Meow!"

A crisp, gentle cry rang out in the water,

a sound that came from the adorable Jinhua cat.

It swayed its body gracefully,

as though dancing lightly in the water.

Hearing this call,

Ye Xiuxiu beside her couldn't help but break into a radiant smile,

and said softly:

"We should head up now. If we stay any longer, Grandmother and the others will be worried sick."

After speaking, she blinked playfully.

The Jinhua cat seemed to understand her words,

nodded obediently,

then carried Ye Xiuxiu swiftly upward toward the surface of Jinhua Spring, swift as an arrow.

Before long, Ye Xiuxiu poked her head out of the water.

She focused her eyes and looked—

besides Ye Ruyan and Li Dongxia on the shore,

her own mother, Bai Qingxia, was actually there too.

For a moment, Ye Xiuxiu was so surprised her mouth fell open,

and she let out a soft exclamation:

"Eh?"

She asked with a face full of curiosity, "Mother, why are you here too?"

Bai Qingxia at this moment paid no mind at all to the water dripping from Ye Xiuxiu's body,

rushed forward in quick strides,

and pulled her daughter tightly into her embrace, so moved that her eyes grew slightly red.

Her voice trembling slightly, she said:

"Xiuxiu, you truly frightened Mother to death."

Ye Xiuxiu was somewhat taken aback by her mother's sudden gesture,

and asked gently:

"Mother, what's wrong? Why are you so worried about me?"

Ye Xiuxiu asked with a face full of doubt:

"Everyone knows I'm here doing Body Refining, so

why would you be so worried about me?"

Tears glistening in her beautiful eyes, Bai Qingxia said in a slightly trembling voice:

"You don't know—you've been inside there for a full month!"

As she spoke, tears could not help but trace down her cheeks.

"Mother has been worried about you the whole time!"

"Even though your father told me, assured me you were safe and sound inside,"

"and that the Jinhua cat was protecting you,"

"Mother's heart could never rest until she saw you with her own eyes."

Hearing Bai Qingxia's words, Ye Xiuxiu was greatly startled,

and thought to herself:

I clearly felt as though I had only stayed in the water for a mere hour,

so how could an entire month have passed in the blink of an eye?

Could it be that the flow of time down in the depths differs from that above?

"Mother, I only felt like I'd been down there for a short while!"

"Who could have imagined that such a long time had already passed?"

Ye Xiuxiu blinked those large, watery eyes,

gazing at her mother with a face full of guilt.

"Mother, I'm so sorry!"

"This is all my fault!"

"I made you worry."

At this moment,

her heart was filled with deep self-reproach and regret.

If only she had been more careful back then and given Grandmother a heads-up beforehand,

perhaps Mother wouldn't be so anxious now.

Seeing Ye Xiuxiu's expression, Bai Qingxia chuckled,

"Seeing you return safely,"

"all of Mother's worries from just now are gone."

(End of chapter)