Meanwhile, on Yuxu Mountain, Su Zhuyi gave Little Skull a few low-grade spirit stones to eat like beans, then carefully inventoried the contents of those two men’s storage bags, organizing and categorizing everything properly.

The entry fee for Sufang City was quite expensive—one mid-grade spirit stone per person. One mid-grade spirit stone equaled one hundred low-grade spirit stones, and she had just killed two people, only to find just over a hundred low-grade spirit stones. After giving a few to Little Skull and using several herself, she now had only ninety left.

Two poor ghosts—not even enough for the entry fee. Looking at their dark eye circles, a clear sign of excessive indulgence, they’d probably spent all their ill-gotten spirit stones on women. After all, what was most abundant in Sufang City? Beautiful women, naturally.

Not even enough for the entry fee—she still needed to wander the mountain looking for resources. Judging by Sufang City’s entry fees, the registration fee for the Suyue Sect probably wouldn’t be cheap either. After all, the Suyue Sect had powerful backing and abundant resources for their disciples. No matter how high the registration fee, many would still rack their brains trying to get in. That old lecher from Dong Fushang Sect’s little lover was quite shrewd indeed.

Su Zhuyi walked a few steps, then suddenly stopped as something occurred to her.

Little Skull was clutching her sleeve, following along. Seeing her stop, he timidly asked, “What’s wrong, what’s wrong? Are there ghosts?”

By now, the sky had completely darkened. The mountain forest was thick with foliage, blocking out the moonlight so completely that the forest path was invisible—you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face.

Little Skull was so powerful, yet he was still afraid of the dark.

Being afraid of the dark was one thing, but damn it, he was also afraid of ghosts.

Su Zhuyi couldn’t even be bothered scolding him. You’re probably the most powerful ghostly creature in this world yourself, yet here you are as a skeleton frame saying you’re afraid of ghosts…

She let him continue tugging at her sleeve as she turned to look at him. “You have your little gourd to sleep in, but what about big sister? I can only stay out here in the wilderness, still having to worry about bad people. I want to go to that city over there. Cities have lots of delicious food and fun things.”

“Mm, I want to go too.” At the mention of food and fun, Little Skull’s eye sockets began glowing. A pale white skeleton frame with phosphorescent light emanating from its eye sockets—this appearance could scare the souls right out of other night travelers.

“To get in, we need spirit stones or spirit pearls—the kind of candy you ate before.” Su Zhuyi continued, “We can’t get spirit stones right now, but we can get spirit pearls. Here’s what we’ll do—you go kill a few spirit beasts, the fierce kind. Once we dig out their spirit pearls, we can enter the city.”

“Kill?” Little Skull froze, then shook his head. “I don’t kill living things. I’m scared…”

“Scared of what? Sister will teach you. You have a flow of energy inside your body, right? Imagine gathering that energy into your hands, then just claw right through.” Su Zhuyi extended her hand, fingers curved into claws, demonstrating a grabbing and piercing motion.

“Daddy said we can’t kill living things. We must do good deeds and accumulate virtue.”

Little Skull shook his head again.

Mountain and river spirits needed to avoid creating killing karma to form properly. However, now that Little Skull had become a ghostly creature, he had no connection to the mountain and river spirits anymore. Why was he still insisting on not killing? It wasn’t like she was asking him to kill people. Who didn’t kill spirit beasts these days? Even those righteous path cultivators had to fight spirit beasts to improve their strength. Similarly, human cultivators were also a favored food for many high-level intelligent spirit beasts. No one knew how many cultivators who entered the mountains seeking resources had ended up in the spirit beasts’ bellies.

Either I kill you or you eat me—it all comes down to ability.

Now, Little Skull had such capabilities, yet he insisted he wouldn’t kill. Looking at him, Su Zhuyi felt irritated. You’re a ghostly creature afraid of the dark and blood, and now you won’t kill either—what’s the point of keeping you?

She directly slapped away Little Skull’s claw, sensing the aura of low-level spirit beasts ahead. With a few leaps, Su Zhuyi rushed forward. Little Skull was terrified and stood frozen in place, tears falling again.

He stood there for a long time, sniffling as he ran in Su Zhuyi’s direction. Now he wasn’t afraid of the dark anymore—only afraid of losing track of big sister. He’d completely forgotten he could instantly return to the little gourd. Catching up to Su Zhuyi took only moments. Once there, he grabbed her sleeve again. “Big sister, I’ll go.”

Tears swirled in his eye sockets as he stammered, “I’ll go kill… kill living things.”

“Oh, then go ahead.”

Little Skull’s strength was formidable. In these mountains, there was probably nothing that could match him. As long as he was willing, killing a few spirit beasts would be effortless. If Su Zhuyi could avoid doing it herself, she’d naturally save some energy. She casually surveyed the surroundings and found a sheltered spot to sit down. “Go ahead, I’ll wait here.”

After a pause, Su Zhuyi added, “If you encounter danger, return directly to the Wuding Gourd, understand?”

“Mm.” Hearing big sister worry about him made Little Skull’s heart feel a bit happier. But he walked forward with constant backward glances. As he walked, he saw that big sister had already closed her eyes to rest and cultivate. The sky was so dark, the trees so eerily shadowed—that bit of happiness in his heart turned back to timidity. Little Skull tried hard to widen his hollow eye sockets, carefully and tearfully climbing up the mountain. He did see many spirit beasts, but they all ran away quickly upon seeing him. Should he chase them? Which one should he chase?

So troubling!

After Little Skull left, Su Zhuyi circulated her cultivation method to train. She wasn’t worried about Little Skull’s safety—with his strength, he could just stand anywhere and release his aura, making all the spirit beasts on this mountain kneel. She cultivated while waiting. Even when the sun was high in the sky, Little Skull still hadn’t returned. Su Zhuyi found this strange and extended her divine consciousness slightly, barely able to make out distant scenery.

She saw Little Skull coming down from the mountain with both hands behind his back, claws clenched tight as if clutching something. Because he was holding it and his strength far exceeded Su Zhuyi’s, she couldn’t sense what he was gripping.

But what could those little hands hide? Definitely spirit pearls.

Not bad, young fellow. Saying he wouldn’t kill while moving quite efficiently, even digging out spirit pearls. She’d originally thought she’d have to do it herself, but it seemed the child was teachable after all.

Back in the day, many of those young men and women captured by the Xueluo Sect had never killed even a chicken or crushed even an ant at home. But what happened? Within days, they were killing people.

If you don’t kill, you die.

So, breaking the killing taboo was just that simple and brutal.

“You’re back, come here.” Su Zhuyi waved her hand, calling Little Skull over while thoughtfully offering him a spirit stone.

Little Skull didn’t accept it. He kept both hands behind his back, looking at Su Zhuyi somewhat timidly. “Big sister, big sister, I… I searched for a long time…”

Hm?

Su Zhuyi crooked her finger. “What did you find? Show me.”

Little Skull hesitated for ages before finally bringing his hands forward, slowly opening them in front of Su Zhuyi.

Su Zhuyi: “…”

Looking at the cicada molting in Little Skull’s palm, she no longer knew what to say. She wanted to roar internally, her facial muscles feeling pulled taut.

Cicada molting, cicada molting—you said you’d kill, and you brought me a cicada molting to mock me!!

“Hehe…” Su Zhuyi laughed twice, her teeth grinding audibly. She’d considered not pushing too hard—even if he’d picked a flower and brought it back, Su Zhuyi could have understood. After all, for him, all things in the world had life force, full of vigorous vitality that he’d always yearned for. Even picking a flower would count as taking the first step.

Instead, he brought a cicada molting.

It was just spring now—finding last year’s cicada molting would indeed take a long time searching. On this point, Little Skull hadn’t lied…

Su Zhuyi simply didn’t know what to say. She quietly stared at Little Skull, making him squirm uncomfortably. He twisted his body a few times, lowering his head to ask weakly in a small voice, “Big sister, won’t this work?”

Su Zhuyi laughed “hehe” twice more. “It works, how could it not work? Here’s what we’ll do—go catch a living creature. We won’t kill anymore.”

Su Zhuyi took the cicada molting from Little Skull’s hand and put it in her storage bag. “This one has no life force, I’ll keep it for now. Go bring back a living one, the prettier the better. Can you do that?”

“Oh.” Little Skull nodded and went up the mountain again.

After he’d gone far, Su Zhuyi finally felt her forced smile relax from its stiff position.

Su Zhuyi had no temper left for Little Skull.

You won’t kill? Fine—bring me the living ones and I’ll kill them!

Generally speaking, high-level spirit beasts on spirit mountains fell into two categories: either particularly large ones or particularly beautiful ones. Having him choose pretty ones to catch would yield spirit pearls. With spirit pearls, they’d have money for city entry and subsequent expenses.

She sat under the tree, waiting eagerly. Not long after, she saw Little Skull racing down the mountain.

He was holding a yellow furry bundle in his arms, bouncing toward her direction cheerfully. He was so happy his jaw was about to fall off, making clattering sounds as he ran.

But what exactly was that fluffy little thing in his arms?

For some reason, Su Zhuyi felt an ominous premonition rising in her heart.

Little Skull was incredibly fast, reaching her in the blink of an eye. He held up the fluffy little thing to Su Zhuyi. “Big sister, look, isn’t it cute?” His grinning mouth couldn’t close as he presented the puppy in his hands from all angles for Su Zhuyi to see. “I think it’s so pretty, exactly like the yellow dog Daddy showed me before. How about we call it Xiaoxiao?”

He lifted the yellow dog above his head. “Big sister, look—Xiaoxiao!”

Su Zhuyi couldn’t smile. In this lifetime, the animal she hated most was dogs, and she’d killed the most dogs, too. The one in front of her was just a low-level mixed-breed spirit dog—in what way was it pretty?!

Su Zhuyi reached out and snatched the yellow dog away. The moment it fell into her hands, it struggled and squirmed desperately, clearly sensing danger. Su Zhuyi flipped her wrist, her Blazing Palm striking directly at the yellow dog’s head. But just then, Little Skull suddenly extended his hand, his finger jabbing into her palm.

The flames in her palm instantly extinguished, and her palm was pierced, bleeding slightly.

Little Skull snatched back the yellow dog, tears beginning to fall from his eye sockets again. “Big sister, I didn’t mean to. Don’t… don’t hit Xiaoxiao.” He hugged the yellow dog to his chest. “I was just on the mountain and saw its parents were dead, with only it hiding in the cave.”

Little Skull knew the little yellow dog wasn’t the prettiest either.

But he just couldn’t bear to leave it behind.

Daddy used to say that many people kept dogs to guard their homes. He’d even heard dog barks before—not in the dreams Daddy gave him, but real sounds he’d heard while awake. So he’d always liked dogs.

He and his big sister could keep a dog, too. Then he could protect big sister together with Xiaoxiao.

Su Zhuyi felt her head throbbing. When Little Skull spoke to her, it affected her too. When he made earnest pleas, he unconsciously carried a hint of pressure that restricted people’s words and actions. So now, even wanting to slaughter that puppy had become somewhat difficult for her. Therefore, Su Zhuyi pointed at the dog, then at herself, staring quietly at Little Skull as she said coldly, “Me and it—you can only choose one.”

Her expression was dark and serious, making her attitude clear.

Little Skull stood frozen in place. After a long while, he sniffled and hugged the little dog as he went to squat to one side.

Su Zhuyi: “…”

She’d thought Little Skull would choose her. Damn it—people ranked below dogs.

But come to think of it, Little Skull acknowledging her as master wasn’t bound by any contract anyway. He could leave whenever he wanted. Since he chose the dog, they might as well part ways. She hadn’t liked that useless skeleton much anyway—keeping him around was just a burden.

She took down the Wuding Gourd and tossed it behind Little Skull’s bottom, then walked forward without looking back.

From this point on, bridges were bridges and roads were roads. They would part here and become strangers on different paths.