Since there was no one familiar nearby, Lu Qiancha was too lazy to waste her spiritual power. She focused her mind.
“Pfft—” The faint glow of the Mirage Technique surrounding her body quietly dissipated like bubbles.
The deep blue large tail was once again exposed to the Moon Palace’s air, filled with gentle moonlight and stardust. The true form of the little wolf girl was unmistakably revealed.
Lu Qiancha’s eyes sparkled as she precisely locked onto the various celestial treasures nestled between the nearby hills and the shimmering vegetation.
Many Immortal Herbs listed in mundane herbal manuals grew wildly in this Moonlight Immortal Grassland, as if they were worthless weeds.
Her heart surged with excitement. She quickened her pace, her little paws itching to pick some.
“Rustle, rustle, rustle—!”
Suddenly, the crystal vines beside her shook violently.
A massive snow-white shadow abruptly lunged out.
Its shadow almost instantly enveloped the small wolf girl entirely.
It was a gigantic rabbit, pure white all over, its long fur fluffy like clouds, with tips that seemed dusted in moonbeams.
It stood at least two heads taller than Lu Qiancha in her true form, and on its back was a huge bamboo basket emitting a gentle bamboo fragrance. “!!!”
Lu Qiancha’s pupils shrank instantly, her paws frozen mid-air, and the corner of her mouth twitched uncontrollably. That rabbit—how was it so big?!
“This is a Medicine Harvesting Moon Rabbit. They’re quite common residents in this garden,” Xun Xue’s voice came, laced with a familiar smile. “Don’t be fooled by their size—they’re actually quite docile.”
Saying that, she stepped forward naturally and gently stroked the tip of the Moon Rabbit’s long ears, as soft as white clouds.
“Little Qiancha, want to pet it? The feel is even warmer and softer than top-grade Yun brocade~”
Lu Qiancha hesitated for a moment but ultimately couldn’t resist the temptation.
She reached out her paw, carefully pressing it against the Moon Rabbit’s thick, carpet-like back.
Sure enough, the fluffy warmth seeped straight into her paw pads, like touching a freshly sun-dried quilt warmed by gentle sunlight.
But when Lu Qiancha pressed harder, she also felt the strong, tough muscles beneath the fur, as solid as forged steel.
“Tch…” Lu Qiancha withdrew her paw, curling her lips in judgment: big size, yes, definitely warm and cozy, but too muscular—hard as a rock, not very pettable, bad review.
“Jiji.”
The giant rabbit seemed completely unfazed by their appraisal. Its enormous pink eyes glanced at Lu Qiancha, then it strode forward on heavy steps that echoed with dull thuds.
It hopped over to a nearby patch of glowing grass, lowered its head, and with swift, skillful swipes of its sturdy paws, uprooted several perfect specimens of medicinal herbs, tossing them casually yet accurately backward—
“Zzi zzi!” The herbs landed soundly inside the large Bamboo Basket on its back.
When tired, it would lazily flop down on the spot, crunching off a few crystal-clear leaves with a crisp snap, making a sound like chewing sugar beans.
Lu Qiancha watched enviously, her paw tip pointing at the shimmering herb patch as she turned to Xun Xue. “Can I pick some of these…?”
Her eyes were full of longing.
“Go ahead~” Xun Xue smiled warmly, waving her Jade Token.
“With the Moon Token, we’re guests of the Moon Palace. These Moon Rabbits are lazy by nature. As long as you don’t stop them from working or touch the treasures in their basket… no one will bother us.”
“Mm!”
Hearing this, Lu Qiancha’s lingering caution instantly vanished. Her little blue shadow darted through the patch like a butterfly fluttering among flowers.
Her little paws were lightning-fast, plucking every herb she recognized, those she hadn’t seen before but were thick with spiritual energy, and anything that looked appealing—all were taken!
Her storage pouch gaped wide like a hungry Taotie, greedily swallowing the various shimmering Moon Palace Immortal Herbs.
In no time, the pouch was stuffed to the brim.
A super bountiful harvest!
Watching her daughter gather herbs to her heart’s content, Xun Xue leisurely spoke, “Let’s go~ I’ll take you to the Zhenger Jia up ahead for some tea. There lives a—well, an old friend of mine.”
“Alright~” Lu Qiancha replied absentmindedly, still tallying her treasures, but without hesitation followed her steps.
A crisp breeze swept across the softly glowing grass, bringing with it an incongruous—
“Ribbit, ribbit, ribbit…”
Those were loud, rough, metallic-sounding croaks.
Lu Qiancha turned to look toward the sound.
Not far off, a calm, clear pool of water shimmered, and three enormous golden toads floated within, their sizes like millstones, gleaming dazzlingly.
Seeing these Golden Toads, Lu Qiancha finally understood why there were folk tales about the golden toad bringing wealth…
Just as she was thinking this, one of the toads seemed disturbed by a flying insect. It calmly twisted its millstone-sized body, its golden armored belly suddenly swelling.
“Pop!”
With a muffled exhale, a golden square-holed coin shot out with a piercing whistle, tearing through the air!
“Pfft!”
The poor little insect exploded on contact.
The Golden Toad then leisurely advanced with a royal, surveying stride, curling its tongue to swallow the insect remains.
Almost simultaneously—
“Ding-ling~”
A pleasant, crisp chime rang out as a fist-sized, crystal-clear gem rolled off the Golden Toad’s body and bounced onto the stardust-covered path.
“Heh~ lucky,” Xun Xue smiled, her delicate hand flicking to snatch it from the air. The purple-glowing gem landed firmly in her palm before she slipped it into Lu Qiancha’s arms. “Here, catch your fortune.”
Lu Qiancha held the purple gem, turning it left and right under the starlight, even infusing some spiritual power to examine it.
After a while, she concluded: hmm… aside from being pretty and glowing, it’s basically no different from the pretty pebbles by the roadside? It can’t be used for forging artifacts or concocting pills.
“This thing doesn’t seem very useful.”
Lu Qiancha frowned as she spoke. This stone could only be exchanged for some silver in the mortal world.
“Isn’t being pretty its greatest use?” Xun Xue blinked, confidently.
“…Not sure I understand.”
Lu Qiancha’s lips twitched. She flipped her hand, tucking the purely decorative purple gem into her pouch.
Once outside, she’d give it to her junior sister as a gift for the Water Moon Festival.
Bypassing the herbal meadow, a new scene suddenly appeared before her.
Lu Qiancha saw a half-human-tall, jade-colored miniature Moon Rabbit, as if carved from icy jade.
It stood upright on its hind legs, clutching a medicine pestle over two meters long, the front end embedded with a large, round, turquoise orb as big as a basketball.
The little Moon Rabbit was rhythmically pounding with all its might in a large stone mortar in front of it.
Each strike stirred a cloud-like mist of medicinal vapor, filling the air with a chilling, unusual fragrance.
Lu Qiancha:
She glanced at the rabbit’s steady, mountain-like grip on the giant pestle, then looked at her own paws…
An inexplicable gloom arose in her heart. Why was this rabbit’s grip so strong? Her own paws… were neither pretty nor useful.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.