“Want to go see that Daoyao Yuet Rabbit?”
Xun Xue mistakenly thought Lu Qiancha was curious about the moon rabbit ahead, so a faint smile appeared on her face.
She took Lu Qiancha’s hand and said, “Let’s go. I’ll take you to see it. These rabbits are even gentler than the one from before, and their fur feels like cold jade—you can touch it as much as you want~”
With that, the two of them approached the Daoyao Yuet Rabbit.
The faintly cold medicinal fragrance wafting from the stone mortar grew even stronger.
Curiosity piqued, Lu Qiancha couldn’t help but walk over to the Shi Bo. She stood on tiptoe, stretched her neck, and tried her best to peek inside.
Unfortunately, her height was a limitation, and the tall walls of the mortar completely blocked her view.
“Hmm… what kind of medicine is being pounded here?”
No sooner had she asked than—
“Wow!”
A familiar warmth enveloped her waist and legs, and Lu Qiancha’s body was suddenly lifted off the ground, her perspective forcibly raised.
Xun Xue had picked her up again.
From this higher vantage point, Lu Qiancha could finally see inside the Shi Bo.
Inside was a fine, cloud-like pure powder that shimmered with icy jade brilliance. As the jade pestle stirred it, tiny yellow star-like specks of medicinal energy occasionally drifted out.
“Jiji! Jiji!”
The Daoyao Yuet Rabbit paused its work, tilted its head, and with crystal-clear, glazed eyes full of curiosity, it regarded these suddenly “elevated” visitors and let out several low, indistinct chirps.
From its expression, it seemed to be answering Lu Qiancha’s earlier question.
Unfortunately, Lu Qiancha couldn’t understand what it was saying.
“This is Yu Hua San, a healing medicine.”
Xun Xue answered.
“?”
Lu Qiancha looked up at Xun Xue with a face full of confusion.
“What’s wrong?”
Xun Xue asked, equally puzzled.
“Mother, can you understand what this rabbit is saying?”
Lu Qiancha tilted her head and asked.
“Ahem!”
Xun Xue nearly burst out laughing.
Of course, she didn’t understand what the rabbit was saying, but she recognized the medicine.
Yet at this moment, seeing her daughter’s innocent and admiring little expression…
Suddenly, a mischievous idea rapidly fermented deep within her heart.
Xun Xue immediately straightened her face, and in her deep blue eyes shone certainty and seriousness. She slowly nodded, “Yes, I can understand it.”
Lu Qiancha’s expression was more shocked than when that little death god student announced his own end.
But then she thought about it. After all, Xun Xue was a Celestial and also from the Yao tribe, so it wasn’t too surprising that she might understand some animal language.
“Jiji?” The medicinal rabbit urged again with a couple of chirps when they didn’t move.
Lu Qiancha snapped back to reality, blinking her big eyes shyly at the Daoyao Yuet Rabbit and politely asked, “Um, may I take a little of this Yu Hua San?”
“Jiji!”
The rabbit chirped twice.
No idea what it meant.
Lu Qiancha turned to look at her “translator.”
“Ahem!”
Getting fully into character, Xun Xue cleared her throat with mock seriousness, listened intently, then smiled as she translated:
“Mmm… this Daoyao Yuet Rabbit says, since you have an extraordinary root constitution, you’re… uh… a promising talent for alchemy! It specially allows you to take a little Yu Hua San back for study.”
After saying this, Xun Xue almost laughed uncontrollably inside. There was plenty of that medicine in the Moon Palace anyway, so taking a bit wouldn’t hurt.
“Really?!” Lu Qiancha’s eyes lit up, with no doubt at all.
“Great! Thank you, moon rabbit!” She quickly jumped down from Xun Xue’s arms, scampered over to the edge of the Shi Bo, and nimbly stepped onto a raised platform nearby.
She pulled out a small cloth bag and didn’t hesitate to scoop up a large spoonful of the white medicinal powder.
“Ji—ji—!!!”
Just moments ago gentle and docile, the Daoyao Yuet Rabbit suddenly exploded with a piercing, earth-shattering angry cry.
Its crystal-clear jade fur bristled like silver needles standing on end. The mighty aura of a Daosaint stage Great Perfection burst forth with a roar. Its two front paws tensed with muscular strength.
“Hoo—!!!”
That jade pestle, heavy as a mountain, whistled terrifyingly as it slammed fiercely toward Lu Qiancha’s small head.
“How dare you!”
Xun Xue’s reaction was swift. A cold gleam flashed in her eyes as her jade fingers quickly formed a hand seal. “Hold!”
A refined, solid-feeling immortal force radiating piercing ice-blue light surged forward instantly.
“Vrrrr—!”
It accurately wrapped around the terrifying pestle mid-strike and the enraged jade rabbit.
The jade rabbit and its weapon froze stiff instantly.
The enormous, weighty jade pestle was now less than three inches from Lu Qiancha’s smooth forehead!
The biting wind even messed up the stray hairs at her forehead.
Lu Qiancha stiffly turned her neck, first glancing at the huge pestle so close she could feel its cold jade chill, then slowly shifted her gaze to Xun Xue. Her little face was full of speechless disbelief.
If she hadn’t used a spiritual shield to block it, her little body would have been hurting for a long time after one blow.
“Ahem, ahem, ahem.”
Xun Xue cleared her throat a few times, then turned seriously back to her daughter, wearing an extremely affectionate smile as she explained in a solemn tone: “Well, mom didn’t catch everything just now. Actually, this moon rabbit is saying…”
She pointed at the huge jade pestle suspended in midair. “It wants to give you this ancestral pestle as a commemorative gift to take home.”
“Whoa!”
Lu Qiancha leaned back slightly when she heard this. Her mother was spinning such a blatant lie without even batting an eye.
Putting this little episode aside, Lu Qiancha still chose not to take away the big rabbit’s pestle. Before leaving, she even returned the Yu Hua San she had scooped earlier.
She wasn’t a thief; if others didn’t want to give it, she wouldn’t take it without permission.
As the two drew closer to the towering main hall of the Guanghan Palace, the leisurely moon rabbits and Jinbao toads around them visibly decreased in number.
However, the aura each one emitted was like stacking mountains—ever higher and increasingly imposing and terrifying.
Passing through a shaded path filled with faint purple star mist, suddenly—
Poof!
Lu Qiancha’s figure abruptly sank, her blue fur almost standing on end.
An overwhelming pressure instantly engulfed her.
The source of the pressure was a white-furred little rabbit sprawled lazily on the ground, dozing.
Its size was only slightly smaller than the previous herb-gathering rabbit, but the aura it emitted was clearly that of a Daosaint-level Yaozun.
Almost simultaneously—
“Vrrr~”
Accompanied by an extremely faint immortal energy hum, a thin, translucent shield as delicate as a cicada’s wing instantly enveloped Lu Qiancha from head to toe.
The terrifying external pressure was blocked by this invisible barrier and vanished in an instant.
“Phew…” Lu Qiancha felt the weight lift and breathed a long sigh, her furrowed brow quietly smoothing out. Yet, she still didn’t move away from Xun Xue’s side.
The two continued forward, and soon the Guanghan Palace’s main hall—tall and carved from ice a billion years old, towering into the sky, radiating endless aloof and chilling energy—was within arm’s reach.
Before the main hall’s entrance stood not stone lions guarding the gate.
Instead, there were two brilliant Chijin Jinchan, shaped like millstones with stout limbs, squatting atop Han Yu Lotus Thrones.
Their eyes blazed like two blood-red golden lanterns. Their bodies were covered in dense red-gold scales reflecting the icy light of the palace, like divine armor.
Just their presence radiated unfathomable pressure.
Lu Qiancha’s sense of pressure multiplied. She instinctively tightened her grip on Xun Xue’s hand.
Yet Xun Xue remained unfazed by the scene.
Holding Lu Qiancha’s hand, she calmly stepped up the nine cold jade steps and approached the two Jinchan statues.
Her smile carried a hint of familiar playfulness: “Zhaocai! Jinbao! Respected Lords, greetings~ Please kindly inform Yuanjun Sister.”
Her voice was crystal clear, breaking the frozen chill lingering at the gate.