Xueyan's gaze shifted.
To Daoist Chu.
To Elyon.
To ng Bai.
And finally-
Back to Lin Mu.
A realization dawned.
"I didn't pay attention before..."
His voice was quiet now.
"But... everyone here..."
He swallowed.
"They're all terrifying"
His tail, which had been wagging nonstop just monts ago, slowed slightly.
But then-
It started wagging again.
Even faster.
His eyes lit up once more.
"...This is amazing."
ng Bai blinked.
"...He's enjoying this?"
Lin Mu simply shook his head lightly.
'Another one.
Just like that... Their group had gained a new mber.
One who wagged his tail like a puppy... And chased space like it was a toy.
It took a few minutes.
A full few minutes.
Only after pacing around the courtyard twice, speaking half-sentences out loud to himself, and nearly grabbing Lin Mu's sleeve again out of sheer excitent, did Xueyan finally manage to calm down... sowhat.
And even then, "calm" was a very generous term.
His tail had stopped wagging like a blur, but it still swayed from side to side in a steady rhythm. His ears twitched constantly, reacting to every little movent and sound around him, and his eyes still carried that bright, almost sparkling curiosity that made it clear... this foxkin was anything but composed.
What had faded was the explosive excitent.
What remained was a more controlled... but still very enthusiastic energy.
Xueyan straightened his robes, took a breath, and then quickly turned toward
the group.
"Ah! I haven't properly introduced myself yet!"
He cupped his hands politely.
"My na is Huli Xueyan. Disciple of Temple Head Puyi, practitioner of the Spatial Legacy of Wu... well... a beginner," he added sheepishly.
Then, without waiting, he turned to each person individually.
"You must be Daoist Chu!" he said, bowing slightly. "I've heard you are a formation master, do you incorporate spatial anchoring into your arrays? I've always wondered how multi layered formation nodes interact with spatial distortions-"
Daoist Chu blinked once.
Then laughed.
"Hah! I like this one."
He returned the greeting warmly.
"Yes, I do. Though I suspect you might have better insights into that than
soday."
Xueyan's eyes lit up again.
"Really!?"
Then he turned to Elyon.
"And you must be the Dark Wolfkin! I've read a little about your kind, your sensory perception with darkness is supposed to be extrely refined, right? Can you detect spatial fluctuations with them too? Or is it purely instinctual-" Elyon paused mid-bite of a fruit.
He looked at Xueyan.
Then at Lin Mu.
Then back at Xueyan.
"... You talk a lot."
Xueyan froze for half a second.
"...Ah. Sorry."
Then-
"...But yes, I'd really like to know."
Elyon exhaled slowly.
"...Instinct."
Xueyan nodded rapidly.
"Fascinating."
Then he turned to ng Bai.
"And you must be-"
"ng Bai," the young man said quickly, still trying to process everything.
Xueyan tilted his head.
"... You don't use spatial energy?"
"No."
"...But you're his disciple?"
"Yes."
Xueyan stared at him for a mont.
Then nodded seriously.
"... You must be very talented in sothing else."
ng Bai didn't know whether to feel complinted or confused.
He settled on both.
Even Daoist Chu couldn't help but observe the situation with amusent.
"This one..." he muttered to Lin Mu quietly, "he doesn't seem like a temple
disciple at all."
Lin Mu nodded faintly.
Elyon added, "Or a priest."
ng Bai chid in, "Or a spatial cultivator."
All three looked at Xueyan, who was now examining the courtyard stones as if
he expected them to reveal hidden secrets.
Cattaleya, however, burst out laughing.
"I know exactly why he's like this. I know these symptoms well."
ng Bai looked at her. "What is it?"
Cattaleya grinned. "He's been cooped up in secluded cultivation."
She crossed her arms. "And not the voluntary kind."
Xueyan froze.
Slowly, he turned toward her.
His jaw dropped.
"...How did you guess that so perfectly!?"
Cattaleya smirked.
"Experience."
Xueyan clutched his head.
"I've been locked in seclusion for eight years!" he said dramatically. "Eight
years! My master said I wasn't allowed to co out until I could stabilize my
spatial perception!"
He pointed at himself.
"Do you know what that does to a person!?"
ng Bai blinked.
"...You beco like this?"
"Yes!"
Daoist Chu laughed again.
"That explains a lot."
Even Elyon's lips twitched slightly.
anwhile, Lin simply shook his head.
"...Puyi really did this on purpose."
Once the introductions were finally complete... or rather, once Xueyan ran out
of imdiate questions, Lin Mu called out.
"Shrubby."
From inside the room, a small figure waddled out.
Little Shrubby.
"Nyyaaahhh~"
The tiny kitten yawned, stretching lazily, his body arching as he blinked
sleepily. His fur shimred faintly, and his tail flicked once in a relaxed manner.
Xueyan froze.
"...That is adorable."
Before anyone could stop him though... He scooped the kitten up.
"I must-"
FWOOOSH!
Flas.
Directly to the face.
"Agh-!"
Xueyan stumbled back, dropping the kitten as he flailed his hands.
Little Shrubby landed gracefully, his expression turning into a narrowed glare
as he let out a low, annoyed growl.
"Mrrrow." Xueyan coughed.
"I-I'm sorry! I didn't know-!"
He quickly straightened, trying to regain his composure.
Then... He looked again.
And froze.
Because the tiny kitten was growing... Expanding... Transforming. Within seconds, the small, harmless-looking creature had turned into a massive ten-ter-tall Liger beast, its body radiating power, its eyes glowing faintly as
it stared down at him.
Xueyan's jaw dropped again.
"...I... I just picked that up..."
He slowly looked at his hands.
"...I picked that up." A shiver ran down his spine.
"I picked up a ten-ter immortal beast... like a kitten..."
ng Bai nodded.
"Yeah." Cattaleya laughed loudly.
"Not bad. You've got guts."
Xueyan wasn't sure whether to feel proud or terrified.
Probably both.
Lin Mu, however, stepped forward calmly and jumped onto Shrubby's back.
"Everyone, get on."
One by one, they mounted the beast. But this ti, Xueyan was very careful.
Xueyan approached slowly. Respectfully.
No sudden movents.
No grabbing.
Just a quiet, cautious climb.
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