Chapter 151

Chapter 151

Just as the earthen wall was about to collapse, Wen Qiao pulled Ning Yuzhou and swiftly dodged out of its way. Taking advantage of the situation, Wen Tutu jumped up, harnessing the wind to lift its body and fly out of the cave.

The earthen wall missed its target and, turning a corner, continued to charge towards them.

Wen Qiao, still holding onto Ning Yuzhou, evaded within the cave. Fortunately, the area was spacious enough that they weren't immediately overwhelmed by the earthen wall.

Suddenly, not long after it had risen, the earthen wall crumbled, dispersing into loose soil that fell back to the ground.

At this moment, Wen Qiao and the others heard an angry cry from outside. The voice was soft and coquettish, emitting sounds akin to "Mmmh Mmmh."

Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou, upon seeing the collapse of the earthen wall, realized that Wen Tutu had succeeded in its endeavor. That soft and coquettish voice must have belonged to whatever had used the earthen wall to ambush them.

The two stepped out of the cave, their eyes scanning the surroundings. They spotted a narrow cave nearby, where Wen Tutu was blocking the entrance, issuing threatening hisses toward the inside, clearly indicating that whatever had ambushed them was hiding there.

"Wen Tutu."

Wen Qiao called out. In response, Wen Tutu let out another threatening hiss at the cave before moving aside.

As they approached, they saw a black-and-white furball curled up inside the narrow cave, looking much like a ball of fluff. Upon noticing their presence, it emitted a threatening sound, but the noise sounded more like playful cooing than an actual threat.

"Huh, is it a bear cub?" Wen Qiao asked.

Ning Yuzhou glanced over, his expression somewhat peculiar. He said, "No, it's a baby Iron-Eating Beast."

Wen Qiao: "…"

She took a closer look and realized that the creature cowering in the cave, bristling at them, didn't resemble a pure-blooded bear demon beast. Its head was round, its fur white, with black ears, black eye patches, and a plump black body. It was somewhat cat-like, yet not purely feline. The contrast between black and white fur combined with its round shape made it irresistibly adorable.

"So this is what an Iron-Eating Beast looks like, part bear, part cat," she mused.

After observing the Iron-Eating Beast, Wen Qiao recalled the giant bear that had fought the giant wolf earlier and asked, "Husband, wasn't that giant bear also not a bear?"

Ning Yuzhou replied, "It was a bear."

He had seen it clearly; it was indeed a type of demon bear. Although its fur was white, similar to the white fur on the head of the baby Iron-Eating Beast.

"How could a bear give birth to an Iron-Eating Beast?" Wen Qiao exclaimed in shock. "Could it be a mutation?"

Even if it were a mutation, it wouldn't change species unless the bear also had Iron-Eating Beast bloodline.

Ning Yuzhou chuckled and said, "This Iron-Eating Beast isn't necessarily the cub of that giant bear. Of course, it could be the offspring of that giant bear and another Iron-Eating Beast. You can ask it to find out."

Wen Qiao responded with an "oh" and looked again at the Iron-Eating Beast cub huddled in the cave. The more she looked, the more it reminded her of a round, black-and-white glutinous rice ball.

But wasn't this Iron-Eating Beast cub too timid?

Wen Qiao thought for a moment, then took out a piece of honey fat and gently said, "Don't be afraid. We didn't know this was your home. We mean no harm; we just wanted to mine some spirit stones. Since it's your place, we won't dig anymore."

The sweet fragrance of fairy spirit honey wafted over, and the little Iron-Eating Beast's nose twitched. It made a "Mmmh" sound, cautiously extending a small paw to grab the honey fat and began gnawing on it.

Seeing that it liked it, Wen Qiao offered a few more pieces.

Indeed, there was nothing in this world that delicious food couldn't solve.

After feeding it several pieces of honey fat, the Iron-Eating Beast cub finally lowered its guard and started calling out "Mmmh Mmmh" to her.

After listening to it, Wen Qiao told Ning Yuzhou, "Husband, it says this place is its home, and it has lived here with its mother since it was born. That white bear really did give birth to an Iron-Eating Beast, how amazing… Oh, its father was an Iron-Eating Beast, which is why the white bear could give birth to an Iron-Eating Beast cub…"

As Wen Qiao recounted the story, Ning Yuzhou also gained a rough understanding of the previous events.

The white bear was a female bear demon beast who had given birth to this little Iron-Eating Beast with a male Iron-Eating Beast.

This area of purple spirit bamboo was the territory of that male Iron-Eating Beast. After the white bear and the Iron-Eating Beast had their cub, they also settled down here.

However, not long after the birth of the little Iron-Eating Beast, a giant wolf came to snatch the jade nectar. At that time, the white bear had recently given birth and wasn't very strong. The male Iron-Eating Beast, to protect his mate and cub, engaged in battle with the giant wolf.

In the end, the male Iron-Eating Beast died during the fight, while the giant wolf, severely injured, fled. Only the white bear remained, left to raise the cub alone.

Unexpectedly, after the giant wolf recovered, it returned and found its way to where the white bear and her cub lived.

Fearing that the battle might harm the little Iron-Eating Beast, the white bear forced the giant wolf away, fighting all the way outwards.

When the giant wolf approached, the little Iron-Eating Beast listened to its mother's instructions and hid. It never expected that its mother wouldn't return, only for other creatures to invade their territory. The little Iron-Eating Beast launched a surprise attack in secret, hoping to drive them away, but it hadn't anticipated being discovered by Wen Tutu.

Fortunately, Wen Tutu was a rational rabbit. Seeing that it was just a cub, it didn't attack but merely blocked it here.

Understanding the cause and effect, Wen Qiao said, "We're truly sorry. We didn't know there were beasts… cough, we'll go elsewhere to mine spirit stones."

Earlier, they had detected that the spirit vein was quite long, with many spirit stones condensed within. They could mine some spirit stones elsewhere. However, since this place already had an owner, it wouldn't be right to take the entire spirit vein. Although Wen Qiao was disappointed, she didn't insist and planned to mine only some top-grade spirit stones.

As for this little Iron-Eating Beast, its mother might still return. She was a powerful demon beast equivalent to the level of a Great Emperor. Wen Qiao dared not confront her and didn't want to harm the little Iron-Eating Beast either.

The little Iron-Eating Beast stared at her and suddenly let out a few "Mmmh Mmmh" sounds before crawling out of its hiding spot.

Although Iron-Eating Beasts weren't bears, they bore a striking resemblance.

Wen Qiao thought that perhaps this similarity was the reason a white bear and an Iron-Eating Beast could see eye-to-eye and produce a little Iron-Eating Beast. This proved that Iron-Eating Beasts were relatively powerful, allowing their offspring to inherit their beast form. However, the white bear was an earth-type demon beast, and this little Iron-Eating Beast clearly inherited the white bear's abilities.

After crawling out of the cave, the little Iron-Eating Beast looked at them with a naive expression, its lovable demeanor endearing to everyone.

Unable to resist, Wen Qiao took the opportunity to pet it.

The white bear had clearly taken good care of it. Despite its young age, its plump body felt substantial.

The little Iron-Eating Beast rubbed against her hand and called out "Mmmh" a few times. Unable to withstand its cuteness, Wen Qiao retrieved honey fat from her storage bag. "Here, it's all yours. Who could resist your adorableness?"

The little Iron-Eating Beast happily gnawed on the honey fat, delighted with its newfound treat.

It was delighted, but Chui's fur bristled, emitting threatening hisses.

The little Euphemism Beast looked up at her, its face a picture of innocence, as if it didn't understand why she was upset. As for the few pieces of Honey Tallow that Wen Qiao had given it, it quickly stuffed them into its mouth, cheeks bulging, watching Chui like that.

Chui was even angrier now; how dare this bear ask her sister for Honey Tallow to eat? It wasn't their beast, so why should it eat something her sister worked hard to obtain?

Seeing Chui about to pounce on the bear, Wen Qiao hurriedly said, "Chui, it's just a few pieces of Honey Tallow, give it if you must." Then she whispered to her, "Consider it bought with Spirit Stones."

Chui was finally appeased and indicated that since it was bought with Spirit Stones, they wouldn't go elsewhere to dig for Spirit Stones, but would do so directly in her territory.

Wen Qiao looked at the little Euphemism Beast.

The little Euphemism Beast slowly licked its paws—still sticky with the taste of Honey Tallow—and called out to them, indicating that as long as they gave it Honey Tallow, it didn't mind them digging wherever they wanted.

"What if your mother comes back and sees us digging for Spirit Stones, will she hit us?" Wen Qiao asked worriedly.

The little Euphemism Beast showed no fear, indicating that when the time came, it would stop its mother.

Thus, Wen Qiao obtained the right to mine Spirit Stones here with a few more pieces of Honey Tallow.

Ning Yuzhou watched this scene, unsure which side was at a disadvantage. Whether it was top-grade Spirit Stones or Immortal Honey, both were quite valuable outside.

After reaching a trading agreement with the little Euphemism Beast, Wen Qiao and the others returned to the cave they had been in before, continuing to mine for Spirit Stones.

The little Euphemism Beast followed them inside, sitting on the pile of Spirit Stones on the ground, gnawing on Honey Tallow while watching them dig, and its body unconsciously absorbed the spirit energy from the top-grade Spirit Stones.

Looking at it, one could see why the White Bear chose this place as their den. After all, both were Earth-type demons, and absorbing the spirit energy from Earth-attribute Spirit Stones benefited them.

Mining Spirit Stones wasn't an easy task, after all, they were embedded in the walls, and a misstep could easily break them, causing the spirit energy inside to dissipate, resulting in significant loss.

Wen Qiao adjusted for a while and finally dug out intact Spirit Stones without breaking them.

In comparison, Chui, the rabbit adept at burrowing, was impressive, extracting a Spirit Stone with each claw, soon accumulating hundreds of them on the ground, which Ning Yuzhou collected and handed over to Puppet Man Ah Qing to bury in the Spirit Herb fields.

Ning Yuzhou originally wanted to help, but neither Wen Qiao nor Chui allowed him to assist, instead having him collect the Spirit Stones behind them.

After all, Ning Yuzhou wasn't as strong as Wen Qiao, nor did he have Chui's claws adept at digging, looking weak and frail. For such physical labor, he might as well stay away.

Ning Ge, once again deemed weak, could only collect Spirit Stones on the side, taking the opportunity to refine several furnaces of top-grade Spirit Replenishment Pills using Honey Tallow.

The Spirit Replenishment Pills made with Honey Tallow were indeed different from ordinary top-grade ones. Although they were only Earth-grade, the spirit energy they contained could rival Heaven-grade Spirit Replenishment Pills.

Ning Yuzhou gave the refined Spirit Replenishment Pills to Wen Qiao and Chui to consume.

When he started refining again, he saw the Euphemism Beast cub, which had finished its Honey Tallow, roll over like a distinct black-and-white glutinous rice ball, staring at him innocently, its gaze falling on the pill furnace.

Ning Yuzhou gave it a top-grade Spirit Replenishment Pill.

The little Euphemism Beast stuffed the Spirit Pill into its mouth, finishing it in a few bites, then emitted sounds toward him.

Although Ning Yuzhou couldn't understand what it was saying, based on its previous interaction with Wen Qiao, he understood that this little Euphemism Beast was asking him for Spirit Replenishment Pills to eat.

The scheming Ning Ge smiled at it particularly gently, saying, "I can give you Spirit Replenishment Pills, but you have to help with the work."

"En wu?"

"Help Ah Chui dig for Spirit Stones, can you do that?"

The little Euphemism Beast looked at him innocently, but unfortunately, Brother Ning had a heart of stone and wasn't swayed by its cuteness. It had no choice but to run over and help Wen Qiao and the others dig for Spirit Stones.

Don't underestimate this Euphemism Beast cub; although it was still young, it was an Earth-type demon with sharp claws, digging for Spirit Stones faster than Chui. Before long, a pile of Spirit Stones surrounded it, almost burying its small body.

Chui realized she had lost to a cub and immediately exploded with anger, digging for Spirit Stones even more desperately.

Brother Ning calmly watched the highly motivated Chui and the Euphemism Beast cub, who was like a Spirit Stone-digging machine, telling Wen Qiao, whose internal Primordial Spirit Power was depleted, "Ah Chui, come rest for a bit."

Wen Qiao responded, gathering spirit power on her spirit dagger and digging out another Spirit Stone, then sat down next to Ning Yuzhou to rest.

After eating a Spirit Replenishment Pill, Wen Qiao looked at the little Euphemism Beast digging for Spirit Stones in the cave and said, "Husband, if this place is formed by islands ascending from the lake to create a Heavenly Island continent, those islands were separate and not connected when submerged in the lake. That giant wolf isn't a demon native to this area, so how did it get here and fight that Euphemism Beast?"

Wen Qiao wondered how often the islands in the lake ascended and how long this Heavenly Island continent would last?

Since the situation was unclear, they could only infer from the little Euphemism Beast's words.

Ning Yuzhou thought for a moment and said, "I think there was originally a Heavenly Island continent here, and those islands that flew out of the lake were just fragments of this Heavenly Island. When the time came, they flew out of the lake and were sent back to the Heavenly Island continent by that Spirit Light Pillar. Perhaps, not long from now, new fragments will fall back into the lake."

Then he stroked her head and said softly, "Don't worry, when the time comes, we'll still be able to leave."

Wen Qiao smiled at him, not thinking too much about it for the moment.

After resting for a while, Wen Qiao went back to digging for Spirit Stones.

Watching the two furry balls dig while she rested there, she felt guilty. Ning Yuzhou knew her character and didn't stop her, instead giving her the refined Spirit Replenishment Pills, telling her not to save them but to eat them directly.

With the Spirit Replenishment Pills, whether it was Wen Qiao or the two demons, they were all full of vigor.

Days passed like this, and still, there was no sign of the White Bear returning.

Both Wen Qiao and Ning Yuzhou had a bad feeling, subconsciously looking at the little Euphemism Beast.

Although the little Euphemism Beast looked innocent and a bit simple-minded, it wasn't completely clueless. With its mother not returning for so long, how could it remain calm? It no longer dug for Spirit Stones, occasionally running out of the cave to see if its mother had returned.