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Chapter 66: Ch-66: I want Extra Reward
Next Day.
The dawn broke softly, its golden hue spilling through the courtyard of the Feilun Sect like warming silk. Morning mist clung to the stone paths, drifting like spirits reluctant to leave.
Tian Shen stood by the pavilion’s edge, watching the fog curl around his feet. Distantly, Feng Yin approached, robes freshly pressed and hair tied with a jade clasp. His demeanor, as always, was crisp—eyes clear, posture straight.
"You’re early," Tian Shen noted, arms folded behind his back.
"You’re lazy," Feng Yin retorted dryly, before cracking the faintest of smirks. "Ready for the assignment?"
"Depends," Tian Shen said, stretching his arms, "Is it another bandit extermination? Or something more... refined?"
As if summoned by curiosity, Elder Su appeared, her expression unreadable. She handed them both jade slips.
"A spiritual mine in the Eaststone Ridge," she said. "It’s vital to our sect’s resource channeling. Recently, there have been disruptions—equipment damaged, spiritual flow altered, even a few miners injured."
Feng Yin’s brows drew together.
"Sabotage?"
"Unclear," Elder Su replied.
"Could be beasts. Could be humans. You’re to investigate quietly. Eliminate threats only if necessary. And don’t alarm the workers."
Tian Shen nodded.
"We’ll handle it."
Little Mei propped herself up from Tian Shen’s robe to his shoulder like a warm, fluffy scarf.
The blood fox—small, red-furred, with crystal-clear eyes—chittered excitedly, her tails swaying like silken fans.
"Kyuuu~"
’Little Mei, in for the duty!’
She squeaked proudly through a mental transmission, puffing her chest.
Tian Shen chuckled.
"Now this is a team."
...
As dawn painted the skies with hues of apricot and lavender, Tian Shen stood outside the Feilun Sect’s Mission Hall, a thin scroll in hand and a lopsided grin tugging at his lips.
"A spiritual mine, huh?" he mused.
Feng Yin appeared beside him, stretching lazily with a yawn.
"Guard duty, essentially. Not exactly glorious."
Tian Shen arched a brow.
"Not glorious, but full of Qi-rich minerals. Who knows? We might get lucky and find some attribute bubbles hidden in the mine."
Feng Yin gave him a flat look.
"You say that every time we take a mission."
"And I’m rarely wrong."
Before more words could pass, a rustle came from Tian Shen’s robes. A fuzzy head with amber eyes poked out—Little Mei, his bonded spiritual beast. The blood fox yawned adorably, then tilted her head, sensing her master’s excitement.
"Don’t worry, Mei-mei," Tian Shen cooed. "You’re coming with us this time. Think of it as a treasure hunt."
Little Mei chirped, her tails swishing happily.
The journey to the mine was uneventful, winding through verdant hills and rocky outcroppings.
By midday, the spiritual mine came into view—carved into the side of a jagged slope and protected by a wooden palisade. A few sect disciples were already stationed there, rotating shifts while recording the output and watching for irregularities.
The Eaststone Ridge mine was carved into a jagged canyon between pale quartz mountains, their interiors veined with glowing spiritual ore.
The deeper they walked, the more the ambient spiritual energy hummed in the air—dense and vibrant, like inhaling liquid starlight.
Miners bowed politely as they passed, their faces lined with fatigue and wariness.
An elder approached as they arrived—a stern-looking man with a short beard and sharp gaze.
"You must be Tian Shen and Feng Yin."
"We are," Tian Shen replied, clasping his hands in greeting. "Here for the monitoring rotation."
The elder nodded. "Good. There have been some disturbances lately. Not attacks exactly, but a few spirit stones have gone missing from the inner chambers. Keep your eyes open."
Tian Shen’s expression sharpened. "Got it. We’ll handle it."
They were led to the monitoring chamber, a circular space inside the mine with various arrays to detect Qi flow. Little Mei sniffed the air and hopped onto a stone ledge, her ears flicking.
"Feel anything?" Tian Shen asked her playfully.
Feng Yin knelt near a cracked ore vein, fingertips grazing the shimmering rock.
"There’s something wrong with the flow here. The Qi lines are unstable... twisted."
Tian Shen’s gaze sharpened.
"Artificial?"
"Not entirely."
Feng Yin stood up.
"There’s interference. Something’s tampering with the natural channels. But not with precision—it’s wild. Messy."
"Could be a beast," Tian Shen mused.
"Could be a cultivator trying to disguise as a beast," Feng Yin countered.
Little Mei sniffed the air, her ears twitching.
"Kyuuu~"
’Something’s deeper in the mine. I smell something, something... sweet?’
They followed the trail.
...
The lower mine chambers were darker, lit only by faint spiritual lanterns affixed to wooden beams.
The scent of damp earth and metal filled the air, mingled with a strange, saccharine sweetness.
The passage narrowed, forcing them to move in single file. Suddenly, Little Mei growled low in her throat.
"Someone’s watching."
Tian Shen activated his perception, his spiritual sense extending like a net.
A subtle chill swept the chamber. The shadows trembled.
From behind a pile of discarded ore, a figure lunged—a humanoid beast with mottled flesh and crystalline growths erupting from its spine. Its eyes glowed with unnatural light.
"Demonic Qi," Feng Yin muttered, sword unsheathing in a shimmer of silver.
Tian Shen darted forward, wind coiling around his legs. The beast shrieked and swung a clawed arm, but he ducked, sliding beneath it and delivering a solid palm strike to its core.
Feng Yin’s blade flashed in the narrow space, cleanly severing the creature’s spine. It crumpled into dust, leaving behind a fractured spirit core.
Little Mei hopped down and pawed the dust.
"This thing was originally a mine guardian spirit... twisted by something."
Tian Shen picked up the core, inspecting its blackened center.
"There’s more than just sabotage going on here."
Feng Yin nodded.
"If the corruption spreads, the entire mine could collapse—or worse, infect the sect’s supply line."
Tian Shen’s eyes glinted. "Time to find the source."
...
Deeper still, they discovered a hidden chamber—sealed by ancient wards, partially broken.
Tian Shen pressed his palm to the stone gate. The residual energy pulsed like a heartbeat.
"This wasn’t part of the original mine," Feng Yin whispered. "Someone broke into something ancient."
Little Mei sniffed again and recoiled.
"Kyuuu~, Kyuuu~"
’It reeks of blood. Old blood. Whatever’s behind that door... it doesn’t sleep peacefully.’
"Then we’ll knock... politely."
Tian Shen said with a wry smile.
They combined their Qi—Feng Yin inscribing a suppression sigil while Tian Shen focused a strike of pure elemental force.
The door cracked open with a shriek.
Inside was a narrow stone sanctum, walls inscribed with runes long faded. In the center lay a crystalline pod—half-shattered, leaking ichor.
And coiled within it, barely alive, was a beast.
Not just any beast. A Blood Serpent—rare, powerful, once guardians of Qi veins.
Its eyes flicked open weakly, full of pain and madness.
"It’s dying," Feng Yin noted. "But it’s also what’s causing the corruption. It’s feeding on the mine’s essence to survive."
Tian Shen stepped closer, hesitating. Then... he crouched.
"We’re not here to finish you."
He murmured.
Little Mei padded forward, her tails glowing softly.
"Kyuu~"
’Let me try.’
She closed her eyes, radiating calming Qi. A soft red glow surrounded the Blood Serpent. Its hissing eased.
The corruption within the beast began to retreat—slowly, uncertainly.
Tian Shen looked to Feng Yin.
"We can cleanse it."
"Agreed. But it’ll take time and energy."
"Then let’s stay here tonight," Tian Shen said. "Just us, a cursed mine, and a dying snake. What’s the worst that could happen?"
Feng Yin sighed.
"You always have to say things like that."
...
By morning, the Blood Serpent had curled into a slumbering ball, no longer leaking corruption. The mine’s Qi flow gradually began to realign, the humming steadier.
They sealed the chamber with fresh talismans and left a warning ward behind. 𝖓𝔬𝔳𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝔬𝖒
On their way out, the overseer met them with a hopeful look.
"Problem solved?"
"For now," Feng Yin said.
"But keep your men away from the deep chamber," Tian Shen added. "There’s still something old in there. Best not to wake it twice."
Little Mei climbed up Tian Shen’s back again and curled around his shoulders.
"Kyuuu~"
’I deserve a reward! I want spicy grilled spirit chicken!’
Tian Shen laughed.
"You’re learning the art of negotiation too well."
Feng Yin glanced at them both, bemused.
"The sect owes us a bonus for this."
They walked back toward the Feilun Sect under the rising sun, weary but satisfied.
Two cultivators and a mischievous fox, bound not just by duty—but by growing trust.
And somewhere, deep in the mine’s sanctum, the Blood Serpent dreamt of crimson skies and old memories.
...
The mission’s echoes followed them back to the sect like the fading rhythm of a heartbeat.
That evening, as golden light filtered through the Feilun Sect’s inner courtyard, Tian Shen sat beneath a blooming spirit peach tree, eyes half-lidded. Little Mei napped in his lap, soft snores escaping her tiny muzzle.
Feng Yin approached, tossing him a pouch.
"Extra reward. Elder Su was impressed."
Tian Shen smirked, shaking it with a jingle.
"Maybe next time, they’ll send us somewhere fun."
Feng Yin scoffed.
"You call that not fun?"
Tian Shen leaned back, hands behind his head.
"With you and Mei? Always an adventure."
