Lai Yiteng found a pet

Mildew opened its beak to answer, but it suddenly paused, its tongue lolling out. Then there was a cough from the bird, as though something was caught in its throat. Right afterwards Mildew began to flap its wings aimlessly, convulsing over the leaves on the ground.

Something was twisting inside its gut, trying to get out.

Qiu gasped from the disturbing sight. It was horrible in the way that one would want to look away, but couldn't. Even Lai Yiteng's mouth opened slightly in uncertainty. 

What happened? Was Mildew…dying?

The bird thrashing in agony was disturbing. 

"Oh no…" whispered Qiu, her eyes had grown misty. "What got worse? W-What can we do?"

Lai Yiteng took a breath and collected himself. He was somewhat detached from the situation, watching as though waiting for the end result to come, but there was this persistent feeling in his gut that wouldn't go away, an unpleasant one. A prickling sensation in his chest, a ball of emotions that were tangled and annoying him.

Before he knew what he was doing, Lai Yiteng bent down and scooped the shuddering Mildew into his arms. The black feathers were soft against his skin. 

He couldn't prevent whatever illness Mildew was suffering from, but maybe this act would grant some form of comfort.

…he would also…Lai Yiteng kept his pupils down on the bird in his arms. He did not know this 'Master Song' that Qiu mentioned, but he would also take Mildew to Xian Wu.

Maybe he could save her.

By now, however, Mildew's body had stopped its struggle against the pain, bunching up into his arms as though each of the bird's muscles were straining to do so. All Lai Yiteng could feel was the slight warmth emitted from under the feathers that told him Mildew was still alive.

Then, Mildew raised her beak and coughed. Hacked and hacked until a large black glob was ejected from its mouth and splattered onto the ground.

Qiu jumped away from it while Lai Yiteng's mouth hung open. 

That black ball of goo rolled over the ground. When it came to a stop, tiny arms and legs popped out of it along with a wide tail, and a small creature with the appearance closest to a salamander stood on the ground. It was unsteady, waddling forward as though dizzy after being in Mildew's stomach so long.

"This…" Lai Yiteng stuttered. He immediately recognized it as a tiny version of the creature on Deathly Howling Mountain.

"Eeek!" screamed Qiu. "What in heaven's name is this thing?! It stinks bad!"

It waddled toward her foot, leaving a trail of pitch-black slime behind it to boot, and the girl went pale.

"Nope nope nope nope…nasty, nasty, nasty..." she chanted as she turned tail and ran.

Lai Yiteng barely registered her leaving, nor was he bothered by a little unidentifiable goo. He stared at the thing as it moved with uncertainty across the ground. The salamander seemed lost and aimless until it spotted a dark patch to hide under. It picked up speed and raced toward the nearest shadow, which happened to be from under Lai Yiteng's dress. It was like a spider or centipede, scuttering toward a dark place to hide.

The small creature made it underneath Lai Yiteng's robe and then refused to come out, hunkering down next to his foot as it found its bearings and surveyed the strange new place it was in.

…Lai Yiteng had kept his eyes on it the whole time, watching quietly. He was curious.

First, however, he checked Mildew. The bird was still bundled in his arms and seemed to have fallen asleep. There was movement from her body, so Lai Yiteng knew she wasn't dead. After all, it was this tenacious little critter that caused the crow all that suffering!

That being so, Lai Yiteng turned his attention back to the creature hiding under his robes. The salamander had naturally black-glossy skin with a shine of purple iridescence. A few specks of white eyeballs that dotted its head turned up at him with caution.

…Lai Yiteng was certain of it now.

It was cute.

That question had bothered him for a while now. The only reason he didn't like the larger version on Deathly Howling Mountain was because it screeched too horribly and was actively trying to kill him. This smaller version wasn't doing those two things, so it was inarguably adorable.

…

Lai Yiteng stared at it a long time, and the small salamander shuddered in fear from his piercing gaze. It probably wondered if Lai Yiteng wasn't going to pluck it up and eat it, just like Mildew had.

Although he didn't want to, Lai Yiteng was remembering the past. When he was a child, just after joining Lotus Sect, he'd kept a pet lizard. It was true that back then, his ultimate goal was to improve his cultivation and uphold his sect's honor, but he still found it somewhat lonesome to live at his shifu's serene but empty mansion. There were lovely lotus ponds and beautiful white and silver-lined roofs, but it was an empty place.

Especially when he was a child, it made him uneasy.

No noise-making, no unnecessary activities.

So one day, when he went out to gather herbs farther down on the mountains and found a green lizard, Lai Yiteng brought it back up to Lotus Sect to keep as a pet. Just a little companionship. He kept it in a ceramic tub in his room and made sure to fill it with sand, branches, and moss. He fed it fresh insects that he caught outside.

But when his shifu, An He, came in and saw it during a visit, he said that it would be a distraction to him and was unbecoming of a Lotus Sect disciple to keep such a creature, and cast it back outside.

He didn't argue with his shifu, but it would be a lie if Lai Yiteng said it didn't make him upset. 

Now was different from the past.

Lai Yiteng, no matter if people called him ungrateful or uncultured, didn't easily follow or listen to other people's rules now. He would make exceptions if it were a person he owed a lot to like Xian Wu, but…in the end, he was tired of listening to other people's commands. 

He bent down, taking care not to drop Mildew, and snatched up the salamander before it could flee. Lai Yiteng's palm was coated in the black slime as the salamander struggled. He didn't care. Reaching his hand with the salamander over to a pouch at his waist, he stuffed the critter inside. He pulled a string on the pouch to close it up in the blink of an eye.

Small movements within the pouch fabric showed that the salamander was not happy to be trapped again, but Lai Yiteng didn't have any other ways to transport it right now.

Would Xian Wu try to kill it if he found out?

Hmph, whatever. He wouldn't let him. 

And to be fair, if Lai Yiteng let it go…who knows, the salamander might grow up to be like that other one. A human-eater.

But he didn't really care about those things too much, Lai Yiteng had just decided it was cute and was going to try and keep it. He would have to think of a name, too!

It would be another good way to pass the time since he wasn't supposed to do any martial arts…

Lai Yiteng took his slime-covered hand and wiped it on a nearby patch of moss. He watched as a part of the moss turned brown and died. Well...that's okay. Seems normal enough.

But now that he thought of it, didn't the large salamander paralyze Xian Wu's arm with its barb back on Deathly Howling Mountain? Lai Yiteng was fine, though.

Oh, and wasn't this the thing that Chen Yuwen, that crazy bastard, mentioned was a 'dragon'?

That was a bit nonsensical. He couldn't believe that a slimy salamander-looking thing like this would have anything to do with a mystical and graceful creature like a dragon.

Oh well. He felt tired right now.

Lai Yiteng decided to head back to Xian Wu dwellings. He didn't want to draw any more attention than he already had.