Chapter 14: Spirit Beast Contract

Over the past month, Ling Yue and the adorable baby fox had developed a deep and inseparable bond. Every day, the little fox would eagerly wait for its roasted meat, a routine that had become a symbol of their growing closeness.

But for the past three days, with Ling Yue missing, the poor creature had suffered terribly from hunger.

No delicious roast meat, and more importantly, no sign of the girl it had come to love—Little Squeak was frantically pacing in circles, its fluffy tail swishing with anxiety.

Finally, after endless wandering, the baby fox located Ling Yue. Without hesitation, it bolted towards her, teary-eyed as if it had been abandoned.

"Little guy, I'm so sorry I forgot about you." Ling Yue flushed with guilt. She quickly pulled out her small bamboo lighter and got to work setting up a fire.

Soon, the smell of sizzling meat wafted through the air, and the fox dove into its meal with gusto. After stuffing its little belly and letting out a loud burp, it simply lay where it was, refusing to disappear back into the mists of the Grand Mist Sky like it normally did.

"Squeak!" The baby fox waddled over and sniffed at her leg. Then, without warning, it stuck out its tongue and began licking her knee.

Ling Yue had sustained a few scrapes and bruises during her dangerous encounter with the metal armed ape. Though they hadn't seemed serious enough to worry about, she had no medicine to treat them with. But clearly, the baby fox had noticed.

The soft warmth of its tongue left a numbing sensation. Could it be worried about her injuries?

Touched by the thought, Ling Yue felt a sweet warmth bloom in her chest.

"Little fella, I need to go now." She patted its head gently.

At her words, every hair on the baby fox's body stood on end.

"Squeak-squeak-squeak-squeak!" It panicked, grabbing the edge of her skirt with its teeth and curling into a trembling ball, terrified that she might vanish again for days.

Ling Yue blinked, startled. "What's gotten into you?"

The baby fox hesitated for a moment, its eyes watery and uncertain. Then, as if making a firm decision, it suddenly bit down lightly on her knee.

Drops of blood flowed from both Ling Yue's wound and the baby fox's mouth. As the two bloods mingled, two hexagonal stars materialized from the void and began spinning and merging into a single ancient formation.

Forgetting the pain, Ling Yue stared in awe.

"Is this... the spirit contract Mother once told me about?"

The blood matrix split into two streams, one entering Ling Yue's body, the other into the fox's.

At the same time, the Grand Mist Sky underwent an astonishing transformation.

What was once a fog-shrouded plot of land suddenly expanded. Mist parted to reveal an entire acre of open space, rich with thick Yuan energy.

Two simple straw houses appeared in the expanded space, standing opposite each other, one facing south and the other north.

The dimensional space had clearly been upgraded—this must be the power of the spirit contract.

"Squeak-squeak!" The little fox—now clearly ecstatic—leapt about joyfully. Although Ling Yue couldn't understand its cries, a connection now existed between them.

While the fox was still too young to speak human language, their spiritual bond allowed for basic soul communication.

"You're saying I should check out those houses?" she asked, following the little fox's excited jumping.

The straw huts looked aged and untouched for many years. Ling Yue stepped into the one on the left.

Inside, the space was sparse: just a bed, some daily tools, and a stack of old books.

One thick codex stood out. Its title read: Grand Mist Codex, authored by Red Mist, the Immortal Alchemist.

Ling Yue skimmed through the pages and gasped in realization.

The so-called Immortal Alchemist Red Mist wasn't only the former master of the Grand Mist Sky—he was also the original owner of the black cauldron currently in her possession.

He had crafted this dimensional world using that very cauldron, seeking seclusion with his beloved, Venerable Jade Poison Hand.

Strangely enough, these two were once famous throughout the land—but for very different reasons. Red Mist was revered for his healing and compassion; Jade Poison Hand, on the other hand, was feared for her cruelty and lethal poisons.

Yet fate made these two polar opposites fall in love and choose to retreat from the world.

But happiness didn't last. A rift developed between them, and after one final argument, Venerable Jade Poison Hand stormed out of the Grand Mist Sky. Stricken with regret, Red Mist soon followed in search of her—and neither ever returned.

As for Little Squeak, this fox had once belonged to Jade Poison Hand herself. After the couple left, the little fox had been sealed within this realm, trapped for a thousand years—until Ling Yue stumbled upon the black cauldron and accidentally released it.