“What?” Mu Lin could no longer maintain his composed demeanor. Upon hearing the words, he immediately jumped up, asking anxiously,
“Do you mean to say that you possess an independent storage space of your own, and you can put things in and take them out at will?”
“Yeah! That’s exactly what I mean!” The little one shrugged indifferently. Was this really such a big deal?
A sudden spark flashed through Mu Lin’s mind, as if he had caught something, yet it remained unclear. He closed his eyes, carefully recalling every word the little one had said. Suddenly, a few of the last sentences brought clarity, and his expression turned anxious. Yet his voice grew calmer:
“You just said that this space is tied to your life and death, right?”
“Yeah!” The little one still didn’t grasp the seriousness.
“So, that means you can freely enter and exit this space, correct?” This time, Mu Lin’s tone carried a hint of impatience.
“Right! Although I can only stay inside for half an hour!” Seeing Mu Lin’s expression and tone, the little one answered truthfully.
“Then can you tell me, how is this space different from the one we are in now?” By this time, Mu Lin could hardly contain his excitement.
“Not much different, except the time flows differently in there, and there’s no oxygen, so I can’t stay long.” Seeing Mu Lin’s excitement, the little one honestly replied.
“So how does time differ between the inside and outside?” At this point, Mu Lin had forced himself to calm down slightly.
“Oh! When I stay inside for half an hour, it seems like a whole day has passed outside. I discovered this once when I was hiding from enemies. I stayed inside for half an hour, and when I came out, a full day and night had passed outside. That’s how I managed to escape those powerful foes!”
Seeing Mu Lin’s sharp gaze, the little one realized that if he didn’t explain clearly, he might not get through this day. Since he had already started, he might as well be thorough. Indeed, human psychology often works this way: once a breakthrough is made, the rest becomes easier to share.
Mu Lin lowered his head, carefully contemplating the implications and truthfulness of the little one’s words. The little one dared not interrupt him at this moment. After a long silence, Mu Lin suddenly felt his thoughts clear up.
He had always suspected that many Taoist techniques in the Daoist arts were essentially using a specific field to briefly connect one space with another—for instance, the Five Ghosts Carrying Technique, the Vanishing Technique, and even the Instantaneous Movement Technique that can be used after reaching the Yuan Ying stage.
Now, here was a living example proving his hypothesis and research were correct. Therefore, no matter what, he had to keep this little one, who had come right to him, firmly under his control to feel at ease.
The little one looked at Mu Lin, whose expression kept changing—sometimes smiling brightly, sometimes frowning angrily. Looking at this master who possessed the floating stone, the little one was also deep in thought.
As an ancient divine beast, since he had gained consciousness, his only source of sustenance had been energy stones—floating stones. Unfortunately, these floating stones were extremely rare. Despite growing so large, he had only absorbed three floating stones in his life. His previous master had even gone so far as to steal floating stones for him, which provoked the entire Taoist cultivation world’s wrath, resulting in a massive manhunt. Eventually, they fled west but tragically died from their wounds. If not for his hidden space to hide in, he probably wouldn’t have escaped the pursuit either.
Although this current cultivator looked young, he had easily produced three floating stones, clearly indicating he was no ordinary opponent. From earlier tests, the little one also knew he had no connection with the sects that had pursued and killed him and his former master. For his own future, it seemed he had no choice but to stick close to this cultivator.
Both individuals in the room were thinking the same thoughts, harboring the same intentions, yet neither spoke first. They stared at each other in silence, the atmosphere heavy and peculiar.
Mu Lin hadn’t yet decided how to phrase his thoughts, while the little one felt that speaking wouldn’t help anyway—he had already decided to follow this cultivator.
“Well then… From now on, you’ll follow me!” Finally, Mu Lin, with his mind full of thoughts, managed to express his intention after some hesitation.
“Master! From now on, please call me ‘Xiao Laipi’! That way, everyone will know I belong to you!” Seeing Mu Lin’s tone, the little one cautiously replied, fearing something might have changed.
“Eh… That might not be quite appropriate! Won’t that sound disrespectful to you?” Mu Lin became even more cautious. After all, the creature before him was a centuries-old ancient being.
Hearing Mu Lin’s polite tone, the little one thought something had indeed changed. Having endured the pain of hunger for so long, he became anxious, his eyes nearly welling up with tears as he choked out, “Master! You’re not going to abandon me, are you? You wouldn’t be so heartless, right?”
Looking at the little one’s expression, Mu Lin felt confused—hadn’t he said the right thing? Why was the little one reacting this way?
Recalling the little one’s previous carefree, teasing, and bold manner, Mu Lin felt that was probably his true self. Could this current act be just a trick to play on him? Still, being young at heart, he decided to speak clearly and directly:
“Why do you look like that, little one? I already said you’ll follow me from now on. Are you unwilling? Or do you have other thoughts? It’s okay, just tell me. If there’s any difficulty, I won’t force you. We can still remain good friends!”
“I have no objections. I just thought you were going to abandon me. You know, in these past few centuries here, you’re the first cultivator I’ve met who showed no hostility towards me! You have no idea how lonely I’ve been all these years!” Relieved, the little one burst into laughter again. Seeing this, Mu Lin couldn’t help but smile.
“Alright then, ‘Xiao Laipi’! From now on, that’s what I’ll call you! As long as you’re truly loyal to me, I’ll make sure you live comfortably and enjoy the best of everything! If anyone dares to offend you or cause you trouble, I’ll help you take them down!”
Equally relieved, Mu Lin teased lightheartedly, boasting casually.
“Exactly! Master! Please rest assured! Having survived here for centuries, I’m practically a local gang boss. Within my territory, if you set your eyes on anyone’s property, I’ll make sure it’s yours! If they refuse, I’ll make them suffer ruin! And if you fancy a pretty girl from any family, just let me know. With my dashing looks, I can easily deliver her to your bed! So, Master, you’re not getting the short end of the stick by having me around, right?”
Seeing Mu Lin joking and boasting, the little one playfully teased him back in the same spirit.
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