Chapter 34: The Tool Man — The Immortal Girl and Her Pet

"Wow..."

Shen Xian'er gazed at the world before her, losing herself in it within seconds.

It wasn't her fault.

Because the lush green grass beneath her feet had vanished.

In its place were rows of delicious sausages.

The once colorful flowers had disappeared.

Replaced by massive, crispy chicken drumsticks.

Trees had transformed into sweet cakes, with various beautiful fruits competing for splendor upon the branches.

Clouds had turned into colorful cotton candy, drifting above her head.

Flocks of roasted ducks flew past in groups, leaving behind a trail of fragrant aroma.

The small river had turned into a sweet and delicious beverage.

Various colored fish leaped into a giant pot.

As she breathed in deeply, the fragrance washed over her face.

On the distant horizon, atop a massive grill.

A giant, golden-yellow beast leg, roasted until the oil glistened, sat like a mountain of gold, emitting a light that seemed to shine through eternity.

"Gulp..."

Shen Xian'er swallowed hard.

Her large eyes were fixed entirely on that massive, golden-yellow beast leg in the distance.

As if possessed, she walked forward step by step.

***

The second illusionary formation.

Its purpose was to awaken the deepest desires within a person's heart.

Zheng Tuo watched the various foods appearing in the bronze treasure mirror.

Though he had long suspected this, he was still amused.

Shen Xian'er was truly a born foodie.

The things she desired most in the depths of her heart were actually delicious food.

"Mine, mine, they're all mine."

Shen Xian'er grabbed a crispy chicken drumstick and bit down.

It was clearly a flower, but in Shen Xian'er's mouth, it was an incredibly delicious crispy chicken drumstick.

"Delicious, so delicious!"

Shen Xian'er had completely fallen into the illusion, unable to extricate herself.

Zheng Tuo took out a small notebook and recorded the details.

Of course, just as Shen Xian'er had eaten three flowers in a row and was preparing to gnaw on trees and grass, Zheng Tuo intended to withdraw the formation.

After all, she was his junior sister, and she was helping him test the formation.

It was fine if the flowers were edible, but gnawing on trees was simply inhumane.

However, if this were a normal illusionary formation, he would have immediately poisoned the flowers, trees, and weeds—the kind of lethal poison that would kill someone after just one bite.

But the hand he had just raised did not deactivate the formation.

Because a sudden surge of another spiritual energy fluctuation appeared within the formation.

This fluctuation did not come from Shen Xian'er.

It came from the little white cat atop her head.

Inside the bronze treasure mirror, Xiao Bai slowly opened her eyes.

A pair of dark golden eyes looked toward the sky with an expression of dissatisfaction.

It was as if she could see Zheng Tuo through the formation.

"Meow!"

The lazy cry was not loud, nor did it possess any killing intent.

Yet, like a divine ability, it shattered all the surrounding illusions.

"Oh!"

The world of gourmet food in Shen Xian'er's eyes vanished completely.

All that remained was the ordinary scenery.

The little girl immediately shook her head.

"If I had known, I would have eaten something. Why am I so hungry that I'm seeing hallucinations?"

The innocent Shen Xian'er stuck her tongue out sheepishly.

She hadn't realized she had just fallen into a formation.

"Hang in there, we'll be at Senior Brother's house soon. There will be good things to eat then!"

Shen Xian'er cheered herself up and continued her journey toward the mountain peak.

***

At the summit of Falling Immortal Mountain.

Zheng Tuo stared at the bronze treasure mirror, clutching his notebook as he recorded the formation data.

"Breaking my illusionary formation with a single meow... just what is the background of this little white cat!"

Her strength clearly wasn't very high, yet she could not only see through his illusion but break it with ease.

Zheng Tuo was perplexed by Xiao Bai.

He had thought the little white cat was merely a pet kept by Shen Xian'er.

Looking at it now, he realized he had been somewhat careless.

Clearly, this little white cat seemed to be a "pig eating a tiger"—someone hiding their true strength.

Next, to verify if Xiao Bai was indeed extraordinary, he activated several more illusionary formations.

Unsurprisingly, they were all identified and broken by the little white cat.

Thus, Zheng Tuo was certain: this little white cat was no ordinary creature. He would have to investigate her thoroughly to ensure she didn't pose a threat to him.

What if she was sent by someone to get close to him?

It was always better to be cautious.

Xiao Bai seemed extremely dissatisfied with Zheng Tuo's use of Shen Xian'er to test formations.

She showed him no mercy at all, breaking the illusions directly and ruthlessly.

While Zheng Tuo and Xiao Bai engaged in a secret contest of wits, Shen Xian'er was as happy as a child.

No, wait—she *was* a child.

She felt nothing of the illusions and skipped along happily to find her senior brother.

The first round of testing ended quickly.

Zheng Tuo withdrew all the formations.

He had to admit, using Shen Xian'er to test the formations was a brilliant move.

Not only did he gain much from it, but his understanding of formations had also strengthened significantly.

With the unexpected factor of Xiao Bai, he learned even more about the flaws of the Immortal-Trapping Formation and where he needed to focus his improvements.

Upon reaching the summit of Falling Immortal Mountain, the first thing Shen Xian'er smelled was the aroma of delicious food.

"Senior Brother, I've come to play with you!"

"Come in. The food has just been prepared; I was waiting for you."

At the mention of food, Shen Xian'er's fatigue vanished instantly, and she scurried into the thatched cottage.

On the table, four dishes were neatly arranged.

Fragrant steamed rice was already ready.

Shen Xian'er did not rush to sit down; she waited for Zheng Tuo to sit before she took her seat.

"Eat," Zheng Tuo said.

The four dishes were a reward for the little girl.

"Mm, thank you, Senior Brother!"

Shen Xian'er produced her own bowl and chopsticks treasure, filled her rice, and began to eat.

Although the little girl was very hungry, she ate quite elegantly, without any signs of ravenous gluttony.

Shen Xian'er knew how to enjoy food; she didn't just eat for the sake of eating.

Zheng Tuo also ate slowly. He was also someone who enjoyed his meals.

During the meal, Zheng Tuo occasionally glanced at the little white cat.

Xiao Bai lay quietly on the table. Her snow-white fur was flawless. Upon closer inspection, every strand of hair was crystal clear, almost like a magical treasure.

Although her aura was only at the third stage of Qi Refining, she gave Zheng Tuo the feeling of an unreadable pet.

"Isn't Xiao Bai eating?" Zheng Tuo asked, seemingly casually.

"Mm, Xiao Bai has long since achieved fasting; she doesn't need to eat," Shen Xian'er replied, setting down her chopsticks to answer. After answering, she picked them up and continued eating.

"Such a beautiful pet. I like her too. Xian'er, where did you get her?"

"Xiao Bai?" Shen Xian'er thought for a moment. "Xiao Bai has been with me for as long as I can remember. Senior Brother, Xiao Bai is amazing! She can catch fish, climb trees, pick wild fruit, and even carry me through the air!"

Shen Xian'er stroked Xiao Bai's smooth fur with a proud expression.

"Hearing you say that, Xiao Bai is indeed 'good'!"

Zheng Tuo smiled, looking at Xiao Bai, who was lying on the table and showed no intention of communicating with him.

"Isn't she!"

Shen Xian'er didn't notice the oddity between them and continued to enjoy the food.

***

After breakfast, Shen Xian'er took Xiao Bai to play on the grass beneath the parasol trees.

Zheng Tuo took out the bronze treasure mirror and his notebook and began modifying the formations.

While the Immortal-Trapping Formation was a formal formation, it was not perfect.

Especially after Zheng Tuo had studied the *Nine Volumes of the Dao of Formations* and the *Nine Li True Method*, his understanding of the Immortal-Trapping Formation had entered an entirely new realm.

Shen Xian'er didn't dare disturb her senior brother, only occasionally casting curious glances his way.

She didn't actually understand formations, nor did she even know what he was doing. She was simply interested in the bronze treasure mirror, because she had seen him take delicious things out of it more than once.

According to her reasoning, the mirror must be filled with tasty treats.

The afternoon was lazy and elegant.

Shen Xian'er had no intention of returning to the Three Immortals Mountain. She was all alone there, and her senior sister had gone somewhere and hadn't returned. For a lively little girl like her, how could she endure such loneliness?

Zheng Tuo, knowing her little thoughts, spoke up.

"Xian'er, don't leave tonight. Stay here with me."

Zheng Tuo said with a smile, his eyes shifting toward Xiao Bai.

"Mm, mm, mm... Sorry for the trouble, Senior Brother."

Shen Xian'er had been worried about how to ask; her senior brother was indeed the best.

"Come, I'll take you fishing. I'll make fish for you tonight."

"Mm, mm, mm!"

Shen Xian'er nodded like a pecking chicken and scurried after Zheng Tuo.

The two boarded a small boat and rowed to the center of Falling Immortal Lake to fish.

"Senior Brother, you know how to fish! You're so amazing!"

"Senior Brother, look! There are fish swimming in the water!"

"Senior Brother, do you think the fish will choke? They're so impressive."

"Senior Brother, it's so beautiful here!"

"Senior Brother..."

It had to be said that Shen Xian'er's energy was unimaginably boundless.

Rarely, Zheng Tuo did not find it annoying. He was cautious, but not antisocial. After all, living alone was too lonely; one always needed friends to pass the time. Moreover, he liked making friends with people who were less clever than himself. Perhaps they would often cause trouble and turn your life upside down, but at the very least, life would be interesting.

Isn't that what living is all about—interest?

Thus, under Zheng Tuo's encouragement, Shen Xian'er went fishing for the first time and actually caught a large black carp.

Though the process was a bit frantic, the result was good.

Back at the thatched cottage, Zheng Tuo prepared a delicious, signature fish soup.

After they had eaten their fill, Shen Xian'er fell into a satisfied sleep in her warm bed.

As for Zheng Tuo, his gaze was fixed on Xiao Bai.

Xiao Bai opened her eyes at that moment.

Their eyes met.

Zheng Tuo turned and left.

Xiao Bai glanced back at Shen Xian'er, then stood up and followed closely behind Zheng Tuo.

(End of Chapter)