In anticipation of her sudden growth, Ling Yue had already come up with an excuse to avoid raising suspicion.
This bottle of Hundred Fruit Wine wasn't exactly the same as the one she drank inside the tree hollow. After refining it with her magical cauldron, its effects had likely improved.
As soon as she popped open the cork, a rich, fruity aroma filled the entire house. Surprised by the scent, Ye Huang Yu exclaimed, "This is monkey wine?"
Years ago, Ye Huang Yu had heard old hunters talk about how the metal-arm apes living in the mountains brewed a special wine known as Hundred Fruit Wine. This so-called monkey wine was said to be incredibly nourishing and had healing effects on damaged bones and tendons.
Despite all her journeys into the mountains, she had never come across such a treasure. Yet her daughter found it on her very first trip?
No wonder Ling Yue's strength had skyrocketed.
Maybe the heavens were finally showing her some mercy after all those years of misfortune, guiding her daughter to this monkey wine.
"I still have a few more bottles left, Mother. Why don't you try it and see if it helps? If it does, I'll bring out the others," Ling Yue offered just as a rustling sound came from her clothes.
"Squeak." A tiny head popped out from the chest area of her dress.
Ever since forming a spirit contract with Ling Yue, Little Squeak absolutely refused to stay in the Grand Mist Sky by himself.
Because of that, Ling Yue had no choice but to carry him around tucked inside her clothes. This little guy had done nothing but eat and sleep well—he even napped right through the clan competition!
Now that he was awake, his stomach started growling. Poking his head out, Little Squeak began sniffing around for food.
"Mother, I have one more thing to tell you. While I was in the mountains, I found this little guy. He's very smart and understands human speech. Can I keep him, please?" Ling Yue pleaded, her expression full of hope.
Understanding her intent, Little Squeak immediately put on a pitiful expression with his big blue eyes. Then, as a final act, he brought his tiny forepaws together in a begging gesture and let out a series of soft whimpers.
Watching both her daughter and the adorable fox act like this, Ye Huang Yu didn't know whether to laugh or sigh. In the end, the northern manor welcomed a brand-new family member.
Back in her room with the Xuan Yuan Jade in hand, Ling Yue began inspecting the pendant. She thought to herself: besides refining medicine, the cauldron has another ability. But she wondered—besides absorbing the black dots in the Xuan Yuan Jade, could it absorb anything else?
Scanning the room for something to test with, she picked up a nearby cup of water. The cauldron smoke began to swirl lazily.
Just like before, her consciousness entered the object. But this time, everything appeared white. Then, the spirit smoke retracted and returned to the cauldron, with no noticeable change to the cup.
Unwilling to give up, Ling Yue tried again with other objects in her room. Before long, she noticed a pattern—some kind of law or limitation.
The cauldron's spirit smoke could easily penetrate small objects, especially those with life or spiritual energy. However, there were boundaries. Because the smoke was still weak, it struggled with larger items. When she tried it on a bigger object, the image she got was nothing but a vast blur of blue in her mind.
"It looks like the cauldron's spirit smoke is still too weak. If I want it to grow stronger, I'll need to refine more medicinal herbs," Ling Yue murmured to herself.
As the day came to a close, she quickly drifted off to sleep, exhausted from everything that had happened.
The next morning, Yin Shuang excitedly arrived at the northern manor to find her.
"Ling Yue, congratulations! Yesterday was incredible! You should've seen Ye Qing crawling around like a dog—ah, it felt so satisfying!" Yin Shuang beamed with joy.
Ye Qing had always relied on his status to bully others. To see him get humiliated so publicly—by Ling Yue, no less—was something the whole of Autumn Maple Town was already gossiping about.
"Huh? Ling Yue, is that a little fox in your dress? It's so cuuutteee~!" Yin Shuang squealed when she spotted Little Squeak nestled in Ling Yue's chest.
You're the fox. Your whole family's a fox.
Not liking how Yin Shuang was reaching out to pet him, Little Squeak swatted her hand away with an angry flick. His puffed-up cheeks looked like he had fruit stuffed in both sides. If he didn't calm down soon, there would definitely be trouble!
Sure enough, Yin Shuang's hand started to bleed where Little Squeak had scratched her.
His attack had been swift and precise—completely at odds with his cute appearance.
What a vicious little furball!
Yin Shuang was shocked by the injury. She was already at the fourth rank of the Constitution Domain, and her skin was supposed to be tough enough to withstand normal physical attacks. Yet this tiny fox had easily torn through it.
"Yin Shuang, this is a baby beast I recently adopted. His name is 'Little Squeak.' He's still not used to strangers, so it's best not to touch him," Ling Yue said apologetically. Perhaps due to the long isolation in the Grand Mist Sky, Little Squeak was extremely wary of others. He didn't even let Ye Huang Yu or Granny Liu near him.
Besides eating, Little Squeak's favourite thing to do was cling to Ling Yue wherever she went.
Hearing this, Yin Shuang withdrew her hand with a bitter smile, but her eyes still burned with the desire to cuddle the adorable fluffball.
"It's getting late—we should head to the Martial Hall. I've been away for more than a month. Time for a visit," Ling Yue said with a smile.
"Hehe, the Martial Hall can wait. I almost forgot—my father told me to remind you to visit the Martial Shrine. Don't forget, the top three winners can choose a martial technique from there. That's way more important!"