A Loose Cultivator's Path to Longevity

Chapter 68: Chapter 67: Spirit-Seeking Rat

In the days that followed, Lü Zhong’s life returned to its peaceful routine.

Every day, he either cultivated the Light Body Skill or found time to go out and set up his stall.

Or he would meditate and practice his cultivation in the Quiet Chamber.

His progress with the Light Body Skill was faster than he had expected. After only half a month of dedicated practice, he could already cast it proficiently. As long as he wasn’t forcefully interrupted by an external force, he could maintain the skill’s Spirit Wind indefinitely.

Arriving outside the Workshop Market, Lü Zhong formed a hand seal and chanted an incantation, preparing to practice the Light Body Skill.

The next moment, a layer of cyan Spirit Wind enveloped him. His body suddenly felt weightless as he was lifted into the air.

He started sprinting down the main road, the scenery on both sides whizzing past.

After running for over ten li, a vast field of boulders appeared ahead. The main road curved to go around it, but he didn’t change his course and continued straight ahead.

The boulders were of all shapes and sizes, but with the aid of the Light Body Skill, Lü Zhong navigated through them with ease.

Just then, a wild boar was startled from among the boulders and took off in a frantic dash.

’Perfect! I can catch you and improve my meals!’

Lü Zhong smiled slightly, leaping from boulder to boulder as he pursued it at an incredible speed.

In just a few breaths, he had closed the distance.

Sensing the danger, the terrified boar screeched to a halt, skidding across the gravel before frantically scrambling into a nearby stone cave.

Lü Zhong followed close behind, but before entering, he remembered to scout ahead with his Qi Observation Skill.

The scan revealed something unexpected.

’Huh? That color of Spiritual Light... could it be a Spirit Medicine?’ His interest was instantly piqued. After confirming there was no Demon Qi inside, he headed into the cave.

The inside of the cave was dark and damp. The rock walls were covered in a type of glowing moss that emitted a faint, bluish-purple light.

After reaching the Qi Refining Fourth Layer, Lü Zhong’s vision had improved drastically compared to when he had first succeeded at introducing Qi into his body.

While he still couldn’t see in complete darkness, the faint glow from the moss was enough for him to clearly make out the cave’s interior.

It was a long, narrow cave, roughly over thirty zhang deep.

At its widest point, it was only just over a zhang across.

Lü Zhong had not gone far before he saw the wild boar at the very end of the passage.

To his surprise, the boar was already lying in a pool of its own blood. A fist-sized, bloody hole was torn in its neck, and it was gasping its last breaths, clearly not long for this world.

On a stone platform nearby, a yellow rat about the size of a mutt was snarling at Lü Zhong, baring its teeth.

In the dim light, its blood-stained incisors were especially striking, glinting with a metallic sheen.

As expected, the wild boar had fallen prey to this creature.

’Huh, it’s not actually a Demon Beast yet?’ Lü Zhong glanced at the yellow rat in surprise. He noticed that it wasn’t emitting any Demon Qi from its body; it must be a Half-demon Beast that had yet to complete its Metamorphosis.

SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK!

As he drew closer, the yellow rat let out a threatening cry.

But it sounded as though it lacked conviction.

When Lü Zhong summoned his Green Frost Sword, the little creature immediately began to tremble.

After a moment of conflicted hesitation, its squeaks grew faint. It then shuffled to the side, revealing a vibrant red Spirit Grass that looked to be quite old.

’Interesting. Is it surrendering?’ Lü Zhong couldn’t help but chuckle.

He first stored the wild boar in his Storage Bag, then carefully placed the Spirit Grass into a jade box.

Just as he was considering what to do with the yellow rat, he suddenly heard footsteps approaching from outside.

Immediately after, a delighted voice called out.

”It’s Fragrant Spirit Wax! Grandpa, the Spirit-Seeking Rat must be in the cave!”

’Spirit-Seeking Rat?’

Lü Zhong glanced at the yellow rat. ’This little guy seems special,’ he thought, ’but it can’t possibly be related to the renowned Spirit-Seeking Rat, can it?’

’Could it be that after a yellow rat undergoes Metamorphosis and becomes a Demon Beast, it turns into a Spirit-Seeking Rat?’

’Whatever the case, I should hide first.’

Lü Zhong’s figure vanished as he activated the Concealing Breath and Concealing Trace Techniques, hiding behind a large stalagmite.

’Encountering other cultivators in the wild is rarely a good thing.’

’Many Loose Cultivators are morally gray. They might act like honest folk most of the time, but at a moment’s notice, they can turn into ruthless bandits, killing without a second thought.’

’When you don’t know the other party’s strength or identity,’

’it’s always best to be cautious and hide.’

A moment later, a grandfather and grandson entered from outside.

Judging by their attire, they were undoubtedly Loose Cultivators.

As for their strength, the grandfather was at the Qi Refining Second Layer, while the grandson had only just succeeded at introducing Qi into his body.

With their combined strength, they probably couldn’t even harm a Mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

Seeing this, Lü Zhong abandoned his hiding spot and stepped out from behind the stalagmite.

The pair were so startled to see another person in the cave that they stumbled back in alarm.

”We didn’t mean to disturb you, sir! Please don’t take offense, we’ll leave right now...” The white-haired old man, dressed in a simple Cloth Robe, had a terrified look on his face. He pulled his grandson, ready to flee to avoid any misfortune.

”Hold on.”

Even though Lü Zhong had deliberately softened his voice, the white-haired old man was still so startled he nearly jumped out of his skin.

He forced a smile that looked worse than a grimace and stammered, ”S-Sir... is there... s-something else?”

”A moment ago, I heard you mention a Spirit-Seeking Rat. Were you referring to this big, yellow-furred rodent?” Lü Zhong asked, voicing his doubt.

”Y-yes,” the old man hesitated, clutching his grandson tighter. ”The Yellow Jade Rat... er, yes, the big, yellow-furred rodent you mentioned, sir. Under the right, fortuitous circumstances, it will undergo a Metamorphosis. Once the Metamorphosis is complete, it becomes a Tier One Demon Beast, and then it can be called a Spirit-Seeking Rat.”

A Spirit-Seeking Rat is a type of Demon Beast that is extremely sensitive to Spiritual Qi. Its innate ability is similar to the Qi Observation Skill, allowing it to see the flow of Spiritual Qi that is invisible to the naked eye. For this reason, they are often captured and tamed to become Spiritual Beasts.

Depending on its training, a Spirit-Seeking Rat can serve various purposes.

To an herb-gathering cultivator, it is an excellent assistant for finding Spirit Medicines.

To a mining cultivator, it is a fine partner for prospecting ore veins.

”I see,” Lü Zhong nodded.

Then, a thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

Seeing this, a chill went down the old man’s spine.

Before Lü Zhong could even speak, the old man proactively took out a book wrapped in oil paper and presented it with both hands. ”These are the Beast Taming Notes passed down through my family. If you don’t find it beneath you, sir, please, just take it.”

A pang of anguish shot through the old man’s heart as he said this.

’His descendants are unworthy,’ he thought in despair. ’They can’t even hold on to what their ancestors left behind.’

’Even if I write it down from memory later, it will only be a copy. It will have lost the significance of the original manuscript.’

Lü Zhong, for his part, accepted it with a blank expression.

”Beast Taming—Spirit Rat Section...”

Lü Zhong hadn’t expected this kind of bonus. While remaining wary of the grandfather and grandson, he began to flip through the book.

As he examined it more closely, he discovered that the contents of the notes were fragmented and incomplete. It was obvious that many sections had been cobbled together from different sources, and it was full of contradictions.

He turned to a page that mentioned how to tame a Spirit-Seeking Rat, along with related methods for raising one.

At the very end of the notes, there was also an appended medicinal recipe.

The recipe’s purpose was simple: it could enhance a Spirit-Seeking Rat’s innate talents when consumed.