Captives of the Ancient Willow Secret Realm

The next day dawned.

Within a clear mountain stream.

The weather that day was oppressively hot, a clear sign that summer had yet to truly recede, its lingering heat, the ‘autumn tiger,’ still very much present.

Qin Yan reveled in the momentary coolness of the stream, while on the riverbank stood Xiao Li, currently in her tanuki form. She tentatively extended a paw to touch the water, only to recoil in fear a moment later.

That tanukis feared water was, of course, an entirely natural phenomenon.

Gazing at the bare-chested Qin Yan in the stream, Xiao Li licked her paws, the sight of such a ‘beauty’ frolicking in the water proving truly unforgettable, even for a cat.

Though becoming someone’s spirit pet was undeniably humiliating, if she were to witness this scene daily, her demise would almost feel worth the price.

As for Xiao Miao, she stood a short distance away, her back to the stream, resolute as a protector of ‘flowers.’ She genuinely worried that Lin Yao might emerge from the shadows and snatch Qin Yan away right before her eyes.

Yet, hearing the splashes from behind her, her mind couldn’t help but wander into fanciful thoughts, causing her to purse her lips as if savoring the memories of the previous night.

Qin Yan offered no comment on the young woman’s demeanor, instead turning his gaze to Xiao Li, who still stood on the bank.

It was fortunate that Xiao Li hadn’t consumed any roasted rabbit yesterday; otherwise, with her cultivation, she likely would have perished on the spot. As for her subsequent trembling in the corner, Qin Yan held no grudge, understanding that her cultivation was simply too low to offer any real assistance.

Xiao Li, sensing Qin Yan’s gaze upon her, let out a soft “Meow.”

“Come here, Xiao Li—”

Qin Yan beckoned, his voice carrying across the water.

After all, pets were meant for play; otherwise, what was the point of keeping such a mascot? Moreover, Xiao Li, unlike himself, hadn’t bathed in days, making this the perfect opportunity to clean her fur.

Seeing Qin Yan’s gesture, Xiao Li hesitated, but ultimately dared not resist. After all, she had been in the wrong just the day before. As a spirit pet, one was naturally expected to risk their life for their master in times of peril, yet she had faltered. Of course, whether she faltered or not, with her current cultivation, she was still vulnerable to being instantly killed by a single slap from a stronger opponent.

With a swift transformation, she shifted forms and leaped into the stream. The water wasn’t deep, so if she stood, her cat ears would remain dry.

“Master~”

Xiao Li spoke, her voice soft and melodious, a natural at charming and endearing herself. She then moved closer to Qin Yan, but in a moment of carelessness, her foot slipped on the riverbed, sending her tumbling headfirst into the water.

A series of bubbles immediately erupted across the otherwise tranquil surface of the stream.

Qin Yan watched the scene with utter astonishment, realizing just how ‘weak to water’ this cat truly was. Fearing his spirit pet might be ‘solo-killed’ by a mere stream, he quickly moved over and pulled Xiao Li from beneath the water.

Terrified, Xiao Li clung tightly to Qin Yan’s waist, clearly having been badly frightened by the momentary mishap.

“You rascal…”

Gazing at Xiao Li, who clung to him desperately, Qin Yan’s earlier thoughts of playfully disciplining her vanished. After all, there was little satisfaction in bullying a silly cat.

“Master~ I’m scared~”

Xiao Li’s eyes welled with tears as she looked up at Qin Yan, her gaze brimming with fright.

“All right, all right, let’s head back to the bank. We should be moving on.”

Qin Yan gently rubbed Xiao Li’s cat ears, speaking with a resigned sigh. It seemed his attempt to get Xiao Li into the water had been rather futile, though perhaps it had served as a test of obedience.

At that moment, hearing the commotion behind her, Xiao Miao momentarily wondered if she wouldn’t be better off as Qin Yan’s spirit pet herself; the thought filled her with envy.

However, just as Qin Yan brought Xiao Li ashore, he suddenly spotted a deer downstream, not far from them, its head bowed to drink from the river, its eyes fixed on him.

Qin Yan and the deer’s eyes met for a fleeting moment, a gaze that seemed to startle the creature. It turned and bounded away into the dense forest behind it.

For some inexplicable reason, Qin Yan felt a peculiar strangeness about the encounter. This intuition, akin to a sixth sense, was something a cultivator like him could not afford to ignore.

Having reached the bank, he promptly changed into a fresh set of clothes, donning an uncharacteristically pristine white robe.

“Xiao Miao,” Qin Yan called out, addressing the young woman who still had her back to him, “Come with me—”

Hearing Qin Yan’s call, Xiao Miao turned, her eyes brightening as she beheld him: his hair loose, clad in white, his brows as sharp as distant stars. Though she had no idea what Qin Yan had seen, she nodded, and together they hastened in the direction the deer had taken.

Following the tracks on the ground, Qin Yan led Xiao Miao for a considerable distance, but by then, a profound sense of doubt had begun to settle in the young woman’s heart.

‘Could it have been a mere illusion?’

The question echoed in Qin Yan’s mind. He paused, about to offer an explanation to the young woman beside him, when a sudden sense of discord, a feeling of something amiss, struck him.

“This isn’t good. It seems we’ve stumbled into a secret realm…”

“Wh—”

Before Xiao Miao could finish her sentence, both felt their vision dim to black, and they tumbled to the ground.

****

When they finally regained consciousness, an unknown expanse of time had passed.

They found themselves bound by vines as thick as forearms, and before them stood an array of plants—some tall, some short, some stout, some slender.

Some resembled flowers, others grass, and one even looked like a human infant, a ginseng root. There were perhaps a dozen different types of plants, all murmuring amongst themselves before turning their attention to the awakened Qin Yan and Xiao Miao.

“Humans, how did you enter my Ancient Willow Secret Realm?”

The plant resembling a child-like ginseng spoke, its voice creating an unsettling uncanny valley effect in those who heard it.

Yet, Qin Yan and Xiao Miao were cultivators, both from backgrounds of no small standing, and thus naturally recognized that these were no ordinary plants, but rather Spirit Plants!

Each of these Spirit Plants, if found outside, would undoubtedly incite a mad scramble among countless cultivators.

“Just kill them! They’ll make good blood fertilizer and save us trouble!”

At that very moment, a completely black Spirit Plant, resembling a mushroom, spoke. Being a plant, it naturally lacked a mouth, communicating instead through divine sense, which everyone present understood.

Qin Yan looked at this Spirit Plant, thinking it resembled a Doom-shroom.

It was Xiao Miao who felt the greatest astonishment. As an alchemist, she naturally understood various Spirit Plants. That ginseng, she suspected, was at least a thousand years old, having already attained its own spiritual path, and the black mushroom was no different.

Though she generally recognized most of the Spirit Plants with a glance, it was precisely this familiarity that heightened her surprise: why would all these particular Spirit Plants appear together in this single location?

Of course, the most pressing matter at hand was their capture by these Spirit Plants, and how they might possibly escape!