The Moon Spirit and the Azure Light Encounter

He Suosi stared, mouth agape, at the small creature. The tiny thing, seemingly unaccustomed to the outside world, shivered, shook its fur, and then, spotting him, its eyes lit up.

It swiftly pounced into his arms, scaled his robes, and climbed onto his shoulder, where it rubbed its fluffy little face against his, letting out joyous cries.

Its cries were a distinct: “Meow~~ Meow~~ Meow!”

He Suosi’s fingertips trembled. He dared not even touch such a tiny creature, fearing he might accidentally crush it with a single finger. “Th-th-this… this is a kitten!”

Indeed. The Moon Spirit, as Yuan Zhigong had called it, was actually a small, pure white kitten with brilliant azure eyes. As it nuzzled He Suosi’s cheek, its fur felt incredibly soft and its body warm. He Suosi froze, utterly unable to move.

“You truly do like the Moon Spirit,” Yuan Zhigong remarked after a moment, his voice tinged with an inexplicable sadness.

He Suosi was incredulous. “I can see that it likes me. How can you tell I like it? You, you, you, you quickly take it away! I don’t know what to do!” He Suosi’s mind raced. “Why not? Aren’t you its owner?”

Yuan Zhigong gave He Suosi a meaningful look. As instructed, he stepped closer and reached out his hand. Yet, as Yuan Zhigong took a single step, the Moon Spirit bared its fangs and let out an unfriendly hiss. Even without seeing it, He Suosi knew its fur had bristled.

He Suosi was shocked. “How have you been mistreating it?”

Yuan Zhigong sighed helplessly. “While I know you like the Moon Spirit, you should at least have some judgment.”

At this, He Suosi snapped back to reality. He finally resolved to gently take the kitten from his shoulder, cradling it in his arms. The tiny creature became as pliant as water in his hands, meowing incessantly. He Suosi, however, was terrified of accidentally crushing it. He glanced at it again, noting its eyes, like sapphires, gazing at him with pure affection. It twitched its ears, meowed, and revealed a tiny pink tongue.

He Suosi clutched his heart. ‘What… what is this sudden flutter?’

More than making any rational judgment, He Suosi had first been utterly charmed by the cute creature. But he eventually regained some semblance of awareness, and a conclusion finally formed in his mind.

‘A curse manifesting as a spirit.’

This seemingly flawless kitten was, in fact, a powerful curse. Unable to be completely dispelled, it had taken on a spiritual form. Given its lifelike appearance, its power was at least at the Soul Separation stage.

A powerful, yet adorable, kitten.

He held the Moon Spirit in a pose reminiscent of someone clutching their heart, his voice softening. “So, it’s a curse.”

Yuan Zhigong suspected He Suosi wasn’t truly listening to him, but he continued nonetheless. “In my youth, someone cast a spell on me, preventing me from approaching women. Later, I tried to remove the curse, but due to an error, the Moon Spirit took form. Any woman who comes near me will be attacked by the Moon Spirit of its own accord, which is why I’ve never approached them.”

He Suosi smiled, stroking the soft fur on the Moon Spirit’s head, eliciting continuous meows. “Such an adorable little fellow, why is it so unfriendly to ladies? Ladies are just as lovely as you are.” He paused, recalling something, then added, “Most ladies.”

“Therefore, our becoming Dao companions is likely fate.”

“I don’t see any ‘fate’ in this at all,” He Suosi immediately retorted mercilessly, though he couldn’t bear to put down the Moon Spirit in his arms, even flashing it a sweet smile. ‘If not for that suspicious Twin Love Root Flower you gave me, I’d be free to go wherever I pleased right now.’

“This is the Northern Sea Realm. What are you doing here?” Yuan Zhigong stiffly changed the subject.

He Suosi’s face showed triumph. “Don’t you know that the most dangerous place is often the safest? The Northern Sea Realm is Luo Guanjing’s stronghold; he’d never expect us to hide here.”

Yuan Zhigong’s eyes showed confusion. “Why do we need to hide?” Not to mention He Suosi had almost recovered his cultivation, even he, after a period of secluded cultivation, would have long since fully recovered.

He Suosi’s gaze darted away. How could he admit that he wanted to dodge the promise he made to Luo Guanjing?

So he said, “It’s all because of you, my burden! I still need to find a way to dispel the Twin Love Root Flower. Am I really supposed to dig a hole and bury you to recover your cultivation?”

Having said this, he scanned Yuan Zhigong from head to toe. Seeing that the other’s too-short, sweat-dampened clothes had dried but were now wrinkled beyond belief, he declared, “First, let’s buy some clothes.”

Yuan Zhigong could not use his spiritual power recklessly at present, so he merely stared at He Suosi, saying nothing. He Suosi gritted his teeth and hoisted him onto his back.

“You’re heavy, you.”

As their flying sword was dilapidated, He Suosi and Yuan Zhigong squeezed onto the narrow blade, with the kitten nestled in He Suosi’s arms, and Little Black resting on his shoulder. They soared outwards.

The Northern Sea Realm was vast, but mostly ocean, dotted with scattered islands. Although the Luo Men was nominally the largest sect in the Northern Sea Realm, it did not truly control the entire territory. The central, largest island served as the Luo Men’s hub, while numerous smaller sects occupied the other archipelagos. Consequently, incidents of fighting, brawling, and provocation were rampant.

He Suosi hoped no one would trouble him, but also worried about attracting the attention of the Luo Men. He had barely finished this thought when a group of people blocked his path.

“Fellow Daoist, are you from the Eight Directions Pavilion?”

They had likely spotted the Eight Directions Pavilion robes Yuan Zhigong was wearing. Whether due to an old grudge or past association, approximately seven or eight individuals surrounded them.

He Suosi observed their malicious smiles and concluded that it must be a grudge. He stated, “We are not from the Eight Directions Pavilion. These clothes were picked up on the road.”

The group burst into laughter. “Do you take us, the Azure Light Pavilion, for fools? We just wiped out a group of Eight Directions disciples last time, and now two more have appeared here. Brothers, our luck is truly good!”

He Suosi’s expression shifted slightly. “Azure Light Pavilion?”

His gaze swept over the newcomers, confirming they indeed wore Azure Light Pavilion robes. Only the leader sported a treasure robe shimmering with an ethereal glow, clearly believing himself to be distinguished. He Suosi recognized the robe as being of the same series as his Xuandu Cloud-Light Cauldron, and thus surmised that these individuals were likely the sworn enemies of the Eight Directions Pavilion, having just emerged from the ruins.

He Suosi’s gaze dropped, and his eyes lit up upon seeing the leader’s mount: a Purple Flame Moon Steed with glossy fur and bright, spirited eyes.

“Your mount is quite good,” he praised sincerely.

The leader froze, likely enraged by this non sequitur. He sneered and waved a hand, and the group closed in…

…And then there was nothing more to tell.

He Suosi used a vine to strip and bind everyone together. He clapped his hands, inventoried the treasures he had acquired, and a brilliant smile spread across his face.

Their mounts and flying artifacts were also collected. Those he didn’t need were stuffed into his storage bag and spirit beast pouch, leaving only the Purple Flame Moon Steed he had taken a liking to. He affectionately patted its horned head.

The Purple Flame Moon Steed appeared to be immature, its eyes moist and filled with fear. It immediately buckled its front legs and knelt.

He Suosi frowned. “From now on, you are my, He Suosi’s, mount. As my mount, you cannot be so cowardly. Stand up quickly! If you can’t stand, I’ll kill you and eat your meat.”

Spirit beasts like the Purple Flame Moon Steed already possessed intelligence. It trembled as it stood, but then the Moon Spirit leaped from He Suosi’s shoulder to its head, causing its legs to buckle, and it knelt once more.

He Suosi set it aside for the moment and turned his attention to the captives. Most of the captives realized they had provoked a formidable opponent, their faces etched with panic. Only the leader, whose mind was perhaps clouded, continued to shout incessantly: “I advise you to release me and return our belongings! My grandfather has placed a spiritual mark on them. If you take them, even if you flee to the ends of the earth, you will surely be caught and ground to dust!”

He Suosi hadn’t been threatened like this in hundreds of years. He pressed the tip of his foot onto the leader’s head and sneered, “So impressive. Who is your grandfather?”

Such an insult only fueled the other’s fury. “My grandfather is the Second Elder of the Azure Light Pavilion, Daoist Kunhu!”

He Suosi pondered for a moment but couldn’t recall such a person. However, he did remember someone from the Azure Light Pavilion, so he said, “My apologies, I don’t know your second grandfather. I know Xie Shiying. Would you like me to ask him to intercede for you?”

The man’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You think just because you heard the Sect Master’s name from who knows where, you can deceive me?!”

He Suosi suddenly understood. “So Xie Shiying has indeed become the Sect Master.”

He squatted down, taking a shoe stripped from the man’s body and patting his face with it. “For Xie Shiying’s sake, I won’t kill you. If you’re unwilling to accept this, well, I’ve already told you my name. Go back and ask your Sect Master, then decide whether you want revenge.”

With that, he disregarded them, stepped onto the horse’s back, pulled Yuan Zhigong up, and rode off into the distance.

Yuan Zhigong, seated in front of him, leaned against He Suosi’s chest and began to laugh.

He Suosi was already displeased with the posture. “What are you laughing at?” he grumbled.

Yuan Zhigong’s expression was light. “Nothing. I won’t say.” ‘If I told you, you’d just get angry again.’

He felt that He Suosi was, indeed, still the same as before.