Tom's tail was broken - broken by Jerry.
After flicking Jerry away, Tom immediately turned and ran to Shen An, reaching out to grab the invisible ink. Before Shen An could hand it over, Jerry transformed into a little brown whirlwind, screeched to a halt beside Tom, picked up Tom's tail, and without hesitation, lifted his short little leg and slammed the tail downward with all his might.
Guess what happened?
A crisp "crack!" sounded as the tail snapped. Tom yowled in pain, "Aah~!" and jumped three feet in the air before landing hard on his rear.
Tom picked up his tail, heartbroken as he stared at what was once a perky, straight tail now drooping limply. Tears welled up in his eyes, unbidden.
Meanwhile, Jerry took advantage of the chaos to snatch the invisible ink, pulling out a small brush and carefully applying it to the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda.
Just like that, under Ning Rongrong's disbelieving gaze, the bottom two layers of the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda vanished.
Ning Rongrong even curiously reached out to touch it - yet she could still feel its presence. She withdrew her hand and summoned the pagoda again, but only seven layers remained. Though, admittedly, it didn't look very aesthetically pleasing...
After all, the base of the pagoda was gone, as if someone had erased it from existence.
The two girls couldn't help but exclaim, "What kind of trick is this? It's unbelievable!"
"This is invisible ink. After Jerry applies it, it conceals the extra layers of your pagoda," Shen An explained with a smile.
"But now, my martial soul looks different from a normal Seven Treasure Glazed Pagoda. It doesn't even have a base," Ning Rongrong complained, slightly displeased.
"Ahem, just tell people it's a mutated martial soul. It might not look as nice, but it's better than attracting envy and trouble," Shen An coughed awkwardly.
"Another mutation? Fine, fine," Ning Rongrong huffed, though the joy in her eyes was unmistakable.
Just then, Jerry tapped the tip of Ning Rongrong's shoe. Everyone looked down.
He pulled out a warning sign - a blue water droplet with a big red "X" drawn over it. Next to it, he wrote the number "7."
"Jerry means it can't get wet, and the effect only lasts seven days?" Ning Rongrong guessed.
Jerry nodded.
"No problem. I have two bottles of this stuff. Given the size of the Nine Treasure Glazed Pagoda, it should last a year or two."
At this point, the two girls suddenly narrowed their eyes at Shen An in unison. "If this thing can turn things invisible... you'd better not use it for anything shady."
Sweat dripped down Shen An's back. "Of course not! You both know what kind of person I am. Even if I did use it, it'd only be for special circumstances."
Only then did their expressions soften.
"Alright, let me take you to the house I bought in Heaven Dou City. Tom and Jerry did the renovations - it looks amazing."
Shen An led the group down the mountain and back to Heaven Dou City, with Tom and Jerry chasing and roughhousing around them the entire way.
On the way back, Zhu Zhuqing casually remarked, "Shen An, my martial soul has changed so much from before. Why don't you give it a new name?"
"Me? Name it?"
"Yeah. After all, it was the immortal herb you gave me that caused this effect. You're the most qualified to decide."
"Then... how about 'Moonlight Shadowcat'? It ties into your innate soul skill too."
Zhu Zhuqing's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled brightly. "It's beautiful. I love it."
By the time they arrived at the small courtyard Shen An had bought in Heaven Dou City, Tom and Jerry finally settled down.
Though it was their first time there, Zhu Zhuqing and Ning Rongrong relaxed as if they were home. Ning Rongrong even wandered around, inspecting each room before opening the fridge to grab some ice-cold cola and snacks, handing a bottle to Zhu Zhuqing.
Back when he was still running the teahouse, Shen An had drawn multiple refrigerators - solar-powered ones, no less.
Shen An had wondered, "You can't just leave a fridge out in the sun to cool, right?" So Master Tom stepped in and modified it to run on soul power instead.
Ning Rongrong wasn't unfamiliar with this and didn't make a fuss, simply assuming it was a soul tool that emitted cold air.
"Here, Zhuqing, try these dumbbells. Do lifting motions for half an hour," Shen An said, tossing her a set.
Without a shred of doubt, Zhu Zhuqing obeyed. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly - something's off, why are these so heavy?
Her willpower far surpassed Ning Rongrong's, so she didn't complain, pushing through until she finished. Then she closed her eyes, carefully sensing the changes in her body.
"???"
This time, it was Ning Rongrong who explained. Zhu Zhuqing gasped - how could something with such immediate effects exist? She had never even heard of such a thing, let alone seen it.
Just like Ning Rongrong, she warned Shen An never to let anyone else know about these items, or endless trouble would follow.
Tom, eavesdropping, tilted its head in confusion. Wasn't this just the dumbbell it used for exercise when bored?
Was it really that amazing???
As for how Shen An kept pulling out these bizarre items, the girls didn't ask. Everyone had their own secrets.
The fact that Shen An was willing to share them was already a gift. Unless he brought it up himself, they wouldn't pry.
The next day, the group returned to Sunset Forest, this time without any other experts.
After comprehending the One Grass Sword Intent and achieving near-perfect synchronization with the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass, Shen An was confident that against any soul beast under ten thousand years, he could slaughter them all.
Even against ten-thousand-year beasts, he could put up a fight.
With speed potions and strength potions on hand, there was no need to ask Ning Rongrong to call for experts from the Seven Treasure Glazed Clan. They ventured in alone.
Jerry, however, wasn't interested and opted to stay home as the house guard. Only Tom tagged along.
Tom shared the deepest bond with Shen An, having endured hardships together since Shen An first arrived on the continent.
To Tom, the Douluo Continent was dangerous - filled with terrifyingly large animals. It had to stick close to Shen An, or else it might end up a stray.
Though Jerry also liked Shen An, it wasn't at the level of Tom's "generations of serving the Shen family as mousers" devotion.
Without a powerhouse like the Bone Douluo, the group spent an entire day searching Sunset Forest without finding a suitable soul beast, forcing them to set up camp.
Setting up tents was naturally Master Tom's job. Watching Shen An try to help only to be shooed away, the two girls covered their mouths to stifle their laughter.
Tom's tents were spacious enough that there was no awkward scenario of everyone cramming together to sleep.
The next day, after another full day of searching, they finally encountered a Shadow Leopard nearing 2,500 years.
Shen An hesitated. "Maybe we should pass. This exceeds the safe absorption limit for normal soul masters. It's risky."
"No, Shen An. This one. The immortal herb strengthened me significantly, and night is falling - my attributes will skyrocket," Zhu Zhuqing insisted.
After witnessing Shen An's terrifying strength and rapid growth, she had silently begun using him as her benchmark.
Strengthened by the immortal herb and fueled by her pride, how could she pass up any chance to grow stronger?