Chapter 27: Living Spirits
Firelight danced in the night, and a gentle breeze rustled the leaves.
By the bonfire, two people sat opposite each other, and the aroma of roasted rabbit filled the air.
Qian Renxue bit into a rabbit leg, and juice immediately overflowed, a crisp texture interwoven with the scent of meat, causing her to instinctively widen her eyes and exclaim in disbelief:
"This is too delicious! How can you roast this rabbit leg so fragrant and tender… Brother Tang, your family wouldn't happen to own a restaurant, would it?"
"Not quite a restaurant," Tang Chuan, who was currently peeling rabbit meat, smiled at her words.
He looked up at Qian Renxue, a hint of distant memory in his eyes, and said softly:
"When I was little, I often didn't have enough to eat, so I liked to go into the mountains, catch some wild rabbits and pheasants to roast. After roasting a lot, my skill slowly improved."
"Didn't have enough to eat?" Qian Renxue's face showed a hint of hesitation and confusion, saying, "On Douluo Continent now, even commoners have their livelihoods secured. It shouldn't be a problem to even have enough to eat and wear… Are you an orphan?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Chuan's movements paused slightly, then he lowered his head.
After a moment of silence, he finally nodded lightly, his tone surprisingly calm, saying:
"Perhaps… you could say that."
"I have a father, but besides giving me life, he never did anything else. He didn't cook, he didn't care about my clothes. When I was three or four, I had to light fires and cook for myself every day, and also for him. If he wasn't satisfied, he would scold me. If I got sick, I could only endure it alone."
Speaking of this, Tang Chuan twitched the corner of his mouth, his smile sarcastic and indifferent:
"What's the difference between having such a father and not having one?"
Upon hearing these words, Qian Renxue was stunned. She had only asked casually, never expecting that this young man, younger than her, had endured such a life.
Her hand gripping the rabbit leg tightened slightly. Qian Renxue looked at Tang Chuan with a newfound understanding in her eyes, and a similar feeling inexplicably arose in her heart. Hadn't her own mother treated her the same way?
Because of Qian Xunji's actions, Bibi Dong had never truly accepted Qian Renxue to this day. Her resentment made her extremely cold towards her daughter, which led Qian Renxue to feel a sense of meeting a kindred Spirit after hearing Tang Chuan's experiences.
In Qian Renxue's opinion, there was no difference between having such a mother and not having one.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ask," Qian Renxue comforted him.
Tang Chuan, however, waved his hand: "It's nothing, it's all in the past."
After a few breaths of silence, Qian Renxue said softly: "Actually… I'm also an orphan. My parents passed away when I was very young, and my grandfather raised me… He was very good to me."
Upon hearing this, Tang Chuan almost spat out the rabbit meat in his mouth. He looked up at Qian Renxue, his face bewildered, clearly surprised by her words.
You're also an orphan?
If I hadn't read the original, I'm afraid I would have been tricked by you again.
A woman's mouth truly is a deceitful ghost.
Tang Chuan silently complained in his heart.
Suddenly, Qian Renxue's eyebrows slightly raised, as if she had noticed something, and her tone carried a hint of teasing, saying: "Hey, Brother Tang Chuan, why are you looking at me like that? I'm not a woman."
Tang Chuan was slightly startled, then shifted his gaze, saying indifferently: "Nothing."
But in his heart, he thought, You really can put on an act!
"By the way, Brother Tang Chuan, you came to Star Dou Great Forest, presumably also to hunt Spirit Beasts and obtain a spirit ring, right? Logically speaking, my injuries shouldn't have healed so quickly. You wouldn't happen to be a support system Spirit Master with healing abilities, would you?" Qian Renxue's expression sobered as she asked seriously.
"Shouldn't this type of Spirit Master collaborate with multiple people to hunt Spirit Beasts?"
As she spoke, a hint of curiosity flashed in her eyes: "By the way, what is your Spirit?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Chuan was silent for a moment. He hadn't intended to hide anything, and then slowly raised his right hand, palm open. The next second, a slender Blue Silver Grass emerged from his palm, swaying slightly and emitting a faint blue-gold light.
"This is Blue Silver Grass?"
Looking at this scene before her, Qian Renxue was clearly stunned, she said.
Her first reaction was almost the same as most Spirit Masters on the entire continent: a standard waste Spirit? But very quickly, she remembered the transformation ability Tang Chuan displayed when he saved her, as well as his subsequent healing ability, and a series of questions immediately arose in her heart.
"Could it be… a mutated Spirit?"
Tang Chuan nodded, his tone calm: "You could say that."
"Then have you found a suitable spirit ring?" Qian Renxue continued to press.
After a slight pause, Tang Chuan said in a deep voice: "I originally planned to hunt an Emerald Swan to be my second spirit ring. Although the Emerald Swan is not a plant-type Spirit Beast, it naturally contains extreme vitality, which is also suitable for Blue Silver Grass. But…"
At this point, Tang Chuan shook his head slightly:
"These Spirit Beasts mostly live in the mixed areas or depths of Star Dou Great Forest, and they are usually gregarious, making them extremely difficult to hunt. I've searched several times but haven't found any traces of them."
"Mm…" Hearing this, Qian Renxue nodded, a thoughtful look flashing in her eyes: "Your choice is reasonable. However, I'm a little curious, since your Spirit is a plant, why don't you directly look for powerful plant-type Spirit Beasts with strong vitality? Wouldn't the compatibility be higher?"
"I wish I could," Tang Chuan said with a wry smile, "but I've searched through many ancient texts in the academy's library, and records of plant Spirit Beasts with extreme vitality are almost pitifully scarce. The place I'm from is a small town, lacking resources and information, and many records are incomplete. I simply can't find a suitable target, so I planned to settle for something less."
Qian Renxue was first stunned upon hearing this, then a glint flashed in her eyes. She didn't say much, but instead slowly took out a gold-covered book from her spirit tool.
"This is a Spirit Beast atlas I carry with me, named 'Records of Living Beings'. It records rare Spirit Beasts from all over Douluo Continent, with a particular focus on life-attribute ones. If you need it, I'll give it to you. You might as well look through its contents; perhaps you'll find the target you're looking for."
Qian Renxue handed the book in her hand to Tang Chuan, speaking with great sincerity.
Seeing this, Tang Chuan's eyes immediately flashed with unconcealed surprise. Even though he still maintained a calm and composed expression, he was already secretly celebrating in his heart.
It's good to hug the rich woman's thigh!
Saving her was a profitable venture!
"This… isn't this too valuable?" Tang Chuan took the book but quickly feigned a hesitant expression, saying with uncertainty.
Qian Renxue merely smiled gently at his reaction, her tone frank: "No matter how valuable, it's not as valuable as my life. You saved my life; this little thing is nothing."
With that, she directly pushed the book into Tang Chuan's hand, her force so decisive that it gave him no chance to refuse again.
Looking down at the golden book in his arms, Tang Chuan's fingertips brushed over the exquisite angel wing pattern on the cover, and he immediately felt an ancient, warm aura wash over him. It was clearly a private collection of a prominent figure or powerful faction, incomparable to ordinary books on the market.
A slight curve played on Tang Chuan's lips. He put away the book, looked up at Qian Renxue, bowed his hands, and smiled: "Brother Xue, then I won't be polite."
"No need to thank me. If anyone should be thanking, it's me thanking you," Qian Renxue waved her hand, she said.
After speaking, she casually asked again:
"By the way, Brother Tang Chuan, which academy are you currently studying at?"
Tang Chuan did not hide it and answered truthfully: "Nuoding City Elementary Spirit Master Academy."
"Nuoding City?" Qian Renxue was slightly startled, clearly not having a deep impression of this remote town. She lowered her head in thought for a moment, then, as if having made a decision, took out a golden token from her embrace and handed it over.
"This is?"
Tang Chuan immediately noticed the character for 'Xue' in the center of the token.
"Take this token," Qian Renxue explained. "In a few years, when your cultivation is sufficient and you're ready to advance to an Advanced Spirit Master Academy, if you haven't found a suitable place, you can take this token to Heaven Dou City and go directly to Heaven Dou Royal Academy. Someone will naturally arrange your enrollment."
"Consider it my, Xue's, thanks for your help this time."
This time, Tang Chuan did not hesitate. He decisively took the golden token and solemnly bowed his hands to Qian Renxue again: "Thank you very much, Brother Xue."
"You're welcome," Qian Renxue waved her hand, her expression still calm and composed, but a faint hint of satisfaction appeared in her eyes: "I'm merely returning the favor."
She stretched, and said with a hint of fatigue:
"My injuries haven't fully recovered, and I've been busy all day. I'm going to rest now. You can look through 'Records of Living Beings' first; maybe you'll find a Spirit Beast suitable for you."
With that, Qian Renxue turned and walked towards a large tree not far away. She took off her outer robe and covered herself, then leaned against the tree trunk, slowly closing her eyes and falling asleep.
After seeing Qian Renxue fall asleep, Tang Chuan then sat cross-legged near the bonfire and opened the golden-covered 'Records of Living Beings'. This Spirit Beast atlas was extremely rich in content.
He quickly immersed himself in it, his eyes occasionally flashing with surprise, sometimes falling into contemplation.
"Aurora Moss Vine, highly parasitic, extremely vigorous in life force, often grows alongside light-attribute Spirit Beasts, found deep within the dense forests of Star Dou."
"Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Cleansing Vine, capable of solidifying the soul and purifying the Spirit, a rare plant-type Spirit Beast among Spirit Beasts with both spiritual and life attributes, often appears in the Sunset Forest area."
"Verdant Heart Spiritual Root, the plant is extremely small but its life fluctuation is extremely intense, very difficult to capture, only appeared three times in the lakes deep within Star Dou Great Forest…"
The further he read, the more Tang Chuan's brows furrowed. He gradually realized a practical problem: almost all of the truly suitable plant-type Spirit Beasts lived without exception in the depths of Star Dou Great Forest, or in other areas densely populated by Spirit Beasts.
While the outer regions were safer, the number of high-quality life-attribute plant Spirit Beasts was extremely small, making it impossible to meet his requirements for a second spirit ring.
Tang Chuan, slightly disappointed, was about to close the book when his gaze suddenly stopped at a corner of a page.
A glimmer of pleasant surprise flashed in his eyes.
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[end of the chapter]