At the first quarter of the Mao hour (5–7 a.m.), Ji An awoke from a hazy dream to hear faint rustling from the bamboo basket.
He yawned, and the noise inside immediately stopped.
Getting up, he walked over and found the Spirit-Seeking Rat trussed up like a dumpling in strips of cloth, lying stiffly inside. With a mischievous grin, Ji An prodded it with his finger.
It was clearly a juvenile; an adult would grow as large as a cat. This one's eyes were the only part exposed; its mouth and limbs were bound tightly in three layers of cloth, leaving it no chance of struggle.
Ignoring the creature for now, Ji An stepped outside to wash his face. The cold mountain water shocked his nerves awake, leaving him refreshed.
Above, the sky was like an inverted bowl. The moon was only a faint sliver, the starlight weak and dim.
The distant mountains lay sprawled like some colossal beast crouching in shadow, shapes indistinct in the dawn.
Back inside the bamboo lodge, Ji An sat cross-legged on his cushion, swallowed a Sanyuan Pill, and began circulating the Clear Source Sutra.
The pill's spiritual power flowed into his meridians like a bubbling brook, refined into pure mana and pooled into his dantian.
The stone tortoise surged forward, immediately siphoning away half of it.
By the time the pill's medicinal essence was exhausted, Ji An opened his eyes. His gaze shone clear and bright.
He smiled in satisfaction. With the aid of pills or the Spirit-Draining Array, the rapid surge of cultivation was intoxicating.
Morning light spilled into the valley, gilding the peaks in gold.
Ji An picked up the Spirit-Seeking Rat, feeling its little heart pounding furiously, and gave it two light squeezes.
Then he stepped out to check his Firecloud Ginseng seedlings. Not a single one was missing.
Relieved, he mounted his talisman bird and flew toward Emerald Bamboo Peak.
"Senior Sister Zhao's spiritual pressure is even stronger than before. It looks like she's not far from breaking through to Qi Refinement ninth layer," Ji An complimented, stealing a glance at her chest and noting wryly that her "development" had advanced as well during this short time apart.
"Indeed, soon."
Zhao Mengyao's lips curved into a smile, dimples blooming on her cheeks. She had grown taller since her entry into the sect; her legs were more slender, her topknot styled differently, and she radiated a brighter, more striking beauty.
Lately, she had been in high spirits; the bottleneck of ninth-layer Qi Refinement had loosened, and a breakthrough was imminent.
She gave him a quick once-over and asked, "Junior Brother Ji, you're quite the rare guest. What's that you're holding?"
In her impression, the last time he had come seeking her was to borrow spirit stones.
"A wild Spirit-Seeking Rat stumbled into my hands. I sensed it had potential, so I decided to raise it; it may prove useful later.
Today I've come to ask Senior Sister for a Beast-Taming Token, so it will be easier to control."
Zhao Mengyao was a disciple of the Beast-Taming Hall; anything obtained from her hands was guaranteed free of flaws.
Demonic beasts naturally harbored wild instincts. To control them, a wisp of the beast's soul was sealed into a Beast-Taming Token.
Through this token, cultivators could issue commands or even communicate mentally.
And should the token be destroyed, the beast would suffer severe backlash, an essential safeguard.
"For Junior Brother to deem a Spirit-Seeking Rat worthy, it must indeed have a good bloodline. May I take a look?"
"Of course."
Ji An loosened the bindings, revealing its fluffy golden-brown fur.
"Still pretending to be dead?"
Zhao Mengyao chuckled, then carefully inspected the little beast. After a moment, she nodded in approval.
"Not bad. I judge this one's bloodline to be close to high-grade. With proper care, it could grow into a beast on par with a mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator."
The bloodline grades of demonic beasts correspond to the aptitudes of cultivators: low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, earth-grade, and heaven-grade.
A beast's bloodline determined its growth ceiling, though not absolutely. Postnatal cultivation played a vital role as well.
It was said that a mighty expert once raised a Spirit-Seeking Rat all the way to the Golden Core realm, far surpassing its supposed limits. Whether the tale was true or not, no one could say.
Ji An returned the little rat, and Zhao Mengyao nodded.
"I happen to have two beast-taming tokens of my own making. They can only bind demonic beasts at the Qi Refinement stage. Does Junior Brother want one?"
"That's more than enough, thank you, Senior Sister. How many spirit stones?"
"Two spirit stones. Will Junior Brother settle up now?"
Zhao Mengyao's lips curved into a faint, teasing smile. She took out a palm-sized cyan jade plaque inscribed with dense runes, with a gray bead embedded at its center.
"I'll owe you for now."
Ji An replied with an amiable grin, the advantage of a thick skin on full display.
He pulled out a slip of paper and handed it over:
"If convenient, I'd like to purchase some medicinal herbs from Senior Sister."
It was a recipe for Beast-Nurturing Pills, meant specifically for raising Spirit-Seeking Rats.
Of course, Ji An had deliberately added three extra herbs, each in excess amounts. A few ingredients also required special preparation techniques. With just this recipe, no one could reproduce the true medicine.
Zhao Mengyao's eyes flickered as she studied it carefully.
"These are fairly common herbs. I'll prepare a set for you. Wait here a moment."
While she was gone, Ji An used his secret art to sign a spirit-pet contract with the Spirit-Seeking Rat and sealed a wisp of its soul into the beast-taming token.
When released, the little creature lay limp, wearing a look of utter despair.
A quarter-hour later, Zhao Mengyao returned with a bundle of herbs wrapped in paper.
"The herbs are worth three spirit stones."
"Thank you, Senior Sister. In three months, I'll repay you five."
Ji An bowed solemnly and accepted them. This bundle would last the Spirit-Seeking Rat about three months, four or five if rationed carefully.
Other than cultivation pills, he had no pressing expenses now, so he could afford to raise it.
If he waited until he actually needed a beast, it would already be too late to train one properly.
Back at his dwelling, Ji An gave a stern warning:
"From now on, you are not to even think about the spirit herbs in this courtyard. Otherwise"
He released a Geng Metal Finger strike. A flash of golden light drilled a neat hole straight through the stone by the gate.
Sensing that sharp, lethal aura, the Spirit-Seeking Rat's fur stood on end. Its beady eyes widened with fear, and it bobbed its head up and down like a pecking chick.
Ji An set the little beast down and tossed it a handful of spirit rice.
Its mood instantly improved. Exhausted from last night's ordeal and badly shaken, it needed food to recover.
Meanwhile, Ji An began concocting Beast-Nurturing Pills. His first attempt was clumsy; he wasted quite a bit of herbs, and after much effort, managed to roll out only twenty-two faintly red pills.
Normally, one was fed every three days. With fewer than expected, he would have to stretch the interval to four.
"Here, a reward. Work hard from now on, better days lie ahead."
Ji An tossed a pill, and the Spirit-Seeking Rat leapt up to snatch it mid-air.
Landing, it cradled the pill in its tiny paws, sniffed and licked it, then its beady eyes suddenly lit up. Without hesitation, it popped the pill into its mouth and swallowed.
The little beast sprawled in a patch of sunlight, eyes half-shut in bliss, utterly content.