LAVW – Chapter 4 A New Brother

The boys ahead noticed someone lagging behind and turned to look at Long Ye.

“Long Ye, why are you so far behind? Don’t tell me you actually want to climb Jiutian Peak in search of treasure?”

The one who spoke first was Long Ye’s cousin, Long Ming.

Both Long Ming and Long Ye had poor aptitude for cultivation and had trained diligently since childhood, but their progress was limited.

Since the age of five, they had practiced hard. Yet to this day, Long Ming had only reached the third level of Qi Refining. He had already given up and was preparing to study trade at the family’s shop in hopes of securing a better future.

Long Ye was slightly better, having reached the fifth level of Qi Refining, but he still lagged behind his more talented peers.

In their younger days, the two had encouraged each other. But ever since Long Ye surpassed his cousin in cultivation, their friendship had changed.

As expected, Long Ming’s words triggered a chorus of persuasion from the others.

“There are so many ancestors on Jiutian Peak. Do you really dare to think about going up there, Long Ye?”

“You’d better not. If your aptitude is lacking, then so be it. Those who think too much and are too greedy never meet a good end. If you trespass on Jiutian Peak and offend those Golden Core ancestors, you won’t even know how you died.”

“Exactly! Hurry up and catch up with us. We’re here to find medicinal herbs.”

Long Ye glanced at Long Ming. Because of the thing hidden inside his clothes, his mind was somewhat preoccupied, but he no longer felt the same suffocating frustration as before.

He casually replied, “I didn’t sleep well last night. I’m just tired.”

Saying this, Long Ye glanced around, then raised his hand to feign a yawn, looking lazy as he said, “I’ll just take a look around the nearby mountains and head back later for some rest.”

This area was filled with mountains, large and small, rolling across the landscape.

Long Ye was looking toward a particular bamboo forest where they used to dig for bamboo shoots. It wasn’t the season for shoots now, but there were still wild vegetables and pheasants—something extra to bring back for a meal.

“Is that so? Then be careful and don’t go looking for trouble behind our backs. Even though your father is gone, we still care about you!” Long Ming added.

Shi Qian: Wow!

What a strong scent of tea!

As expected, Long Aotian’s surroundings were full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. Even at this stage, a green tea schemer had appeared—and it was a guy.

Who truly cares about someone and casually brings up their dead father in front of everyone? If they really wanted to comfort you, those words would be spoken privately by a close friend or elder.

And that previous remark? It sounded suspiciously like leading everyone to believe Long Ye was delusional.

Driven by gossip and curiosity, Shi Qian’s ears perked up high, his level of attentiveness rivaling his earlier sprint.

Hearing his father being mentioned again, Long Ye cast a cold look at Long Ming and said, “I didn’t know you missed my father so much, Long Ming. Why don’t you go and join him?”

Shi Qian almost squeaked out loud in laughter.

In other words: Why don’t you just go die?

Sharp. Absolutely satisfying.

Long Ming’s face turned red as he hastily explained, “Long Ye, I was just worried about you.”

To a group of simple-minded teenagers, that line sounded odd—what kind of grown man talks like that?

“Alright, alright, stop arguing. Let’s just go find the medicinal herbs.”

“Yeah, Long Ming, stop bringing up Long Ye’s sad past. Who talks like that when they’re ‘worried’? Are you dumb?”

The group scolded Long Ming while pulling him away. Everyone knew that while Long Ye usually had a good temper, if you touched his bottom line, he could be ruthless. Since childhood, he had never lost a fight.

Of course, the most important thing was that Long Ming’s father had recently been promoted to a managerial position, making him more valuable to befriend.

Long Ye separated from them and headed into the mountains alone.

By a mountain stream, all he could hear was the gentle gurgling of water—no more voices.

He reached into his clothes, intending to grab the small creature nestled inside.

The sudden movement startled Shi Qian, making him instinctively shrink further into the fabric. His tiny paws clutched onto Long Ye’s clothing.

Unfortunately, his little paw happened to slip right into a patch.

Not only was the patch terribly sewn, but it was also loose, causing Shi Qian’s paw to go straight through.

His soft little paw pad landed directly on Long Aotian’s abdominal muscles.

Shi Qian: …Unacceptable.

This kid was just a teenager, yet he had more abs than him.

And not just one—there were at least several!

Wait… where exactly had his paw slipped in to touch those abs?

A… patch?

Shi Qian: ???

Long Aotian… wearing patched-up clothes?!

Maybe he had really mistaken this guy for someone else. Perhaps he had judged too quickly based on appearance.

But the overlapping red dot on the location map shattered his heart at that moment.

A poor and weak Aotian… There was only one explanation—he hadn’t even left the beginner’s village yet.

Long Ye felt a slight tickle, but it quickly disappeared. Moments later, a soft, fluffy little creature obediently curled up in his palm.

Or rather, it had accepted its fate.

It was exceptionally soft, tiny, and warm—its texture reminiscent of a newborn chick just two days old.

Lifting it up, Long Ye found himself staring into a pair of round, jet-black eyes. Only then did he realize…

This was a very strange little animal.

And, somehow, its gaze looked a little… sorrowful.

It looked like a mouse, but not entirely.

Long Ye observed the creature, then used his other hand to flick Shi Qian’s tail.

Compared to his round little body, Shi Qian’s tail was anything but small.

It was a particularly fluffy, bushy tail—almost like a fox’s. It wouldn’t quite work as a blanket, but in summer, it could definitely serve as a light throw.

“Your tail doesn’t look like a mouse’s either,” Long Ye muttered as he locked eyes with the tiny creature. “What are you? And why did you crawl into my clothes on your own?”

Shi Qian retracted his tail, wrapped it around himself, and looked up at Long Ye, responding with a soft, “Squeak.”

A Chinchila.

Man and “mouse” stared at each other in silence.

Shi Qian blinked, loosened his grip on his tail, scratched his head, and pondered, How do I overcome this language barrier?

Various solutions from his inherited beast knowledge surfaced in his mind.

There were three options—high, medium, and low strategies.

• High strategy: Make Long Aotian his servant pet.
• Medium strategy: Form an equal contract with Long Aotian as companions.
• Low strategy: Become Long Aotian’s servant pet.

All three options existed in the memories of demon beasts regarding contract formations.

The low strategy? Absolutely not happening.

Shi Qian was fine with both the high and medium strategies, but considering Aotian’s pride, he discarded the high strategy and opted for the medium one.

However, this was Long Aotian. Shi Qian didn’t dare to be too forceful.

Instead, he stretched out his tiny paws, which had been injured from frantic digging earlier, leaving his claws broken.

One paw was in particularly bad shape, still bearing traces of blood.

The red stains stood out starkly against the soft white-and-pink fur.

“Squeak Squeak.” Shi Qian extended his injured paw, seeking help, testing Aotian’s kindness.

Being poor is fine, as long as he’s kind!

Besides, this was a hidden powerhouse in the making—Shi Qian just had to think of it as a raise-your-own protagonist game.

“You’re hurt?”

Hearing the soft little cries and seeing a paw that wasn’t even as big as his fingertip, Long Ye gently lifted it, pinching it lightly to examine.

“I’m not sure how you managed this, but it looks like just an external wound. Let’s clean it up first, then apply some hemostatic and pain relief medicine.”

After explaining, Long Ye slipped a finger under the little creature’s back, hooked it under its belly, and lifted Shi Qian up.

Shi Qian immediately felt that this position was a little strange.

He flailed his paws for a moment—only to realize he was now dangling like a turtle flipped onto its back.

Shi Qian gave up struggling, realizing that flailing his little paws only made him look more like a turtle.

The last turtle brother he had met had flailed its limbs in a similar fashion while desperately carrying him to safety.

Then, Shi Qian saw the suddenly enlarged surface of the water.

The stream was crystal clear, revealing the oddly shaped stones, swaying water plants, tiny fish swimming about, and small crabs scuttling sideways along the bottom.

Long Ye tilted his hand slightly, dipping Shi Qian’s right front paw into the water. As his body shifted, the little paw was gently washed in the flowing stream.

Then, he switched to the other paw and repeated the process.

From his careful technique and gentle touch, it was clear that Long Ye was being extremely cautious—he didn’t even dare to press directly on Shi Qian’s tiny paw, handling him with utmost delicacy.

Shi Qian gave this top-tier service a five-star review.

Afterward, Long Ye found some medicinal herbs, crushed them into a paste, and motioned for Shi Qian to extend his paw.

The white fur around his paw turned a little green from the herbal juice, but the pain relief medicine worked quickly—it no longer hurt.

Shi Qian examined his paw, then looked up at Aotian and Squeaked, “Squeak Squeak.”

It doesn’t hurt anymore.

Then, remembering the language barrier, he lifted his paw and nodded his tiny head at Long Ye to express approval.

Seeing this, Long Ye momentarily forgot all his previous frustration. He chuckled. “As long as it works.”

He gave Shi Qian a couple of extra pats before placing him on a tree branch nearby.

“You can go now. But remember, don’t get too close to people carelessly—some people aren’t good. Still, if you ever get injured again, you can come find me in this area. I’m here often.”

Even while releasing a wild creature, he still offered kind advice. Truly a good person.

But this wasn’t the result Shi Qian wanted.

He had come to cling onto Aotian—only by successfully attaching himself could he continue his carefree life as a treasure-hunting mouse!

“Squeak Squeak!”

Shi Qian raised his paw in protest, then immediately leaped back into Long Ye’s clothes.

Feeling a small bundle of warmth press against his side, Long Ye was momentarily stunned.

Was he… being clung to?

This little creature gave him an oddly familiar feeling, almost as if it was one of his own. But he was certain this was their first meeting.

It also seemed to have a higher cultivation than him—though not by much.

Weird.

It was intelligent, close to humans, had cultivation, and was clearly a spirit beast—probably a type of rodent, though he wasn’t sure exactly what species.

A flood of thoughts ran through Long Ye’s mind as he poked at the fuzzy ball through his clothes.

“Sigh… little furball, what are you doing? I can’t afford to keep you.”

Hearing this, Shi Qian reached into his storage ring and pulled out a handful of nuts.

Or rather—one nut.

Not because he was stingy, but because his tiny paws could only hold one at a time.

Shi Qian clutched a single spirit-infused pine nut, poked his head out from the edge of Long Ye’s clothes, and generously shoved it into Aotian’s hand.

“Squeak Squeak!”

It’s fine! Look how little I eat.

Shi Qian forcefully stuffed the spiritual pine nut into Long Ye’s palm, his actions practically shouting—Here, take it! It’s yours!

He was so domineering about it that Long Ye completely misunderstood.

Long Ye pinched the spirit-infused pine nut between his fingers and looked at the little creature. “Are you trying to say… you bring your own rations?”

Shi Qian: …

Shi Qian jumped out again, standing in Aotian’s palm and looking up at his expression.

Seeing Aotian’s face full of sincerity, he gritted his teeth and nodded. “Squeak Squeak.”

Yes, I bring my own rations.

Though… they definitely wouldn’t last long.

But that was a problem for the future. Shi Qian thought, Aotian, there’s no way you’d let such an adorable chinchilla go hungry, right?

He ate very little—at most, he’d steal a couple of bites from Aotian’s meals.

Thinking about his tiny appetite, Shi Qian regained his confidence and continued pulling out pine nuts, intending to bribe Aotian.

Long Ye watched as the little creature struggled to retrieve each pine nut, then sternly interrupted him.

“You understand what I’m saying, don’t you? In the future, never reveal your storage space in front of people. In the human world, a storage space is an incredibly valuable treasure. If you don’t have enough strength, others will take it from you.”

This tiny fur ball was definitely a spirit beast cub fresh out of its home, way too naïve and completely lacking any sense of caution.

What kind of careless parents raised him like this? Long Ye found himself unexpectedly worried, sighing internally.

But then again, a baby beast that had been nursed by its mother right before leaving home was bound to be naïve.

Even the mother mouse had no clue about such matters. The only thing she had drilled into her two little cubs was: stay far away from humans.

She never could have imagined that her tiny cub would end up shouldering the future of the entire cultivation world.

Hearing the almost fatherly tone in Long Ye’s warning, the little furball obediently nodded.

Shi Qian did it on purpose.

Judging from the current situation, Aotian was still in his weak phase—clearly, he was in the classic “poor, orphaned, abandoned by his fiancée, bullied because he was not yet strong” stage.

At times like these, a naïve, adorable, and somewhat mysterious spirit beast appearing by his side—didn’t that seem exactly like the fated companion of a future powerhouse?

Like the legendary Medicine Elder or Spirit Ring—except this time, it was him, a fake treasure-hunting mouse stepping into the role.

Shi Qian’s mental calculations were clicking away like an abacus.

Seeing that Long Ye had accepted him, he immediately went into action, parkouring up to the top of Long Ye’s head.

Now, how could he successfully cling to Aotian’s destiny and turn it into his treasure-seeking divine ability?

The ritual was very important.

Shi Qian performed a full set of Dragon Chinchilla Boxing moves atop Long Ye’s head, then squatted down and pressed his tiny paws against his scalp, holding for three whole seconds.

After that, he jumped back down into Long Ye’s palm and stretched out his paws in a charge-forward pose.

“Squeak!” Let’s go find your treasure!

Long Ye, seeing the little creature Squeaking excitedly, simply tucked him into his arms.

He was right—it was time to go find something. He couldn’t have come out for nothing.

Family resources had to be earned through contributions. But with his low cultivation and young age, he couldn’t take on missions, which meant he had no contributions—and no way to exchange for anything useful.

Surviving alone while trying to cultivate was already tough—and now, he had a little creature clinging to him, adding to his burden.

Yet… the feeling of companionship wasn’t so bad.

Long Ye never would have thought that a spirit beast would choose him.

Spirit beasts were treasures that only the disciples of major clans and sects had.

Although this little guy didn’t seem all that impressive—still quite weak, even—he was, at the end of the day, a spirit beast.

So maybe… maybe his path of cultivation still had hope?

Long Ye had never seen his mother since birth, and his father had vanished without a trace—neither alive nor dead. He dreamed that perhaps his parents were still out there somewhere, just lost in different places. And when he grew strong enough, when he had traveled across the world, he would find them again.

As he walked, Long Ye suddenly noticed the scenery around him shift—as if he had accidentally stepped into some mysterious domain.

Behind him, the familiar bamboo forest remained. But ahead, everything had changed. Towering ancient trees loomed overhead, and beyond the dense woods, a strong, fragrant scent of ginseng filled the air, curling around his senses.

Treasure!

The young Long Ye’s eyes lit up.

Treasure!

Shi Qian’s eyes also lit up.

What kind of insane luck was this?! The Dragon Aotian Law never failed him—his remaining half-life as a treasure-hunting mouse was secured!

Perched at the edge of Long Ye’s collar, Shi Qian let out an excited Squeak.

“Squeak Squeak!”

Aotian! From now on, you’re my new sworn brother!

No one can separate us! I’m gonna cling to your head and scam my way through life until I’m old!