LAVW – Chapter 46 Bleed Black Crane Dry

But You Fang had no intention of talking to Shi Qian. He reached out and grabbed the spirit beast cub, holding him tightly in his hand.

Shi Qian felt a chill run down his spine—it was You Fang’s spiritual energy probing inside his body.

You Fang’s face first lit up with delight, but his smile soon grew increasingly sinister.

Shi Qian tried to ignore the gory slaughter by the demonic cultivators nearby, but looking at You Fang’s smiling face still gave him the creeps. He asked nervously, “Squeak?”

Brother Black Crane, what’s wrong?

You Fang looked up at him, his eyes brimming with joy. “Good news.”

Then he picked up one of Shi Qian’s little paws and sliced it open with spiritual energy, drawing blood.

Shi Qian: ?

That’s your idea of good news?

Why don’t you keep it for yourself?

Shi Qian wanted to struggle, but his entire body was paralyzed below the head by spiritual force—he couldn’t move at all.

Looking down, he saw You Fang’s other hand taking out a strange device to collect his blood.

The device looked like an ancient version of a motion sensor. It gleamed with gold all over, with eight golden dragons encircling it, each with a golden pearl in its mouth. Their heads were raised high, surrounding a golden cup at the center.

Shi Qian watched as his blood dripped into the golden cup and seeped downward.

A moment later, the golden pearls in the dragons’ mouths began to light up one after another.

One… two… six pearls lit up in total, sparkling brilliantly in unison.

Seeing this, You Fang’s expression turned even more ecstatic, as if he had stumbled upon a priceless treasure.

Shi Qian quickly interrupted his excitement. “Squeak Squeak!”

Stop, stop, that’s all I’ve got.

He was just a tiny chinchilla—how much blood could he possibly have? He’d be drained dry before even filling that cup.

Right after Shi Qian’s protest, the bleeding was sealed with spiritual energy and stopped.

But at the same time, You Fang’s gaze turned cold, and the joy on his face faded significantly.

Shi Qian had always acted based on You Fang’s expression, so he shut up immediately. He’d already achieved his goal—whether You Fang was happy or not wasn’t his problem.

While Shi Qian was trying to protect himself, Long Ye, who was covered in whip wounds, lay motionless on the ground.

When he had fallen, he had gritted his teeth and rolled over, landing face up.

That position was so he wouldn’t crush Brother Qian—and also for a better view of the situation.

But now, his eyes were tightly shut.

Long Ye didn’t dare open them, afraid they would betray the seething fury within.

If he provoked You Fang, he’d be throwing his life away, and it would render all of Brother Qian’s clever maneuvering pointless.

The more skillfully Shi Qian handled things, the more useless Long Ye felt—he could only watch as Brother Qian had to endure humiliation and hardship.

Though his spiritual energy was sealed, his blood and qi surged violently within his chest.

Listening to the cub’s tender voice, even with his eyes closed, Long Ye felt the world dyed blood-red. He silently vowed: one day, he would bleed You Fang dry and let him taste this torment for himself.

Just as Long Ye was making his fierce resolution and setting a little goal in his heart, the golden pearls on the dragons lit up again—one more—triggered by the powerful dragon blood aura seeping from his wounds.

Now, You Fang was practically glowing as he looked at Shi Qian.

Shi Qian glanced several times to confirm that You Fang wasn’t about to strip off his fur coat. Only then did he point at the strange golden device with the eight dragons.

“Squeak?”

What is that?

“It’s for testing bloodlines,” You Fang replied, in a very good mood—but he didn’t tell the whole story.

The Dragon Cup was a magical artifact he had crafted himself, designed specifically to test the purity of dragon bloodlines. The more pearls that lit up—and the brighter they glowed—the purer the dragon blood within.

When he first saw the little creature, he had only recognized it as a treasure-seeking mouse. The cub carried a faint trace of his ancestors’ aura, but also looked unusually different—as if the bloodline had mutated somewhat.

He had asked for the cub in hopes of adding another high-quality ingredient to the Ten Thousand Beast Blood Elixir, which already contained tens of thousands of different bloodlines.

But only today, when the cub was delivered to his door, did he realize he had stumbled upon a true treasure. This little puffball actually possessed such astonishing talent.

Seven pearls lit up!

That dragon-tiger in Dao Sect, the one at Nascent Soul stage and supposedly possessing a pure bloodline, had only tested to the same level. So many demonic cultivators had died just to obtain a few vials of dragon-tiger blood for him, and even then, he hadn’t been able to pursue many of his ideas.

But now he had a living, breathing cub in his hands. If he was willing to invest some effort, he might even be able to enhance the bloodline further.

Thinking of all the medicines he could concoct in the future, You Fang happily pulled out a spiritual fruit and stuffed it into the recently drained Shi Qian’s paws.

Shi Qian: …

Should I take it or not?

The fruit was red—just looking at it made you think it was for replenishing blood. Once he finished eating, they’d probably want to drain more of his blood.

Shi Qian hugged the spirit fruit that was as big as his own head with both paws and took an angry bite.

If he was going to be bled anyway, might as well eat. No reason not to.

A dense but gentle wave of spiritual energy spread through his mouth.

The wounds on his hands and face began to heal rapidly, the pain disappearing altogether.

You Fang was quite pleased at the sight. “Smart little thing.”

With that, he turned to leave—only to find there was another one on the ground.

Sweeping his divine sense over the unconscious Golden Core cultivator, he realized the two shared a tightly linked energy—he couldn’t kill this one either.

Frowning at the inconvenience, You Fang impatiently swept the person up and shoved him into the spirit beast pouch along with the little one. Then he used a shrinking-distance technique and hurried back with the Eight-Dragon Cup in hand.

These few drops of blood could be added to the medicine for the next round of demon beast trials.

Inside the spirit beast pouch—

Shi Qian held the half-eaten red fruit and stuffed it into Long Ye’s mouth.

“Squeak Squeak.”

Don’t be picky. This stuff’s good.

Shi Qian’s wounds were completely healed now, except for the one on his face, where fur hadn’t grown back yet—it was just a tender pink line.

Long Ye was still covered in blood, and Shi Qian figured the fruit was just the thing for him.

Long Ye bit into the spirit fruit brought to his lips, slowly chewing and swallowing it with effort.

He’d eaten grass before—spirit fruit wasn’t something he’d turn his nose up at.

He only hesitated because it was something given by You Fang. But he was injured and didn’t want Brother Qian to worry, so he obediently opened his mouth and ate it.

Shi Qian watched him eat, turning his head this way and that to look around the spirit beast pouch.

The space inside was fairly large, filled with rich spiritual energy, but otherwise completely empty—only he and Long Ye were in here.

Once Long Ye finished the fruit, Shi Qian piped up again. “Squeak Squeak.”

Brother Ye, wanna take some medicine too?

Then he sighed. “Squeak Squeak.”

Feels like I’m always telling you to take medicine.

Must be because you’re always getting hurt. Life in the cultivation world… it’s not easy.

Long Ye looked at his little sentimental expression and couldn’t help but chuckle softly. “That fruit works wonders for healing. Let the spiritual energy from it settle first—then I’ll take the medicine.”

He wasn’t in the mood to meditate just yet, so he found a corner and pulled out a big bag of spirit pine nuts to calm Brother Qian down.

“Squeak Squeak!”

Pine nuts!

Shi Qian jumped over to the bag, expertly grabbing one and cracking it open with a sharp bite.

As the crunching sounds continued, Shi Qian asked in a small voice, “Squeak Squeak.”

Brother Ye, can You Fang hear us talking in here?

“No, he can’t. Each one of these is its own separate space.”

Shi Qian started cursing You Fang for being a pervert. After venting, he asked worriedly, “Squeak Squeak…”

Have you noticed that the demonic cultivators left behind female cultivators and some half-human, half-demon hybrids?

“I saw that,” Long Ye replied, sharing his observation with Brother Qian. “I think we got caught up in it by accident. The main target of the clam demon was probably to take those female cultivators back.”

Shi Qian was particularly sensitive to this topic.

But in the cultivation world, no one needs to have sons, let alone worry about continuing their bloodlines. Whether righteous or demonic paths, most cultivators are all focused on ascension and cleansing themselves of worldly desires. Demonic cultivators don’t all specialize in dual cultivation either, so capturing that many female cultivators doesn’t really make sense.

“Squeak Squeak Squeak.”

What’s You Fang trying to do? It’s weird. And he wants my blood too, and that golden cup is strange.

Long Ye thought for a moment and guessed, “Maybe the dragons next to that cup aren’t just decoration?”

As he said that, he followed up with another question: “Brother Qian, are you mixed-blood? Your mother was at the Golden Core stage—not weak, but not particularly strong either. Her bloodline might be average. Your father might not be so ordinary.”

“Squeak Squeak.”

Never met my dad. My mom was the Giant Rat King. I just know that both my brother and I carry royal lineage from the rat tribe.

After saying that, Shi Qian gave Long Ye a resentful side-eye.

He thought to himself: You might as well try guessing your own bloodline.

Dragon bloodlines don’t exactly grow on trees. If you’ve got one and I’ve got one too, then they’re not worth much, are they?

“Then what do you think that cup is for?” Long Ye asked in return.

Shi Qian replied, “Squeak Squeak.”

Could be for royal bloodlines?

1958 said so—his bloodline is super powerful, and once he matures, he could crush others of the same kind.

Long Ye frowned and shook his head in disagreement. “I don’t think that’s it. There’s a saying about dragonkind: no matter who they mate with, they can always produce offspring with at least a trace of dragon blood. With so many female cultivators, aside from the possibility of harvesting yin to supplement yang, the only other explanation is reproduction.”

Shi Qian looked over at Long Ye.

Because, truth be told, Long Ye’s mother was a dragon woman—she carried some dragon blood. That’s how Long Ye himself came to have dragon blood too.

And indeed, there are rumors about dragons being promiscuous, able to reproduce with all species. Shi Qian actually knew this. In fact, he knew that in the storyline, it was canon.

As he pieced it all together, Shi Qian widened his eyes and stared at Long Ye: “Squeak Squeakji—!”

No way, You Fang wants to… breed dragons?!

Long Ye retraced You Fang’s history and speculated, “Otherwise, why would he stay in Ten Thousand Beasts City for a whole century? Do you really think he liked that place? I suspect he’s been secretly collecting the bloodlines of various demonic and spirit beasts.”

From the way You Fang treated Brother Qian, it was obvious he wasn’t some truly kind and noble spirit beast.

As for Shi Qian—after accepting the idea that he might carry dragon blood—he just wanted to scream meow meow meow.

He’d thought he looked like a Totoro because he asked for a high cuteness stat and wanted to look good—but turns out he actually has dragon blood?!

And those seven golden pearls… they seemed to prove that his bloodline was pretty amazing.

So… does he also have cat blood in him?!

If that’s true, then all Shi Qian wanted to shout was—truly a brave woman, my rat mom!

Long Ye took a moment to think through everything and, after organizing his thoughts, reminded him, “Brother Qian, You Fang is definitely going to come back for you. You need to be careful—”

He hesitated, then gritted his teeth and, looking into Shi Qian’s innocent eyes, finally told him—

the harshness of the real world.

“Besides drawing your blood,” Long Ye said, “You Fang will probably also feed you, to make your body grow faster.”

“Just like those mixed-blood cultivators—perhaps they’re meant to be modified and then used for breeding.”

Creating dragons couldn’t happen out of thin air, Long Ye thought. Dragons had to be born. That meant a mother and a father were needed.

Human cultivator bloodlines were the mildest, compatible with many species—very suitable as a maternal host. Conversely, the stronger the paternal bloodline, the better.

Shi Qian: … “Squeak.”

I’m still just a cub…

“Don’t be scared,” Long Ye tried to comfort him, though it felt useless. “You grow really slowly. That used to be a disadvantage, but now it’s your advantage.”

“The stronger the bloodline, the more resources and time it takes to grow.”

Regardless of how long it took, Shi Qian felt this theory was way too terrifying.

He declared firmly, “Squeak!”

We have to find a way to escape.

Having set a goal, Shi Qian then took out all the storage items from his necklace and solemnly handed them over to Long Ye.

“Squeak Squeak.”

Brother Ye, you have to cultivate hard and become a true dragon soon.

Long Ye felt something was off about that phrase and corrected him, “It’s ‘hope one’s son becomes a dragon’, not ‘you become a dragon’. You used it wrong. Try again.”

Shi Qian thought to himself—he had meant it from the bottom of his heart.

Worst case, he could always recommend Long Ye to You Fang. A real dragon had to be more valuable than a dragon-mouse. He wasn’t that attached to pride or anything.

But, well, that was just a thought. Shi Qian could never actually betray his bro like that.

Worst case… worst case, he’d just pack up and head back to his unit.

“Squeak Squeak.”

Anyway, just focus on your cultivation. Don’t forget to take your medicine.

Long Ye took the pill and began meditating.

Shi Qian pulled out his golden bowl and lay down in his golden nest, contemplating his rodent life.

The cultivation world was really intense. Sure, it was fun—but also seriously dangerous. Honestly, kind of exhausting.

Shi Qian closed his eyes, and the vivid faces of various cultivators seemed to float past his mind.

He thought, maybe going back wouldn’t be so bad after all.

Even if he owed some points, it wasn’t the end of the world. Like the saying goes, “The one who owes the debt is the boss.”

Once he completed the mission, he could leave the cultivation world, go back to his unit, and take on the next assignment.

With that thought, Shi Qian turned his head to look at the focused Long Ye, and started worrying in advance—

When the time came, how would he even bring up leaving?

The unexpected turns in the plot were forcing Shi Qian to confront this issue much earlier than he thought. He’d assumed it was something for the distant future, but clearly, anything was possible.

But if he didn’t leave because of a completed mission… wouldn’t that mean faking his death?

Forget it. Maybe he should just keep trying his best. Once the mission was done and Long Ye was ready to ascend, they could naturally part ways. Faking his death was too cruel—it’d break hearts. He couldn’t do that.

Shi Qian gave himself a mental pep talk—he almost wanted to go cultivate.

But then he remembered that cultivation would accelerate his growth, and immediately ditched that idea. Instead, he pulled out his bunny-ear cloak, wrapped it around himself, and went to sleep.

Before falling asleep, Shi Qian suddenly remembered—he still owed Sister Lianzhi a promise.

This time, he couldn’t play the deserter. He had to face You Fang’s malice head-on.

Unfortunately, Shi Qian didn’t get to enjoy a nice, uninterrupted nap. Barely squinting open his eyes, he was fished out of the spirit beast pouch by You Fang.

Shi Qian yawned and blinked drowsily. “Squeak Squeak.”

Good evening.

You Fang: “It’s been two days. It’s daytime now.”

Shi Qian was stunned—he couldn’t believe Long Ye didn’t wake him up!

Then again, Long Ye was healing. Sitting in meditation for a few days was normal.

Gradually waking up, Shi Qian tucked away his bunny-ear cloak and stood on You Fang’s icy jade table, looking around.

It looked like a pill refining room. The ground fire was lit, boiling a pot of thick black liquid that bubbled noisily.

The table Shi Qian stood on was quite long. Nearby shelves held rows of jade slips and scrolls, while the rest—just like the table—were filled with all sorts of unfamiliar spirit herbs, ores, bones, blood, and other materials.

The Eight-Dragon Golden Cup was there too. Shi Qian glanced at it—and immediately looked away.

Don’t use my blood!

Otherwise—thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river—you better watch out if I grow into a Dragon Ao Tian*!

Hyping himself up in his head, Shi Qian carefully stepped over open spots on the table and scampered toward the pile of spirit fruits.

You Fang sat in a chair, hair disheveled, looking exhausted. His eyes were bloodshot.

Seeing the little guy running around, he tapped the tabletop with a finger. “Quit running. Come here.”

Shi Qian stopped, turned, and looked at him, refusing to get closer. “Squeak Squeak.”

No way. I’m scared of you.

“What are you scared of? I only took a little blood.” You Fang crooked his finger, and a burst of spiritual energy dragged the little cub back into his hand.

Holding him, You Fang stroked Shi Qian’s smooth fur with a fingertip. “Now let me show you what a good life really looks like.”

Shi Qian: …

Please stop talking, you’re scaring the chinchilla even more.

Then, You Fang started giving Shi Qian all kinds of good stuff—so much that even the demonic cultivator servants watching were stunned.

Shi Qian didn’t recognize half of it, but boldly asked a few questions.

To summarize You Fang’s “growth package”:

• Various spiritual medicines, pills, and potions to enhance aptitude
• A bunch to replenish spiritual power
• Some to strengthen muscles and bones
• Others to gently nourish his essence, energy, and spirit…

The whole set was very thoughtfully prepared. Though the growth would be rapid, it took all aspects into consideration and tried to minimize any side effects.

Shi Qian’s job was simple: eat, drink, and cultivate a little in his spare time. If he didn’t already know the dark truth, it would honestly feel like he’d wandered into some perfect dream.

As the demonic cultivator carried the spirit beast cub out of You Fang’s lair, they sighed with envy: “So many good things. You’re really lucky to have this kind of blessing.”

Shi Qian: “Squeak Squeak.”

You want this “blessing”? You can have it.

The demonic cultivator chuckled. “I don’t understand what you’re saying. Just eat and nourish your body like a good boy. Otherwise I’ll have to report to the elder and get you punished—what a hassle.”

“My temper isn’t very good,” the demonic cultivator said as he stroked the soft fur around Shi Qian’s neck, his tone dripping with false sweetness. “Look at this little neck—so delicate.”

Shi Qian tilted his head and looked at him, clearly seeing the greed and envy in the man’s eyes.

The demonic cultivator didn’t take a little beast cub seriously, still reminiscing over the thrill of the past few days. “There weren’t enough of those cultivators to go around. I only got to feed on one Golden Core.”

When demonic cultivators “feed” on a cultivator’s flesh and blood, it doesn’t mean literal flesh and blood. What they actually absorb is the vital energy within the blood, as well as the scattered essence, spirit, and even some of the cultivator’s insights into the Dao.

Denied the favor of the Heavenly Dao, they simply rob those who are favored, turning their fruits of cultivation into their own.

Falling into a demonic cultivator’s hands meant a death without even the chance for reincarnation—no wonder righteous cultivators loathe them so deeply. Whenever they meet, it’s a fight to the death.

This demonic cultivator was only at the Golden Core stage, and his words and demeanor reminded Shi Qian of how he was first threatened by a demonic cultivator at the beginning.

He flicked his tail, twisted his body, and in a flash used his escape technique to slip back into You Fang’s territory.

You Fang hated being disturbed, and the guards were all stationed outside, which meant no one was there to stop Shi Qian. The demonic cultivator didn’t catch him in time, and Shi Qian darted back inside.

Knowing he was still useful, Shi Qian boldly jumped onto the table, peeking at what You Fang was up to.

Clutching two tufts of fur he’d plucked from his own body, Shi Qian tattled to You Fang with a Squeak: “Squeak Squeak.”

Your people are mean.

He drooped his head, looking thoroughly bullied and pitiful.

From his angle, You Fang could only see the top of Shi Qian’s head, his ears twitching slightly. The tips of them were gray—actually more pleasing to the eye than the rest of his snowy-white fur.

You Fang knew well the nature of demonic cultivators, but he also knew this cub was no fool.

With an impatient frown, he said, “If you don’t like him, I’ll kill him. Happy now?”

The moment his words landed, the scent of blood and a faint stench wafted in from outside the door.

Shi Qian turned to look. The demonic cultivator who had threatened him earlier now lay in a pool of blood.

Good—no need to test this guy further.

Best not to provoke this demon again. Better to play the coward.

Shi Qian let out a little squeak and said nothing more, curling up like a frightened quail.

You Fang gave another order and called in a Nascent Soul-stage demonic cultivator. After repeating his instructions, he handed Shi Qian over again.

This new demonic cultivator looked like a beautiful older sister. She seemed to have a much better temperament, wore a friendly smile, and gently patted Shi Qian’s head, praising how cute he was.

Shi Qian Squeaked, “Squeak Squeak.”

Thanks, you’re pretty too.

And so began Shi Qian’s life of eating and drinking. The female cultivator even took him for walks around the island, though no one ever talked to him.

Even the sunlight and clouds here felt gloomy—there was no joy at all.

Often, there were barely any people in sight. Everyone ran into caves deep in the mountains, reeking of medicine and blood.

Unhappy, Shi Qian ate and drank for half a month, growing two centimeters taller.

Half a month later, he was returned to You Fang’s table for inspection.

You Fang ran his hands over him, his expression darkening. He asked the female cultivator, “He ate everything? No mistakes with the medicine?”

“He’s eaten everything, nothing was missed. I watched over him day and night,” the female demonic cultivator reported.

Shi Qian patted his soft little belly and quietly praised his internal organs: Brothers, you did well. Ate a ton and barely grew.

When he left, You Fang’s expression told Shi Qian—watching him eat had hurt this psycho’s heart.

Shi Qian: Alright, I get it.

Ten days later, Shi Qian was back again.

You Fang looked hesitant. “He ate even more this time, and only grew this much?”

Shi Qian Squeaked enthusiastically: “Squeak Squeak!”

I got taller again. Just didn’t gain much weight lately, that’s why I still look skinny.

Thanks to all the eating and drinking, Shi Qian’s cultivation had climbed to the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage. With a bit more of those nourishing tonics, he’d be able to break through to the Golden Core stage.

Of course, credit was also due to his good brother—the Long Aotian that You Fang had forgotten in the spirit beast pouch. Every time Shi Qian woke up from a nap, having done nothing at all, he could feel his cultivation subtly rising. It was probably the result of the Long Aotian’s intense cultivation sessions.

Still, while his cultivation was improving, Shi Qian’s body had only grown to the equivalent of an eight-month-old beast. He wouldn’t reach adulthood until he was eight years old.

Which meant—he could probably eat a whole Golden Core cultivator with no problem.

It had taken him fifteen days the first time, but this time he finished the super-nourishing meal plan in just ten.

You Fang trusted the second demonic cultivator he’d called over, but something still felt off. He didn’t let the female cultivator take Shi Qian away again and decided to watch over him himself.

He tossed a shrunken house into the yard outside his room, beside the pond.

After casting a spell to enlarge it, Shi Qian now had a place to live and could stroll around the courtyard. Aside from the strange pond—its water was white, like it was filled with milk—there wasn’t much to complain about.

On the second day after moving in, Shi Qian saw You Fang return from outside in a bad mood. He transformed into a black crane and shoved his head into the milky-white pond water.

Shi Qian thought: Must’ve run into a setback in his dragon-making project.

Suddenly, a soft splash came from the water. Shi Qian was lying on a smooth, round stone at the edge of the pond. Hearing the sound, he lifted his head.

A large clam with brown patterns growing in neat lines on its shell surfaced and tentatively extended its foot toward the black crane in the white pond.

Shi Qian sniffed something familiar from this clam.

Is that the clam demon?

He watched as the clam successfully crawled over to the black crane’s long leg and extended its black foot, gently touching it, almost like a lick.

In no time, the black crane lost patience and kicked the clam away.

Bang, bang, bonk—

The clam hit a few rocks and tumbled several times, but its foot still squirmed excitedly as it enthusiastically crawled back toward the black crane.

Shi Qian, who had just taken a bite of a spiritual ginseng: …

Serves you right.

There’s no happy ending for a simp.

After condemning the enemy’s behavior, Shi Qian took another bite of the spiritual ginseng and continued watching the show.

The ginseng tasted a bit harsh—he didn’t really like it, but it was still edible.

In a certain corner of the spirit beast pouch—

Long Ye once again felt his own cultivation being pulled upward, and worry began to stir in his heart.

Is Brother Qian being forced to take pills again? Forced to cultivate day and night to forcibly raise his cultivation?

From what he could sense, Brother Qian’s cultivation speed was frighteningly fast.

Looks like I’ll have to work even harder. With that thought, Long Ye’s mind turned to the Dragon Blood Divine Stone stored in his spatial pouch.

A while later, Shi Qian also felt it—his cultivation was once again being dragged upward by Long Ye.

Shi Qian: …

Looks like Brother Ye is giving it his all today, too.

He looked down at the spiritual ginseng in his hands, which he’d only taken a few bites of so far.

Today, he was going to finish this entire ginseng—not a single bite left behind!

_{OK first thing first, this chapter was way too long. And our brother qian is just too cute. Here I am wanting to reduce the belly fat and there he is, asking for it. Can we exchange maybe?}