LAVW – Chapter 5 Secret Realm Ring

Shi Qian emerged from the folds of his clothes once again and landed on top of Long Ye’s head.

This time, it was Long Ye who took the initiative.

Clearly, Aotian’s clever mind had already figured out the key to the situation.

Even though it was Shi Qian who had led him to that conclusion, for Shi Qian, his goal was perfectly achieved.

Perched on Long Ye’s head like a Totoro, Shi Qian followed the enticing scent ahead, while Long Ye, holding a sharp medicinal sickle, searched forward.

Shi Qian only smelled the fragrance of spirit ginseng, without the distinct “treasure” scent that signaled danger, which reassured him.

Perhaps due to their eagerness, it felt like they had only taken a few steps before they arrived in front of a large spirit ginseng plant, its red fruits hanging overhead, its leaves lush green, and spiritual energy radiating from it.

There were no guardian beasts in sight.

Long Ye carefully inspected the surroundings, confirming there was no danger. He then placed Shi Qian to the side, gently stroked his back to reassure him, and began digging up the spirit ginseng. Since he had to lower his head while digging, Shi Qian would have fallen if he stayed on his shoulder.

After digging for a while, sweat beaded on the frail young man’s forehead. He rolled up his sleeves, revealing his toned arms.

Shi Qian looked at him, then raised his own tiny paws for comparison. A dangerous sense of competitiveness stirred within him.

But then he thought about the exhaustion that came with exercise, and then about Brother Hei Mao, who also had muscles…

Shi Qian righteously abandoned the idea.

Fluff should be round and soft!

Still, he wondered—where was Brother Hei Mao now? How was he doing?

With his carefree personality and strong fighting abilities, Brother Hei Mao was probably living a good life.

As for Mouse Mom, she must be happy too. Shi Qian could still remember that young, robust male rat—definitely a powerhouse.

While his thoughts wandered, something suddenly appeared in front of him.

Shi Qian focused and saw that Long Ye was handing him a sweet grass root.

The sweet grass root was plump and white, taken from the most tender part. It was so thick that Shi Qian had to hold it with both paws to gnaw on it.

“Try it? It tastes pretty good,” Long Ye said as he fed the little spirit beast the sweet grass root.

He had tasted it himself just now—it was delicious. And since it had grown near the spirit ginseng, it contained a rich amount of spiritual energy. To the poor boy Long Ye, this was the best spiritual plant he had ever eaten.

Remembering the few spiritual pine nuts that the little beast had given him, Long Ye took them out from his pocket, cracked them open, and placed them on a leaf in front of Shi Qian.

Hugging the sweet grass root, Shi Qian felt like he was on a fun picnic, his heart swelling with satisfaction.

He hadn’t expected the young version of Aotian to be this thoughtful and attentive.

What a promising candidate for a loyal caretaker.

“Squeak.”

Shi Qian freed one paw, bent down, picked up a peeled pine nut, and politely fed it to Long Ye.

The plump little creature, round like a tiny white ball, bent forward slightly, revealing a completely nonexistent waistline. It looked as though if it moved too much, it might just roll forward. Then, when the little white ball carefully held the pine nut and made a considerate feeding gesture—

Long Ye couldn’t resist.

For a moment, he even forgot about the spirit ginseng behind him. He crouched down in front of the little spirit beast, lifting Shi Qian up so the small creature could reach his mouth.

With a mischievous glint in his eyes, he opened his mouth slightly, pretending to be ready to receive the pine nut.

Shi Qian was extremely generous—giving Aotian a pine nut could never be a losing deal.

Absolutely impossible.

After all, everyone knew that Aotian was the kind of guy who would take a knife for his brothers—loyal to the core.

Shi Qian tossed a pine nut into Long Ye’s mouth, then used his spiritual power to lift the rest of them and stuffed them all in at once.

Merciless.

Not a single one was left for himself.

Long Ye had no idea that this little guy had an entire stash of pine nuts in his space.

So, when he saw the small spirit beast giving him all of its pine nuts, he couldn’t help but feel touched.

Lifting his hand, he gave the tiny creature a rub on the head. Then he asked, “Little guy, what’s your name?”

Shi Qian wanted to answer, but what was he supposed to say? “Squeak”?

Long Ye mistook his silence for not having a name. Given how small this spirit beast was, it was likely that it had only been born recently.

So, Long Ye took the initiative to name him: “Little White, Tiny, Ah Bai, Snowball, Snow Puff, Fluffball…”

Shi Qian was speechless. Squeak?

Bro, could you be any less creative?

Raising a paw, Shi Qian wrote the character “千” (Qian) on Long Ye’s palm.

Thanks to the consistency of the written character throughout history, its form hadn’t changed much, making it easy to recognize.

“Qian?”

“Nice to meet you, Xiao Qian.” Long Ye suddenly had the urge to pet the little spirit beast again.

But he had just touched it a moment ago and hadn’t washed his hands, leaving a bit of dirt on Shi Qian’s pristine white fur. Based on his observations, this little spirit beast seemed to be quite meticulous about cleanliness—most white-furred beasts wouldn’t be able to keep their coats this spotless.

Long Ye stared at the dirt on the top of Shi Qian’s head.

Shi Qian shook his head. “Squeak squeak.”

You have to call me “Brother Qian.”

Tilting his head, Shi Qian pondered how to trick Long Aotian into calling him “brother,” still oblivious to the fact that his ultra-cute image had just taken a hit.

It seemed that the common script in the cultivation world was a traditional character set. The characters for “brother” (哥) and “elder brother” (兄) were not in their simplified forms, which meant that newly illiterate Shi Qian couldn’t write them.

“If not Xiao Qian, then Qian Qian? Ah Qian? Just Qian?”

Long Ye had no way of knowing that this little furball, the size of a baby, wanted to be called “big bro.” In the end, he decided on “Xiao Qian” and explained his reasoning—Shi Qian was small.

Shi Qian: …

Someday, I’ll bring my big bro here and show you what real size is.

After naming the little spirit beast, Long Ye happily continued digging up the spirit ginseng.

The ginseng’s roots were numerous, and he intended to keep them as intact as possible to preserve the plant’s full potency. This required extra care and focus, making the process even more meticulous.

Meanwhile, Shi Qian nibbled on his sweet grass root. It had tasted good at first—nice and sweet.

Then he realized that someone had secretly dirtied his head.

Dashing over to the spirit ginseng, he angrily squeaked, “Squeak Squeak!”

Good job, Aotian. You gave me a grass root to keep me busy, messed up my hairstyle, and didn’t even say anything.

Before coming to this cultivation world, Shi Qian had already seen Long Ye’s entire life story.

The spirit ginseng in front of them was a crucial turning point in Long Ye’s journey. This very plant would trigger the classic engagement cancellation trope.

Long Ye looked at the little spirit beast in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

Shi Qian pointed his tiny paw at the spirit ginseng, which was about to be unearthed.

Since the little creature was too small, Long Ye squatted down, instinctively reaching out to pet its head again—only for Shi Qian to hurriedly cover his own head with his paws.

Sighing, Long Ye explained, “I can’t give you this spirit ginseng today. It’s for an injured elder. Next time—next time I find something good, you’ll be the first to get it, okay? I promise.”

When Long Aotian said “next time,” he probably didn’t mean “never.”

Shi Qian smoothed his fur with a paw, looking at Long Ye with a mix of pity and amusement. “Squeak squeak.”

You won’t be able to give it away.

Your fiancée is already with that young master from the powerful family in town. She’s about to come to your house and break off the engagement. You won’t even get to see her face—you’ll be treated as beneath notice.

Then, when you defy punishment and sneak out of the ancestral hall, hoping to meet her, you’ll be caught by your own clan. That’s when you’ll discover that your father was killed by your own people.

You’ll be beaten within an inch of your life and barely escape, forced to grow stronger. After that, you’ll return and wipe out your enemies, marking the true beginning of your wandering path to power.

For a brief moment, Long Ye thought he saw a complex mix of emotions in the little spirit beast’s eyes. But he couldn’t understand what it meant. He simply assumed that Xiao Qian was unhappy.

Xiao Qian gave me all the pine nuts, yet I can’t give him the spirit ginseng. And he’s the one who helped me find it in the first place…

Wiping his hands clean, Long Ye used a cleansing spell before scratching Shi Qian under the chin. Forcing a grin, he teased, “Why so quiet? Don’t tell me you’re jealous?”

Instinctively, Shi Qian shook his head, rubbing against Long Ye’s hand twice.

Being scratched under the chin—this felt amazing.

A tingling sensation ran through him, filling him with pure bliss.

Shi Qian, who had never experienced such a thing before, was left utterly dazed from the pleasure.

Long Ye took advantage of the moment, petting all the spots that cats usually loved.

Small and soft—like squeezing the fluffiest little glutinous rice dumpling.

It even let out little humming sounds.

So cute! If I take it outside, all the female cultivators will definitely fight over it.

Finally, Shi Qian realized that his noises lacked the dignity of a tough guy. He stretched out his paw and pushed away Long Ye’s overly enthusiastic hand.

“Squeak squeak.” Shi Qian pointed his little paw at the spirit ginseng again.

Aotian, get back to serious business.

Long Ye withdrew his hand, finding the little spirit beast’s changeable moods even more adorable. Just a couple of head pats, and it already forgot its previous anger—this had to be a baby.

After digging for so long earlier, this time, Long Ye managed to unearth the entire spirit ginseng in just a few moves.

The ginseng had reached maturity, overflowing with spiritual energy. If he simply placed it in his back basket, it would surely be noticed.

As Long Ye was contemplating what to do, a deafening explosion once again erupted from Jiutian Peak. They weren’t too close nor too far, so even though he couldn’t see the peak, he could feel the violent tremors shaking the ground.

Shi Qian looked up in shock, wondering what had caused such a commotion again.

He knew about secret realms—soon, they would start appearing all over the cultivation world, one after another.

And the protagonist, Long Ye, would grow rapidly through these secret realms, leveling up at an astonishing speed.

But Shi Qian only had a general idea of the plot. The details of this entire world’s events were beyond the reach of the Transmigration Bureau as well.

Shi Qian and the Transmigration Bureau staff only followed the flow of the world, correcting and maintaining its order. They weren’t meant to forcefully alter it, as that would interfere with its natural self-regulating mechanisms—severe disruptions could even lead to world collapse.

Could the hidden threat affecting the world be related to these secret realms?

The problem was so serious that it made Shi Qian’s fluffy little face look particularly stern.

But that seriousness instantly crumbled when he found himself scooped up by Long Ye the moment the tremors intensified.

Kind, responsible, reliable—aren’t these exactly the qualities I look for in a poop scooper?

Shi Qian’s little heart was thoroughly moved.

As if in response, the ground trembled again, making Long Ye lose his footing. He crouched down to stabilize himself.

A crisp crack rang out—some kind of barrier shattered, and the towering ancient trees before them vanished.

In the blink of an eye, the man and the mouse were back in the bamboo forest.

In front of them was a massive pit—the luxurious underground home that once housed the spirit ginseng, now mercilessly collapsed thanks to Long Ye’s handiwork.

As the ground continued to tremble, fresh soil was shaken loose and scattered into the air.

The sound of a landslide echoed clearly from Jiutian Peak, followed by a colossal splash—as if something had fallen into a massive body of water. For a moment, even the mountain streams seemed to rise, their rushing sounds growing louder.

Gripping the spirit ginseng tightly in one hand, Long Ye turned to Shi Qian and asked, “Xiao Qian, can we store the ginseng in your storage space for now?”

Poor and penniless, Long Ye couldn’t even afford the lowest-grade storage pouch.

Shi Qian glanced at the spirit ginseng, mentally calculating whether his little storage space could fit it.

Shi Qian followed Long Ye’s hand, ran up to the spirit ginseng, and stretched out his tiny paw to grab one of the main roots. With a firm tug, he stuffed the entire ginseng into his necklace. Due to his lack of proficiency, the white fluff on his chest got stained with dirt.

Before he could clean himself, Long Ye immediately assured him, “I’ll definitely wash you clean when we get back.”

Shi Qian: Squeak squeak.

You said it.

But deep down, he was thrilled—getting Long Aotian to bathe him? Who else could enjoy such a privilege?

With the spirit ginseng safely stored away, Long Ye carried Shi Qian and headed down the mountain, worried that the tremors might cause further collapses.

Upon reaching the roadside at the foot of the mountain, a sudden dazzling light erupted from Jiutian Peak. Blinding white radiance spread out as a massive influx of spiritual energy surged in. Mist swirled around the peak like layers of glowing clouds, and countless birds took flight, filling the sky in a spectacular display like a hundred birds paying homage to a phoenix.

Amidst the flurry of birds, dozens of streaks of light shot out like meteors, scattering in all directions.

Some flew far, while others landed nearby—one was heading straight toward Shi Qian and Long Ye.

Seeing the streak of light approaching, Long Ye’s heart pounded wildly. This is what I long for.

But in the next instant, he thought of the many powerful cultivators on Jiutian Peak. Clutching the little spirit beast to his chest, he gritted his teeth, channeled spiritual energy into his legs, and bolted away like a leopard.

He ran with all his might, as if terrified of being caught by the light.

That light was the mark of a secret realm entrance—a storage ring that granted access. Shi Qian remembered that Long Ye would eventually obtain one and secretly hide it away.

So, this must be that ring.

But why was Aotian running?

Just as confusion rose in his mind, Shi Qian caught a faint whiff of a fake “treasure” scent, making his fur bristle in alarm.

A cultivator must be following the ring.

“Squeak squeak!”

Run, run!

Shi Qian grabbed Long Aotian and immediately cast Earth Escape, tunneling away with him in tow.

Shi Qian’s escape technique was fast—but their pursuer was faster.

A middle-aged Golden Core cultivator used his magical artifact to snatch the streak of light, securing the ring. Then, sensing movement ahead, he reached out to block their escape.

Shi Qian and Long Ye were forced out of the earth, covered head to toe in dirt.

Reacting instantly, Shi Qian used a beast concealment technique to suppress his aura and slipped into Long Ye’s sleeve.

The Golden Core cultivator stood in midair, looking down from his flying sword. “Why were you running?”

Long Ye let out a breath and respectfully answered, “Senior Patriarch, I was simply too frightened and ran in panic. Congratulations on obtaining the treasure—it will surely make you even stronger.”

“Why would you be afraid? Treasures are desired by all.”

“I lack the strength to keep it—what good would it do me? I’ve survived this long, and I know my parents raised me with difficulty. I fear such treasures.”

“You’ve got a silver tongue, but it’s useless.”

The Golden Core cultivator sneered and scanned Long Ye with his spiritual sense from head to toe. When his gaze reached the sleeve, he paused.

“A spirit beast? Take it out and let me see.”

No one knew exactly what was inside the streak of light when it flew out. The Golden Core cultivator suspected that aside from the ring, there might have been other items that this lowly Qi Condensation brat had picked up.

Long Ye silently cursed the man’s arrogance but had no choice. Obediently, he retrieved the small spirit beast.

Shi Qian immediately went limp, closed his eyes, and let all four limbs dangle as Long Ye pulled him out—playing dead, as if he had fainted from fear.

In his past life, when he was hunted by Blood Sea Sect and demonic cultivators, they only discovered his identity as a Treasure-Seeking Mouse after seeing him in action.

Now, he was betting that by pretending to be unconscious, this man wouldn’t recognize his special abilities—especially since his outer appearance was more like a Totoro from another world than a typical demonic beast.

The Golden Core cultivator examined him and nearly made Shi Qian break character in rage with his next words—

“A mere Foundation Establishment-level spirit beast? Hah, I’ve never seen one this weak before.”