Chapter 113: All Things in the World Are Governed by Karma

I did not know how to respond, for I could not understand why he had suddenly given me a gift. While the pretext for such a gesture—congratulations on the recent events—was perfectly reasonable and acceptable, two things gave me pause. First, Han Mingxuan was wearing a sly, mischievous grin that suggested the matter was far from simple. Second, Xiaoyun, who was sitting beside me, had just seen my little sister, Xin'er, gazing at Han Mingxuan with shy, girlish admiration.

Although Xin'er is only nine and Xiaoyun seemed not to take it to heart, the fact that Han Mingxuan gave the gift to me instead of her caused a visible change in Xiaoyun’s expression. After all, I had seen the genuine surprise and delight on her face when Han Mingxuan first produced the object, only for that joy to vanish when he handed it to me.

The situation turned awkward, but Han Mingxuan was sharp—it was not for nothing that he earned the nickname "the Sly Wolf." He immediately noticed Xiaoyun’s disappointment and reached into his pocket again. He pulled out a silver ring and said, "This, for you."

Xiaoyun was so flustered she could barely answer. It seemed she wanted to refuse, feeling she hadn't earned such a favor, yet she clearly wanted it. After all, a ring carries a different kind of significance.

Han Mingxuan reached out as if to take it back. "If you don't want it, I won't give it."

"I do! I do!" Xiaoyun immediately reached out for it.

Watching this, Yubao covered his face with his hand, looking unbearably embarrassed. After Han Mingxuan slipped the ring onto Xiaoyun’s finger, he couldn't resist giving her a playful wink. He then turned to me, seeing my sour expression, and shrugged with a laugh. "My apologies, I can't quite grasp why you look so displeased. Surely two grown men can exchange a gift or two, right?"

Yubao looked even more uncomfortable; he downed his honey tea in one gulp and remained silent. As for me, I was busy examining the bead Han Mingxuan had given me. His sly smile always made me uneasy. Moreover, while he claimed it was a gift for me, the implication was clearly that I should take it back to Wangchuan so he could see what it was meant for.

"By the way, your soul still feels quite fragile. Would you like me to get you some spirit medicine?"

Han Mingxuan's expression seemed almost ingratiating. If we were mere acquaintances, I would certainly be grateful for his constant help. But as my debt to him grew, I began to wonder why he was helping me and what his true intentions were. As I had thought before, all things in this world have causes and effects. I am fortunate to have encountered so many good causes and reaped so many good results, but I could never fathom what lay hidden behind them.

***

Since I was carrying a child, I was hesitant about taking medicine. Even if it were "spirit medicine," the old saying holds that every medicine has its own toxicity; it was better to avoid it if possible. Especially coming from someone like Han Mingxuan, who wore such a devious smile, it was best to be cautious for the sake of the baby.

I shook my head and refused. "No, thank you. I'm pregnant, so I'd rather not take any medicine."

"Hmm." Han Mingxuan nodded. "Fair enough. Besides, with that ferocious beast around, you're not going to die anyway."

"I keep hearing you mention him. Do you... know Wangchuan?"

"Not personally," Han Mingxuan replied, shaking his head. "Your companion is a recluse. How could a minor spirit like me possibly know him?"

I pouted. "But I have a feeling you do. Besides, you stole the spirit orb from Pei Mu."

This was another point that puzzled me. After being with Wangchuan for so long, I had come to understand the hierarchy of levels: earthly animals, spirit beasts, demon beasts, immortal beasts, magic beasts, divine beasts, ferocious beasts, and finally, sacred beasts. Wangchuan had told me that sacred beasts no longer existed; they were the product of the first sacred energy that formed the world. While their descendants remained, their bloodlines were no longer what they once were.

Pei Mu belonged to the level between immortal beasts and divine beasts—higher than an immortal beast, but not quite a divine beast. Given that, Han Mingxuan, a mere spirit beast, was separated from both Pei Mu and Wangchuan by several tiers. How could he speak of that "ferocious beast" so casually, as if they were old friends?

Seeing my hesitation, Han Mingxuan shrugged helplessly and spoke with a touch of awkwardness.

"Alright, I do indeed have a request for that ferocious beast of yours. But it’s not that I fear him; I simply stand to gain a little something from the association."

"Can you tell us about it?" Xiaoyun asked, curious.

"Sure," Han Mingxuan replied, as if he didn't care much either way.

We then heard from him just how important a sharp sense of smell could be. He had smelled the scent of the Void Realm—the scent of Wangchuan—on me right from the start, and thus deduced that I was "Wangchuan’s cat." Wangchuan’s cats are not rare, but they are scattered across different lands, making them difficult to encounter. Once Han Mingxuan discovered me and Xiaoyun, he realized it was a perfect opportunity to get close to Wangchuan. He decided on the spot that he would give me as many fetal souls as I could consume. It was only after he extracted those souls from my womb that Wangchuan noticed a spirit beast from the Spirit Realm was helping me. In a roundabout way, he had managed to leave an impression on Wangchuan.

Though his initial intentions were malicious—trying to force Wangchuan’s attention through underhanded means—if Wangchuan hadn't rubbed my stomach and infused it with his restraining power, I would have ended up just hiccuping, spewing white mist, and eventually exploding.

"Bang! And my soul would have been blown to bits!"

How ruthless! Hearing this, I looked at Han Mingxuan, gnashing my teeth in anger. But when I thought about it, to him, I was just a useless peasant at the time; it was understandable that he would be so cruel.

"If you had no interest in me and were even willing to kill me, why did you step in to help my sister Xin'er when she was in trouble, and why did you start showing up at my home?" That was what I found most strange. Ever since he began "passing by" my home, I felt there had to be an ulterior motive. And since he kept helping me without asking for anything in return, I couldn't figure out what he was after.

"That’s a long story. In short, I picked up a scent regarding your connection to the Underworld. I didn't guess it at first, but later on, I caught wind of rumors and realized it was likely you."

"How did you guess? When did you start?"

"When your sister fell into that fatal mystery." Han Mingxuan smacked his lips and smiled. "I just followed the scent, and that’s how I ended up in your home."

I felt a headache coming on. "Even if I have a connection to the Underworld, that has nothing to do with you. Why would you go out of your way to help me?"

Han Mingxuan stood up, his smile turning sly again. "As it happens, I have a bit of a grudge against the Underworld. Helping you is a way to make my enemies suffer. That’s why I ate that gatekeeper dog the Underworld left on the second floor. Though, the taste was truly foul."

I replied awkwardly, "Didn't someone say it tasted delicious last time? Weren't you smacking your lips?"

"The physical body was indeed delicious! But the soul was rotten. To prevent it from running back to report who killed it, I had to eat it."

In an instant, Han Mingxuan turned his head, his face contorting into a wolf-like snarl. With a low roar, he startled me so much that the bead in my hand clattered to the floor! Yubao flinched, swallowing hard.

It was easy to understand the situation. The Spirit Realm was much like the human world, only with denser spiritual energy, allowing animals to grow stronger and even cultivate. But a fox is a fox—a small carnivore—and a wolf is a wolf—a large carnivore. The food chain was fixed; one couldn't blame Yubao for looking so pale with fear. Xiaoyun, meanwhile, was frozen stiff, and her cup of honey tea tipped over, splashing onto the coffee table with a sharp clatter.