The neko loli in front of me is clearly a monster.
A so-called monster is a creature capable of harnessing spiritual wisdom.
Just like what is detailed in the myths and legends, these creatures can, in rare circumstances, harness spiritual wisdom, absorb the Essence of the Sun and Moon, and cultivate their strength to bolster their cultivation base.
However, because the Essence of the Sun and Moon is not easily absorbed, monsters tend to rise earlier than the rooster and sleeping later than the dog, working harder than the ox.
Their path of cultivation is even more difficult, often requiring decades or even centuries before any results could be seen; and throughout this time, the monsters would continuously enhance and perfect themselves... until—
They eventually become the mounts of the immortals.
While Lu Xun read these myths and legends back on Earth, he wondered if the immortals might show off their mounts just like how young people show off their cars. The thought was quite amusing.
Back on Earth, one can acquire a "mount" as long as they have money. There were some that only cost a few hundred, while others a few thousand or even tens of thousands!
Like a bicycle, motorcycle, or car...
When on a journey, Lu Xun used to consider Ji Li as a mount, yet he never dreamed that he himself would one day end up being considered a mount.
Could it be that the monster species have grown resentful of being used as "mounts" and being ridden on?
This possibility, although unexpected, was reasonable enough.
The little neko loli, floating in front of Lu Xun, noticed he wasn't responding, and continued in her high childish voice: "My name is Mao Nanbei. It's your honor to be my mount."
Upon hearing that, Lu Xun was slightly taken aback.
She's Mao Nanbei?
This name, which seemed kind of comical, was quite well-known in the world of 'Heavenly Dust'.
She first appeared in the middle of the game as a formidable monster. Infamously powerful and loved dominating the players as if they were worthless dogs.
Her popularity was unmatched, making her one of the topmost female NPCs, largely due to her memorable appearance as a neko girl.
Any post that involved her would easily exceed a thousand comments on the forums, with many perverse gamers even forming queues to be dominated by her.
But at that time, she appeared as a neko girl, he did not expect her current form to be a loli.
But considering the timeline of the game, this should be years before the game's midway point.
Seeing Mao Nanbei now, Lu Xun was excited.
It wasn't because of any particular fetish, but instead, because of her identity!
He knew just how special Mao Nanbei's identity was.
As expected, Murong Yan, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand it any longer. Her chubby face broke into a pleasing smile and she spoke to the little loli: "Young Elder, is that really okay?"
Lu Xun wasn't surprised at all by the title "Young Elder", but Ji Li was flabbergasted.
The little loli's ghost-killing ability had already left Ji Li awestruck earlier since she...
Has never seen anything like this before.
What she found even more shocking was the revelation of the little girl's impressive lineage!
Mao Nanbei, glaring at Murong Yan, made the latter's smile even brighter and her chubby face appeared more affable.
Seeing her affable demeanor, the little loli couldn't muster her fiery temper.
The sect did a great job assigning Murong Yan as her companion!
She stopped floating in mid-air and perched on the broad shoulder of Murong Yan instead.
It's actually comfortable sitting on her because she was fat.
And besides, Murong Yan was tall; with Mao Nanbei sitting on her shoulder, she was even taller than Lu Xun.
She put her hands on her hips, curled her lips, and said to Murong Yan: "There's no such thing as appropriate or inappropriate. Rules are meant to be broken, right?"
Upon hearing this, Murong Yan's chubby face had a complicated expression and she said to the little loli perching on her shoulder, "Young Elder, it's okay to say such things out here, but you mustn't say it in front of the Law Enforcement Elder."
The little cat-eared girl swayed her small feet in mid-air, grumpily saying, "I am his elder, why should I be afraid of him?"
But why does it feel a bit like she's projecting strength to mask her weakness?
"Also, I didn't say that, my second senior sister did. If he dares, let him find trouble with her!" she added.
Indeed, she's still a coward deep down...
When such a temperament is attributed to a little girl, we usually call it "Cute but Fierce."
Mao Nanbei continued to sway her small feet in the air, asking Lu Xun, "How about it? Would you consider becoming my handsome mount? Be it cultivation techniques or magical weapons, or even spirit pills and miraculous medicines, you'll have them all. What do you say?"
A mount is like the face of a cultivator. Lu Xun is quite handsome, so she felt it would be a show of prestige for her.
Standing next to Lu Xun, Ji Li stretched out her little chubby hand and gently tugged at the hem of Lu Xun's clothes.
Lu Xun always spoke to her without reservation, and she was concerned he would talk to the little girl in the same way.
Little did she know, Lu Xun was already scheming against the little girl.
Initially, his plan was to approach Murong Yan through Ji Li, and then gain access to Murong Yan's sect.
It wasn't about exploiting Ji Li - in doing so, he could fulfill her wish and also perfectly execute his plan. It was a win-win situation.
But with the sudden appearance of Mao Nanbei... things seem to have become that much easier.
Consequently, he smiled.
His smile was very warm.
Ji Li had only ever seen such a smile from him once before, when they were in the tea house discussing cultivators.
Looking at Lu Xun's smile, Mao Nanbei became even more fond of him.
He is indeed handsome!
Lu Xun, like a naive mortal with limited exposure to the world, asked, "Are you powerful?"
"Of course!" The little girl replied confidently: "I am here to take down a Ghost King in the vicinity. You saw the hundreds of menacing ghosts earlier, didn't you? They're just the remnants formed after the Ghost King died. I, however, can behead them with a single stroke!"
The core message was clear: You saw how smoothly I dealt with them earlier, aren't I awesome?
Upon hearing this, Lu Xun couldn't help but be taken aback, the Ghost King is here already? How many experience points would a Ghost King be worth? Salivating!
"Is your sect powerful as well?" Lu Xun continued to play dumb.
"Of course!" The little girl puffed up her chest in pride, seemingly honored.
As she held a high status within her sect, the more remarkable the sect was, the more impressive she seemed.
"Can I go take a look first and then make a decision?" Lu Xun asked again.
This was his ultimate goal!
He wanted to visit this sect, and then he could finally start the legendary 'perfect beginning.'
Such great sects always have grand formations set up, and those with low cultivation bases would find it hard to discover them. You wouldn't even sense it, even if it were right before your eyes, you wouldn't see its uniqueness.
The little girl furrowed her eyebrows slightly. She didn't like being haggled with.
But he really was very handsome, so she didn't want to miss out.
After pondering for a moment, she nodded.
At this point, Lu Xun timely revealed an even warmer smile.
The smile concealed the tension and anticipation of a villager about to venture into a big city, as well as the curiosity of someone at the base of the mountain desiring to explore its peak.
What the little girl didn't know was that Lu Xun was not at the foot of the mountain.
He had once seen the scenery at the peak as well.
At this moment, he was just exposing his true nature - he enjoyed playing tricks and games.
If we were to give him a name that matches Mao Nanbei's, we could call people like him "Sly Fox."
...