A few days later, almost the entire Xuan Miao Sect had heard about how Gu Fuyou had summoned Nanzhu Jun during her beast-taming class.
The story was so absurd that no one took it seriously. They treated it as a joke.
They said that this mediocre person wanted to show off so badly that she had gone crazy and could make up any lie.
It was no wonder that those who hadn't personally seen Gu Fuyou's summoning didn't believe it. Even Yuan Changsui, who had seen it with his own eyes, did not believe that Gu Fuyou had formed a pact with Zhong Michu.
While the summoning was undeniable, whether a pact was formed was a different matter. Only the master and the spirit beast could feel such a bond. Others would recognize it by observing the beast mark.
A contract with a spirit beast would manifest as a beast mark on the creature's body, usually easily visible.
However, Zhong Michu was a human, and she wore clothes. Who could, or would dare to, verify if there was a beast mark underneath her garments?
Without evidence, anything was possible.
Yet Yuan Changsui simply refused to believe it. He was convinced that this was another one of Gu Fuyou's petty tricks.
He believed that Gu Fuyou, who was always tinkering with formations, had deliberately modified something to show off and summoned Zhong Michu.
To him, it was just another attempt by Gu Fuyou to show off, nothing more than a clever gimmick.
Believing he had figured it all out, Yuan Changsui was elated with envy. He shared this excitement with others, telling the disciples about Gu Fuyou's past "misdeeds" and informing them of his speculations.
Many believed him, thinking that someone of Gu Fuyou's limited abilities couldn't possibly bind a prodigious talent like Zhong Michu.
On this day, it was another beast taming class. Jiu Yuan was teaching at the Jiansu Peak.
Jiansu Peak was vast with a dense forest and was home to many spirit beasts, including high-level ones.
Jiu Yuan addressed the students, "All of you now have your spirit beasts. Regardless of whether you choose to pursue the path of beast-taming in the future, it's essential to understand how to get along with and control your spirit beasts. They are your most loyal friends, and will never betray you. Once they mature, they will become the sharpest weapons at your disposal."
"Today, what you will learn is how to hunt together with your spirit beasts!"
Jiu Yuan held a small white deer in his hands. The white deer was small, with a body length only as long as a woman's forearm, but its antlers had already branched.
This was a Zhuo Yue Deer. It wouldn't actively attack and was weak and fragile. Its only advantage was its agile body and swift movements. When it ran, it disappeared without a trace.
It was timid and easily frightened, bolting at the slightest movement, making it hard to catch.
The objective of today's lesson was to capture it within the dense forest.
This exercise was popularly known among the immortal sects as – the Deer Chase.
As soon as Jiu Yuan released his hand, the Zhuo Yue Deer hit the ground and darted into the forest, disappearing in the blink of an eye, leaving only a fleeting white shadow.
With his hands behind his back, Jiu Yuan said, "The prize is a bottle of Zhuling pills. Whoever catches the Zhuo Yue Deer should come to me. I'll be waiting for you at the foot of the mountain."
After saying that, Jiu Yuan began to descend the mountain on his sword.
Gu Fuyou called out, "Master Jiu Yuan…"
But Jiu Yuan had already gone far and did not hear her voice. Gu Fuyou let her arms fall in dejection.
Although Zhuling Pill wasn't a rare pill, it was still hard to come by. Plus, everyone had a competitive spirit, and rushed into the forest one after another.
While these spirit beasts were still young, they had sturdy bodies, capable of carrying their masters. The disciples sat on their spirit beasts with their heads held high, looking quite majestic.
Gu Fuyou stood in her spot, with no intention of entering the dense forest.
She had intended to tell Jiu Yuan that she wouldn't participate in the deer chase.
The deer chase was meant to train cooperation between the owner and the spirit beast. But who was she to cooperate with?
She didn't have the courage to summon her Senior Sister again.
In the past few days, the Xuan Miao Sect had been spreading this matter like wildfire. Gu Fuyou was well aware of it.
It wasn't just strangers who disbelieved her; even Si Miao and Gu Huaiyou didn't believe her.
However, the pact was truly set.
She had formed a pact with the unparalleled genius of Xuan Miao Sect, the flawless white jade the lofty mountain, the proud frost and snow, the ever-blooming Nanzhu Jun, treating her as a spirit beast.
She had even shocked herself.
Just days ago, she had lamented the unfairness of the heavens. And suddenly, the heavens had dropped a massive pie onto her, leaving her dazed and confused.
But what was the use of setting such a pact? Before she could even rejoice, Si Miao had splashed cold water over her excitement.
"In this world, among humans, only slaves are branded with contracts. Even if you didn't know the reason and summoned her, how dare you reach out and form a contract with her? Do you have a death wish?!"
"Forget the fact that she's the sect leader's beloved disciple; just based on her own cultivation, she is already at the Golden Core stage, a full three levels above you. She can kill you with a flick of her finger, leaving no corpse intact. Her status is so noble, and her future is limitless. Yet, you let her fall to the level of a slave. Where is your brain? I think the only reason she didn't tear you apart on the spot when you formed the contract is because of her good temperament!"
The cultivation ranks were clear: Qi Practicing, Foundation Building, Body Tempering, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Hollow Void, Soul Splitting, and Immortalization. The higher one goes, the wider the gap between ranks.
The three-level difference between her and Zhong Michu was like one being underground and the other in the sky.
Only then did Gu Fuyou come to her senses. She clearly knew that when she impulsively formed a pact with Zhong Michu, half of it was out of novelty and the other half was out of vanity.
Her talent was too mediocre. What her cultivation would amount to was predictable. Over these twenty-plus years, there had been little to look forward to.
Even though she herself had hoped for it countless times, she never encountered any heavenly or earthly treasure that would suddenly turn her life around, nor did she wake up one day with her meridians cleansed and her bones changed.
No matter how hard she cultivated, her progress was predictably slow. Years of effort couldn't compare to a moment of enlightenment by a prodigy.
Gu Fuyou felt that the heavens wouldn't give her any special treatment because she was just an ordinary person, unlike her eldest brother.
She had an unwilling heart, a fighting spirit, an extraordinary vision, but lacked the natural talent to support it all.
The clearer she saw this, the more bitter she felt.
Summoning Zhong Michu was the second biggest surprise of her life. She was too unwilling to accept mediocrity, so in her desperation, she used the blood from her ring finger to seal the pact on Zhong Michu's forehead.
Now that she had calmed down, the blood had completely drained from her brain. She realized that she truly had no regard for her life.
Logically, given Zhong Michu's rank three stages higher than hers, she could have suppressed the pact and easily killed Gu Fuyou if she wanted.
Just as Si Miao had said, among humans, only slaves were subjected to contracts.
Zhong Michu was a favored daughter of the heavens, but now she was under her control. Anyone with a bit of pride would be furious.
The fact that Zhong Michu didn't kill her was truly a show of great benevolence and virtue.
Once Gu Fuyou understood, she kept her distance from Zhong Michu, and didn't dare to summon her again. She was afraid that this benevolent and virtuous Nanzhu Jun might lose her temper. Even if Gu Fuyou could escape a death sentence, she might not be able to escape punishment for lesser offenses.
She had been avoiding Zhong Michu for three months now. Every day, she was anxious, fearing Zhong Michu might cause her trouble. Yet, deep down, she hoped to see her.
Zhong Michu didn't come. In the end, three months passed quietly.
Gu Fuyou planned to sit on a tree stump and wait for someone to catch the Zhuo Yue Deer before heading down the mountain.
That was her plan, but someone wouldn't let her rest easy.
Yuan Changsui, riding his spirit beast, approached Gu Fuyou. His spirit beast was a young tiger with a pale forehead and white eyes. Even in its youth, it was about three meters long, and with its mouth wide open, it could easily swallow Gu Fuyou's head.
Jiu Yuan said that in the future, with some effort, it might grow to the Nascent Soul stage, making Yuan Changsui very proud.
Sitting atop the majestic tiger, he laughed and said to Gu Fuyou, "Third Gu, where's your spirit beast?"
In response to his sarcastic question, Gu Fuyou rolled her eyes and turned her head away.
The white-eyed tiger, being of a proud temperament, roared at Gu Fuyou. A gust of foul wind blew her off her feet.
Yuan Changsui laughed heartily. The other disciples who hadn't entered the forest yet also found Gu Fuyou's miserable appearance amusing.
Finding amusement in her discomfort, Yuan Changsui urged his tiger toward Gu Fuyou. It looked as if the tiger was about to step on her.
Gu Fuyou quickly got up, backing away, and said in a stern voice, "Yuan Sheng, what are you doing?"
Gu Fuyou had backed up to the edge of the forest. Yuan Changsui smirked, "What am I doing?"
Yuan Changsui clamped his legs on the tiger's belly. The white-tiger roared and charged towards Gu Fuyou with a fierce momentum.
Cursing under her breath, Gu Fuyou turned and ran.
Yuan Changsui was in the middle stage of Foundation Building, and the tiger was also in the early stage. Against this pair, Gu Fuyou, who was only at peak Qi Practicing, seemed no match.
Yuan Changsui cornered Gu Fuyou into the forest, playing with her like a cat with a mouse. Not using his full strength, he teased her, laughing, "Third Gu, if you don't run faster, you'll be pressed down by the tiger's paw!"
In this dense forest, it was filled with tall grasses, trees of varying heights, and complex terrains.
Gu Fuyou scanned the surroundings and spotted a grove of red trees wrapped in vines. She changed direction and ran toward them.
In this world, there are two types of formations. One used one's own spiritual energy to directly form a formation, and the other utilized the geographical advantages to change the yin and yang and five elements to create a formation.
The former type of formation, although its power depended on one's own strength, was convenient to use.
The latter relied on the timing and geographical advantages and did not require the consumption of one's own spiritual energy. However, it mostly serves as a supportive formation like barrier formations, feng shui formations, and various restrictions. Their offensive power was not strong, and there were many limitations. It's also harder to master and is more cumbersome than the first type. Due to its complexity and lesser power, this kind of formation was gradually abandoned. But Gu Fuyou had done extensive research on it.
She ran into the red tree forest, reversed the Yin and Yang, changed the Five Elements, and placed a spiritual stone in the formation's core. By the time she finished setting everything up, Yuan Changsui had already caught up.
Gu Fuyou had no choice but to keep running, but this time she didn't seem as miserable as before.
Somehow, in the red forest, a thin mist lingered, and light couldn't penetrate through. Everything was hazy on all sides. With the branches and leaves overlapping and tree shadows looming, the clear path suddenly became hard to distinguish.
This was due to the formation set up by Gu Fuyou called "Ghost Hitting the Wall". Such formations work best in intricate paths and between numerous buildings. Although using this formation in the forest diminished its effects, it still significantly slowed down Yuan Changsui's pace.
Yuan Changsui drove his spirit beast, watching the person in front of him clearly within reach, but he could never catch up.
On the other side, Gu Fuyou occasionally threw a few talismans to counterattack. The spiritual light exploded on white-eyed tiger, causing it to cry out in pain repeatedly, greatly enraging it.
Yuan Changsui laughed, "This is more fun!"
Gu Fuyou's counterattacks not only didn't deter Yuan Changsui but instead intensified his efforts.
What made it worse was that other disciples saw and joined in the chase after Gu Fuyou.
The deer they were chasing, Zhuo Yue Deer, was too fast. After searching for a long time, they hadn't even caught a glimpse of it. And even if they did find it, the deer would only know to run.
Unlike Gu Fuyou, who not only knew how to flee but also how to fight back, making chasing her much more exciting.
As Gu Fuyou ran, she was cursing in her heart while fleeing desperately.
Among them, Yuan Changsui and the disciple Hua Xi who had summoned the skeletal lion that day chased the fiercest.
As Gu Fuyou fled ran out of the red forest, the white-eyed tiger's claws were about to touch her back.
However, in the next moment, she disappeared into the thin mist. Before the tiger and Yuan Changsui was a thicket of thorns. Unable to stop, the tiger charged straight into the thorns, getting injured all over.
It turned out that there were originally thorns growing here. Gu Fuyou had squeezed out through the gaps between the thorns. The Ghost Hitting the Wall formation had the effect of disrupting vision. Coupled with the thin mist, the tiger and its rider were entirely focused on Gu Fuyou and didn't carefully observe their surroundings. They actually didn't notice such a dangerous situation and fell into the trap.
Seeing Yuan Changsui and his spirit beast struggling in the thorns, Gu Fuyou didn't even have time to catch her breath. Hua Xi, who was following behind Yuan Changsui, rode on her skeletal lion and flew over the thorns.
The skeletal lion had wings and flew like the wind, instantly catching up to Gu Fuyou and swooped down, its claws grabbing her and lifting her into the air.
Hua Xi cheered, "Senior Brother Yuan, I caught her!"
After capturing her, Hua Xi hadn't yet decided what to do and was confused.
Gu Fuyou pulled out a talisman and shouted, "Spirit, come forth!"
The leaves of the trees fell one after another, and the fine leaves flew around, surrounding the skeletal lion.
The skeletal lion flapped its wings, shaking off the flying leaves, but the leaves went and returned, like sharp blades, cutting the skeletal lion as they went back and forth.
In pain, the skeletal lion loosened its grip, and Gu Fuyou fell from the sky.
After getting up and dusting herself off, Gu Fuyou hummed in dissatisfaction.
In truth, if she hadn't run, being caught wouldn't be too bad. At most, she'd be injured but not dead, and she'd become a laughingstock.
But she just wasn't the type to sit back and accept things.
Even a rabbit would bite when cornered, let alone her.
Not far from where Gu Fuyou was, the skeletal lion and white-eyed tiger freed themselves and chased after her again.
Both spirit beasts were bloodied from thorns and flying leaves, and their masters weren't faring much better.
Hua Xi was furious, she frowned, complaining, "We were just playing among fellow disciples! Why were you so ruthless in your attack?"
In her eyes, chasing Gu Fuyou was just playful fun, and there was nothing wrong with it. But for Gu Fuyou to retaliate and hurt her spirit beast was a mistake.
With a flap of its wings, the skeletal lion knocked Gu Fuyou to the ground.
Gu Fuyou almost laughed at the audacity but didn't get a chance to argue. The two beasts, one in front and one behind, blocked her path.
The white-eyed tiger roared furiously at her, advancing menacingly with each step. Yuan Changsui mockingly said, "Run! Keep running!"
With a powerful leap, the white-eyed tiger lunged at Gu Fuyou, its sharp white fangs looking as though they could easily snap her neck in one bite.
Annoyed and frustrated, Gu Fuyou saw Yuan Changsui continuing his torment.
With resolve, she set up a summoning formation.
Thinking they were the only ones with a spirit beast on their side? How wrong they were!
She shouted out, "Nanzhu Jun!"
A burst of spiritual light exploded in the air and quickly dissipated. In the middle of the grassland, a figure appeared out of nowhere.
Kneeling on the ground, the first thing Gu Fuyou saw was a white robe hanging in front of her, embroidered with intricate patterns on the sleeve.
She recognized it as wisteria, outlined in light blue silk thread. This depiction of wisteria lacked a sense of mystery but exuded elegance.
Zhong Michu turned her body. Gu Fuyou saw a wisp of white mist floating in front of her. Upon closer inspection, it was a cup of hot tea in Zhong Michu's hand, held slightly raised as if about to take a sip.
Looking up further, Gu Fuyou met Zhong Michu's cold expression.
It seemed that she had disturbed her Senior Sister's pleasant time of admiring flowers and drinking tea…
Gu Fuyou felt the rationale in Zhong Michu's eyes was on the brink of shattering, fearing that in the next moment, she might be overcome with anger and choke her.
She imagined Zhong Michu thinking: "You have no idea of the immensity of heaven and earth, yet you still have the audacity to summon me. I haven't killed you, but you rush towards your own death as if you are tired of living."
Chills ran down Gu Fuyou's spine. She licked her lips and gave Zhong Michu an awkward smile, "Senior Sister, it's been… it's been a while…"
The white-eyed tiger was already in mid-air, lunging forward. Before Gu Fuyou could finish her sentence, the tiger's paw was almost upon Zhong Michu.
Zhong Michu casually tossed the teacup in her hand forward, splashing the tea towards it.
It was a small teacup, how much tea could it hold?
Yet, when Zhong Michu tossed it, it seemed like a giant wave had been unleashed. A wall of water, several meters high, erupted from the cup, knocking both Yuan Changsui and the tiger to the ground.
Yuan Changsui lay on the ground, struggling to get up.
The white-eyed tiger had thick skin and wasn't badly hurt, but its four limbs were on the ground, its buttocks raised high, and its head bowed to the ground, as if it was stuck and couldn't get up, whimpering. Where was its previous imposing manner?
Spirit beasts lowered their heads to show submission. This big tiger was extremely afraid of Zhong Michu.
Seeing this, Gu Fuyou felt a mix of disdain and annoyance.
"You're destined to be a Nascent Soul Stage spirit beast in the future, and you're this afraid of a Golden Core Stage cultivator? Where's your dignity as the king of tigers? Have some self-respect."
Without a word, Zhong Michu was about to toss her teacup on the ground and leave on her sword. But Gu Fuyou grabbed the hem of her robe and pulled her back, "Wait, you can't just leave me here alone."
As she spoke, she gripped a larger portion of the robe even more tightly, "We're in a beast taming class. Master Jiu Yuan told us to chase deer."
Gu Fuyou was all in now, not willing to face an enraged Yuan Changsui and Hua Xi alone.
Since she had already summoned Zhong Michu, come what may, she figured it would be better to die at the hands of a beautiful genius than Yuan Changsui. At least that would be a more dignified end.
Zhong Michu looked back. Hearing that they were on a deer chase and seeing Gu Fuyou's distressed state, she could somewhat piece together what had transpired.
She glanced at the disciples who had gathered here because of the commotion. Seeing her suddenly appear, they stared in astonishment, just like the last time she was summoned by Gu Fuyou to the plaza.
Zhong Michu's expression was indifferent. After a while, she said, "I'll take you down the mountain."
Gu Fuyou quickly got up. Zhong Michu tried to pull back her sleeve, but Gu Fuyou, with a cheeky grin, let go and smoothed out the wrinkles she had caused.
Zhong Michu started heading down the mountain, with Gu Fuyou following behind. Only now did Gu Fuyou take notice of her surroundings.
The skeletal lion that had previously blocked her way was lying on the ground, its head buried under its wings. The spirit beasts of those disciples were all lying on the ground, whimpering. Some were even shrinking into their masters' arms, appearing extremely frightened.
The spirit beasts had all fallen, not daring to raise their heads, as if they were all afraid of one person.
As Gu Fuyou followed behind Zhong Michu, every spirit beast they passed bowed their heads and retreated.
Gu Fuyou looked at Zhong Michu with surprise.
It was one thing for young beasts to behave this way, but how could mature spirit beasts, even those of a high cultivation level, show such respect to Zhong Michu? Ordinary cultivators at her level wouldn't necessarily command such respect.
Could it be that she has some special method to control beasts?
The two passed by a large tea tree, beneath which was a curled-up white figure.
Zhong Michu went over and picked it up. On closer inspection, Gu Fuyou realized it was the elusive Zhuo Yue Deer.
The sight of it filled Gu Fuyou with frustration. She had unwittingly played the role of prey for it, making a fool of herself, while it had been comfortably basking in the sun here.
Before encountering Zhong Michu, the deer had been trembling with fear, but once in her arms, it seemed to enjoy the embrace, looking quite pleased.
Enjoying yet frightened, wanting to rub against Zhong Michu but not daring to.
Gu Fuyou had never seen a spirit beast suck up like this before.
Zhong Michu handed the deer to Gu Fuyou. Gu Fuyou paused, then hesitantly accepted it, asking, "For me?"
Without a word, Zhong Michu continued walking down the mountain.
They reached the foot of the mountain and saw Jiu Yuan in the distance. Zhong Michu called out, "Gengchen" and summoned her spiritual sword, then flew away on it.
Holding the Zhuo Yue Deer in her arms, Gu Fuyou was surprised that Zhong Michu didn't scold or blame her.
She played with the deer's hooves in her hands, looking up at the departing figure of Zhong Michu. She couldn't help but chuckle a couple of times, feeling like she had gotten a great deal.