Chapter 8: Wang Changxue

Wang Changsheng had learned a forbidden spell for taming spiritual beasts when he studied immortal cultivation with the clan elders. Due to his financial constraints, he had never tamed a spiritual beast, which had always been a regret of his. Today, encountering this rare demon rat, he decided to tame it to add some excitement to his mundane life.

With a flick of his wrist, the Demon-Binding Rope yanked the yellow rat into mid-air. The yellow rat squeaked and writhed, its limbs twisting frantically.

Wang Changsheng squatted down and began to chant. A moment later, his hands glowed with a dazzling yellow light. He pressed them to the ground, and two beams of bright yellow light followed his hands, disappearing into the earth. Instantly, the ground rapidly petrified; the soft earth transformed into hard, gray stone, and a stone slab approximately ten feet square suddenly formed.

Wang Changsheng took out a porcelain bowl and began to chant again. A large amount of blue light materialized in the air, transforming into clear water as he recited the spell. He cut his wrist with a dagger, allowing his blood to flow into the porcelain bowl filled with water. Dipping his finger into the blood-laced water, Wang Changsheng drew an intricate, two-foot-square mystical pattern on the stone slab. He then sent a magic incantation into the pattern.

The mystical pattern instantly glowed brightly, spun, and then lifted from the stone slab, vanishing in a flash into the yellow rat's body. Wang Changsheng felt a peculiar connection form with the yellow rat, as if it were an extension of his own body.

Once the taming ritual was complete, Wang Changsheng altered his incantation. The Demon-Binding Rope released the yellow rat, which immediately darted towards the hole in the pond. Wang Changsheng formed a hand seal, and the yellow rat instantly shrieked, falling to the ground unable to move. Wild demon beasts, even after being tamed, retain their wild instincts and require gradual domestication.

After a brief hesitation, Wang Changsheng retrieved a wooden jar from his storage pouch. Opening it, a strong, sweet aroma of rice wafted out. The jar contained translucent blue rice grains that emitted a unique fragrance. The yellow rat twitched its nose a few times, then turned, its small eyes narrowed to slits, fixated on the wooden jar in Wang Changsheng's hand.

Wang Changsheng smiled faintly and poured the last bit of Blue Moon Spirit Rice from the jar onto the stone slab. After a moment's thought, he picked up twenty grains and put them back in the jar. He then told the yellow rat, "Be good and obedient, and every month, I'll give you some Blue Moon Spirit Rice to eat."

The yellow rat didn't understand Wang Changsheng's words, but it couldn't resist the alluring scent of the Blue Moon Spirit Rice. After a brief hesitation, it scurried towards him. Blue Moon Spirit Rice is a first-tier, mid-grade spiritual rice that ripens only once every three years. There were, in fact, only twelve grains of Blue Moon Spirit Rice on the slab. Knowing the worry a mother feels when her child is far away, his mother, Liu Qing'er, would periodically use spiritual stones saved through her frugal living to purchase Blue Moon Spirit Rice and send it to Wang Changsheng through an intermediary.

Wang Changsheng only ate a small bowl of Blue Moon Spirit Rice every ten to fifteen days, living a very meager existence. Had it not been for taming this spiritual rat, he would never have parted with those twelve grains of Blue Moon Spirit Rice!

The yellow rat quickly devoured all twelve grains of Blue Moon Spirit Rice. The twelve grains of Blue Moon Spirit Rice weren't enough to fill its stomach. It even stood on its hind legs like a human, squeaking as if trying to communicate something. Through their spiritual connection, Wang Changsheng clearly sensed the rat's intense craving.

"Giving you a small portion isn't enough? You're such a glutton!" Wang Changsheng chuckled softly, then took out ten more grains of Blue Moon Spirit Rice and placed them in his palm.

The yellow rat couldn't reach. After a brief hesitation, it scampered up Wang Changsheng's pant leg, then onto his body, and finally into his palm, where it quickly ate the ten grains of Blue Moon Spirit Rice.

"Squeak!" The yellow rat lay contentedly in Wang Changsheng's palm, its tail swishing back and forth. Wang Changsheng could feel its immense happiness.

"You little glutton must have eaten plenty of good things; just look how plump you are," Wang Changsheng said with a light chuckle, gently grasping the pudgy yellow rat.

"Squeak!" The yellow rat squeaked incessantly, seemingly protesting Wang Changsheng's jab about its weight.

"Alright, it's getting late. Let's head home," Wang Changsheng said, tucking the yellow rat into his robes before turning and walking out. He would be leaving this place in another year and wouldn't need this segment of the spiritual vein. Nevertheless, he still cast an Earth Wall spell to block the cave entrance.

Emerging from the cave, Wang Changsheng's lips moved subtly. A white cloud materialized beneath his feet, slowly lifting him into the air and carrying him off into the distance.

Upon returning to Lotus Island, Wang Changsheng resumed his tedious and demanding cultivation routine. He practiced spells in the mornings and meditated in the afternoons and evenings. His days were quite monotonous, but with the spiritual rat for company, they were a little more bearable than before. Among the myriad arts of cultivation, beast taming was one, but Wang Changsheng had started his duties two years early and thus knew little about this particular skill. He didn't know the spiritual rat's name, only that it had a voracious appetite.

Two months quickly passed by.

One early morning, as Wang Changsheng was eating breakfast, the spiritual rat lay on the table, heartily devouring a yellow croaker. Each meal, Wang Changsheng would share some of his food with the spiritual rat, slowly earning its trust. By now, even if Wang Changsheng tried to shoo it away, it refused to leave him.

Just then, Wang Qiusheng suddenly entered. Before he could speak, his expression shifted as he spotted the spiritual rat on the table. He quickly exclaimed, "Ninth Uncle, please forgive me! Your grandson has been remiss, allowing a mere rat to enter! I'll catch it right away." With that, he quickly approached the spiritual rat.

The spiritual rat seemed to sense something. It let out a squeak and, in a few swift movements, scurried onto Wang Changsheng's shoulder. This startled Wang Qiusheng. Before he could even apologize, Wang Changsheng interjected, "Don't make a fuss. This is my tamed spiritual rat. My appetite has grown recently, and it's been eating most of my food."

"A spiritual rat! I see!" Wang Qiusheng sighed in relief and chuckled, "Your grandson thought it was just a stray rat! But speaking of which, Ninth Uncle, your spiritual rat bears a striking resemblance to a Medicine-Seeking Rat."

"A Medicine-Seeking Rat! Tell me more about it!" Wang Changsheng's interest was immediately piqued.

"The Medicine-Seeking Rat, also known as the Golden-Eyed Rat, is a mutated species of mole rat. It has a plump body, a pointed snout, and is excellent at digging. With its acute sense of smell, it can easily locate rare medicinal herbs. Experienced herb gatherers often train Medicine-Seeking Rats to help them find plants. My family runs a herbal business and we've trained several of them. This spiritual rat's physical traits are quite similar to a Medicine-Seeking Rat's. If you hadn't told me, Ninth Uncle, I would have certainly tried to catch it and bring it back! An experienced Medicine-Seeking Rat can fetch thousands of taels of silver on the market!" Wang Qiusheng explained in detail.

Wang Changsheng suddenly understood. No wonder the spiritual rat could dig through the pond; it was naturally adept at digging and finding spiritual herbs.

"By the way, you seem to be in such a rush. Did something happen?"

"Second Aunt has arrived; she's waiting outside!"

Wang Changsheng's eyes brightened. He eagerly asked, "Second Sister is here? Where is she? Quickly take me to her!"

"No need, Ninth Brother, I can come in myself," a clear and pleasant female voice announced. As soon as the words were spoken, a woman in a long yellow dress entered. The woman in the yellow dress appeared to be around twenty years old. Her dark hair was elegantly coiled, her features were refined, and a hint of spirited heroism shone in her brow. Her eyes were bright as stars. The woman was none other than Wang Changsheng's cousin, Wang Changxue.