The fluffy creature in front of him looked like a mix between a cat and a fox. Its ears were particularly long, and its entire body was covered in snow-white fur. It stared at Lin Mo with big, round, glistening eyes.

“A spirit beast from the secret realm?”

Lin Mo examined the little creature for a while. It showed no hostility, rolling around on the ground before coming to his feet and rubbing its little head against him. It felt somewhat familiar, but he couldn’t immediately recall where he had seen it before.

“Meow~”

A soft and adorable cry rang out.

Lin Mo, “…”

The little fluffy spirit beast had completely won him over.

Truth be told, in his previous life, he had quite liked cats and dogs—as long as they had good temperaments. Reaching out, he gently patted the cat-like spirit beast’s head and asked softly, “Little one, why are you following me?”

The spirit beast seemed to understand his words. It raised its tiny paws, patted its own mouth a few times, then rubbed its belly.

Seeing this reaction, Lin Mo tentatively asked, “Are you hungry?”

The spirit beast nodded and let out another soft “Meow~.”

“You’re quite the smart little fellow.” Lin Mo chuckled, taking out a few spiritual fruits from his storage ring and placing them on the ground.

The little spirit beast glanced at the fruits, then used its tiny paws to push them back.

This behavior puzzled Lin Mo. Could it be a carnivore?

Fortunately, he had quite a bit of spirit beast meat stored in his ring from his recent hunts. He took out some meat and placed it before the spirit beast again.

Yet, just like before, the spirit beast pushed it back.

Lin Mo felt a headache coming on. “You won’t eat fruit, and you won’t eat meat—what exactly do you eat?”

The cat-like spirit beast stretched out a paw and pointed at his storage ring, letting out another soft “Meow~.”

Lin Mo was straightforward. He took out everything edible from his storage ring. Besides spiritual fruits and beast meat from this world, he also brought out snacks he had previously collected—things like Lei Bi (a carbonated drink), Ji Pian (crispy chips), and candy.

The moment the spirit beast saw the candy, its eyes lit up.

“Meow~!”

It eagerly used its paws to tear open the candy wrapper and popped the candy into its mouth, showing a satisfied expression.

Lin Mo was stunned.

He hadn’t expected this little creature to know how to open a modern packaging bag.

After finishing the candy, the spirit beast began sniffing around at the unfamiliar snacks. It stretched its neck forward, licked the chips, and then started munching on them.

Finally, its gaze landed on the bottle of Lei Bi. A hint of curiosity flashed in its eyes.

“Hah! You think you’re smart, huh? Looks like you don’t know how to open a bottle cap!”

Lin Mo chuckled, twisting open the bottle and placing it in front of the spirit beast.

Without hesitation, the spirit beast grabbed the bottle with its two little paws and poured the drink straight into its mouth.

“This drinking style… Are you sure you’re a spirit beast? You’re acting just like a human.”

“Meow—!”

The moment the carbonated drink entered its mouth, the spirit beast jumped straight into the air. Then, it stared warily at the bottle on the ground.

Lin Mo laughed. “What’s wrong? Does it feel like the drink is biting you?”

The spirit beast nodded.

“Don’t worry, it’s not alive. Just take a few sips, and you’ll be fine.”

The spirit beast seemed to trust Lin Mo’s words. It hesitated for a moment before trying again. This time, it was more prepared. Though it still trembled all over, it didn’t leap into the air.

Gradually, the spirit beast got used to the taste of Lei Bi. It started drinking faster and even grabbed a handful of crispy chips to snack on while drinking.

This sight left Lin Mo speechless.

It really has become a spirit with intelligence… It even knows how to pair chips with soda.

Lin Mo grew fonder of the cat-like spirit beast the more he looked at it.

After eating to its heart’s content, the furry little creature rubbed its round, smooth belly and even let out a small burp.

“Alright, since you’re full, why don’t you go back to where you came from?”

After saying this, Lin Mo continued moving forward, but the spirit beast still trailed behind him.

“Why are you still following me?”

“Meow~”

This meowing sound carried a different meaning, and Lin Mo could sense something from it.

“You want to be my spirit pet?”

The little spirit beast eagerly nodded its head.

“You’re quite clever, knowing how to cling to me to avoid suffering.”

Lin Mo chuckled as he reached out to stroke the fluffy creature’s head. The long road of cultivation could be dull, and having a spirit pet might help pass the time.

Not overly concerned with the species of the little creature, Lin Mo followed the usual process to form a contract with the spirit beast. The cat-like spirit beast did not resist, and the contract was successfully completed.

With this little companion by his side, the journey of exploring the secret realm suddenly felt less monotonous.

The spirit beast actively helped Lin Mo collect spiritual plants, but it also insisted on eating a piece of candy from time to time. This left Lin Mo at a loss for words—it reminded him too much of that girl, Qu Ruyan…

Wait.

Lin Mo suddenly realized something and halted his steps. He turned to look at the spirit beast’s fluffy tail swaying behind it, and then, as if struck by inspiration, he called out, “Qu Ruyan!”

The spirit beast turned its head. This time, instead of a meowing sound, a human voice came out:

“Senior Brother, are you calling me?”

At that moment, the spirit beast also realized something was off. It quickly used its little paws to cover its mouth.

“Do you think covering your mouth now will change anything?” Lin Mo was utterly speechless. He grabbed the scruff of the little spirit beast’s neck and lifted it up to eye level, questioning it directly.

How did he not recognize that tail from the beginning?

“So, Qu Ruyan, you’re a demon clan member?” Lin Mo asked.

If she was from the demon clan, how did she have spiritual roots?

“Senior Brother, I’m a half-demon.”

Still in her spirit beast form, Qu Ruyan drooped her little head and remained completely still as Lin Mo held her. She looked just like a kitten being scolded by its mother after getting caught doing something wrong.

Lin Mo frowned and continued asking, “Haven’t you always had a Qi Refining cultivation? If you’re a half-demon, how have you been able to perfectly conceal your identity and blend into Qingling Sect?”

Still in her small spirit beast form, Qu Ruyan pulled out a green stone from her belongings.

“This is a transformation stone given to me by my mother. It helps me take human form and suppresses my demonic aura.”

Lin Mo glanced at the green stone. He could tell it was an extraordinary artifact, but he had no intention of taking it from Qu Ruyan.

“Then why did you join Qingling Sect?”

“Two years ago, I was passing by the area near Qingling Sect, and I happened to find an invitation token from the sect. I had nowhere else to go at the time, so I used the token and the identity jade plaque to report to the sect and enroll.”

“So your name is fake?”

Still in her cat-like form, Qu Ruyan nodded. “Mm.”

Lin Mo continued his questioning, “Then what’s the deal with your spiritual roots?”

Qu Ruyan obediently replied, “I’m a half-demon, so I was born with spiritual roots. I can cultivate using both human and demon cultivation techniques.”

Lin Mo finally pieced everything together. Whether it was a union between humans and demons or humans and fiends, their offspring could cultivate in either path.

Recalling how Qu Ruyan had said she had nowhere to go and ended up joining Qingling Sect, Lin Mo asked, “What about your parents? Wouldn’t you be able to go to the demon clan?”

“Ever since I was born, my mother and I lived in the deep mountains of the human realm. No one ever told me anything about my father,” Qu Ruyan said softly. “Until four years ago, when my mother passed away… then, I was left all alone.”

As she spoke, the cat-like Qu Ruyan pressed her entire face against the ground, looking extremely downcast.

Lin Mo finally understood why Qu Ruyan’s gaze sometimes felt as thin as paper—empty and filled with loss.

He reached out and gently stroked her head before setting her back down on the ground.

“Alright, from now on, just stay by my side in this form. If your identity gets discovered by the cultivators of Qingling Sect, it won’t be good for you.”

Among the four people he had previously traveled with, Qu Ruyan had left the best impression on Lin Mo. Now that she had become his spirit pet, keeping her by his side didn’t seem like a bad idea.

Besides, he wasn’t short on resources—he could afford to raise this little troublemaker, even if she seemed to eat anything and everything.

“By the way, do you know what kind of spirit beast you are?”

Qu Ruyan thought for a moment before answering, “Before she passed, my mother told me that I have the bloodline of the Taotie. I suppose that makes me a descendant of the Taotie.”

Lin Mo’s eyes widened in shock. “Huh? Taotie?!”

He stared at the cute, silly-looking Qu Ruyan in her cat-like form.

This little thing… is a descendant of an ancient ferocious beast?!

Lin Mo was dumbfounded. Thinking back to how this girl had abandoned her team to follow him, he couldn’t believe it.

Aren’t descendants of Taotie supposed to be mighty and powerful? How could she be this weak?

The offspring of an ancient beast should at least be at the Golden Core stage, right?

Yet, Qu Ruyan was still stuck at the Qi Refining stage?!

“Didn’t your mother teach you how to cultivate?” Lin Mo asked in confusion.

Qu Ruyan shook her head.

“Then do you have any special abilities?” Lin Mo pressed further.

“I’m really good at eating!!!” Qu Ruyan declared proudly.

“How the hell is that a special ability?!”

Lin Mo was completely speechless.

Perhaps her weak cultivation was due to her following human cultivation techniques instead of the demon clan’s methods. Or maybe her Taotie bloodline was too diluted to manifest its full potential.

But Lin Mo didn’t have any demon clan cultivation techniques to give her either.

He wasn’t in a hurry, though. After all, this secret realm belonged to the demon clan. Perhaps Qu Ruyan would find some opportunity here.

Over the next two days, Lin Mo continued exploring the demon secret realm, gathering various valuable resources, including many high-quality spiritual plants useful for refining top-tier pills.

He also accidentally stumbled upon a spiritual spring.

The spiritual energy in this spring was dozens of times denser than that of the highest-ranked cultivation grounds in major sects.

This could only mean one thing—there was undoubtedly some kind of treasure beneath the spring.

Lin Mo prepared to dive in and investigate when Qu Ruyan, still in her cat-like form, called out to him.

“Senior Brother, in this form, I… I can’t swim.”

What?

Is that even a thing?

He also didn’t have a Water-Avoidance Pearl on him…

“Then just transform back into your human form and come down with me,” Lin Mo said casually.

The only reason he asked her to transform was because it was more convenient. Carrying a human was more troublesome than carrying a pet. Besides, it wasn’t like he hadn’t seen Qu Ruyan’s human form before.

“Senior Brother, I’m ready,” she said.

“Alright, then let’s—”

Lin Mo’s words got caught in his throat as the sight before him nearly made him choke.

“HOLY—!”

“You little brat! Where are your clothes?!”