"Master, rest assured. Dian Dian will never let any treasure fall into Wei Yunqing's hands."
Dian Dian waved tiny paws at the air as if swearing an oath.
Yunxi smiled faintly, then opened the spirit beast pouch at her waist and summoned the Bronze Spike Beast that Xiang Sizi had given her.
Though only the size of two apples, the Bronze Spike Beast was a fourth-rank spirit beast, equivalent to a human Nascent Soul cultivator. It had not taken human form, but its strength was beyond doubt.
Yunxi smoothed the sharp spines along its back. "Xiao Ciwei, your task today is to keep an eye on the Shadowscale Serpent coiled on Wei Yunqing's wrist. If it dares to harm anyone, you eat it."
"Alright, Master, but could you give me a nice name?"
A crisp girl's voice sounded in Yunxi's ear.
Yunxi chuckled and tapped the Bronze Spike Beast's head. In her mind it was a hedgehog, so she had called it that by habit. She had not expected the little one to mind.
"Senior Xiang Sizi did not name you?"
Cradling the little "hedgehog," Yunxi asked as she walked.
"Hmph. That wicked woman only fed me the snakes and bugs she ruined in refining, made me clean up her trash, and never gave me a name."
There was a hint of grievance in the tone.
Yunxi smiled."What Senior Xiang Sizi fed you was all good stuff. Otherwise how did you break through to the fourth rank? Advancing through tribulation is no easy feat."
The little hedgehog twitched its nose and fell silent. Clearly, Yunxi had a point.
"You are this cute and this strong. How about Ci Tuan?"
"Master, that does not sound powerful enough."
The little hedgehog offered its opinion immediately.
Yunxi's apricot eyes brightened. "Then Cong Shan. One day the spines on your back will grow like a range of mountains. How about it?"
The little hedgehog plainly loved the meaning. It answered happily, "Thank you for the name, Master. From now on I am Cong Shan."
The newly named Cong Shan spun over in Yunxi's palm, delighted to finally have a name.
Yunxi returned Cong Shan to the spirit beast pouch, but she did not tie the mouth shut, so that Cong Shan could poke its head out to observe at any time. Dian Dian had already burrowed into Yunxi's arms and activated its skill to help its master sniff out treasures.
To shake Yunxi, Wei Yunqing flashed away from Huaxian Gate's guest peak. Only the Shadowscale Serpent twined at her wrist knew the truth. They could not possibly shake Wei Yunxi. Feeling its natural enemy nearby, Yingxi crawled restlessly around Wei Yunqing's wrist, too spooked to make a move.
Once off the guest peak, Wei Yunqing headed straight beyond Huaxian Gate. As the foremost sect of the Central Region, the towns that ringed Huaxian Gate were several times the size of ordinary cities. With the Five Region Grand Tournament approaching, the number of visiting cultivators had multiplied. Calling it lively no longer sufficed.
Unhurried, Yunxi followed Wei Yunqing. She wanted to see what the heroine's halo would bring Wei Yunqing today.
Wei Yunqing moved with a clear goal toward the street of loose cultivator stalls. She clearly wanted to try her luck for a hidden bargain. Most cultivators had the same idea, so the street was the most crowded. Fortunately, everyone here was a cultivator, and there was no pushing and shoving.
Per Dian Dian's request, Yunxi paused briefly at each stall to let it judge for hidden treasures. After the time of one incense stick, Yunxi noticed Wei Yunqing suddenly stop, then angrily shove aside some onlookers and push into the center of a knot of people.
Yunxi frowned. A sweep of her divine sense revealed the cause. Sheng Yuhong had been blocked by two female cultivators, the trio tugging at a white Jade Purity Bottle.
"Daoyou, you stood right beside me while I bargained with the stall owner. You saw it clearly. I picked this Jade Purity Bottle first, did I not?"
"Hmph. You did not pay spirit stones. The item goes to the highest offer. Why stop this male cultivator to testify for you? To prove you buy with your mouth instead of spirit stones?Do not tell me you set your sights on him because his cultivation is high and he is handsome."
"Do not talk nonsense. I know you are upset that Brother Zhou left, but what does that have to do with me? You have picked on me again and again. I endured it. You cannot slander me out of thin air."
Her eyes reddened, and the anger in them was hard to hide.
At the words "Brother Zhou," the other female cultivator reacted like a cat with its tail stepped on, ready to strike. At that moment, Wei Yunqing stepped between them, brusquely pushing the two apart. She turned to Sheng Yuhong. "Yuhong, are you alright?"
Sheng Yuhong frowned at the form of address, then cupped his hands. "Many thanks for resolving this, Martial Uncle Wei."
Plainly, he did not approve of the overfamiliar "Yuhong," and he stressed the words "Martial Uncle Wei."
He then moved to leave the center. Being the focus of a crowd was not his preference.
The two disputing female cultivators quieted down for the moment. Wei Yunqing's cultivation was above theirs, and she had clearly come to help the man, so they had no choice but to retreat a step. Even so, neither released the white Jade Purity Bottle.
Wei Yunqing felt that Sheng Yuhong had made her lose face. But in public, with both wearing Haoran Sect robes, she could not show him a dark expression. She swept her gaze over the two women, and her eyes stopped on the bottle.
Almost the instant Wei Yunqing's gaze fell on it, Yunxi flashed forward to stand before the women. With a flick of her hand, the Jade Purity Bottle flew into her palm. She tossed a pill vial to the stall owner. "In exchange for your bottle."
The stall owner, a middle-aged cultivator at late Foundation Establishment, had been planning to hike the price the moment his nondescript bottle drew a crowd. Another woman's sudden interruption cut him off. He could not even gauge her cultivation. Glumly he bent to pick up the vial, popped the stopper, and his expression changed. "Deal."
He packed up his stall in a hurry and left.
Yunxi had already stored the Jade Purity Bottle in her bracelet. She turned to the two women, whose hands still hovered in midair. "Zuo Die'er. Ming Ya. You are here for the Five Region Grand Tournament as well? I thought you were friends. What is this, a falling-out over Zhou Langchen?"
Facing the formidable bearing of a Yuányīng Zhēnjūn, Zuo Die'er and Ming Ya managed stiff smiles. After a long beat, both lowered their hands, swallowed, and asked awkwardly, "Y-you are Haoran Sect's Wei Yunxi?"
Yunxi's eyes curved. "Yes. You may call this one Ran Xi."
Zuo Die'er and Ming Ya exchanged a look, then bowed respectfully. "Zuo Die'er (Ming Ya) pays respects to Ran Xi Zhēnjūn."
Yunxi nodded and motioned for them to rise. She was just about to speak when Wei Yunqing cut in.
"Wei Yunxi, what do you mean by this?"
===
In here Yunxi originally call her new pet with "小刺猬" (Xiǎo cìwèi), little hedgehog.
刺团 (Cì Tuán) - "Prickle Ball"
刺 (Cì): Thorn, prickle, spine. This directly refers to the most obvious physical characteristic of a hedgehog.
团 (Tuán): Ball, round mass, sphere. This describes the shape the hedgehog makes when it curls up for defense.
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丛山 (Cóng Shān) - "Thicket Mountain" or "Peak Cluster"
This is the second, accepted name.
丛 (Cóng): Thicket, cluster, collection, grove. This character brilliantly works on two levels:
山 (Shān): Mountain, peak. This is a powerful, immovable, and majestic concept in Chinese culture, symbolizing strength, stability, and grandeur.