Chapter 143: The Six-Winged White Tiger and the Truth About Soft-Bone Rabbits
"That's enough. If it doesn't work, I have no objection to letting him drink a few sips, but don't go too far. I still need the water from the Lake of Life."
After staying with Xiao Qiang for two and a half hours, Di Tian finally lost his patience.
He had assumed that with Xiao Qiang's soul power already past level 60, the boy would hit his absorption limit quickly. Yet, two and a half hours passed, and Xiao Qiang still showed no signs of stopping. It was as if his body had become a bottomless pit, constantly drawing in the Lake of Life's vitality.
"No need to drink. Just wait another ten minutes, and it'll be done," Xiao Qiang said calmly, giving Di Tian a precise timeframe.
And so, the final ten minutes of Tian Meng's explosive absorption began.
"Not bad, not bad," Tian Meng's voice echoed in Xiao Qiang's spiritual sea. "This surge of vitality is enough for you to live another 500 years. When you eventually reach the limit of a Douluo, I'll research the vitality within the Soul Carving Knife. By then, I should be able to extend your life by another thousand—maybe even two thousand—years."
"As expected of Brother Tian Meng, you're incredible," Xiao Qiang praised with sincere admiration.
Then, as if nothing had happened, he pulled out a highly absorbent towel and began gently wiping Xue Di's feet. Once done, he helped her into her boots and prepared to leave the Lake of Life.
However, just as they were about to depart, a 100,000-year-old six-winged white tiger suddenly appeared before them. It knelt down respectfully and spoke.
"Xue Di, please allow me to follow you. I'm willing to serve as your mount and offer you my loyalty forever."
Xue Di glanced at him. "You don't seem to be an ice-attributed soul beast. You won't be suitable for the Far North."
"I understand," the six-winged white tiger said calmly, "but please take me in. There's no place for me in the Star Dou Great Forest anymore."
He wasn't lying.
Because of their strength, tiger-type soul beasts were rarely permitted by Xiong Jun and the other fierce beasts to reach the 200,000-year milestone. Thus, even after reaching 100,000 years, he lived cautiously, surviving day by day. He had hoped that by avoiding conflict and not competing for resources, he could eke out a peaceful life for tens of thousands more years.
But the recent crisis changed everything.
When the auspicious beast was attacked, and the humans demanded a 100,000-year-old soul beast in exchange, he was the one sacrificed without hesitation.
To the other fierce beasts, he was already a walking corpse, someone who would eventually become a threat at 200,000 years. Getting rid of him now was simply convenient.
Although he had survived thanks to Xue Di rescuing the auspicious beast, he knew full well he was merely alive, not safe. If he remained in the forest, his fate was sealed. Soul beasts didn't hide their feelings, and while he could rationally accept what had happened, the personal betrayal left him with no future here.
He had even stopped cultivating, accepting a lazy, uneventful path to death. But even that quiet end was denied him.
The human world? That was suicide.
Only if Xue Di accepted him could he have any hope of survival.
The Far North was far from the Star Dou Great Forest. Soul beasts rarely crossed territories, much less waged vendettas across them. If he stayed close to Xue Di, no one could touch him.
Though not ice-aligned, his century of cultivation granted him enough resistance to withstand the cold of the Far North's outer region. Compared to his doomed homeland, that sounded like paradise.
After seeking Di Tian and the others' opinions and receiving no objection, Xue Di gracefully climbed onto the six-winged white tiger's back, taking Xiao Qiang with her.
They departed the Lake of Life and soon arrived at what used to be the six-winged white tiger's territory.
Once the surroundings were deemed safe, Xiao Qiang immediately got to work. Activating his left eye, he analyzed the process of crafting a filter. Then, with a glow from his right eye, he materialized it out of thin air. He carefully twisted the towel over the filter, wringing out the Lake of Life's water, then filtered it seven times in a row.
"…Do you dislike this emperor that much?" Xue Di's cool voice reached Xiao Qiang's ears.
At first, she hadn't understood what Xiao Qiang was doing. But after watching him for a while, her expression turned slightly cold.
"No, please don't misunderstand, Your Majesty. This filter isn't for your sake," Xiao Qiang explained quickly. "It's just… the Lake of Life is too crowded. Too many soul beasts have been using it for far too long."
"So… you're disgusted by their bathwater?" she asked plainly.
Xiao Qiang nodded with a serious face. "It's not just bathwater. These soul beasts eat, drink, defecate, and urinate there. I can't even be sure the 100,000-year soul beasts and fierce beasts bother to wipe their butts."
It might be a fantasy world, but even in fantasy, Xiao Qiang had limits. If the water offered incredible benefits, he could force himself to drink it—even if he had to pinch his nose. But the idea of drinking soul beast bathwater was something else entirely.
"I wipe." The six-winged white tiger chimed in unexpectedly.
Then, as if proving his point, the tiger gently summoned a soft-bone rabbit from his territory. With a flick of his tail, he grabbed it and trotted over to a nearby spot. The rabbit did its business there… and its pure white fur immediately turned a tragic shade of brown.
Xiao Qiang stood frozen in place. "…Thanks. Unless I'm starving to death, I'll never eat soft-bone rabbit again."
"You won't accidentally eat it in the future, will you?" Xiao Qiang slowly edged away from the six-winged white tiger, just in case.
"Of course not. I left a mark on it—I'll never mix it up. It's my exclusive cleaning tool. I've tested many kinds of animals, and soft-bone rabbits are the most convenient. After every use, it finds a stream and washes itself before I reuse it."
"…What if it cultivates to 100,000 years?"
"Then it'll probably love being clean even more. As for revenge—if it wants it, it needs the strength first. Besides, if we didn't use them like this, how would their kind survive long enough to reach 100,000 years? Honestly, they should be thanking us."
Xiao Qiang's expression twitched. Suddenly, he understood why Tang San always seemed to think these soul beasts were courting death. If the experiences of Xiao Wu and her mother were brought up… yeah, Di Tian and the rest definitely had ways to die.
"Excuse me," Xiao Qiang said dryly. "I need to go take another bath."
He could tolerate the Lake of Life to a degree, but after that revelation, he needed to scrub every inch of his skin twice over.
While Xiao Qiang used his prepared clean water for a double cleanse, Xue Di took a far more efficient approach. Her fingers twitched lightly, and in the next moment, her legs were severed cleanly. The detached limbs melted away into plain snow, and her boots were casually discarded.
Then, with a surge of soul power, Xue Di began reconstructing her legs.
As a snow spirit born of nature, her entire body was composed of elemental snow. Whenever she felt unclean, she could simply discard and reform her body. A luxury Xiao Qiang couldn't help but envy.
If only he could shed his skin as easily—especially after that whole "rabbit toilet paper" revelation.