It took a while for You You to calm down, though her voice still trembled with excitement.
"S-sorry, Master! I... I just got too worked up!" She panted lightly. "You must know what the Rebirth Flower means to anyone who cultivates the Xuanyin Foundation Technique!
That's... that's the ultimate sacred treasure we all dream of!" Her voice cracked with regret and grief. "If I'd found a Rebirth Flower back then, even just one petal, I wouldn't have... I wouldn't have died trying to break through!"
She looked at Xie Zhaolin, her gaze a tangle of envy, awe, and a touch of reverence she couldn't quite describe.
"No wonder... no wonder those plant-beasts are so drawn to you," she murmured as realization finally dawned. "The Rebirth Flower holds the purest essence of life itself. For any plant or grass-type creature, it's the ultimate temptation they can't resist!
This isn't normal attraction—it's the primal hunger of life itself!"
She drew in a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down, but her eyes on Xie Zhaolin had already changed completely.
Before this, she'd obeyed mostly because the master-servant contract left her no choice. But now, after learning her master had refined something as heaven-defying as the Rebirth Flower, her attitude shifted.
Someone capable of obtaining and refining such a treasure wasn't ordinary. That kind of fortune meant immense Luck, great opportunity, and possibly karmic ties that could shake the heavens themselves.
Following a master like that... maybe it wasn't such a bad thing after all. In fact, this might even be her chance—the key for her fragmented soul to regain form, maybe even to rise again someday.
"Master..."
For the first time, You You's tone carried genuine respect and solemnity.
"As for hiding the Rebirth Flower's aura, I'll need time to think. This isn't something simple."
Xie Zhaolin caught every flicker of change in her expression and understood everything without a word.
Power and opportunity—that was the true way to tame an old monster like her.
She nodded slightly, her tone steady as ever. "Alright, take your time. This isn't urgent."
After speaking, she didn't move immediately. Instead, she stood still, scanning the surrounding valley with calm, thoughtful eyes, her mind rapidly assessing the situation.
You You's words had sounded an alarm in her head.
Things were worse than she'd thought.
She'd assumed it was just bad luck running into the Bewitching Beast Yam and that avoiding its territory would be enough.
But clearly, the issue went far beyond that.
The aura of the Rebirth Flower might be a heaven-defying boon for her, but to the countless plant-beasts roaming the Endless Beast Plains, it was like a beacon in the night, calling them in.
The Bewitching Demon Yam was likely only the first predator drawn to her scent—strong, stubborn, and determined.
If she kept wandering aimlessly through the plains, it was only a matter of time before a second, third, or even more powerful and troublesome ones showed up.
The Endless Beast Plains were vast and full of bizarre creatures.
Some plant-beasts might not match the Bewitching Demon Yam in strength, but they could have other strange talents—tracking, stealth, or setting deadly traps.
In hindsight, running into only the Bewitching Demon Yam might've actually been good luck. nThat thing was relentless, sure, but its behavior was predictable, its targets straightforward. As long as she stayed alert, there was still room to evade or counter it.
But if she ran into something that could hide perfectly, ambush from afar, or use some weird tracking ability... then things would get a lot uglier.
She wasn't afraid of danger, but she wasn't stupid either. nUntil she found a way to conceal the Rebirth Flower's aura, roaming deep in the plains was basically waving a torch in the middle of a dark forest—it was just begging for trouble.
At least this place was quiet and remote, with plenty of spiritual energy. Even better, she'd already dealt with a few ignorant bandits earlier, so it was unlikely anyone else would come looking for her soon.
For now, this valley was relatively safe. Moving around without a plan in such a dangerous place might actually be riskier than staying put. At least she already knew the terrain here.
Still, that safety was temporary at best.
She knew perfectly well that the Rebirth Flower's aura was like a signal, invisible but potent. The longer she stayed in one spot, the easier it'd be for something sensitive to that aura to pick up her trail. And who could guarantee that the next one drawn to her wouldn't be stronger, faster, or even more terrifying than the Bewitching Demon Yam?
"Can't stay here too long," she muttered, quickly reaching a decision.
Right now, her only real hope was that You You could come up with a solution to suppress the aura.
She lowered her gaze to the jade slip in her hand and transmitted her divine sense. "You You, this place will do for now. How long do you need to come up with a viable method?"
Inside the jade slip, You You's voice came almost instantly, serious and focused like never before.
"Master, give me three days! Within three days, I'll definitely have a preliminary plan!
The Rebirth Flower's aura is too high-tier to fully conceal, but I might be able to dilute or disguise it—blend it into a different aura that looks ordinary enough to fool most plant-beasts! I just need to go through my memories for the right secret techniques."
"Alright, three days." Xie Zhaolin agreed without hesitation.
She vanished in a blur, reappearing at a more open part of the valley.
There, she raised her hand and cast a few layers of simple barrier and concealment formations. They weren't strong enough to stop powerful enemies, but they'd serve well for detection and misdirection.
Then she sat cross-legged, though she didn't enter deep meditation. In a place this unpredictable, she couldn't afford to let her guard down completely.
She closed her eyes, circulating her qi to recover while reviewing the gains and insights from her trip to You Ji's cave.
Meanwhile, part of her divine sense stayed alert, scanning the surroundings for even the faintest disturbance.
Time passed quietly in the valley.
The sunlight tilted westward, stretching long shadows across the ground. Her aura remained calm and steady, blending seamlessly into the environment. Only the jade slip in her hand flickered with faint light now and then, showing that You You was still inside, working tirelessly.
These three days would test both patience and luck.
She just hoped that during this time, no uninvited guest would catch her scent.
For now, everything depended on You You.