Chapter 115: Die for Me to See

"First things first, don't you ever dream of riding on my back in this lifetime! If you try, I’ll show you what it looks like to die!"

Suddenly, a male voice echoed inside Fang Junmei’s mind. It was a callow, boyish voice, as if from a fifteen or sixteen-year-old whose voice hadn't yet deepened. It carried a hint of a tearful, blustering bravado, and that final sentence made its wretched situation all the more apparent.

Fang Junmei was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized this was the white horse speaking to him. He hadn't expected that being bound by the Heart-Link Curse would have such a benefit; it certainly saved him the trouble of trying to communicate.

"And another thing, you must find a way to lift this Heart-Link Curse as soon as possible, or I’ll show you what it looks like to die!"

The voice came again. The white horse was clearly in a passive position, yet in its eyes, amidst the endless gloom, there emerged a stubborn, arrogant, and almost rascally expression. Needless to say, this was all tied to its mysterious background.

Fang Junmei’s mouth curled into a smile. He suddenly felt that Bu-Dong Peak was about to have a new troublemaker.

"Also, don't you dare try to force any secrets out of me, or I’ll show you what it looks like to die!"

The voice returned. The arrogance faded into determination, as if it were truly serious. Fang Junmei said nothing, merely smiling, wanting to see how long the creature would continue its antics.

"And another thing, don't look at me with that lecherous smile in your eyes anymore, or I’ll show you what it looks like to die!"

The determination turned into bashful annoyance. No matter how the white horse looked at it, it felt like Fang Junmei was making a joke of it. In truth, it wasn't far off. Hearing this fourth demand, Fang Junmei’s smile didn't fade; instead, he laughed heartily. This white horse was truly an interesting fellow.

"Go ahead and show me," Fang Junmei said with great amusement.

"Don't laugh!" The white horse finally grew frantic and roared, "You humans are all despicable and shameless! I'll fight you to the death—"

Before the words had even faded, it scrambled up, traversed the void, and kicked out with its hooves! Fang Junmei naturally dodged in a hurry.

Bang! Bang!

The sounds of impact echoed repeatedly, but unfortunately, they were all misses; not a single kick landed on Fang Junmei. From this day on, the white horse had been ensnared and reduced to servitude. Its inner frustration was understandable. This flurry of kicking lasted for two cups of tea’s time before it finally stopped, panting heavily.

The reason it decided to quit wasn't because it was tired, but because Fang Junmei had intentionally left a few openings, allowing it to land a few blows. Besides, the creature hadn't fully recovered its strength yet, so it couldn't kill anyone anyway.

After a few minutes, the man and the horse stood panting and staring at each other. The white horse knew Fang Junmei had let it land those hits on purpose. Though its expression remained sullen and morose, it had improved slightly, and the gaze it directed toward Fang Junmei carried a few new, subtle shifts.

Fang Junmei’s expression turned serious. Seeing that the creature still suffered from the effects of the poisons and sedatives, he took out the antidote and fed it. The white horse grumbled, snorting as it ate.

Fang Junmei patted its back and said, "You saw the ins and outs of the whole situation clearly enough yourself. It wasn't my intent to enslave you; it was simply a twist of fate and a coincidence. In the future, I will find a way to break this curse and grant you your freedom."

"Are you telling the truth? You aren't just spouting lies to trick me into teaching you the Way of Space?" the white horse asked in surprise. Its boyish voice was exceptionally crisp. Judging by its behavior, it was likely still in its own youth. Generally speaking, the lifespan of a spirit beast of the same cultivation level was longer than that of a human, but their mental maturity developed much more slowly.

Fang Junmei nodded slightly, then smiled and added, "Setting aside the Heart-Link Curse, counting this time, I have saved your life three times already. Isn't that enough to justify learning a bit of the Way of Space from you?"

"Hmph!" The white horse snorted again. "How do I know you aren't in league with those guys? Perhaps they were all just pawns in your scheme to trap me!"

Despite saying this, its tone held a trace of reluctant sophistry. Could the white horse really not tell if they were in league? And it hadn't outright refused.

There was a chance!

Observing the subtle psychological changes in his companion, Fang Junmei breathed a sigh of relief. After so much effort, he finally saw a glimmer of hope. Without speaking further, he went to Qi Yu’s corpse, stripped him of his belongings, and then set the body ablaze until it turned to ash.

"Let's go. Once I gather the items from those other two, we will leave this place immediately," Fang Junmei said calmly.

"I can't leave! This place is very important to me!" At these words, the white horse’s expression turned uncharacteristically serious, and its eyes held a profound depth, as if it harbored a great secret.

Fang Junmei stared at it, pondered for a moment, and said, "No matter how important this place is to you, as long as you are alive, you can return at any time. The spiritual energy here is thin; no major power would bother to occupy it. Furthermore, the people we killed were important disciples of the Ten-Thousand Savage Mountain. Especially that last one—the experts from his sect might track us down soon. What will you do then?"

The white horse’s gaze turned thoughtful.

Fang Junmei continued, "If those two reasons aren't enough, I have a third: I must leave."

The white horse looked at him, stunned. *You leaving has nothing to do with me!*

Fang Junmei added, "If something happens to me and I am killed, judging by the name of the Heart-Link Curse, you probably won't survive either. So, for the sake of your own life, not only must you come with me, but you must also protect me."

At the end of his sentence, Fang Junmei chuckled with satisfaction. Anyone in his shoes, gaining a companion like the white horse—one who could never leave or betray him—would be smiling too. Upon hearing this, the white horse looked as if its world had gone dark, seemingly foreseeing the miserable fate of slaving away for Fang Junmei from now on.

"If you don't want to be so exhausted later, or live in constant fear, then hurry up and teach me the Way of Space so I can improve my strength," Fang Junmei added with a playful, wicked grin.

After circling around, they were back to the Way of Space again. The white horse was so angry its face turned black.

"Let's go!" Fang Junmei commanded, and with a clean, swift motion, he performed the Rainbow Transformation technique and took the lead. After a moment of sullen, frustrated glaring, the white horse stomped its hooves hard and followed.

...

They found the place where the brothers Tang Shi and Tang Yu had died, stripped them of their belongings, and burned the corpses to ash, finally calling it finished.

"Is there anything you need to take? If not, we are leaving now," Fang Junmei asked.

The white horse rolled its eyes and snapped, "Other than a pile of bones, have you seen anything else at my place?"

Fang Junmei realized it was true and laughed awkwardly. However, his friendly attitude toward the horse actually made the creature feel quite comfortable.

After a few moments of thought, Fang Junmei’s eyes drifted to the horse's belly. He smiled and said, "I get it now. Your belongings must be stored inside your belly, carried with you everywhere."

"No, no! Aside from those spirit beasts, there is nothing in my belly!" The white horse looked like a child caught with a great secret, its eyes darting around as it denied it repeatedly, its behavior so ghostly and furtive that it made Fang Junmei laugh.

Fang Junmei chuckled; he had only said it in passing and certainly wouldn't covet its treasures. The white horse was so angry its face darkened again.

Fang Junmei moved on, but not long after, he stopped again.

"What is it now?" the white horse asked, looking impatient.

"Can you take human form?" Fang Junmei asked, looking at the horse. "There are likely other cultivators who know about your affairs. To avoid being seen and tracked, your movements shouldn't be exposed."

The white horse replied, "We of the spirit beast clan cannot take human form unless we use special methods or survive the Transformation Tribulation. The Transformation Tribulation comes together with the Dragon Gate Tribulation when advancing to the Dragon Gate Realm. I have not yet reached that level."

Fang Junmei grunted in realization, murmuring, "That’s a bit troublesome. I can't just walk out with you swaggering along like this."

The white horse let out a disdainful scoff, with a look of pride that said, *I’ll just swagger out like this, and what can anyone do about it?*

"I’ve got it!" After a moment of thought, Fang Junmei’s eyes lit up. He took a Spirit-Sealing Plaque from his storage bag and said, "You can hide in this Spirit-Sealing Plaque for the time being."

"I don't want to!" The white horse immediately objected.

"You must go in. There is no room for negotiation. Are you trying to get me killed?" Fang Junmei scolded, hardening his expression.

The white horse was naturally arrogant, but ever since being bound by the Heart-Link Curse, it felt a strange, inexplicable awe toward Fang Junmei. Shaken by the rebuke, its body trembled pathetically. It blinked, then asked, "How long do you intend to keep me locked up?"

Fang Junmei thought for a moment and said, "Once we leave the Savage Wilderness, I will let you out to get some air. But you cannot use the Way of Space so freely; if you attract the wrong attention, it will cause huge trouble."

The white horse breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Seeing it no longer resisted, Fang Junmei knew it had agreed. He drew a drop of blood from its chest and dripped three drops onto the Spirit-Sealing Plaque.

The plain plaque instantly flared with crimson light, and its surface began to ripple and shift, as if made of clay being kneaded by invisible hands. Finally, the shape of a horse emerged in relief on the surface.

Fang Junmei channeled his magic, and a thread of red light shot out, landing on the white horse. Without a sound, the white horse rapidly shrank, flew toward the Spirit-Sealing Plaque, and disappeared without a trace.

...

Emerging from the ground, Fang Junmei didn't linger. Seeing no one around, he set off toward the north. He made a point to pass by the Golden Light Stronghold and the surrounding villages, but they were already empty; it was clear the inhabitants had packed up. They must have heeded his words and returned north. Fang Junmei had no more worries.

...

At this moment, there was still about eight years left before the secret realm opened. With plenty of time, Fang Junmei decided to use this period to return to the Pan Kingdom for a visit. Once those few remaining attachments were resolved, he would be free of worldly ties and could focus entirely on the path of cultivation.

Fang Junmei did not know at the time that it was fortunate he had left so quickly. Otherwise, he would surely have been embroiled in a major disaster. Because of the deaths of Qi Yu and the others, the bigwigs of the Ten-Thousand Savage Mountain were furious. Their investigation brought misfortune to countless rogue cultivators within the Savage Wilderness.

As for the grudges between Fang Junmei and the white horse, they would be settled another day.