The Lay Flat Life: My Wife's Cultivation Makes Me Stronger - Chapter 20

The little fox quickly clarified, “Oh no, no, it’s not that serious! He just likes to scare me, but he wouldn’t actually hurt me. He spoils me all the time. He gives me tasty snacks, fun toys, and we sunbathe together. We’re the best of friends.”

“Hmph, doesn’t sound like he treats you very well to me. I should just go find him and either make him give you to me or buy you outright. With me, you’d have access to all the heavenly treasures you could eat. I’d give you the best home and find other spirit beast friends for you. How about that?”

Jiang Surou was still determined to make the little fox her own.

The little fox sighed and asked, “Sister, do you have a family? Do you have parents?”

“Of course.”

“Do you have siblings?”

“I have an older brother and an older sister. Why?”

“Do you have good friends?”

“Yes, I have two or three close companions.”

“And you probably have a lot of admirers, lots of cultivation resources, and you’re a recognized talent among the outer disciples, aren’t you?”

“Yes, but what are you getting at?” Jiang Surou asked, puzzled.

The little fox sighed again and said, “But he has nothing. I’m all he has.”

The moment the little fox finished speaking, Jiang Surou froze. A deep sense of guilt washed over her, flooding her heart.

That’s right. Han Feng was just a servant disciple—no parents, no friends, no resources. Even his Dao partner was just a name on paper, not someone he could rely on. He had nothing… except this little pet.

And here I am, trying to take the only thing he has left.

Am I really this heartless?

“Sigh, fine, I suppose he is rather pitiful. He doesn’t have anything, and yet you still choose to stay with him. I envy your bond with him,” Jiang Surou said quietly.

The little fox, hearing this, smirked internally.

Of course, Jiang Surou’s environment would be better, and she did seem to genuinely care for the fox. But compared to Han Feng’s life of poverty, where the fox had to work hard in exchange for spirit stones, there was a crucial difference.

Jiang Surou saw the fox as a pet, nothing more. Han Feng, on the other hand, treated the fox as an equal—a friend.

If the little fox had been willing to accept being someone’s spirit pet, it wouldn’t have spent its life dodging humans and feeding off the spiritual energy of corpses.

Every human it had encountered before had tried to tame or capture it, except for Han Feng. He was the only one who had made the fox feel at ease, someone who was willing to protect it and treat it like a true friend.

Jiang Surou picked up the sword and said, “Alright, since keeping this sword with him might bring him trouble, I’ll hold on to it for now. When he’s strong enough to wield it, I’ll return it to him.”

“But he’s given me such a valuable gift. What should I give him in return? Sigh, if I keep this up, I’ll run out of things to give back.”

The little fox, ever the trickster, chirped, “No need to give anything! You’re Dao partners now—what’s yours is his, right?”

Then, with a sly grin, the fox added, “But, you know, Han Feng always says how cool and amazing you looked when he saw you flying on your sword. He said it made such an impression on him. He wishes he could fly on a sword too. Why don’t you give him the sword flight technique, so he can fly around with me? Wouldn’t that be fun?”

Jiang Surou chuckled, “Sword flight isn’t exactly a rare technique. Every outer disciple can earn enough merit to exchange it at the Sutra Pavilion; almost everyone knows it. Giving him that would be a bit underwhelming.”

After a moment’s thought, she continued, “How about this? I have a family technique that’s an advanced version of sword flight. It’s faster and more powerful and can be used both for flying and in combat. It’s a mid-grade profound technique called ‘Swift Wind Feather Blade.’ You can give this to him.”

She pulled out a jade slip from her storage pouch and placed it on the table.

“Of course, having the technique is pointless without a flying sword. Since he’s so poor, I’ll give him one of my spirit swords as well.”

Jiang Surou then took out a spirit weapon-grade flying sword and placed it next to the jade slip.

The little fox’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Wow! You’re amazing, big sister! You’re the most thoughtful, kind-hearted sister in the whole world. Han Feng is so lucky to have you as his Dao partner. I’m so jealous!”

“Such a sweet talker,” Jiang Surou said with a soft smile. “Tell him that this technique can unleash several wind blades in combat, and it’s quite powerful. He should practice diligently. Once he reaches the fifth layer of Qi Refining, he’ll be able to use it effectively.”

“Got it! I’ll tell him!” The little fox nodded eagerly.

After playing with Jiang Surou for a little while longer, the fox took the sword and jade slip and said its farewells, bounding off down the mountain.

After the little fox left, Jiang Surou looked at the Windborne Sword sitting in front of her, a playful smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

“So, every day you send me gifts, spending all this fortune, yet you don’t mention dual cultivation? Little servant, you’re quite interesting.”

She carefully put away the Windborne Sword, then closed her eyes to resume meditating, focusing on solidifying her seventh layer of Qi Refining and preparing for a breakthrough to the eighth.

For geniuses like Jiang Surou and Ye Longyuan, who possessed Heavenly Spirit Roots, cultivation progressed quickly. The reason they were still in the Qi Refining stage wasn’t due to a lack of talent. Rather, it was because, before the age of eighteen, they couldn’t advance too rapidly. Their bodies weren’t fully matured, and a solid foundation was crucial.

Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment were the most populated stages in the cultivation world, but they were also the most important for building a strong foundation.

Just like a tall building requires a solid base, rushing through these foundational stages would only cause problems down the line.

After reaching the age of eighteen, they could accelerate their cultivation and aim for breakthroughs.

Meanwhile, back in his little courtyard at the foot of the mountain, Han Feng was lying peacefully on his deck chair, basking in the sun. Then, suddenly, a voice echoed in his mind.

[Han Feng has gifted a low-grade spirit treasure, Windborne Sword, to his Dao partner. You have received a tenfold return: mid-grade spirit treasure, Windstorm Sword. Would you like to claim it?]

Ah, finally, the moment he had been waiting for! Looks like the little fox did a good job.

Han Feng was ecstatic. Without hesitation, he said,

“Claim.”

In an instant, a sky-blue flying sword appeared in his hand.

This sword was longer and more elegant than the Windborne Sword, its intricate patterns shimmering in the sunlight, engraved with Daoist runes and formations that radiated a subtle power.

Now, Han Feng had two weapons: a mid-grade spirit treasure, the Windstorm Sword, and a mid-grade spirit weapon, the Ice Dagger.

Well, the Ice Dagger wasn’t good for much besides cutting herbs, but still…

Han Feng admired the new sword for a while before putting it away and reclining back on his chair to continue his sunbathing, letting his thoughts drift.

His mind wandered, thinking about many things. Eventually, his thoughts settled on the Marriage Blessing.

Honestly, he hadn’t had much time to reflect on it over the past few days because he had been so busy. But now that he had a moment to think, he realized just how incredible this Marriage Blessing was.

Not only could it return cultivation power, but it could also return treasures.

This was practically divine intervention!