But right then, the communication jade hanging at my waist, which never left my side, suddenly flashed with urgent golden light. A bad premonition instantly rose within my heart.
The steward's voice rang out from inside it, choked with emotion to the point of nearly crying. "Senior Brother Shen, save us. Hurry to the Spirit Beast Garden. Lord Ling Shuang chased me out. The elder isn't here either. He said that if his fur isn't brushed properly today, he'll overturn the entire Spirit Beast Garden."
I took a deep breath. At the same time, the system's cold voice echoed once more.
Emergency mission. Calm the enraged spirit beast lord. Requirement, calm Ling Shuang's anger and provide fur care services that satisfy him. Reward, none. Minor favorability increase from the entire Spirit Beast Garden. Slight cultivation increase. Failure, for the next month a random team of low-level spirit beasts, currently in their hyperactive or shedding period, will be sent daily to Falling River Peak to pay a visit.
I immediately frowned. This punishment was no longer merely punishment. It was apocalyptic-level mental and physical torture. Being constantly harassed by a group of shedding spirit beasts — was that even letting people live?
I still had to handle sect affairs. I still had to maintain the image of a gentle and reliable eldest senior brother. If those creatures came every single day, I feared that within half a month all my hair would fall out. I would directly enter the realm of proving the Dao through baldness.
"Martial Uncle Wang, I'll head over immediately." I forced myself to keep my voice calm as I replied. But the spiritual energy beneath my feet had already erupted to its limit. My figure transformed into a streak of light and shot straight toward the Spirit Beast Garden.
I absolutely had to succeed. Failure was not an option. For the peace and quiet of Falling River Peak, for my critically endangered hairline, and also for the little dignity this eldest senior brother still had left.
Outside the gates of the Spirit Beast Garden, the moment the middle-aged steward saw me, his eyes instantly lit up. He looked exactly like a drowning man spotting a life-saving piece of driftwood. He nearly rushed forward and, trembling, grabbed my sleeve.
"Senior Brother Shen, you finally came. If you had been any later, I truly wouldn't have known what to do." The moment he saw me, the middle-aged steward became so emotional that he nearly hugged my leg and cried.
I could only steady myself, maintaining the professional smile standard for an eldest senior brother who had survived countless sect-wide disasters, and gently reassured him. "Martial Uncle Wang, don't panic. Tell me slowly."
After listening to the whole story, I more or less understood the current situation.
Ling Shuang was an ancient exotic beast. At the same time, he was also the auspicious spirit beast of the Water Marsh, and one of the eight great mountain-guarding spirit beasts of Lingyun Sect. He cared immensely about the cleanliness and smoothness of the fur on his body. His perfectionism had practically reached the level of seeing a single strand out of place and wanting to explode with rage. If this were my previous life, an existence like this would definitely belong to the type of VIP customer that forced every spa in existence into red alert mode.
Steward Wang clenched both hands tightly. The pleading expression on his face was pitiful to the extreme.
"Senior Brother Shen, I heard that all the spirit beast lords are very fond of you. Wasn't it you who resolved the incident when Lord Tailai caused chaos in the sect last time? And when Lord Difang was in a bad mood and burned down half a spiritual field, you were also the one who calmed him down, right? This time, I'm afraid only you can save the situation."
The corner of my mouth twitched slightly. What kind of exaggerated version had these glorious achievements spread into by now? I only wanted to peacefully be an ordinary eldest senior brother, not some psychological consultant and beauty care specialist for ancient spirit beasts.
But seeing Steward Wang's face that looked on the verge of tears, I still sighed and nodded. Then I thought about the consequences if Elder Sun returned and discovered that the Spirit Beast Garden had been overturned.
"I'll give it a try. But I can't guarantee success."
Hearing that, Steward Wang looked as though he had been pardoned from execution. He hurriedly led me deeper into the Spirit Beast Garden.
In front of Ling Shuang's water curtain cave dwelling, I clasped my hands and bowed. My calm voice rang out. "Disciple Shen Xinghan heard that Lord Ling Shuang is in poor spirits today, so I specially came to pay my respects. May this disciple ask permission to enter and greet you?"
The water curtain remained silent for a moment. Just as I thought the other party had no intention of responding, the pale blue light screen suddenly rippled like water brushed by a gentle breeze. A passage just wide enough for one person slowly opened.
I immediately stepped into the cave dwelling.
The inside of the cave was incredibly spacious. The ground was paved with smooth, warm jade. The spiritual energy was so abundant that merely breathing made one feel relaxed. In the corner were piles of spirit beast food and various pills emitting a gentle, refreshing fragrance.
At the center of the cave, an exotic beast lay sideways atop a soft cloud carpet under the glow of spiritual light. His silver-white fur reflected faint layers of blue radiance, noble yet cold. That was Ling Shuang.
His eyes were half closed. His expression clearly showed displeasure. His tail occasionally flicked lightly against the ground, and every impact caused the surrounding spiritual energy to tremble slightly.
My expression remained unchanged as I bowed once more. "Greetings, Lord Ling Shuang."
Ling Shuang lazily opened his mouth. His indifferent voice did not conceal his disgust. "That fellow surnamed Wang's technique is too rough. Brushing fur like using a dull blade to scrape skin. The circulation of spiritual energy is rigid, all form and no variation. The branches and leaves are not old enough, yet the fire exceeds by thirty percent. The spiritual essence has already scattered completely."