At this moment, a wave of conflict churned within him. What a waste!
If he had such a precious medicine, it wouldn't even be enough for his own cultivation. To feed it to You Meng?
Seeing You Meng swallow down the two thousand-year-old spiritual herbs, Wu Tao felt a pang of heartache.
Against his better judgment, he said, "Little sister, the cat I'm raising is just a bit mischievous..."
"What is the value of these two thousand-year-old spiritual herbs? I am willing to compensate you with an equal amount of spirit stones..."
You Meng turned to look at Wu Tao, shock reflecting in her cat eyes. She asked through telepathy, "Silly boy, what are you talking about? How did you suddenly become so generous, you who are always so stingy?"
Looking at You Meng, who was still confused, Wu Tao mentally cursed her, "You damn fool!"
"Do you think anyone who feeds you is a good person? I suspect this woman is lusting after your body..."
You Meng, who had been lounging leisurely in Teng Ling'er's arms, suddenly widened her cat eyes, her gaze becoming extremely vigilant.
She began to shift uneasily, staring intently at Teng Ling'er, a dark glint flashing in her feline eyes.
Teng Ling'er, unaware of what was happening, had no idea why the little purple cat in her arms was suddenly acting like a frightened cat.
Teng Ling'er quickly stroked You Meng's fur, gently trying to soothe her, "What's wrong? Don't worry, after you follow me..."
"I will certainly treat you well, feeding you delicious food and drinks every day."
You Meng's dream-like power flickered, revealing a hint of something extraordinary.
Sensing that something was amiss, Teng Ling'er had no choice but to set her down.
You Meng instantly transformed into a purple lightning bolt, darting onto Wu Tao's shoulder.
Seeing this, Teng Ling'er glared at Wu Tao and said, "Since you don't want to keep her, will you give her to me? I'm willing to negotiate any terms, I really like this little cat."
You Meng immediately perked up her little cat ears, looking at Teng Ling'er with vigilance.
This scene made Teng Ling'er's mood become utterly exasperated.
"I was feeding you just now, you can't just eat your fill and then turn your back on me..."
Teng Ling'er stood there, puffing with anger. The four Earth Spiritual Masters acting as her bodyguards dared not speak, fearing their master's anger might be directed at them.
Teng Ling'er and Zhu Hongzhang had similar personalities; they were both childish and immature.
This was largely due to their prominent family backgrounds.
In fact, this was a common ailment among noble families. The older generation was usually better, as age naturally brought maturity.
However, the younger generation was not so fortunate. The arrogance common among noble families meant that ordinary cultivators were often looked down upon as low-status, inferior beings.
Although noble families usually had strict rules and provided extensive training in etiquette, they generally wouldn't lack manners in public, preventing any outward display of their disdain. However, inwardly, they looked down upon those of lower status, and Teng Ling'er was no exception.
...
Wu Tao smiled, politely declining Teng Ling'er's request.
You Meng, perched on Wu Tao's shoulder, displayed a human-like expression of smugness on her furry cat face, raising her middle finger with her left paw in a gesture of contempt.
Teng Ling'er, gazing at You Meng on Wu Tao's shoulder, fell into deep thought. As a direct descendant of the Spirit King, she too was unable to comprehend why this little cat was so mysterious.
The Spirit King's library contained millions of books, chronicling the countless strange events, big and small, that had occurred in the Underworld over millennia.
Despite her usual penchant for reading, she couldn't identify what kind of divine beast this strange little cat was.
Divine beasts were powerful beings born from the heavens and earth, each possessing unique divine abilities and talents.
Some divine beasts lived in herds, like a race, while others were unique, singular existences in the world.
Her grandfather, the Spirit King, owned an adult divine beast called a "Zhen," possessing strength comparable to a Heavenly Spiritual Master.
However, the Underworld was vast, and no one knew its true extent.
Six parts lava sea, four parts land—this was universally acknowledged among all races in the Underworld.
Beneath the lava sea lay various fire-attribute heavenly treasures and strange life forms.
The Fire Clan, the strongest among the hundred tribes of the Underworld, largely remained within the lava sea, primarily due to its vastness and richness.
She even suspected that this little cat might be the only one of its kind in the world, a unique feline that had never appeared in the Underworld.
Otherwise, given this little cat's peculiarity, it was impossible that there would be no record of it.
Teng Ling'er directly asked, "Big brother, where did you get this little cat of yours from..."
Having been well-protected her entire life, Teng Ling'er still possessed a childlike innocence and didn't know how to probe for information indirectly.
Wu Tao was speechless upon hearing this.
Had this Teng Ling'er never ventured out before? Was she this direct?
If asked like this, even a ghost wouldn't tell the truth, would they?
Shaking his head, Wu Tao began to prevaricate, or rather, explain, "Little sister, it's just a little cat, I don't know where it came from..."
You Meng, lying on Wu Tao's shoulder, couldn't help but roll her eyes. After being together for so long, who didn't know whom?
From the perspective of this person and cat, Teng Ling'er's origin was quite mysterious. A full set of magical artifacts was not something ordinary cultivators could possess.
"Hmph, big liar, you can't even lie properly."
While Teng Ling'er's mind was indeed simple, simplicity didn't equate to foolishness.
The deceptive intent in Wu Tao's words was so obvious that Teng Ling'er could naturally understand it.
Of course, Wu Tao didn't intend to deceive Teng Ling'er; his only goal was to dismiss her.
...
Being a young girl, Teng Ling'er, in her frustration, declared her desire to gamble with Wu Tao, with You Meng as the prize for the winner.
"Since it's a gamble, there must be an equal stake. Little sister, what is your stake?"
Wu Tao merely teased, not taking Teng Ling'er's words seriously.
"Of course I have a stake. I'm afraid you'll chicken out."
Teng Ling'er declared haughtily.
Seeing this, Wu Tao couldn't help but burst into laughter.
He found Teng Ling'er endearingly naive and excessively simple.
"Little sister, I advise you to go back where you came from. Seeing your adorably foolish appearance, I won't tease you any further. Just leave quickly."
...
"Ah, you hateful person, you can't leave!"
Seeing Wu Tao about to leave, Teng Ling'er quickly stood in front of him, blocking his path.
Facing Wu Tao's furrowed brow and displeased expression, Teng Ling'er gritted her teeth and took out a mysterious jade slip from her storage bag.
Ignoring the dissuasions of her four Earth Spiritual Masters, Teng Ling'er, fearing Wu Tao wouldn't recognize its value, introduced it to him, "This is the 'Fragment of Time.'"
"It's an immortal technique that my grandfather spent great effort to obtain. According to him, the 'Fragment of Time' hides the secrets of the laws of time and is priceless. How about I bet it?"
"If you don't believe me, you can take a look first?" Fearing Wu Tao's disbelief, Teng Ling'er directly opened it.
The text in the jade slip was written in tadpole-like immortal script and emanated an aura of ancient times.
However, after only a few seconds, Teng Ling'er closed the scripture and smiled, "If you don't gamble, I won't let you see any more. This 'Fragment of Time' is incredibly profound; I'm not deceiving you..."
"Tsk tsk, Wu Tao, this little girl doesn't seem to be lying. Let's gamble with her this once, shall we? After all, even if we lose, I can still run back. Why not gamble if it's free?"
Upon seeing the 'Fragment of Time,' You Meng's eyes lit up. She looked at Wu Tao, who was hesitating, and said this.
Legend had it that the 'Fragment of Time' was created by a Nascent Soul stage cultivator in the Underworld. Mastering this text allowed one to control time and become omnipotent.
However, due to a great catastrophe, most of the 'Fragment of Time' was lost, with only fragmented passages passed down to later generations.
Over tens of millions of years, due to the different languages and scripts of various races, it was divided into numerous fragments, with the Spirit Race's version being the most legitimate.
...
Wu Tao and You Meng exchanged glances, and then decided to agree.
"You're gambling with us, but you won't go back on your word if you lose, will you?" Wu Tao asked earnestly.
Seeing Wu Tao's distrust, Teng Ling'er's face darkened. She placed one hand on her hip and pointed the jade slip at Wu Tao, saying, "Whoever backs out is a puppy."
Wu Tao felt a bit embarrassed upon hearing this. Regardless, his actions had been somewhat impolite.
Although he didn't care much about etiquette, given that she appeared to be a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, it would ultimately be unfavorable to Wu Tao if this were to get out.
Wu Tao bowed and said, "My apologies, I was a bit hasty just now. Please forgive me, little sister."
"Hmph, now I don't believe you anymore. No, I need to call some witnesses." Teng Ling'er suddenly shouted loudly, "Gambling, gambling, a peak showdown, everyone come and watch!"
"Little sister, why are you yelling like this? Don't shout indiscriminately here?"
Many beings from the Human, Spirit, and Warrior races in the exchange area looked over, wondering what had happened.
"The son and daughter of Vice City Lord Liu!" A Golden Core stage cultivator from the Human race recognized the most precious individuals among the onlookers who had come to join the fun.