Chapter 54: Old Fogey and Annoying Rabbit
"You are really generous today, old fogey! Do you have something for me too?" Said Rong Hua pestering the old man, but she was rewarded by a head flick again, "Ow, ow, stop you old fogey! How dare you bully this cute lady?!"
Rong Hua showed its front teeth and squinted her eyes at the old man, trying to threaten him but failed miserably because it's only made the old man smirked, "What? Are you trying to scare me to death with your cute look? If it wasn't for me sheltering you when you were still a powerless rabbit, you might have already ended up in a spirit beast's stomach. Don't be too greedy,"
"I'm just joking. Who wants your stupid gift? Hmph," harrumphed Rong Hua while poking her tongue at the old man.
"Of course, I gave them a gift as a token of gratitude for taking you out from here. I finally regain my peace and quiet life," the old man chuckled.
"Hmph. Don't cry to me later when you feel lonely in this shabby hut. If it isn't for my cuteness, you would have long become a senile old man," she retorted.
The little banter they had was actually a day-to-day occurrence within the house. The truth was if the old man gave her something as a present, she most likely would reject him.
Even though she sometimes acted bold and unbridled, she won't offend her benefactor for a mere treasure, no matter how earth-shattering it was.
She still didn't lose her humanity or forget how to differentiate between grudge and gratitude.
After she had turned into a rabbit, Rong Hua had been desperately fleeing from the Central Region until she found a space crack that allowed her to cross the region's boundary.
Unfortunately for her, she failed to handle the spatial law in her rabbit form, ended up being swept by space distortion, and eventually stranded in Eastern Region for the last 500 years.
The first time she enters the Blackwood Forest, her body was tattered and badly wounded, and she had no ability to defend herself as her cultivation was sealed off. Her experience in the space rift traumatized her a little bit, so she also didn't want to use her ability if her life wasn't in immediate danger.
Maybe it was a string of fate; she had accidentally trespassed the old man's spatial barrier when she was chased by Nascent Soul stage spirit beast and finally met the old man.
Initially, Rong Hua didn't put the old man in her eyes and even felt contempt for him because of his weak presence. But, when she looked at the old man's eyes, Rong Hua finally realized that she met an unfathomable expert beyond her grasp. She scared out of her mind and begged him for mercy.
Luckily, the old man didn't feel offended by her actions and instead gave her pointers about The Grand Dao in his free time. At first, she was cautious and polite toward the old man, but, understanding that the old man didn't mind her attitude and even quite entertained by it, she reverted back to her true self. Hence, the cohabitation between an old man and a rabbit began.
Due to her cultivation being sealed, she fully immersed with the knowledge of Grand Dao, furthering her comprehension of Spatial Dao without minding anything else.
After spending much time and effort, her technique and handling of Spatial Law improving by leap and bound. If she was in her situation back then, she could cross the continent unscathed. She could only achieve her current ability thanks to the old man.
So, when the old man said he would grow Nine-Petal Lotuses and needed someone to guard it, she willingly volunteered to take the duty. This was a way for her to pay for his kindness. When her task was nearly finished, and she was about to leave, she felt a little reluctant to part. However, weeping wasn't her style; she preferred a friendly banter as a farewell.
"Oh, you little rabbit, you really should change your way and become a better person lest you'll end up as a rabbit stew without even knowing how," said the old man in a mocking tone.
"Hehehe, let them come, it will be more fun, then. It's too early to decide who will eat who. I hope some of them are beautiful women. I love eating beauties the most," Rong Hua chuckled while a grin plastered on her face.
The old man didn't know whether to laugh or cry seeing Rong Hua attitude; some bad habit was hard to change.
"All in all, you should take care. The matter of the Nine-Petal Lotus, I will entrust it to you," said the old man.
"Of course, old man! You also take care of yourself!" said Rong Hua in a soft tone.
The old man lazily nodded and shifted his attention to Snowy, "Before you leave, I'll hand this thing to you."
And then the old man waved his hand and summoned a golden cauldron in front of the trio.
The golden cauldron was in a bad state, filled with cracks and holes here and there. Despite that, they didn't reduce the imposing aura exuded by the cauldron. The cauldron's surface filled with unreadable scribble seemed to carry the ultimate profundity of the Grand Dao. Scents lingered around the cauldron caused Snowy and Feng Xue Qi to gush wildly as if there were a remnant of an immortal medicine inside it. There was no doubt that the origin of the item must be extraordinary.
Snowy's eyes widen, and her body trembled when she saw the golden cauldron. She knew the item and its former owner very well, so its appearance gave her tremendous shock. Many thoughts were racing in her brain, calculate several implications caused by the item's appearance.
"I-it...it's impossible! H-how can this cauldron in your possession?!" exclaimed Snowy, who seemingly had lost her composure several times today, while glared at the old man sharply.