Zhenzhu looked up at where he was standing. The man was under a large tree. With a flick of her hand, a branch above Luan Chun snapped and nearly fell on him, momentarily distracting him. He instinctively raised his hand to defend himself. As the oppressive spirit energy dissipated, Zhenzhu seized the moment and shouted. The guards, already poised for action, immediately rushed at Luan Chun. The distraction provided a chance for them to strike. However, as soon as their blades made contact with Luan Chun’s flesh, they were repelled. Zhenzhu also launched her Ten Thousand Silks Concealing the Sun technique at him, but even her spirit energy barely caused him discomfort. "His skin is protected by power of the character!" Baihu shouted. Hearing this, Zhenzhu changed her target from his skin to his eyes. Her spirit silk threads aimed directly at Luan Chun’s eyes. Stab! A sharp pain pierced his eye. Luan Chun, in agony, swung his sleeve, causing the guards and Zhenzhu to be flung back. "Do you think you can defeat me with such meager strength and spirit energy?" Luan Chun covered his left eye with his hand and immediately released a spirit energy towards Zhenzhu, strangling her. "Die!" He had wasted enough time. Zhenzhu wouldn’t let him kill her. She quickly dodged, using her Ten Thousand Silks Concealing the Sun technique to latch onto a tree branch to evade Luan Chun’s attack. Seeing this, the guards surrounded Luan Chun again. Despite the vast difference in spirit energy, they were determined to fulfill their duty and protect Lady He with all their might. "What should we do?" With Luan Chun surrounded again, Zhenzhu had a moment to catch her breath and hastily asked Baihu. If this continued, she feared she would become fodder for the wild dogs in these mountains. "Did He Ming give you a Fenghuang feather?" Baihu asked. "I have one." Before He Ming left to explore the martial world, he had given her a Fenghuang feather to protect herself in times of danger. The feather possessed the power of righteousness and sanctity. If Baihu hadn’t reminded her, she might have forgotten that she still had the feather in her dimensional bracelet. "Remove the dragon blood amber, turtle shell, and Fenghuang feather and give them to me. Quickly!" Baihu ordered. While the guards attacked Luan Chun, Zhenzhu hurriedly searched her dimensional bracelet for the Fenghuang feather and turtle shell before taking off the dragon blood amber necklace from her neck and handing them to Baihu. Baihu grabbed the three items in its mouth and leapt in different directions, placing them in suitable positions around Luan Chun. Seeing this, Zhenzhu immediately understood. The Five-Sacrificial Formation! What Baihu was doing resembled the creation of the Five-Sacrificial Formation that she had studied before. However, this formation required divine objects representing different directions according to the Heavenly Scriptures. So, did the turtle shell also possess the power of a semi-divine beast? Zhenzhu wondered. "But isn’t there still one position missing?" Zhenzhu cried out. The Five-Sacrificial Formation required five divine objects representing the elements and directions. Four positions were complete, but the last position was where Luan Chun was standing. "I will be the representative for the final position," Baihu said, confusing Zhenzhu even more. Wasn’t Baihu already representing the west? How could it also take the final position? "A’Zhu, I have sent a part of my soul to Yong Saiweihao. He will come soon. You must survive to meet him. Thank you, A’Zhu, for saving me back then. I give this life back to you," Baihu said with a serious tone, causing a bad premonition in her heart. "What are you saying!" "I have already split my soul once. I can do it one last time before my soul dissipates." If it didn’t do this, everyone here would die, including A’Zhu. A white-tier spirit energy cultivator was no ordinary. If it wasn’t just a fragment of its soul, this person wouldn’t be so formidable. But unfortunately, it had to use its life to repay A’Zhu. Baihu looked at the young girl. Since its birth, this girl had saved it and treated it exceptionally well. They had grown up together, facing hardships and sharing joys, helping her solve countless problems. In a few more years, she would grow into a beautiful woman. Unfortunately, it could not grow alongside her. "A’Zhu, may you grow up as you wish," Baihu’s last words floated gently on the wind. Zhenzhu was alarmed by its words. Soul dissipating... Did that mean death?! "No, Baihu!" Zhenzhu hurriedly ran to grab it, but she only caught the smooth end of its fur. Baihu split its soul into two parts. One part maintained the formation in the west, while the other leaped towards Luan Chun, who was toying with the guards’ blades. At that moment, the Five-Sacrificial Formation, which had all its positions and directions set correctly, unleashed an immense power and immediately pushed away anyone not involved. Zhenzhu was flung to the other side of the Huangdou field. "Baihu!" She tried to scramble up and then ran towards the center of the formation. No! How could she accept this? She had seen it since it was the size of a kitten and had raised it until it was larger than a horse. How could it leave her ? How could she survive without it? As the Five-Sacrificial Formation activated, Luan Chun realized that the power of the character that he had inscribed to protect his body was rapidly disappearing. How could this be? This was the character he was most proud of in his life. No one could take his life as long as this character remained. But now, the power of the character that protected his body was fading away. In that instant, he saw a killing intent, radiating from a formation he didn’t recognize, attacking him from all directions. This killing power was intensely determined and incredibly swift. All he could do was circulate his spirit energy to protect his life with all his might. Dark blood sprayed from Luan Chun’s mouth in a fine mist. "How dare you harm me!" His black eyes glowed with fury. "Come here, you wretched girl!" Luan Chun lunged at Zhenzhu. It must have been her plan to lure him into this trap. "A’Zhu! Run away quickly! I’m running out of strength!" It had used its semi-divine creature’s power to activate such a grand formation alone, and the price it had to pay was steep. This time, the price was its life. Hearing Baihu’s voice in her head, Zhenzhu couldn’t bring herself to leave. She ran back into the formation, intent on helping Baihu. However, no matter how hard she tried, the formation kept pushing her out. "Baihu! Let me in!" Tears welled up in her eyes, on the verge of spilling over. How dare you sacrifice yourself for me! Inside the Five-Sacrificial Formation, Baihu used its last bit of strength to attack Luan Chun with all its might. "Aaargh!!!" Luan Chun screamed in agony. His body slowly charred from the lightning unleashed by the formation. He gradually collapsed to the ground, but even so, he was still alive. Luan Chun struggled to rise. Suddenly, there was pressure on his chest. As he painfully opened his eyes, he saw the young girl with red eyes glaring down at him. Her eyes reflected a myriad of emotions: anger, hatred, resentment, sadness, sorrow, and mourn. Her foot pressed against his chest. "I will kill you! I will kill you!" She clenched her hands till they were trembling. Her fingertips glowed with silver-tier spirit energy. Her finger pierced Luan Chun’s heart. The character that had protected his skin was now destroyed by the formation at the cost of Baihu’s life. Blood trickled down between her fingers, while tears streamed down her cheeks. Luan Chun stared at the young girl in disbelief. To think he would die at the hands of a mere girl. Was it his negligence or his weakness? Regardless of the reason, he had truly failed. Soon, Luan Chun died with doubts lingering in his mind. Grief consumed Zhenzhu’s heart like never before. She had killed someone for the first time. This man had died by her hand. Zhenzhu looked at her trembling little hands, the hands that had always brought good, that had nurtured plants, animals, and even humans, and had benefitted so many. But this time, they were stained. She felt overwhelmed with confusion. Zhenzhu stared blankly around her. A single white fur floated down in front of her. As she reached out to pick it up, she realized her hands were covered in blood. Baihu’s fur was white and clean. How could she dare to touch it? How could she stain the fur of her friend? She retracted her little hand and clenched it tightly. "Lady He," a guard called again. Lady He was now lost in her thought. "Baihu, where is Baihu? Is it waiting for us back at the camp?" "Baihu said it would fetch Brother Hao to help us. It should be back by now. Why hasn’t it returned?" "But it’s alright. I’ve killed him. That evil man is dead. Baihu, come back now. Don’t be afraid. I’ve avenged you." "Sob! Brother, has Baihu returned yet?" Zhenzhu repeatedly asked the guards. She looked around but saw no sign of Baihu. "Baihu is taking too long. I won’t let it have any more meat..." Zhenzhu muttered incoherently, her eyes vacant. Despite the guards calling her name, she only blinked and listened, evoking deep sympathy from those around her. Yong Saiweihao climbed the mountain urgently, his handsome face tense, his thick eyebrows knitted tightly. As soon as he arrived at the Huangdou field, he was alarmed. The once vibrant yellow Huangdou field turned into a mess, as if being trampled thousands of times. There was no bright yellow to see. The young man anxiously scanned the area for Zhenzhu’s small figure, fearing he might have arrived too late. A spirit energy cultivator of white tier was no ordinary. She was only a silver-tier cultivator; how could she possibly contend with such an opponent? His heart burned with worry. Where was she? Finally, he spotted Zhenzhu sitting motionless next to a man’s corpse. Yong Saiweihao exhaled in relief; grateful she was alive. He approached her slowly, but the aura of despair emanating from her halted him. What had gone wrong? He glanced at the body. It was the body of a common looking, middle-aged man, not one of his guards. It confirmed the man was indeed the foe. "General, Lady He is not well.” "What do you mean? Is she injured?" Yong Saiweihao asked anxiously. "She is heartbroken, General. Her pet has died." "What?!" Yong Saiweihao turned abruptly. Only then did he realize that Baihu, the little cat, who had come to fetch him from the camp, was missing. Throughout the journey, he had been too preoccupied with her safety to notice. He never thought that her beast would even sacrifice its life to protect its mistress . Yong Saiweihao understood now why she had survived against such a high-tier spirit energy cultivator. "General, please check on her. Lady hasn’t moved at all.” Yong Saiweihao replied, walking toward her. The closer he got, the more he saw her small frame trembling. She was muttering something he couldn’t quite make out. When he stood before her, he saw her pale face and red, tearless eyes. It was as if she was trying to convince herself that what had happened wasn’t real, that she didn’t need to cry. Her small hands trembled, clenched tightly, matching the shaking of her body. Seeing this, he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and comfort her. Just as Yong Saiweihao was about to step forward, a fierce shout rang out. "Don’t step on it, that’s Baihu’s fur!" She raised her hand to protect something on the ground but didn’t dare to pick it up with her own hands, since they were stained. A slight breeze could blow the fur away, making her worry. Seeing this, Yong Saiweihao carefully withdrew his foot. "A’Zhu, good girl, come, come here," the young man consoled her gently. She looked up at him for a long moment, as if contemplating. "Brother Hao, did Baihu come to fetch you? Where has it gone?" Her reddened eyes sparkled with hope as she looked around, searching for Baihu. "Baihu is no longer here." Those words deeply wounded her heart. How could that be? How could it not be here? It went to fetch Brother Hao, didn’t it? It should have come back with him. Where could it be? Just then, Xiao She slowly slithered towards her. Seeing this, Zhenzhu quickly asked, "Xiao She, did Baihu go to play with you? I can’t see it." She asked with hope, as if unwilling to accept the truth. Zhenzhu tried to convince herself that Baihu was merely being mischievous, that it had fetched Brother Hao and then gone off to play with Xiao She, losing track of time. Now that Xiao She had returned, surely Baihu would be back soon. Xiao She felt deep sympathy for her. It coiled around her, as if to embrace and comfort her. Zhenzhu’s grief made it uncomfortable, yet it consoled her gently, as if to say, "It’s alright, A’Zhu. I’m here with you." "Zhu’er, Baihu is gone. It has left," Yong Saiweihao said, hoping she would accept the truth. He understood the pain of losing a loved one, the heart-wrenching sorrow. But no matter how painful, they could not bring the lost back. Could Zhenzhu still deceive herself? She looked up at Yong Saiweihao’s handsome face, and this time, she couldn’t hold back her tears. "Sob! Sob... Why? Why did you come so late?" she choked out. "Xiao She, Xiao She, Baihu is gone, sob!" "It’s so cruel. It left me. Is it because you always steal its meat? Sob..." "B... But... sob... but if it comes back, I’ll give it more meat. As much as it wants. Do you think it will come back?" Upon listening, Xiao She tightened its coil around her a bit more, as if trying to comfort her. Zhenzhu hugged Xiao She tightly. "Xiao She, let’s go home. Let’s go back home." She didn’t want to stay there anymore. She wanted to return to the garden, to where Baihu used to be, where they used to run and play together since they were little. To a place where she could still see its shadow in her heart. Seeing the girl sobbing, Yong Saiweihao wanted to comfort her but could only gently pat her head. Watching the girl hug the giant snake and cry to go home, his heart ached. It was he who had failed to protect her, leading to the loss of her bonded beast, her dear companion. After crying for two hours, Zhenzhu finally stopped sobbing, having accepted the reality that she had truly lost Baihu. Xiao She slowly uncoiled itself from Zhenzhu’s body. Yong Saiweihao had ordered the guards to dispose of Luan Chun’s body. He approached her with a water bottle and took her hands to wash it. He meticulously scrubbed every nook and cranny of her little hands until they were clean again. Zhenzhu watched the man in front of her silently; though this man hadn’t offered a single word of comfort, his actions spoke volumes. Once her hands were clean, he took a clean cloth from his dimensional stone, soaked it in water, and gently wiped the dirt from her face. "All clean." "Thank you," Zhenzhu forced a smile, then carefully picked up the single white strand of fur on the ground and placed it into a small cloth pouch she retrieved from her dimensional bracelet, holding it close to her heart. Yet, her heart, which once felt warm, now felt incredibly cold. Yong Saiweihao gently patted her head. "Let’s go back." However, Zhenzhu found it difficult to leave. Sometimes it felt as if this was all just a dream, that none of this was real. When she turned around, Baihu was still lazily sprawling in front of her. "Zhu’er, good girl. Let’s go back. It’s alright, I’m here with you," Yong Saiweihao consoled her. Zhenzhu managed to take a few steps before turning back with longing in her eyes. Seeing the young man who was the spiritual anchor for all the soldiers in the camp, she wondered if she could lean on him, just this once. “Sob...” She burst into tears again. Yong Saiweihao had to pull her into an embrace. Zhenzhu wrapped her arms tightly around the large figure that was her support. "Brother Hao, Baihu is gone. Baihu is really gone. How dare it leave me ?" "Sob... It told me to grow up as I wished, but I wanted to grow up with it. I miss it so much. Sob! Sob...” “Brother Hao, why did you come so late? Why didn’t you get here in time?" Her tears soaked through his shirt, seeping into his chest. "I’m sorry," he said in a hoarse voice. Her tears on his chest didn’t cool him; they burned him deeply. His heart ached unbearably. As a soldier, he had seen many deaths and the grief of the families left behind. But this time, the pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced. "I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, Zhu’er," he repeated, feeling that no amount of apologies would ever be enough. They embraced each other for a long while until Zhenzhu calmed down. Yong Saiweihao then led her down the mountain, his heart heavy with exhaustion. When they reached Zhenzhu’s residence, the two maids dragged her off to bathe and clean herself. Zhenzhu didn’t resist as she usually did; her body and heart were too weary. Zhenzhu lay on her bed but couldn’t sleep, staring blankly at the ceiling, feeling the cold, damp sensation at the corner of her eyes once more. The source of thɪs content is 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⁂𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱 The servant who had been observing from a distance quickly left to report to the Young General at the front of the residence. "The Lady is crying again, General." "You may go. I’ll watch over her myself," Yong Saiweihao said, before entering the guest residence. He slowly sat down beside the bed. "Good girl. Sleep, it’s time to sleep," he consoled her. "Brother Hao? Why don’t you go rest?" Zhenzhu realized that the young man was sitting by her bed. "I’ll go after you fall asleep." "I’m afraid to sleep." Whenever she closed her eyes, she saw Baihu. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to see it, but she couldn’t accept that Baihu was truly gone. "Shall I tell you a story?" "You can tell stories?" A young general who had fought many battles, telling stories? "Of course. I raised Li Si myself until she grew up. She loved it when I told her stories." "Once upon a time, long ago, there was a little tailor bird. It was small and agile, and it loved to steal rice grains that the villagers left out to dry. One day..." Yong Saiweihao’s voice rose and fell with a pleasant rhythm, drawing Zhenzhu into his tale. As time passed, she began to feel drowsy and eventually fell asleep. Yong Saiweihao gently tucked her in. He looked at her swollen eyelids with pity, hoping she would get better soon. He leaned down and softly kissed her eyelids before leaving to stand guard outside the residence. Read ‘Rebirth: This Farmgirl Has Spirit Fish Scales’ before anyone else with more Chapters at https://www.jinovel.com/en