Chapter 38: The Mother-in-Law's Secret Remedy

Bai Xiaoguan’s second spirit beast was a rhinoceros spirit beast, standing two meters tall. Its body was covered in thick stone armor, which was studded with rock spikes as thick as an adult’s arm.

Fan Xing recognized it; this was a spirit beast known as the Rock-Armored Rhino. Like the Stone-Throwing Ape, it was an Earth-attribute, defensive-type spirit beast.

Bai Xiaoguan commanded the Rock-Armored Rhino furiously, "Big Ox, finish them off for me!"

The Rock-Armored Rhino let out a roar and charged toward Fan Xing and Yedu with heavy, thundering steps.

At the same time, Ning Xia'er released her own spirit beast to heal Bai Xiaoguan’s Stone-Throwing Ape. Her spirit beast was called a Bell-Ringing Monkey. It was a small, adorable primate, resembling a golden snub-nosed monkey, holding a tiny golden bell in its hand. The Bell-Ringing Monkey’s skills were all triggered by this golden bell:

* **Bell of Awakening:** Rings a soothing chime to free allies from status ailments like sleep, confusion, burning, freezing, or paralysis.
* **Bell of Healing:** Rings a curative chime to restore the health of all allies.
* **Bell of Exhilaration:** Rings an inspiring chime to boost the spirits of allies, slightly increasing the attack power of the entire team.

The Rock-Armored Rhino was a defensive-type spirit beast with relatively slow speed, giving it no advantage against the agile Fan Xing and Yedu. The mistress and her pet used "Ghost Shadow" and "Evil Entity" respectively, transforming into a dark shadow and black mist to vanish from their original positions.

When they reappeared, Yedu was behind the Rock-Armored Rhino. It launched its "Tail Strike" skill, transforming its three tails into steel spikes that drilled into the creature.

*Clack!* Yedu’s attack actually pierced through the Rock-Armored Rhino’s stone armor.

In pain, the rhino let out an angry roar. The rock spikes on its body began to detach and shot toward Yedu like projectiles. Yedu moved with agility, dodging the spikes with a few leaps, but the ground where it had just stood was riddled with holes like a beehive. Although the Rock-Armored Rhino was defensive, its attack power was quite formidable, and its spikes regenerated rapidly after being fired.

Meanwhile, Fan Xing reached the side of the Bell-Ringing Monkey. With a wave of her hand, a bone sword appeared in her grip. She activated the "Undead Bone Sword" skill, severing the arm holding the golden bell in one clean strike.

"Squeak! Squeak!" The Bell-Ringing Monkey let out a shrill, piercing scream as bright red blood gushed from the stump, staining the beach beneath it.

All of the monkey’s abilities relied on that golden bell. With its right arm severed and the bell lost, its capabilities were effectively crippled unless the limb could be regenerated—a feat standard healing skills could not achieve.

Seeing this, Ning Xia'er’s eyes turned red with fury. She shrieked at Bai Xiaoguan and Qian Shu, "Quick, kill her! Kill her!"

But Bai Xiaoguan’s Stone-Throwing Ape was already severely injured, and his Rock-Armored Rhino was being pinned down by Yedu; he had no time to heed Ning Xia'er.

Qian Shu, however, realizing that Fan Xing was not to be trifled with, did not hesitate to release his two spirit beasts. He seemed to have an affinity for Fire-attribute spirits; both his beasts were fire-based: a Fire-Stoking Monkey and a Fire-Line Spider.

The Fire-Stoking Monkey was a ranged attacker holding a fire-poker, capable of manipulating flames. The Fire-Line Spider was a control-type beast with a fire sac in its abdomen, allowing it to spit flaming silk that could bind opponents while inflicting burns.

As soon as they appeared, they launched an assault. The monkey swung its poker, sending a pillar of fire toward Fan Xing, while the spider spat a strand of blazing silk to entangle her.

Fan Xing remained unfazed. Where was she? By the sea! What skill did she possess? Water Manipulation.

Facing Fire-attribute spirit beasts, she had nothing to fear!

She opened her arms, and under her command, massive amounts of seawater converged into a giant water dragon.

"Roar!"

After a thunderous bellow, the water dragon surged toward the monkey and the spider.

*Hiss!* The pillar of fire was extinguished instantly by the water dragon’s impact, and the spider’s flaming silk was shredded by a single swipe of its claw. Having obliterated the opposing skills, the water dragon continued forward.

With two pained cries, the monkey and the spider were swallowed by the massive torrent.

*Splash!* The water dragon dispersed, soaking Qian Shu and Ning Xia'er to the bone. The two spirit beasts fell to the ground, drenched and unconscious.

Qian Shu stared at Fan Xing in disbelief. "You... you are a B-rank Spirit Master? How is that possible? You’re clearly just a rookie..."

Only B-rank Spirit Masters could achieve "Spirit Fusion" to utilize their beasts' skills. Qian Shu and Ning Xia'er had mistakenly assumed she had fused with a spirit beast.

At the same time, Yedu defeated the Rock-Armored Rhino once more. It grabbed Bai Xiaoguan by the scruff and threw him hard in front of Ning Xia'er and Qian Shu, leaving him wincing in pain.

Fan Xing said coldly, "Drop my fish, and then... get lost!"

Ning Xia'er and Qian Shu looked resentful—they had finally gotten their hands on the prize, only to have to hand it over. But upon remembering Fan Xing’s terrifying strength, they had no choice but to give up. After a moment of hesitation, they recalled their spirit beasts into their spirit energy cards and retreated, helping the injured Bai Xiaoguan away.

Once they disappeared from sight, Fan Xing retrieved the two "Beach Beauties" from the ground and strung them together with the others she had caught. Riding Princess and silhouetted against the sunset, she flew back to Oak Village.

The sun was just dipping below the horizon as they arrived. The spirit beasts living in the village were shocked to see the string of Beach Beauties and ran off to alert Granny Ye.

As soon as Fan Xing and Princess landed, Granny Ye emerged from her wooden hut, supported by a Flower-Whisperer. When she saw the wriggling catch on the ground, she was stunned.

"These... you caught all of these?"

Fan Xing jumped down from Princess's back and nodded. "Yes, is there a problem?"

"How did you do it?" Granny Ye’s eyes were wide with surprise, her clouded gaze appearing clearer for a moment. She knew better than anyone how difficult Beach Beauties were to catch. Even in her prime, it would have taken her considerable effort. They weren't powerful, but they were notoriously elusive.

"I just caught them. Maybe I was lucky," Fan Xing said casually.

Granny Ye didn't buy that; luck alone wouldn't suffice. But she didn't press the matter—everyone had their secrets. She turned back toward the hut and gestured, "Come in."

Inside, a large clay pot simmered over a newly installed furnace in the center of the room, filling the air with a faint, fragrant aroma. Just by inhaling it, Fan Xing felt her internal spirit energy swell. *Good stuff!* she thought.

Granny Ye had to stand on a stool to lift the lid. A pale purple soup emanated a faint, soft glow. As she added blue leaves to the pot, she said to Fan Xing, "Although I tasked you with catching five, in truth, catching just one would have completed the mission."

Fan Xing was surprised. "Is that so?"

Granny Ye nodded. "Beach Beauties are not easy to catch; otherwise, the spirit creatures in the Spirit Tide Sea would have been wiped out long ago." She turned to the Flower-Whisperer. "Peach Blossom, process the catch."

"Yes, Granny."

Peach Blossom stepped forward, expertly removing the eyes of a Beach Beauty and placing them into a sealed glass jar. She explained to Fan Xing, "Beach Beauties are treasures from head to toe. Their eyes and bones are excellent materials for medicine."

Fan Xing nodded in understanding as Peach Blossom began grinding the bones in a stone mortar. "Our Granny is one of the most brilliant pharmacists in the Alliance. Her concoctions are highly sought after."

Fan Xing glanced at the elderly woman with newfound respect. It was a pity that her own "Pharmacist Mouse" was kept in the shadows, or it could have learned so much here.

Soon, the bone powder was added to the pot, and the soup began to glow even brighter. Granny Ye poured a ladle of the mixture into a glass jar, sealed it tightly, and handed it to Fan Xing.

"This is your reward. Normally, if you had only caught one, you would have only received Alliance merit points."

Fan Xing asked, "Granny, what does this medicine do?"

Peach Blossom giggled, "You truly don't know what you have! This is a secret medicine that is priceless in the outside world. Any spirit beast below D-rank will immediately advance by one tier after consuming it."

Fan Xing’s eyes lit up. This was perfect for her Pharmacist Mouse, which was currently only F-rank. She carefully stored the jar in her spirit-pattern bracelet.

"You brought back ten in total," Granny Ye noted. "I’ll take them all. Three are worth one jar of medicine. What would you like for the remaining seven?"

Fan Xing thought for a long time before deciding. "Do you have any books on medicine? Could you spare a few?"

Granny Ye scoffed, "You’ve got quite the nerve! My books aren't easily given away. You want several?"

Fan Xing felt embarrassed, realizing she had overstepped. "Then... just one would do."

"Not even one!" Granny Ye refused sternly. However, after a moment of hesitation, she walked to a bookshelf and pulled out a thick, yellowed volume, tossing it to Fan Xing. "I won't give you my personal notes, but you can have this *Fundamentals of Medicine*."

The book was over ten centimeters thick. Fan Xing flipped through it and saw it contained essential knowledge, from herb identification to basic medical theories. She was delighted; a solid foundation was exactly what her Pharmacist Mouse needed.

"Thank you, Granny!"

Granny Ye waved her off and tossed her a rough, hand-carved wooden token. "Go now. Give this to your teacher as proof of completion."

"Goodbye, Granny."

Fan Xing exited the hut, mounted Princess, and took off. The sky had darkened completely. Two days away from home, she was eager to return.

"Princess, fly faster," she urged.

"Coo!" Princess let out a melodious cry, beat her wings with force, and surged forward into the night.