Time passed unnoticed in the mountains.
When one cultivated with single-minded focus, the days slipped by even faster.
A month had gone by since the night Bai Heng touched the threshold of the two-tail realm and opened her consciousness aperture.
The cool stream of demon power inside her had grown stronger and more stable.
It now circulated smoothly and naturally, without the occasional sluggishness she had felt at the beginning.
She stood firmly at the second-tier realm—equivalent to late Qi Refining for human cultivators—with a solid foundation.
This night, the moon was once again full and round.
Cool silver radiance blanketed the mountain forest and spilled through the cave entrance, bathing Bai Heng.
As usual, she drew moonlight into her body, refining her demon power and nourishing her soul.
The moment the final thread of pure moonlight merged into her meridians and slowly returned to her dantian—or what demons called the qi sea—Bai Heng suddenly felt a faint burning and tingling in her throat, as if some invisible restraint had quietly dissolved.
She instinctively opened her mouth.
A slightly stiff word, carrying a trace of breathy sound but perfectly intelligible, slipped out.
“…Light.”
Bai Heng froze.
She blinked, then tried again.
“Moon…light.”
The words came more smoothly this time.
Though her tone still sounded a little strange—like a child learning to speak—it was unmistakably human speech.
She could talk.
The realization caught her completely off guard.
Yun Qing’s lecture from that night still rang clearly in her ears: ordinary demon beasts, even after awakening their spiritual intelligence, usually needed to reach the third tier—equivalent to human Foundation Establishment—before their soul and intelligence grew strong enough to vibrate their demon power or spiritual energy and imitate human speech.
Some races with naturally lower intelligence even had to wait until the fifth tier, after they could transform, before slowly learning.
Yet she had managed it at only the second tier, before her second tail had even fully grown.
Was it because the drop of original blood essence in her brow—carrying the consciousness and special abilities of a transmigrator—had silently strengthened her soul?
Or was it a special trait of the technique she cultivated?
Bai Heng did not dwell on it.
Whatever the reason, it was a good thing.
Being able to speak meant communication would be far easier, whether she interacted with Yun Zhuo in the future or dealt with other possible situations.
She calmed her mind and carefully examined the changes in her body.
Aside from gaining the ability to speak, her telekinetic power—perhaps more accurately called “divine sense” now—had also improved dramatically.
According to Yun Qing, human cultivators in the Qi Refining stage only possessed a nascent divine sense with a very limited range.
Even a peak Qi Refining cultivator could usually cover only about thirty zhang when extending their divine sense at full strength, and the perception was blurry, making fine control difficult.
Bai Heng slowly extended her own power outward.
Within ten zhang, every detail was crystal clear.
She could “see” the tiny whiskers of a sleeping insect twitching faintly in a crack in the cave wall.
She could “hear” the slow wriggling of earthworms deep in the soil.
She could even perceive the exact trajectories of dust motes drifting in the air.
Inside that range, she could effortlessly lift a fallen leaf with her mind or control several pebbles to fly along complex paths at the same time.
At twenty zhang, her perception remained sharp, but her control weakened; she could only manage simple movements.
At thirty zhang, the outlines of objects were still distinct, and she could sense the movement of larger objects and the presence of living auras.
At forty zhang, everything grew hazy, as if viewed through a thin mist.
Only when she approached the edge of fifty zhang did her perception lose all clarity, leaving only a rough sense of open space or obstacles.
This range was nearly twenty zhang wider than the divine sense Yun Qing had described for a peak Qi Refining cultivator.
Moreover, her divine sense seemed to possess a naturally calm and reserved quality, making it difficult for cultivators of the same stage—or even slightly higher—to detect easily.
This sharp yet discreet perceptive ability would undoubtedly be an excellent asset in the danger-filled mountain forest or the complicated environments she might face later.
Bai Heng slowly withdrew her divine sense. She now had a much clearer understanding of her own capabilities.
She stood up and paced a few steps near the cave entrance.
Moonlight stretched her pure white figure long across the stone wall.
Her gaze drifted, almost on its own, toward the simple stone tomb deep inside the cave.
Yun Qing had been resting there for several months now.
Bai Heng thought for a moment, then walked over and quietly lay down in front of the tomb.
It was time to do something for this “master” who had guided her onto the path of cultivation and bestowed the gift of his teachings.
First, she used her telekinetic power to meticulously clear away the loose stones and dust around the tomb.
Then, she carefully removed the stones one by one, revealing the remains inside, which were still well preserved.
Yun Qing remained in his cross-legged sitting posture, his face peaceful, though his skin had grown slightly dry.
Bai Heng retrieved the plain gray storage pouch from her consciousness aperture.
Yun Qing’s recorded transmission had mentioned that it contained part of the couple’s savings and cultivation items.
She sank her consciousness into the pouch.
The interior space was not large—roughly the size of a small room.
Inside were neatly arranged lower- and mid-grade spirit stones, dozens of colorful jade bottles, several antique-style flying swords, a few artifacts with various functions, and numerous jade slips and booklets recording techniques, insights, travelogues, and maps.
Her attention was quickly drawn to a stack of neatly folded clothes in one corner.
Among them were women’s garments in elegant, muted colors made of soft fabric.
A faint, refreshing scent of herbs and wood still clung to them.
These must have belonged to Teacher Lin Wan.
Using her telekinetic power, Bai Heng gently lifted a water-blue outer robe and carefully draped it over Yun Qing’s body.
After a moment’s thought, she placed a jade hairpin carved with graceful floral patterns into his hands.
Let these clothes and the hairpin stand in for Teacher Lin Wan, who could not share the same grave, and keep Master company.
She brought the stones back and rebuilt the tomb with even greater care this time.
She selected stones of the right size and used her telekinetic power to fit them together tightly, forming a far sturdier and more orderly burial chamber.
Finally, she covered it with a thick layer of soil and packed it down firmly.
Next came the stele.
Bai Heng left the cave and searched along the nearby mountain stream.
She needed a hard, pure-colored stone.
After searching for about half an hour, she found a milky-white jade stone roughly a foot long and half a foot wide lying at the bottom of the water.
Its texture was fine and warm to the touch.
She retrieved the stone and brought it back to the cave.
With her current demon power, carving characters into ordinary jade was effortless.
She concentrated her demon power.
A thin but condensed thread extended from her like the sharpest carving knife and steadily met the stone’s surface.
Stone chips fell in a soft shower.
She carved slowly and with great care.
Every stroke was filled with sincerity.
In the end, ten large characters appeared on the front of the stone:
Tomb of Honored Master Yun Qing and Teacher Lin Wan
The handwriting was not particularly elegant, but every stroke was straight and balanced, solemn and dignified.
Bai Heng set the stele upright in front of the newly repaired tomb, then stepped back a few paces and gazed at it quietly.
Under the scattered moonlight that barely reached inside the cave, the milky-white stele gave off a gentle glow.
The ten characters appeared and disappeared faintly in the light.
She walked to the front of the stele, lowered her body, brought her front limbs together, and bowed her head.
In her fox form, she performed the most respectful kowtow she remembered from her past life—the salute a disciple gave to a master.
One bow: to thank him for imparting the Dao and teaching her.
Two bows: to accept the trust of his final entrustment.
Three bows: to wish them peaceful rest beneath the earth and smooth fortunes in the next life.
After completing the ritual, she did not rise immediately. She simply remained lying quietly before the tomb.
Only after a long while did she lift her head, look at the stele, and try out her newly acquired ability by speaking softly.
Her voice was still a little stiff, but in the quiet cave it sounded exceptionally clear.
“Master. Teacher.”
She paused, as if gathering her thoughts.
“I… have reached the second tier. The base of my tail… itches a little. The second tail might grow soon.”
“My consciousness aperture… is stable now. I can… store things inside it.”
“Winter… has passed in the mountains. The snow has melted, the trees have turned green, and many flowers have bloomed.”
“A few days ago… I saw a little deer that had broken its leg. I used a bit of… the power I cultivated to help set the bone. Its mother… called out to me. It sounded like she was thanking me.”
“I… still can’t speak very well. But slowly… I should get better.”
She spoke in fits and starts, her tone calm and even, as if chatting casually with living people and reporting small everyday details.
“The ring… and the pouch—I’ve kept them safe. Once I’m a little stronger… I’ll go find Yun Zhuo.”
“Please… rest easy.”
After saying all this, she lay quietly for a while longer.
Outside the cave came the fluttering of night birds returning to their nests and the distant, faint roars of beasts.
Moonlight shifted, stretching the shadow of the stele even longer.
Bai Heng took one final look at the stele, then stood up, gave a small shake as if brushing off nonexistent dust, and walked slowly back to her usual cultivation spot.
She curled up once more, facing the moonlight outside the cave entrance, closed her eyes, and let the cool stream of demon power inside her begin circulating again.
The cave fell silent once more.
Only the newly erected milky-white stele stood quietly in the faint glow, silently bearing witness.