Chapter 107 | My Fashion Gacha System Made Me a Cultivation Genius

The drought in the south was finally relieved after that rainfall.

The rain fell intermittently for three days. The parched earth became moist once more, a shallow stream began to flow along the riverbeds, and tiny new shoots sprouted from the roots of the withered vegetation.

When the news reached the imperial capital, the Emperor was in his imperial study reviewing memorials. Upon hearing the words “the drought has been resolved,” his vermilion brush paused for a moment. He then set it down, his face lighting up with joy.

Rumors spread widely among the common people. It was said that on that day, a seven-colored divine deer appeared high above the clouds. Seated upon its back was a fairy radiating a soft glow. Wherever she went, sweet rain fell from the heavens, and withered trees came back to life.

Some said the fortune of the Chiyan Imperial Dynasty had not yet run dry, and Heaven had sent a goddess to save them. Others claimed a certain reclusive immortal could not bear to see the suffering of the mortal world and had stepped in to help.

Various rumors circulated through teahouses and wine shops, embellished and passed along from one person to the next.

Qi Yan knew that Lin Zhiyue was behind it, but he did not say anything.

One day, the Emperor invited him to the palace to discuss state affairs. During the meeting, the Emperor brought up the matter, his words filled with deep gratitude.

Qi Yan did not take the bait, replying indifferently, “The national fortune will slowly recover over the next few years, but the country needs to rest and recuperate. From now on, do not do anything that harms the foundation of the national fortune again.”

The Emperor fell silent for a moment after hearing this, then nodded in agreement. He had indeed grown truly afraid. The continuous disasters and power struggles had depleted too much of the Chiyan Imperial Dynasty's vitality. Right now, what he needed was neither expansion nor the granting of rewards, but simply to let this land rest in peace for a few years.

The departure date back to Tiance Palace was set for three days later.

On the morning of their departure, the spirit boat was parked on the open ground outside the border camp. Cen Xi'er had already wiped down the hull with her spiritual energy beforehand, and the spiritual runes gleamed cleanly in the morning light.

Before boarding the boat, Lin Zhiyue looked back at the distant city walls, where the wind made the banners flap loudly.

She had spent Su Jinyu's entire life on that land. Those memories still remained in her heart. Although she had not truly experienced those events herself, the joys, sorrows, and choices of those people had left an indelible mark on her soul.

She turned, boarded the spirit boat, and sat down in a window seat.

As the spirit boat ascended, the morning sun broke through the edges of the clouds, enveloping the borderlands beneath them in a warm, golden glow.

Chu Zhixun was already sitting at the back of the cabin, calculating what he would eat once they returned. Beside him, Cen Xi'er was flipping through her travelogue, which she had almost worn out.

Xiao Yuan leaned against the cabin wall with his eyes closed as if asleep, his breathing steady and even. Jiang Yuezhan sat near the cabin door with his iron sword resting across his knees, his gaze fixed on the clouds outside the window as if looking at something very far away.

Lin Zhiyue leaned back in her seat and pushed the window open a crack. The wind rushed through the gap, carrying the crisp, cool air of the high altitude.

She looked down at the jade bracelet in her sleeve. Its surface gleamed with a warm, gentle luster in the morning light.

She pushed it deeper into her sleeve and turned her gaze to the receding horizon outside the window. The sunlight had completely broken through the clouds, bathing the entire sky in brilliance.

By the time the spirit boat landed on the main peak plaza of Tiance Palace, the sun had climbed to the meridian, and the white stone ground was slightly warm from the heat.

Lin Zhiyue hopped off the spirit boat, waved goodbye to her senior brothers and sister, and headed straight toward her own courtyard on the side peak.

Having been away for several months, the vegetation on both sides of the mountain path was much denser than when she left, and several clusters of unknown little flowers had sprouted from the cracks in the stone steps.

When she pushed open the courtyard gate, a white shadow suddenly dashed out of the house. It was incredibly fast, slamming straight into her shin with enough force to make her stagger back half a step before she could steady herself.

Looking down, she saw Yuetuan squatting by her feet, tilting his head up to look at her, his round, pale-blue eyes shining brightly.

He had grown quite a bit, from a palm-sized fluffball to the height of her knees. His body was a bit rounder than when she left, his fur was snow-white, and the silver-gray stripe on his spine was more distinct than before, extending from the back of his neck to the base of his tail. The tuft of silver fur at the tip of his tail was perked up high.

He circled around her several times, his wet nose rubbing against her hand over and over. He let out soft whines from his throat, as if accusing her of being gone for so long.

Lin Zhiyue squatted down, rubbed his head, and smoothed the fur on his back.

Yuetuan squinted his eyes happily as she rubbed him, his four paws clinging tightly to her knees, refusing to let go.

She remembered the six months' worth of rations she had prepared for Tuanzi before she left, as well as her request to a senior sister from the neighboring peak to walk him every few days. From the looks of it, he had been well cared for and had grown much sturdier. Just as she bent her head to check if there were any pests in his ears, Tuanzi suddenly looked up from her arms, opened his mouth, and let out a crisp, clearly articulated sound: “Mama, I missed you so much. You were gone for so long.”

Lin Zhiyue's movements froze. Her fingers remained resting at the base of Tuanzi's ear, and she stood frozen as if someone had pressed a pause button on her. It took several breaths before she slowly came back to her senses.

She looked down at the shining pale-blue eyes in her arms, her voice sounding a bit airy. “You... you can speak?”

Tuanzi tilted his head, wagged his tail twice, and repeated, “Mama, you were gone for so long.”

Lin Zhiyue took a deep breath and reached out to gently flick his forehead. “I am not your mama.”

Tuanzi blinked, letting out a pitiful whimper from his throat. But he quickly leaned in again to rub against her palm, as if he had already settled on this form of address regardless of whether she acknowledged it or not.

Lin Zhiyue squatted there, looking at the half-grown white fluffball before her. She sighed somewhat helplessly, rubbed his head once more, and then stood up to walk into the house.

Tuanzi followed closely at her heels, circling around her with his tail wagging like a little windmill. He continued to utter disjointed, mumbled syllables from his mouth, as if practicing how to speak more clearly.

Before Lin Zhiyue could fully digest the fact that Tuanzi could speak, the news had already spread throughout the entire sect.

It all started the next morning when she took Yuetuan to the dining hall for breakfast.

The little fellow was perched on a stone stool, a bowl of spirit beast food set before him, eating with intense focus.

An inner sect disciple from the neighboring table glanced at him a couple of times as he walked past and casually remarked, “Your spirit pet is really well-fed and sturdy.” Before Lin Zhiyue could politely reply, Tuanzi looked up and responded in a crisp, clear voice, “Thank you.”

The disciple froze on the spot. Holding his food tray, he stood by the table in a daze for several breaths. He looked down at Yuetuan, then up at Lin Zhiyue, opening his mouth to say something but only managing a few incoherent syllables.

Yuetuan tilted his head to look at him, then lowered his head to continue eating his food.

The news spread outward from that very table. In less than half a day, everyone in the sect knew that the youngest junior sister under Venerable Yanchen had raised a spirit pet that could speak.

That very afternoon, people began arriving at her door one after another.

Passing administrative disciples peered into the courtyard several times under the pretext of delivering items. Yuetuan, who was lying on the windowsill basking in the sun, grew a bit annoyed from being stared at. He rolled over, turning his backside to the door.

Some outer sect disciples crouched outside the courtyard wall to eavesdrop, only to be caught by the passing Cen Xi'er, who dragged them away by their ears.

At dinner time, Liu Fengyao ran over holding a bowl of soup, saying she wanted to hear Yuetuan say something. Yuetuan was lying on Lin Zhiyue's lap, half-asleep. Being shaken awake made him very unhappy, and he muttered grumpily in a babyish voice, “Don't be noisy.”

Liu Fengyao clutched her chest, nearly declaring on the spot that she was going to go back and raise an identical one.

At night, Lin Zhiyue shut the courtyard gate. Tuanzi curled up into a ball in his nest, his tail draped over the edge, his breathing steady and slow.

Lin Zhiyue bent down to gather the scattered cotton around his nest. Looking at the tips of his ears, which twitched occasionally in his sleep, she thought about the reactions of the people earlier today.

It was not entirely unprecedented for spirit pets to speak, but those capable of speaking human tongue usually possessed extremely noble lineages, and typically only appeared in ancient records.