And so, the Er Ha's troupe gained a snow-white Treading Cloud Steed.
"The words you speak, they seem to understand?" Er Ha asked, seated atop the coffin, his tone indifferent.
Though this subordinate had shown some disrespect earlier, Er Ha did not punish him severely.
He knew that for a qualified elder brother, one must be sufficiently tolerant of one's juniors.
Er Ha felt he excelled in this regard.
You see, I only broke one of its legs.
An elder brother as magnanimous as I am is rare nowadays!
"Brother Dog, I've been studying when I have free time," the white horse said, limping along beside him, its face a picture of appeasement.
Its right foreleg had been broken by itself under Er Ha's death glare.
Yet, it remained overjoyed.
Compared to being served on a dinner table, breaking a leg was utterly insignificant!
"Excellent," Er Ha nodded with satisfaction. "From now on, you shall be my personal translator!"
"Call me Brother Ha from now on," Er Ha declared, pointing at the little fox behind him. "Call the little fox Sister Nine, understand?"
"Brother Ha! Sister Nine!" the white horse immediately amended.
The little fox blinked its curious eyes.
The education it received in the Nine-Tailed Fox clan had taught it that bullying others like this was wrong.
However, it suddenly felt that this feeling wasn't too bad either?
From now on, it was Sister Nine, no longer the smallest one!
At this moment, the little fox's worldview underwent a subtle, peculiar shift...
By day's end, Er Ha had successfully unified the spirit beast realm of Purple Cloud Sect.
By then, the entourage had become utterly bizarre.
At the forefront was a young disciple with a solemn expression.
Behind him, four disciples carried a gleaming coffin.
On top of the coffin lay Er Ha and the little fox.
Further back.
Led by the white horse, was an army of spirit beasts of all shapes and sizes...
It looked more like a funeral procession...
The next day.
As usual, Er Ha led his troop of subordinates on a patrol of his territory.
These spirit beasts were all full of vigor and their steps were steady.
In truth, only a portion of the spirit beasts had voluntarily submitted yesterday; a significant number had been physically persuaded by the white horse and others.
They harbored resentment.
Until that evening, when they visited Er Ha and the little fox's grand hall and saw the mountain-like hoard of heavenly treasures.
Especially after the little fox declared on the spot that they could eat to their hearts' content...
We are indeed spirit beasts with dignity, but alas, Sister Nine gave us too much...
Passing by the vicinity of Jingming Lake, the procession suddenly halted.
Including Er Ha and the little fox, all the spirit beasts bowed respectfully towards the front.
"Greetings, Big Brother!"
However, other than the white horse, none of the spirit beasts could speak human language, resulting in a chaotic scene of roaring and howling...
Ye Fan's eardrums buzzed, and the wooden bucket in his hand almost slipped.
When he finally saw Er Ha and the little fox on the coffin, his face darkened.
Damn it!
Are they insane?!
Why are they roaring like that?!
Ignoring the spirit beasts acting strangely, Ye Fan approached the edge of Jingming Lake.
Now, he came here to fish every few days.
Not for the fish, but for the enjoyment of this leisure and tranquility.
However, today was slightly different from usual.
Less than half an hour after Ye Fan cast his line, the Second Elder arrived with fishing gear.
Ye Fan was puzzled.
He had been here for over two months and had never seen anyone else come to Jingming Lake to fish.
Why had the Second Elder suddenly appeared today?
"Ye Fan," the Second Elder replied with a smile. "I saw the weather was nice today, so I came to fish."
The Second Elder sat beside Ye Fan on a small stool and expertly cast his fishing rod.
Ye Fan frowned immediately.
He had met the Second Elder a few times before, and he was clearly a man who did not smile easily.
But today, the Second Elder spoke with unusual excitement, and Ye Fan felt something was off...
Ten minutes later.
The Second Elder reeled in his line.
His hook was empty, clearly having caught no fish.
However, the Second Elder paid no mind and casually tossed his fishing rod aside.
Then...
Under Ye Fan's dumbfounded gaze, he stood up and sat on the wooden bucket meant for fish.
"Second Elder, you are...?" Ye Fan was clearly at a loss.
"Ye Fan, are you an idiot?" the Second Elder scoffed. "I caught myself, so I am now a fish. Fish naturally go into the bucket."
Ye Fan: ???
Are you sure that pose isn't you... pooping?
Ye Fan immediately stood up and took two steps back, observing the Second Elder with a serious expression.
He felt strongly that the Second Elder today was not himself!
Suddenly playing such a joke with him clearly did not befit the Second Elder's status!
"Hush!" the Second Elder made a shushing gesture to Ye Fan. "I am a fish now, do not speak to me. Otherwise, if people see you talking to a fish, they will think you are crazy!"
Ye Fan retreated another few steps, seeming to understand something.
"Also, please don't tell anyone!" the Second Elder whispered again. "If they see me turned into a fish, they will eat me!"
"Found him, here!" Just then, a group of disciples came running from the side.
"Master, forgive me..." the leading disciple apologized, then shouted to the other disciples, "Act!"
The disciples immediately swarmed forward, subduing the Second Elder!
"Damn it, I was so close to climbing out of the bucket!" the Second Elder struggled. "Let me go, you bad guys!"
Unfortunately, the disciples paid no heed and quickly produced ropes to bind the Second Elder securely!
"You all take Master back first," the leading disciple instructed the others, sorrow evident in his eyes.
"Yes, Senior Brother," they replied, and then, carrying the Second Elder who was tied up like a dumpling, they ran back.
"If it's truly inescapable, then please use plenty of oil and sugar. I like sweet things!" the Second Elder's voice gradually faded into the distance.
"Brother Ye!" the leading disciple bowed. "Master has recently consumed too many of his self-refined elixirs, and you know the situation with his elixirs."
"So now he's a bit..." the disciple pointed awkwardly at his temple. "Brother Ye, please don't take it to heart..."
Ye Fan was now a prominent figure in the Purple Cloud Sect, so this disciple felt the need to explain.
"Don't worry, I understand," Ye Fan nodded, his eyes filled with sympathy. "You... have worked hard!"
The disciple bowed again, then turned and left.
Before, Ye Fan had thought that the Second Elder's constant consumption of his bizarre elixirs would eventually lead to trouble.
Now, it seemed...
The Second Elder had successfully reached the doorstep of the Green Mountain Sanatorium...