Chapter 39: Chapter 26 In the Yalong Cave_2

"What’s the matter, all in a fluster and so indecorous? Haven’t I captured humans before to teach you etiquette? Have you already forgotten?" the Old Fox asked with some displeasure.

"Old grandma, it’s not that I’m being disrespectful, the thing is, someone has come to the cave entrance to visit relatives," the Maid still seemed somewhat out of breath.

"Visit relatives? Which one of you below has distant relatives coming?" The Old Fox looked around, only to see that each Little demon in the cave bowed their head, with none responding.

"Old grandma, that young man bears a striking resemblance to the young lady," the Maid said.

With these words, the Old Fox darted up from her bed and grabbed the Maid’s hand, asking, "Are you sure of what you saw?"

"How dare I deceive you, I saw it clearly. His appearance is about seventy percent similar to the young lady’s, yet his eyes resemble that man." The Maid’s hand was pinched so hard it hurt, but she dared not show any negligence and hastily continued.

"Quick, call that child in for me to see. Could it really be Yu’er’s child?" Anxiety was written all over the Old Fox’s face.

Before long, Lin Fang and the others were respectfully invited into Yalong Cave by the female soldiers. The Old Fox’s eyes swept over Lin Fang but settled on Little Fox’s face.

With just one look, she was certain this was her grandson, the spitting image of her daughter.

"Little fellow, come closer so I can have a proper look at you," the Old Fox said with a kind smile, waving Little Fox towards her.

Little Fox obediently walked up to her.

The aged monster slowly raised her hand and gently stroked Little Fox’s cheek, sadness flickering in her eyes.

"What’s your name?"

"My name is Su Yun."

"And do you know who I am?"

"You are my grandmother."

At these words, the Old Fox’s face lit up with joy, and she pulled Little Fox into her embrace, saying, "Yes, I am your grandmother. Your heartless mother left me here and ran off with some wild man. She’s been gone for so many years without a trace; I had thought she died out there."

"Never did I expect to see my grandson. That heartless mother of yours, not even once did she come to see me after all these years."

Little Fox bowed his head, tears already filling his eyes, and said with a tinge of sadness, "My parents are dead."

Hearing this, tears streamed down the Old Fox’s face. Although she had been prepared, the suddenness of the bad news still brought grief upon her.

The grandparents and grandchild wept bitterly, with sounds of sorrow echoing from everyone present.

A long while later, they both emerged from their grief, and the Old Fox then inquired about Little Fox’s experiences.

After Little Fox recounted his own experiences thoroughly, Lin Fang suddenly became a popular figure in Yalong Cave. As the benefactor of Su Yun, he naturally received hospitality from the Old Fox.

The Yalong Cave was brightly lit at night, with laughter and cheerful voices traveling out into the silent night, catching everyone’s attention.

To entertain Lin Fang, the Old Fox had rich feasts prepared, making the Little Monsters in Yalong Cave extremely envious.

Lin Fang looked at the meals on the table and breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that the Old Fox didn’t seem to have a taste for human flesh, hence no human meat was on the table.

In the midst of merry toasting, Lin Fang was helped into the Cave Mansion to rest; it had been so long since he had such a sound sleep.

When he opened his eyes again, it was already broad daylight, and Little Fox, dressed in brand new clothes, was waiting outside for him to wake up.

Lin Fang stretched lazily and laughed, asking, "Getting up so early today isn’t like your style."

Although he said that, he knew Little Fox was worried he might sneak away from here, so she came early to wait.

Feeling Little Fox’s reluctance to part, Lin Fang said with a smile, "Don’t worry, I have no intention of leaving. In fact, I need your help with something."

Upon hearing this, Little Fox’s eyes lit up, her previous dejection replaced by excitement, as she hurriedly ran to Lin Fang’s side.

Lin Fang spoke softly for a long while. Little Fox’s expression alternated between realization and immense excitement. When Lin Fang finished, Little Fox patted her chest, saying, "You can count on me, leave this matter to me."

That very day while talking with her grandmother, Little Fox casually mentioned wanting to see her grandmother’s treasure.

The Old Fox chuckled and patted her on the back, saying, "You sly thing, I may not have much, but I do have a treasure indeed—a thing called the Horo Golden Rope given to me by your two uncles. Once deployed, even an immortal would be bound by it."

After saying this, the Old Fox took out the Horo Golden Rope from her waist, revealing a gleaming golden cord that, upon closer inspection, flashed with mysterious runes.

After Little Fox’s repeated assurances, her grandmother agreed to lend her the Horo Golden Rope to play with for two days, but on one condition: not to take it out of Yalong Cave.

That very night, Lin Fang got his wish and saw the Horo Golden Rope.

"Look, I’m impressive, aren’t I? The moment I asked, my grandmother brought out the treasure," Little Fox boasted with a grin to her good friend.

"Indeed, Su Yun is definitely the most clever Little Fox, and I concede defeat," Lin Fang said with great cooperativeness.

Little Fox laughed heartily as she placed the Horo Golden Rope into Lin Fang’s hands, cautioning him, "Be careful, Big Brother Lin Fang, my grandmother really treasures this."

"Rest assured, I just want to study the artifact refining techniques a bit; there won’t be any problems. You keep watch for me while I concentrate on understanding this," Lin Fang assured her.

No sooner had he spoken than Lin Fang closed his eyes. Rather than looking with his eyes, Lin Fang preferred to perceive the marvels within using his soul.

Artifact Refining, like Alchemy, is profound and complex, requiring immense effort to master. However, Lin Fang, being in the midst of Journey to the West and living in unpredictable circumstances, had not had the chance for a peaceful place to practice cultivation, let alone the time to contemplate the Path of Artifact Refining.

Fortunately, although Journey to the West was fraught with dangers, it also offered many opportunities, and the treasures on Pingding Mountain were just one example.

Of course, Lin Fang wouldn’t dare to take anything that belonged to The Grand Supreme Elderly Lord even if he had ten times the courage, but studying the artifact refining techniques was achievable. After all, The Grand Supreme Elderly Lord’s reputation as the foremost in the Three Realms for Artifact Refining meant that even learning a little would be a great advantage to Lin Fang.

For several days in a row, Lin Fang seized every moment to study the Horo Golden Rope’s refining method, his soul stepping out of his body to look at the rope in his hands.

Viewing it with his soul revealed a completely different sight from what his eyes saw; the rope, which merely shone with golden light, was covered in golden runes when examined with the soul’s vision.

These runes were arranged in an extremely complicated manner, eventually forming a unique power—the essence of the Old Lord’s artifact refining technique.

But the intricate runes seemed endless, each carrying a special force. After just a brief look, Lin Fang felt dizzy and knew it was due to the overexertion of his spirit.

His soul quickly returned to his body, and he exhaled slowly.

"How is it, Big Brother Lin Fang?" Little Fox asked with concern.

"It truly is a great treasure, immense and profound, not something one can learn in a single day," Lin Fang said softly. Yet, there was not a hint of discouragement in his words. The more difficult it was to learn, the more it proved the runes’ effectiveness. He had already made up his mind to master this method of Artifact Refining.

Asking Little Fox to fetch him pen and paper, Lin Fang was determined to tackle the Horo Golden Rope. He didn’t expect to learn everything at once and prepared to start from the details, studying rune by rune.

Each time his spirit could no longer endure, he would return to his body to recover, using the interval to slowly write down the remembered runes on paper.

In just a few days, Lin Fang had written a thick stack of paper filled with various mysterious runes.

His life thus became extremely regimented, spending all day hidden away in the Cave Mansion without leaving, causing even the Old Fox to marvel at the little demon’s impressive concentration.

However, one day, the commotion in Yalong Cave disturbed Lin Fang from his intense focus, and he curiously glanced outside.