Five days later.

A convenient door opened on the precipitous rock face of the cave. Ning Tao walked out from it. It was pitch black in the cave and one could see nothing in it. A beam of bright light shone out from Ning Tao’s hand. This beam was crimson like fire, as thick as his arm. It shone to a distance of one kilometer without dimming. His surroundings several dozen meters away were illuminated as bright as day.

It was a refined tactical flashlight.

In the past five days, Ning Tao had not only woven garments, he also took time to refine a tactical flashlight. After he did that, he eagerly brought it to this cave to test it.

The tactical flashlight was shining at the bottom of the cave. The “floodgate” a kilometer away immediately lit up as though it was day. He could even see the patterns on the rock face! The effect astounded Ning Tao. He felt he was not holding a tactical flashlight, but a laser generator.

After a brief period of surprise and excitement, Ning Tao shone the tactical flashlight up at the roof. The crimson light illuminated overhead, every pattern, line and fissure on the rocks clearly discernible.

Suddenly, a mass of dark shadows darted out from a fissure and overshadowed him, swooping down.

Phantom bats!

But when those phantom bats saw the light beam resembling sunlight, they turned and fled through that fissure again.

Ning Tao felt a tremor in his heart. He wondered to himself. “Chen Pingdao said these phantom bats are afraid of sunlight. The light beam from my refined tactical flashlight is no different from sunlight. Had they fled because they couldn’t tell the difference?”

No more phantom bats emerged.

Ning Tao did not climb up and enter the lair of the phantom bats. Those fissures were insurmountable obstacles. Phantom bats could fly out through them, but he could not creep in. Moreover, what was inside and whether there was an even more powerful “Bat King” among them were questions he needed to answer. If he did not know the answers and was not prepared, he would not risk investigating the bats’ lair.

If he were to enter now, he would have really fallen for Chen Pingdao’s trap. Yet although he knew it was a trap, these phantom bats guarding the treasure proved a strong temptation to him and also fired his imagination.

What were these phantom bats guarding?

He had no way to know.

Although the Soil-seeking Inkstone could detect the presence of spiritual materials or treasures, its first function was to “seek soil.” So although there existed a rare treasure in that bats’ lair overhead, it would still point in the direction of Chen Pingdao’s spiritual field, not at that treasure.

Ning Tao walked with his refined tactical flashlight towards the cave entrance.

The cave was quiet. Over the past three days, the ice in the reservoir had almost completely melted. The faint rush of water could be heard in the direction of this entrance. The waterfall above that steep cliff had resumed its flow.

As cold moonlight entered his sight, Ning Tao put away his refined tactical flashlight. He came to the cave entrance, standing above the steep wall. He had a panoramic view of the Pointe-Noire settlement in the valley.

Moonlight engulfed the jungle and the valley, giving one a unique feeling of tranquility.

Ning Tao summoned the state of looking in his eyes. One look and he could see many people hiding in the forest beside the pool.

A faint smile hovered at the corner of Ning Tao’s lips. He took out his herb-collecting rope and leaped.

Dangling in the air, he took two steps in mid-air. Ning Tao soon arrived at the door of the stone hut.

Chieftain Male Eagle had men spying on him. He decided to let them spy. They could consider him a devil from hell or a righteous deity. Either way, they would regard him with awe and collect for him the herbs.

Ning Tao pushed the door open and walked in.

In the stone hut, the fresh flowers and leaves that Jiang Hao and Qing Zhui had picked had already wilted. The air was full of the odor of dried flowers and leaves.

On the humble wooden pallet were many spiritual materials, a considerable quantity.

Ning Tao gave a faint smile. He grabbed the spiritual materials and opened the convenient door, disappearing from the stone hut.

Immediately after he left, Chieftain Male Eagle brought a few tribal warriors and tiptoed to the door of the stone hut. But the hut was completely empty. There was no one there!

Chieftain Male Eagle and his tribal warriors were stunned for a moment. They suddenly knelt down and started mumbling something…

Back in Sky Clinic, Ning Tao processed the spiritual materials he brought back, and then left with two paper boxes.

Outside the door, a dog was squatting on its hind legs. Beside the dog was a little girl.

“Dad, Madam Jiang asked me to invite you for breakfast,” said the Howling Celestial Dog.

Ning Tao assented. “Okay, let’s go.”

The Howling Celestial Dog and Hu Xiaoji went with Ning Tao. In the early morning sun, they resembled a father with his daughter and his dog.

“Dad, I want to go to school,” Hu Xiaoji suddenly said.

Ning Tao was very surprised. “What did you say? You want… to go to school?”

A girl reincarnated from a fox demon, wanting to go to school. She was giving them trouble, wasn’t she?

Hu Xiaoji nodded very seriously. “I have thought through it over the past few days. I want to learn some cultural knowledge and be an inheritor of the socialist system.”

Ning Tao was at a loss for words.

There was nothing wrong with a young kid saying that, but it sounded quite creepy from Hu Xiaoji’s mouth.

The Howling Celestial Dog said, “Dad, Xiaoji likes to watch Network News Broadcast lately. Moreover… ”

“Moreover what? Speak up at once.” Ning Tao was feeling somewhat vexed.

The Howling Celestial Dog said, “A family moved in opposite our house, a couple with their little boy. The boy is very handsome and in Grade One. Hu Xiaoji has been playing with him in the past few days. She must have fallen for the boy.”

“How dare you report on me, Howling Celestial Dog!” Hu Xiaoji kicked it with her foot.

The Howling Celestial Dog leaped up and dodged her kick easily.

The little boy opposite was the real reason why Hu Xiaoji wanted to go to school. What did it have to do with “the inheritor of the socialist system”?

Ning Tao said quite helplessly, “Xiaoji, you can’t go to school. Just be good and stay at home.”

Hu Xiaoji would not move. She pouted her little mouth, staring with tear-filled eyes at Ning Tao.

How could this little girl be the mistress of the Ancestor-seeking Elixir prescription, Hu Ji?

Ning Tao lifted her up in his arms. He did his best to dissuade her as he walked. “Xiaoji, you are no ordinary child. You cannot go to school.”

Hu Xiaoji exclaimed in anger, “Why can’t I?”

Ning Tao said, “Because you are… ”

He could not go on. She could not go to school because she was a fox spirit. Could he tell her that?

“Is it because I’m not your real daughter? You won’t even pay for my school fees!” Hu Xiaoji’s tears were flowing. “I want to leave home!”

Ning Tao felt somewhat angry and slapped Hu Xiaoji’s little buttocks. “You’re not allowed to say that!”

“Kill me if you must, I’m going to school! If you don’t allow me to, I will leave home!” Hu Xiaoji wept and yelled.

“Let’s talk at home, okay? I need to discuss this matter with Mama Jiang and Mama Qing.” Ning Tao could do nothing to her. She would not listen to his admonitions, nor was she afraid of his beatings.

Only then did Hu Xiaoji stop.

On the road, an auntie carrying a bag of vegetables stopped to stare at Ning Tao and Hu Xiaoji. She seemed indignant. “What kind of a Dad are you, young man? How can you stop a child from studying? It will affect her for life!”

Ning Tao glanced at her, nodded and smiled. Then he quickened his steps and walked past her.

The auntie mumbled again, “Young people nowadays are getting more and more ridiculous. They only know their own pleasures and don’t care about their children’s future. If this is the case, you shouldn’t have borne the child.”

Ning Tao walked even faster away.

Back at the entrance of the rented courtyard house, Ning Tao stopped and glanced at the house opposite. It was an ordinary courtyard house, far cheaper to rent than a condominium.

At this moment, the door of the courtyard house suddenly opened. A couple holding the hand of a boy emerged from the door. The couple was not very old, in their 30s. The man was in a Western suit and carrying a briefcase, quite clearly a white-collar worker. The woman was in an office lady attire, a petite dress with a short skirt. She was quite pretty and had a nice figure. The boy was around six to seven. He had refined features and looked handsome and obedient.

The man and woman both nodded slightly at Ning Tao with a smile. They looked very courteous.

Ning Tao also greeted them with a nod.

But Hu Xiaoji in Ning Tao’s arms started to get agitated. She waved her hand. “Huang Xiaopeng, I want to go to school with you.”

The boy called Huang Xiaopeng looked at Hu Xiaoji and also waved his small hand. “Okay, I will wait for you.”

The family of three walked towards the alley entrance.

The boy would turn back and look every few steps. He seemed reluctant to go.

Ning Tao summoned the state of looking in his eyes and stared at the family of three. In his sight, the couple’s innate auras were colorful. Both their innate auras were like the boy’s, ordinary and not those of a martial artist, a practitioner, or a demon.

Ning Tao retracted his eyes and returned to the courtyard house. He put Hu Xiaoji down and she scurried away to the dining room.

Jiang Hao and Qing Zhui came out of the dining room, their eyes tender and with a faint smile on their lips.

Ning Tao went over and handed Jiang Hao and Qing Zhui the two paper boxes. “These are the clothes you want. Take them in and try them. If they don’t fit you, I will make alterations.”

Jiang Hao and Qing Zhui eagerly opened their paper boxes and took out the clothes.

Jiang Hao’s was a set of track suit, a black jacket with long pants.

Qing Zhui’s was a black qipao.

Jiang Hao put on the jacket and inspected it from the left and the right. She was full of praise. “I really didn’t expect you to have such craftsmanship. This jacket fits well and looks good.”

Ning Tao smiled. “I made them according to your measurements and style. Of course it looks good.”

Qing Zhui said, “Is my qipao also designed in the same way? I never wore one before.”

Ning Tao said, “I went to buy a qipao and followed its design.”

After making the first set of Heavenly Gem Magic Garment, Ning Tao’s skills in picking the silken threads and weaving fabric had improved. He would have no difficulty making another set of Heavenly Gem bra and underwear for them.

Qing Zhui could not wait to go back into her room to try on her Heavenly Gem qipao.

Hu Xiaoji blocked her way. “Don’t go, Mama Qing. Dad says that you will discuss my schooling.”

Qing Zhui glanced at Ning Tao helplessly. Jiang Hao had the same expression on her face. Both she and Qing Zhui obviously knew about Hu Xiaoji’s wish to go to school, but they had ignored her. But now, Hu Xiaoji was blocking their way and would not let them go. If they were to hold a family conference, this matter would be a big headache for them too.

Ning Tao sighed. “Hao, could you find a way to create a special file for her, and then enroll her in a school? To let her study there?”

Jiang Hao said, “This is a small matter. But what should we fill in the ‘parents’ column?”

Ning Tao thought for a while. “Her parents are dead; we are her adoptive parents.”

Jiang Hao nodded. “Okay. So… who is the adoptive mother?”

Ning Tao felt a headache.

Qing Zhui said, “Sister Hao is the first adoptive mother, I’m the second.”

Jiang Hao smiled. “You can’t have two adoptive mothers. We might as well not fill in this column. I will just put Ning Tao as her adoptive father. One more problem: who will take the girl to and back from school?”

“Me,” came Yin Molan’s voice. “I’m so bored all this time that my balls ache. I might as well find something to do.”

Ning Tao turned back his head and glanced. Yin Molan was in the courtyard playing with the dog. He said, “Then we must depend on you, Senior Yin.”

Yin Molan waved his hand. “That’s what families are for. No need for such politeness.”

Ning Tao turned his eyes back to Hu Xiaoji. “I am warning you, don’t create trouble for me in school. Don’t hit anyone, or tell them about our family affairs. If you can’t do this, I won’t let you go to school.”

Hu Xiaoji spoke in a crisp voice, “I promise not to beat anyone up, or talk nonsense. When can I go to school, Mama Jiang?”

Jiang Hao said, “Don’t be in such haste. We must create a legal file first, and then look for a school. All these take time.”

Ning Tao said, “Then I will leave this in your hands. I’m preparing to visit Emei Sect.”

There were only a few days more to the appointment. It was time to get ready.