Be Gentle, Immortal Master

The bixies wagged their tails like two happy puppies and rubbed their heads against me. Then they padded over to Bai Ye and did the same. I couldn't help but smile at the scene. "Do you think the head of their sect will make those two nullify the bond?" I asked. "Otherwise, once they get a chance to come back and find us …"

"Don't underestimate the power of the crowd," Bai Ye replied. "Everyone has seen how hostilely the bixies reacted towards their owners. Even if the cubs weren't taken by force at the beginning, the attitude they showed today was enough to raise concerns from people that care about the welfare of their pets, and the sect will have to do something to appease those visitors. Not to mention that it's obvious the beasts weren't bonded willingly in the first place." ƒ𝐫𝒆e𝓌𝒆𝚋𝗻૦𝘷𝑒𝙡. 𝑐𝘰𝐦

I let out a breath that I didn't know I was holding. Squatting down next to the bixies, I smiled wholeheartedly this time. "You are free to leave now," I said. "Go back and find your mother. She misses you."

They purred, lowering their back legs into a half-sitting position, one in front of each of us. I blinked. "What are they doing?" I turned to Bai Ye in confusion.

The bixie in front of me opened its mouth and gently nibbled my ankle. Shifting closer to me, it touched my legs with its back. I understood then. "You want to take us there?" I looked into its big eyes and asked. "On your back?"

A happy groan answered my question affirmatively. I smiled again, glad that we had earned their trust so quickly, though I shook my head. "You aren't a mount anymore," I said softly. "The bond that imprisons you will be undone soon, and your life as a cultivator's slave is over. You don't need to carry anyone on your back ever again, and you shouldn't."

The bixie mewled, staring at me in disappointment. I hastily added, "But we'll come with you." Getting back to my feet, I summoned my flying sword. "I can fly just as fast as you can, and I can't wait to see your mother either."

The beasts finally let out a satisfied sound. Flapping their wings, they leaped into the air, hovering above us in a circle. I looked at Bai Ye, and I saw the approving gleam in his eyes. Together, we got on our flying swords and ascended into the clouds with the bixies.

~ ~

Misty Mountains was a large range. The last time I was there, I was too occupied with Bai Ye's condition and forgot to pay attention to the exact location where I had found the bixie mother and her cub. I craned my neck as we approached, trying hard to recall the surroundings in my memories.

It turned out, however, that there was no need. The bixie children might have been separated from their family for a long time, but that didn't make them forget their home. Just as we passed a small creek below us, they let out a thrilled cry and swooped down, their figures quickly disappearing behind the canopy of the forest.

"Did they find their mother?" I gasped, half to Bai Ye and half to myself. We made our landing as well, and the sight that greeted us beneath the cover of the trees warmed my heart more than the heat of the southern sun.

The two bixies were rolling with their mother in the grass, so excitedly that they stirred up a shower of flower petals and leaves. They tumbled from the top of a mound towards the creek, splashing the water as they stopped at the edge, and the cub stood at the side of the creekbed, staring at them with its huge eyes as if still unable to process what was going on.

"Looks like the little one can use your help, Qing-er," Bai Ye chuckled.

I smiled, padding over to the happily reunited family and crouching down beside the stupefied cub. "They are your siblings," I said softly. "You can tell, can't you? The bad people that took them away have received their punishment. Your family is safe now. No one will separate the four of you again."

Interrupted by my voice, the mother and the two older children shook off the grass on their fur and came over to us. The cub stared curiously at the siblings that it had never met in its life, a hint of uncertainty in its eyes. But that hesitation didn't last long, because the next moment, one of the older bixie siblings flicked out its tongue, licking the cub hard on its face.

Utterly unprepared for the greeting, the cub stumbled and nearly fell. It was the other child who caught the wobbly little thing, swiping another lick over its back. The cub let out a purr, and then the three of them tumbled together, rolling into a big fuzzy ball once more.

I couldn't hold back my chuckle at such a scene. Bai Ye wrapped his arms around me, and we watched the children rolling and biting and chasing each other, their excited groans and growls echoing in the forest. "I'm so happy for them," I breathed.

Then another soft groan came into our ears. It was the mother, and I understood her words: "I never expected you to actually find them."

I smiled. "I promised you I would do my best," I said. "And thanks to the man you helped me save—" I clasped Bai Ye's hand, "—things went much more smoothly than I expected."

The bixie mother gazed at Bai Ye. Bai Ye nodded back at her slightly. Neither of them spoke, but I could feel the mutual gratitude exchanged between the two. I was glad that finally, the bixie mother wouldn't have to fear that she made the wrong decision and helped me save the wrong person.

"I take my earlier words back." She made a sound at last. "Not all cultivators are the same. The two of you … will be welcomed at my territory anytime in the future."

With that, she turned around and padded back towards her children.

I grinned at Bai Ye. Even the sunlight seemed brighter to me at this moment. "We did it!" I exclaimed. "We managed to appease her hatred towards cultivators at last! She said—"

Suddenly, I cut myself off.. "Bai Ye," I mumbled in puzzlement. "Why is it that I can understand everything the mother bixie says … but not anything from her children?"