Chapter 32: Mumu

Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Mumu

Within his spiritual consciousness, Sui Sui gradually emptied his mind and focused on guiding the spiritual qi through his meridians.

Unlike before, when every trace of energy felt as though it were being forcibly blocked and compressed, the spiritual qi now flowed freely throughout his body. It coursed through his meridians like a gentle stream, bringing with it a soothing warmth that gradually eased the pain of unblocking them.

As the circulation became smoother, Sui Sui felt his consciousness slowly expand. It was as though he had become one with his surroundings. He could sense the gentle breeze drifting through the cave, the quiet movement of the lake, the solid earth beneath him, and even the subtle fluctuations of spiritual qi in the air.

So... this is what cultivation feels like.

Not daring to become distracted, Sui Sui continued circulating the cultivation method exactly as it had been recorded in the manual.

Having never cultivated before, he had no idea what came next, so the only thing he could do was faithfully follow the instructions.

His body greedily absorbed the abundant spiritual qi filling the cave.

Unbeknownst to him, some of the spirit stones embedded in the surrounding walls gradually lost their radiance one after another, their once-luminous surfaces slowly turning dull gray as the spiritual qi within them was steadily drained.

—

When Sui Sui opened his eyes again, he realized he was no longer inside the cave chamber.

He frowned.

Where was this?

Darkness stretched endlessly in every direction. It wasn’t the ordinary darkness brought by just the absence of light, but a suffocating type of darkness that seemed to press against people’s souls.

Floating all around this darkness were countless glowing broken mirrors, becoming the only source of light in the darkness. Some were no larger than a palm, while others were nearly as tall as a person. They drifted silently through the empty space, each one fractured into jagged shards.

For some reason, the oppressive feeling seemed to originate from those mirrors.

It was an indescribable sensation, as though every negative emotion—despair, grief, hatred, loneliness—had been sealed within them, silently leaking into the surrounding space.

Sui Sui cautiously walked forward.

As he passed by the floating mirrors, In the corners of his eyes he caught glimpses of his own reflections.

Yet the figures staring back at him felt strangely unfamiliar. It bore his face, but its eyes were empty, devoid of even the slightest trace of life, as though he were looking at a lifeless shell rather than a living person.

The deeper he ventured into the sea of broken mirrors, the more unsettling the surroundings became.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, Sui Sui suddenly noticed something different.

Suspended quietly among the countless shattered mirrors was a familiar hand mirror, it was his own hand mirror, the one from his last life.

Unlike the others, it was completely intact. Its smooth surface was flawless, as though time had never touched it. More importantly, it didn’t radiate the same suffocating aura. Instead, its presence felt strangely calm, standing in stark contrast to everything around it.

Almost as if drawn by an invisible force, Sui Sui unconsciously reached out and grasped the handle.

The instant his fingers touched the mirror, a brilliant white light erupted, instantly swallowing his entire body.

—

When Sui Sui opened his eyes again, he found himself submerged in water.

He immediately surfaced and gasped for air, coughing a few times as he struggled to catch his breath. Fortunately, the lake was not very deep.

Otherwise, after surviving everything that had happened since his transmigration, he might have ended up drowning in an unknown place without even understanding what had happened.

After steadying himself, Sui Sui quickly swam toward the shore. Once he reached land, he wrung out his soaked clothes and tried to squeeze the water from his hair.

However, after realizing that his efforts were completely futile, he gave up and took out a fresh set of clothes from his storage pouch.

After changing, Sui Sui finally had the chance to carefully examine his surroundings.

He had clearly been transported somewhere else again. Unlike the dark and empty space filled with broken mirrors, this place was an open field that stretched as far as his eyes could see.

Dense weeds covered the ground, swaying gently in the breeze, while the small lake he had emerged from rested quietly at the center.

The sky above was bright enough to resemble daytime, yet there was no sun in sight. Instead, a single moon hung high overhead, casting a soft glow across the vast field.

Sui Sui stood silently for a moment as he took in the unfamiliar surroundings.

For some reason, he could faintly sense a connection between himself and this place. It was not a physical connection, but something deeper—as though the entire space was linked directly to his soul.

After thinking it over for a few more minutes, a possibility suddenly appeared in his mind.

Could this be the pocket dimension mentioned in so many novels?

His eyes brightened.

Isn’t this too amazing?

Although Sui Sui did not want to sound boastful, he could not stop the excitement bubbling inside him. Ever since transmigrating, one unfortunate event after another had followed him. Now, after all the trouble he had gone through, it seemed that something good had finally come his way.

Still curious about his newly discovered pocket dimension, Sui Sui continued wandering through the vast field, occasionally stopping to examine the unfamiliar surroundings.

After walking for some time, however, he began to feel an odd gaze lingering on his back.

Sui Sui paused and looked over his shoulder, but there was nothing behind him. The field remained quiet, with only the gentle rustling of weeds breaking the silence.

Thinking that he might have imagined it, Sui Sui turned around and continued walking.

Yet the strange feeling soon returned.

This time, he remained calm and pretended not to notice. As he continued wandering through the field, he quietly spread a trace of his spiritual consciousness behind him.

Sure enough, something was following him.

Sui Sui continued walking as though nothing had happened, waiting for the hidden creature to lower its guard. When he sensed the presence slowly drawing closer, he suddenly spun around and reached toward the source of the gaze.

Before the creature could react, Sui Sui had already caught it in his hands.

"Ah! Let Mu Mu go! Let Mu Mu go!" The little creature struggled desperately, its tiny wings flapping wildly as it kicked all four legs. "How dare you grab Mu Mu like this? Mu Mu will tell Mother! Mother will come and teach you a lesson!"

Only then did Sui Sui get a proper look at what he had caught.

The creature was roughly the size of a basketball and just as round. Its entire body was covered in soft, snow-white fur, with two small golden horns protruding from the top of its head. Four tiny legs dangled helplessly beneath its round body as it continued to struggle.

Sui Sui stared at it in confusion.

He had read about many different spirit beasts, yet he had never encountered one that looked anything like this.

"What is this?" he murmured. "A little fluff ball?"

The little creature immediately stopped struggling. Its round eyes widened in disbelief before quickly filling with indignation.

"What fluff ball?" It puffed out its tiny chest. "You’re the fluff ball! Your entire family is made of fluff balls!"

It raised one small paw and pointed it accusingly at Sui Sui.

"Do you know who Mu Mu is? Mu Mu is a mighty and noble spirit beast! How dare an impudent human call Mu Mu a fluff ball?"

Seeing how seriously it spoke despite hanging helplessly in his hands, Sui Sui found the little creature rather amusing.

"A mighty spirit beast?" Sui Sui repeated.

"That’s right!"

Sui Sui glanced at its tiny wings and round body before looking back at its indignant expression.

"Oh, I see." Although his tone remained calm, the little creature seemed to sense that he did not fully believe it.

"You don’t believe Mu Mu?"

"I didn’t say that," Sui Sui replied.

"Your expression says you don’t!"

Sui Sui blinked. He had not realized that his thoughts were so easy to read.

Before he could respond, Mu Mu began struggling again.

Sui Sui watched it quietly. He had never encountered a spirit beast like this before, and the soft fur beneath his fingers felt strangely delicate.

Curiosity stirred within him and unable to resist, he lightly poked Mu Mu’s round belly.

Mu Mu froze, Its eyes slowly widened.

"You..."

Sui Sui tilted his head slightly.

"It’s softer than I expected," he said honestly.

Before Sui Sui could pull his hand back, Mu Mu suddenly began struggling even harder.

"Boohoo! Big bully!" It began crying even louder, its little wings flapping wildly. "You caught Mu Mu, called Mu Mu a fluff ball, and even poked Mu Mu’s belly! Just wait until Mother comes back! Mu Mu will have Mother deal with you!"

Seeing the little creature cry so pitifully, Sui Sui finally felt a trace of guilt and decided to stop teasing it.

He looked around until he found a relatively clean patch of grass, then sat down and carefully placed the crying little creature on his lap. Afterward, he gently patted the soft fur on top of its head, the same way one might comfort a frightened cat or dog.

"Alright, alright. Don’t cry anymore, kid. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again."

The little creature sniffled and peeked at him through its tears.

"You really won’t bully Mu Mu anymore?"

Sui Sui paused slightly at the unfamiliar name before nodding.

"I won’t."

"Then you have to apologize properly," Mu Mu said, lifting its tiny chin. Although its eyes were still wet, it spoke with complete seriousness. "Mother always gives Mu Mu something whenever Mu Mu is upset."

Sui Sui blinked.

He had never heard such a request before, but seeing the little creature stare at him expectantly, he could not bring himself to refuse.

As he spoke, Sui Sui took a pastry from his storage pouch and held it out to the little creature.

"Will this do?"

The fluff ball immediately stopped crying and eyed the pastry suspiciously. After carefully examining it and confirming that there was nothing strange about it, it quickly snatched the pastry from Sui Sui’s hand and stuffed the entire thing into its mouth.

Perhaps Sui Sui’s attempts at comforting it had worked, because the little creature gradually stopped crying. However, it still looked at him with a mixture of wariness and anger, as though it had not forgotten what had happened earlier.

"Don’t think Mu Mu will forgive you just because you suddenly decided to be nice!" it huffed, its cheeks still stuffed with pastry. "Just wait until Mother comes back. Mu Mu will have Mother deal with you!"

After saying that, Mu Mu glanced down at the empty space in its paws. It hesitated before looking back at Sui Sui.

"Mother usually gives Mu Mu two."

Sui Sui stared at it.

"Are you asking for another one?"

"Mu Mu is only telling you how apologies work," it replied, puffing out its tiny chest.

Hearing this, Sui Sui could not help but laugh.

As Mu Mu happily ate the pastry, Sui Sui watched it quietly for a moment. The little creature had repeatedly threatened to tell its mother, yet from the moment Sui Sui entered the pocket dimension, he had not sensed the presence of anyone else.

Could Mu Mu’s mother be somewhere nearby?

The thought made Sui Sui look around.

Although he had only just begun cultivating and his current cultivation was still low, this pocket dimension was directly connected to his soul. As long as he focused, he could sense nearly every corner of the space.

He had already checked several times and was certain that, aside from himself and Mu Mu, there was no one else inside.

Sui Sui lowered his gaze to the little creature resting on his lap.

"Mu Mu," he called.

Mu Mu looked up at him, its cheeks still stuffed with pastry. A few crumbs clung to the soft fur around its mouth.

"What?"

Sui Sui hesitated briefly before asking, "Where is your mother?"

Mu Mu blinked. "Mother is..."

The little creature’s voice gradually faded.

At first, it seemed as though the question had merely caught it off guard. However, as it tried to recall an answer, the confident expression on its face slowly disappeared.

Sui Sui waited quietly.

Mu Mu stared blankly ahead, its tiny paws still holding the remaining pastry. After a long moment, it lowered its head and frowned, as though searching through memories that had suddenly become unclear.

"Did you come here with her?" Sui Sui asked gently.

"Mu Mu..."

The little creature’s voice was barely audible.

Its tiny paws slowly tightened around the pastry. The longer it remained silent, the deeper the confusion in its eyes became.

Sui Sui watched the change in its expression.

"Do you remember how you came here?" he asked.

Mu Mu did not answer, It stared down at the grass for a long moment before slowly shaking its head.

"Mu Mu doesn’t know."

The earlier indignation had completely disappeared from its eyes.

Sui Sui’s gaze softened. He had only wanted to understand how Mu Mu had appeared inside the pocket dimension. He had not expected such a simple question to make the little creature look so lost.

"Can’t you remember anything?" he asked more gently.

Mu Mu remained silent, Its small body slowly curled inward, and its tiny paws held the pastry more tightly against its chest. For a long moment, the field was quiet, then Mu Mu’s eyes gradually turned red.

"Wah!" The sudden cry shattered the silence. Tears began pouring down its fluffy cheeks as Mu Mu threw itself against Sui Sui’s chest and clutched tightly at his robes with its tiny paws.

"Mu Mu can’t remember!" it cried. "Mu Mu misses Mother! Where is Mother? Give Mother back to Mu Mu!"

The cries echoed throughout the quiet field.

Sui Sui froze, feeling as though his ears were about to burst from the noise.

"Mu Mu..."

"Mu Mu wants Mother!" The little creature buried its face in Sui Sui’s robes, its small body trembling as it cried. "Mu Mu wants to go home!"

The little creature cried so loudly that Sui Sui did not know what to do for a moment.

He had only wanted to find out where Mu Mu had come from. He had not expected his question to make it so upset.

After a brief hesitation, Sui Sui raised a hand and gently patted Mu Mu’s back.

"Don’t cry anymore," he said softly. "I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked."

"Mu Mu wants Mother..."

"I know."

Sui Sui continued gently patting its soft fur, allowing the little creature to cling to him.

Although he had no idea who Mu Mu’s mother was or where she might be, seeing the little creature cry so helplessly made his heart soften. It reminded him a bit of himself, he also missed his own mother, his real mother.

"I’ll help you look for her," Sui Sui promised after a moment.

Mu Mu’s cries gradually weakened, It slowly lifted its tear-stained face and looked at him.

"Really?"

"Really."

"You’ll help Mu Mu find Mother?"

Sui Sui nodded.

"I’ll try."

Mu Mu stared at him for a moment, as though trying to decide whether it could trust him.

Then it asked in a small voice, "You won’t leave Mu Mu behind?"

Sui Sui shook his head. "I won’t."

The little creature sniffled and wiped its eyes with one tiny paw. For a while, it remained quietly pressed against Sui Sui’s chest. Its tiny wings drooped, and it no longer had the energy to argue or threaten to tell on him.

Sui Sui continued gently patting its back. After some time, Mu Mu’s gaze slowly shifted toward the storage pouch at Sui Sui’s waist, Sui Sui noticed the movement.

"Are you hungry again?"

Mu Mu hesitated, seeming a bit embarrassed now. Its eyes remained red and wet, but it continued glancing toward the storage pouch.

"Crying made Mu Mu tired," it said quietly.

Sui Sui paused.

The little creature’s soft fur was still damp from its tears, and its tiny paws remained tightly curled around his robes. Seeing how pitiful it looked, he could not bring himself to refuse.

"Alright."

He reached into his storage pouch and took out another pastry before placing it carefully in Mu Mu’s tiny paws.

Mu Mu stared at the pastry.

Then it looked back at Sui Sui.

"You’re giving this to Mu Mu?"

"Yes."

The little creature immediately hugged the pastry against its round body.

"Mu Mu knew you were a good human."

Sui Sui smiled faintly and gently patted its head.

"Eat slowly."

Mu Mu nodded and took a large bite.

The sweet pastry seemed to ease some of its sadness. Although it continued leaning against Sui Sui, its cries gradually faded until only the soft sounds of chewing remained.

Sui Sui looked down at the small ball of white fur in his arms.

Only a short while ago, Mu Mu had been struggling desperately and threatening to have its mother punish him. Now, however, it was quietly clinging to Sui Sui while holding a pastry in its tiny paws.

Sui Sui continued stroking its soft fur.

It seemed that he had accidentally picked up a rather noisy—and surprisingly spoiled—little creature.