Leaf Gray couldn't tell at all whether this strange girl was human or ghost, but judging by her earlier actions, the likelihood of her being human was extremely low.

This creature could appear behind him unnoticed and launch a sneak attack, and her body seemed both intangible and solid, able to move freely through rock walls—clearly not something an ordinary person could do.

This was the first time Leaf Gray had encountered such a bizarre thing, making him even more wary, especially since she was obviously in league with the big tiger.

Although he currently held the advantage of terrain, any carelessness could lead to utter ruin.

His initial thought was that since he had the upper hand, it would be best to immediately use a spirit talisman to kill the big tiger and be done with it. However, he was temporarily unsure how to deal with this elusive girl, which posed a dilemma.

Leaf Gray's question seemed to trouble the girl. After hesitating for a moment, she spoke up: "My name is Evie…"

"I didn't ask for your name." Leaf Gray waved the spirit talisman in his hand, the threat unmistakable. This action caused the big tiger to crouch lower, growling softly.

The girl named Evie hurriedly calmed the tiger. In this situation, they were at the mercy of others; to survive, they had to cooperate obediently.

"Have you heard of 'a tiger using a ghost as its accomplice'?" Evie countered.

Leaf Gray nodded.

Evie said, "Some tiger-type demon cultivators awaken a supernatural ability during their growth that can transform the souls of recently deceased humans into ghostly accomplices."

"So… you're a ghostly accomplice?" Leaf Gray frowned. He had heard of 'a tiger using a ghost as its accomplice,' but that was just an idiom. He never expected that in this world of cultivation, the idiom would have such a peculiar explanation.

"No." The girl Evie shook her head, her black hair flying.

"Are you messing with me?"

"Really, I'm not." Evie grew anxious. "Generally, ghostly accomplices are controlled by the tiger-type demon cultivator that transformed them and possess no intelligence or independent thought. But I'm different. Look at me—aside from lacking a flesh-and-blood body, I'm the same as a living person."

"Then what exactly are you?"

"A ghost spirit?" Evie tilted her head.

Leaf Gray fell silent, his gaze shifting between Evie and the big tiger, squinting slightly. "So if I kill this big tiger, you'll dissipate too?"

"Yes… No!" Evie exclaimed, sensing Leaf Gray's killing intent. "Don't kill us! We admit our mistake… We'll buy our lives with money!"

The glow from the spirit talisman in Leaf Gray's hand gradually dimmed; he had nearly activated it. If a fight broke out, he was confident he could eliminate the big tiger. As for the girl named Evie, he had been somewhat wary of her initially, but now that he confirmed her symbiotic relationship with the tiger, there was no need to worry too much.

Her strength probably wasn't high—earlier, when she ambushed him, she could only use minor tricks to disrupt his movements without actually harming him.

But dealing with them would certainly cost him a few spirit talismans, and he would inevitably get injured in the process.

If the cost was too high, then this fight wouldn't be worthwhile, especially since he was just one step away from the first level of Spirit Creek. If he expended too much spiritual power, it would undoubtedly delay his advancement to Spirit Creek.

Evie's last words made Leaf Gray suppress his killing intent. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Buy your lives with money? What do you have?" What good things could a demon beast living in the Spirit Creek Battlefield and its symbiotic ghost spirit possibly have?

"Wait! I'll go get it!" Evie called out, then darted into the rock wall nearby.

But soon, she poked her head out from the rock wall again: "You can't kill Amber! I'll be back soon!"

Amber… Leaf Gray glanced at the majestic, mountain-like big tiger in front of him, his face twitching.

Evie left, leaving Leaf Gray and Amber facing off from a distance. He remained vigilant against Evie as well. Although the girl seemed sincere, one can never know another's heart—who knew if she was hiding in the shadows, waiting to ambush him?

His current cultivation level was still low, and he lacked effective means to track the girl's movements.

Evie returned quickly indeed. Leaf Gray had only waited for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea when the girl reappeared, this time emerging from behind Leaf Gray.

Leaf Gray, with his back against the rock wall, let the girl walk into the cave. She held some items in her hands and raised them: "We offer these things to buy our lives. Please don't kill us!"

When Leaf Gray saw what the girl was holding, he was startled—they were several storage bages!

storage bages were items used by cultivators. Their appearance in the girl's hands was highly suspicious, and there wasn't just one; she held at least four or five.

This spirit and tiger were clearly up to no good; they had probably engaged in plenty of robbery and murder.

"You've got it wrong!" The girl, seeing Leaf Gray's expression, knew what he was thinking. "Amber's strength isn't high—you should have sensed that when you fought him. The cultivators active in the Spirit Creek Battlefield are at least at the first level of Spirit Creek. Amber can't kill them."

"Then where did these storage bages come from?" Leaf Gray naturally didn't easily believe her.

Evie hesitated awkwardly: "We tricked them… Those cultivators were very cowardly; a simple scare made them drop their storage bages."

Leaf Gray recalled his own experience earlier. If he hadn't detected something off about the big tiger and if he actually had spirit pills or spirit stones, he might have also chosen to pay to avoid disaster.

Compared to these external possessions, one's own life was naturally more important.

Of course, the big tiger's soul-shaking presence was indeed terrifying enough. Generally, lower-level cultivators would lose some courage just from being stared at by Amber's tiger-like eyes, and after a few threats from it, they'd have no will to fight left.

Little did they know that the one hiding and speaking threatening words was just a petite girl.

"Throw them over," Leaf Gray ordered.

Evie grunted and tossed the several storage bages in front of Leaf Gray. He lifted one with his foot and checked it briefly, his face darkening.

This storage bag was locked…

He checked the second one—same situation.

The third one was also locked…

After inspecting all the storage bages, Leaf Gray looked up: "Are you messing with me?"

Locked storage bages weren't impossible to open, but Leaf Gray didn't have the ability to do so.

Evie looked somewhat wronged: "Some guys ran too fast and dropped their storage bages without even unlocking the restriction seals. Others followed instructions and opened them, but we've already used up the useful things inside…"

This was probably true. Over the years, Evie and the big tiger had gained more than just these few storage bages in this jungle. However, the items from the other pouches had mostly been used up, leaving only empty bags, which Evie didn't bring over.

Leaf Gray lowered his eyes: "If this is all the sincerity you have, then there's no need to talk. These things aren't enough to buy your lives."

"How can this be…" Evie was on the verge of tears, deeply regretting provoking Leaf Gray. Mainly, she hadn't expected this guy to be different from the cultivators they'd encountered before.

The cultivators active in this area weren't very high in cultivation, mostly consisting of rogue cultivators or disciples from minor sects. Because this was considered the edge of the Spirit Creek Battlefield, whenever these cultivators encountered a demon beast that could speak human language, as long as they had some common sense, they were utterly terrified.

Because a demon beast that could speak human language was definitely not something they could afford to provoke.

But Leaf Gray lacked common sense. He didn't know what a speaking demon beast represented. Without this preconceived notion, he only trusted his own judgment.