Chapter 9

Liuli lingered at Parasol Tree Mountain for several days, pestering Feng Xiwu until she’d learned the basics of cultivation, more or less.

Now, Liuli was a new and improved weapon. She knew how to cultivate techniques, use magical treasures, and cast spells. With a kick of her foot, she could even stand on a sword and fly crookedly and unsteadily for several thousand meters.

Unfortunately, fortune and misfortune were intertwined. As soon as Liuli became capable, Feng Xiwu tossed her out of Parasol Tree Mountain.

“Xue Liuli, you have not yet become my disciple,” Feng Xiwu said implicitly.

Liuli only pretended not to understand, playing dumb. “I know. Perfected One, rest assured, I will definitely win!”

Feng Xiwu grasped her by the back of her collar, placed her onto the leaf boat, and said, brooking no refusal, “Then go back and properly prepare for the competition.”

The leaf boat soared into the sky and directly sent Liuli back to Peach Blossom Mountain.

Liuli sat on a peach blossom tree, sighing and lamenting.

She hadn’t been back for a few days. Junior Sister Liang Tiantian climbed the tree trunk: “Senior Sister, you’re finally back. I thought you were going to move into Parasol Tree Mountain!”

Liuli picked a delicate pink peach blossom and tucked it behind the girl’s ear, smiling happily. “I’d like to, but unfortunately, without a proper title or status, they wouldn’t keep me.”

“Perfected One Feng keeping you for so long is already rare,” Liang Tiantian pouted. “I think Senior Sister is just greedily insatiable, a snake trying to swallow an elephant.”

“Hardly. At best, I’m greedily insatiable, a person trying to devour another person.” After saying this, Liuli shuddered herself. “Restrained, be restrained.”

“Speaking of which, Senior Sister, did you really fall out with Senior Brother Long?” Gossip knows no age. Liang Tiantian bumped Liuli’s shoulder, curiosity shining in her eyes. “Why? Senior Brother Long was so good to you.”

Seeing the girl’s face full of romantic fantasies, Liuli didn’t want to crush her, but just spoke the truth: “He is very good, but you don’t have to like someone just because they’re good. Matters of emotion depend on fate.”

“Then who has fate with Senior Sister?”

“That…” Liuli instantly recalled how she’d pestered Feng Xiwu, insisting they had a connection. Of course, she couldn’t say this directly; it could easily be misinterpreted. “Fate is determined by heaven. When it comes, you’ll know.”

Liang Tiantian seemed to partly understand. “But Senior Brother Long has been very sad lately.”

Liuli thought for a moment and scoffed. “He still has a fiancée back in his hometown, and even more confidantes. What’s there to be sad about?”

Harem protags speak sweetly, claiming they truly love every single one. Whoever believes that is a ghost.

Away from Feng Xiwu, Liuli had actually calmed down somewhat. Now, mentioning Long Jingxing, she couldn’t help recalling some plot points from the book.

Though she’d forgotten most of it, some parts left an impression.

“If it could be avoided…” Liuli bit her lower lip, her two curved eyebrows unconsciously furrowing together.

Long Jingxing being framed, poisoned, and having his Spiritual Root destroyed was the beginning of the book’s entire plot. After that, he encountered various tribulations, his personality changing drastically. Later, he met a Demon Woman from the Devil Sect and leaked the weakness of the Heavenly Martial Sect’s protective formation, leading to the other party going on a killing spree at Heavenly Martial Sect…

Who knew how many Heavenly Martial Sect disciples died in that river of blood massacre?

Liuli looked at Liang Tiantian and reached out to pinch her cheek. “Sigh.”

Liang Tiantian tilted her face up, confused. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Actually, setting aside matters of romance, Long Jingxing at this period was a good Senior Brother who valued loyalty and sentiment. If everything could be changed from the very beginning, preventing Long Jingxing from enduring the later tribulations, this good Senior Brother wouldn’t become the radical state of killing people at the drop of a hat later on.

And it could also avert that catastrophe… for Feng Xiwu and the Heavenly Martial Sect.

“There’s still time,” Liuli murmured. “But I really didn’t remember much.”

She couldn’t remember who had poisoned Long Jingxing. It was just some cannon fodder anyway, having long since vanished from her memory. She didn’t remember what poison it was, nor even the reason for the poisoning either.

Liuli scratched behind her ear in frustration. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. She immediately jumped impatiently from the tree: “I’ve got it!”

“Hey, Senior Sister, wait for me! What are you going to do?” Liang Tiantian quickly called after her.

Liuli smiled and opened her arms. “Come on, jump down, I’ll catch you.”

The girl held the tree trunk, looking at the ground, then at Liuli, who wasn’t much stronger than herself. She said weakly, “You must catch me, okay!”

“Don’t worry, I’ll definitely catch you!”

“Th-then, I’m jumping…”

“Jump!”

Liang Tiantian aimed, closed her eyes, and jumped down with one decisive burst.

The wind whistled past her ears. She leaped in a parabola and landed in Liuli’s arms.

Liuli caught the girl steadily, holding her and spinning in a circle before putting her down.

Liang Tiantian opened her eyes, excited. “Senior Sister, has your cultivation been restored?!”

“Not only has my cultivation returned…” Liuli lowered her voice and said in her ear, “I’ve even advanced to the Fifth Stage!”

The girl immediately covered her mouth, her eyes crinkling with laughter. “Senior Sister is amazing!”

“Hehe, modesty, modesty!”

Liuli had brought Liang Tiantian along, actually to have her guide the way.

The Heavenly Martial Sect was simply too vast. Liuli was completely disoriented, unable to tell east from west or north from south, let alone find the direction to the mountain gate.

Liang Tiantian, however, reminded her that ordinary disciples couldn’t casually leave the mountain; they had to accept a mission before descending.

Missions were to be accepted at the Merit Hall. And where exactly was the Merit Hall? Remembering the path gave Liuli a headache.

With great difficulty, they reached the Merit Hall, only to find it exceptionally lively. Disciples came and went, male and female, their attire varying widely. Only the jade plaques hanging at their waists told everyone they were members of the Heavenly Martial Sect.

As an Outer Sect disciple of Peach Blossom Mountain, Liang Tiantian had some talent. Her status and treatment were somewhat better than other Outer Sect disciples, but in front of Inner Sect disciples, she was still practically invisible.

Liang Tiantian quietly pointed out to Liuli a few Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters she recognized. As for the rest, Liuli didn’t know a single one anyway. She just kept a smile, saying ‘Hi, hello’ while passing through.

Just as Liuli thought she could smoothly slip by and had already entered the Merit Hall to choose a mission.

Trouble descended.

This trouble was a Senior Sister. Liuli didn’t know her, but listening to Liang Tiantian, she was called Ye Zhenzhen. She looked under twenty, with a pretty face as beautiful as a flower, but seemed to have a rather poor temperament—somewhat fierce. Her cultivation was one stage higher than Liuli’s.

Ye Zhenzhen… Liuli rubbed her chin, feeling this name was familiar, but for the life of her, she couldn’t remember.

“Senior Brother Long,” Liang Tiantian whispered a reminder.

Connecting it to Long Jingxing, then saying the name Ye Zhenzhen once more, Liuli had a sudden realization. Oh my goodness, who did she think it was? This was an early-stage cannon fodder female character!

In the book, Ye Zhenzhen was a woman who admired the male lead early on, but then scorned him after his tribulations. In a harem novel, this kind of woman definitely wouldn’t have a good ending. Liuli couldn’t remember the specific fate, but anyway, pretty women who looked down on the male lead either got collected by him later or suffered all sorts of misfortunes.

At this time, it seemed the male lead hadn’t officially established a relationship with that woman yet, but he treated Xue Liuli with special attention. So… Ye Zhenzhen was here out of jealousy, provoking her?

Ye Zhenzhen sized Liuli up from head to toe, from the ends of her ponytail hair to her little white boots, with such serious scrutiny that, if Liuli didn’t know she admired Long Jingxing, she would have thought Ye Zhenzhen had taken a fancy to her!

“What are you looking at?” Liuli found it amusing. Her mouth slipped, and the words tumbled out before she could stop them. After they slipped out, she was amused herself. This wasn’t the modern world; no one was here to cooperate with the retort, ‘Looking at you, what about it?’

“Checking up on my dear Junior Sister. Not seen for a few days, and now glowing with health. You really don’t look like someone who lost her memory,” Ye Zhenzhen sneered.

A few lackeys followed behind her, their stance even more domineering and arrogant than Liuli’s, the daughter of the Sect Leader.

This was also normal. After all, the position of Sect Leader sounded impressive, but the Heavenly Martial Sect wasn’t ruled solely by the Sect Leader; it had many, many Elders.

Ye Zhenzhen was the biological granddaughter of another Nascent Soul Elder. She possessed a Single Wind Spirit Root. At a glance, her talent wasn’t inferior to Liuli’s Single Water Spirit Root. Moreover, her cultivation was a stage higher than Liuli’s, though she was also three years older.

Liuli didn’t even like Long Jingxing. She absolutely didn’t want to fight over jealousy for him, lest Long Jingxing misunderstand and think she was interested in him and cling to her again.

So, Liuli wisely decided to turn hostility into friendship.

Liuli brushed her bangs, and smiled with an air of casual indifference: “Senior Sister Ye cares about me so much. Liuli is overwhelmed by the unexpected favor.”

“Heh heh.”

Probably since ancient times, the meaning of a cold sneer ‘heh heh’ was universal. Hearing her laugh like that, Liuli felt it was sarcastic. She shrugged at Ye Zhenzhen, who was blocking her way. “Does Senior Sister have any other business?”

“I heard Junior Sister has even forgotten how to cultivate.” Ye Zhenzhen leisurely walked two circles around Liuli, then suddenly reached out and pinched the end of her ponytail, bringing her face close, sneering menacingly. “But how come it looks to me like Junior Sister’s cultivation has risen again? Could it be that this whole ‘forgetting cultivation’ thing is a lie?!”

Liuli truly couldn’t understand the mind of this lovelorn girl. Why bother? She asked back, “Whether it’s true or false, what does it matter?”

“If it’s true… Hmph, what cultivator could even forget how to cultivate? I suspect some people’s cultivation didn’t come by honest means. If it’s false…” Ye Zhenzhen spoke meaningfully in her ear, “I wonder whose sympathy Junior Sister is trying to win?”

Liuli: “…………”

So whether it was true or false, she was in the wrong.

In that case, whether it was true or false didn’t matter.

Liuli tilted her head slightly, her peach-blossom-like delicate face revealing a shy smile. “Senior Sister, you’re so close. I’ll get shy, you know!”

Ye Zhenzhen: “…!!!”

She flung her hand away, letting go of Liuli’s ponytail, and stepped back. “You!”

“Me? What about me?” Liuli pursed her lips and blew her a flying kiss. “Is it true, or is it false, what does it matter? Sigh—actually, this kind of news can only make those who care about me pay attention. To try and win sympathy… naturally, it’s the person who cares about me the most. Liuli truly never imagined, Senior Sister, that you’re sharp-tongued but soft-hearted, actually caring so much about Liuli’s injuries.”

“You’re talking nonsense! I certainly did not…!” Ye Zhenzhen was furious. Since when did her pretentious rival change her ways and become so utterly shameless!

This move was called ‘beating the snake to follow the stick.’ Ye Zhenzhen’s intense reaction only made Liuli find it more amusing and want to tease her even more.

Liuli took a light, quick step to her side, gently bumping her shoulder against Ye Zhenzhen’s. They looked intimately like two good sisters:

“Senior Sister, don’t be so tsundere. Everyone knows how much you care about me!”

Perhaps it was because she got too close, forcefully making a girl who’d come to pick a fight blush and grow warm with irritation. Ye Zhenzhen, as if picking a flower and touching a thorn, suddenly retreated ten feet away, all her fur bristling:

“You! Stay away from me!”

Liuli laughed inwardly, but feigned a hurt expression on her face. Her almond-shaped eyes blinked sorrowfully as she softly glanced around: “Senior Sister was so close to me just a moment ago, making me so very happy. Why is it now… that you’re disgusted by me? Sigh…”

This last sigh, ‘Sigh…’ was drawn out with the air of Qin Xianglian lamenting her unfaithful husband Chen Shimei.

The stance of the onlookers immediately underwent a subtle shift.

No, it should be said, in their eyes, this farce had gained another layer of juicy, gossip-worthy color.

Ye Zhenzhen was angry and humiliated. She threw out three words: “You! Are! Sick!” Then snorted coldly, flicked her sleeves, and left.

It was just that her increasingly hasty footsteps, no matter how one looked at it, carried a hint of fleeing in panic.

It wasn’t, it wasn’t running away… she just didn’t want to entangle with that two-faced person!

Ye Zhenzhen half-covered her face with one hand, her lips tightly pursed, her brows deeply furrowed. She walked faster and faster, so fast the lackeys behind her could barely keep up.

“Senior Sister, wait for me… aren’t we going to accept a mission?”

Ye Zhenzhen stopped abruptly. The lackey nearly collided with her back.

“Hey, tell me,” Ye Zhenzhen didn’t look back. Her face was still burning, and she absolutely didn’t want the lackey to see her like this, so she looked at her from the corner of her eye sourly. “Do I really care about Xue Liuli that much?”

The lackey: “This, this…”

“Speak freely, don’t stutter!” Ye Zhenzhen said irritably.

“Senior Sister, have you forgotten? You instructed us to report to you immediately whenever there was news about Senior Sister Xue…”

Ye Zhenzhen: “…”

Smack! She fiercely shook her sleeve, causing the air to snap. Incredulous and flustered, she didn’t say another word, rushing towards her own residence at flying speed.

She left several lackeys looking at each other.

“Does Senior Sister Ye really…”

“It seems even about Senior Brother Long’s news, Senior Sister Ye hasn’t been that attentive and meticulous…”

“…”

The group collectively shivered, as if they had discovered some incredible secret.

.

Merit Hall.

After Ye Zhenzhen and her group left, Liuli smiled and greeted a few Junior Brothers and Sisters who came to chat, finally getting some peace to properly choose a mission.

The Merit Hall’s mission types and levels varied. Some had cultivation requirements, some didn’t.

Liuli only wanted an excuse to leave the mountain gate. She didn’t actually plan on going out to slay demons and vanquish devils. Even if she had the heart to be a hero for once, she temporarily lacked the ability.

So, Liuli pointed at a wall of scrolls and asked Liang Tiantian: “Which one can go to a small town at the foot of the mountain?”

“There are many small towns outside the mountain gate. Which one does Senior Sister want to go to?”

“…”

Damn. She only remembered the book writing about the male lead leaving the mountain gate and entering a small town. Which specific town, how was she supposed to remember…

Let her think again. What was this part of the plot about?

Liuli scratched her head, starting to think.

Liuli’s purpose for this descent was to help Long Jingxing obtain a future lucky chance early. Because within this lucky chance, he would acquire a treasure that could defend against a hundred poisons. With this treasure, he wouldn’t have to fear being poisoned and having his Spiritual Root destroyed.

Furthermore, the difficulty of this lucky chance wasn’t high. In the book, the male lead, whose Spiritual Root was destroyed and had almost no cultivation, could still obtain it, let alone the current Long Jingxing.

But lucky chances, lucky chances. To find it, there were still certain conditions to meet.

Right now, Liuli wanted to create this condition for the male lead.

After carefully recalling, Liuli snapped her fingers and said, “Whichever small town has the Flying Swallow Treasure Pavilion, that’s where we’ll go!”

With a specific target, the rest was easy.

Liang Tiantian helped her find the location. Liuli accepted a small errand mission, and under Liang Tiantian’s coquettish assault, brought the girl along out of the mountain gate.

In the small town outside the mountain gate, there were many independent cultivators and many ordinary citizens.

The customs and scenery of the small town were vastly different from the Heavenly Martial Sect. The Heavenly Martial Sect was a grand, majestic cultivation sect, but the small town showed traces of ordinary people’s lives in every aspect.

This place, more grounded and more aligned with the ancient lifestyle Liuli had imagined, actually stirred a sudden sense of melancholy within her.

She truly… couldn’t go back, could she?

But sadness was short-lived. The pursuit of happiness was the truth.

Liuli quickly gathered her spirits. She pulled Liang Tiantian along to stroll through the town. Candied hawthorns, egg cakes, all sorts of pastries and snacks—they tried a set.

With food in their mouths and more in their hands, they walked until they reached the true destination of their trip—the Flying Swallow Treasure Pavilion.