Even if karma truly existed, did it have to come this fast?
Bai Xiaoxiao’s gaze darted around, sweat trickling down her back.
What was this secret realm thinking? Did it see her steal the Stone Flower without any martial honor and decide to visit instant retribution?
It had only been a quarter of an hour since she’d snatched the Stone Flower and been teleported away. And now—enemies meeting face to face, eyes burning with hatred.
Initially, Bai Xiaoxiao hadn’t grasped the severity of the situation. When she saw Rong Qingqing and her two companions appear, she’d felt guarded, worried the woman would make trouble again.
Then there was no “then.”
A group of cultivators whose Spirit Plant she’d just robbed appeared before her all at once.
Looking at the sea of heads, Bai Xiaoxiao suddenly thought that running into just Rong Qingqing’s trio would have been the best outcome.
The gap between had been short. They remembered with perfect clarity the person who’d sneak-attacked and snatched the Stone Flower. Meeting her again, all the rage that hadn’t yet cooled reignited in an instant, and sneers rang out.
“Ha! You little wretch, you’ve got some nerve deceiving people!”
“Heh. Fellow Daoist, you’ve gone too far. A treasure like this isn’t something a mere Early-Stage Foundation Establishment brat like you can hold on to. Hand over the Stone Flower.”
“No need for all this talk. I say we just kill her and be done with it—she’s just a little girl.”
The words had barely left his mouth when the speaker grabbed a Giant Axe, cold light flashing in his eyes, and charged at Bai Xiaoxiao.
His speed was too fast, and his cultivation was two minor stages higher than hers—Late-Stage Foundation Establishment.
In the flash of an eye, a long sword shot over, forcibly catching the Giant Axe—and not only catching it, but rebounding the blow with force.
The Giant Axe was massive, while the long sword was slender and thin. Even so, the axe’s owner gained nothing. His furious strike hadn’t even managed to shake the sword a fraction, and the rebound sent him flying backward.
The long sword that had blocked the attack shot back into a slender white hand.
“I’d like to see who dares make another move.”
Ming Jingqiu swept her gaze across the crowd, then, holding her sword, tapped her foot and flashed in front of Bai Xiaoxiao. She regarded the startled, doubtful cultivators with cold indifference.
Her eyes lowered, her tone icy. “Treasures have always gone to the capable. Is there a problem?”
The cultivators exchanged furtive glances, none daring to speak.
After a long pause, one voice finally ventured cautiously, “May I ask your name, Fellow Daoist?”
Before Ming Jingqiu could answer, Ye Xingtong had already shot off. “We’re disciples of the Shangqing Sword Sect. What—does Your Excellency want to seek out Senior Sister Ming’s Shizun at the Sword Sect for a lesson?”
At those words, every cultivator’s heart shook.
The Shangqing Sword Sect was one of the Five Great Sects. To any Rogue Cultivator, it was a veritable giant. And sword cultivators were famous for their battle prowess—they were a pack of fighting maniacs.
Thus, when Sword Sect disciples traveled abroad, few cultivators dared to make a move against them.
On top of that, the Sword Sect was infamous for protecting its own. The moment you bullied their disciples, their seniors would come knocking for revenge.
No one wanted to beat up the young and summon the old, so the Sword Sect had a fearsome reputation.
This time, when word came that the Flowing Light Spirit Cave Secret Realm had opened, its cultivation cap was Golden Core. By past experience, disciples like those of the Sword Sect would never look twice at such a small secret realm. Yet here they were.
What shocked them even more was that the one who’d struck so young was already at Golden Core stage.
The cultivators, who’d been hot-headed with rage, sobered up one after another. They exchanged looks, and no one dared to speak.
But there was always someone who couldn’t accept that the treasure should go to someone else, and so he ground his teeth and asked, “So even disciples of your honored sect deign to visit such a small secret realm? I’d thought the place too tiny—that scions of great sects, accustomed to abundant resources, would pay it no mind. Might I ask your name and whose tutelage you’re under, Fellow Daoist?”
Ming Jingqiu’s expression hesitated.
Dragging her Shizun into such a petty conflict seemed like overkill. Besides, they were out training. If every little problem could be solved by invoking her Shizun, the training would be pointless.
That brief hesitation was like a gift to the man. He sneered, “Why the silence, Fellow Daoist? Have you run out of enough imagination to pick which Venerable to claim as your master? Or are you saying you’re only pretending to be a Sword Sect disciple too?”
At that, the crowd’s interest stirred. If she was truly a paper tiger, then the Stone Flower…
“Boom—”
The sudden, tremendous crash shook everyone. When they came to their senses, they found that the ice pillars around them had been cleanly severed by Sword Qi. Gasps filled the air.
The young woman who’d struck had an expressionless face, as though nothing had happened at all. But when those clear black-and-white eyes fixed on them, a thread of guilt couldn’t help but arise.
“Nonsense. Our sect’s disciples act with integrity abroad; we would never impersonate anyone. If you don’t understand the meaning of respect, I, Ming, am willing to offer you a lesson.”
She spoke without haste, and her indifferent expression bore a faint resemblance to her Shizun.
Bai Xiaoxiao watched her formidable display and sighed inwardly.
“Your Eminence, your Head Disciple is so cool.”
Shen Zhiyue only gave a brief glance before looking away. “My disciple. It’s only fitting.”
Bai Xiaoxiao’s gaze darkened as she glanced at Rong Qingqing’s trio, who had retreated to one side since the trouble started. Not necessarily, she thought.
At least in her eyes, Ming Jingqiu was far better than Rong Qingqing.
Again, Bai Xiaoxiao felt that this Female Lead wasn’t as beautiful as the book described—there was a jarring sense of fracture about her.
She’d actually been watching the trio from the corner of her eye the entire time.
When the crowd suddenly appeared, Bai Suwei had frowned and seemed to want to step forward. But Rong Qingqing and the Inner Sect Disciple held her back.
They’d said something to Bai Suwei, and then the three simply watched the show.
Even later, when Ming Jingqiu acted to save her and Ye Xingtong revealed their identities, aside from a slight shift in Bai Suwei’s expression, Rong Qingqing and the Inner Sect Disciple looked on as if it had nothing to do with them—not a flicker in their eyes.
It was hard to believe such a person could be the Female Lead.
Bai Xiaoxiao was puzzled, and even more curious why Shen Zhiyue had suddenly accepted Rong Qingqing as a disciple.
Perhaps because she knew, deep down, that Shen Zhiyue indulged her, Bai Xiaoxiao didn’t realize she’d accidentally voiced the question out loud.
Realizing what she’d said, Bai Xiaoxiao startled and hastily patched it over. “I—I’m just curious. If Your Eminence isn’t at liberty to say, you don’t have to answer…”
Shen Zhiyue seemed taken aback. After a moment, she spoke slowly. “There’s nothing inconvenient about it. I…”
Her expression was clearly contemplative. After a pause, she gave an unexpected answer.
“Qingqing is my destined disciple, as foretold by the Life Stone.”
Bai Xiaoxiao’s whole body went stiff. Of all the answers she could have imagined, she’d never expected that.
“The Life Stone? What is that?”
She murmured in bewilderment.
“That item is still too far beyond you. It’s not something you should know. Don’t be curious.”
Shen Zhiyue’s expression carried a hint of helplessness.
She knew this little snake was curious by nature, but that wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
Bai Xiaoxiao was a little dazed, but she nodded anyway—though she looked distracted.
Knowing such a secret made her feel inexplicably uneasy.
It wasn’t until a clamor suddenly rose from the crowd that she pulled herself back to the present.
Because Ming Jingqiu had just struck, a cultivator had recognized her style.
“Fellow Daoist, are you the Head Disciple of Sword Venerable Mingyue?”
At those words, everyone was stunned.
“Sword Venerable Mingyue? Which Sword Venerable?”
“Are you stupid? How many Sword Venerable Mingyues are there? Only the one from the Sword Sect.”
“Well, I never. To think we’d meet that Sword Venerable’s disciple going into a secret realm with us.”
“Right?”
With her identity laid bare, Ming Jingqiu’s brows knit. “Who are you?”
The man was handsome, and when he smiled, a pair of sharp tiger teeth showed—he cut quite a cheerful figure.
“I’ve long admired Fellow Daoist Ming’s name. I’m a mere Rogue Cultivator. I happened to be saved by Fellow Daoist Ming a while back. I never imagined we’d meet again so coincidentally.”
Ming Jingqiu paused, then nodded slightly. “Sorry. I don’t remember.”
“No matter, no matter. In fact, regarding this treasure, as Fellow Daoist Ming said, it should go to the capable by any measure. Everyone, let’s not dwell on this. The secret realm has only just opened—there’s still plenty of time to explore.”
With a way out provided, the cultivators hurriedly descended from the high horse. The atmosphere finally relaxed, and even took on an oddly harmonious air.
Seeing the crisis dissolve, Bai Xiaoxiao’s heart eased as well.
She glanced at Rong Qingqing, who hadn’t fully hidden her emotions, and clearly saw the disappointment and displeasure in the woman’s eyes.
The woman seemed to want badly to see them lose face, or fail to handle the situation. But what good would that do her?
Bai Xiaoxiao couldn’t figure it out. She watched as Rong Qingqing’s face changed on a dime—smiling brightly and sunnily at Bai Suwei and the Inner Sect Disciple, utterly devoid of negative emotion.
Bai Xiaoxiao looked away and turned to bow in thanks to Ming Jingqiu.
“Thank you, Senior Sister Ming… for helping me just now. But I’m not a Sword Sect disciple. If you’d rather I not call you that, I can switch back to my old address…”
