Chapter 10: Black Dragon Rending the Heavens (Part 5): Sacrifice or Plunder, Either Way Part 1

They had become master and disciple not long ago at all, and they had basically spent all that time traveling on the road without exchanging more than a few words. How could any so-called master-disciple bond have formed?

Mu Qian Tan found it hard to understand and said inexplicably, “There was never any to begin with.”

Shang Shan slowly opened her mouth wide, revealing her neatly aligned white pointed teeth deep in her throat. After a long moment, she said, “You’re going too far.”

Mu Qian Tan said, “At this point, still holding any expectations toward me means you’re the stupid one.”

She had never feigned a friendly attitude on the surface; what she showed was mostly sharp barbs, without the slightest bit of kindness. Anyone could see it was an obvious trap, yet with a casual mention of fate’s decree, this fool had eagerly trotted after her. Only an idiot who was neither sweet nor innocent would fall for it so easily.

Hearing those words, Shang Shan’s lips trembled, her throat tightening until she could only squeeze out one word: “You…”

She had roamed freely in that small village town for several years, always a carefree little Cat Official living as she pleased. No one had ever sought her out, and she had enjoyed that peaceful life.

But that day, under clear skies, an immortal descended from the heavens and wanted to take her to distant lands. Though many unpleasant things had happened, she had still chosen to set out.

She thought it was an entrustment, a gesture of trust, but her nominal master neither cared nor asked, had even attacked her multiple times and harbored killing intent. It was utterly intolerable.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Shang Shan jumped onto a large rock, her lips and teeth nearly sparking with rage. “I regret it! I regret it so much! I never should have come with you! I’m going home to catch mice!”

Mu Qian Tan’s voice was calm and deep. “Will regretting do any good?”

Seeing the girl’s deflated expression, she let out a cold chuckle, lightly flicked her sleeve, and walked toward the mountain base against the sunlight. “You saw it just now—the sect master stands on my side. If I insist on killing you, even she couldn’t stop me, so you’d better not talk nonsense later.”

A few casual words couldn’t probe the sect master’s true attitude toward her, but bluffing to scare this simple-minded girl was more than enough.

Shang Shan looked back. The trees here were dense, the mountain path winding into the sea of forests; the Golden Hall was no longer visible, nor was the way back.

Even the silliest person could read the situation. She drooped her head dispiritedly and followed that icy blue silhouette, muttering under her breath, “You can’t watch me forever. The moment I get a chance, I’ll run away, and you’ll chase me to the ends of the earth without finding me…”

Penglai Hall was the sect master’s residence, built at the highest point of the entire Tianyu Mountains. From anywhere in the sect, one could see the blue beacon soaring into the skies, so there was no need to ask for directions—they headed straight there after descending the mountain.

Remembering the stares from the crowd earlier, which had made her somewhat uneasy, and how excessive greetings annoyed her, Mu Qian Tan deliberately avoided the crowds and took only the small paths through the woods.

Her pace wasn’t fast; it was more like a leisurely stroll after a meal. This half-demon remnant body was so frail, with a pair of long legs that tired after just two steps. She had no idea how the Original Host had climbed to her current position.

Seeing that she planned to walk slowly, Shang Shan clicked her tongue and kept a certain distance, neither too close nor too far, following behind. After walking a stretch in the quiet mountain woods like this, she couldn’t resist her monkey-like nature and started climbing trees, diving into rivers, swinging on vines, and leaping through the canopy.

She had been quite upset just moments ago, but now she was playing around. An outsider might call her carefree, but that was her nature—and the more unhappy she felt inside, the more wildly she played.

The wind whistled as she grabbed a vine and soared to another tree. “Wheee!”

“…”

Strange noises came from behind from time to time. Mu Qian Tan rolled her eyes and automatically tuned them out.

And so, one walked slowly while the other flew wildly, and they crossed two low mountains. The view suddenly opened up, and the sunlight mixed with snow on the ground dazzled so brightly that it hurt to open her eyes, stinging her retinas slightly.

Mu Qian Tan stopped at the mountaintop. Once her eyes adjusted to the brightness, she gazed into the distance.

Mo Jing Peak, the highest mountain of Tianyu Sect, lay quietly amid a thousand acres of cloud sea. Where the dark green vegetation didn’t cover it, black rocks were exposed, and at the farthest heights, it was draped in pale snow. Flocks of immortal birds flew by, their cries distant, nearly blending with the snow-colored white grand hall built against the mountain, reflecting the sunlight dazzlingly.

Thin clouds scattered in the wind, moisture filling the air. The distant sight made Mu Qian Tan subconsciously slow her breathing, her robes and loose hair swaying in the wind.

In all the days since transmigrating, this was the first time she felt a sense of spiritual refreshment.

Li Biyuan suddenly sighed. ‘So beautiful. Among all the novel genres, my two favorites have always been xianxia and western fantasy—they both have an indescribable beauty.’

Mu Qian Tan said, ‘They’re both very primal, survival of the fittest.’

Li Biyuan: ‘Mm… that’s true…’

Mu Qian Tan fell silent for a moment, then smiled. ‘No, I was wrong. The Modern World is the same.’

Even more disgustingly so.

Suddenly, her brows twitched, her gaze turning sharp. Scenes from before arriving at the Assembly Hall flashed through her mind. An embryonic idea from the Narrow Sea was now gradually clarifying.

No footsteps could be heard anymore. Shang Shan, who had just caught a fat carp from the river, twitched her ears and looked ahead.

That bad woman had stopped!

She tilted her head, thought for a moment, then hurriedly leaped out of the river. Dripping water with every step and slapping along in her straw sandals, she anxiously said, “We’ve barely walked any distance, and you’re already tired! You’re so…”

This was a chance not to be missed. She had wanted to rush up and mock the woman, give her a piece of her mind, but when Shang Shan saw the snow mountain grand hall amid the cloud sea, she too froze in place.

Mu Qian Tan pulled herself from her thoughts and glanced at her. “No sense of the world.”

With that, she floated lightly onward by herself.

Shang Shan huffed and hurried to catch up, unable to hold back. “You’re so rude! It’s not that I have no sense of the world. It’s because we were born in different places and saw different sights growing up. I’ve seen things you haven’t—does that mean I should talk down to you like that?”

She still clutched the fat carp, its tail thrashing wildly, splattering water droplets everywhere. Mu Qian Tan frowned slightly, showing disapproval, and quickened her pace to widen the distance.

Seeing no response, Shang Shan thought she had the upper hand and said smugly, “Besides, what right do you have to look down on me? We’re both just two eyes, one nose, one mouth—we all eat, drink, and sh—ow!”

Spiritual Power swirled from ahead, making the live fish in her hand go berserk. Its tail nearly whipped off, body leaping straight into her mouth, the fishy stench assaulting her nose.

Even if she ate anything, she could tell good from bad. The intense fishiness nearly made Shang Shan retch. She spat out the fish with a “Pah! Pah! Pah!”, grabbed it with both hands, and chased after. “Can’t argue, so you attack? No gentleman at all!”

Mu Qian Tan said, “Did I?”

Shang Shan darted ahead of the woman, walking backward with her head held high. “Dare to look me in the eye and say you didn’t!”

Mu Qian Tan’s gaze was steady. “Can’t see you, Dwarf Winter Melon.”

Shang Shan took the hit and jumped up. “Look! Look!”

The woman’s face remained coldly aloof and pristine, her gaze not focusing on her at all.

Shang Shan raised the live fish angrily. “I’m still growing. Using your height to bully me isn’t fair. If you have the guts, let’s compete at something else.”

Mu Qian Tan said, “Dwarf Winter Melon.”

Shang Shan gnashed her teeth, rolled up her sleeves, and showed off her well-proportioned arms. Skin like white jade, full of the youthful glow and elasticity of a girl. “Where do I look like a winter melon?”

Mu Qian Tan stopped, not bothering to look down, just sliding her eyes downward. Then she raised her hand, extended her index finger, and pointed at the girl’s forehead, repeating.

“Short. Winter. Melon.”

The girl’s head turned into a wooden drum, each word a strike.

While she stood petrified in place, Mu Qian Tan circled around her and continued forward. By the time the girl’s cursing voice came from behind again, the gates of Penglai Hall were already in front of her.

A little immortal boy with a red dot on his forehead, dressed in a long robe patterned with cranes, approached. Without needing to ask, as if he already knew her purpose, he saluted her and turned to lead the way.

No need to look back; from the flurry of footsteps, she knew the other had followed. Mu Qian Tan stepped into the hall.

Shang Shan stormed up to the gates in a huff, only then realizing she had forgotten to release the fish. It was too late to go back now, so she followed along. Fortunately, the surrounding immortal boys, even if they hadn’t seen someone bringing a live fish as a gift for the sect master, remained unfazed, their faces unchanged and silent.

The immortal boy led them to a quiet and elegant courtyard residence. Unlike the grand structure seen from afar, this was more like a rustic farmhouse yard: one tree, one water jar, one table; inside the room, one stick of incense, one screen, one hanging painting—nothing else.

The room was empty; the sect master had not returned yet.

She had thought walking slowly would make them too late, but the Assembly Council meeting still hadn’t ended. It seemed the Black Dragon incident was truly troubling the Immortal Realm.