Man 1 spoke with a lewd smirk: “Say, that little chick is so beautiful, do you think she’s here to find a lover?”
Man 2 replied with a hint of worry: “What if her lover comes looking for her?”
Man 3 didn’t care in the least: “What are you afraid of? We’ll vanish as soon as we’re done. How could we possibly get caught?”
They were clearly experienced repeat offenders, intending to finish the job quickly.
Man 1 was still immersed in his fantasies: “In a moment, I’m going to grab those fair, tender little hands… Wait, why is there a snow fox here?”
Lost in his daydream, he suddenly spotted a small silver fox glaring at him from ahead. Assuming it was just a common wild animal, he waved his hand dismissively: “Shoo! Get lost!”
As he spoke, he picked up a wooden stick, intending to drive the fox away. However, the moment he stood up, a powerful surge of spiritual energy struck him like a massive hammer. He was sent flying, crashing heavily to the ground with a scream of agony.
“W-What’s happening?!” Man 2 shrieked in terror.
Seeing the situation, Man 3 shouted desperately: “Quick! Activate the barrier!”
Since Man 1 had already lost consciousness, the barrier could only be opened by the remaining two. But just as the barrier rose, the little fox gave them a contemptuous glance. Spiritual energy surged around its body, and the barrier shattered instantly.
“This is a Soul Nascent (Yuanying) stage cultivator!” Man 3 cried out in horror.
Man 2 immediately dropped to his knees, begging for mercy: “Great Immortal, spare my life! I have an elderly mother to support… AHHHH!!”
Three flashes of spiritual light streaked through the air. The men felt a searing pain, as if their very souls were being burned by raging flames. They screamed repeatedly, but found themselves completely unable to resist, forced to let the agony consume their minds.
“Since you enjoy harming others so much, today, I shall cripple your cultivation!” a cold, clear voice rang out.
Before the echoes faded, the spiritual energy within the three men vanished. Their cultivation bases were completely destroyed, and they collapsed into unconsciousness.
The Clever Junior Sister
Xu Qing reverted to her human form, frowning at the scene. She hadn’t intended to intervene, but hearing their vile words and slanders against Bai Muyao… she had suddenly been unable to restrain herself.
After the impulse subsided, she felt a bit flustered. Bai Muyao would be arriving soon—how would she explain this?
Xu Qing paced back and forth in the room, her mind in turmoil. Ultimately, she transformed back into the little fox and leapt onto the roof beams. Forget it. As long as I don’t show myself, I don’t have to explain anything!
She waited for a while, but Bai Muyao never arrived.
Strange?
Before leaving the sect, Xu Qing had left a trace of spiritual energy to track Bai Muyao. She realized now that Bai Muyao hadn’t come this way at all!
The Real Gathering Point
Meanwhile, after asking several passersby, Bai Muyao had finally found the actual gathering place for cultivators. She nodded in satisfaction, inwardly praising her own wit.
The first “kind auntie” had indeed been a liar. Fortunately, she had remained cautious and asked a few more people, otherwise things would have turned out poorly.
When Xu Qing finally caught up, she saw Bai Muyao entering an inn. How could she have forgotten? Bai Muyao was much more clever than she had imagined!
An inexplicable spark of anger flared within Xu Qing. Bai Muyao! I just took down those bandits for you! You didn’t even bother to come and look…
No! I wasn’t helping her! This is actually perfect! Striking down those thieves doesn’t count as helping Bai Muyao; I was just doing a good deed for the people!
Xu Qing contacted a nearby Inspector to handle the three men in the wooden house. She reminded herself once more: she must not intervene like that again. Once she found the reason she couldn’t cultivate, she would leave immediately and never have to look at Bai Muyao’s face again.
With her resolve set, Xu Qing hid her aura and quietly followed her into the inn.
The Recruitment
The inn was crowded with cultivators. As Bai Muyao stepped inside, she couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous. At the sect, most people she met were peers who had just started their journey. But many of the cultivators here looked as though they had been practicing for a thousand years.
Though Bai Muyao was in the late stage of the Golden Core (Jindan) realm, her total time spent practicing was less than a hundred years, making her look quite young by comparison.
She noticed someone organizing a group to enter the Monster Beast Mountains and stepped forward to inquire. The organizer was a red-haired woman. Upon seeing Bai Muyao, a flash of surprise crossed her eyes. “You look quite young. It seems you haven’t been cultivating for very long?”
She didn’t jump to conclusions, but instead produced a cultivation-testing stone. Once Bai Muyao demonstrated her Golden Core level, the red-haired woman nodded in satisfaction. “Fine, you can join the team.”
Bai Muyao breathed a sigh of relief. Joining the group had gone smoothly.
“My name is Shi Shuyan, the team leader,” the red-haired woman introduced herself.
“I am Bai Muyao.”
Shi Shuyan extended a hand in a friendly gesture, and Bai Muyao immediately shook it.
“We’ll rest for about an hour, then we set out,” Shi Shuyan said.
“Understood!” Bai Muyao was then led to join the ranks of the team.
Unwanted Attention
Their brief greeting caused the little fox on the roof beam to furrow its brow. Seeing them shake hands made Xu Qing even more dissatisfied. It’s just a greeting, why the need for physical contact?
Xu Qing suppressed her annoyance, curious as to why Bai Muyao wanted to go to the Monster Beast Mountains. This was a relatively low-level range, and magical treasures were said to be extremely scarce there. But she pushed the thought aside—it wasn’t her concern.
As they waited to depart, Bai Muyao began chatting with those around her. The minimum requirement for the team was the Golden Core stage. Almost everyone, except for Shi Shuyan, was a Golden Core cultivator. Those at the Soul Nascent stage had no need for a group; they could enter the mountains alone.
Because of her youth, many assumed Bai Muyao was only in the early stage of Golden Core. Even so, reaching that level at her age was considered a mark of extraordinary talent.
A man walked over to strike up a conversation. “Hello there, Little Sister Bai.”
Bai Muyao replied politely: “Greetings, Senior.”
The man smiled smugly for some reason. “Don’t worry, Big Brother will protect you on this mission!”
“Thank you, Senior,” Bai Muyao replied.
Seeing how compliant she seemed, a glint of cunning flashed in the man’s eyes. He pulled a jar of ointment from his storage ring. “Sister Bai, this ointment is excellent for skin care. Since fate brought us together today, I’ll give it to you!”
Bai Muyao was stunned and politely declined. “Thank you for your kindness, Senior, but I cannot accept it.”
The man persisted: “Don’t be a stranger! Give me your hand, I’ll apply some for you so you can see how good it is.”
He reached out to grab her hand.
On the roof beam, Xu Qing’s eyes turned murderous. She had a sudden, violent impulse: if that man’s hand touched Bai Muyao, she would leap down and sever it in the next instant. She didn’t even care if it was rational.
Fortunately, Bai Muyao reacted quickly, pulling her hand back before he could touch her. “That’s really not necessary!”
The man wouldn’t give up. “Why so polite?”
As he tried again, Bai Muyao took a step back, staring at him warily. “I said it’s not necessary. Please show some self-respect, Senior!”
Even as naive as she was, she could tell the man’s interest wasn’t in the ointment.
Shi Shuyan noticed the commotion and hurried over. “What’s going on? Don’t cause trouble, or you’re out!” She glanced between the two.
Just as Bai Muyao was about to explain, the man tossed his head back in annoyance. “Fine! I was just being kind, and you treat it like dirt!” He turned and walked away.
Bai Muyao tried to explain the situation to Shi Shuyan, but the leader simply said: “Say no more. Unless he actually commits a crime, I can’t do anything. Just don’t stir up trouble yourself.” With that, she also left.
Bai Muyao sighed helplessly and moved to the side.
Xu Qing watched with burning eyes. If he had touched her, I really would have chopped his hand off. But she couldn’t interfere lightly; only if Bai Muyao was in true danger…
She felt a surge of uncontrollable emotion.
Meanwhile, the man’s resentment grew. She won’t even let me touch her hand? It’s not like I’m trying to eat her! Fine, then don’t blame me for being ruthless! He smiled coldly. He never intended to follow the group into the mountains anyway; he had a much more profitable method, and this sheltered girl looked like the perfect target for a scam.
The False Accusation
An hour passed. Shi Shuyan announced to the crowd: “Is everyone ready? We are setting out! Remember, do not stray from the group!”
Just as she finished, a cry of alarm erupted from the crowd.
“My Spirit Pearl is gone!” a woman shouted frantically.
Shi Shuyan rushed over. “What happened?”
“My Spirit Pearl is missing! It’s my most precious artifact!” the woman told her, panicked.
Shi Shuyan frowned. “Don’t panic. Think carefully, did you leave it somewhere?”
Since everyone here was about to head into the mountains together, if the pearl wasn’t lost, it was stolen and the thief was likely among them.
The woman thought hard but shook her head. “No! That pearl is too important to me, I couldn’t have been that careless.”
Shi Shuyan had a headache. To have this happen right before departure…
Suddenly, the woman remembered something. “Wait! When I arrived at Yunyin Town, I bought a Marking Talisman and cast a spell on the pearl. If anyone has touched it, they will leave a trace!”
A Marking Talisman leaves a magical signature on an object that transfers to anyone who touches it, lasting for seven days. With a detection spell, the mark becomes visible.
Shi Shuyan asked, “Who do you suspect?”
The woman scanned the crowd, her gaze lingering on everyone until it finally locked onto Bai Muyao. She pointed her finger. “I think I heard someone say she was staring at my Spirit Pearl the whole time…”
“Me?” Bai Muyao immediately defended herself. “I would never steal anything!”
Despite her protest, Shi Shuyan couldn’t tell who was lying. The woman insisted: “Whether you stole it or not, the talisman will tell!”
She brought out the detection charm. If Bai Muyao had touched the pearl, the mark would appear as the charm got close.
Left with no choice, Bai Muyao allowed the detection. However, as the charm approached her palm, a faint, glowing light began to emerge.
The woman screamed instantly: “It was her! She really stole my Spirit Pearl!”