It is widely acknowledged in the cultivation world that for all cultivators on the path of cultivation, talent, luck, and effort are all indispensable.
What makes this Sword Tomb interesting is that each person, depending on their own luck, encounters different opportunities and ultimately takes away different things.
Perhaps it was because she herself was too unlucky.
Ever since she had been brought along.
They had trekked through mountains and rivers, passing through the spring and summer secret realms, yet had not encountered anything of value.
Let alone cultivation manuals, secret techniques, or rare treasures.
They hadn’t even caught a glimpse of another cultivator.
They had walked for a full day and night without rest through the autumn realm, arriving at a forest filled with maple leaves.
“Senior Sister…” Jiang Bingbing panted heavily, whining, “My toes hurt so much…”
She had no cultivation base.
She hadn’t even achieved Guiding Qi into the Body.
A mortal body couldn’t withstand such hardship!
Liu Zheng was also in a difficult position.
She aspired to achieve greater mastery in the way of the sword, and if she missed this once-in-a-decade opening of the Sword Tomb, she would have to wait another ten years.
But…
She had already promised their master to take good care of her junior sister.
Jiang Bingbing noticed Liu Zheng’s hesitation and slid down to sit against the thick trunk of a tree.
“It hurts so much~”
She pursed her lips in a pout.
Immediately, she took off her shoes and lifted her foot to show Liu Zheng. “My foot is all scraped…”
“It hurts so much, it hurts so much!!”
“I’m not walking anymore, wuwu!!”
After saying this, she hugged her shoes and began rolling around on the ground.
Liu Zheng didn’t know what to do with her. She took out a golden octagonal object from her storage bracelet.
“Junior Sister, this formation array can withstand a full-force strike from a Golden Core cultivator. Stay inside the array and absolutely do not leave. Wait for your senior sister and senior brothers to come get you.”
“Okay, okay, got it~”
Jiang Bingbing obediently sat cross-legged on the spot.
Isn’t this just like when Sun Wukong drew a circle for Tang Sanzang in Journey to the West, telling him not to leave it?
Don’t worry!
She would definitely be more obedient than Tang Sanzang.
She absolutely would not step out of this circle. Even the farts she let out would only drift around inside it!
Liu Zheng knew her junior sister loved to eat. After setting up the formation array, she took out a bundle from her storage bracelet.
It was filled with snacks.
Jiang Bingbing’s eyes sparkled as she hugged the bulging bundle to her chest.
Seeing her junior sister happily clutching the food, Liu Zheng still wasn’t fully at ease. She took out a bottle of Fasting Pills.
“I know you don’t like these, but if you finish the snacks and get hungry, use these to stave off hunger for now.” Still worried, she pulled out a stack of talisman paper from her waist. “If anyone tries to break into the array, throw all these talismans at them.”
Throw all of them?
That’s so extravagant!!
Sword Cultivators were already poor. Who knows how many Spirit Stones Senior Sister had spent buying these talismans.
And she was leaving them all for her?
Jiang Bingbing felt a warm glow in her heart and obediently took the talismans. “Senior Sister, Bingbing will wait here obediently for you to come back!”
“Mm, I’ll be back soon.”
This was a secret realm of the Sword Sect. She believed no one would dare harm a fellow disciple’s life.
What she feared were monster beasts.
After repeatedly instructing Jiang Bingbing, Liu Zheng continued forward.
Spring, summer, and autumn had passed. She was about to enter the winter secret realm.
In the freezing, snowy landscape, her junior sister, without any cultivation, would struggle to withstand the severe cold. It was better for her to stay where she was.
Liu Zheng shook her head, telling herself not to overthink it. She quickened her pace, determined to return soon to fetch her junior sister.
Meanwhile.
After Liu Zheng left.
Jiang Bingbing opened the bundle and pulled out a bright red spirit fruit, taking a loud “crunch” bite.
Sweet juice filled her mouth.
“If only I had a phone.”
Sitting here waiting was a bit boring.
Based on her observations since transmigrating, Jiang Bingbing was just an insignificant minor character.
Not the protagonist of this world.
So there were no opportunities, nor any troubles!!
Thus, after entering this famously renowned Sword Tomb, she couldn’t even see a single hair.
Along the way, she only witnessed the changing of the seasons.
Utterly ordinary, utterly ordinary!
“Nothing to pass the time either,” she muttered, tossing away the spiritual fruit core after finishing it. “Forget it, I’ll just sleep.”
Wiping her hands.
She placed her bundle under the tree trunk, rested her head on her hands, and was about to comfortably close her eyes for a rest.
“Swish, swish, swish~”
Suddenly!
Not far away, fierce gales began to blow!
The fiery red maple leaves covering the ground were swept up, swirling high into the air, forming several maple leaf vortices.
Jiang Bingbing: “?”
What’s going on?
She had never seen such a spectacle before!
Jiang Bingbing swiftly sat up, curled into a corner, and raised her bundle in front of her face with both hands.
Her round eyes peered over the bundle, fixed on the sky above.
Then she heard—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The sounds of slicing air mixed with the metallic clashing of weapons.
Two figures suddenly descended from the sky!
The two were locked in a fierce, inextricable battle, their longswords clashing and sparking with each strike.
Their speed was astonishing.
It left Jiang Bingbing dazzled and disoriented.
She could only see a blur of red and a blur of gray fighting, completely unable to make out their appearances, features, figures, or clothing.
At the center of the violent spiritual power fluctuations.
A hoarse voice, filled with resentment, cursed: “Fen Jue, leave some room for others. You’ve chased me all the way from the Upper Heavenly Palace to here and still won’t let go. That’s enough. Let me go, and you can have your pick of rare treasures, secret techniques, and manuals.”
Though she couldn’t see the expressions of the two combatants, just hearing this old man’s voice, it was clear he was furious and resentful but didn’t dare speak out.
He wanted to rage but couldn’t defeat that Scarlet-Robed Cultivator.
From behind the maple leaves came a weary, disdainful sneer.
“No.”
Just two words.
They captivated Jiang Bingbing’s ears.
She had never heard such a pleasant, such a magnetically compelling voice. All the high-quality voice actors she had admired before paled in comparison to this person’s voice.
Blushing, Jiang Bingbing stared intently at the Scarlet-Robed Cultivator.
“Hmph!” The old man erupted in anger, his moves becoming even more fierce. “Fen Jue, don’t forget this is your Sword Sect’s secret realm. Coinciding with the opening of the Sword Tomb, if you show no mercy, I’ll at least take a few of your Sword Sect’s outstanding disciples with me to the grave!”
“Feng Qian, before you can find any of my sect’s disciples, I can already take your wretched life.”
The Scarlet-Robed man’s sword techniques were aggressive and pressing, clearly forcing the gray-robed old man into retreat.
Jiang Bingbing, who had shrunk back, straightened her neck again. Based on this brief exchange and her shallow analysis:
These two came from the Upper Heavenly Palace.
The legendary place one could only go after ascension.
The Scarlet-Robed Sword Cultivator was likely a senior from the Sword Sect, while this gray-robed old man sounded like a villainous demon.
As Jiang Bingbing pondered, a piercing, eerie laugh suddenly rang out from mid-air ahead.
“Keke—”
“You deliberately lured me to this deserted place, never expecting there’d still be a Sword Sect disciple here, did you?”
Huh?
Sword Sect disciple?
Where?
Jiang Bingbing looked left and right, until a wrinkled, aged face suddenly appeared right in front of her!
Only then did she realize they were talking about her?
Oh no!!
“Help, help, help!!!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. “Senior Sword Cultivator, save me! I’m a junior disciple under Qingxue of Jade Immortal Peak! Save me, ahhhhh!!!”
“My talent is exceptional, the sect has been grooming me as a top student! Save me, save me!!”
There was no room for playing dumb now!
Who would save a fool from the sect?
The old man’s eyes turned sinister, his right hand shifting from a palm to a claw, his movements ruthless and swift.
“Hahahaha, if I die here, having a little girl from your Sword Sect with exceptional talent as my companion in death is worth it!”
“Feng Qian, how dare you!”
The Scarlet-Robed Sword Cultivator lunged forward with his sword.
Jiang Bingbing finally got a clear look at his face.
What a face—one that could outshine the moon and put flowers to shame, breathtakingly handsome. She had never seen such a beautiful man in her life.
But…
It was still a step too late.
Novels are always just novels.
TV dramas are always just TV dramas.
“I told you so…”
“I’m not the protagonist…”
The scent of blood spread through the air. Jiang Bingbing struggled to lower her head and saw the old man’s sharp claws already piercing through her internal organs, bright red blood gushing uncontrollably.
“Damn it…”
“My transmigration journey is ending so soon…”
The old man was struck by a sword from the Scarlet-Robed Sword Cultivator and met his end. Jiang Bingbing spat a mouthful of blood onto his face.
With great difficulty, she uttered three words before closing her eyes.
“You… old… bastard…”