The old man opposite clearly possessed cultivation far superior to Bai Xiu’s. Seeing the dark whip about to strike her again, Bai Xiu raised her arm to brace for the impact.
Suddenly, a gentle breeze swept by, followed by a sharp crack—the whip had landed on Shisan, who had leaped in front of her.
The old man was indeed formidable. Even with Xiao Zhuang’s pain tolerance being only one-tenth that of an average demon, the sting made him grimace.
“Sister Xiu, keep going!”
Xiao Zhuang’s shout snapped Bai Xiu back to attention. Without checking Shisan’s injury, she grabbed her whip and re-engaged the opponent.
While continuously applying Strength Talismans to Bai Xiu, Xiao Zhuang also used Swift Movement Talismans on himself.
Whenever Bai Xiu seemed unable to dodge the old man’s whip, Xiao Zhuang would dart forward to take the blow instead.
Capitalizing on his agility and small stature, Xiao Zhuang seized every opportunity to sneak attacks with his tiny dagger, each strike aimed at neutering his target.
Though his shabby dagger only managed to tear clothing, the Wrath Points notification kept chiming incessantly.
Well, physical damage might be minimal, but psychological damage was substantial!
The old man was thoroughly enraged by this despicable little brat, his whip strikes growing increasingly vicious.
Soon, Xiao Zhuang’s clothes were shredded into rags, his face crisscrossed with red welts.
Bai Xiu noticed something peculiar—Xiao Zhuang seemed to possess extraordinary defense. While her own wounds bled, his showed only slight swelling.
Seeing this, she cast aside her reservations. Empowered by Strength Talismans, this Foundation Establishment cultivator actually held her ground against the Golden Core elder.
The masochism technique lived up to its reputation—the more Xiao Zhuang was whipped, the faster his Spiritual Power grew, violently propelling him from Foundation Establishment first layer to third layer.
The frustrated elder roared for his guards to join the fray when he realized these two pests wouldn’t be easily subdued.
“Damn old man fighting dirty!” Bai Xiu cursed inwardly. Making Shisan apply their last few Swift Movement and Strength Talismans on her, she tucked the youngster under her arm and vaulted over the wall.
The quadruple-layered Swift Movement Talismans produced astonishing results—Bai Xiu became a human Ferrari, reaching 200 mph and leaving the pursuers far behind.
Only when they reached the outskirts beyond the city did Bai Xiu set down the green-faced Shisan.
The poor youngster was nearly unconscious, collapsing to the ground the moment he was released like violated ragdoll.
Bai Xiu rubbed her hands awkwardly. “Heh, you okay Thirteen? Desperate times call for desperate measures!”
Xiao Zhuang remained spiritually disoriented, as if his body had arrived while his soul was still catching up.
After ten full minutes of recovery, his lagging soul finally reintegrated.
Tearfully, Xiao Zhuang complained, “Sister Xiu, you’re practically my blood brother!
I wasn’t expecting princess carry, but could’ve at least carried me properly!
Did you know you have armpit odor? I nearly suffocated in your pit!”
Bai Xiu flushed crimson, stamping her foot coquettishly. “What does a brat like you know? That’s my natural scent!”
Xiao Zhuang pretended to gag. “Spare me, I genuinely can’t appreciate it!”
Bai Xiu suddenly noticed something odd, studying Xiao Zhuang quizzically. “Thirteen, has your cultivation advanced?
I sense you’ve reached Foundation Establishment fifth layer, yet you were only at first layer two days ago.
What miraculous treasures have you consumed to progress this rapidly?”
Xiao Zhuang circulated his Spiritual Power to check—she was right!
Though the old man’s whip was powerful, it shouldn’t have been enough to cause such advancement.
The System’s cheeky voice rang out, “Did you even bother reading that divine technique’s introduction properly?
Not only does getting beaten make you stronger, but any physical suffering you endure can stimulate your cells to generate Spiritual Power.
Originally, that old man’s whip could only push you to the fourth level. Your breakthrough to the fifth level is entirely thanks to that vixen’s body odor combined with your frantic running.
Why not let him tuck you under his armpit for another round of marination? You might even advance another level.”
Xiao Zhuang’s face immediately turned green. He finally understood why the creator of this Cultivation Method had abandoned it himself – the agony was unbearable.
Though his pain tolerance was high, his sense of smell worked perfectly fine. No matter how lazy he was, he had no intention of relying on body odor to reach Golden Core.
The System sneered at his fastidiousness, “According to my precise analysis, Bai Xiu’s body scent is identical to the modern Jo Malone Bluebell perfume.
It’s a blend of bluebell flowers and white musk – you’re just too provincial to appreciate it.”
Xiao Zhuang was speechless. “Do people actually make perfume that smells like body odor? Spraying that kind of stench on yourself – are they trying to take revenge on society?”
The System emphasized again, “Although I lack a physical nose, I possess fifty-three thousand odor sensors and a sixteen-core quad-dimensional processor capable of analyzing hundreds of millions of scents across the multiverse.
I can authoritatively confirm that is not body odor!”
Alright, alright. Though Xiao Zhuang still thought it smelled exactly like body odor, he didn’t argue further with the System.
Xiao Zhuang still didn’t fully trust Bai Xiu, so he vaguely claimed he’d had a sudden breakthrough during life-or-death circumstances, adding some nonsense about how practical combat must help cultivation.
Bai Xiu didn’t press for details. After resting awhile, as dawn began to break, they discussed how to return to the city.
Not only did they need to catch the Flying Boat departing today from the city, but there was also that silly dog to consider. Even if he’d been swindled out of money and dignity, they had to rescue him first.
Anyway, with their purses now full, it was time to repay this naive fool.
Though uncertain about the Wu family’s influence, they were local powers in Thousand Feathers City. Without knowing their full strength, the pair dared not confront them directly.
Bai Xiu suddenly clapped his hands with a smile. “I’ve got a brilliant idea – it just depends on whether you can pull it off, Shisan!”
The plan was simple: cross-dressing.
The Wu family was hunting for a woman and a young boy, so they’d simply switch things up.
Bai Xiu, being male originally, could easily transform from a tall beauty into a handsome young gentleman with some makeup adjustments and male clothing.
As for Xiao Zhuang – Bai Xiu’s Cosmos pouch contained his childhood female outfits, complete with pink dresses. With twin buns and tasseled hairpins, Xiao Zhuang would make a perfect little girl.
Xiao Zhuang had never been particular about dignity and always operated outside conventional boundaries. Cross-dressing was nothing remarkable to him.
Bai Xiu was pleasantly surprised to discover Xiao Zhuang shared this interest, feeling like he’d found a kindred spirit.
The two cross-dressing experts finished their transformations quickly. Not only would the Wu family members who’d briefly seen them fail to recognize them – even that silly dog would need a moment to identify them.
When the city gates opened at dawn, the freshly minted siblings blended into the crowd and slipped back into the city.
Bai Xiu’s feminine voice was melodious and gentle, while his masculine voice remained clear and warm. No one would ever guess he’d been a captivating enchantress just yesterday.
At the very least, the innkeeper didn’t recognize them.
Xiao Zhuang didn’t dare speak as he couldn’t disguise his voice, so he lowered his eyes and feigned shyness while holding Bai Xiu’s sleeve.
Bai Xiu ate breakfast in the shop while keeping an ear on the surrounding commotion.
Soon, crashing sounds came from upstairs, followed by the foolish dog’s furious roar.
Many people—both the shop owner and customers—went to see the spectacle, and Bai Xiu took Xiao Zhuang along to blend into the crowd.
The Husky’s intelligence truly lived up to expectations. There he was, wearing a snow-white sleeping gown, arguing with the waiter in the room.
He had brought Xiao Rou back to the inn yesterday, arranged a room for her, and since she said she hadn’t eaten and he was hungry too, they ordered a meal together.
Somehow, he had dozed off in a daze. When he woke up this morning, not only was his Cosmos pouch missing, but even his clothes were gone.
Suspecting he had encountered a shady inn, he confronted the waiter, only to be told that the girl who came with him last night had left in a hurry—prompting the waiter to warn him if he had fallen for a “falcon release” scheme!
This was a slang term for a scam where a young woman lures a lone male traveler to rob him.
At first, the Husky didn’t believe it, thinking a delicate girl like Xiao Rou wouldn’t dare do such a thing. But when he checked the next room, there wasn’t even a trace of anyone having slept there—she had long vanished.
Only then did he recall Bai Xiu’s warning and realize that Bai Xiu and Xiao Zhuang had been missing all night, their fate unknown. Regret washed over him like a tidal wave.
His money was gone—how was he going to provide for his brother-in-law and guardian now!