Just before the sky turned completely dark, Xia Ruxi finally returned to her temporary immortal cave. Along the way, she gathered some dry firewood, brought it back inside to start a fire, and then used a dagger to clean a fish, preparing it to be skewered and roasted.
“It’s a pity I don’t have a shred of spiritual energy right now, and the spiritual Qi of heaven and earth here is extremely thin. Half a day has passed, and I still haven’t gathered enough energy to open even the first layer of my storage ring. Otherwise, I’d definitely pull out my Eighteen Arhats Invincible Seasoning. With this seasoning, even the Eighteen Arhats would say it’s delicious!”
Xia Ruxi’s small face was scrunched up tightly, completely stripping away her usual aloof and cold demeanor.
Though she muttered regretfully, her hands never stopped turning the roasting fish.
Suddenly, a loud crash echoed from the large stone platform right outside the entrance of her cave.
“Something must have fallen off the cliff. Not having spiritual energy is genuinely inconvenient. Back then, unleashing my divine sense to cover an entire city was a breeze, but now I can’t even sense what’s happening right on my own doorstep.”
With a troubled expression, Xia Ruxi stepped outside. Before leaving, she made sure to move the roasting fish further away from the fire, terrified it might burn if she was gone too long.
When she reached the entrance and peered through the moonlight, she was stunned to discover that the fallen object was actually a person—a man dressed in bizarre clothing and covered in blood.
“Oh? What kind of outfit is this? I’ve never seen anything like it. It seems he’s a native of this world. Judging by his state, he must have been hunted down by enemies and forced to leap from above. Looking at his injuries, he must be a man of strong willpower, or else he’d have met the King of Hell long ago,” Xia Ruxi mused. Without missing a beat, she prepared to drag him inside the cave.
“If you weren’t the very first person I’ve laid eyes on in this world, I wouldn’t be kind enough to drag you in.” Grumbling to herself, Xia Ruxi grabbed the man under both arms and began hauling him.
Just then, amidst his blood-stained face, the man suddenly snapped open eyes as sharp as a hawk’s. He stared fixedly at Xia Ruxi, and with a voice that was utterly feeble yet carried an extraordinary, unyielding grit and a raspy, magnetic tone, he rasped, “Who are you? I won’t give you the things…” Before he could finish, his eyes rolled back and he passed out again, likely due to severe blood loss.
Before losing consciousness, Pei Yuanxiu managed to catch a blurry glimpse of Xia Ruxi’s face. He simply felt that she didn’t look like someone sent to assassinate him, and her clothes were certainly bizarre.
“This guy is quite interesting. Even injured like this, he managed to hang on by a thread and say so much to me—he’s really putting himself through it. With that kind of energy, he’d be better off saving it to stay alive. If he hadn’t spoken, he might’ve lasted longer,” Xia Ruxi complained lightly while effortlessly dragging Pei Yuanxiu inside.
If anyone asked why she had to drag him, it was obviously because she didn’t want to stain her own clothes. Besides, they were total strangers, so dragging him was already being generous.
After pulling Pei Yuanxiu onto the makeshift stone bed she had carved out for herself, she began examining his injuries. One look was enough to startle her.
Pei Yuanxiu’s body was scattered with various sword and knife wounds, numerous abrasions, and one or two circular, punctiform wounds that Xia Ruxi couldn’t quite comprehend. If Pei Yuanxiu were awake, he would have readily told her those were gunshot wounds.
“What do I do now? While I can easily bandage his sword and knife wounds, these two punctiform injuries are clearly the main issue, not to mention his internal injuries from the fall. This is practically a dying state. Am I really going to use the very last bottle of Divine Spirit Liquid I brought out just for him?” Xia Ruxi muttered, her brows furrowed deeply.
“Oh well, whatever! Standing by and watching someone die isn’t my style. Besides, I still need to rely on him to understand this world. Even though using it might mean I won’t be able to open my storage ring for a while, my physical constitution should keep me out of major trouble for now. You’re getting a massive bargain. If you wake up and can’t give me the answers I want, I’ll beat you right back to your original condition—I guarantee it’ll be worse than your injuries right now!”
Chattering away, Xia Ruxi opened a small white porcelain bottle, pinched Pei Yuanxiu’s sharply defined jaw, and slowly poured a glowing, milky-white flowing liquid straight into his mouth.
The liquid melted instantly upon contact, bypassing his throat and flowing directly toward the wounds across his entire body.
“His body is starting to heal. Although it’s only first-tier Divine Spirit Liquid, it should be more than enough to handle the injuries of a mere mortal like him.”
Watching Pei Yuanxiu’s body stop bleeding, Xia Ruxi also saw those incomprehensible wounds expel two foreign metallic fragments resembling weapon debris.
Pei Yuanxiu’s complexion gradually improved. Picking up the bullets extracted from his body, Xia Ruxi examined them closely. “Things in this world are truly fascinating, so vastly different from the Great Dao world I know. It looks like I’ll have a wonderful time exploring this place.”
Eager to try things out, Xia Ruxi didn’t feel an ounce of fear or anxiety upon arriving in an unfamiliar realm. Instead, she felt endless curiosity and a sense of adventure that only fueled her desire to explore. It was the same unchanging mindset she had carried for hundreds of years.
“Oh? This guy even possesses a spiritual mansion and can cultivate. What a pleasant surprise! I actually thought the people of this world were incapable of cultivation.” Xia Ruxi raised an eyebrow in surprise, though she quickly returned to her usual aloof composure.
Staring at the glowing sphere gradually rising from Pei Yuanxiu’s chest and abdomen, Xia Ruxi whispered, “Let me see what kind of aptitude your spiritual mansion holds. If your character is decent as well, I might just take you as my disciple and impart some cultivation techniques to you. That way, this bottle of Divine Spirit Liquid won’t go to waste.”
After orbiting Pei Yuanxiu fifteen times, the glowing sphere dove back into his body, instantly causing a series of purple halos to flash across his skin before fading away.
“To think it’s a mutated Heavenly Thunder Spiritual Mansion! Placed in our realm, this would be considered top-tier aptitude, falling just a fraction short of my original Chaos Spiritual Mansion. This kind of talent would definitely be fought over by major sects, yet it unexpectedly fell right into my lap. How unpredictable fate can be.”
After her initial surprise, Xia Ruxi broke into a bright, cheerful smile, already beginning to calculate which cultivation techniques she should teach Pei Yuanxiu.
Too caught up in her own excitement, Xia Ruxi completely failed to notice the slight flutter of Pei Yuanxiu’s eyelashes and the furrowing of his brow—he was about to wake up.