The forest was deep and serene, the rustling of grass and leaves exceptionally pleasant to the ear.
“This place should be deserted.”
Chi Miao immediately sat cross-legged and continued absorbing spiritual power.
She had wasted far too much time.
In her previous life, she had died young, not even making it past twenty.
From the day she transmigrated into this world and became a five-year-old orphan until now, she had been a worthless, helpless waste.
No one understood better than her how she had survived these past ten years.
With no one to rely on and no abilities, she could only survive by swindling others for a meager meal.
Once, while she was pulling a scam, she encountered two cultivators fighting. They set up a formation, battling until the heavens and earth darkened.
Then, by some accident, one of them killed the person she was trying to swindle.
That person died right in front of her.
And the cultivators bore no responsibility, merely uttering a dismissive “what a tragedy” before leaving.
She stood before the corpse for a long time.
That was when she understood even more clearly… this was a world where the strong preyed on the weak, and power ruled supreme.
She wanted to live, and to live brilliantly and beautifully, so she had to grow stronger as quickly as possible!
Just then, she suddenly heard the sound of flowing water, which piqued her curiosity.
Looking over, she noticed a faint glow and a misty haze emanating from nearby.
“What is that?”
Curious, she walked over.
Pushing aside the bushes, she could hear a man’s heavy breathing.
She looked.
At the moment when day and night alternated, strange stones emitted a fluorescent light, illuminating a pool of spring water that was pure azure and warm, with steam rising from the heat.
A man leaned against the edge, his fair chest muscles exposed above the water as they heaved. His skin was as pale as flawless jade, his ink-black hair spread out and floating in the spring water.
His appearance was extraordinarily handsome—sharp eyebrows and starry eyes, features as finely carved as a sword, exuding an air of aloof pride and solitude.
Well, well, a handsome man bathing.
Nice to look at, love to look.
At that moment, a cold glint flashed in the man’s eyes.
Whoosh—!
A freezing sword energy shot toward her. Chi Miao reacted in time, but the sword energy was too fast, and it still grazed her neck.
Damn!
If she had been any slower, she would have died for sure!!
When she looked back, the man was gone.
The next second, a sword was pressed against her throat, ready to pierce through.
Chi Miao raised both hands. “I surrender.”
The man was dressed in a dark blue robe, his long hair already dry and tied into a high ponytail, his expression icy cold.
“Why were you peeping?”
He scrutinized Chi Miao, noting her low cultivation level and the identity plate at her waist. He could roughly guess that she was a newcomer who hadn’t yet formally entered the sect, not an assassin sent to kill him.
Chi Miao: “Don’t talk nonsense. I wasn’t peeping. You’re the one bathing in an open-air hot spring, and I was cultivating here. You disturbed me, so I came to check it out.”
The man raised an eyebrow. “I disturbed you?”
Chi Miao: “Otherwise? The sound of splashing water is why I came to look. Besides, I only saw two big pecs—didn’t see anything else. And you even injured me.”
As she spoke, she showed him her wound.
The man was suddenly speechless. What did she mean by “only saw two big pecs”?
What proper young lady used words like that?!
Chi Miao: “You have a good figure, but I didn’t see eggs and chopsticks, so what’s the big deal?”
“Eggs and chopsticks?”
Chi Miao looked as if it were obvious, then glanced downward. “Two eggs and one chopstick, of course.”
Only then did the man understand, a hint of shame coloring his handsome face.
Throughout his life, nothing but the sword had ever stirred any emotion within him.
Yet these words truly managed to breach his defenses.
A faint blush spread across his cheeks.
“You… how can a young lady speak so shamelessly!”
Chi Miao: “I’m not even embarrassed, why are you blushing? It’s no secret what men look like down there. Calm down and think about how you’re going to compensate me for my medical expenses – that’s what really matters here.”
“Hah?”
The man was stunned, utterly astonished.
“I should pay your medical expenses?”
“Of course! Did I give myself these marks on my neck?” Chi Miao said matter-of-factly. “I won’t hold it against you for interrupting my cultivation, but if you dare skip out on the medical fees, I’ll really have to lecture you.”
“Have you no shame?” The man prided himself on his emotional stability, but Chi Miao was truly shameless.
Chi Miao touched her face: “Can’t have any more. I already have a beautiful face – if I had any more shame, wouldn’t that make me thick-skinned?”
The man fell silent, truly speechless.
He had never encountered someone so brazen!
His master had taught him swordsmanship, but never how to deal with such cheekiness.
Faced with such blatant extortion, he found himself at a loss for words.
Forget it, better to settle this quickly. Consider it like being bitten by a dog.
He touched the spatial ring on his finger and produced a crimson pill: “This is a first-grade Qi and Blood Pill. Is this enough?”
Qi and Blood Pill?
Pills were valuable things! Useful and expensive!
A small professional habit suddenly surfaced in Chi Miao.
“Just one?”
“Is one Qi and Blood Pill not enough?”
“Maybe it is enough… well, since you have to bathe outdoors, you probably don’t have much money. I won’t make things difficult for you…”
What a cheeky thing to say.
What did she mean by “since you have to bathe outdoors, you probably don’t have much money”?
This was the most shameless remark the man had ever heard in his life!
“Fine, fine, fine! Absolutely fine!”
“Two pills, take it or leave it!”
He produced another pill and pressed it into Chi Miao’s palm, then turned and left immediately, afraid she might say something else.
Satisfied, Chi Miao kindly called after him:
“Handsome, remember to be careful about swinging your sword around next time you bathe outdoors. Oh, and… your chest is really big. If you’re worried about people seeing, you could wrap it with bandages!”
The man, halfway down the path, stumbled slightly.
Then he tossed his sword, leaped lightly onto it, and flew away on his sword, fleeing as quickly as possible!
“Wow…”
Chi Miao’s eyes shone with envy. This was her first time seeing someone flying on a sword – so cool!
She would definitely achieve this someday!
…
The man returned to the main peak of Nine Sword Mountain, “Jade Pure Mountain.”
As soon as he arrived, the elder inside spoke.
“WuHuo, it seems you’ve gained quite something from this trip?”
Ying WuHuo, still sulking, was taken aback: “Master, what do you mean?”
The elder smiled: “Today’s Extreme Yin energy eruption was much milder than usual.”
Ying WuHuo, who had been so angry he felt dizzy, suddenly sensed carefully upon this reminder.
It seemed… this was true.
How could this be?
He was born with a Sword Soul and a mutated Ice Spiritual Root, which also made him an Extreme Yin Body.
Every month, the Extreme Yin energy would erupt, causing him unbearable pain.
If not resolved before he turned nineteen, it would certainly cause him to die suddenly.
This had troubled him for a long time, and he had been searching for a solution, but… had only found one seemingly impossible method.
An ultimate Fire Spiritual Root, mutated into a Yang Spiritual Root.
Only the Yang Spiritual Root could resolve his extreme Yin energy.
Yet the Yang Spiritual Root had always existed only in legends, a mere fantasy—how could it be so easily found?
With less than a month until his nineteenth birthday, the outbreaks of extreme Yin energy were becoming increasingly frequent. He had already steeled himself for certain death.
But he simply couldn’t accept it—he was supposed to be the brightest star among the constellations of this era…
Just then, the old man spoke again: “Speaking of which, I heard from several elders that today, a young girl’s spirit root test repeatedly showed anomalies, suspected to be the Yang Spiritual Root.”
Ying WuHuo froze.
“The Yang Spiritual Root? A young girl?”
Combined with the fact that his symptoms had eased somewhat today, a figure suddenly surfaced in his mind.
A particularly annoying figure.
No… It couldn’t be, could it?