The Fire Cauldron Sect’s herb-gathering party had been delayed in Nanzhou for several days, so the moment they left the province, they quickened their pace.
Scholar Xiao had blended into the party with ease. Thanks to his knack for getting along with anyone, it had not taken long for several of them to start calling him brother.
The Fire Cauldron Sect disciples escorting the group had no idea that this “Four Books Academy disciple who had ventured deep into demonfolk territory out of curiosity and happened to accept a commission along the way” was one of the masked men who had robbed Pill Origin Hall only a few days ago.
After all, disciples of Four Books Academy could turn up anywhere simply because something had piqued their curiosity. That was practically common knowledge throughout the cultivation world.
Especially within the Fire Cauldron Sect, which had once endured Four Books Academy’s determined attempts to infiltrate it.
“Ah.” Angelica, one of the Fire Cauldron Sect disciples Yu Qingtang had knocked unconscious that day, let out a sigh. “I wonder what kind of reckless cultivators would dare attack our Fire Cauldron Sect! They must truly be tired of living!”
“Indeed.” Scholar Xiao showed not the slightest awareness that he was talking about himself. His eyes curved with his smile as he nodded earnestly. “Causing Brother Angelica so much trouble was truly inexcusable.”
Angelica laughed. “It wasn’t much trouble for me...”
He glanced at Scholar Xiao, then lowered his voice to warn him, “Hey, you aren’t here to investigate the old Pill King too, are you?”
“You probably wouldn’t believe me if I said no.” Scholar Xiao laughed. “Naturally, I would look into it if the opportunity arose. But if it does not, I certainly won’t force the matter.”
He pointed his folding fan toward the rear of the party, where two rabbit demons were doing their best to conceal their demonic features.
“My research topic is them, after all.”
“What is there to study about them?” Angelica muttered. “You people from Four Books Academy really are curious about everything.”
Then he added, “I’m only warning you because you seem like a decent man, Brother Xiao. You had better not even mention the old Pill King.”
Scholar Xiao lowered his voice and played along. “Why?”
“Our sect master doesn’t like it.” Angelica looked from side to side before whispering, “The old Pill King entered seclusion in a hurry without leaving any instructions. There are always some ungrateful fools inside and outside the sect spreading rumors that slander the sect master.”
“The sect master...” Scholar Xiao’s expression shifted slightly, but he did not choose this moment to emphasize that the Tianyuan Pill King was merely acting sect master. Instead, he nodded along. “People are like that. They love gossip filled with hidden conspiracies and betrayal, all twists and turns and dramatic reversals.”
“But baselessly maligning a good man is another matter.”
“Exactly!” Seeing how sensible he was, Angelica’s smile became far more genuine. “Our sect master is kindhearted and even-tempered. He refuses to lower himself to their level, but whenever I hear such things, I have to uphold justice on Heaven’s behalf!”
“As long as you don’t go asking around the Fire Cauldron Sect about that nonsense, I can arrange anything else for you—whether it’s teaching demonfolk pill refinement or helping you buy high-grade pills from an accomplished pill cultivator...”
He thumped his chest with an air of tremendous loyalty.
“Leave it all to me!”
Scholar Xiao was just about to offer a few smiling words of flattery when one of the rabbit demons at the rear gave a startled cry.
“What are you doing?” Angelica spun around and barked. “What are you making such a fuss about?”
Scholar Xiao narrowed his eyes.
The two rabbit demons were still young, a pair of fraternal twins, one male and one female. The brother was named Snowchill, and the sister Snowwarm. Both were timid around strangers.
Snowchill was the one who had cried out. He pointed at the ground.
“Here...”
Angelica strode over and looked down, then scoffed. “It’s only a wild angelica plant. What is there to make such a fuss about?”
He casually pulled it from the ground, then frowned.
“It’s been chewed up too. Tch. Not worth more than a few spirit stones.”
Snowchill seemed about to say something else, but Snowwarm tugged at his sleeve and stopped him.
Angelica put on a stern face and lectured them. “The two of you may be ignorant bumpkins from Great Wilderness Mountain, but now that you’re traveling with us, you must obey our rules. Stop making a commotion over every little thing!”
Snowchill pressed his lips together.
Snowwarm replied gently, “Understood, my lord.”
“Hmph.”
Only after thoroughly flaunting his authority did Angelica turn away.
Scholar Xiao watched him leave with a smile. Flicking open his folding fan, he walked over to the rabbit demons and lowered his voice.
“What was it?”
Snowchill glanced around before blurting anxiously, “It wasn’t that I’d never seen wild angelica before. The bite marks on it looked like they came from a Nightglow Rat!”
“A Nightglow Rat.” Scholar Xiao’s gaze sharpened.
He knew of the demonic beast. It had earned its name from eyes as large as lanterns that shone with extraordinary brightness in the dark.
An individual Nightglow Rat was weak, but they lived in colonies and reproduced at a terrifying rate. When a whole swarm swept through an area, it could wipe out a small, weak sect outright.
Snowwarm spoke coldly. “There was no need to tell him.”
“As long as one of them survives to take us to the Fire Cauldron Sect, I don’t care if the rest die on the road.”
Scholar Xiao looked at her in surprise, then chuckled and motioned for her to lower her voice.
“Shh.”
“Smile. You mustn’t let your wicked ideas show on your face.”
Snowwarm looked up at him and raised the corners of her mouth, revealing a faintly bashful smile.
Snowchill turned to look at her, then copied her a beat too late.
Scholar Xiao smiled and patted them both on the head.
“That’s right.”
“Judging by the way these people speak to you, your two clansmen already living in the Fire Cauldron Sect probably aren’t treated very well either.”
Snowchill answered quietly, “Ever since the old Pill King entered seclusion, the Fire Cauldron Sect disciples have grown increasingly overbearing.”
“They believe they are the greatest pill-refining sect beneath heaven,” Snowwarm said with a curl of her lip. “And since they know they are our largest customer, they act without restraint. Petty men drunk on power.”
“If they suffer heavy losses here, all you will gain is a moment’s satisfaction.” Scholar Xiao crooked a finger at them. “I have a plan.”
“Swallow your anger for now, and I can make them treat you as honored guests.”
The two rabbit demons looked at each other, then nodded in perfect unison.
...
“This mark...” Yu Qingtang studied the cuts carved into the tree trunk. “It seems to mean we should stay here and not follow too closely.”
“Yes,” Du Heng replied. “We wait for word before moving on.”
He surveyed their surroundings.
“There’s a water source here. They must have stopped to rest at this spot earlier. We might as well take a break too. If there are fish in the river—”
Yu Qingtang raised a hand to stop him.
“No!”
His expression was utterly solemn.
“We ate enough grilled fish in the Immortal-Bewildering Forest. Let’s have something else.”
He pulled a food box from his storage ring.
“I brought something delicious!”
Du Heng shook his head with a helpless smile. “In that case, I’ll gladly benefit from your foresight—”
Yu Qingtang thrust a scorpion in front of his face.
Du Heng fell silent.
“...This is what you decided to pack for a journey?”
“When you’re away from home,” Yu Qingtang declared righteously, “you’re already going to sleep badly, so you should at least eat well. Of course I packed all my favorite foods.”
He chuckled.
“You left in such a hurry that I didn’t know what you liked. You’ll just have to eat what we eat.”
Du Heng sighed helplessly. “Do you have anything more normal?”
“Here.” Yu Qingtang handed him the food box so he could choose for himself.
Ye Chenyan suddenly raised his head. With one hand, he steadied the food box; with the other, he caught Yu Qingtang around the waist and pivoted aside, evading the green bamboo staff that swept toward them.
The Girl in the Bamboo had finally caught up.
She drifted toward them like a breeze through a bamboo grove. The green bamboo in her hand traced a sword flourish before pointing at the pair.
“Come back with me.”
“Wait!” Yu Qingtang hugged the food box protectively. “We’re eating! Can’t we finish before we fight? Don’t waste food!”
The Girl in the Bamboo hesitated.
Yu Qingtang lifted the box.
“Would you like some?”
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “I do not eat.”
Yu Qingtang blinked. “Then what do you consume? Don’t tell me it’s dew.”
She shook her head again. “The essence of the sun and moon.”
Yu Qingtang was speechless.
Dog Xiaosa, I know you wanted to write an otherworldly fairy untouched by mundane affairs, but isn’t it a little cruel not to let her eat at all? Think of all the joy she’s missing!
Ye Chenyan sensed something unusual.
“Absorbing the essence of the sun and moon... You are not human?”
The Girl in the Bamboo did not answer.
“Owww—” Yu Qingtang abruptly clutched his stomach. “I can’t take it. I’m starving to death. If I don’t eat right now, I’m going to collapse...”
He peeked up at her.
“Aren’t you supposed to protect us? You can’t just stand there and watch us starve to death, can you?”
The Girl in the Bamboo wavered, but her hand remained firmly wrapped around the green bamboo.
“...A cultivator will not starve from missing one meal.”
Seeing that she was about to attack again, Yu Qingtang shouted, “Wait!”
He turned toward Du Heng.
“Pill cultivator! Say something!”
“Hm?” Du Heng froze, then cooperatively cleared his throat. “An ordinary cultivator would not starve after missing one meal, but he is different. He has a special constitution.”
The Girl in the Bamboo frowned, clearly suspicious.
“Truly?”
“Yes.” Du Heng nodded gravely. “He is exceptionally gluttonous.”
Yu Qingtang stared at him.
Couldn’t you come up with a better excuse?
Ye Chenyan turned his head away, pretending not to laugh.
The Girl in the Bamboo studied them for a long moment. At last, she tucked the green bamboo back through her belt, sat beneath a large tree, and hugged her knees.
“Very well. I will wait until you finish eating.”
“Come on, come on! Let’s eat first!” Yu Qingtang breathed a sigh of relief and beckoned the other two to sit back down.
Ye Chenyan lowered his voice. “That was your ultimate move?”
“Of course not.” Yu Qingtang raised his brows smugly. “I still have other tricks.”
He mischievously poked Ye Chenyan.
“I learned them from that suave and dashing Hua Shimiao.”
Ye Chenyan’s eyes widened. “Hua Shimiao is Hua Shimiao. What does that have to do with me, Ye Chenyan?”
“Oh—” Yu Qingtang lifted the food box, then turned his head and met the Girl in the Bamboo’s intent gaze.
He paused, then carefully pushed it a little closer to her.
“Would you like to try some? Just because you never ate before doesn’t mean you can’t start now.”
The Girl in the Bamboo shook her head.
Yu Qingtang thought for a moment, then took a fruit from his storage ring.
“What about fruit? You ought to nibble on something. Otherwise, we’ll look downright cruel, eating all this delicious food while making you watch.”
The Girl in the Bamboo hesitated before giving him a small nod.
Yu Qingtang relaxed and tossed the fruit over.
The three men sat close together and ate from the food box. The Girl in the Bamboo took small bites from the fruit while staring at them with unwavering concentration, afraid that if she so much as blinked, they would slip away again.
Once they had finished, she asked, “Are you full?”
Yu Qingtang leaned against Ye Chenyan and rubbed his stomach.
“Stuffed.”
“It’s bad to exercise immediately after eating. Why don’t you wait a little longer?”
The Girl in the Bamboo began, “Cultivators—”
Du Heng no longer needed prompting. He smoothly picked up the cue.
“Cultivators can still suffer stomach discomfort. Especially him. He has a special constitution.”
The Girl in the Bamboo felt that something was amiss. Still, she had already waited this long, and none of them had attempted to flee, so she reluctantly sat back down.
By the time Yu Qingtang had nearly completed an afternoon nap, she finally could not hold back any longer.
“What about now?”
Yu Qingtang yawned.
“Just a little—”
A speck of ink suddenly drifted toward them on the wind.
It was Scholar Xiao’s signal. They could follow now.
Yu Qingtang’s eyes lit up, and he sprang to his feet.
The Girl in the Bamboo shot up at the same instant and resumed her stance.
Ye Chenyan watched her warily and lowered his voice.
“Do you have any tricks left?”
“One final move.” Yu Qingtang raised his brows at him.
Then he grabbed Ye Chenyan by the collar, turned toward the Girl in the Bamboo, and said, “Miss, could you look away for a moment?”
The Girl in the Bamboo looked up in confusion.
Yu Qingtang pulled Ye Chenyan’s collar slightly open.
“Otherwise, he’s going to take off his clothes!”
Ye Chenyan slowly turned his head and stared at him.
“...”
A trace of confusion crossed the Girl in the Bamboo’s face.
“What?”
Yu Qingtang looked equally bewildered.
“Hm?”
Why is this different from the original plot?
In the original story, the Girl in the Bamboo had chased Long Aotian across heaven and earth until there was nowhere left for him to flee. In the end, he had plunged headfirst into the water and told her he was going to bathe—and that if she did not leave, he would take off his clothes.
He had only removed his shirt, revealing a beautiful body poised between boyhood and manhood, before the Girl in the Bamboo flushed scarlet and turned away, too embarrassed to look.
That was how the original novel had described it!
What was wrong?
Yu Qingtang looked at Ye Chenyan’s collar.
Was this not revealing enough?
Before he could pull any harder, Ye Chenyan slowly gathered his collar closed and fixed him with an amused, knowing stare.
“You aren’t taking advantage of the opportunity to molest me, are you?”
Yu Qingtang stared at him in shock.
“What nonsense are you talking about? Have you no shame?”
Author’s Note:
Yu Qingtang: Why didn’t the handsome-man trap work? Is he wearing too much?
Ye Chenyan: What nonsense are you saying? I’m a disciple from a respectable sect...
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