Chapter 25: I Am a Good-for-Nothing, Dare You Strike Me?

Sui An took a running start, leaped into the air, braced his hands against the wall, vaulted over with his long legs, and landed steadily.

Lingxi followed suit, clearing the wall with ease.

Another "thud" echoed. The gatekeeper’s eyes flickered; he tilted his head to the right and approached the source of the sound with quick, heavy strides.

Lingxi’s eyes widened. She brushed the dust off her hands and grabbed Sui An’s arm, sprinting away.

"Brother Chu Xinghe, wait for me!" Lingxi shouted as she ran, glancing back at the dense sea of green-robed figures trailing them.

After circling through the woods, Lingxi finally managed to shake off the gatekeeper.

She pulled a leaf from her hair, dusted off her clothes, and let out a long breath. She had severely underestimated the tenacity of the Immortal Sect disciples—they had chased her for a full five or six miles, only giving up once they neared the areas frequented by villagers at the foot of the mountain.

Sui An laughed while gasping for air, "Little Junior Sister, Chu Xinghe is definitely going to be clueless when he finds out he's been reprimanded."

Lingxi chuckled as well. "Knowing Gu Jiuyuan’s personality, he certainly won't allow a high-profile investigation—it’s too beneath his dignity. It will definitely just be swept under the rug."

Sui An plucked a bird feather from his sleeve, following close by her side, still laughing uncontrollably. "True. They are obsessed with saving face, even at the cost of their own suffering. That’s a common ailment among the people of the Immortal Sect."

Lingxi gave a few instructions regarding the matters at hand before asking about the plan to sell the stolen goods.

Sui An looked puzzled, scratching his head. "Is the money I gave you before not enough? Are you really starting to sell off your belongings?"

Lingxi unhooked the universe pouch from her waist, dispelled the sealing charm, and pulled the opening wide.

Inside, various items were displayed: high-grade spiritual plants, artifacts radiating spiritual light, and some decent low-tier medicinal pills. A set of purple clay teaware was particularly striking, finely crafted with golden bamboo branches imprinted on the body.

Sui An’s gaze lingered on the teapot, a sense of familiarity washing over him.

"Look inside the teacups," Lingxi prompted.

Following her finger, he saw a square seal carved in seal script at the bottom. The two characters "Xiao Tu" were written with vigorous, fluid grace, carrying a unique charm.

"Damn! Little Junior Sister, you’ve really outdone yourself. This is something Chu Xinghe accidentally found in a secret realm; he treasured it dearly. It was likely meant as a birthday gift for his master. The day he realizes this is gone, he’s going to be absolutely furious."

Lingxi pointed out a few more items, all of which were, without exception, choice treasures she had looted from Tranquility Peak.

Sui An’s jaw dropped wide enough to fit an egg. After swallowing hard several times, he gave Lingxi a thumbs-up.

"Little Junior Sister, you are truly something else—a heifer climbing a tree, you’ve reached the peak of audacity. I honestly wouldn’t have believed you if you told me you didn't rob Chu Xinghe’s entire home."

Lingxi laid her cards on the table. "I knocked him out and snatched it. I have to sell these off quickly, or Chu Xinghe will hack me to pieces."

The original owner of the body had also contributed to obtaining that purple clay pot, only for it to end up in Chu Xinghe’s hands after Lin Rou’s manipulative sweet-talking. Every time they ventured into a secret realm, the original owner had always pulled her weight, yet she had never received a single good thing in return.

The black market only opened at night, so Lingxi wasn't in a hurry. The two walked and talked.

It was midsummer; the noon sun scorched the earth, and the leaves hung limp and wilted. Occasionally, two or three farmers with their trousers rolled up would pass by the fields, carrying shoulder poles laden with rice seedlings. Seeing the two exceptionally dressed youths, they couldn't help but steal a few glances, but that was all—they had planting to do.

Sweat streamed down Lingxi’s face. The maple leaf fan in her hand was tearing apart piece by piece, and she only felt hotter the more she fanned herself.

She regretted it a little. If she had known, she would have waited until evening.

After walking for a while without seeing any houses, they rounded a bend, and a cluster of small, dilapidated buildings came into view.

Black tiles and white walls, with the plaster peeling away to reveal the yellow mud bricks beneath. Two cracks ran down from the eaves, reaching all the way to the foundation. Three stone slabs formed a path, the middle one broken in two, leading crookedly to a paint-peeling wooden door.

Above the fan-shaped door arch hung a faded red piece of paper inscribed with the words "Earth Deity Temple." On either side of the door, matching faded papers bore clumsy, rigid calligraphy.

"'Protecting one corner of pure land, guarding the peace of ten thousand homes,'" Sui An read aloud, then burst into laughter. "People actually worship gods here? How many years has it been? I, a cultivator, have never even heard of anyone ascending, let alone meeting a god. If there really were gods, there wouldn't be so many demonic beasts, and there wouldn't be monsters harming people... If they could just flick their fingers and turn evil spirits to dust, there would be nothing left for us to do."

Lingxi stared at the small Earth Deity Temple, not answering Sui An. She walked straight up and pushed the door open.

*Creeeeak—*

The long-neglected door let out a piercing, strange groan as it swung open, wobbling on its hinges.

Lingxi choked on a cloud of dust, tears streaming down her face. She waved her hand in front of her nose and stepped inside.

The temple, less than six square meters in size, was covered in cobwebs. At the center of the altar in front stood a clay statue—blue robes, hands tucked into sleeves, its nose and eyes marked by mere lines. In the groove before the statue stood a few charred, faded incense sticks. Judging by their color, they were likely from the occasional family who had come to offer incense during the Lunar New Year.

If her spiritual sense wasn't connected to the orchard, Lingxi never would have stepped inside. In her view, praying to gods was inferior to relying on others, and relying on others was inferior to relying on oneself. No matter the time or place, a strong fist was the only absolute truth.

Lingxi took out some incense she had prepared in her ring, counted out an odd number, struck a match, bowed a few times, and inserted them into the groove.

"Yo! Who did I think was here praying to gods and Buddhas? So it’s the good-for-nothing from Indifference Peak. Do you have no sense of your own poor aptitude? Instead of seeking self-improvement, you sneak off to the countryside to worship wild gods."

A shrill, mocking rooster-like voice erupted. The man speaking covered his mouth and giggled.

Lingxi looked toward the voice. A group of youths dressed in mourning attire stood before her, each with a sword slung across their back. In the middle of the crowd stood a tall young woman who glanced at Lingxi with cold indifference before turning her head away.

Seeing that Lingxi and Sui An did not respond, the youth who had spoken became even more smug and continued his taunts. "Tell that loser Wen Jue to come out! Hiding from our Junior Sister Liu is useless—it’s better to call off this engagement sooner rather than later. Junior Sister Liu Ruoyun has received the praise of our Sect Leader and will soon be admitted as a personal disciple. Her future is boundless; she’s simply not on the same level as a waste like Wen Jue. Calling off the engagement early is best for everyone."

A trace of impatience flashed in Lingxi’s eyes. She pulled out her personal disciple token and tossed it in her hand, glancing at the man with utter indifference. "What is that dog barking about? Whether your Junior Sister becomes a personal disciple or not, what does that have to do with me? Who here isn't a personal disciple?"

The rooster-voiced youth’s blood boiled. "Everyone knows that the personal disciples of Indifference Peak at the Dingkun Sect are worse than the outer sect disciples. You have the nerve to say that?"

"Why wouldn't I have the nerve? After all, even the lousiest personal disciple is still a personal disciple. So what if I’m 'lousy'? Even if I am, my monthly allowance is more than yours for the whole year. So what if I’m lousy? My Senior Brother is rich; hiring someone to beat you up isn't just a dream. Even if we really are a bunch of losers, my Master is powerful. Even if your Tianheng Sect’s leader came here, he’d still get a beating all the same."

Lingxi’s eyes narrowed slightly, the butterfly ornament on her head trembling as she spoke, as if agreeing with her shameless declaration.

The dozen or so people in front of her opened their eyes wide, unable to believe that anyone in the Immortal Sect could be so shameless as to brag about their connections with such confidence.

"Don’t get carried away... Cultivation is the only path to power, you loser, sooner or later... no one will want you, that’s right, no one will want you!" The rooster-voiced youth, Liu Dacheng, was choked for words, sputtering nonsense for a long time.

"I’ll be carried away, and I’ll be a loser. Do you dare hit me? If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll call my Master and tell him you’re bullying a young girl. Have you no shame?"

Lingxi smiled sweetly, a talisman fluttering between her fingers.