Zongzheng Huangyue and Hua Cishu did not leave with Shengji; instead, they stood guard outside the barrier.
After regaining her composure, Xin Feiliu questioned Zongzheng Huangyue. “What is your relationship with her?”
Zongzheng Huangyue recalled the image of Wen Li wiping away her tears and knew the connection between the two was anything but ordinary, yet she answered frankly.
“Master and disciples.”
Hearing this, Xin Feiliu’s expression dazed as she murmured, “...Master and disciples. She actually has disciples now.”
She lowered her head and turned away, sitting cross-legged to meditate and speak no more.
Shengji, Huo Yuntian, Linghu Ci, and Yang Yankuan also did not leave, entering a state of meditation nearby.
The four had complex expressions, sighing as they fell into their own memories.
Seeing this, Zongzheng Huangyue knit her brows. Had something happened between her Master and these people in the past? Judging by their appearances, they didn't seem to have a grudge against her Master.
The three disciples sat on the other side.
Xin Jiuxian watched Hua Cishu eat his snacks with great relish and couldn't help but reach out a hand.
“Give them to me.”
Her tone was domineering, clearly implying that she would beat him if he didn't comply.
“I won’t. Master bought these for me and me alone. If you want to eat, go buy some yourself.” Hua Cishu looked up, his lips curling into a cold sneer. He had already guessed that this was Master’s sixth disciple, but so what?
Aside from Master, who did anyone else think they were?
Xin Jiuxian narrowed her eyes and reached out, using a strand of spiritual energy to bind the cultivationless Hua Cishu.
“You’re just a piece of trash; whether you give them to me or not is up to me.” In her worldview, as long as she had the ability to snatch something, it was hers. If she were ever robbed by someone else, it was simply because she lacked the skill.
She had learned this from Xin Feiliu, and Xin Feiliu had learned it from Wen Li. Viewed this way, it was almost an indirect inheritance.
Hua Cishu’s phoenix eyes darkened with a sinister glint. “If you dare touch them, I’ll kill you.”
He hated it most when people stole his food, especially when it was bought for him by Master.
These words were the same ones he had spoken when she wanted to touch her Yulan Floating Light Zither, but he lacked the power to stop Xin Jiuxian.
“By the time you’re capable of killing me, I’ll have already crushed you to death.”
Her silver hair cascaded behind her, coiling on the ground as Xin Jiuxian glanced at him sideways. A faint, mocking sneer played on her sickly-pale face.
She actually reached out and snatched the pastries from Hua Cishu’s hand, chewing them up under his murderous and resentful gaze.
“Fine... you just wait.”
Locked by the spiritual energy, Hua Cishu immediately reverted to his original form. With a soft thud, a black fur ball landed on the ground, and the spiritual energy binding him actually failed.
He instantly leaped toward Xin Jiuxian, baring sharp claws as he aimed for her neck. He was determined to kill her, regardless of whether she was the sixth disciple or if there were five Soul Formation cultivators present.
Xin Jiuxian immediately flew back to avoid him, but then...
“Ptui!”
Hua Cishu opened his mouth and spat directly onto Xin Jiuxian’s robe. Instantly, her white robe was burned with a hole by the toxin, which began to spread rapidly.
Xin Jiuxian’s expression turned cold. She immediately raised her hand to cut away the affected section of her robe, and in the next second, she lashed out with a burst of spiritual energy toward the black fur ball.
Unexpectedly, the black fur ball landed and quickly dug a hole to hide. When he reappeared, he had somehow tunneled behind her, leaping out and raking his claws across the back of her hand.
“Sss!”
This time, Xin Jiuxian was caught off guard, and a bloody scratch appeared on the back of her hand. Her expression turned fierce as she swung the Yulan Floating Light Zither with one hand, aiming to smash the black fur ball.
“Enough.”
Xin Feiliu flew down to intervene.
She frowned and used two strands of spiritual energy to set up barriers, separating the two without favoring either side.
“Both of you be quiet. If you keep arguing, get out!”
Seeing her move, Xin Jiuxian could only frown and give up, setting the zither down with a cold snort.
Hua Cishu also reverted from his original form to his human appearance. He let out a fierce, bared-teeth growl at her, but he settled down. Then, he turned to look at Zongzheng Huangyue, who had been sitting by indifferently until now.
His amber phoenix eyes narrowed, glinting with a dark, violent energy.
“Did you think I wouldn't know you were using her to do your dirty work? Don't worry, I'm not so weak that I'll run to Master and complain about everything. If you want to beat me, have the guts to do it yourself.”
He would bite her to death!
Zongzheng Huangyue, having been called out, sat calmly. Even though she sensed Xin Feiliu’s gaze shifting toward her, she merely gave a faint smile and looked at Hua Cishu with a chilling tone.
“If you actually went to Master to complain, I really wouldn't bother moving against you ever again. Because then, you wouldn't be worthy of being my opponent, let alone being Master’s disciple. Let me tell you, out of the six disciples, you are the only one who can’t cultivate or protect yourself. You’re the only one who needs Master’s protection for every little thing, even needing to be carried while flying like a useless infant who only knows how to eat and sleep. What else can you do besides act spoiled and kiss up? Are you just a mascot?”
Zongzheng Huangyue had long been unable to stand his daily clinging to Wen Li, his lack of progress, and his behavior of doing nothing but flattering and using his silver tongue. She didn't care if Hua Cishu lacked cultivation, but she could not tolerate a disciple like him dragging Master down.
“A disciple like you, who does nothing but eat, drink, and flatter, is completely useless. You rely on that petty acting to get Master’s attention. Forget me—if the other four disciples saw you, they would look down on you just the same.”
These words hit Hua Cishu like hammers. His face turned slightly pale as he clenched his fists, knowing she was telling the truth and was trying to warn him.
Hua Cishu’s face was tense. “...I understand.”
During his fight with Xin Jiuxian just now, he had no way to resist except by relying on the toxins in his body. Just as it had been back in the Demon Race, he was still subject to the whims and insults of others without the power to fight back.
It was true. He had grown too complacent after becoming Wen Li’s disciple. He had good clothes to wear, good food to eat, and someone who cared for him. He was so comfortable that he had forgotten the days when he had struggled to survive, forgotten to seize every chance to grow stronger, and instead focused only on repeatedly testing the small bit of kindness Master showed him, overthinking and obsessing over every scrap of care.
No wonder Zongzheng Huangyue had never personally moved against him. It turned out she simply disdained attacking someone as incompetent as him.
Hua Cishu sat down, his head bowed as he sank into his own thoughts.
Xin Jiuxian also realized that she had been used as a tool by Zongzheng Huangyue, not only starting a feud with Hua Cishu but also becoming a pawn used to spur him on.
She looked at her with an icy expression. “You schemed against me.”
Seeing that her mind was reasonably quick, Zongzheng Huangyue met her gaze and calmly asked in return.
“Did I tell you to steal his things? Did I tell you to eat them? Did I ask you to move against him?”
Xin Jiuxian: “...”
She really hadn't. Zongzheng Huangyue had only mentioned to her that Hua Cishu cared most about his food, and she had moved intentionally just to get back at him for earlier events.
The three questions left Xin Jiuxian unable to offer a rebuttal. Having rarely interacted with people, she didn't realize that the questions had already shifted the focus of the problem.
To put it bluntly, she had lived alone in the forbidden ground since childhood. Aside from Xin Feiliu and a few elders like Linghu Ci who spoke to and taught her, she had spoken to almost no one. She had never encountered someone of her age as scheming and calculating as Zongzheng Huangyue.
After she suffered more losses in the future, falling once, twice, and then a third time, she would finally gain some wisdom.
Rate on N.U.
