“Not bad.”
Wen Li nodded with satisfaction. “Then for this mission, I declare Old Four and Old Five the winners. For the next month, the other three—excluding Gu Linshu—must wash their clothes, socks, and shoes. Anyone who refuses to accept the loss will be barred from the next mission. Future stakes will be decided by the participants themselves.”
As soon as those words were out, Yao Dai, who had been hoping to slip through the cracks, perked up. “Any bet is okay?”
Wen Li nodded. “Anything goes. Even eating shit is fine, as long as all participants agree.”
This would force everyone to consider whether they could handle the stakes if they lost, effectively putting an end to ideas like eating shit.
“...That won't be necessary.” Yao Dai coughed lightly. Needing everyone’s agreement was a big hurdle; she had originally thought each person would take turns deciding.
Wen Li looked at Yao Dai and Xie Tinglan. “You two must remember the lesson you learned today. Do not let your guard down or let your emotions lead you just because of me or anyone else. This time it was Old Five, and with me here, he wouldn't kill you. But if it had been anyone else, you would already be dead.”
She scanned everyone present.
“Never let emotions sway your judgment. You must detach yourself to think clearly. In the future, whether it involves me or anyone else, do not lose your reason. Schemes and strategies are nothing more than predicting your next move based on your personality. Your habitual thinking will be your downfall.”
As for Xin Jiuxian, Wen Li hadn't taught her much yet, so her loss wasn't entirely her fault. However, the Eldest and Second disciples had been personally taught by her for a year before she let them go. Their alertness was usually excellent, yet this time they had been provoked by Hua Cishu’s deliberate closeness to her. They had relaxed their guard, thinking he was truly just a cultivationless, manipulative wretch who only knew how to act spoiled.
They were still not cautious enough.
Xie Tinglan and Yao Dai’s expressions shifted slightly, their eyes reflecting a sincere understanding of her meaning.
“Yes, Master.”
They understood their loss clearly this time. It wasn't just a loss in cunning, but a loss in caution. Simply because it involved Wen Li, their emotions had fluctuated easily. After being repeatedly provoked by Hua Cishu, they had lost their objective judgment of him.
Wen Li waved her hand. “Alright, let’s go.”
“Ah, where to?” Yao Dai asked, confused.
Everyone looked toward Wen Li.
“I’m taking you out to roam the world.”
Wen Li didn’t bother greeting anyone at Tingyin Pavilion. She simply took her six cubs aboard a flying vessel and departed under the broad daylight and ten thousand miles of rosy clouds, leaving the mountains behind.
...
Southern Province.
Qisu Kingdom.
Unlike other Third-Grade Cultivation Kingdoms that were primarily governed by sects and dominated by human cultivators, the Qisu Kingdom was ruled by the Three Ancient Demon Clans: the Ancient Phoenix clan, the Dragon clan, and the Nine-Tailed Fox clan.
In the rest of the cultivation world, ordinary demon beasts had to slowly cultivate from the Qi Refinement realm to the Nascent Soul realm before they could transform into human form.
However, members of these three ancient clans could transform into humans upon reaching the Foundation Establishment realm and passing their lightning tribulation. With the power of their ancient bloodline inheritance, they could not only cultivate demon energy but also practice human techniques. Because of their bloodline talents, these three clans jointly occupied and ruled a cultivation kingdom, providing a sanctuary where their kin could live free from the slaughter of human cultivators.
To expand their resources, the Qisu Kingdom—which had prohibited humans from entering centuries ago—had opened its borders and now allowed humans to travel within its territory.
However, visitors were required to strictly register their cultivation levels and were forbidden from hiding even a shred of their power. Otherwise, if anyone was found concealing their cultivation or acting suspiciously upon entry, they would be immediately executed by the Demon Guards!
For this reason, the Qisu Kingdom did not allow external teleportation arrays to connect directly to its cities. One could only teleport out from within. Foreigners wishing to enter had to personally fly to the border gates from nearby Teleportation Pavilions to register.
As dawn broke, a small flying vessel approached the border of the Qisu Kingdom from the southwest.
“AAAAAHHH!”
A earth-shattering scream rang out, only to be muffled by the vessel's barrier.
Inside, Yao Dai held a freshly extracted spiritual root taken from a cultivator lying on the floor with his abdomen cut open. She walked to the side, sat down, and calmly sliced her own abdomen open to integrate the root into herself.
“Ah...”
The cultivator lay on the floor, on the verge of death but not yet gone. Terrified, he tried to crawl away. A moment later, a woman in a black-gold robe walked over and crouched down, looking at him with deep concern.
“Are you alright?”
“Save... save me...” the cultivator pleaded, his eyes full of hope.
Zongzheng Huangyue frowned with pity and reached out. “Alright, I’ll save you right now.”
The cultivator thought she was going to pull him away and reached out to grasp her palm. Instead...
“AAAAHH!”
Zongzheng Huangyue placed her hand on his head. Ghostly blue spiritual energy surged beneath her palm, casting a cold, malicious light on her face that only made the young woman look more strikingly beautiful. The man's soul was ripped out, his face contorted in agony and hatred.
“You evil cultivators! You’ll die a horrible death!”
Zongzheng Huangyue ignored him, casually carrying the soul to the side to continue practicing her Soul Refining Technique.
The corpse on the floor went silent.
A giant black serpent slowly slithered over. Its massive maw opened wide, swallowing the cultivator's corpse in one go. The sound of crunching bones filled the air, like someone chewing on cartilage sausages.
This bloody and bizarre scene was enough to make anyone feel sick to their stomach.
“You three, get your own boat next time. I’m trying to eat.”
A cold voice rang out.
On the other side of a screen inside the vessel, Wen Li was having her meal. Today’s cook was Old Six, and the food was truly excellent—especially that fried fish with Sichuan peppercorns, which danced perfectly on her taste buds.
It was Gu Linshu’s first time witnessing such a scene. He was somewhat accustomed to Yao Dai and Zongzheng Huangyue, but Xie Tinglan’s display made him turn pale even behind the screen.
“URGH!”
“Hey!”
Wen Li shrieked. “My food!”
She hurriedly picked up the plate of fried fish and ducked out onto the deck to eat. This was fine; now she had a reason to enjoy the dish all by herself.
Hua Cishu frowned slightly. On his left was the sound of Gu Linshu vomiting; on his right was the sound of Xie Tinglan chewing. He felt like everyone in this group was insane.
He calmly blocked his sense of hearing and sat in his seat, continuing his meal.
Xin Jiuxian chewed on a fish bone and turned her expressionless face toward Gu Linshu. “Be careful. If you finish vomiting and get hungry, don’t come looking for more food. I only cooked exactly enough for everyone.”
“Urgh~”
Father, Mother, I want to go home.
The only response she got was the tragic sound of Gu Linshu continuing to vomit.
After fifteen minutes, the vessel fell silent. Wen Li was at the helm, steering the vessel toward its destination. Several thousand li away, she could vaguely see a massive black wall. Whatever lay within the wall was hidden behind a barrier.
This Qisu Kingdom seemed quite mysterious.
Rate on N.U.
