Wen Li toyed with the long sword in her right hand, her tone lazy.
“My Junior Sister has always been physically frail; the Sect Master often nourishes her with spirit cores…”
Upon hearing this, the initially hesitant Hei Yun became even more certain that they were from the Beast Taming Sect. Most people below the Soul Formation realm wouldn't even know about spirit cores. For a Foundation Establishment brat to dare ask him for them so brazenly—no one who was lying would dare to demand such a extortionate price with such a righteous attitude.
“Since Fellow Daoist knows about spirit cores, you should also know their value. Even though I've run this little shop for years, I haven't been able to save up a single spirit core. I can only offer High-Grade Spirit Stones as compensation,” Hei Yun explained with a frown.
Wen Li refused to back down. “I only want spirit cores. Junior Sister Jiang Nianyao's body can only absorb spirit cores; anything else is just waste to her.”
She didn't believe that this expensive and heartless inn wouldn't have at least one spirit core.
Seeing how certain she was that they possessed them, Hei Yun’s face darkened as he glanced at his wife, Hua Yan. After much deliberation, Hua Yan had no choice but to wave her hand, retrieving three spirit cores from her storage bag.
“Fellow Daoist, today’s matter was our fault. These three spirit cores are a gift of apology. Consider it a token of friendship with the Beast Taming Sect; should we meet again in the future, please remember our sincerity today.”
Wen Li reached out and took the spirit cores, inspecting them carefully. Finding nothing unusual, she accepted the gift and nodded.
“Since you both are so sincere, we will not pursue today’s matter further. If we encounter members of the Snake clan during the Demon Tide Tournament, we will look out for them.”
Fortunately, Xie Tinglan had looked into the connection between the Beast Taming Sect and the Qisu Kingdom’s Demon Tide Tournament.
Hearing this, Hei Yun and Hua Yan could hardly hide the joy on their faces.
“Our thanks to the Fellow Daoist.”
They stopped obstructing the way and immediately opened the inn’s main doors.
Wen Li led her six disciples to the entrance. Gu Linshu tucked away his Nascent Soul Talismans, and the group calmly departed on their swords. It wasn't until they had traveled about ten li and confirmed that no one was following them that Wen Li finally leaned against a large tree, panting heavily.
“That was close. Thank goodness I think fast.”
Although she had her true power, she could only switch to it as a last resort. Normally, she relied entirely on her survival skills as a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Otherwise, why would she have dragged Gu Linshu along to pretend to be beggars when they encountered Golden Core cultivators before? Where else did her master-level escape techniques come from?
Behind her, the disciples were silent. Xie Tinglan leaned against a tree, and Gu Linshu stood calmly, but the rest were slumped on the ground, their expressions still dazed, unable to find their voices.
The children were scared witless.
They were stunned into silence.
They couldn't believe they had actually managed to bluff two Nascent Soul cultivators—who could have killed all six of them in a single move—just by talking.
Once Wen Li caught her breath, she looked back. “Eh? Why are you all so dazed? What, were you scared?”
“…Master.”
Zongzheng Huangyue pursed her lips and looked up, sighing softly. “Next time, don't just focus on signaling Old Three. Give the rest of us a heads-up, too.”
If they had known Gu Linshu had so many Nascent Soul Talismans, they wouldn't have been so terrified. The five of them truly thought their Master intended to fight head-on and had prepared all their trump cards for a desperate struggle.
Among the six, only Xie Tinglan knew that Wen Li could use her true power to crush Soul Formation cultivators. Yao Dai had fainted during the battle in the Western Province and hadn't seen it, while Zongzheng Huangyue and Gu Linshu only knew she used to be stronger than a Soul Formation expert but was currently limited to the Foundation Establishment realm.
As for Hua Cishu and Xin Jiuxian, while they suspected she had secrets, they had no clear frame of reference for how powerful she really was.
Consequently, the six of them currently judged Wen Li’s strength based on her Foundation Establishment Great Perfection aura.
“Haha, things were just too rushed. I’ll definitely remember to keep you all in the loop next time,” Wen Li said, waving it off as she stood up straight.
Yao Dai shook her head. “Master, it really has to be you. The lies just flow out of your mouth.”
Wen Li crossed her arms and chuckled. “The few of you haven't exactly failed to learn my essence, either.”
They had coordinated well just now, without her even needing to say a word.
“Alright, don't just sit there. We need to find a Teleportation Pavilion quickly and head to the capital of the Qisu Kingdom before those two snake demons realize what happened.”
She picked up Yao Dai, Hua Cishu, Zongzheng Huangyue, and Xin Jiuxian one by one.
Xie Tinglan released a flying boat.
The seven boarded the vessel, leaving Wuxue City behind for now. They headed for a Teleportation Pavilion in a nearby city, as they couldn't return to the one in Wuxue City.
Gu Linshu took control of the steering.
As the seven stood on the deck, Wen Li looked at Xie Tinglan. “They targeted you. Did they sense your bloodline?”
Xie Tinglan frowned and shook his head. “Impossible. My bloodline is not something those mangy rat snakes could ever sense. They likely just saw my talent and wanted my demon core to help their son’s transformation.”
If they really had sensed his bloodline, they wouldn't have dared—they would have been terrified of the backlash killing their son. To think a common mangy snake would dare covet him.
“They may just be common snakes, but they are still part of the race. The Snake clan doesn't rule the Qisu Kingdom, but they have a place there. You might need to make use of them in the future.” Wen Li nodded, her gaze turning cold. She tossed a bottle to him.
“Earlier, when I took that rat snake from your hands to give him back to his father, I secretly smeared poison into the gaps of his scales. This is the antidote. If you ever want to seek revenge, it will come in handy.”
Xie Tinglan’s eyes widened with surprise as he caught the bottle.
Yao Dai remarked, “Master, you actually managed to poison him then? Did you see through the fact that the snake’s parents were staging a scam from the start?”
“I didn't expect a scam, but since the father showed up immediately and was clearly a Nascent Soul, I just did some hidden work in case we couldn't talk our way out of it. It was for insurance.” Wen Li’s cold face was devoid of warmth. She was used to underhanded moves; she always left herself a way out.
Xin Jiuxian listened quietly, memorizing the lesson in her heart. I see. Plotting to harm others at every moment is the only way to ensure you aren't harmed yourself.
Hua Cishu asked, “Master, then why didn't you mention this leverage earlier?”
Wen Li reached out and tapped his head. “His son’s life was in my hands, but even if I offered the antidote, they might not have truly let us go. They might have hunted us down and used a Soul Search on me to confirm their son was truly fine. That would be a last resort. Never drive someone to a dead end unless it's absolutely necessary and you're fully prepared. Since scaring them with the name of the Beast Taming Sect worked well enough, we'll save this poison as a hidden trump card for later.”
Hua Cishu understood her meaning and nodded, his eyes deepening. “I understand.”
Wen Li looked at everyone. “Alright, you all were just given a fright. Go take a good rest and recover; I’ll take over steering.”
“Yes.”
The six obeyed and prepared to enter the cabin to cultivate.
Suddenly, Wen Li called out to Xie Tinglan, “Have you reached the threshold of Half-step Nascent Soul?”
Xie Tinglan turned and nodded. “Ever since the Supreme Elder of the Tingyin Pavilion healed my injuries, he also bestowed a sliver of providence upon me. Now, I only lack an opportunity to form a Nascent Soul.”
Hearing this, the other five disciples, who were about to enter the cabin, paused. Their expressions shifted slightly.
He was already about to reach the Nascent Soul realm, while they were still lingering at Foundation Establishment.
Hua Cishu, in particular, clenched his fists tightly.
Wen Li pondered. “If you can contract the Dragon-Slaying Halberd this time, it might be the opportunity you need.”
“I know,” Xie Tinglan replied with a nod.
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