Wen Li thought it over. Eight Soul Formation cultivators... with just a single breath from one of them, she would be dead.
Not even scraps would be left.
Hiss, how in the world was she supposed to get past them?
Scratching her head in frustration, Wen Li had no choice but to head down to the city at the foot of Mount Lingjian, find a tavern, gorge herself on a hearty meal, and plan her next move from there.
“System, do you have any way to mask me so Soul Formation cultivators won't detect me?” Wen Li asked, a fried potato strip dangling from her lips.
【Host, Nascent Soul would be fine, but for Soul Formation, you don't have enough points to redeem an Invisibility Cloak. However, I just slipped out for a look around and spotted an acquaintance.】 Last time in the Trial Realm, it was only by spending points that she managed to evade Yin Fengcong.
Wen Li scoffed lightly. “Anyone you know is someone I know. Don't tell me I actually know a Soul Formation expert?”
【Aha! Host, you lose this one—it really is a Soul Formation big shot!】
Wen Li perked up. “Who?”
【Feng Ling!】
“?! That grandson of a turtle!” Wen Li shot up from the bed like a carp leaping from water. The last time they crossed paths, he had beaten her half to death!
“Wait, his storage bag is still with me.” She had found it on her person as soon as she woke up back then.
【Host, are we running?】 The system still harbored lingering dread over how terrifying Feng Ling was; even it had been knocked clean unconscious back then. The man was utterly ruthless.
“Of course we run! If we don't, am I supposed to wait for him to beat me to death again?!”
With a flick of her fingers, Hold On instantly expanded. She vaulted onto it, crashed through the window, and shot into the sky with a whoosh, not even bothering to grab the freshly roasted chicken she had just ordered. The whole sequence was executed in one fluid motion, leaving the system utterly dumbfounded.
【Host, your running technique is entirely too practiced. My heart aches for you.】
“Ache my foot! If you care so much, give me something practical! Anyone can blow hot air,” Wen Li sneered, completely unmoved by its cheap sympathy.
The system grumbled, 【Don't be so materialistic. Let's discuss things on a spiritual level.】
Wen Li retorted with venom, “That's only because you can't enjoy material things. If you could, you'd be ten times more materialistic than me! Sadly, you're nothing more than a string of data. You can't even enjoy things spiritually. How pathetic.”
【You...】 The system's defenses shattered at her words. It desperately wanted to counter, but its programming yielded no valid comeback. In the end:
【Filing a com—bzzzt—crackle crackle—you—bzzzt—】 The system short-circuited from sheer rage.
Wen Li chuckled aloud. This neurotic system clearly bore the marks of her conditioning, but it still had a long way to go.
【Host, you're done for.】
The very next second, the system returned to normal.
Wen Li raised an eyebrow. Flying through the air, she casually glanced upward.
“Holy—!”
Run!
With a sharp whoosh, the tail of Hold On accelerated like a streak of deep blue exhaust.
The red-robed figure who had been hovering quietly in the sky several li ahead of her suddenly moved.
“Hey!”
Seeing that the man had not only pursued her but flashed directly in front of her face, Wen Li was so terrified she immediately spun around and fled in the opposite direction.
If the system had eyes right now, they would be darting left and right, then right and left.
Because the two of them chased and fled back and forth like this four or five times. Finally, Wen Li ran completely out of steam. Left with no choice, she gasped for breath, sword in one hand and the other resting on her hip, looking utterly exasperated.
“Look, why are you chasing me?! Granted, I'm only at Foundation Establishment, but I'm a Foundation Establishment cultivator with dignity! If you want to kill me or slice me to pieces, spit it out!” That way, she could tailor her begging accordingly!
Before her stood a man clad in a moonlit brocade robe, his ink-black hair pinned with iris-carved white jade, a bone ring on his index finger, his complexion fair and features striking. Who else could it be but Feng Ling, who had abruptly vanished from Heavenly Yuan Kingdom?
He stared at Wen Li with an inscrutable gaze, seemingly trying to evaluate something. It wasn't that he couldn't recognize her through her disguise, but rather that he was trying to discern something else entirely.
Oh, this time he isn't holding that ragged red umbrella of his. It seemed to have been destroyed after he hunted down Wen Li last time.
“Hey, where's your crimson umbrella?”
Leave it to Wen Li to poke right where it hurt most. Her mouth simply couldn't resist its curiosity. After all, the guy loved holding an umbrella to act cool; it was impossible not to remember it.
“...”
Looking at the culprit who had destroyed his crimson umbrella, Feng Ling felt a dull throb in his abdomen. Memories of the overwhelming shock from that single strike resurfaced. That blade technique had been bizarre in the extreme; despite exhausting all manner of celestial medicines, he had been unable to fully heal from it. Coming to the Lingjian Sect now was also in search of medicine.
Just what kind of game was this woman playing? She was clearly the one who had destroyed his crimson umbrella and forced him to acknowledge her as master, yet here she was, looking frightened and terrified of him!
And she even feigned ignorance about why his crimson umbrella was gone!
Could it be...?
A sliver of murderous intent flickered across Feng Ling's eyes. Could the “Wen Li” who had wounded him last time and the Wen Li before him be two entirely different people, with that other presence only manifesting under specific circumstances?
And she was completely unaware of that other person's existence?
If he killed her right now, would that other person vanish as well? And if so, would that render the Soul Blood oath void?
“Hold On!”
Seeing that he didn't utter a word and merely stared at her in a way that made her skin crawl, Wen Li immediately summoned Hold On, bracing herself for a fight at a moment's notice.
It was that very shout that instantly dispersed the murderous intent in Feng Ling's eyes, jolting him back to his senses.
No. Even if there truly were two individuals and two consciousnesses, this blade called “Hold On” was one and the same! He had sensed his Soul Blood nearby and rushed over immediately.
Now it was clear that his Soul Blood was bound to this very Wen Li. If he killed her, it truly would be mutual destruction!
And if he accidentally summoned that other Wen Li just like last time, he would undoubtedly die.
“Feng Ling greets Master.”
Gliding forward, he immediately lowered his altitude and bowed his head to her. It seemed he still remembered what both Wen Lis had said about not liking having to look up at people.
Wen Li, who had been wracking her brain over how to beg for mercy with some shred of dignity as he approached, was struck dumb. After a long pause, she blurted out an earth-shattering question:
“Are you an M?!”
Feng Ling: “...” Although he didn't know what that meant, nothing good ever came out of this woman's mouth.
He braced himself and explained, “I do not understand Master's words. Sensing Master's arrival, I came to pay my respects.”
【Host, what did you do?! That's a Soul Formation cultivator! Serving as your M! You actually have an S fetish!】 The system had been completely derailed by Wen Li.
“Piss off!” Wen Li had urgent business to attend to right now and couldn't be bothered with it.
Wen Li cleared her throat lightly. “What are you doing here?”
“...”
Feng Ling's eyes welled with a faint, sorrowful resentment, and he answered truthfully, “I came to seek medicine for my injuries.”
“Why are you glaring at me?” Wen Li caught the resentment in his eyes and felt utterly baffled. “Don't tell me you're saying I injured you?”
Feng Ling immediately lowered his head, swallowing his indignity as he nearly ground his teeth to dust. “I would not dare. Master did not injure me... It was... I injured myself.”
He strongly suspected she was tormenting him on purpose. She had always been this shameless and unhinged.
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