Jingzhan had never suffered such humiliation. He leapt up instantly, only to be held back by Xie Qingrong, who had just rushed over.
Mo Xuanli silently looked at the Tiger Spirit Saint Orchid for a while, then turned his head toward those people.
“You say the Qingyun Tiger was already badly injured? And that it was your companions who lured it in?”
“Of course. Otherwise, with just the three of you, how could you have finished it off so easily? The strongest among you is only at mid-Stage Golden Core…” The leader forced a smile. “We’ve had our eyes on this Qingyun Tiger for a long time.”
“You’re really something,” Jingzhan couldn’t help but sneer. “Spouting lies without even blushing—impressive, truly impressive. If we hadn’t arrived in time, those two would already be dead. And this Qingyun Tiger hasn’t been drained at all. If you can point out even one heavy injury on it that came from you, I’ll admit it. If not, then your actions just now—I’ll take it as you deliberately trying to murder and seize treasure.”
“Ah, how can you talk so recklessly? Are you bullying us because we have no sect to protect us?”
“You disciples of great sects really do throw your weight around.”
“Tell me, wasn’t it my companions who were fighting the Qingyun Tiger at first? They could have waited for us to come and finish the beast, but you barged in halfway and stole the prey.”
“And in the end, it was us who killed the Qingyun Tiger. One must be reasonable.”
For every sentence Jingzhan spoke, a crowd of them sprang up to retort—their glib sophistry practiced and smooth.
Finally, the scar-faced leader stepped forward, putting on a grave expression. “If you insist on this, then I, Ma Chuan, will have to report to Taixu Hall, to ask the sect leaders of every great school to stand up for us poor rogue cultivators.”
Jingzhan laughed in anger.
In secret realms, killing for treasure was common practice. And now Ma Chuan was dressing up his words in high-sounding rhetoric—only trying to play on their concern for their sect’s reputation. Taixu Hall? That was where the heads of the immortal sects gathered to discuss great matters of the cultivation world—why would they bother with his petty nonsense? Utterly ridiculous.
“So it’s you,” Xie Qingrong spoke slowly, “the so-called Ma Chuan Daoist, who waits for others to fight and then swoops in to seize the spoils, shamelessly twisting words to claim others’ prey. Turns out you’re only at the Golden Core stage. At your age, still coming into secret realms to risk your life—not easy indeed.”
At these words, one of the men instantly leapt up. “What did you just say, you blind b*stard! Don’t think that just because you’re from one of the Four Great Immortal Sects, you can insult people like that.”
“Who are you calling names?” Jingzhan’s gaze turned icy at once.
His sudden surge of aura made that man shrink back, but the others grew even more riled up, shouting louder.
For the three disciples of the Four Great Immortal Sects, this was their first time encountering such a gang of rabble—banding together to stir up trouble, twisting black into white.
As the quarrel grew heated, someone suddenly ran up and reported, “Daoist, those two are dead.”
Ma Chuan’s face shifted, the corners of his lips lifting slightly even as he put on a look of grief.
“You… don’t tell me you struck them down just to steal the prey! And here you claimed you saved them—but they’d already fallen to your cruel hands! Everyone says disciples of great sects have rules, that they’d never commit such vile acts, but to think you actually…”
None of the three had expected that in the end, the two still couldn’t hold on.
Now it was worse: the prey was dead, the people they’d tried to save were dead too, and a gang of shameless rogues was here, splattering mud and trying to steal the credit.
“Watch your mouth,” Jingzhan snapped. “If they died, it was from the Qingyun Tiger’s wounds, nothing to do with us. I’ve no patience for this. If you want a fight, then fight. Anyway, the Water Mirror will let everyone see the truth.”
Indeed, outside the Water Mirror, many were watching.
“They’re really unlucky, running into that infamous ‘bloodsucker squad.’”
“I saw them before, using the same shameless trick to rob several other teams. They wait until others have fought half to death, then swoop in claiming the prey was theirs all along. Those exhausted teams can’t resist, and in the end they can only swallow their losses.”
“I saw it too. Not long ago they even robbed He Zixiao, the crown prince of the Tianzhao Sect. Had him stomping with rage, but his best fighter, Li Xiuran, was adventuring elsewhere at the time. So he couldn’t out-shout or out-fight them, and had to just let it go.”
“Exactly. Since they dared rob even Tianzhao Sect and got away with it, now running into disciples of the other three great sects—only three of them, no less—it’s no wonder they’re so bold.”
“Filthy tactics like this are even more revolting than outright evil. When will someone put an end to them?”
“Hard to say. Don’t be fooled by how they act meek in front of the great sects—when it comes to real strength, they’re quite the force. Just look: over twenty Golden Core cultivators already forming a faction. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator would have to think twice.”
From high above, Gu Baiqing, seeing Jingcheng looking somewhat tense about his younger brother’s situation, spoke: “Don’t worry. Though they’re young and inexperienced, they’re not fools. With Mo Xuanli and Xie Qingrong there, this won’t come to blows.”
“Most likely…” Jingcheng slowly added, “Xie Qingrong will restrain Jingzhan. And your disciple has a gentle temperament. It’s not worth clashing with such people.”
Mo Xuanli’s temperament at this moment was indeed mild, though in the original story he was black within a white shell. With those people having ruined the flower he wanted, how could he possibly let it go so easily? But with the Water Mirror watching, he had to maintain appearances; and facing twenty Golden Core cultivators inside, they had no hope of victory. So Mo Xuanli chose to yield, taking the other two away in search of another Qingyun Tiger.
But those blood sucking vampires actually had the audacity to shamelessly follow along behind, thinking to recycle the effort, to swoop in and steal at the end. Yet this move had long been within Mo Xuanli’s expectations.
He had already said before—Mo Xuanli had done all sorts of research for the sake of the Tiger Spirit Holy Orchid. Since he’d found one, finding others wouldn’t be difficult.
Mo Xuanli acted normally, but in the end, he lured that group straight into the Qingyun Tigers’ den.
One trait of the Qingyun Tiger was that they liked to raise their cubs together. If they fought alone outside it wasn’t a problem, but if anyone broke into the tiger den, it would inevitably stir up the entire clan.
In the end, Mo Xuanli and his two companions escaped first. Those twenty-plus people didn’t make it out, all perished in the tiger den, not one left alive.
Faced with this, even Jingzhan was stunned, while Xie Qingrong grew a bit distant toward Mo Xuanli and never deepened their dealings afterward. Clearly he had seen that Mo Xuanli did it deliberately, ruthless and merciless—not any sort of gentle character.
It was hard to say whether Mo Xuanli was too ruthless, or whether Xie Qingrong was simply too soft-hearted.
And now… Gu Baiqing was also very curious—how would his own disciple act? Gu Baiqing feared Mo Xuanli being too ruthless and falling into demonic ways, but he also didn’t want Mo Xuanli to be too kindhearted in this cultivation world, lest he be bullied.
…
Because Jingzhan drew his sword directly, clearly not wanting to haggle, the atmosphere instantly grew tense.
Ma Chuan’s eyes rolled and he immediately said: “We don’t want to offend you either, and we’re willing to believe they died of heavy injuries from the Qingyun Tiger. How about this—you don’t fight us over the Qingyun Tiger, and about our fallen comrades, we won’t pursue it. What do you say? After all, we lost two people as well.”
On the surface it looked like backing down, but it was still sickening.
“You say you’ll drop it and that’s the end? Laozi isn’t willing!” Jingzhan’s face was twisted with hostility.
“Do you really want to fight?” Ma Chuan smiled faintly, while the people behind him all released their pressure.
More than twenty Golden Cores—though many had only just scraped their way in—even so, gathered together they made Jingzhan’s face look grim.
Mo Xuanli and Xie Qingrong stepped forward with swords, blocking in front of Jingzhan.
Xie Qingrong was someone who valued harmony, not ruled by temper. Mo Xuanli, on the other hand, was even more adept at weighing the situation and analyzing gains and losses. To get entangled with them over a point of pride wasn’t worth the cost. What’s more, they had just fought the Qingyun Tiger, their spiritual power was already consumed. Later they still had to find more Qingyun Tigers, and also hurry to the Immortal’s cave estate—they really had no time to waste here.
Xie Qingrong pulled Jingzhan and said, “Forget it. We can find another Qingyun Tiger. No need to waste our strength here.”
Jingzhan looked at the scene before him, drew several deep breaths, and in the end could only choose to avoid battle, giving the group a fierce glare, clearly marking down the grudge. But that bloodsucker squad wasn’t afraid at all—sometimes a rabble could be even harder to deal with than iron walls.
Seeing them back down, Ma Chuan smirked smugly and made a “please leave” gesture.
“Oh, by the way, I wonder which direction you all will be going later?” Mo Xuanli suddenly spoke up.
Ma Chuan warily asked, “And what business is it of you, little Daoist friend?”
“It’s like this. We’ll only be seeking Qingyun Tigers next. I don’t know if you still have companions setting up ambushes elsewhere—if we accidentally take your prey again, that wouldn’t be good.” Mo Xuanli said with a mild smile, watching Ma Chuan’s face shift.
Jingzhan instantly caught on, sneering: “Right, why don’t you tell us which beasts are yours. We absolutely won’t touch them. If this whole area is yours, we’ll just change places. Well? Speak up—got any others?”
Ma Chuan immediately understood. These people were wary of them using the same trick again. In truth, that was exactly their plan—what luck, running into such a young and hot-blooded team, strong fighters but too few in number. Perfect free labor to take point and eliminate dangers. They only needed to follow behind and grab the spoils several more times. Even if it came to a fight, they wouldn’t lose out.
But to have their intentions laid so bare—he could only stiffly say, “No… there’s not that many.”
“Best that way.” Jingzhan sneered coldly and moved to lead them off.
Just as they were about to leave, Mo Xuanli suddenly asked: “That withered flower—can you give it to me?”
Already irritated, Ma Chuan glanced at Mo Xuanli—a Foundation Establishment cultivator, good only for long-range support. Though he was of the Zixiao Sect, probably nothing remarkable. He was about to refuse, but when he saw that ruined flower, he secretly mocked him.
“Fine. Let’s say we’re making friends. Who knows, maybe we’ll need to trouble you in the future.”
Mo Xuanli’s lips held a cold smile. He picked up the flower and turned to leave, laughter echoing from behind.
“Must be a fool. Doesn’t he know a withered Tiger Spirit Holy Orchid is useless?”
“Probably doesn’t understand a thing, thinks he picked up a bargain.”
“So stupid.”
Mo Xuanli dropped the Qingyun Tiger’s body, only to see Jingzhan glaring furiously at it, clearly having overheard, then glaring at him in confusion.
“You…”
“Shh. Let’s go.” Mo Xuanli said in a low voice.
Xie Qingrong patted Jingzhan, urging him on. Though he couldn’t understand Mo Xuanli’s move either, he felt sure there was more to it.
The three continued searching for Qingyun Tigers, only to gradually notice that group still trailing behind.
“Truly shameless. After all that, and they still won’t quit?” Jingzhan was so furious his usual rakish air was gone. “Laozi should just go back and stab every one of them to death. Do they really think we’ll let them push us around again? Where would that leave the face of our three great sects?”
Xie Qingrong said, “I heard a few times about Ma Chuan’s deeds while on missions. If he can’t steal prey directly, he pretends a chance encounter. He waits until we’ve worn down the beast, then suddenly jumps in, claiming to help, but actually lets the gravely injured prey escape. Then he sends out part of his team to snatch it.”
“They can… do that?” Jingzhan, only just at early Golden Core and still lacking experience, had never heard of such things.
Xie Qingrong said, “Such people are like hyenas. They can’t handle one-on-one, but in packs they’ll disgust you to death. Confronting them head-on, even if it vents our anger, in the end we’ll be the ones at a loss. We must think of a way to shake them off, otherwise…”
Jingzhan was so furious he couldn’t even speak. Seeing Mo Xuanli keeping quiet, he finally asked: “What do you think? Don’t you still want the Tiger Spirit Holy Orchid? Right, just now you even asked for that broken flower…”
Mo Xuanli silently took out the withered flower, and said in a low voice: “Looks like it really is ‘self-inflicted sin, can’t live.’ Do you two… want to vent your anger?”
When he finished, Mo Xuanli revealed a mischievous, prankish smile as he looked at the two of them. They were all young—hot-blooded and reckless impulses were buried inside.
Never mind Jingzhan—even Xie Qingrong nodded and said: “If we can vent, then of course it’d be good.”
Mo Xuanli’s lips curled in a smile. He pinched a fire incantation in his hand. “The ashes of a Tiger Spirit Holy Orchid are quite interesting.”
Very soon, the three sped up their search for Qingyun Tigers.
Behind them, the bloodsucker team also quickened their pace to follow, until they heard tiger roars—those three had run into Qingyun Tigers again.
“Big brother…”
“Wait a bit. Then we’ll charge in and lend a helping hand.”
So saying, the group surrounded the outskirts and watched the battle in the distance. One look, and they were shocked—there were actually three Qingyun Tigers. Each of the three was controlling one. Their guts were too fat! Though not as large as the one before, they weren’t small either.
The one closest to them was Mo Xuanli. From their angle they could see the Qingyun Tiger roaring nonstop, but Mo Xuanli was only darting about in the air, as if waiting for a chance.
Ma Chuan led his men in waiting. He wasn’t completely confident, but if those three really managed it, then it would be like delivering three Qingyun Tigers to them on a platter! Such a great fortune couldn’t be missed. But he hadn’t had long to daydream when suddenly Mo Xuanli shouted: “Can’t beat them, retreat first!”
Ma Chuan’s heart clenched in annoyance—sure enough.
He was just thinking this when he realized Mo Xuanli was flying in their direction.
Ma Chuan cursed inwardly. D*mn it—wouldn’t that draw the Qingyun Tigers right to them?
But it wasn’t a big deal. Once Mo Xuanli flew off, they would also scatter in another direction. The Qingyun Tigers were angered by those three, so they’d only chase them.
Precisely because of this, Ma Chuan had no expectation of what would happen next.
He only saw Mo Xuanli fly right over them, stirring a gust of wind. That wind, as if controlled, dropped something down. Ma Chuan looked up, nearly blinded, rubbing at his eyes. What came down at the edge of his vision was only ashes from something burned. Just that gust had scattered it, so that everyone had more or less some sticking to them.
They didn’t think much of it, just patted themselves off and prepared to retreat elsewhere.
The tiger roars drew ever closer, the surrounding trees shaking. Suddenly, the roars stopped for an instant, the ground stilled. The people hiding below froze, not yet reacting, when a huge Qingyun Tiger leapt before them, letting out a roar.
Those closest had their ears start bleeding on the spot, some even stumbling to the ground. Everyone snapped to, immediately striking back while retreating, completely baffled—why would the Qingyun Tiger suddenly come at them? Clearly it should have chased after Mo Xuanli, flying so conspicuously above.
But one tiger alone—they could fight while retreating, not a problem. Luckily the other two must have chased the other two men in different directions, otherwise…
They were thinking this when suddenly another roar came from behind.
Everyone paled and turned back—another one… was staring straight at them.
Their hearts all tightened at once. A pincer attack from front and back—if they wanted to escape, they’d need a plan…
But before they could even think, a third roar came.
From the side charged a third Qingyun Tiger. This time, they were completely dumbstruck.
Why… why were all three here? Why were they surrounded?
Weren’t the other two supposed to have chased the other two people? They clearly went in different directions!
But there was no time to ponder why they were so unlucky. With three Qingyun Tigers attacking, they were thrust into the most heart-stopping battle since entering the secret realm. It was as if all the energy they had saved by leeching off others was now being completely burned up in this one fight, their lives hanging by a thread.
The battle dragged on for half an hour. Nearly everyone was grievously injured, before they finally wore the three Qingyun Tigers down.
They didn’t know if they should risk everything to finish off the Tigers, or take the chance to escape. Their combat strength was uncertain.
At that moment, three figures came flying in on swords.
“Huh? Why are you fighting with our prey?” Mo Xuanli called out.
“Are you trying to snatch our prey? You can’t just rely on numbers to bully people! If you do this, I’ll have to report it. People outside the Water Mirror are watching!” Jingzhan said, feigning indignation.
“Don’t say that—it must be a misunderstanding. These three were clearly the ones we attacked first. We’d already badly injured them and were using a lure tactic to finish them. How could they have stolen them? It must’ve been a coincidence.” Xie Qingrong said, suppressing his laughter.
The bloodsucker team—half were collapsed on the ground, the other half clutching their wounds and staring up at the three dumbfounded, ears still ringing. Why did these lines sound so familiar?
