A Single Misstep Becomes Eternal Regret

Looking up bit by bit, Liu Xiaolou saw the female cultivator still working about thirty feet away, diligently harvesting. She would occasionally straighten up, place a hand on her hip, and wipe the sweat from her brow. The moonlight shone on her face, stirring something in Liu Xiaolou's heart: She's so beautiful, twice as beautiful as Sister Qing from the end of Tou Tiao Lane in Wu Chao Town!

This wasn't the time to admire a beauty under the moon. Liu Xiaolou pushed aside his wandering thoughts and focused on her every move. Seeing that she hadn't noticed him at all, he flicked out his Misty Incense Tendon and began harvesting.

With no other thieves to disturb him now, though he worked cautiously, his steadiness ensured he wasn't slow.

After continuously harvesting for over half an hour, the four or five acres before him were stripped bare. He had already packed the rice ears and transported them into the woods several times, and the distance between him and the female cultivator had shrunk to six or seven feet.

Don't be too greedy!

Liu Xiaolou gave himself a warning. After tying the last bundle of rice ears, he carefully turned around and began to crawl back.

Enough is enough, time to move somewhere else.

He had only crawled a few steps when a voice suddenly sounded from behind him: "Had enough harvesting?"

Liu Xiaolou's scalp went numb. He knew he'd been discovered. Well, perhaps he'd been discovered long ago. After all, he wasn't a Big White Goose and wasn't skilled at this. Mistakes were inevitable.

At this moment, a sense of relief washed over him. He simply stood up boldly, turned around, and saw the female cultivator with her hands clasped, her long sword held across her chest, looking at him and smirking coldly.

Caught red-handed, Liu Xiaolou wasn't afraid. He cupped his fists and said, "I happened to be passing by and worried that you wouldn't be able to finish harvesting, missing the opportune time, so I lent a hand. Well, it's about done..."

The female cultivator immediately laughed, "So, you saw injustice and decided to help righteously?"

Liu Xiaolou said seriously, "Just a small favor, you don't need to thank me. It's getting late, I'll be taking my leave."

With that, he took off, darting towards the dense woods.

The forest was just ahead. Even the guy from the Dongyang Sect named Han couldn't catch him, so he didn't believe she could!

As he was darting away, he suddenly felt a strong gust of wind coming from behind his head, incredibly sharp. His heart leaped in alarm, and his neck instinctively jerked three inches to the side. A flying sword whizzed past his ear, slicing through a fir tree about the thickness of a bowl!

The sword light circled through the dense woods and flew back into the female cultivator's hand. She said coldly, "Run! Keep running!"

A flying sword!

Liu Xiaolou froze.

At this moment, he truly felt like crying but had no tears.

A Grand Perfection at least at the Qi Refining tenth layer, coming to help harvest spirit fields?

When harvesting the spirit fields, so clumsy, not releasing sword energy, nor using a flying sword?

Is she sick? Are you sick?

Just a few more steps forward and he would be in the forest, but Liu Xiaolou didn't dare to run another step. Instead, he slowly turned around, looking at the female cultivator pitifully, utterly dejected.

"Who gave you the guts to come here and steal my rice?" the female cultivator asked disdainfully, tilting her chin.

Liu Xiaolou replied honestly, "My family is poor, we really couldn't afford to eat."

"Poor? Is poverty your reason for stealing rice? No matter how poor you are, you shouldn't lose your integrity!" the female cultivator lectured him without politeness.

"Senior is right..."

"Ha, Senior?"

"Ah, miss, you are right. I was momentarily confused. I will definitely correct my ways from now on..."

"I ask you, isn't the compensation from the master enough?"

"Enough, enough..."

"Then why did you have such a base thought?"

"People can't help but be confused sometimes. One wrong step leads to eternal regret..."

"Let's go, you can explain it to the master at the villa!"

"This matter... I am willing to compensate!"

"Compensate? Didn't you say you were too poor to eat? What can you compensate?"

"Whatever amount of spirit rice I took, I'm willing to return double..."

Hearing Liu Xiaolou's compensation offer, the female cultivator couldn't help but smile, "Why would I want this spirit rice? Can you finish eating it?"

If you don't care about spirit rice, why are you working as a helper here? Liu Xiaolou grumbled inwardly, his mind racing. He realized he had nothing to offer as compensation. As the female cultivator urged him, "Come with me," he became anxious, "Miss, please let me off this time. As they say, we meet by chance and become friends. If you have any instructions in the future, I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

This plea still had no effect. The female cultivator clearly had no interest in Liu Xiaolou's willingness to "go through fire and water." "Are you going to walk yourself, or should I tie you up and drag you? Oh, right, take off that mask, show your face, you sneaky fellow..."

Liu Xiaolou reluctantly took off his black cloth, tidied his slightly messy topknot, and tried his best to wink at the female cultivator—he had only one move left: seduction. He was, after all, someone who, along with Wei Hongqing, was known as the Twin Beauties of Wulong Mountain. He wouldn't claim to be dashing and elegant, but at least he was handsome.

As the black cloth came off, the hazy moonlight shone on him, enhancing his handsome aura.

This move seemed to have some effect. Seeing his appearance, the female cultivator's expression froze for a moment. She stared blankly, speechless for a while.

Liu Xiaolou could only continue to blink his eyes, constantly begging for mercy, "I know I was wrong..."

"Turn around, turn left..."

"Ah? Okay..."

The female cultivator suddenly asked, "What's your name? Where do you cultivate? Tell the truth."

"I am... a rogue cultivator from Wulong Mountain, Liu Xiaolou." Liu Xiaolou didn't dare to hide anything. His face was already revealed, and she could easily find out by going to the estate manager. The best course of action now was to admit his mistake with the most sincere attitude, perhaps to salvage the situation.

"You are from Wulong Mountain?"

"Yes, it's on Qianzhu Ridge. If you have any commands, young lady, I will obey them all!"

After a moment of silence, the female cultivator waved her hand, "Let's go."

"Huh?"

"Let's go…"

Did… did my honey trap succeed? Liu Xiaolou was a bit stunned for a moment, but he didn't dare to ask further. He entered the dense forest, looking back repeatedly.

As he turned his head, he saw her looking up at the sky, lost in thought. He didn't bother with it and quickened his pace to leave.

When he left, he also took the rice stalks he had stored in the woods. She hadn't said they should be returned, nor had she forbidden him from taking them, so of course, he had to take them.

Liu Xiaolou's footsteps quickened, true essence flowing as he exerted all his strength to escape the area. He found a secluded spot, hurriedly processed the night's harvest into rice, packed it into bags, and rushed to the estate to report.

These past two days were the last days for the harvest rush. The estate's granary was open, accepting grain even in the middle of the night. Liu Xiaolou submitted the rice, a total of fifty-six jin, still short by fifty jin from the amount he was supposed to submit.

He didn't have the inclination to stay any longer and accepted the penalty of one hundred and fifty taels of silver. He didn't have that much silver on him, but he had the gold and jade pendant he took from Jinping Mountain Villa. He used all ten-plus taels of gold and the jade pendant to cover the fine, and his work as a helper was considered complete.

He hastily picked up the four bags of spirit rice buried in the fields and left Goose-Goat Mountain overnight. By the time dawn broke, he was already fifty to sixty li away from Goose-Goat Mountain. Seeing the Wu Chao River, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.