All Kinds of Methods

In a secluded alley.

"Hahaha~ I'm dying of laughter~ Big White, you're amazing~"

Xu Ling was laughing so hard she could barely straighten up. Just thinking of that boy's bedraggled state was hilarious. Besides, with two Chunyang Disciples beside them, what demons did they need to fear?

Bai Yujun found it amusing too. She tossed her hair with flair, though unfortunately, it did not look the least bit dashing.

"Come on, let's find a restaurant and eat."

The two humans and one snake were about to head out for a meal when, before they could even leave the alley, a bedraggled figure blocked their way. Aside from vegetable leaves, his hair was caked with dried egg from who knew where. Clutching a compass, he glared furiously at Bai Yujun.

Bai Yujun shrugged helplessly. Some people simply had an obsession with slaying demons.

The man turned to look at Yang Mu and Xu Ling.

"Since when did people from Chunyang Palace stand with demons? Truly worthy of the title of the greatest sect under heaven." The man spoke in a strange, mocking tone. Clearly, he was a disciple from some sect that was not on good terms with Chunyang.

Waving a hand to stop the displeased Yang Mu and Xu Ling, Bai Yujun looked at the man.

"Hiss. From the Hundred Thousand Mountains, a White Snake. Who are you?"

"Yan Feng of Tiangang Mountain! So that you, demon, may know whose hands you die by! Hmph! A mere little demon, yet already so cunning, knowing how to beguile people's hearts. You will surely become a calamity in the future! Every righteous person has the right to kill you!"

That sentence enraged Bai Yujun. It was clearly a scheme, yet he insisted on calling it beguiling people's hearts. This brat was rotten to the core with pedantry.

Bai Yujun first tied her long hair into a ponytail, then drew her treasured sword. There would be no peaceful resolution today, so she might as well get some practice and familiarize herself with sword techniques.

"Demon, take my cudgel!"

The Black Iron Cudgel whistled as it smashed down from above. Bai Yujun lightly tapped off with her toes and shot upward, her feet racing across the mottled, moss-covered wall for several steps. Turning sideways, she thrust her sword at Yan Feng. Unable to stop his momentum, the Black Iron Cudgel shattered the ground. He hurriedly retreated two steps to the side, narrowly avoiding the blade!

Yan Feng's cudgel techniques were fierce and forceful, broad and sweeping, with tremendous strength behind them. Bai Yujun excelled at agility, speed, and seizing the right moment. When one strike failed, she immediately began circling, waiting for an opening.

The alley rang with clanging blows as they fought to their hearts' content.

Now it depended on who could keep their composure. Neither had high cultivation, so the battle could not drag on for too long. Cudgel shadows formed an impenetrable curtain, while the treasured sword struck from treacherous, vicious angles.

At last, after fighting for quite some time, Yan Feng was the first to show signs of fatigue.

Bai Yujun seized the opportunity, flashing before Yan Feng in an instant and thrusting toward his chest!

Yan Feng's body suddenly tensed as though he had been marked by a venomous snake. He hastily retreated and swept his cudgel sideways, trying to trade injury for injury and force Bai Yujun back.

Bai Yujun remained expressionless. Before Yan Feng's bewildered and fearful eyes, she drove her sword into his chest, drawing blood. Unfortunately, the wound was not deep enough to seriously injure him. When the Black Iron Cudgel swept toward her, she immediately bent backward at an unbelievable angle, nearly ninety degrees. The iron cudgel swept past her face, carrying away several strands of hair.

Yan Feng was terrified after being stabbed in the chest. In his panic, he revealed another opening.

Bai Yujun sneered.

Her body once more performed a supple movement no human could manage, easily evading the iron cudgel and slipping close. Her treasured sword slashed horizontally, forcing Yan Feng into peril after peril, leaving him at a loss for how to respond. He was no master himself, only a novice who had just left his sect to gain experience.

The supple traits of a snake were brought into play to the fullest.

After being beaten until he could not fight back by the very demon he had repeatedly called an abomination, the enraged and anxious Yan Feng decided to change tactics.

He retreated several steps, pulled a dark clump of something from his robes, and hurled it at Bai Yujun with all his strength. That thing swelled with the wind, turning into a huge net in the blink of an eye as it descended...

The black net was incredibly fast. Seeing that she could not evade it, Bai Yujun swung her sword to cut it open, only to discover that the net was exceptionally sturdy.

"Demon Binding Net, tighten!"

She felt her body constrict. Bai Yujun was completely covered by the black net as it tightened, leaving her unable to remain standing, and she fell to the ground.

In the blink of an eye, she was bound tight as a drum. Bai Yujun was so furious she wanted to curse in the streets. Unable to win, he had thrown out all sorts of random junk to trap a snake!

Yan Feng burst into laughter.

"Little demon, hurry and reveal your true form!"

With that, he reached for the Demon Binding Net to cast a spell. Just as he bent down, a flying sword appeared before his eyes, buzzing sharply. Its Sword Qi was fierce. If he moved carelessly, it would likely kill Yan Feng in an instant.

"You two, this is...?"

Yang Mu said nothing. He made several hand seals toward the trapped Bai Yujun, and the Demon Binding Net automatically loosened.

Furious, Bai Yujun flung off the black net and punched Yan Feng, sending him flying!

Bang! The mottled wall cracked where he struck it. After landing, Yan Feng grabbed his black cudgel and tried to take revenge, but before he could rise, that flying sword appeared once again less than two inches from his eyes!

"People of Chunyang Palace actually keep company with demons!"

Xu Ling could not stand it anymore.

"Who said we can't stand with demons? This is the snake demon my master found to guard the gate. Do we need to report that to you? If she truly wanted to kill you, would you still be alive now?"

"Who are your masters? One day, I will certainly visit and seek instruction!" Yan Feng refused to submit.

"I am Yang Mu. My master is Yu Rong of Chunyang Palace. You should not disturb my master. She is very busy." Yang Mu spoke blandly. There was no need to hide it; a man did not change his name when walking, nor alter it when sitting.

"Yu... Forgive my discourtesy."

The moment Yan Feng heard the name Yu Rong, he immediately wilted. Bai Yujun sighed inwardly. That cheap meal ticket of hers really was something else. Just her name was enough to make this pedantic fool yield. It seemed that when she returned, she should ask Yu Rong for some protective talismans. Standing behind them, her snake head spun with thoughts of who knew what.

"You bound her, and she punched you once. Neither of you owes the other anything."

Yang Mu's single sentence set the matter straight. He was obviously taking Bai Yujun's side. Earlier, she had nearly stabbed Yan Feng to death with one strike, and blood was still flowing from his wound. Bai Yujun said nothing more, merely turning away, too lazy to speak with Yan Feng.

"So be it. Farewell."

Yan Feng picked up the Demon Binding Net and limped away with his cudgel. Being punched by a twelve-meter-long White Snake was not a pleasant experience. If he had not practiced body-tempering arts, that one punch might well have killed him.

Bai Yujun did not quite understand what was going on with that net.

"That net was his magic treasure?"

Knowing Bai Yujun had doubts, Yang Mu explained the details.

"In truth, the miscellaneous collections in the Scripture Pavilion contain many records of such things. Everyone knows that Chunyang Palace does not place importance on external objects, cultivating only oneself and diligently practicing cultivation arts. There are only a few types of magic treasures, such as flying swords. Even our pills focus primarily on healing and recovery. Other sects and Rogue Cultivators are different. They value magic treasures and pills more. Many people cultivate by endlessly consuming pills to increase their cultivation. They especially enjoy wasting effort and resources forging magic treasures, and in battle they rely entirely on comparing magic treasures, not realizing they have put the cart before the horse."

"Cultivation cultivates oneself, not external objects. Even magic treasures in battle can be broken with spells. Take the Demon Binding Net, for example. One only needs to use the corresponding spell to resist it. The Scripture Pavilion has all kinds of such techniques. They are elective courses."

After hearing this, Bai Yujun paused in a daze, then resolved to live in the Scripture Pavilion after returning and never come out.

"In the future, you will encounter many cultivators who increase their cultivation by swallowing pills. Their bodies are weak and their state of mind insufficient. Though they possess a body full of spiritual power, they find it difficult to advance. So, Big White, eat fewer pills in the future."

There was such a thing? Bai Yujun nodded.

"Demonic beasts may be different from humans and perhaps can consume pills. Demonic beasts cultivate for hundreds or thousands of years at a time, and snakes have stronger digestive and absorptive abilities. Perhaps they need not fear the side effects of pills." Yang Mu was not entirely certain either.

Bai Yujun curled her lips. That was no different from saying nothing. Still, his remark about hundreds and thousands of years was indeed true. Humans could improve their cultivation in a short time, while demonic beasts had to invest far more time. The advantage was denser spiritual power and sturdier bodies. Whether that was good or bad was hard to say.