Daoist Friend, I'm Actually Here to Help You!

"System, just you wait!" Pei Ling had no time to pay attention to the evaluation panel floating before him. He hurriedly crossed his arms over his chest, protecting his vital points.

The next instant, green light flashed and struck Pei Ling's left arm.

Pei Ling instantly felt as though he had been hit head-on by an overloaded, speeding truck. A piercing pain shot through his left arm, and his body flew backward beyond his control.

Boom!!!

Without any power to resist, Pei Ling slammed into the stone wall of the cave, leaving a dent in the entire wall.

"Urgh..." His throat turned sweet, and he could not help vomiting a mouthful of blood. For a moment, his head spun and his vision blurred. Every inch of his body hurt, and his internal organs seemed to have shifted out of place. Had he not cultivated the Bone Forging Art for years, greatly improving his tolerance and endurance for pain, he would likely have fainted on the spot.

"Cough, cough, cough... Not dead? Cough, cough, cough..." Seeing Pei Ling's miserable state, Wu Tingxi's expression changed.

He coughed violently while scrutinizing Pei Ling with uncertainty.

There was something wrong with This Kid!

Though badly injured, he was still a senior disciple of the Chongming Sect and had already reached Late Qi Condensation. Both his cultivation and strength far surpassed those of ordinary Cultivators at the same level. Even the Five Poisons Finger he had forced himself to unleash should have pierced straight through the arms of a mere Cultivator from a tiny place like Luquan City—especially one at the paltry Qi Refining Layer 3—then bored through the heart and killed him in a single strike.

Pei Ling looked horribly injured, but upon closer inspection, his main injury was merely a large hole burned into the left arm he had held out front, exposing a little bone. The rest looked terrifying, but none of it was fatal.

Wu Tingxi seemed to think of something. A faint violet streak flashed through his pupils as he pushed his eyesight to the limit and instantly saw the details of the exposed bone. This made his originally deathly pale face abruptly flush red, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth.

Yet he paid it no heed at all, crying out in shock instead, "Supreme-grade Iron Bone?!"

The Bone Forging Art originated from the Chongming Sect, so naturally it was no stranger to someone like him, who had once been the direct disciple of a Chongming Sect elder.

However, even the Pei Clan did not know that the Iron Bone, Essence Bone, and Jade Bone cultivated through the Bone Forging Art were divided into grades!

Iron Bone came in low-grade, mid-grade, high-grade, and supreme-grade. Most Rogue Cultivators could only cultivate low-grade Iron Bone. A small number of exceptionally gifted Rogue Cultivators could cultivate mid-grade Iron Bone; once such people were discovered, provided their backgrounds were clean and they were not too old, they would be directly admitted into the Chongming Sect's outer sect. As for high-grade Iron Bone, only Chongming Sect disciples blessed with abundant resources and the guidance of elders through its many crucial points had a chance of cultivating it.

As for supreme-grade Iron Bone?

It was rarer than phoenix feathers and qilin horns!

Only a handful of rare constitutions, or those who happened by chance to consume the relevant Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, could possibly achieve it.

Either way, it meant that even after entering the Chongming Sect, one would become an object of focused attention and have a chance of entering the inner sect.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough..." Wu Tingxi broke into another violent fit of coughing. The way he looked at Pei Ling carried a trace of complexity beneath its gloom.

If his master were still alive, then upon encountering Pei Ling, he would most likely have chosen to bring him back to the Chongming Sect as his junior brother.

After all, a junior brother blessed with outstanding talent or immense fortune would certainly divide his master's attention and resources, but he would also strengthen their faction. In the long run, the benefits would outweigh the drawbacks.

But now...

His thoughts turned, and he suddenly asked, "Cough, cough... How did you cultivate supreme-grade Iron Bone?"

Pei Ling slid down from the stone wall, and his first thought was to flee!

But the moment he tried to turn over and sit up, a wave of dizziness overwhelmed him. He had no choice but to collapse on the ground. Only then did he realize that every movement took tremendous effort, and he could barely even stand.

Hearing this, Pei Ling was first stunned. Supreme-grade Iron Bone? What supreme-grade Iron Bone?

But he quickly came to his senses. Supreme-grade or not, the most important thing now was to steady the other man and keep him from immediately killing him.

"Daoist Friend, you and I were strangers until now. I did take your Qi and Blood Pills, but you have already taught me a lesson. We no longer owe each other anything, so why not shake hands and make peace, then go our separate ways?" Pei Ling said weakly. "If you are interested in my cultivation art, I can also consider exchanging it with you."

Inwardly, he silently called to the system. System! Can you disguise the Bone Forging Art so this bastard won't recognize it, but anyone who cultivates according to it will immediately suffer cultivation deviation?

The system replied, "Ding-dong! The Intelligent Cultivation System is dedicated to serving you. Please select a duration and click [One-Click Auto-Cultivate]. The system will immediately cultivate automatically for you! One-Click Auto-Cultivate, cultivate without worries, and fulfill your dream of ascension!"

Pei Ling silently spat blood. I knew I couldn't count on you...

He was considering whether to pass off some ancient texts from his previous life as a cultivation art to stall for time when Wu Tingxi gave a cold laugh. "Stop pretending. You cultivate the Bone Forging Art. If you are not from the Chongming Sect, then you must be descended from an expelled Chongming Sect disciple. If I am not mistaken, the Chongming Sect's wanted notice has already reached this area. Since you pursued me into the mountains, how could you possibly not recognize Wu?!"

"What do you intend to do, then?" Pei Ling frowned. As expected, disciples from that Underworld Sect were not easy to fool. He was young and had only just made a breakthrough. After lying there for a while, he had gradually recovered some strength and could probably force himself to stand. But fleeing would still be difficult... He had to stall a little longer!

With that thought, Pei Ling's mind stirred, and he said, "Actually, Daoist Friend, you misunderstand. Though Zheng Jingshan of the Chongming Sect did indeed order the Pei Clan's disciples to search the mountains for you, I alone not only have no wish to reveal your whereabouts—I fervently hope you can escape alive."

Seeing Wu Tingxi give a sinister chuckle, clearly not believing him at all, he immediately continued, "Daoist Friend, do you know that Zheng Jingshan possesses a screen? At a glance, it seems ordinary, but look closely, and there are over a hundred beauties within it..."

"The Bewitching Bone Rakshasa Painting?" Before he could finish, Wu Tingxi blurted out suspiciously, "How do you know about that? No, you saw that painting and still didn't die?!"

Pei Ling's heart sank. It seemed that screen was even more troublesome than he had expected?

He had no time to think further and hurriedly said, "I am a collateral descendant of the Pei Clan of Luquan City. My birth mother died early, and since my aptitude was fairly good, I have suffered my stepmother's suppression for years. I own nothing of value... Not long ago, Zheng Jingshan accepted an invitation from the family's main heir and stayed in the guest courtyard of Pei Manor. It was said that he possessed great wealth, beyond anything the Pei Family could compare with. I heard servants say that he was constantly running about outside and was often absent from the manor, so I gathered my courage and went into his room to have a look..."

Upon hearing this, the look Wu Tingxi gave him became extremely strange. "You, a little Qi Refining Layer 3 Cultivator from some backwater, actually dared to steal Zheng Jingshan's belongings?"

For a moment, Wu Tingxi was even bewildered. Had he stayed in the sect for too long, to the point that he did not know Cultivators outside had become so ferocious?!

Compared to Zheng Jingshan's home being robbed while he remained in the dark to this day, Wu Tingxi strangely felt that having three Qi and Blood Pills snatched from him right in front of his face did not seem like such a big deal anymore.

"Cough. In any case, Zheng Jingshan still has not discovered it because he is pursuing you," Pei Ling said with a dry cough. "So I am now the person who most hopes that you will remain safe and even escape alive. After all, only if you are well can you keep Zheng Jingshan occupied, buying me more opportunities and time to flee a thousand li away."

He adopted his most sincere tone. "Daoist Friend, I'm actually here to help you!"

Wu Tingxi threw back his head and laughed loudly. "Help Wu? How will you help? By robbing Wu's Qi and Blood Pills the moment we met, leaving Wu to crawl around like an insect for half a day before I could retrieve my own medicine bottle?"

"Daoist Friend, those are small matters." Pei Ling said sternly, "At the time, I was harmed by the Bewitching Bone Rakshasa Painting. Without the Qi and Blood Pills, I would likely have suffered misfortune. In that case, you would have been alone here, unfamiliar with the place, and sooner or later discovered by the Pei Clan's disciples, who would report you to Zheng Jingshan! Would Daoist Friend have come to a good end then? Now, you and I are people in the same boat. We ought to cross the river together, rather than haggle over every little thing!"

Mm, my breathing is much smoother now. I should be able to get up and walk a few steps. I just wonder how long I can keep it up?

Pei Ling hesitated, then secretly glanced at Wu Tingxi. Seeing the other man lower his head as if deep in thought, with no intention of attacking, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief and decided to rest a while longer, lest another mishap arise while escaping.

"You brat... You certainly have a sharp tongue! But you do have some reason. With life and death at hand, everything else is a minor matter." After pondering for a moment, Wu Tingxi gave a cold laugh and suddenly said, "Do you know why Zheng Jingshan is pursuing Wu?"

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