Fairy Li

Every hair on Pei Ling's body stood on end. Yet at that critical moment, the potential buried deep within him was instead unleashed. He hurriedly rolled on the spot and, by the narrowest of margins, dodged the strike.

Wu Tingxi's killing finger missed, leaving him dumbfounded. But after all, he came from a great sect and reacted with extreme speed. The posture he had already assumed—hands behind his back, ready to lecture Pei Ling's corpse—shifted at once. His foot slammed into the ground, and he hurled himself forward.

The next instant, his fist crashed heavily into Pei Ling's face.

Bang!

The punch left Pei Ling dizzy and seeing stars, but inwardly, he was overjoyed. He was only at Qi Refining Layer 3 and had never learned any offensive techniques. If Wu Tingxi kept using the Five Poisons Finger, then even if he had dodged that last strike, he would still have had no chance of survival.

Now that Wu Tingxi had actually resorted to fists and kicks, it was clear that his injuries were severe—no better than Pei Ling's own.

Pei Ling immediately hooked both legs around the other man's body, preventing him from pulling away and using other methods. At the same time, he swung up his right fist and smashed it viciously into Wu Tingxi's chin.

This was the full-force blow of an Iron Bone Cultivator at Qi Refining Layer 3. In the past, Wu Tingxi would never have taken such an attack seriously. But his injuries were simply too severe now. Not only had he failed to dodge, his face was knocked sharply sideways, and a faint taste of blood rose in his mouth.

"Bastard!!!" Wu Tingxi's eyes nearly split with rage. He suddenly drove his head down, smashing it hard into Pei Ling's skull! Pei Ling was instantly dazed. Seizing the chance, Wu Tingxi got up, grabbed a stone nearby, and smashed it down at Pei Ling without another word.

Hearing the wind whistle wrong, Pei Ling hastily rolled aside. At the same time, he scooped up a handful of dirt and flung it straight at Wu Tingxi's face.

Wu Tingxi instinctively shut his eyes. Pei Ling seized that opening, pounced, wrapped both arms around his waist, and threw him to the ground.

"Cough, cough, cough..." Wu Tingxi's internal organs had already been badly injured. After that fall, with Pei Ling pressing down on him, blood seeped from the corner of his mouth again.

Knowing things were going badly, Wu Tingxi fumbled inside his sleeve several times amid their struggle and deftly pulled out the Pellet he had been holding when the rat startled him earlier.

But this Pellet had been handed down to him along with the cultivation Jade Slip, a relic left behind by his master. It was also the final trump card of his master's lineage. Using it even against Zheng Jingshan would have been like using a butcher's knife to kill a chicken. Pei Ling was nothing more than trash at Qi Refining Layer 3...

Wu Tingxi hesitated only briefly when pain suddenly shot through his wrist. Pei Ling had noticed something amiss. Enduring Wu Tingxi's headbutts and kicks, he forcibly grabbed his wrist and smashed it hard against a nearby stone several times.

Wu Tingxi cried out in pain, and the Pellet in his hand involuntarily rolled onto the ground.

He was shocked, furious, and regretful all at once. His fighting spirit collapsed, while Pei Ling's ferocity was fully stirred. The more he fought, the braver he became. In an instant, the difference between them was clear. Pei Ling seized an opening and smashed Wu Tingxi to the ground with a stone.

Worried that this fellow from the Underworld Sect might be feigning death to launch a sneak attack, Pei Ling did not dare relax even after feeling that the other man had stopped moving. He continued smashing stone after stone until more than a dozen had shattered. Only after confirming that Wu Tingxi's head had been pulped into the ground and his corpse was already stiff and cold did he stop, gasping for breath and wiping his face with lingering fear... He had won!

He had killed Wu Tingxi!

With his situation still critical, Pei Ling rejoiced only briefly before scrambling up. Ignoring his pain, he first gave the system a one-star review, then thoroughly looted Wu Tingxi inside and out. Remembering the Pellet that man had been reluctant to use, he found it nearby and tucked it into his robes. After disposing of the body and covering his tracks, he endured his dizziness and blurred vision, staggered away while supporting himself against the mountain wall.

Now that Wu Tingxi was no longer blocking him, Pei Ling spent some time before finally finding a route to the surface through the spiderweb-like tunnels.

Thanks to his scumbag father and stepmother, he had needed to come to Yuan Lao Mountain from childhood to gather herbs and hunt in order to support himself. He was extremely familiar with every area outside the mountain's deepest reaches. After briefly getting his bearings, he quickly took a secluded path down the mountain.

Along the way, he encountered one or two members of the Pei Clan. Fortunately, he had received orders with them in the main hall of Pei Manor earlier. Though he looked disheveled now, he claimed to have encountered a wild beast and been unable to defeat it. His clansmen did not suspect him.

One kindhearted cousin even tossed him a bottle of Blood-Staunching Powder.

Pei Ling accepted it with endless gratitude. Using the excuse of returning to the city to find a physician, he calmly made his escape.

After descending Yuan Lao Mountain, he remembered Wu Tingxi telling him to head west and decisively chose the eastern route instead.

Yet before he had hurried far, Pei Ling once again sensed someone secretly watching him.

To make matters worse, the pain in his left arm wound gradually faded and turned numb.

There was no one in sight, yet the dense, countless gazes kept multiplying... Pei Ling's steps slowed further and further, his face turning ashen!

He knew he was in trouble. Not only had the Bewitching Bone Rakshasa Painting come for him again, but worse still, the place Wu Tingxi had injured him had clearly been poisoned.

Pei Ling searched through the items Wu Tingxi had left behind. Perhaps because that man had been pursued and hunted all the way here, he did not have many medicines on him. Of the few remaining jade bottles, apart from the Qi and Blood Pill that Pei Ling recognized, he had no idea what any of the others were.

If this continued, even if he used the system to cultivate and temporarily stop the Bewitching Bone Rakshasa Painting, he might not survive.

And that Idiot System—during his first cultivation session, it had taken him to steal Zheng Jingshan's Bone Quenching Pill, bringing the Bewitching Bone Rakshasa Painting upon him; during the second, it had made him snatch Wu Tingxi's Qi and Blood Pill, and he had only survived after a desperate battle—who knew what sort of predicament this cultivation session would throw him into?

Thoughts racing, Pei Ling stared at Wu Tingxi's belongings in his hand. His expression shifted uncertainly for a moment before he gritted his teeth, turned around, and headed toward Luquan City.

Half a day later, at Pei Manor in Luquan City, the clan head Pei Xuan looked in surprise at the ragged, bedraggled Pei Ling before him. "You said you found Wu Tingxi? Then why didn't you send the clan signal?"

"Reporting to Clan Head, your nephew was severely injured at the time. I feared that sending the signal would draw Wu Tingxi's attention. If that happened, I might not have made it back," Pei Ling said with slight difficulty, then asked in a deep voice, "May I ask where Immortal Master Zheng is? Your nephew wishes to report to him in person."

Pei Xuan's gaze flickered. "You have worked hard. Fellow Daoist Zheng is not in the manor at present. How about this? I'll have someone take you away to treat your injuries first. Tell me where Wu Tingxi is, and I'll relay it to Fellow Daoist Zheng for you."

"That place is extremely complicated." Pei Ling refused outright. The reason he had risked returning was to negotiate terms with Zheng Jingshan face-to-face. How could he possibly let Pei Xuan act as a middleman? He immediately said, "I'm afraid even if I told you, Clan Head, you would not understand. If that delays Immortal Master Zheng's business, then no one in Pei Manor will be able to bear the responsibility."

Pei Xuan's face darkened as he stared straight at him.

But seeing that this nephew from a branch family was entirely unafraid, with even a hint of willingness to let fish die and the net split in his expression, Pei Xuan considered for a moment and changed into a smile. "Very well. But Fellow Daoist Zheng truly is not in the manor right now."

Pei Ling's heart sank. Could Zheng Jingshan be on Yuan Lao Mountain now?

That made sense. So many members of the Pei Clan had gone into the mountains to search. Zheng Jingshan was likely waiting there for a signal, allowing him to intercept Wu Tingxi as quickly as possible... But what about Pei Ling? His condition was already extremely dire. He might not be able to wait until Zheng Jingshan returned.

Just as he was about to ask whether the clan head had a way to notify Zheng Jingshan immediately, and how long Zheng Jingshan would take to return, Pei Xuan said, "How about this? Although Fellow Daoist Zheng has gone to Yuan Lao Mountain, fortunately Fairy Li is still cultivating quietly in Jade Wutong Courtyard. I'll take you to see Fairy Li right away."

Fairy Li?

Pei Ling froze, then quickly realized that this must be the Chongming Sect Disciple who had come to Luquan City with Zheng Jingshan. This person had simply kept too low a profile. Everything he had heard over the past few days had concerned Zheng Jingshan's deeds and character, so he had unconsciously overlooked her.

"Clan Head," Pei Ling could not help asking, "how do Fairy Li's strength and status compare to Immortal Master Zheng's?"

What if she was merely there to make up the numbers and could not help him at all? That would be useless.

"Pei Ling, remember this!" To his surprise, Pei Xuan's expression abruptly changed as soon as the words left his mouth. He solemnly instructed, "Although Fairy Li keeps a low profile, her cultivation, status, and future prospects are far beyond anything Fellow Daoist Zheng can compare to."

"She is a true inheritor of the Chongming Sect!"

"Barring any mishap, she will also become the Sacred Sect's next Saintess!"

"When you see her later, you must be even more respectful than you are toward me or Fellow Daoist Zheng. Do you understand?!"

Joy rose in Pei Ling's heart, and he hurriedly said, "Yes!"

"And are you certain that what you know is Wu Tingxi's hiding place? You won't make Fairy Li go there for nothing?" Pei Xuan seemed extremely wary of this Fairy Li. Though he had already started walking, he still stopped uneasily and warned him with a serious expression, "This matter is no trivial one. If Fairy Li thinks our family is toying with her, that will not be something to laugh off."

"Rest assured, Clan Head!" Pei Ling quickly replied. "If I were not absolutely certain, how would I dare deceive you? Besides, I am seeking an audience with the Chongming Sect's immortal masters because I have a matter to request."

Pei Xuan gave him a long look. "Come!"

He led Pei Ling briskly into Jade Wutong Courtyard, but instead of heading toward the main rooms ahead, he took a small path at the side and circled toward the rear.

This was Pei Ling's first time here. After all, this courtyard was used to receive distinguished guests. Given his status and position within the clan, he had always been instructed to keep well away from it.

At the moment, he was worried about his injuries and the negotiations to come, with no mind to admire the elaborate arrangements Pei Manor had gone to such lengths to create. Still, he secretly tightened his grip around the Pellet in his palm.

After a moment, Pei Xuan slowed slightly and lowered his voice in warning. "Don't raise your head later, especially not to look at the wind chimes beneath the eaves."

Only then did he continue onward. Before a Refined Chamber, he bowed deeply. "Pei Xuan of the Pei Clan pays respects to Fairy Li."

Seeing Pei Ling follow a beat late in bowing, Pei Xuan frowned and rebuked him, "Before the Fairy, why are you not kneeling?!"