Ye Xiaoyao's Outburst

Rustle, rustle.

The sound of digging, like a rat.

It was exceptionally clear and eerie in the dead of night.

The moonlight offered no comfort for the world's warmth or cold. I crawled along the wall, pressing my body as small as possible.

My heartbeat was like a drum.

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

I was incredibly nervous.

My fingertips, gripping the attack talismans, had long since turned pale.

My gaze was fixed intently ahead.

A courtyard, not too large, not too small. The ginkgo tree still stood tall in the darkness, and the swing I had personally set up had long since blended completely into the night.

I saw.

Two figures, dressed in black and wearing masks, were digging where I had buried the Spirit Stones with one or two tools.

One at Qi Refining level six.

One at Qi Refining level seven.

Either one of them could easily crush me to death.

The place where I buried the Spirit Stones wasn't very deep. If these people dug just a little further, they could easily take away my life's savings.

The talismans I treasured could instantly kill any Qi Refining cultivator.

But, there were two of them here.

"Second Brother, are you sure this woman buried the treasure in the dirt?"

"She's a Direct Disciple, for goodness sake. Who knows how big her storage space is? Why would she put good things outside?"

Another voice said impatiently, "How should I know what's gotten into her, insisting on burying things?"

"Anyway, the Treasure Seeking Rat's nose won't be wrong."

"When we scouted last time, the Treasure Seeking Rat smelled treasure inside the Cave Mansion."

As I hesitated, I suddenly felt a transmission talisman in my embrace.

Without a moment's hesitation, I immediately spoke with my divine sense.

[Someone is digging up my Spirit Stones.]

[It's urgent, this is all my savings.]

[Fellow Daoist Qing Ye, want to cooperate?]

[We'll each take one, and split the spoils 50/50.]

After speaking, I nervously clutched the talisman and gritted my teeth before adding.

[I'll give you two extra Spirit Stones.]

After an almost instantaneous pause, the other side replied.

[Hide well, wait for me.]

On the other side, Ye Qingxian had just left the sect and was rushing back at top speed. The space was already being torn apart by her Evasion Light, shattering like glass.

This was her true full power, an supreme combat strength befitting one of the greatest prodigies in history.

I relaxed.

Less than half an incense stick's time later, a black-clothed man suddenly let out a low laugh.

"Hahaha, this woman actually buried Spirit Stones underground. Don't you think she's stupid? Why not use her storage bag and hide Spirit Stones in a place like this?"

I clenched my fists in embarrassment.

"One, two, three."

"Damn it, why is she so poor?"

"A dignified Direct Disciple, hiding things like treasures, and it's only forty-seven Spirit Stones?"

"What bad luck. I thought I caught a big fish coming out on this trip."

"And it turns out to be this?"

"Just a pauper. No wonder no one hangs out with her."

"She deserves it."

The two men's curses grew increasingly unpleasant. I bit the corner of my lip, quietly listening to their insults. The intense humiliation made my breathing suddenly deepen.

Suddenly, the sounds in the courtyard ceased.

The two men simultaneously flashed and appeared in the open space before me.

"I was wondering who it was. So there's someone eavesdropping."

"Yo, isn't this our esteemed Direct Disciple?"

"You're not even angry after hearing us curse you? Is that what makes you happy?"

"No wonder everyone calls you a good-for-nothing, hahahaha."

"Do you even know you're about to become the laughingstock of Heavenly Sword Peak?"

My eyes gradually reddened, silence and speechlessness filling the air.

"Put down my Spirit Stones."

My voice was suddenly a little hoarse.

"I won't. What are you going to do about it?" he said, his tone annoyingly smug, clearly confident he had me cornered.

"Do you know my cultivation level? I could crush you with just one hand, easily."

Another man in black pulled him back. "Alright, he's a Direct Disciple after all. Who knows if he has some hidden tricks? Don't push him to the brink."

"Don't forget, we're thieves, not bandits."

"Engaging in the business of spirit-robbing? Imagine how the others in our profession would laugh if this got out." He knew his companion's temper; lust was clearly clouding his judgment.

By this time, they had already pocketed my Spirit Stones.

I stared at the bag they were carrying and calmly repeated, "Put down my Spirit Stones."

"I'm not giving them back. What are you gonna do? Let's go, let's go, this is so boring."

"What's the fun in teasing a good-for-nothing?"

The two were about to leave.

Countless days and nights of humiliation didn't compare to this single moment.

Two petty thieves who broke in to steal, just like that, dug out my Spirit Stones right in front of me, insulted me, and then swaggered away.

Blood rushed to my head, and a sense of injustice spread through my heart.

"I told you to put them down, didn't you hear me?" My emotions finally hit rock bottom. I suddenly drew the dagger I carried and charged at them like a madwoman. "You can curse me, call me poor, I'll endure it all, but why did you have to steal my Spirit Stones?" I suddenly roared, tears streaming down uncontrollably.

I yelled at the top of my lungs, my voice hoarse.

In that moment, my mind went blank, completely losing the ability to think rationally.

Why.

Why are you doing this to me?

Everyone, everyone doesn't treat me like a person.

I'm not a joke.

I have parents too.

I'm also a baby born to my parents.

I haven't offended anyone, I just wanted to farm quietly, to raise a few cubs quietly.

These were Spirit Stones I saved up my entire life.

And in the end, they were crushed and devalued.

Even with such contempt, they still stole my future.

Countless criticisms, just like my height, all became fodder for others' amusement.

These scattered Spirit Stones.

No one knows.

This was already all my hope, what I saved up bit by bit through farming.

They were my everything, the harvest of a little girl who farmed day after day despite the mockery, and more importantly, the future for me and my cubs.

In this moment, all the shame, all the swallowed insults, I had long forgotten. I just wanted to fight them, even if it meant death, I wanted to tear off a mouthful of flesh and blood in defiance.

I—I can live without dignity.

I can have my character trampled on repeatedly by others.

But they cannot take away my last hope for survival.

The man in black holding my Spirit Stones froze for a moment, then easily kicked me flying with one foot.

I tumbled across the ground, my dress becoming filthy, my fair legs covered in bruises.

I spat out a mouthful of blood, which flowed onto my chest.

I slowly stood up, my hands hanging by my sides, my pinkish-white hair disheveled, obscuring my face.

RUMBLE--

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning tore through the sky.

The perpetual clouds of the Wuya Sect gradually thinned, revealing a moon no one had ever seen before.

This was—a true Blood Moon.

The night in the Cultivation World was exceptionally dark, with clouds so thick they blocked out every trace of light.

No one had ever known that there was a Blood Moon hanging in the sky.

Drip—

Drip—

Blood flowed down my arm.

Bang bang bang.

My heart pounded like a war drum, and I suddenly heard my own breathing, their breathing, the sound of ants crawling on the ground.

Five bloody shadows, tearing through the air, appeared under the bloody night.

Like the shock of sharp claws ripping through flesh.

Before a scream could echo, darkness returned to silence.

There was no intense battle, only heartbeats that abruptly stopped.

A person in black fell to the ground with a thud.

He was the main culprit who had insulted me.

A young girl in green stood at the doorway and shattered the remaining person in black with a single punch.

My fair, tender palm was already soaked in blood that wasn't mine.

I took back my Spirit Stone, gripping it tightly like a vise, a naive and pure smile gradually forming on my lips, "This is great, this is my Spirit Stone."

"Qing Qing, thank you for coming to help me."

I muttered to myself, "Cub."

"Look—"

"Mommy got the Spirit Stone back again, now we have something to eat."

My mind was a blank slate.

I had long forgotten what had happened, and like a life instinct, I repeated the action of holding the Spirit Stone tighter and tighter.

Suddenly, I completely collapsed.

Qing Ye caught me before I hit the ground, lifting me by the waist.

My already petite body lay in Qing Ye's arms, clutching the Spirit Stone, my legs slightly curled, and I mumbled unintelligible words in my sleep.

The young girl stood in the center of the courtyard, its ground soaked with blood.

She looked at the figure in her arms, so fragile as if she were a delicate vase, yet possessing a strength far beyond ordinary comprehension.

A long, silent pause.

It was the constant stirring in her heart.

She didn't understand her feelings at that moment.

But she knew—

She no longer wanted to see Ye Xiaoyao cry.

"No one will steal your Spirit Stone anymore."

She whispered to herself with great conviction, as if making a vow.