Living Off a Woman, the Hard Way

After leaving the Artifact Refining Hall, Ye Xingchen put oil on the soles of his feet and ran faster than a rabbit.

As a cultivator with ideals, ambitions, and an extreme shortage of money, no one would ever find pills too hot to handle.

"Five Blood-Coagulating Pills..."

Ye Xingchen licked his lips, his eyes gleaming.

That was the agreement between him and Zuo Xiaoqing.

Earlier, while he had been practicing the Chaotic Wind Hammer Method beneath the waterfall, that purple-clad girl had suddenly appeared and insisted on sparring with him.

At first, Ye Xingchen had refused.

What a joke. Though Ye was no gentleman, beating women was the sort of thing he would not discuss unless there was money involved.

Then she had actually offered him money.

"If you win, they're yours. If you lose, they're still yours. So long as you can let me fight to my heart's content."

Those had been Zuo Xiaoqing's exact words.

Ye Xingchen had never seen such a "rich woman's happy ball" kind of request in his entire life.

Since he could not resist the temptation of money, he could only earn this windfall with tears in his eyes.

Black Dragon Pool still roared like thunder.

But today's atmosphere was somewhat weird.

The muscle-bound brutes who usually fought on their own were now standing neatly in a semicircle, each with his arms folded over his chest, staring mockingly at an open patch beside the pool.

At the center of that clearing stood Zuo Xiaoqing in silence.

She had changed into a light-purple training outfit, its cuffs tightly bound to reveal half her snow-white wrists. Her long hair was tied into a high ponytail, leaving her with less of that cool Immortal Qi and more of a valiant, dashing air.

Yet her breathtakingly beautiful face was currently written all over with impatience.

"Could that kid be too scared to come?"

"Even I can't take more than three punches from Senior Sister Zuo. That pretty boy's skin is so delicate—he was probably scared into wetting his pants."

"Hahaha, Iron Bull, have those two ribs Senior Sister Zuo broke last time healed yet?"

"That was a spar! Do you understand? Getting beaten by Senior Sister Zuo is the dream of countless outer disciples!"

"..."

The girl called Zuo Xiaoqing was an oddity.

She looked like an immortal maiden who had stepped out of a painting, yet she was a diehard fan of body refinement.

Any body-refining disciple she set her sights on was bound to get beaten.

"He's here."

Zuo Xiaoqing suddenly raised her eyes, her gaze piercing through the crowd and locking onto the mountain pass.

Ye Xingchen ran over while straightening his slightly rumpled robe.

"Sorry, sorry. I kept a beauty waiting."

Ye Xingchen rushed into the clearing with his trademark dazzling grin. "I was handling a little trouble at the Artifact Refining Hall. To see you, Senior Sister, I rushed here without even drinking the celebratory wine."

The burly men around them looked at one another.

Zuo Xiaoqing's lovely brows drew together as she stared at him coldly. "You're a quarter hour late."

"I wanted to leave a good impression on you, Junior Senior Sister, so I specially went to tidy up my appearance." Ye Xingchen blinked, his gaze sweeping brazenly over Zuo Xiaoqing. "This outfit of yours today, Junior Senior Sister... tsk, tsk. You look so heroic it's making this junior brother's heart race."

"..."

A flicker of disgust passed through Zuo Xiaoqing's eyes.

She hated men who wasted their minds on their tongues most of all.

In the cultivation world, strength reigned supreme.

If one did not even have a heart that sought the Dao, then no matter how handsome he was, he was only an embroidered pillow.

"Since you're here, stop talking nonsense."

Zuo Xiaoqing flipped her wrist, and an exquisite jade bottle appeared in her palm.

She casually tossed it.

Smack.

The jade bottle landed atop a nearby boulder with a crisp sound.

"Five Blood-Coagulating Pills. They're all inside."

Zuo Xiaoqing's voice was clear and cold, without the slightest emotional ripple. "As I said, win or lose, they're yours. But only if you show me your true skills."

Ye Xingchen glanced at the jade bottle, his Adam's apple bobbing.

This rich woman was really straightforward.

"Senior Sister is generous." Ye Xingchen raised a thumbs-up. "But Senior Sister, could we change the method? A contest of words, perhaps? All this fighting and killing might hurt our harmony. What if I accidentally damaged that face of yours, fair as a flower and lovely as jade..."

"Shut up."

Zuo Xiaoqing finally could not endure it any longer.

She took one step forward.

Boom!

The rock beneath her feet instantly shattered, countless fragments shooting outward.

From within that seemingly slender, delicate body erupted a terrifying surge of blood and vitality that made it hard to breathe. The air around them seemed to freeze in that instant.

"So... so strong!"

The burly men around them went pale and instinctively retreated several steps.

That aura alone was enough to crush most cultivators at the Sixth Layer of Qi Refining!

"If you say one more word of nonsense, I'll knock out your teeth one by one."

Zuo Xiaoqing stared at Ye Xingchen, her gaze sharp as blades. "And if you dare to half-heartedly humor me, I'd rather feed these five pills to dogs than give them to you."

Ye Xingchen put away his flippant grin and let out a soft sigh.

"Since Senior Sister is in such high spirits, then this junior brother will risk his life to keep you company..."

"But let's be clear first, Senior Sister."

Ye Xingchen held up one finger. "Medical expenses are calculated separately."

Zuo Xiaoqing gave a cold laugh. "Defeat me, and name your price."

Before her words had faded, she moved.

There were no flashy spells and no spirit artifacts.

Just one simple punch.

Crushing Fist!

The purple figure was like a bolt of lightning, instantly tearing across the dozen or so meters between them.

The fist wind howled, producing a thunderous boom like a sonic blast!

Fast!

Too fast!

The people around them had not even seen her move before her fist was already in front of Ye Xingchen.

There was not the slightest fluctuation of spiritual power in that punch, only the pure explosion of physical strength.

Yet no one present doubted that if the punch landed solidly, even granite would be ground into powder!

"It's over. This kid's about to turn into minced meat."

However.

The anticipated sound of shattering bones did not ring out.

At the very instant that fair fist, filled with destructive force, was about to smash Ye Xingchen's nose bridge apart—

Ye Xingchen moved.

He did not retreat.

Over these past days of enduring the waterfall's crushing pressure, his neural reactions had long since been honed to their peak.

Facing that violent punch, he shifted his footing, and his body tilted eerily forty-five degrees to the left.

Whoosh—!

The fierce fist wind grazed past his ear and temple. Several strands of hair were severed by the force and drifted through the air.

"Hm?"

A trace of surprise flashed through Zuo Xiaoqing's beautiful eyes.

He dodged it?

Not only had he dodged it, he had accurately judged the landing point and trajectory of her fist by a hair's breadth.

That was definitely not luck!

"Interesting."

An almost imperceptible curve lifted at Zuo Xiaoqing's lips. At last, a spark of excitement ignited in her previously indifferent eyes.

When her first strike missed, she changed moves with astonishing speed.

Her fist transformed into an elbow, which she drove viciously toward Ye Xingchen's chest with the force of her charge!

This elbow strike was called the Heart-Toppling Elbow, a great killing move in close combat. If it landed, the heart itself would stop beating.

"Senior Sister, that move is way too vicious. Are you trying to murder your husband?"

Ye Xingchen's mouth was still running, but his hands were not slow in the slightest.

His right hand shot out like lightning, his five fingers forming a claw as they precisely clamped down on Zuo Xiaoqing's elbow joint.

At the same time, force surged from his waist and abdomen. His spine moved like a great dragon turning over, and a powerful burst of strength erupted in an instant.

Taiji: Borrowing Force!

At that moment, Zuo Xiaoqing was no longer a person, but a waterfall torrent plunging from the heavens.

Following the force of her attack, Ye Xingchen gave a fierce backward pull. His feet traced a circle, and his body spun.

Four ounces moved a thousand pounds!

Zuo Xiaoqing only felt a bizarre pulling force. Her originally invincible, mighty strength vanished like a clay ox entering the sea, and her body instantly lost balance as she stumbled uncontrollably toward the front and side.

"What?!"

The eyes of the watching burly men nearly popped out of their sockets.

Senior Sister Zuo, famed for her strength, had actually been toyed with in the very first exchange?

Zuo Xiaoqing pitched forward, seemingly about to fall flat on her face.

But she was, after all, a ruthless fighter hardened through countless battles.

Just before hitting the ground, she fiercely slapped one hand against it.

Bang!

A palm print was struck into the hard rocky ground.

Borrowing the rebound force, her entire body flipped through the air. Her long legs became like two steel whips, lashing viciously toward Ye Xingchen's neck with a howling wind!

Linked Kicks!

Her transition was as swift and fluid as drifting clouds and flowing water, without the slightest pause.

A trace of approval flashed through Ye Xingchen's eyes.

This girl really had some skill.

But he was no pushover either.

Facing that heavy, powerful kick, Ye Xingchen did not dodge again.

His feet rooted themselves in place, gripping the ground tightly, while his arms crossed to guard the side of his head.

He took it head-on!

Boom!!!

A dull impact rang out beside the pool.

Ye Xingchen was shoved sideways three meters, his feet plowing two deep furrows through the ground.

"Fifth Layer of Qi Refining."