Chapter 36

By the time Shu Bai arrived, the team of five had already returned to the sect with the Enforcement Hall.

Su Jiu briefly explained the situation to Shu Bai and his two companions. Lie Changfeng seemed badly shaken.

"You're saying you killed that demonic cultivator at the late Qi Refining stage?"

Zhou Xing and Shu Bai also struggled to find words. But the things they encountered later would keep overturning their understanding of Su Jiu, until what had happened today no longer seemed remarkable.

"Have you finished your missions?"

Shu Bai nodded. "We'd just finished when we saw those people from the Enforcement Hall flying past."

Su Jiu thought for a moment, then said, "Everyone's tired today, especially Mo Yan, who fought those two streams of Demonic Qi for so long. Why don't you head back first?"

Mo Yan could indeed feel that the spiritual energy in his body had run dry.

He did not refuse Su Jiu's suggestion.

Shu Bai was still worried. "Do you have enough spiritual energy left to fight?"

Su Jiu smiled, took out two little blue bottles, and waved them in front of him. "I have Returning Spirit Pills. I don't want to spend another night out in the wilderness. If I can finish everything in one day, I might as well."

Shu Bai and the others generally did not take Returning Spirit Pills. For impoverished Outer Gate cultivators, using pills was wasteful when meditation alone could restore their spiritual energy.

Knowing Su Jiu was confident, they offered no further persuasion and cupped their hands in farewell.

Shu Bai smiled. "We'll see you back at the sect."

Zhou Xing waved his sleeve as well. "Little Su Jiu, stay safe on your own!"

Once she could no longer sense their presence, Su Jiu let out a breath. Fighting that demonic cultivator had indeed consumed a great deal of spiritual energy, yet she discovered that more than half had already recovered without her needing to meditate.

Thinking back carefully, after killing the Ya Beast last time, she seemed to have meditated for less than fifteen minutes before her spiritual energy was fully restored. She had even had the strength to drag that enormous Ya Beast a long distance.

Her body in this life seemed different from the one she had possessed in her previous life.

There was no need for Returning Spirit Pills now. By the time she reached the Mushroom Beast's habitat, her spiritual energy had recovered to ninety percent.

The Mushroom Beast was neither as fast as the Windfang Rabbit nor as large as the Ya Beast. It was less ferocious than the Civet Beast, and even its skin was not as thick as the Two-Headed Python's. Its appearance could even be called beautiful: it was a little green flower. But it released poison.

And Su Jiu had forgotten to buy Detoxification Pills.

No one knew how many enemies this pretty little flower had poisoned to death. That was why it had always been classified as a mid-level first-tier monster. Even a high-tier monster might not come out ahead against it. After all, it was a poisonous flower; a high-tier monster that swallowed it would not survive either. In a way, it would mean mutual destruction.

This battle proved quite troublesome for Su Jiu. Every time she sensed that her opponent was about to spray poisonous gas, she had to activate a Golden Bell Shield. She felt as though her heart were bleeding.

The poisonous gas was an area attack rather than a targeted one, making it almost impossible to guard against.

At last, just as Su Jiu used her final Golden Bell Shield, she also pierced that wretched flower to pieces with Ice Spike.

The Mushroom Beast was poisonous all over, and Su Jiu was unsure how to handle it. Finally, she remembered that yesterday's Windfang Rabbit pelt was still in her Storage Bag.

She wrapped the Mushroom Beast in the rabbit pelt and casually tossed it into her Storage Bag.

The boy responsible for registering missions at the mission office looked grimly at the black mass of Mushroom Beast on the table, already showing signs of decay, and the rabbit pelt that had been soaked black.

"Don't you know Mushroom Beasts need to be stored in Jade Boxes?"

Su Jiu shook her head. In her previous life, she had not even known what these low-level missions were. How could she possibly have known their details so well?

The boy pressed a hand to his forehead, his fingers trembling slightly, and said helplessly, "Fine. I'll count your mission as completed this time. If it happens again, don't blame me for refusing your mission item."

From the boy, Su Jiu learned what Mushroom Beasts were used for. It turned out that most Detoxification Pills were made using extracts from highly poisonous Demon Beasts like Mushroom Beasts. Unlike other beasts, Mushroom Beasts also needed to be preserved like medicinal herbs, or they would lose a tremendous amount of their medicinal potency.

On her way back to the dormitory, Su Jiu ran into Shu Bai and the other three.

Zhou Xing smiled. "You're finally back." He handed Su Jiu a small bag of spirit stones. "This is your share."

Su Jiu gave it a quick scan and was slightly surprised. "Didn't we agree on two hundred?"

Shu Bai nodded. "It was two hundred, yes. But you also saved Mo Yan's life, and you clearly contributed the most to killing the Two-Headed Python. The extra hundred is compensation."

Su Jiu tipped two hundred spirit stones from that Storage Bag into her own, then tossed the remaining hundred back to Shu Bai.

"No need. We can stick to what we agreed. Mo Yan was dragged into danger because of me. As for the Two-Headed Python, there's no need to tally up precisely who did a little more or a little less."

Zhou Xing rubbed his nose. "Actually, Shu Bai deliberately gave you a little extra because he wants to work with you again."

Su Jiu had not considered that. She froze briefly, then smiled. "There's still no need for that. From what I've seen, your character and cultivation are both trustworthy. If there's another mission you want to do together, you can come find me."

Watching Su Jiu's figure gradually disappear, Zhou Xing chuckled. "How can there be an Outer Gate cultivator who treats money like dirt?"

Had Su Jiu heard that, she would certainly have rushed back to argue with him.

She did not actually treat money like dirt. She simply held to her own limits and principles.

And in the cultivation world, few people still held to their limits and principles. Yu Yin, for instance...

Ever since Qian Ling's death, the little courtyard had grown increasingly desolate.

When Su Jiu returned to her room and saw Han Jia's expression, she knew the Enforcement Hall must have spoken to them too.

"Yu Ying left. She moved to another courtyard."

Su Jiu nodded. It was understandable. After all, Yu Ying's older sister had targeted the cultivators living in their courtyard and tried to harm them. Yu Ying probably felt too ashamed to stay.

Su Jiu's thoughts drifted for a moment. How could such an innocent girl as Yu Ying have a sister like that?

"Su Jiu, I hope you won't blame Yu Ying."

Su Jiu was slightly surprised. She had not expected Han Jia to speak up for Yu Ying when Yu Yin had tried to kill her.

Su Jiu nodded. "This has nothing to do with her. I won't take it out on her."

Han Jia seemed to understand Su Jiu's look and smiled bitterly. "The cultivation world is simply like this. People betray their companions and fellow disciples for a few resources. Although I can't agree with what Yu Yin did, I can understand it."

"Your presence, in particular, has stirred up a lot of people."

Su Jiu heard a trace of resentment in those words. Faint though it was, it was still there.

"To be honest, I'm jealous of you too. Cultivators who joined at the same time as you might not feel anything, but being overtaken by someone who came later is truly stifling."

"Besides, it only took you a year to reach the fifth Qi Refining layer." As Han Jia said this, she cautiously glanced at Su Jiu. Seeing that Su Jiu said nothing, she continued.

"Sun Wei might have a few little faults in everyday life, but her disposition has always been good, especially when it comes to cultivation."

"Overall, Yu Yin and I are actually the same kind of person. Her self-control was simply a little weaker. I don't even dare imagine whether I would have made the same choice if I'd been the one to meet that demonic cultivator first." At this point, the bitterness in Han Jia's eyes deepened.

"I know it's wrong too. But do you know how many cultivators at the bottom climb their way up through all sorts of means? Especially people like us, with neither outstanding aptitude nor fortunate opportunities. For us, opportunities are something we can only create ourselves."

"Yu Yin wasn't the first to stray onto the wrong path, and she won't be the last in this cultivation world."

A cold smile slowly curved Su Jiu's lips. "So what are you trying to say? That people like you have excusable reasons for straying onto the wrong path?"

Faced with Su Jiu's sharpness, Han Jia hardly dared argue. But that was exactly what she meant.

"I don't deny that you have to work harder to succeed. But achieving success by trampling through other people's blood?"

Su Jiu paused, the mockery in her eyes growing stronger. "Heh. Do you really think a cultivator like that will ever have a chance to ascend to immortality?"

"You should be grateful you've managed to keep a clear head. Otherwise, you might well have become a second Yu Yin."

Finally, Su Jiu looked coldly at Han Jia. "Han Jia, your poor aptitude is no excuse for selfishness, much less for wantonly taking other people's lives. When you face your heavenly tribulation, some debts will have to be repaid, sooner or later."