Chapter 115: Young Master Cheng Hai

Although she had Qi-gathering pills and healing salves, and her injuries were not particularly severe, the high-intensity, long-duration flight left Chu Xin'er feeling physically and mentally exhausted. The area looked rather desolate, and there were no high-level demonic beasts in the vicinity, so she decided to stop for a few hours of rest and continue her journey the next day.

What Chu Xin'er did not know was that her worries were unnecessary; Liu Kui had not taken Liu Xiuqian’s corpse back to the Spirit Medicine Sect, nor had he stirred up trouble with the sect's seniors. For one, he feared that his interception and murder of a cultivator seeking pills would be exposed, leading to punishment. Furthermore, he was a proud and arrogant man; since he had declared he would seek revenge with his own hands, he would not let others do it for him.

Chu Xin'er did not establish a temporary cave dwelling; instead, she sat cross-legged on a blue stone to regulate her breathing and cultivate. With Xiao Wen guarding her, she had nothing to fear.

The next morning, the young girl opened her beautiful eyes and looked at the large mosquito that had flown over with wings spread, reaching out to cradle him in her palm. No words were needed. Chu Xin'er did not ask about Xiao Wenzi’s various unusual behaviors from the previous day. It was as if they shared a tacit understanding—both could sense that the other would never harm them, so why probe into secrets he was unwilling to reveal?

"Let’s go, Xiao Wen."

After a night of meditation, her minor injuries were no longer an issue. Chu Xin'er smiled and soared into the sky with Xiao Wenzi in tow. Since no enemies had come in pursuit for so long, Chu Xin'er did not fly as erratically as she had the day before. When she heard Xiao Wenzi mention his need to consume a cultivator’s blood, she agreed without hesitation.

The northern region of Pingzhou was prosperous for cultivation, and while there were many low-level cultivators, those at exactly the ninth level of Qi Refining were not everywhere. After flying and searching for nearly half an hour, Chu Xin'er’s eyes lit up as she glanced toward the side. There was a young man searching for herbs in the mountains, his cultivation at the peak of the ninth level—perfect for Xiao Wen to feed upon.

There was nothing more to say. Chu Xin'er flew directly over, and with Xiao Wenzi’s help, she easily subdued him. As the paralyzing venom was injected into his body, the nameless youth collapsed, unconscious.

By the time he woke up, Xiao Wenzi, having gained over a thousand system coins, was already resting comfortably in the spirit beast pouch at the girl’s waist, consuming pills to cultivate. With sufficient system coins, he no longer lacked invisibility talismans, demonic-aura-concealing talismans, or other tools suitable for sneak attacks. Over the next half-day, without needing Chu Xin'er’s help, Xiao Wenzi handled two or three ninth-level Qi Refining cultivators on his own.

With plenty of system coins, he could once again consume pills as if they were candy. Coupled with the accumulation and consolidation of the past month, Xiao Wenzi easily broke through his bottleneck, advancing from the late ninth level to the early tenth level.

On the second morning, just as they were looking for a tenth-level cultivator to feed upon, they unexpectedly ran into trouble again.

In the sky a thousand feet away, three streaks of light were moving at a leisurely pace. Chu Xin'er’s spiritual sense was limited, so she could not carefully inspect the people within from such a distance. However, judging by the speed of the light, they were likely tenth-level cultivators.

Cheng Hai was one of the young masters of the Cheng family, a cultivation clan southwest of the Spirit Medicine Sect. Though the Cheng family was not a major power, they were prominent within a radius of hundreds of miles. If nothing else, they possessed an ancestor at the late Foundation Establishment stage, whom most people dared not provoke.

Today, feeling bored, Cheng Hai had brought his concubines out for an outing. Within the domain of Cheng Family Castle, no one dared to show disrespect to the young master. Thus, he had declined the company of family guards before leaving; after all, with them watching, it was inconvenient to indulge in his romantic whims.

Suddenly, Cheng Hai’s eyes lit up. He saw a streak of light approaching from the side, carrying a young woman with a graceful figure and a beautiful, fair baby-faced appearance. Being lecherous by nature, Cheng Hai widened his eyes. This was not Chu Xin'er’s fault; she hadn't worn her magic mask because it had been damaged during her battle with Liu Kui the day before. Since it could no longer hide her face and she had no time to buy a new one at a market, Cheng Hai was able to see her beauty clearly at a glance.

Although her cultivation was slightly higher than his, it was negligible compared to the Foundation Establishment elders in his family. Seeing the beautiful girl was alone and likely a rogue cultivator, Cheng Hai’s mind turned toward mischief. He shifted his flight path to intercept her, cupped his hands, and smiled: "Wait, miss. I am Cheng Hai, young master of Cheng Family Castle. Pleased to meet you."

As Cheng Hai moved, his two concubines followed, though they looked at Chu Xin'er with subtle jealousy.

*Ugh, how unlucky, to run into some ridiculous young master,* Chu Xin'er thought.

The lecherous Cheng Hai disliked cultivation and was already over twenty, only just reaching the late eleventh level. One of his concubines happened to be at the peak of the tenth level. However, given the woman’s background, Chu Xin'er did not want to provoke unnecessary trouble. Xiao Wen’s feeding was not urgent; she could always search longer and eventually find a tenth-level rogue cultivator without connections.

Therefore, she said coldly and expressionlessly, "Move aside!"

"Oh? Quite the spitfire. But I happen to like women with spirit. A-Yao, A-Yu, let’s take her together..."

The self-proclaimed dashing Cheng Hai was snubbed and became enraged. Ignoring the gap between them, he slapped his storage bag, pulled out a flying sword, infused it with spiritual power, and slashed toward Chu Xin'er.

Although his two concubines did not want another beauty like Chu Xin'er competing for favor in their chambers, they dared not disobey the young master and immediately drew their magic tools. The girl named A-Yao was only at the mid-tenth level of Qi Refining and used an ordinary low-grade flying sword, posing no threat to Chu Xin'er. But the other girl, A-Yu, who had a pointed face, was a thirteenth-level master—this was the source of Cheng Hai’s confidence in forcing his will upon Chu Xin'er.

"Hmph! Do you really think I’m that easy to bully?"

Chu Xin'er did not want trouble, but that did not mean she feared them. However, fighting in the air was inconvenient. After using her flying sword to parry for a moment, she descended toward the hills below. Seeing that she did not intend to flee, Cheng Hai and his concubines followed her down.

"Miss, I have fallen for you at first sight. Come with me to Cheng Family Castle, and I promise to treat you well..."

Before they engaged again, Cheng Hai tried one last time to persuade her. Before he could finish, Chu Xin'er spat in disgust: "Bah! A toad trying to eat swan meat—keep dreaming!"

"Very well! If you refuse a toast, you shall drink a forfeit. Soon, I will make you wish you were dead! A-Yao, A-Yu, attack!"

Insulted as a toad for the first time, the self-proclaimed handsome Cheng Hai finally lost his patience and ordered his companions to strike hard.

*Boom, boom, boom!*

Sword shadows flickered, and energy ripples surged, turning the vegetation on the hills into flying debris. Chu Xin'er held her own against all three. Of course, this was not because her cultivation suppressed them, but because the magic tools she used were all of mid-grade quality, which left Cheng Hai and his concubines stunned.