Before the minions brought by the mustachioed man could make a move, they were interrupted by this sudden turn of events.
Everyone's eyes fell unanimously on the woman named Lín Xiǎo, and the atmosphere stagnated for a moment.
Jiang Ye frowned slightly, looking somewhat surprised by Lín Xiǎo's appearance.
Lín Xiǎo walked up to Jiang Ye, affectionately took his arm, glanced at Yè Shūlí in a provocative manner, and said in a sour tone, "Jiang Ye, why are you hanging out with a woman like this? She looks like nothing more than a pretty vase."
Yè Shūlí raised an eyebrow and let out a light chuckle. "Miss, whether I'm a vase or not doesn't seem to have anything to do with you. As for you, hugging someone else's arm, aren't you afraid it's a bit stiff?"
Lín Xiǎo's expression shifted, and she glared fiercely at Yè Shūlí. "What do you mean by that?"
"Literally. Can't understand?" Yè Shūlí spread her hands with an innocent look. "Did I say something wrong? Could it be that you've taken a fancy to Jiang Ye? What a pity, the feeling is one-sided. You'd better give up."
Furious at Yè Shūlí's words, Lín Xiǎo turned pale with anger. She pointed at Yè Shūlí's nose and scolded, "Stop talking nonsense here! I am a Spirit User (Early-stage) expert, what are you supposed to be? Just a good-for-nothing without any Spiritual Energy, how dare you act so arrogant in front of me!"
The surrounding rogue cultivators began to whisper among themselves. Someone recognized Lín Xiǎo's identity and exclaimed, "Isn't this Fairy Lín Xiǎo from the Rogue Cultivator Alliance? She's a notoriously gifted genius who reached the Spirit User (Early-stage) at such a young age."
"Indeed, this woman actually dares to offend Fairy Lín Xiǎo. She must have a death wish!"
Hearing the surrounding discussion, Lín Xiǎo grew even more smug. She looked at Yè Shūlí contemptuously. "How about it? Are you scared now? Kneel down and beg me right now, and I might consider sparing your life."
Yè Shūlí laughed so hard she rocked back and forth, as if she had just heard a hilarious joke. "You? A Spirit User (Early-stage)? You actually have the nerve to show off your meager skills in front of me? You're killing me!"
"You!" Completely provoked by Yè Shūlí's attitude, Lín Xiǎo snapped, "Since you refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit, don't blame me for being unpolite! I'll let you know the consequences of offending me!"
"Fine, I'll wait." Yè Shūlí crossed her arms, looking like she was ready for a good show.
Standing to the side and watching the two of them bristle with hostility, Jiang Ye curved the corners of his lips into an amused smile.
He wanted to see what kind of tricks this peculiar woman actually had up her sleeve.
Lín Xiǎo took a deep breath, and her hands began to gather Spiritual Energy...
With a dainty cry, Lín Xiǎo condensed a ball of crimson flame between her slender fingers and thrust it fiercely toward Yè Shūlí!
Although this Blazing Palm was merely a basic spell of a Spirit User (Early-stage), it was more than enough to deal with an ordinary person lacking Spiritual Energy.
The roaring flames carried a scorching heatwave, seemingly about to swallow Yè Shūlí whole.
Yet Yè Shūlí merely offered a disdainful smile, executing an elegant sidestep that easily evaded the attack.
The flames brushed past the edge of her clothes, scorching a small patch of fabric and leaving a faint burning scent in the air.
Yè Shūlí patted the non-existent dust off her hem, her tone casual. "Is that it? I thought it was some formidable technique, but your aim is so poor you might as well go home and raise pigs."
The surrounding rogue cultivators gasped in uproar. This woman had actually dodged Fairy Lín Xiǎo's attack with such ease?
Lín Xiǎo's expression darkened as well. Gritting her teeth, she gathered Spiritual Energy once more—this time forming a sharp blade of wind that charged straight at Yè Shūlí.
The wind blade moved at extreme speed, its piercing howl sharp and harsh, causing the onlookers to break out in a cold sweat for Yè Shūlí.
Yet she showed no panic, casually grabbing a nearby wooden board and holding it in front of herself.
The wind blade slashed viciously into the wooden board, splitting it neatly in two.
Taking advantage of the momentum, Yè Shūlí hurled the remaining half of the board in her hand like a boomerang straight toward Lín Xiǎo!
Caught off guard, Lín Xiǎo scrambled to dodge in a panic, narrowly avoiding being struck by the board.
The surrounding rogue cultivators began to whisper among themselves, casting glances of growing skepticism toward Lín Xiǎo.
Driven mad with embarrassment and rage, Lín Xiǎo prepared to strike again, only to see Yè Shūlí curl the corner of her lips into a cold sneer and slowly say, "Done playing? Now, it's my turn..."
Yè Shūlí moved.
With a flash of movement swift as lightning, she appeared right in front of Lín Xiǎo in the blink of an eye.
Before Lín Xiǎo could react, she felt a tightness around her waist, and her entire body was hoisted into the air!
"Holy shit!" exclaimed one of the onlookers among the crowd.
Yè Shūlí casually slung Lín Xiǎo over her shoulder and slammed her ruthlessly onto the ground!
With a loud crash, Lín Xiǎo hit the ground heavily like a sack of broken potatoes, sending dust flying.
"Cough, cough..." Lín Xiǎo scrambled up from the ground looking disheveled, feeling as though her internal organs had been displaced. She never could have imagined that this seemingly frail woman possessed such terrifying strength!
Too furious to care about the pain, Lín Xiǎo mobilized all the Spiritual Energy in her body, preparing to unleash her signature ultimate technique—Blazing Heaven-Burning.
However, Yè Shūlí gave her no such chance.
With erratic movements, she darted around Lín Xiǎo like a ghost, easily avoiding every single one of Lín Xiǎo's attacks.
"Is that it? Seriously? Are you scraping for loose change here?" Yè Shūlí taunted Lín Xiǎo while dodging.
Lín Xiǎo turned livid with rage, frantically driving her Spiritual Energy, yet she failed to so much as graze Yè Shūlí.
The watching rogue cultivators stood dumbfounded. This wasn't a fight at all; it was clearly a one-sided steamrolling!
"Too weak, too weak, simply pathetic." Yè Shūlí shook her head, appearing thoroughly disappointed by Lín Xiǎo's performance.
The next second, she flashed behind Lín Xiǎo and delivered a flying kick!
With a whoosh, Lín Xiǎo flew out like a kite with a snapped string, crashing heavily several meters away and failing to get back up for a long time.
The entire place fell dead silent.
Jiang Ye looked at Yè Shūlí, a trace of appreciation flashing in his eyes as the corners of his mouth curved upward slightly. "Interesting..."
Yè Shūlí brushed the non-existent dust off her hands and walked slowly toward Lín Xiǎo, her gaze icy...
Yè Shūlí approached Lín Xiǎo, looking down at her from above with a gaze as cold as millennial ice.
"Next time you want to find someone to practice with, measure your own weight first. Today, this lady is in a good mood and won't bicker with you, but next time, it won't be as simple as lying on the ground." Although her tone was casual, it carried unquestionable deterrence.
With that, she turned gracefully and walked away without looking back, leaving everyone with an utterly domineering silhouette.
Lín Xiǎo lay on the ground, her whole body aching, furious and exasperated, yet she could only watch helplessly as Yè Shūlí left without even daring to breathe too loudly.
The surrounding rogue cultivators were even more struck dumb, terrified of drawing trouble upon themselves.
No one had expected that this seemingly gentle and delicate woman would be so formidable!
Watching the direction of Yè Shūlí's departure, Jiang Ye curved his lips into an amused smile and hurried after her.
"Wait," he called out to Yè Shūlí. "I'll take you somewhere."
Yè Shūlí stopped in her tracks and cast a suspicious look at him. "Where? It wouldn't happen to be some death trap, would it?"
Jiang Ye smiled mysteriously. "You'll know once we get there. You might find what you're looking for there."
Yè Shūlí raised an eyebrow. Though somewhat hesitant inside, she decided to take a gamble.
"Cultivation resources?"
Without answering, Jiang Ye merely made a "follow me" hand gesture and turned to walk in a certain direction.
Yè Shūlí hesitated for a moment before ultimately following him.
One behind the other, their figures gradually vanished into the dense jungle...
"I hope you aren't lying to me." Yè Shūlí looked at Jiang Ye's back and said flatly.
Jiang Ye suddenly stopped, turned his head to look at Yè Shūlí, a flash of indiscernible light gleaming in his eyes...