With bare walls at home, all her belongings combined were less abundant than the storage bag Wei Zhaoguang had casually handed over. Chang Le tucked the only valuable sword at her waist and led Xiaobai toward the mountain path.
Walking along the roadside, she heard everywhere people talking about what had just happened.
"I heard that Senior Sister Wei from the inner sect is pestering Senior Brother Xiao again."
These were the junior sisters who had a crush on Xiao Haotian.
Chang Le walked past quietly, curling her lips in disdain.
"I heard that Senior Sister Wei has been showering that freeloader Xiao Haotian with all sorts of gifts."
These were the junior sisters and brothers who disliked Xiao Haotian.
Chang Le walked by silently, nodding to herself.
She gave her storage bag a gentle squeeze, thinking that Wei Zhaoguang was truly a wealthy patron—she could give one storage bag away and still have enough to hand another to Xiao Haotian. It was just a pity that such a wealthy benefactor had set her sights on someone like Xiao Haotian.
"I also heard that Senior Sister Wei and Senior Sister Chang, who's been stuck in the outer sect for ages, were at each other's throats out of jealousy."
Chang Le's steps faltered.
"Word is that Senior Sister Chang fancies Xiao Haotian, too."
"How could an outer sect disciple who can't even enter the inner sect possibly compete with Senior Sister Wei?"
"That may be, but I hear that Chang Le is extremely good-looking... Ah, I wish I were that handsome."
"Aren't you the wrong gender for that?"
"A sister doesn't have to be boxed into just one category. Girls can be handsome, too."
Things were getting truly absurd. Clearly, nothing had happened between her and Wei Zhaoguang—they had merely enjoyed a pleasant chat—yet it had somehow morphed into this rumor. Frowning, Chang Le quickened her pace.
She had better head down the mountain soon.
Although her cultivation in the Gushan Sword Sect was merely that of an outer sect disciple, there were plenty of mortals down below, and her cultivation level was more than enough to handle mortal life. Besides, with the help provided by the generous Wei Zhaoguang, she could simply find some uninhabited place to farm and grow flowers.
Spiritual entities enjoyed long lifespans, so she needed to prepare in advance, hoarding food to survive the catastrophic upheavals of heaven and earth and the grand Contention for the Great Fortune involving humans, demons, and monsters that lay ahead in the plot.
Having made her calculations, Chang Le walked with a lighter step. She lowered her gaze to look at Xiaobai, patting the dog's head, then raised her eyes to look at the familiar mountain gate looming not far ahead in her memories.
The stone steps extended downward, and the mountain path was largely deserted.
The mountain trails of the Gushan Sword Sect were guarded by illusions to prevent mortals from accidentally straying in, and these were opened only once every ten years during the grand gate selection. However, the illusions had little effect on cultivators, and ordinary immortal sect disciples, once initiated, considered themselves superior to mortals and rarely descended the mountain except for trial missions.
Right now, the mountain path was quiet and completely deserted—the perfect time for Chang Le to leave!
Just as she was thinking this, Xiaobai suddenly lifted its head and assumed an aggressive posture.
Chang Le frowned slightly, her hand resting on the blue steel longsword at her waist. A trace of fear gripped her heart; although she had the memories of the original body, that body's cultivation was low and her combat skills were poor, and she herself had never touched such a weapon before.
Yet when narrow paths meet, the brave prevail. The moment fear arose, Chang Le forcefully suppressed it, drew her sword with a sudden motion, and shouted, "Show yourself!"
As the words fell, several figures burst out from the nearby woods. They wore outer sect garments with bronze outer sect plaques hanging at their waists, their features sharp and monkey-like, and their eyes fixed on Chang Le with open hostility.
These people...
Chang Le quickly searched her mind, but the original body's memories yielded nothing.
Her expression darkened. While frantically rummaging through the previous owner's memories in a desperate attempt to find a spell or sword technique to handle the situation, she said in a low voice, "What are you junior brothers doing here?"
"What are we doing?" One of them chuckled, exchanging a wink with his companion.
They clearly meant trouble.
Taking this in, Chang Le's Divine Sense slipped quietly into the storage bag given by Wei Zhaoguang. She remembered Wei Zhaoguang mentioning a few talismans—their power wasn't overwhelming, but they were more than enough to deal with cultivators in the Qi Refining stage.
However, talismans demanded a great deal of Spiritual Power and Divine Sense, and given her current reserves, she could use at most one. Therefore, she had to be extremely cautious and wait for the absolute best moment.
Holding back her move, Chang Le sparred with words instead: "Might I ask what the three of you are implying?"
The leading man smiled. "Senior Sister Chang, we hear that Senior Sister Wei Zhaoguang gave you quite a few good things. Since you've made no progress in your cultivation for years, keeping these items is a waste. Why not hand them over to us brothers? Once we enter the inner sect, we'll remember your kindness and look out for you."
His words sounded polite, but the gaze he swept over Chang Le carried a lecherous undertone. It was enough to make Chang Le want to vomit. With people like this, backing down was out of the question; it would only make them increasingly brazen.
Chang Le's face darkened slightly. Lowering her eyes as if deep in thought, she softened her tone: "What you say makes sense. But how can I be sure you won't forget me once you enter the inner sect?"
Seeing this, the man burst into a laugh. "Is that even a problem?" With that, he strode toward her.
As he drew closer, the disgusting stench of him became more pungent, nearly gagging her. Yet Chang Le forcefully suppressed the urge to vomit, waiting only for him and the others to close the distance before tearing open the talisman!
The man, however, grew somewhat cautious. He abruptly halted his steps and smiled. "Senior Sister is so terribly pretty; we consider ourselves men who cherish jade and jade-like maidens, so of course we'll take good care of you. If Senior Sister complies with us right now, our relationship will become all the closer."
As he spoke, he reached out toward her.
Chang Le's eyes flashed. At that exact instant, Xiaobai leaped forward and sank its teeth into the man's hand.
"Aah!!" The man shrieked, flailing his arm to shake Xiaobai off. But Xiaobai bit down with fierce determination and refused to let go, driving its teeth even deeper into the flesh. A murderous look flashed in the man's eyes as he drew his sword and thrust it at Xiaobai. "You damned beast!"
If she released the talisman now, Xiaobai would be hurt. Without time to overthink, Chang Le drew her sword and thrust forward. In her panic, she forgot all distinction between the original body and herself; her sword movements flowed naturally and smoothly, instantly deflecting the man's blade light. With a twist and a wrap of her sword tip, she flicked the man's weapon right out of his hand.
"Xiaobai!" Chang Le cried out sharply. With a swift twist of its body, Xiaobai leaped straight into her arms.
Chang Le pulled her arms tight around the dog and turned to run.
"After her!"
The man's angry roar rang out.
With a sudden turn of her head, Chang Le channeled her Divine Sense, sending the talisman flying straight toward the man's chest.
The man turned pale with fright and hastily formed a hand seal. Golden light burst forth as the two forces collided, kicking up a shockwave that blasted Chang Le backward through the air.
She had miscalculated. This world was far too dangerous; while Qi Refining cultivators possessed bodies similar to ordinary mortals, spells in combat could produce explosive effects comparable to dynamite.
Protecting Xiaobai in her arms, Chang Le felt a violent churn in her chest and coughed up a mouthful of blood. She saw the man collapse onto the ground, his life or death uncertain, leaving a massive crater where the shockwave had hit.
"Big Brother!!" Hearing the cries, Chang Le realized the remaining men were still unharmed. Meanwhile, her own spiritual energy was in violent turmoil, and her entire body ached miserably.
This was terrible. She had missed the prime opportunity to take them all down at once. Chang Le felt pain radiating from every inch of her body. Born in modern society, she had rarely even engaged in arguments, let alone life-or-death battles like this. Earlier, driven by desperation, the pain and fear had seemed entirely numbed.
Now, however, her Spiritual Power was completely depleted, and her damaged Divine Sense sent waves of throbbing pain through her head. Sweat poured uncontrollably down her face, dripping onto the ground.
Was she really going to die just one day after transmigrating?
Chang Le thought bitterly. She loosened her grip and tucked Xiaobai behind her back. Xiaobai's attack had disrupted her plan, but she didn't blame the little dog; it had only been trying to protect her, unaware of the tactical calculations in her mind.
Rather than blame the puppy, she should blame the author of this plot.
If the person who was supposed to die hadn't died, was this the inevitable outcome?
Lifting her gaze, Chang Le found she could no longer walk. She could only watch helplessly as the remaining men looked toward her, their eyes filled with murderous malice—clearly intending to kill her to silence witnesses.
Taking a deep breath, Chang Le straightened her posture, smoothed her stray hairs, and looked at the men before her. "What? Do you want to court death as well?"
The men's movements paused abruptly.
Chang Le let out a cold laugh. "I am favored by Senior Sister Wei, who bestowed magical artifacts and talismans upon me. Do you really want to cross Senior Sister Wei?"
The men exchanged glances, falling silent.
Realization dawned on Chang Le. Just as she thought.
An outer sect disciple who had stagnated for years didn't amount to much on her own, but the moment the inner sect was involved, everything changed.
Steeling her heart, Chang Le said, "That junior brother spoke insolently and provoked me, so our score is now settled. I hope you will take this as a warning. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to ask Senior Sister Wei to uphold justice for me."
Her implied meaning was to restrict the conflict solely to Chang Le and the fallen disciple, giving the others a graceful way out.
The men's eyes darted around, clearly tempted.
Seeing this, Chang Le's tightly strung nerves relaxed slightly. Clashes among disciples were strictly forbidden by major sects. Yet minor bullying and harassment were hard to prevent; as long as these actions hovered right at the edge of the rules without crossing the line, the authorities turned a blind eye.
Since that disciple had only passed out, as long as these men backed down, everyone would be safe, avoiding a fight to the death.
Chang Le's palms were slick with sweat as her mind raced, thoroughly analyzing the situation. Yet until these men gave in, she could not truly let her guard down.
Sweat from her forehead streamed down her eyelashes, dropping onto the ground with every blink, but she lacked even the strength to wipe it away.
"Don't—don't listen to her! Kill her, and everything she has is ours!" The fallen man abruptly raised his head, glaring at Chang Le with a ferocious, distorted expression.
Chang Le's heart skipped a beat. The bastard was faking unconsciousness!
"Kill her! No one will ever know it was us!" the man roared. "She's all alone on this mountain path, which means she must be trying to betray the sect and flee! It's perfectly justifiable if we accidentally killed her while pursuing a fugitive disciple."
Though every word he spoke was a lie, it struck straight at Chang Le's actual intentions. Was she truly fated to die today?
At his words, the others turned their gaze back to Chang Le, their eyes once more brimming with greed and murderous intent.
Cold sweat poured down Chang Le's face. She realized she had miscalculated again; she had severely underestimated the depths of human malice.
She gripped her sword tightly. She could no longer use anything else Wei Zhaoguang had given her, but she had no intention of sitting still and waiting for death.
It seemed she really was going to die here today. But even if she died, she would tear a piece of flesh from these bastards first!
Pushing herself up with all her might, Chang Le used her sword to support her trembling body. Behind her, Xiaobai seemed to sense the danger, standing by her side with low whimpers, its body arched and baring its fangs at the men ahead.
"Run."
Chang Le gave Xiaobai a gentle nudge with her foot, then raised her head to face the group before her. "If you want to test your swords, I'll keep you company!"
A Qi Refining cultivator's physical stats were not vastly superior to an ordinary person's; a martial artist who had reached the pinnacle of mortal technique could even slay a Qi Refining cultivator. Grasping her sword fiercely, Chang Le knew she couldn't escape, so her only choice was to take as many down with her as she could.
The moment she embraced death, she felt a surge of strength return to her grip, and the previously obscure sword techniques floating in her memory suddenly clicked into place with startling clarity.
After all, swordsmanship was an art of killing. Casting life and death aside, directing every action solely toward slaying the enemy and surviving, she unwittingly aligned herself with the true essence of swordsmanship. Thus, amidst the combat, the sword techniques in her memory gradually refined and grew fluid in her hands.
Regrettably, Chang Le's physical strength was entirely spent. With a sudden ringing sound, her fingers lost their grip on the hilt, and her sword slipped out of her hand, clattering onto the stone steps.
Her face turned pale as she panted, staring at the men in front of her.
Their expressions were no better than hers. Chang Le had proved far more resilient than they had anticipated, but through the exchange of blows, they could tell she was at the end of her rope.
At this point, whether driven by greed for Wei Zhaoguang's storage bag or fear of Chang Le's future revenge, letting her leave this place alive was utterly out of the question.
Chang Le understood this as well. Her face pale, she forced herself to muster what little Divine Sense she had left. Throughout the fight, she had desperately tried to channel her spiritual energy and Divine Sense, and now she could finally mobilize a fraction of it. Just a little longer, just a little more, and she could use the second talisman.
She bit down hard on her lower lip, tasting the metallic iron of blood, and the pain only served to steady her mind.
This world was entirely different from her own; her weakness meant she genuinely might be killed.
If—if she survived this time, she swore she would cultivate diligently and never let such a thing happen again.
A sharp ring of steel pierced the air. Chang Le watched as a longsword thrust toward her, her Divine Sense spinning frantically. Yet, after all, she was no protagonist; she possessed no ability to achieve a sudden mid-battle breakthrough and pull off a miraculous reversal. She could only stare blankly as the blade drove straight toward her.
Was she really going to die here?
How laughable—to die twice in a single day?
No, she refused to die like this. How could she possibly be willing?
Chang Le threw her hands up instinctively. Whether her arms were pierced or hacked off, she wanted to live—she wanted to cling to life by any means possible!
With a sharp *clack*, Chang Le brought her palms together, firmly trapping the longsword right between her hands.
At that exact moment, she was stunned, and so were the others.
"It's just a fluke! Again! She can't hold out much longer!"
With a furious roar, the attacker yanked his sword back and thrust forward once more.
Another sharp *clack*. Chang Le slammed her palms together again, catching the blade tightly between her hands once more.
She felt as though some magnetic force resided in her palms, locking onto the sword so securely that even as the opponent yanked with all his might to pull the weapon free, her hands remained entirely unharmed.
She lowered her gaze to look at her own hands, and a sudden realization struck her. Right—she was the Sword Spirit of the Scabbard.
Could this be her true golden cheat—100% Blade Catching with Bare Hands?