Birds flew and trees fell along the usually quiet mountain path.
Chang Le stood on the narrow stone steps, carrying three or four swords hanging from her waist and hands. The outer sect disciples opposite her looked at her in absolute disbelief and panic.
They were clearly at the end of their rope, yet relying on this bizarre empty-handed sword-snatching technique, she had turned the tables. She had snatched all their swords, sticking them all over her body, exuding an imposing aura as if she could hold off ten thousand men single-handedly.
The few of them felt secretly vexed. Since her sword technique was so superb, why did she have to pretend to be no match for them earlier? Was she just bullying them as vulnerable outer sect disciples with no resources?
Chang Le had no idea these fellows had already developed thoughts of retreat; she felt she looked remarkably like Magneto at that moment. Holding the swords, she slapped them against herself—and hey! They stuck there as tight as could be, taking quite a bit of effort even to pull down.
At least none of those guys could pull the swords off.
It might sound impressive, but it looked utterly ridiculous, making her resemble a display cabinet selling swords.
"You—you must be running out of spiritual energy soon. Hand—hand over your storage bag, and we'll spare your life."
Chang Le raised her eyes to look at the speaker ahead and raised an eyebrow. Listen to yourself—you took three gasps just to get a single sentence out! True, she didn't have much spiritual power or physical strength left, but weren't everyone before her in pretty much the same boat?
Chang Le pressed her hand against the swords on her body, causing the other disciples' hearts to skip a beat. They had tried to tear Chang Le's swords off using all the strength they could muster to no avail, yet Chang Le plucked them off as lightly as if it were nothing. What kind of bizarre constitution was this?
Could she possess the legendary Innate Sword-Drawing Saint Body?
Chang Le spun the sword in a flourish and let out a shout. Everyone instinctively raised their arms to block, but nothing happened at all. By the time they lowered their arms, Chang Le was already running away.
"Damn it! She's running!"
"She must be at her limit!"
Enraged and delighted all at once, the men started chasing after her. They had barely run a few steps when they saw Chang Le suddenly turn around, holding a sword talisman in her hand. The group secretly cursed in bad luck; to prevent Chang Le from using talismans earlier, they had spread out, but in their haste to give chase, they had bunched right back up together.
"You vicious woman!" someone yelled.
A flash of killing intent crossed Chang Le's eyes. Are you kidding me? If she wasn't vicious enough to wipe these people out in one go, then she would be the victim!
Just as she was about to tear open the talisman, a crushing pressure suddenly descended from the air.
Chang Le's hand paused, missing the best opportunity. She watched helplessly as several figures charged straight at her, a wave of resentment rising in her heart—could her death truly be destined by heaven?
Right at that moment, a figure stepped in front of her. Chang Le's vision blurred as she watched the enemies she had spent so much effort failing to defeat suddenly freeze, then collapse to the ground, groaning and wailing in pain.
"Gushan Sword Sect forbids infighting. Sparring is permitted, but killing is strictly prohibited."
The newcomer twirled her sword in a flourish, turned around, and looked at Chang Le.
The person looked rather familiar. Chang Le's eyes lit up, and she cried out, "Senior Sister Forest Guard!" This senior sister was a good person! Chang Le immediately pointed at the scattered figures ahead. "Help! They're trying to kill me."
Senior Sister Forest Guard fell silent for a moment, looking somewhat speechless as her gaze paused briefly on the talisman in Chang Le's hand.
Chang Le stiffened and hurriedly put the talisman away. She looked at the female cultivator, who wore a stern, calm face. In the daylight, the woman's pupils appeared even more restrained and exceptionally sharp, resembling an unsheathed treasured sword.
Sure enough, those eyes didn't match that face no matter how one looked at them.
"This is not the time to go down the mountain. What are you doing here?" the female cultivator asked. "Defecting from the sect will result in your cultivation and techniques being stripped away."
Such a rule actually existed!
Chang Le blinked. "I didn't know. I was just taking the dog out for a stroll." As she spoke, Chang Le looked down at Xiaobai, who had popped out from somewhere, and asked, "Right, Xiaobai?"
Xiaobai wagged its tail and let out a bark.
The female cultivator glanced at Xiaobai as well—it was just an ordinary little yellow dog... She was about to look away when she couldn't help taking a second look. It was indeed an ordinary little yellow dog, but wasn't there a bit too much spiritual energy on it?
Chang Le had no idea what the female cultivator was examining. She stood there obediently, feeling fortunate that Wei Zhaoguang had given her a storage bag; otherwise, if she had been carrying a bundle on her back, she really wouldn't have been able to clear her name. "Then these people suddenly popped up and forced me to hand over my storage bag. I couldn't beat them."
"N—nonsense! Our swords are still on you!"
Finally, one of the disciples managed to crawl up. Hearing Chang Le's words, he pointed a trembling finger at her in rage.
At this, the female cultivator looked at Chang Le again. Chang Le was covered from head to toe in swords that gleamed in the sunlight, making her look like a human tree sprouting sword branches.
A trace of a smile flashed in the female cultivator's eyes.
Chang Le grit her teeth, sensing that the female cultivator seemed to have a certain favorable impression of her. Given her past experiences, she was extremely sensitive to human emotions, so she immediately puffed out her chest and said, "What about it? They came at me with swords, and you expect me not to stick their swords on myself?"
"They came at you with swords." The female cultivator frowned. "I am reporting this to the Punishment Hall."
Hearing this, Chang Le felt rather helpless. She glanced at the mountain gate, which was already close at hand, and let out a slight sigh. It seemed that although she had saved her skin, her grand plan of escaping wouldn't have a chance—at least not today.
The female cultivator continued, "Don't worry, the Punishment Hall will handle this fairly. You should take those swords off now, shouldn't you?"
These swords weren't just evidence; she could sell them for money later! She couldn't just take them off casually!
Chang Le hurriedly said, "I'm rather fond of these swords. Besides, I suppose they must have felt they hadn't met a proper master before. Meeting me now, they stuck to me and won't come down for the life of them."
The female cultivator looked at her with deep eyes.
Chang Le looked back in puzzlement, but the female cultivator turned her head away, her voice sinking: "In that case, wait here for the people from the Punishment Hall."
Strange, why did she suddenly seem so unhappy? Chang Le scratched her head in confusion. Still, since they were complete strangers, perhaps the woman was just one of those people whose moods blew hot and cold?
One should stay away from emotionally unstable people.
Thinking this, Chang Le silently took a few steps further away from the female cultivator. The female cultivator's gaze swept over her, the color in the depths of her eyes growing even darker.
"Hold it right there!" A limping male cultivator walked over from afar.
Chang Le looked and realized this wasn't the guy she had blasted into a pit earlier! Of all the people in that group, he was the most arrogant. Previously, when everyone else wanted to run, he was the one who insisted on killing her.
Chang Le's expression darkened. She suddenly remembered this guy saying he would enter the inner sect later on.
Could the senior sister here keep him in check?
Maybe she should just run away right now.
With that thought, Chang Le bent down to scoop Xiaobai into her arms and glanced back, already searching for an escape route. The moment things went sideways, she would grab the dog and flee for her life!
The female cultivator seemed to sense something. She first watched Chang Le's movement, then looked toward the male cultivator ahead and asked, "And who are you?"
The male cultivator straightened his back and bowed to the female cultivator, though because of his injuries, the movement looked quite distorted. Lifting his chin slightly, he said, "My name is Gou Ren. Thanks to Elder Xue of the inner sect looking kindly upon me, he will take me as a disciple once I reach Foundation Establishment. May I ask which senior sister you are?"
The female cultivator lowered her gaze slightly. "Xu Yingqi of the inner sect."
Chang Le thought about it. She had no impression of this name, though the surname sounded somewhat familiar. There was a Senior Sister Xu, the senior sister of the sword sect, who held some lingering affection for the male protagonist and helped him a few times in the novel. But after the male protagonist was favored by the Sword Master and taken as a disciple, this senior sister simply vanished from the story—presumably forgotten by the author.
Still, since this person looked rather plain, she probably wasn't a character from the novel.
Naturally. The novel revolved around the perspective of the male protagonist, Xiao Haotian, while the Gushan Sword Sect was the number one sword sect in the world. With thousands of disciples divided among direct lineages, inner sect, outer sect, managers, and handymen, it was impossible to cover every single person and write them all in.
The male cultivator then asked, "Which elder's lineage does Senior Sister belong to?"
Xu Yingqi replied, "I have yet to gain the favor of any elder."
In the novel, although the Gushan Sword Sect distinguished between outer and inner disciples, this was merely a watershed based on cultivation and talent.
Both inner and outer sect disciples were required to attend general lectures. However, outer sect disciples were mostly limited by their Spirit Roots and comprehension, making it difficult for most of them to ever reach Foundation Establishment in their lifetimes. Thus, the classes they attended were mostly foundational. Naturally, those with the opportunity and capability could enter the inner sect through the sect grand tournament.
If one caught the eye of an elder during the tournament, they could apprentice directly under that elder, becoming a direct disciple and inheriting their master's legacy. Apprenticing to a master naturally meant having backing; whether it was cultivation resources or guidance from the master, these were incomparable to what ordinary inner disciples possessed.
Hearing this, Gou Ren instantly felt a surge of confidence. Although he hadn't entered the inner sect yet, having caught an elder's favor meant that once he got in, his status would be vastly superior to the female cultivator before him.
"Senior Sister, my dispute with Chang Le was merely a momentary clash of pride. Can you perhaps spare some face for Elder Xue?"
Chang Le frowned. She had caught the drift of their conversation. If Xu Yingqi agreed, wouldn't she remain at Gou Ren's mercy? This fellow had already recovered his wits; there was no telling how he would deal with her.
Chang Le shifted her heels, moving behind Xu Yingqi to maintain a posture where she could run at any moment while using Xu Yingqi to block for a second or two.
Xu Yingqi turned her head and asked, "A momentary clash of pride?"
Chang Le chimed in, "Pride in brandishing swords? They simply saw that Senior Sister Wei Zhaoguang gave me things, grew greedy, and came over to rob me."
You have Inner Sect Elder Xue, but I have Inner Sect Senior Sister Wei too! Chang Le thought, pulling rank just in case Xu Yingqi got scared off by Gou Ren's words. Although she previously thought Xu Yingqi was a good person, Gou Ren had a powerful patron after all. Human nature could not withstand testing, and good people could naturally turn bad.
"Inner Sect Wei Zhaoguang..." Xu Yingqi murmured the name. "Is that the Wei Zhaoguang who dotes on outer sect disciples and gives away a lot of good things?"
Chang Le: ......Senior Sister Wei, while you are a good person too, has your reputation really spread like this? And even with such a reputation, you still want to love a freeloader like the male protagonist?
Xu Yingqi looked Chang Le up and down. "I fail to see anything about you worth Wei Zhaoguang doting on."
Chang Le: ??? Did she think Senior Sister Wei fancied *her*?!
Chang Le's face stiffened. She refused to take the blame for the male protagonist! She said loudly, "Senior Sister Wei and I share a purely platonic relationship between women! The person she likes is someone else."
Xu Yingqi nodded. "Oh."
Oh?! What kind of 'oh' was that?! Chang Le glared resentfully at Xu Yingqi, then noticed a flicker of amusement in the depths of the woman's eyes and suddenly realized she was being teased.
They were complete strangers, and Chang Le couldn't help getting angry. "You..."
"The two of you..." Gou Ren frowned, unable to help himself.
Xu Yingqi turned around, a trace of impatience flashing in her eyes. "I have already notified the Punishment Hall. Just wait quietly."
Gou Ren's expression immediately sank. "I am under Elder Xue..."
"You aren't even Elder Xue's disciple yet, and you're already dropping his name to throw your weight around. Does Elder Xue know how much you love using his reputation to bully others?" Chang Le spoke up. Realizing that Gou Ren seemed reluctant to clash directly with Xu Yingqi, she poked her head out from behind Xu Yingqi's back.
She narrowed her eyes. She didn't believe a single word of Gou Ren's claims about Elder Xue holding him in high regard. If he were truly valued, would he have tried to rob her storage bag?
Gou Ren's face darkened.
Naturally, Elder Xue knew nothing of the sort. Not only did he know nothing, but he hadn't even provided Gou Ren with cultivation supplies, which was why Gou Ren had set his sights on Chang Le in the first place, hoping to make his ascent a bit more secure.
Xu Yingqi said, "When the Punishment Hall arrives, they will handle it accordingly—if indeed it was merely a momentary clash of pride."
Gou Ren fell silent. He glanced to his left and right; his companions naturally shared his thoughts and exchanged a subtle look with him.
"There are many of them and only one of me. If they insist on claiming I threw the first punch, how am I supposed to clear my name with just one mouth?" Chang Le's eyes rolled as she figured out what they were plotting, and she spoke up.
Caught in the act, Gou Ren immediately snapped, "What nonsense! How could we cultivators do such a thing?"
"Don't worry, we have the Heart Oath for that." A clear, youthful voice echoed from the air.
Chang Le raised her head and saw a youth in black with his arms crossed, standing atop a spear and looking down at them. He wore pitch-black martial attire, black scale armor on his arms, and a red ribbon tied around his forehead. At his waist hung a token inscribed with the character "Punishment," so he was presumably from the Punishment Hall.
With a leap, he landed in front of them, his long spear shaking as it came to rest beside him. He looked around, then cupped his fists in a salute to Xu Yingqi. "Greetings, Senior Sister Xu. Thank you for your trouble."
This attitude seemed a bit too respectful.
Chang Le glanced at Xu Yingqi. Xu Yingqi wore little expression as she merely nodded. "I've already transmitted the message regarding the cause and effect. Take these people back."
"You got it!" the youth shouted, turning to look at the group. His previously cheerful, baby-faced expression suddenly darkened. "You lot, are you going to tie yourselves up, or shall I do it?"
As he spoke, he formed hand seals, and the long spear immediately flew up to hover nearby.
The group looked at each other until Gou Ren finally grit his teeth and said, "We'll go."
As they stood upon the long spear, the youth turned his gaze back to Chang Le.
Xu Yingqi said, "I'll take her."
"Alright, Senior Sister Xu!" The youth immediately turned docile in front of Xu Yingqi, nodding without asking any further questions as he loaded the people onto the spear and flew off into the distance.
"...His weapon is a spear—is it because it can carry more people?"
Chang Le watched as the youth transported everyone away in a matter of moments, and asked instinctively.
Xu Yingqi: "..." For a moment, she didn't know how to reply. In the end, she only said, "Let's go. I'll see you off."
With that, she frowned again. "Why are these filthy things still hanging on you? Do you really fancy this piece of junk?" Her voice carried a hint of disdain.
Chang Le opened her eyes wide as she watched Xu Yingqi sweep her palm across her. The swords that those disciples couldn't pull off no matter how hard they tried were simply brushed onto the ground, clattering noisily.
Her foolproof empty-handed sword-sticking divine technique... had just been broken like that?