Imagination is wonderful, but before leaving, her small cabin still needed to be rebuilt.
Chang Le thought about it for a moment. In the original owner's memories, there were no friends, nor any experience of a house collapsing. She hesitated for a long time, preparing to use the Silk Slip to ask Xu Yingqi what she should do.
Even though it felt a bit embarrassing to seek help from someone just after parting ways, Chang Le—no, the original owner truly had no friends!
Just as she was pondering, Xiaobai suddenly let out a few barks. Chang Le turned her head and saw three people standing at the courtyard gate: two women and one man, all wearing the green robes and white socks of outer sect disciples. The male disciple had a longsword strapped to his back, while one of the female disciples had an umbrella on her back, and the other had... two large drafting compasses tucked into her waist.
When their gazes met, everyone fell silent. After a moment, the female disciple carrying the umbrella stepped forward timidly, made a bow, and asked, "Are you Senior Sister Chang Le?"
Chang Le touched her own face. Did such a magnificent face even need to be asked about? Suppressing the doubt rising in her chest, she nodded and said, "I am. And you are..."
The female disciple's face flushed, a flash of joy crossed her eyes, and she took a large step forward. Seeing this, Chang Le hesitated whether she should back away. The other party was suddenly so emotional, which made her quite suspicious of their intentions!
Yet, although the female disciple rushed forward, she still stopped at a very sensible distance of three paces away from Chang Le. Looking at Chang Le with glowing eyes, she said, "Senior Sister Chang Le, I already learned from the Sword Sect Gazette that the Punishment Hall arrested Gou Ren and his accomplices! We were all ordinary disciples once bullied by that Gou Ren, and this time we came specifically to express our thanks!!"
Hearing this, the two disciples behind her also stepped forward and bowed in gratitude at the same time.
It was the first time Chang Le had ever received such a deep bow from anyone. She shifted slightly to the side, waved her hands, and said, "You don't need to thank me. It was an Inner Disciple who saw it and drew her sword to help."
"Of course the Inner Disciple should be thanked as well, but everything has a cause and effect. If not for you, that Gou Ren might have continued to act so arrogantly indefinitely."
The female disciple spoke with utter sincerity. Seeing that all three wore expressions of excitement and gratitude, Chang Le waved her hand again and said, "The wicked have already received their punishment, thanks to Senior Sister Xu. The next time I see Senior Sister Xu, I will pass along your thanks."
Seeing that Chang Le refused to take the credit, the female disciple pondered for a moment. Then, looking at Chang Le's house reduced to its current state, she said, "How about this? We'll rebuild the house for you as a token of our appreciation. What do you think?"
Chang Le asked in surprise, "You can do that?"
The female disciple smiled and said, "Senior Sister, my name is Mu Youzhi. I have Water and Wood Spirit Roots and belong to the Spirit Plantation Garden. This is Junior Brother Chen Wei, who has Metal, Water, and Earth Triple Spirit Roots..." She pointed toward the honest-looking man beside her with a square face.
Meanwhile, the other person bounced out, scratching her round little head as she said, "My name is Hou Jing, and I am..." She rubbed the back of her head, chuckled, and said, "I have miscellaneous spirit roots."
Mu Youzhi added, "Although Junior Sister Hou has miscellaneous spirit roots, she possesses the Five Elements Dao Body, making her an expert at construction."
At this, Chang Le recalled some common sense retained from the original owner's memories. This world possessed spiritual energy; among the Human Race, those with spirit roots could cultivate and were known as cultivators, while those without spirit roots who could not cultivate were mortals. Apart from spirit roots, there were also three thousand Dao Bodies, though all cultivators had spirit roots, Dao Bodies were not something everyone possessed.
Since Hou Jing had entered the outer sect of the Gushan Sword Sect with miscellaneous spirit roots, she naturally had her own abilities.
"The Five Elements Dao Body..." Chang Le had never heard of it.
Hou Jing smiled and said, "It's a common Dao Body with a stronger perception of the five elements. Everything in the world is based on the five elements, so I can conjure up small things out of nothing. Legend has it that if cultivation reaches its absolute peak, one can even create the world."
"Create the world!!" Chang Le looked at Hou Jing. How come she didn't have a single memory of such a protagonist-tier Dao Body?
Hou Jing laughed heartily and said, "That's just a legend." With that, she rolled up her sleeves and said, "I'll show Senior Sister a trick right now!"
She nodded toward the other two and said, "Senior Sister Mu, Senior Sister—ah, Senior Brother Chen, I leave it to you."
Chen Wei had a steady temperament. He first asked Chang Le if there was anything in the ruins that needed to be retrieved. Seeing Chang Le shake her head, he nodded to indicate he understood.
Chang Le watched Chen Wei with some curiosity. She saw him bring his hands together, murmuring incantations. Suddenly, he opened his eyes wide and slammed both palms onto the ground. A rumbling roar abruptly came from deep beneath the ruins. Chang Le watched as the earth churned, gradually sinking the pile of ruins down into the ground. Under Chen Wei's manipulation, the ground slowly leveled out.
"Incredible, truly incredible!!" Chang Le exclaimed in amazement.
Covered in sweat, Chen Wei flopped onto the ground, panting heavily and waving his hand. It took him a long time to manage a smooth sentence: "I—I can only manage to reach this extent. If I were to fight others, I'm afraid I would have died a hundred times over already."
That was indeed true. While ordinary mortals could not achieve this feat, among cultivators, power and cultivation level were paramount, and speed was naturally the ultimate rule. Such a spell really held no advantage in actual combat because the pre-casting setup took far too long.
"Yet even just this much is something I couldn't possibly do," Chang Le sighed.
Hearing this, Chen Wei couldn't help grinning into a smile.
Beside them, Hou Jing looked toward Mu Youzhi, who then asked, "Does Senior Sister Chang have a preferred style for the house?"
Although Chang Le did, considering that this place was merely a transitional cabin for her anyway, Chang Le shook her head and replied, "Building it according to the standard outer sect disciple's house will be fine."
Mu Youzhi nodded. Pondering for a moment, she swept her wrist, and tall trees instantly sprouted from the spots where the four corners of the foundation lay.
Chang Le widened her eyes slightly. This speed was much faster than Chen Wei's. Seeing this, Chen Wei also whispered, "Senior Sister Mu is already at the Qi Refining 7th Stage. She has dual spirit roots, and they are mutually generating ones like Water and Wood, so her cultivation naturally progresses by leaps and bounds. If she hadn't been ambushed by that Gou Ren previously, injuring her foundation and forcing her to spend a full two years recuperating, perhaps the Elder from the Inner Sect would have chosen her instead of him."
Chang Le let out another "oh." Recalling the original owner's memories again, she discovered that the original owner truly knew nothing whatsoever about these entanglements and grudges in the outer sect. Her mind had been entirely filled with images of Xiao Haotian smiling at her in various places and playing the victim.
Chang Le's face darkened. What kind of bad luck was this? Previously, running into him once almost cost her her little life. And now, flipping through her memories, it was all him—she better shake off his bad juju!
Ptu, ptu, ptu!!
Chang Le hurriedly closed off the original owner's memories.
At this moment, Hou Jing also began to move. Mu Youzhi provided the timber, and using the compass and square to measure and trace 1-to-1, Hou Jing could conjure up bracket sets, carved beams, wooden walls, and wooden windows completely out of thin air. She was practically a miraculous little Ma Liang; no wonder they said that mastery of the Five Elements Dao Body could create worlds—it was practically the same as Nüwa molding figures out of mud.
Very quickly, a small cabin rose from the ground, leaving Chang Le both amazed and full of admiration. She showered them with endless praise as if compliments cost nothing, making the other three break into broad smiles as well.
By the time the cabin was completed, the four of them were already chatting and laughing, perfectly resembling a group of close friends.
"I always used to hear people say Senior Sister Chang had a strange temperament, and I was still worried..." Hou Jing spoke with impulsive frankness, blurting it out.
Mu Youzhi clearly thought things through more thoroughly. She immediately shot a glance at Hou Jing and gave a low reprimand: "Hou Jing."
Hou Jing scratched her head and fell silent. Mu Youzhi then said, "Hou Jing is young and always speaks without thinking. Outsiders spread some nonsense, but Senior Sister Chang is naturally not that kind of person."
Hearing this, Chang Le smiled. The original owner hadn't actually had a strange temperament; rather, her soul was incomplete, making her unable to comprehend ordinary people's reactions. Because of this, the original owner liked the male protagonist yet couldn't perceive the disgust in his expressions and gaze, taking the nonsense he spoke entirely to heart.
"It was all just a misunderstanding," Chang Le said.
Hou Jing nodded repeatedly and said, "That's right, so the old saying always goes that seeing is believing." With that, she looked at Chang Le and asked, "Senior Sister Chang, we recently have a training expedition down the mountain. Would you like to come with us?"
"A training expedition down the mountain?" Chang Le thought it over.
Outer sect disciples ate the Gushan Sword Sect's food, so naturally they had to perform tasks for the sect as well. Therefore, anyone above the Qi Refining 5th Layer had an annual task to descend the mountain. These tasks also took the status of outer sect disciples into consideration, not exceeding the disciples' cultivation levels, ensuring they could complete them while ideally gaining some spiritual insights from the experience.
And the original owner...
Chang Le carefully rummaged through her memories and suddenly froze. The original owner had actually never participated in a single outer sect training mission?
How had she stayed in the outer sect for so long without being expelled from the sect?
It couldn't possibly be that she had zero presence and was simply forgotten by everyone, could it?
Still, this truly was a great opportunity. By leaving the Gushan Sword Sect, she could also use this chance to check out the situation down the mountain. If she could handle it, running away right then and there might not be a bad idea!
Pondering this, Chang Le nodded. "Alright."
"Senior Sister Mu, I told you Senior Sister Chang would agree!" Hou Jing said happily.
Seeing this, Mu Youzhi also revealed a smile, pulled out a Silk Slip, and said, "Then Senior Sister Chang, let's add each other as friends so we can keep in touch easily."
Could it be that everyone in the cultivation world was truly wealthy? Everyone owned a Silk Slip worth five hundred upper-grade spirit stones?
Chang Le glanced at the other two, and both of them had also fished out a Silk Slip. She pulled out the one Xu Yingqi had given her as well.
Hou Jing's eyes lit up, and she let out a "Whoa": "This is the latest model produced by the Tianji Pavilion! Five hundred upper-grade spirit stones! Senior Sister Chang is truly wealthy."
Chang Le was startled, then looked at Hou Jing's: "How much was yours?"
Mu Youzhi cast a helpless look at Hou Jing before saying, "Ours are the basic models, only a hundred lower-grade spirit stones."
An ordinary outer sect disciple's monthly stipend was five lower-grade spirit stones. Without eating or drinking, one could save enough in less than two years; even factoring in food, drink, and occasionally taking on missions at the Mission Hall, it took roughly two or three years to afford one.
Chang Le looked closely and saw there was indeed a difference. The jade artifact in Chang Le's hand was translucent, warm, and glossy, with faint dragon patterns vaguely visible on its surface. Holding it in her hand, she could feel spiritual energy gathering even faster.
Hou Jing also chattered eagerly, "Your Silk Slip has a small spiritual gathering array built into it, Senior Sister. Holding it while cultivating gathers spiritual energy much faster, and the dragon patterns on it also have the function of strengthening one's Divine Sense—they're said to have all sorts of wonderful uses. Also, plus..."
"Hou Jing."
Mu Youzhi uttered a low warning, and Hou Jing instantly fell silent like a cat caught by the scruff of its neck.
Mu Youzhi shook her head. She noticed that although Chang Le held such a Silk Slip, her expression flickered between light and shadow after Hou Jing spoke, clearly indicating that she had previously been unaware that this item possessed so many functions.
In that case, this object was most likely a gift given to Chang Le by someone else, and its value exceeded Chang Le's expectations.
Such personal matters were better left for Senior Sister Chang to digest and resolve on her own.
Chang Le was indeed quite shocked. Senior Sister Xu was a wealthy person! Could Senior Sister Xu have intentionally let her shoulder so much debt? Did Senior Sister Xu have an ulterior motive for being so good to her?
These thoughts spun back and forth in her mind.
At one moment, she felt that Xu Yingqi shouldn't harbor any malicious designs against her; at the next, she worried that her identity as a sword sheath spirit had been discovered, prompting the other party to act nice to her on purpose. She remembered that Xu Yingqi indeed possessed an excellent sword; that sword seemed to have a spirit, and moreover, that sword had no sheath!
I thought you were a good person, but it turns out you were eyeing my body!
The more Chang Le thought about it, the more uneasy she became; the more she thought, the more she felt she ought to leave this place.
With the bad-luck jinx Xiao Haotian ahead and the eyeing threat of Xu Yingqi behind, she wasn't safe here.
Chang Le raised her head and asked, "Then when shall we meet?"
Mu Youzhi replied, "Tomorrow at the third quarter of the Mao hour. We'll meet at the Mission Hall, collect our descending-mountain tokens, and set off together."
Chang Le nodded in agreement. The group added each other on their Silk Slips and bid farewell.
After seeing off her new friends, Chang Le went inside to take a look around. The furniture here was much more abundant than before. Besides the bed, wardrobe, and desk, there was also a small round table with a small vase holding a flower, a rocking chair next to it, and they had even thoughtfully prepared a doghouse for Xiaobai!
Chang Le stroked Xiaobai's head and sighed with emotion, "The environment here is so nice. Why don't you just stay here?"
Xiaobai wagged its tail, barked, and looked up at her with a pair of wet, glossy eyes while its tail wagged wildly.
Chang Le was deeply moved. "Since you disagree, then come along with me."
Xiaobai: "Woof?"
Lying in bed that night—the bed was a large, carved wooden frame—although it was made up with bedding and quilts, it was still a bit too hard for Chang Le, a modern person. Chang Le lifted the Silk Slip, a thought flickered in her mind, and her Divine Sense plunged into it.
At that instant, Chang Le seemed to enter a certain spatial realm. Floating there in lonely isolation were only the profiles of their few friends, alongside glowing little light orbs. Curious, Chang Le tapped one, and her Divine Sense was abruptly pulled and swept into a grand hall. Inside, various soaring articles were stacked in overlapping layers, looking just like messy folders on a C drive. With merely a thought, one could automatically read the contents of the posts, making it very friendly even for someone illiterate.
Chang Le paused. The moment the thought "How am I supposed to read this?" arose in her mind, a blank white panel materialized right before her eyes.
Tentatively, Chang Le used her Divine Sense to write the three characters "Xu Yingqi," and countless articles instantly poured out with a swishing sound.
Chang Le moved her Divine Sense again, and these articles transformed into neatly arranged titles lined up before her eyes.
"What on earth is Inner Disciple Senior Sister Xu's identity?"
"My daily routine of stalking Senior Sister Xu, but I lost her trail"
"A few tidbits between the Punishment Hall's little madwoman and Senior Sister Xu Yingqi"
"Punishment Hall Hall Master Tang and Senior Sister Xu Yingqi are the absolute best match"
...
Chang Le: "Is this how you people in the immortal sects ship characters?"
Drawing upon her rich internet browsing experience, Chang Le quickly grew familiar with the operational methods and began roaming wildly through the place.
Out of curiosity, Chang Le clicked into one of the posts, and from then on, she happily munched on gossip like a melon-eating fan surrounded by a mountain of treats.
It wasn't until the scheduled alarm from the Silk Slip woke her the next day that Chang Le realized she had somehow spent the entire night eating gossip without sleeping!
The internet is truly terrifying, whether in modern society or the cultivation world.
Panicking, Chang Le leapt out of bed and scurried outward in a rush. She also missed the lonely message sitting on her Silk Slip:
Xu Yingqi: "Asleep yet?"
Chang Le couldn't find the Mission Hall, but fortunately, there was the Silk Slip. The local Gushan Sword Sect posts contained a detailed outer sect map; she couldn't see the inner sect's map, which perhaps required being an inner sect disciple to view. Thanks to the map, after taking a few extra turns, Chang Le still found the place. The reason she had walked extra distance was because the Silk Slip wasn't smart enough yet to give reminders at every single corner.
"Senior Sister Chang! Over here!"
From afar, Hou Jing's voice rang out. Chang Le raised her head and saw Hou Jing waving vigorously at her.
Chang Le revealed a smile and briskly walked forward.
Yet just as she drew near, her smile abruptly vanished, because not far away, Xiao Haotian and Wei Zhaoguang were standing together, chatting as they spoke.