Chapter 211: Hundred Refinements

“I’m arrogant and overbearing? I’ve barely even eaten beef—that’s being modest.”

Li Muxian chuckled, glancing at the half-pack of braised beef pinned to the girl’s waist, its surface covered in bite marks; he shook his head in distaste.

In an instant, he saw the girl glaring at him with a fierce expression; Li Muxian raised an eyebrow and said:

“What? Now that the expert’s gone, you want to take a swing at me?”

Hearing this, the cloth-clad elder beside them shook his head and said:

“Young master, don’t misunderstand—we have no past grudge and no recent quarrel; we won’t trouble you. But I’m curious: why are you traveling alone to Luoshen Peak?”

Li Muxian turned his gaze to the cloth-clad elder, then narrowed his eyes slightly and said:

“That’s a question I should be asking you. Earlier, you killed people from Luoshen Peak with such enthusiasm—anyone with eyes can see you’ve got some deep grudge against them.”

At these words, the cloth-clad elder and the pink-clad girl exchanged a glance; the elder then shook his head and said:

“If you won’t say, I won’t press further. Since we’re headed to the same place, we might as well travel together. Once we reach Luoshen Peak, we’ll go our separate ways and interfere with nothing.”

The pink-clad girl pouted, staring at Li Muxian and said:

“You talk in circles—you never make sense sometimes.”

“Still, after killing people from Luoshen Peak, you dare to climb Luoshen Peak yourself—your courage is truly impressive.”

Hearing this, Li Muxian sized up the pink-clad girl, then frowned suspiciously:

“You’re acting strange—sometimes you behave like a child, other times you speak like an old crone.”

“Don’t tell me you’re some ancient soul pretending to be cute—that’s just annoying.”

At these words, the pink-clad girl’s small face froze, then her brows shot up in fury as she glared at Li Muxian.

Simultaneously, her small hand reached into the tiny pouch at her side and groped around.

But in the end, she did nothing, withdrawing her empty hand.

“Hmph!”

“I’m not wasting my time on you.”

The pink-clad girl snorted, then snatched up the braised beef from her waist and bit into it viciously.

Li Muxian watched her for a moment, then shook his head and mounted his mule, riding forward on his own:

“Traveling together is fine, but don’t cause trouble or delay my journey.”

Watching Li Muxian’s back, the cloth-clad elder narrowed his eyes slightly; the girl beside him secretly sent a voice message:

“Can you tell if there’s anything off about him?”

“Nothing stands out—he has no trace of martial Qi, just like an ordinary person. But that’s precisely what’s strange.”

The cloth-clad elder shook his head gently and said:

“If he were truly ordinary, he wouldn’t be so carefree and unafraid—he must have some backing. We’ll maintain the status quo and avoid conflict with him.”

Hearing this, the pink-clad girl clenched her tiny fist and gritted her teeth:

“Grandpa, you heard him yourself—he’s so obnoxious! He said I’m ancient, I’m about to explode from rage…”

The cloth-clad elder glanced at the girl, his tone suddenly serious:

“He exaggerated, but he’s not entirely wrong. Small impatience ruins great plans—we still have far more important matters ahead. You’re no longer a child; you must act with greater composure.”

At this, the pink-clad girl shot her grandfather a glare, but soon she calmed, letting out a quiet sigh.

After a moment of silence, she said:

“Grandpa… can we really avenge them, just the two of us?”

The cloth-clad elder remained silent for a long while, then simply said:

“We’ll do our best.”

Then, a flash of sharp light passed through his eyes as he added:

“Along the way, I’ve overheard disciples from Luoshen Peak speaking—they say the Great Li court has begun moving against Luoshen Peak.”

“It seems heaven itself is aiding us. This is undoubtedly our chance. Right now, our most urgent task is to infiltrate Luoshen Peak by blending in with the Xishan Knife Sect.”

Hearing this, the pink-clad girl nodded slowly, her eyes filled with murderous intent:

“No matter what, I will avenge my sister and my clan.”

With that, she slapped the flank of her horse and continued following behind Li Muxian.

…

After another day of travel, as dusk approached, the Xishan Knife Sect finally arrived at “Bailian City” without incident.

Bailian City is the only route to the seventh peak of Luoshen Peak’s sect—Bailian Peak—and is a small town under the direct control of Luoshen Peak disciples.

No institutions of the Great Li court exist here—not even a local magistrate’s office. In truth, Luoshen Peak is the government here.

Throughout the hundred-li radius centered on Luoshen Peak in Lan Prefecture, all land is privately owned by Luoshen Peak. On this territory, Luoshen Peak is the true ruler.

The Great Li court sees this clearly, yet is powerless to act—forced to tolerate it.

In Bailian City, Great Li laws are ignored; everyone follows Luoshen Peak’s rules.

The scar-faced man of the Xishan Knife Sect bribed the city gate guards with silver; after a cursory inspection, the guards confirmed everything was fine and allowed Li Muxian and the cloth-clad elder—both also “belonging” to the Xishan Knife Sect—to enter the city.

This wasn’t because the guards were negligent—it was within Luoshen Peak’s direct territory, where no incident had occurred in decades. Who would dare cause trouble here?

Even now, as the Great Li court moves against Luoshen Peak, it’s uncertain whether they’ll even reach Bailian City. So even if some knew of the threat, they paid it no mind.

The fact that Bailian City remains bustling, utterly unaffected, proves the Great Li court’s actions likely mean nothing to Luoshen Peak.

The Xishan Knife Sect entered Bailian City and found a roadside eatery to rest, bathe, wash off the dust, and change into fresh, clean clothes.

Bailian City lies less than twenty li from Luoshen Peak’s seventh peak. These guests celebrating the anniversary couldn’t appear dirty and disheveled before the sacred peak’s disciples—they must be properly dressed, lest they offend the holy ones’ eyes.

This was also Luoshen Peak’s rule.

“Go wash yourselves clean in the back courtyard. Losing your life is minor—but don’t drag me and our sect down with you.”

The scar-faced man ordered his disciples, then turned to Li Muxian and the cloth-clad elder seated at the same table and said:

“Young Master Li and Elder, would you like a bath? I’ll treat you to a visit to the city’s ‘Baixiang Pavilion.’”

As he spoke, the scar-faced man lowered his voice, smiling ingratiatingly:

“The girls at Baixiang Pavilion are said to be even more radiant than those in the Imperial Court’s Teaching Bureau.”

(End of Chapter)