Chapter 102: Elder Xu's Hidden Treasure

After a flurry of chaos, the fairy finally accepted the fact, though she still stubbornly insisted, "I will never be the Supreme Elder of this Demonic Path sect."

The Demon Lord sneered, "You are a wicked entity yourself now; if you don't take the position, do you expect to return to Dongzhou? So many years have passed; even if your sect still exists, would they acknowledge a wicked entity as their grand-ancestor?"

The fairy said silently, "I never thought I could go back."

A few years after she died, when her residual soul could no longer hold on and was about to dissipate, she did not refuse the Demon Lord devouring other things to help her extend her life; she was no longer that pure disciple of the Mysterious Grade Sect. Regardless of Ruan Xing, she would feel ashamed for herself.

"But, in my heart, I still consider myself a disciple of the Mysterious Grade Sect. I will still follow the sect rules and moral principles of the Mysterious Grade Sect. I will keep following you and watching you; if your disciples do anything cruel for the sake of cultivation, I will kill them without hesitation."

"Suit yourself. Anyway, those disciples are all Ruan Xing's people; I'm just killing time for fun," the Demon Lord said indifferently. He leaned close to the fairy's face, his tone teasing, "Of course, you are welcome to keep watching me; it would be best if you never left my side."

Seeing the fairy's face turn red and then pale, she angrily flicked her sleeves and left, while the Demon Lord laughed heartily.

Ruan Xing could not enter the boundary, so she could only watch the fairy go, then asked the Demon Lord, "You wouldn't be intentionally teaching them some cultivation methods that require murder and arson, would you?"

"Do I look like that kind of person? My Devouring Method is called Five Qi Eating Thoughts. Humans possess five qi: greed, anger, jealousy, hatred, and desire. With so many mortals here, it is a very suitable hotbed for cultivation," the Demon Lord said with a light laugh.

Five Qi Eating Thoughts.

Indeed, the mortals here did not live well; most lived in dire misery every day.

Ruan Xing was actually quite lucky. She was born in a relatively prosperous city, and this city was temporarily stable due to the gang formed by Hongtou Daoren. Although her family structure was not great, at least she did not suffer from hunger or lack of clothing.

This cultivation method was very suitable for this place.

Soon, Hu San brought her someone who could sense Qi.

"It's just... there is one thing, the antidote only has two months left," Hu San said, looking troubled.

This person was Xu Can.

Ruan Xing still remembered that in one simulation, Hu San wrote to tell her that Xu Can had already begun taking the imperial examinations.

This kid was truly like a blade of grass struggling in a rock; he would seize any opportunity he could get, working extremely hard.

The poison in Xu Can's body was easy to solve; among low-grade pills, there were some universal detox pills that could certainly resolve mortal poisons. However, Ruan Xing did not have any on hand for the moment, and she was too lazy to find materials to open a furnace of pills just for Xu Can.

Moreover, mortal poisons did not have much effect on cultivators. As long as Xu Can could cultivate to Qi Refining Layer 3 within two months, he could tough out the poison flare-ups without dying. Once he reached Foundation Establishment, he would undergo marrow cleansing, expelling the impurities and remaining toxins from his body.

"It doesn't matter." Ruan Xing explained a few common-sense facts about the world of Cultivation to Hu San, then said, "Set a deadline for him; he must reach Qi Refining Layer 3 within two months. If he fails, then it is simply his fate."

Hu San was surprised for a moment, then replied in the affirmative.

Both he and Ruan Tao had started cultivating from the Basic Qi Refining Mantra, and it took them half a year to reach Qi Refining Layer 3. Asking Xu Can to reach that level in two months sounded a bit unreasonable.

But Ruan Xing did not think so. Demonic cultivation methods were inherently faster than standard cultivation, the environment was so suitable, and coupled with Xu Can's own temperament, achieving this result was not a fantasy.

"How have those two been doing lately?" Ruan Xing asked next.

Since entering the boundary, the Demon Lord and the fairy were almost never seen, occasionally appearing out of nowhere to say a few words to her before disappearing again.

She could not enter the boundary herself, and the gang was full of mortals; she couldn't keep an eye on them even if she wanted to.

Only Hu San and Ruan Tao had more contact with them. After all, they were their nominal masters. After the fairy passed on her inheritance to Ruan Tao, Ruan Tao was now at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. She was like a blank slate regarding the cultivation world and had almost completely reshaped her worldview, so she often followed the fairy to humbly seek advice.

Hu San thought for a moment and said, "It seems there are no problems. The fairy is with the Demon Lord every day, and there have been no abnormalities in the city."

Hopefully, the two of them could truly behave themselves inside the boundary.

With their combined strength, they were likely not afraid of the National Preceptor currently on duty at the National Teacher Palace. It was just that the Demon Lord was interested in the Boundary Tree beneath the National Teacher Palace, so he likely wouldn't act rashly for the time being.

Ruan Xing gave a hum, took out two Transmission Talismans, and gave them to Hu San, "Keep these. If there is urgent news, use your Spiritual Power to activate them and send me a message; I will receive it very quickly. I shouldn't be staying for many more days and will leave soon; I will take Sword Lai with me then."

The weather had been nice these past few days. Early spring was usually a time of cold and rain, but Ruan Xing hadn't encountered any rain or snow these past few days.

The tent Sword Lai set up for her was also very thoughtful; the fabric was soft and light, and the tent was shaded and well-ventilated. She had been recovering from her injuries for five or six days, eating Healing Pills and circulating her energy for several cycles each day before lying lazily in the soft bedding. She could return to the Xuanbing Sect in another two days.

It would likely be a long time before she had a chance to see them again after leaving this time, because she was going to the Central Province.

"Yes, Miss." Hu San replied, then added, "Should I bring you the silver the gang has saved up tomorrow? The surplus is about eighteen thousand taels."

When Ruan Xing first started cultivating, she was quite concerned about the annual profit of ten or twenty thousand taels from the Red Head Gang. But she hadn't expected her cultivation speed to be so fast; in less than a year, she was already at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. Excluding her previous expenses in the town, she now had over two thousand eight hundred Low-grade Spirit Stones in her hands and didn't care for this bit of silver at all.

"You keep it. Use this silver to find more young boys and girls who have Spirit Bones and can sense Qi. Once they reach Qi Refining Layer One, make them swear a Heart Demon Oath to never betray us. Among those people, if there are any that the Demon Lord or the fairy take a liking to, let them teach them. Just one thing: the pills I gave you are only for you and my sister; do not give them to anyone else." Ruan Xing paused and said, "Also, if the Demon Lord and the fairy really cause some trouble and they can't handle it... you and my sister use the Earth Escape Talisman I gave you, leave the boundary immediately, find a town to stay in, and send me a message. Remember, no one else and no property is as important as your lives. As long as you are alive, those worldly possessions don't matter if they are lost."

Hu San nodded solemnly, then subconsciously rubbed the brand-new Storage Bag at his waist.

After two more comfortable days of recuperation, her injuries had finally recovered by nearly eighty percent. Summoning Sword Lai back and packing up the tent, Ruan Xing said, "Let's go."

Sword Lai crouched down to pick up Ruan Xing and activated the Ghost Escape Technique to shuttle through the passage.

Actually, she could already fly on her sword herself, but she was just a bit lazy and didn't want to move.

Sword Lai's speed was very fast, and his Yin energy seemed inexhaustible. After running rapidly through the passage for three or four hours, Ruan Xing woke up while yawning lightly to find they were already outside the mountain gate of the Xuanbing Sect.

"You stay outside and hide; I'll go in myself," Ruan Xing said.

The Xuanbing Sect had been having one incident after another, and it was a sensitive time; she didn't want Sword Lai to go in and leave any traces that might be discovered.

It was quite taxing for Sword Lai to use the Ghost Escape Technique while carrying someone, but he consumed almost nothing while maintaining his concealment state alone. He had always been like this, staying in the hidden space for twelve hours a day as if he had disappeared, quiet and not coming out unless called.

He obediently sent Ruan Xing out of the passage. Ruan Xing looked at the somewhat desolate mountain gate, summoned her Flying Sword, and flew up.

When cleaning up the battlefield at the town restaurant, she had retrieved her Sect Jade Token, otherwise, she wouldn't even be able to fly to the Main Peak now.

For some reason, she felt the Main Peak was much colder upon her return this time. Perhaps it was because the Golden Terrace Secret Realm had ended, and many cultivators who didn't like staying on the mountain had left to travel. After thinking for a moment, Ruan Xing went to the External Affairs Hall first and found Wu Xing.

She feigned curiosity and asked, "Senior Brother Wu, I haven't been in the sect lately; has any major event happened that I don't know about?"

Wu Xing gave a bitter smile, "Compared to the Golden Terrace Secret Realm, it's not a major event, but it is more troublesome and difficult to deal with."

"What exactly happened?"

"Elder Xu has suddenly disappeared," Wu Xing said in a low voice. "You've been in the External Affairs Hall for a few months, so you should know that almost all matters in the sect, large and small, pass through Elder Xu's hands, including the Treasure Pavilion distributing monthly stipends to disciples, as well as the income from the Mine and the taxes from the various towns in our jurisdiction."

Elder Xu's corpse was still in her Storage Bag, but did Elder Xu's disappearance have such a big impact on the sect? She asked, confused, "So?"

Wu Xing shook his head and sighed, "So, the Spirit Stones handed over from the Mine at the beginning of the year and the taxes collected at the end of last year are all with Elder Xu. And Elder Xu didn't say he was going into seclusion, nor did he say where he went or what he was doing. Now even the Sect Master doesn't know Elder Xu's whereabouts. The Treasure Pavilion is almost out of Spirit Stones; it's currently relying on the ticket sales from last year's Cold Mountain Secret Realm to hold on. If we still can't contact Elder Xu, the Outer Sect is fine, as they can basically be self-sufficient with sect missions, but the Inner Sect probably won't be supplied."

What? Ruan Xing's pupils shook violently.

Elder Xu had privately hoarded many Spirit Stones?

But that wasn't right; she had cleaned up the battlefield very thoroughly. She had retrieved the Storage Bags of those people, especially the Storage Bags of Elder Xu and that Golden Core cultivator in the black hat. She had checked them very carefully, and there weren't many Spirit Stones or valuable items inside.

Could it be that he hid them in his residence on Elder Peak? But now that no one in the Xuanbing Sect knew Elder Xu was dead, no one would dare to search an Elder's room.

Perhaps she had a chance to strike it rich.

Ruan Xing was no longer in a rush to find the Sect Master; she hurriedly said goodbye to Wu Xing and went back to prepare for the Simulation.

To test the waters first, she opened the Real-scene Simulation and flew on her Sword toward Elder Peak.

She did not know where Elder Xu lived, but based on the location of Xu Sixi's residence and by observing the grandeur of the dwellings, she quickly found a few likely spots.

She was just about to sneak in, but unfortunately, there was a protective Formation inside the residence.

Ruan Xing thought about it; since this was a Simulation anyway, she used a Thunder Fire Talisman to forcibly dismantle it, though the noise might attract the attention of other Personal Disciples on the peak, so she had to hurry.

Perhaps because Elder Xu himself held a transcendent status in the Xuanbing Sect of Nanzhou, he might not have changed the Spirit Stones inside the protective array for a long time; Ruan Xing detonated a few Thunder Fire Talismans and successfully exhausted the Spiritual Power of the Spirit Stones in the protective array, breaking inside.

First, she roughly scanned the place with her Divine Sense, looking for any secret chambers or storage-type Dharma Artifacts, but she found nothing.

This residence seemed to have been unoccupied for some time, as the furnishings inside looked somewhat crude; Ruan Xing guessed that this might have been the residence of some Elder in the past, but it was now empty.

Giving up on this place, Ruan Xing intended to check the other two locations, but just as she stepped out, she was spotted by a Personal Disciple.

"Why are you here? Was it you who just broke into the Elder's courtyard?"

The disciple asked in astonishment upon seeing Ruan Xing.

Ruan Xing did not answer; she turned and hurriedly headed in another direction.

The disciple chased after her, and just as Ruan Xing was planning to take out her Mask Artifact to transform into someone else and muddle through, she suddenly discovered that the courtyard next door had no protective array! Her heart leaped with joy, and she ducked inside.

The disciple seemed not to have realized that she was bold enough to trespass into an Elder's residence, and while shouting for others, he chased off in the direction she had first headed.

The furnishings in this courtyard were even more rustic, yet it had a bit more of a lived-in feel.

"Don't people say hello before coming in these days?"

A slightly aged voice sounded behind Ruan Xing, and she was startled, turning her head to look.

She hadn't seen clearly before because it was blocked by tree branches and withered leaves; there was actually someone living in this courtyard. Ruan Xing walked forward two steps and saw an old man with a white beard lying on a lounge chair, holding a fishing rod in one hand, though the place he was fishing in was a large vat, and he was raising water lilies in it.

Isn't this Elder Wen, who kept dozing off while supervising the Jin Tai Dao Discussion that day?

Ruan Xing bowed respectfully and said solemnly, "This disciple greets Elder Wen."

"Oh, Ruan Xing." Elder Wen seemed to have heard of her; he rubbed his temple with his finger, then flicked his finger, and a bamboo leaf landed in front of Ruan Xing.

Facing the bamboo leaf that suddenly appeared before her face, Ruan Xing did not perceive any sign of its arrival and was startled into taking two steps back.

What does this mean? Is this old man going to kill her with a bamboo leaf just because she trespassed into his courtyard?

Why would he do that? He is only at the Golden Core Stage, after all.

However, she was still in a Simulation; even if she died this time, she would only lose some points, so she wasn't afraid.

But the old man didn't seem to have that intention and just said, "Guests are welcome. Here is a gift for you; go play by yourself and don't disturb my fishing spot."

Why would you need to bait a fishing spot when you're fishing in a fish tank... Ruan Xing suppressed the urge to retort, reached out and caught the bamboo leaf, but no matter how she looked at it, she couldn't see anything special about it, so she couldn't help but ask, "Elder, how do you use this treasure?"

"Hmm... you can brew tea with it, or blow on it for fun, whatever you like."

Ruan Xing was speechless. So... this is just an ordinary bamboo leaf...? The current number of votes received is

First: "Others Cultivate, I Simulate; I Don't Reason with Anyone"

Second (Original Title): "Why Be a Vicious Supporting Female Character When You Can Cultivate?"

Third: "Simulating Endless Dead Ends, Seizing a Glimmer of Immortal Opportunity"

Other babies in the comment section have suggested 11 and 12, which you can also vote for.

Thanks to book friend 20221003001229907 for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to book friend 20190927135209710 for the monthly ticket~ Thanks to FANYG for the monthly ticket~ (End of chapter)