Chapter 150: A Chance Encounter with Injustice

His companions beside him echoed his words, and they all burst into laughter together.

Ruan Xing stood up abruptly, "The hour is late, fellow Daoists, I must be returning now."

"Don't leave yet, Junior Sister, we are all good people, we're just getting to know each other..."

"Since she does not wish to get to know you, why force it?"

Seeing the chaotic scene on Ruan Xing's side, the table to the front-right also noticed, and one person frowned, stood up, and spoke loudly to stop them.

Ruan Xing looked over; she hadn't dared to be too blatant while eavesdropping earlier, and she hadn't expected there to be several 'acquaintances' among them.

The person who spoke was none other than Cheng Bi, and sitting beside him was Cheng Shuo, along with two other people she did not recognize.

But judging from their conversation just now, one of them, called Senior Brother Qi, had parents who were both Peak Masters, and another was the nephew of Hall Master Jia of the Sect Affairs Hall.

Aside from Cheng Bi, the other three were all at the Golden Core Stage, and Cheng Shuo had just undergone his tribulation a short while ago.

Good heavens, they were all genuine second-generation cultivators.

Seeing Cheng Bi stand up, Ruan Xing felt much more at ease. She understood Cheng Bi's temperament to some extent; he could not stand to see others bullying the weak. With Cheng Bi helping her resolve this conflict, she would not need to worry about wasting this simulation.

Therefore, her eyes turned red, and she looked at the other party with a pitiful expression, silently pleading for help.

Cheng Bi immediately felt that he had been right to stand up.

The few male cultivators beside Ruan Xing looked at each other in dismay. They were able to spend money in the restaurant, so they naturally had cultivator elders in their families, but their families were simply not as powerful within the Sect as those of Cheng Bi and the others.

They recognized the second-generation cultivators, but the second-generation cultivators did not necessarily recognize them.

Thus, they laughed sheepishly: "It is nothing, we just saw that this Junior Sister was delicate and spirited and wanted to make a friend. Perhaps we were too enthusiastic and frightened Junior Sister, haha, Junior Sister, please do not take offense."

The male cultivator apologized to Ruan Xing, but his eyes revealed a hint of a threat, warning her not to speak nonsense.

Ruan Xing naturally acted as if she did not understand, passing by them with a pale face, hiding behind Cheng Bi, and looking at Cheng Bi with an expression of admiration.

Although she said nothing, it was worth more than a thousand words. Cheng Bi's sense of responsibility was already overflowing, and he comforted her, "Do not be afraid."

Senior Brother Qi leaned back against his chair, crossing his legs, and said nonchalantly: "Didn't you want to ask for her name? Before asking others, you should first state your own family background. Why not start by saying your name? You just said you were from Zhengyang Peak; I, however, was unaware that my mother had a disciple like you who is so 'friendly' to fellow sect members under her tutelage. When I return, I must certainly praise you more to my mother."

"No need... I would not dare trouble Senior Brother Qi. The hour is late, we shall take our leave first." The leading male cultivator's smile was somewhat strained as he hurriedly took his leave.

After the few of them left, Ruan Xing patted her chest in lingering fear and said gratefully: "Many thanks to you few fellow Daoists. I am new here and wish to join the Sect. Those few were all disciples of the Xuanbing Sect, and I could not afford to offend them..."

"It is just a small matter, no need to thank me," Senior Brother Qi said. "I actually know that person from earlier. His mother is my mother's junior sister. She is at the Golden Core Stage and does not have the qualifications to take on disciples, so out of respect for their sisterly bond, my mother accepted him as a Registered Disciple. His parents both work in the Law Enforcement Hall; they might look for trouble for you. Once you are assigned a peak, you must keep a low profile and not run around."

"She did nothing wrong, why should she hide from them?" Cheng Bi said with some disapproval, then asked Ruan Xing, "Fellow Daoist, what is your name?"

After speaking, fearing that Ruan Xing might misunderstand, he added as a remedy: "I am Cheng Bi of Chenshui Peak. If you do not wish to be disturbed by them, I can report your name to the Sect Affairs Hall. At the very least, on Chenshui Peak, they would not dare to act recklessly."

"Even if she were not on Chenshui Peak, they would not act recklessly," Cheng Shuo said in a deep voice. "It was merely a few offensive words. Once she enters the Sect, harming fellow disciples is a violation of the sect rules; they would not dare to lay a hand on her. Furthermore, do you even know who she is? To just bring her into Chenshui Peak like this—when will you ever change that soft-hearted habit of yours?"

"Senior Brother, she is just a Registered Disciple," Cheng Bi pleaded with some difficulty.

Cheng Shuo turned his head away in annoyance, "As you wish, go tell the Peak Master yourself later." Cheng Bi smiled happily and turned back to look at Ruan Xing.

Ruan Xing spoke timidly, "My name is Xing Ruanruan."

"Xing Ruanruan, good, I have noted it down," Cheng Bi said with a smile after reciting the name once.

After such an interlude, the group had no heart to continue their gathering.

Although cultivators do not distinguish between day and night and the restaurant would not close, it was already dark, and the group decided to return to their respective peaks.

Cheng Bi said to Ruan Xing: "Junior Sister Xing, shall I see you back?"

Oh no, it seems I might have pushed a bit too hard.

Her current persona seems very similar to the type of person Cheng Bi likes in the simulation.

But she absolutely could not let Cheng Bi see her back to the inn. Firstly, because Zhao Cheng was still in the inn, and Zhao Cheng wanted to find a cultivator to huddle together with for warmth; if he discovered she had latched onto a second-generation cultivator in the Sect, Zhao Cheng would no longer consult her about anything in the future.

Secondly...

Ruan Xing shyly declined.

She hurried back to the inn before taking several Storage Bags out from her sleeves.

These were the ones she had taken from those male cultivators using her Divine Ability. The Divine Ability required no use of Spiritual Power, so no one else had noticed.

Let this be a little interest for their harassment of her.

Ruan Xing's true cultivation was at the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage, while those male cultivators were all around the Foundation Establishment Mid-stage. She was a full major realm higher, and her Divine Sense was significantly stronger than theirs, so with a little effort, she wiped the Divine Sense imprints off the Storage Bags. It was just a pity that the Spirit Stones inside added up to less than one thousand.

Ruan Xing curled her lip. The two plates of fruit and the pot of Spirit Food wine she had ordered cost ten Low-grade Spirit Stones; a table full of them must have ordered several good items, which should have added up to dozens or hundreds. She hadn't expected that there wouldn't even be one thousand in their Storage Bags, yet they dared to eat hundreds worth of Spirit Food.

Even a mosquito is meat, no matter how small.

After putting away the Spirit Stones, Ruan Xing leaned on the bed, holding a bronze mirror in her hand, looking at her own face carefully and memorizing it in her mind.

The time for the Illusion Technique was about to expire; she had to remember this face so she could transform into an identical one tomorrow.

Once it completely expired, Ruan Xing turned back into that seven-year-old girl. She rolled over on the bed and decided to take a nap.

The next morning.

Ruan Xing rose from the bed feeling refreshed. Zhao Cheng next door had already left, and she did not know where he had gone.

She thought for a moment, transformed into the appearance of Wang Zhi, and went to the Black Market in Xianyuan City, where she sold the several Storage Bags and other miscellaneous items she had obtained yesterday at a low price.

She wondered if those male cultivators had discovered their Storage Bags were missing yet, and if they had guessed it was her who took them.

But even if they guessed, they had no evidence. Once she received her Sect Jade Token in the afternoon and became a disciple of Chenshui Peak, they would be even less able to do anything to her.

(End of chapter)