Chapter 72: Kill me? Try it and see

In the cramped room, there was nothing but a single bamboo cot, a small table, and a low stool.

There was no room left for anything else.

The other room was empty, with a landscape painting hanging on the wall and a meditation cushion placed on the floor.

Cultivators all pursue the Dao alone; they carry anything of value with them in their Storage Bags, so their dwellings within the Sect are meaningless to them—they are merely private spaces convenient for cultivation.

The range of a Spirit Gathering Array is only so large, so naturally, one must utilize the limited space to accommodate more people for cultivation.

If it weren't for the fact that Outer Sect Disciples have low cultivation and still need to eat, drink, defecate, urinate, and sleep, this bed would likely be considered superfluous.

Ruan Xing turned over to a comfortable position, preparing to begin a Text Simulation.

【Simulation in progress】

At age six, you entered the Xuanbing Sect and became an Outer Sect Disciple; you decided to cultivate diligently within the Sect and would never go out unless necessary.

In the evening, Zhao Fengchun came to your residence to find you, saying she was worried you weren't used to being in the Sect yet; since you also wanted to learn more about the Sect, you opened the door and let her in.

Subsequently, Zhao Fengchun took advantage of your lack of preparation and killed you.

【Simulation ended】

Damn it!! My ten points!

Seeing the few short lines of text appear, Ruan Xing wailed in her heart before she had even carefully read the content.

No, how could I still die after having already entered the Sect?

Is that brat Wang Zhi really that arrogant? As for why she didn't suspect Zhao Fengchun herself, it was because Ruan Xing had crossed paths with her many times in simulations; the other party was a complete, utter Qi Refining Fourth Layer airhead, and with her cultivation, it was fundamentally impossible for her to successfully launch a sneak attack.

According to what she knew, Wang Zhi's name and appearance were both disguises; Ruan Xing had seen his disguise in simulation memories no fewer than a hundred times and could never find any flaws—it was possible for him to disguise himself as Zhao Fengchun to kill her.

Then the question arises: the Zhao Fengchun from the daytime must be real, so how did that Demon Cultivator move about the Xuanbing Sect freely without a Sect Jade Token?

He must have a public identity.

Ruan Xing suspected Xie Huai immediately, because the first time she saw him, the way that person looked at her was very wrong.

Thinking about it carefully, many things could match up.

However, whether it was truly him or not, Ruan Xing still had to run one more simulation to confirm.

Listlessly choosing the memory, Ruan Xing looked through it once without obtaining any useful information, then immediately began a Real-scene Simulation.

"Zhao Fengchun" wouldn't come until the evening; she still had the whole afternoon to utilize. After pondering for a moment, she simply went to visit her neighbors.

Due to considerations regarding the utilization rate of the Spirit Gathering Array, the layout of the houses in the Bing-character Courtyard was very dense, with only a few winding paths for people to pass through.

The room on the left was unoccupied, and after the door on the right was knocked open, inside was a baby-faced youth.

He opened the door and saw Ruan Xing, a trace of confusion appearing on his face, "Is something the matter?"

"This Junior Brother, I am the one who just moved in next door." Ruan Xing raised a smile and offered a bottle of Gathering Qi Pills, "We are neighbors from now on, please take care of me."

The youth was perhaps encountering this situation for the first time; his face was full of astonishment, "No need, Senior Sister, I cannot take care of anything for you. People come and go in the Bing-character Courtyard; we won't be neighbors for very long."

The youth was clearly very tempted by the Gathering Qi Pills, but he still refused Ruan Xing; having said that, he prepared to close the door.

"Junior Brother, don't overthink it. I have always been a generous person; just consider it making a friend. It's a welcome gift from me, just keep me company and chat for a while." Ruan Xing held the door with one hand, and the youth's strength could no longer shake the bamboo door in the slightest. She wore a sweet, harmless smile on her face, "I only just joined the Xuanbing Sect today and am in need of a fellow disciple to explain things to me."

Ruan Xing's cultivation was higher than his; she appeared polite but her attitude was firm. Seeing he could no longer refuse, the youth muttered, "Then, then alright, Senior Sister, come in and speak."

The two entered the youth's room. His residence looked to have the same layout as Ruan Xing's, but it had an extra touch of life, and there was even a pot of tea on the table.

There was only one low stool in the room, so Ruan Xing sat on the youth's bamboo cot without ceremony. The youth poured her a cup of tea somewhat awkwardly, "What would Senior Sister like to know?"

"How long have you been in the Xuanbing Sect?"

"Three years."

Hearing this, Ruan Xing was somewhat surprised; wouldn't that mean she was from the same period as Zhao Fengchun? "Then do you know Zhao Fengchun?"

The youth nodded, "Zhao Shijie, I know her."

Ruan Xing wore an expression of listening intently. The youth paused and continued: "Three years ago, Zhao Shijie and I were both mortals brought in by other Senior Brothers. We attended the 'guiding Qi into the body' lessons together and had a few interactions, but we didn't have any close friendship. More than a year ago, she somehow got connected with Senior Brother Qin. Every time Senior Brother Qin went on a Sect mission, he would bring her along. Not only did her cultivation advance by leaps and bounds, but she also suddenly had many Spirit Stones and moved into the Yi-character Courtyard. After that, we haven't seen much of each other."

Hidden beneath the youth's dejected expression was a trace of jealousy that was difficult to detect.

Ruan Xing sighed inwardly; it seemed she had chosen a good residence. If she died tonight, then the neighbor youth who held hostility toward Zhao Fengchun would become the best witness. By then, if the Demon Cultivator fabricated a few pieces of physical evidence for the airheaded Zhao Fengchun, Zhao Fengchun would truly be unable to clear her name even if she jumped into the Yellow River.

The closeness of her and Zhao Fengchun being stuck together every day was something many disciples had witnessed. If the Demon Cultivator framed the two of them for the collapse of the Secret Realm and used the excuse of uneven distribution of spoils to say Zhao Fengchun launched a sneak attack—although it was a bit far-fetched for a Qi Refining Fourth Layer to kill a Qi Refining Ninth Layer, it was still a plausible story.

Or perhaps the Demon Cultivator didn't need to go to such trouble at all; he only needed to kill her, take her Storage Bag, and flee. It wouldn't matter if he abandoned his Xuanbing Sect identity.

But the premise for all of this was that they could find the Hanshan Ink Marrow on her.

She certainly hadn't brought such a critical item on her person.

Ruan Xing curled her lips, "Then what about Xie Huai? Do you know anything about him?"

"Senior Brother Xie?" The youth was stunned for a moment and shook his head, "Senior Brother Xie was already at Qi Refining Perfection when he entered the Sect last year. How could I possibly have the qualifications to get to know him? However, I have heard that his aptitude is excellent; he guided Qi at thirteen, and this year, at only nineteen, he is already about to reach Foundation Establishment. Moreover, he is handsome and has a gentle personality. The Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters who have teamed up with him on Sect missions all praise him endlessly; he is the cultivation partner candidate that all female cultivators in the Outer Sect dream of."

This was about the same as what she had learned at the entrance to the Secret Realm; it seemed Xie Huai was a Senior Brother recognized by the Outer Sect Disciples as a good person.

However, Ruan Xing had read too many novels; the more she heard others say such things, the more suspicious she found the other party.

This kind of character setting usually ends up turning into that kind of big boss.

"Alright, then do you know where he lives?" "Number 49, Jia-character Courtyard." The youth said decisively, "I often hear other Senior Sisters mention it, it can't be wrong."

Having asked what she wanted to know, Ruan Xing stood up and placed the medicine bottle on the table, "Many thanks for your cooperation, Junior Brother. Farewell."

After leaving this Junior Brother's small room, she passed through most of the Yi-character Courtyard to reach the area of the Jia-character Courtyard and found Xie Huai's residence, but unfortunately, the person was not in the room.

Ruan Xing left somewhat disappointed; after thinking for a moment, she turned and headed in the direction of the Sect Affairs Hall.

Meanwhile, at the Treasure Pavilion.

Xie Huai had just finished counting and recording the more than five thousand Spirit Stones collected from the Secret Realm into the inventory; after coming out of the storehouse, he went to the main hall of the Treasure Pavilion.

The old cultivator sitting in front of the counter saw Xie Huai, "Senior Brother Xie, why have you come back again? Is there anything else you forgot to explain?"

"It's nothing, I just suddenly remembered that Junior Sister Ruan likes peace and quiet, so I hurried over to tell you, Senior Brother. I haven't thanked you yet, sorry to trouble you, Senior Brother." Xie Huai smiled with a face full of apology.

"Sigh, what a small matter. There are plenty of empty rooms in the Bing-character Courtyard; moving someone to a place with fewer people is no trouble at all. It's you, actually taking such care of a Junior Sister who just entered the Sect—no wonder so many Junior Sisters in the Outer Sect like you." The old cultivator waved his hand and said half-jokingly.

Xie Huai's handsome face flushed slightly, and he looked a bit embarrassed, "Senior Brother is joking. Xie Huai is focused on cultivation and has no other thoughts."

……

Since it was a Simulation anyway, Ruan Xing had no scruples; she casually grabbed a few Outer Sect Disciples on the road to ask for directions and soon found the Sect Affairs Hall.

The Sect Affairs Hall managed a wide range of matters, and Ruan Xing was dizzy for a long time before she finally found the place to accept Sect tasks and collect rewards.

Although Qin Yi said he would personally teach her how to do Sect tasks tomorrow, there was nothing to do now, so she wanted to come over and learn about it in advance.

Sect tasks, like cultivation techniques, were divided into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Mysterious, and Yellow; however, anything above the Mysterious Grade intermediate level was not open to Outer Sect Disciples, as those were for Inner Sect Disciples to do, and their cultivation level was not high enough.

However, there were cases where some Inner Sect Disciples and Outer Sect Disciples worked together on the same Mysterious Grade low-level team task, though it was rare.

These tasks determined rewards based on grade, difficulty, and danger level; tasks issued by the Sect only had Contribution Point rewards, while tasks issued by individuals had all sorts of rewards, including Spirit Stones, Contribution Points, Pills, materials, and the like, and some even involved recruiting teammates.

Many tasks issued by the Sect were valid for a long time and did not limit the number of people who could accept them, such as recruiting disciples and teaching in the Outer Sect.

However, because these two had no danger, the Contribution Point rewards were not high, belonging to the type that was tasteless to eat but a pity to discard.

Ruan Xing looked around and didn't find any tasks that didn't require leaving but offered high returns; it seemed she could only rely on time to accumulate them slowly.

Seeing that it was almost evening, Ruan Xing went to the dining hall to get a food box to take back to eat, slowly waiting for night to fall.

The bright moon hung high, the mountain mist of the Xuanbing Sect never dissipated all day, and the brilliant moonlight spilled down, covering the entire mountain peak in a hazy, fine gauze.

Knock, knock——

The sound of knocking on the door rang out, and Zhao Fengchun's voice came from outside the door, "Junior Sister Ruan, are you inside?"

The Demon Cultivator has come... Ruan Xing braced herself and responded, "I am."

Opening the door, the two looked at each other and smiled. Zhao Fengchun said, "I guessed that you must be unaccustomed to coming to the Sect on your first day, so I came specifically to see you. Sure enough, you haven't slept yet."

Ruan Xing nodded with deep empathy, "Yes, I also guessed that you would surely be uneasy after seeing me and would definitely come to find me, so I was waiting specifically for you. Sure enough, you came."

These words were nonsensical, and Zhao Fengchun felt something was wrong, stunned for a moment, "What?"

"Xie Shixiong, if you guess what would happen if I shouted 'Help, there's a Demon Cultivator' right now, what would the result be?" The smile on Ruan Xing's face deepened.

'Zhao Fengchun's' eyes were uncertain, and after a long while, he suddenly smiled, "Junior Sister, stop joking. The Sect has strict investigations; how could there be a Demon Cultivator?"

"Who is joking with you? Xie Huai, Liu Bi, how do you want me to call you? Let's be clear: I know you are a Demon Cultivator. Even if you disguise yourself as an Array Cultivator, the Spiritual Power on you cannot deceive people. If you are detected, how will you continue to be an undercover agent in the Xuanbing Sect?"

'Zhao Fengchun's' expression turned gloomy, "And what kind of good person are you? You intercepted and took the Ink Marrow halfway; that I didn't kill you at the entrance of the Secret Realm was already letting you off. You still dare to come to the Xuanbing Sect and show off in front of me? If a scene is made, can your identity as an Evil Cultivator be hidden?"

"Ha?" Ruan Xing suddenly laughed happily, extending her small hand to unleash a strand of pure Spiritual Power swirling in her palm, "What makes you so sure I am an Evil Cultivator? I practice the Basic Qi Refining Mantra; no matter how it is tested, there will not be a second possibility."

"A truly good method." 'Zhao Fengchun' said with a sinister look in his eyes, "How exactly did you do it? You could see through my disguise at a glance, and where did you hide the Ink Marrow? I can't sense it at all."

"Don't worry about that. As for the matter of the Cold Mountain Secret Realm, we each rely on our own abilities; don't blame me if your skills are inferior. Now we are talking about another matter. If you want to kill me in the Xuanbing Sect, let alone whether you can finish me off silently, even if I were truly caught off guard and killed by you, I guarantee that the fact you are a Demon Cultivator would be known to the whole Sect the next day. Moreover, you would definitely not be able to get the Ink Marrow from me. How about it? Do you want to gamble on such a self-defeating act?"

Ruan Xing was calm and composed; she was certain that Xie Huai would not take action without absolute certainty. Xie Huai was insidious and cunning, and also extremely protective of his own life; he would not put himself in danger just to vent his anger for a moment.

Moreover, since the failure in the Cold Mountain Secret Realm, his long-standing arrogance and confidence had also been hit quite a bit. As could be seen from the simulation before last, he could actually be successfully bluffed; one only needed to exploit his suspicious nature.

If Xie Huai really acted impulsively... that was fine too, it was only one point, just come again next time.

'Zhao Fengchun' fell into deep thought, and after a moment, "Although you were prepared early and did not practice Evil Path techniques, the Ink Marrow is only useful to the Demon Sect and Evil Cultivators. Since you took the Ink Marrow, we can be considered half-comrades. As long as you don't expose my identity, I can temporarily not kill you."

"No, no, no." Ruan Xing shook one finger from side to side, "As long as you can bear the risk of your identity being exposed, you can come to kill me at any time; I welcome it. But as long as I am alive, if you want me to keep my mouth shut, that is another price."

'Zhao Fengchun' was somewhat annoyed, "What exactly do you want?"

Ruan Xing opened her mouth like a lion.

"First, I like this Magic Art of yours for disguise; teach it to me."

"Second, you have already reached Foundation Establishment anyway, so Contribution Points are useless to you; give them to me."

"Finally, do you have Spirit Stones on you? Give them to me."

"Liu! Bi!!" 'Zhao Fengchun' gritted his teeth and growled, "Do you take me for a fool?"

"Keep your voice down, is it something glorious?" Ruan Xing rubbed her ears, "It wouldn't be good if our neighbors heard us plotting these things."

Thanks to LemonNotSour1 for the monthly ticket~(End of chapter)