The Young Lady Only Wants to Cultivate Immortality Chapter 20

Unlike yesterday’s clear skies, today the entire back mountain was shrouded in mist. The thick, grey clouds seemed to press down on everyone’s heads, as if wind and rain could fall at any moment.

Everyone’s footsteps were hurried. By the time A’Ling regained her senses, Qi Leshan, who had been at the very front, was already out of sight.

The main group had already pulled away from her. Only the plain white figure ahead of her was no more than two arm-lengths away, trailing at the very end of the team just like her.

Her plain white skirt swayed smoothly around her feet as she walked, like layers of rippling water, a bit dazzling to the eye.

A’Ling frowned and pursed her lips. She felt that calling Shi Qingqian a ‘hanged ghost’ was truly no exaggeration; her steps were so light, as if she were floating, making it quite eerie.

Finally, A’Ling’s gaze settled on her equally eerily pale hand. That hand, loosely cupping a red date, seemed to exert no effort, yet her knuckles were like dangerous peaks rising from flat ground, as if there was only a layer of skin over bare bone.

A’Ling had only heard of mortals pursuing a delicate frailty, but she had never seen a cultivator who liked a figure that looked like it could be snapped with a light touch.

She really acted as if she was untouched by mortal dust. Eating so little normally made Aunt Sun constantly worry and feel distressed. It was all her own doing.

For someone who treated eating like a task, suddenly holding a red date in her palm, A’Ling couldn’t help but think it was more than it seemed.

That splash of red in her plain white palm reflected in A’Ling’s dark eyes, making A’Ling ponder if she had missed some information.

That Ferocious Beast, afraid of red dates?

A’Ling recalled the habits of the Ferocious Beast.

Most of these ferocious beasts lived in the Evernight Forest on the Sihuang Plains, a borderland between the Demon Realm and the Human Realm. They were inherently brutal and enormous. An adult Ferocious Beast could reach over six meters in height and nearly ten meters in length, weighing no less than ten thousand kilograms.

These beasts could stamp their feet and create a pit in the ground.

For ordinary people, facing them meant certain death.

Unlike other fierce beasts that hunted for food, Ferocious Beasts were called ‘brutal beasts’ because they were innately cruel and sadistic.

Generally, brutal beasts wouldn’t easily venture into the Human Realm. Only Ferocious Beasts seemed to have a particular fondness for humans, often leaving the Evernight Forest to slaughter in the Human Realm.

The border residents were constantly tormented, so the government stepped in, offering a substantial bounty year-round. A cultivator who hunted a Ferocious Beast could receive a reward of one hundred gold.

Elder Zeng, the head of Hongjian Academy, whether he wanted to generate income for the academy, train its cultivators, or perhaps kill two birds with one stone, would regularly send cultivators from the academy to hunt Ferocious Beasts.

Moreover, they had to be captured alive and brought back.

A’Ling inwardly exclaimed, This is three gains then! The captured Ferocious Beasts could then be used by the academy’s disciples for practical training.

In her previous life, A’Ling had participated in this activity at the academy, but back then, she didn’t know much about Ferocious Beasts. Later, after A’Ling fell to the demonic path, she had to pass through the Evernight Forest to leave the Demon Domain.

The number of Ferocious Beasts she had dealt with personally was at least eight hundred, if not a thousand. When it came to dealing with them, A’Ling had her own methods.

The most effective and effortless methods she had gradually discovered through practice.

The Ferocious Beast’s weakness was not in its hide or flesh, not even in its heart, but three inches above its navel, on its internal ‘air sac’.

Ferocious Beasts did not breathe using lungs like other animals; they relied on an organ that could store air, which A’Ling directly called an air sac.

This was also why Ferocious Beasts rarely left the Evernight Forest; they could not leave it for long periods, as only the air there was breathable for them.

Speaking of which, the aura of the Evernight Forest was indeed somewhat unique. A’Ling only realized after falling to the demonic path that demon cultivators suffered daily and nightly torment from their breathing, but when she passed through the Evernight Forest, she found that her breathing didn’t feel like she was inhaling strands of hair.

But it wasn’t comfortable either; it was a sensation of drawing in a countercurrent.

Normally, when breathing, the inhaled air flowed smoothly into the nasal cavity. But in the Evernight Forest, every breath you took felt like it was being pulled outwards, requiring a great deal of effort. Like sailing against the current, where a boat wouldn’t advance without two or three times the effort, breathing in the Evernight Forest was the same.

A’Ling took a deep breath and snapped out of her recollections. She had just felt so immersed that she began to have trouble breathing again.

Perhaps her exhale was too forceful, as she saw Shi Qingqian, ahead of her, stop. Her skirt swayed sharply like water before she turned, and Shi Qingqian looked back at her.

“What are you looking at!”

A’Ling’s heart burned with anger. If not for Shi Qingqian in her previous life, even her breathing wouldn’t have been painful. No matter what Shi Qingqian intended to do with that red date today, A’Ling wasn’t afraid. This time, she would definitely win.

She directly bumped past Shi Qingqian and chased after Gu Jingyang, who was ahead.

Shi Qingqian reached out to cover her elbow, which A’Ling had bumped. Watching A’Ling’s retreating back, that splash of vibrant green was as lively as bamboo in the grey-shrouded back mountain.

After A’Ling caught up to Gu Jingyang, she heard her talking to her teammates about the trial’s precautions, mainly reassuring everyone not to be nervous.

What a good child! A’Ling glanced back at Shi Qingqian, who was still floating along unhurriedly. Both are captains, look at the difference!

A’Ling wanted to directly tell her teammates about the Ferocious Beast’s weakness, but she also knew they might not believe her.

So she secretly told Gu Jingyang, hoping Gu Jingyang would tell everyone.

After Gu Jingyang finished listening, she narrowed her eyes and glanced back at Shi Qingqian, who was not far behind.

“Qingqian told you?”

No wonder, she thought. She had just seen A’Ling and Qingqian talking at the back. So A’Ling saying they would win meant Qingqian was actually going to go easy on them.

With a ‘thwack’, A’Ling slapped Gu Jingyang’s hand hard, turning the rosy, blood-filled back of her hand pale.

The sudden noise was too loud, and the disciples ahead all turned their heads. Gu Jingyang gritted her teeth and quickly displayed the back of her hand, saying, “It’s nothing, nothing, just a mosquito.”

Everyone looked suspiciously at the fuming A’Ling next to Gu Jingyang. Slapping a mosquito that fiercely?

She really has a bad temper, they thought, and quickened their pace, moving further away from A’Ling.

Gu Jingyang saw that no one was looking at them anymore. Only then did she cover her hand and accuse A’Ling, “If it’s not, it’s not, but it was a normal assumption for me! Otherwise, tell me, how do you know?”

Gu Jingyang saw A’Ling’s expression and knew she had guessed wrong. But if Shi Qingqian hadn’t told her, how did A’Ling know these things? She herself didn’t even know Ferocious Beasts had this characteristic.

A’Ling was still angry that Gu Jingyang suspected her of asking Shi Qingqian for help, but when she heard the question, she stumbled over her words a bit.

Fortunately, she reacted quickly. “I accidentally overheard Elder Zeng talking about it once.”

A’Ling deliberately spoke vaguely, and Gu Jingyang naturally misunderstood, thinking A’Ling had previously eavesdropped on Elder Zeng’s conversation with someone.

“So you think by knowing the Ferocious Beast’s weakness, we can win?” Gu Jingyang naturally connected this to A’Ling’s earlier confidence.

Although A’Ling had other preparations, she couldn’t tell Gu Jingyang, so she just let her assume this was the reason, and nodded.

Gu Jingyang really didn’t want to discourage A’Ling; in front of absolute strength, knowing these small shortcuts was useless.

Suppressing her true thoughts, Gu Jingyang smiled and went along with the topic, saying, “I’ll tell everyone. Let’s all cheer each other on, maybe we’ll win!”

A’Ling knew Gu Jingyang didn’t genuinely believe they could win this way. A’Ling didn’t explain further; they would see the result soon enough.

After Gu Jingyang told the disciples in their team, regardless of whether it would be useful in the end, at least everyone’s confidence was higher than before.

Upon reaching the Demon-Binding Cave, the teams automatically split into two groups: to the left was Gu Jingyang and A’Ling’s team, and to the right was Shi Qingqian’s team.

Qi Leshan stood in the center of the two teams and asked everyone to quiet down.

A’Ling looked over Qi Leshan’s head to the opposite side, and her gaze suddenly met Shi Qingqian’s in the air.

Both were exceptionally tall. Over the dense crowd of heads, they exchanged a silent gaze.

A’Ling’s eyes were full of eagerness. She could hardly wait to see Shi Qingqian’s defeated expression.

She hooked her lips into a smile at the other person, a smile that was both provocative and mocking, silently saying, “Just you wait.”

Shi Qingqian’s hand, hanging by her side, squeezed the red date in her palm. Her gaze rippled like a water surface stirred by a breeze.

“The rules for today’s competition are simple,” Qi Leshan announced. “Two teams, each with one Ferocious Beast. Each person in a team will make one attack. The team whose Ferocious Beast’s life color is paler at the end wins.”

Qi Leshan simply stated the rules. This trial happened monthly, and although newcomers arrived each time, they would have heard about it from previous participants, so he felt there was no need to explain too much.

“Are there any questions?” When Qi Leshan asked this, his gaze directly fell on A’Ling, with a hint of mockery in his eyes, as if he believed that if anyone here didn’t understand, it would be a fool like A’Ling.

A’Ling sneered inwardly. If it were up to her to explain, she could say it even more simply.

Isn’t it just one person, one strike, and see which team’s Ferocious Beast dies first?

A’Ling returned a brilliant smile, startling Qi Leshan.

Qi Leshan withdrew his gaze unhappily. “Don’t just stand there grinning,” he said. “Although these Ferocious Beasts are restrained by beast-binding chains, there’s no complete guarantee of no danger. If something unexpected happens, don’t be so scared you can’t move.”

“If any unexpected situation arises, run to the secret passages on either side,” he continued. “Wait for me to handle the danger before coming out.”

“Alright, now, brace yourselves,” he concluded. “I’m about to open the cave entrance.”

After Qi Leshan finished speaking, everyone’s gaze turned to the tightly shut entrance of the Demon-Binding Cave. After Qi Leshan activated a spell incantation, the cave entrance emitted a heavy rumble and slowly began to open upwards.

As soon as the entrance opened, the low roar of a Ferocious Beast emerged from within. Many of the previously eager disciples froze, not daring to move forward.

When the entrance was fully open, after seeing the scene inside, many disciples covered their mouths, looking greatly shocked.

Not to mention them, even A’Ling, seeing the Ferocious Beast up close, couldn’t help but feel a jolt in her heart.

The hideous beast stood before them like an iron tower. Its dark, thick hide was like copper skin and iron armor, and its massive form was like towering mountains, indestructible.

Its dark blue eyes burned with fury, and the protruding horns on its forehead were a captivating, blood-red.

For a moment, all the newcomers, except A’Ling, were still.

A’Ling stepped half a pace forward and saw clearly: the horns of the two Ferocious Beasts before them were the same color.

A’Ling guessed why Elder Zeng could think of using Ferocious Beasts for the competition: it was precisely because of the Ferocious Beasts’ unique horns.

The Ferocious Beasts’ life force could be directly observed from their horns.

The redder the color, the more vigorous the life force. Typically, the horns of a prime adult Ferocious Beast were crimson; if injured or old and weak, the color would fade.

The two Ferocious Beasts used for today’s trial looked to be in their prime; their horns were a deep, rich red.

“One attack per person, any method. The team whose Ferocious Beast has lower life force at the end, wins. If there are no questions, let’s begin.”

After Qi Leshan finished speaking, he slowly retreated to the side, allowing the two teams to discuss their attack order.

It was Zhao Diqing’s first time seeing such a terrifying beast, and her legs trembled. She certainly didn’t dare to go first, so she stepped back a bit.

Seeing this, others also quietly retreated. Eventually, they all retreated to Shi Qingqian’s side.

None of them wanted to go first, and finally, they all looked at Shi Qingqian.

Shi Qingqian spoke. “Go one by one, according to the order you were chosen on selection day.”

Hearing this, a flicker of joy appeared in Zhao Diqing’s eyes. On that day, she was the last one chosen. She secretly glanced at Shi Qingqian, wondering if it was intentional or unintentional—probably unintentional.

She didn’t even know her…

Zhao Diqing’s briefly happy mood plummeted to rock bottom.

Like the first newcomer who had to attack, her face was filled with melancholy.

The newcomers on Gu Jingyang’s side were also terrified. Every single one of them hid behind, not daring to be first.

“I’ll go first.” Gu Jingyang usually took the first turn when no one else dared to step forward.

Firstly, to set an example. Secondly, to deal with the fierce beast before them; crippling this huge creature would make the others less afraid.

Gu Jingyang chose to use a spell attack. She picked up a blank talisman paper, activated her spiritual energy, and with fingers flying across the blank talisman paper, completed her inscription in one fluid motion.

“Arrow!”

With a loud shout, the talisman paper burst into silver light in the air, and a sharp ball of light, like a keen arrow, shot directly towards the Ferocious Beast.

A’Ling instantly held her breath. When she saw the talisman-arrow accurately strike three inches above the Ferocious Beast’s navel, she finally let out a heavy sigh of relief.

As she exhaled, the colossal beast opposite let out a cry of agony, and the color of its horns instantly faded from crimson to vermilion.

The attacked Ferocious Beast struggled violently. Its thrashing body made it difficult for the people behind to aim at the Ferocious Beast’s weak spot that Gu Jingyang had told them about.

One after another, either with swords or spells, except for Gu Jingyang, who was the first to attack and caused visible damage to the Ferocious Beast, the subsequent attackers seemed to merely tickle the Ferocious Beast.

After everyone had made their moves and only A’Ling remained, the color of the horns on its forehead was only slightly paler than after Gu Jingyang’s attack.

Gu Jingyang, however, showed no disappointment. This was already the expected outcome.

She looked at A’Ling, who hadn’t yet attacked, and said with a smile, “A’Ling, don’t be nervous. Just do your best.”

The people on Gu Jingyang’s team, seeing that only A’Ling was left, couldn’t help but look collectively towards the other side of the cave.

Shi Qingqian’s side was at a similar stage; currently, only one person had yet to attack.

However, the last person on their side was—Shi Qingqian.

The people on Gu Jingyang’s team all sagged their faces. No hope left.

After Gu Jingyang saw that the remaining person on the opposite side was Shi Qingqian, she went to observe their opponent’s Ferocious Beast.

After the first nine people on their team had attacked, the Ferocious Beast’s horn color was still crimson.

The skill level of this batch of newcomers is really a bit disheartening.

Although the opponent’s Ferocious Beast’s horns were still crimson, Gu Jingyang knew that with Shi Qingqian’s ability, the Ferocious Beast’s horns would at least be light red, if not paler.

Sure enough, Shi Qingqian, seeing that everyone else had finished their attacks, launched her final strike against the Ferocious Beast.

The Ferocious Beast’s throat was pierced through by her sword in a single strike. Its massive body struggled for a moment before crashing to the ground, causing loose stones on the cave walls to fall with a rustling sound.

Everyone collectively looked at the Ferocious Beast on the ground. They saw that it was no longer as fierce as before, already on its last breath. The color of its horns rapidly faded, eventually becoming as pale as peach blossoms.

Gu Jingyang nodded. This is Shi Qingqian’s usual standard, neither holding back nor going all out.

She retracted her gaze and looked at A’Ling, who was also observing Shi Qingqian’s Ferocious Beast.

“A’Ling, don’t worry about it,” she said. “This is a team competition; everyone just needs to do their best.”

As soon as she said this, the others in the team found it difficult to say anything. Although the last person to attack was A’Ling, the outcome of the competition was decided by everyone. They had messed up in the middle, so they couldn’t blame the last person.

Shi Qingqian’s team, after their initial shock, collectively cheered.

“We won, we won!”

The cheers echoed throughout the cave, relentlessly drilling into A’Ling’s ears.

Qi Leshan led the applause. “Qingqian is truly amazing!” he exclaimed. “The Ferocious Beast’s hide is harder than iron armor, yet she pierced it with a single sword!”

The admiration in Zhao Diqing’s eyes was like a burning flame. The person she liked was truly too outstanding.

After Qi Leshan finished speaking, he was about to hand the brocade box in his hand to Shi Qingqian.

“This is the prize for winning this trial competition,” Qi Leshan announced. “It’s the Qi-Gathering Primordial Pill, personally crafted by Apothecary Yang Xia. Consuming it can aid in Core Formation. There are ten pills in total, one for each person in Qingqian’s team.”

Shi Qingqian did not reach out to take it. Her gaze remained fixed on that vibrant green figure.

The people beside her had already begun to jump and cheer happily.

“Yay, we won!”

“Qi-Gathering Primordial Pills, I’m getting a Qi-Gathering Primordial Pill!”

“Thank you, Shi Qingqian! Thank you, Cultivator Qí!”

Suddenly, waves of piercing cries of agony came from inside the cave, powerfully overwhelming the cheers. Each cry was louder than the last, and the sound was extremely grating, so sharp it seemed to pierce eardrums and burrow into one’s brain.

What was screaming so miserably?

Qi Leshan couldn’t help but cover his ears, his face contorted in pain as he looked for the source of the sound.

On the other side of the cave, the people from Gu Jingyang’s team, each with wide eyes, pointed at the Ferocious Beast on the ground, answering their confusion.

Qi Leshan looked in the direction they were pointing. The Ferocious Beast of Gu Jingyang’s team had somehow also fallen to the ground, its body violently heaving, letting out those piercing cries of agony.

And…

Qi Leshan saw that the color of their Ferocious Beast’s horns was fading at a visibly rapid rate.

Soon, the cries of agony stopped. The Ferocious Beast on the ground visibly lost its vitality little by little, lying motionless on the ground.

It looked like it was dead…

Qi Leshan: !!!

“What happened? Who killed this Ferocious Beast?” Qi Leshan looked around every corner of the cave with full vigilance, worried that someone else had slipped in while they weren’t paying attention.

“It was her, she killed it.”

A round-faced girl with long eyelashes from Gu Jingyang’s team widened her eyes and loudly pointed a trembling finger at A’Ling.

Qi Leshan frowned. “What kind of joke is this!”

He didn’t believe it at all. Instead, he looked suspiciously at Gu Jingyang. Had Gu Jingyang made another attack when he wasn’t looking?

Gu Jingyang had just been shocked by the power of the talisman A’Ling had used, and had been slow to react, only regaining her senses when she heard her teammate shout.

The moment she regained her senses, she saw Qi Leshan’s suspicious gaze.

“It was A’Ling.” Gu Jingyang met Qi Leshan’s gaze with complete frankness. She had seen it with her own eyes; A’Ling had killed it.

Only, she was very puzzled. How could that talisman have such power?

“Impossible!” Zhao Diqing failed to control her emotions and blurted out her true thoughts in excitement. Seeing everyone look at her, she quickly forced a smile, feeling a bit awkward, but still insisted on her opinion. “I mean… A’Ling, she… she just reached Foundation Establishment…”

A’Ling looked towards the speaker. Zhao Diqing always liked to speak this way, saying half and leaving half unsaid, leading people to think of the suspicious half.

Sure enough, someone quickly agreed. “Exactly, how could a Foundation Establishment cultivator have such strength?”

Gu Jingyang’s usually smiling face lost its expression. Her entire aura instantly shifted from a warm spring to the deep winter chill. She ignored the others and only looked at Qi Leshan.

“Cultivator Qí, do you not believe what I said?”

Qi Leshan felt a wave of frustration. Gu Jingyang was clearly determined to lie for A’Ling, and he didn’t want to directly confront Gu Jingyang. After all, the Gù family also had a reputation among the outer sect.

“Of course I believe you, but with so many people and so many eyes here, my belief alone is useless.”

Zhao Diqing followed up, “Gu Jingyang, have you been deceived? A’Ling, she—”

“Silence!”

“It was her.”

Two voices rang out simultaneously from two different corners of the cave.

Qi Leshan was close to Shi Qingqian. He immediately looked at Shi Qingqian, who had just spoken. He hadn’t misheard, had he?

Shi Qingqian looked at A’Ling on the other side of the cave. A’Ling was also looking back at her.

“She killed it, using a spell.”

After Gu Jingyang had just shouted ‘Silence!’, she was about to take out evidence. When A’Ling made her move, she had secretly taken out a Cosmos pearl, wanting to record it.

Seeing that Shi Qingqian had spoken, she probably wouldn’t need her evidence anymore.

Indeed, after Shi Qingqian spoke, Qi Leshan, Zhao Diqing, and the rest of her team all fell silent.

They all knew that Shi Qingqian and A’Ling didn’t get along, and she wasn’t on the same team as A’Ling, so there was absolutely no need for her to lie for A’Ling.

So, A’Ling really killed that Ferocious Beast?

A’Ling coolly watched Qi Leshan and his group. Although she didn’t know why Shi Qingqian had suddenly spoken, she certainly didn’t think it was speaking up for her; it was just stating a fact.

“How about it? Any more doubts now?” A’Ling lifted her chin, looking at Qi Leshan.

Qi Leshan’s expression was grim. But now that both Shi Qingqian and Gu Jingyang had said they saw A’Ling kill it, he had no choice but to believe, even if he didn’t.

With a stiff expression, he glanced at the two Ferocious Beasts on the ground. Clearly, Gu Jingyang’s team had won.

“I announce that in this trial, Gu Jingyang’s team is victorious,” he stated. “The prize is ten Qi-Gathering Primordial Pills.”

Gu Jingyang resumed her usual gentle smile, as if nothing had just happened, and took the prize from Qi Leshan’s hand with a smile.

She immediately opened it and distributed one to each person on the spot.

The people in Gu Jingyang’s team were overjoyed. To be honest, they were still reeling from the shock of A’Ling defeating the Ferocious Beast in one move, but now, suddenly receiving the Qi-Gathering Primordial Pills, they instantly stopped bothering to question how A’Ling, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, could kill a Ferocious Beast.

Only Gu Jingyang questioned the reason when she gave A’Ling her Qi-Gathering Primordial Pill.

“Didn’t I tell you about the Ferocious Beast’s weakness?” A’Ling replied. “Your initial attack already shattered its air sac. I just added a bit more, and without air to breathe, it had to die, didn’t it?”

Gu Jingyang suddenly understood. So her initial attack had already caused the Ferocious Beast’s air sac to ‘leak’.

Qi Leshan was filled with exasperation and left after handing out the prizes. Shi Qingqian’s team, having lost, also didn’t want to stay and watch their opponents rejoice, so the cave instantly emptied by more than half its occupants.

The people from Gu Jingyang’s team, having received their rewards, were eager to share with their friends and quickly left as well.

Gu Jingyang and Shi Qingqian customarily stayed behind to deal with the two Ferocious Beasts on the ground.

Today was a bit special; Shi Qingqian spoke up, saying she would handle it alone.

A’Ling happily pulled Gu Jingyang away. As they walked, she said proudly, “See? I told you to remember today. We were definitely going to win against Shi Qingqian.”

Gu Jingyang nodded with a smile. Although she felt the win was a bit inexplicable, regardless, they had indeed won.

She needed to write this down. When her mother returned, she had to tell her all about it.

Shi Qingqian watched their retreating figures. She pressed the mechanism on the wall, closing the cave entrance, and slowly walked to the Ferocious Beast that A’Ling had killed, squatting beside it.

Her palm against the Ferocious Beast’s forehead, she used her spiritual energy to sense its interior.

Sure enough…

Shi Qingqian had been watching A’Ling all along. She had clearly seen the talisman she drew; that was the Star-Chasing Moon-Pursuing Talisman.

Or rather, it couldn’t entirely be called the Star-Chasing Moon-Pursuing Talisman; it only resembled it, as A’Ling had reversed the order of the last two strokes for the star and moon.

Shi Qingqian had originally thought A’Ling had simply misremembered the drawing method for the Star-Chasing Moon-Pursuing Talisman. Before examining the Ferocious Beast’s corpse, she could even have argued that it was an accidental effect due to a lucky coincidence.

However, judging from the damage caused to the corpse on the ground now, A’Ling had clearly aimed for the Ferocious Beast’s internal air sac.

That reversed stroke she drew in the talisman was precisely able to seal the air passage, causing the Ferocious Beast to be unable to breathe.

On the other side, Gu Jingyang needed to go to the teaching hall to speak with her cultivator mentor about something. She suggested A’Ling wait for her, and her carriage would take her back.

A’Ling politely declined. She planned to send the Huo family’s carriage away before Shi Qingqian came out.

The two parted ways. One returned to the teaching hall, the other went to the academy entrance.

Gu Jingyang had only walked a few steps when she heard someone call her from behind.

It was Shi Qingqian. She handled the Ferocious Beast corpses in the cave that quickly?

How strange. There was actually a day Shi Qingqian would actively seek her out.

“Is something the matter?” Gu Jingyang asked with a smile.

Shi Qingqian nodded. “Did you just use a Cosmos pearl to record the Ferocious Beast’s final strike?”

Gu Jingyang raised an eyebrow, looking at the serious-faced Shi Qingqian before her, and asked with some doubt, “Why? You want to see?”

“Mm.”

Shi Qingqian actually didn’t deny it. Gu Jingyang was utterly shocked, then quickly pulled out her Cosmos pearl and shoved it into Shi Qingqian’s hand.

“Here, take it, take it, have a good look,” she urged. “Our A’Ling is also very talented in spellcraft.”

She had also wanted to say, ‘The more you understand, the more you’ll like A’Ling,’ but before she could open her mouth, Shi Qingqian took the item, said thank you, and turned to leave.

“Hey—” Gu Jingyang didn’t even have time to call out Shi Qingqian’s name before the white figure had already vanished.

Was she that eager to watch? Gu Jingyang was a bit puzzled. She had originally wanted to suggest they watch the scene of her cleaning her bell together sometime; that was quite beautiful too.

At the academy entrance, A’Ling was in a standoff with the Huo family’s coachman. She wanted to leave Shi Qingqian behind and return first, but the coachman insisted on waiting for Shi Qingqian. No amount of threats or persuasion worked.

A’Ling gave up. She decided to wait for Gu Jingyang instead, and have her send her to the south of the city. She would custom-order her own carriage and hire an obedient coachman!

Just as she was about to step out of the carriage, she bumped directly into Shi Qingqian, who was just entering from outside.

“Are you blind? In such a hurry to reincarnate?!”

A’Ling was already seething with anger, and seeing it was Shi Qingqian made her even more furious. She swung a punch, but her attacking hand was suddenly seized by the wrist.

A’Ling, along with the sudden jolt of the carriage, plumped down onto the seat, her arms swung straight up above her head.

The scene looked exactly as if she were begging Shi Qingqian for mercy. She was about to curse this vile person for her filthy mind, but then she saw the other person release her hand, their face solemn.

A’Ling’s words caught in her throat. She watched as Shi Qingqian conjured four talisman papers, formed hand seals, and sent the talismans flying to the four corners of the carriage. Emitting golden light that connected from one spot to the next, it instantly formed a square frame of golden light, enclosing them within.

The entire carriage instantly plunged into darkness. When it brightened again, plum blossoms adorned the window, and embroidered screens were draped with brocade curtains.

Spatial transfer?

An alarm blared in A’Ling’s mind. She widened her eyes, her pupils trembling as she looked around the quiet room at Shi Qingqian, who was sitting opposite her.

“What do you want?!”