Xiaoqing had inherited a rather good body. It possessed a single water spiritual root, which the cultivation world recognized as the mark of a genius. Cultivating took her half the effort it demanded of ordinary people. On top of that, the supporting woman’s family showered her with spiritual herbs and pills as though spirit stones cost nothing.
Good natural talent, generous resources, and Xiaoqing’s own hard work had allowed her to reach the first level of Foundation Establishment at sixteen—her current age. It was not an achievement without precedent, but it certainly made her an outstanding young cultivator. The sect valued her highly.
Xiaoqing was quite satisfied with both the body and her present circumstances. Aside from the disastrous ending awaiting her, things were still going fairly well… probably.
*Treasure life. Stay away from the cannon-fodder eldest senior brother and the almighty heroine. Refuse to follow the plot for the next hundred years!*
No sooner had she made this firm decision than a message talisman arrived from her eldest senior brother. He asked her to meet him at an inn to discuss an urgent matter—one that supposedly concerned the sect’s very survival.
*As long as you take the heroine and elope, the sect will never be in danger. Trust me.*
Xiaoqing’s mouth twitched as she considered the message. Gritting her teeth, she flew by sword to Yuelai Inn. That establishment appeared so often in modern martial-arts films and television shows that seeing it survive all the way into the cultivation world felt like a remarkable evolution.
But where was the promised crisis threatening the sect’s survival?
More importantly, where was her eldest senior brother?
Xiaoqing swept the inn several times with her spiritual sense but found no trace of him. She had no choice but to wait.
Cultivators no longer needed ordinary food after reaching Foundation Establishment, nor did they need to relieve themselves afterward. Still, under the waiter’s eager gaze, Xiaoqing casually ordered a jug of Peach Blossom Drunk and a few pastries. She tossed him a low-grade spirit stone, propped her chin on one hand, and listened to the surrounding gossip out of boredom.
Most of it was supposedly “inside information” about the cultivation world’s seven great sects. The stories amused her at first, but an entire afternoon slipped away before she realized it. She had stuffed herself on snacks, yet her eldest senior brother had not shown so much as a shadow.
At last, a junior sister from their sect took pity on her.
“Eldest Senior Brother left early this morning to gather spiritual herbs with Li Li. Senior Sister, are you sure he asked to meet you today? Could you have remembered the time wrong? Perhaps he meant tomorrow?”
The junior sister was clearly offering her a graceful way out. She gave Xiaoqing’s shoulder a sympathetic pat, her eyes saying everything her mouth did not.
*I understand…*
*Understand, my foot!*
Even if he was with the heroine, she could not forgive him for playing such a trick on her!
Fuming, Xiaoqing flew her sword back to Shuangji Sect, the sect to which she now belonged.
She never imagined someone could be bored enough to wait at the entrance just to make her day worse.
“Move,” Xiaoqing said.
“Oh, you won’t admit it? I told you Eldest Senior Brother would never be interested in an ugly woman like you. Give up. You’re wasting your effort.”
Cheng Yun was another of the sect’s celebrated prodigies, and she had always disliked Xiaoqing. Ever since they became inner disciples, the two had competed over their master, resources, and favor. Now they could add a man to the list.
When one of the disciples who fawned over Cheng Yun told her that Eldest Senior Brother had stood Xiaoqing up, Cheng Yun had resolutely abandoned her cultivation session. She had come all the way to the gate for the sole purpose of blocking Xiaoqing’s path and mocking her.
If Xiaoqing were not certain that Cheng Yun loved Eldest Senior Brother, she might have concluded that this young woman was deeply, hopelessly in love with *her*.
Xiaoqing rolled her eyes. “Move.”
“No. First tell me—were you terribly upset just now? Did you want to cry? Did it feel as though everyone under heaven had treated you unfairly?” Cheng Yun, who understood very little about tact or human relations, pursed her lips. “All right, stop looking at me like that. Here I am, kindly trying to comfort you, and instead of weeping with gratitude, you glare at me. Your eyesight must be awful. Why else would you fall for an old, ugly, hypocritical narcissist like Eldest Senior Brother?”
“Aren’t you the one hopelessly in love with him? You even followed him around and watched him like a pervert. Don’t bother denying it—I saw you last time. You. Shameless. Voyeur.”
Apparently, Eldest Senior Brother was simply that irresistible.
Cheng Yun’s cheeks turned crimson. She gritted her teeth. “I did no such thing! That was a misunderstanding. I wasn’t following Eldest Senior Brother.”
“The entire sect knows about it, and you’re still making excuses? Haven’t you heard that an explanation is merely a cover-up? Shameless voyeur!”
Having unloaded all her pent-up frustration onto the girl, Xiaoqing felt wonderfully refreshed. She flashed a dazzling smile, waved, and said, “Goodbye!”
Only after Xiaoqing disappeared from sight did Cheng Yun murmur, “I wasn’t watching him. I was watching you… You stupid, idiotic Lin Xiaoqing.”
Xiaoqing did not hear her. Another sect disciple, one who happened to excel at concealing their presence, did.
