Chapter 31: Brute

After the mission was completed, Chun Ling was sent to another sect; her future would now depend on her own destiny.

The five returned to the December Sect. Since it was a mission issued by the Sect Leader, they first headed to the Hall of Immortal Pursuit. Inside the hall were carved cranes, so lifelike it seemed they might spread their wings and soar at any moment. The Sect Leader, highly respected and senior, maintained the kind attitude of a benevolent elder toward her juniors.

She distributed the mission rewards to the five of them, finally saying, "Ruiqi, you stay behind."

As Zora walked out of the hall and looked back, she saw through the closing gap of the doors that Turi Qi and the Sect Leader stood opposite each other. The Sect Leader's smile had vanished, replaced by an air of absolute majesty.

Yiling Ke: "Why did she keep Senior Sister Turi?"

Song Zhihuai stared straight ahead: "I heard the Sect Leader intends to pass her position to her."

Yiling Ke: "Huh!?"

She thought about it for a moment and felt it was quite normal. If not Senior Sister Turi, then who? Turi Qi already held high prestige within the sect. Although some blind fools attacked her strength because she was the Sword Sovereign's disciple, they failed to see their own level; even veteran disciples would sternly silence new ones for gossiping about her. After all, Turi Qi's personal character was evident to everyone.

Zora caught a bit of the conversation.

Sect Leader? She didn't become Sect Leader in the original story.

Zora approached Vane and tugged on his sleeve, signaling for him to lead her with "Shrinking Distance." She pulled out a book, pretending to read, but in reality, her mind was on the original novel.

Vane glanced at her curved fingers gripping his sleeve. Lifting his eyes, he saw Yiling Ke wearing a strange, knowing smile, while Song Zhihuai gave a slight nod, expressing who-knows-what.

"..."

A sudden sense of oddity washed over him, leaving him uncomfortable as if ants were crawling on his skin. Vane immediately turned his head away and quickly pulled out a yellow talisman.

Zora searched through the parts of the original story involving the Sect Leader. In the novel, the Sect Leader of the December Sect was eventually killed directly by Chun Ling; there had been no mention in the early stages of an intent to hand the position to Turi Qi. Turi Qi's ultimate ending only came after enduring countless trials and tribulations; she earned the world's respect only after she and Lord Wanghua combined their swords to repel the tide of evil spirits.

For the female lead, the story followed a pattern of suppression followed by triumph, but the suppression was heavy. Lord Wanghua was born into a high position, while Turi Qi's talent was limited; she could never become the strongest. The male lead in the original was the absolute representative of power. Thus, it was usually the male lead tormenting the female lead, and any "torment" directed at the male lead was merely emotional; his status remained untouchable.

"..."

It took Zora a long time to find the passage hinting at a succession.

—

The scandal between the Sword Sovereign and his disciple had spread throughout the cultivation world. The Turi family, which relied on Turi Qi to establish itself in the mortal realm, was arrogant toward Turi Qi herself. The original featured a scene where the Sword Sovereign descended upon the Turi family to slap their faces while she was in a wretched state.

After Turi Qi returned to the sect, she stood in the Hall of Immortal Pursuit, heartbroken by her family's affairs. The Sect Leader's deep, discerning eyes watched her. Suddenly, the elder sighed as if giving up on something and waved her hand.

"Go back."

That must be the part. Originally, Zora wouldn't have remembered plot points unrelated to her mission, but after spending time with Turi Qi, she had instinctively looked it up.

The next moment, they used "Shrinking Distance." Due to his bizarre sense of awkwardness, Vane forgot the mandatory anti-dizziness pill. Consequently, the moment they arrived outside the Fallen Stone Forest, Zora was forcibly pulled back to reality by a wave of nausea.

Vane could endure it; he used the technique frequently. Zora could not, and she immediately bent over to gag. He instinctively pressed a hand to her shoulder and pulled out a refreshing medicinal balm, holding it under her nose.

Zora clutched the fabric at his chest, resting for a while before looking at him. "..."

"My apologies," Vane said. "I shouldn't have forgotten."

After a moment, Zora recovered and straightened up. She gave him a look. "Don't forget next time."

Vane gave a quiet "Mhm." For a moment, he noticed a few strands of her hair were slightly messy, curling against her cheek and making her eyes look even more rounded. The youth's fingertips twitched at his side, but he ultimately restrained himself and looked away, not overstepping his bounds.

Zora bid Vane farewell and entered the courtyard. Today, Zhou Shijin was drinking with another Immortal. The visitor was strikingly beautiful and was enthusiastically placing a small incense burner on the stone table, making strange hand gestures. A thin plume of smoke rose from the top, smelling wonderfully fresh.

"Back?" Zhou Shijin pointed to the person opposite her. "This is Immortal Shu Ning."

Zora: "Immortal Shu Ning."

Shu Ning did not look like her former elderly self; her current skin was incredibly youthful. She laughed at the greeting. "Zora, come, come, try my medicine."

"There's no need to use my disciple as a test subject," Zhou Shijin said with a smirk. "You'd be better off worrying about your family's mess."

Shu Ning’s smile vanished. She propped her face on her hand, looking irritable and dismissive. "Just a rabble."

Zhou Shijin signaled for Zora to sit. As she watched her disciple settle in, she reached out to tidy the messy hair near her ear and said to Shu Ning, "They're all causing trouble everywhere using your name."

"Hmph," Shu Ning let out a sound completely unbefitting a dignified elder, her features arrogant and untamed. "So I gave them a lesson. I thought about letting that one who entered the sect off—if he hadn't done anything wrong, I wouldn't have done anything."

A few days ago, the Shu family had been suppressed by Shu Ning's lightning-fast strike and was currently unable to save itself. A few members had desperately sent a letter to their kinsman in the December Sect, Shu Liang, hoping he would plead for mercy with the Sect Leader. Shu Ning had also gone to see this Shu Liang, only to find he had been reduced to a mere laborer. His meridians were blocked, and since he lacked the courage to undergo a marrow-cleansing reconstruction, his meridians had eventually truly wasted away. His path to immortality was severed. Unwilling to be kicked out, he had gritted his teeth and become a laborer in the Medicine Gate.

When Shu Ning found him, the man was in tears, claiming he had been harmed—that the Sword Gate disciples Vane and Zora had forced him to take poison. She saw through his lie instantly. Shu Ning had burst into laughter on the spot; she hadn't expected the person the family had spent so much effort to send in would end up in such a state. And so stupid, too.

Shu Liang had been stunned. "..." He hadn't realized that the people in the immortal world each had their own eccentricities; those who were truly pure and upright were few and far between. In the end, because Shu Ning knew he had stolen medicine, he couldn't even stay in the Medicine Gate; he was sent to the outer gate to clean up the corpses at the Heavenly Stairway.

Zora knew none of this. She listened with a serious face and asked, "The corpses on the stairway haven't been cleaned up yet?"

"Mhm?" Shu Ning hadn't expected that to be her first question and laughed loudly. "That's right. Although many things can be solved with magic, there are so many chores that it's impossible for high-level cultivators to do everything. They are busy with their own cultivation and missions. So those chores are left to the laborers, which makes it slow."

Zora nodded.

Shu Ning asked amusedly, "Aren't you going to ask about that Shu Liang?"

"No need," Zora recalled for a moment. "He is not as strong as me."

Both Shu Ning and Zhou Shijin burst into laughter.

Then Zhou Shijin spoke. "Since you are going to the Great Competition, stay behind for a month of seclusion. After all, the competition still has individual matches."

"Okay."

The days of cultivation passed quickly. Over two months, Zora worked with the other four, forming a solid team structure.

The Oracle summarized: [Host and Villain are DPS, Yiling Ke is support, the Female Lead is healer support, and Song Zhihuai is the roam/flex player—perfect! Let's see...]

It flipped through its data: [The Great Competition includes a secret realm phase. That early-stage true villain hates the male lead to the bone, so he tries to act flirtatious with the female lead to make the male lead jealous. Then he sabotages the competition to scatter everyone so he can kill the female lead, only for her to be saved by the male lead.]

The book didn't specify how the villain sabotaged things; it just cut straight to the "hero saving the beauty." Zora ignored it; nothing bad would happen anyway.

In the final month, Zora went into seclusion. One morning, as Vane was combing her hair, she said drowsily, "Oh, right. I'm going into seclusion for a month. You don't need to come tomorrow."

The youth's brow was clear, his lashes lowered as he stared at her soft black hair. At her words, his lashes merely fluttered. His hand paused for a split second before smoothly finishing the tie on her long hair. After a long silence, Zora wondered if he had heard her. Then came his calm response.

"Mhm. Understood."

After helping her with her chores, Vane walked out and met Zhou Shijin in the courtyard, leaning against a tree and teasing a bird. Zhou Shijin’s posture was lazy as she looked down at him with a smirk. "What is it? In a bad mood? I can help your Master resolve some 'youthful sentiments.'"

...Bad mood?

Vane wore a smile. "Immortal Zhou must be joking."

Zhou Shijin gave a light snort and stopped looking at him, teasing the bird's beak with her fingertip. "That's good then."

Vane withdrew his gaze and walked out of the Fallen Stone Forest, his smile having completely vanished.

A yellow talisman floated in mid-air but didn't burn for a long time. The youth stood still for a long while. There was a light breeze outside the forest; the three characters for "Fallen Stone Forest" were carved into a massive rock, behind which was a cliff where the wind occasionally howled. The wind brushed over the ground, and the black hem at his ankles moved slightly.

Naturally, if she wanted him to come, he came. If she wanted him to go, he went. Called when needed, dismissed when not—he had no control; everything depended on her words and thoughts. Although he had been with Zora ever since he left the Demon Realm, inseparable, seeing her every day, talking every day... The youth's dark pupils moved slightly. But between master and servant, being dismissed was the most normal thing, wasn't it?

With that thought, the yellow talisman finally ignited, and the youth vanished instantly.

"—Seclusion?!" Yiling Ke cried out, then pondered. "True, with Zora's talent and personality, seclusion is the best way."

Song Zhihuai cut in: "Wise words."

Turi Qi said worriedly, "No wonder I haven't seen Junior Brother Vane lately. I asked his Master, and it seems he's been out handling missions constantly."

Yiling Ke marveled, "A mission maniac. Truly terrifying."

Song Zhihuai found another opening: "Wise words."

Yiling Ke looked at Song Zhihuai, speechless. This man had said "wise words" countless times now.

Turi Qi smiled. "Senior Brother Song, shall we go on a mission together?"

He seemed slightly happy, though it didn't show on the outside; he simply agreed with extreme speed.

...

In the wilderness of a distant village, the scene was a mess. Severed limbs and mangled flesh were scattered everywhere; the gore of monsters and humans mixed together in a viscous tangle. The innocent villagers who had been rescued had long since fled in a panic. Only one person, who wanted to stay and thank the Immortal for saving his life, had been so terrified by the Immortal's methods that his legs gave out, and he was shivering uncontrollably.

Vane spun his spear, flicking off most of the blood. Then, he checked his meridians and dantian; spiritual power was flowing through his body, and his cultivation had risen. He was not suited for quiet, solitary meditation; instead, he was better suited for constant refinement amidst slaughter and blood, consuming his excess ferocity so he wouldn't run into trouble during cultivation.

His peripheral vision caught a blue ribbon tying the hair of a dead man. The youth's gaze lingered for a moment before moving away expressionlessly. On the surface, he seemed completely unmoved. Vane collected the evidence of the mission's completion into his storage bag, ignored the shivering man, and left light-footedly. After the "Immortal" youth left, a sudden blaze erupted on the spot; it didn't burn the plants but incinerated the corpses completely, leaving not even ashes. Long after, the man scrambled to his feet and stumbled back to the village.

At night, Vane slept in a tree; in his view, there was no need for an inn. He occasionally thought of Zora. Vane didn't have any intense emotions regarding this, only a slight, persistent sense of emptiness that eroded his heart. Even in the gaps of his busy schedule, he couldn't escape that person's existence; she followed him like a shadow. Perhaps it was because he had been with her ever since he left the Demon Realm; he was simply not used to it. He would be fine in time.

For an entire month, Vane lived in the wild, only returning to the Golden Wave Hall occasionally for Jin Chuyang's guidance. His comprehension was exceptional, and his progress was rapid. Even when alone outside, he broke through steadily and soon reached the Foundation Establishment stage.

By the time Zora emerged from her month of concentrated cultivation, he had lost count of how many demons he had slaughtered or how many people he had killed. The disciples in the main hall remembered him well. After all, who wouldn't remember someone who came to collect dozens of missions at once?

Vane also didn't know if he had finally gotten used to it. Rushing about every day, treading the lands beneath the December Sect, keeping himself intentionally busy—any occasional thought of Zora was a passing shadow, too fast to catch.

The day of emergence arrived. Those participating in the Great Competition were to head to Drunken Man’s Bay. Zora walked out of the Fallen Stone Forest, and Yiling Ke waved urgently. "Hurry, hurry!"

Turi Qi looked at her and said, "Junior Sister, you reached Foundation Establishment?"

Yiling Ke wailed, "So I'm the only one left!"

Only one?

Zora looked toward Vane, who hadn't spoken from the beginning. He met her gaze. She watched him for a while. In the past, he would have looked away or asked a question, but now he stared back with equal silence. His dark pupils were heavy and deep, enough to make one feel uneasy.

Zora smelled the scent of blood on him; it was very faint. "There's blood on you. You didn't clean it thoroughly."

He blinked as if snapping back to his senses, looked down, gave a small "Mhm," and used magic to clean himself once more. But perhaps because he had been soaked in the scent of blood for too long, Zora still felt a faint, lingering trace in the air. No one else noticed; only Zora, who was sensitive to blood, detected it.

She said nothing more and gave a yawn. Her state was exactly the same as before, as if the month-long separation had no effect at all.

Soon, the vessel sent by Drunken Man’s Bay to pick up the disciples arrived. It was a five-meter-tall giant bird. It landed with a boom and opened its massive beak, from which a stone staircase extended to the ground. Although it was a giant bird, it clearly wasn't enough to carry so many people. However, once they entered the bird's belly, they discovered a hidden world.

The creator had opened up a new realm within the bird's stomach: green fields and tall trees, as if they were in the vast wilderness. There were even clouds and flying birds above, with grand buildings standing among them. Everyone was assigned a room.

Vane first helped her organize her room. After a month, his movements hadn't grown rusty; instead, they had become even more proficient and meticulous. Zora watched with confusion. She felt Vane had become even more silent and sharp, like a polished sword edge.

"I'm going to see Senior Sister Turi," she said and walked out.

On her way to Turi Qi's room, she encountered a male cultivator who looked as gentle as jade. He smelled of fresh medicinal fragrance and was dressed in green robes with a jade belt—handsome and refined.

"..."

Her gaze fell on the golden peach blossom jade pendant at his waist. It seemed the villain from the original story always wore that; the book mentioned it repeatedly, saying he would finger the pendant when pleased. Guan Qianyi, the medicine cultivator from Floating Cloud Valley.

She had only watched for a second when Guan Qianyi turned around. He suddenly smiled. "You are Miss Turi's Junior Sister, Zora, correct?"

Zora stared at him without speaking.

Guan Qianyi: "I am Guan Qianyi. I have long admired Miss Turi's fame and heard that her team members are all paragons. Seeing you today, it is indeed so."

He was skilled at social interaction; if he could establish a connection with those around Turi Qi, his plan would proceed much more smoothly. At this thought, his smile deepened.

"Thank you."

After Zora gave a polite thanks, she remained silent. She was thinking about the Great Competition in the original story. Nothing major seemed to happen—the leads were fine, the villain Vane was fine, and the original didn't say what happened to the other disciples.

"..." Guan Qianyi’s smile began to falter. He looked at the girl's rounded eyes and continued to smile. "Miss Zora's appearance is like a

linu

(cat); it pulls at one's heartstrings."

"?"

What is a linu?

The Oracle woke up and said: [It's a cat!]

Cat?

Zora hadn't seen a cat either, but according to the Oracle, it was an animal that could be a person's pet, just like a dog.

But—

an animal?

Guan Qianyi gave a salute and left. Zora stared at his back, gauging his cultivation, until he vanished. She immediately entered Turi Qi's room and asked, "Can we ambush people here?"

Although that man's cultivation was higher and she might not win, she could ambush him.

Turi Qi was startled and said hurriedly, "Of course not! You'll be caught."

"Then can we have a formal duel?"

Zora had no interest in using her brain to solve the plot, nor did she care about the messy story. She couldn't even remember the fine details, so she generally didn't meddle too much. But that didn't mean she avoided the plot; Zora was used to doing things according to her own mood and thoughts. Moreover, since those plot points were unrelated to her mission, she was even more casual about them.

For example, right now, she just really wanted to fight him.

"Private fighting is forbidden on the bird-ship. You'll be discovered, and in serious cases, you could be barred from the competition." Turi Qi continued to shake her head. Seeing Zora's unhappy look, her brow even furrowed, she asked softly, "What is it?"

Zora: "Someone compared me to a brute."

Turi Qi also frowned. "Such a thing happened?"

The Oracle, having watched the whole thing: [............]