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“Are you worried I’ll stab you in the back, Senior Sister?”
Sui An smiled, making no effort to hide the wariness in her eyes. “I am. So I’ll have to trouble you to leave first.”
Wu Bin was stunned, not expecting such a simple and direct answer. His eyes flickered, and his expression darkened.
Immediately after, Wu Bin’s brow drooped, and he looked extremely aggrieved. “I don’t know what I’ve done wrong, or who has spoken ill of me, to make you think I would harm a fellow disciple, Senior Sister?”
Sui An narrowed her eyes, smiling without answering. She wanted to see what kind of person he was, to have the audacity to deceive even a blockhead like Yu Mufei.
Seeing this, Wu Bin immediately untied the storage pouch at his waist and threw both his sword and the pouch at Sui An’s feet. He had the appearance of a frank and open gentleman, which truly made Sui An admire him. He was a ruthless one.
[The Host’s master is single. This person wouldn’t dare do anything to you. He probably just wants to suck up to the Host and build a connection.]
She had seen more than enough of these flatterers before her rebirth. But there were truly not many who were as brazenly fawning as the person before her. Usually, people like this, who were unsuccessful in the outer sect, were desperate to seize every opportunity to climb up, yet they never corrected their mentality.
“Do you trust me now, Senior Sister?”
Sui An frowned and kicked the items back. “Instead of making such solemn declarations, it would be better for you to just leave first.”
Wu Bin looked down at the items at his feet. He clenched his fists and slowly squatted down to pick them up, forcing a smile. “For you to think of me this way, Senior Sister, it truly makes me feel terrible!”
His hands looked like those of a middle-aged man, the skin dry and wrinkled. The nails on his ten fingers were jagged, as if from being bitten.
Seeing this, Sui An took a step back.
He refused to leave even after she had driven him away and humiliated him like this. A person like him, who suppressed his inner self, if he were to erupt one day, she wouldn’t be surprised if he did something strange.
At this moment, another silver bell-like sound rang in the sky.
Hearing this, Sui An no longer had the mood to banter with this person. She turned, mounted her sword, and flew away at a low altitude, distancing herself from him.
Seeing this, Wu Bin anxiously bit his nails, his eyes fixed on Sui An’s back. He bit and bit, and when he couldn’t get any more nail, he bit into the flesh, drawing blood.
He tasted the sweet flavor.
A creepy smile instantly appeared on his face. He raised a hand to summon his sword, stepped onto it, and followed Sui An closely. His speed was extremely fast, and the distance between them visibly shortened.
[Host, that person is chasing you.]
Sui An looked back.
Wu Bin had already caught up. He still had the appearance of a dandy young master, smiling as he said, “Don’t misunderstand, Senior Sister. I just happen to be going the same way as you.”
It seemed this person was determined to follow her.
Sui An smiled but didn’t say much.
She boosted her spiritual energy, and her figure shot forward several dozen li1. Seeing this, Wu Bin bit his nails and followed her doggedly.
The two chased each other, weaving back and forth through the forest at low altitude. Sui An glanced back; the man’s face was tense, but he didn’t forget to flash a smile when he met her gaze.
“Let’s see how long you can keep up.”
Sui An was like she was treading on the wind, chasing the waves, like a fish in water. She had always been suppressed and beaten by Tan Yun in the past, so she was greatly enjoying this chase with an evenly matched opponent.
She glanced back again.
Wu Bin had fallen far behind. Seeing his strained expression, it was clear he couldn’t keep up with Sui An’s speed.
“This Yin-Yang Spirit Heart Art really has made my spiritual energy much more abundant.” Who on earth had gifted her such a powerful technique?
Sui An shook her head, suppressing this doubt.
Just as she was about to completely shake off the person behind her, in a forest not far away, a disciple holding a bundle of burning Golden Scent Grass was running towards her.
And behind that disciple were many Golden Spirit Beetles, as well as a group of fellow disciples who were chasing and brawling with each other.
Sui An didn’t want to get involved, but the disciple fleeing with the Golden Scent Grass was none other than Yu Mufei, and the fellow disciples chasing him numbered at least a thousand!
“Yu Mufei, you blockhead, stop running!”
“Stop, at least let us see if there are any marked beetles first!”
“Damn it, stop for what? There’s not enough to go around for so many people. I think we should just beat you all down first!”
Before long, another group of people started brawling. There were also two Foundation Establishment stage disciples who, relying on their higher cultivation, flew directly over the crowd on their swords, heading straight for Yu Mufei.
But as soon as they reached a high altitude, they were blocked by a flock of birds. Their vision was obstructed. They waved their hands, and before they knew it, their faces were pecked. Losing their balance, they failed to control their swords, and swayed like withered leaves as they fell to the ground.
Yu Mufei was panting from running.
The fellow disciples behind him were red-eyed with anxiety. At this moment, another silver bell rang high in the sky, causing them to lose all composure. Someone took the lead and threw a hidden weapon at Yu Mufei’s back!
“Duck!” Sui An exclaimed in alarm, raising a hand to send a fireball straight at Yu Mufei’s face.
Yu Mufei instinctively lowered his head. The fireball flew over his head, singeing a few strands of his upturned hair, and hit the hidden weapon. The fire exploded with a wave of heat, scaring all the Golden Spirit Beetles away.
“Get on!” Sui An flew to his side.
Yu Mufei was wary. “Who are you?”
Hearing this, Sui An grabbed the back of his collar and flew towards the north of the mountain. Yu Mufei was just left dangling, the collar choking his neck, causing his eyes to gradually roll back. He still held tightly to the Golden Scent Grass!
By the time the crowd came to their senses, the two were already gone.
“Did any of you see clearly who took Yu Mufei away?” one of the Foundation Establishment cultivators asked after straightening his appearance.
The crowd shook their heads. They had been too busy fighting just now to notice anyone else on the way.
“It was Senior Sister An who took him.” Wu Bin arrived on his sword and stood before the crowd, pointing in the direction Sui An had flown. “I was following behind Senior Sister the whole time and saw her take Yu Mufei in that direction.”
“There’s a teleportation formation there. Could it be that Senior Sister An has already found a Golden Spirit Beetle?” he asked, puzzled. “But why would Senior Sister An take Yu Mufei with her?”
Wu Bin smiled. “Perhaps they’re good friends.”
He shook his head. “Impossible. Senior Sister An has never been to the outer sect, and Yu Mufei just joined the outer sect. How could they have any friendship?”
“Could it be that Senior Sister An hasn’t found a Golden Spirit Beetle yet, so she took Yu Mufei?” another person guessed.
“That should be it.”
“And that Golden Scent Grass isn’t something you can find just by looking. Yet that blockhead Yu Mufei snatched it all up. And now he has Senior Sister An with him.”
The Foundation Establishment cultivator shook his head. “Forget it. I’d better hurry and find a Golden Spirit Beetle myself.”
Wu Bin smiled and said unhurriedly, “Find one? How? You should know there are nearly ten thousand fellow disciples in this trial, but only a hundred Golden Spirit Beetles. If one doesn’t have excellent luck, how can they compete with ten thousand people for one hundred spots?”
Seeing their ashen faces, Wu Bin grinned, seeming not at all worried about this situation. He added, “Or do you senior brothers and sisters think you have some extraordinary abilities?”
Hearing this, that person became furious. “Wu Bin, who gave you the guts to talk to us like that?”
Wu Bin lowered his head. “Senior Brother, that’s not what I meant. I know that all you senior brothers and sisters have your strengths and merits. If you become inner sect disciples one day, you will surely shine brightly. But the matter of luck is so ethereal. In past trials, there have been countless excellent disciples who, due to bad luck, were blocked from the Golden Core realm for their entire lives.”
Wu Bin looked up, his words full of temptation. “Senior Brother, a cultivator should be fearless. If an opportunity appears before you, you should seize it firmly.”
“Senior Brother, I think what Wu Bin says makes sense. Although Senior Sister An is the Sect Master’s disciple, we can’t lose our chance to enter the inner sect because of that!” one person chimed in.
That person was still hesitating.
Another silver bell rang, echoing through the sky!
“Senior Brother, there are less than a few dozen Golden Spirit Beetles left, but nearly ten thousand of us have yet to pass. If you don’t want to offend Senior Sister An, then I will go and snatch it myself.”
“I’ll go too!”
One by one, people anxiously agreed, proclaiming they would go and fight for it. Seeing this, Wu Bin revealed a triumphant smile.
“Stop arguing. Since we’re going to snatch it, let’s just all cover our faces. As long as we’re not seen, among ten thousand people, Senior Sister An won’t be able to tell who’s who for a while.” That Foundation Establishment cultivator took out a white cloth and masked his face.
Everyone followed suit, all covering their faces.
Sui An flew all the way on her sword. Yu Mufei still clutched the Golden Scent Grass tightly in his hand, and its lingering fragrance attracted all the Golden Spirit Beetles they passed to follow her.
Yu Mufei was being choked by the collar. He found it hard to breathe. He grabbed at his collar with his other hand, trying to get some air, but it was all in vain. He opened his mouth to shout, but his throat was squeezed painfully, and he could only let out a whimper.
He kicked his legs. He was going to die.
“I say, Yu Mufei, with so many people chasing you, don’t tell me you snatched up all the Golden Scent Grass?” Sui An said, looking straight ahead, not having noticed his plight.
She only felt Yu Mufei swinging back and forth. Puzzled, Sui An looked down and saw Yu Mufei rolling his eyes at her, his tongue sticking out, his face flushed red. For a moment, she thought she had run into a ghost.
She subconsciously let go. Smack! Yu Mufei fell onto the muddy ground. Due to the inertia, he rolled a few times, putting out the Golden Scent Grass in his hand!
Yu Mufei lay face down, motionless. He seemed to have stopped breathing. The way he lay there, completely still, gave Sui An a fright. She turned and landed beside him.
She said anxiously, “Yu Mufei, you’re not dead, are you? I’m sorry, I didn’t even notice.”
A Qi Refinement stage cultivator’s body was much stronger than an ordinary person’s. They could climb mountains, shatter rocks, and withstand beatings. But they could still be strangled, stabbed, or fall to their death.
After a good while, Sui An saw no movement from him. She slowly squatted down. Just as she reached out a hand to test, Yu Mufei lifted his head and coughed heavily.
His face was covered in mud. He turned his head, his eyes still half-rolled back, to look at her and coughed, “If you want to kill me… cough… you could have just given me a quick death.”
“I wasn’t trying to kill you.” Sui An helped him up and patted the dust off his body. “I was saving you. If it wasn’t for me just now, you would have been full of holes.”
Yu Mufei was confused. “Oh, thanks then. But who are you? Why did you save me?”
“I… my name is Sui An.”
Hearing this, Yu Mufei’s eyes widened. He was so scared he rolled on the ground, his gaze fixed on her, sizing her up warily. He seemed not to believe her. He asked again, “The Sui An who is the Sect Master’s personal disciple?”
She nodded and smiled. “Yes.”
Yu Mufei was stunned. His gaze was a bit dazed, looking as if his mind had gone blank, very wooden.
********
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Reika’s Notes:
- This text was translated by RudeGirl and given to BC Novels for publication.
- I helped with the footnotes, formatting, grammar, etc., the usual stuff that is needed to post this on the website.
- Please let me know if there are any errors. Thanks for reading!
This Wu Bei has future demonic cultivator written all over him. I really hope our MC and her friend will be able to get out of there safely.
I hope so, too!