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At Yun Luoyi’s words, the man sitting at the table slowly raised his head from his meal. His ink-black eyes swept over her haughty expression.
Without uttering a word, he ignored the money pouch she’d thrown onto the table and simply returned to eating his rice.
As the cherished daughter of the Qingyun Sect’s leader, Yun Luoyi had always been pampered and adored—never before had she been treated with such blatant disregard. The day’s exhausting travels had already put her in a foul mood, and this dismissive act only stoked her irritation further.
Now, seeing an ordinary mortal without a shred of spiritual power daring to slight her, she flew into a rage. “How dare you ignore me when I’m speaking to you!”
The next second, Yun Luoyi slammed her palm down, splitting the table before the man cleanly in two. Plates and bowls crashed to the floor, their contents scattering into a ruined mess.
“You ungrateful, worthless worm! Do you have any idea who I am?” she spat, hands on her hips as she glared down at the seated man. “I am the daughter of the Qingyun Sect Leader! If not for us cultivators risking our lives daily to slay demons and monsters, how could powerless trash like you even sit here eating in peace?!”
The man still held his chopsticks, his gaze fixed on the ruined meal strewn across the floor. When he finally looked up at Yun Luoyi again, his eyes had darkened with unmistakable killing intent.
He rose from his chair, his towering frame nearly two heads taller than hers.
Yun Luoyi scoffed at his murderous glare. “What? You think you can lay a hand on me?”
Some measly mortal—did he really think she’d fear him?
“Hmph. So this is the famed upbringing of Qingyun Sect’s disciples,” Wen Xiangli suddenly remarked, breaking his long silence.
Hearing the voice, Yun Luoyi turned her head and spotted the group of five sitting nearby—including A Shang.
His words immediately ignited her fury. “Wen Xiangli! You’re the one with no upbringing! Did your mother never teach you not to interrupt others?”
“No, she didn’t,” Wen Xiangli replied coolly. “But she did teach me not to bark like a dog in public.”
“You’re calling me a dog?!” Yun Luoyi’s face flushed red with rage. “You—the eternal second-place loser—are the real dog! You’ve been trying to surpass Brother Yanzhi for years, but have you ever succeeded, you pathetic mutt?”
The label “eternal second” had always been Wen Xiangli’s sore spot. At her words, his expression instantly darkened.
Seeing his stifled anger, Yun Luoyi felt a surge of satisfaction. She crossed her arms and smirked at A Shang.
“Has your Immortal Sect really run out of disciples? To think they’d send a half-demon to hunt a mere snake spirit—how laughable!”
The moment the words “half-demon” left Yun Luoyi’s lips, all eyes in the room snapped toward A Shang. Shock rippled through the crowd—a half-demon actually practicing cultivation among them?
“Oh, wait—that’s not right.” Yun Luoyi’s gaze flickered between A Shang and Wen Xiangli, her lips curling into a mocking smile. “Why would the eternal second-place loser on the Heavenly Ranking bother with such a trivial demon hunt? Unless…” She covered her mouth in exaggerated realization. “Don’t tell me, Wen Xiangli—since you can’t surpass Brother Yanzhi, you’re planning to start with this half-demon to—”
Before she could finish, a sudden heat seared her lips, rendering her speechless mid-sentence.
Wen Xiangli lowered his hand, his voice icy. “If you don’t know how to speak properly, I’d be happy to teach you in your brother’s stead.”
“Mmph—mmph—!”
Yun Luoyi’s eyes bulged, but no matter how hard she strained, not a single coherent word escaped. Wen Xiangli had cast a silencing spell on her—one she couldn’t break, given his superior cultivation. With her brother absent, she was left utterly helpless.
Furious beyond words, she could only stomp her feet in impotent rage.
Meanwhile, the man whose meal Yun Luoyi had ruined observed the cultivators’ robes worn by Wen Xiangli and the others. His initial impulse to retaliate against her faded, and he slowly lowered his clenched fists.
His gaze lingered on A Shang for a long moment before he finally turned and walked away.
“Mmph—mmph—!”
Yun Luoyi, still silenced, tried to call after him but couldn’t utter a single word. Just as she moved to follow, the innkeeper blocked her path.
“Young mistress, you just destroyed our table. You’ll need to compensate for the damage.”
Glaring furiously at the waiter, Yun Luoyi could only fume silently. Her maid, Yu Xiao, hastily stepped forward and handed over the silver. “Where is our room?”
“Upstairs. I’ll take you there right away.”
In the end, Yu Xiao had to pull Yun Luoyi along as they headed upstairs.
Shen Xi’er watched their retreating figures and whispered, “I’ve always heard that the Yun family’s young mistress from Qingyun Sect was arrogant and domineering. Seeing it in person today, the rumors were clearly true.”
Xu Zhiyan sighed from the side. “Her father and older brother spoil her rotten. It’s no wonder she’s grown so willful. She’ll learn her lesson sooner or later.”
Hearing this, A Shang recalled Yun Luoyi’s fate in her past life—married off to a scoundrel, only to die in childbirth. The outcome had indeed been tragic.
“A Shang, are you alright?” Shen Xi’er turned to her with concern.
A Shang paused mid-bite and looked up. “Hmm?”
“Don’t listen to Yun Luoyi’s nonsense,” Shen Xi’er reassured, patting her shoulder. “I heard about what she did to you in the Sword Practice Hall. She’s just jealous you became Senior Brother Xie’s Daoist partner. So what if you’re a half-demon? Since when was there a rule saying half-demons can’t cultivate? You’ll prove them all wrong—that a half-demon can become a great cultivator too! And I, Shen Xi’er, will be the first to stand by you!”
“What happened in the Sword Practice Hall?” Wen Xiangli’s gaze sharpened as he looked at A Shang.
Shen Xi’er huffed. “What else? One of my senior sisters told me—Yun Luoyi forced A Shang into a sparring match. The difference in their cultivation levels was massive! How was that fair? After injuring A Shang, she even tried to slash her face! If her brother, Yun Lanci, hadn’t shown up in time, A Shang would’ve been in real trouble!”
Wen Xiangli’s eyes darkened, an unreadable emotion flickering in their depths. His hand, hidden beneath his sleeve, clenched into a fist.
A Shang felt a pang of warmth as Shen Xi’er clung to her arm, her face full of genuine concern.
A Shang: “I’m fine now. I was outmatched, but I’ll work harder to surpass her one day.”
Shen Xi’er: “Mhm! I believe in you, Shang Shang!”
A Shang chuckled softly, then accidentally met Wen Xiangli’s gaze across the table.
Just for a moment—before he swiftly looked away.
Was it her imagination?
Something about the way he had been staring at her felt… off.
“That man from earlier wasn’t right,” Wu Zhu’s voice suddenly echoed in their shared consciousness:
“I caught a whiff of demonic aura on him. He tried to hide it, but did he really think he could fool my nose? Please—who does he take me for?”
—
Cultivation World Mini Encyclopedia
Lin’an Prefecture
An institution under the celestial court’s jurisdiction, established in the mortal realm to oversee demon extermination. When local authorities encounter supernatural threats beyond their capability, they report them to Lin’an Prefecture, which then issues warrants to major sects for resolution.
The Prefecture’s Chief Commander is an enigmatic figure who has never appeared in public—no one knows his true identity. Rumor has it the bounty for his head in the Ghost Market has reached astronomical heights, yet no one has ever claimed it.