Chapter 3

It was clearly too late.

Ji Shu, lying on the bed, watched the little girl beside him enthusiastically tucking him in.

The girl had no inkling of Ji Shu’s tangled emotions, likely assuming he had merely gone out for a stroll.

“…Sister, are you really not the Snail Girl? Where did you get all these things from? Yesterday, I checked your Mustard Seed Pouch, and none of this was there…”

“I stole them.”

Ji Shu turned his face away irritably.

Of course, the items weren’t stolen. Last night, after his injuries had slightly improved, he had sneaked into the shops at the Immortal Market, leaving Spirit Stones behind as payment.

But even he thought his actions were absurd afterward, so he would never let Peng Peng know.

Yet, the girl’s peculiar logic still managed to twist his words into what she wanted to hear, her face immediately lighting up with deep emotion:

“I knew it! Sister, you truly care for me so much. Don’t worry, once I buy paper and ink, I’ll definitely write you a marriage certificate!”

“…You should worry about your own life first.”

No sooner had he spoken than a group from the southern courtyard of the Gongyi residence arrived outside the door.

“Gongyi Peng! Get out here—!”

With that furious roar, the already rickety wooden door was kicked open, and several children around ten years old barged in.

The leader was the youngest, a boy of about eight or nine. Raised in luxury from birth, he bore none of the signs of malnutrition that Peng Peng did. Even at his young age, he had striking features—arched brows and bright eyes—clearly destined to be handsome.

Peng Peng recognized him.

By blood, he was technically her cousin.

But their statuses were worlds apart. Ordinarily, Peng Peng had no interaction with this nominal cousin, having only glimpsed him once during the New Year’s family banquet and knowing his name in passing.

Gongyi Lang, on the other hand, had an equally faint impression of his cousin Gongyi Peng.

The Gongyi family was a sprawling Cultivation Family, with no fewer than fifteen or even fifty children of the same clan being raised under its roof. He had no time to pay attention to each one individually.

However, yesterday, while visiting a Magical artifact shop, he had run into the young masters of the Yin and Qi Families. These two had always been at odds with him, and this time, they openly mocked him, claiming they had seen the youngest girl of his family scavenging for slop to eat. They even taunted, “If the Gongyi Family can’t afford food, why not just say so? Even our dogs never go hungry.”

A proud scion like Gongyi Lang had never been so humiliated in his life.

Spotting Peng Peng, he demanded sternly:

“—Gongyi Peng! I’m asking you—was it you who was picking through slop at the Immortal Market’s eatery yesterday?”

“No.”

Gongyi Lang’s eyes widened. “How dare you lie!”

“I really didn’t eat slop. Leftovers only become slop after they’re dumped into the slop bucket. If they haven’t been dumped yet, how can you call them slop?” Peng Peng spread her hands innocently.

“…Sophistry! What’s the difference between leftovers mixed together and slop? Isn’t it just as disgusting?!”

Gongyi Lang roared threateningly:

“Anyway, you are forbidden from scavenging for leftovers outside again! Otherwise, I’ll make sure you learn that not only is there a hierarchy in food, but also among people!”

With that, a surge of energy rippled around Gongyi Lang, and accompanied by a flash of green lightning, a long whip materialized in his hand.

Behind the window lattice, Ji Shu narrowed his eyes.

A mutated Spirit Root of the thunder attribute.

This bratty kid’s behavior seemed like cannon fodder from a storybook, destined to be defeated by the protagonist, but his strength was anything but weak—he could easily be called the cream of the crop among his peers.  

She alone had no chance of handling him.  

Yet, after hearing Gongyi Lang’s words, Peng Peng’s eyes lit up—  

This was the vibe!  

This was exactly how the villains destined to be beaten up by the protagonist talked in the stories!  

Before anyone around could react, Peng Peng suddenly turned and dashed into the house. Under the bewildered gazes of Ji Shu and Qiuqiu, she draped herself with jade bottles, pendants, rings, and manuals, clinking and clattering as she adorned herself.  

When she returned, her entire aura had transformed.  

“People starve, people die—next time I’m hungry, I’ll pick up food again! If you have the guts to stop me, bring it on!”  

Gongyi Lang’s temper flared instantly.  

“You little—”  

“A Lang, A Lang, calm down!”  

His so-called friends quickly grabbed hold of him.  

“A Lang… isn’t there something off about this girl?” someone muttered in confusion. “She’s not even scared of your Goose-Winged Gilded Whip. Could she have some hidden trump card?”  

The others nodded in agreement.  

Not only was she unafraid—she even looked excited.  

Ji Shu: “…No, you’re all overthinking this.”  

But Gongyi Lang actually did calm down a little upon hearing this.  

Though only eight years old, as the son of the Gongyi family’s patriarch in Pingchuan, he had seen plenty of the world. If someone remained unshaken in the face of a formidable opponent, there was only one explanation—  

Could this eccentric little cousin of his actually be some hidden master?  

Just as Gongyi Lang hesitated, Qiuqiu flew out from the house and landed on Peng Peng’s shoulder, whispering nervously into her ear:  

“Young Master, this boy’s cultivation is no joke—I can’t beat him either. Maybe we should just run for it.”  

Gongyi Lang heard every word clearly.  

Of course. Gongyi Peng was only five years old, orphaned and without a master—how could she possibly be some hidden expert?  

But before he could even sigh in relief, the little girl across from him declared with absolute confidence:  

“Fear not! With my Seven-Colored Glazed Spirit Spring Space Jade Pendant, my Magical Little Green Bottle, and the lost-for-centuries Ancient Immortal Cultivation Manual, a mere Gongyi Lang is nothing but easy prey!”  

Gongyi Lang and his friends: !!!  

Perhaps Peng Peng’s expression was too convincing—even Qiuqiu, who had been by her side day and night, began to wonder, “Maybe she’s telling the truth?”  

“…Young Master, have you… finally awakened?”  

Gongyi Lang and the others tensed up as if facing a great enemy.  

Awakened?  

Awakened to what?  

Peng Peng didn’t know anything about awakening either, but she nodded solemnly nonetheless:  

“After today, I want the heavens to no longer shroud my eyes! I want the entire cultivation world to vanish like smoke!”  

Everyone present was stunned by these words, their bodies trembling.  

Such audacity!  

Such arrogance!  

Qiuqiu was moved to tears: “As expected of you! Young Master, where did you learn such words?”  

Peng Peng wore an inscrutable expression: “Dunno. They just popped into my head.”  

“…A genius! Our Young Master was born for greatness!”  

The back-and-forth between Peng Peng and Qiuqiu completely rattled Gongyi Lang and his group.  

What “Young Master”?  

Where did she get all these unheard-of treasures?

The Goose-Winged Gilded Whip in his hand was no ordinary weapon. With Gongyi Peng appearing so confident, could she truly harbor some unspeakable secret or identity?  

The young men couldn’t help but let their imaginations run wild, recalling countless stories—some true, some false—that they had heard before.  

Tales of unremarkable mortals stumbling upon treasures left behind by immortals, pretending to be weak only to rise to greatness.  

Or reclusive masters repaying their debts by seeking out the destitute descendants of their benefactors, imparting all their knowledge and watching them soar to new heights.  

And on their journey of overpowered destiny, there were always foolish passersby who provoked the protagonist, only to become stepping stones in their path.  

Upon reflection, their actions today were practically identical to those very stepping stones in the stories!  

“…Gongyi Peng, y-you just wait! Three days from now, at the Ascension to Immortality Assembly, we’ll settle this once and for all!”  

With that, the young men—who had frightened themselves into a cold sweat—fled in panic without looking back.  

Ji Shu, who had been watching the entire scene and was ready to intervene at any moment: “…That’s it?”  

He had been fooled.  

He never should have come back.  

Meanwhile, Peng Peng, who had already rolled up her sleeves and prepared for a fierce battle, was left dumbfounded.  

Shouldn’t Gongyi Lang have continued hurling insults, preferably even lashing out with his whip, leading to a back-and-forth fight?  

Sure, she might have been severely injured due to the difference in strength, but that wouldn’t have mattered—one of her treasures would surely have shone brilliantly at the critical moment, allowing her to turn the tables with a sliver of health and achieve a perfect comeback!  

How could they just leave like that?!  

Clueless about the situation, Qiuqiu only knew that the enemies had fled in defeat and flitted around the courtyard in excitement:  

“Young Mistress wins! As expected of the Young Mistress! Those people kept calling Gongyi Lang a genius, but I say he’s just a pig trying to look tough with a scallion up its nose—all show!”  

Meanwhile, Peng Peng stared down at the treasures she hadn’t even had a chance to use and clenched her fists in frustration:  

“Damn it, if only he hadn’t run away so fast, I could’ve put on a heroic rescue act in front of my sister!”  

Ji Shu stepped out of the house slowly.  

Expressionless, he remarked, “If he hadn’t run away so fast, you would’ve been the one getting beaten to the ground.”  

Peng Peng: “!? You can doubt me, but don’t you dare doubt my treasures!”  

The blue-robed, dark-haired youth leaned against the doorframe and said coolly,  

“Fine. I was planning to teach you marrow cleansing and bone tempering before the Ascension to Immortality Assembly, but since that’s the case, I won’t bother. Let’s see how your treasures help you pass the assembly.”  

Peng Peng froze for a few seconds before forcing out an ingratiating smile. She pointed first at her foot, then at the back of her hand, and said sweetly,  

“Sister, look—this is my foot, this is my hand… but you’re my real treasure.”  

“…”  

Three days later, the Ascension to Immortality Assembly arrived as scheduled.  

Peng Peng and her group set out from the Gongyi residence at the crack of dawn, thinking they had left early enough. Yet when they reached Changliu Mountain, where the assembly was being held, they found the mountain gates already swarmed with crowds, packed tightly in layers upon layers.  

Qiuqiu flew up to survey the scene and returned to Peng Peng’s shoulder with a grave look in her beady eyes.  

The little plump bird gazed up at the sky and lamented bitterly,  

“In the five hundred years since the cultivation world destroyed our Nether Capital, the sects have only grown stronger… Ah, if the Nether Capital still stood, Young Mistress wouldn’t have had to endure humiliation and join a sect, bowing to the enemy as her master…”

Although Qiuqiu thought its voice was very soft, Ji Shu still caught every word.

After spending these past few days together, this wasn’t the first time Ji Shu had heard Qiuqiu mention the Nether Capital.

Even though the Nether Capital had been destroyed five hundred years ago, it wasn’t strange for a Spirit Demon born there to occasionally reminisce about the past. What was odd, however, was its use of the title “Young Master” for Peng Peng.

…It sounded suspiciously like remnants of the Nether Capital plotting to restore its former glory or something equally grandiose.

But Ji Shu had absolutely no intention of digging deeper.

What did the cultivation world have to do with him?

If it collapsed, so be it. Good riddance.

What he didn’t know was that Peng Peng didn’t really understand much about the so-called “revenge” Qiuqiu spoke of. In her mind, there was only a simple equation:

Restoring the Nether Capital = getting enough to eat.  

Crushing the Immortal Sects = getting enough to eat.  

Having enough to eat was far too important to Peng Peng, so whenever her stomach growled, she would immediately start chanting slogans in her heart—  

“Reviving the glory of the Nether Capital is our solemn duty!”  

Even now, she remained true to her mission. She turned to Qiuqiu with determination and declared:  

“Don’t worry! The tides will turn—don’t underestimate the poor youth! Once I join an Immortal Sect, we’ll seize their nest… I mean, make a triumphant comeback!”  

“Young Master is mighty! Long live the Young Master!”  

Ji Shu, who had heard their “secret” plotting loud and clear: …Whatever makes you happy.  

In any case, as long as he successfully got Peng Peng into a sect today, he could finally shake off this little burden.  

There was still half an hour before the Ascension to Immortality Assembly officially began. Peng Peng, bored while waiting in line, looked around and suddenly noticed something. She tugged at Ji Shu’s sleeve.  

“Big sister, look—”  

“Haven’t I told you countless times that I’m not your sister?”  

Ji Shu had corrected her repeatedly over the past few days, but nothing could shake Peng Peng’s conviction that he was a woman disguised as a man. Hearing her call him “sister” gave him a headache.  

Peng Peng acted as if she hadn’t heard him and continued, “Look, their clothes seem different from usual.”  

Ji Shu glanced over. Indeed, almost everyone’s robes were adorned with white feathers, and upon closer inspection, their shoes were embroidered with crane motifs.  

Such uniformity—was there a dress code for the Ascension to Immortality Assembly?  

“Oh my, you don’t even know about this?”  

A cheerful voice came from behind them.  

Ji Shu and the others turned to see a plump, smiling woman standing there, accompanied by a pair of twins around ten years old.  

—While others merely added a few white feathers to their sleeves or waistbands, these twins were draped in cloaks covered in white feathers, making them look like round little snowballs at first glance.  

“Know about what?” Ji Shu asked with a frown.  

The woman laughed heartily. “Wearing white feathers symbolizes ascending to immortality, and stepping on cranes represents riding the clouds—both auspicious signs for joining an Immortal Sect!”  

However, the twins didn’t seem to appreciate their mother’s enthusiasm.  

Hearing her proudly explain this to strangers, they both covered their faces in unison, looking as if they wanted to crawl into a hole out of sheer embarrassment.  

“I told you we shouldn’t wear this. This is so humiliating.”  

“What auspicious sign? We look like giant white-feathered roosters.”  

Peng Peng couldn’t resist reaching out to touch their feathered outfits.  

“But I think they look really nice.”  

The twin sister looked up at her, half-doubting.  

“…You really think so?”

Peng Peng ran her fingers over the fine stitches and answered honestly:

“If someone made me a piece of clothing like this with their own hands, I wouldn’t want to take it off.”

The twin siblings stared at her in disbelief, their eyes filled with skepticism about her taste.

Only the aunt was delighted by her words, even ruffling the children’s heads affectionately:

“Look at her—you two really don’t know how lucky you are.”

Ji Shu glanced at Peng Peng’s envious little hands touching someone else’s clothes. After hesitating for a few seconds, he whispered something to the aunt.

By the time Peng Peng snapped out of her reverie, Ji Shu had crouched down in front of her, holding a few fluffy balls strung together with a cord. It wasn’t until he tied them to the buns on either side of her head that Peng Peng realized these were hair ornaments for her.

“Now you have feathers too. If you don’t do well this time, you can’t blame it on anything else, understand?”

This was her very first hair ornament.

Peng Peng shook her head slightly.

The feathers on either side swayed gently with the movement, making her look especially sweet and adorable.

But the cuteness lasted less than two minutes before Peng Peng flashed a confident grin:

“Don’t worry, Sister. I have a feeling my treasures will come in handy this time.”

Ji Shu: “…No, that’s exactly what worries me.”

He turned to the twins, who were already murmuring over their books.

“What are you two reciting?”

The twins obediently recited the names of two books.

Older brother Sang Chuan: “The first round of the debate questions has gotten harder these past two years—”

Younger sister Sang Yue: “Even though we’ve already memorized the required texts over twenty times—”

Sang Chuan: “We’re still scared we’ll get tested on something unfamiliar—”

…Something felt off.

Ji Shu paused. “The Ascension to Immortality Assembly… has a written exam? I thought they just tested your Spirit Root?”

The twins gaped at him, their expressions screaming—

Fellow cultivator, times have changed.

Meanwhile, Peng Peng remained blissfully unaware of what awaited her.

Unable to even write a single character, she watched as nearly every child around her nervously clutched books, babbling recitations. At first, she was puzzled, but the thought of having Ji Shu by her side quickly dispelled her concerns.

“Good thing Sister helped me with marrow cleansing and bone tempering and Qi induction into the body before the exam. The Ascension to Immortality Assembly? Piece of cake—I’ll breeze right through it!”

The twins cast pitying glances at the clueless Peng Peng.

At the same time, Gongyi Lang, who had also come for the Ascension to Immortality Assembly, passed by. While silently reciting the Scripture of Purity and Tranquility in his mind, his gaze inadvertently fell upon Peng Peng in the crowd.

As if sensing something, Peng Peng, who had been squatting idly on the ground playing with mud, looked up. The two locked eyes from a distance for a few seconds before Peng Peng suddenly flashed a mysterious smile and flipped open her outer robe—

Revealing the pile of junk metal hanging from her waist!

Gongyi Lang sucked in a sharp breath, his face instantly paling.

After a long pause, he weakly rested a trembling hand on his companion’s shoulder and asked in a shaky voice:

“Tell me… has there ever been a precedent for fatalities at the Ascension to Immortality Assembly?”