CHAPTER 27 (PART 2)

Yu Youyou showed no intention of revising the debt note and answered mercilessly: “Because we’re not familiar.”

So… she was familiar with Kuang Langsheng?

Everyone present inexplicably wanted to ask that question.

Hiding behind the bamboo, Kuang Langsheng was already in tears.

Without comparison, there would be no appreciation. Compared to Yu Changan’s ten thousand spirit stones, the extra one thousand on his own debt note now seemed like a blessing.

Senior Sister Yu was truly a good person! A comrade worthy of life-and-death trust!

She treated him with sincerity, yet he had been thinking of ways to evade repayment. How shameful!

The moment the words “not familiar” were spoken, Yu Changan could say nothing more.

However, instead of taking the debt note, he retrieved a pouch of spirit stones from his storage pouch and handed it over. “Here are ten thousand spirit stones.”

Just earlier, he had casually bought an expensive Cloud Gown Skirt, and now he was giving away ten thousand spirit stones without hesitation.

Neither Qi Nanfeng, who came from a wealthy family, nor Su Yizhi, who hailed from a top-tier noble clan, could match such extravagance. Even Kuang Langsheng, who had a Nascent Soul elder for a father, was still in debt.

A year ago, Yu Youyou had sold everything she owned just to afford two taels of silver for medicine to stay alive. The original owner of this body had endured hunger for over ten years and had never had a full meal in her life.

Yu Changan, however, remained indifferent, as if these spirit stones were nothing more than a pile of insignificant pebbles to him.

Yu Youyou lowered her gaze and accepted the pile of spirit stones.

Her voice carried a hint of mockery, yet it inexplicably felt distant and cold: “Alright, if you get bitten by a spirit beast again, come find me. Same price as before.”

Clients who didn’t owe her debts were rare; she was more than happy to wish Yu Changan a daily spirit beast bite.

Yu Changan continued, “Keep the dress. Consider it an apology for what I did to you back at the Pill Cauldron Sect…”

“An apology?”

A cold and arrogant voice rang out from above the bamboo forest.

Amidst the emerald green, a streak of crimson stood out strikingly. Although the young girl’s face was veiled, the pride and fury in her eyes could not be concealed.

Yu Changan was stunned. “Elder Sister…”

“Oh? You still remember that I’m your elder sister?” Yu Nianrou descended gracefully, sword in hand. She glanced at the dress in Yu Changan’s hand, and with a sharp flick of sword energy, all that remained of it were tattered scraps scattered before everyone’s eyes.

Kuang Langsheng clutched his chest in agony. “Ah! My dress with a high-grade defensive array!”

No one paid Kuang Langsheng any attention. All eyes were fixed on Yu Nianrou.

The ruthless slash of sword energy had even drawn those still eating roasted meat in the courtyard over to watch.

Seeing Qu Qingmiao and Elder Ma’s group approaching, Yu Nianrou let out a cold laugh. “So the Pill Cauldron Sect has fallen this low? Even some worthless Qi Refinement disciples can now participate in the Four Realms Tournament?”

“Martial Niece Yu!” Elder Xu stepped forward, sword on his back, his expression dark. “Mind your manners!”

Even though the Cloudflower Sword Sect was the number one sect, and Yu Bumie was a mighty Nascent Soul cultivator, the Pill Cauldron Sect was still one of the three great sects and their long-standing ally!

But Yu Nianrou showed no intention of apologizing. Her temper was an exact replica of Yu Bumie’s, utterly unwilling to bow her head. What’s more, compared to when Yu Bumie was young, she had even greater backing, making her even more arrogant.

Not only did she refuse to yield, but she also raised her sword and pointed it from a distance. “How could we allow such useless people in the Eastern Realm? She is not worthy of joining the Four Realms Tournament!”

She lifted her chin slightly and looked at the gathered elders of the three sects. “If she goes, then I won’t.”

Yu Nianrou’s audacity, of course, stemmed from her confidence.

Her cultivation talent surpassed even Yu Changan’s. She had already reached the mid-Foundation Establishment stage, and with Yu Bumie’s personal guidance in swordsmanship since childhood, she was likely stronger than any other sword cultivator present.

Between a Qi Refinement cultivator and a Foundation Establishment cultivator, Yu Nianrou believed anyone with a bit of sense could make the right choice.

Qi Nanfeng and Su Yizhi clapped from the sidelines. “Wow, that’s exactly the same line as Fellow Daoist Jiang’s! Impressive, impressive!”

Sword cultivators and shield cultivators: The alchemists in your sect must be completely insane.

Elder Xu looked deeply ashamed. He cupped his hands toward Elder Ma and said in a low voice, “Apologies, I will try to persuade her…”

But Elder Ma snorted coldly and rolled his eyes with practiced ease. “Persuade?”

Elder Ma simply snapped a spirit bamboo in half, used his hands as a pillow, and sprawled out lazily. He shot Elder Xu a sidelong glance. “What a coincidence. I’m in a bad mood today too. I could use someone to persuade me as well.”

Shaking his leg, he sneered, “I told you, these three were just here to make up the numbers. If you want that little brat to leave, fine. Then we at the Pill Cauldron Sect will just treat this as a visit to the Cloudflower Sword Sect. Now that we’re done visiting, it’s time for us to head back.”

“Elder Ma, you mean—”

“Nothing in particular. Just that these three are our only disciples. Take them or leave them! We came together, and if we leave, we leave together. It’s not like you sword cultivators need us lowly alchemists. Whether you get bitten to death by spirit beasts has nothing to do with us. So we should probably pack up and scram, right?”

His sharp, aggressive tone made it painfully clear that Elder Ma was fiercely protective of his own.

At this moment, the shield cultivators naturally stood by Yu Youyou’s side. Kuang Langsheng stepped forward resolutely. “No way are we letting Junior Sister Youyou leave! Everyone saw it during the trial—if not for her, we wouldn’t have made it out safely.”

Even some of the sword cultivators found Yu Nianrou’s attitude excessive.

“Martial Sister Yu, this Junior Sister Yu’s cultivation may be low, but she is truly exceptional. Medical cultivators are different from us sword cultivators; they can’t be judged solely by their cultivation level.”

They had eaten her food, and not just once but twice, so some sword cultivators began to persuade her more gently. “Exactly. The Four Realms Tournament is a joint effort of all Eastern Realm cultivators. We shouldn’t be fighting amongst ourselves now.”

Su Yizhi immediately nodded. “Yeah, we all vote for her to stay. You can go.”

Qi Nanfeng clicked his tongue and started mockingly, “Ah, some people clearly don’t need fasting pills anymore. If they get bitten by spirit beasts, they don’t need us to help find medicine either. With all that sword energy, they could probably wipe out every spirit beast in the Ancient Forest single-handedly.”

Su Yizhi seamlessly followed up, “Yeah, and Kuang Langsheng, what are you guys still standing here for? Sword cultivator brothers, don’t just stand around either. With such a powerful expert taking charge, why would you even need to go?”

Though the atmosphere was tense, some shield and sword cultivators couldn’t help but tremble with suppressed laughter.

Yu Nianrou prided herself on her strong temperament—she was practically a second Long Aotian, someone who would defiantly shout “My fate is mine, not Heaven’s!” at the very heavens.

But unfortunately, she wasn’t facing the heavens.

She was facing a group of snide alchemists.

She was so furious her teeth ached, yet every time she spoke, the Pill Cauldron Sect disciples would immediately hit back with ten sarcastic remarks.

What enraged her even more was Yu Youyou.

She had come here specifically to target that little beggar, yet from start to finish, Yu Youyou hadn’t even spared her a glance.

Guess what she was doing?

She was hiding behind the crowd, secretly counting the spirit stones Yu Changan had given her!

So petty. Did she really think she’d be shorted a single one?

In the end, Yu Nianrou bit her silver teeth in frustration, flicked her sleeve, and stormed off with her sword.

That very day, Elder Ma took his three disciples and, along with his personally roasted skewers and the Pill Cauldron Sect’s signature healing pills, paid a visit to every elder of the Cloudflower Sword Sect.

The old man had completely abandoned his earlier shamelessness. As soon as he arrived at a peak, he would first present a gift, and after doing so, he would sigh.

“I’m already this old. After so much effort, I finally managed to train a decent disciple, but unfortunately, because she’s too young and her cultivation is too low, she’s being forced to give up on the Four Realms Tournament… Sigh! Poor child, an orphan from a young age, and now, the opportunity she worked so hard to earn is going to be taken away by someone else…”

At this moment, the orphan Yu Youyou was pushed forward.

Her appearance indeed fit the image Elder Ma was painting.

Her pale and delicate face was thin, the corners of her eyes slightly drooping. Her pupils were like lone stars rising in the morning—bright, clear, and pure.

If she forced a smile and said in an extremely strong-willed manner, “Elder Ma, please don’t say anymore…”

What an endearing and pitiable child.

Yu Youyou: “…”

She genuinely wanted Elder Ma to stop saying those lines. This was already the eighth peak they had visited, and as someone who still couldn’t fly, she was utterly exhausted and breathless from all the walking. Couldn’t they see how deathly pale her face had become?

Although the various peaks of the Yunhua Sword Sect were outwardly united, there was always a subtle undercurrent of internal competition. As a result, many people found amusement in watching the embarrassment of Immortal Peak.

By the time Jiang Yuan heard about this in the evening, the story had already spread from Qingyun Peak to every corner of Yunhua Sword Sect.

Now, whenever anyone mentioned that little girl from the Pill Cauldron Sect, they would first sigh, then click their tongues in disapproval, whispering about how Immortal Peak acted so domineeringly.

Of course, they couldn’t say that all sword cultivators behaved like that—if they wanted to make a precise attack, they could only say that it was Immortal Peak’s people who acted that way!

Jiang Yuan remained silent for a long time. In the end, he still didn’t attempt to persuade Yu Nianrou again.

He had tried before, only to be met with a scolding. Even their Master’s wife had stepped in to defend her, and in the end, he had been forced to kneel and beg for forgiveness.

He was a sword cultivator, after all. Even though he deeply respected his Master and was willing to risk his life to protect his Master’s kin, Jiang Yuan still had his own pride.

The Next Day

After finishing her morning grooming, Yu Nianrou leisurely picked up her sword and began practicing in the courtyard.

Senior Sister Li from White Crane Peak, Senior Brother Wei from Purple Cloud Peak, and those rough men from the Heavenly Shield Sect—yesterday, they had all spoken up for that little beggar. She remembered it all clearly.

Because of this, despite the elders previously instructing everyone to gather at mao hour (5-7 AM) and activate the teleportation array to head to the Western Region, she deliberately delayed getting up until the very last moment.

She wanted them to realize the anxiety of losing a Foundation Establishment expert, regret their actions, and come begging for her to go.

However, as she continued practicing her swordplay, Yu Nianrou gradually became distracted.

Her beautiful eyes seemed to glance unintentionally towards the distant mountain gate.

There lay the great sect-protecting array and a massive teleportation formation. Since there were no movements over there, it meant they hadn’t left yet.

Judging by the time, they should be coming to find her soon.

Feeling reassured, Yu Nianrou no longer felt anxious. Instead, she patiently waited atop Immortal Peak.

Unfortunately, she ended up waiting until noon.

Aside from their own people, not a single outsider appeared on Immortal Peak.

Yu Nianrou clenched her teeth and flew straight toward the mountain gate.

Upon arrival, she found the entrance freshly swept clean, the grand formation already sealed. Only an outer sect disciple was nearby, picking up scattered leaves.

“Where are they?” Yu Nianrou landed and questioned the outer sect disciple.

Although the boy was very young, he was clever. From Yu Nianrou’s attire and the sword she carried, he immediately recognized her as someone of importance.

Respectfully bowing, he answered, “Senior Sister, may I ask who you are looking for?”

“The ones going to the Four Realms Tournament! Weren’t they supposed to set out at mao hour? It’s already noon—why haven’t they come yet?”

The disciple’s bright eyes were filled with innocence and confusion as he replied, “They’ve already left.”

Yu Nianrou froze at that response and raised her voice, “Impossible!”

They hadn’t even come to beg for her forgiveness yet!

The outer sect disciple confirmed, “They really already left. Today, I was responsible for sweeping the mountain gate, so I was here before dawn. Just before mao hour, those senior cultivators activated the formation and departed. I heard an elder from the Pill Cauldron Sect mention that there’s a restaurant in the Western Region famous for its crab roe noodles, so they had to go early to line up.”

Yu Nianrou: “…”

With great difficulty, she asked, “Did no one take a headcount?”

The disciple shook his head. “Elder Xu from our sect counted the numbers and confirmed that everyone was present. He was the one who activated the teleportation array.”

A gust of late autumn wind blew past, scattering falling leaves everywhere. Yu Nianrou took two steps forward, then stood frozen in place.

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Author’s Note:

All the cultivators: We’re outta here!