The seventh floor of Qingling Mountain's main hall.
Sect Leader Li Peng reclined lazily on the throne-like seat, her black-and-gold embroidered gauze skirt elegantly pooling around her like a field of blooming underworld flowers.
The woman possessed breathtaking beauty, appearing no older than her twenties or thirties, yet her every movement carried the weight of years.
As the final Pavilion Master materialized in their designated seat within the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion, Li Peng straightened slightly and asked in a gentle tone, "Regarding the matter of the Taihua Stone, what are the thoughts of the esteemed Pavilion Masters?"
Jiang Rui, the Pavilion Master of the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion, had just arrived when a steaming cup of tea and a plate of sunflower seeds were promptly slid toward her.
Unlike the youthful and radiant sect leader, Old Lady Jiang was the very image of an ordinary elderly woman. Raising her wrinkled hands, she lifted the exquisitely glazed teacup, took a sip, and chuckled. "In my opinion, we should simply follow the competition regulations."
Beside her, the sword-wielding elder from the Sword Pavilion—who had been busy serving tea and offering seeds—grunted in agreement, utterly lacking in principles. "I think so too."
The white-haired yet youthful-looking Pavilion Master of the Medical Pavilion had been meditating with closed eyes since taking his seat. Though he couldn’t see, his mind was far from at ease—after all, that shameless Sword Pavilion elder kept stealing sunflowers from his fields to curry favor with Old Lady Jiang. He couldn’t bear to watch.
As for the matter at hand, he couldn’t care less. "I’ll defer to your judgment," he said.
"Then it’s settled." Li Peng made the final decision before turning to the woman seated to her lower left, who was engrossed in a playbook, utterly absorbed. With a sigh, she called out, "Jingshu."
"Huh?" The woman, though over a century old, still carried the lively charm of a young girl as she blinked in confusion. "You’ve already decided? That was fast."
Li Peng nodded. "We’ll follow the competition regulations."
"Oh, let me check." Xu Jingshu, Pavilion Master of the Sky-Questioning Pavilion, tucked away her playbook and retrieved the Mystic Heaven Mirror, scanning through the competition rules distributed to the disciples beforehand. "It counts."
The regulations stated that the results would be determined by the total value of rare treasures retrieved from the secret realm. Since the Taihua Stone was found within the realm, it naturally qualified.
Li Peng then asked, "How should we calculate its worth?"
The four Pavilion Masters exchanged glances.
With peace reigning across the land in recent years and most affairs handled by lower-ranking elders, they had grown comfortably idle, their bones too lazy to bother with such trivial matters. In unison, they turned to the sect leader and declared, "You decide, Sect Leader."
"..."
The problem was, the sect leader didn’t feel like thinking either.
Li Peng smiled faintly, recalling one of her most capable subordinates. "Let’s leave it to Qian Lai."
This elder had grown up on Qingling Mountain, his devotion to the sect unwavering—he lived and breathed for its prosperity. When it came to prioritizing the sect’s interests, she trusted him completely.
The four Pavilion Masters nodded in agreement, ready to slip away, when—BANG!—the tightly shut doors were kicked open.
In strode a disheveled yet handsome man with wild black curls, his voice grave. "I object!"
Old Lady Jiang chuckled at the sight of him. "A rooster trying to lay eggs."
The Sword Pavilion elder drawled, "Not his job..."
Xu Jingshu added softly, "Yet he insists on meddling."
The Medical Pavilion Master feigned confusion. "Elder Dugu, here to lay an egg?"
Dugu Hong: "..."
Dugu Hong snorted, ignoring the four old fools.
As Pavilion Masters, they spent their days idling, shirking responsibilities, utterly unworthy of their titles.
And Li Peng indulged them.
Under their leadership, Qingling Mountain was doomed to ruin.
Dugu Hong turned to the woman on the throne and accused, "Li Peng, this matter concerns the Xuantian Grand Competition and the ownership of the Sacred Tower—it will shape Qingling Mountain’s future! Yet you make such a reckless decision. Have you no respect for our late master and senior brother?!"
At the sight of Dugu Hong, Li Peng’s smile vanished.
Dugu Hong hadn’t wanted to come.
This shouldn’t have been his responsibility, but the entire sect was filled with incompetents—none capable of grasping the future stakes of the Xuantian Continent. For the sake of Qingling Mountain, which generations of ancestors had fought to protect, he suppressed his disgust and laid out the stakes for this venomous, illegitimate sect leader.
"Do you even know how strong the disciples from other sects are? Only if Xiaoxiao, Lu Jiayao, Baili, and your daughter join forces do we stand a chance. If the Taihua Stone is counted, Xiaoxiao, Lu Jiayao, and Baili will be excluded from the competition, leaving only those lazy, scheming disciples to represent Qingling Mountain. Do you really think tricks like monkey dung will work then? We’ll become the laughingstock of the Xuantian Continent!"
The four Pavilion Masters rolled their eyes in unison.
But since this involved the sect leader’s personal affairs, they wisely kept silent.
Li Peng listened expressionlessly before asking, "Are you the sect leader, or am I?"
Dugu Hong clasped his hands behind his back, his eyes flashing with sword-light. "Li Peng, need I remind you how you obtained your position? If not for Senior Brother—"
His words cut off as he suddenly grunted, a spiritual barrier erupting around him to resist the crushing pressure emanating from Li Peng. Only by straining to his limits did he avoid collapsing to his knees.
Before him, the woman in black-and-gold robes rose gracefully, appearing before him in an instant. "Among our master’s three disciples, Senior Brother was dying, and your cultivation was inferior to mine. That’s why the position is mine. Understood?"
Dugu Hong gritted his teeth, hatred simmering beneath the surface. "If not for my damaged spirit bone, I would never be weaker than you!"
All these years, he had suspected that every incident back then had been orchestrated—someone pulling strings from the shadows.
"Ah yes, such a pity about your spirit bone." Li Peng smirked, flicking her sleeve dismissively before turning away, her voice leaving no room for argument. "My decision stands. No further objections will be entertained."
---
Two days later, the sect competition concluded, with the five disciples advancing successfully despite close calls.
Xie Ziyin left immediately, while the other four lingered, reluctant to depart, insisting they wanted to stay longer—until the exasperated law-enforcement elder chased them out.
Results would be announced the next day, and after their grueling days in the secret realm, they all retreated to their quarters to rest.
The following morning, just before noon, Wen Shuangbai was deep in slumber when an odd sensation prickled at her awareness—someone was watching her.
Having recently broken through from the Spirit Initiation Realm to the Enlightened Aperture Realm, her senses had sharpened dramatically. In an instant, she bolted upright, eyes snapping open—only to find her little junior sister peeking through the half-opened door.
The girl, who seemed to have grown slightly taller, stood on tiptoe, her expression troubled, as if hesitating between speaking up or letting her senior sister sleep.
So Wen Shuangbai asked, "What’s wrong?"
"Second Senior Sister, you're awake?" Little Junior Sister scratched her head sheepishly, looking guilty. "Did I wake you?"
"Yeah, but it's fine." Wen Shuangbai yawned. "What's up?"
Hearing this, the young girl rushed to her bedside, barely containing her excitement. "Second Senior Sister, the competition results are out! I just came back from the main hall—you and Senior Brother took first place!"
"Really?" Though still drowsy, Wen Shuangbai instantly perked up, her eyes brightening.
Wen Xin nodded vigorously. "Really, Senior Sister! I checked three times to make sure I didn’t misread it."
"That’s amazing." A weight lifted from Wen Shuangbai’s heart, and she immediately asked the question she cared about most. "Did it say when we can collect the spirit stones?"
First, winning first place meant a reward of thirty thousand spirit stones from the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion.
Second, they could also claim payment for the demon cores and spirit herbs they’d gathered.
She’d done the math beforehand—each person would get around fifteen to twenty thousand.
As for the Taihua Stones, according to the records, they weren’t counted as currency but only factored into the competition score.
Wen Shuangbai had already known this, so she’d excluded them from her calculations.
All in all, they’d be getting around forty to fifty thousand.
Wen Shuangbai was ecstatic inside.
Wen Xin was equally thrilled. With this money, Second Senior Sister wouldn’t have to refine artifacts until she was exhausted, and Senior Brother wouldn’t have to work so hard on missions to earn spirit stones. "We can collect them tomorrow at the Enforcement Hall."
"Got it." Wen Shuangbai was too awake now, so she slipped on her shoes and got out of bed. Remembering Yin Xuan next door, she asked, "Is Senior Brother still asleep?"
"Yeah, I checked earlier." Wen Xin paused, then giggled. "But if no one calls him, Senior Brother can sleep forever. Though, he only went to bed yesterday, so even if we tried waking him now, it wouldn’t work."
"Then let him sleep."
Wen Shuangbai pushed open the window, and golden sunlight poured in, enveloping her.
She closed her eyes, savoring the warmth of the world, then stretched and glanced at the sun. Turning back, she ruffled her junior sister’s hair and said cheerfully, "Come on, let’s go get something delicious!"
Wen Xin immediately agreed. "Okay!"
But just as the two reached the door, the neighboring room creaked open. Yin Xuan drifted out silently, hugging a pillow, his sleepy eyes fixed on Wen Shuangbai. "What are we eating? Not taking me?"
Wen Shuangbai: "..."
Her senior brother’s ears were too sharp. She had a strong suspicion that half the time he pretended not to hear when called.
"Of course we’re taking you."
And so, the three headed to the dining hall.
Wen Xin tugged at her senior sister’s sleeve, glancing at the drowsy Yin Xuan trailing behind them, and whispered, "Senior Sister, now I know how to wake Senior Brother up in the future."
Wen Shuangbai and her junior sister chatted idly, debating whether to dig a pond in their courtyard to raise spirit fish, when her Mystic Heaven Mirror buzzed repeatedly in her pocket.
She pulled it out and saw messages from the [Today’s a Good Day to Get Rich] squad.
Lu Jiayao was excitedly sharing their first-place victory.
Then Shen Hefeng chimed in, and the two went back and forth.
After a while, they realized only they were talking in the group.
[Shen Hefeng: Where are the other three?]
Wen Shuangbai, who had been silently lurking, glanced back at Yin Xuan, who was still walking with his eyes closed.
As for Xie Ziyin… she figured he might as well be dead.
[Lu Jiayao: Probably still sleeping. Unlike me—I got up early to check the results!]
[Shen Hefeng: I believe Senior Brother Yin’s still asleep, but those two? No way. Wait, let me divine it!]
Soon, Shen Hefeng returned.
[Shen Hefeng: Weird, weird!]
[Lu Jiayao: What’s weird?]
[Shen Hefeng: The divination says they’re both awake… Wait, how is Senior Brother Yin awake too?]
[Wen Shuangbai the Discount Artificer: Taking Senior Brother to eat.]
[Shen Hefeng: That explains it.]
[Lu Jiayao: Where? The dining hall?]
[Wen Shuangbai the Discount Artificer: Yep.]
[Shen Hefeng: Oh, what about the pile of junk rocks in the storage rings? They’re taking up space. After lunch, let’s find a mountain to dump them.]
Among the things they’d brought back from the Taihua Mountain Secret Realm, the Enforcement Hall hadn’t accepted everything—some monster carcasses and that heap of useless stones had been returned.
Exhausted yesterday, Wen Shuangbai had gone straight to bed and hadn’t dealt with them yet.
After a moment’s thought, she replied: [Give them to me. I’ll take them.]
[Lu Jiayao: What do you need rocks for?]
[Wen Shuangbai the Discount Artificer: I’m thinking of building a fish pond near our courtyard.]
Though they lived on the Outer Peak, where stones were abundant, these rocks had been beside Taihua Stones for so long—surely they’d absorbed some spiritual energy? And even if not, they’d dug these up themselves. They were trophies!
Wen Shuangbai wasn’t about to waste them.
[Shen Hefeng: Alright, I’ll bring them to you at the dining hall.]
[Lu Jiayao: Me too!]
—
At noon, the dining hall was packed.
The moment they stepped inside, numerous voices called out to Wen Shuangbai.
"Junior Sister Wen, congratulations! Well done!"
"I heard about your exploits in the Taihua Mountain Secret Realm. How’d you even think to look for Taihua Stones?"
"Shuangbai! That move where you whipped monkey dung was chef’s kiss!"
Wen Shuangbai blinked at the speaker. "?"
That had been a last resort—was this guy into that?
"Junior Sister, add me on Mystic Heaven?"
Though baffled by the enthusiasm, Wen Shuangbai had planned to turn her Mystic Heaven account into a small business platform anyway, so she cheerfully agreed and held out her mirror.
Then chaos erupted—everyone nearby swarmed to add her, and her Mystic Heaven Mirror buzzed nonstop.
This was traffic! And traffic meant profit!
By the time the crowd dispersed, Wen Shuangbai’s grin was unstoppable. She finally noticed Yin Xuan had claimed a small table and was already fast asleep on it.
Unfazed, she took Wen Xin to order, splurging on five meat dishes!
Wen Xin fretted. "Senior Sister, that’s too much! Just one or two is enough…"
"It’s fine." Wen Shuangbai reassured her. "I rarely treat myself. We’re celebrating, right?"
The little girl beamed.
Just as the food arrived, Shen Hefeng and Lu Jiayao showed up with one meat and one vegetable dish each, turning the spread into seven meats and two veggies as they squeezed around the table.
Shen Hefeng ate like a tornado, as if he’d been starving in his past life.
Yin Xuan watched him for a few seconds before his chopsticks became a blur—one bite for the junior sister, one for the second sister, and one for himself.
In no time, the bowls of the three senior disciples were piled high with food like little mountains.
The moment Lu Jiayao picked up a piece of spirit fish meat, the food in front of him visibly shrank.
Hastily, he grabbed a few more pieces for himself before lowering his voice mysteriously, not even bothering to eat as he whispered, "Guess what I just found out?"
The other three were too busy eating to respond, except for the kind-hearted junior sister, who asked, "What is it?"
Lu Jiayao clenched his fist and cleared his throat. "I heard that Elder Dugu Hong has had a falling out with the sect leader! He's already packed his things and is preparing to leave Qingling Mountain with Yu Xiaoxiao!"
Wen Shuangbai lifted her head from her bowl, still shoveling rice into her mouth, her widened eyes conveying shock and disbelief.
Had she heard correctly? The female lead, Yu Xiaoxiao, was actually leaving Qingling Mountain?
Wen Xin thought for a moment before recalling who Yu Xiaoxiao was. She remembered that Second Senior Sister had never liked her, so she said matter-of-factly, "Isn’t that a good thing?"
Lu Jiayao: "Well, yes, but this is huge news! No one expected Elder Dugu to leave—he’s the direct disciple of the sect leader from two generations ago, the junior brother of the previous sect leader, and the senior brother of the current one..."
Lu Jiayao continued sharing all the gossip he had gathered, from the fact that the Sky-Questioning Pavilion’s master was secretly reading a romance novel titled The Red Mandarin Duck Underwear of the Reckless Rogue, to which disciples had fought over another disciple.
Wen Shuangbai ate while listening, treating it like background storytelling.
Only after finishing her meal did she pick up the constantly chiming Mystic Heaven Mirror to check.
As expected, it was just the newly added fellow disciples sending her greetings.
At the same time, in the [Today’s Fortune: Get Rich] group chat, a certain man suddenly "resurrected," replying to Wen Shuangbai’s earlier request for them to hand over the stones to her.
[No Money: You can have them. Come get them yourself at the Medical Hall.]
Wen Shuangbai didn’t reply. Instead, she picked up her empty bowl and said to the junior sister and senior brother, "I’m going to collect some stones. You two head back first."
The junior sister and senior brother, also done eating, stood up. "Alright."
Watching them leave one by one, Lu Jiayao finally stopped talking and stared at his still half-full bowl in shock. "You’re not waiting for me to finish?!"
In response, Wen Shuangbai tossed over her shoulder, "You’re not three years old. Do you really need company to eat?"
Shen Hefeng: "Exactly. We’re not your mother."
Yin Xuan: "Full. Sleepy. Nap."
Wen Xin: "I’m going back with Senior Brother."
Lu Jiayao: "???"
—
In the height of July’s summer, cicadas buzzed relentlessly. The Medical Hall stood against a backdrop of rolling green mountains, its surroundings lush and vibrant.
When Wen Shuangbai stepped inside and found Xie Ziyin, Yu Xiaoxiao was already there.
Lu Jiayao’s intel was surprisingly accurate.
The girl looked haggard, clearly there to bid farewell. "Brother Ziyin, I’m leaving Qingling Mountain with Master. We might never see each other again..."
The man cut her off with icy detachment. "This is a place for treating illnesses."
Yu Xiaoxiao lowered her gaze, then lifted it again, unwilling to give up. "Then… could you prescribe me a revitalizing pill?"
Wen Shuangbai stood to the side, observing.
The dynamic between this obsessive, love-struck supporting male lead and the female lead was bizarre—nothing like how it was described in the novel.
She had noticed this discrepancy before, but her money-focused brain had been too preoccupied with hunting beasts, digging up stones, and making profits in the secret realm to dwell on it.
Xie Ziyin glanced at Wen Shuangbai as he prepared the pill, casually slipping off the storage ring from his finger and tossing it into her arms.
She caught it.
Since her own storage ring was still full of stones, she said, "I’ll return it after I clear some space."
Xie Ziyin: "Mn."
After writing out the prescription, he went to the medicine cabinet to retrieve the pill and handed it to Yu Xiaoxiao with professional indifference. "Payment. 101."
Wen Shuangbai: "?"
Wait, were revitalizing pills really that expensive?
No—she immediately realized she’d missed the point.
Wait, he didn’t even round off the price? Was this really how a devoted second male lead was supposed to act?
