When the Village Chief's gaze swept over, the Qian Yuan Sect disciple felt a chill crawl from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.
The Village Chief stared at him with greedy eyes: "Scheming against and framing your fellow disciples—such crimes warrant death!"
A sinister, icy aura surged forth. Before the Qian Yuan Sect disciple could even twitch, the Village Chief's tongue lashed out and dragged him away.
With a loud, eerie laugh, the Village Chief strode off, his cackling mingling with the grotesque sounds of flesh being torn and bones crunched just outside the freshly shut wooden door. The noise sent shivers down everyone's spines.
The room fell dead silent.
Wen Shuangbai observed the scene with cold detachment.
In just one day, piecing together the original plot, Wen Shuangbai confirmed that the spirits in the village—and even themselves—were bound by certain rules.
Since this old ghost held the title of Village Chief, he couldn’t indiscriminately slaughter the temporary laborers in the village. He couldn’t even enter a house unless someone invited him in.
Some rules were absolute—like the laborers having to complete their assigned tasks.
But beyond that, other clauses had wiggle room.
For the Village Chief to devour them, he needed a "justifiable" reason.
And the definition of "justifiable" was where manipulation came into play. Whether it was their fault for bringing in chickens and dogs or the Qian Yuan Sect disciple’s for tattling, it all depended on who could argue better and whom the ghostly Village Chief favored.
When Wen Shuangbai encountered the little fox from Yuxi Valley, she noticed how the black dog became noticeably more docile after being fed a piece of fox tail.
She guessed that fox tails might temporarily boost favorability with spirits.
Sure enough, her recent experiment confirmed her suspicion.
Wen Shuangbai and Xie Ziyin exchanged a discreet glance before retreating to Qingling Mountain’s designated area.
In front of the Mystic Heaven Mirror, countless cultivators held their breaths, not daring to make a sound. Only when the two moved did they snap out of their daze—and then erupted into chaos, opinions flying left and right.
[Oh heavens! That scared me to death! I really thought Yuxi Valley was done for! Thank goodness, thank goodness—eternal gratitude to Qingling Mountain for their help!]
[…Seriously? That actually worked??]
[Even ghosts like sweet talk! Take notes, everyone—this is why flattery matters!!]
[Wasn’t the fox tail the key? I feel like the fox tail was the real MVP here.]
[Is this the legendary "money makes the devil turn millstones"?]
[It was just a tiny piece of fox tail! I’ve been watching Yuxi Valley’s feed—their little fox fed the black dog whole tails, and it gobbled up over ten in a single day! This Village Chief’s meal is worse than a dog’s!]
[That Qingling Mountain girl reacted so fast—who is she?]
[Wen Shuangbai! It’s our junior sister Wen Shuangbai! She’s an artifact forger, and she’s insanely skilled at it too!]
[Hey, can we commission her for artifacts?]
A senior sister enthusiastically promoted: [Absolutely! Her Mystic Heaven handle is @ForgerWen. Feel free to add her—she’s the most reliable artifact forger I’ve met in years!]
[This Wen Shuangbai is downright ruthless! She could’ve just stopped the Village Chief—why lead him to kill that Qian Yuan Sect disciple? How heartless!]
[?? Wasn’t it your Qian Yuan Sect disciple who tattled and summoned the Village Chief in the first place?]
[Oh please, didn’t you guys say this was a competition, not a bonding session? Besides, it’s not like anyone actually dies.]
[Exactly. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Serves them right.]
With three disciples lost in such a short time and their pigs still missing overnight, the remaining three Qian Yuan Sect disciples gnashed their teeth, their hatred for Wen Shuangbai and Xie Ziyin burning openly. They immediately formed a sword formation and lunged at the duo from behind: "Stop right there—! Give us back our junior brother’s life!"
Wen Shuangbai didn’t even pause, let alone turn her head. Feigning confusion, she asked, "Hey, Xie Ziyin, why is it that when the real threat was here earlier, some people didn’t dare breathe, but now they’re venting their frustration on poor, defenseless little me?"
She sighed dramatically. "Honestly, I’m just a feeble artifact forger who couldn’t even wrestle a chicken."
Xie Ziyin: "…………"
The Mystic Heaven Mirror chat: […………?]
Shen Hefeng immediately jumped in: "I know! It means they’re nothing but spineless bullies who pick on the weak!"
Li Zhuohua unsheathed her Flowing Rainbow Sword, effortlessly dispersing the trio’s formation. She shielded her junior siblings like a mother hen, her eyes blazing with battle fervor: "Come at me, cowards!"
[Wow! What a cool sister!]
[Why are Qingling Mountain’s other five members so unbothered? One’s putting a chick to sleep, one’s still half-asleep, one’s fixing her hair, and two are whispering to each other?]
[Well, it’s Zhuohua-jie we’re talking about!]
[When Flowing Rainbow Sword is drawn, who dares challenge her?]
True to form, the three Qian Yuan Sect disciples faltered.
One strike from Li Zhuohua was enough to prove they stood no chance.
As they scrambled for an exit, Yu Xiaoxiao stood up and kindly interjected: "Stop fighting. What if you summon the Village Chief again? Let’s all calm down—no one wanted this to happen. We should rest while we can; there’s much work to do at dawn."
The three men glanced at the ethereal-looking girl from Wansheng Palace, their eyes softening with gratitude. They sheathed their swords: "You’re right, junior sister. We’ll let this go for now."
Li Zhuohua: "?"
She shot Yu Xiaoxiao an annoyed look and muttered, "Buzzkill," before storming back, sword in hand.
—
The night settled into quiet, the seven sects retreating to their respective areas to rest.
In Wansheng Palace’s corner, Lu Ying fiddled with a divine wood slip, lost in thought. His gaze kept flickering between Qingling Mountain and Yuxi Valley.
Back in the Taihua Mountain secret realm, the illusion crystal’s feed was restricted to elders, with no audio—so Lu Ying had acted far more boldly.
But the Sacred Tower was different. The competition here was broadcast live on the Mystic Heaven Mirror, complete with sound, for the entire cultivation world to see. Though the Tower occasionally censored certain scenes, no one knew what would be cut—so Lu Ying had been lying low.
Yu Xiaoxiao was chatting with Bai Lijue when Lu Ying called out softly: "Xiaoxiao."
"Lu Ying-ge, what is it?" She hurried over and sat beside him.
Leaning in, Lu Ying whispered, "Xiaoxiao, can you try befriending that little girl from Yuxi Valley? Her fox tails might be invaluable to us."
Yu Xiaoxiao beamed. "Lu Ying-ge, we’re so in sync! I already thought she was adorable—I was just wondering if I should say hello. Should I go now? Maybe bring her some of our leftover fasting pills?"
For the Sacred Tower’s first round, the difficulty was lowered—medical cultivators were allowed to bring limited quantities of basic pills like fasting pills, spirit-recovery pills, and vigor-boosting elixirs.
Though the quantity was enough for seven days, Tianjia Village lacked spiritual plants, leaving the medical cultivators with no materials to produce elixirs. No one knew what might happen next, so these basic pills were considered scarce resources—no sect was willing to part with them.
For Yu Xiaoxiao to be so generous, the people of Jade Rhinoceros Valley would surely be endlessly grateful.
Lu Ying: "Fine, take six for them."
When Yu Xiaoxiao arrived at Jade Rhinoceros Valley’s quarters, the group was busy peeling something off their various magical artifacts.
Hearing that someone from the Ten Thousand Saints Palace was looking for her, Yu Xiaoli tilted her head in confusion. "What’s the matter? Do you need something, sister?"
"Nothing major," Yu Xiaoxiao replied in a soft, sweet voice. "I just thought you might’ve been frightened earlier and wanted to check on you. Oh, and these are fasting pills made by our sect’s medical cultivators. I brought some for you to try."
Yu Xiaoli glanced at them. She didn’t eat impure fasting pills like these, and she wasn’t lacking anyway.
With polite refusal, she said, "No need, sister. We have enough of our own."
Yu Xiaoxiao insisted, "Don’t be shy, Xiaoli. Take them—it’s a token of my goodwill."
"Really, it’s unnecessary," Yu Xiaoli replied. "Before the competition, our elders specifically instructed us to only eat the fasting pills made by our own medical sisters. We can’t disobey them."
"Alright, I won’t press you," Yu Xiaoxiao said sincerely. "If you need any help later, feel free to come to us at Ten Thousand Saints Palace. Xiaoli, I really like you. Can we be friends?"
Yu Xiaoli thought for a moment. "I don’t think we’ll need anything."
Then she tilted her head, studying Yu Xiaoxiao with curiosity. "Lots of people like me, but they all have their reasons. What’s yours, sister?"
Yu Xiaoxiao paused slightly. "No particular reason. I just feel like we click."
"Oh?" Yu Xiaoli’s fox-like eyes, a light jade-green and brimming with mischief, swept over Yu Xiaoxiao before she smiled faintly. "Well, sorry then. You don’t quite click with me, so I don’t want to be friends."
Not far away, Lu Jiayao—who had just finished coaxing a little yellow chick to sleep—was intently observing the commotion in the dormitory while providing live commentary to his team. "Yu Xiaoxiao went to talk to that little fox from Jade Rhinoceros Valley!"
Xie Ziyin and the others were busy tidying up the shared sleeping quarters.
Meanwhile, Wen Shuangbai inspected the soundproofing barrier she had just drawn—a formation that muffled their voices and kept other sects from approaching.
She didn’t even need to look up; Lu Jiayao’s dramatic narration kept her fully informed.
"Huh? Yu Xiaoxiao ran off—she looks really upset. What did the little fox say to her?" Lu Jiayao craned his neck from behind the alchemy cauldron, as if trying to eavesdrop. "She just threw herself into Lu Ying’s arms, and Lu Ying’s comforting her… Whoa, the way Lu Ying’s glaring at Jade Rhinoceros Valley is terrifying!"
"Ohhh, the little fox is coming out—is she going to apologize to Yu Xiaoxiao?" Suddenly, Lu Jiayao darted out from behind the cauldron, excited. "Wait, why is she heading toward us?!"
"Sister Wen!" The little fox bounded over, making a beeline for Wen Shuangbai.
Wen Shuangbai stood and let her into the barrier. "What is it?"
Yu Xiaoli handed her something. "Sister Wen, we have an extra Golden Thread Silkworm Quilt. You can use it for your bedding."
Wen Shuangbai stared at the soft, white quilt shimmering faintly with gold threads, utterly stunned. "…What?"
Golden Thread Silkworm Quilt—as the name suggested, was woven from silk spun by golden thread silkworms.
Golden thread silk was exceptionally rare. Worn as armor, it could protect the wearer. Even a thin layer draped over a magical artifact could shield it from damage.
And yet… Jade Rhinoceros Valley used it as bedding?
Wasn’t that too extravagant? It was practically like sleeping on a pile of spirit stones!
Before she could stop herself, Wen Shuangbai’s hands had already accepted the priceless, feather-light quilt. After a moment of silence, she glanced at the Jade Rhinoceros Valley disciples casually spreading similar quilts over their beds and said, "Alright, thank you. We’ll return it tomorrow morning."
Yu Xiaoli waved it off. "Just give it back after the competition. We have plenty—they’d just gather dust otherwise."
Wen Shuangbai: "…"
She looked at the girl before her and said with genuine awe, "Jade Rhinoceros Valley is really rich, huh?"
[!!! Ahhh, Little Fox, share some with me too!]
[Just how wealthy is Jade Rhinoceros Valley?!]
[Their territory has always been ideal for spirit beasts. That Golden Thread Silkworm Quilt is probably spun by their own silkworm colonies.]
[Jade Rhinoceros Valley usually ranks fifth or sixth in the Mystic Heaven Grand Competition—never first, never last. They stay hidden in the shadows, low-key and unnoticed, but secretly rolling in wealth!]
[There’s a saying in Yunzhou: "Jade Rhinoceros Valley is so poor, all they have left is money."]
—
After delivering the quilt, Yu Xiaoli skipped away, leaving Wen Shuangbai and her team to carefully spread out their luxurious new bedding.
The dormitory’s sleeping area resembled a heated kang—a communal platform rather than individual beds, with both sides open.
Li Zhuohua took the spot closest to the formation’s entrance, ready to draw her sword at a moment’s notice if danger arose.
Wen Shuangbai lay beside her senior sister, sighing in contentment the moment she settled in. "Ah, nothing beats a Golden Thread Silkworm Quilt!"
Li Zhuohua, hugging her sword, muttered, "Qingling Mountain is so poor."
Aside from the seven major sects’ territories on the Xuantian Continent, there was one uninhabited region—the Holy Land, where the spirit vein lay. All spirit stones were mined from there.
However, the Holy Land’s spiritual energy was too dense for cultivators to endure. In the past, many had ventured in, only to have their spiritual bones explode from the overwhelming energy before they could even steal a single spirit stone.
After countless such incidents, the leaders of the seven sects joined forces to seal off the Holy Land, decreeing that mining rights would be granted to the sect that controlled the Sacred Tower, which would then distribute the spirit stones.
Currently, the spirit vein was mined by the Purple Flame Realm, with allocations based on the previous competition’s rankings.
Qingling Mountain, ranked last, received the smallest share. Combined with their less fertile terrain compared to Jade Rhinoceros Valley’s prosperous lands, poverty was inevitable.
Li Zhuohua turned her head, fiery determination in her eyes. "If we take first place…"
Wen Shuangbai’s gaze sharpened. "Then the Holy Land’s spirit vein will be ours to mine!"
The two exchanged a knowing smile.
Beside Wen Shuangbai, Yin Xuan was about to lie down when Xie Ziyin stepped in front of him.
Yin Xuan: "?"
Xie Ziyin: "?"
Yin Xuan: "??"
Xie Ziyin: "..."
Xie Ziyin shot Yin Xuan a look, signaling him to move aside.
Yin Xuan: "???"
Shuangbai was his junior sister, and in his eyes, she was like a younger sister to him. As her senior brother, wasn’t it his duty to sleep beside her to prevent other men from taking advantage?
But then again, Junior Brother Xie was her fiancé.
Fine.
Yin Xuan reluctantly shifted to the side.
Only then did Xie Ziyin withdraw his gaze and lie down between Wen Shuangbai and Yin Xuan.
Wen Shuangbai was whispering to Senior Sister Li Zhuohua, completely unaware of the silent battle of wills between the two men behind her.
When she turned around, she was startled to find a man’s face suddenly close to hers—his refined profile, the striking beauty of his bone structure, and the faint teardrop mole at the corner of his eye.
Honestly… it was rather pleasing to look at.
The man’s eyes were originally closed, but as if sensing her gaze, his Adam’s apple bobbed slightly, his thick lashes fluttered, and then his eyes opened, meeting hers.
Wen Shuangbai blinked, then calmly rolled onto her back, staring up at the mottled ceiling. After a moment, she lowered her voice and asked, "Do you like reading novels?"
Since their mutual revelation as transmigrators, they had been too busy to discuss the details. Now was the perfect opportunity.
Xie Ziyin caught the deeper meaning in her words, and his heart stirred. "No," he replied, "but my junior brother does. He often recites them in front of everyone."
Oh?
So, he was also a transmigrator—but he hadn’t read the book himself and only knew about it from his colleague?
Wen Shuangbai: "Did he share much?"
Xie Ziyin: "Not much. Just bits of the plot and the ending."
Wen Shuangbai reassured him, "It’s fine. No harm done. The butterfly will flap its wings."
"Mm." Xie Ziyin hesitated, then asked, "Then you—"
"Stop whispering," Yin Xuan cut in, eyes still closed as he interrupted the junior brother who had stolen his spot. "Go to sleep properly."
Xie Ziyin: "..."
"Alright, Senior Brother. We won’t disturb you anymore." Wen Shuangbai yawned, drowsiness creeping in, and said to Xie Ziyin, "Goodnight."
True to her word, she fell asleep almost instantly, her breathing soon steady and slow.
Xie Ziyin closed his eyes as well, trying to drift off.
But—
Li Zhuohua had terrible sleeping habits, constantly shifting closer to Wen Shuangbai, who in turn ended up pressed against him.
The woman who usually seemed fearless and unshakable was unexpectedly soft to the touch—like a cloud. And when she was this close, he could faintly catch the delicate fragrance of her scent.
It was inexplicably unsettling.
That night, Xie Ziyin did not sleep well.
