The next day, while Shu Xin was meditating, several young men woke her up, saying, “We’ve found Shu Xin and her accomplice.”
Shu Xin almost burst out laughing.
Sure enough, this day had finally come.
As long as she did not show herself, someone would inevitably start causing trouble in her name.
“Really?” Shu Xin put on an excited expression. “Then let’s immediately report this to our elders. Oh, I nearly forgot—I still haven’t found my family.”
“Junior Sister Li, there’s no need to rush.” Shangguan Yu assumed what he thought was a handsome pose, looking every bit the seasoned schemer. “If we simply go back and report this, at best we’ll just be messengers. How could we demonstrate our value to the family that way?”
“But... I’m afraid our cultivation is inadequate. If we act rashly, all of us might end up trapped in there. After all, even a Dongtian True Immortal perished inside.” Shu Xin spoke with deep concern.
“We don’t have to fight.” Shangguan Yu waved his hand grandly. “Junior Sister Li, you probably don’t know this, but our Shangguan family and the Lin family have always been sworn enemies. I’m sure that if Elder Shu learns of this, she’ll show our Shangguan family some consideration. When the time comes, we can act according to the situation and help our family investigate Shu Xin and her accomplice first.”
“Then we’ll do as Brother Shangguan says.” Shu Xin appeared to be convinced and nodded along.
As they advanced, Shu Xin curiously asked them, “How did you gentlemen know that they were Shu Xin and her accomplice?”
“Because they’re easy to identify,” Shangguan Yu replied. “A group of aristocratic disciples encountered Shu Xin and her accomplice while patrolling the mountain. Almost all of them were killed, with only one cultivator left alive. They also left a few characters on the ground, which clearly looked like Shu Xin’s handiwork. And that woman has rather masculine features, which matches the descriptions of Shu Xin.”
[They don’t seem to recognize you.] The Sword Spirit was somewhat puzzled. [Didn’t they even circulate a portrait of you?]
“Of course not, silly Sword Spirit. The Lin family wants others to help find me, but they absolutely don’t want anyone else to find me first. So they’ve erased both my appearance and the characters I left behind proclaiming my innocence.”
Concealing key information while manipulating others into doing their bidding was a method these people in power had long been fond of using.
[All right. I’ll never understand the cunning of you humans. What are you planning to do next?] The Sword Spirit was confused. Shu Xin could not possibly remain with this group forever; sooner or later, her identity would be exposed.
“For now, I’ll muddy the waters and investigate the restrictions around here. These aristocratic disciples can come and go freely. Aside from their identity tokens and verification, that also means they must know at least one reliable way out.” Shu Xin replied, “People never leave themselves a path that leads to certain death. Their favorite thing to do is always to ‘create a back door.’”
By the time Shu Xin and the others arrived after hurrying along, at least three different groups had already reached their destination.
Surrounded by those groups was a cultivator with blood still staining his face. He had suffered severe injuries, and his complexion looked extremely unhealthy.
“We... cough, cough... We happened to encounter Shu Xin and her accomplice. They were far too powerful. We were almost completely defeated in a single exchange. Several senior brothers and sisters relied on the treasures provided by their families and tried to fight Shu Xin, but she unexpectedly used underhanded schemes to kill them. If it weren’t for the talisman my master bestowed upon me, I probably wouldn’t have survived either.”
The cultivator in the middle looked no more than twenty years old, with a somewhat immature face. Yet when it came to telling lies, he was remarkably convincing.
Shu Xin followed Shangguan Yu and the others over. After taking one look at the scene, she immediately knew there was something suspicious about it.
The dead cultivators lying nearby had met gruesome ends, clearly showing signs of having endured a fierce battle.
But that raised a question.
Those dead cultivators were only at the Core Condensation Realm. Even with treasures supporting them, the traces of battle should not have been so extensive.
Sure enough, someone soon voiced the question.
“Senior Brother, I see that your cultivation is only at the Core Condensation Realm. Shu Xin and her accomplice were capable of killing even a Dongtian True Immortal. Even if you had treasures to protect you, you shouldn’t have survived. Besides, since you fought, why did no one nearby notice the commotion?”
“It seems that Shu Xin and the others were already injured, so we thought we might as well risk fighting them. Cough, cough.”
“That does make sense. Shu Xin and the others killed several Dongtian True Immortals. There’s no way they paid no price.”
“Didn’t someone previously say that Shu Xin had been framed? Now the truth is clear. She really did betray the sect.”
“I suppose it’s understandable. Everyone knows what the Lin family ancestor is like. If she hadn’t resisted, she would have died.”
“If the Lin family wanted to kill her, she should have obediently accepted her fate. A rogue cultivator like her never should have been allowed to join our immortal sect in the first place!”
...
The surrounding cultivators all seemed to have opinions of their own. By now, they were no longer talking about pursuing Shu Xin. Instead, they stood around voicing their various views.
Even Shangguan Yu, who had just been filled with “ambition,” was now happily chatting and exchanging pleasantries with the disciples of several other great clans rather than recklessly going after Shu Xin and becoming the next corpse discovered here.
Faced with all these people slandering her to her face, Shu Xin merely maintained a faint smile. She was not angry in the slightest.
After discussing the matter back and forth, the group ultimately decided to stick together and avoid splitting up.
And because Shu Xin had arrived with the Shangguan family’s people, she blended into the group without arousing the slightest suspicion.
Late that night.
The cultivators assigned to stand watch fell one after another.
The cultivators meditating nearby realized something was wrong, but by then it was already too late. They, too, collapsed one after another.
“These aristocratic disciples are weak and incredibly foolish. No wonder they were all sent out to look for someone.”
“The aristocratic clans of the Longevity Dao Sect have stood unshaken for many years, so naturally they possess plenty of elite disciples. It’s just that ordinary people rarely get the chance to meet those elites.”
“Enough talking. Find the valuables first. Once we rob this group, we’ll have enough resources to cultivate all the way to the Dongtian True Immortal realm.”
“Afterward, we’ll kill them. No one will ever trace it back to us anyway.”
...
Shu Xin released her divine sense. With her abilities, she naturally ensured that the attackers remained completely unaware of her observation.
As expected, the attackers were the very cultivator who had supposedly been the only one to survive Shu Xin’s hands, along with two companions who were likely working with him.
At that moment, the three of them were rummaging through the storage rings, storage bags, and other belongings of the aristocratic disciples.
Judging by how practiced they were, it was obvious that this was far from the first time they had done something like this.
“This is Immortal’s Drunkenness, brewed by alchemists of the demonic path. It’s incredibly expensive. Any cultivator below the Dao Infant realm will pass out from merely taking a whiff. However, if you take precautions in advance and buy the Tranquility Pills refined by demonic-path alchemists, you can negate Immortal’s Drunkenness. For cultivators traveling outside, Tranquility Pills are an absolute necessity.”
The immortal-path sects monopolized pills, talismans, spirit herbs, and all sorts of cultivation resources, so the demonic-path sects had to find another way. They came up with a whole pile of things designed to harm people.
Even if you had no intention of harming others, you still had to guard against being harmed yourself.
As a result, pills like the Tranquility Pills produced by the demonic path had to be kept on hand at all times.
And so the demonic path got another chance to fleece everyone.
Shu Xin had studied the ingredients used in Immortal’s Drunkenness. They were expensive, making it rather wasteful to use the stuff against cultivators below the Dao Infant realm. But precisely because Immortal’s Drunkenness existed, the cheap-to-produce Tranquility Pills could be sold at an absurd price.
In this cultivation world, everyone had their own way of harvesting the “leeks.”
The more ruthlessly the leeks were harvested, the more firmly these ancient, powerful sects secured their positions.
The only thing the demonic-path sects had going for them over the immortal-path sects was that they were not inherited through family bloodlines, but through master-and-disciple lineages. They believed in masters and disciples slaughtering one another, fathers being unkind and children being unfilial. There were even people who refined their own bodies and relatives into magical artifacts for the sake of cultivation. Truly, it was a gathering of the worst.
When the voice explaining the origins of Immortal’s Drunkenness rang out, the expressions of the three cultivators collecting the goods changed.
They looked around, but could not find the speaker anywhere. Clearly, this person’s cultivation was far above theirs.
They could not afford to act recklessly.
The leader in particular immediately cupped his fists and said, “May I ask which senior has honored us with his presence? Since you were able to recognize these things, you must also be a rogue cultivator like us. How about this? We’ll take only the original cost of the Immortal’s Drunkenness and leave the rest to Senior.”
Shu Xin did not answer.
When the leading cultivator received no response, he continued, “We’re all rogue cultivators, so we know exactly how the Changsheng Dao Sect operates. These aristocratic clans order us rogue cultivators around every day, never treating us like human beings. The slightest scraps that slip through their fingers are enough to make us fight for our lives. Now that such a golden opportunity has fallen into our laps, why don’t we join forces and teach these aristocratic clans a lesson?”
“Get lost,” Shu Xin barked.
“Senior intends to keep everything for himself?” one cultivator said unhappily, but the person beside him immediately pulled him back.
“Thank you, Senior, for sparing our lives.”
The leader no longer said anything else. He immediately took his men and ran.
Being allowed to keep their lives was already a blessing. Besides, they had looted quite a bit just now—enough to cover their costs.
Shu Xin slowly got to her feet.
She thoroughly looted everything on the unconscious disciples of the aristocratic clans.
Of course she was going to keep everything for herself.
Even a mosquito was still meat.
However, while robbing the disciples, Shu Xin also took all the tokens that represented their respective families.
“Come on. Let’s test the strength of the restrictions around here.” Shu Xin waved her hand, stuffing the tokens into a bulging pouch. “After being hit by Immortal’s Drunkenness, none of them will wake up tonight. If we don’t make our move now, when will we?”
Shu Xin had stayed alongside these people, and it had not all been mere playacting.
At the very least, during their conversations, she had gotten a clear understanding of the terrain and some of the restrictions in the area.
According to these disciples of the aristocratic clans, the restrictions surrounding the mountains around the lake prison were actually part of a grand formation jointly established by the various clans.
However, for the convenience of their own bloodlines, the ancestors of each clan had left a “back door” in their respective mountain peaks—one that led directly to the heart of the family. This way, as long as a clan disciple held the appropriate token, the family could activate the passage from the clan’s center and send them straight here.
Of course, there were certainly other ways in.
Shu Xin could not actually go barging into the heart of one of these clans. That would be no different from walking straight into a tiger’s den.
Still, trying it out could not hurt.
Shu Xin flew first to the nearest mountain peak. After avoiding the attention of several cultivators, she carefully searched through the tokens and found the one she thought corresponded to that peak, then attempted to use it to open the mountain restrictions.
Boom!
Although the token in her hand flashed with light, it did not open the entrance to the restrictions. Instead, it alerted the entire formation and exposed Shu Xin’s location.
“As expected, there’s a problem. Time to run first!”
Shu Xin laughed loudly, tossed away the token in her hand, and fled before the cultivators could catch her.
“Sword Spirit, help me,” Shu Xin said directly.
【Got it.】
While cursing inwardly, the Sword Spirit obediently and skillfully infused Shu Xin with its sword qi, allowing her to block the probing divine senses and the like.
Over the years, Shu Xin had been able to move through various demonic caverns without alarming the major sects, all thanks to this “concealment” technique of the Sword Spirit.
That was also the important reason she had not discarded it despite its incessant chatter and insatiable appetite for money.
After all, this was the greatest cheat she had gained after transmigrating.
A celestial artifact at her side—that was treatment reserved for the protagonist!
【It seems these clans didn’t leave behind any openings for you to exploit. What are you going to do next?】the Sword Spirit asked curiously.
“Of course I’m going to try them all. I don’t mind scarcity, but I do mind unfairness.” Shu Xin answered without hesitation. “Since we’re doing this, we might as well treat everyone equally.”
【…I give up.】
That was what the Sword Spirit said, but it was also brimming with enthusiasm.
Shu Xin then began testing the different mountain peaks one after another.
Sure enough, none of the tokens worked.
Or rather, the tokens could only be used by their respective owners.
These clan tokens were not merely decorative. The blood and divine sense of the corresponding disciple had actually been integrated into them. The restrictions would open only when the person and token matched.
Over the course of a single night, Shu Xin toyed with the restrictions around every mountain peak in the area.
Cultivators from the various peaks could be seen flying about everywhere, frantically searching for the person who had triggered the restrictions.
Whenever Shu Xin encountered someone blocking her path, she simply cut them down with a single sword strike and left without the slightest hesitation.
As a result, the already chaotic situation became even more chaotic.
From every mountain peak came the sounds of people stomping their feet and losing their tempers.
Shu Xin laughed heartily.
“Isn’t this much more chaotic now?” Shu Xin said, rather proudly. “When it comes to muddying the waters, if I rank second, who would dare claim first?”
With all the mountain peaks thrown into disarray, even the powerful cultivators who had originally planned to remain in seclusion were forced to come out and calm everyone down. They declared that they would definitely capture the culprit.
By then, Shu Xin had already quietly returned to Shangguan Yu and the others. She pretended to have been affected by Immortal’s Drunkenness as well and was lying there comfortably.
Meanwhile, over at the Changsheng Dao Sect—
Because of the commotion near the Enforcement Hall, the sect naturally began drawing considerable attention from all sides.
“So you’re saying that, in the space of a very short time, a disciple at the Dao Nascent stage not only escaped from the Enforcement Hall, killed the three Dongtian Adepts assigned to guard her, and committed nearly a hundred offenses while on the run—killing around seven hundred cultivators, plundering their resources, stealing their spirit beasts, and possibly abducting more than a dozen female cultivators as well—causing losses of several million spirit stones and the disappearance of tens of thousands of bottles of pills?”
A cultivator whose profound cultivation made his exact level impossible to discern tossed aside the jade slips submitted by his subordinates. His voice was icy and severe.
Anyone with discerning eyes could see what was really going on. The people below had merely been using Shu Xin’s name to run wild, pushing all the blame onto her. In their eyes, someone destined to die should feel honored to take the responsibility for them.
“Elder, please spare us!”
A large group of cultivators had already dropped to their knees.
“That boy from the Lin family has gone too far,” the handsome cultivator said flatly. “A nation has its laws, and a clan its rules. For now, the Longevity Dao Sect does not bear the Lin name. Put an end to this farce as soon as possible. And all of you need to keep a closer eye on the people under your command. You may pin certain matters on Shu Xin, but you can’t blame absolutely everything on her.”
The cultivators below fell silent.
Only after a long while did someone summon the courage to ask, “Then… Elder, if we capture Shu Xin, how should we deal with her?”
Could it be that the Elder intended to protect Shu Xin?
“If she is still within the Longevity Dao Sect, how you deal with her after capturing her is your concern. So long as things look acceptable on the surface, you may go and receive your punishment afterward. Shu Xin did cause trouble within the sect and kill people. If we were to let such matters go lightly, what face would the Longevity Dao Sect have left to show the world? But if she successfully escapes and goes to the Seeking Deity Sect, then she will no longer be a disciple of the Longevity Dao Sect, and we will not pursue the matter any further.”
With just a few words, he had decided Shu Xin’s future.
“Elder, the Seeking Deity Sect has long since fallen into decline. Why give them such consideration?”
The handsome cultivator merely glanced at the speaker. The cultivator who had just spoken was sent flying backward, crashed to the ground, and lay there with his aura greatly weakened. His cultivation had clearly fallen by at least two major levels.
“Are you questioning me?”
“I wouldn’t dare. I wouldn’t dare.”
This handsome cultivator was one of the true powers within the Longevity Dao Sect. Not only had he married female cultivators from the three great families, he had also become the sect leader’s disciple. It could be said that he was the true core of the Longevity Dao Sect.
Within the Longevity Dao Sect, only three families had remained standing through the ages. They were the trunk of the sect, while the other aristocratic clans were merely branches and leaves.
As long as the trunk did not fall, it did not matter how often the branches and leaves changed.
“Even if the Seeking Deity Sect has fallen into decline, it is still not a force you can afford to provoke,” the middle-aged cultivator said with a cold laugh. “We choose not to interfere simply because it isn’t worth the trouble. But if you go too far, there are plenty of people waiting to replace you. Handle Shu Xin’s matter as I instructed. If she truly manages to escape and becomes a member of the Seeking Deity Sect, wouldn’t that be even better?”
Some of the quicker-witted cultivators had already understood.
Shu Xin was so adept at causing trouble. If she became a member of the Seeking Deity Sect, then their sect would have all the excuse it needed to act against the Seeking Deity Sect in the future.
“The Elder is truly wise.”
Shu Xin: The new Great Sage of Book Balancing has arrived.
