Chapter 8: Slacking Off, Day Eight
Qinglu Valley… was it really that dangerous?
Wen Ying had deliberately chosen the most peaceful location. True to its name, Qinglu Valley’s highest-level creatures were merely seventh-order animals; they ran far away upon seeing Wen Ying. The local customs were truly gentle.
“Senior brother, calm down.” The Order-upholding elder, clearly more mild-mannered, persuaded the Sword-wielding elder, then gently advised Wen Ying. “Young friend Wen Ying, we may be old, but we’re not senile. Although third-order ferocious beasts are fierce, they wouldn’t survive a day in Qinglu Valley.”
This was the first time Wen Ying heard this.
Wen Ying was quite surprised.
Except for the first encounter with the beast, Wen Ying hadn’t paid it much attention in later missions. Of course, during her first time, the original owner had extremely poor cultivation, but Wen Ying hadn’t expected the creature to be so weak.
A third-order animal could be called a ferocious beast, even a high-level one?
She didn’t know if her standards were too high, or the elders’ were too low.
This made the so-called “young genius,” Fu Shuangxue, seem even worse.
Seeing Wen Ying remain silent, the Order-upholding elder seized the opportunity, continuing to persuade, “Young friend Wen Ying, I know you’re eager to clear your name, but only by telling us the truth can we investigate and make the fairest judgment.”
“Oh.” Wen Ying again replied honestly. “Then I still don’t know. You decide.”
See, how honest she was!
Wen Ying always believed in good deeds being rewarded. Honest people would get what they desired—she would definitely let these old men help her find the dungeon!
The Order-upholding elder sighed and shook his head. “Young friend Wen Ying, you… alas, you are incorrigible…”
Every farce eventually ends.
The Grandmaster, seeing that the elders and Wen Ying had been talking for a long time, using both soft and hard tactics, yet Wen Ying showed no remorse, raised his hand and gestured for the elders to stop.
He stood up, looked at Wen Ying, his brows furrowed, his expression heavy. “Wen Ying, you privately released a ferocious beast, harmed your fellow disciples, and spoke nonsense without remorse. You will now be imprisoned in the Xun Xian Sect’s dungeon, awaiting further punishment!”
The Grandmaster’s voice was loud and clear, putting an end to this farcical interrogation.
“Good!” Wen Ying clapped her hands, her eyes filled with subtle excitement. “Let’s go. Who’s taking me to the dungeon?”
“You… sigh…” Grandmaster Ru Song sighed, seeing Wen Ying’s nonchalant attitude. “Sword-wielding elder, take her to the dungeon!”
“Yes!”
The Sword-wielding elder accepted the order, approaching Wen Ying. He intended to grab her arm, but Wen Ying casually raised and moved her hand, not only dodging but also pushing him back two steps!
The Sword-wielding elder felt awkward. Wen Ying’s poor cultivation was known throughout the Xun Xian Sect. Yet, he was unexpectedly countered by such a junior, how could he save face?
He secretly glanced at the surrounding elders; no one seemed to notice, so he decided to pretend nothing had happened.
“Let’s go!” the Sword-wielding elder said irritably to Wen Ying.
Wen Ying looked at him.
She was letting him lead the way, not treating her like a prisoner.
…
The Xun Xian Sect’s dungeon was no different from other dungeons.
In the dim environment, only two rows of faint candlelight flickered. A damp smell filled the air; some places even dripped water. There weren’t many cells, but the conditions were extremely poor, with only a pile of straw, occasionally with the presence of rats and cockroaches.
Wen Ying showed a look of disgust.
A new map, but the conditions were too poor.
For a cultivation sect, they didn’t even deal with these small animals.
The Sword-wielding elder approached a cell, but instead of using a key, he circulated his qi and chanted an incantation, then tapped his two fingers on the cell door, which opened.
“Go in.” Angry, the Sword-wielding elder didn’t want to see Wen Ying’s face, so he pointed to the cell door without looking.
From the elder’s actions, Wen Ying realized that beneath the traditional appearance of the cells were actually barriers.
Not bad.
It finally showed some characteristics of a cultivation sect.
After Wen Ying entered the barrier, the Sword-wielding elder turned and left.
Only after Wen Ying had failed her mission did the mission panel appear.
【”The Female Second Lead in a Xianxia Novel” Mission 3: Reason with them, clear your suspicion, and avoid being imprisoned. Reward: @#%￥&……Unimportant.】
【…Mission Failed.】
Before Wen Ying could dismiss it, the two consecutive mission failure notifications disappeared on their own.
Wen Ying didn’t pay much attention to the system, instead examining the cell.
Despite the barrier, the small animals could freely enter and exit.
Wen Ying guessed that the builder of this dungeon was afraid of the animals starving, so they were given the freedom to pass through the barrier.
Such a compassionate heart was clearly not possessed by these elders, nor the current sect master.
Wen Ying didn’t have such a compassionate heart.
She hated animals like rats and cockroaches, especially in her dwelling.
Wen Ying gathered qi in her palm and struck the ground. The small animals instantly turned to ashes and dissipated outside the cell.
Wen Ying then set a barrier around her cell, preventing the animals from approaching.
Barrier within barrier, an old routine.
After cleaning her cell, Wen Ying took out her cushion and sat comfortably on the straw.
Then, she began to investigate the outer barrier with curiosity.
A simple investigation confirmed her previous thoughts.
This barrier must have been set up hundreds of years ago, definitely not by those elders. The barrier was peculiar; it wasn’t designed to imprison sect disciples who had made mistakes, but rather to target demonic cultivators. Its effect on demonic cultivators was far greater than on cultivators.
New map, indeed new encounters.
Speaking of demonic cultivators…
This reminded Wen Ying of the shadow.
Wen Ying turned her head—
and saw the shadow outside the cell.
Wen Ying calmly looked at “him.”
The shadow had no eyes and couldn’t sense auras, so “he” wouldn’t recognize her.
Wen Ying watched the shadow for over a minute, and it showed no hostility towards her.
Wen Ying relaxed slightly, blinking.
However, when Wen Ying opened her eyes again, the shadow was beside her.
The shadow had no aura, so the barrier couldn’t stop it.
But!
The shadow was pulling at the cushion under her! What was the meaning of this?
The shadow still wouldn’t let go of her cushion!
Indeed, whenever the shadow appeared, it usually carried its master’s intentions. But it couldn’t be… that since the encounter on the back mountain that day, the shadow’s goal had been her cushion?
This made Wen Ying curious about the shadow’s master.
Which demonic cultivator was so bored that they would spend so much effort for a second-hand cushion?
Investigating a demonic cultivator’s technique required demonic arts.
Wen Ying gathered demonic energy in her hand and struck at the shadow.
The shadow vanished the next moment, but its caster was no longer hidden.
The direction of the retracted technique was clear.
Wen Ying never expected the caster to be so close—in the next cell.
Perhaps because of the barrier, Wen Ying hadn’t sensed the demonic cultivator’s aura. Due to the dim lighting in the dungeon, and the person being dressed in black, Wen Ying hadn’t noticed anyone in the next cell.
The person and his shadow were similarly dressed—both in black robes, their wide hoods almost completely obscuring their faces. Their appearance was unclear, but the person was significantly taller than the shadow. He was quietly leaning against the corner of his cell, his black robe enveloping his entire body, giving off a distant yet mysterious vibe.
Hmm? New character?
This was more exciting than the background Sword-wielding elder’s dialogue.
“Hello?” Being neighbors, Wen Ying greeted him politely.
The person didn’t respond, not even moving.
However, his action of retracting the shadow confirmed that he was alive.
Since he wasn’t being polite, Wen Ying didn’t need to beat around the bush.
She stood up, holding up the cushion, and asked directly, “Why do you want my cushion?”
Perhaps because of the mention of the cushion, the person finally moved.
He slightly lifted his hood, seeming to look at Wen Ying’s hand. But only a glance; the next moment, he returned to his previous posture.
Seeing this, Wen Ying didn’t press further.
If he didn’t want to say, asking wouldn’t help.
“Fine, I won’t ask you why.” Wen Ying placed the cushion back on the straw, continuing, “Regardless, taking my things is wrong. But if you promise not to do it again and apologize, we’ll let this go.”
Being neighbors, making a big fuss wasn’t good.
Having barely escaped those broken missions, Wen Ying had no intention of leaving the dungeon in the short term.
After Wen Ying finished speaking, silence fell upon the dungeon. Only the sound of water dripping from the outer wall could be heard, drop by drop, increasingly clear.
After an unknown number of drips, Wen Ying finally gave up.
She patted the cushion, intending to sit back down.
However, at that moment, the person finally spoke.
“Yes, I promise. Sorry.” The person remained motionless, but a low voice, barely audible, came from under his black hood.
Though the voice was very low, it wasn’t as sinister and deep as Wen Ying imagined, but rather possessed the youthful quality of a boy.
Author’s Note:
I’m not a punctual person…
I mentioned that there would be random red envelopes in the comments!
Thank you to the little angels who gave me rewards or poured nutrient solution between 2022-04-01 17:56:12 and 2022-04-08 14:42:54!
Thank you for the nutrient solution: Bantang Shaobing 10 bottles; Yunqi 3 bottles;
Thank you all very much for your support, I will continue to work hard!