“Ah, that’s wonderful! So she’s the young master’s little sister. I thought it was another pervert,” Zeng Xiatong said as she carried Ling Huan on her back, jogging all the way out through the city gate.
Pervert…
Yin Luoling’s mood plunged straight to rock bottom.
She had never imagined that one day, she would hear that word coming from a friend’s mouth.
Yin Luoling followed Zeng Xiatong out of the city, walking along a familiar small path.
After half an hour, the martial arts hall nestled in the mountains came into view.
There was no grand dojo—only a large courtyard enclosed by a circle of dilapidated wooden fencing.
The muddy ground was uneven and pockmarked with puddles.
Several broken training dummies were piled up in one corner, and a rundown thatched hut together with a small side room made up the entirety of the martial arts hall.
“Xiatong, you’re ba—what?! What happened to the child on your back?! Quickly, bring him inside!”
The hall master’s face came into view once more.
Just as Yin Luoling remembered, he was thin to the point of frailty—sunken eye sockets rimmed with dark circles, hollow cheeks, looking so weak that a gust of wind might knock him over.
Coupled with his tall stature, he looked no different from a bamboo pole.
No one would ever guess that he was actually a body cultivator—and a very formidable one at that.
Zeng Xiatong skillfully carried Ling Huan into the side room and laid him down on a bamboo chair.
Zeng Xiatong’s father immediately rushed over.
He grabbed Ling Huan’s hand to take his pulse, but the instant he did, he froze slightly, even unconsciously stroking Ling Huan’s arm.
It wasn’t until Zeng Xiatong’s mother arrived with medicinal herbs and silver needles that he snapped back to his senses and hurriedly began examining Ling Huan properly.
His expression quickly became unusually animated, as though he had discovered something astonishing, his eyes widening in shock.
After that, he carefully checked Ling Huan’s pupils.
Only after a thorough inspection did he finally relax a little and say, “This little fellow seems to be fine. There’s nothing wrong with his body—he was just knocked unconscious by the impact.”
“Xiatong, tell your father exactly what happened. And who is this young lady?”
Zeng Xiatong briefly recounted the terrifying encounter in the narrow alley.
Even after hearing the whole story, his face still retained traces of lingering fear.
After a moment to compose himself, he stood up at once and enthusiastically grasped Yin Luoling’s hand.
“Thank your elder brother for saving my daughter’s life! I, Zeng, will never forget this kindness as long as I live!”
He held Yin Luoling’s hand tightly, clearly eager to personally thank Ling Huan as well, but Ling Huan remained unconscious.
“Rest assured—your brother and I will exhaust everything we know to treat him. I won’t leave behind even the slightest aftereffect!”
“Oh! I nearly forgot to introduce myself. My surname is Zeng, given name Ge. Just call me Uncle Zeng!”
Uncle Zeng… I rather hope your medical skills aren’t that good…
Yin Luoling couldn’t help complaining silently in her heart.
She didn’t understand—why was this different from her previous life again?
In her past life, Ling Huan should have been bullying little Xiatong, who had just entered the city, at the East City Gate.
No.
That wasn’t right.
The Nine-Aperture Exquisite Pagoda—Yin Luoling had never once revealed it in front of outsiders.
Not even those old fogeys knew such a thing existed.
She had even searched through every authoritative tome in the Immortal Realm that recorded rare treasures and strange artifacts, yet there was no mention of the Nine-Aperture Exquisite Pagoda anywhere.
Could this be another coincidence?
In her past life, Ling Huan, backed by his system, constantly sought trouble with her—humiliating her, tormenting her, destroying her sanity bit by bit.
Now, perhaps he planned to take the “gentle and caring” route, only to betray her at a critical moment later, pushing her into even deeper ruin and driving her completely insane.
If that were the case, then he shouldn’t have stepped in to clear things up for her at all.
He should have let her be misunderstood!
Could it be that he had some other motive?
But Ling Huan couldn’t possibly know her plans. In her past life, he had never known when she would meet Zeng Xiatong.
Before leaving the house today, Yin Luoling had even deliberately carried out counter-surveillance, confirming that no one was following her before boldly searching the city for traces of Zeng Xiatong.
She had even bought clothes at a rouge shop and a clothing store—everything about her appearance screamed “a girl out shopping.”
Ling Huan running into Zeng Xiatong was an accident.
She herself wasn’t even there—why would Ling Huan suddenly act so kind-hearted?
If he truly wanted to bring her down, his attention and focus should have been fixed squarely on her.
Yet this entire week, Ling Huan hadn’t come to look for her—not once.
He hadn’t even sent anyone to monitor her.
Yin Luoling couldn’t find the slightest trace of surveillance.
It had been an exceptionally peaceful week.
Sigh. She couldn’t make sense of it.
The more she thought about it, the more it felt as though something were clouding her mind.
No matter how she reasoned it out, every line of thought led to a dead end, incapable of explaining Ling Huan’s recent actions.
For the first time, Yin Luoling found herself desperately wanting to know what someone was truly thinking inside.
Still, she was a pragmatic person.
Since she couldn’t figure it out, she might as well focus on what was right in front of her—how to successfully be accepted as Uncle Zeng’s disciple.
Thus, at the very moment Uncle Zeng grasped her hand, she pretended to unconsciously release a trace of spiritual energy.
Sure enough, Uncle Zeng’s perception was extremely sharp.
The instant that spiritual energy was released, Yin Luoling saw incomparable shock flood his eyes.
Immediately afterward, he began rubbing her arm and wrist, squeezing firmly.
This was the most straightforward and unadorned examination method used by body cultivators.
“Not bad. Not bad indeed.”
Uncle Zeng kept kneading Yin Luoling’s hands, shoulders, and even pinched her thighs, his eyes growing increasingly fervent, even carrying a strong sense of desire.
Zeng Xiaotong, standing nearby, saw her father in such a state and couldn’t help but feel a bit frightened.
She couldn’t resist commenting, “Dad, why do you look like a pervert?”
Uncle Zeng immediately snapped back to reality.
Though the fervor on his face hadn’t faded, a flush of embarrassment appeared.
He quickly let go and apologized repeatedly, “Ah, yes, sorry, little girl. Uncle got a bit too excited. Do… do you have a master?”
Yin Luoling shook her head, a hint of fear in her voice.
“N-no, no master.”
“No master? Then this spiritual energy of yours…”
“It’s… it’s from practicing a fragmented family heirloom cultivation technique. But… because it’s incomplete, I… still don’t know how to use it…”
“Well then… would you be willing to become my disciple? I’ll not only pass on my family’s secret arts but also teach you how to use spiritual energy!”
Here it comes! Uncle Zeng had taken the bait.
Yin Luoling was ecstatic inside!
As long as she became Uncle Zeng’s disciple, she would be one step closer to the Nine Orifice Exquisite Pagoda.
However, she didn’t immediately agree.
After all, rashly accepting would be unwise.
Countless examples in the cultivation world proved that masters preferred humble disciples, while impatient ones rarely gained favor.
Moreover, what was hard to obtain became more cherished once attained.
This applied to both treasures and relationships.
So, Yin Luoling immediately put on a look of being overwhelmed by the offer.
“This… how could I dare to accept! I… I also bear the responsibility of my own family heirloom… so I understand its value. Someone as untalented as me learning your arts would only disgrace your family’s secret techniques… I haven’t even grasped the slightest bit of my own family’s techniques. I just… have empty spiritual energy.”
Even though she said this, Yin Luoling was quite confident that Uncle Zeng would urge her again.
If he urged, she could then agree, increasing her favor in his eyes!
She understood better than anyone what her current cultivation level meant to Uncle Zeng.
Body cultivators valued talent more than anyone, especially a child under eight with such cultivation.
Given Uncle Zeng’s personality from her past life, he was bound to persuade her.
Though it might not be appropriate to say, Zeng Xiaotong had no talent, and Uncle Zeng, due to a hidden ailment, didn’t have long to live.
He must be desperate to pass on his family’s secret arts.
Come on! Yin Luoling appeared flustered on the surface, but inwardly, she was laughing with joy!
As long as she became Uncle Zeng’s disciple, the Nine Orifice Exquisite Pagoda would absolutely be hers!
Don’t laugh, hold it in! Yin Luoling! Stay calm! She waited expectantly.
“Is that so? Then forget it. Bearing the responsibility of a family heirloom naturally makes it hard to learn another. If they clash, that would be troublesome.”
Huh…?
“I wonder if your brother would be willing!”
Huh…?
“Uncle… Uncle Zeng…”
“Little girl, don’t worry. I understand. You don’t need to feel guilty or uneasy about refusing me. I understand the responsibility of bearing a family heirloom. I thought you had a master or received guidance from someone, but I never imagined… you were carrying your family’s legacy.”
…?
“Don’t worry, little girl! Even if I can’t teach you my family’s secret arts, I’ll still guide you in cultivation matters.”
“What a shame, Dad. You almost gave away that broken pagoda,” Zeng Xiaotong said with a smile.
“What broken pagoda? That’s a family heirloom! Don’t you understand? Our family bears a mission! That pagoda is our mission! How can you talk about our family heirloom like that?”
“I think it’s better that you didn’t give away that broken pagoda. Besides, Dad, you’re only at the third level of Qi Refinement, right? No one would want to become your disciple.”
“You little—”
“Dad, you—”
Whatever Zeng Xiaotong and Uncle Zeng said afterward, Yin Luoling couldn’t hear.
She only felt the world had gone quiet.
Only the wind felt noisy.
Only her heart seemed to have stopped.
What… just happened?
My pagoda… is gone?
I… messed up?