Chapter 7 - Fear of Being Useless and Mysterious Confidence

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Day after day.

Another dawn.

Xu Yang sat boldly at the edge of the bed, passing a prepared cup of tea to Situ Qingqing.

"Master, this disciple feels so parched, like my throat's on fire…" Situ Qingqing's eyes showed exhaustion, and her voice was weak and hoarse, as if she'd swallowed a blade. After a night of sharing "private words," it was no wonder she was drained.

"Apologies, that was my oversight," Xu Yang said, slightly embarrassed, bringing the cup to her lips.

Gulping down the tea in one go, Situ Qingqing's hoarse voice softened as she gazed at Xu Yang pitifully. "Master, I fear… I might be ruined."

Recalling the events of the previous night, Xu Yang felt a bit awkward. "What nonsense are you saying, Qing'er? Rest and recuperate. I'll be entering seclusion tonight for cultivation."

His words implied that, at least for tonight, he wouldn't be returning to discuss "philosophy" with her.

With that, Xu Yang turned and left.

Watching her master's retreating figure, Situ Qingqing couldn't fathom it. Her master had lost his cultivation, and he wasn't even a body cultivator before. How could he possess such terrifying strength?

As Xu Yang made his way to the great hall atop the mountain, he felt a sense of satisfaction.

After all, last night had been… intense.

Though he couldn't continue "discussing life" with Qing'er tonight, he took a moment to savor the memory.

Before long, he reached the great hall at the peak, where he took a seat on the meditation mat usually used for cultivation and began reflecting to himself.

In the original novel, the protagonist and his first disciple, Yuan Kouxuan, should have met by now! They might even be on their way to the Qingming Sect as he sat here.

In the meantime, he had already "won over" Situ Qingqing, the character most closely tied to the protagonist, and seized her greatest opportunity.

If the protagonist could sense that his fortune was being siphoned off, all the better. Xu Yang couldn't wait to see him seething in frustration—that thought alone brought him joy!

Excited as he was, Xu Yang did not neglect his cultivation. After all, in dealing with the protagonist, his own strength would be the ultimate deciding factor.

Closing his eyes, he began his practice, and a blazing sun seemed to rise from within him, causing the temperature in the hall to surge.

Meanwhile, Xiao Ye and Little Mink had finally arrived at Heavenly Origin City.

As one of the four cities under the Qingming Sect, the city gates alone were bustling with people. The crowds were packed, many of whom were cultivators.

Scholars, monks, daoists…

Elders, women, children…

Some traveled by sword, others on spirit boats, while some even, like him, rode on their spirit beasts.

"This Heavenly Origin City… truly is something else," Xiao Ye muttered as he jumped off Little Mink's back, marveling at the grand city before him.

Just then, a female cultivator, also mounted on her own spirit beast, approached him. She handed him a pill with a frosty expression before walking away, giving him a peculiar look before she departed.

"Master! Master!" Xiao Ye exclaimed, glancing at the pill in his hand and sneaking a quick look at the woman's curvaceous figure as she left. "Did you see that? I don't need to rely on looks to win a woman's favor. This pill is proof of her admiration!"

'Poor disciple, she wasn't admiring you.'

In truth, the woman had noticed that Little Mink was so exhausted it was foaming at the mouth. As a fellow beast tamer, she couldn't stand to watch someone mistreat their spirit pet, so she gave him a pill to help the creature recover!

'Didn't you notice the look she gave you at the end? It was pure disdain and pity.'

'The pity was for Little Mink, and the disdain was for you!'

Elder Li Huo sighed inwardly, his mind filled with exasperation. His disciple was often strangely self-assured, but in other ways, he wasn't too bad. So, to avoid bruising Xiao Ye's ego, he gently said, "Indeed, that young woman was quite thoughtful, noticing Little Mink had fainted and gifting you a Beast Essence Pill."

"What? Little Mink fainted?"

Xiao Ye looked at Little Mink, who lay behind him, mouth foaming and its breathing weak. Hurriedly, he fed the Beast Essence Pill to the creature.

The pill worked wonders, and before long, Little Mink regained consciousness. It let out a soft cry, rubbing its head against Xiao Ye's hand to reassure him.

"Little Mink, you scared me! Don't ever do that again. I even had to part with the pill that kind lady gave me just for you," Xiao Ye said, rubbing Little Mink's head sorrowfully.

Watching his disciple act so spinelessly, Elder Li Huo was tempted to slap some sense into him.

Little Mink was a rare breed. If it had been raised by any other beast tamer, they'd have gladly given it countless Beast Essence Pills to help it grow stronger; once it matured, it could even serve as a guardian beast for a sect.

Still, Little Mink seemed to believe him and nuzzled Xiao Ye's hand in gratitude.

Together, they made quite the pair—one obliviously foolish and the other unsuspectingly faithful.

Seeing this, Elder Li Huo felt a surge of frustration that he had no way to vent. With a sigh, he muttered, "Disciple, hurry into the city. If it's this lively outside, there must be something big going on inside, and it could be related to your opportunity."

"Understood, Master."

With Little Mink now perched on his shoulder, Xiao Ye headed into the city.

Yet as he approached the gate, a minor incident occurred.

The guards demanded he pay a spirit stone as an entry fee.

He might have accepted this if everyone had to pay, but just then, he saw a richly dressed young noble being ushered through without having to pay a single spirit stone or wait in line. The guard even greeted the young master with a bow.

Xiao Ye was incensed and nearly caused a scene.

Fortunately, Elder Li Huo convinced him to let it go. Swallowing his pride, Xiao Ye grudgingly paid the spirit stone and entered the city.

"Master, why did you stop me?" Xiao Ye grumbled after they'd entered.

"Disciple, patience is key. We're here for an opportunity, and until we have it in our grasp, there's no harm in holding back," Elder Li Huo advised gently.

"Hmph. If it weren't for the opportunity, I'd have killed that lowly guard and that pampered young master. The latter had shifty eyes and a soft stance—a sure sign of a scoundrel who preys on the weak! Once I've obtained my opportunity, I'll rid Heavenly Origin City of this pest!" Xiao Ye declared, his voice filled with righteous indignation.

Elder Li Huo: "…"

He'd clearly heard the guard refer to the young man as the City Lord's son. As the young lord of Heavenly Origin City, it was only natural for him to have some privileges. Not standing in line was hardly an abuse of power. In fact, several other Foundation Establishment cultivators had also bypassed the line, as a sign of respect for powerful cultivators.

But his disciple seemed to only focus on the young lord, perhaps because of his good looks… Elder Li Huo couldn't help but feel Xiao Ye's attitude was a tad extreme.

To read 219 chapters of the book I wrote, patreon.com/Guts02