Attacked by the Female Demon at the Beginning - Chapter 197

Chapter 197: Too Inferior to Lift One’s Head

“Someone else?”

Le You was surprised.

And wasn’t this credit supposed to go to Senior Sister Ye Ji?

“Ye Ji? With her initial Golden Core stage, she’s not qualified to resolve this matter,” Fairy Cheng Ran explained.

“The command source was guarded by many, the weakest being around the middle Golden Core stage, and there were even quite a few at the initial Nascent Soul stage. What could someone at the initial Golden Core stage do to resolve this?”

“If it wasn’t Senior Sister Ning Xuan, and it wasn’t Senior Sister Ye Ji, then who was it?” Le You was puzzled.

After a long hum, Fairy Cheng Ran finally spoke: “It’s hard to say, it’s rumored that someone had entered that place beforehand and struck down the demon laying out the commands with the force of thunder, and Senior Sister Ning Xuan and the others were almost a day late.”

Fairy Cheng Ran shrugged and smiled slightly, “But after all, it’s just hearsay, hard to tell if it’s true or not. But with Nascent Soul guards inside, aside from Senior Sister Ning Xuan, no one else really has the strength to resolve this issue. Unless some chief disciples happened to pass by and helped out. But I haven’t heard of anyone claiming the credit. Anyway, it’s hard to say for sure since we didn’t see the situation with our own eyes. It’s also possible that someone is dissatisfied with Senior Sister Ning Xuan and deliberately spread the rumor. The Hall of Merits hasn’t said anything, so it seems the credit is legit. There couldn’t possibly be a mysterious good Samaritan who seeks neither fame nor profit, right?”

Fairy Cheng Ran laughed as she said the last sentence.

A mysterious good Samaritan?

After Fairy Cheng Ran left, this phrase still echoed in Le You’s mind.

But remembering that it required a Nascent Soul to accomplish, she shook her head.

She thought she was being influenced by Senior Brother Zheng and the others.

Yet, the remarks of Zheng Shijiu and his group had planted an indelible seed in her heart.

……

After leaving the Demon Cavern, Jiang Hao didn’t rush back.

Instead, he went to the Enforcement Peak to turn in the mission.

He received a hundred spirit stones and a piece of magical clothing.

Ordinary and cheap magical clothing.

Valued at two hundred and eighty-nine spirit stones.

It was already very good; this time he had earned a total of four hundred spirit stones.

“That’s quite a lot this time.”

“If it was a Golden Core, there would be several thousand spirit stones, right?”

He still remembered the reward given to Senior Brother Mu Qi at the mine, valued at over three thousand.

But Senior Brother Mu Qi was at the late Golden Core stage at the time, which was naturally different from his own Foundation Establishment stage.

After putting away the spirit stones, Jiang Hao planned to buy a collar for the rabbit at the initial Golden Core stage.

Taking advantage of the fact that the collar hadn’t broken yet and that he still had spirit stones, he could preemptively shut the rabbit up about wanting a new collar.

……

At the market.

“Three thousand?”

Hearing the price, Jiang Hao was slightly surprised.

Three thousand spirit stones for the initial Golden Core stage made him wince a bit.

He had finally accumulated thirteen thousand. A collar costing three thousand and hanging up the rabbit costing eight thousand one hundred would instantly suck him dry. (TLN: 100 Spirit stones eighty-one days.)

The rabbit would silently consume a significant portion of his spirit stones.

Moreover, in a few months, the peach tree would also undergo nirvana, possibly requiring another ten thousand.

For a moment, he thought again of the now-deceased Senior Sister Ye Ji.

In the end, the collar was bought for two thousand eight hundred and fifty.

He saved a hundred and fifty.

Afterward, he bought some rune materials to go back and make talismans to earn money.

He needed to save up another ten thousand spirit stones by the end of the year, just in case.

If the peach tree’s nirvana required more than ten thousand spirit stones, he would have to give up.

The rabbit’s collar had to be a priority because it would produce another golden bubble.

Now he was only one golden bubble short.

“I wonder what I’ll get this time.”

With a hint of anticipation, Jiang Hao headed towards Duanqing Cliff.

Halfway through his journey, he suddenly heard some noisy commotion.

It seemed to be the sound of a group of people fighting and cursing.

He hadn’t intended to pay any attention, but then he heard a familiar voice.

“No, it wasn’t me, I didn’t steal your things.”

Jiang Hao approached and saw several outer disciples beating up a young man.

Before long, the youth was pinned to the ground.

Lin Zhi, Jiang Hao remembered him.

Senior Brother Zheng and others had mentioned him in the Demon Cavern; he was one of the three people Jiang Hao had brought back.

Because his two fellow villagers had exceptional talents, many people were paying attention to them.

“You still say it wasn’t you? You think just because you know two talented fellow villagers, you can steal our things? You’ve got some nerve.”

The speaker was an adult male at the third level of Qi Refining, who kicked Lin Zhi in the head and said,

“You’re going to compensate us with spirit stones, no matter what. You need to cough up at least five spirit stones.”

“I didn’t steal anything,” Lin Zhi replied, holding his head.

“You still dare to deny it,” the others said as they continued to beat him.

“You think you’re something special just because you know two talented people? Don’t even mention that their cultivation hasn’t improved yet. Even if it does, you can’t rely on them, after all, why would the strong care about the weak? Who would want to associate with someone who hasn’t made any progress in over a year of cultivation? To say they know you is an insult to them. You’re not even worthy of reaching for the higher branches.”

“Why talk so much? He stole our things, let him pay with spirit stones first,” another person said.

The others immediately began searching Lin Zhi.

Soon they found six spirit stones.

“Quite wealthy, aren’t you?” said the third-level Qi Refining adult with a smile.

At that moment, he took a small pouch from Lin Zhi’s chest, which had the characters for ‘平安 (safety)’ on it.

“What’s this?” he asked curiously.

“Give it back, that’s the safety charm my mother got for me,” Lin Zhi reached out to snatch it back.

“What rubbish charm,” the man said as he threw it forcefully into the forest.

“Please, don’t, I beg you,” Lin Zhi pleaded.

But the safety charm was still thrown away, only to change direction mid-air and end up in Jiang Hao’s hands.

Jiang Hao, who had been watching for a long time, hadn’t intervened, only casually catching the safety charm at this moment.

Now, he turned his gaze to the outer disciples.

Jiang Hao’s clothing was different from theirs, signifying he was from the inner sect.

For a moment, the group was panic-stricken.

“We’ve seen Senior Brother.”

“Disperse,” Jiang Hao said indifferently.

The group, as if granted amnesty, immediately left the area.

Jiang Hao sighed inwardly.

Six spirit stones.

That must have been Lin Zhi’s savings for the year.

Outer disciples in the first few levels only receive one spirit stone per month.

Six was a considerable sum.

He had been through the same, but he was different from Lin Zhi.

He wouldn’t save his spirit stones; instead, he would use them all to improve his cultivation as quickly as possible.

Only with improved cultivation would he not be targeted, and even if he was, he had no spirit stones to take.

As long as he hadn’t offended anyone, at worst, he would just get beaten up.

Of course, back then, his cultivation improved quickly, and he lived with Qi Yang, who had great talent, so no one dared to bully them.

Lin Zhi’s situation was more complicated, making him an easy target.

Observing Lin Zhi for a while, Jiang Hao noticed something strange about him.

Logically, having six spirit stones meant at least six months at the Qi Refining first level, but why did his strength seem like he had just advanced?

And there was something different about his body.

“How long have you been at the Qi Refining first level?” Jiang Hao walked over to Lin Zhi and returned the safety charm to him.

“E-eight months,” Lin Zhi said, somewhat self-consciously, as he took back the charm.

That long?

Jiang Hao felt it was strange; he had thought Lin Zhi was odd, which was why he had brought him back.

Since it was rare, he hadn’t had the chance to appraise it.

Thinking this, he quietly activated his appraisal ability.