Chapter 4
Jiguang took me to a newly revealed hidden realm in the Eastern Sea.
I was terribly nervous. This was my first time leaving the sect to gain experience.
After watching me tiptoe around for half a month, Jiguang finally couldn’t stand it and told me his actual cultivation level.
Right. Now someone else needed to tiptoe around.
Even a passing dog had to watch out in case I kicked it.
“I wanted you to stop being so frightened and relax,” Jiguang said. “I didn’t tell you to become a menace.”
Ha. Like I cared what he thought.
I was ready to become the little terror of the hidden realm.
But everyone there was alarmingly good at recognizing when to yield.
Whenever I charged in to seize some spiritual treasure or medicinal herb, the other person simply spread both hands.
“You want it? Here.”
I could only accept it awkwardly. “Oh. Thank you. You’re such a nice person.”
They walked away looking perfectly satisfied.
“Poor thing, fighting over garbage like that. Giving it to her will earn me some good karma.”
Wait.
They thought I was a beggar.
Though I’d never really intended to rob them,
now I truly had become a beggar who mugged people.
What was this? Poverty with violence?
I decided to change roles and become a good person who punished villains and protected the innocent.
That was the kind of character who got to show off most in storybooks.
Jiguang’s brows knitted into a little mountain.
“You’ve forgotten so many things. Why do you remember all those storybooks so clearly?”
I thought for a moment. “Passion conquers all…”
Jiguang sighed, then smiled helplessly.
“Passion for what, exactly…?”
Jiguang had actually smiled.
The sight left me a little dazed.
Come to think of it, now that we were traveling and I wasn’t being battered by lessons,
all those romantic, lovey-dovey thoughts seemed to be coming back.
Jiguang looked more handsome by the day.
That face got my wholehearted approval.
Romance between master and disciple was forbidden.
But what about romance between a senior disciple and his junior?
Suddenly, a disturbance sounded in the distance.
I vaguely heard something about a “robbery.”
My eyes lit up, and I rushed over.
It was exactly as I’d expected. More than ten people had surrounded one man, demanding he hand over the spiritual treasure he’d just obtained.
I laughed three times and leaped down from the air.
Enter the hero!
Both sides froze. For some reason, the scene fell briefly still.
One of the robbers spoke first.
“I never thought you’d have such a discerning eye, fellow cultivator. You’ve picked the very same target as us. We’ve followed this man for three days. He must have found something in the hidden realm. If we take it, how about splitting the spoils fifty-fifty?”
Uh. I was a robber again. My life just kept casting me in the wrong role.
After a moment’s thought, I decided to ask in earnest. “How did you gentlemen determine he had a treasure?”
Everyone stared.
Only the leader’s eyes brightened at my thirst for knowledge. “Now that’s something I could talk about all day.”
“First, study his bearing, then his clothes. People who can find treasures generally have their own methods. They usually travel alone and know exactly where they’re going, unlike the others who wander aimlessly. Most importantly, they’re bound to behave a little oddly. I noticed this man constantly probing for something with a particular technique. That convinced me he could find treasure, so I followed him for three days. Sure enough!”
I was awestruck. “Before I met you, I’d been robbing people completely at random…”
We clasped hands, silently sharing the joy of finding a kindred spirit amid low hills and foul waters…
A voice as cool and clear as a mountain spring suddenly interrupted us.
“Have you finished discussing it? May we begin?”
The robbers weren’t in a hurry. The man being robbed was.
I looked toward him.
He wore a long jade-green robe. Tall and slender, he had gentle, jade-like features. His face was elegant and serene, yet every flicker of his eyes held a seductive charm. One glance, and I’d lost all sense of direction.
I immediately stepped away from the leader. “How can you rob people? It’s utterly immoral! If you refuse to mend your ways, I’ll have no choice but to rid the world of you!”
The leader said, “Good grief, lady, what the hell???”
I walked toward the handsome man. “Don’t be afraid, fellow cultivator. I’ll keep you safe today!”
The leader went completely mad at this betrayal. Robbery no longer mattered. Killing me did.
At his command, everyone charged toward us.
And the handsome man beside me actually took two steps backward.
Now they were charging at me alone.
…Seriously, man?
In despair, I could only shout,
“Jiguang, help! Help me!”
A soft sigh sounded.
A figure appeared from thin air before me.
With a wave, he raised a barrier that stopped every attack.
In my excitement, I couldn’t resist hugging Jiguang’s arm.
“Jiguang, you’re incredible!”
His body went abruptly rigid.
But he didn’t pull away.
He turned his eyes toward me.
From the corner of my eye, however, I saw the robbers charge again. Frantically, I shook his arm.
“Jiguang, they’re coming back!”
Without even looking, he flicked a fingertip. A fierce wind rose instantly and swept the whole group away.
A man who truly moved like the wind.
The man who had silently watched the show finally spoke.
“Impressive skills, fellow cultivator.”
Jiguang didn’t answer. He gave the man a cold look, took my wrist, and started to leave.
I asked why he was being so rude.
He glanced sideways at me.
“There were more than ten of them surrounding one man, yet they didn’t dare attack. Why do you think that was? When you arrived, they tried to recruit you so you would test his strength for them.”
“That man’s cultivation is considerable. They could never have defeated him. Even so, when they moved to attack you, he simply stood by and watched. His bearing is striking. He is certainly no ordinary man, but he is ruthless and cold-hearted. We would do best to avoid him.”
“You think his bearing is striking too?” I said.
“That face really is something special.”
Jiguang fell silent. After a long while, he suddenly asked, “Special how?”
I thought for a moment. “Especially to my liking.”
Jiguang: “?”