Chapter 57

Xin Kui’s face turned pale, and her lips trembled slightly. The truth was so cold and unforgiving? Meanwhile, that mocking voice continued to chatter.

【Xin Kui is the ultimate tragic figure. Any good things she obtains barely stay in her hands for a few days before they’re taken by others.】

【Every time she goes out for training, she gets injured and falls unconscious.】

【And when she wakes up, she even feels grateful to her sect mates for saving her.】

【It’s ridiculous. If it weren’t for this Ah Gui constantly draining her blood, would Xin Kui need to be unconscious for so long?】

【To control her completely, they keep setting traps, making her think her sect mates have saved her life.】

【The greediest ones? It has to be this Ah Gui and her brother.】

【These two siblings, each one worse than the other.】

Ning Xu said slowly, “Fortunately, she’s beginning to realise now.”

The ceramic bottle of Universal Healing Blood that Xin Kui had given her earlier was proof of her realisation. It showed that Xin Kui was not entirely unaware of her situation.

Xin Kui, with her pale face, asked hesitantly, “Ah Gui, I’m injured and have lost a lot of blood. Didn’t you take three low-grade top-tier Blood Replenishing Grasses from me earlier? Can I have them back—”

Before she could finish, Shi Gui interrupted her.

“Xin Kui, why are you being so unreasonable? The Blood Replenishing Grasses you gave me earlier are long gone! With so many injured sect mates today, they were used up a long time ago…”

The hope Xin Kui had held onto slowly dissipated, leaving nothing behind.

What she once thought was the camaraderie and mutual assistance of fellow disciples was now nothing more than a joke.

What she believed to be a close friendship was merely exploitation.

Seeing that Xin Kui was unusually unyielding today, Shi Gui was about to resort to force when Ning Xu cast a sleep-inducing charm, instantly subduing her. Afterward, Ning Xu and the Innocent Cultivator emerged from their hiding spot.

Xin Kui froze for a moment. Although she had already sensed Ning Xu’s presence through her inner voice, she hadn’t expected Ning Xu to appear directly.

“Daoist friend?”

Ning Xu smiled slightly. “There’s something I want to give you, but with her here, it’s inconvenient. So, I let her take a little nap. I hope that’s okay?”

Xin Kui shook her head. “It’s fine.”

Without further ado, Ning Xu tossed her a storage pouch.

Xin Kui held the storage pouch tightly, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, “Daoist friend, what is this for?”

“It’s for you. You might need it someday.”

Xin Kui’s expression was a mixture of laughter and tears. “Thank you.”

After handing over the pouch, Ning Xu waved casually and said, “I’m off.”

She didn’t know what choice Xin Kui would make. As an outsider, she had no right to decide for others. All she could do was lend Xin Kui a hand.

On the way back, Ning Xu asked, “What do you think she’ll do?”

The Melon-Eating System, still sulking over not getting more Universal Healing Blood, replied absentmindedly: 【I don’t know.】

Indeed, it didn’t know.

After all, it was just a data program. It could gather information but couldn’t predict human thoughts.

Only time would reveal the answer.

—

After the unexpected appearance and disappearance of the light gate, the cultivators inside the secret realm discovered something surprising—they could now access the “Three Thousand Realms Cultivator Exchange Area” through their disciple tokens even within the secret realm.

The cultivator who made this discovery initially just wanted to browse casually, but with a single glance, they realized that so many interesting things had happened outside during their time in the secret realm.

Who was the daring warrior who caused all this chaos?

Meanwhile, the instigator was busy feeding new gossip to their host.

【Hahaha, Host, you have no idea. The Eldest Senior Brother who was with the Innate Dao Physique fell head over heels for a female cultivator in the secret realm. He’s so infatuated that he’s even at odds with his sect mates.】

Innate Dao Physique?

It had been so long since she’d heard that name that Ning Xu found it strange to hear it again.

The master of the Innate Dao Physique was currently enduring heavenly tribulation outside. The Fourth Elder, after being involved in the scandal with 31 married men, had also gone into seclusion. But the Innate Dao Physique seemed relatively unaffected in the secret realm.

The lower-level disciples, unaware of what was happening outside, still instinctively gathered around her, adopting a protective stance.

Disciples from other sects, similarly unaware of the situation, remained vigilant and awestruck by her.

She was still the Flower Pavilion’s lofty genius.

Ning Xu asked, “Love at first sight?”

【Exactly! Love at first sight!】

【After spending some time together, the Eldest Senior Brother has become completely smitten. But his sect mates disapprove of this relationship and are trying to break them up. To protect the one he cherishes, he’s left the group to act alone.】

Ning Xu responded indifferently, “This doesn’t seem like much of a story. Just a male cultivator falling for a female cultivator—it’s not even gossip.”

The Melon-Eating System chuckled mischievously: 【The beginning isn’t the juicy part. The real gossip comes later.】

Ning Xu said, “Go on.”

【The Eldest Senior Brother has no idea that the woman he fell for used to be a grand eunuch in the mortal world’s imperial palace!】

Ning Xu: “???”

Her interest was piqued instantly. “What? A eunuch?”

【Yes! A eunuch! He used to serve by the emperor’s side in the mortal world.】

【Through a stroke of fortune, he entered the cultivation world. But unlike others, for obvious reasons, he’s…different.】

Ning Xu: “…”

“And then?”

【Then, he cultivated a special technique that made his appearance increasingly delicate and feminine, and his voice softer and more charming by the day.

Think of Qi Er—he already looks pretty feminine, right?

But this person is even more Qi Er than Qi Er!】

Ning Xu exclaimed, “Wow!”

Qi Er: “???”

Why was he suddenly dragged into this? And it didn’t sound like a compliment.

The Melon-Eating System snickered: 【But no matter how feminine he looks, it doesn’t change the fact that he’s still a man!】

【They say men understand men best. Even if he was a eunuch serving the emperor, he’s still a man at heart. Having witnessed all the concubines’ schemes to win the emperor’s favor, wouldn’t it be easy for him to capture a cultivator’s heart?】

Ning Xu asked, “Did he also fall for that Eldest Senior Brother at first sight?”

The system immediately denied it: 【Of course not. The gloomy eunuch has a twisted mindset and is just playing with him.】

Ning Xu: !!!

Qi Er: !!!

My goodness, the cultivation world is terrifying! You might accidentally catch the eye of a cross-dressing eunuch.

Ning Xu said, “Tell me more. How is he playing with him?”

The Melon-Eating System laughed wildly: 【Oh, the ways are endless. I can’t even describe it.】

【If I do, I might get censored.】

Ning Xu: “!!!”

Qi Er: Is it really that wild?

【Anyway, this eunuch can be both sweet and seductive, green tea and white lotus as he pleases.】

【You know, with the Eldest Senior Brother being the kind of bumpkin solely focused on cultivation, how could he possibly have encountered green tea bitches or white lotuses?】

【Exactly. The moment he encounters one, he’s bound to be completely outmatched.】

【It’s just that the number of female cultivators he’s come into contact with can be counted on one hand.】

【But even if he had more experience, he probably wouldn’t be able to resist the sweet words of that eunuch.】

【Honestly, whenever he speaks to the Eldest Senior Brother, my CPU trembles, and my data stream involuntarily speeds up.】

Ning Xu: “…”

“What’s going on? Are you moved?”

【Impossible. It’s just that this is the first time I’ve encountered someone so proficient in the art of being a green tea bitch. It’s a bit exciting.】

【Few people truly grasp the essence of green tea and white lotus personas.】

【He’s one of them.】

Ning Xu: “If this eunuch is so good at what he does, why do the people around Eldest Senior Brother seem to dislike him so much?”

The Melon-Eating System clicked its tongue twice, 【Dislike? It’s just jealousy, pure and simple.】

Ning Xu: !!!

Qi Er: !!!

He glanced around, eager to discuss this juicy tidbit with his companions, but no one paid him any attention.

Left with no choice, he pretended nothing had happened, picking spiritual herbs while following behind Ning Xu and eavesdropping on her chat with the Melon-Eating System.

Ning Xu suddenly realized, “I get it now. It’s because the person this eunuch chose isn’t one of them. So, they’re jealous of the Eldest Senior Brother and want to break them up.”

【Exactly!】

Ning Xu: “Hearing this makes me want to meet this eunuch myself.”

The Melon-Eating System clicked its tongue again, 【Better not.】

【Right now, the two of them are in the middle of a passionate relationship phase.】

【And during this phase… you know how it is.】

Ning Xu nodded, “I understand.” This was not the time to interrupt them.

Suddenly, the Melon-Eating System let out a loud exclamation.

Ning Xu: “???”

Qi Er: !!!

He immediately perked up, focusing all his attention on hearing what was next.

【Is that it? Is that all?】

【It’s already over?】

Ning Xu: “Huh?”

【That didn’t take long at all】

Ning Xu: “Huh?”

The Melon-Eating System seemed to have revealed something intriguing. It mumbled for a while and then said, 【Host, if you get the chance, you should refine a Happiness Pill and gift it to that eunuch. he really needs one.】

“…”

Ning Xu teased, “How thoughtful of you.”

【Of course! With his skillset, focusing solely on Eldest Senior Brother is such a waste.】

【He could totally take in that genius who loves sniffing smelly socks as well.】

【Let geniuses experience the pain of love too.】

Ning Xu: “…”

“It’s clear you’re not fond of him.”

The Melon-Eating System didn’t deny it. 【That’s true.】

【There’s a Heaven Monument in Penglai. On it, there are ten names, representing the most outstanding young geniuses.】

【The monument updates every five years.】

【The last update was over four years ago.】

Ning Xu quickly understood.

“The genius who likes sniffing smelly socks is ranked first on the Heaven Monument?”

【Yes.】

【If we’d been here back then, he wouldn’t have stood a chance.】

The Melon-Eating System clearly viewed the top position as its own rightful place. Now that someone else held it, it couldn’t help but look down on the person occupying it.

Ning Xu shook her head slightly.

Leaving one’s name on the Heaven Monument wasn’t a good thing in her eyes.

It made one too conspicuous.

Without the protection of a powerful sect or extraordinary luck, the person ranked first on the monument would undoubtedly become a target. Whether they could grow safely was a big question.

Before fully maturing, playing dumb and hiding one’s strength was the key to survival.

The Melon-Eating System continued to complain, 【The innate Dao physique from the Flower Pavilion.】

【The third is Xin Kui from Cloud Summit. She was only eleven at the time, the youngest in the top ten. Aside from being overly unlucky, she’s not bad.】

【The fourth is an idiot who loves studying how to use his left foot to kick his right foot into the sky. He’s always fiddling with strange things. If he weren’t so stupid, he could rank higher.】

【The fifth has already fallen. His luck was terrible and he’s the only cannon fodder among the ten.】

【As for the ones ranked further down, their strength and talent are mediocre—not worth mentioning.】

Qi Er was dumbfounded. Wait, being on the list meant their talent was extraordinary. These were undoubtedly the elite among the younger generation.

Yet, in the Melon-Eating System’s eyes, they were dismissed as “not worth mentioning”?

What did that make him?

Trash?

Wait, how did the topic shift so suddenly?

He still wanted to hear more gossip about that eunuch.

While Ning Xu and her group were enjoying their melon-eating moment, the secret realm was in chaos due to news spreading from the “Three Thousand Realms Cultivator Exchange Area.”

The innate Dao physique was a special existence within the Flower Pavilion, but she wasn’t the only genius in the cultivation world.

The cultivation world wasn’t dominated by the Flower Pavilion alone.

Many couldn’t stand the innate Dao physique.

Sure enough, Flower Pavilion disciples ran into Heaven Pavilion cultivators in the secret realm.

A Qi Refining cultivator from Heaven Pavilion glanced at the innate Dao physique and suddenly said mockingly, “Isn’t this the genius who covets her master and harmed her master’s wife? This secret realm is too small to avoid running into her.”

The Flower Pavilion disciples’ faces instantly darkened.

One of them retorted, “What nonsense are you spouting?”

The Heaven Pavilion cultivator sneered, “Nonsense? It’s all over the place—what nonsense?”

He smirked meaningfully. “Innate Dao physique? What a joke.”

The innate Dao physique wasn’t used to being insulted like this. Even her master didn’t speak to her in this tone. Who did these Heaven Pavilion cultivators think they were?

Without warning, she began throwing attack talismans at the Heaven Pavilion cultivator as if they cost nothing. Each move was laced with sharp ruthlessness.

The Heaven Pavilion cultivators weren’t afraid and immediately retaliated.

In no time, the disciples from both sides were locked in a fierce battle.

As the Flower Pavilion disciples were being overwhelmed, they kept frantically sending messages to each other, “Where’s Senior Brother? Why isn’t he here?”

Where was Senior Brother at that moment?

The Senior Brother, lost in the warmth of a lover’s embrace: Achoo.

Did someone miss him?

—————

—In Chinese internet culture,”green tea” (绿茶) refers to someone, typically a woman, who appears sweet, innocent, and pure on the surface but is actually manipulative, calculating, or scheming. The term originates from the stereotype of green tea being light, refreshing, and seemingly harmless, much like how these individuals portray themselves outwardly while hiding their true intentions.

—”white lotus” (白莲花) refers to someone who appears innocent, virtuous, and kind-hearted on the surface but is actually hypocritical, manipulative, and scheming. The term comes from the symbolism of the white lotus flower, which represents purity and flawlessness, contrasting with the individual’s true deceptive nature.

A “white lotus” is often portrayed as playing the victim or using their supposed innocence to gain sympathy, manipulate others, or achieve personal goals. It’s similar to “green tea” but with a stronger emphasis on false virtue and moral superiority.