Chapter 2: No Stealing Food – Rebuilding Cultivation

A giant paper kite hovered above the waterfall, carrying a young boy about her height. His fair skin and expensive-looking clothes made him stand out.

Lian Mu glanced at the strange paper kite before turning away, expressionless, and continued fishing.

“I’m talking to you. Are you here to capture the demonic beast too?” The boy steered the kite down, circling her curiously.

“What’s this? A spirit tool for capturing demonic beasts?” He peered at her fishing rod and basket, then frowned. “Your spirit tool is weird. It looks like a fishing rod, but I can’t sense any spiritual energy. Are you hiding it?”

The boy leaned in closer, almost touching her rod. His excessive movements scared off another fish.

Seeing her dwindling bait with no fish caught, Lian Mu’s heart twisted in pain. She slapped away his hand.

“Don’t touch!”

The boy froze. His guards immediately reached for their swords.

“Stand down.” The boy stopped them and turned back to her. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you. My name is Xu Xianxing. I came from the foot of the mountain after hearing that a demonic beast was sealed in this waterfall.”

His serious tone didn’t match his round little face, making it almost amusing.

Lian Mu couldn’t help but give him a once-over. He was indeed a good seedling for cultivation, but with her blocked spiritual roots, she couldn’t tell his level.

At this age, coming out to hunt demonic beasts meant one of two things: either the person was a genius from an immortal sect family, or they were an overconfident fool with no sense of reality. Clearly, this young man was the latter.

“For those just beginning their path in cultivation, their foundation is unstable, making it the most vulnerable time for long-term issues. One must focus on solidifying their core and should not engage in battles with demonic beasts,” she kindly reminded him.

Although Lian Mu’s previous world rarely saw the appearance of demonic beasts, her family had always taught her that demonic beasts exuded corrupting energy. Without a stable foundation, one could be eroded by it.

Hearing this, Xu Xianxing’s eyes lit up. This steady and composed way of speaking was exactly like the high-level experts he had encountered before! And to still be near Gui Xian Sect at such a late hour—this person must also be from an immortal sect!

He had to make a good impression!

He immediately tried to get on her good side. “Please don’t worry! I’ve brought plenty of magical artifacts and don’t intend to fight them myself.”

Xu Xianxing pulled out his Spatial Pouch on the spot and displayed his collection of magical artifacts one by one, speaking in a hushed tone, “Do you think these are enough?”

Lian Mu: “?”

It seemed like he had misunderstood, but…

She coughed, pretending to be mysterious, and swept a glance over the golden, shimmering magical artifacts on the ground. “Do you even know how to use them?”

“You mean…” Was this a test?

Xu Xianxing immediately became serious and began explaining, “Of course, Master! Take this Sky-Weaving Net, for example—it was crafted by a first-generation artifact master and can be used to…”

The guards behind him: “…”

Someone had casually fished for information, and their young master was about to spill his entire household inventory, right down to how many pairs of underwear he owned! And this person—just from their appearance—looked nothing like a master.

The guards sighed helplessly. Their young master was simply too obsessed with immortal sects and refused to listen to his father’s advice. That was why he spent an exorbitant amount of money on magical artifacts and ran around everywhere. Oh well, maybe getting scammed a few times would teach him a lesson.

Xu Xianxing rambled on about the functions of his magical artifacts while Lian Mu listened with great interest, all the while pulling up her fishing rod and reeling in a fish.

From his explanations, Lian Mu gathered some useful information.

It turned out that in this world, not only could one manipulate objects with spiritual power, but spiritual energy could also be infused into items and preserved, creating ‘magical artifacts.’ These artifacts had a wide range of applications, and if used correctly, even ordinary mortals could wield them. The craftsmen who created these magical artifacts were called Artifact Masters, and whether it was magical artifacts or the weapons used by other cultivators, all of them came from Artifact Masters.

Lian Mu had been a sword cultivator in her past life. For a sword cultivator, their sword was their very lifeline. If she wanted to walk that path again, she would need an Artifact Master to forge a sword for her.

“These magical artifacts cost me two million spirit stones. Not a lot, but all of them are guaranteed quality!”

Lian Mu nearly choked on her own saliva.

Two million spirit stones.

She had no concept of what that meant, but considering she had to split a two-copper-coin steamed bun in half to make it last, it was definitely not an amount she could afford.

If even ready-made artifacts were outrageously expensive, then custom-made ones must be even worse.

Lian Mu quietly abandoned the idea.

“So, you’re also here to capture demonic beasts?”

Xu Xianxing asked again.

Lian Mu answered vaguely, “I’m just a lake watcher. Fishing in my spare time.”

Xu Xianxing was momentarily stunned.

A guardian of the seal?

Would he be driven down the mountain?

It had been so difficult for him to sneak away from home!

Without thinking, Xu Xianxing voiced his concern.

Lian Mu figured that with his strength, he probably wouldn’t be able to affect the seal anyway. So, she didn’t stop him and simply told him not to disturb her fishing.

Xu Xianxing was deeply grateful and went about his preparations on his own.

He busied himself at the lake, setting up formations and barriers, consuming a large number of magical artifacts with minimal effect.

Lian Mu, satisfied with her catch, sat nearby to enjoy the spectacle.

She had seen many great cultivators and priceless treasures in her past life, and she could tell that Xu Xianxing had some skills—but not many.

“Why are you trying to capture a demonic beast?” she asked.

Xu Xianxing, drenched in sweat, replied, “I want to participate in this year’s Gui Xian Sect entrance exam, but my father won’t allow it. He only wants me to stay home and manage the family business. If I capture a powerful demonic beast, he’ll definitely agree!”

Lian Mu asked, “What’s your spiritual root?”

“I’m a Thunder-element Heavenly Spiritual Root!” Xu Xianxing said proudly. “A master tested it for me—this talent can’t go to waste!”

That was indeed impressive.

But with the abundant spiritual energy in this world, one could cultivate anywhere. With Heavenly Spiritual Root talent, he could easily achieve success through self-study.

If she had the money, she would have long since rolled down the mountain in search of a way to reconstruct her spiritual root.

Lian Mu sighed.

No matter how she looked at it, poverty was the root of all problems.

Xu Xianxing sneaked a glance at her, a little puzzled.

From the moment they met, this ‘master’ had no protective gear at all. He had heard that after a demonic beast was sealed, its lingering power could still affect the surroundings, gradually diminishing one’s fortune. He had ten layers of protective clothing and still felt unsafe…

Clearly, this master had foreseen everything and simply didn’t care about such minor harm!

He was convinced.

As expected of someone from an immortal sect—truly incredible!

Lian Mu had no idea what kind of elaborate fantasy was unfolding in Xu Xianxing’s mind. After extracting all the information she needed, she grabbed her bamboo basket and left.

—

The small wooden hut was some distance away. Before Lian Mu even reached the door, she heard rustling noises inside.

She immediately became alert, hung her bamboo basket on a tree, and picked up the broom lying by the door.

The next moment, the door was violently kicked open, and several people swaggered out.

The hut was already in poor condition. After that kick, it looked like it would collapse at the slightest gust of wind.

The leader, wearing a yellowed sect robe, sneered at Lian Mu. “Well, if it isn’t our little junior sister? What’s with the sudden enthusiasm for sweeping? A few months ago, you were dead set against doing any chores!”

This man had been one of the outer disciples assigned to sweep the Three Thousand Immortal Steps alongside her. He had been demoted for disrespecting a senior sister. The two men beside him were his usual cronies, and they had never gotten along with Lian Mu.

“Little Junior Sister is hogging all the food, leaving us hungry. How inconsiderate.”

“Looks like Junior Sister needs a lesson. We may have been too busy to teach her before, but we can’t let her forget who’s in charge!”

Lian Mu remained expressionless. “A cornered dog will jump the wall. I understand.”

Their expressions darkened. The leader gritted his teeth. “You better watch your mouth. Annoy us, and you won’t like the consequences.”

They had only come to warn her, but she wasn’t the same clueless fool from before—she had learned to talk back.

Shen Si, growing impatient, punched a hole in the rotting wooden door, trying to scare her.

But she didn’t even flinch.

“My door might be worthless,” Lian Mu said, unmoved, “but I suggest you fix it before you leave.”

Shen Si found it amusing. “You dare order me around? With your blocked spiritual root, you’re nothing but a useless trash who can’t even lift a sword! You deserve to starve!”

“Oh? But I’m still alive. Does that piss you off?” Lian Mu smiled slightly, raised her middle finger, and taunted, “Doesn’t matter. Stay mad, rabid dog.”

Shen Si: “…”

Shen Si: “I’LL KILL YOU!”

He charged at her in fury.

Lian Mu swung the broomstick.

A moment later, Shen Si lay curled up on the ground, groaning in agony.

The entire process took less than the blink of an eye.

She raised her eyes and pointed the broomstick at the remaining two people, saying, “Fix the door.”

“……”

What just happened?

The two hadn’t even reacted yet when Shen Si was already drenched in sweat, collapsing to the ground, while the person opposite him didn’t even seem to exert any effort.

The two who had followed Shen Si to intimidate her exchanged glances, unsure whether to fight back or retreat.

In terms of cultivation, they were weaker than Shen Si. Having been expelled just after entering the sect, they had long forgotten everything they had learned over the years. They didn’t know this junior sister—Shen Si had only told them she was easy to bully, so they had tagged along for the fun.

But now, it seemed things were not as simple as they had imagined.

“You…”

Lian Mu shifted her gaze and noticed that one of them was holding the fruits she had painstakingly gathered, with a few already missing. Her pupils trembled in shock, and her fury surged.

They dared to steal her food???

—

—”A cornered dog will jump the wall” (逼急了狗会跳墙) is a Chinese proverb that means when someone is pushed to their limit with no way out, they may take desperate or extreme actions. It suggests that even the weakest or most submissive person will resist or retaliate when they have no other choice.