Chapter 4 – The Rescue Fee Is Unpaid

After returning, Lian Mu began teaching Xu Xianxing swordsmanship.

She casually broke off a tree branch, opting not to use her broomstick to avoid injuring him. The branch was light and flimsy in her hands, lacking the weight of a real sword.

After a few moves to get into the rhythm, Lian Mu launched a frontal attack on Xu Xianxing.

Xu Xianxing wielded his wooden sword awkwardly. Being a thunder spiritual root, he couldn’t resonate with plants, so he had to block clumsily. As a beginner, his movements were uncoordinated, and he was repeatedly defeated.

Undeterred, he persisted. Lian Mu couldn’t bear watching anymore, so she pointed out his weaknesses one by one and explained how to adapt his techniques to real combat.

Xu Xianxing was quick to grasp concepts, but his body couldn’t keep up with his mind. Since Lian Mu had nothing better to do, she patiently demonstrated for him.

Her body’s meridians were blocked by impurities, making her movements sluggish. She stuck to teaching him only the simplest techniques.

Even so, the progress was minimal.

Xu Xianxing was drenched in sweat after an hour and still hadn’t improved.

“Master, am I just stupid?” he asked dejectedly.

She had easily overwhelmed him with just a tree branch.

Lian Mu rubbed her stomach, feeling a bit hungry. “You’re fine—this is normal.”

Xu Xianxing felt a little better. “Thank you, Master. I’ll keep working hard.”

Lian Mu didn’t say much more and simply told him to settle the bill before she went to prepare a meal.

“Master, why do you still eat at your level?” Xu Xianxing was puzzled.

Lian Mu casually replied, “To experience life.”

“I heard that in Gui Xian Sect, there are special meals made from spiritual plants and beasts for new disciples to nourish their bodies. They don’t have to spend a single cent.” Xu Xianxing looked envious. “I’ve never tasted an immortal’s meal before.”

But since his master deliberately chose to eat outside, the food there must not be very good.

Lian Mu’s eyes widened. “!” There was such a good deal?

She immediately decided—she had to take Gui Xian Sect’s entrance test in the future. A long-term free meal ticket was not to be missed!

The original host failed to pass the second threshold due to issues with her spiritual roots.

The cultivators of Gui Xian Sect were mainly divided into four major categories: sword cultivators, pill cultivators, talisman cultivators, and artifact refiners. Other disciplines were more niche and had few practitioners.

Take, for example, Third Senior Sister. Her companion weapon was a konghou (similar to harp), and due to her unique physique, she was directly accepted as a disciple under the Sect Master.

Lian Mu only wanted to freeload meals at Gui Xian Sect and had no interest in formally taking a master. Her sword techniques had already been fully trained; all she lacked was cultivation base improvement. She simply needed to focus on advancing her realm.

After getting dressed, Lian Mu spread her arms and flopped onto the bed, crossing her legs while happily fantasizing about how she would enjoy the sect’s dining hall in the future.

“Boom——!”

A sudden loud explosion echoed from outside, shaking the small wooden house.

Lian Mu jolted up from the bed, threw on an outer robe, and rushed out the door, only to see a beam of light flash through the small grove. A deafening splash followed, coming from the mountain pool at the back of the sect.

“……” Did that brat actually manage to break the seal?

She hesitated for a moment before deciding to investigate. After all, this was a temporary business arrangement—she couldn’t just stand by and watch him die.

—If she really couldn’t beat whatever it was, at least she could determine the location for an easier corpse retrieval later.

By the mountain pool, two people lay sprawled on the ground, covered in blood, their survival uncertain.

Xu Xianxing had used his most expensive spiritual artifact to barely sustain himself. His two guards had been knocked unconscious by the impact of a demonic beast breaking through the water.

The beast was fish-like, massive in size, with fins that had transformed into long wings. Its eyes glowed a deep blood-red, and it swam beneath the water, occasionally leaping out with an ear-piercing screech.

By the time Lian Mu arrived, the demonic beast had just launched out of the water again, nearly rupturing her eardrums.

“Master!” Xu Xianxing coughed up blood, his small face deathly pale. “Run!”

Strange—how had a sect’s immortal-grade seal been broken so easily by a child?

Questions flashed through Lian Mu’s mind, but she had no time to think. She immediately ducked into the protective barrier Xu Xianxing’s spiritual artifact had created.

“How do I use this?”

Xu Xianxing was barely holding on and hurriedly chanted a few incantations for her. Lian Mu took the artifact and followed his instructions, causing the pressure of its usage to transfer entirely onto her.

Her throat tightened immediately, and she spat out blood. Xu Xianxing collapsed onto her, and the two guards lay unconscious on the ground.

“……”

How was she supposed to leave? She couldn’t possibly carry three people and escape with her frail body.

Lian Mu took a deep breath and quickly assessed the situation. The demonic beast didn’t seem to be able to crawl onto land to attack. Instead, it relied on its screeches to mentally assault its prey.

It leaped out of the water roughly every fifteen minutes—she could use that gap to move people.

With that thought, Lian Mu began dragging them away. After two trips back and forth, exhaustion was visibly taking its toll. Her eyelids grew heavy, and her body weakened with each passing moment.

Supporting the last unconscious guard, she staggered forward with trembling legs.

So tired… When that brat woke up, she was definitely going to extort him hard.

Her strength drained even faster, and before she could get far, the protective barrier shattered. The demonic beast’s screech sent blood pouring from her seven orifices, and she collapsed like a paper-thin leaf in the wind.

Lian Mu felt like her brain was being shaken into mush. She tore two strips from her clothing and stuffed them into her ears, desperately trying to open her lips.

Her vision blurred with blood, but through the haze, she vaguely saw several blue figures streaking through the air. Two of them had faces she had seen in her dreams before.

One of them, flying on a sword, wore flowing robes. His features were clear and gentle, exuding an innate elegance even without a smile. Beside him, another youth rode a silver swallow, his jet-black hair tied high, his demeanor cold and sharp.

The swordsman halted mid-air, twirling his fingers. His sword split into multiple shadows, encircling the demonic beast underwater. The youth beside him casually summoned a brush streaked in red and black, drawing intricate patterns in the air. The completed formation transformed into a talisman that sealed the beast in place, rendering it motionless.

“So noisy.” The high-ponytailed youth leaped off the silver swallow, dipping his slender fingers into the water. His gaze swept over the destroyed artifacts on the ground, and he frowned in thought.

A nearby blue-robed disciple muttered in confusion, “That demonic beast has been sealed for over a hundred years. Why did it suddenly go berserk?”

“It must be that kid,” another disciple said, glancing at Lian Mu. Then, he froze, his expression twisting in disbelief. “It’s her?! Where did she get a spiritual artifact? Did she fail to join the sect and resort to stirring up chaos to attract the elders’ attention?”

The swordsman seemed to notice as well but did not spare her a glance. “All the broken artifacts here are common mortal-grade ones. They have no effect on the seal.”

“It’s the demonic clan from Black Abyss,” the high-ponytailed youth said grimly. “They actually dared to cause trouble in Gui Xian Sect.”

“Junior Brother, take a team to clear the area. I’ll go after them,” the swordsman ordered. “These artifacts likely don’t belong to her. There may be others nearby—make sure any affected individuals are protected.”

“Yes, Senior Brother.”

…

Darkness. Damp and cold. Flickering candlelight.

Lian Mu felt as if she were submerged in water, her hands bound. A heavy iron chain around her waist dragged her deeper.

The sensation of suffocation grew stronger. She barely managed to open her eyes, murky water flooding her nose. Above her, corpses floated. Through the gaps, she saw a smiling face.

“Little Junior Sister, you’re really hard to kill. You’re the only one left alive.”

Lian Mu struggled desperately, but her limbs were powerless.

“Master!”

She jolted awake from the nightmare, instinctively throwing a punch into the air.

“Ugh!”

Xu Xianxing’s cheek swelled instantly, a trail of blood at the corner of his mouth. The punch had completely dazed him.

Lian Mu blinked, finally recognizing him.

Oh. Right.

Half an hour ago, the incident with the demonic beast had alarmed the inner sect disciples. A team had been sent to handle it, and she had promptly passed out in front of everyone.

Lian Mu touched her face, unsurprised to find her hand coming away bloody. She clicked her tongue belatedly.

“Master, don’t worry,” Xu Xianxing assured. “A pill cultivator gave you a healing pill earlier. We’re all fine.”

His words caught the attention of a nearby group, and the tallest among them turned, speaking condescendingly: “Since you’re awake, go back where you belong.”

It was Xiao Jin.

Lian Mu silently studied him for a moment. Hmm. He did have the same face as in her dream.

Recalling the nightmare, her fingers itched.

Xiao Jin never once looked at her, instead walking over to grab Xu Xianxing by the collar. “You’re from the Xu family of Yanghe? We’ve contacted your father. He’s waiting for you at the foot of the mountain.”

“What?! Wait, I—”

Xu Xianxing nearly cried, struggling in vain as he was forcibly dragged away.

Lian Mu opened her mouth, only to be met with a glare from a nearby blue-robed disciple: “……”

They didn’t even pay her for saving them. All that effort for nothing.

Her body was still weak, and speaking made her ache all over, so she could only watch as Xu Xianxing was taken away while the disciples left nonchalantly, abandoning her alone in her injuries.

Lian Mu: “……”

—

—The konghou (箜篌) is a traditional Chinese plucked string instrument similar to a harp. It has a soft, expressive sound and was revived in modern times after declining for centuries.