Chapter 68 – Why Are You Looking at Me? Say Something!

Baili Que wasn’t close with Shen Wuxie, but he had heard of him—he was the eldest young master of the top family in Western White Tiger.

Baili Que didn’t know what had happened, so he stayed silent.

Among the five of them, Shen Wuxie’s target was obvious: it was Lian Mu and Wen Yun.

“Oh, I thought it was someone important, but it’s just a second-seat sword cultivator,” Shen Wuxie said. “Wen Yun, just because your family doesn’t want you anymore doesn’t mean you have to give up on yourself like this. Joining the broken-down Returning Immortal Sect is bad enough, but now you’re mixing with people who have low-grade spiritual roots? Honestly, it’s so pathetic it makes me laugh.”

Baili Que: “?”

He glanced at Wen Yun, but saw that his expression was calm. Lian Mu also looked completely unbothered.

Ji Mingyue didn’t move a muscle, and Guan Shize, seeing this, also kept silent.

Four pairs of eyes quietly stared at Shen Wuxie. Baili Que hesitated for a second, and to avoid standing out, he joined them in staring.

Shen Wuxie: “…?”

He found their gazes weird. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

The five of them didn’t respond, just kept staring.

Shen Wuxie: “Why are you all staring at me like this?”

“…”

Shen Wuxie: “Are you people sick? Say something!”

No one replied. Shen Wuxie instantly felt like he had punched a cloud of cotton—frustrated and helpless. He had never been treated like this before.

It wasn’t exactly being ignored, but rather this silent, expressionless stare that made Shen Wuxie feel downright disgusted.

“You guys—”

Just as he was about to speak again, someone grabbed his collar and yanked him back.

“Sorry to disturb you all,” said Tang Wuxun, chief artifact refiner of Clear Thought Sect, as he pulled Shen Wuxie behind him. His voice was gentle. “He didn’t mean anything by it. He’s just blunt and doesn’t think before he speaks. I hope you won’t take it to heart.”

Lian Mu said coldly, “You’re their team leader. Can’t you manage your own sect’s people?”

Wen Yun didn’t hold back and had no fear of offending anyone. “If you can’t control him, just tie him up with a rope. Don’t let him out to bite people.”

Being a local from Western White Tiger, Tang Wuxun naturally knew of Wen Yun. He was also aware of the long-standing feud between the Wen and Shen families. He immediately apologized. “Please don’t worry, Fellow Daoist Wen. I’ll assign someone to keep an eye on him.”

Shen Wuxie was clearly unwilling, but with the team leader showing up, he had no choice but to shut up for now.

After apologizing, Tang Wuxun dragged Shen Wuxie away.

Watching their awkward exit, Lian Mu commented, “Clear Thought Sect’s chief artifact refiner… He’s actually pretty good with people.”

“Artifact refiners are all like that—just afraid of trouble,” Wen Yun said. “I heard there are three long-standing traditions in every Immortal Sect Grand Tournament. One of them is: ‘Clear Thought Sect’s top team always brings a weak link.’ Looks like Shen Wuxie’s this year’s pick.”

Baili Que said, “Regardless, he’s still a member of the Shen family and the sect master’s cousin. Better to be cautious and avoid getting physical with him in the future.”

Ji Mingyue’s face was blank. “You can’t fight outside the illusion realm, sure. But once you’re inside, who’s going to stop you? I remember that guy. When they first arrived at the Returning Immortal Sect, he led a bunch of sword cultivators flying around in the sky. They ended up crashing and smashed a whole patch of sixth-grade spirit plants in the spirit herb garden.”

Baili Que: “…Well, that does sound like he deserves a beating.”

Recalling what Shen Wuxie had said, Lian Mu nudged Wen Yun quietly and asked in a low voice, “What was that all about?”

Wen Yun knew what she meant. They were friends, so he didn’t mind sharing. “I really don’t get along with my family. But coming to the Returning Immortal Sect was my own choice. The other sects weren’t a good fit. Clear Thought Sect is out of the question, Crimson Sky Sect is too far from Western White Tiger, and I just don’t like the Azure Profound Sect. Only the Returning Immortal Sect seemed decent.”

Another reason was that all three of the other top sects had Wen family members in them. He didn’t want to run into them again.

“It’s not a big deal. My dad wanted me to go to Azure Profound Sect so I’d have more backing to inherit the family business in the future. But you’ve seen what their disciples are like—I don’t want to spend every day buried under their rules.”

Lian Mu asked, “You ran away from home and you still have that much money?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Wen Yun replied, puzzled. “What does money have to do with being home or not?”

Once again, Lian Mu was struck by how uneven the world was: “…”

“I cut ties with the Wen family a long time ago. That’s all in the past,” Wen Yun said, putting an arm around her. “Now I’m with the Returning Immortal Sect, and having friends is all I need.”

Guan Shize checked the time and reminded them, “It’s almost time for dinner. We should get going or there won’t be any seats left.”

During the tournament’s rest period, the sects shared the dining hall—only Returning Immortal Sect’s core disciples had priority.

Thinking about getting food sooner, Lian Mu darted into the crowd and pulled out a stuck Xu Xianxing. The six of them ran off toward the dining hall.

Since it wasn’t too crowded yet, they managed to order a full table of dishes. By the time the food arrived, disciples from other sects had also shown up.

As chief disciples, they had designated seating and didn’t need to fight with the ordinary disciples. The top disciples of the three major sects began to arrive one after another.

“As expected from the former number one sect—the food is way better than what we get in Western White Tiger.”

“Well, former is the key word. No need to keep calling them number one. Might offend Azure Profound Sect.”

“I think it’s fine. Returning Immortal Sect’s a little cold and shabby, sure, but they’ve got a lot of good stuff.”

“The place they gave the sword cultivators is basically a dump. But the other cultivators in the sect are living it up. Real stingy of them, not giving us a better place.”

“All the good stuff in the Returning Immortal Sect is inherited from the past. Too bad the sect itself is useless and doesn’t know how to take advantage of it. Now look at Crimson Sky Sect—that’s what I call using resources properly!”

A few disciples dishing out food chatted loudly, ignoring the expressions of the Returning Immortal Sect disciples nearby. Judging by their robe colors, some were from Clear Thought Sect, and a few from Crimson Sky Sect.

They were clearly being deliberate—talking as loudly as possible, like they wanted the whole dining hall to hear them.

After the first illusion realm round ended, Clear Thought Sect disciples started attacking the Returning Immortal Sect indiscriminately, stepping on anything and everything. Most Crimson Sky Sect disciples were well-managed, but some still joined in.

Their loud insults drew side glances from many, but no one stepped in to stop them.

In contrast, the Returning Immortal Sect’s chief team showed no reaction whatsoever. They ate happily, seemingly deaf to the noise around them.

“This dish is pretty good. You should try some,” Wen Yun said to Lian Mu.

Lian Mu replied, “It’s definitely tastier than last time. Finally remembered to add salt.”

Xu Xianxing nudged Baili Que. “Go grab me another plate of pastries. Still hungry.”

“You eat pastries every day—how are you not dead from malnutrition?” Baili Que stood up, looking exasperated.

The other sect disciples: “…”

They’re insulting your sect right to your face, and that’s all you’ve got to say?

Seeing that the chief team completely ignored them, the other Returning Immortal Sect disciples quickly lost their fire and turned back to their meals.

The Clear Thought Sect disciples, who had been putting on a one-sided show: “…”

“Turns out the Returning Immortal Sect people aren’t as arrogant as I thought,” said Feng Yunyi, sitting at the Azure Profound Sect’s chief disciples’ table.

They were quite far from the Returning Immortal Sect, but they were seated diagonally across, so they could see them clearly at a glance.

“This is outside the illusion realm, so naturally they won’t be stupid enough to confront Clear Thought Sect face-to-face,” Jiang Yuechen said. “But once we’re inside the illusion realm, it’ll be a different story. Wen Yun isn’t the type to swallow his anger. I have a feeling in the next match, Clear Thought Sect is going to suffer again.”

While the others were analyzing the Returning Immortal Sect’s behavior, only the body cultivator Gu Qingyu was focused on eating like mad: “Gotta admit, the other sects’ dining halls really don’t compare. The Returning Immortal Sect folks eat so well.”

Feng Yunyi: “…”

By now, most people had arrived, and the Clear Thought Sect’s chief team had also taken their seats, directly across from the Returning Immortal Sect.

Their team leader, Tang Wuxun, motioned for the others to sit down, then specifically warned Shen Wuxie, “Don’t cause any trouble here.”

Shen Wuxie rolled his eyes. “And who are you to boss me around?”

Tang Wuxun lowered his voice. “Our elders made remarks about the Returning Immortal Sect outside the illusion realm, and the Azure Profound Sect’s elder shut them down. The Returning Immortal Sect and Azure Profound Sect have a special relationship. Now’s not the time to provoke them.”

Shen Wuxie sneered. “Heh, don’t try to scare me. Azure Profound Sect doesn’t even associate with the Returning Immortal Sect. You really think they’d care? You artifact refiners are all cowards—how are you qualified to lead the team?”

Tang Wuxun: “…”

The Clear Thought Sect’s chief team broke out into an argument right at their table, drawing the attention of everyone around them.

Meanwhile, the Returning Immortal Sect was also observing the activity at the other sects’ tables.

Lian Mu took a bite of a pastry and glanced over at Clear Thought Sect’s table. “Looks like their chief team isn’t very harmonious.”

Baili Que said, “Might be an issue of who gets to lead. Clear Thought Sect’s chief teams were always led by talisman cultivators in past tournaments. This year they suddenly switched to an artifact refiner—probably didn’t sit well with their chief talisman cultivator.”

Wen Yun watched with interest. “With that brain of Shen Wuxie’s, he actually wants to be team leader? Even someone with a Heavenly Spiritual Root could get dragged down to a crippled root if he’s in charge.”

Lian Mu looked over at Azure Profound Sect. They were calm and peaceful, getting along just fine.

Just as she was about to look away, her gaze happened to meet the eyes of Azure Profound Sect’s chief sword cultivator.

The distance between them wasn’t far, and Lian Mu could finally see his face clearly. Ying You was also looking straight at her, his gaze utterly unreadable.

Lian Mu glanced down—he wasn’t carrying a sword. Nothing interesting to see. She turned away without a word.

“The location for the next round has been decided,” Xu Xianxing said. “We’ve got Ji Mingyue in our team, and the terrain gives her a big advantage. Clear Thought Sect’s chief team is disunited, and Crimson Sky Sect’s chief team doesn’t have any Mist Ridge people. We might have a shot—maybe even take second place.”

Baili Que added, “There are a lot of venomous insects over there, and at night the mountains are filled with toxic miasma. Very dangerous. If your second-seat team enters during the day, don’t linger—have the talisman cultivator bring you straight to us. If it’s at night, make sure to find higher ground to hide.”

Ji Mingyue chimed in, “If you really can’t find us, remember: don’t walk along the water, and don’t go into any random caves.”

“High-grade magical beasts in the southern Vermilion Bird region usually hide in those two spots. If your second-seat team runs into one, it won’t end well.”

Lian Mu nodded. “Got it. I’ll let Senior Sister Luo and Senior Brother Qu know later.”