There is a saying: "All encounters in this world are reunions after a long separation."
Many seemingly coincidental events are, in fact, fated.
The Six Sages of Green Cliff had been watching for many days, waiting to make their move when Song Qianji was alone. Unfortunately, Song Qianji was a homebody with a monotonous life, staying within his small courtyard, head down, tilling his land.
Finally, tonight, Meng Heze was fighting in the martial examination, and all the Outer Sect disciples were at the plaza watching the battle.
Song Qianji was without protection, yet he dared to go to the deserted Yaoguang Lake.
In the eyes of some, this was because he had encountered a damsel in distress—a female cultivator with a low cultivation level who appeared weak and helpless.
After a heroic rescue that fell right into his lap, he was so smitten by her beauty that all he could think about was finding a nice, undisturbed spot under the moon and among the flowers.
On the other hand, Song Qianji needed to pick a quiet, secluded place to properly interrogate "Wang Tugen-slash-Bai Lianlian" and find out what on earth they were plotting.
Their paths were bound to collide.
Shopkeeper Hua didn't know what sins he had committed in his past life to run into a weirdo like Song Qianji in this one.
The mere thought of the bag of sludge the other man had personally filled made his entire body tingle and his chest tighten with nausea.
These people also didn't know what sins they had committed in their past lives to end up besieging Song Qianji in this one.
On a dark and windy night, let alone a group of Foundation Building cultivators emerging from the mountain forest, even if a small demonic beast had appeared, shouldn't the two of them have been clinging to each other, trembling in fear?
But when that "delicate female cultivator" rolled up her sleeves, flashed a smile revealing eight pearly white front teeth, slapped her Storage Bag, and summoned a Golden-Ringed Greatsaber that weighed three hundred catties and glinted with a cold light—
They realized something might be terribly wrong.
"She concealed her cultivation! She's not in the early stage of Qi Refinement at all!"
"That saber is a powerful Magical Artifact, be careful!"
Not only were these people wearing Magic Robes that concealed their appearances, but their voices had also been specially modified. Each one was equally hoarse and unpleasant, making them indistinguishable.
Shopkeeper Hua, filled with a day's worth of grievances, erupted with his full Spirit Qi and charged into the enemy ranks. Like a fierce tiger pouncing on a flock of sheep, he swung, slashed, and chopped, his momentum unstoppable!
The great saber pierced the night, its cold light flashing as vigorous Qi surged.
The five glittering golden rings on the blade's spine vibrated and hummed in unison, like the chanting of a malevolent ghost.
Fresh blood splattered onto his white dress, but he paid it no mind.
The wind from the blade howled, sending sand and stones flying and fallen leaves scattering.
Seeing the tide turn against them, the attackers swiftly adjusted their formation, trying to bypass the female cultivator and her great saber.
Their target was Song Qianji. They had already injured five of their own men without even touching a corner of Song Qianji's clothes.
A long chain, glinting with silver light, struck at the back of the white-dressed female cultivator from a sinister and cunning angle.
Yet, as if she had anticipated it, she didn't even turn her head, countering with a backhanded slash.
The blade's edge sliced through a falling leaf in mid-air. Violent Spirit Qi leaked out, and the leaf burst into flames.
Before it could hit the ground, the fragmented leaf burned to nothing. The crimson fire was extinguished, turning into specks of flying ash.
The "Immortal Binding Lock" was severed by the single slash and fell powerlessly to the ground, its silver light vanishing.
The attackers' last shred of hope, much like the scattered leaves, was cut in two and annihilated into dust.
No one could figure it out. This female cultivator had the slender figure of a weeping willow, yet the saber was half a head taller than her. How could she wield it with such fluid mastery?
What Cultivation Method did she practice for her saber techniques to be so grand and open, so fierce and domineering, growing stronger the more she fought!
Just who was besieging whom now?
So it was her, one person, besieging our entire group?
Song Qianji yawned.
Although "Wang Tugen" was fighting with the force of an army, scattering his foes like a celestial maiden scattering flowers, his mind was preoccupied with planting lotus roots, and he had little interest in the spectacle.
"The intel was wrong, we've hit a tough one!"
"Things are looking bad, let's retreat!"
The original plan was to silently bag and bludgeon him, which meant they couldn't use loud, powerful weapons like Explosive Talismans.
They dared not alert the mountain's protective Grand Formation either, or no one would be able to clean up the mess.
They could only retreat for now and report back to the mastermind—
"Song Qianji has a powerful expert protecting him! We don't know their origin, their background, or their cultivation level! We were the ones who got besieged!"
Still not fully satisfied, Shopkeeper Hua took two steps in pursuit, saber in hand, and shouted, "Don't be in such a hurry to leave, everyone!"
His voice was high and sharp, a delicate female tone, but to the men's ears, it sounded like the King of Hell's summons.
The men made a decisive choice. They executed an earth escape art, dove headfirst into the soil, and fled the mountain forest at top speed.
"How boring. They scare so easily."
Shopkeeper Hua took out a piece of fine silk and wiped his blade until it shone like a mirror.
After forming a seal to clean his hands, he took out another handkerchief and meticulously wiped between his fingers.
Song Qianji turned to head down the mountain. For the time being, he believed the other party meant him no harm.
"Hey, why are you walking so fast? In a rush?" Shopkeeper Hua caught up, smiling.
"We've fought side-by-side, after all..."
Although it had been a one-sided battle on his part.
After a thoroughly satisfying fight, he had finally vented a whole day's worth of resentment. He reached out to clap Song Qianji on the shoulder.
Song Qianji sidestepped the hand and shook the Storage Bag full of sludge. "Daoist Wang, I still have things to do."
"Kid, my surname isn't Wang, it's Hua." Shopkeeper Hua leaped back two steps, wary. "You collected this mud... it's not really to throw at me, is it?"
Song Qianji shook his head and said seriously, "This sludge is fertile and soft, rich in humus. It's perfect for planting lotus roots and cannot be wasted casually."
Shopkeeper Hua was stunned.
What did that mean? So I'm not even worthy of having mud thrown at me?
I'm not even worth a bag of mud?
He was about to fly into a rage when he heard Song Qianji ask:
"Do you also know the 'Invisibility Art'?"
When Song Qianji saw through this person's identity, an image had flashed through his mind—the clothes were clear, but the face was blurry.
That night, as he walked out of the black shop and onto the old street of the Huawel Sect, he had brushed past a drunken hooligan.
He remembered what the person was wearing, but he couldn't recall the face no matter how hard he tried.
Because that was a cultivator who practiced the Invisibility Art. When they channeled their skill, they could conceal their true appearance and confuse others, making people forget their face after seeing it.
Shopkeeper Hua said smugly, "Of course. Not only do I know it, I'm an expert!"
This question reminded him of Wei Ping.
He had once lost a bet and had to teach Wei Ping the Invisibility Art for three days. That kid, though a scoundrel, was exceptionally talented and learned everything quickly. He was probably a master of it by now.
Shopkeeper Hua's eyes darted around. "If you want to learn this, beg me a little, say a few nice things, and I might consider teaching you."
He wondered who had better talent between Song Qianji and Wei Ping, and who would learn the technique faster.
"I won't learn it," Song Qianji said.
"..." Shopkeeper Hua was at a loss for words. "There's no harm in having more skills. So many people would kill for a chance to learn such a divine art, and you're really not going to consider it?"
"I'm very busy."
"Busy with what? You're busy tilling the land all day?" Shopkeeper Hua was exasperated, his hands itching to do something.
But he couldn't hit Song Qianji. If he damaged this scrawny kid with one slash, how would he explain it to the old Calligrapher Sage?
Shopkeeper Hua decided to try a different scare tactic. "You saw what happened just now. You've offended people, and they dare to seek revenge on you even within the Huawel Sect. Aren't you worried, not having a few life-saving skills up your sleeve?"
"They're more worried now," Song Qianji said.
Shopkeeper Hua scratched his head and thought for a moment. "That's true."
No matter who sent those people, after the beating he gave them tonight, they'd be too scared to sleep, afraid of dreaming about a "delicate female cultivator" swinging a great saber at them.
He looked down at his own blood-splattered white dress and embroidered shoes. Nothing to be done about it; this world was just that terrifying.
Upon reaching the lakeside, Song Qianji suddenly stopped. "Your accomplices are coming."
More than ten auras were rapidly approaching.
Among them were a few who had acted alongside "Bai Lianlian" to trick him during the day. He naturally recognized them.
Shopkeeper Hua's heart sank.
Just now, thinking Song Qianji was about to make a move on him, he had secretly sent a message to the other shopkeepers and clerks.
"This, they..." Shopkeeper Hua was about to explain, but he saw that Song Qianji had already taken a different path and was continuing on his way without a backward glance.
He really was in a hurry.
By the shore of Yaoguang Lake, the people from the black shops arrived in a flash. Seeing Shopkeeper Hua covered in blood, they were shocked.
Shopkeeper Hua sighed, gave a brief explanation, and said with a world-weary look:
"This Song Qianji is nothing like we originally thought. We've all misunderstood him."
"It is indeed a misunderstanding. We've also found out the identity of that qin-carrying female cultivator. It was actually very easy to find out; we were just looking in all the wrong places," the rice shop clerk whispered.
Shopkeeper Hua's spirits lifted. "Who is she?"
The rice shop clerk, Xiao Mi, threw out a portrait for everyone to pass around. "Take a look."
As the portrait was unrolled, a series of sharp gasps could be heard.
After "Wang Tugen's" last mission ended in failure, he had been assigned to wait for the qin-carrying female cultivator to leave Song Courtyard, then stop her on the road, strike up a conversation, and get information out of her, but he had been completely rebuffed.
"Her name is He Qingqing. She was once brought to the gate of Song Courtyard to scare Song Qianji. Because her face is completely ruined, some people at the academy nicknamed her 'Black-Faced Ghost.' She's a pitiful person who's had a difficult life..."
"Sigh, who would have thought that Song Qianji would go to such great lengths in the middle of the night—trading a sword for a qin and even throwing in a Qi Nourishing Talisman—not to please a beauty, but to give it to her! We should be able to hear her play at this year's Music Examination."
The group stood in stunned silence.
After a long pause, Shopkeeper Hua, still dressed as a woman, pulled a pearl hairpin from his temple and slammed it on the ground.
"What in the world is going on? His vision transcends beauty and ugliness, and his heart is vast enough to contain heaven and earth? Then what about us? What does that make us?"
"Petty minds judging a gentleman's heart, I suppose," said the pawnshop clerk, Xiao Zhuo, feeling wronged. "In this day and age, there are still true gentlemen, and we had to run into one. But what kind of true gentleman would write a 'Profiteer Talisman' to curse people?"
"Whoever suggested the honey trap first must have had their brain soaked in an Ink Pond!" the pawnshop owner deflected.
The rice shop owner immediately passed the buck. "This wasn't my fault, it's all Wei Ping's fault! I've been dealing with that scoundrel Wei Ping all year, and it's lowered my cultivation and moral standing!"
"That's right, you are who you surround yourself with. Wei Ping is the Ink Pond. I'll stop seeing him from now on. If I bask more in Song Qianji's sacred radiance, my moral standards will rise."
After reviewing the situation, everyone unanimously decided to put the blame on Wei Ping's head.
"So, are we still... going to continue the test?" Zhang the blacksmith from the smithy asked hesitantly.
Shopkeeper Hua had already pulled out all his jeweled hairpins, messing up his bun until it looked like a chicken's nest.
"Whoever still wants to go, go ahead. I'm not testing him anymore, anyway! Can't I just admit that I'm thoroughly convinced?"
The others quickly agreed.
They adjusted their mindsets, coordinated their stories, and prepared to report back to the Calligrapher Sage.
"Are you all in a hurry too?" Shopkeeper Hua cried out, on the verge of a breakdown. "At least let me change back into men's clothes first!"
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