Chen Ping’an looked into the emaciated girl’s cold eyes, and even though she was still a child who was clearly far younger than Zhu Lu, he still couldn’t help but feel a visceral sense of contempt toward her.

Chen Ping’an didn’t look at her any longer as he turned his gaze to the rear entrance of the manor. There, the benevolent and frail-looking old steward had just made his way over the doorstep with the little girl’s hand clasped in his, and also turned to look at Chen Ping’an. Their eyes met, and Chen Ping’an gave him a slight nod, one that was returned by the steward after a brief hesitation.

Everything was communicated wordlessly.

If Chen Ping’an hadn’t appeared, the emaciated girl would already be dead by now.

The old man was clearly more than willing to extend a gesture of goodwill toward what appeared to be a young swordsman, and he chose to leave the emaciated girl with him instead of administering the punishment that he had intended.

Chen Ping’an turned his gaze back to the emaciated girl as he warned, “Don’t come back here again. Otherwise, you’re going to be killed.”

The emaciated girl offered no response, and Chen Ping’an turned to depart.

Shortly thereafter, he disappeared out of sight, and the emaciated girl spat disdainfully in his direction, then launched a globule of saliva at the manor in front of her as well.

The girl was already starving, and after making those two resentful gestures, she was immediately struck by a rush of dizziness. She returned the same way that she had come, doing her best to stick as close to the wall as possible.

She didn’t even dare to get close to the center of the road for fear of being seen by any pedestrians or people in horse-drawn carriages. If she were to irk someone that she couldn’t afford to for whatever reason, then she really could die.

As for the white-robed boy, she wasn’t fearful of him.

Ever since she could remember, she had always been very sensitive to animosity, and she intuitively knew which people she could take advantage of and which people she couldn’t afford to mess with.

In reality, Chen Ping’an hadn’t departed. Instead, he was hiding nearby, observing the little girl in secret.

Due to her frail condition, she was forced to take regular breaks as she walked along feebly, and after looking around in a cautious manner for a moment, she flipped over a wall in a well-rehearsed fashion and stole the pickled vegetables from a household.

After scarfing down the pickled vegetables, she rushed out of the alley, and she was feeling a little thirsty, so she flipped over the wall again before sneakily scooping out some water out of a vat to drink. Before placing the lid back on the vat, she quickly grabbed a handful of soil from the ground before tossing it inside, and only then did she sneakily depart again.

Chen Ping’an could see that she was walking with a bit of a limp, and she was also regularly massaging her own ribs, presumably all results from the physical punishment that she had received for her past misbehavior.

Right as Chen Ping’an was about to leave, the little girl arrived in an area filled with livestock, and the ground was caked in feces. There was a group of boys standing there while leaning against a wall, and they seemed to be waiting for her. All of the boys appeared to range somewhere between thirteen to twenty years of age, and it was clear that they were up to no good.

One of them caught sight of the little girl as she rushed toward them, and he immediately kicked out at her without any warning. If the kick had landed with full force, then it would’ve been enough to send her flying, but thankfully, the girl seemed to have already anticipated this. However, she didn’t take any evasive action.

Instead, she intentionally slowed down a little right before the kick landed in order to soften the impact, then made a very convincing act of falling back onto the ground. She then struggled for a while before clambering back to her feet with a wretched expression, and her eyes were filled with sycophantic pleading as she cast her gaze toward the group of boys.

A brawny young man who appeared to be the leader of the group instructed the little girl to lead the way without wasting any time, and some time later, they arrived at a dilapidated house that was long abandoned.

The little girl pointed at the house, and the leader of the group of young boys put on a menacing smile as he said, “If you’ve got the wrong place, then I’m going to break both of your legs!”

The little girl shook her head vigorously, then cupped her own hands in a pleading gesture in front of her own chest.

The brawny young man gestured for everyone to surround the house, then turned to the little girl and tossed seven or eight copper coins into her cupped hands as he said in a meaningful voice, “Silly me, I forgot to bring the other half. How about you come back home with me to fetch the rest after we’re done here?”

The little girl shook her head vigorously, then transferred all of the copper coins onto one hand before picking up three of them with her free hand and giving them back to the brawny young man.

The brawny young man was very pleased by this, and he initially planned to keep playing around with the little girl some more, but he decided against it, seeing how clever and obedient she was.

The little girl scurried backward while bowing to the young man several times, and only after that did she turn around to run away.

Shortly thereafter, a blood-curdling howl rang out from the house behind her, but she paid no heed to that as she rushed along while looking at the copper coins in her hand, and a wide smile appeared on her weathered and emaciated face.

————

In the wake of the fall of Jewel Small World, the Dragon Spring Prefecture had become a blessed land of sorts, and it was filled with abundant spiritual energy, making it a very alluring place to many.

Over the course of the past two years, the tens of thousands of demons and spirits in the area had gradually pledged their allegiance to all of the major mountains, establishing a new equilibrium.

Among them were three Golden Core Tier great demons, all of which had once been extremely feared and revered figures in the area. As for whether there were any Nascent Tier great demons intentionally concealing themselves as they didn’t want to show their hands too early, that was currently unknown.

Close to a thousand demons had perished due to various causes over the past two years. Some simply died of natural causes, while others had been executed by the Great Li Empire’s imperial court for certain transgressions. However, there weren’t many demons of the Middle Five Tiers among them. Instead, they mostly consisted of weaker demons whose actions were governed solely by their instincts.

Very few demons had been able to secure Peace and Safety Tablets from the Great Li Empire’s imperial court.

For this purpose, many of them had pledged their subordination to major mountains, serving as guest elders or mountain guardians. Alternatively, some had paid out of their own pockets to establish good relations with the local authorities, or implored certain important figures to put in a good word for them with the Great Li Empire.

This unexpected source of income was naturally very much welcome for the Great Li Empire’s Ministry of Revenue, and as a result, the animosity between the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue had begun to lessen a little.

The Cao and Yuan Clans each had a pillar general, and one had great influence over the Ministry of War, while the other presided over the Ministry of Revenue, and it was common knowledge in the imperial court that the two clans had constantly been at each other’s throats over the past century.

As the sage of this small world, Ruan Qiong had founded the Dragon Spring Sword Sect, which had an enormous territory, encompassing many mountains, including Divine Elegance Mountain. However, the sect had very few disciples.

A disciple who had been turned away by Wind Snow Temple was responsible for looking after the old sword shop outside the small town. Her name was Xu Xiaoqiao, and she very rarely entered the sect.

There was also a young man by the name of Dong Gu, who was a man of very few words and wore black all year round, as well as a boy by the name of Xie Ling who came from Jewel Small World and had a pair of remarkably long eyebrows.

Even if one were to count Ruan Xiu, the Dragon Spring Sword Sect still had a pitifully tiny number of members.

However, Ruan Qiong wasn’t bothered by this at all, and he didn’t bother himself with any worldly affairs aside from traveling to the Dragon Slaying Platform cliff on Dragonspine Mountain to deal with the people from Wind Snow Temple and True Martial Mountain.

Aside from that, even Prefectural Overseer Wu Yuan and Northern Mountain God Wei Bo were generally given the cold shoulder whenever they tried to visit him, and he also didn’t bother to instruct the sect’s disciples at all, merely delegating that task to Ruan Xiu instead.

On this day, the sun was rising up over Divine Elegance Mountain, illuminating the sea of clouds a bright red color.

At this point, Ruan Xiu had already grown into a fine young woman. Compared with when she first arrived in Jewel Small World, her body had become taller, slender, and more proportionate, and she was no longer the little girl that she once was.

Standing beside her were Ruan Qiong’s first three disciples, Xu Xiaoqiao, Dong Gu, and Xie Ling. It was quite rare for all of them to be in the same place at once. Among the three disciples, Xu Xiaoqiao liked to refer to Ruan Xiu as senior sister, Dong Gu liked to call her Ms. Xiu, but always spoke to her with a sense of genuine respect, while Xie Ling generally referred to her as Big Sister Xiu.

At this moment, there was a dog laying at Ruan Xiu’s feet. It had previously been a sickly old dog waiting for its own life to come to an end as it lay on a street in the small town, but it had since been completely revitalized.

This was thanks to the pills that Ruan Xiu would often feed it, all of which were of an exceptional caliber. One time, a Qi refiner had been passing through, and he had been appalled to see this. He felt as if he were faring even worse than a dog, and he was struck by the urge to rush over and fight over the pills with the dog.

Only several of the tallest mountains in the area were able to peek through the resplendent sea of clouds, and they stood like individual islands in the sky.

Ruan Xiu pointed at one of the mountains as she said, “My father says that all you have to do is reach the Golden Core Tier, and he’ll give you a mountain and hold a mountain opening ceremony for the world to see.”

She then turned to Dong Gu as she continued, “You’re a spirit, so it’ll be more difficult for you to progress in your cultivation than for the three of us, but your long lifespan gives you an advantage. On top of that, you already possess a very solid foundation at the Dragon Gate Tier, so it’s about time that you attempted a breakthrough.”

Dong Gu wanted to say something, but was rather hesitant.

Clearly, he wasn’t very confident. The Golden Core Tier bottleneck was the most difficult one to break through for cultivators of the Middle Five Tiers, and it had stumped countless Dragon Gate Tier cultivators in the past.

Dong Gu had left his hometown, leaving behind his status as imperial preceptor of his nation and all of his worldly wealth, just so he could come to Jewel Small World in the hope that the vast abundance of spiritual energy here would increase his chances of progressing to the Golden Core Tier.

As for the caliber of the Golden Core that he attained and the number of artworks that he managed to manifest in his core abode, those were things that he didn’t even dare to think about.

The allure of the Dragon Gate Tier had made countless Qi refiners commit to a lifestyle of tireless cultivation year after year, paying no heed to anything worldly matters.

“I’ll assist you during your breakthrough. I’ll draw upon the fortune of the mountains of our sect to help you in your breakthrough as much as possible.”

Ruan Xiu then pointed at Xie Ling as she continued, “Earlier, your junior brother received an exquisite pagoda that’s close to crossing into the realm of celestial tools. It was bestowed upon him by a powerful figure, and it can somewhat mitigate the peril of your breakthrough.”

A sullen look appeared on Xie Ling’s face, and he was struck by the urge to jump off the cliff and end his own life.

That’s my most closely guarded secret, Big Sister Xiu! How could you just reveal it to everyone like that?

A hint of excitement finally appeared on Dong Gu’s perpetually wooden and expressionless face, and he extended a grateful bow toward Xie Ling as he said, “I’ll be sure to repay you for this, Junio Brother Xie!”

Ruan Xiu turned her gaze back to the sullen Xie Ling as she said, “There’s no use in having a powerful treasure if you’re not going to make good use of it. Don’t always think about keeping it to yourself.

“Ultimately, the only thing that you can rely on cultivation is yourself, and excessive reliance on external items will have a severe negative impact on your mindset. Why is it that you hear so many stories of Nascent Tier cultivators perishing during their seclusions? It’s precisely because they placed too much weight on external objects during their cultivation.”

Xie Ling was very amused to hear this long-winded lecture from Ruan Xiu, and Xu Xiaoqiao and Dong Gu were also looking at her with strange looks in their eyes.

Ruan Xiu sighed in a deflated manner as she conceded, “My father made me memorize all of this stuff. It was a real pain in the arse!”

Xie Ling became even more amused upon hearing this, and Xu Xiaoqiao and Dong Gu also exchanged a smile.

“Dong Gu, find a good place and decide on a date and time for your breakthrough. Xie Ling and I will definitely be there when the time comes,” Ruan Xiu instructed.

Dong Gu nodded excitedly in response.

Ruan Xiu rummaged a silken pouch out of her sleeve, but didn’t open it as she said to the three disciples, “You can go now.”

Xie Ling resided on the mountain, while Dong Gu was cultivating in a thatch hut at the foot of the mountain, and Xu Xiaoqiao was staying in the sword shop on the bank of the Dragon Whisker River. Ruan Qiong had established a rule that prohibited cultivators from flying through the area, so Xu Xiaoqiao and Dong Gu were forced to make the journey down the mountain on foot.

“As disciples of Dragon Spring Sword Sect, this is your home, so you can fly as you please, no one’s going to stop you. My father doesn’t care about trivial things like whether you fly or walk, all he cares about is whether you’ll be able to reach the Golden Core Tier and go beyond that to reach the Upper Five Tiers in the future,” Ruan Xiu said.

“Just to clarify, my father didn’t say this, but I think that’s what he would say if he were here,” Ruan Xiu added.

Xu Xiaoqiao and Dong Gu continued to depart on foot.

Ruan Xiu crouched down as she tossed a peach cake into her own mouth, and her eyes immediately crinkled up into blissful little slits.

She then forced her eyes open as much as possible so she could look more serious, then turned to the dog as she mumbled incoherently through her mouthful of cake, “You have to cherish these days and know your place. Don’t always go around barking at people on the streets.

“Do you think it’s fun? I heard that you almost bit someone once. I told you to look after the courtyard, so why did you come to the mountain on your own? Were you hoping that I would protect you?”

Ruan Xiu raised a hand as she threatened, “I’ll kill you right now if you don’t behave!”

The dog immediately fell onto its haunches to beg for mercy.

Ruan Xiu took a cold glance at it as she murmured to herself, “If it wasn’t for him, I could’ve already had several meals of braised dog meat.”

The dog began to tremble in fear.

Ruan Xiu stood up as she pointed at the path leading down the mountain as she said, “Even those Qi refiners have to constantly lead disciplined and cautious lives, what is a dog like you doing disobeying my orders? Go and guard the entrance of the mountain!”

The dog immediately sprinted away like the wind.

It had only attained some low-level intelligence, and it had previously felt like Ruan Xiu was a very benevolent and adorable owner. Only in this instant did it come to realize that she had never actually felt any affection for it.

Ruan Xiu began munching on her second peach cake while cupping her hand under her chin to catch the crumbs that fell out of her mouth.

She felt as if she could eat these things for the rest of eternity without getting sick of them, and she couldn’t help but wonder if those river gods were going to be just as tasty.

According to her father, their godly bodies were the best source of sustenance for her cultivation.

All of a sudden, she realized that she had begun drooling, and she hurriedly wiped a hand across her lips.