“How to tell if a female classmate secretly likes me.”
“A hundred ways to confess without ever being rejected.”
“What does it mean when someone says ‘You’re a good person’?”
“How to restore a relationship after a failed confession?”
“How to respond when called a clown?”
“Tsk tsk tsk, Daoist Friend Li, you actually have experiences like this? Zuo Qiu Li is truly envious.”
Inside the Sea of Consciousness, Zuo Qiu Li’s gentle laughter never ceased, her enormous Dao Fruit trembling precariously with each chuckle, stirring alluring waves of flesh.
Outside the Sea of Consciousness, Li Muqun lay sprawled like a salted fish on the ground, his face ashen and expression dazed.
Having fused part of his soul, Zuo Qiu Li was utterly at home within his Sea of Consciousness. Separating her from the soul of his past life was simply impossible.
So stopping her from snooping through his dark past was out of the question.
Damn you, Zuo Qiu Li. Damn you.
Watching her laugh at his embarrassing history, Li Muqun nearly broke down multiple times.
Yet another voice inside him whispered:
Li Muqun, is your heart for the Dao really this fragile?
Li Muqun, is your aspiration for profundity still this weak?
No, Li Muqun!
Do not let this woman’s mockery defeat you!
You are a cultivator destined to become an Immortal!
Such trivial black history should not cause you this much pain!
That’s right, Li Muqun, pull yourself together!
Don’t lose face in front of that demon beast!
Zuo Qiu Li’s laughter grew louder inside the Sea of Consciousness, but facing his own embarrassing past, Li Muqun chose silence, stubbornly enduring the contest!
Finally, after laughing herself into a sore waist, Zuo Qiu Li wiped tears from the corners of her eyes and croaked out:
“I never thought the legendary Heavenly Demon Beyond the Domain was real, and that I would run into one.”
“That’s called Rebirth, do you even understand that?”
“What Heavenly Demon Beyond the Domain? Country bumpkin!”
Seizing the chance to counterattack, Li Muqun flipped over like a salted fish and shouted loudly inside the Sea of Consciousness.
“Enough, enough, Rebirth and all. Judging by the level of your past life’s world, there wasn’t even a single Fetal Respiration cultivator.”
Zuo Qiu Li curled her rosy lips disdainfully and said:
“Besides, our Daoist Friend Li was a thirty-something-year-old single virgin Bull-Horse Clan young man who couldn’t even find a wife. Rebirth is a blessing no one like you deserves.”
After merging souls with Li Muqun, she had gained some understanding of his past life’s world.
Most importantly, the memories Li Muqun himself avoided recalling were clearly etched in her divine consciousness.
Including, but not limited to: confessing to a secret crush and being rejected, telling his parents he was going to spend his life with a Paper Man, which nearly gave his father a stroke.
The sheer drama of it all even surprised her, someone who was used to storms and upheaval in “Zuo Qiu Li.”
It took her a long time to fully digest.
Her words clearly struck at the very heart of Li Muqun’s vulnerabilities.
The face that had been arrogant and ready to fight just moments ago instantly twisted into something more bitter than a bitter melon.
“You don’t understand! You don’t understand!” he shouted, almost leaping up.
“That’s not my black history, that’s my path here!”
“People like you, Immortal second generation, will never understand!”
“Heh heh.”
Zuo Qiu Li said nothing, just smiled faintly.
Victors never need many words; a subtle smile was the silent mockery of the defeated.
“But the novels and talk scripts from your world are quite rich. Comics and movies too—these are unheard of in this world.”
“Like this Xzhenren book, it’s quite interesting to read.”
“To have known the hardships of the world since youth, yet still let a flying swan soar the clouds—that poem you recited at Full Moon Lake’s Central Island was stolen from here, wasn’t it? Not bad, quite amusing.”
“Enjoy torturing yourself. I’m off to read!”
With that, she flickered away, disappearing inside the Sea of Consciousness, leaving Li Muqun flustered in the wind.
Endure, Li Muqun, endure!
Once you refine this Purple Mansion Fragment, it won’t be too late to bother her!
For now, the top priority was cultivation!
Suppressing pain and frustration, he rode the wind and flew back into the sect.
But before his seclusion, he had one more place to visit.
Cloud Expanse Sect Outer Sect, Reward Hall.
The on-duty disciple was just as clueless, the gathering crowd just as curious, and the elder Mysterious Void Master rushed over in a hurry.
The only difference was Li Muqun’s expression.
Last time, he had put on a decent face, but this time he wore a dark scowl the whole way, putting Mysterious Void Master under great pressure.
Mysterious Void Master tried waving away the crowd but was held back by an invisible spiritual force.
“Elder Xuan, do you dislike these Outer Sect disciples? Why do you want to disperse everyone whenever something happens?”
Mysterious Void Master paused, then awkwardly smiled and lowered his hand. “Of course not, of course not.”
“Nephew Li, I wonder what brings you here this time? The last bounty was all taken care of by you, so the Reward Hall could close for a few days. We just received a few tasks recently, you see if…”
He carried a bottle of pills and quietly approached, hoping to strike up conversation as last time.
But Li Muqun waved his hand and shoved the pill bottle back.
“Elder Xuan, address me by my title while at work!”
Title?
Normally, as an Inner Sect disciple and founding disciple of Congealed Fat Peak, Mysterious Void Master should have been called True Disciple.
But used to swaggering as an elder in the Outer Sect, he had never thought of that.
Now reminded by Li Muqun, his face twitched, and he asked:
“Then, True Disciple Li, what is the matter?”
Li Muqun yawned and said casually:
“Nothing major, just here to report you for dereliction of duty!”
Dereliction of duty?
Mysterious Void Master felt three parts grievance and seven parts anger.
Dereliction? I even gave you the task, and the reward—didn’t refuse either. How is that dereliction?
Damn brat, I’m retiring next year and you have to make trouble for me!
He dropped his smile and said angrily:
“True Disciple Li, do not spout nonsense and slander me!”
“I am also a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Don’t think just because you’re an Inner Sect disciple you can bully us. Last time I reported your unruly behavior to the Headmaster, he was very angry. Aren’t you afraid of punishment?”
“Address me by my title while working!”
“No need to beat around the bush. Whether this is slander or not, the crowd’s eyes are sharp.”
Li Muqun stood and addressed the watching disciples:
“Brothers, a few days ago I was entrusted by Elder Xuan to handle a bounty for hunting a demon beast. The intel clearly stated it was only a Qi Refining cultivator-level beast, but when I arrived, it turned out to be a Purple Mansion Stage great demon beast.”
“If I hadn’t acted quickly, risking my life, I wouldn’t be here speaking to you now—I would’ve been devoured by the Foxy Demon!”
“I was lucky, relying on fortune and strength to escape. But if an ordinary sect disciple took the task, ten lives wouldn’t be enough to fill that demon beast’s jaws.”
“The Reward Hall has long been a den of slackers, and they even botch tasks that affect our disciples’ lives. Brothers, do you think Elder Xuan’s performance counts as dereliction?”
“You, you…”
Mysterious Void Master was fuming but the mix of truth and lies made it hard to rebut.
His face reddened as he shouted:
“Where’s your proof? Just because you say it’s a Purple Mansion demon beast doesn’t mean it is! If you really met one, could you have escaped?”
Just waiting for you to ask for proof!
Li Muqun smiled coldly and pointed to a shallow but clear wound on his cheek that hadn’t been healed with pills.
The wound radiated the unmistakable aura of a Purple Mansion demon beast.
“I wouldn’t lie to my sect brothers. As for how I survived, I think Elder Xuan doesn’t need to consider that.”
A Purple Mansion demon beast!
The crowd gasped in unison, even Mysterious Void Master was stunned.
Once recovered, the crowd’s fury ignited.
“This elder seems calm and steady, but he’s so irresponsible!”
“Exactly, calling a Purple Mansion beast a Qi Refining beast is just sending disciples to their deaths!”
“Who knows if we’ll face this next time? It’s heartbreaking!”
“I heard this Elder Xuan is no spring chicken but a notorious womanizer, with multiple young and beautiful concubines. With that behavior, I bet he’s a Demon Sect spy!”
Most were Outer Sect disciples, used to encountering only Fetal Respiration or Qi Cultivation cultivators.
Hearing ‘Purple Mansion’ terrified them. Li Muqun’s words only made them feel their lives were disregarded and hanging by a thread.
Seeing the growing uproar, some even proposed reporting Elder Xuan to the sect.
Mysterious Void Master dropped pretense and transmitted softly through divine consciousness:
“True Disciple Li, must it come to this? Senior uncle admits fault, isn’t that enough? What do you want? Compensation?”
Would have been better if you said so earlier.
Li Muqun’s expression remained calm as he sent a prepared list through divine consciousness.
Mysterious Void Master barely glanced at it before nearly fainting.
Two hundred pieces of high-grade Spirit Stone! A fortune even a Foundation Establishment cultivator wouldn’t save in a lifetime.
He stammered through divine transmission, “Tr-true disciple, you overestimate me!”
Don’t play poor with me.
Li Muqun smiled faintly and said via divine consciousness, “Then take this matter to the Headmaster. I’m afraid Elder Xuan won’t just get a slap on the wrist.”
Seeing the crowd’s chants outside growing louder, Mysterious Void Master grew more nervous and reluctantly nodded.
“Fine, fine, as the True Disciple wishes.”
He silently summoned a Storage Bag with spiritual power.
Li Muqun took it and opened it—indeed, two hundred pieces of high-grade Spirit Stone and ten high-quality Qi Supplement Pills, nothing less.
Damn old fox, who knows how much he skimmed off the Reward Hall’s coffers all these years, yet he still has this stash on hand.
Still not enough?
Li Muqun glared angrily at Mysterious Void Master, then sent another list through divine consciousness.
“More? You’re about to drain my retirement fund!”
Mysterious Void Master grimaced but after reading the list, relaxed.
“That’s fine, those are just matters of comforting the Chen Family of Full Moon Lake and dispatching cultivators to protect the lake’s people.”
“But since the demon beast is Purple Mansion level, if we can’t mobilize an Inner Sect elder, how can we be sure of its defeat?”
“We won’t send you to die,” Li Muqun transmitted.
“That demon beast is cunning. This time it will avoid detection by higher-level human cultivators, hiding in a different location.”
“I only ask you send people as insurance, to prevent anyone causing trouble in the chaos.”
“True Disciple is kind-hearted and thoughtful. I will write to you now so you can mobilize disciples.”
“Just don’t cause this old man any more trouble.”
Satisfied after receiving the letter, Li Muqun nodded and turned to the crowd outside.
“Brothers, today’s matter cannot be taken lightly. Let’s go together to the Law Enforcement Hall to report this to the sect!”
“Let’s go! Let’s go!”
The crowd cheered, scattering and rushing toward the sect’s Law Enforcement Hall.
Inside the Reward Hall, only the bewildered Mysterious Void Master remained.
Recovering, he glared at Li Muqun and shouted:
“You rogue, you deceitful scoundrel! You didn’t keep your promise!”
“I will report you to the Headmaster! I’ll accuse you of extortion!”
Li Muqun frowned, took to the wind, and called back without looking:
“Elder Xuan, how many times have I told you? Address me by my title while working!”
“As for extortion—Elder Xuan, weren’t these Spirit Stones picked up by me?”
“Or do you want to say that as an Outer Sect elder in early Foundation Establishment, your salary over the years has added up to two hundred pieces of high-grade Spirit Stone?”
He left with grace, never looking back, leaving Mysterious Void Master standing dumbfounded.
To think there could be such a shameless man!