Tushan Bingxian had been waiting for quite a while.
It was probably around the Chou hour when she first saw Dongfang Xiaotian appear outside the Rebound Zone, carrying a child who looked like an adorable young girl on his back.
Behind them trailed a group of disciples from the Four Sages Academy. Though all the disciples appeared dirty and battered, each bearing injuries, none seemed to be in mortal danger, which was quite puzzling.
Dongfang Xiaotian, carrying his little junior brother on his back, looked back at the other cultivators and said, “Alright, we’re back at the camp. You all go and tend to your wounds.”
“They’re back! They really came back!”
“Wuwu, thank the heavens, thank the heavens!”
“So this is what it feels like to be home?”
“Ling’er, Ling’er, I’m back!”
One by one, after entering the Four Sages Academy’s protective formation, they looked as if they had barely escaped death after being sold off in northern Myanmar, missing two kidneys as it were.
As soon as they entered the Fa Zhen, their sobbing erupted loudly.
Many disciples who had entered the academy together approached their familiar senior brothers and sisters to reunite. Those who found no familiar faces could only sigh in disappointment one by one.
Dongfang Xiaotian ignored them all. After all, conflicts with evil cultivators in the Xianxia World were nothing but fights to the death—death was common.
Dongfang Xiaotian had seen enough of this back when he was the Azure Dragon Sword Immortal.
Hence, Dongfang Xiaotian preferred the original world ruled by law and order. How much better it was.
Just then, his Second Junior Sister called his name as she approached.
“Dongfang Xiaotian, you’re back!”
The Second Junior Sister rarely showed such respect directly in front of him, but Dongfang Xiaotian was already used to it and merely nodded.
“Alright, where’s the tent? I’ll first take the little junior brother back to rest. He’s utterly exhausted.”
“Okay, let’s go inside and talk.”
Tushan Bingxian glanced at the little junior brother who was sound asleep, breathing evenly with rosy complexion, looking far from seriously injured.
She then nodded, signaling Dongfang Xiaotian to lead the way.
But just as they took a few steps, suddenly a beautiful young girl with black hair and blue eyes rushed over in quick strides.
“Young Master Dongfang, there are still many parts of the sword intent you taught me that I haven’t fully understood. Could you teach me again?”
After personally studying Dongfang Xiaotian’s three sword intents, although she had yet to grasp them fully, Beichen Yue had already experienced the effect of breaking through a three-year bottleneck and directly reaching the Foundation Establishment stage.
This made her all the more curious about Dongfang Xiaotian’s sword intent.
Slay Enemy, Break Spell, and Exterminate Evil—these three sword intents were tailored for different situations, yet Beichen Yue felt as if they could be applied to any scenario.
However, she sensed many limitations and the fact that she hadn’t truly comprehended the essence yet.
As someone who prioritized the sword path above all in the Path of Forgetting Emotions, she was eager to learn more.
She could have cultivated on her own and improved, but here stood a Sword Immortal wielding the exact same sword intent!
So she tossed aside her original cultivation plans and came out the moment she heard Dongfang Xiaotian’s voice.
Sure enough, she immediately spotted him.
Just as Beichen Yue was about to grasp Dongfang Xiaotian’s hand to plead, a striking figure blocked her path like a mountain—a beautiful person with white hair, blue eyes, furry ears, and a fluffy tail.
Familiar?
“Who are you to just barge over here?”
Tushan Bingxian’s sharp reflexes stopped this obvious suitor of the Senior Brother, then she shot a fierce glare at Dongfang Xiaotian. “You—”
“Why are you glaring at me? She’s my hired bodyguard,” Dongfang Xiaotian said lowly, not bothering to argue with the two women.
“Anyway, let’s get inside the tent first. Too many eyes around.”
“You’ll have to explain this properly later.”
Tushan Bingxian looked at Dongfang Xiaotian with mild dissatisfaction, then glanced at Beichen Yue—such a perfect beauty in the prime of youth instantly triggered a sense of crisis within her.
Could it be that Senior Brother’s enlightenment breakthrough was because of her?
As Tushan Bingxian appraised Beichen Yue from head to toe, Beichen Yue was also sizing up Tushan Bingxian.
Beichen Yue believed she had seen many beautiful women, but compared to this woman… the charm and casual grace radiated from her face, the flowing white hair like snow and silver threads, the perfectly formed fox ears and constantly swaying tail—it was clear she was a shape-shifted Demon Race.
Unlike the incomplete shape-shifters of her kind, this woman was the epitome of perfect transformation, possessing a natural, unmatched beauty.
Especially the impressive presence pressing against her chest, which even thick robes could not conceal.
Compared to herself… it wasn’t quite a smooth battlefield, but she was still smaller than Chun’er, who was a few months younger.
Demon Race were different from humans. Though humans also had various sects like the Bei family, Shangguan family, and Shizi Sect with bloodline talents, overall, it was the same.
But the Demon Race species were too diverse—fish, insects, birds, beasts—so those wishing to integrate into human society typically transformed first.
Tushan Bingxian’s type obviously aimed to blend into the human world for study.
The method of transformation came in two types: the first was great Demon Race with innate shape-shifting abilities upon reaching the Nascent Soul Stage.
But if their skills were lacking, their human form could look terrifyingly unnatural. Generally, those who waited until Yuan Ying to shape-shift were unwilling to integrate into human society.
The white fox girl’s cultivation clearly hadn’t reached Yuan Ying, so she used the second method—the Transformation Pill.
The Transformation Pill allowed Lianqi Stage Demon Race to master shape-shifting talents usually only attainable by Nascent Soul Stage great Demon Race.
But the drawback was that once transformed, their appearance was fixed.
Unlike other great Demon Race who could reshape their human forms by using rare materials, if they botched the “face-molding,” they could redo it.
Rare were those who took a high-level Transformation Pill and became naturally beautiful like Tushan Bingxian.
This girl clearly consumed a high-grade pill. Her ears and tail were obviously tools meant to allure someone, not signs of sloppy technique.
Beichen Yue couldn’t help but mutter internally: no wonder the fox Demon Race was the master of seduction. In terms of beauty, few could surpass her.
But beauty alone couldn’t substitute cultivation, and Young Master Dongfang surely preferred to talk about the sword path!
“So, who exactly is she?”
***
After entering the tent, Tushan Bingxian asked Dongfang Xiaotian.
“I told you, she kindly came to be my bodyguard—a big shot,” Dongfang Xiaotian said as he pulled a large bed from his spatial ring and gently laid his little junior brother down.
“Bodyguard? That one?”
Tushan Bingxian gave Beichen Yue a disdainful glance, immediately noticing she had just reached Foundation Establishment, without a solid Dao base.
Others might not know, but Tushan Bingxian was well acquainted with Dongfang Xiaotian’s background. He originally possessed half-step Golden Core strength.
Although his spirit sea was destroyed, his meridians remained at Golden Core level, and he retained exquisite control over spiritual power.
Even ignoring the lack of spiritual energy, his physical prowess alone could punch a Foundation Establishment beginner’s head into mush.
In Ling Tian City, aside from mid-Foundation Establishment elders and sect leaders, Tushan Bingxian didn’t know who else could threaten him.
Why would he need a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator’s help?
“Hey, don’t underestimate her. As a direct disciple of Ice Ling Immortal Palace, she’s useful against those righteous sects.”
Dongfang Xiaotian recalled how he fought the son of Elder Xiao’s clan chief and still walked away unscathed, even boasting in front of their elders.
“I finally get to swagger a bit; how could I just give this up? This is like a protagonist’s little helper experience card! Not using it would be a waste.”
Dongfang Xiaotian was itching to take Beichen Yue out for a stroll, to rough up some reckless folks—those “I don’t eat beef” feelings were truly satisfying.
“Direct disciple of Ice Ling Immortal Palace?”
Tushan Bingxian immediately reacted, “So you’re Beichen Yue, the fiancée of Senior Brother?”
She already knew about Senior Brother’s engagement and frowned more deeply at Beichen Yue.
“Then, who are you?” Beichen Yue asked with a hint of sharpness, noticing the hostility radiating from Tushan Bingxian.
“I’m, of course, his junior sister—Tushan Bingxian, from the same master.”
Tushan Bingxian emphasized the latter half. Being from the same master carried more weight than merely being in the same sect.
The phrase, “A teacher for one day is a father for life,” was not empty talk. In ancient times, following a master was far more than a simple teacher-student transaction like in the 21st century, where teachers received salaries and students paid tuition.
In those times of scarce productivity and meager resources, a master took responsibility for not only teaching but also the disciple’s survival—providing food and shelter, akin to being a parent.
The same applied in the Saint Hua Dynasty. Masters were like parents, and fellow disciples were as close as family.
“So, are you here to pressure a marriage or to break it off?”
Tushan Bingxian immediately asserted her position as the female lead, “If not to break the engagement, then don’t disturb our reunion as senior and junior siblings.
If it’s to pressure marriage… heh, though my Tushan Sect may not compare to Ice Ling Immortal Palace, we’re not to be trifled with.”
Beichen Yue opened her mouth, hesitated, then bit her lip and sighed, “I’m here to break the engagement.”
“Hmph, I knew it.”
Tushan Bingxian immediately labeled Beichen Yue as ungrateful. Surely, it was because Senior Brother’s cultivation was ruined, and she intended to abandon him. Tushan Bingxian was used to such things.
Of course, besides the Bei family’s attitude, Tushan Bingxian held another confidence: Senior Brother was as stubborn as a blockhead.
If he agreed to it, she would be utterly shocked—like the sun falling from the sky.
Beichen Yue looked at Tushan Bingxian’s smug expression with some annoyance. She insisted on breaking off the engagement but definitely not for the reasons Tushan Bingxian assumed.
Still, after a deep breath, she didn’t bother to explain forcefully, knowing it would only make things look suspicious.
After calming down, Beichen Yue said, “Whether or not Young Master Dongfang and I become husband and wife in the future, I’m at least his protector now.
And Dongfang Xiaotian is still my friend.”
She glanced toward Dongfang Xiaotian, who was tending to the adorable young girl on the bed, then said, “I won’t leave until Young Master Dongfang has settled my payment.”
“Yes, you’re just here to collect the Bei family’s key and repay a favor.”
“Payment? What could that stingy guy possibly promise you?” Tushan Bingxian’s curiosity was piqued.
Just as the atmosphere between the two women grew tense, Dongfang Xiaotian continued caring for the little junior brother.
By now, the little junior brother had been awakened by the two girls’ quarrel.
“Little junior brother, you’re awake.”
Dongfang Xiaotian helped him sit up, then asked with concern, “Are you hungry? Do you want Senior Brother to cook something for you?”
“I’m not hungry, thank you, Senior Brother.”
He rubbed his eyes and asked, “Senior Brother, who was Second Senior Sister arguing with?”
“Oh, your Second Senior Sister has a good temper when she’s not angry. How could she be quarreling?”
Dongfang Xiaotian said meaningfully, “Anyway, you don’t need to concern yourself with women’s matters.”
“Then what were those two jumping around for?” the little junior brother tilted his head, watching the two girls.
Dongfang Xiaotian turned to look, seeing Beichen Yue puffing out her chest like a male turkey trying to court, while Tushan Bingxian stood on tiptoe then quickly dropped down—her chest surging dramatically, the clothes stretched under immense pressure!
Then Beichen Yue regretfully admitted defeat.
“Who knows? They’re probably comparing heights. High school girls always care about their height.”
Dongfang Xiaotian shrugged, “Let them compete. Women’s thoughts always jump around in ways we can’t understand—that’s normal.
“Forget that. Tell me what’s going on with you.”
Dongfang Xiaotian quickly found a camp following the Second Junior Sister’s directions. However, when he arrived, he found everyone there fast asleep, soundly so.
Dongfang Xiaotian used several spirit talismans to wake up all the Four Sages Academy disciples.
The little junior brother was still in the middle of a breakthrough while sleeping, so Dongfang Xiaotian did not wake him.
Hiss, no wonder he’s the protagonist. He can breakthrough while sleeping. The Heavenly Dao favors protagonists unfairly, doesn’t it?
Overall, things went well. Later, Dongfang Xiaotian took advantage of the evil cultivators’ sleep to finish them off one by one.
Yet, he couldn’t find the reason why all the evil cultivators were mysteriously unconscious in one camp.
Asking the Four Sages Academy disciples, they all exchanged puzzled glances.
Their last memories were encountering a group of evil cultivators, falling into their trap, then losing consciousness until they woke up here.
—This was truly bizarre.
Dongfang Xiaotian thought this must be related to an ancient ruin involving a protagonist, so he planned to be extra cautious when questioning further.