“Tell me, Sister, with a guy like that, how could I possibly fancy him? I was definitely right to run away from this marriage!”
Ji Caiyue slammed her hand on the table repeatedly as she vented her grievances to Hua Jian.
Hua Jian and Shiqi sat in their chairs, sipping their tea mouthful by mouthful. As for Ji Caiyue’s complaints, they let them go in one ear and out the other.
Fairy Caiyue was clearly a woman of intense temperament.
Her earlier composed and ethereal demeanor had been pure acting; in her heart, she likely wanted to tear her fiancé into ten thousand pieces.
“If you hadn’t helped me today, Sister Hua Jian, I’m afraid he really would have caught me off guard.”
After finishing her rant, Ji Caiyue sighed and thanked Hua Jian once again.
“Haha, if I had known you were the famous Fairy Caiyue, I certainly wouldn’t have told you all those things.”
Hua Jian only got to see half of the excitement she had hoped for, and she had even ended up becoming part of the spectacle herself. She didn’t feel particularly great about it.
Furthermore, looking at the way that fiancé had behaved when he left, he probably held a grudge against her now.
‘I just gained an enemy for no reason. This is so annoying,’ Hua Jian thought.
Hua Jian wasn’t the type to hold a grudge; she usually settled her scores on the spot.
She also didn’t like being on someone’s hit list. Once she realized someone was targeting her, she would usually choose to strike first.
But in this situation, she couldn’t make the first move. She couldn’t exactly commit murder inside Ascension City, could she?
In other cities, one might be able to pull that off and flee before the city guards noticed.
But in Ascension City, even if she did manage to escape, would she still be able to participate in the upcoming Ascension Gathering?
Losing the chance to join the Ascension Gathering over some random nobody was not a profitable trade.
“Is your life always like this?” Hua Jian walked to the window and took a subtle glance outside. She quickly spotted several Cultivators lying in wait.
Undoubtedly, these people were staking out Ji Caiyue.
It had been nearly an hour and a half since Hua Jian followed Ji Caiyue here, yet these people were still waiting. Their perseverance was impressive.
The top spot on the Genius List was truly a difficult seat to occupy.
“I’m used to it. If I were to spar with someone who challenged me, the crowd would be even larger than the one just now,” Ji Caiyue said, shrugging. She was quite accustomed to the life of a superstar.
However, living like this for too long was inevitably stifling. She had to wear the mask of a ‘fairy’ whenever she was outside, and only in her own room could she reveal her true self.
“I really envy you, Sister Hua Jian. You can say whatever you want. Sigh…”
“You’re just being weighed down by your reputation. If you ask me, you might as well stop pretending. You’d at least have an easier time,” Hua Jian said with a pout. If she wasn’t happy, why live like that?
Being number one on the Genius List didn’t depend on her looks. Ji Caiyue held that rank because of her fierce strength.
As long as her power remained, her status wouldn’t be shaken.
Then, she heard a reason that made her want to both laugh and cry.
Ji Caiyue’s hard work in playing the fairy was actually to increase her chances of entering the Saint Sect’s Neimen.
“But having a good reputation makes it easier for the Saint Sect to take notice of me. If I can’t get into the Neimen because of a bad reputation, won’t I be finished?”
Ji Caiyue’s reasoning was very pragmatic, but Hua Jian liked hearing such honest words.
As for the reason itself… Hua Jian couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“What are you laughing at?” Ji Caiyue’s face reddened. She could tell Hua Jian wasn’t mocking her character, but rather laughing because she thought Ji Caiyue was overthinking things. “That’s what everyone says.”
“Just because everyone says it, does that make it right? My dear Sister, aren’t you underestimating the Saint Sect?” Hua Jian finally stopped laughing.
She cupped her cheeks with both hands, trying to keep a straight face. “Let me ask you, do you think the seniors of the Saint Sect won’t be able to see what kind of person you really are?”
That would be looking down on the elders of the Saint Sect far too much.
They were all old monsters who had lived for hundreds of years; they would know exactly what kind of person Ji Caiyue was with a single glance.
So, knowing Ji Caiyue’s true nature, would they prefer a duplicitous Ji Caiyue or one who was true to herself?
Most within the Saint Sect would likely choose the latter.
“Unless you want to join the Tiandao Sect. They might actually like someone like you.”
The only ones who would prefer the former were those from the Tiandao Sect, who weren’t particularly well-liked.
However, Hua Jian felt that given the personality Ji Caiyue had displayed, she would absolutely never choose the Tiandao Sect.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Ji Caiyue shook her head vigorously, indicating she had no interest in the Tiandao Sect.
Her goal had always been Jade Pool. If Jade Pool didn’t want her, she would settle for Penglai as her second choice. In any case, the Tiandao Sect was never under consideration.
This was actually a standard choice for most female Cultivators.
Unless one was a battle maniac or had a passion for raising Spirit Beasts and Lingcao, Jade Pool was the top choice for women.
If they couldn’t get into Jade Pool, Penglai was still a fine alternative.
As for the Tiandao Sect, it was a place one only went to if there were truly no other options.
When the topic turned to Jade Pool, Hua Jian was no longer bored. Her understanding of Jade Pool was certainly deeper than that of the Cultivators in the Outer City who were merely ‘groping an elephant in the dark.’
“Believe me, Jade Pool doesn’t like people who act one way on the surface and another behind people’s backs. They like pure girls,” Hua Jian said, pointing to herself as she shamelessly praised herself. “Like me, for instance.”
Ji Caiyue’s expression stiffened. ‘Even so, isn’t it a bit too shameless to praise yourself like that? Would Jade Pool really like a girl like you?’
It wasn’t that Ji Caiyue disliked Hua Jian, but she felt the girl was a bit too thick-skinned, which didn’t exactly match the glorious image the Saint Sect held in the eyes of the world.
“Is Sister Hua Jian very familiar with Jade Pool?”
“Well, not overly familiar, but I have a friend in Jade Pool. She’s one year older than me and entered the sect before I did.” Hua Jian grinned. “She told me that herself!”
Hua Jian had a friend in Jade Pool? Ji Caiyue’s eyes lit up at first, but she quickly calmed down.
The friend was only one year older than Hua Jian, which meant she had likely only been in the sect for a year.
New Disciples who had only been there for a year generally didn’t leave the Main Sect.
In other words, this friend only existed in the background and wasn’t of much use.
“So you’re saying it’s best if I slowly reveal my true self and let everyone know that this ‘fairy’ isn’t actually that perfect?”
“Exactly. Hmm… I can actually give you a hand and leak some ‘inside information’ to the Cultivators outside.” Hua Jian’s eyes darted around as she leaned in and whispered into Ji Caiyue’s ear.
After listening, Ji Caiyue pondered for a short while before nodding firmly.
“Then I’ll have to trouble you, Sister Hua Jian.” As she spoke, she pulled out her Storage Pouch, took out several high-quality Spirit Stones, and handed them to Hua Jian.
“A small token of my gratitude. Please don’t refuse.”
……
“I thought you would at least politely decline, but you just took them?”
After leaving the Inn, Shiqi spoke to Hua Jian with a strange expression.
She had just watched as Hua Jian accepted Ji Caiyue’s gift without the slightest bit of hesitation or even a customary refusal.
It had left both her and Ji Caiyue feeling dazed and bewildered. They had never seen a girl act so much like an insider.
“Why be polite? I helped her solve a huge problem; she should thank me.” Hua Jian snorted. Some people simply overthought things. What was the point of wasting everyone’s time?
Muttering to herself, she scanned her surroundings and soon spotted someone following them.
They were keeping a moderate distance and had been trailing her for some time now.
Hua Jian didn’t believe she herself was worth following, so this person must be following her for the sake of someone else.
And this was exactly what she had been waiting for.
“The fish has taken the bait. Let’s go catch it.” Hua Jian pointed behind her without making it obvious.
Shiqi nodded blankly. “Huh?”
“I’ll keep walking forward. When that person follows, you sneak up behind them. Got it?” Hua Jian explained helplessly.
As she spoke, she waved to Shiqi, making it look like they were parting ways, and signaled with her eyes for Shiqi to head in a different direction.
Shiqi quickly complied. After walking a few steps in the other direction, she quietly hid, waiting for the ‘fish’ Hua Jian mentioned to bite.
Before long, a girl acting suspiciously followed them. She hesitated for a moment where the two had split before unhesitatingly choosing to pursue the direction Hua Jian had taken.
It seemed this was the one. Shiqi stepped out and followed, quickly catching up to the tracker’s rear.
This girl’s strength was quite poor; she looked like she had only recently broken through to the Ling Shi Realm.
However, she didn’t look very old, and she wasn’t a participant in this year’s Ascension Gathering.
Unknowingly, the girl had been led to a place with little foot traffic. Only then did she finally realize something was wrong.
She turned to run, but Shiqi, who was holding her sword behind her, gave her a cold look, scaring the girl into turning back around immediately.
When she turned back, Hua Jian had already drifted in front of her like a ghost. She reached out with a hand as white as a corpse’s and pinched the girl’s cheek.
The touch of that hand didn’t feel like a living person’s either…
“Following people at such a young age instead of being good. Where are your parents?” Hua Jian asked menacingly while firmly pinching the girl’s cheek.
Upon discovering that the tracker was a young girl even younger than herself, Hua Jian had slightly modified her original plan, opting for slightly gentler methods.
Bullying children wasn’t exactly a good thing, after all, so there was no need for extreme measures.
“I don’t have a mother or father!” The girl cried out, nearly on the verge of tears from Hua Jian’s pinching.
As for her claim of being an orphan, Hua Jian remained skeptical for the time being.
Being able to survive in Ascension City without parents would mean this girl was quite capable.
“Fine. Then what were you doing following me? Were you planning to ambush me?”
“I… I wasn’t the only one following you! You spent so much time with Fairy Caiyue, you must know a lot about her!” the girl explained loudly.
Her target was indeed Fairy Caiyue.
“Of course I do. So, do you want to know?” Hua Jian revealed a sinister smile.
The girl nodded instinctively.
“But this information isn’t free. How about this? 100 Spirit Stones per question. You can only ask questions related to Fairy Caiyue. If you ask something I don’t know, the question is void. How does that sound?”
Hua Jian held up one finger, quoting an exorbitant price.
Hearing the number ‘100 Spirit Stones,’ the girl’s face turned pale with fright. How could she possibly afford that much money?
“I don’t have that many Spirit Stones…”
“Then that’s a shame. But I imagine there are people who would be willing to pay that much, right?”
Hua Jian raised her voice during the second half of her sentence to alert the other trackers who were still hiding.
Shiqi’s expression was a bit awkward at this point. She hadn’t realized that the one she was following was merely one of many trackers.
And she hadn’t even noticed the others.
“Miss, aren’t you afraid that doing this will cause Fairy Caiyue to break off her friendship with you?” Another voice echoed after Hua Jian’s. A man dressed in white slowly revealed himself not far away.
Shiqi finally realized why she hadn’t been able to detect him. He was wearing a Spiritual Garment that concealed his presence.
Since she was only a minor Spirit Master, she really wouldn’t have noticed him unless she literally walked into him.
“I don’t really have a relationship with her. I’m just a poor person who was innocently caught up in the situation.” Hua Jian spread her hands, acting as though she were completely innocent.
As for exchanging Fairy Caiyue’s information for Spirit Stones, there was certainly nothing wrong with that.
“If I don’t tell and you don’t tell, who will know the news came from me? Don’t you agree?” She arched an eyebrow at the man.
Her utterly shameless words made the man’s expression stiffen slightly.
However, he had indeed seen Hua Jian enter the Inn with Fairy Caiyue. The return on a 100-Spirit Stone investment wouldn’t be small.
If he could add a short article titled ‘Fairy Caiyue Outside the Limelight’ to the local tabloids, he could earn back those few hundred Spirit Stones in an instant.
Thinking of this, the man made up his mind.
“Fine. 100 Spirit Stones it is. But you must guarantee that what you say isn’t a lie.”
“Are you stupid? I have to tell lies for you to get something of value! If I told the truth, wouldn’t your Spirit Stones be wasted?” Hua Jian rolled her eyes. This man was too dense. Who wanted to read useless truths these days?
“You have to add some artistic flair so people see what they want to see. That’s how you make money, isn’t it?”
The man was left stunned by Hua Jian’s logic. He was supposed to be the tabloid writer, so why did it feel like Hua Jian was more experienced at this than he was?
Before he could figure it out, Hua Jian reached out her hand toward him. “Payment first, then the goods. Let’s go to that tea house over there, get a private room, and talk slowly.”
The man’s brain still hadn’t quite processed everything, and he nodded dumbly.
Seeing that the sucker had taken the bait, Hua Jian shot Shiqi a glance. “Shiqi, take this unlucky kid and play for a while. Don’t let her run off; I still have an account to settle with her.”
As she spoke, a thin vine sprouted from Hua Jian’s palm, quickly wrapping around the girl’s ankle and transforming into what looked like a rather pretty, colorful anklet.
She then pushed the girl toward Shiqi, not forgetting to warn the child, “Don’t go running off now. If you do, this anklet will punish you severely.”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.