Chapter 61: Your Last Name is Hua

“Wah!”

Hua Jian rolled on the ground three times, her body covered in fallen flowers and leaves.

Her pretty little face now had several dirty yellowish smudges, giving her an utterly pitiful appearance.

Behind her stood the black-clad girl who had overtaken her, the same one who had sent a gust of cold wind to break Hua Jian out of her Feihua Dun state.

Wiping her face with the back of her hand, Hua Jian instinctively squeezed out a few tears, shooting a wronged, pitiful look at the unreasonable black-clad girl.

Since she clearly couldn’t win the fight, she figured she might as well try playing the victim to trick this overpowered villain.

“Still playing the victim? Do you think I don’t know how you Wanhuagu people behave?” The black-clad girl was completely unmoved by Hua Jian’s pitiful act.

The people of Wanhuagu were experts at feigning innocence and playing the victim.

If she really believed their act, she’d be completely drained of all value and discarded like trash.

Wanhuagu? Me? Hua Jian pointed at herself with a finger, a huge question mark appearing over her head.

“I’m not from Wanhuagu. I’m an Outer Sect Disciple of Yaoci!” she tugged at her Yaoci Disciple Robe and the Yaoci Banner on her clothes.

Besides, what kind of faction is Wanhuagu anyway? She’d never heard of it before.

“Wearing Yaoci’s skin, thinking I wouldn’t recognize you? Honestly, your disguise skills are pretty lousy. What is Wanhuagu thinking, sending someone so untalented here…” The black-clad girl crossed her arms and gave Hua Jian a cold glance, sneering with contempt through her nose.

If you want to pretend to be from Yaoci, at least mask your aura, conceal your escape techniques, and use some real Yaoci spirit skills.

“I… fine, whatever you say,” Hua Jian wanted to argue, but thinking about the other’s strength, she decided it was better to yield for now.

Wanhuagu or whatever, she didn’t even know what kind of sect it was, but the name sounded normal enough.

Probably not some bad place?

“Now you admit it? Then why didn’t you come to help me just now? Didn’t your master tell you that in the Secret Realm, you must wholeheartedly aid your fellows?”

The girl’s question left Hua Jian even more confused.

I don’t have a master at all. Everything I know, I learned on my own.

Also, you expected me to come help you just now?

“You, Spirit King, that thing, Spirit King.” Hua Jian pointed first at the black-clad girl, then at the direction of the abandoned town, and finally at herself. “I’m a Spirit Master. You expect me to help you?”

You two Spirit Kings can duke it out all you want; I’m a Spirit Master with a combat power of five—I dare not get involved.

“If you want a Spirit Master to help, I recommend you find our Yaoci Saintess Senior Sister, Miss Linglong. She’s strong enough and will definitely help you.”

The sarcasm in her tone was so perfect that the black-clad girl was absolutely convinced this black-haired, colorful-eyed little thing was a product of Wanhuagu.

Only Wanhuagu would breed such shameless, adaptable scum.

Calling the Yaoci Saintess Senior Sister some sort of non-human monster showed just how thick-skinned these Wanhuagu people could be.

“If you want to fight that dried corpse to the death, then go ahead. What use is coming to me? None of my skills work against that thing.” Hua Jian spread her small hands helplessly. That thing wasn’t even a living creature; her proud illusions were completely useless.

The black-clad girl’s expression stiffened, only just realizing after Hua Jian’s reminder that Wanhuagu’s spirit skills all targeted living beings.

They were completely useless against dead things.

So… Hua Jian running off just now made perfect sense?

“I’m on a mission. According to the agreement between our sects, you must assist me in completing it,” the black-clad girl said, embarrassed and angry, invoking the rules.

“I have my own mission too. What, does mine not count?” Hua Jian snorted. She didn’t even know which faction the black-clad girl thought she belonged to, but for now, she’d just play along.

This one didn’t look like a good person.

Spirit King-level cultivators weren’t supposed to enter this Secret Realm according to the rules, so she must have sneaked in illegally.

Who sneaks into the Saint Sect Secret Realm unless they’re up to no good? Hua Jian guessed from her meager knowledge of cultivation worlds she’d picked up from various novels.

Hmph, this one is probably a Demonic Cultivator!

Demonic Cultivators were always synonymous with ruthless cruelty, and now this Demonic Cultivator seemed to consider her a teammate of sorts.

Naturally, Hua Jian had to play the part well.

From the tone, Wanhuagu and the black-clad girl’s sect weren’t on good terms.

They were allies on the surface but probably sabotaged each other behind the scenes.

This rude attitude was exactly what a Wanhuagu cultivator should show.

If she acted all timid and begged for mercy, it would only make the black-clad girl suspicious.

Sure enough, after Hua Jian’s words, the black-clad girl’s expression grew even more impatient but she made no move to kill.

Because Hua Jian’s behavior perfectly matched Wanhuagu’s usual style: stubbornly dancing on the edge of danger to bait trouble.

It was said many Wanhuagu disciples had caught big fish with this method, and even her own sect had Shixiong and Shijie who fell victim to such tricks.

“I’ll ask again. Will you help me or not?” Black energy condensed into sharp spikes at the tips of her fingers, pressing against Hua Jian’s throat.

“Ahem, yes! I admire you, Shijie, like the endless rivers flow, your mission is my mission, I will serve you to the death without regret!”

In a single breath, Hua Jian quickly grovelled.

“Hmph.” The black-clad girl retracted the spikes. Indeed, this was the most effective method.

“What’s your name? Which Hua Jian do you serve?”

Hua Jian could give her name easily enough, but what did this “Hua Jian” mean anyway?

“My name is Hua Jian. As for my master… why should I tell you?”

“Surname Hua? Wanhuagu sure values you,” the black-clad girl said, giving Hua Jian a glance.

Wanhuagu’s standards were hard to judge.

With the quick-change skills and highly practiced rolling-on-the-ground tantrums she just showed, Hua Jian would be an absolute disgrace in any other sect.

But in Wanhuagu, Hua Jian was undoubtedly an outstanding disciple.

That shameless and annoying style was unparalleled among Wanhuagu disciples.

Even that fox spirit probably didn’t compare to Hua Jian.

“What about you? What’s your name?” Hua Jian asked, not knowing what knowing her name might reveal to the black-clad girl, but judging by the reaction, it probably wasn’t bad.

So it turns out having the surname Hua had its advantages after all?