Chapter 28: Senior

Chapter 28: Senior

Shang Yunduo scrambled out of the water, his delighted cries sounding utterly out of place amidst the Gale Ape’s agonized roars. He quickly yelled, “Watch out!”

Pei Jie had already leaped up, catching the flying sword thrown by the Gale Ape, stepping onto its swinging arm to gain height, and landing beside Shang Yunduo without disturbing a single ripple. One in black, one in white, forming a stark contrast with the disheveled Shang Yunduo.

Pei Jie glanced at Su Ziyuan in the distance and another female cultivator elsewhere, then turned his gaze to Shang Yunduo. “What’s going on?”

The Gale Ape had been tamed, and its original owner couldn’t possibly be the pale-faced female cultivator about to lose control.

This thing was probably a life-saving gift from her senior.

And given Shang Yunduo’s temperament, there was no way he would have actively provoked someone to the point of a life-or-death struggle.

“It’s a long story.” Seeing his backup, Shang Yunduo was nearly in tears, feeling wronged and wanting to grab his senior's leg and lodge a complaint. “Senior, can you beat it?”

If they couldn't beat it, they could still hop on the flying carriage and make a quick escape.

Pei Jie snorted. “Who are you asking?”

Shang Yunduo: “…”

Was it supposed to be him?

Pei Jie waved his flying sword. “I’ll teach you the Flying Sword Art. Next time, handle it yourself.”

Shang Yunduo: “Huh?”

How did we suddenly switch to teacher mode?

Pei Jie waved his hand, and the thin, narrow sword hovered in midair, spinning in place. With a swish, it split into a dozen identical sword shadows.

The sword shadows were as if they were real. As he waved his hand again, they fell like arrows toward the Gale Ape, piercing through its limbs and tail, trapping the raging beast in place.

Pei Jie waved once more. The last sword—the only one still hovering in the air—descended like a thunderbolt, piercing through the Gale Ape’s skull in one strike, pinning it deep into the water.

*Bam!*

The Gale Ape’s flailing arms finally fell, sending up a massive splash.

Silence.

Only the sound of the rippling water remained.

Shang Yunduo swallowed silently, terrified that Pei Jie might suddenly ask him if he'd learned it.

Fortunately, Pei Jie wasn’t looking at him. Instead, he turned his gaze to the two girls there.

“Impossible!” The Zhang-surnamed female cultivator, already pale from depleting her spiritual power, turned even whiter. She shrieked and flung out a string of Explosive Fire Talismans, stepping onto her flying sword to escape. But before she could lift off, a long pillar of ice erupted from beneath the water, like a spear, piercing through her body from bottom to top.

Pei Jie’s gaze shifted to the stunned Su Ziyuan.

Su Ziyuan instinctively took two steps back. “Senior…”

Shang Yunduo quickly added, “They’re not together. She's got nothing to do with this!”

Su Ziyuan is the protagonist! He can't let her die!

Ah, no—later, Pei Jie wants to kill Xiao Chi, and Xiao Chi wants to kill Pei Jie. Su Ziyuan and Xiao Chi are Dao companions, so she'll help Xiao Chi. So it's not like they have no bad blood…

But right now, Su Ziyuan and Xiao Chi have nothing to do with each other!

And even less connection to the Taiyuan Sect!

Even Xiao Chi has no connection to Pei Jie yet!

Besides, Su Ziyuan had just wanted to help him. Better to make friends than enemies…

Wait—Shang Yunduo suddenly remembered that Su Ziyuan was also a Primal Spirit Body, with a mutated lightning-attribute Heavenly Spirit Root and Pure Yin Physique!

Her talent was even better than his, her combat skills stronger. She was a real local talent!

Damn, damn, if Pei Jie finds out, it's over!

Shang Yunduo’s head ached. The thought that Pei Jie might snatch Su Ziyuan for Dual Cultivation made his vision go black.

No way!

He quickly said, “Fellow cultivator, you'd better go find your sect members quickly!”

Su Ziyuan immediately cupped her hands. “Thank you, senior. Thank you, fellow cultivator, for your righteous help. Words can't express my gratitude—until we meet again!”

With that, she quickly collected her array flags and fled at full speed.

Only when her figure and spiritual energy were completely gone did Shang Yunduo heave a huge sigh of relief.

Then he heard Pei Jie ask, “What's the matter? Do you like her?”

Shang Yunduo sucked in a sharp breath, nearly choking. “Cough! No, not at all! Don’t be ridiculous!”

Pei Jie thought of Su Ziyuan’s appearance and sneered. “Then what's this? Being gallant?”

Shang Yunduo recalled the way Su Ziyuan had been fighting just now. Who was he to play the protector? He shook his head. “She seems stronger than me.”

Pei Jie: “Glad you understand. In the cultivation world, there’s no male or female—only strength. Go dispose of the bodies.”

“Oh!”

Shang Yunduo went to burn the female cultivator’s corpse first.

She had been a pretty young woman, her face still frozen in terror and disbelief; just a moment ago, she was alive. But whether it was releasing the beast to kill him or taking out her anger by killing a fellow cultivator who'd helped her, it all sent chills down Shang Yunduo’s spine.

He quickly burned her corpse, not looking into her eyes again.

Then there was the male cultivator, whose face was gone, trampled into the mire.

“Sigh…”

Shang Yunduo fished him out and quickly burned him too.

Both their ashes drifted like dust into the morning mist, falling into the water, becoming nutrients for waterweed or fish and shrimp.

Shang Yunduo picked up the remaining storage pouches and a few unburned magical artifacts and walked back to Pei Jie.

Pei Jie was sitting on the Gale Ape’s head, directing him to extract tendons, skin it, cut off claws, and break off teeth. “The fur on its back can be refined to make… What’s wrong?”

Shang Yunduo’s face was pale. “Nothing.”

It was just his first time playing the 'butcher'. He was a bit at a loss and still a little shaken.

Pei Jie: "Too much trouble? It chews up your skin, bones and flesh together, swallows them into its stomach, digests what's useful, and shits out the rest — that's indeed more convenient than you taking your sweet time."

Shang Yunduo, holding his sword, covered in blood, gritting his teeth, fumed: "Senior, why do you always talk like that? I'm learning, aren't I? I'm doing it, aren't I? Before I met you, I really missed you!"

Pei Jie: "..."

He was silent for a moment, then said: "Then hurry up. If you draw other beasts your way, don't bother thinking of me—you're on your own. You'll have to deal with them yourself."

Shang Yunduo was so angry he wanted to go punch him: "Can't you give me a hand?"

Pei Jie closed his eyes and started meditating.

Shang Yunduo wanted to fight him even more, but suddenly noticed that Pei Jie's cultivation base seemed weaker.

Qi Refining Third Layer?

Just now he was definitely at the Fourth Layer.

Did I misjudge?

Or...

He stared at the Gale Ape in front of him, riddled with holes, stunned. That fatal strike just now—there's no way someone at the Qi Refining stage could have done that.

Hearing him go quiet again, Pei Jie asked: "What are you zoning out for now?"

Shang Yunduo hesitated, shook his head, switched to his Giant Sword, and started hacking it apart. Pei Jie frowned, grossed out by the blood flying everywhere, and flew down from atop the Gale Ape.

Shang Yunduo: "Senior, there's a tree hollow over there."

Pei Jie stood beside him: "Cut here along the skin, then peel downward."

Shang Yunduo: "Oh oh! Senior, wouldn't it have been better if you just came over and taught me earlier? Look how much faster it is!"

Pei Jie took a step away from him: "Continue."

Shang Yunduo quickly finished, stashing the usable parts in his storage pouch, throwing the rest to the demonic beasts as lunch, then flying off to jump into deep water to bathe quickly, wash his clothes, change into clean clothes, and cast the Cleansing Spell twice. Only after making sure he smelled completely free of blood did he board the carriage.

Shang Yunduo: "Really no smell."

Pei Jie: "Hand."

"Huh? Oh." Shang Yunduo sat next to Pei Jie, extended his hand, and studied Pei Jie again.

Qi Refining Third Layer.

"Senior..."

Pei Jie checked his meridians and, seeing him hesitate, snapped: "Out with it."

Shang Yunduo: "...Did you drop a level?"

After asking, he quickly added: "You told me to ask, you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Pei Jie: "Can't you see it yourself?"

Shang Yunduo was silent, nodded, then glanced at the veil on Pei Jie's face and whispered, "You... want to kiss?"

"Hm?"

Shang Yunduo rattled off: "Don't take it the wrong way. I mean, didn't you say this cultivation method is faster? We already signed the contract, anyway, and you dropped a level saving me, I'm not that stingy. It's just... want to kiss... need to?"

"No rush."

"Oh."

Shang Yunduo couldn't quite describe how he felt.

"Why did you end up here yesterday?"

"Huh?" Shang Yunduo immediately sat up straight: "You know?!"

"You have my mark on you."

"Then you came all this way to save me?! Yesterday I was chased by a Foundation Establishment cultivator all day! Long story, I'll start at the very beginning!"

Since he didn't need to meditate, he just started from the day they parted, complaining as he pulled out the spirit herbs and fruits he had picked along the way, and also showed Pei Jie the jade slip Lou Dengge had traded him, and the Fate-Thread he had obtained yesterday.

By the time he finished speaking, his throat dry from talking, the flying carriage had entered another stretch of woods.

"You didn't kill him?"

"Senior, that was a Foundation Establishment cultivator."

"Did you want to kill him?"

"...Uh..."

Shang Yunduo twirled the Fate-Thread around his fingers, not saying a word.

Pei Jie didn't push it, but said: "In the eyes of demonic beasts, you're just like a Floating Cloud Flower."

Shang Yunduo: "..."

Pei Jie: "Do you know the difference between you and a Floating Cloud Flower?"

Shang Yunduo: "...I'm an animal?"

Pei Jie: "..."

Shang Yunduo gave a sheepish grin.

Pei Jie continued: "But you are like a plant."

Shang Yunduo roughly understood his meaning: animals are the predators, and he is the one being eaten.

Shang Yunduo thought it over, a bit miffed — after all, he had driven the person away: "At least I'm a herbivore, right?"

Pei Jie laughed at this: "Poisonous spirit herbs are way more dangerous than you."

Shang Yunduo: "..."

Pei Jie: "Whatever you are. If you don't want to be eaten, then grow a shell no one can bite through, grow some horns that are just for show, and put all your junk away."

"Oh."

As Shang Yunduo was putting things away, he suddenly started laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing." Shang Yunduo shook his head. He just thought that Pei Jie was very different from the book. "Senior, should we go directly to look for the Floating Cloud Flower next?"

"No rush. Let's first find the medicinal herbs for your injury."

"Oh." Shang Yunduo smiled again.

But the reason for his smile clearly wasn't because his injury could be treated.

Pei Jie: "What are you smiling about again?"

Shang Yunduo: "Senior, I think you're a good person!"

"...Nonsense. We're here."

The carriage came to a stop in front of a dense forest. Pei Jie put away the carriage and led Shang Yunduo inside.

Shang Yunduo maintained his trust and goodwill toward Pei Jie, doing whatever he was told—climbed trees when told, went into rivers when told, climbed mountains, picked flowers, pulled weeds, shoveled rocks, and poked beehives.

Shang Yunduo covered his face, stood on tiptoe, and held a lit wooden stick to smoke the hive.

Pei Jie said this kind of red bee was very sensitive to spiritual power and artifacts, so he told Shang Yunduo to take off all his artifacts, leaving only the necklace and headdress, and not to use spiritual power, but to figure out a way to take down the hive himself.

Shang Yunduo dutifully tried to think of a way.

Just a little more and the smoke would have reached it.

Shang Yunduo held a torch in one hand and a branch in the other, with one foot hanging and the other stepping on a rock, struggling to maintain balance. "Bang!" A spirit stone hit the hive above his head.

"Senior?!"

He looked in disbelief at Pei Jie, who was still playing with two spirit stones in the distance.

Where's basic trust between people?!

In less than half a second, Shang Yunduo jumped off the rock and ran, but the provoked red bees wouldn't let him get away easily.

Pei Jie kindly said, "Drop the torch. Fire Cloud Bees aren't afraid of fire, they're only afraid of water. Run up the hill—there's a lake at the top."

Shang Yunduo sprinted, chased by the venomous bees all over the mountain. When he jumped into the water with a splash, he was already covered in stings.

Pei Jie leisurely caught up to him, crouched by the water, and said, "Alright, come out."

Shang Yunduo poked his head out of the water, his face flushed red from holding his breath. He angrily splashed water all over Pei Jie. "You did that on purpose!"

To have the venomous bees sting him, he had even deliberately gotten him to take off all his artifacts.

Pei Jie stared at his head covered in welts and couldn't help laughing. "The venom of the Fire Cloud Bee is actually a better medicine than the honey and the hive."

Shang Yunduo: "Then you could have told me! Catch them first, then put them in a bag, and just let them sting one of my hands, wouldn't that work?"

Pei Jie: "That would be too slow."

So I was supposed to be stung like this?!

My handsome face is going to be swollen like a pig's head! The stingers of these damn venomous bees can even go through clothes!

Pei Jie: "Come out."

Shang Yunduo: "I'm not coming out!"

His whole body was on fire with pain. He wants to soak.

Pei Jie: "Then just swim over and pick those flowers."

Shang Yunduo turned his head and looked at the huge white flowers in the distance, with leaves as dark as ink, shaped like lotus leaves, and flowers hanging down, half submerged underwater and half floating on the surface. He was dumbfounded.

For a second, he even forgot the pain and murmured, "That is..."

Pei Jie: "Mm, the Midnight Lotus."

Shang Yunduo felt as if struck by lightning.

"There's a Midnight Lotus in the Ancient Wilderness Secret Realm?"

What about Yan Jia and Wang Ming then?

Didn't they die even more pointlessly?

Author's note:

Ding~ Your lunch buddy is here~

Yunduo: [sobbing] [sobbing] [sobbing]