Chapter 35: Protest

Chapter 35: Protest

Pei Jie: "Get up."

Shang Yunduo: "I won't."

Pei Jie: "Your bet isn't over yet."

Shang Yunduo: "What?!" he exclaimed in disbelief.

Pei Jie: "If you can't catch it, you'll get thirty lashes."

Lou Dengge, from a distance: "???"

Nearby, Shang Yunduo: "???"

He fumed, "I just narrowly escaped with my life!"

Pei Jie: "It was just a fish. It didn't take much effort."

Shang Yunduo inwardly cursed: *I almost died! I almost died! My foot is bitten and swollen!*

Anger surged within him. He splashed the water, stood up, chased after Pei Jie as the latter flew onto the carriage, and stormed inside shouting, "Senior, I know you mean well, but I have my temper too. You can't always treat me like this!"

Pei Jie: "...?"

Treat him like what?

Pei Jie had never been shouted at like this in his entire life, and for a moment, he was stunned by Shang Yunduo's inexplicable outburst.

Like what?

Pei Jie frowned, "It was just a fish slightly faster than you..."

"It almost bit me to death!" Shang Yunduo said, starting to take off his shoe.

Pei Jie's temple veins bulged, "Put it down!"

"Ow." Shang Yunduo perceptively cast a Cleansing Spell on himself, sniffed himself, and cast it again.

Pei Jie: "..."

Shang Yunduo: "I almost drowned, I almost suffocated!"

Pei Jie: "That's because you let your guard down at the end."

Shang Yunduo: "..."

Pei Jie: "You had already subdued it. One more strike and it would have been over, yet you almost lost your life at the last moment because of carelessness. What's there to be proud of?"

Shang Yunduo: "..."

Pei Jie: "Are the artifacts I gave you just decoration? I gave you a whole set of protective artifacts. Why are you always such a coward?"

Shang Yunduo: "..."

Bullshit, his family always said he was foolhardy.

He was already quite brave.

Calming down, he understood what Pei Jie meant.

His courage didn't match his cultivation.

They had cultivated together, and even Pei Jie had corrected how he circulated his spiritual energy. If we're talking purely about cultivation level, Pei Jie probably knew Shang Yunduo's cultivation level better than Shang Yunduo himself did.

But cultivation level didn't equal strength.

It was like playing a game: having a max-level character meant nothing if you lacked skill.

Even with the best instrument, if you played badly, you'd still sound terrible.

Besides, those demon beasts were so terrifying that back in his original world, they'd make the headlines—like one appearing on a beach and sending all the tourists screaming and running. It was amazing he hadn't fainted from fear.

He had lived in his original world for over twenty years, deeply rooted in common sense, knowledge, and values. He had only been in this world for a little over half a year, spending most of that time learning the basics. As for real combat, he'd only had a few days of it.

He was just afraid. Since childhood, he had been taught that fighting was wrong, killing was illegal, animals should be protected, nature preserved. He was a music student, not a killer. What's wrong with being afraid of demon beasts, fighting, death, and killing?

He knew his cultivation was higher. He knew he wore protective artifacts. But fear still lingered.

That's the most normal reaction for an ordinary person.

If good gear could overcome fear, nobody would be afraid of heights, and everyone could go bungee jumping.

Pei Jie surely understood this issue. The earlier beehive incident and today's Fish Demon battle were all about training him.

As a music student, of course, he knew that the most direct way to master something was through practice, repeated practice. But this wasn't the same as practicing an instrument!

It wasn't like a game where you could restart after failing. If he got hurt, he'd feel pain, and if he died, it would be for real.

Shang Yunduo protested weakly, dejected, "I'm just timid."

Pei Jie: "..."

He didn't understand. Closing his eyes, he resisted the urge to kick Shang Yunduo out of the carriage and thought about how someone could say that with such righteous indignation.

Shang Yunduo went even further, shouting, "You can't judge me just by my cultivation level. If I judged you the same way, wouldn't I be dead by now?"

Pei Jie: "???"

Pei Jie: "..."

Now he wanted even more to kick him out.

Shang Yunduo: "Since you won't let me die and will save me at critical moments, why can't you just explain it clearly to me? If you told me first, wouldn't I be less scared?"

Pei Jie: "Don't you understand unless I spell it out?"

Shang Yunduo paused: "Well, no."

After all, they had a contract: if Shang Yunduo died, Pei Jie would suffer backlash.

Pei Jie: "Then why would I say it?"

Shang Yunduo: "..."

"Is that the same? How is that the same?" Shang Yunduo said, exasperated. "If you don't say it, I'll have to think for a long time to understand. If you say it, I'll get it right away. Besides, isn't your goal to teach me? What kind of teacher makes students guess and figure things out on their own? Then what's the point of having a teacher?!"

Pei Jie: "Cultivation has no..."

Shang Yunduo: "..."

He thought to himself, Isn't that bullshit? If there are no masters and disciples, how can anyone learn? Are all those sects running a scam?

Pei Jie: "What can you achieve if you wait for someone to teach you everything?"

Shang Yunduo: "..."

That's the right way to think, but it depends on the goal.

Would you give an elementary school student a calculus textbook and tell them to teach themselves?

Even a kitten needs its mother to teach it how to use the litter box and bury its poop.

Do I look like someone who can learn from one thing and apply it to everything, or someone whose bowl of Mengpo soup was diluted with three tons of water before reincarnation?

Shang Yunduo: "Anyway, I'm not that smart. I need someone to teach me. From now on, you have to explain things clearly before I can understand."

Pei Jie gave a frustrated laugh: "Ha."

Shang Yunduo: "Senior, being like this will make it hard for you to have friends."

"Friends?" Pei Jie said as if he'd heard the greatest joke. "If you want to live long, you'd better not trust friends."

Shang Yunduo: "...Huh?"

Had someone betrayed him before?

Shang Yunduo couldn't help but blurt out, "Senior, the way you talk makes it sound like you had no teacher and a friend stabbed you in the back..."

Pei Jie narrowed his eyes.

Shang Yunduo instinctively stepped back, "Anyway, I see us as shipmates on the same boat, and we're Dao partners, so we should help each other. If you're in trouble, I'll definitely save you!"

Pei Jie sneered: "You save me?"

Shang Yunduo thought to himself, See? See? Here we go again. He's harder to please than the worst bandmate he ever worked with in his club band. "...Strength is one thing, attitude is another. I probably won't get the chance to save you, but I'm just expressing my stance. Anyway, next time something like this happens, you gotta tell me."

Pei Jie: "So you can wait around for me to save you?"

Shang Yunduo: "Why are you so difficult?"

Pei Jie: "Don't count on anyone to come save you."

Shang Yunduo paused: "Senior, we have a contract."

It was fine until he mentioned it, but the moment he did, Pei Jie drew his sword in a flash, the tip once again at Shang Yunduo's throat: "Do you seriously think I can't kill you?"

Shang Yunduo quickly stepped back two paces and said rapidly, "Senior, anger is a demon. If I die, you'll get backlash. It's not worth it! Heh heh heh."

Pei Jie sheathed his sword and said coldly, "If you want to live, get to Core Formation already and stop slacking. Don't rely on others, least of all me. As long as you're still breathing, I won't lift a finger for you."

Shang Yunduo: "..."

He took a deep breath and mentally translated that: "Got it. You won't just watch me die without saving me."

Pei Jie: "............"

Shang Yunduo: "I'm heading down!"

Without waiting for Pei Jie's reply, he stepped on his sword and went down to retrieve his artifacts.

If Pei Jie really turned his back on him later, he'd have to rely on these things to survive.

Seeing Lou Dengge still watching from a distance, Shang Yunduo glared at him—

Why haven't you scrammed yet?

Lou Dengge's smile froze.

Hey, can't you tell who's on your side?

And here he was worrying about this kid just a moment ago.

Besides, Pei Jie had said their bet wasn't over yet. Did he dare to run?

There's no way he could outrun that carriage in the sky.

Besides, if he ran, this kid would be even angrier the next time they met.

This is him taking out his anger after losing an argument, isn't it?

Sure enough, Shang Yunduo only glared at him once, then his anger faded, and he said, "Wait for me."

Lou Dengge: "...Sigh."

What kind of sect trained this disciple?

Lou Dengge came over with a friendly grin, pulled out a bottle of elixirs, and said, "No rush, young friend. Want to rest first? I've got elixirs—you want some?"

Shang Yunduo shook his head, put away the Fate-Thread and bent down to look for the beads.

Lou Dengge's eye twitched. It really was the Fate-Thread. How had it fallen into Shang Yunduo's hands?

"Young friend, that day, did you face that Foundation Establishment senior alone, or...?"

They had been chasing each other for half a day, and Lou Dengge had a clear idea of Shang Yunduo's speed. There's no way he could have shaken off a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Since he got the Fate-Thread, there must have been a fight.

But from their conversation earlier at the cliff, it seemed Pei Jie hadn't been involved.

Shang Yunduo got angry as soon as he heard that: "You still have the nerve to bring that up!"

Lou Dengge gave an awkward laugh: "What are you talking about? Young friend, you've been keeping your skills a secret. If I'd been the one chased that day, I doubt you'd be seeing this old man today..."

Shang Yunduo felt something was off as he listened. He picked up the last Wood Fire Pearl from the mud and said exasperatedly, "Are you even speaking human language? If I hadn't been hiding my skills, I wouldn't be alive to see today's sun!"

Lou Dengge: "..."

Shang Yunduo: "You set me up, and you're acting like you had every right?"

Lou Dengge chuckled sheepishly: "No, no, I should be the one apologizing to you."

Shang Yunduo snorted and couldn't help glancing up at the sky.

Come to think of it, was that fish guy just now even as dangerous as that Zhou from Flying Stone Peak?

That Zhou fellow couldn't do anything to him, and even snatched his artifact away...

Shang Yunduo couldn't help scratching the tip of his nose, feeling guilty.

Then he looked at the ring in his hand, which seemed to be a Xuan-grade artifact, and felt even more guilty.

But...

It wasn't entirely his fault. He was always a bit afraid of snakes, and that fish was so long, so ugly, and jumped out suddenly. How could he not be scared...

"Friend?"

"Hmm?"

"Medicine?"

"No!" Shang Yunduo also picked up the vine staff and quietly stuffed a bitter herb into his mouth. "We still have to compete. If you win, we're even. If I win, heh, we'll settle the score slowly!"

Shang Yunduo gnashed his teeth as he spoke.

This herb tastes terrible!

Every coin has two sides. On the bright side, Pei Jie wouldn't let him take the Qi Recovery Pill and even took away the delicious spirit fruits, leaving only the most bitter ones... He must be doing this to train him to manage how he uses his spiritual power and physical strength!

Shang Yunduo patted his chest and suppressed the urge to vomit.

Then, he saw the fish pieces cut to pieces by the Fate-Thread at his feet. Somehow, his mind automatically conjured the taste of grilled fish.

?!!

I'm going crazy! Crazy!

Shang Yunduo shuddered.

This fish might have eaten countless cultivators!

It must be ravenous from overexertion.

He quickly stuffed another herb into his mouth, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath. He drew qi into his body while standing, gathered enough spiritual energy, and quickly set the fish ablaze with a burst of fire.

Lou Dengge hurriedly tried to stop him: "Hey, hey! Oh, Friend Shang, this is a valuable item! Why did you burn it?"

"Ah?" Shang Yunduo looked at him in shock. "You're not thinking of eating it, are you?" Freak!

"???"

Lou Dengge looked completely bewildered. Eat? Who said anything about eating? How did you even jump to eating?

"The fish liver and swim bladder are alchemy ingredients, and the tendons, eyes, and skin can be refined into magical tools..."

Shang Yunduo shook his head and said disdainfully, "The water and mud in this swamp reek of blood, and you still want to use them for alchemy or refining tools? Aren't you afraid the ghosts of those who died here will come find you at night?"

Lou Dengge: "...?"

Author's note:

Reminder: Don't eat things of unknown origin or unclean things. Those who said they want to eat pickled fish, I'll make you learn food safety [dog head]

——————

Pei Jie: You seem less afraid of me these days.

Yunduo: No way, I'm super scared!