Gong Xuance led Xiu Jiming through a dim passage.
This was a remote, rugged mountain area in Longchuan County.
Soon, Xiu Jiming saw a settlement of mountain folk gathered in a valley.
Seeing their gaunt, malnourished faces, he knit his brows slightly.
“What does a place like this have to do with the Shattering Sword Delusion Sutra?”
Xiu Jiming asked.
As they walked, Gong Xuance heard the question and smiled.
“Brother, don’t you think their lives are hard? For various reasons, they were forced into the mountains to survive, and they’ve completely failed to keep up with the times.”
Xiu Jiming shook his head.
“This is not my concern. Poor commoners and suffering families can be found everywhere in the Great Yu.”
“Haha, don’t worry, Brother. I’m not here to be your life mentor. It’s just that a place like this is actually the birthplace of our Hidden Sect. I just wanted you to take a look.”
“They are all descendants of those labeled as bandits by the government, so they naturally act in a secretive manner,” Gong Xuance added.
Xiu Jiming swept his gaze over them in silence, saying nothing.
Gong Xuance continued, “Most of these mountain folk aren’t ordinary people. They are all members of ancient clans. As for which sect or lineage they are from, I’m not quite sure. After all, I only heard about this from Master. After that old guy handed the Shattering Sword Delusion Sutra to me, he quickly disappeared in Yunzhou. He left me behind, a little beggar, and out of necessity, I started stealing everything.”
“So you are also one of these mountain folk?”
Xiu Jiming asked.
His face remained expressionless, as if it were just a casual inquiry.
“No. Master said he came from here, and I was just brought here by him,” Gong Xuance said flatly.
Xiu Jiming stopped walking and looked at Gong Xuance seriously.
“Did you bring me here just to tell me stories?”
Seeing that his companion had no interest in listening, Gong Xuance could only shrug helplessly.
“You… your senior brother is trying to bond with you, yet you won’t give me any face.”
Xiu Jiming looked up coldly and did not answer immediately.
It took a long moment, until Gong Xuance himself felt a bit awkward, before he spoke.
“If you brought me here just to say these things, then I won’t be staying. Brother, go investigate your case on your own. I have urgent matters to attend to.”
“Hey, hey, hey! Don’t be in such a hurry. I think you’ll be interested in that thing.”
Gong Xuance stepped forward and quickly grabbed Xiu Jiming, who was trying to leave, a mischievous grin on his face.
—
Lin Ling clutched the files as she quickened her pace.
Behind her, Xiu Lanxin followed like a shadow.
No matter how fast Lin Ling ran, the figure behind her remained right there.
Lin Ling suddenly grew irritated.
She stopped and quickly wrote on a piece of paper: “Are you out of your mind? Are you going to follow me to the restroom too? I suspect you actually like girls!”
Xiu Lanxin let out a yawn.
“I’m not. Brother Xiu just asked me to take better care of you. You’re so small, and your cultivation is so low. If you get lost, Brother Xiu would probably be heartbroken.”
Xiu Lanxin felt a bit sentimental.
She had never seen Xiu Jiming take such care of a member of the opposite sex.
It seemed her blockhead brother had finally come to his senses.
Perhaps this little girl was exactly Brother Jiming’s type.
‘I have to keep a close eye on this future sister-in-law. It wouldn’t be good if someone else beat him to the punch,’ she thought.
Lin Ling felt agitated, sensing that this tagalong behind her was harboring some unknown secret.
She gritted her teeth and simply returned to the Library.
Ignoring Xiu Lanxin, who followed her like a ghost, she began to draw talismans one after another.
However, the little fox could only draw Level 1 spiritual talismans at most right now.
By using certain linked modification methods, she could barely reach the power level of a Level 2 talisman.
But it was completely useless.
The last time she dealt with Lin Shuyang, her combined Level 2 talisman had been shattered by a single slap from him.
This made her realize that the gap in cultivation required even more powerful charms to bridge.
The primary technique she practiced was called the Hidden Moon Radiant Heart Sutra.
It was clearly meant for nighttime cultivation, so she couldn’t practice it in the middle of the day.
For now, she could only draw talismans to her heart’s content to vent the frustration in her heart.
Meanwhile, Xiu Lanxin stood by, watching as Lin Ling churned out talismans one after another like a flood.
She couldn’t help but feel shocked.
‘Does this girl never fail?’
Every time Lin Ling drew a talisman, it looked as natural as if she were casually writing a single character.
Xiu Lanxin felt that in Lin Ling’s current state, even the high-level talisman masters in her clan couldn’t compare to her.
Soon, the little fox’s hand grew tired from holding the brush.
She dropped it, leaned back in her chair, and stared blankly at the sky.
Seeing that she was finished, Xiu Lanxin leaned in, mimicked her posture, and leaned back in her own chair.
“Little Fox, how long have you been by Brother Xiu’s side?”
Lin Ling glanced at her, had no desire to respond, and turned her head away.
Seeing that Lin Ling remained silent, Xiu Lanxin continued to talk to herself.
“Did you know? Brother Xiu is really strong. From the time we were kids, he never lost a single clan competition. Did you know? Brother Xiu has many supporters in the clan. Because he’s so handsome, many girls secretly admire him. Did you know? Brother—”
Listening to Xiu Lanxin’s endless nagging, Lin Ling felt like her head was going to explode.
She reached out and wrote a Stasis Talisman, wanting to subdue this person the same way she had dealt with Bai Yunyun before.
However, Xiu Lanxin dodged it with ease.
She looked at the item Lin Ling had thrown with curiosity.
After studying it for a moment, she smiled.
“Little Fox, this kind of thing can’t freeze someone of my level. A True Self Realm cultivator has cultivated their Origin Soul and awakened their Divine Sense. They can naturally break through such simple restraints. This talisman of yours can’t catch me right now.”
Lin Ling saw that she was completely out of options.
She covered her furry fox ears with both hands and opened her mouth in a desperate silent scream, unable to make a sound.
Xiu Lanxin studied her with curiosity.
“Speaking of which, I’ve never really heard you speak. Little Fox, are you a mute?”
Lin Ling slumped in her chair, giving up the struggle.
“Why can’t mutes speak?”
Xiu Lanxin’s words were startling.
Lin Ling felt like she was about to cough up blood.
She gritted her teeth and glared at her fiercely.
‘What do you think? Why don’t you guess what being a mute means? Why can’t a mute talk? Why don’t you teach me, you weirdo?!’
Finally, Lin Ling couldn’t take it anymore.
She reached out, pressed down on Xiu Lanxin’s shoulders, and said word by word, “I. Need. Quiet!”
Xiu Lanxin quickly went silent.
However, after only 10 seconds, she spoke again.
“Are we done? Then I’ll continue talking. Even though my father told Brother Xiu to stay away from the Yuzhou Fox Clan because they were associated with demons back then, I think…”
‘Wait a minute!’
Lin Ling hurried to press her brush against Xiu Lanxin’s mouth.
She looked seriously at Xiu Lanxin’s face and wrote on the paper: “What did you say?”
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