Chapter 33
**Chapter 33: A Conscience Awakens**
The fourth senior brother, Zhang Hanxiao, stepped forward with his sword in hand, his gaze fierce. “If you break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, I will clear the way for you and ensure you vanish from this world!”
“No, no! I didn’t mean to hurt the junior sister! I haven’t slacked off in my cultivation, nor have I bullied any outer disciples, I—” Li Qingran curled up in the cold darkness, clutching her head. She wanted to defend herself, but countless dark hands reached out from the shadows, covering her mouth.
No one believed her words; no one truly listened.
Just like that day during the sect competition when the junior sister was injured, she was struck off the stage by the furious Lu Changtian. Her explanations fell on deaf ears, her tears dismissed as mere pretense and scheming. Yet, she was clearly coughing up blood, lying in the dust, while Mu Baishuang only had a small cut on her shoulder.
Wasn’t she, Li Qingran, Lu Changtian’s junior sister?
Wasn’t she the little sister of Chixiao Peak?
Wasn’t she a disciple of Qingxuan Daoist?!
The onlookers reappeared, emerging from the darkness, crowding around the people of Chixiao Peak. She could only watch helplessly as their disdain and hostility manifested in pointed fingers and scornful whispers; she could only hear the insults and mockery directed at her.
“Is she the one who deliberately hurt the junior sister? What a vile person!”
“How could Chixiao Peak have such a heartless disciple?”
“She must be jealous of how pretty Mu Baishuang is, haha…”
“It's a shame that Senior Brother Lu, such a good person, used to take care of her…”
“People like her deserve to die! She should be thrown out of the sect to feed the beasts in Wanshan!”
“Get out of Qingyun Sect! Get out of Qingyun Sect!!”
…
The sixth junior sister, Mu Baishuang, hid behind everyone, snuggling close to Lu Changtian.
She stood in the light, shielded by the crowd, like a delicate flower being cherished.
She smiled at the tear-streaked Li Qingran, her lips barely moving.
But only Li Qingran, trapped in darkness, could hear her voice:
“Qingran, senior sister… just disappear.”
“Someone like you doesn’t deserve to live.”
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“Oh, right! Didn’t I rescue a black cat yesterday? I wonder how it’s doing now.”
Chen Huai'an stood up, about to check the shoe box.
Inside the shoe box, the black cat, still dazed from being kicked, perked up at the sound, ready to charm Chen Huai'an and get close to him.
Just then—
Buzz—!
The phone on the coffee table suddenly vibrated, ringing with a notification.
Chen Huai'an sat back down on the sofa.
The black cat’s heart sank again, and it resumed lying down.
【Your electronic girlfriend is currently under attack by a heart demon!】
Chen Huai'an was startled and opened the small room, finding Li Qingran sitting cross-legged on the bed. Her face was pale, her brows furrowed, beads of sweat glistening on her cheeks and forehead. Dark energy gathered at her brow, her lips were a deep shade of blue, and her delicate face was clearly etched with pain.
“Do heart demons exist even in the Qi Refinement stage?” Chen Huai'an felt a bit lost.
He had read plenty of novels, and the protagonists usually encountered heart demons only at much higher realms.
Who ever faced a heart demon in the Qi Refinement stage?
Opening Li Qingran’s status bar, the heart demon debuff provided him with an explanation:
【Heart Demon Manifestation: Heart demons are unrelated to cultivation level; they stem from the practitioner’s own thoughts. Obsessions, malevolent thoughts, greed, etc., can all become heart demons. Heart demons can arise from the practitioner’s experiences or be induced by certain demonic techniques, causing those who previously had no heart demons to develop them. To dispel a heart demon, one must eliminate the underlying thoughts.】
“Is that so? Then what is the thought troubling Li Qingran?”
Chen Huai'an recalled Li Qingran’s background information.
Aside from her parents being harmed by treacherous individuals, the greatest blow on her path of cultivation undoubtedly came from the people of Chixiao Peak, or perhaps the entire Qingyun Sect was a massive nightmare for her. Knowing the source was one thing; figuring out how to dispel it was another.
He hadn’t forgotten this was a game, so he began poking around for the recharge page.
This game had one particularly absurd aspect—aside from the obvious shop, all other functions requiring money were hidden. For instance, protecting Li Qingran wasn’t a permanent feature; it only activated as the plot progressed, and he could only access the recharge option when the game decided to present it.
It was quite frustrating!
The game developers had a knack for pretending to be virtuous while acting like scoundrels.
“Forget it, I can’t find it. When in doubt, let’s consult the heavens!” Chen Huai'an opened the game’s customer service.
【This divination will cost 100¥ for a chance, and you will receive a debuff of ＜Fortune Loss＞. Do you wish to proceed?】
“Let’s do it!”
【Divining the heavens…】
In the Cangyun Realm, the winds of change were stirring.
“Hiss—! That powerful being again, divining the heavens at noon today and now again!?”
“Is something major about to happen in the Cangyun Realm?”
“Over at Wanshan, a divine elixir has emerged, and now there’s a surge of spiritual light. That elder’s divination is likely related to these two phenomena…”
“The secret realm of Zhongzhou is about to open… what a tumultuous time, sigh—!”
…
At the Wanjian Pavilion.
The sect leader, Su Qinian, stood atop the Sword Gate Mountain, holding a sword in both hands. Dressed in white, his robes billowed, and his long white hair danced wildly in the wind. He squinted slightly, gazing toward Wanshan, exuding an air of a transcendent being.
However, this lofty demeanor didn’t last long.
In the next moment, he erupted in curses:
“Damn Qingyun Sect! What the hell, why do you get all the good fortune from Wanshan? Just wait, this time in the Zhongzhou secret realm, I’ll make you pay!”
“Leader!”
An elder from the Sword Pavilion descended from his flying sword, cupping his hands in greeting. “Leader, we have two major issues!”
“What is it?” Su Qinian’s expression turned serious as he casually stroked his beard.
“Leader, we’re out of money.” The elder hesitated, his face pale.
“Ah?” Su Qinian was taken aback. “No spirit stones? Then go dig in the back mountain!”
“Exactly… the spirit stones are gone; we’ve exhausted them…”
“Damn it? How long has it been!” Su Qinian couldn’t hold back any longer.
This situation had been somewhat anticipated.
He had known last month that the spirit stones in the back mountain would be depleted, but he hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly.
He could only reassure, “Leave this to me; I’ll find a way to get spirit stones. Is there anything else?”
The Sword Pavilion was already poor, known as the most destitute sect in the Cangyun Realm. They had barely managed to survive on the spirit stone mine in the back mountain and a few businesses, but with the Zhongzhou secret realm opening soon, resources were desperately needed throughout the sect, making matters even worse.
It seemed they would have to sell off some assets…
Su Qinian instinctively pressed down on the flying sword at his waist.
Swish—!
The sword let out a cry, trembling violently.
“And there’s one more thing…” The elder swallowed hard. “Our guardian beast is in heat and is requesting to go out for mating… saying if we don’t let it out, it will uproot all the spiritual herbs in the back mountain.”
Su Qinian’s mouth twitched at this.
Finding a mate for the guardian beast would cost money, and the usual beasts wouldn’t even look at it.
But the issue of it being in heat couldn’t be ignored; the spiritual herbs were money! What about the safety of the outer disciples if they let the guardian beast out? That wouldn’t do!
In that case…
He instinctively pressed down on the flying sword at his waist, a pained expression crossing his face as he closed his eyes and said, “Castrate it.”
“What?!” The elder was taken aback.
Su Qinian suddenly opened his eyes, sword energy surging within, a murderous aura radiating as he growled, “Damn it, tell that beast that the sect is out of money! It better hold it in, or I swear I’ll castrate it!”
The sect’s guardian beast was typically a male demon beast raised from infancy to possess strong offensive capabilities; it couldn’t be castrated. Doing so would hinder its development and strip it of its aggression.
The elder left with a bitter expression.
Since the leader had been pushed to this point, it truly proved the sect was in dire straits.
Su Qinian continued to stand on the cliff, lost in thought.
Looking at the serene sky,
His right hand had already slipped into his storage bag, feeling the night-walking attire inside…
“Alright, I need to find a way to make some money.”
…
【Heavenly divination complete!】
【Li Qingran must return to Qingyun Sect to sever all ties with Chixiao Peak to dispel her heart demon.】
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