《Zanxing》 CH 1 It¡¯s late summer. The heat had not dissipated, and the sun on Dusu Mountain was scorching above people¡¯s heads. The mountain road on Dusu Mountain was steep with towering rocks. Between two cliffs, a stream of water flowed from the top to bottom. The splashing stream hit the green rocks and dispersed into tiny water droplets. A carriage was parked in the shade of a tree next to the stream. People and horses were drawing water from the stream to cool themselves. This was the carriage of the Wang family of Yue City, who was on the way to the disciple selection of Taiyan Sect, a major cultivation sect in Duzhou. Taiyan Sect was one of the major cultivation sects in Duzhou. The disciple selection competition was held once every ten years, and the best talents from cities across Duzhou would gather here to display their talents, in order to stand out in the competition and advance their cultivation path to immortality. The young lord of Yue City, Wang Shao was sitting in the carriage and enjoying the cool air. He was 17 years old, and already in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, only one step away from the third level of Foundation Establishment. There were still about ten days before they would reach Gufeng Mountain for the selection competition. In these few days, as long as he used spirit elixirs and pills every day, coupled with continuous cultivation, he may be able to enter the late stage of Foundation Establishment before the selection competition begins. Wang Shao was the hope of the entire Yue City. Yue City was a small border city, and it could not even be seen on the map of Duzhou. There had been no cultivator from the city who had successfully entered the Golden Core stage for many years. Wang Shao reached the Qi Refining stage at the age of 10 and achieved the Foundation Establishment stage at the age of 12. It took him five additional years to reach the second level of Foundation Establishment from the first level of Foundation Establishment. If he could successfully breakthrough this time, he would be the first genius in Yue City to enter the late stage of Foundation Establishment before the age of 18. If he could successfully enter Taiyan Sect and become a disciple of the sect, everyone in Yue City would be elated. Therefore, all the spirit stones, elixirs and pills in Yue City were given to this genius as tribute. Beside Wang Shao, there was also a beautiful girl in green clothes. This was Wang Shao¡¯s fianc¨¦e, Yang Zanxing, the eldest daughter of the Yang family in Yue City. She was accompanying Wang Shao to the Taiyan Sect selection competition. Miss Yang did not have much interest in cultivation. She was about the same age as Wang Shao, but she was barely in the early stage of Qi Refining. For the women in Yue City, instead of working hard to cultivate, it was better to marry a cultivator husband. They would not only be honored, but also get to eat and wear without any worries, as well as be respected by others. ¡°Ah Shao, please drink some tea.¡± Miss Yang brought a cup of tea to Wang Shao¡¯s mouth with a smile. However, Wang Shao¡¯s gaze fell elsewhere, and he stood up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll go out for a while.¡± He flung his sleeves as he got out of the carriage. Miss Yang looked at the direction he was walking towards, and a bit of ferocity appeared on her delicate and beautiful face. She gritted her teeth and said, ¡°That vixen!¡± Her servant girl, Hongsu came up to her, and asked worriedly, ¡°Miss, does the Young Lord want to take that woman in?¡± ¡°She¡¯s dreaming!¡± Wang Shao walked for a while. He stopped and looked at the girl in yellow skirt sitting by the tree. The girl was about 16 or 17 years old. She was very beautiful. Her skin was a little pale, and her weak look made her look more attractive. Wang Shao looked at her, and he suddenly smiled. He asked, ¡°Miss Liu, it¡¯s so hot outside, do you want to sit in my carriage?¡± Liu Yunxin was a little afraid of him, and replied timidly, ¡°Thank you, young master, for your kindness. I¡¯m fine being here.¡± Liu Yunxin was accompanying her elder brother, Mu Cengxiao to participate in the Taiyan Sect selection competition. Mu Cengxiao and Liu Yunxin were not biological siblings. Liu Yunxin¡¯s parents took in the orphan, Mu Cengxiao back then, and after the death of the Liu parents, the brother and sister depended on each other to survive. Wang Shao has long taken a fancy to Liu Yunxin¡¯s beauty, but Liu Yunxin¡¯s family background was poor and not worthy of his status. It was impossible for her to be his wife, but to be his concubine¡­ was more than enough. It was a pity that Liu Yunxin did not appreciate his goodwill, and turned a blind eye to his overtures. Not only that, her elder brother, Mu Cengxiao, also guarded him like a thief, so that he couldn¡¯t find a chance to do anything. He had just said a few words to Liu Yunxin when Mu Cengxiao, who was fetching water, saw this and immediately strode over. He stood in front of Wang Shao, and said angrily, ¡°Wang Shao, what are you trying to do?¡± Wang Shao looked at Mu Cengxiao who was in front of him. He¡¯s a young man with handsome facial features, thick swordlike eyebrows and bright starry eyes. Although he was wearing patched clothes, he had a clear and resolute spirit. It was said that he reached Qi Refining stage at the age of 8. He was favored by the people of Yue City at that time, who thought that he was another seedling of a genius. However, up till today, he had not been able to reach the Foundation Establishment stage. ¡°Miss Liu, I heard that you are not in good health.¡± Wang Shao was not angry, but smiled at Liu Yunxin in a personable manner. ¡°Maybe your brother wants to join the Taiyan Sect for the spirit elixirs and pills in the sect to heal your illness. I can understand that you siblings have a deep bond but¡­¡± He glanced at Mu Cengxiao contemptuously, ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a little na?ve to pin your hopes on a waste who has not even been able to breakthrough to Foundation Establishment? Why don¡¯t you be my woman, and when I join the Taiyan Sect in the future, you can use the elixir there¡­¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± Before he could finish speaking, Mu Cengxiao interrupted him and angrily said, ¡°Shameless!¡± ¡°A trash, what right does he have to say about others?¡± The two of them were arguing with each other, and when they were about to draw their swords, there was suddenly an exclamation from the side of the water, ¡°Young master, it¡¯s not good¡­ come and have a look!¡± The two who were arguing looked towards the stream together. The weather was clear, with no wind at all. As the stream water flowed down, there seemed to be a dark shadow passing under the surface of the water. In the next moment, a few black shadows suddenly leaped up from the water surface, toward the shadows of the people. Immediately afterwards, screams were heard one after another. ¡°It hurts-¡° ¡°Ahhh, help, what are these?¡± ¡°My eyes, my eyes!¡± The horses were startled, and they wanted to run forward, but the reins were tied to a tree. People in the carriage fell out. Miss Yang scrambled up, hid behind Wang Shao, and asked in panic, ¡°My God, what is this?¡± ¡°This is the demonic monster, ¡®Hu¡¯.¡± Mu Cengxiao murmured. ¡°What is ¡®Hu¡¯?¡± Wang Shao frowned. ¡°It is a legendary monster that hides in the water and kills people secretly. ¡®Hu¡¯ has sand in its mouth and uses it to shoot people. People who are shot at will get sores, and those whose shadow got shot will die!¡± Mu Cengxiao ran to the stream without looking back, ¡°I¡¯ll save those people, Wang Shao, you protect Yunxin, and don¡¯t let it touch your shadow!¡± Wang Shao looked at Mu Cengxiao. While pulling Liu Yunxin back, he laughed and said, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen an idiot who is rushing to die!¡± At this moment, the water between the two cliffs suddenly swelled, and the water surface reached their feet in an instant, as if to submerge the ground they were on. At the same time, the dark shadow in the stream became more and more distinct. Hearing only a few ¡°puff puff puffs¡±, the surrounding servant girls screamed, and the stream was dyed red. Wang Shao was so frightened that he covered his head and ran away, not caring about his fianc¨¦e and Liu Yunxin. Liu Yunxin was already weak, and after taking a few steps, she was out of breath. Seeing this, Miss Yang¡¯s eyes darkened. She grabbed Liu Yunxin¡¯s shoulder with one hand, and was about to push Liu Yunxin into the water. A small drop of water fell out of the splashing stream and shattered on the moss-covered rocks, but in an instant, it returned to the appearance of dewdrops. Liu Yunxin let out a cry, and her eyes widened. A hand grasped her arm. Liu Yunxin turned her head and saw Miss Yang holding her arm tightly, with undisguised concern in her eyes, ¡°Are you okay?¡± She was stunned, and was about to speak, when suddenly she heard someone shouting from behind, ¡°Yunxin, run away! It¡¯s behind you!¡± The surface of the water suddenly rose. It was clearly a flat land, but being in the splashing stream was like being in a raging sea. Liu Yunxin turned her head and saw the true face of ¡°it¡±, a blurred black shadow. It looked like a huge beetle, enveloped in a fishy water smell. ¡°Be careful!¡± A woman exclaimed in her ear. Liu Yunxin felt a thrust pushing herself away, and the green shadow beside her was instantly swallowed by the black shadow. The surface of the water gradually calmed down, and the damp land that was overflowing with water from the stream became exposed to the sun. Faint rainbow colors appeared, and everything seemed to be an illusion. Liu Yunxin murmured, ¡°Miss Yang¡­ disappeared.¡± CH 2 The cave was very dry. A snail crawled slowly on the wall of the cave, leaving a wet trail where it crawled. When she touched its antennae with her fingers, the snail retracted into its shell and stopped moving. Yang Zanxing withdrew her hand, looked at the dark hole she was in, and sighed silently. After working overtime for five consecutive days, she was exhausted. She bought a box lunch at the convenience store downstairs and fell asleep before she could eat it. When she woke up, she was in such a ghostly place. It was hard to express her feelings at the moment. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw a huge black monster approaching from the water. She subconsciously pushed the girl beside her away, but she heard someone calling the girl¡¯s name ¡°Yunxin¡±, and maybe also her own name, ¡°Miss Yang¡±. She¡¯s just an ordinary working-class person, so she¡¯s not good enough to be called ¡°Miss¡±. She didn¡¯t know how long she had been thinking there, until she saw the two words ¡°Zanxing¡± on the jade pendant hung from her waistband. Yang Zanxing vaguely had a guess, perhaps, she had traveled through time and space, and transmigrated into a novel called ¡°The Peak of Nine Heavens¡±, a cultivation novel. Yang Zanxing usually worked conscientiously and honestly. Her only hobby was reading online novels. Among them, Golden Finger Cultivation was her favorite. She could pass a lot of time reading a novel with ten to twenty million words. In the last few years, she has read 50 to 100 novels on cultivation. The plots were similar, nothing more than ¡°30 years in Hedong and 30 years in Hexi, don¡¯t bully the young and the poor¡±, ¡°divorcing, face slapping, wasting wood, upgrading¡±. She could memorize the whole routine, although sometimes the plots could be mixed up. The reason why she was so sure that this novel was ¡°The Peak of Nine Heavens¡± was because of the name ¡°Yang Zanxing¡±. ¡°Yang Zanxing¡± was the name of a female supporting character in ¡°The Peak of Nine Heavens¡±, which had the same name as her. Unfortunately, this cannon fodder female supporting character was slapped to death by the male lead within seven chapters of her appearance. From the beginning to the end, the description of the character was less than three chapters in total. She was only one of the stepping stones for the male lead to counterattack and slap. What a tragedy. If she remembered correctly, at this point in the original novel, the original ¡°Miss Yang¡± was jealous of Liu Yunxin due to her fianc¨¦, Wang Shao¡¯s favor. She pushed Liu Yunxin into the water, intending to kill her. In order to save Liu Yunxin, his childhood sweetheart, Mu Cengxiao jumped into the water and was sucked into the underwater cave by the demonic monster ¡°Hu¡±, thus obtaining the golden finger secret treasure, upgrading and breaking through while underwater. He finally killed the demonic monster ¡°Hu¡± and resurfaced to the ground. The first thing Mu Cengxiao did when he returned above ground was to slap and kill ¡°Miss Yang¡± who tried to assassinate Liu Yunxin, in front of everyone, thus forming a deadly feud with Wang Shao. The ¡°I¡¯m the protagonist, I¡¯m taking revenge and slapping face everywhere¡± mode was turned on. Although the plot was old-fashioned, it was also well-founded and logical. It¡¯s just that Yang Zanxing, who had transmigrated, saw the demonic monster ¡°Hu¡±, and at the very moment, subconsciously pushed Liu Yunxin aside, so she fell into the water herself, and was the unlucky one who got sucked into the cave by the monster energy. Yang Zanxing stood up and looked around. It was a very dark cave, with only a glimmer of light overhead, but the light seemed far away. Yang Zanxing shouted twice, but the sound had not even reached halfway when it was like a flame being snuffed out by someone¡¯s fingers and dissipated without a trace. There was no one around, not even an animal, except for a snail in its shell. She pulled the snail off the cave wall and boldly walked forward for a while. The ground was very soft, and when she scooped it up with her hands, it¡¯s full of dry white sand, just like a desert. She obviously fell into the water, but there was not a single drop of water in the underwater cave. This kind of unscientific thing can only happen in cultivation novels. But¡­ if this continues, she will die of thirst before she finds an exit, right? In the original novel, how did the male lead find the exit after getting the golden finger? Golden finger¡­ yes, where was the golden finger? What about the golden finger that could be used to make villain cannon fodders cry? Yang Zanxing had just thought of this when she suddenly felt pain in her fingertip. She looked down, and with the faint light above her head, she could clearly see that the flower-shell snail which had just been held in her palm had crawled to her fingertip at some point, where a little red came out. Bleeding? Yang Zanxing was stunned. Even if a snail bit a person, it would not bleed. What kind of unscientific setting was this? The next moment, the ground under her feet suddenly shook, and broken stones began to fall down from the cave wall. Yang Zanxing squatted down and covered her head. While trying to find a place to hide, she saw a strange burst of light emitted from her palm. The dazzling light was different from the light above her head. The light was blooming from the palm of her hand, making her feel as if she was being burned by fire for a moment. The light was emitted from the flower shell snail. The snail which was as big as a fingernail gradually became blurred, and in the soaring light, it gradually transformed into a transparent pearl. The pearl seemed to be alive, as the blood flowing from her finger was sucked into the pearl, dyeing the pearl a little red. After an unknown amount of time, the vibration under her feet stopped, and the light dissipated. Yang Zanxing stood still and looked at the red pearl in her palm. The pearl was about the size of an eyeball, cold and like a glass bead. It looked red at first glance, but if looked closely, there was a cluster of flames burning in the transparent pearl. The flames continued to burn, as if they would never go out. ¡°Xiao Yuan Pearl¡­¡± Yang Zanxing murmured. In the original novel, this pearl was the designated golden finger of the male lead, Mu Cengxiao. This Xiao Yuan Pearl was omnipotent. It could not only sense spiritual treasures, but also improve cultivation, shorten breakthrough time, and replenish health bars at critical times. It was a must-have artifact for ranking up. It was because of this pearl that Mu Cengxiao, who was called a ¡°trash¡± by others, got ahead at Taiyan Sect selection competition, and his cultivation level skyrocketed. He stole the limelight at the selection competition and shed his shame, thus entering Taiyan Sect and becoming a sect disciple. Now, when Liu Yunxin was in danger, she was the one who saved the beauty, she was the one who fell into the water, she was the one who was dragged into the sand cave by the monster spirit, and she was the one who got the golden finger, Xiao Yuan Pearl. ¡°So,¡± Yang Zanxing pondered, ¡°has the plot changed?¡± As soon as she said these words, the Xiao Yuan Pearl in her hand suddenly turned into a puff of red smoke, and with a ¡°whoosh¡±, it flew into her body. CH 3 The pearl rushed into her body like a puff of smoke, leaving nothing behind. Zanxing stretched out her hand and touched her chest. She felt that there was a small area in her heart that was warm, like a stove simmering in winter, but it was not uncomfortable. This was probably the treasure recognizing its master. In all the novels about cultivation, a drop of the protagonist¡¯s blood on the treasure would immediately unlock its spiritual wisdom and it would recognize the protagonist as its master, forming an irresolvable bond. Then, the loyal treasure would lead the protagonist to heaven and earth, opening the door to a new world. It¡¯s the same with this pearl. But right now, the most important thing was how to get out of here. In the original plot, after the male lead got the Xiao Yuan Pearl, he cultivated underwater. Zanxing read the novel a few years ago, and she subsequently read dozens of books on cultivation. The plot for this novel, especially this level of detailed description, had long been forgotten. In short, the male lead was as fierce as a tiger, and in a single operation, ¡°a flash of inspiration¡± and ¡°a sudden movement of the heart¡±, he had advanced three levels in a row, and seemingly also found the exit. But now¡­ Zanxing looked at her hand, and there was seemingly nothing different except for the pearl in her heart that heat up. She put her hand on the cave wall, sank into her qi core, took a deep breath, and slapped her palm against the cave wall. Two small grains of sand fell from the cave wall, and Zanxing let out a pained cry. She looked at her red palm and felt that she was thinking too simply. Sure enough, the novels were all deceitful, and this way would not work. She stood up and was quiet for a moment, feeling a slight cool breeze from somewhere in front of her. Wind? The only light in the cave was overhead, and there were walls on all sides of the cave. Where did the wind come from? Zanxing stopped for a moment. She didn¡¯t know if it was because of the Xiao Yuan Pearl, but she felt that the blowing wind gradually became more obvious. It seemed to be connected in a long line, and as long as she followed the line, she would get to the end of the thread. She stood up and moved slowly in the direction of the wind. After walking for an unknown amount of time, just when she thought the darkness would never end, a ray of light suddenly appeared in front of her. Unlike the faint and distant light overhead, this ray of light was accompanied by the sound of water. On the cave wall not far away, a crack appeared. The crack was narrow, just enough to allow a person to pass through. Zanxing hesitated for a moment before she stepped forward. She did not rush out, but just leaned against the crack and looked out. There was a boundless curtain of water, and the sound of the waterfall splashing down from above could be heard. Looking up, the shadow of the mountain peak could be seen faintly. Zanxing was overjoyed, and regardless of the unscientific setting why water would not flow through the crack into the cave, she understood one thing. There was a stream outside, and as long as she got out from the cave, she could swim ashore. She had just tentatively stretched out a leg, when a black shadow suddenly appeared in the calm water curtain. The black shadow was neither big nor small. It was about the size of a cow, but it had no shape and was just a flat streak. It looked a little like the snowflake spots whenever there was no TV signal when she was a child, or like an ant colony formed by countless black ants. How was cultivation done in the novel¡­ Zanxing racked her brain for a long time, and she finally sat upright like a gourd. The first step should be to retreat and meditate¡­was that right? Sit cross-legged, relax the body, what was the second step¡­ she didn¡¯t know. It¡¯s like yoga, close the eyes and concentrate, empty the mind, and adjust the breath. Take a deep breath, inhale, exhale¡­ Perhaps she had not stopped since she transmigrated, so as soon as Zanxing relaxed, she felt exhausted. It seemed as if she was about to fall asleep, and her expression gradually relaxed. She felt her whole body floating in the air, and became extraordinarily light. She was clearly in the dry sand cave, but it seemed as though there was water flowing slowly through her body, and the warmth was just right. And the water flow was also like taking a breath, similar to the gills of a fish, opening and closing, taking in air. Zanxing¡¯s eyes were closed, and she couldn¡¯t see the faint golden light being emitted from her heart. Countless beams of light like water streams gradually appeared in the water curtain outside, which then swept in and quietly drilled into the body of Zanxing, who was sitting quietly with her eyes closed. If there was a cultivator here, they would be able to see at a glance that this girl, whose cultivation level was not even worth mentioning, broke through Qi Refining in such a short period of time. It could be seen that she was about to enter the Foundation Establishment stage. CH 4 Far from the water on the shore, Hongsu, Miss Yang¡¯s personal servant girl, was hugging Wang Shao¡¯s leg and weeping, ¡°Young master, please save our lady, she is also your fianc¨¦e!¡± ¡°Wang Shao kicked her hand away impatiently, and said in a cold tone, ¡°Zanxing was dragged into the water by that monster, so there is no way she is still alive. That monster is equivalent to a cultivator in the late stage of Foundation Establishment. Do you want all of us to die?¡± The servant girl wanted to cry again, but Wang Shao had already walked ahead, and said, ¡°I¡¯m also very sad that Zanxing is dead, but don¡¯t worry, when I join Taiyan Sect, I¡¯ll send a report back to my father to present a generous memorial ceremony to the Yang family.¡± The words were so heartless that Hongsu almost fainted from crying so much. ¡°Accidentally?¡± Wang Shao seemed to have heard a funny joke, ¡°Who saw it, did you see it?¡± He asked a follower beside him, who shook his head again and again. He then asked another boy, ¡°Did you see it?¡± The boy shook his head like a rattle. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Wang Shao folded his hands and looked at Liu Yunxin with a smile, ¡°Originally, in this matter, it¡¯s a life for a life, but I¡¯m kind-hearted and have always been sympathetic, so¡­¡± He stretched out his hand to touch Liu Yunxin¡¯s face, but Liu Yunxin dodged her head, so he could only withdraw his hand regretfully, and said, ¡°If you follow me, even if you made me lose my woman, I will find a way to help you settle this matter.¡± ¡°Wishful thinking! ¡°Mu Cengxiao gritted his teeth and replied. ¡°Hey Mu, I¡¯m talking to your sister, what are you talking about here.¡± Wang Shao stared at Mu Cengxiao with an unfriendly expression. He had been coveting Liu Yunxin¡¯s body for a long time. If Mu Cengxiao had not interfered¡­ Liu Yunxin would have become his woman long ago. In front of Liu Yunxin, it¡¯s not easy for him to kill people, but tonight¡­ Wang Shao¡¯s mouth curled up, Mu Cengxiao would no longer exist in this world. There would be no better excuse than Mu Cengxiao exploring the stream at night and was killed by the demonic monster. He hummed a little song in a good mood and walked away. Under the tree, Liu Yunxin asked the young man beside her, ¡°Brother Mu, what should we do¡­ I don¡¯t want to marry the young master.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t let you marry this kind of person.¡± Mu Cengxiao said in a low voice, ¡°I¡¯ll take you away tonight.¡± ¡°Brother Mu¡­¡± Liu Yunxin hesitated for a moment. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Miss Yang did fall while trying to save me.¡± Liu Yun said. At that time, she was about to be attacked by the demonic monster, and it was Miss Yang who pushed her away. ¡°Don¡¯t speak up for her.¡± Mu Cengxiao frowned, ¡°I could clearly see from a distance that she pushed you from behind. That woman is arrogant and domineering. She punishes others at every turn, and even tried to ruin your appearance several times. How could you be so kind? Now it¡¯s time for her retribution, so don¡¯t worry about it!¡± Liu Yunxin sighed, looked at the little servant girl who was crying in the distance, and thought to herself, Miss Yang¡­ is she really dead? ¡­.. Of course Yang Zanxing was not dead. Not only was she not dead, she was in excellent condition. It¡¯s like having a holiday after working overtime for a week, where she slept at home for ten hours, and felt refreshed after reading a whole cultivation novel. Every part of her body seemed to have been soaked in hot spring water, which was refreshing. She didn¡¯t feel hungry, thirsty or tired, and her whole body felt completely new, completely different from before. When Zanxing opened her eyes, she wasn¡¯t sure if it was an illusion, but she felt that her eyesight had improved. Even lines of the stone cracks on the high cave wall could be seen clearly. She stood up, and her legs felt much stronger than before. She didn¡¯t know how long she slept. After waking up, she felt very different. Zanxing wondered, could this be the result of successful cultivation? She looked through the crack in the rock again, and as expected, she saw the mosaic swimming around again. I don¡¯t know what cultivation stage I¡¯m at now, and whether I¡¯ve the ability to fight this monster¡­ Zanxing was thinking, when her heart started to heat up. The Xiao Yuan Pearl in her body seemed to have bonded with her, and she could feel the movement of the pearl, as if it was attracted by the monster ¡®Hu¡¯ and was eager to make a move. Is it¡­ encouraging her to go out and do something big? Zanxing was a little hesitant. How did the male lead defeat the demonic monster in the original novel, she couldn¡¯t even remember the moves. However, Xiao Yuan Pearl was the protagonist¡¯s golden finger. As long as there was Xiao Yuan Pearl, the protagonist could be saved and fight back even if he was violently beaten. If Xiao Yuan Pearl was urging her to go for it, there shouldn¡¯t be a big problem, right? Believe in the power of the golden finger, and believe that the protagonist would not die. Since the pearl wanted to create trouble, it showed that the plot line was right. Zanxing mustered up her courage and slipped out from between the rocks. One end of the crevice was a sand cave, and the other end of the crevice was a water curtain, but from one end to the other, the feeling did not change. Miraculously, the water curtain seemed to be a natural shield that separated the water. It¡¯s not so much water as it was air. The demonic monster ¡®Hu¡¯ was obviously only a fuzzy mosaic, without eyes and nose, but it¡¯s extremely sensitive. The moment Zanxing came out, the demonic monster rushed towards her. The demonic monster that hides in the water and harms people secretly would become bold when people fall into the water. Zanxing panicked for a moment, but soon, she found that she could swim freely in the water without any resistance. As soon as she pushed her foot out, she soared, as if she stepped on an elastic board. Her fist also seemed to be full of strength, and when she swung it, there seemed to be an invisible airflow. Zanxing felt that her fist might be able to smash the demonic monster in front of her. Is this the power of the Xiao Yuan Pearl? In the clear water curtain, the huge monster rushed towards her, which looked quite beautiful at first glance, if the disgusting smell of water which was perhaps mixed with human blood could be ignored. Undaunted, Zanxing swung her fist. In an instant, the cluster of black dots scattered, and a jet of black liquid suddenly sprayed out from the demonic monster¡¯s face. Zanxing couldn¡¯t dodge in time and was caught head-on. She felt a hot burning sensation on her face. CH 5 The water curtain became calm again. Two red drops of blood were splattered on the soft sand in the cave, which turned the sand into red clusters. Zanxing leaned against one end of the crack in the rock, looked at the wound on her hand, and felt very embarrassed. What could be more humiliating than going out confidently to engage in a big fight, only to be beaten up by the demonic monster instead? She got slapped in the face, and her face hurt. The pain was real. In the original novel, the Xiao Yuan Pearl could be used regularly. Why did it not work when it came to her? If she hadn¡¯t fled desperately into the crevice of the rock at the critical moment, and the ¡®Hu¡¯ couldn¡¯t get in, she would be dead by now. But¡­it shouldn¡¯t be like this! Just now, she had clearly touched the demonic monster¡¯s body. It was hard to describe the feeling, like unmelted cotton candy with a sticky consistency. Her fist definitely smashed the demonic monster¡¯s body to pieces, but after the black spots dissipated like an ant colony, they regrouped extremely quickly. This guy couldn¡¯t be killed. No matter how many times she smashed the monster with her fists, there was no impact on the other party at all. It¡¯s so frustrating. Zanxing sat down against the wall of the cave. There was no specific description of the ¡®Hu¡¯ in the original novel, as most of the pen and ink were used to describe the cultivation process of the protagonist, to the extent that she didn¡¯t even know the weakness of the monster. Was there really no weakness? Zanxing lowered her head and looked at the ground. The wind from the other side of the water curtain shook her shadow on the ground slightly. ¡°Fortunately, it can¡¯t see my shadow in the water.¡± Zanxing said to herself. She could dodge the sand shot from the demonic monster¡¯s mouth, but it would be difficult for her shadow to dodge the shot precisely. Wait, shadow? The demonic monster liked to shoot at other people¡¯s shadows, but itself¡­ had no shadow? With a flash of thought, Zanxing turned around, put her head on the edge of the crack and looked out. The blurred body of the demonic monster passed by from time to time in the water. If it was in the past, it would be difficult for her to see clearly, but perhaps due to Xiao Yuan Pearl, she could clearly feel the subtleties, and she could see a small black shadow hanging under the ¡®Hu¡¯, like a tail. This black shadow was different from the demonic monster¡¯s body, as it was darker and looked more solid. It wasn¡¯t big, just the size of a palm. It was easily overlooked at first glance, but the difference could be seen when looked closely. Was this the shadow of the ¡®Hu¡¯? If so, the demonic monster was very cunning. Its main body looked as illusory as a shadow, but its shadow looked exceptionally solid. The ¡®Hu¡¯ liked to hide in the water and attack surreptitiously with sand. If the shadow was the weakness of the ¡®Hu¡¯, she didn¡¯t know if she could deal with it. But¡­ Zanxing looked at her injured hand. What if the demonic monster¡¯s shadow was like its body earlier, dissipated when touched, and then regrouped? In addition, there was nothing here that could be used as a weapon. She couldn¡¯t throw sand. The demonic monster threw sand at her, and she also threw sand at the demonic monster, what was this, elementary school chickens pecking at each other? However, sand in the cave was still much better than the black mud spat out by the ¡®Hu¡¯. At least there was no fishy vomit-like smell, and the sand looked quite clean and dry. Zanxing squatted on the ground, grabbed a handful of sand, watched the sand leak through her fingers, and suddenly thought of something. It was clear that the crack in the rock was right in front of the ¡®Hu¡¯. Although the demonic monster was huge, it was a mosaic after all. It could be lengthened, shortened, rounded and flattened at will. It was not impossible for it to slip through the crack in the rock. But the cave inside and the water curtain outside were two distinct worlds. At first, she thought it was because of the Xiao Yuan Pearl, but she had just fought with the ¡®Hu¡¯, and the demonic monster didn¡¯t show any sign of fear. If it wasn¡¯t due to the Xiao Yuan Pearl, it could only be due to this white gravel in the cave. Could it be that the ¡®Hu¡¯ dared not come in because it was afraid of these grains of sand? She kept a little sand on her fingertips, put her hand close to the crack in the rock, and when the demonic monster passed by, she catapulted the sand towards the small black shadow. Zanxing discovered that when she was fighting with the monster earlier, her eyes seemed to be able to see the ¡®qi¡¯(1) emanating from her body, and she could manipulate this ¡®qi¡¯ as long as she wanted. At this moment, the ¡®qi¡¯ rushed towards the black shadow with the grains of sand, and accurately hit the center. A hoarse and ugly scream sounded, accompanied by the violent writhing of the demonic monster. The water splashes caused by this swept up the current in the water and almost knocked over Zanxing who was squatting in front of the stone crevice to observe. She spat, dug a large pile of white sand from the ground and formed a ball of sand. She then squeezed out through the crack in the rock, rushed towards the demonic monster that seemed to be in a state of epilepsy, and threw the sand like a snowball. The ball smashed into the small piece of black shadow that was in a trance. In an instant, a water column rose into the sky, and the water vibrated violently. ¡­.. By the water stream, the water surface was calm and waveless. The thrush on the tree cried twice and looked at the person squatting by the stream with its head tilted. The little servant girl crouched by the water stream, with tears falling to the ground. Behind her, the elderly coachman sighed and called, ¡°Hongsu, come here, it¡¯s dangerous there.¡± ¡°Miss hasn¡¯t come out yet,¡± Hongsu used her hands to wipe her teary eyes, ¡°I can¡¯t go.¡± ¡°Miss will not come out.¡± The coachman looked sad, ¡°Six days have passed, even if she was not killed by the monster, it¡¯s already¡­¡± It¡¯s impossible for a living person to stay underwater for six days. The Wang family¡¯s carriage had already left, and only the two servants of the Yang family were still stubbornly guarding by the stream. However, everyone knew that it¡¯s impossible. Hongsu couldn¡¯t help covering her face and burst into tears, ¡°Miss¡­Miss is gone!¡± While she was hiccupping from all the crying, a familiar voice suddenly sounded. ¡°Sorry, that¡­¡± Hongsu was stunned for a moment. She put down her hands and saw a girl in green looking at her curiously by the stream. Her dress was stained with large chunks of black mud, giving off a fishy smell, and a ray of sunlight fell on her body. Her eyes were as bright as before, and the corners of her mouth were slightly raised, as if she was a little confused and concerned. She said, ¡°You sit so close to the water, aren¡¯t you afraid of being captured by monsters?¡± ¡ª (1) In Chinese culture, ¡®qi¡¯ is the vital energy that circulates through the body. CH 6 The sun was about to set. The glow shrouded the entire mountain, the hustle and bustle of the day faded, and the night became cooler. The fog was heavy in the mountains at night at the end of summer, and as soon as the fire was lit, the coldness dispelled a little. The little girl with the double-ringed bun hairstyle looked no more than 13 or 14 years old. Her eyes were still swollen from crying during the day, making her look like a goldfish. But at this moment, she was happy to find Miss Yang again. The little girl handed roasted bird eggs to Zanxing and said, ¡°Miss, let¡¯s get up early tomorrow, we should be able to meet the young master in Pingyang Town.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the coachman, Lao(1) Niu followed suit, ¡°The young master must be very worried about miss.¡± Once he said this, Zanxing didn¡¯t even want to eat the roasted eggs. The young master was Wang Shao, the young city lord of Yue City. In the novel ¡°The Peak of Nine Heavens¡±, he was the fianc¨¦ of the female cannon fodder ¡°Miss Yang¡±. He was vicious, lustful, domineering and arrogant. In the original novel, he was the first stop of the male lead¡¯s face-slapping, and the hatred towards him was very stable. He was a proper villain character. The reason she remembered Wang Shao was probably because he was the fianc¨¦ of the female cannon fodder with her name. Regardless of the grievances between Wang Shao and the male lead, Zanxing thought that he was at least good to ¡°Miss Yang¡±. When the male lead returned ashore after his reborn, the first thing he did was to kill Wang Shao¡¯s fianc¨¦e in front of him, thus forming a deathly feud with Wang Shao. For the sake of his dead fianc¨¦e, Wang Shao tried to kill the male lead and wanted to restrain him everywhere. Although Wang Shao was eventually killed, he was still an affectionate person. Unexpectedly, when Zanxing returned ashore, she realized that the affectionate person had already run away with the carriage overnight on the day Zanxing fell into the water. Anyone with a little friendship would think of rescuing her! Or at least leave a few servants behind. However, in the end, nothing was left behind except for the two servants of the Yang family. Even the carriage belonged to the Yang family. Was this something humans should do? As if sensing Zanxing¡¯s anger, Hongsu cautiously said, ¡°Actually¡­ the young master also has his own difficulties, and he is also afraid of hurting others. Don¡¯t be sad, miss.¡± Many girls in Yue City wanted to marry Wang Shao. After all, Wang Shao had a high level of cultivation, and his father was the city lord. His status was not bad, and he might even enter the cultivation sect. Miss Yang forced her way through these girls by virtue of her beauty, and finally got engaged to Wang Shao. Hongsu was worried that her young lady would be devastated by this, so she had no choice but to clumsily comfort her. ¡°I¡¯m not sad about this.¡± Zanxing stroked her face, and as soon as her fingers touched it, she immediately felt a burning sensation. She was shot in the right cheek by the black liquid of the ¡®Hu¡¯ while underwater, and her right cheek was injured. She didn¡¯t know if it would be dangerous. Lao Niu said, ¡°Our Yue City is a small place, and we haven¡¯t seen many monsters normally. But Pingyang Town is different. Pingyang Town is at the foot of Gufeng Mountain, and Gufeng Mountain is the seat of Taiyan Sect. I heard that the people at Pingyang Town are well-informed, so someone must know what to do with the injury on the young lady¡¯s face.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Hongsu also encouraged, ¡°and when you arrive at Pingyang Town, you will be able to see the young master. When the young master enters Taiyan Sect, there are countless elixirs in the sect, and he would definitely be able to find a way to cure the young lady¡¯s face.¡± Zanxing, ¡°¡­¡± She couldn¡¯t tell the poor little girl that Wang Shao would fail the Taiyan Sect¡¯s selection competition. He was defeated in the first test, and didn¡¯t even touch the door of the sect. Lao Niu fiddled with the branches in the fire, suddenly thought of something, and asked Zanxing, ¡°By the way, miss, you were underwater, how did you escape?¡± ¡°I just,¡± Zanxing replied as she withdrew her thoughts, ¡°I fell into a hole, found the exit, killed the monster and came back.¡± There was silence all around. The flames licked the branches and made a ¡°sizzling¡± sound. After a long while, Lao Niu tremblingly asked, ¡°Miss¡­killed that monster?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Zanxing nodded, ¡°My face was hurt at that time.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± Hongsu swallowed her saliva, ¡°I heard from the young master that the monster¡¯s cultivation level is equivalent to that of a cultivator in the late stage of Foundation Establishment. Miss, you have just stepped into Qi Refining¡­¡± Moreover, she entered Qi Refining though the use of many spiritual elixirs and pills, which couldn¡¯t represent true strength. ¡°Really? Maybe I broke through.¡± Zanxing calmly replied. Hongsu and Lao Niu looked at each other, both were a little confused. They felt that¡­ the young lady had become different from the past. In the past, Miss Yang was only interested in the young master. Rather than cultivating, it would be better to find more beautifying treatments. As she was born beautiful, she was admired by many since she was a child, so she had an arrogant temper. Apart from Hongsu, she would frequently beat and scold the other servants. But after returning today, she had become much calmer and gentler. Even towards Wang Shao, who had run away, she behaved very calmly. If it was in the past, Zanxing would be crying and scolding at the same time, cursing the eighteen generations of Wang Shao¡¯s family. Was she taken over by evil spirits? But there wouldn¡¯t be such gentle and amiable evil spirits in the world. ¡°I heard that some monsters have been cultivating for many years, and their bodies will form demon cores. It is equivalent to the golden core of cultivators.¡± Lao Niu changed the subject. ¡°Demon core?¡± The girl¡¯s attention seemed to be attracted by his words, and she turned her head sideways. Half of her face was beautiful and bright, but the other half was covered with several black marks, which looked a little terrifying under the dancing light from the fire. Lao Niu sighed in his heart, such a good girl, but she was disfigured. The doctors in Pingyang Town were well-informed, but if her face couldn¡¯t be saved, her life would be over. He thought about his young lady¡¯s worrisome future, and answered absent-mindedly, ¡°Yes, there is sufficient energy in the demon core, and cultivators can absorb the energy in it, which is quite beneficial for their own cultivation. Some people say that a demon core is equivalent to a third-grade elixir.¡± After a pause, he continued, ¡°However, there are very few monsters with demon cores, and it¡¯s rare to see them¡­¡± As soon as he finished speaking, a white hand stretched out in front of him, and there was a blood red pill that was glowing in the palm of her hand. Zanxing asked, ¡°Is this it?¡± ¡ª (1) The primary meaning of ¡°lao¡± is old. When used as a prefix to a name, it¡¯s often a term of respect for the elderly. CH 7 The pill was blood red, and the hand holding it was extremely delicate and white. ¡°Is this it?¡± Lao Niu had lived most of his life, and he thought he had seen many storms. However, he was shocked at this moment, and stammered, ¡°This¡­this is¡­¡± ¡°I killed the demonic monster underwater, and this fell out of its body.¡± Zanxing replied. In fact, this was not true. When she was underwater and hit the shadow of the ¡®Hu¡¯ with a ball of sand, the mosaic began to dissipate, the solid black ¡®Hu¡¯ began to churn violently, and a blood red pill flew out of it. Zanxing didn¡¯t pay much attention to the blood red pill at first, but the Xiao Yuan Pearl in her chest began to heat up slightly, as if it was eager for that thing, so she stretched out her hand and snatched the red pill that was trying to escape. ¡°Ah, Uncle Niu, is this the demon core?¡± Hongsu was very excited, ¡°It¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve seen a demon core!¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen it before either¡­¡± Lao Niu murmured. ¡°Uncle Niu, didn¡¯t you just say that this demon core is equivalent to a third-grade elixir? If our young lady absorbs this demon core, will it greatly increase her cultivation?¡± ¡°That being said,¡± Lao Niu pondered for a while, ¡°the demon core is formed in the body of a monster after all, and it contains demon power. A person who is not cultivated enough may not be able to absorb the energy in it.¡± He glanced at the pensive Zanxing and suggested, ¡°It¡¯s better to stay in Pingyang Town and find a trade fair to exchange this demon core for spirit stones or low-grade elixirs, so that the Miss can absorb it more easily.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a pity?¡± Hongsu pursed her mouth, ¡°Low-grade elixirs and spirit stones are common but demon cores are not. How about giving it to the young master?¡± Her eyes lit up, ¡°The young master is going for the sect selection competition, and with the help of this demon core, he¡¯ll be able to smoothly enter the sect. At that time, the young master will definitely thank the Miss, and have more affection for the Miss.¡± Zanxing glanced at the little girl who was still indulging in her fantasy and thought that the child¡¯s thinking was quite naive. Zanxing didn¡¯t intend to give the demon core that she had earned so hard for to that scumbag. ¡­ It was already late at night. Thick fog shrouded the entire mountain, and there was no moon tonight, only a little starlight fell through the branches of the trees in the forest. Beside the burning fire, the little girl slept soundly while leaning against the old coachman. Zanxing walked over and gently draped the blanket she had taken out of the carriage over the two of them. Hongsu smacked her lips, muttering in her sleep. Zanxing walked lightly past them and headed to the other side. She stopped not far from the two of them and found a clean stone to sit on. Looking at the night sky, she breathed a sigh of relief. From the beginning of the transmigration journey to the present, she had been dealing with unexpected situations, so it¡¯s only now that she had time to accept the reality of the world she was in. She had indeed transmigrated to the world in the novel ¡°The Peak of Nine Heavens¡±. ¡°The Peak of Nine Heavens¡± was a cultivation novel about the male lead. As the name suggested, the male lead did three things from the beginning to the end of the novel, 1. Slap face, 2. Cultivate, 3. Collect his harem. As a female cannon fodder who went offline in less than 2,000 words, when Zanxing retracted the hand that pushed Liu Yunxin and fell into the water instead of the male lead, she should have changed the plot of the novel. In the role of ¡°Miss Yang¡±, she wouldn¡¯t repeat the ending of being slapped to death by the male lead, Mu Cengxiao. There was no enmity with the male lead, so she could get rid of the fate of the cannon fodder. Even if she transmigrated, she could also leave the plotline of the original novel, and start over to live a new life in the world of the novel¡­ If she hadn¡¯t been hurt on her face. Zanxing caressed her right cheek with her hand. She was injured underwater by the mud shot by the ¡®Hu¡¯. The disfigurement was secondary, and more importantly, she could feel the demon ¡®qi¡¯ spreading deep down her face. If this continued, she was afraid that her life would be in danger. As Uncle Niu said, Yue City was a small place, and the doctors only treated common injuries and illnesses. Perhaps only the skilled doctors in Pingyang Town could solve this kind of sequelae left by demonic monsters. She had to go to Pingyang Town. It¡¯s just that¡­ After going to Pingyang Town and healing the scars on her face? In this world, the strong were respected. Ordinary women were proud to marry a cultivator husband if they had no ability to protect themselves. The better ones were like Liu Yunxin, who found a strong man to rely on, but had to tolerate the man stepping on multiple boats. The bad ones were like Miss Yang, who not only followed the wrong man, but even lost her life. The original author of ¡°The Peak of Nine Heavens¡± was probably full of malice towards women. In the novel, ordinary women were like goods, beautiful vases, and bargaining chips for transactions, without the slightest bit of self-esteem and choice as a human being. So what if¡­ she didn¡¯t want to be an ordinary woman? Zanxing stared at the twinkling stars in the night sky. Thanks to reading countless novels on cultivation, she was at least familiar with some general settings. An ancient book said, ¡°The records of the earth, between the six rivers and within the four seas, are illuminated by the sun and the moon, through the stars. Born by gods, their material forms and life or death, could only be understood by saints.¡± The gods of ancient times seemed to exist only in distant legends, and ordinary human beings either pursued longevity, or a more distant world, learning and cultivating. Since young, humans have been studying hard every day, nourishing the ¡®qi¡¯, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, nourishing with spiritual elixir and herbs, and longing to ascend to immortality. Same for the cultivators in this world, from Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core to Nascent Soul, and leaving the body, distracting the mind, reaching Mahayana, eventually crossing the calamity and transforming into gods. Every step would be full of hardships. Her fianc¨¦, Wang Shao, entered Qi Refining at the age of 8, and reached Foundation Establishment at the age of 12. He was only in the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, and already considered an outstanding person in Yue City, a so-called ¡°genius¡±. And Miss Yang was 17 years old, and by only relying on the elixir pills given by Wang Shao, she barely entered the first stage of Qi Refining. Of course, this was before Zanxing transmigrated. And now¡­ She spread out her hand, the blood red pill in her palm appeared a bit strange under the thin starlight. The demon core was formed by the demon ¡®qi¡¯ in the monster¡¯s body. In addition to the energy that the cultivator desires, it also had the fierce demon ¡®qi¡¯ of the monster. As a rookie cultivator in the early stage of Qi Refining, she might not only fail to absorb the energy, but also be injured by the ¡®qi¡¯ in the demon core. However, she has the golden finger. The Xiao Yuan Pearl in the chest began to heat up rapidly, as if it was unable to wait. Zanxing put the red pill in front of her, stretched out her palms against each other, and gradually solidified a golden ¡®qi¡¯ in her palms, firmly enveloping the red pill. During the few days of cultivation in the sand cave, including when she fought with the ¡®Hu¡¯, she probably already understood how to use ¡®qi¡¯, which was the energy of heaven and earth. With her cultivation base which had not even reached Foundation Establishment, Zanxing¡¯s energy was a little reluctant to subdue the demonic ¡®qi¡¯ in the demon core. But Xiao Yuan Pearl was simply a buff, and Zanxing¡¯s energy had instantly increased tenfold with the blessing of the Xiao Yuan Pearl. The golden light that burst out from her palm engulfed the red pill in an instant. The last trace of starlight dimmed, and there was only a silent darkness between the sky and the earth. She didn¡¯t know how long it took, the wisps of red light which were like small red threads, flew from the golden light to the girl cultivating. CH 8 After ten days, they arrived at Pingyang Town. Gufeng Mountain was located on the east side of Duzhou, and there was a river across the cliff, known as Lixiu. Water was coursing through the river, and sails on the ships were swaying in the morning sun. Fishermen shouted unknown chants while casting fishing nets into the river dyed red by the sunrise. Pingyang Town was located at the foot of Gufeng Mountain, beside the Lixiu River. The carriage stopped in front of the city gate. Hongsu helped Zanxing out of the carriage, and Lao Niu said cheerfully, ¡°Miss, this is Pingyang Town.¡± Zanxing raised her eyes and looked into the distance. Pingyang Town was a small town at the foot of Gufeng Mountain. Looking up into the distance, she could vaguely see the mountain range. The peaks were like clouds. Shrouded in purple ¡®qi¡¯, the place looked like an immortal paradise. Lao Niu followed Zanxing¡¯s gaze, and said with a smile, ¡°That¡¯s where the Taiyan Sect is located. If the young master successfully enters the sect in the future, Miss may be able to go to Gufeng Mountain to see the scenery.¡± Zanxing looked away, smiled and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± It¡¯s a very lively town. The street was very wide and extremely tidy, with carriages passing by from time to time. There were various shops and restaurants on both sides, and strangely dressed people chatting on the street. There was a cultivator with a long sword, wearing clothes like an immortal and sitting in a teahouse drinking tea. There was also a shirtless burly man, holding a glowing flower and arguing with an old man with a kind smile. ¡°Twenty spirit stones? Take a good look! This herb of mine is an intermediate spirit herb ¡®Peach Blossom Face¡¯, worth at least a hundred spirit stones!¡± the big man roared ferociously. The old man standing in front of him was not afraid, and replied in a gentle voice, ¡°Guest, this ¡®Peach Blossom Face¡¯ is indeed a mid-level spirit herb, but the branches and leaves of the spirit herb are incomplete, and only half of the flowers are left. The quality is too poor, even if it is used to refine into pills, the potency would only be one-tenth of the full strength. I will give you twenty spirit stones, which is enough. If you do not want to do this deal, you can go to other shops to have a look. We have other deals to do here.¡± The big man argued for a while, and finally left cursing with twenty spirit stones. Zanxing said, ¡°This man is quite tough.¡± Lao Niu standing beside her was like a dedicated voice assistant, explaining, ¡°This should be the ¡®Huajinlou¡¯ that others are talking about.¡± Zanxing, ¡°Huajinlou?¡± ¡°I have heard of it too!¡± Hongsu said hurriedly, ¡°I heard that Huajinlou is the largest exchange in Pingyang Town. Some people find treasures and bring them here to Huajinlou for consignment, and Huajinlou collects a commission. Various techniques, weapons, elixirs and spiritual herbs can be found here. Because of Gufeng Mountain, the disciples of Taiyan Sect sometimes come here to trade. There are many precious elixir cheats, which are not available at other exchanges!¡± ¡°The boss of Huajinlou, Jin Feicui, I heard that she is a beautiful woman¡­¡± There was a glimmer of expectation in Lao Niu¡¯s eyes. ¡°Uncle Niu, don¡¯t patronize that big beauty, let¡¯s take a look at this beauty in front of you first.¡± Zanxing interrupted the coachman¡¯s reverie, ¡°In this place, there should be spiritual herbs that can cure my face injury, let¡¯s go in and take a look?¡± ¡°To buy spiritual herbs, you need spirit stones.¡± Lao Niu pondered for a moment. By the way, in the world of cultivators, the currency was spirit stones, and ordinary coins would not work. ¡°Then take the spirit stones.¡± Zanxing waited for the two to pay. Hongsu and Lao Niu looked at each other, and after a while, Hongsu said carefully, ¡°Miss, what are you talking about, we don¡¯t have spirit stones on us.¡± ¡°How is it possible?¡± Zanxing asked rhetorically, ¡°Am I not the young lady? How could I be lacking spirit stones?¡± ¡°But¡­but¡­¡± Hongsu looked at her aggrievedly, ¡°Miss used to directly ask the young master for spirit stones. When we came out, we didn¡¯t bring any money¡­¡± Zanxing, ¡°¡­¡± The ¡°Miss Yang¡± in the original novel, although she was called ¡°Miss¡±, her family background was in fact not very impressive. She was just from an ordinary merchant family. If it wasn¡¯t for her exceptional beauty, Wang Shao wouldn¡¯t be engaged to her. And the ¡°Miss Yang¡± who got next to this Wang Shao big money tree, also utilized the long-term meal ticket to the extreme. Buy clothes, swipe Wang Shao¡¯s card, buy jewelry, swipe Wang Shao¡¯s card, bathe pets, swipe Wang Shao¡¯s card, from furniture to nail clippers, all use Wang Shao¡¯s card. Wang Shao, an emotionless credit card machine. Therefore, on this trip to Pingyang Town, Miss Yang didn¡¯t bring a single spirit stone, and the cost of the carriage, horse and daily travel were paid by Wang Shao. But now there was a problem, when Wang Shao left her, she didn¡¯t have a single spirit stone in her pocket. ¡°Women still need to have some money in their hands.¡± Zanxing sighed. ¡°It¡¯s okay, Miss.¡± Lao Niu thought of something, ¡°Didn¡¯t you get a demon core? You can sell the demon core to Huajinlou and exchange it for spiritual herbs.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Hongsu said happily, ¡°That demon core must be more precious than that person¡¯s ¡®Peach Blossom Face¡¯ earlier!¡± Zanxing interrupted the joy of the two people in front of her, ¡°It was refined by me.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I said,¡± Zanxing repeated, ¡°I refined the demon core.¡± Hongsu and Lao Niu were shocked into silence. Zanxing looked into the distance, the bustling crowd was reflected in the morning light, and Pingyang Town looked extremely lively, like a tourist town, full of unreal old feelings. But here everything was real. The wound on her face was getting more and more painful, and she had to seek medical treatment as soon as possible. It was difficult to do anything without money. Although she really wanted to avoid following the previous plot line, the novel still required her to meet the original plot characters to trigger the next plot. Forget it, let¡¯s go. ¡°Miss, what should we do now?¡± Hongsu asked. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Zanxing smiled, ¡°to find our cash machine.¡± ¡­ Someone was sitting in the ¡®Good Luck¡¯ inn in Pingyang Town. The location of the inn was well chosen, next to the river. Guests in the room could open the windows directly facing the Lixiu River. At night, with the river breeze blowing, guests could put a jug of fine wine on the small table by the window, invite a few friends, play the piano and drink a glass of wine. It would not disappoint the beautiful scenery of the night. Of course, the price of the inn was also very expensive, one hundred spirit stones a night. Only wealthy families would spend so much. This time, Taiyan Sect was recruiting new talents, thus young talents from all parts of Duzhou, many with prominent family backgrounds, were gathered here. Wang Shao sat on the soft couch by the window, looking out happily and drinking tea. The water used to make the tea was the spiritual spring water from Conggufeng Mountain. Not only was it refreshing and fragrant, drinking it would also be good for the body. Although the damn place was expensive, people got what they paid for, thus there were still merits. ¡°Young Master,¡± the servant came in and said in a low voice, ¡°The whereabouts of the siblings, Mu Cengxiao and Liu Yunxin have not been found.¡±