I Reloaded the Save File! [Transmigration] - Chapter 24.1

The little thief’s voice was distinctly feminine. Once she was chased down by the guards due to exhaustion, Mo Xiao confirmed her gender: the so-called little thief was just a half-grown girl.

In fact, Mo Xiao had sensed the little thief’s movement when she passed by. Since Mo Xiao’s first impression of the girl was not bad, she smoothly put the item the girl slipped to her into her storage space without showing any abnormality.

“Nonsense! I clearly saw you steal the item. It’s something our Young Master needs for cultivation. I advise you to hand it over quickly, or when our Steward arrives, you’ll suffer some hard times,” the guard threatened, using his stick to control the girl.

“I said I didn’t take it, and I didn’t! You’re slandering me!” The little thief’s neck was pinned by the stick, forcing her to lie on the ground. “Is this how the Hu Family acts? Bullying people with power!”

“Nonsense, I clearly…” Before the guard could finish speaking, a man dressed as a steward rode up on a horse.

“Has the Star Stone been found?” The Steward dismounted, his sharp gaze sweeping over the onlookers, finally landing on the little thief on the ground. “Is this the person who stole the Star Stone?”

“No, I didn’t take it,” the little thief yelled. “You clearly lost the item yourselves and don’t want to take responsibility, so you’re blaming it on me!”

Seeing the crowd of onlookers growing larger, the Steward’s face became somewhat stern. “If what you say is true, then we shouldn’t mind searching you, should we?”

“It’s fine, but if you can’t find any Star Stone on me, you have to compensate me with a hundred spirit stones!” the little thief said after a moment’s hesitation.

The Steward nodded, then signaled the guard to step forward and conduct the search.

“Wait.” Seeing the guard approach, the little thief’s face showed a look of alarm. “You wouldn’t search the body of a young girl in public, would you? That’s indecent!”

“…” The expression on the Steward’s face stiffened. To preserve his master’s reputation, he could only suppress his anger. “Is there any female cultivator here who would be willing to do the Hu Family a small favor? I, Hu, will offer ten spirit stones as a thank you gift.”

“I am willing.” As soon as the Steward’s words fell, a young female cultivator at the middle Qi Cultivation Stage stepped forward.

The Steward nodded. “Then I trouble you, Fellow Daoist.”

The female cultivator wasted no words, stepping forward to first check the little thief’s accessories to see if they were storage artifacts, then carefully examined her clothes, and finally even checked her hair and shoes to be thorough.

The little thief was currently restrained, and since the female cultivator’s actions were not excessive, she simply stood still and allowed the examination.

“Steward Hu, I have checked carefully twice. This girl only has a few simple accessories on her and no Star Stone,” the female cultivator reported, cupping her hands.

The Steward’s face wrinkled. He took out ten low-grade spirit stones and handed them to the cultivator. “It seems we have misunderstood you, young friend. My sincerest apologies.”

“I told you I was framed!” The little thief had already guessed this result. She lightly dusted the dirt from her clothes, looking relaxed. “Steward Hu, when will you give me my hundred spirit stones?”

“I left in a hurry this time and didn’t bring any spirit stones. If young friend doesn’t mind, you can return to the Hu Family with us to collect it,” the Steward forced a smile, his eyes locking with the little thief’s gaze.

“That’s…” The little thief suddenly stopped speaking before finishing her sentence, then her body went limp and she collapsed onto the ground.

“This young friend seems to have exhausted her spiritual energy. The Hu Family is responsible for this matter,” the Steward’s smile became much more genuine. “Men, quickly carry the young friend and bring her back to the mansion for treatment.”

“Yes.” The guards on the side quickly reacted, roughly hoisting the girl onto their shoulders.

Although the surrounding people were somewhat dissatisfied with the Hu Family’s methods, the Hu Family was one of the three great aristocratic families in Fenghua City. Going against the Hu Family for a young Qi Cultivation Stage cultivator was simply too uneconomical.

Seeing this, Zuo Wuyi tugged at Mo Xiao’s sleeve, asking with her eyes if they should intervene. If nothing unexpected happened, this little thief would likely not have a chance to leave once she was taken into the Hu Family.

Mo Xiao used her Spirit Sense to examine the so-called Star Stone in her storage space. Her expression changed slightly, and she shook her head subtly at Zuo Wuyi.

After Steward Hu took the person away, Zuo Wuyi couldn’t suppress her curiosity any longer. She lowered her voice and asked, “Mo Xiao, is there something wrong with that item?”

Mo Xiao nodded. After throwing up a soundproofing barrier around herself, she spoke. “I sense the aura of other cultivators on it.”

“What does that mean?” Zuo Wuyi didn’t understand. “Is that Star Stone someone else’s property?”

“Junior Sister, do you mean it contains the spiritual energy of others?” Yun Yu seemed to have thought of something, her brow furrowing. “Junior Sister, let me see that Star Stone.”

Mo Xiao nodded. After wrapping the so-called Star Stone in her own spiritual energy, she handed it to Yun Yu.

Yun Yu took the Star Stone, looked at it, then her face darkened. She crushed the Star Stone in her hand. “It seems we will have to stay here for a while.”

Zuo Wuyi was bewildered, but this was not the place to talk. She suppressed the question in her heart until they found a teahouse and entered a private room, where she finally asked her question.

“It’s normal that you don’t know, Little Junior Sister. That so-called Star Stone actually has another name, called Spiritual Energy Storage Stone (Chuling Shi). As the name suggests, it is something that can store spiritual energy,” Yun Yu, as the Senior Sister, knew the most comprehensive details.

“It’s shameful to admit, but the raw material for the Spiritual Energy Storage Stone was accidentally created by an Elder in the Artifact Pavilion of the Wendao Sect,” Yun Yu sighed. “The Spiritual Energy Storage Stone is an excellent carrier for spiritual energy. If incorporated into a sword blank, the resulting spiritual sword is about twice as powerful as one without it.”

“Of course, such a spiritual sword also has drawbacks; it generally wears out after a year or two. Before the Elder could continue his research and improvement, someone discovered that spiritual energy, once stored in the Spiritual Energy Storage Stone, becomes extremely easy for the human body to absorb, and things quickly spiraled out of control.”

“Upon learning this, the Elder immediately dealt with that batch of disciples and destroyed all the Spiritual Energy Storage Stones he could find. I didn’t expect to still see this kind of stone after nearly fifty years, and even given the name Star Stone.”

Zuo Wuyi listened intently to Yun Yu’s narration. Only after she stopped did Zuo Wuyi ask, “Is this kind of Star Stone something only that Elder of the Wendao Sect can make?”

Yun Yu nodded. “That Elder’s spiritual root and cultivation method are quite unique. Only he can make this kind of stone.”

“If the Star Stone has such an effect, many people would want to obtain it, wouldn’t they?” Zuo Wuyi asked. “Did no one force the Elder to continue refining the Star Stone?”

“This Star Stone also has usage restrictions. If one wants to extract the cultivation of another person, their own cultivation must be one major stage higher than the target,” Mo Xiao added at the right time. “This Star Stone can only withstand the power of the Nascent Soul Stage at most, and Soul Transformation Stage cultivators are reputable figures; they would disdain using such methods.”

Zuo Wuyi nodded. This made sense. If this so-called Star Stone was only useful to low-level cultivators, it would indeed be easy to control.

“Logically speaking, the lifespan of this Star Stone is very short. Even if a few pieces were not disposed of back then, it’s been decades. They should be close to failing now,” Yun Yu mused to herself. “There’s no reason for them to still exist.”

Mo Xiao thought for a moment. “Perhaps they had quite a few stones left over back then. Didn’t the Elder say that one Star Stone could be reused seven or eight hundred times? We Sword Cultivators use swords a lot, which is why a sword would wear out in a year or two. If it’s used only for extracting and storing spiritual energy, once a month, it could last for several decades.”

Yun Yu nodded. That inference made sense. “I hope this Star Stone was only preserved by accident.”

Although Mo Xiao hadn’t intervened in the little thief’s situation on the spot, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t interfere. After dark, Mo Xiao and the two others changed into night clothes, put on artifacts to conceal their aura, and quietly infiltrated the Hu Family.

“That girl still hasn’t said anything? Her mouth is too tough!” In a courtyard on the west side of the Hu Family, two people dressed as guards were chatting.

“Who cares what she says? If she still won’t talk tomorrow, that girl will probably be dead. If you feel bad about it, we two brothers can find a nice spot to bury her,” Guard Two said, immediately sitting down.

“Then what about Old Mu? What punishment will he get for losing the Star Stone?” Guard One imitated Guard Two, sitting down against the wall.

“Old Mu? He’s probably finished. If the Star Stone isn’t recovered, we’ll just pretend we never knew him,” Guard Two lamented for a few sentences, then started talking about some trivial matters with Guard One.

Seeing the two stop talking about the little thief, Mo Xiao and Zuo Wuyi exchanged glances. They nodded in understanding, then moved to the two guards in a single breath. Before the guards could react, they swiftly knocked them out with a hand chop.

“Go in?” Yun Yu silently floated over.

“There are traces of spiritual energy here,” Mo Xiao said, having sensed it with her Spirit Sense, and pointed in a direction.

“Let’s go,” Yun Yu said in a low voice. The three of them crouched low and accelerated with spiritual energy. If someone were present, they would likely feel three gusts of wind passing by.

After walking another six hundred meters inward, they encountered a small patrol of guards. Except for the squad leader, who was at the Foundation Establishment Stage, the other four were all late Qi Cultivation Stage cultivators. Even though Mo Xiao’s group was only three meters away from their hiding place, they felt nothing and quickly walked away.

Bypassing the patrolling guards and moving forward past a courtyard, Mo Xiao and the others reached a room on the westernmost side. The room looked simple from the outside, but there were four guards at the door, all at the middle Foundation Establishment Stage.

“Knock them out?” Mo Xiao asked.

“Knock them out first,” Yun Yu decided.

This time, Zuo Wuyi did not act. Mo Xiao and Yun Yu essentially teleported behind the guards. As the guards showed signs of panic, they neatly brought their hands down in a chop, each taking down two unconscious bodies.

“This seems to be a Spiritual Energy Lock,” Yun Yu looked at the fist-sized lock on the door. She gripped it with one hand and exerted slight force. The so-called Spiritual Energy Lock quickly deformed and finally turned to powder.

“Cough, cough. I accidentally didn’t control my strength,” Yun Yu said, a little embarrassed, shaking off the small fragments stuck to her hand.

Zuo Wuyi couldn’t help but glance at the small pile of grayish-white powder on the ground. If she can crush this kind of Spiritual Energy Lock, can she also easily crush my head?

Well, it’s a good thing Yun Yu is my Senior Sister this time. If she’s on my side, I shouldn’t have to worry about a critical hit in this life.

“Someone is coming.” The moment the Spiritual Energy Lock was crushed, the Hu Family Elder who was meditating inside suddenly opened his eyes. “Young Master, the Spiritual Energy Lock I set has been destroyed. It must be the little thief’s accomplices coming to rescue her.”

“Then I’ll trouble the Elder to take a trip. I want to see who dares to go against my Hu Family,” the person addressed as Young Master was a somewhat frail young man, at the late Foundation Establishment Stage, with a subtle aura suggesting he was about to break through to the Golden Core Stage.

“Young Master, wait here for a moment. I’ll be right back,” the Hu Family Elder, wearing a blue scholar’s robe and a long beard, said.

By this time, Mo Xiao and the two others had entered the room and saw the little thief tied to a pillar. She was wearing the same clothes as during the day. Aside from looking a little weak, she had no external injuries.

“Who are you?” The little thief was surprised to see the three, then looked at them with vigilance.

“Did you forget already?” Zuo Wuyi took a step forward, carefully studying the little thief’s appearance. “A reminder: you nearly ran into us during the day.”

The little thief frowned, her gaze lingering on Mo Xiao’s clothes. “It’s you. I advise you to leave before you’re discovered, or if the Hu Family catches you, you’ll be the next me.”

“Why did you give me the item?” Mo Xiao asked.

“No reason. I just didn’t want to give it back to them,” the little thief said, shrugging. “As long as it doesn’t fall into the Hu Family’s hands, it’s the same no matter who has it.”

“Do you know what you stole?” Yun Yu asked.

The little thief shook her head. “Not exactly, but I know they killed my brother for this. I won’t allow them to use my brother.”

“You…” Before Yun Yu could ask further, a gust of wind blades carrying an aggressive force flew toward them, only to be blocked by Mo Xiao.

“The Hu Family is here,” Mo Xiao said. She hadn’t fully extended her Spirit Sense, keeping it to a range of fifty meters. “It seems to be a middle Golden Core cultivator.”

“That person is a Hu Family Elder. Run quickly! You can’t defeat him!” Hearing Mo Xiao’s words, the little thief suddenly became agitated. “If you are caught, you will definitely die! Go now!”

At this moment, the little thief overlooked one thing: cultivators can only perceive the cultivation level of those who do not exceed their own, and cannot perceive the cultivation level of those higher than them. Since Mo Xiao could accurately determine the opponent’s cultivation, it was sufficient to show that her own cultivation was at the middle Golden Core Stage or above.

“Leave? Dream on. This isn’t a place you can just leave,” the Hu Family Elder appeared in the room in the blink of an eye. Seeing two early Golden Core cultivators here, he showed a slight look of caution.

“May I ask what business you three have, infiltrating the Hu Family disguised like this?” Elder Hu compared their cultivation levels and did not act rashly, speaking politely instead.

“Nothing much. We just wanted to see how this little girl was being treated as a guest in the Hu Family,” Zuo Wuyi said. “If I recall correctly, didn’t that Steward Hu from earlier say he was bringing this little girl back to the Hu Family to host her well? Is this how you host people?”

Elder Hu glanced at the little thief. “You must be mistaken. This is a thief that our Hu Family just caught this evening. She shouldn’t be the young girl you speak of.”

“Is that so?” Yun Yu sneered. “Are you taking us for fools, expecting us to believe whatever you say?”

“Fellow Daoists, this is the Hu Family. Your unannounced visit is already improper. If you are willing to leave now, I will pretend nothing happened,” Elder Hu said, stroking his long beard. “Otherwise, the Hu Family has more Elders than just me.”

After sensing the arrival of his reinforcements, Elder Hu’s tone became much more confident. He alone might not be able to take on two early Golden Core cultivators at once, but with one more early Golden Core Elder, he could prioritize taking one of them down, then deal with the rest.

“Are you sure you want to be our enemy?” In Yun Yu’s view, the Hu Family Elder’s posturing was pathetic, like a clown trying to put on a show.

“I am not seeking enmity with you. There are malicious people attacking the Hu Family tonight. As an Elder of the Hu Family, I naturally have the duty to protect it,” Elder Hu said. As soon as his voice fell, a person of similar cultivation level appeared next to him.