The Immortal Lord of the Path of Ruthlessness Bends for Me - Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Miss, Are You Willing to Feel Bad for Me Now?

Attacking first offered no advantage. Ling Shu wasn’t about to start a fight she didn’t have to; she wanted to win, and more importantly, she wanted to get out in one piece. Looking at these eleven green, new-recruit cultivators, she decided to try and smooth things over.

Ling Shu cupped her hands in a mock gesture of respect, her smile a bit sly. “Listen, my dear older sisters, I mean no offense. We have no real grudge. We’re all fellow disciples—why hurt each other? I won’t tell a soul about those three trying to bully me today. If this gets out, it’s bad for everyone. Your Masters are busy people; we shouldn’t trouble them with such trifles.”

“Who are you calling ‘one of us’!” a tall, sturdy cultivator barked.

Li Chang narrowed her eyes. “Are you threatening us with our Masters?”

Li Chang pressed her sword against Ling Shu’s neck. Ling Shu leaned back slightly, gingerly pinching the blade with her thumb and forefinger. “Perish the thought, Miss! Taking your seat was my mistake. Forgive me, please?”

As Li Chang’s grip tightened, Ling Shu—fearing for her fingers—quickly let go of the blade. She stretched out her neck toward the edge, smiling. “I recall that killing a person earns you forty strikes of lightning punishment, Miss. Watch your form. Come on, make it quick.”

Li Chang wavered. Since joining the sect, she’d spent her time playing around or copying the Tao Te Ching; she hadn’t actually studied the sect laws. She pulled the sword back half an inch. “How do you know that?”

Ling Shu chuckled. “Experience. Just a bit of life experience.”

A quiet, frail-looking girl covered her mouth and whispered into Li Chang’s ear: “Sister Chang, it’s true. Killing someone really is forty strikes.”

Li Chang swallowed hard and lowered her sword.

The tall cultivator protested, “Sister Chang, are we just letting her go???”

Li Chang seemed stuck, staring at Ling Shu as if calculating something. Seeing the lack of immediate intent to kill, Ling Shu scanned for an exit. There! A small path under the banyan tree to the east. Trimmed and tidy—that’s the way out!

“Great! If we’re done, I’ll be going! Farewell!”

Ling Shu leaped off the tree and bolted toward the eastern path.

“Stop right there!” Li Chang’s voice thundered behind her, sounding like someone whose house had just been robbed. In an instant, Ling Shu was surrounded again.

Ling Shu: “…” Ling Shu: “Are you kidding me?!”

Eleven cultivators. Eleven swords. Li Chang glared: “I saw you hit three fellow disciples with stones. Today, I’m going to teach you a lesson for them!”

They unsheathed their weapons, eleven sharp points aimed at Ling Shu.

“Don’t you fear the lightning?!” Ling Shu wailed.

Li Chang smirked. “As long as we leave you with a breath of life, we’re fine.”

Ling Shu howled, “You monsters!”

Just as Li Chang struck, a thunderous sound of something massive running echoed through the valley. Birds took flight in a panic. The “tri-horn pig” beast had gone mad and was charging toward them. It was twice the size of a normal hog, pink-skinned with white fur, its belly fat swaying as its hooves hit the ground with bone-shaking thuds.

Being stepped on by that thing would be lethal.

Someone screamed, “Why has His Majesty gone crazy?!”

Li Chang’s spell was interrupted. Seeing the beast, she didn’t say a word and tried to fly away on her sword. But her sword felt heavy, as if moving through sludge. She poured in more spiritual power to gain height, only to see the other ten already mid-air.

Li Chang felt her sword struggling. She looked back and saw Ling Shu dangling from the hilt with one hand, waving and smiling. “Hi.”

“Get off!” Li Chang shifted back, preparing to kick Ling Shu’s hand, when shrieks of “AAAAHH!” erupted above.

She froze. The cultivators who had flown high were being knocked down by a giant, invisible spiritual net in the sky.

“Why aren’t we flying?” Ling Shu asked, confused.

Li Chang looked at her, exasperated. “You’re new, so you don’t know. This valley is for pets. To stop them from escaping, there’s a net that lets people in but not out. Our cultivation isn’t high enough to break it. And even if I could, I wouldn’t—these pets are the darlings of the sect seniors. If they got lost, the seniors would be heartbroken.”

Ling Shu blinked. “You actually have a conscience.”

“I’m not a barbarian!” Li Chang snapped.

Ling Shu pushed her luck. “If you feel bad for the pets, can you feel a little bad for me too?”

Li Chang’s face flushed. “No! You’re the one who killed my aunt! I’ll never forgive you!” She kicked at Ling Shu again. Ling Shu winced in pain but didn’t let go; instead, she grabbed Li Chang’s ankle with her left hand and yanked. Li Chang fell off the sword, ending up dangling upside down as Ling Shu held her.

“Miss, are you willing to feel bad for me now?” Ling Shu grinned, showing her white teeth like a crafty fox.

“I won’t!” Li Chang yelled, face turning purple.

“One… two…” Ling Shu teased.

“AHHH! Fine! I’ll fly us as high as I can, just don’t let go!”

“Much obliged, Miss.” Ling Shu’s voice was dripping with smug satisfaction.

Li Chang, still hanging precariously, managed to steer the sword toward a high rock ledge. As they landed, Li Chang collapsed, gasping for air. Ling Shu patted her hands and stood with arms akimbo, watching the chaos below. “So, that pig is called ‘His Majesty’?”

“Mmh,” Li Chang grunted.

“The person who named it is a genius,” Ling Shu remarked.

“Can’t talk. Have to save them.” Li Chang grabbed her sword and dove back into the fray. She flew low, pulling people up who were being chased by the beast. Even though her power was low and she was struggling, she kept going.

Ling Shu watched from the rock, letting out an annoyed “Tsk.”

Then, she leaped. Using vines like a forest monkey, she swung through the air and landed by a stream. She searched frantically for a specific five-lobed plant—the Five-Maple Grass. She found a stalk and gripped it tight.

A heavy thudding approached, accompanied by the thick smell of blood. The beast was upon her. One of its horns was broken, bleeding like a harvested antler.

Crap. Too focused on the grass, forgot to watch my back.

Suddenly, an orange blur descended. Li Chang reached out her hand, screaming: “Ling Shu! Give me your hand!”

Ling Shu grabbed it just as the beast lunged. The pig missed, its massive hooves churning the dirt as it stared at them and gathered strength for a jump. Its horns brushed the bottom of Ling Shu’s shoe.

“Why can it jump?!” Ling Shu yelled. “Aren’t tri-horn pigs supposed to be clumsy?”

“This is the Shangqing Sect!” Li Chang huffed. “It’s full of spiritual energy and it runs every day. It’s fit!”

Ling Shu went silent, staring at the beast. Suddenly, she said, “Drop me down.”

“Are you insane?” Li Chang barked, but then she saw Ling Shu’s eyes. They were sharp, focused like a predator on the hunt. The intensity made a shiver run down Li Chang’s spine. A demon really is a demon…

“Right here. Follow it, fly lower,” Ling Shu said with a cold, calm authority.

Li Chang obeyed. Then, her eyes widened as Ling Shu jumped off the sword and landed squarely on the beast’s back.

The beast bucked wildly, trying to throw her. Ling Shu gripped the horns, pressing her body flat. When the beast started sprinting to shake her off, Ling Shu used a moment of stability to lean forward and reach for the beast’s mouth.

“YOU’RE GOING TO DIE!” Li Chang screamed from above.

Ling Shu didn’t answer. The beast jolted, and from Li Chang’s perspective, Ling Shu slipped and disappeared under the beast!

Li Chang circled in the air, panicked. The beast was charging headfirst into a tree at full speed. It was going to crash!

Just as the beast reached the trunk, it veered sharply. Its speed began to drop. A pale hand reached up to grab the horn, followed by a leg hooking over the back. Ling Shu flipped herself back into the saddle.

“Stop,” Ling Shu commanded. The beast came to a dead halt, chest heaving.

Li Chang wiped away tears of relief. “How did you do that? I thought you were dead, waaah!”

“You’re the one who’s dead,” Ling Shu retorted.

“How did you know that grass would work?”

“I was a wild child in the forest; I know these things. Animals go mad when they inhale ‘Pu Lotus’ pollen. Five-Maple Grass neutralizes it.”

The other ten cultivators descended. The tall one scratched his head. “I… I take it back. We are ‘one of us’…”

Ling Shu mimicked him: “Who’s ‘one of us’!” They all laughed.

The three girls who had started it walked up and bowed. “We’re sorry for bullying you. Ling Shu is a good person.”

Li Chang realized her mistake. She had seen Ling Shu hitting them with rocks and assumed the worst, not knowing Ling Shu was defending herself. She asked, “Why did they bully you anyway?”

Ling Shu snapped, “Don’t give me that ‘flies don’t sting seamless eggs’ crap. Dogs bite for no reason.”

Li Chang frowned. “I feel like you’re calling me a dog…”

“If the shoe fits.”

“You…!” Li Chang stopped and asked, “Whose pet is this pig, anyway?”

“Sect Leader Wang’s,” someone replied.

Ling Shu jumped off the beast as if she’d been electrocuted. “Disgusting!” she spat.

The group escorted her to the Qingxi Palace. Ling Shu rushed past Auntie Hai and headed straight for the Shuiyue Hot Spring.

Her emotions were high, causing her demon power to surge. She had realized after the tribulation that her power was becoming harder to control. She ignored everyone because she didn’t want them to see her injury—she had been stepped on by the pig and had swallowed a mouthful of blood, holding it in until she was alone.

She burst into the spring area, desperate to soothe the raging energy, but failed to notice the lantern by the door.

Through a thin white veil of steam, she saw a hazy silhouette.

The person in the spring had pinned her dark hair to one side, exposing a vast expanse of pale, elegant skin. Water droplets glistened on her back. The woman’s aura was cold and noble—a single glimpse of her back was enough to take one’s breath away.

Ling Shu’s legs felt as if they were rooted to the spot. She couldn’t move an inch.

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