The Immortal Lord of the Path of Ruthlessness Bends for Me - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: What Kind of “Master and Disciple” Are We?

The woman stole a glance at the two men behind her, then gave Ling Shu a fake smile. As instructed, she leaned her head in closer.

In a flash, Ling Shu lunged forward and bit down hard on the woman’s neck while savagely yanking her hair. The woman shrieked in agony. Her hands flew to Ling Shu’s throat, and the two dissolved into a chaotic scuffle on the ground.

The bearded man and the hammer-wielder rushed forward to pull them apart. They pinned Ling Shu against the cavern wall, pressing her face into the rough stone.

“Heh,” Ling Shu scoffed, accidentally inhaling a mouthful of dirt. She wanted to spit it out but couldn’t; instead, she vented her spite on the three of them. “Morons. Do you even dare to kill me?”

The woman let out an out-of-control scream. Her hair was a dusty mess, and her neck bore a deep, bleeding bite mark. She looked like a lioness that had failed its hunt. Using a healing spell to staunch the bleeding, she snapped irritably, “Let her go!”

“Hahaha!” Ling Shu pointed at the woman. “Can’t do anything to me, can you? Hahaha!”

The hammer-wielder raised his weapon to crush Ling Shu’s skull, but the bearded man caught his arm. “If you kill her, you’ll never get the demon core.” The man growled and slammed his hammer into the floor instead, shaking the entire cave.

“Hang her up,” the woman said, smoothing her hair and tossing a coil of hemp rope onto the ground.

Ling Shu took a step back, raising her left hand in a “stop” gesture. Her eyes darted around. “Wait, wait! It’s just a demon core. No need for violence.”

“Scared now?” the woman sneered.

Ling Shu played along. “Sister, good Sister, I’m terrified. Truly.” She placed her right hand over her dantian and drew a breath upward. A shimmering, golden demon core slid from her mouth into her hand.

“Now, listen up. This is a genuine thousand-year Fox Demon core. There is only one in the world. Refine it into a spiritual tool, and it can cleave mountains or fight immortals,” Ling Shu raised her arm, boasting shamelessly. “Whoever gets this becomes the supreme ruler of the world.”

The bearded man reached for it, but Ling Shu snatched it away. She cocked an eyebrow. “Anxious already?”

The woman glared at the bearded man, the bearded man stared gloomily at Ling Shu’s hand, and the hammer-wielder tightened his grip on his weapon.

Ling Shu smirked. “Watch closely. There’s only one. Don’t drop it. This was formed from a thousand years of spiritual essence. If it breaks, you won’t find another for ten lifetimes.”

Ling Shu gauged their positions and tossed the core right into the center of the trio. With a nimble movement, she pressed herself against the wall and ducked, covering her head to avoid the crossfire.

The moment the core left her hand, the three went feral. They began beating each other senseless—dust flying, blood spraying, and screams echoing through the cave.

Ling Shu covered her ears and leaned against the cave entrance, looking up at the moon. She remembered living in the forest with her mother as a child—a paradise far from the noise. Back then, the moon was so round and bright, casting a clean white glow. Every wildflower that opened its petals felt like it was embracing the moonlight.

It wasn’t like today—full of schemes and clever hiding. Not like today…

Is that a silhouette in the sky? A flying sword!

Ling Shu immediately stood up, bracing herself against the wall. The sounds of fighting behind her grew weak. Hoarse voices groaned, “Give… it… to me…” She looked back; all three had collapsed in gruesome heaps. The core, unstained by blood, was gripped in the woman’s mangled hand. The woman was barely breathing.

Ling Shu stripped the imperial green jade bracelet from the woman’s wrist and slid it onto her own. She gave each of the three a hard kick before retrieving her demon core and swallowing it with a look of mild disgust.

A thousand-year demon core was untainted by the physical world and nearly indestructible. Ling Shu knew it was safe to use as a lure to stir human greed. With the trio incapacitated, the barrier at the cave entrance faded. Ling Shu bolted.

Good, the coast is clear. Run! She headed toward the city. Her magic hadn’t recovered yet; the forest was too dangerous with wild beasts. Safety lay in numbers. But first, she needed water to wash her face—she couldn’t sneak into the city looking like this.

In the heavy snow, there was no liquid water, but snow lay thick on the bushes. Ling Shu knelt and scooped it up. Because her body was running hot, the snow melted instantly in her palms. She lowered her head to wash the blood from her mouth.

A chill emanated from ahead. Something moved. Ling Shu looked up with a handful of slush, meeting a face of exquisite, clear beauty.

“Did you eat someone?” The voice had a clear, melodious quality that Ling Shu hadn’t quite memorized yet.

“You’re the one who eats people,” Ling Shu rolled her eyes and went back to washing her face.

“Where do you plan to go next?”

“Are you following me?”

“No.”

“Then it’s none of your business.”

Zhuang Jinfu fell silent. Having cleaned the blood from her face, Ling Shu stood up. She paused while tidying her clothes—her sleeves and collar were stained with blood that wouldn’t come out. She considered taking her outer robe off.

Zhuang Jinfu snapped her fingers. Instantly, Ling Shu’s clothes were as clean as new.

“Why are you helping me?”

Zhuang Jinfu remained silent. Since she didn’t answer, Ling Shu ignored her. Initially, Ling Shu had a sliver of goodwill toward her—after all, they were strangers, and she had returned the core and helped her at the gates. She thought she’d met a kind soul. But the moment Zhuang Jinfu addressed the wife of her enemy as “Step-mother,” that goodwill vanished.

Whose side would Zhuang Jinfu take? Her Master of many years, or a nameless stray girl?

Ling Shu walked forward. Footsteps followed. She stopped; the footsteps stopped.

“If you’re here to be a mediator, save your breath,” Ling Shu turned to see the expressionless face. “I will protect the core my mother left me. At worst, I’ll die. I’m not afraid of wandering.”

Zhuang Jinfu simply gave a quiet “Mm.”

What did “Mm” even mean? Ling Shu put her head down and kept walking, but the footsteps persisted. She stopped, hands on her hips. “Then why are you still following me?”

Zhuang Jinfu was like a sealed gourd—she wouldn’t let a word out, just standing there silently.

“Are you sick in the head?!” Ling Shu roared, unable to handle the silence.

After a long pause, the “Immortal” finally spoke. “Ling Shu, I am your Master.”

Ling Shu yanked the lotus jade pendant from her waist and threw it at Zhuang Jinfu. “Take your jade back. You only made up an excuse to bring me to the sect to help her. What kind of ‘Master and disciple’ are we?”

“Did she send you? If so, go back and tell her that I, Ling Shu, hate her. I don’t want to owe her any favors. From now on, my life and death have nothing to do with her. Since you’re so loyal, go watch over your owner. High and mighty Immortal Lord Qingxi, don’t follow me like a dog. People will call you a hypocrite, clinging to power, and it’ll ruin that ‘ethereal’ aura of yours.”

Ling Shu brushed past her. The footsteps did not follow again. The chill faded.

After walking all night, she reached Wuyang City at dawn. Ling Shu blended into the crowd. She hadn’t eaten in two days and was famished. Passing a noodle shop, the scent of scallions and broth made her mouth water. She stopped at the storefront. The shopkeeper, seeing her dressed like a cultivator, was polite. “Would the Daoist like a bowl of noodles?”

Ling Shu shook her head. “Boss, is there anyone hiring nearby? I just came down from the mountains and need work to support myself.”

The shopkeeper was a kind woman. Knowing that cultivators often descended for “trials,” she smiled. “Yes, Jiahe Tavern just opened. They’re looking for servers, an accountant, and a cook. It’s at the next intersection.”

Ling Shu bowed in thanks. As she turned to leave, the woman asked, “Would you like a bowl first?”

“No… I have no money.” Ling Shu’s stomach growled loudly, but she hurried toward the tavern.

Jiahe Tavern was a small two-story building. Ling Shu couldn’t cook and knew nothing of accounting, so she applied to be a server. The owner was a plump woman in her thirties. She asked a few questions about where Ling Shu was from, felt her arm, and nodded. “Good physique. Change your clothes; you start today.”

Ling Shu clutched the coarse clothes, embarrassed. “Can I have a bun first? I haven’t eaten in two days.”

“Oh!” Manager Zhang cried out. “I’ve hired a hungry ghost. Fine, follow me to the kitchen.”

After a full meal, she worked hard all day. At closing time, as she was moving empty wine jars to the backyard, a group of cultivators suddenly appeared in the inner hall. The leader held a glowing red mass in his hand.

Manager Zhang said politely, “My employees are just ordinary folks. There are no harmful demons here.”

Ling Shu froze at the word “demon.” She was about to bolt when one of the cultivators spotted her. “You. Come here.”

Manager Zhang laughed. “She’s my new server, a disciple from Mount Shangqing out for trial. She’s a cultivator, not a demon.”

The leader’s expression turned fierce. “Whether she’s a demon isn’t up to you to decide.”

Ling Shu gauged the distance to the window. As she walked closer with a cold face, the leader cast a spell. The red mass in his hand lit up, forming the silhouette of a red fox.

“Seize her! She is the demon!” “She is the one who killed the Second Miss!”

Ling Shu cursed internally. What is that thing? It can reveal my true form?

“Hey! You really are a demon!” Manager Zhang’s shocked voice came from behind.

Ling Shu kicked the window open. As she climbed out, she shouted, “Sorry, Boss! I’ll pay for the window next time!” She leaped out and sprinted.

But her path was instantly blocked. She turned; the rear was cut off. Left and right were sealed.

“You little demon, your crimes are unforgivable!” The lead cultivator had long eyebrows that hung down like the arms of an ape.

“I didn’t kill any ‘Second Miss’! I’m just an ordinary little fox!”

Ling Shu tried to summon her power, but her meridians were blocked. Damn it! That woman’s drug is powerful! She should have forced them to give her an antidote before leaving.

I have to fight my way out.

“Enough talk! Block her!”

She targeted the six of them. The leader was likely in the early Golden Core stage. One had a sword with a different radiance, probably late Foundation Establishment. The rest were early Foundation Establishment.

Growing up, she had spent her life evading cultivators; she could judge their levels with her demonic senses. The Golden Core leader struck her chest. Ling Shu collapsed. The man laughed. “A thousand-year core, and yet so weak! Take her back to Mount Muzi.”

Higher-level cultivators usually let subordinates do the binding and transporting. Ling Shu was handed over to an early Foundation Establishment cultivator. She closed her eyes, pretending to be unconscious. Her arm was draped over the shoulder of a tall, thin man.

As they moved, Ling Shu peeked. Seeing the man was distracted, she tripped him, snatched his sword, and decapitated him before he could react.

The noise alerted the others. Instantly, Ling Shu was surrounded again—but this time, she had a sword.

The others slashed and thrust with veteran precision. Ling Shu simply swung at whatever was coming, devoid of any formal style. As a sword lunged at her, forcing her to lean back and lose her balance, she felt a cold blade support her waist.

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