The Villainess Always Tries to Seduce Me - Chapter 13

Back then, she had always pestered that person to tell her about the scandalous secrets of the great cultivators in the Qianyuan Realm. In her memory, that person seemed indifferent toward most others, but her chatterbox would open the moment Sect Leader Mingcun of Mount Buxi was mentioned, talking incessantly.

Even when Yun Chuanzhi grew bored of hearing it, she never tired of telling it, praising the woman so much that the sun and moon seemed to lose their luster.

According to her, Sect Leader Mingcun was the only person in the current Qianyuan Realm to have glimpsed the Great Dao. She believed that all things in heaven and earth were born extraordinary, and thus she held deep disdain for those cultivators who were arrogant simply because of their high-born status.

Because of this, Mingcun always taught her disciples to treat all living beings with kindness. She had searched through a hundred and eight immortal mountains to find a piece of Eastern Divine Stone and placed it atop the highest peak of Mount Buxi.

With a wave of her hand, she set three restricted gates. Anyone destined to reach Mount Buxi—whether slave, servant, or guest—could use the Eastern Divine Stone to open their spiritual root as long as they passed those three gates.

As for whether it would be successful, that depended entirely on one’s innate potential.

At this thought, Yun Chuanzhi stuffed the floating stone man into her sleeve and briskly washed up and changed her clothes.

She was preparing to serve Bai Fenghe before making her move when the wind chimes at the door tinkled. Ling Shui’s voice drifted through the crack: “The Sect Leader is feeling unwell today and does not wish to see anyone. There is no need for you to serve.”

Luck comes without effort. Bai Fenghe had fallen ill at the perfect time. Yun Chuanzhi couldn’t hide her smile as she tiptoed out of the palace.

The wind howled and the river was cold. Fifteen minutes later, standing at the edge of a cliff amidst raging winds, she was silently stumped.

The mountain range of Mount Buxi sat with five peaks from left to right. The other four peaks were closely connected; one only needed to cross a valley to visit neighbors. But the Fifth Peak, where Gundan Peak was located, was different. It stood like a forsaken, unlucky child, alone on the other side of the Liuyuan River.

In between lay not only the hundred-foot-wide river but also several large mountain ranges and uninhabited jungles. If she started walking today, she probably wouldn’t reach the main peak until the New Year.

She finally understood how much Bai Fenghe was feared and avoided. But what now? Was there any other way to open her spiritual root?

The river surged beneath her feet, the sound of water playing a symphony with the birds. Yun Chuanzhi sat dejectedly on the ground, then eventually just lay down.

Since things were like this, she might as well sleep more.

The sun peaked through the gaps in the mountains. The early spring sunlight was already somewhat hot. Lying on the grass was like lying in a cradle, and Yun Chuanzhi soon drifted off.

But she was quickly startled awake.

“Who is here disturbing the peace?” The voice that woke her was annoying. “Hey, wake up! Stinky girl, wake up!”

I was sleeping; who is disturbing whose peace? Yun Chuanzhi shielded her eyes from the blinding sun, looking through the gaps in her fingers at the woman speaking. The woman didn’t seem to have a good temper; she even tried to give Yun Chuanzhi’s rear a kick while speaking.

Seeing this, Yun Chuanzhi flipped over. The woman kicked thin air. “Ow!”

“Who are you?” Yun Chuanzhi asked while getting up.

The woman’s apricot eyes widened. “A little immortal servant dares to question me? Who are you?”

The woman wore an orange-red round-collared robe embroidered with various precious flower patterns. Both her waist and sleeves were wrapped with training bands; she looked like a cultivator.

“I am a little immortal servant.” Yun Chuanzhi didn’t want to reveal her identity, so she gave a vague answer.

“Nonsense, I obviously know you’re an immortal servant,” the woman said sharply. “I’m asking which hall you’re from, what’s your name, and show me your waist token.”

Seeing this person was difficult to handle, Yun Chuanzhi started talking nonsense. “Reporting to the Immortal, I am Liu Dagou. I am an outer-peak servant of Gundan Peak, I don’t belong to any specific hall.”

As for the waist token, she had deliberately left it behind today for fear of being recognized and causing trouble.

“Liu Dagou, what a weird name.” The woman crossed her arms and scanned her. “In broad daylight, you aren’t working in the sect, so why have you run to my territory?”

This was clearly the boundary between the Fifth Peak and the main peak; how did it become her territory? Yun Chuanzhi’s mind whirred, and she spoke with a smile: “I want to go to the main peak of Mount Buxi. I just happened to pass by and don’t know how to get across.”

“Oh, you’re lost.” The woman surprisingly didn’t ask more. She pointed to a dome peeking out from the clouds on the opposite side—the main hall of Mount Buxi. “You just need to fly over the Liuyuan River and pass through the Hundred-Foot Falls on the other side of the cliff to reach Mount Buxi.”

Yun Chuanzhi walked forward two steps, looking at the Liuyuan River which looked like a ribbon from this height, then at the falls on the other side which were barely visible.

Thanks, but no thanks. She’d give up and try again another day.

Thinking this, she turned to leave, only to have the woman grab her collar and spin her around. “What? You can’t fly?”

“This servant is a mortal body and hasn’t opened her spiritual root,” Yun Chuanzhi said with a bitter smile while dangling from her grip. “To tell the truth, the reason I’m going to the main peak is to find that Eastern Divine Stone and try to cultivate some immortal arts.”

The moment she finished, the woman burst into a fit of giggles, letting go and dropping Yun Chuanzhi. “Do you know how hard those three gates are? That stone has stood there for at least hundreds of years, and only a handful of people have entered. Those few are now all Venerables who have attained the Dao.”

“With just you, Liu Dagou, you want to get near the Eastern Divine Stone?”

She laughed until she was out of breath, tears leaking from her apricot eyes as she bent over to pound the ground.

Is it really that funny? Yun Chuanzhi watched her silently, her mind turning. Suddenly, she spoke: “It seems you don’t believe me. I thought an Immortal living in seclusion here would be a great hidden master, but it seems you’re just a ‘half-bucket’ amateur.”

“Who are you calling an amateur!” The woman’s laughter vanished instantly. She grabbed Yun Chuanzhi’s collar and glared.

Easily fooled, as expected. Yun Chuanzhi coughed into her hand. “Since the Immortal cannot see this servant’s excellent potential, I was simply telling the truth.”

“Fine! I want to see exactly what kind of potential you have to dare call me, Cheng Jinshu, an amateur!” The woman tucked Yun Chuanzhi under her arm, and before her voice even faded, they launched into the sky.

Fifteen minutes later, with a stomach full of turmoil, Yun Chuanzhi stood at the long-awaited entrance of Mount Buxi.

Behind her were the surging Hundred-Foot Falls. The spray from the waterfall drenched both of them. Yun Chuanzhi stood ashen-faced for a moment before letting out a loud blegh and vomiting.

She was right; this Cheng Jinshu really was an amateur. She couldn’t even manage wind-riding properly, nearly shaking Yun Chuanzhi’s brains out with the turbulence.

But at least she made it before the New Year. Yun Chuanzhi washed her mouth with river water and looked up the mountain.

Beside her, Cheng Jinshu looked refreshed. She patted her robes and pointed at the stone steps: “There, that’s the only way into Mount Buxi. I really want to see how a little servant like you breaks through those three gates. Come, I’ll fly you up.”

“No thanks, thank you, no!” Yun Chuanzhi shook her hands like a rattle.

Mount Buxi truly lived up to its name as one of the three major sects. After passing through the path, she saw countless magnificent gemstone steps winding upward. Such stairs were all over the mountain, leading to various celestial pavilions.

Aside from the palaces built into the cliffs, there were many buildings called “Cloud Universes” floating around the peaks. They stayed still when there was no wind and drifted away with the breeze, returning only when beckoned.

If one looked closely, many immortal beasts flew beneath these structures—colorful birds and fluttering butterflies.

Yun Chuanzhi had heard of the grandeur of Mount Buxi in Wujian City, but seeing it in person was still shocking. She looked everywhere as she walked, like a country bumpkin entering the city, finding everything fresh and new.

Ascending the steps, she occasionally saw cultivators passing by. They were dressed in various silks with glowing gold waist tokens; any one of them was at the Nascent Soul stage.

They naturally didn’t spare Yun Chuanzhi a glance, but they always looked at Cheng Jinshu strutting beside her. However, they didn’t dare say a word, lowering their heads as they passed.

“Why are they looking at you?” Yun Chuanzhi asked curiously.

“Don’t talk so much; go open your spiritual root.” Cheng Jinshu ignored her, pulling a long staff to rest on her shoulders, looking like a total ruffian. “I haven’t seen a joke in a while; I want to have some fun today.”

Maybe it really is a joke, Yun Chuanzhi touched her hair. After all, this was Cui Ergou’s body; if her meridians were truly useless, even all her experience from her past life would be for naught.

They climbed for a full two hours before the silhouette of the main hall appeared. A glittering golden building rose from the ground like a giant tree, its rounded top solemn and hidden in the clouds, competing with the sun for brilliance.

“That is the Hall of Mingcun, where thousands of cultivators come to worship,” Cheng Jinshu said with her arms crossed. She twirled her staff and pointed toward a garden full of bridges. “That is the Yizhen Garden.”

“The Eastern Divine Stone you’re looking for is right there.”

The stone was indeed in the depths of the garden, but what met the eye wasn’t a rock, but four pieces of clear, thousand-year-old ice positioned North, South, East, and West. In the center was a circular disc paved with crushed stones. Standing there would summon the three gates.

Yun Chuanzhi was about to step forward when she was blinded by a sudden swirl of dust. A sharp shout rang out, and several youths in deep blue silk emerged from the dust.

“Who dares approach the Divine Stone?” A long sword broke through the dust and clanged as it leveled at Yun Chuanzhi’s throat.

“Stop.” Cheng Jinshu spoke up. She frowned and stepped forward, pulling Yun Chuanzhi back.

The man speaking looked quite young, and the pattern on his silk robes was different from the others, suggesting a high status. He looked at Yun Chuanzhi with a sneer, then turned to Cheng Jinshu.

“Is this not the Eldest Senior Sister? What? After having half your cultivation stripped away, instead of practicing properly, you’ve mixed in with the servants?” The youth grinned wildly. “Bringing a servant here… surely you aren’t thinking of opening a spiritual root?”

He burst into laughter, and the youths beside him followed suit, their mockery evident.

“Oh, if it isn’t the Little Junior Brother under Peak Master Liao of the Second Peak. The last time I saw you was three years ago; because you blew up his alchemy furnace, the old man stripped your pants off and hung you from a beam to whip you. I was the one who pleaded for you.”

“What? You’ve forgotten your Big Sister so quickly?” Cheng Jinshu struck back sharply, her grin wide enough to show all her teeth.

How are there such scandals? Yun Chuanzhi almost forgot her purpose while listening to the gossip, her eyes darting toward the man’s pants.

“Nonsense!” Seeing he couldn’t win the argument, the man turned his gaze back to Yun Chuanzhi. He scanned her once and laughed.

“Oh, just a little slave.” He waved a hand toward Yun Chuanzhi’s forehead, but he was blocked by a long staff coming through the air.

“Li Tang, don’t bully her!” Though she looked overbearing, Cheng Jinshu was a loyal sort. She stepped forward to trade blows with Li Tang, but her cultivation was only half of what it used to be. After a few rounds, she was hit in the chest and fell to one knee, surrounded by the others.

“Since our Eldest Senior Sister protects you so much, I simply must bully you today.” The man sheathed his sword arrogantly and approached Yun Chuanzhi with his hands behind his back.

Why are there so many crazies on Mount Buxi? Yun Chuanzhi frowned and reached into her sleeve. Although the stone puppet had Bai Fenghe’s spiritual power, it was still just a puppet; it probably wouldn’t last a single blow against these cultivators.

“A lowly slave girl should kneel quickly upon seeing this Young Master,” the man said with his chin raised.

Laughter rang out from the surroundings, accompanied by Cheng Jinshu’s loud, foul-mouthed cursing. Yun Chuanzhi reached into her sleeve, feeling quite helpless.

She would use the puppet as a shield first, then grab Cheng Jinshu and run. She just didn’t know if Cheng Jinshu’s amateur wind-riding could outrun these lunatics.

As she was thinking, the man closed in on her. The immortal art hiding her slave brand was wiped away, exposing the flame-red mark.

“Kneel.” The man slapped toward Yun Chuanzhi. But as the wind from his palm reached her cheek, her body suddenly turned into empty space. She watched as the man’s hand passed right through her face, nearly hitting himself with the momentum.

And before her appeared the blurry, impatient face of Bai Fenghe.

And that rich, floral fragrance that belonged to her.

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