Volume 1, Chapter 187 – Uninvited Guests

“One bottle of Body Tempering Pills…”

“Two artifacts…”

“One bottle of Flesh-Regrowing Powder…”

“One bottle of Meridian-Opening Pills…”

“Ten low-grade spirit crystals…”

Shi Lan went over her assets. Those ten low-grade spirit crystals, in the system’s evaluation, were only rated one star, but for the current her, they were the most useful things she had.

Through the Jade Tempering Art, she could directly convert them into strength.

Because of the difference in the flow of time, the items in the system’s temporary storage could still remain in this world for about three months. For Shi Lan, that was definitely enough.

With these as her backing, Shi Lan let out a quiet breath of relief. At least she now had a bit of confidence.

She quietly took out a spirit crystal and held it in her palm. Closing her eyes, Shi Lan tried circulating the Jade Tempering Art. Without power in her body, she always felt insecure.

At the first stage of the Jade Tempering Art, the speed at which she drew in spiritual qi was far too slow, like slowly pulling silk from a cocoon.

After a short while, Shi Lan ended her cultivation, adjusted her steps, and walked out of the temple.

The air inside the temple was a bit murky, and when cultivating her senses toward her surroundings became extremely sharp, which made her feel rather uncomfortable.

Leaving the temple, Shi Lan went up the small hill across from it and sat down beneath that ancient tree.

In the open space, her breathing eased up a lot. The free-floating spiritual qi in the air around her was a bit richer as well, better than nothing.

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Shi Lan held the spirit crystal in her hand. Threads of spiritual qi were drawn into her body. At this trickling pace, like a small creek burbling along, she felt a little unaccustomed to it.

She was used to drawing in spiritual qi like a ravenous beast, swallowing it in great gulps. Compared to that, this current pace left a gap that naturally made one feel somewhat uncomfortable.

With the purest spiritual qi nourishing her, her strength grew bit by bit, edging closer to the first stage of the Body Tempering Realm.

Suddenly, the sound of hoofbeats came from far away. Shi Lan estimated the distance. It was roughly five li out, two horses.

If she hadn’t been in the middle of cultivation, she wouldn’t have noticed at all.

Half a stick of incense later, two tall horses stopped in front of West City Temple.

Shi Lan opened her eyes and watched quietly.

Three figures flipped down from horseback. Just then, a dark cloud happened to cover the moon, plunging everything into gloom.

In the night, Shi Lan couldn’t clearly make out their faces. She could only see their general builds: two were sturdier in frame, and the remaining one was thin and gaunt.

The temple was thrown into chaos. All the beggars were driven out. Old Hong stumbled and staggered as he rushed out, the thin teenage boy following behind him, glancing left and right, anxiety written across his face.

“You sure you didn’t screw up? Everyone from this temple is here. Where is she? Trying to amuse me?!”

The two burly men who had dismounted were both dressed in black, faces covered with black cloth, long blades hanging at their waists.

After one of them swept his gaze over the crowd, he grabbed the skinny man beside him in one hand and barked harshly.

“Even if you gave me ten times the guts, I wouldn’t dare…”

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The skinny man rose up on his toes, shaking his head in a panic. After sweeping his gaze over the beggars, he pointed at Old Hong and shouted, “That old man definitely knows where she went!”

Hearing this, the burly man lifted his chin. The other black-clad man walked up to Old Hong and spoke in a mild tone, “Elder, is there a girl of about twenty staying here with you?”

“No… this old man doesn’t know…”

“Shing!”

Old Hong had only just shaken his head when a steel blade gleaming with cold light was suddenly pressed across his neck.

“There was… there used to be a girl here, but she left a long time ago. I really don’t know where she went…”

Feeling the chill at his neck, Old Hong stammered and changed his tune.

Not seeing any sign of Shi Lan, the thin boy secretly let out a breath of relief. He turned his gaze toward the skinny man being grabbed not far away, his eyes filled with anger.

“When did that girl leave, and which way did she go?” The steel blade pressed in a little more.

“I… this old man truly doesn’t know…” Old Hong’s legs gave out, and he was about to collapse to the ground when the boy hurried forward to support him.

The man pulled his blade back and glanced over at his companion.

“Thought we could make some money, and it ends up a wasted trip. What a damn waste of my time.” The man holding the skinny fellow spat, shoved him to the ground, then kicked him, sending him flying nearly a zhang away before swinging back onto his horse.

The cloud drifted past, revealing the moon, and moonlight flooded the earth.

The burly man tugged on the reins and turned back. Just as he was about to leave, his gaze swept past the small hill to the side, and he froze for a moment.

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Beneath the ancient tree on the hillside sat a slender figure, legs crossed. Her black hair fell like a waterfall, and even in a simple cloth skirt she couldn’t hide that uniquely mysterious air about her.

Especially those eyes, like a clear spring, flowing straight into a person’s heart.

“A top-grade beauty.”

The man murmured under his breath, then snapped back to himself. He swung down from his horse like a leopard, bounding up the slope in a few strides, the other man close on his heels.

When they saw Shi Lan sitting cross-legged, a flash of suspicion crossed their eyes. They backed up a few steps and carefully observed her.

Only after confirming that there was no trace of inner strength on the woman in front of them, nor any sign that she had practiced martial arts, did the two finally come closer.

“Where are you from, girl? Why are you here all alone?” The man who had rushed up first glanced twice at the patches on Shi Lan’s skirt. The reassurance in his eyes deepened, and his attitude grew more wanton.

The other man walked around behind Shi Lan and leaned against the ancient tree not far from her.

Shi Lan didn’t move a muscle, her lashes lowered as she drew spiritual power from the spirit crystal in her hand, bolstering her strength.

The two in front of her clearly knew some martial arts. Their blood and qi far surpassed that of ordinary people. She needed a greater margin of safety before she made a move.

At the foot of the slope, the thin teenager’s expression was full of struggle. He wanted to go up, but his legs wouldn’t obey him, trembling nonstop. He was afraid…

Seeing Shi Lan remain silent, the man who had spoken to her didn’t mind. He sized her up from head to toe. When his gaze caught the exposed corner of the spirit crystal in her hand, his expression first flickered in surprise, then filled with joy.

He naturally had no idea what a spirit crystal was, but something that dazzlingly bright had to be a treasure. Thinking that today he might gain both the girl and money, his eyes grew even more feverish with excitement.

“The night wind is cold. Why don’t you come back with me, girl? I’ll make sure to treat you well…”

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As he spoke, the man crouched down, stretching a hand toward Shi Lan’s wrist.

“Whoosh!”

A sharp sound of something cutting through the air came from behind the man. Without even turning his head, he reached back and caught a small stone between his fingers.

“Crack!”

The stone crumbled into fragments and scattered down like dust.

The man turned back, fixing his cold gaze on the boy trembling in the distance. “Brat, looks like you’re looking to…”

“Where are you from?”

Before he could finish, a slightly cool voice sounded behind him.

Hearing that question, the man immediately forgot about the boy. He turned around and was just about to speak when the scene before his eyes left him momentarily stunned.

The companion who had been leaning against the ancient tree was already lying on the ground, his life or death unknown. The prey in his eyes was now resting casually against the tree, looking at him with a calm gaze.

“I hope your answer can at least make me a little interested.”

The woman in front of him bared her teeth in a smile, her white teeth dazzling under the moonlight. “Otherwise, I’ll twist off both of your heads…”