Duosheng Danyuan

"These days, we've seen plenty of people who are afraid of death, but this is the first time I've seen someone who's courting death. No, I should say that those who have survived until now are probably all afraid of death. How did you manage to survive from the outer sect?" Wen Guanmiao smiled, licking the back of her right hand.

"Senior Sister, you don't need to bluff me," I said, bending down slightly and trying my best to suppress my panic. "Since you act in accordance with the rules of the Disciple Code, how can you punish me when I haven't broken any rules? Unless you break the rules yourself. But didn't you just say that those who break the rules are all dead?"

"Oh ho! You're quite adept at finding loopholes in my words." With her pupils slightly dilated, Wen Guanmiao smacked her lips and pointed at me, saying, "Indeed, killing you is against the rules. But outside the rules, there's still human consideration. If you insist on using loopholes in the rules to ruin my plans, aren't you afraid that when we meet again, I'll make things difficult for you? Don't blame me for not warning you, your senior sister's 'small troubles' can be quite severe."

"In a place where breaking the rules means certain death, you're talking to me about leniency?"

"Hey," Wen Guanmiao chuckled, rubbing her nose, her expression transforming into that of an adorable and charming sweet girl. She spoke to me almost in a coquettish tone, "Just go already! Didn't I tell you? Junior Sister might get some punishment for breaking the rules, but it's not like she'll die. Why are you wasting your time with me? Just consider it a favor, Junior Brother, why don't you go back to your hut and rest? How about this, I promise I won't make things difficult for Junior Sister. I'll leave as soon as I've finished what I'm supposed to do."

"You really want me to leave?"

"Please do me a favor," Wen Guanmiao said coyly, trying her best to please.

"Fine... but I won't."

"..."

"Phew—you and we're not on the same side, are you?" I let out a long sigh and said, "What I mean is, your interests conflict with ours, that's obvious. People with conflicting interests are opponents, or to put it more bluntly, enemies. The more an enemy wants me to do something, the less I can do it. I'm sorry."

"Tsk, you won't budge, will you?" Impatiently, Wen Guanmiao snorted and bared her teeth, revealing sharp canines on her upper jaw, looking like a vampire. She said menacingly, "I've used every nice word I could think of, every harsh word I could think of. If you keep acting like this... are you trying to make an enemy of me?"

"Not at all, I never wanted to make an enemy of you. But my junior sister and I came together, and now we want to leave together." As I spoke, I pointed to Zeng Yixi, who had been silent all along.

"Ha! Absolutely impossible," Zeng Yixi said decisively.

"Then I won't leave."

"..." For a moment, the atmosphere became subtle.

After about three to five minutes, Wen Guanmiao finally let go of her somewhat intimidating hostility, sighed, sat cross-legged on the ground, rolled her eyes at me, and muttered, "You win."

"Does Senior Sister mean we can leave now?" I asked tentatively.

"Leave? You can leave anytime, but she can't."

"Then why do you say that, Senior Sister?"

"Tch, stop pretending," Wen Guanmiao waved her hand dismissively, annoyed. "I don't know why you want to stay, and I don't care if you've really discovered some secret of mine or just had some lucky break. You've repeatedly refused my chance to tell you to get lost. Fine, fine, since you don't want to leave, and I really can't make you leave, then let's just stay here."

"Huo?" At this moment, Zeng Yixi, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up.

"Hmm, let's just wait it out." Wen Guanmiao tilted her head back and glanced at Zeng Yixi before continuing, "You guys woke me up, and now I can't sleep back at Jingxi Lodge. Why should I let you have a comfortable night? Wouldn't that be too unfair to me? So, you'll just have to stay here with me tonight, haha. Of course, Junior Brother, you can leave if you want, but Junior Sister, you can't."

"What if I want to leave?" Zeng Yixi asked softly after a pause.

"You can give it a try." Wen Guanmiao didn't even glance at Zeng Yixi.

"Heh...ho!" With a light laugh, Zeng Yixi actually used his Instant Step to fly out and immediately ran towards the thatched hut, and his speed was not slow!

This speed, while not comparable to the "Rapid Walking Technique," is far beyond what a normal person can achieve.

However, before I could even be shocked by the speed Zeng Yixi had unleashed, she froze completely two or three seconds later, unable to move at all.

"Using spiritual roots to mobilize spiritual energy is considered cultivation. Your methods don't seem to involve any mobilization of spiritual energy at all, do they?" I said.

"Hmm," Wen Guanmiao responded noncommittally.

"Then why aren't you worried about something going wrong? Does the rule against cultivation only apply to us?"

"Guess for yourself." After my repeated disobedience, Wen Guanmiao obviously lost interest in playing the good senior sister and completely changed her attitude towards us—revealing her true colors.

"..." In silence, Zeng Yixi tried to shift her weight slightly backward, and then, with a thud, she fell to the ground and was able to move again.

"Scope?" Zeng Yixi murmured, reaching out again in the direction where she had just stopped. As she expected, her arm suddenly stopped moving as if it were made of cement.

"Could it be that I'm trapped in a certain area centered on you?" Leaning back again, Zeng Yixi freed her hands from the inexplicable feeling of stagnation and turned to Wen Guanmiao to ask.

"Hehe..." There was no definite answer, but we already knew the answer from Wen Guanmiao's confident smile.

"What should we do?" I asked Zeng Yixi.

"..." Zeng Yixi pursed her lips and remained silent, her brows furrowed.

The silence was very long.

During the silence, I glanced at the sky again. It was now completely dark, without a trace of light. Based on my perception of time, it was definitely past 7 p.m., or even closer to 8 p.m. if my senses were wrong.

「静息庐第五条规则——静息庐严格执行八小时睡眠制度，请在亥时（21：00至23：00）前回房，巳时（9：00至11：00）前起床。这下，不好办了啊...」

A bead of cold sweat slid down my cheek, and the smile I was putting on for Wen Guanmiao became increasingly forced.

"you..."

"Senior sister, I can leave now." I interrupted Zeng Yixi and said loudly to Wen Guanmiao.

"Oh?" My question successfully caught Wen Guanmiao's attention again. She, who had been sitting on the ground with her eyes closed, opened them again and looked at me with interest, saying, "Are there conditions?"

"My senior sister is smart."

"Hmph, these kids these days are truly the epitome of vulgarity, utterly." Spitting out a wad of phlegm, Wen Guanmiao's gaze lingered on me for a long time, then she glanced at Zeng Yixi, who remained expressionless on the other side. After pondering for a while, she sighed again and said, "Alright, tell me your request."

"I dare not ask for such a request. I only hope that my senior sister can enlighten me," I said respectfully.

"Tch, now she's putting on this docile act again... Alright, alright, ask away." Wen Guanmiao stood up impatiently and said to me, her eyes fixed on Zeng Yixi's direction.

"Senior sister, we're from the Qi Refining class. We met yesterday in the Core Formation class. Are you from the Core Formation class?"

"nature."

"Elder Jianshan said that we're the only batch of newly initiated disciples. Senior Sister, how many classes are there for you Core Formation stage disciples?"

There's only one class.

"And further up?"

"Further up? What do you mean? Are you also interested in my senior brothers and sisters?"

"I'm just curious. Yesterday, while touring the garden, we not only met the Core Formation stage disciples at the Refining Heart Hall, but also two other groups of disciples from different classes at the Nourishing Essence Hall and the Ancient Elixir Scripture Building. If your Core Formation stage only has one class, then which classes did the disciples we met at the Nourishing Essence Hall and the Ancient Elixir Scripture Building belong to?"

"As far as I know, there seem to be two or three classes of Golden Core stage disciples in our Sheng Dan Academy? Anyway, there's definitely more than one. As for the Ancient Elixir Scripture Building, the disciples you met there should be Golden Core Class One."

"Golden Core Class One? Then the Golden Core Class Two we encountered at Yangyuanzhai?"

"I don't know, but the class you encountered in the Ancient Elixir Scripture Pavilion must be the Golden Core Class One. The reason is simple: only disciples who have reached the Perfect Golden Core stage are allowed to enter the Ancient Elixir Scripture Pavilion to study ancient scrolls. And based on the timeline, the only Golden Core class currently has all its disciples who have reached the Perfect Golden Core stage."

"Whoa..."

"Any other questions? If not, then get out of here."

"One last question."

"Speak quickly," Wen Guanmiao urged impatiently.

"Why do you need to be alone with Zeng Yixi to deal with her?"

"...I refuse to answer."

"Huh? This is contrary to what we agreed on..."

"Alright, shut up." Turning abruptly, Wen Guanmiao pointed her right hand directly at my nose. After a pause, she said sharply, "I can't answer that question. Whether it's my cultivation techniques, spiritual roots, or any other secrets of cultivation, I won't tell you a single thing. Don't waste your breath. Are you leaving or not? I can't force you, but if you try to push your luck, be prepared. From now on, when you walk at night, keep your tail between your legs; when you eat, keep your throat tight; when you drink water, keep your tongue straight; and when you're trying to improve your cultivation level, keep your tail between your legs!"

"..."

Faced with Wen Guanmiao's threats, I felt immense pressure.

After a long silence, I swallowed hard and tried asking again, "Okay, then I'll ask another question, which will also be my last. Senior Sister, among all the previous disciples, are the secrets of your cultivation techniques the same for everyone?"

"No, at least it's almost impossible for them to be exactly the same." Wen Guanmiao answered my question immediately, then breathed on me, pointed directly at our thatched hut not far away with her right hand, and said in a deep voice, "Get out, now, immediately!"

"...Understood." Urged on by Wen Guanmiao, Zeng Yixi and I exchanged a reassuring glance, then walked straight towards the thatched hut without looking back.

"Alright, now it's time for us to be alone, Junior Sister~" After confirming that I had returned to the hut and closed the door, Wen Guanmiao turned around and scrutinized Zeng Yixi as if examining the grand finale of a banquet.

"Hehe..." Zeng Yixi forced a smile in response to Wen Guanmiao.