A Journey Through the Martial World After Transforming into a Loli

Seeing Lin Xiaoling like this, Lin Xueyi couldn't help but feel glad that she had chosen to let her experience some training first. Otherwise, when Lin Xiaoling really reached a bottleneck in her cultivation, she would have been in real danger.

In fact, Lin Xueyi herself had never encountered any inner demons or bottlenecks. However, some things, when they reach a certain point, can be guessed through indirect means, even if one doesn't know or have never seen them.

"Xiaoling, it's already noon. Let's rest for a bit. Go boil some water and I'll make you some barbecue today."

Boiling water is for drinking. Lin Xueyi was already used to drinking boiled water, which made her somewhat out of step with the people in this world. Most people in this world just drink cold water. Boiling water is something that only people from aristocratic families would do.

Even some wandering martial arts practitioners basically drink water drawn directly from the river; hot water is practically unavailable to them.

Lin Xueyi, however, is different. Even when she's outside, she insists on drinking boiled water, and her followers always do the same. Of course, drinking it directly is not allowed, but letting it cool down before drinking is also acceptable. (This isn't just filler text, because people always remind the author that boiled water shouldn't be drunk, so the author can only add a few words here to prevent anyone from raising this issue again.)

Upon hearing Lin Xueyi's words, Lin Xiaoling quickly stopped the car, took out a pot and some firewood, and fetched water from the nearby stream before starting to boil the water.

As for whether the water might be poisoned, Lin Xueyi believed that the people of the Thirty-Six Strongholds wouldn't be so stupid as to poison the water source. If other martial arts forces found out about this, they would kill them.

Lin Xueyi took out the dried meat she had marinated earlier and put it on a small plate. This was part of her lunch. The rest of the meat that needed to be grilled was already skewered on small iron skewers and placed on an iron mesh to be grilled over the fire.

"Hmm? It smells so good! This barbecue is really good. We're in for a treat this time."

Not long after, the aroma of meat began to waft through the air, so strong that people couldn't help but sniff and take a deep breath. Meanwhile, a lewd voice came from the surrounding area.

Lin Xiaoling, who had already boiled the water and was about to extinguish the fire and let it cool, stood up in surprise, only to see her young mistress sitting calmly by the fire, continuing to roast meat, as if she already knew about these uninvited and suddenly appearing people.

"Oh ho ho, I didn't expect them to be two young girls. I thought they were some martial arts heroes enjoying the spring outing here."

This remark, which wasn't even a joke, caused the people behind the leading man to burst into laughter, which made Lin Xueyi roll her eyes at them.

What's so funny about that? She completely misses the point. And yet you all laugh so horribly; you have absolutely no self-awareness.

"Little girls, you've gotten lost, haven't you? That's really unfortunate. Look at all these mountains around us. Why don't you come to our place first? Once we find your parents, we'll have them come and pick you up, okay?"

Judging from the two girls' clothes, they were clearly not from an ordinary family. People usually keep their distance from such people, after all, they are just mountain bandits, and there are not many real experts among them. Even though they hide in the mountains, it is their way of survival to avoid provoking powerful forces.

Of course, it would be a disservice to their status as mountain bandits not to take advantage of such a fat sheep that comes to their doorstep. They could simply ask the girl's parents to give them some money as a token of their gratitude.

“We’re out here to gain experience, not to get separated from our parents.”

Lin Xueyi didn't speak because she wanted to know how Lin Xiaoling would respond in this situation. Then she heard Lin Xiaoling's blunt truth, and for some reason, her head started to ache.

It's not that they got separated, but rather that they're being trained. This is a super fat sheep! They've entered their territory, and as long as they capture them alive, they'll be on the right side when negotiating with their forces. This is a really big fat sheep!

Especially since they were mountain bandits, they didn't need to be particular about any methods. It was like a pie falling from the sky. Putting everything else aside, they should eat these two up first.

Thinking of this, the man subtly glanced at the crowd behind him, and knowingly dispersed, subtly surrounding the two girls in their encirclement.

At this moment, Lin Xiaoling realized something was wrong. These people were clearly going to attack them. In her nervousness, she drew the long sword from its sheath behind her back.

"What are you going to do?"

Seeing this, Lin Xueyi could only scratch her head with a wry smile. Oh well, she'd talk to her about it later. After all, they were just bandits; nothing serious would happen.

At the moment Lin Xiaoling drew her sword, a look of triumphant excitement flashed in the eyes of these bandits; everything was unfolding according to their script.

Main Text: Chapter 168 Lin Xiaoling's Trials (Part Two)

A sword, its light as white as frost, and white clothes, whiter than snow. In their first battle, Lin Xiaoling was unsure of her swordsmanship, so she went all out.

Lin Xueyi, who was grilling meat on the side, took a moment to glance at the fight between the bandits and thieves, and shook her head. This was the Yue Nu Sword Technique, combined with the Yi Jin Jing that she had been taught, which was already quite good martial arts.

The Yi Jin Jing itself is like a bug in one's own cultivation. It is so wonderful that you can slowly increase your strength all day long without caring about anything else or having to deliberately cultivate it.

This was probably to help Lin Xiaoling quickly achieve a decent level of cultivation, since she was just an ordinary little girl who had never been exposed to any martial arts. As for the Yue Maiden Sword Technique, that was even more extraordinary.

Although there are many sword techniques in Jin Yong's martial arts series, such as the Dugu Nine Swords, the Two Elements Sword Technique, and the Double Sword Combination, the Yue Maiden Sword Technique can still firmly be ranked among the top three.

The Yue Maiden Sword is the sword technique used by Yue Maiden A Qing. She was once able to fight against three thousand Yue soldiers single-handedly and crush them. Even those who learned only a little bit of it made a name for themselves in the martial arts world.

Now she's teaching Yue Nu A Qing her own swordsmanship, which is worlds apart from those superficial techniques. And yet she's managing to fight these bandits to a standstill with this? Isn't that utterly disgracing A Qing?

"The Yue Maiden Swordplay is all about lightness and agility. Is it really meaningful for you to keep going back and forth with your sword and blade?"

Unable to bear it any longer, Lin Xueyi finally spoke up to remind Lin Xiaoling that her swordsmanship needed to be coordinated with her footwork.

Upon hearing this, the bandits went completely mad. In the previous battle, this little girl had single-handedly overpowered several of them, making them question their very existence. And now, this girl was saying she should be even stronger? Was she trying to kill them?

No, no, no, I should say, is it scientifically possible for a young girl to be so capable? Is it appropriate for a young person like you to bully us uncles whose combined age is over two hundred? Is this right?

However, regardless of whether it was right or wrong, the current situation is that a young girl in white has beaten them so badly that they are running away with their tails between their legs, and some have even fallen to the ground pretending to be dead.

"Get up! Why did you stop fighting? Fight!"

Wherever the sword tip pointed, people trembled in fear, completely devoid of their previous arrogance.

"Alright, Xiaoling and the others, stop causing trouble. Let's ask them where they're from first and see if we should go there."

After hearing Lin Xueyi's words, Lin Xiaoling gradually calmed down and reluctantly put away her sword. Just as the others breathed a sigh of relief, she suddenly kicked the leader who had been talking nonsense earlier, sending him sprawling to the ground again.

"Don't think you can get away with this just because you were just being careless."

The man, face down in the mud, lowered his head, a glint of hatred flashing in his eyes. From what he'd just heard the woman say, it was clear these two women had become arrogant, and not just ordinary arrogantly.

They actually dared to dream of going into their stronghold. Did they really think that Poison Dragon Stronghold had no experts? Their stronghold leader was a master of the seventh level of the Acquired Realm, which was considered one of the top experts even among the thirty-six strongholds.

"Which of the thirty-six strongholds are you from?"

Unaware that the other party secretly hoped they would come looking for her, Lin Xueyi asked the question just as the other party had expected. However, in her eyes, these people didn't seem to be anything to be afraid of.

However, in the eyes of these bandits, Lin Xueyi and her companion were courting death. Daring to go to their Poison Dragon Stronghold, they would probably become their leader's concubines.

Looking at the two girls, one was pure and elegant, the other pretty and charming. Hmm, if they were taken back, the chieftain probably wouldn't punish them anymore. After all, losing to two future chieftain wives couldn't be considered shameful.

“Let me tell you, we are from Poison Dragon Stronghold. The nearest mountain to Poison Dragon Stronghold is very close, about an hour’s walk away.”

As he spoke, he pointed to a mountain with a not-so-dense forest not far away, which was not very dense, and gave Lin Xueyi and Lin Xiaoling some pointers.

"You explained it quite thoroughly. Aren't you afraid that when you go back, your chieftain will find out that you led us there and cause you trouble?"

How could that be? If we take you there, both you and your valuables will go to the chieftain. They will definitely be rewarded by the chieftain. Although they lost to two little girls and got beaten up, that can be wiped out.

With this in mind, the bandits nodded one by one, completely unaware of what would happen if their chieftain also lost.

So they were still happily leading Lin Xueyi and the other person back to their village. Actually, you can't blame them. For these bandits, it was already very difficult to meet someone at the peak of the Acquired Realm, let alone a master of the Innate Realm.

As for someone who could reach the Grandmaster realm at such a young age, they never even imagined it. Who would have thought they'd run into a Grandmaster just by stepping outside?

"Miss, judging from their confident demeanor, they probably have a scheme up their sleeve. We must be on guard."

Although she had defeated these people, Lin Xiaoling was not without her own experience with experts. The white-haired old man she had met earlier had a very high level of cultivation, and at least her current cultivation level was not comparable to that of the old man.

Lin Xueyi was gratified that Lin Xiaoling had suddenly approached her and whispered a reminder. At least she hadn't been blinded by this victory and thought that her cultivation was very strong.

She nodded in satisfaction at the maid, "It's alright, we'll follow them. We don't need to worry about the traps along the way. I think their goal is to take us to their chieftain."

Lin Xueyi couldn't ignore the glint in their eyes when they looked at her. They probably weren't thinking anything good.

Well, no matter how good things are, for her, being able to reach the other person's hometown smoothly is the best thing.

Along the way, Lin Xiaoling was terrified. Putting everything else aside, there were all sorts of traps along the way. If she wasn't careful, she could really suffer a great loss. At this moment, Lin Xiaoling couldn't help but feel a sincere admiration for her young mistress.

Main Text: Chapter 169 Lin Xiaoling's Trials (Part 3)

Poison Dragon Stronghold, one of the top-ranked strongholds among the thirty-six strongholds, welcomed their "guest"—the stronghold chief. Well, no need to elaborate on the name; it's just a leveling-up experience pack, what's the point of a name?

The Poison Dragon Stronghold was fully prepared. If no one had informed them of Lin Xueyi and her group's arrival so openly, the Poison Dragon Stronghold would have been wiped out.

Several sentries along the way had already reported Lin Xueyi and the others' movements to the village. As for what the village chief thought, that was his business.

Upon learning that two little girls were coming to cause trouble, the chieftain's first reaction was, "Impossible!" His second was, "They're here to deliver people to me." It was said that the two girls were rare beauties, and although young, they had a bright future ahead of them.

So early on, the leader of Poison Dragon Stronghold arrived at the gate with his men, waiting for Lin Xueyi and the others. In his mind, these were just two ignorant young girls who, after hearing that there were bandits here, wanted to make a name for themselves in the martial arts world.

He had seen plenty of inexperienced newbies like this, though some were already dead, their graves overgrown with weeds, while others had become playthings for certain people. Like these two young girls who were about to arrive.

Sure enough, to everyone's anticipation, two young girls escorted several burly men slowly to the seemingly simple mountain stronghold.

Looking at the wooden stronghold not far away, it would be a lie to say she wasn't disappointed. In Lin Xueyi's eyes, this stronghold should at least be a fortress.

When people outside talk about these thirty-six strongholds, they all feel a sense of fear and dread. But when she arrived, all she saw was an ordinary place, not even as good as the bandit strongholds she had seen on TV before.

Disappointing, so incredibly disappointing! This is utterly disgraceful to those mountain bandits! If you're comparing them to Liangshan Marsh, that's asking too much, but they should at least be better than the Black Mountain Bandits. The so-called Black Mountain Bandits refer to Zhang Yan from the Three Kingdoms period.

As it turns out, they're not even as good as some low-level thugs. Ugh, what a loser. That was what Lin Xueyi was thinking at that moment.

The people of Poison Dragon Stronghold were unaware that their size was nothing but a joke in the eyes of the other party. The stronghold chief watched the two young girls slowly approaching from afar, and was extremely satisfied.

"Young heroes, what brings you to my Poison Dragon Stronghold?"

Seeing that the other party was standing an arrow's distance away, knowing they were on guard, the Poison Dragon Stronghold chief spoke first. In his eyes, these two girls were nothing more than two naive young girls. Since they were already here, they might as well stay and continue their prostitution. As for the issue of face, since they were already being prostituted, what was the point of caring about temporary face? In any case, it would all be made up for in other ways in the end.

After hearing what the other person said, Lin Xiaoling subconsciously looked at Lin Xueyi, but the other person did not give her any hints. Instead, she was also looking at Lin Xiaoling, waiting for her to reply.

This situation left Lin Xiaoling somewhat at a loss. She didn't know what to do or how to respond appropriately.

"Say whatever comes to mind, without any burden."

Lin Xueyi's encouraging words gave Lin Xiaoling confidence. After taking a deep breath, she shouted to the person not far away.

"You bunch of bastards, we're here to uphold justice and ensure that you evil forces are completely defeated by righteousness."

At this moment, Lin Xueyi suddenly felt that it was a mistake to let Lin Xiaoling speak. This was too childish. Is there really such a thing as childishness in this world?

However, the words had already been spoken, like an arrow already released from a bow; there was no turning back. He could only accept it with a heavy heart, while the other person burst into laughter at the girl's words.

"Listen to this, now it seems like anyone can come and cause trouble in our Poison Dragon Stronghold. It seems everyone knows about the Thirty-Six Strongholds, but they don't know what kind of entity our Poison Dragon Stronghold really is."

After the chieftain finished laughing, he looked at the two little girls not far away again, "Considering that you are still young, I will spare your lives. However, you may be spared death, but you will not escape punishment. I will make you stay in our Poison Dragon Stronghold for the rest of your lives."

As soon as he finished speaking, amidst the admiring gazes of his subordinates, the man leaped towards where Lin Xueyi and her companion were. As if intimidating them, his feet landed heavily, causing the ground to tremble several times.

This powerful entrance immediately struck Lin Xiaoling's heart, and her fear continued to grow.

"If you back down here, you will never grow."

The sudden sound from behind made Lin Xiaoling take another deep breath, trying to calm her trembling body. But this fear wasn't something she could stop just by wanting to.

"It's okay to accept your fears, but to be brave enough to face them is what makes a true hero."

Lin Xueyi felt she was being too immature and even had the air of an old man from the ring. Shouldn't she be the main character? Why did it feel like Lin Xiaoling was the main character?

As she drew her sword, Lin Xiaoling knew that her mistress would always be watching her from behind. She didn't want to disappoint her, nor did she want to disappoint her family members whom she had already lost.

She said she wanted to have the ability to protect her family. She said she didn't want to lose her family again. She said she wanted to punish evil and promote good, and to become a protector of the vulnerable.

Perhaps these are dreams that many people would consider impossible, but she is determined to achieve them.