Having cultivated myself into an immortal, all I want to do is raise female disciples.

That... shouldn't be the case, right?

Fan Luokui subconsciously thought that this was a lie that Zhang Xiaohan had planted in the entire Jingyuan Village. After all, he was a demon from the ancient times, and killing the innocent and being tyrannical and bloodthirsty were their defining characteristics!

They're capable of anything to kill, and they'll do any evil to raise insects!

How could someone do such a thing...

Fan Luokui's disbelief does not mean Zhang Ruoxue disbelieves.

She always felt that Zhang Xiaohan was still Zhang Xiaohan, only he had remembered his identity as an ancient demon. He had not forgotten those years as a human, but had tried his best to bury them in his heart.

Otherwise, Zhang Ruoxue wouldn't believe it. If a cruel and tyrannical demon wanted to absorb souls, the entire Jingyuan Village would have become a dead village long ago. Otherwise, why would the villagers' souls only weaken slightly, and at most they could recover after a couple of naps?

And if you really want to raise insects, why not just release that Transcendental Insect Demon to feast on it? Why throw it into the cave? With the size of that insect, there are only a few dozen people. It doesn't seem like enough food for two years.

I reckon that giant insect demon is starving every day...

Scratching her head, Zhang Ruoxue temporarily put Zhang Xiaohan's matter out of her mind, gazed at her parents who seemed to have something to say, and smiled slightly.

"Never mind, I was just asking." She picked up some food and smiled as she put it into her mother's bowl. "Come on, Mother, have some food."

The old woman was clearly still very worried about Zhang Ruoxue: "Xue'er, if anything happens to you, you must tell your mother... Although your mother is just an ordinary person, at least I've lived a long life and can give you some advice..."

"It's alright, Mother, I'm fine."

With a forced smile, Zhang Ruoxue looked out the window at the bright, blazing sun, her lips slightly upturned.

"I just feel that he is still that honest and simple-minded boy."

The man and the old woman exchanged glances, neither understanding who Zhang Ruoxue was referring to as "he," but they didn't dare ask, so they silently ate their rice at the table.

…………

The next day.

After staying in Jingyuan Village for almost three days, Zhang Ruoxue decided to leave.

During this time, Fan Luokui had recovered to about 70-80%. The meridians damaged by the Rifting Blade Intent were not greatly affected; at most, it only slowed down the circulation of spiritual energy a bit—of course, it was still no problem to overpower Zhang Ruoxue during the day.

After making some arrangements, the two decided to leave Jingyuan Village.

After a very emotional farewell to Zhang's parents, Zhang Ruoxue, with tears in her eyes, walked with Fan Luokui along the unique muddy yellow streets of Jingyuan Village.

At this moment, the scorching sun is selflessly scattering its dazzling light.

The children, holding strange plants in their hands, chased and played around, sometimes laughing and sometimes shouting with the spirit of teenagers, though still somewhat childish.

The old man lay quietly in the chair, basking in the sun.

"Oh, isn't this Xiaoxue'er?"

Just as they were about to leave the village, an elderly man with a hunched back suddenly called out to Zhang Ruoxue.

Zhang Ruoxue turned around and, as expected, saw the owner of the voice.

Grandma Lin.

A faint smile appeared on her lips. "Hello, Grandma Lin~"

"Hey, you're so good!" Grandma Lin chuckled, revealing two uneven, yellow teeth, her eyes narrowing into slits. "You still remember Grandma Lin."

"Of course we can't forget that."

Zhang Ruoxue smiled, moved closer to Grandma Lin, and scanned her aged body with her divine sense.

With her physical condition, she can only last for another six months.

— Same as before.

"Hehe... It's good that you remember, it's good that you remember." Grandma Lin waved her hand, a frank smile on her face. "But, Grandma Lin won't live much longer. I don't know if I'll be able to see Xue'er again next time she comes to the village."

Zhang Ruoxue's eyes suddenly darkened, but she forced herself to put on a smile again, though the sadness in her eyes did not disappear. "It's alright, Grandma Lin, don't say such things. I'll definitely see you next time I come."

"Oh dear, don't I know my own body? Don't waste your breath on this old man~ Hurry up and go back with this immortal next to you."

As Grandma Lin spoke, she leaned on her cane and slowly made her way back into the house.

As Zhang Ruoxue watched Grandma Lin's figure recede into the distance, she couldn't help but think of Grandma Lin doing the same thing two years ago.

But she survived, and has lived for two full years, with another six months to live.

If Zhang Xiaohan hadn't implanted the Gu worm... Grandma Lin would probably already be...

Once she thought of this, she dared not think any further.

Fan Luokui noticed Zhang Ruoxue's unusual expression and called out, "Senior Sister Zhang?"

"Ah..." Zhang Ruoxue came to her senses and looked at Fan Luokui apologetically. "I'm fine... Let's go."

"Senior sister is still thinking about...that person?" Fan Luokui was clearly not a careless person; on the contrary, she was very sensitive.

Knowing she couldn't hide her true feelings from Fan Luokui, Zhang Ruoxue smiled bitterly, "Yes, how could I not think that guy... he's not only an idiot, but also a moron."

Fan Luokui's lips twitched. "These two words mean the same thing, right?"

"Maybe so."

Zhang Ruoxue smiled mysteriously, stretched her arms, gave a big yawn, and her expression returned to normal.

"Alright, let's go back to the academy now. I bet the teachers are already planning to beat us up..."

"Yes...it's caused such a big problem..."

Zhang Ruoxue and Fan Luokui were both a little scared at the thought of the punishment they might receive.

God knows what kind of punishment that old scoundrel will administer...

"We'll see when the time comes."

A gentle breeze caressed the girl's hair and brushed against Zhang Ruoxue's face.

Yes, whether it's about going back to be punished or about that boy—

Everything should be resolved when the time comes.

With this easygoing attitude in mind, Zhang Ruoxue and Fan Luokui officially stepped out of Jingyuan Village and headed towards the courtyard house in the distance.

But before that, the two of them discovered something not so good.

"Where is the academy...?"

Zhang Ruoxue, who only remembered the way she came and the way to Lei Yu Sect and had no sense of direction about the location of the courtyard, looked at Fan Luokui beside her in confusion.

Fan Luo Kui gasped, her eyes filled with equal horror.

"Um, Senior Sister Zhang..."

The two stood in the dense forest and simultaneously discovered a colossal problem.

"I'm terrible with directions too..."

— Neither of them could find their way home.

50. So all the names of the people in this fighting arena are weird, right?

Let's rewind to one day earlier.

Inside a giant building about fifty meters underground in Maple Leaf City, a silver-haired maid-dressed girl, accompanied by several attendants at the Transcendent Stage, walks through a narrow corridor, preparing to meet a wealthy tycoon.

The reason he is called a wealthy man is because the underground martial arts arena, where at least tens of thousands of gold coins come and go every day, is owned by that wealthy man. At the same time, he is also a ninth-level Qin master certified by the Qin Sect.

Their noble status goes without saying.

Of course, besides Ye Yuchan, who won three consecutive matches and crushed the opponent in each one, and even slapped someone to death with three blows in the last match, Qin Shishi and Lin Yuan with her red side ponytail were also invited to meet the ninth-level master musician.

Speaking of Qin Shishi, we have to mention Zhuang Hai.

—Previously, Qin Shishi spent a long time explaining Zhuang Hai's death to Lin Yuan before the little girl accepted the premise that he was "possessed by inner demons and died on the spot."

Actually, Lin Yuan was quite unhappy when the little monk died—it seemed to be because she wanted the little monk to paint a picture for her.

As for the little monk being plagued by inner demons, Qin Shishi actually knew about it long ago, but she never told him because of his identity as the envoy of the Painting Sect. To be honest, she thought that the little monk Zhuang Hai would leave Maple Leaf City in two or three days and everything would be peaceful and quiet, but she didn't expect this to happen now.

The death of the envoy of the Painting Sect is no small matter.

Although Zhuang Hai's status within the Painting Sect was only mediocre, at best just an ordinary figure, he was still an envoy of the Painting Sect. To kill him so easily would be disrespectful to the Painting Sect.

However, Qin Shishi was not worried about Ye Yuchan's safety, nor was she worried that Ye Yuchan would be threatened by the Qin Sect.

If you ask why—

That teacher, yes, that man with black hair and an ordinary appearance, exuding the aura of an ordinary person—he is a monster-level figure comparable to a tenth-level painter. People from the Painting Sect are too busy currying favor with him to even lay a hand on his disciple for the sake of Zhuang Hai.

Just kidding?

Thinking of this, Qin Shishi swallowed back the question she originally wanted to ask Ye Yuchan. After thinking it over carefully, she figured that as long as she reported to the Painting Sect that it was that tenth-level painter who killed Zhuang Hai, the Painting Sect would forget who Zhuang Hai was and rush to Maple Leaf City like madmen.

Qin Shishi was relieved, but Ye Yuchan was puzzled.

—Wait a minute, the old rogue possessed him and killed that little monk, so why is Qin Shishi not reacting at all?

Not only did he not react, but he was also smiling. Could he have lost his mind?

She thought Qin Shishi would definitely jump out and say a few words to her, and then she would bring up her old rogue identity. But Qin Shishi didn't say a word and just stared at her and smiled.

To be honest, although Qin Shishi is exquisitely beautiful, her smile right now is truly chilling.

This eerie atmosphere didn't last long, disappearing as a large, dark brown double door covered in carvings appeared before them.

"We've arrived. This is where my master is. Please come in."

The leading Nascent Soul cultivator bowed deeply to Ye Yuchan, his words filled with boundless humility and reverence.

Ye Yuchan chuckled foolishly. Although she knew that these Transcendent Realm cultivators had misunderstood her, the feeling of being surrounded and bowed to by a group of big shots was indeed quite nice.

However, there were clearly more important things to do right now—Ye Yuchan quickly stopped grinning and focused her gaze on the door that was just a stone's throw away.

At the other end of the gate was that ninth-level master musician.

The reason for coming to such a dangerous place as the underground martial arts arena is to meet this musician and improve Yuan'er's musical skills. If the other party is truly talented, Yuan'er may very well find a shortcut to becoming an eighth-level musician.

Taking a deep breath, Ye Yuchan straightened her expression, placed her hands on the cold door, and pushed it inward.

……

It can't be pushed.