Chapter 23: Second Senior Brother Makes a Fool of Himself Once Again

"Martial arts stunt double," Zhong Qin said. "I have nothing to do tonight, so I might as well go and get some exercise."

For a sword cultivator, such menial work was indeed a waste of talent.

Lu Qingfei had no objections, only reminding him, "Don’t cripple or kill anyone."

They couldn’t afford compensation.

Not even with a life.

Zhong Qin patted his chest in assurance. "Don’t worry, Senior Brother knows his limits."

But thinking of Mei Kaihan, Lu Qingfei still felt uneasy.

Every world operated by different rules. Upon arriving in a new world, one had to abide by its laws.

She had to keep an eye on Second Senior Brother, or else he might get swindled—then what could she do?

When Lu Qingfei first entered the cultivation world, she was a stranger in a strange land, only eleven years old, and it was the sect leader who took her in and raised her.

The leader of the Celestial Extremity Sect had four personal disciples.

The most favored, without doubt, was the youngest, Lu Qingfei.

With the sect leader and senior brothers now in the modern world, naturally, she wouldn’t let them wander unaccompanied.

After leaving the restaurant, Lu Qingfei used money Zhong Qin earned from moving bricks to buy a cellphone. She set everything up and handed it to Second Senior Brother.

"This is my number, and this is WeChat… If you need anything, you can contact me anytime."

Zhong Qin quickly learned how to use the phone. Soon, he was enthusiastically sending Lu Qingfei a string of emojis.

Her phone kept lighting up with new messages.

Second Senior Brother: [Hello.jpg]

Second Senior Brother: [The highest courtesy of the martial world.jpg]

Second Senior Brother: [Grilled giant egg for you.jpg]

Lu Qingfei: "..."

Second Senior Brother was showing off again.

After a spirited emoji battle with Zhong Qin, Lu Qingfei went to settle the bill.

Tao Jin was about to follow her, but a large hand grabbed him by the collar.

He slowly turned his head, meeting Zhong Qin’s warning gaze.

Zhong Qin enunciated each word, "Do—not—follow—my—junior—sister."

"Why not?"

"Because you’re full of lies."

Tao Jin puffed up his cheeks, eyes wide.

Zhong Qin stared coldly, "What kind of mischief are you plotting?"

Tao Jin’s gaze grew vacant, and he answered in a childish voice, "I’m wondering, did ghosts come first, or did ghost stories?"

Zhong Qin snapped, "I think your brain was sick first!"

Tao Jin blinked in confusion.

"One more time—don’t follow my junior sister!" Zhong Qin ground out through clenched teeth.

When Lu Qingfei finished paying and returned, she found the atmosphere between the tall and the small rather strange.

Tao Jin hunched his little head, looking timid and pitiful.

Zhong Qin’s eye twitched fiercely.

Unbelievable! Still pretending!

Jin Yu had found a clue and invited Lu Qingfei to the dyehouse, so she bid farewell to Zhong Qin. "Second Senior Brother, I’m leaving. If anything comes up, I’ll contact you by phone."

She waved her phone as she spoke.

Watching her receding figure, Zhong Qin recalled the year she left the sect to travel in Yue Country and encountered a calamity of demons and ghosts.

His junior sister, fresh from the Seven Stars Tribulation, ran into a demon king who had taken on his appearance. In the midst of her breakthrough, unable to summon her spiritual power, she could not fight back and was captured.

The demon king locked her in the Cave of Ten Thousand Ghosts for three days, subjecting her to much suffering.

Since then, Zhong Qin had harbored a lasting hatred for all manner of fiends and specters. How dare they lay hands on his junior sister!

Zhong Qin only knew the beginning and end of her ordeal in the Cave of Ten Thousand Ghosts, not the details.

The cave was a place without sun or moon, filled only with ghostly blue, withered trees.

Ghosts howled across the mountains, restless and eager: "Where did this little beauty come from?"

"Brought by the wolf demon. They say a bite of her blood can increase cultivation tenfold!"

"Is that true?"

"Of course it is, brothers—let’s go!"

"Out of my way, I want the first bite!"

Lu Qingfei sat with arms folded, lazily leaning against the rock wall, her red dress billowing in the wind. Her delicate ankles, shackled by iron rings, were exposed. In that dark, chilling place, she looked nothing like a desperate prisoner, but more like a deity awaiting the faithful to offer up everything at her feet.

She gazed down at the horde of ferocious ghosts, an amused smile flickering in her dark eyes.

"Why stop now?"

She curved her eyes, her voice pure and gentle, "Come on up. Let me see just how much you crave me."

The ghosts hesitated, glancing at each other.

"She’s just a prisoner—what’s there to fear?"

"Exactly, the demon king said we could do whatever we want."

"I want her neck—it looks full of blood!"

"I want her feet, those pretty feet!"

With a roar, the savage ghosts surged toward Lu Qingfei from all directions, claws, blades, and fangs eager to tear into her tender flesh.

Lu Qingfei’s lips curled in a wicked smile. Calmly, she spoke:

"Fiery Arrows, one hundred and seven rounds—Ten Thousand Arrows."

In an instant, countless flaming arrows appeared, encircling her in a perfect ring.

Tens of thousands of arrows shimmered in and out of sight, dispersing the ghostly blue mist. Standing in their midst, Lu Qingfei was bathed in a fiery glow.

Her brows were bold, her features radiant. Looking down from above, her dark eyes seemed to burn with an inner fire.

She was less a deity, more an incarnation of judgment.

"Demons and ghosts, let your souls scatter."

An unspeakable terror swept over the ghosts. Only then did they realize their peril and try to flee.

Red five-element energy surged around Lu Qingfei. Her lips parted, her voice slicing through the evil realm:

"Ten Thousand Arrows of Fiery Wrath, heed my command—burn!"

Arrows blazed through the air, igniting the vengeful spirits, as shrieks and wails resounded through the Cave of Ten Thousand Ghosts.

Fire turned to arrows; all was reduced to ashes.

The blaze lit Lu Qingfei’s face with an eerie red, and in her eyes, the cave had been utterly destroyed.

After a long while, a familiar voice called out, "Junior Sister."

Lu Qingfei looked up, meeting the newcomer’s gaze, and smiled with joy, "Senior Brother."

-

Later, when Zhong Qin returned from subduing demons and exterminating ghosts to the inn and saw Lu Qingfei soaking her feet in a medicinal bath, he was furious.

Without a word, he stormed off in search of the demon king.

He only knew his beloved junior sister’s ankles had been chafed bloody by the ghosts, but he never realized that from then on, the continent of Xuanwu lost a place called the Cave of Ten Thousand Ghosts.

The fiends and specters, terrified, dared not set foot in Yue Country again. From that day, peace and prosperity reigned there.

**

The Floating Life Dyehouse stood on an old street with a hundred years of history, ancient and elegant.

As Lu Qingfei stepped onto the flagstone path, she heard gentle, melodious singing drifting from a teahouse.

"The north wind blows, snowflakes flutter…"

She turned her head. Inside the teahouse, two people sat on a raised platform, one playing a sanxian, the other cradling a pipa, singing and playing together. The piece was "The White-Haired Girl," with highs and lows, the notes from strings and pipa ringing clear and lovely.

Tea, music, storytelling—a most pleasant scene.

Lu Qingfei entered the dyehouse. A girl of sixteen or seventeen, with a delicate face and a low ponytail, walked over.

"Hello, may I help you?" The girl wore a blue and white school uniform, with the words "First High" embroidered below her right shoulder.

Lu Qingfei smiled gently. "Hello, I’m here to see Teacher Jin Yu."

The girl studied her for a moment, then hesitantly asked, "Are you Miss Lu?"

"Yes."

"My name is Xu Li. Please, follow me."

Xu Li made a gesture of invitation and led Lu Qingfei inside.

As they stepped onto the wooden walkway, Lu Qingfei caught sight of gradient blue cloths drying in the yard, billowing in the breeze like the clear, endless sea.

Inside the main house, two figures sat in conversation.

"Teacher Jin, Miss Lu is here," Xu Li announced.

At the sound, Jin Yu rose with radiant energy, her gaze falling directly on Lu Qingfei.

"Lu Qingfei, this is An Ruoxuan, inheritor of Kesi weaving," Jin Yu introduced. "This girl is Xu Li, An Ruoxuan’s apprentice, who sometimes volunteers at the dyehouse."

An Ruoxuan stood beside Jin Yu, dressed in a deep-blue qipao embroidered with exquisite patterns. Her frosty white hair was coiled at her nape, and she exuded an elegant, unhurried grace.

"Hello, Teacher An," Lu Qingfei greeted softly, betraying no hint of nervousness or discomfort.

An Ruoxuan studied her for a moment, furrowing her brows slightly. "Are you searching for the owner of the public relations scarf in Kesi weaving?"