Chapter 30

Thinking to herself, Lu Xiaodeng walked over to the cultivator and asked with a smile, "Esteemed Daoist, may I know your great name?"

Zhang He was in a foul mood. His leg injury hadn't healed, and he limped when he walked, which made his second uncle very unhappy. His second uncle had told him to stay away from the Wu Xu Sect and not to walk beside them, as it would ruin their image.

It was all that boy's fault, he thought, his hands clenching in anger. How could he be so ruthless? I can't let him off!

He was cursing the person who had injured him when suddenly, someone appeared in front of him, smiling at him.

"What is it?" Zhang He looked at Lu Xiaodeng in confusion. It was just a little medicine boy. Seeing the joyful look in his eyes, could it be that he admired him? But thinking about his current limping, he immediately dismissed the thought. Although he usually attracted women, if women still approached him while he was walking like this, it would be for ulterior motives.

Lu Xiaodeng had originally wanted to ask how he managed to be so strong-willed despite his disability, but she was afraid that being too direct would offend him and hurt his self-esteem. So she hesitated for a moment before saying, "Esteemed Daoist, I have never seen anyone as determined as you. I really want to learn from you. It's truly impressive. Many cultivators, once they reach a high level, immediately take all sorts of beauty-enhancing pills to make themselves look like immortals. People like you, who maintain your original appearance, are truly rare."

Hearing this, Zhang He, who considered himself quite handsome, raised his head and said modestly but with a hint of pride, "Of course, we are cultivators, how can we only focus on our appearance? Only those who are naturally ugly would think of making their faces more beautiful. They are all shallow people."

"Hmm, but it's also a way to make money. These pills sell very well," Lu Xiaodeng nodded in agreement. Lu Dan, for example, refused to remove the scar on his face, just like him.

"Surely a medicine boy, you never forget to mention pills," Zhang He said offhandedly. What a money-grubbing medicine boy, he must have secretly taken a lot of pills.

At this moment, Lu Xiaodeng suddenly leaned in and whispered, "Esteemed Daoist, won't your leg affect your movement?"

Zhang He was taken aback for a moment, then he smiled and said, "It's just a minor issue, it won't have a big impact. It will be fine in a few days."

"Ah?" Lu Xiaodeng took a step back, somewhat disappointed, and said, "You just said you don't care about your appearance, but you're going to treat your leg in a few days. I really misjudged you."

Her words left Zhang He confused. He couldn't understand why treating his leg would make him seem like a different person. Was there someone in the world who specifically liked people with leg injuries?

Feeling somewhat wronged, he said, "My leg is injured. Even if I don't treat it specifically, it will eventually heal. It's not like I was born this way."

"What, you weren't born with a disability?" Lu Xiaodeng realized she had misunderstood. He wasn't someone who was disabled but still had a strong will; he was just injured and had trouble walking. Feeling somewhat disappointed, she pouted and muttered, "What's the point? You can't even treat such an injury, making me misunderstand you."

Her attitude was a far cry from the almost admiring one she had earlier. Zhang He had been quite pleased, thinking he had been flirted with upon arriving at the Yun Jian Sect. Seeing Lu Xiaodeng's attitude now, his anger flared up, and he shouted, "You, a mere medicine boy, dare to insult me? I don't know how the Yun Jian Sect manages its medicine boys, but they clearly have no discipline."

"Discipline?" Lu Xiaodeng looked at him strangely. The Yun Jian Sect's rules didn't apply to her, and everyone knew that.

Zhang He felt the intense disdain in her eyes and stepped forward, closing in on her. Lu Xiaodeng didn't back away, just looked up at him. Just as Zhang He was about to strike her, someone suddenly appeared behind him and said in surprise, "I didn't expect to meet you here. Your leg injury hasn't healed yet?"

This voice!

Zhang He turned around in a fit of emotion and saw Lu Dan looking at him expressionlessly. He pointed at him angrily and shouted, "It's you! What a coincidence, I was just planning to find you!"

"Our matter has already been settled. I wonder what this esteemed Daoist still wants from me?" Lu Dan hadn't expected to see him among the visitors. When they had fought over the purple four-leaf clover, he hadn't asked which sect he belonged to. But then he thought, it didn't matter even if he knew which sect he was from; he would still take the purple four-leaf clover.

"Who said it's settled? You injured me and took the purple four-leaf clover. Quickly return the spirit grass and apologize to me!" Zhang He shouted angrily. This guy had injured him and stabbed him several times. What a narrow escape!

Lu Dan was utterly confused, his brows furrowed in impatience. "That day, it was clearly agreed that whoever won would get the purple four-leaf clover. It wasn't a robbery. Besides, why didn't you bring more crystal fruits? You should have brought the same amount as me."

He had handed over all his affairs to Lu Yaohang and brought all the crystal fruits down the mountain. Some were given by Yu Xiudan, and some were from the sect. When there were fewer disciples, he had also gone with Lu Xiaodeng and others to kill demons and earn some.

With this small fortune, Lu Dan went to the largest city in the Wu Xu Sect's territory, the Nine Palace City. Other foundation-establishment cultivators had told him that the largest city in the Yun Dan State was there. In the Nine Palace City, there was a black market where one could buy many things that couldn't be found in Luxing City. That was his goal.

As a foundation-establishment cultivator, he, a novice, actually found the black market. On that day, he had a stroke of luck; there was a purple four-leaf clover with about 180 years of growth being auctioned.

A purple four-leaf clover of this age was too young to be effective for refining pills, so it was sold in the black market. The good ones were directly sent to the Wu Xu Sect.

The price was not high, and the quality was not great. Some mediocre alchemists might even ruin the medicine. There weren't many bidders. The number of crystal fruits Lu Dan had was barely enough. Just as he was nervously bidding, someone else jumped in and bid aggressively. That person was Zhang He.

He wanted to buy a purple four-leaf clover to please a female cultivator. They had met privately several times, and the woman had been pestering him for a foundation-establishment pill. Seeing a not-so-good purple four-leaf clover for sale, he decided to buy it to get rid of her.

The two of them bid back and forth for a long time. In the end, they both shouted the same price at the same time, leaving the auction house unsure who to sell it to.

At that moment, Zhang He wanted to reveal his identity and buy it first, then go back for more crystal fruits. But a higher-level cultivator suddenly bid one more crystal fruit and bought the purple four-leaf clover. Then he said they should fight, and the winner would get it.

Zhang He, whose second uncle was a Wu Xu Sect's core disciple, wouldn't fight over a mere purple four-leaf clover. But Lu Dan, not being a big shot, almost immediately attacked when he heard he could get the purple four-leaf clover for free.

Before Zhang He could react, Lu Dan's sword grazed his scalp, splitting his hairpin in half. Lu Dan had held back, just to provoke his fighting spirit. Otherwise, the sword would have gone straight for his throat.

Provoked, Zhang He had no choice but to fight back. He summoned his magical treasure and charged at Lu Dan. The two of them rushed out of the black market and fought in the street, drawing a large crowd.

It was a fierce battle. Lu Dan fought like a madman, as if his opponent was a mortal enemy, forcing Zhang He to struggle and ultimately lose due to his lack of fighting spirit.

Seeing Lu Dan's expression after getting the purple four-leaf clover, as if he had obtained a top-tier spirit treasure, Zhang He couldn't understand why he was so desperate. It was just a mediocre purple four-leaf clover. Was it worth risking his life? Lu Dan was already a foundation-establishment cultivator, not a late-stage qi-cultivator. His desperation was incomprehensible.

With so many people present, he couldn't go back on his word after losing. He remembered Lu Dan's appearance and recognized his Yun Jian Sect uniform. This time, he came with his second uncle to find this person and settle the score.

Especially after being beaten so badly and being seen by his fellow disciples in the city, the news of losing the purple four-leaf clover spread, and even the female cultivators looked down on him in private.

Thinking of this, he sneered, "It was clearly me who bought the purple four-leaf clover. You were the one who acted despicably and forcibly took it from me. With so many people here today, the Yun Jian Sect must give me an explanation."

Lu Dan hadn't expected a foundation-establishment cultivator from the Wu Xu Sect to renege on his word. He wondered how the Wu Xu Sect could have such a scoundrel, and whether they didn't consider character when selecting disciples.

"So, it was you who injured my junior brother. That's truly despicable. You hurt him so badly, I now hate you!" Lu Xiaodeng, upon hearing that Lu Dan had been injured by him, immediately said angrily.

Seeing the medicine boy jump out again, Zhang He pushed her away in a fit of rage. What a nuisance!

Just as his hand was about to touch Lu Xiaodeng, an ice needle flew out of the air and pierced his hand.

A cold voice that made his bones chill said, "You're asking for death."

Lu Yaohang held a silver-threaded sword, and a layer of ice had formed on the ground beneath her feet. White cold air surrounded her, and her eyes were colder than ice. Attacking Xiaodeng was the same as attacking her. Even touching a finger was a threat to her life.

"Damn!" The ice needle in Zhang He's hand turned to water, mixed with blood, and dripped to the ground. He glared at her, his anger boiling. A late-stage qi-cultivator medicine boy!

At this moment, Lu Xiaodeng slapped his hand, right where the ice needle had pierced. Then she immediately ran behind Lu Dan, peeking out from behind him.

Page break for AD start

Page break for AD end