Chapter 87
The snow lay deep across the mountains, and the cold was biting.
Standing at the mouth of the cave, Lou Yuqing looked down at the landscape below.
Everywhere she looked was an endless sea of white. Only the exposed gray rock faces broke the monotony, standing out sharply against the snow.
Inside the cave, she hadn't felt much of the cold. The moment she stepped outside, however, the frigid air rushed at her from all directions.
She exhaled softly, and a plume of white mist drifted from her lips, gleaming faintly beneath the sunlight.
Ahead of them, the hunters trudged through the snow carrying bamboo baskets, bows, and arrows.
Each step sank nearly to their thighs before they laboriously hauled themselves forward and repeated the process.
"Aren't they cold?" Lou Yuqing asked, studying their clothing.
The hunters wore several layers of fur garments. They didn't look particularly thick or heavy, yet somehow their movements remained unhindered.
Chu Qingyang finally shifted his attention away from the avalanche-covered slope behind them.
The cave they had emerged from wasn't directly in the avalanche's path but rather off to one side, so the destruction hadn't been nearly as severe as Lou Yuqing had initially feared.
Following her gaze, he examined the hunters for a moment.
"Their clothing is all made from the same material," he said. "Maybe it has some special resistance to the cold."
"Now that you mention it..." Lou Yuqing narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "Doesn't that fur look like snow rabbit fur?"
Chu Qingyang nodded.
Snow rabbits could roam freely through these frozen mountains. The cold-resistant properties of their fur hardly needed explaining.
Luo Buqi folded his arms and promptly shattered the atmosphere.
"Are you two done yet? The mission isn't going to wait for us. At the pace they're moving, who knows when they'll reach the city? Why don't we give them a hand?"
Lou Yuqing smiled at him.
It wasn't a warm smile.
"Maybe you should first consider whether you can handle fighting two opponents at once. Are you really that eager to get eliminated?"
Luo Buqi: "..."
Not long ago, the three of them had reluctantly agreed to form a temporary alliance.
Each small world only produced three winners. Whether they would eventually turn on one another could wait until later.
For someone as independent as Luo Buqi, compromising like this was already unusual.
Of course, the main reason was that he had his eye on Lou Yuqing's almost prophetic ability to find answers.
Besides, after all this time, there had been no further activity beneath the cave.
Even if there were other disciples trapped below, they were probably buried by now.
Which only proved he had been right to follow Lou Yuqing.
"Fine, fine. I'll stop talking."
Luo Buqi lowered his arms with exaggerated reluctance, looking thoroughly unconcerned about everyone else's fate.
Lou Yuqing glanced at him.
Her vigilance didn't lessen in the slightest.
Luo Buqi might have chosen to cooperate for now, but that didn't make him any less dangerous.
"Go give them a ride."
"What about you two?" Luo Buqi immediately protested.
His dissatisfaction was obvious.
Unfortunately for him, Lou Yuqing merely looked at him calmly.
After a few seconds, he surrendered.
"Fine. I'll do it."
Since he had no choice, he might as well take the opportunity to show off.
Golden threads burst from his fingertips, glittering beneath the sunlight.
Before the hunters could react, the threads wrapped around their waists and gently lifted them into the air.
A three-zhang-long flying boat appeared beneath Luo Buqi's feet.
His sleeves fluttered dramatically despite the complete absence of wind, making him look every bit the lofty young master.
"There's no need to panic," he said calmly. "Just show me the way."
Lou Yuqing watched the performance.
What a show-off.
Outside the small world, Wu Fengshu sneered when she saw the scene unfold.
"To lower himself to serving a group of outer disciples and willingly act like their subordinate..." Her eyes were full of disdain. "What a disgrace to the Bailing Sect."
Someone like that actually dreamed of winning the competition?
He was dreaming.
Tan Sheng had no particular opinion of his former opponent, but Shu'er clearly disliked him.
Fortunately, comforting his beloved had always been one of his strengths.
"It's not worth getting angry over someone like him," he said gently. "Why not look at the other disciples from our sect? Their performances have been quite good."
Wu Fengshu sighed softly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
At this point, one hundred and seventy-five participants had already been eliminated.
Twenty were from the Bailing Sect.
Only thirteen were from the Wendao Sect.
The difference was obvious.
Seeing his previous attempt fail, Tan Sheng quickly changed the subject.
"The projection changed."
Wu Fengshu looked up.
The snowy mountain scene had vanished.
In its place appeared a city arena.
Two figures were locked in fierce combat, sparks flying with every exchange. One of them happened to be a disciple from the Bailing Sect.
Luo Buqi was immediately forgotten.
Gu Buqi also noticed the scene change, and a trace of regret flickered through his eyes.
The formation's projections were limited. It was impossible for them to display everyone's performance at once.
The new projection showed an arena challenge.
The participants had assumed the identities of demon hunters responding to the Hu Family's request to eliminate a demon.
However, only five positions were available.
Out of thirty-five participants, only five could remain.
Failure meant elimination.
Compared to Lou Yuqing's situation, their struggle was even more brutal.
His little disciple was fighting against heaven.
They were fighting against people.
In this trial, bloodshed was inevitable.
If the enemy didn't die, they would.
[Survivors Remaining: Sixty-One]
A line of text suddenly appeared before Lou Yuqing's eyes.
Every time someone was eliminated, the notification would appear. An invisible pressure accompanied it.
Looking at the towering city gate before her, nearly thirty feet high, Lou Yuqing felt no sense of relief.
The task of escaping the cave was complete.
Now the second phase had begun.
—You are a herbalist searching the mountains for snow lotus.
Current Objective: Investigate the Hunters
Current Points: 100
The first task had awarded one hundred points.
After comparing information with Chu Qingyang and Luo Buqi, however, all three discovered their points had been reduced by half.
Only fifty remained.
The result surprised Lou Yuqing.
Still, the benefits she'd gained were obvious enough that she didn't dwell on it.
Chu Qingyang and Luo Buqi thought about it far more seriously.
Chu Qingyang couldn't figure out the reason.
Luo Buqi eventually arrived at a reluctant conclusion.
Copying someone else's answer was apparently detected by the small world, resulting in reduced rewards.
As soon as they entered the city, he proposed splitting up to gather clues separately and meeting again at the Wanfu Inn after dark.
The route he chose just happened to be the same one taken by the hunters.
"Cunning."
Lou Yuqing rolled her eyes.
The hunters were clearly suspicious. There was no way she was letting them out of her sight.
Exchanging a glance with Chu Qingyang, she immediately followed after Luo Buqi.
Along the way, she gathered quite a bit of information from nearby conversations.
Baishi City was a place where mortals and cultivators lived side by side.
Much like Peace City, cultivators appeared here regularly.
No one paid them much attention.
Which meant the middle-aged hunter's calm reaction suddenly seemed far less suspicious.
As for the bearded hunter's fear...
That was likely connected to the sect that governed Baishi City.
Its reputation was abysmal.
Lou Yuqing overheard a passerby muttering bitterly, "The Baishi Sect increased this year's spirit rice tax by another ten percent. The harvest was already poor. If this continues, we're going to starve."
His companion sighed helplessly. "What choice do we have? If we fail to hand over the required amount, they'll simply reclaim our spirit fields. Plenty of people are waiting for the chance to take them."
Someone nearby joined the conversation. "The Baishi Sect disciples are arrogant tyrants. Old Ji's spirit fields were trampled, and not only did he receive no compensation, he got beaten when he tried to argue. Autumn harvest is coming soon. He's finished."
Others quietly began adding their own grievances.
The sect's disciples bullied the weak, seized homes, and oppressed commoners. At best, they abused their authority; at worst, they took lives.
The accusations seemed endless.
Yet despite their anger, everyone kept their voices extremely low, barely above a whisper.
If not for a cultivator's sharp hearing, Lou Yuqing would never have caught a single word.
Just then, a familiar series of notifications rang out in her mind.
To Lou Yuqing, the sound was practically heavenly.
Her long-awaited Gossip Value was finally increasing again and at an astonishing rate.
Previously, she had celebrated whenever it rose by a few dozen points.
Now it was jumping by hundreds.
The corners of her mouth immediately lifted.
At last. Her financial situation was improving.
Seeing her suddenly come to a stop, Chu Qingyang turned toward her.
"What's wrong?"
Lou Yuqing looked at him with unusual seriousness.
"Senior Brother Chu, I'll leave the hunter investigation to you. If you find anything, just let me know."
Then she patted her chest confidently.
"I have something much more important to do right now. If everything goes well, solving these quests will be easy."
Side quest. Main quest.
In front of her gossip system, they would all kneel.
Chu Qingyang stared at her.
For some reason, he had the distinct feeling that she was planning to contribute absolutely nothing while reaping all the rewards.
Still, considering she had helped them escape the cave earlier, he decided not to call her out.
"Fine," he said. "Just remember to return to Wanfu Inn before nightfall. Don't wander around outside for too long."
With that, he slipped into the crowd like a gust of wind, quietly trailing after the hunters.
Lou Yuqing completely ignored his contradictory behavior.
Her attention was fixed on the system notifications ringing nonstop in her mind.
For once, that cold mechanical voice sounded incredibly pleasant.
Previously, she had spent a fortune restoring Senior White Turtle's memories. On top of that, she'd agreed to double the cost in gossip points.
After eating only a few melons, her savings had practically evaporated.
Who would have thought things would suddenly take such a dramatic turn?
Ever since arriving in Baishi City, her gossip points had started skyrocketing.
One thousand points.
She hit the milestone before she even realized it.
Faced with such a golden opportunity, any reasonable person would seize it with both hands.
As for the mission?
Not urgent.
Not urgent at all.
Lou Yuqing immediately began targeting densely populated areas.
Teahouses.
Restaurants.
Wine houses.
Anywhere people gathered to exchange rumors, she lingered shamelessly.
Soon enough, fragments of conversation drifted into her ears.
"The Hu Family matter has been causing a huge stir lately. Has there been any progress?"
One man sighed dramatically. "I heard the Hu Family's eldest miss had her face clawed by a demon. What a pity. The most beautiful woman in Baishi City may never recover her looks."
His companion immediately snorted. "You just got back from your trip, didn't you? Your information is already outdated."
He lowered his teacup. "The Hu Family's eldest miss wasn't disfigured at all. The family hired a divine physician and she's already recovered."
"Really?" The man looked stunned. "Then what happened?"
"The demon still hasn't been caught." His companion leaned closer. "The Hu Family has gathered experts from all over to hunt it down. The reward alone is ten thousand spirit stones."
"Ten thousand?!" The man nearly choked.
"I risk my life traveling for business and only earn five or six hundred spirit stones a trip. The Hu Family really deserves its reputation as Baishi City's wealthiest family."
Then his voice dropped noticeably. "Hasn't the Baishi Sect stepped in?"
Even speaking the sect's name seemed to make him nervous.
The other man fell silent for a moment before replying in an equally low voice. "You know how ruthless those people are."
He glanced around cautiously. "Remember that incident where the Baishi Sect took a liking to Miss Hu, but she refused them?"
The man nodded.
His companion lowered his voice even further. "I suspect they might be connected to this."
His eyes darted around before he whispered, "Maybe they released that demon themselves."
The listener's eyes widened. "What?"
"Think about it. Why else would the demon specifically target Miss Hu's face?"
The man immediately grabbed his teacup and took several hurried gulps.
"Don't say things like that!"
His expression darkened.
"If someone from the Baishi Sect hears you, both of us are finished."
"Relax." His companion waved him off. "I know what I'm'm doing."
Unfortunately for him, he had greatly underestimated the hearing of cultivators.
Every word reached Lou Yuqing perfectly.
"The arena's especially lively today," the man continued. "Those experts hired by the Hu Family are competing right now."
He clicked his tongue. "The Hu Family only wants five people, but they're offering ten thousand spirit stones. With that much money on the line, everyone's fighting like mad for a spot."
He jerked his thumb toward the city center. "You can hear the commotion from halfway across the city."
Arena.
Lou Yuqing instantly seized on the keyword.
A spark flashed through her eyes.
She already had a rough idea who those so-called experts were.
Without wasting another second, she turned and headed straight for the arena.
The arena had been jointly funded and constructed by the major factions of Baishi City. Every year, it generated a staggering amount of spirit stones.
Naturally, the largest share ended up in the hands of the Baishi Sect.
Originally, they collected one-tenth.
Now they took a full fifth.
The remaining factions could only watch their profits steadily shrink.
That was another piece of gossip Lou Yuqing had overheard.
By the time she arrived, she discovered the arena was already packed to capacity.
Not a single seat remained.
She stood outside, staring at the sea of people.
No wonder the Hu Family was willing to spend so much money. They had turned demon hunting into a citywide spectacle.
The demon had already become Baishi City's hottest topic.
Everyone wanted to see what these demon hunters were capable of.
If they succeeded, people would gossip about the captured demon.
If they failed, people would gossip about the failed hunters.
Either way, the audience won.
A sudden thought crossed Lou Yuqing's mind.
Could the Hu Family be fabricating the entire thing?
Maybe there was no demon at all.
Maybe this was simply a very profitable business scheme.
The arena was protected by a formation that prevented unauthorized entry.
Lou Yuqing calmly took out her Barrier-Breaking Bead.
Boom!
With a muffled roar, her figure vanished.
The next instant, she reappeared inside the arena.
Besides the spectator seats, there were also elevated viewing platforms.
Those were equally crowded.
Lou Yuqing appeared at the very back of one platform and quietly blended into the crowd.
No one noticed anything unusual.
The moment she arrived, a violent collision erupted below. The impact sounded like massive boulders crashing down from a mountain peak.
Boom!
Fragments scattered in every direction.
The shockwaves rolled outward.
"Ahhhh!"
Instead of panicking, the audience erupted into excited screams and cheers.
The arena's defensive barrier rose instantly, blocking the aftermath.
Lou Yuqing looked toward the combatants.
As expected, disciples from the Seven Sects.
One belonged to the Cloud Soaring Sect.
The other came from Star Pavilion.
The latter was already on the verge of defeat, his face pale as sword qi tore across the arena.
"The winner—Qi Qingxiong!"
As soon as the referee announced the result, Qi Qingxiong sheathed his sword and walked away without a second glance.
Meanwhile, the Star Pavilion disciple's figure gradually faded before disappearing completely.
Eliminated.
Lou Yuqing rested her chin on one hand.
"So this is a martial trial."
Her senior sister had previously explained that the small worlds contained both intellectual and martial challenges.
Her own mission leaned heavily toward strategy and investigation, though combat ability was still necessary.
Otherwise, she never would have survived the journey from the snow mountains to Baishi City.
After all, the region between the city and the mountain range was home to flocks of strange birds.
Unfortunately, their group had flown directly into one of those flocks earlier.
Only after a fierce battle had they managed to escape.
"Next match!"
The referee's voice rang out.
"Ling Yunxiao versus Deng Xiangning!"
Lou Yuqing immediately snapped out of her thoughts.
A familiar name had caught her attention.
Her gaze swept across the arena until it landed on the agile figure of a young man below.
Almost as though sensing her stare, Ling Yunxiao turned around. When he saw her, he paused briefly before a faint smile appeared.
Across from him, Deng Xiangning frowned.
"Fellow Daoist Ling?"
No response.
Her voice rose slightly. "Fellow Daoist Ling, please enlighten me!"
"Oh." Ling Yunxiao immediately turned back. "Please enlighten me as well."
The battle began.
And ended almost immediately.
Lou Yuqing had barely settled in to watch when Ling Yunxiao vanished.
Shadow Escape Technique.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared directly behind Deng Xiangning.
Before she could even react, a magical artifact was already pressed against her back.
Silence fell across the arena.
Then—the crowd exploded.
Deng Xiangning stood frozen. Her face turned deathly pale.
She had expected the possibility of defeat.
She had not expected to lose in less than a single exchange.
Her gaze lingered unwillingly on Ling Yunxiao before her figure gradually faded away and disappeared.
Ling Yunxiao himself remained remarkably calm.
Shadow Spirit Root cultivators were extraordinarily rare. Many cultivators had never even encountered one before.
Losing under those circumstances was hardly surprising.
Had Deng Xiangning known what he could do beforehand, victory would not have come so easily.
Besides, this particular trick only worked once.
After witnessing it, everyone else would be on guard.
Lou Yuqing immediately seized the opportunity. "Is the Hu Family's demon actually real?"
Ling Yunxiao glanced at her. "Why do you ask?"
"Because every time someone mentions the Hu Family or the Baishi Sect, my instincts start screaming that something's wrong."
Ling Yunxiao considered her question before answering.
"Before coming to the arena, we visited the Hu Family. We didn't detect any demonic aura with our divine senses. However, the Hu Family Patriarch looked genuinely unwell."
He paused.
"I think the situation is probably real."
"What about the Hu Family's eldest daughter?" Lou Yuqing leaned forward with interest. "I heard she has some conflict with the Baishi Sect. Could the damage to her face have something to do with them?"
Ling Yunxiao blinked. "What conflict?"
He had spent the entire time at the arena and hadn't gathered much outside information.
Lou Yuqing quickly repeated everything she had overheard.
After listening, Ling Yunxiao fell silent for a moment.
Then he said, "My current identity is a demon hunter and my mission is to join the Hu Family. I tested the Hu Family Patriarch earlier, he knows something about the snow lotus."
His eyes narrowed slightly. "If we can gain his trust through the demon-hunting mission, we should be able to learn where it is."
Seeing his honesty, Lou Yuqing reciprocated.
"We encountered a group of hunters in the snow mountains. Their leader also knows about the snow lotus. Senior Brother Chu and Luo Buqi are investigating them right now."
Ling Yunxiao immediately asked, "Why didn't you kill them?"
The question sounded abrupt.
Lou Yuqing understood exactly what he meant.
"If we'd fought there, it might have triggered another avalanche. Besides, there are three qualification spots. We might as well cooperate first."
Then a sly smile appeared on her face.
"Of course, now that you're here, sooner or later we'll have to deal with Luo Buqi. We agreed to meet him at Wanfu Inn tonight. Want to ambush him?"
To her surprise, Ling Yunxiao shook his head. "The Hu Family Patriarch is watching us closely."
He smiled helplessly. "I'm afraid I can't be in two places at once."
Lou Yuqing sighed dramatically. "What a pity. I guess he gets to live another day."
Meanwhile, the arena tournament continued at a rapid pace.
After the first round, eighteen participants advanced while one received a bye, leaving seventeen eliminated.
The second round reduced the field further, producing nine winners and nine eliminations.
By the third round, only five victors remained, with another participant advancing by bye.
In the end, besides Ling Yunxiao, the remaining victors came from the Bailing Sect, Cloud Soaring Sect, Medicine King Valley, and Haotian Palace.
The Hu Family Patriarch immediately stepped forward, smiling broadly.
"Heroes! Your reputations are truly deserved! Please come to my residence so we may discuss the matter of hunting the demon. Once the demon is captured, the promised reward will be delivered immediately!"
Just as Ling Yunxiao had predicted, the moment the competition ended, the Hu Family Patriarch personally escorted the five victors away.
There was no opportunity whatsoever for them to leave on their own.
Before departing, Lou Yuqing gave Ling Yunxiao the address of Wanfu Inn.
Then she left the arena as well. Her destination this time was the city's auction house.
She had just heard a very interesting piece of news.
The Hu Family's Second Miss.
The son of the White Rock Sect Master.
Both would be there.
To Lou Yuqing, that translated into only one thing.
A fresh batch of gossip points waiting to be harvested.