Xiao Wen! Lovely as always. Did you not miss your favorite senior brother?" Du Jianhao gave a lecherous smile.
Gao Yawen kept her composure, but Jiang Lan caught the flicker of fear that flashed through her eyes. She took a step back and shakily replied, "Junior sister thanks Senior Brother Du for his concern. Unfortunately, this sister has some pressing matters to attend to. Junior sister will take her leave."
She briefly bowed her head before looking behind him and catching a glimpse Jiang Lan's eyes. Gao Yawen could see the anger burning in them and quickly mouthed, "Do not be rash."
"What could more important than accompanying your favorite senior brother? Come on, give senior brother a smile." Du Jianhao reached out and tightly grasped Gao Yawen's wrist.
Du Jianhao, a senior brother with the backing of a small but rich cultivation clan, was considered a minor tyrant in the outer sect. Though his talent was mediocre, he was able to increase his cultivation with the liberal use of his clan's resources. By bribing his superiors, his actions were left unchecked as long as they did not cross the line.
He was fairly good-looking and had a few lackeys and female cultivators who clung to him in order to gain his favor, but, unluckily for Gao Yawen, he had a particular preference for baby-faced women. As his preferences didn't clash with Senior Uncle Sun who favored more mature women, it was this senior brother that had been harassing Gao Yawen when she and Jiang Lan first met.
At the time, their cultivation levels had been similar and his retinue had been absent, so the threat of two against one had been enough to scare him off. However, Du Jianhao had recently advanced to the ninth level of condensation and was filled with confidence, assured that he would be able to easily overpower these two mediocre female cultivators. He had even brought along two followers in the sixth level to ensure his success.
Finally, he would be able to taste this innocent young woman!
A sharp voice penetrated his fantasies, "Senior Brother Du! What a surprise. Junior Sister greets Senior Brother."
Du Jianhao's mood immediately soured at this junior sister's arrival. He narrowed his eyes as he faced Jiang Lan's bland countenance, "Does Xiao Wen have some business with you? It is truly unfortunate, but she and I have some catching up to do. I am sure you understand. If you need help, my junior brothers here may accompany you instead."
"I'm afraid this junior sister does not understand. Wenwen and this sister have both recently advanced, making us eligible for the outer sect competition. With only three months to prepare, we truly do not have any time to waste," Jiang Lan replied with an earnestly sincere expression, ignoring the implied threat lying beneath his polite facade.
Advanced? Du Jianhao was taken aback once he sensed their new cultivation levels. Reaching the eighth level made sense for Gao Yawen, with her tri element spirit roots, but how was Liu Lan suddenly at seventh level?
Only four months ago, she had barely achieved the fifth level of qi condensation. Either she had found a way to acquire enough pills to forcibly raise her cultivation, or she had experienced some heaven-defying stroke of luck. He carefully observed her expression in an attempt to discern an answer, but her face gave away nothing.
"Seventh level...I see. And may I ask how Junior Sister was able to advance so quickly, despite your inferior talent?"
Jiang Lan smiled perfunctorily and replied, "This junior sister was fortunate and experienced a moment of enlightenment. In addition, this sister has begun to practice using a cultivation method that ignores innate talent."
Du Jianhao reviewed the situation carefully. Although he enjoyed lording his power over others weaker than himself, he was also a coward who would only act in a win-win situation. When faced with unknown variables, he would normally choose to retreat and investigate thoroughly before making his next move.
As Du Jianhao took a moment to analyze his options, Gao Yawen seized the opportunity to extricate her wrist from his grasp and join Jiang Lan.
"Senior Brother Du, this junior sister was actually returning from the mission hall and has accepted an assignment that begins in five days. Therefore, time is of the essence. Junior sister must make the most of her time to prepare."
Jiang Lan and Gao Yawen both bowed their heads, swiftly turned their backs, and began walking to their living quarters without waiting for a reply from Du Jianhao.
From behind, Du Jianhao's voice cheerfully rang, "It looks like I will have the fortune of seeing the two of you at the outer sect competition then. Good luck, junior sisters. I look forward to testing your skills."
Back in their shared room, the two girls fell silent, thinking deeply on how to block the sword, Du Jianhao, dangled over their heads.
Gao Yawen faintly shivered, "He will undoubtedly make a move at the outer sect competition. I know it. I am so sorry Xiao Lan, I should never have dragged you into this mess."
"Do not blame yourself. He is the one harassing others. And besides, if not for him, we might not have become friends. Everything will be fine," Jiang Lan spoke in an unnaturally bright tone, uncertain whether she was reassuring Gao Yawen or herself, "At least we were able to delay our confrontation for a few months. Do not worry. Focus on your sect mission first."
Gao Yawen calmed herself, suppressing her worries, "I will be leaving in five days and should return within a fortnight. You stay safe, okay?"
"You too, Wenwen."
Once Gao Yawen departed from the sect, Jiang Lan took stock of her resources. Aside from her harvest at the sect library, she still had several low-grade spirit stones, one mid-grade spirit stone, the basic Qi Condensation manual and Fireball Technique given to all sect disciples, as well as two low-grade explosive talismans.
Jiang Lan knew that she would need much more to preserve her life in the upcoming competition.
The Cursed Ghost Sect had a relatively lax policy when it came to conflict between disciples. The only bottom line was that disciples could not kill each other within the sect. Nevertheless, "accidents" happened every year, with the death toll spiking at every inner and outer sect competition.
With the threat of Du Jianhao looming overhead, Jiang Lan took her meager savings and headed to the mission hall to earn some spirit stones. She planned to take a simple mission, earn enough spirit stones to support her advancement towards the peak of seventh level, and, hopefully, break through and reach the eighth level by the time of the outer sect competition.
She arrived at the mission hall to find a crowd blocking the entrance. Curious, Jiang Lan asked a disciple she vaguely recognized, "Senior sister, what is going on?"
The female disciple impatiently replied, "Inner sect disciple, Senior Brother Duan, is taking a sect mission that happens to be open to outer sect disciples as well."
Jiang Lan immediately lost interest and sighed. Looks like she would have to return at a later time.
Despite Senior Brother Duan's popularity among female cultivators in the sect, Jiang Lan was mildly disdainful of his looks, which were more alluring than most of the women surrounding him. In addition, regardless of her own preferences, Jiang Lan also felt an extreme aversion towards those types of tender feelings of admiration.
This dislike was deeply rooted in her mind, though she was unsure of where it stemmed from, since Liu Lan had never had any romantic experiences herself. Above all, she also logically understood the gaping difference between herself and inner sect disciples, one that would never be crossed by something as trivial as infatuation.
Leaving her fluttering fellow disciples behind, Jiang Lan altered her course and headed to the free market, hoping to snag a deal while shopping on a tight budget.