The map was impressively detailed, clearly marking the locations of various beast dens. As Jian Xiaolou walked slowly through the dense forest, she didn't encounter any aggressive beasts. Any small, harmless creatures that crossed her path were easily dealt with using a packet of beast-repelling powder from the Beast Taming Pavilion.
The ground was lush with green grass, and wildflowers bloomed in clusters, giving the whole place the feel of a countryside outing.
About halfway through her journey, Jian Xiaolou suddenly sensed a faint disturbance of energy to the southeast. She moved closer and pricked up her ears, hearing a soft voice calling for help. The air carried not only the fresh scent of leaves but also a subtle, metallic tang of blood.
Curious, she edged closer and saw a young girl, around eleven or twelve years old, lying beneath a large tree. The girl's cultivation was only at the second level of Qi Refining. Nearby lay a dead white python, its body completely lifeless.
"Sister, please help me!" The young girl cried out weakly as soon as she saw Jian Xiaolou. "I was here to collect herbs and ran into this snake, which had gained sentience…"
Jian Xiaolou pursed her lips, said nothing, and promptly turned to leave. It was all too suspicious—a clear trap.
Blood from a fierce battle between a person and a snake would have splattered everywhere, yet the surrounding bushes were untouched. Who were they trying to fool? If they were going to set a trap, they could at least put in some effort!
Desperate, the young girl shouted, "Sister, are you here to join Fire Refinement Sect? I'm a disciple too; please help me!"
"Fire Refinement Sect?" Jian Xiaolou hesitated, suddenly considering another possibility. She paused, her brows knitting together, and scanned the area with her spiritual sense. Was this some kind of sect entrance test?
"Are you really a disciple of Fire Refinement Sect?" she asked.
The young girl nodded emphatically, her pale cheeks streaked with tears, looking pitifully at Jian Xiaolou.
After weighing her options, Jian Xiaolou decided to help. In uncertain situations like this, it was better to err on the side of caution. Even if she was wrong, she could handle a Qi Refining second-level girl without any problem.
She tucked her pet, Little Black, into a spirit beast pouch and held a distance-shrinking talisman at the ready. Muttering a few reassuring words, she cautiously approached the girl. Just as she bent down to help, the sound of an arrow slicing through the air rang in her ears.
It was indeed a trap!
Jian Xiaolou's eyes narrowed. Her reflexes kicked in, and she activated the talisman's teleportation array. In a flash of white smoke, she retreated a full ten feet away.
Two crisp cracking sounds followed as her jade bracelet released streams of purple smoke, which condensed into several short lightning-infused swords. They circled her, forming a protective shield.
These weren't killing swords but a high-quality set of defensive spiritual tools, a gift from her elder brother, exchanged from the Heavenly Intent Alliance. Not being allowed to take lives didn't mean she was defenseless.
Surprisingly, the arrow wasn't aimed at her. Instead, it pierced the young girl in the chest, carrying her body backward through the air and pinning it to a tree. The once-crying girl was now lifeless, her chest pierced clean through, with arcs of lightning dancing along the arrow's shaft.
Jian Xiaolou stood frozen, teeth chattering slightly from shock. She had witnessed violence before, but such brutal killings always stirred a primal fear in her heart.
"Why did you kill her without saying a word?!" she demanded, turning toward the direction the arrow had come from.
"If I hadn't, she would have killed you," a calm voice replied. "I saved you, yet instead of thanking me, you question me. What's the logic in that?"
A woman in her twenties stepped into view. Her cultivation level was at the ninth stage of Qi Refining, just a step away from Foundation Establishment. She wasn't conventionally beautiful, but she had striking features, long legs, and a rare, tall frame. Her hair was tied back in a high ponytail, and she wore a fitted leather outfit and deerskin boots. A massive iron bow was strapped to her back, and she wielded a heavy crossbow on her arm.
She looked more like a battle-hardened warrior than a typical cultivator.
The woman stopped in front of Jian Xiaolou. "The name's Zhan… Zhan Tianxiang."
Feeling slightly intimidated by the woman's commanding presence, Jian Xiaolou straightened her back and introduced herself. "You knew she was going to kill me?"
Zhan Tianxiang explained, "She had poison powder on her. If you'd touched her, your spiritual energy would have been disrupted for a moment. A mere moment, but long enough for her to kill you. The poison wasn't that strong, but it would've done the job."
When Jian Xiaolou didn't respond, Zhan Tianxiang added, "Her body is right there. Check for yourself if you don't believe me."
"No need. I believe you," Jian Xiaolou replied. Since it wasn't a sect test, it must have been a robbery attempt. She'd already suspected as much.
"How did you know?" Jian Xiaolou asked.
"I fell for it yesterday," Zhan Tianxiang admitted, looking slightly embarrassed. "Luckily, poison doesn't affect me, so I managed to turn the tables."
Jian Xiaolou was baffled. "Then why didn't you kill her yesterday?"
Zhan Tianxiang's lips tightened into a thin line. "She begged for her life, said it was her first offense, that her family was sick and she had a crippled brother to care for…"
"And you believed her?" Jian Xiaolou gaped, thinking this fierce warrior might be too naive for her own good. "You're way too gullible!"
Zhan Tianxiang didn't respond and instead walked over to the corpse. With a cold, impassive expression, she pulled the arrow from the girl's chest and, ignoring the gush of blood, resumed her trek up the mountain. "I came back today to check, just in case. Be careful from now on. The world is dangerous, and misplaced sympathy could cost you your life."
Jian Xiaolou hadn't acted out of sympathy, but she realized one thing for sure: This tall warrior might be a bit scatterbrained, but she was reliable. With her strength, she'd make a good companion.
Jian Xiaolou hurried to catch up. "Sister Zhan, are you also going to join Fire Refinement Sect?"
"Yes."
"I'm from White Cloud City. Your outfit looks different. Are you from another region?"
"Yes."
"Your bow looks heavy. Isn't it hard to carry?"
"No."
"Those boots…"
"Why do you talk so much?" Zhan Tianxiang finally snapped. "I should've just let you die."
"…Alright."
Despite the bickering, they made good progress and emerged from the forest by evening, arriving at the gates of Floating Light City. Mist lingered around the mountains from a recent rain, making the city appear like a grand palace floating above the clouds, stunningly beautiful.
"Wow, a second-tier immortal city is really something," Jian Xiaolou marveled.
"It certainly is," Zhan Tianxiang said, her eyes fixed on the city gate. "Though your White Cloud City probably doesn't hang people from the gates."
"What?"
Jian Xiaolou followed her gaze and saw a man hanging from a golden hook, the metal piercing through his ribcage. Remarkably, he was still alive.
Jian Xiaolou squinted. The person looked familiar. Wasn't he the purple-robed youth who had refused to travel with her?
"Who is that?" she whispered. "He's from a fourth-tier family and also here to join Fire Refinement Sect. How did he end up like this?"
Zhan Tianxiang muttered, "The Eastern Continent's Little Overlord is behind it. What a tyrant."
At the city gates, a fat cultivator sneered at them. "Hey, you two! Don't dawdle. Pay the fee or get lost!"
His attire wasn't armor, so he clearly wasn't part of the city guard.
"We already paid at the base of the mountain," Jian Xiaolou protested.
"That was the entrance fee," he said, his eyes narrowing. "Now you owe the city maintenance fee. Twenty lower-grade spirit stones each!"
Twenty spirit stones? That was daylight robbery! The entrance fee was only two stones, per the Heavenly Intent Alliance's rules. Since when was there a maintenance fee?
Just as Jian Xiaolou was about to argue, Zhan Tianxiang grabbed her arm and shook her head.
The fat cultivator gestured to the hanging youth. "See that fool? He paid but had the nerve to insult our master. Now he's a warning to others. My master is the Eastern Continent's Little Overlord, sent here on a trivial punishment. You want to complain? Be my guest."
Jian Xiaolou swallowed her anger and handed over the stones, not daring to provoke someone called the "Little Overlord."
"Smart girl," the fat cultivator chuckled, turning to Zhan Tianxiang. "And you, hand over the stones."
Zhan Tianxiang calmly handed over her spirit stones. "Make sure to keep them safe," she said ominously.