To steal the opportunities of the white lotus heroine.
I spent over a year carving the image of an innocent, delicate, and frail girl who often coughed up blood into the minds of everyone in the Seven Emotions Sect.
They say the only thing that can defeat a pure white lotus is a refreshing little green tea.
*
"Lu Sangjiu, do you know your crime?"
An imperious, oppressive voice rang in her ears. Lu Sangjiu felt a metallic sweetness rise in her throat, and the next moment, she spat out a mouthful of blood with a PTHOO.
Prostrate on the floor, fresh red blood dripping onto the grand hall's flagstones, she couldn't help but cough a few times. Her downcast eyes were filled with ice-cold mockery.
When she looked up, however, all anyone saw was a face full of grievance and terror. She looked earnestly at the person on the high seat. "I did not injure Senior Sister Ye! Master Bai, please see the truth!"
Bai Heng gazed coldly at the person kneeling below, a trace of impatience showing in his handsome features.
"Only the two of you were present at the time. Now, Ayao is unconscious, and the wounds on her body match your personal sword. You claim you didn't injure her, so what proof do you have?"
Lu Sangjiu's face was pale, and she looked incredibly weak. Her expression was one of wronged confusion.
"My sword was snatched by a demon beast. The demon beast is what injured Senior Sister Ye. Afterwards, to save her, I exhausted all my strength to kill it. Why am I now being asked to prove I didn't hurt anyone?"
Her figure was slight, her white robes stained with blood. She now looked like a small white flower ravaged by a storm, utterly pitiful.
Some of the other disciples standing by showed looks of pity. One of them spoke up hesitantly, "Master Bai, Junior Sister Lu doesn't look like she's lying. Why don't we wait until Junior Sister Ye wakes up and then…"
Before he could finish, Bai Heng cut him off. "I, of course, would also like to wait for Ayao to awaken to get a clear account. But she is severely injured and requires Snow Mysterious Ginseng as a medicinal catalyst to be cured."
After a slight pause, his focused gaze fell once more upon the top of Lu Sangjiu's head.
"The two of you fought the demon beast because you were trying to obtain the Snow Mysterious Ginseng. Since you killed the demon beast, I presume you have already acquired it."
"To help Ayao wake up sooner and clarify the truth, you should offer up the Snow Mysterious Ginseng."
Lu Sangjiu: "…"
'So this was all a big roundabout way to get to the Snow Mysterious Ginseng?'
'Heh, as expected of the so-called "heroine." Even when she's injured, someone is here to demand opportunities on her behalf.'
She sneered endlessly in her heart, but her face remained full of grievance. She stammered, "But Master Bai… I was the one who killed the demon beast and saved Senior Sister Ye. The Snow Mysterious Ginseng is my spoil of war."
"The Snow Mysterious Ginseng is rare. I just reached Foundation Establishment and need it to stabilize my cultivation…"
Bai Heng's expression darkened. "So you mean to say, for your own selfish gain, you're prepared to watch someone die without helping?"
Lu Sangjiu: "…"
'Wow. Just… wow. I've never seen someone engage in moral blackmail so brazenly!'
'These people Cultivating Immortality are all sanctimonious hypocrites, and this Bai Heng is the worst of them all!'
Before she could speak, Bai Heng spoke again. "Forget it. I can't be bothered to argue with a junior like you."
With that, he waved his hand, and a bag of Spirit Stones appeared before her.
"Here are ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones. Consider the Snow Mysterious Ginseng purchased by me."
Lu Sangjiu: "…"
'Of course. There's no such thing as the most shameless, only more shameless.'
Although the Snow Mysterious Ginseng was not of a high grade, it was exceedingly rare. For a Cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Stage, it was a top-tier supplement that was greatly beneficial for cultivation.
Forget ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones; even for twenty or thirty, it was unlikely anyone would be willing to sell it.
And yet here was Bai Heng, not only strong-arming her into a sale but also speaking as if she was the one getting a great deal.
Lu Sangjiu was so angry her teeth itched. She even wanted to destroy the Snow Mysterious Ginseng on the spot rather than let Ye Zhiyao benefit from it.
But before she could act, she heard the voice of her so-called "bargain" master.
"Junior Brother Bai, what an impressive display of authority. My Red Peak Disciple just returned from the Secret Realm, and before she could even come to pay respects to me, her master, you whisked her away?"
Never before had Lu Sangjiu found Duan Xingyun's voice so beautiful. She immediately pinched her own thigh, turned her head with tear-filled eyes, and her voice choked with sobs and grievance, "...Master!"
Duan Xingyun was already displeased seeing his little disciple kneeling there. But then he saw the bloodstains on her lips and her white robes dyed red, looking as miserable as could be.
His expression immediately soured further. Taking a deep breath, he said to the person beside him, "...Qian Cheng, go help your Little Junior Sister up first."
Lu Sangjiu's eldest senior brother, Li Qiancheng, frowned deeply the moment he saw her, clearly furious as well.
He stepped forward and helped Lu Sangjiu up from the ground, unable to restrain his temper as he spoke to Bai Heng. "My Little Junior Sister is already in poor health! Master Bai, you actually resorted to a private punishment? Do you have no regard for the fellowship between sect members at all?!"
Bai Heng's face was stern. He snorted lightly. "Disrespectful to your elders."
The next instant, he lifted a fingertip, and a sliver of Sword Qi shot toward Li Qiancheng!
Duan Xingyun's expression changed. He hurriedly condensed a shield with his Mana to block Bai Heng's attack.
Although it was just a simple exchange, anyone could see that Bai Heng had only struck casually, while Duan Xingyun needed to use at least eighty percent of his strength to neutralize it.
The victor was obvious.
This blatant show of force made Duan Xingyun's expression turn utterly grim. "Junior Brother Bai, trying to strike right in front of me... are you completely disregarding my presence?!"
"How would I dare?" Bai Heng said nonchalantly. "It's just that your disciple, Senior Brother, is far too insolent. I merely wanted to teach him a small lesson."
Seeing the situation grow tense, Lu Sangjiu quickly gave two weak coughs. "Master, don't be angry. Master Bai just misunderstood me… but he did accidentally hurt me, and he gave me compensation."
As she spoke, she dangled the ten Mid-grade Spirit Stones Bai Heng had just given her. "See? Master is quite generous, isn't that right, Master?"
Bai Heng: "…"
He hadn't expected it either. The Spirit Stones he had just stated were for buying the Snow Mysterious Ginseng had been twisted by Lu Sangjiu into compensation.
But in front of Duan Xingyun, he couldn't bring himself to say they weren't compensation but were for purchasing the Snow Mysterious Ginseng. It would be too much of a loss of face.
Choking for a moment, Bai Heng pursed his lips and could only give a reluctant nod in the end.
"I was worried about my disciple and acted rashly for a moment. Consider these Spirit Stones payment for Niece Lu's medical expenses."
After a pause, his tone shifted. "However, to save my disciple, I must ask Niece Lu to part with the Snow Mysterious Ginseng in her possession."
He narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixed on Lu Sangjiu with a cold sharpness, clearly determined to get the Snow Mysterious Ginseng.
Lu Sangjiu fearfully shuffled closer to Duan Xingyun and looked up pitifully. "Master…"
Seeing her like this, Duan Xingyun felt a surge of protective affection and said gently, "Rest assured, Master is here. No one will bully you in the slightest."
Bai Heng hadn't thought much of it before, but the fact that Lu Sangjiu had dared to just take his Spirit Stones was enough to show she wasn't as obedient and pitiful as she appeared.
Now, watching Duan Xingyun get fooled by her, he couldn't help but let a sarcastic smile form on his lips. "What a touching scene of master-disciple affection. It's just that, Senior Brother, you should really practice your ability to judge character, lest you be deceived and used without even knowing it."