A cultivator stepped into the room and placed a gift box on the table. He then said, “Young Master Xu Du had accidentally injured you, and he feels terribly remorseful about it, Junior Nephew Wei. He had specially sent one hundred taels of immortal silver as an apology.”

Zhang Sheng’s face darkened, but a familiar voice came from outside before he could explode, “Wei Yuan! I heard you got stabbed?”

Her voice always preceded herself, and her mouth always touched a sore spot before it did anything else. It was, of course, his Big Senior Sister.

Ji Liuli entered the sick ward like a storm. When she saw Zhang Sheng, her eyes lit up in an imperceptible fashion before returning to normal. Then, she picked up the gift box and gave it a little lift. “A hundred taels of immortal silver! That’s too much! Tell your young master that our Wei Yuan isn’t worth this much. Next time, a tael or two is enough to convey his apology.”

The cultivator’s attitude changed dramatically. While wearing an obsequious smile on his face, he said, “Big Senior Sister Ji, my young master has always treated you with respect, hasn’t he? Besides, this matter has nothing to do with you…”

Ji Liuli said flatly, “No one asked for your opinion, messenger. Just do your job. Now get lost!”

The cultivator didn’t dare to say anything else. He left with his tail half-tucked between his legs.

After he was gone, Ji Liuli took a seat next to Wei Yuan and gave his muscles a squeeze. “Eh, it’s just a minor wound. Yep, you would already be healed if your healer didn’t sprinkle a little too much powder. Oh right, I heard that the lass from the Bao Clan took a hit for you? What happened between you two? How on earth did you manage to swindle her, you, you! Wait—you didn’t do it already, did you? How many times?!”

His Big Senior Sister was a gossiper alright. Not only had she rushed over in a hurry, she knew more than Zhang Sheng himself.

Her eyes practically sparkled with curiosity as she awaited an answer, but frankly, Wei Yuan himself had no idea why Bao Yun would block a blow for him. Heck, he didn’t even know she did that until after the fact. After all, he had already fallen unconscious when he collapsed to the ground. He had only learned about the truth afterward.

During the previous fights, his allies would always screw Wei Yuan over somehow. In fact, it was all masterminded by Bao Yun. Children couldn’t hide secrets, so those carrying out her commands would often talk about her instructions in secret. As his senses were unnaturally sharp, he had heard all of it. However, he didn’t think that being pummeled during a chaotic melee was a big deal, not to mention that he was much tougher than your average cultivator. Besides that, Bao Yun had privately and publicly lent him a lot of immortal silver. Without exaggeration, he currently owed her several centuries worth of monthly and yearly allowance.

Forget that Bao Yun was doing all this in secret, she could have beaten him up face to face, and he still would’ve taken it without batting an eyelid. In fact, he would intentionally loosen up his muscles so that he wouldn’t accidentally hurt her knuckles. Nothing was more important than keeping his patron happy after all.

All things considered, he counted himself lucky that Bao Yun hadn’t chosen to add salt to injury during their latest fight. Naturally, he didn’t understand why she had taken the hit for him at all.

Ji Liuli grew a little displeased when she wheedled and cajoled Wei Yuan for an answer to no avail. While thoughtlessly squeezing his body, she said, “Anyway, your injury is nothing, so you can resume your cultivation tonight, and we will continue refining your foundation tomorrow as usual.”

Meanwhile, Zhang Sheng was frowning slightly at Ji Liuli’s wandering hands. Luckily for her, she realized this and stopped right before the scholar could lose his temper.

Ji Liuli looked back at Zhang Sheng and asked, “It’s one hundred immortal silver, my friend. You’re not going to take this on the chin, are you?”

Zhang Sheng let out a grunt and said, “I would already be teaching those two a lesson if you didn’t show up.”

Ji Liuli said in a lazy voice, “Xu Du’s status is something, but his innate talent is horrible. Even his fortune is borrowed from another person. Despite this, he almost failed to forge his Earth-tier Dao Foundation. He is unquestionably a worthless piece of garbage. Xu Zhuang is no different; he is just a slightly less worthless piece of garbage. Killing them would be meaningless, not to mention that the boy only did what he did out of envy. It’s not such a big sin that he deserves to die for it. Also, what will people say if we get involved? It will only benefit the perpetrator in the end.”

Zhang Sheng knew this. He knew it all from the beginning. However, the sight of Wei Yuan lying on his sick bed prevented him from letting go.

Ji Liuli said, “I’ll help you this once since you owe me a ton of money. Come on!”

Zhang Sheng half-suspected a ruse, but he ultimately followed her outside. Later, Ji Liuli turned back to look at the pathetically shabby sick ward and said, “A, B, C, D… H. There are only two H-rank sick wards in the entire Xuanming Hall, and they’ve become exclusive to your Skyblue Hall. Get little Wei Yuan a better ward the next time he’s here, okay? I’ll foot the bill.”

Zhang Sheng grunted. “Busybody. Anyway, you were talking about getting revenge?”

Ji Liuli asked him a question, “Who is the most talented and fairly influential person in the Xu Clan right now?”

“Xu Henshui. But this doesn’t have anything to do with him, does it?”

“Normally no, but his surname is Xu, so sucks to be him!”

Seeing the confusion on Zhang Sheng’s face, Ji Liuli explained, “We’re both fairly famous figures, so it would be bad for our reputation if we beat up a pair of trash. But Xu Henshui? That’s perfectly acceptable. We’ll kick his ass using Xu Du’s assault on your disciple as the excuse!”

Zhang Sheng was no kind soul, but even he hesitated at the… unfairness of her suggestion. “That’s… a little forced, don’t you think?”

“You don’t get it! This guy is as narrow-minded as it gets. There’s nothing he likes more than taking out his anger on others. After we kicked his ass, and knowing that he will never be able to get his revenge from us, he will surely take it out on those two pieces of garbage instead. Knowing him, he will torment them for at least a couple years before he’s satisfied!”

Zhang Sheng was impressed. “You really are the badder one between the two of us!”

Ji Liuli smirked. “Why else am I the Two Zhang Five Big Senior Sister? That extra chi I got on you isn’t for show, you know[1]?”

Zhang Sheng’s mood was soured instantly.

Moments later, the duo appeared outside a small, tranquil house like a ghost. It was covered in orchids, elegant and beautiful.

Ji Liuli eavesdropped on the occupant for a moment before whispering, “He’s writing poetry again. His guard is at its lowest at this time, so we’ll get him together. You’ll suppress his movements, and I’ll pull out his Dao Foundation!”

Zhang Sheng nodded and disappeared in a flash. The next moment, sword qi suddenly exploded from inside the house and threw the roof at least tens of zhang into the air. It soundlessly dissolved into powder long before it hit the ground. Amidst the sounds, the vague sound of a shocked, resentful cry broke out before vanishing without a trace.

Inside his room, Xu Henshui was trembling slightly while he stared in shock and fury at Zhang Sheng and Ji Liuli.

The scholar was standing beside the window with his hands clasped behind his back and his eyes trained onto the orchids in the house. His back was facing toward the guy.

As for Ji Liuli, she was clutching an orchid with one hand while poring through a paper with still wet ink on it, reading, “A fragrant orchid rests in the shade, waiting for a hermit to pluck it… You want to be plucked? You should have said it sooner!”

Xu Henshui felt embarrassed enough to die on the spot. Unfortunately, his immortal orchid was gripped between Ji Liuli’s fingers right now, meaning that he was dead stuck in the limbo between life and death.

“Enough! What the hell do you two want? Have you come all the way just to humiliate me?!”

Ji Liuli replied, “A Xu Du from your clan injured Zhang Sheng’s disciple unprovoked. Shouldn’t we humiliate you for it?”

“Who’s Xu Du?” Xu Henshui furrowed his brow and thought furiously. He had always loathed the infighting, which was why he rarely paid attention to anyone or anything related to his own clan. It took him a long time before he finally recalled someone with that name, but he could not recall if he was the son of his older male patrilineal cousin or older female matrilineal cousin. In any case, he wasn’t worth his attention.

“He’s a member of the Xu Clan, and he’s the one who started it. It makes sense that he should make amends, right? And yet, the boy had the gall to compensate the Bao Clan, but not Wei Yuan! How dare he look down on our boy! Long story short, this ain’t over!” A storm of saliva flew out of Ji Liuli’s mouth and splashed hard against Xu Henshui’s face.

His Dao Foundation was literally in her hands right now, so he had no choice but to bow his head and said, “Fine, fine! It’s the Xu Clan’s fault! How do you want me to make up for it?”

“Simple. Just cancel half of the medical debt I owe you, and we’re good.”

Xu Henshui’s voice instantly rose an octave. “You might as well rob me!”

“I would never lower myself to do such a thing! But if I did, did you really think I would leave you with anything?” Ji Liuli scoffed.

Xu Henshui turned to Zhang Sheng next and clenched his teeth. “Do you share her opinion as well, Zhang Sheng?!”

Still facing him with his back, the scholar didn’t move an inch as if his mind was wandering elsewhere. In reality, he was hiding how red his face was, and how hard his heart was beating. What Ji Liuli was doing to Xu Henshui was shameless to say the least, but her debt was really his debt. A fifty percent discount! That was why he didn’t feel like speaking.

In the past, he would never have lowered himself to such acts. But Ji Liuli was acting as the front, and his sense of shame had diminished significantly after mastering the Void Cutter Sword Art. Sure, there was still some shame left in him, but this was within tolerance. Besides, this was several hundred thousand immortal silver they were talking about. He would have had to cut so many years of “vegetable slices” and “minced meat” to make up for it[2].

Xu Henshui’s resistance excited Ji Liuli, and she cackled, “You don’t agree? Then don’t blame me for what happens next.”

The woman waved her hand in front of her and summoned a basin of clear water. She then mixed flour with it and stirred it until it’s smooth. Next, she brought out an assortment of seasoning dishes, then poured oil into a wok and lit a fire.

As a connoisseur of the joys of life, Xu Henshui sometimes cooked his own food. That was why he let out a scream when he saw Ji Liuli acting like she was about to dip the orchid in the flour soup and realized what she was planning to do: She was going to thicken the soup with his immortal orchid!

Enough is enough!

… Is what he would like to say, but reality was a cruel mistress. In the end, Xu Henshui agreed to the unfair terms with tears in his eyes. He also promised to supply Ji Liuli with all the herbs she required to her satisfaction. Only then did he finally manage to send the two demons of pestilence away.

1. She’s taller than Zhang Sheng, so she made up the nickname so she could remind her friend forever about the fact. ☜

2. Recall Zhang Sheng’s side job as an immortal sword “cook” a couple chapters ago, if you don’t get what he’s saying. ☜