I Outworked the Entire Cultivation World-Chapter 47 - 38: (Revised) Defiance

The Night Ban embraced tranquility, lonely and serene.

Tao Fengnian couldn’t eat, picked up his rice bowl but put it down again, constantly looking towards Yinfeng Creek, worried whether Jiang Yuebai was cold and hungry.

Really lacking appetite, Tao Fengnian kept the rice warm in the pot and went back to his room to rest.

"Senior Sister Lu, lower your back, don’t stand so straight. We’re sneaking out, let’s not be so righteous."

"Right, right, a thief should look like a thief."

"What’s the difference between bending and not bending? Our three can’t even reach the height of this courtyard wall."

"Uh... seems about right."

Upon hearing the noise, Tao Fengnian didn’t bother putting on shoes, pushed the door open, and saw three little figures standing in the courtyard.

"Grandpa!"

Jiang Yuebai, eyes sparkling with joy, ran forward.

"Oh!" 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Tao Fengnian’s nose felt sour, the little girl had only been away for two days, felt like two years. He rubbed Jiang Yuebai’s head and looked at the two behind her.

Xie Jingshan nodded, Lu Nanzhi cupped her hands in a greeting.

"Junior Lu Nanzhi, disturbing Elder Tao tonight, I hope..."

"Grandpa, go cook, we’re starving."

Tao Fengnian was pushed towards the kitchen by Jiang Yuebai, Lu Nanzhi froze awkwardly in place, couldn’t decide to rise or not.

"Pfft~"

Xie Jingshan stifled a laugh, Lu Nanzhi cast an eye at him, and Xie Jingshan quickly followed Jiang Yuebai.

"Cook more rice, have enough for a bucket."

"Xie Jingshan, are you a rice bucket? Eating after taking a Fasting Pill!"

"I’m asking on behalf of Lu Nanzhi."

"Nonsense, Senior Sister Lu is tiny, how could she eat a bucket of rice."

"You’ll see soon enough."

"Less chatter, go ahead - you’re Single Fire Spiritual Root, perfect for making the fire."

"How dare you order me to make the fire?"

Jiang Yuebai and Xie Jingshan bickered, Tao Fengnian felt neither pain nor aches, happily washed the rice, and asked no questions about why they came, simply served all the good food in the house to entertain the friends the little one brought back.

Unable to argue with Jiang Yuebai, Xie Jingshan sat underneath the stove to start the fire.

Tao Fengnian smiled slightly, he had heard of these two kids, matched them up, and seeing how the little one interacted with them, could tell they were good kids.

Not long after, hot Spiritual Rice and stewed meat came out of the pot, the aroma was mouth-watering, Jiang Yuebai and Xie Jingshan couldn’t resist wiping their mouths, only Lu Nanzhi adhered to etiquette, tried hard to control.

"For you, and yours."

Jiang Yuebai, kneeling on the stone stool, rose and served rice, placing the bowls in front of everyone.

Lu Nanzhi picked up her chopsticks, "Thank you for..."

"Oh, so hot, ho~ho~, so delicious."

"...hospitality"

Watching Jiang Yuebai eating hastily, gobbling, Xie Jingshan also ate vigorously, Lu Nanzhi rarely lifted her lips, showing a smile.

Xie Jingshan wasn’t very hungry, ate a bowl and put down the chopsticks.

Jiang Yuebai, once started, found it hard to stop, operated her chopsticks like flying.

Lu Nanzhi initially ate gently, finely chewing and swallowing, but seeing the stewed meat lessen, she anxiously furrowed her brows, unknowingly hastened her pace.

At home, delicacies tasted like wax, yet today, though just a pot of stewed beast meat, dry and tough, felt inexhaustibly flavorful.

"I can’t eat anymore, Senior Sister Lu, you’re still eating?"

Lu Nanzhi added one bowl after another, ate elegantly, yet couldn’t withstand the quantity.

Finally, even the soup in the meat basin was used to soak rice, eaten cleanly before placing down chopsticks, covering her mouth to wipe.

"I’m full." Lu Nanzhi blushed.

Xie Jingshan raised his eyebrows, Jiang Yuebai was in shock.

Tao Fengnian sitting afar, smoking rod, pounding his back, smiling fully, tales of Innate Spiritual Body having astounding appetite seemed true.

After eating and drinking, the trio couldn’t linger in Huaxi Valley, left early under the night sky.

"Girl, take these rice balls and meat, enough for some more days, if you have no business, best not sneak out."

"Don’t worry, Grandpa, we know what we’re doing."

As they were about to leave, Lu Nanzhi took out a bag of Spirit Stones and offered it with both hands.

"It’s improper to disturb today, and let Elder Tao incur costs, hope you can accept these Spirit Stones, as a token of gratitude."

Tao Fengnian didn’t reach out, Jiang Yuebai’s face fell.

"Lu Nanzhi, are we strangers or do you look down on me?"

"I don’t think that, just that I... did eat too much."

"Put the Spirit Stones away, let’s go, less talk!"

Passing through the mountain path, until the bamboo raft docked, Jiang Yuebai didn’t utter a word to Lu Nanzhi, Xie Jingshan beside dared not speak.

Jiang Yuebai jumped off the raft, Lu Nanzhi panicked inexplicably, "Junior Sister Yuebai, I didn’t mean that."

Jiang Yuebai turned back, "Then what did you mean, why didn’t Xie Jingshan give me Spirit Stones, only you had to give."

Lu Nanzhi stood on the raft seriously, "Lu Family rules say, a gentleman associates with respect, without loss, with courtesy."

Hearing this, Xie Jingshan shook his head and sighed.

Jiang Yuebai laughed irritably, "You don’t feel burdened being so proper, adhering strictly to Lu Family rules?"

Lu Nanzhi fell silent.

"You wish to practice rebellion, why follow Lu Family rules?"

"Rebellion... path..." Lu Nanzhi’s pupils trembled slightly.

Taking advantage of Lu Nanzhi’s daze, Jiang Yuebai suddenly flipped the raft.

Plop!

Lu Nanzhi fell into the cold stream, "Junior Sister Yuebai, you..."

Slap!

Mud splattered across Lu Nanzhi’s chest, ruining her pristine white clothes.

Lu Nanzhi was stunned. She had always been cautious and meticulous, her clothes never stained by dust, thinking she was naturally inclined towards cleanliness. Yet now, with mud on her, she felt no turmoil within.

Seeing this, Xie Jingshan was shocked, his eyes wide. The Lu family descendants were all proper and elegant; when had they ever been in such disarray?

Jiang Yuebai held a ball of mud, "Have you ever been this dirty since you were little? Let me tell you, mud isn’t just fun, it can also be used to cultivate hand techniques."

Xie Jingshan’s eyes lit up, "How does mud help in cultivating hand techniques?"

Another clump of mud flew out, and Lu Nanzhi didn’t bother to dodge.

"If you yank off Lu Nanzhi’s hair tie, I’ll tell you." Jiang Yuebai grinned mischievously.

Xie Jingshan was emboldened, his hand technique surged, and a flame shot straight towards the white hair tie on Lu Nanzhi’s head.

Under attack from both sides, Lu Nanzhi suddenly smiled.

Yes, she didn’t want to follow the Lu family’s arrangements or her mother’s old path; wasn’t this just rebellion?

She preferred the word rebellion to the Path of Killing; it filled her with a fierce joy.

If she was to rebel, then she would rebel completely!

Whoosh!

Lu Nanzhi raised her pale hand, a stream of water surged up, extinguished the flame, and fiercely splashed Jiang Yuebai.

Like a basin of water thrown onto her face, Jiang Yuebai stumbled, looking dazed like a drenched chicken.

"Haha, karma caught up with you!" Xie Jingshan mercilessly mocked.

But a larger stream of water came pouring down, stopping Xie Jingshan’s laughter as he was chilled to the bone.

Lu Nanzhi stood proudly in the stream, her lips curved in a smile, her chin slightly raised, dripping wet.

"Xie Jingshan, you dared to laugh at me!"

Jiang Yuebai, in a fit of rage, performed the Earth-Shaking Technique, causing the ground beneath Xie Jingshan to soften, making him lose his balance and fall into the stream.

"Lu Nanzhi, get him!"

Jiang Yuebai scooped up two balls of mud and flung them with all her might, hitting Xie Jingshan’s head as he flailed in the water.

"You two are going too far."

Lu Nanzhi’s smile blossomed as she leaped onto the shore, scooping up mud with her hands and hurling it freely.

Jiang Yuebai and Lu Nanzhi exchanged smiles as they threw mud balls at each other, carefree and indulging their wild nature.

Clear laughter echoed throughout the mountains.

Childhood friendship, untainted by anything else.

After a round of play, the three were covered in mud, looking like they were asking for a scolding from their mothers.

With mud and rebellion, Lu Nanzhi was completely muddied, throwing all the morning’s utensils into the stream.

"From now on, I, Lu Nanzhi, will no longer abide by the Lu family rules, and will only act according to my own heart!"

Her thoughts were clear, her state of mind relaxed, Lu Nanzhi tore off her hair tie, breaking the silly rule of not wearing her hair loose in front of others.

"Lu Nanzhi, actually I had a selfish reason just now."

Jiang Yuebai suddenly said, and Lu Nanzhi looked over.

"I dared to stand with you because you were dirty."

Lu Nanzhi laughed and smeared Jiang Yuebai’s face with mud, and Jiang Yuebai grinned and retaliated with both hands.

Xie Jingshan rolled his eyes, "Childish!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he was slapped with four handfuls of mud across his face.

Xie Jingshan: ......

The clouds parted, revealing a sky full of stars.

By the campfire, Xie Jingshan grumbled as he roasted meat, while Jiang Yuebai cleaned her clothes and hair, asking Lu Nanzhi to help her tie her hair.

Despite being punished, Jiang Yuebai was very happy. Among the three, Lu Nanzhi was like an elder sister next door, while Xie Jingshan was like a mischievous younger brother.

She missed home a little...

"It’s ready, here you go." Xie Jingshan handed the roasted meat to Jiang Yuebai grudgingly, "Always eating, you’re such a glutton."

Lu Nanzhi looked up, and Xie Jingshan felt a bit less bold, mainly because Lu Nanzhi’s Water Spirit Body countered his Fire Spiritual Root; he couldn’t beat her, and this guy was somewhat protective of Jiang Yuebai.

Jiang Yuebai, biting into the meat, asked, "Xie Jingshan, why do you want to cultivate immortality?"

Xie Jingshan sat down and sighed at the sky, "I made a bet with my dad to always be the first and never fall behind, to become the first Sword Immortal in the Earth Spiritual Realm in a century."

"And if you don’t succeed?"

Xie Jingshan huffed, "If I don’t succeed, I’ll go home and manage the shop."

Jiang Yuebai nodded, finished eating the roasted meat, read for a while, yawned widely, and suddenly felt sleepy.

"I can’t, I suddenly feel a bit tired, I’ll take a nap."

Saying this, Jiang Yuebai stuffed the book into her robe and slept soundly with her head on Lu Nanzhi’s lap.

"If you’re tired, you should rest too, I’ll keep watch." Lu Nanzhi said to Xie Jingshan.

Xie Jingshan was flattered, taking a deep look at Jiang Yuebai.

Lu Nanzhi in the Inner Sect was always aloof and distant, never smiling since joining; today’s events shattered everything, and Xie Jingshan realized that Lu Nanzhi had a childish side.

The one who could melt the icy mountain was indeed Jiang Yuebai, reminding him of what his mother had taught him.

In dealings with others, sincerity is enough.

He felt sincerity from Jiang Yuebai, whether towards him or Lu Nanzhi.

Thinking back to Jiang Yuebai saying he was chivalrous and noble, helping the public, so perfunctory and fake, he still fell for it, such a fool!

He chuckled silently and went to rest under the withered tree.

In a daze, he dreamt of his cultivation advancing by leaps and bounds, Lu Nanzhi fuming, and Jiang Yuebai crying, saying she could never surpass him.

Xie Jingshan chuckled, suddenly awakened by a slap.

"Xie Jingshan!"

Xie Jingshan sat up holding his face, seeing Lu Nanzhi look serious.

"Come and see Little Bai."

Xie Jingshan got up and followed behind Lu Nanzhi, seeing Jiang Yuebai with her eyes closed, swaying, headed towards Yinfeng Creek.

She seemed lost, incapable of being awakened.