Chapter Eight: Wherever There Are People, There Are Weirdos

The man was in his thirties, of short stature, and so ordinary in appearance that he could easily be lost in a crowd. But when he looked at Le Piaopiao, his gaze mixed with malice and excitement made her skin crawl and a chill ran down her spine.

At this moment, she couldn't be bothered to delve into whether there were other eyes locked on her. She quickly ducked into the tent behind her that was used for storing sundries. Thinking that it's better to avoid trouble, as long as she stayed out of sight and returned to the village, the man couldn't do anything to her. If he dared to cause a stir, the villagers, who were at least at the Qi Refining stage, would be able to handle an ordinary person with ease. And her threeobsessive masters were no pushovers themselves.

Regarding the man's intentions, she thought that wherever there are people, there are weirdos. Perhaps she had been too visible these past two days and had attracted the attention of lechers. The social norms of this world were not exactly open; they were more uncivilized and somewhat barbaric. It was common for ordinary women to do things out in the streets. Although her new body was not exactly beautiful and was a bit skinny with unruly hair, she was at least considered ordinarily pretty. When dressed cleanly and neatly, and wearing a brand-new red flower cotton jacket, she exuded a refreshing village girl charm that might attract those who were tired of greasy food.

However, her sudden action of ducking into the tent left the three men in the towering wine building opposite feeling empty.

On the second floor, by the window, stood a young man in his twenties, tall and clad in a white robe. His hair was tied up with a white jade crane-shaped crown. He was good-looking, with spirited long eyebrows and bright, large eyes. Even though he was standing in the shadows by the window, it seemed as if all the sunlight was concentrated on him.

On such a cold day, with the window wide open, his arms were crossed in front of his chest, and his sleeves were half-rolled up. He watched Le Piaopiao with interest and muttered to himself, "This girl is cute. I should spend some time with her." He smiled slightly, as if flowers had bloomed in the snow, and his expression was eager to take action.

"Luo Chengdong, you idiot. You say that every time you see a girl," a delicate voice scolded, sounding somewhat frustrated.

There was no one else around the young man named Luo Chengdong, and the voice was so soft that no one else heard it. But if one paid attention, they would discover that the speaker was his white jade crane-shaped crown. It was either a magical treasure that could talk or a spiritual pet that had transformed. Either way, it was extremely magical. And Luo Chengdong had two swords hanging from his waist. Although they were not eye-catching, he himself was already very striking.

"I came down the mountain to find my destined one. Naturally, I have to chat up anyone who might be a candidate," Luo Chengdong shrugged indifferently. "Xiaodan, don't hinder me. You're always thinking about going back to the mountain. I've never heard of such a lazy crane spiritual pet."

"Your cultivation is low, and because of that, I just hatched and am physically weak. I can't tolerate the impurities of the mundane world!" Xiaodan fumed, causing Luo Chengdong's crown and hair to tremble incessantly.

While master and servant were bickering, in the elegant room on the third floor above them, someone was also looking at Le Piaopiao through the window slit.

"Beitian, did you drag me to the market just to see street performers?" Bai Libu asked disinterestedly.

Behind him stood his personal guard, Yan Beitian.

"Isn't it quite entertaining? At least, I've never seen this kind of performance before," Yan Beitian explained patiently. "The Crown Prince is worried about the Emperor's birthday on the 15th day of the first lunar month. If we invite these performers to the palace to entertain, it might at least bring a smile to the Emperor's face."

"Hmm, it's alright," Bai Libu nodded.

"Didn't you notice, Your Highness, that the girl shouting in front looks somewhat familiar?" Yan Beitian asked again.

Bai Libu didn't respond, as if he didn't remember. In reality, he did. He remembered very clearly.

He had supervised many executions, but never had a criminal been rescued from the execution ground. How could he not be impressed? Besides, the girl's eyes were so bright and clear. Even in the fear of death that day, they still had a fervent feeling. He could see it clearly even through the falling snow, especially now when she was so high-spirited?

"Isn't she a fool?" He suddenly spoke up. "There were also witnesses from the imperial estate. Why does she look so clever... or normal now?"

"So, Your Highness remembers this girl," Yan Beitian smiled. "After the incident at the execution ground, I sent people to investigate the imperial estate, and there was really no problem. The girl was indeed troublesome before. Now, it can only be said that creation is marvelous. Perhaps the fright that day opened her mind."

"If such a thing really happens, then she must be a cultivator. How could such strange things happen to an ordinary person?" Baili Bu frowned. "But that day, you were sure she had a mixed five-element spiritual root."

"I'm very sure she can't cultivate."

"That's too unbelievable."

"Otherwise, shall I investigate her again?" Yan Beitian asked.

Just as he asked this question, Le Piaopiao turned and entered the tent, causing their conversation to come to a halt.

However, for Le Piaopiao, hiding did not make her feel any better. For some reason, she even felt that the malevolent gaze pierced through the tent and still landed on her.

This is strange. That person isn't a cultivator, right? How could an ordinary person have such an overbearing aura? Otherwise, should she report him to the authorities? Her three masters were all at the peak of the Qi Condensation stage, seemingly only one step away from the Foundation Establishment stage, but in reality, breaking through to that stage was very difficult. Therefore, the strength difference between cultivators of different levels was vast. All the Qi Condensation stage cultivators in their village might not be able to defeat a single Foundation Establishment cultivator. If that strange middle-aged man's cultivation level was even higher, she wouldn't even know how she died.

As if confirming her unease, she was hesitating whether to tell her three masters when the tent's curtain was lifted, and the middle-aged man barged in.

"Who are you? Get out!" Le Piaopiao instinctively grabbed a very smooth wooden sword.

The wooden sword was used by Village Head Xia Ningfeng for his sword-swallowing acrobatics. It couldn't be called a weapon; it was more like a prop that would probably break upon contact. But in a hurry, she had nothing else to defend herself with.

The man didn't reply. He just smiled threateningly and suddenly grabbed Le Piaopiao's wrist.

Le Piaopiao didn't even have a chance to scream for help. She only felt her vision blur. It wasn't a change in the scenery; it was as if the air itself was distorted, and she felt an intense pain as if she was being squeezed. When she looked again, she was no longer in the tent but outside Tongchuan City.

"Give it to me!" The middle-aged man reached out to Le Piaopiao.

Le Piaopiao was stunned.

Give what? Was this a robbery? Was he envious of their village's generous earnings over the past three days? But the money and things were all with the village head. She didn't have any money. Wait, this person could use magic, and he didn't seem like her second master who had struggled for a long time and used a Teleportation Charm to quickly return to the village. This middle-aged man just grabbed her and took a step to be outside the city. Obviously, this was teleportation. Her second master had said that only cultivators at the Golden Core stage could teleport.

Golden Core stage! That was the cultivation level only achieved by the emperor of the Qin Dynasty, Hili Songtao, or the national teachers of the other six countries. To ordinary civilians, they were like gods, with a lifespan of three thousand years. Killing her would be easier than squashing an ant. But why would such a high-level cultivator want to rob her, and even do it himself!

"What should I give you?" She couldn't help but shrink back.

"Stop talking! Just give it to me, and I'll let you live!" The man said fiercely.

Le Piaopiao swore that if she knew what the middle-aged man wanted, she would definitely give it to him. She really, really would! What could be more important than life, especially for someone like her who had died once and traveled through two worlds? But she really didn't know what this person wanted. Moreover, she didn't have anything special on her, except for that necklace of colorful stones. But this person probably didn't want the necklace; otherwise, it would have fallen out of her collar, and he didn't try to snatch it.

"Hurry up! Do you really want to die?" The middle-aged man grabbed Le Piaopiao's collar, lifted her up, and shook her violently in the air. "A worm-like ordinary person like you can't keep that thing safe!"

"What do you want me to give you!" She was shaken until she felt dizzy, and her internal organs felt like they were being torn out. Le Piaopiao shouted.

"Stop pretending! The divine artifact! That divine artifact!" The middle-aged man roared. He seemed to be very impatient.

Divine artifact? Her first master, Xiao Yilang, had enlightened her that artifacts were divided into six categories: spirit artifacts, magic artifacts, treasure artifacts, dao artifacts, celestial artifacts, and divine artifacts. Ordinary cultivators could obtain and wield spirit artifacts. Cultivators with higher cultivation and more money could obtain magic artifacts. Treasure artifacts were of a higher grade and not very common. Dao artifacts required even higher cultivation to use and were only found in large sects. Celestial artifacts were rare and hard to come by. Even a low-grade celestial artifact was extremely valuable. As for divine artifacts, they were legendary items that no one in the world had ever seen.

Now, this middle-aged man was asking her for a divine artifact! She could assure him that she definitely didn't have one. If the person in front of her were a woman, she would strip naked for inspection, but that was obviously not possible now.

"I don't have it! I really don't have it!" Le Piaopiao tried to explain. "If I had it, would I let you bully me like this?"

"Hmph, how could a child wield a great treasure? Give it to me now, or I'll dismember you! No matter what, I'll find that divine artifact!"

What the heck, is this a cultivator? If someone like this could become an immortal, then the laws of heaven and earth would be meaningless! With such obsession and fierceness, he would be lucky to fall into the demonic path. Even if he reached the Tribulation Transcendence stage, the tribulation lightning would strike him dead!

But now, the lightning wasn't striking this person; this person would kill her first! At this moment, she suddenly felt that the Qin Dynasty's law against unauthorized cultivation was beneficial. At least, she could be sure that this Golden Core stage cultivator was not from Qin.

"How many times do I have to say it for you to understand? I really don't have any divine artifact!" Le Piaopiao was on the verge of tears.

"You're so stubborn! Then I'll find it myself!" The middle-aged man lost his patience and suddenly threw Le Piaopiao to the ground. He tore open her clothes with one hand and grabbed her hair with the other.

In pain and anger, Le Piaopiao's hatred surged instantly.

Was this a treasure hunt or a rape? Seeing that there was no one around, was she just going to let someone bully her like this? No way. She would bite off a piece of his flesh even if it meant her death. Even if it was like an egg hitting a stone, she would shatter and splash him with yolk!

Le Piaopiao's stubbornness surfaced at this moment. Just as the middle-aged man was about to choke her, a dazzling golden light suddenly erupted from her body!