From the treetop, Shu Han looked far ahead to see three men in white feathered robes flying above the shrubs. They didn't feel powerful, the strongest of them seemed to be at the peak of the Qi Refining stage. From their actions, they appeared to be searching for something in the shrubs.
Shu Han listened attentively and could hear their quiet conversation.
"Damn, that little thief stole all the pills distributed by our sect in the past few days! We finally got the job of guarding the Heaven-grade spiritual mine, but all the rewards were gone!"
"When I catch that little thief, I will skin her and pull out her bones!"
"Old Fei, have you sensed where that little thief has run to?"
One of them replied, "I can't sense her. She must not have used her magic power, otherwise, my spiritual sense would have detected her."
"It's really strange. That little thief has no magic power but still managed to escape from us. But she must be hiding in these shrubs."
Upon hearing this conversation, Shu Han was quite surprised. It seemed like these cultivators' pills were stolen by a little girl? And these people still haven't caught her! What kind of girl is this, playing around with a group of grown-up cultivators?
Shu Han decided to remain hidden until he could figure out the situation, after all, this was the White Feathers Sect's territory. Even though he had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, he still needed to be very careful when dealing with it.
At this moment, one of the disciples rose a ball of fire in his hand and shouted angrily, "If we can't find her, burn down this whole forest, let's see where she can hide!"
Upon hearing this, a little girl suddenly jumped out from the shrubs. The girl was filthy, her hair was messy like a bird's nest, and her clothes were tattered, looking like they were patched together from various pieces. She angrily said, "You people are really too ruthless!"
A disciple saw the girl, his teeth itched with anger, he roared, "Thief! Hand over our pills!"
The girl snorted coldly, threw out a bunch of empty bottles, and shouted, "I've eaten all those useless pills."
"Damn you! Those were our three months' worth of pills, and you ate them all at once?"
"Oh, then you guys must be really poor."
The girl said disdainfully. At her words, the three of them were so angry that they almost foamed at the mouth. One of them couldn't stand it any longer and immediately threw a fireball spell at her.
Seeing this from afar, Shu Han's heart skipped a beat. He quickly stretched out a claw and waved a black wind to block the girl, the fireball flew into the black wind and immediately disappeared. The four people at the scene were all startled, and the three White Feathers Sect disciples immediately looked around.
"Which senior is joking with us juniors?"
Shu Han, hidden in the black mist, spoke in a deliberately aged voice, "You three are really shameless, to attack a child so ruthlessly, aren't you?"
Upon hearing his voice, the three of them were so scared by the spiritual pressure of the Foundation Establishment stage around them that their legs went weak.
The disciple with the highest cultivation level tremblingly replied, "Senior, this girl stole our cultivation pills and injured our fellow disciples first, we are not deliberately bullying her."
Shu Han was puzzled and asked, "Three Qi Refining cultivators were robbed by a little girl?"
One disciple replied indignantly, "Yes! Senior, this girl is not ordinary. I was patrolling the mountain that day when I was suddenly knocked unconscious from behind. When I woke up, the pills on me were all gone. It was only by setting up a trap that we were able to expose this little thief."
Shu Han looked at the little girl again and suddenly found her somewhat familiar.
"Forget it! How many pills did this girl take from you? I will replace them!"
As he spoke, bottles of Qi Gathering Pills flew in front of the three men. Seeing that they were Qi Gathering Pills, they were all overjoyed and thanked him profusely.
"Just leave!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Then, Shu Han enveloped in a black mist, approached the girl. The girl looked at him arrogantly, her dirty little face didn't show a bit of fear.
"Little girl, you are really powerful!"
The girl disdainfully said, "What's the big deal? The pills you just gave to those wastes would have been better given to me as a tribute."
Tribute to her? Why did her tone sound so familiar?
Shu Han dispersed the black mist around him, showed a smile, and squatted down to speak. Just as he was about to speak, the girl's face suddenly turned cold upon seeing Shu Han, showing a coldness that did not match her age. Then she jumped up and punched Shu Han hard in the stomach. It directly flung Shu Han, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, ten meters away.
The girl, hands on hips, yelled, "You little brat! Finally, you showed up! You've made me wait!"
Shu Han climbed up from the ground and looked at the girl in astonishment. This haughty demeanor, this disdain for the world. He murmured, "You... you're Senior Shangguan Ruolin? How did you become like this?"
Shangguan Ruolin crossed her arms unhappily, sighed, and said, "I knew I shouldn't have used the secret technique to save you, kid. Now I'm reduced to this, being chased around the mountains and fields just for taking a few Qi Refining disciples' pills. When have I ever been so wronged? I'd rather have died with you in the mine!"
Shu Han swallowed his saliva and walked over cautiously.
"Senior, what exactly is going on?"
Shangguan Ruolin's dirty little face lifted, glanced at Shu Han, and said, "It's a problem with my cultivation technique. When my cultivation was suppressed, I forcibly used a Golden Core secret technique, causing severe damage to my vitality and suppressing my entire cultivation within the Golden Core."
"Why did you become young again?"
Shangguan Ruolin glared at him, "Are you saying I was old before?"
Shu Han was at a loss for words, "This... You know that's not what I meant..."
Shangguan Ruolin picked leaves from her messy hair and said, "This is caused by the Sky Palace Six Harmony Method of our Sky Palace Sect. When I practiced this technique in my early years, I accidentally went into devilry, which left a hidden danger, causing my cultivation cycle to change. After damaging my origin, my age also decreased along with my cultivation."
Looking at Shangguan Ruolin's annoyed expression, it's no wonder she didn't want to use the Golden Core secret technique even when her life was at stake in the mine.
Considering her previous aloof demeanor, the inability to take care of herself must indeed be more unbearable than death. Shu Han felt guilty in his heart, squatted in front of her, and carefully helped her remove the branches and leaves from her head.
"Senior, I indeed owe you for this. Is there any way to help you return to your original state? I will spare no effort!"
Shangguan Ruolin sat on the ground with a pouting face and snorted, "How did I end up with a kid like you? Forget it, you did save me first, so let's call it even. However, you should have received the final reward from the old ghost in the mine, where are the top-grade spirit stones? Perhaps this treasure could help me recover."
Shu Han laughed awkwardly and told her about the encounter with Master Dragon Mystical in detail. After listening, Shangguan Ruolin's little face turned even redder with anger.
"Three months wasted! Once I restore my cultivation, I'll destroy his damn mine!"
Shu Han persuaded, "Let's talk about destroying the mine later, how are you going to restore your cultivation now, Senior?"
Hearing this, Shangguan Ruolin calmed down and sighed, "You now also have Foundation Establishment cultivation, take me back to Sky Palace Sect. My father's Nascent Soul should be able to help me recover." Suddenly it seemed as if she remembered something, even before Shu Han could reply, she immediately changed her words, "No! I absolutely cannot go back now!"
Shu Han: ???
Shangguan Ruolin: "Don't ask anymore, it's a private matter of our Sky Palace Sect."
Shu Han: I didn't plan to ask anyway...
Shu Han then asked, "But if you don't go back to the Sky Palace Sect, how will you repair your Golden Core?"
Shangguan Ruolin held her chubby little hand to her cheek, her dirty face looked confused, and she said, "If I can maintain a supply of spiritual power for ten years, I can repair the Golden Core on my own."
Ten years!!!
Shu Han couldn't help but ask, "Is that why you steal the pills from Qi Refining cultivators?"
"What do you mean by stealing?"
Shangguan Ruolin said angrily, "I was borrowing, they just didn't agree. When my cultivation recovers in the future, I will return it a hundredfold. But considering they've been chasing me around, I will also take their lives."
Shu Han: ...
However, Shangguan Ruolin sighed, "Staying in this ghastly state for ten years is too tormenting. If I can find a heavenly treasure that can repair the Golden Core, I can recover immediately. Kid, this time you must help me. Once my cultivation is restored, I will reward you with a magic treasure at the Core Formation stage!"
From the treetop, Shu Han looked far ahead to see three men in white feathered robes flying above the shrubs. They didn't feel powerful, the strongest of them seemed to be at the peak of the Qi Refining stage. From their actions, they appeared to be searching for something in the shrubs.
Shu Han listened attentively and could hear their quiet conversation.
"Damn, that little thief stole all the pills distributed by our sect in the past few days! We finally got the job of guarding the Heaven-grade spiritual mine, but all the rewards were gone!"
"When I catch that little thief, I will skin her and pull out her bones!"
"Old Fei, have you sensed where that little thief has run to?"
One of them replied, "I can't sense her. She must not have used her magic power, otherwise, my spiritual sense would have detected her."
"It's really strange. That little thief has no magic power but still managed to escape from us. But she must be hiding in these shrubs."
Upon hearing this conversation, Shu Han was quite surprised. It seemed like these cultivators' pills were stolen by a little girl? And these people still haven't caught her! What kind of girl is this, playing around with a group of grown-up cultivators?
Shu Han decided to remain hidden until he could figure out the situation, after all, this was the White Feathers Sect's territory. Even though he had reached the Foundation Establishment stage, he still needed to be very careful when dealing with it.
At this moment, one of the disciples rose a ball of fire in his hand and shouted angrily, "If we can't find her, burn down this whole forest, let's see where she can hide!"
Upon hearing this, a little girl suddenly jumped out from the shrubs. The girl was filthy, her hair was messy like a bird's nest, and her clothes were tattered, looking like they were patched together from various pieces. She angrily said, "You people are really too ruthless!"
A disciple saw the girl, his teeth itched with anger, he roared, "Thief! Hand over our pills!"
The girl snorted coldly, threw out a bunch of empty bottles, and shouted, "I've eaten all those useless pills."
"Damn you! Those were our three months' worth of pills, and you ate them all at once?"
"Oh, then you guys must be really poor."
The girl said disdainfully. At her words, the three of them were so angry that they almost foamed at the mouth. One of them couldn't stand it any longer and immediately threw a fireball spell at her.
Seeing this from afar, Shu Han's heart skipped a beat. He quickly stretched out a claw and waved a black wind to block the girl, the fireball flew into the black wind and immediately disappeared. The four people at the scene were all startled, and the three White Feathers Sect disciples immediately looked around.
"Which senior is joking with us juniors?"
Shu Han, hidden in the black mist, spoke in a deliberately aged voice, "You three are really shameless, to attack a child so ruthlessly, aren't you?"
Upon hearing his voice, the three of them were so scared by the spiritual pressure of the Foundation Establishment stage around them that their legs went weak.
The disciple with the highest cultivation level tremblingly replied, "Senior, this girl stole our cultivation pills and injured our fellow disciples first, we are not deliberately bullying her."
Shu Han was puzzled and asked, "Three Qi Refining cultivators were robbed by a little girl?"
One disciple replied indignantly, "Yes! Senior, this girl is not ordinary. I was patrolling the mountain that day when I was suddenly knocked unconscious from behind. When I woke up, the pills on me were all gone. It was only by setting up a trap that we were able to expose this little thief."
Shu Han looked at the little girl again and suddenly found her somewhat familiar.
"Forget it! How many pills did this girl take from you? I will replace them!"
As he spoke, bottles of Qi Gathering Pills flew in front of the three men. Seeing that they were Qi Gathering Pills, they were all overjoyed and thanked him profusely.
"Just leave!"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Then, Shu Han enveloped in a black mist, approached the girl. The girl looked at him arrogantly, her dirty little face didn't show a bit of fear.
"Little girl, you are really powerful!"
The girl disdainfully said, "What's the big deal? The pills you just gave to those wastes would have been better given to me as a tribute."
Tribute to her? Why did her tone sound so familiar?
Shu Han dispersed the black mist around him, showed a smile, and squatted down to speak. Just as he was about to speak, the girl's face suddenly turned cold upon seeing Shu Han, showing a coldness that did not match her age. Then she jumped up and punched Shu Han hard in the stomach. It directly flung Shu Han, a Foundation Establishment cultivator, ten meters away.
The girl, hands on hips, yelled, "You little brat! Finally, you showed up! You've made me wait!"
Shu Han climbed up from the ground and looked at the girl in astonishment. This haughty demeanor, this disdain for the world. He murmured, "You... you're Senior Shangguan Ruolin? How did you become like this?"
Shangguan Ruolin crossed her arms unhappily, sighed, and said, "I knew I shouldn't have used the secret technique to save you, kid. Now I'm reduced to this, being chased around the mountains and fields just for taking a few Qi Refining disciples' pills. When have I ever been so wronged? I'd rather have died with you in the mine!"
Shu Han swallowed his saliva and walked over cautiously.
"Senior, what exactly is going on?"
Shangguan Ruolin's dirty little face lifted, glanced at Shu Han, and said, "It's a problem with my cultivation technique. When my cultivation was suppressed, I forcibly used a Golden Core secret technique, causing severe damage to my vitality and suppressing my entire cultivation within the Golden Core."
"Why did you become young again?"
Shangguan Ruolin glared at him, "Are you saying I was old before?"
Shu Han was at a loss for words, "This... You know that's not what I meant..."
Shangguan Ruolin picked leaves from her messy hair and said, "This is caused by the Sky Palace Six Harmony Method of our Sky Palace Sect. When I practiced this technique in my early years, I accidentally went into devilry, which left a hidden danger, causing my cultivation cycle to change. After damaging my origin, my age also decreased along with my cultivation."
Looking at Shangguan Ruolin's annoyed expression, it's no wonder she didn't want to use the Golden Core secret technique even when her life was at stake in the mine.
Considering her previous aloof demeanor, the inability to take care of herself must indeed be more unbearable than death. Shu Han felt guilty in his heart, squatted in front of her, and carefully helped her remove the branches and leaves from her head.
"Senior, I indeed owe you for this. Is there any way to help you return to your original state? I will spare no effort!"
Shangguan Ruolin sat on the ground with a pouting face and snorted, "How did I end up with a kid like you? Forget it, you did save me first, so let's call it even. However, you should have received the final reward from the old ghost in the mine, where are the top-grade spirit stones? Perhaps this treasure could help me recover."
Shu Han laughed awkwardly and told her about the encounter with Master Dragon Mystical in detail. After listening, Shangguan Ruolin's little face turned even redder with anger.
"Three months wasted! Once I restore my cultivation, I'll destroy his damn mine!"
Shu Han persuaded, "Let's talk about destroying the mine later, how are you going to restore your cultivation now, Senior?"
Hearing this, Shangguan Ruolin calmed down and sighed, "You now also have Foundation Establishment cultivation, take me back to Sky Palace Sect. My father's Nascent Soul should be able to help me recover." Suddenly it seemed as if she remembered something, even before Shu Han could reply, she immediately changed her words, "No! I absolutely cannot go back now!"
Shu Han: ???
Shangguan Ruolin: "Don't ask anymore, it's a private matter of our Sky Palace Sect."
Shu Han: I didn't plan to ask anyway...
Shu Han then asked, "But if you don't go back to the Sky Palace Sect, how will you repair your Golden Core?"
Shangguan Ruolin held her chubby little hand to her cheek, her dirty face looked confused, and she said, "If I can maintain a supply of spiritual power for ten years, I can repair the Golden Core on my own."
Ten years!!!
Shu Han couldn't help but ask, "Is that why you steal the pills from Qi Refining cultivators?"
"What do you mean by stealing?"
Shangguan Ruolin said angrily, "I was borrowing, they just didn't agree. When my cultivation recovers in the future, I will return it a hundredfold. But considering they've been chasing me around, I will also take their lives."
Shu Han: ...
However, Shangguan Ruolin sighed, "Staying in this ghastly state for ten years is too tormenting. If I can find a heavenly treasure that can repair the Golden Core, I can recover immediately. Kid, this time you must help me. Once my cultivation is restored, I will reward you with a magic treasure at the Core Formation stage!"
