I Cheated While Cultivating

“Ah, Xiu’er girl is a friend of both Zhou Heng and I,” Yu He jumped in first, chuckling, “We usually get along very well, huh? Junior Uncle, Miss, are you a disciple of the Pure Yang Palace?”

He emphasized that Yun Xiu was a common friend and tried to steer the conversation away.

“Hmm, her name is Yun Xiu, and she’s one of my friends,” Zhou Heng, however, didn’t see any issue and replied straightforwardly with a nod.

“So it’s her, I’ve heard some of her reputation,” Cheng Jianjian nodded slightly upon hearing and said, “Though her fame isn’t big now, her master is no simple character. This Miss Xiu’er will certainly become famous throughout the world in the future.”

“You’ve heard of her?” Zhou Heng was a bit surprised, as Yun Xiu and He Mengqiu mainly focused on dream cultivation and left few traces in the Jianghu.

“Mm, I have heard my master mention her,” Cheng Jianjian smiled and said, “My master has numerous channels to gather hidden information from the Jianghu. If Junior Uncle is interested, I can share them with you later.”

The two of them conversed back and forth.

Yu He, on the other hand, listened with a baffled face, suddenly feeling he might have overthought it?

However, this situation was much better than what he had imagined, so he hastily changed the topic, asking Zhou Heng, “Hey, Zhou Heng, who is this lady? Won’t you introduce me?”

Zhou Heng dismounted from his horse and led it, laughing, “Haha, in fact, you have heard of her before.”

“Ah? I’ve heard of her before?” Yu He was first stunned upon hearing this, then said in astonishment, “She calls you junior uncle, which means she’s a disciple of the Pure Yang Palace. The one I’ve heard of… Fairy Qiongfeng?! No, she should now be called Celestial Maiden of Yuxiao! She is Cheng Jianjian!”

“It’s just a slight reputation,” Cheng Jianjian shook her head gently, dismounted as well, and smiling, said, “It’s me.”

“Good heavens, no wonder you’re known as the Celestial Maiden, Miss, you truly resemble a fairy descending to Earth!” Yu He complimented her, half out of habit from doing business, and half from genuine amazement.

Indeed, Cheng Jianjian’s beauty could earn her the title of a fairy descending to Earth, dazzlingly beautiful, without equal in this world.

“Alright, no more flattery,” Zhou Heng came over to Yu He and said, “You just mentioned you went to look for me at my house, is there something going on at the martial arts hall?”

Yu He was different from before, now a man constantly busy. He usually wouldn’t show up without good reason, and since he came to find Zhou Heng in person, there likely was something at the martial arts hall that he couldn’t handle.

“Sigh, you guessed right,” Yu He nodded, his eyes rolling around, “Is it convenient to talk here?”

He was referring to Cheng Jianjian being present.

“There’s no inconvenience,” Zhou Heng said with a smile.

“Well, here’s what happened.” Yu He briefly explained the situation, “Today at noon, a young woman riding a White Tiger came to the martial arts hall, demanding to see you by name. She insisted on not leaving unless she met you.

“That White Tiger looked fierce; although it didn’t bite anyone, it made people scared and no one dared to enter the martial arts hall. She claimed to be Feng Shaoe, looks to be in her early twenties, very beautiful, just dresses a bit oddly, not like she’s from the Central Plains.”

Though Da Qi, Da Zhou, and Da Jin are known as the three central nations, due to regional differences in customs, terms like ‘Central Plains’, ‘Northern Frontier’, and ‘Southern Frontier’ are also used within the country.

The Central Plains refers to the eight provinces surrounding Zhongzhou, including Pingzhou.

“Feng Shaoe, her?” Zhou Heng was slightly taken aback and puzzled, “I don’t know her at all.”

“Feng Shaoe?” Cheng Jianjian uttered in surprise and said, “The former tenth place on the Human Rankings, now the eleventh, known as the ‘Snow Mountain Witch’ Feng Shaoe?”

“It should be her,” Zhou Heng nodded slightly and realized, “I remember she is a true disciple of the Yu Huang Sect. Although she’s not proficient in martial arts, she masters many ancient sorceries and is quite strong, once ranked in the top ten of the Human Rankings.”

At the mention of Yu Huang Sect, a flicker of light passed through his eyes.

He had always been paying attention to this ancient sect and wanted to unravel the origins of its heritage.

The Yu Huang Sect is said to be the oldest sect in the world, even older than Taixu Viewpoint, existing even before the Mythical Era.

Although it had faced calamities that nearly caused its extinction, it has survived every time.

According to the authorities from Taixu Viewpoint and other sects, the Yu Huang Sect, also known as Yu Huang Palace during the Ancient Mythological Era, had given rise to numerous immortals and gods, commanding awe and splendor.”

The present Yu Huang Sect may not have the magnificent glory of the ancient times, but it still houses a Tao Lord and is one of the Great Sects in Da Qi.

And what captured Zhou Heng’s attention was the two divine ancestors revered by the Yu Huang Sect.

Nuwa and Fuxi.

The first time Zhou Heng heard these divine names, he almost thought he had misheard due to his eagerness to find information related to Earth in this world.

Only after repeated confirmations did he finally verify that the Yu Huang Sect indeed revered Nuwa and Fuxi, claiming Nuwa as the progenitor of the human race and Fuxi as the primitive ancestor of civilization.

These two divine figures were said to be the origin of human civilization, and the Yu Huang Sect has been worshiping them since the Ancient Era, maintaining the closest heritage to the origin of human civilization.

However, the majority believed that this was just the Yu Huang Sect boasting about its heritage, including elements of false propaganda.

After all, this era was too far removed from when the human race was born and emerged from the wilderness to establish civilization.

Following the Dark Age, only fragments of records about the Ancient Mythological Era remained, not to mention the even more distant Ancient Era.

The claims made by the Yu Huang Sect were considered unverifiable by many, and some even doubted the authenticity of the names Nuwa and Fuxi.

If not for the continuously strong strength of the Yu Huang Sect, their descriptions of the revered divine ancestors alone could have incited many to call them out on these “false claims.”

But Zhou Heng knew that the so-called “Nuwa” and “Fuxi” might not be false, because the Yu Huang Sect’s descriptions of these two primogenitors were very similar to some records he knew from Earth.

If it really was the case, then the question arises—

What is the relationship between this world and Earth, and why can traces of the origin of the human race and civilization be found in this world?

It’s nothing short of incredible.

Perhaps he could use this opportunity to chat with Feng Shaoe and deepen his understanding?

A thought crossed Zhou Heng’s mind, and he nodded to Yu He, saying, “Let’s go, take me to the martial arts hall first, letting a White Tiger stay there without any money isn’t too appropriate.”

“Perhaps she has come to challenge you,” Cheng Jianjian said with a light smile: “Before you entered the top ten of the Human Rankings, Feng Shaoe was always within the top ten.

“But then you suddenly emerged and directly claimed the sixth spot on the Human Rankings, everyone behind moved down a place, and she was pushed out of the top ten, becoming the eleventh.”

“This… might not be impossible,” Zhou Heng touched his nose and smiled, “Let’s go check it out first.”

…

In front of the gate of the Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall.

Lei Xiuyan and Lin Cang wore troubled expressions as they looked at the young woman sitting atop a white tiger.

There were many onlookers, but no one dared to approach.

Even some apprentices were somewhat afraid of the white tiger, those outside didn’t dare to come in, and those inside didn’t dare to go out.

There was no helping it; the white tiger was simply too large.

It was about thirty feet in length and over ten feet in height, with a tail nearly as long. Its sheer size stood as a formidable presence, making people wary of nearing it.

Forget the common people; even martial artists of the Ninth or Eighth Ranks would feel a sense of dread at the sight of such a massive white tiger and wouldn’t dare to act rashly.

Sitting atop the white tiger was a beautiful woman dressed in light attire, distinct from the common fashion of Central Plains’ women.

She wore only a deep blue tube top adorned with delicate patterns, revealing her exquisite collarbones, the fair skin of her chest, and her slender waist.

Her lower half was covered by a deep blue skirt with embroidered patterns, her long and fair legs shining in the light as well; yet her demeanor remained rather cold and serious, devoid of smiles or casual conversation.

Such a woman was indeed a rare sight in Pingzhou, her attire, appearance, and aura all incredibly stimulating to many people.

Among the crowd of onlookers were many who had come to see the white tiger, but even more were staring at her.

As the sky grew darker and the sun was about to set completely, the woman showed no signs of leaving. Lei Xiuyan had no choice but to step forward and approach the white tiger.

Confronted by the immense beast, even with his cultivation at the peak of the Seventh Rank, Lei Xiuyan couldn’t help but feel uneasy. He took a deep breath and said, “Miss Feng, it’s getting late, why not find a place to stay first?”

“Roar, roar…” The white tiger made a sound from its throat, its large eyes turned to Lei Xiuyan, it sniffed him, then retreated back.

However, even this small movement made Lei Xiuyan’s entire body tense up.

He sensed a force from the white tiger that he couldn’t possibly resist, causing alarm in his heart. He thought to himself, “This white tiger must be at least of the Secret Six Rank.

“Is this what it’s like to be a core disciple of one of the top ten sects? A mere Seventh Rank in her own right, yet she has a Secret Six Rank white tiger as a mount; such a thing would be utterly impossible for ordinary martial artists.”

“Hall Master Lei, I’ve already said, I mean no harm, I’m just here to find Zhou Heng,” Feng Shaoe’s expression remained cold, her beautiful face showing no emotion, “This martial arts hall is the most likely place to wait for him, naturally, I have to wait here.”

“Miss Feng, this is a threat,” Lei Xiuyan’s face darkened as he spoke, still claiming no ill intentions, yet blocking the entrance of the martial arts hall with a white tiger was definitely threatening.

“This is a threat?” Confusion flickered in Feng Shaoe’s eyes, followed by a shake of her head, “I don’t think this is a threat. To see him, I naturally had to choose the most likely method to make him come out.

“Moreover, I’m not really intending to do anything; I have no ill intentions, I don’t want to hurt you or anyone else, so why would this be a threat?”

She had an expression like it was all a matter of course, as if all her actions made perfect sense to her.

Lei Xiuyan was left speechless, realizing that the girl’s thought process was different from that of normal people, and common sense simply didn’t apply to her.

“If this doesn’t count as a threat, then what does?”

It was at this moment that Yu He’s voice came from not far away. He was at the forefront, raising his voice, “You’re blocking our gate with such a huge creature, making people frightened and unable to enter or leave, doesn’t that count as a threat?”

Zhou Heng and Cheng Jianjian followed behind him, leading their horses.

“What are you talking about?” Feng Shaoe seemed genuinely perplexed, “I said from the start, I have no ill intentions, and Da Bai and I won’t hurt anyone, why would you be afraid? That seems like your problem.”

Zhou Heng and Cheng Jianjian, who had followed Yu He, heard Feng Shaoe’s words and exchanged looks, both seeing the puzzlement in each other’s eyes.

Was Feng Shaoe a bit out of her mind?

Poor girl, looking so beautiful but seemingly a bit short-circuited upstairs, her basic understanding of things differing from normal people?

“I’ll go,” Zhou Heng said, a frown on his forehead, to Cheng Jianjian.

“Let’s go together,” Cheng Jianjian replied with a gentle nod.

So the two tethered their horses and, along with Yu He, made their way through the crowd to stand before Feng Shaoe and the gigantic white tiger.

They too felt the immense aura of the white tiger.

Their expressions became momentarily stern.

“I am Zhou Heng, what do you want with me?” Zhou Heng asked gravely.

“Zhou Heng?” Feng Shaoe turned her head toward Zhou Heng, her eyes suddenly brightened and a thick smile spread across her cool face, “I’m here to fight you, to have a fight with you.”

“Is it for the human race rankings?” Zhou Heng’s eyebrows rose slightly, “If I win, will you take this white tiger and leave?”

“Da Bai can leave right now,” Feng Shaoe said as she jumped down from the white tiger and sauntered toward Zhou Heng with her waist swaying subtly.

She gave a sly smile, “After all, I was just waiting for you to come; now that you’re here, there’s no need for Da Bai to block the entrance of the martial arts hall anymore. Da Bai, you can go now.”

No sooner had her words fallen, than the white tiger leapt into the air, soaring away to a hundred yards distant, quickly out of sight from the Pure Yang Martial Arts Hall.

“You did this on purpose,” Zhou Heng’s face darkened.

“How else could I get you to come so quickly?” Feng Shaoe said, smiling, her chest heaving with laughter, all coldness vanished from her face, making her appear mischievously spry.

Her words truly made Lei Xiuyan, Yu He, and others furious, their faces turning an iron shade of blue. They had really believed that Feng Shaoe was simply naive.

“Let’s fight,” Zhou Heng cut to the chase, a no-nonsense tone in his voice, but before he could finish, a slender figure moved in front of him.

“Little Uncle-Master, let me do this,” Cheng Jianjian said with a faint smile, a longsword being drawn from her hand, “With your niece here, how could we possibly have you take action yourself?”