Chapter 37: A Miscalculated Risk.
ninjastar
(Verified Taoist Immortal)
- Location
- Your mom's house
Transmigrated back into the body of her child self, can the mighty Celestial Bing Meilu survive in a Xianxia world all the while staving off the advances of arrogant young masters and wannabe protagonists alike?
Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Chapter 37: A Miscalculated Risk.
---
Xi Fu hefted his spear in hesitation. It was an expensive weapon he'd looted from a weaker spear cultivator, with a long ebony haft ending in an extremely long, almost blade-like black-silver spearpoint. It challenged his Spear Qi well and was durable... he was unsure it could survive the upcoming battle.
'This might be your last fight with me, little spear!' he sighed sentimentally.
He and little spear had been through thick and thin together, all the way back from the days he and Jiang Hu and been mortal bandits of no renown. Hong Hui stood before him, hands clasped behind his back arrogantly as he sneered at Xi Fu.
"Are you prepared, Xi Fu?"
"I guess," he shrugged.
'I have no intention of using my Spear Intent. That may just straight-up kill him. Who knows what his elders would do to me then? But if I don't put up a good fight, it'll look like I am disrespecting him.' Xi Fu sighed. 'I think I'll just take it easy and wait for him to weaken me enough I can concede the fight without losing him too much face.'
"Xi Fu, if it takes you more than a single blow to defeat him, I'll put you through a similar test to last time." Bing Meilu's voice rang out of the clearing.
'... On the other hand. We are both experts after all. I must show him some face and send out my strongest move right from the start! Besides, Hong Hui is a sword cultivator, I'm sure him seeing my spear Qi may actually provide him with some benefits to his comprehension!' Xi Fu thought self-righteously.
Then he paused, blinking in realization.
'Hey, if I become known for being able to defeat those nearly a full realm above me... Won't that only help further my image as a suave genius? I can imagine all the women who would throw themselves at me! Sorry Hong Hui, but you are going to be a stepping stone on my quest to pursue beautiful ladies! Don't feel too bad, just think of it as acting as my wingman.'
"Single blow to defeat me? Are you joking Bing Meilu? Hah, I'll stand still here and won't even attack for the first ten exchanges!" Hong Hui arrogantly declared.
"I would uh, prefer if you at least try to dodge," Xi Fu winced. "It might be more beneficial for your health."
Just because Hong Hui was an asshole didn't mean Xi Fu wanted to kill him. They were still sect mates after all.
"Stop mocking me you lowly manslut!" Hong Hui lost his temper, spit flying from his lips. "You aren't qualified to harm me."
'Your head on the block,' Xi Fu shrugged, hefting his spear.
His Spear Qi instantly flooded into the black haft of his spear, recognizing his familiar weapon. After having used only his raw force for so long, a weapon actually designed to channel Spear Qi was like a breath of fresh air. It was like lifting objects after having just carried around a heavy weight. Everything felt so light...
'If I'm going to brag about this event to my girlfriends, I should be suitably dramatic, right?' Xi Fu cleared his throat in preparation.
His face changed, a fierce warlike expression covering his mouth.
"Vile dog of the Hong Clan, you dare besmirch the good name of I, Xi Fu, mightiest Spear genius of the... ahem, the Bing Meilu's faithful slaves faction?"
He could hear some of Hong Hui's followers chuckle at the name.
"Then allow I, Xi Fu, mightiest spear cultivation of the younger generation, to put you in your place. I, Xu Fu will end this fight in one blow. Allow I, Xi Fu to show you his mightiest technique, I, Xi Fu, named it the Cloud Carving Spear!"
"Shut the fuck up-" Hong Hui froze in horror, eyes flicking to Xi Fu's spear, which softly glew with his Heaven Defying Spear Intent.
Hong Hui began to desperately draw the blade sheathed to his side. Xi Fu leaped forward, raising his weapon in preparation. Since he could not control the direction, he would have to release it at point-blank range!
"Wait- what the fuck is thaaaaaaaa-"
'If I aim for his legs, he should survive, right?'
A spectral river of Spear Qi ripped forward as Xi Fu thrust his ebony spear down at Hong Hui's legs. The man's blade flicked out desperately to block.
'I- may have miscalculated.' Xi Fu admitted. 'A little bit. Perhaps.'
The issue was... He had only ever released his Spear Intent into the open air, smashing past resistance to forcefully use a power he was not qualified for. Actually released as intended, through a good quality spear? The attack was already several times stronger than the last time he had used it.
'Sorry, Hong Hui!'
Hong Hui's blade smashed into the bottom of his spear, forcing it upwards from the man's thigh to his... family jewels.
Xi Fu's Cloud Carving Spear stabbed into soft flesh and exploded forth. The world went white.
---
Bing Meilu smiled at the sight of Hong Hui screaming. The man's entire lower body had been blown off, leaving him as just a torso, arms and head. With his peak foundation establishment Qi, the man was able to stop himself from dying, but healing his wounds without help would be impossible to the Heaven Defying Spear Intent affecting him. Furthermore, his sword, a Core Formation magical treasure, was completely shattered.
Her smirk grew as she watched the man down a bottle of rare healing pills, that would be, in this situation, completely useless. She could tell him now... or wait until he wasted a little more money. As she watched him gulp down another whole bottle, his eyes growing wider and wider in confusion.
"Junior Brother, I must interject to give you my wisdom. Healing pills are unable to heal wounds infected with my slaves- I mean, Xi Fu's Spear Intent. Only he can absorb it and allow you to heal."
Hong Hui froze, turning to glare at her.
"You-You could have told me earlier!"
Bing Meilu sighed dramatically as if a sage in deep thought.
"The only way to acquire wisdom is the long path. The weed that grows in the wild shall survive the hurricane that rips to pieces the greenhouse flower. Too much intercession from the senior generation shall only lead to a weakening of your growth."
"A-and that was all a trap, wasn't it? You knew Xi Fu was hiding that power, and y-you set me up!" Hong Hui shouted. "You even shattered my Hong family's treasured sword. I demand compensation for this farse!"
"Compensate yourself, you sore loser! A Farse? Did you not personally demand to fight Xi Fu, even though he himself offered several times to fight him? We all saw you coerce your junior, a mere first stage Foundation Establishment, to fight you, even though he was uncomfortable, abusing your status as his senior brother."
Bing Meilu absolutely did exactly what he was accusing her of. The only issue was, he could never prove it. Not only did she not concede to the obviously true allegation, she shamelessly turned it around and accused him of abusing his own status.
"And to cap it off, asking us to compensate you for a mere Core Formation item? Don't you know that in the Bird Talon continent, it's tradition that during fights between genius anything below the Saint Realm is fair game?"
Of course, that was a tradition for peak geniuses like Bing Meilu and the rivals she fought in her path to ascension, someone like Hong Hui had likely never heard of it. Li Ji whispered into her ear.
"According to sect rules, unless agreed upon beforehand, all magical treasures Foundation Establishment and above must be compensated for by the party that broke them."
"See, even your steward agrees with me-"
"Hah! You shamelessly try and pass off an ordinary sword as a treasured magical item? Do you think, I, Bing Meilu, am blind? It was clearly shattered from one hit by a cultivator in only the first stage of the Foundation Establishment. Is there any such trash-treasured sword in existence? If so, we did you a favour by destroying it, lest it lead to your death in a real fight."
"You- Are you kidding me? That sword was a core formation heirloom of the Hong family-"
"A Core Formation treasure destroyed by a mere Xi Fu? Come up with a better lie next time you shameless fraudster, I, Bing Meilu will not be taken advantage of!"
"You- Don't try and pass off that monster as an ordinary first-stage Foundation cultivator. That attack would scare even a Core Formation. Look at the crater it left!"
"Crater? What crater!" Bing Meilu snapped.
Nothing about the massive crater changed.
"Daoist Earthheart!" she shouted.
Behind her, the black-haired man raised his eyebrows in realization. His Qi flooded out, quickly covering the crater with new soil. Daoist Broadforest filled it with Wood Qi and the vegetation was restored to normal. In a moment, the chaotic crater left behind by Xi Fu's Cloud Carving Spear was completely gone.
"As I said what crater?"
Hong Hui stared at her wordlessly in shock. This level of disrespectful domineering was unfathomable. Did she not know he represented the Rampage Squadron? They were the ones who shamelessly suppressed the weak, not the other way around!
"It's still completely filled with Spear Qi!"
"Xi Fu will absorb that when he wakes up," Bing Meilu yawned.
"So-so you admit you're covering this up?"
"Covering up what? The fact that you were shamefully defeated by a man nearly a full realm your junior? My Xi Fu is well known for his laziness and shallow foundation, despite his talent. Even a strong Qi Condensation enemy may defeat him. After such an embarrassing loss, you actually come up with a lie as contemptible and blatant as him secretly possessing an attack on the level of Core Formation? Who are you trying to fool, Hong Hui?"
When one had powers, lies could become truth and truth lies. This was a fundamental truth of the interplay between cultivators. If an immortal said the sky was green, who would dare call it blue? Bing Meilu had long since mastered the art of using her power to bully others into submission. If she hadn't, her Crystal Providence Heavenly Palace would never have reached such great heights.
"I-I am going to report this to the Rampage Squa-"
"If you do that... I won't have Xi Fu heal you." She let the threat hang for a moment before continuing. "Not even the medicine hall knows how to clear out his Spear Intent. If you ask around, you'll be able to easily confirm that claim. With your cultivation, you may be able to sustain yourself in this state for a while... but forever? You'll die, and even if you don't, your path to Core Formation will be certainly severed."
Hong Hui screamed in rage. But he could not find a retort. He had already heard rumours of how Xi Fu had some disease even the Core Formation Captian of the medicine hall had failed to cure. if this was that, he was screwed without Xi Fu's help.
"What-What do you want?" he hissed.
"I'm glad we can reasonably come to a discussion as rational adults," Bing Meilu sat down, conjuring a tea set of ice.
"First of all, you won't say a word about Xi Fu or anything else. All you know is that a talented cultivator from the Moon-Crying Swan Palace has taken over the Crimson Dragon Faction. She presented herself as amenable to working with the Rampage Squadron, and you'll recommend a softball charm campaign to bring her into your fold. Do you understand?"
"...Yes."
"Alright, great, then we're going."
"W-what about my injuries?" he demanded.
"We've already put off this trip for too long. We'll heal you when we get back in three months."
"Th-three months? Are you insane? The annual faction competition is just about to come up! I can't miss that! Not to mention, how will I explain having a half-body without mentioning your precious Xi Fu anyways?"
"You tripped."
"Ah-excuse me?"
"You tripped."
"You're kidding right?"
"...Am I?"
"Oh fuck off! You better heal me the moment you get back or I swear to god I will have my entire faction rain hell down on you the likes of which you cannot even fathom, little girl. I will-"
Ice grow, freezing over his mouth, as Bing Meilu nodded politely, walking away.
Why is life so hard for the Icy Beauty?
Any corrections or criticisms are welcome, I hope you enjoy Chapter 37: A Miscalculated Risk.
---
Xi Fu hefted his spear in hesitation. It was an expensive weapon he'd looted from a weaker spear cultivator, with a long ebony haft ending in an extremely long, almost blade-like black-silver spearpoint. It challenged his Spear Qi well and was durable... he was unsure it could survive the upcoming battle.
'This might be your last fight with me, little spear!' he sighed sentimentally.
He and little spear had been through thick and thin together, all the way back from the days he and Jiang Hu and been mortal bandits of no renown. Hong Hui stood before him, hands clasped behind his back arrogantly as he sneered at Xi Fu.
"Are you prepared, Xi Fu?"
"I guess," he shrugged.
'I have no intention of using my Spear Intent. That may just straight-up kill him. Who knows what his elders would do to me then? But if I don't put up a good fight, it'll look like I am disrespecting him.' Xi Fu sighed. 'I think I'll just take it easy and wait for him to weaken me enough I can concede the fight without losing him too much face.'
"Xi Fu, if it takes you more than a single blow to defeat him, I'll put you through a similar test to last time." Bing Meilu's voice rang out of the clearing.
'... On the other hand. We are both experts after all. I must show him some face and send out my strongest move right from the start! Besides, Hong Hui is a sword cultivator, I'm sure him seeing my spear Qi may actually provide him with some benefits to his comprehension!' Xi Fu thought self-righteously.
Then he paused, blinking in realization.
'Hey, if I become known for being able to defeat those nearly a full realm above me... Won't that only help further my image as a suave genius? I can imagine all the women who would throw themselves at me! Sorry Hong Hui, but you are going to be a stepping stone on my quest to pursue beautiful ladies! Don't feel too bad, just think of it as acting as my wingman.'
"Single blow to defeat me? Are you joking Bing Meilu? Hah, I'll stand still here and won't even attack for the first ten exchanges!" Hong Hui arrogantly declared.
"I would uh, prefer if you at least try to dodge," Xi Fu winced. "It might be more beneficial for your health."
Just because Hong Hui was an asshole didn't mean Xi Fu wanted to kill him. They were still sect mates after all.
"Stop mocking me you lowly manslut!" Hong Hui lost his temper, spit flying from his lips. "You aren't qualified to harm me."
'Your head on the block,' Xi Fu shrugged, hefting his spear.
His Spear Qi instantly flooded into the black haft of his spear, recognizing his familiar weapon. After having used only his raw force for so long, a weapon actually designed to channel Spear Qi was like a breath of fresh air. It was like lifting objects after having just carried around a heavy weight. Everything felt so light...
'If I'm going to brag about this event to my girlfriends, I should be suitably dramatic, right?' Xi Fu cleared his throat in preparation.
His face changed, a fierce warlike expression covering his mouth.
"Vile dog of the Hong Clan, you dare besmirch the good name of I, Xi Fu, mightiest Spear genius of the... ahem, the Bing Meilu's faithful slaves faction?"
He could hear some of Hong Hui's followers chuckle at the name.
"Then allow I, Xi Fu, mightiest spear cultivation of the younger generation, to put you in your place. I, Xu Fu will end this fight in one blow. Allow I, Xi Fu to show you his mightiest technique, I, Xi Fu, named it the Cloud Carving Spear!"
"Shut the fuck up-" Hong Hui froze in horror, eyes flicking to Xi Fu's spear, which softly glew with his Heaven Defying Spear Intent.
Hong Hui began to desperately draw the blade sheathed to his side. Xi Fu leaped forward, raising his weapon in preparation. Since he could not control the direction, he would have to release it at point-blank range!
"Wait- what the fuck is thaaaaaaaa-"
'If I aim for his legs, he should survive, right?'
A spectral river of Spear Qi ripped forward as Xi Fu thrust his ebony spear down at Hong Hui's legs. The man's blade flicked out desperately to block.
'I- may have miscalculated.' Xi Fu admitted. 'A little bit. Perhaps.'
The issue was... He had only ever released his Spear Intent into the open air, smashing past resistance to forcefully use a power he was not qualified for. Actually released as intended, through a good quality spear? The attack was already several times stronger than the last time he had used it.
'Sorry, Hong Hui!'
Hong Hui's blade smashed into the bottom of his spear, forcing it upwards from the man's thigh to his... family jewels.
Xi Fu's Cloud Carving Spear stabbed into soft flesh and exploded forth. The world went white.
---
Bing Meilu smiled at the sight of Hong Hui screaming. The man's entire lower body had been blown off, leaving him as just a torso, arms and head. With his peak foundation establishment Qi, the man was able to stop himself from dying, but healing his wounds without help would be impossible to the Heaven Defying Spear Intent affecting him. Furthermore, his sword, a Core Formation magical treasure, was completely shattered.
Her smirk grew as she watched the man down a bottle of rare healing pills, that would be, in this situation, completely useless. She could tell him now... or wait until he wasted a little more money. As she watched him gulp down another whole bottle, his eyes growing wider and wider in confusion.
"Junior Brother, I must interject to give you my wisdom. Healing pills are unable to heal wounds infected with my slaves- I mean, Xi Fu's Spear Intent. Only he can absorb it and allow you to heal."
Hong Hui froze, turning to glare at her.
"You-You could have told me earlier!"
Bing Meilu sighed dramatically as if a sage in deep thought.
"The only way to acquire wisdom is the long path. The weed that grows in the wild shall survive the hurricane that rips to pieces the greenhouse flower. Too much intercession from the senior generation shall only lead to a weakening of your growth."
"A-and that was all a trap, wasn't it? You knew Xi Fu was hiding that power, and y-you set me up!" Hong Hui shouted. "You even shattered my Hong family's treasured sword. I demand compensation for this farse!"
"Compensate yourself, you sore loser! A Farse? Did you not personally demand to fight Xi Fu, even though he himself offered several times to fight him? We all saw you coerce your junior, a mere first stage Foundation Establishment, to fight you, even though he was uncomfortable, abusing your status as his senior brother."
Bing Meilu absolutely did exactly what he was accusing her of. The only issue was, he could never prove it. Not only did she not concede to the obviously true allegation, she shamelessly turned it around and accused him of abusing his own status.
"And to cap it off, asking us to compensate you for a mere Core Formation item? Don't you know that in the Bird Talon continent, it's tradition that during fights between genius anything below the Saint Realm is fair game?"
Of course, that was a tradition for peak geniuses like Bing Meilu and the rivals she fought in her path to ascension, someone like Hong Hui had likely never heard of it. Li Ji whispered into her ear.
"According to sect rules, unless agreed upon beforehand, all magical treasures Foundation Establishment and above must be compensated for by the party that broke them."
"See, even your steward agrees with me-"
"Hah! You shamelessly try and pass off an ordinary sword as a treasured magical item? Do you think, I, Bing Meilu, am blind? It was clearly shattered from one hit by a cultivator in only the first stage of the Foundation Establishment. Is there any such trash-treasured sword in existence? If so, we did you a favour by destroying it, lest it lead to your death in a real fight."
"You- Are you kidding me? That sword was a core formation heirloom of the Hong family-"
"A Core Formation treasure destroyed by a mere Xi Fu? Come up with a better lie next time you shameless fraudster, I, Bing Meilu will not be taken advantage of!"
"You- Don't try and pass off that monster as an ordinary first-stage Foundation cultivator. That attack would scare even a Core Formation. Look at the crater it left!"
"Crater? What crater!" Bing Meilu snapped.
Nothing about the massive crater changed.
"Daoist Earthheart!" she shouted.
Behind her, the black-haired man raised his eyebrows in realization. His Qi flooded out, quickly covering the crater with new soil. Daoist Broadforest filled it with Wood Qi and the vegetation was restored to normal. In a moment, the chaotic crater left behind by Xi Fu's Cloud Carving Spear was completely gone.
"As I said what crater?"
Hong Hui stared at her wordlessly in shock. This level of disrespectful domineering was unfathomable. Did she not know he represented the Rampage Squadron? They were the ones who shamelessly suppressed the weak, not the other way around!
"It's still completely filled with Spear Qi!"
"Xi Fu will absorb that when he wakes up," Bing Meilu yawned.
"So-so you admit you're covering this up?"
"Covering up what? The fact that you were shamefully defeated by a man nearly a full realm your junior? My Xi Fu is well known for his laziness and shallow foundation, despite his talent. Even a strong Qi Condensation enemy may defeat him. After such an embarrassing loss, you actually come up with a lie as contemptible and blatant as him secretly possessing an attack on the level of Core Formation? Who are you trying to fool, Hong Hui?"
When one had powers, lies could become truth and truth lies. This was a fundamental truth of the interplay between cultivators. If an immortal said the sky was green, who would dare call it blue? Bing Meilu had long since mastered the art of using her power to bully others into submission. If she hadn't, her Crystal Providence Heavenly Palace would never have reached such great heights.
"I-I am going to report this to the Rampage Squa-"
"If you do that... I won't have Xi Fu heal you." She let the threat hang for a moment before continuing. "Not even the medicine hall knows how to clear out his Spear Intent. If you ask around, you'll be able to easily confirm that claim. With your cultivation, you may be able to sustain yourself in this state for a while... but forever? You'll die, and even if you don't, your path to Core Formation will be certainly severed."
Hong Hui screamed in rage. But he could not find a retort. He had already heard rumours of how Xi Fu had some disease even the Core Formation Captian of the medicine hall had failed to cure. if this was that, he was screwed without Xi Fu's help.
"What-What do you want?" he hissed.
"I'm glad we can reasonably come to a discussion as rational adults," Bing Meilu sat down, conjuring a tea set of ice.
"First of all, you won't say a word about Xi Fu or anything else. All you know is that a talented cultivator from the Moon-Crying Swan Palace has taken over the Crimson Dragon Faction. She presented herself as amenable to working with the Rampage Squadron, and you'll recommend a softball charm campaign to bring her into your fold. Do you understand?"
"...Yes."
"Alright, great, then we're going."
"W-what about my injuries?" he demanded.
"We've already put off this trip for too long. We'll heal you when we get back in three months."
"Th-three months? Are you insane? The annual faction competition is just about to come up! I can't miss that! Not to mention, how will I explain having a half-body without mentioning your precious Xi Fu anyways?"
"You tripped."
"Ah-excuse me?"
"You tripped."
"You're kidding right?"
"...Am I?"
"Oh fuck off! You better heal me the moment you get back or I swear to god I will have my entire faction rain hell down on you the likes of which you cannot even fathom, little girl. I will-"
Ice grow, freezing over his mouth, as Bing Meilu nodded politely, walking away.
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