I Only Know How to Bully Noobs

Chapter 158 - Spirit-Link Jade

"Why me?"

Chen Ming was confused. Was his aura that striking?

He had already kept a low profile. Ever since this Mudan girl showed up, he hadn’t said a word. Yet she picked him out at a glance.

Otherwise, it must be that she, like Yu Haitang, had some hidden agenda toward him…

Whatever the reason, he was now like meat on the grill.

Qin Changyuan and Pan Dingqian—these two, he couldn’t afford to offend either of them right now.

Just as he was considering how to refuse, Pan Dingqian beside him burst into laughter. "Hahaha… Brother, you really are lucky with the ladies. What are you still dawdling for? Since this is Mudan girl’s rule, I reckon that Qin Xiaosan won’t do anything to spoil the moment."

Qin Changyuan’s expression turned unpleasant. A flash of hostility glinted in his eyes, but he eventually suppressed it. He drained the wine in his cup in one gulp. "We’re leaving."

He led his people away.

Pan Dingqian laughed even more heartily. "Well, get going then. Don’t keep Mudan girl waiting."

What could Chen Ming do? Under the envious gazes of others, he drank the wine from the tray, then followed the maid into the room.

"Please, young master, bathe and change clothes."

Several young and beautiful maids gathered around him, guiding him to the inner room, where a large wooden tub had already been filled with water. When he touched it, the water was still warm.

Well, since he was already here…

Thinking of that famous saying, Chen Ming let the maids deftly strip his clothes and help him into the tub, where he took a comfortable bath.

After washing, he changed into a fresh set of clean clothes.

Then, led by the maid, he entered a boudoir. Upon entering, a fragrance akin to orchid and musk filled the air.

"Please be seated, young master. The young lady will arrive shortly."

The maid asked him to sit by the desk, then retreated and shut the door behind her.

Chen Ming noticed a few plates of pastries on the desk. They looked quite delicate. He picked one up and took a bite—tasted good. So he ate a few more.

Suddenly, footsteps came from outside.

The door creaked open. Mudan girl walked in, draped in a thin veil, swaying gracefully. That exquisite, aloof face paired with her affectionate gaze reminded him of a term that had once gone viral in his past life—abstinence style.

Seemingly chaste, yet inherently seductive.

That contrast—few men could resist it.

She sat across from Chen Ming and gently adjusted the wick of the oil lamp on the table. Her red lips parted slightly. "Do you know why I chose you?"

The confusion in Chen Ming’s eyes cleared at once. He said, "I do not."

Mudan girl’s lips curled into a strange smile. "I just wanted to see what kind of man could become Junior Sister Su’s heart demon."

Junior Sister Su?

Chen Ming’s mind exploded like thunder. In that moment, he understood the vague familiarity he had sensed from this woman.

It was Su Zhi Ning.

The same icy skin and jade-like bones, the same cold and distant aura.

But their eyes—one was clear and pure, the other tender and amorous.

Moreover, one was a somewhat naive and trusting disciple of Heaven’s Path Alliance who upheld justice. The other was the courtesan of a brothel.

Even with his vivid imagination, he would never have connected the two.

He swallowed hard. "The Su Junior Sister you speak of… could it be that Miss Su of Heaven’s Path Alliance?"

Mudan girl looked at his shocked expression, her smile deepening. "You’re thinking, how could a brothel woman like me possibly be the senior sister of a celestial beauty like Fairy Su, right?"

"Of course not… I just never would’ve guessed. How is Miss Su now?"

Chen Ming naturally wouldn’t admit to it, and used the opportunity to change the subject.

Since that last time Su Zhi Ning lost to him for the second time, she had disappeared. No matter how he summoned, she never responded.

He had no idea where she had gone.

Truth be told, he was a little worried. Su Zhi Ning might be powerful, but she lacked experience in the martial world. In a place like Jiangzhou City, teeming with hidden dangers, something bad wasn’t impossible.

Mudan girl didn’t answer. Instead, she asked another question. "Do you know what the cultivation method our Heaven’s Path Alliance practices is called?"

Chen Ming shook his head.

He felt a strange tension in his heart, as if he was about to hear a sky-shattering secret.

Mudan girl said, "The foundation of Heaven’s Path Alliance lies in a cultivation method called 《Heart of Heaven Manual》. When cultivated to its peak, the heart of heaven becomes one's own heart, and one walks the Heavenly Path as an individual. That is why our sect is named with the characters for Heaven’s Path.

"To master the 《Heart of Heaven Manual》, one must possess a flawless and sincere heart. However, this cultivation method has a tremendous barrier—closed-door cultivation will never reach Third Grade. Because what is being refined… is the heart.

"Thus, once disciples of Heaven’s Path Alliance reach Fourth Grade, they must enter the mundane world to temper their hearts amidst worldly dust."

As she spoke, her smile grew complicated. "Since you’ve interacted with Junior Sister Su, you naturally know that she’s pure and kind, sometimes even a bit foolish."

Chen Ming remained silent. He couldn’t very well say something like that about her Junior Sister right to her face.

Mudan girl continued, "Since ancient times, the purer something is, the more easily it gets tainted. In this world full of filth and mortal desires, to maintain a pure and unblemished sincere heart—how could that be easy? Once the Dao Heart is tainted, naturally one is no longer qualified to inherit the teachings of Heaven’s Path Alliance."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ming suddenly came to a realization.

So, this Mudan girl had her Dao Heart tainted during her worldly tempering, which led to her current state.

No wonder disciples of Heaven’s Path Alliance always had to go out into the world to temper themselves. Even after being assassinated multiple times three hundred years ago, they didn’t change. Turns out, there was a reason they had no choice but to do it.

He finally understood Heaven’s Path Alliance’s mechanism for cultivating disciples—after reaching Fourth Grade, they would go out into the world. Those who failed, like Mudan girl, would become part of the peripheral forces. Thɪs chapter is updated by novel⟡fire.net

Only those who succeeded in tempering could become core disciples.

Su Zhi Ning’s master sending her to follow him was probably also a form of tempering.

Wait a minute...

Chen Ming suddenly remembered something and quickly asked, "You just said I became Miss Su’s heart demon—what do you mean by that?"

Mudan girl saw he had finally caught on and smiled. "That’s exactly what I meant. If she can’t overcome it herself, she’ll end up just like me."

Like you?

Surely she wouldn’t get so hopeless as to run off and become a courtesan too?

Mudan girl seemed to guess his thoughts from his gaze. Her smile vanished, and her eyes narrowed slightly. "You look down on prostitutes?"

Chen Ming’s scalp instantly went numb. He straightened up and said seriously, "Of course not. In this world, all people are equal in dignity; only their roles differ. Many prostitutes fall into the dust of the world because fate is unjust and they have no other path. One cannot blame them for that. Apart from death, nothing else is greater. To survive, they have no choice.

"A small number might be drawn to vanity and choose this profession willingly. That too is their right. Everyone has the freedom to choose their path, so long as they do nothing immoral."

Mudan girl did not speak for a long time after hearing his words.

Chen Ming was somewhat nervous. He couldn’t sense any cultivation from her at all. Either she really was just an ordinary person, or her strength vastly surpassed his.

He figured it was most likely the latter.

She had already admitted her Dao Heart was tainted. Who knew if she might suddenly go berserk and attack?

Better to be cautious.

After a long while, Mudan girl’s expression softened. "No wonder Junior Sister Su said you often speak with startling clarity. Just for those words alone, I want to grant you a fortunate encounter."

"This——"

Isn’t that a bit much?

Before he could finish the thought, Chen Ming found he couldn’t move or speak.

This feeling was exactly the same as when Senior Shang subdued him at the Sea-Calming King’s Mansion.

What the hell is her cultivation?

Mudan girl said, "Junior Sister Su’s aptitude is exceptionally rare even within our sect. Since joining, she has never lost a battle. Among peers in the same realm, she has no rival and forged an invincible heart. But after twice being defeated by you, it happened to coincide with the critical juncture of breaking into Third Grade. That’s how her heart demon was born.

"To eliminate this heart demon isn’t hard. She just needs to kill you—then the tribulation will be broken. Are you willing to fulfill Junior Sister Su’s path and die for her?"

Of course not.

Chen Ming couldn’t speak, so he just widened his eyes, letting his emotions speak for him.

Mudan girl continued, "I suppose you’re not willing. However, Junior Sister Su is the disciple most favored by our Alliance Leader. Even if you’re unwilling, we’ll still have to let you die."

Only then did Chen Ming understand why she had chosen him. It was to save Su Zhi Ning.

So what did that make him?

Voluntarily walking into the trap?

Suddenly, she changed tone. "However, that is the last resort. If she cannot defeat you with her own power, then even if her Dao Heart is cleansed, it will still be flawed."

As she spoke, Chen Ming had already been brought into the inner room. Soon, he saw Su Zhi Ning sitting cross-legged on the bed. With the naked eye, it was clear that her condition was very bad.

The bed’s mosquito net moved despite no wind. Underneath her skin, red blood vessels surfaced. The Gang Qi surrounding her pulsed with each breath, on the verge of losing control.

The scene left him alarmed.

What Mudan had said was no exaggeration. Su Zhi Ning’s situation was extremely critical.

Mudan girl said, "There is another way to save her. Would you like to try?"

Can I say no?

Chen Ming was helpless. Right now, he couldn’t even move a finger. He couldn’t even activate the Sword Jade imbued with Shang Jianfei’s Sword Intent inside him.

He was placed on the bed, about a meter apart from Su Zhi Ning.

Mudan girl said, "As the saying goes, 'Only the one who tied the bell can untie it.' Her heart demon arose because of you. Only you can remove it."

As she spoke, she pulled out two jade pendants from her bosom and gently caressed them, face full of reluctance.

In the end, she placed the two jade pendants on the foreheads of Chen Ming and Su Zhi Ning respectively, and said, "These two jade pendants are Spirit-Link Jade. They will let your hearts resonate with each other. What you must do—"

"—is find a way to dispel her heart demon…"

Chen Ming felt her voice grow ethereal and distant...