Hearing his words, Wen Chi let out a disdainful chuckle, turning his head toward Qin Shu with a hint of surprise in his expression. "Fell from the sky? Little Daoist, you sure have some skills!"

Qin Shu was immediately annoyed. She knew her cultivation was weak, but the way he said it still made her unhappy.

"Yes, yes, I'm useless. Next time, I'll walk over myself. No need to trouble you."

Lingxiao Peak was perfect in every way, except for these two senior brothers!

Wen Chi, being over 120 years old, could naturally hear the discontent in her tone.

He chuckled lightly and said, "Such a young age, yet such a fiery temper."

He casually took out a small object and tossed it to Qin Shu. "Here, this is something I used when my cultivation was weak. You can have it for fun."

Out of reflex, Qin Shu caught it. When she looked at it, she found it was a piece of emerald-green leaf.

Her lips twitched as a mix of emotions swirled inside her. Was this what people meant by "a stick, then a sweet date"?

Then Wen Chi added, "This is a magical artifact refined from a Bodhi leaf, engraved with a formation. With five low-grade spirit stones and a bit of spiritual energy, it'll let you fly to Mengtuo Peak and back."

Qin Shu's eyes lit up, and the resentment in her heart instantly vanished like smoke. She even wanted to cheer, Senior Brother is the best! Was this the famed "short hands after taking a gift"?

This green leaf artifact seemed like a pay-to-win necessity. However, five low-grade spirit stones... It wasn't much, but it wasn't little either. Over time, who could afford that?

"If only it didn't need spirit stones," she mumbled softly. But Wen Chi heard her loud and clear.

He raised his fan and tapped her on the head. "You want the horse to run but don't want to feed it? Where in the world is there such a thing? And don't think I don't know about the ten furnaces of pills that Senior Brother made for you last month."

Qin Shu coughed lightly and stopped talking.

Seeing her reaction, Wen Chi asked, "What kind of technique did you find in the Transmission Hall today?"

Qin Shu raised her head, staring blankly at him. "Technique? What technique?"

All she'd found was a book titled Transmission Guide, which only taught her a basic seal and swordsmanship for now.

Wen Chi frowned. "You went in, didn't you?"

"Yes," Qin Shu nodded.

"Then you just need to pick a suitable technique from the rows of bookshelves."

Seeing her still looking confused, Wen Chi asked, "Did you see the bookshelves when you went in?"

Qin Shu shook her head.

"What did you see, then?"

"An empty room, nothing else."

After pondering for a moment, Wen Chi sighed. "It's probably because you haven't learned the incantation yet. Go back tomorrow and recite the incantation at the entrance before entering."

He taught Qin Shu the incantation, which she silently memorized after a few repetitions.

After seeing Wen Chi off, Ruiming quietly pulled a spatial bag from his storage space and handed it to Qin Shu. "Junior Sister, do you need this?"

Qin Shu looked at his bright, innocent eyes and then at the bag in his hands.

Curious, she took it and opened it, only to freeze in shock.

The bag was filled with brightly colored stones—not ordinary spirit stones but better than them.

Regular spirit stones could be absorbed by anyone but couldn't be fully utilized. However, there were rare five-element spirit stones that were highly specific.

For example, fire spirit stones could greatly accelerate fire attribute recovery.

Such stones were in high demand for array setups. A single five-element stone could often be traded for three ordinary stones of the same grade.

Ruiming's bag was practically filled with these five-element stones. Qin Shu had no idea where he got them.

She felt like a con artist deceiving an innocent soul. Facing Ruiming's pure-hearted gaze, she couldn't bring herself to take them.

"Senior Brother, I don't need these."

Ruiming's shoulders slumped. "Not even one?"

Qin Shu nodded but couldn't help asking, "Senior Brother, where did you get so many five-element spirit stones?"

Ruiming furrowed his brows, shook his head after a while, and replied with some confusion, "I can't remember."

Seeing his troubled expression, Qin Shu refrained from asking further. Instead, she said, "Senior Brother, I'll be busy breaking through to the third level of Qi Refinement for a while. Once I succeed, I'll come find you!"

Ruiming nodded. "Alright! If you need anything, just summon me with a crane feather."

Qin Shu watched him return to his original form and disappear into the stormy sky.

She admitted she was a bit envious. Both Ruiming and Chiyu had wings.

As dark clouds rolled in, raindrops began falling. Her cave's protective barrier couldn't keep out the rain entirely. A drop splashed on her face.

She quickly raised the green leaf Wen Chi had given her above her head and ran toward her house.

Once inside, she shut the stone door and shook the rain off the leaf.

When she looked up, she froze in place.

On her bed lay a man, half-human and half-snake.

Qin Shu: "..."

This snake not only refused to leave her cave but also never wore clothes...

His eyes were half-closed, long lashes casting dark shadows under them.

He seemed to be asleep. Not daring to wake him and fearing a repeat of last night when he threw her out, Qin Shu tiptoed toward the training room.

But just as she passed Xie Shiyuan, his massive snake tail lashed out at lightning speed. Before she could react, it coiled around her and lifted her into the air.

Xie Shiyuan opened his eyes, his cold gaze locking onto Qin Shu.

Realizing who it was, he decided not to turn her into his dinner.

Qin Shu dangled helplessly. She was so terrified she almost cried.

The tail suddenly released her. With a loud "thud," she landed hard on the stone bed. Not having had time to protect herself with spiritual energy, she groaned in pain.

Before she could cry out, Xie Shiyuan's deep voice commanded, "Heal me."

Her breath hitched. Sitting at the edge of the bed, she glared at him.

"You ungrateful snake! Do you even realize I saved your life? Without me, no matter how strong you are, you'd be a dried-up snake corpse by now! I don't ask for gratitude, but do you have to treat me like this?!"

Xie Shiyuan raised his golden eyes, silencing her instantly with his gaze.

Tilting his head slightly, he exposed his sharp jawline and prominent Adam's apple. With a tone full of disdain, he rolled onto his injured tail, pinning it against her. "Heal me."

Qin Shu: "..."

In that moment, she truly understood the phrase "at the mercy of others." Weak as she was, everyone bullied her—the snake, Qin Mian, her senior brothers, even Wen Chi.

Her grievances overwhelmed her, and tears rolled down her cheeks.

Lost in her sorrow, she clung to the snake's cold, smooth tail and even wiped her tears on it.

It was Xie Shiyuan's first encounter with such an attack. A delicate girl crying so pitifully was something he'd never faced before.

He had slain countless humans and beasts, always leaving blood in his wake. But tears? That was an entirely new battlefield.