Transmigrating as a Crazy Villainess, She Becomes Invincible by Slacking Off - Chapter 42

Duan Tianhe’s use of his cultivation energy to shove through the crowd sent cultivators surging outward, some inevitably being pressed against the walls.

Immediately, cultivators began cursing loudly. “Which bastard used cultivation energy? Don’t they know it’s forbidden in the Imperial Capital?”

“If I catch you, you’ll pay dearly!”

The crowd erupted in a chorus of angry shouts.

The rule was indeed in place, and Duan Tianhe and Ruan Dongling dared not retaliate. Instead, they climbed the wall of a nearby alleyway and finally reached the entrance of Lai Fu Inn.

The inn’s interior was equally packed, with people even sitting on futons on the lobby floor!

“Rooms? All gone!” the innkeeper snapped at Duan Tianhe and Ruan Dongling, his tone dripping with impatience.

“Our inn was fully booked over a month ago. What rooms do you think we have left now?”

“Look, there are two futon spots in the lobby. One high-grade spirit stone per night. Want them or not?”

The pair stood firm and refused.

They then scoured every inn on the street, even venturing into other districts, but found not a single room available. Not even a table at a restaurant was free!

Duan Tianhe and Ruan Dongling crouched by the roadside, watching the bustling street.

“Senior Brother, is this the ‘exclusive information’ you mentioned?” Ruan Dongling asked, her tone laced with exasperation. “It happened a month ago! As the top sect in True Martial Prefecture, we’re really falling behind!”

Duan Tianhe retorted defensively, “When did I ever say it was exclusive? I only said it was reliable!”

A small beggar squatting nearby glanced at them and kindly remarked, “If you’re in this line of work, how come you don’t even have a bowl?”

Duan Tianhe: ?

Ruan Dongling: ?

“What bowl?” they asked in unison.

The beggar pointed to the tattered bowl in front of him. “This! How are you supposed to collect money without a bowl?”

To prove they weren’t beggars, Ruan Dongling generously gave the boy a high-grade spirit stone.

The beggar’s eyes lit up. As expected of beggars from a big city—they really know their stuff! He instantly recognized the high-grade spirit stone, an amount of money he could never earn in his entire life.

Seeing the boy’s delight, Ruan Dongling had an idea. “Where do you sleep at night?”

As darkness deepened, the beggar led Duan Tianhe and Ruan Dongling to an Earth God Temple.

The Earth God Temple was tiny, barely two square meters in area and only a meter tall.

It was essentially a small stone pavilion with a low stone platform in front for offerings.

Inside the pavilion stood a statue of the Earth God, where the little beggar usually slept.

Duan Tianhe and Ruan Dongling exchanged glances before following the beggar into the temple. They sat cross-legged on either side of the Earth God statue, resembling its guardian deities.

(Reference: The classic scene from “Tai Chi Master” where Jet Li hides in an Earth God Temple to evade imperial soldiers.)

They managed to scrape through the night.

Fortunately, both were cultivators and could meditate to cultivate.

However, the Imperial Capital was teeming with cultivators, and many others must have been in the same predicament. Throughout the night, cultivators everywhere were absorbing spiritual energy.

The Imperial Capital was only so large, and the spiritual energy was finite. By morning, Ruan Dongling felt suffocated.

The oxygen had been completely drained!

Having never cultivated through the night before, Ruan Dongling was utterly exhausted.

“Pah! After cultivating all night, I only absorbed a measly bit of spiritual energy? What kind of cultivation is this?! It’s infuriating!” Ruan Dongling rolled her eyes the moment she woke up.

If she could just get a good night’s sleep, wouldn’t her cultivation improve more than this?

Duan Tianhe opened his eyes and sighed helplessly. “Junior Sister, you’re a woman. Please watch your language.”

The two emerged from the small pavilion, where the little beggar was still sound asleep behind the Earth God statue.

Spending the night here was completely pointless. Who knows how many more days until the Secret Realm opens?

“Senior Brother, why don’t we go outside the city? There are too many people here!” Ruan Dongling and Duan Tianhe once again found themselves being jostled out of the crowd.

They had tried to get some food, finally squeezing into a restaurant, but somehow the crowd pushed them right back out!

Ruan Dongling was on the verge of tears, having never experienced such humiliation before.

Swallowing one of Duan Tianhe’s Pills of Fasting, Ruan Dongling decided to skip eating altogether.

After discussing it, they agreed that leaving the city was a good idea and began pushing their way toward the city gates.

Fortunately, the crowds thinned as they approached the city walls.

In the Imperial Capital, leaving was easy, but entering was difficult. The gate guards practically applauded as they exited.

The pair wandered outside the city, watching the endless stream of people pouring into the Imperial Capital.

Imagining the crowded scenes inside the city, the two squatted by the pipeline, reveling in their schadenfreude.

Duan Tianhe had sunflower seeds in his Storage Pouch. Bored, they found two bricks to sit on under the shade of a tree, cracking seeds and gossiping idly.

Their conversation revolved around embarrassing gossip about various disciples in the Sect.

After finishing a handful of seeds, Ruan Dongling was startled. I can’t sit around chatting carefree with Duan Tianhe like this anymore, she thought. In just this short time, we’ve already cursed six people! Half a month’s worth of merit points, gone again!

Just as she made this vow, Duan Tianhe said, “Junior Sister, let me tell you about Elder Li from the Hall of Law Enforcement. He looks so stern, right? But his romantic affairs are wild…!”

“Oh? Tell me more!” Ruan Dongling’s eyes lit up as she leaned closer, her ears perked with eager anticipation.

As their gossip intensified, Ruan Dongling’s voice grew increasingly animated, her excitement distorting her words. “And then? What happened next?”

After finishing his sentence, Duan Tianhe cracked open a melon seed with a snap and spat out the shell with a pfft.

First came a sharp scream, followed by a furious, “You’re asking for death!”

As the words faded, a whip lashed out at Ruan Dongling with lightning speed.

Ruan Dongling was about to dodge when a bloodcurdling shriek pierced the air.

She finally looked up to see chaos erupting on the official road. A large group of servants had formed a tight circle around someone.

Though she couldn’t make out the person inside, she saw the servants scrambling to help them up.

Then, a delicate young woman in a pale yellow dress emerged, her beautiful face twisted with rage, her eyes burning like fire as she glared at Ruan Dongling.

A clear melon seed mark was imprinted on the girl’s fair forehead.

Ruan Dongling turned to Duan Tianhe, who was still frozen in the act of throwing the seed.

“Did you hit her?” Ruan Dongling asked, nudging him with her elbow.

“Of course! She dared to attack you! I had to defend you!” Duan Tianhe declared righteously.

“You two uncivilized bumpkins! You’re crude, filthy, and utterly despicable! How dare you offend this young lady! Do you even know who I am?”

The girl in yellow stepped forward, her hand gripping a whip tightly. She pointed the whip at Ruan Dongling.

“You wretched girl! You spat sunflower seed shells onto the path ahead of me, nearly dirtying my feet!”

“And you, you barbaric country bumpkin, dared to lay a hand on me? Let me tell you, when my Senior Brother arrives, he’ll make sure you die a gruesome death!”

“It seems my Master was right all along: ‘Poor mountains breed wicked people.’ You truly are shameless barbarians!”

Ruan Dongling and Duan Tianhe stared blankly for a moment before realizing the girl was actually insulting them.

Seeing their stunned expressions, the girl assumed they were terrified of her.

“Let me tell you, I am a disciple of Celestial Venerable Tianyu of Azure Cloud Province!” The girl declared, her face brimming with arrogance.

“Come here now, kneel, and kowtow twice. Then I’ll spare you!”