“My sect follows the doctrine of wu wei [1], letting nature take its course . Therefore……”


  “The doctrine of wu wei?”


  Xue Qilin raised the volume of her voice and scoffed at his words .

  “I also follow the doctrine of believe in Brother Chun and you’ll get eternal life [2]! Adhering to the doctrine of wu wei doe not mean you have no opinion, does it? I might not be erudite, but that doesn’t mean you can lie to me . ”


  “This…… Temple Master Qi?”


  It appears that Reverend Carefree didn’t expect that Xue Qilin would attack him so directly . He asked Qi Qiqi for help, helpless . Qi Qiqi nodded gently .

  “Young Ancestor……”


  “Little Seven, that’s enough . ”


  Qi Qiqi showed a look of surprised . She rarely sees Xue Qilin so intense .

  “I think everyone should express their opinions, including you and you . ”


  Xue Qilin pointed at Reverend Carefree and the man in black who has been watching from the sidelines all along .

  “Slow down, Senior Xue, aren’t you being too meddlesome? As far as I’m aware, Senior Xue, you don’t have real authority in Merak Temple . Therefore, the only ones who can really speak on behalf of Merak Temple are Temple Master Qi and Elder Xia……” A displeased look on his face, Jiang Shan turned to Qi Qiqi, “Am I right, Temple Master Qi?”


  “This……”


  Qi Qiqi showed an awkward expression for the first time and looked at Xue Qilin helplessly .

  “Little Seven, do you think I am qualified to weigh in? Do you listen to me? Do you trust me?”


  Xue Qilin asked three questions in a row, causing Qi Qiqi to raise her eyebrows .

  “If it makes sense, then I’ll naturally listen!”


  Qi Qiqi said a little irritably . She seemed a little impatient .

  To be honest, Xue Qilin was a little scared . If Qi Qiqi answered that she won’t listen, apart from feeling embarrassed, she would definitely feel a bit hurt .

  It is quite uncomfortable for the lass not to be trusted by people she likes .

  Fortunately Qi Qiqi’s answer didn’t disappoint her .

  After she got Qi Qiqi’s assent, Xue Qilin snorted twice like a small-time hoodlum .

  “You……!”


  Jiang Shan’s eyes ignited with anger .

  “Protector Jiang, harmony is a virtue, harmony is a virtue!”


  Noticing that things are going south, Reverend Carefree acted as a peacemaker again . Left speechless, Jiang Shan took his eyes away from Xue Qilin .

  Anyhow, why is he always targeting me? Full of doubt, Xue Qilin peered at Jiang Shan from the corner of her eye .

  Her question was answered quickly .

  “Jiang Shan reportedly had a very good relationship with Hua Tianji . ”


  As if her pair of beautiful eyes have seen through Xue Qilin’s doubt, Xia Xue explained with glee .

  So that’s what it is! Now that she understands how Jiang Shan feels a little, Xue Qilin dispelled the thought of putting his name of her “to spank list” .

  Incidentally, No . 1 on her “to spank list” is Shadow Gate’s Black Cat .

  “Okay, let’s hear you out . ”


  Despite the interruption, Xue Qilin didn’t forget what she had said a moment ago . She gazed at Reverend Carefree and the man in black back and forth .

  His eyes still closed, the man in black answered swiftly, his tone cold .

  “I have no opinion . ”


  As for Daoist Carefree, he smiled wryly .

  “Senior Xue, you’re a sensible person…… Although I think this is queer, but it’s not enough to make us afraid . Furthermore, the fear martial demons have for humans is not something shallow . Perhaps they are staying away purely because they felt our auras . ”


  “Good!”


  Xue Qilin nodded, and then used her eyes to give Qi Qiqi the rains of the conversation . Qi Qiqi nodded .

  “Reverend Carefree, your words make sense as well . But I think we should consider this more carefully . According to our Ancestor, she encountered a Heaven Demon outside Martial Demon Town . It’s not inconceivable that that Heaven Realm martial demon has the ability to command other martial demons and intends to harm us . ”


  Heaven Demon – Heaven Realm martial demon .

  “So what? A mere Heaven Demon is nothing in the eyes of Beggar’s Union . ”


  “This is what you call ‘all brawn and no brains’ . ”


  Xia Xue looked at Jiang Shan with disdain and said so with a volume that only Xue Qilin could hear .

  Xue Qilin secretly nodded in agreement . If this Jiang Shan isn’t an idiot, then how could he make such a careless statement? He let his emotions – dislike for Xue Qilin and by extension dislike for Merak Temple – cloud his judgement . But that doesn’t mean that he can use his sect’s disciples as bargaining chips in a fit of pique .

  It’s not surprising that a Heaven Demon cannot lift any waves in front of the whole Beggar’s Union . But he doesn’t take into account that there are only less than 20 people from Beggar’s Union in Martial Demon Realm, not to mention that they lack Earth Realm or higher high-end combat strength .

  Not only Qi Qiqi, but even the opportunistic Reverend Carefree can’t help but frown at Jiang Shan’s statement . He said, “Protector Jiang, you are wrong . If there is really a Heaven Realm martial demon organizing the martial demons, then we have to be cautious . ”


  Jiang Shan snorted .

  “Let’s not speculate whether there really is a Heaven Realm martial demon or not . But in the off chance that we meet one, don’t we still have ‘Senior Xue’?”


  He emphasized the three words “Senior Xue”, revealing a deep grudge .

  Was this Jiang Shan gay for Hua Tianji or something? Xue Qilin made a mischievous guess .

  She inadvertently imagined a scene where the two hugged each other and whispered sweet nothings to one another . A creepy feeling crawled along her spine, making Xue Qilin feel sick to her stomach .

  “If possible, Senior Xue, please stay put here, so that when we meet that Heaven Demon, we’ll have room to escape . ”


  Reverend Carefree bowed and clasped his hands, sounding very sincere .

  However……

  “Little Carefree……”


  Xue Qilin spoke leisurely .

  “Little, Little Carefree?”


  Reverend Carefree was dumbfounded .

  With his age, he mustn’t have not been called “little” for a long time .

  “Did you forget? I’m here for something else!”


  Reverend Carefree was suddenly at a loss for words, a startled look on his face .

  The lass doesn’t have anything to do . This is just an excuse Qi Qiqi made up . Nevertheless, Xue Qilin still doesn’t intend to agree to the other party’s request .

  Why should she agree?

  If Xi He is really scheming something and this schemes puts the participants of the the trial by fire in danger, then Xue Qilin would probably only protect Merak Temple’s people . Besides, if she comes across a situation where she has to abandon some people in order to keep the people she cares more about safe, she won’t hesitate to even abandon some of Merak Temple’s people .

  After all, Xue Qilin is a selfish person . She has always been this way .

  In a person’s mind, the lives of others are inherently unequal . Everyone has their priorities of choice .

  So who can blame her? Why should she protect these people who have nothing to do with her?

  Xue Qilin doesn’t care about the fate of people who aren’t from Merak Temple .

  She doesn’t even care about the fate of martial demons . The reason why she came along to Martial Demon Realm is purely because there are some people she cares about among the participants of the trial by fire ……

  No, maybe she also cares a little about Xi He .

  [1] – wu wei

  [2] – believe in Brother Chun and you’ll get eternal life is one of the catchphrases about Brother Chun