“Aiya! Isn’t this the top scholar?”
Zeng Rong and his companions walked toward Xu Ming.
Xu Ming turned his head to look at them, his expression calm as he sized them up.
All of them were from the Wu Kingdom. Xu Ming had seen them before during the selection for the Rootless Secret Realm.
However, despite being from the same dynasty, Xu Ming didn’t have a great impression of them.
First, it was just a feeling—his intuition told him these guys weren’t good people.
Second, the techniques they used during the trials felt off—there was something unclean about them, giving off the impression of schemers and tricksters.
Third, they were all rogue cultivators. Rogue cultivators didn’t exactly have the best reputation. Of course, Xu Ming knew this was a generalization, but he couldn’t afford to be careless.
It was like the “three professions you don’t marry” rule from his past life on Blue Star. Could you say that every woman in those three professions was bad? No, of course not.
But if you went on a blind date with someone from those professions, wouldn’t you be a little more cautious?
Of course, you would.
“Didn’t expect to run into you, Brother Zeng.”
Xu Ming smiled warmly, stepping forward and cupping his hands in greeting, looking completely harmless.
Being cautious was necessary, but maintaining appearances was just as important.
“Yeah, what a coincidence.”
Zeng Rong’s gaze was quickly drawn to the bald woman standing beside Xu Ming.
He wasn’t the only one. The others also lit up when they saw her.
Even though she was bald, she was stunningly beautiful—an indescribable beauty, like a piece of art. She had the purity of a sacred snow lotus, untouched and untaintable.
“Oh, I forgot to introduce you.”
Xu Ming gestured toward both sides.
“This is Shi Xin. As for these four gentlemen, they are from my homeland, the Wu Kingdom—Brother Zeng Rong, Brother Wang Mingshan, Brother Xu Sheng, and Brother Bai Zhan. And this is Shi Xin, a friend I just met in the Rootless Secret Realm. She hails from the Leiming (Thunderclap) Temple in the Western Regions.”
“Shi Xin? Oh, so you’re that Master Shi Xin!”
Hearing the name and seeing her appearance, the group immediately realized she was none other than the famed top beauty on the Beauty List.
“Please, just call me Shi Xin,” she said, pressing her palms together in a respectful Buddhist greeting.
She then glanced at Xu Ming beside her.
On the surface, Xu Ming appeared warm and friendly, but she could tell—he held no goodwill toward these four. In fact, there was quite a bit of wariness in his demeanor.
“There’s no need to call me ‘top scholar’ either,” Xu Ming added with a smile, “Just Xu Ming is fine.”
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“In that case, I’ll take the liberty of calling you Brother Xu,” Zeng Rong responded, instantly closing the distance between them.
But the friendlier Xu Ming acted, the more Zeng Rong sneered inwardly.
As expected, these pampered flowers raised in greenhouses were all the same—completely defenseless, exuding an air of naïve innocence.
What would someone like him know about the hardships of rogue cultivators?
Had he ever experienced the struggle of barely scraping together enough for the next meal?
Had he ever lived in constant fear of betrayal, unable to sleep soundly at night?
The more he thought about it, the more resentment boiled in his heart.
This guy had no real talent—he was just propped up by endless resources.
If those resources had been given to him, wouldn’t he be the one ranked second on the Qingyun List?
The jealousy in Zeng Rong’s heart deepened, but he forced it down, keeping his expression unchanged.
Then again, if this guy was so gullible... wouldn’t that just make things easier?
When the time came, he would slowly kill this so-called top scholar and then take his time defiling Shi Xin, forcing Xu Ming to watch helplessly.
Although Shi Xin had only just met Xu Ming and likely had no deep emotional connection with him yet, there was no way Xu Ming wasn’t at least a little attracted to her—she was far too beautiful for that.
And that was exactly what made it exciting—humiliating the woman he admired right in front of him.
“Brother Xu, are you here for the Blood Bodhi Fruit?” Zeng Rong asked.
“Yes,” Xu Ming replied with a smile and a nod. “Since we’re already here, our target is naturally the Blood Bodhi Fruit.”
“Hahaha, in that case, why don’t we work together?” Zeng Rong suggested. “We’re all from the Wu Kingdom; there’s no need to worry about betrayal. You might not know this, but many cultivators have started forming groups to secure more opportunities. Some of them will do whatever it takes—even killing fellow cultivators to split the spoils.”
“I agree completely,” Xu Ming said with a nod. “In a place like the Rootless Secret Realm, the only people we can truly rely on are our own. But... I only need the main fruit of the Blood Bodhi. As you all probably know, there’s only one main fruit, and that’s not something we can split.”
“No problem at all, that’s a small matter,” Zeng Rong said with a laugh. “We don’t need the main fruit; the regular Blood Bodhi Fruits will be enough for us. If you feel bad about it, you can always help us get another treasure of similar value. And if that’s not possible, then once we leave this place, we’d just appreciate it if you could put in a good word for us before His Majesty.”
“Of course, that won’t be a problem,” Xu Ming replied, cupping his hands in thanks. “I’ll be grateful for your assistance. Once this is over, I will not forget your kindness.”
At first, Xu Ming had only been mildly wary of them—just a standard level of caution.
But now, his wariness had grown to five parts out of ten, or perhaps even more.
They had agreed far too easily. So easily that it felt unnatural.
They were rogue cultivators, after all. And rogue cultivators were rarely known for their generosity.
On the surface, their demands seemed reasonable.
But in reality, it felt like they were forcing their help onto him. No matter what excuse he gave, they seemed ready to agree and come up with the most reasonable-sounding explanation.
“You’re too polite, Brother Xu. Time is of the essence, so we should head over now. Otherwise, by the time we arrive, we might not even have the chance to help,” Zeng Rong said with enthusiasm.
“Alright, let’s go now,” Xu Ming replied solemnly. “After you, gentlemen!”
“After you!”
The group, appearing cheerful and harmonious, made their way toward the peak of Bodhi Mountain.
“How about we make a bet?”
Finding the right moment, Xu Ming turned to Shi Xin and spoke.
“A bet?” Shi Xin blinked, her voice soft. “What kind of bet?”