Chapter Forty-Three: The Exemplary Disciple of the Divine Sun Sect

"Wow—"

Hearing Luo Tian’s voice, Zhao Lin’er’s body instantly stiffened, then collapsed helplessly to the ground, retching in discomfort.

Warm sunlight spilled from the sky, yet it could not dispel the heavy scent of blood that lingered in the air. Luo Tian wrinkled his nose; apart from his unease at killing for the first time, he found that his mind otherwise bore no obstacles, no guilt.

“Are you hurt?”

He looked Zhao Lin’er over and felt a little relieved.

“I—I’m fine,”

she replied faintly, her tone weak. After a moment, she struggled to her feet.

“How did Qian Bo die?”

Luo Tian nodded; it was enough that she was unharmed. This girl was truly formidable, he thought. She’d adjusted her state of mind swiftly, and after slaughtering all those foes, she had regained her composure in no time.

He felt no affection for Qian Bo, but as the leader of the team, he still needed an explanation when one member inexplicably failed to return to the sect.

“Senior Brother,”

Zhao Lin’er gasped for breath, her eyes flickering with uncertainty.

“The bandit with the dagger couldn’t defeat me, so he tried to use Senior Brother Qian’s life to threaten me. As I hesitated over what to do, he slipped and killed Senior Brother Qian by mistake.”

Striding over to Qian Bo’s corpse, Luo Tian knelt to examine it.

Suddenly, Zhao Lin’er’s breathing grew rapid, and she dropped her gaze, not daring to look at Luo Tian.

Could such a forced excuse really fool him?

Whenever she recalled Qian Bo’s earlier cowardice, anger welled up within her. Male cultivators, at worst, were simply killed, but if a woman fell into the hands of bandits, how could she expect to survive unscathed? To die after suffering was, ironically, a mercy; to live on after such humiliation was a living nightmare.

Luo Tian sighed softly, his eyes fixed on Zhao Lin’er.

Zhao Lin’er scarcely dared to breathe or move, her entire body tense with discomfort.

Impossible, she thought. Though she had deliberately refused to be cowed by threats, forcing that man to kill Qian Bo, there was no way Senior Brother Luo could see through it.

Impossible!

Her thoughts were in turmoil—a chaos of anxiety. Every move Luo Tian made seemed to send ripples through her heart. This was not love or admiration, but fear—fear that he would notice something amiss.

If the sect learned she had stood by while a fellow disciple was killed, even encouraging the enemy to murder him, Zhao Lin’er knew her fate: solitary confinement or a deduction of contribution points would be the least of her worries. If her spiritual core was destroyed, leaving her unable to cultivate for life, that would be a fate worse than death!

What should she do?

What if Senior Brother Luo really saw through her—what then?

“Junior Brother Qian—”

Luo Tian began softly, a touch of exaggerated sorrow on his face.

Zhao Lin’er felt her heart clench.

“To keep you from harm, he sacrificed himself without hesitation, allowing that vile bandit to die by your sword. He was truly a worthy disciple of the Divine Sun Sect, and a good comrade to both of us!”

Hearing these words, Zhao Lin’er stared in shock, her rosebud lips parted enough to hold a plum.

Luo Tian ignored her expression and continued,

“But the dead cannot return. Lin’er, you need not grieve too much. Junior Brother Qian’s virtue should be cherished in our hearts and serve as our pride! When we report this to the sect, I’m sure they’ll look after his family.”

After a long, stunned silence, Zhao Lin’er finally collected herself and replied crisply,

“Yes, Senior Brother Luo!”

Luo Tian smiled, all traces of feigned sorrow vanishing in an instant. He was secretly delighted; with Sun Huangkun’s storage pouch in hand, he would profit handsomely from this affair.

“Senior Brother, did you kill that Sun Huangkun?”

Zhao Lin’er brought over the storage pouches belonging to Xiao Wu and Zhou Gang, placing them before Luo Tian. After a moment’s thought, she also brought over Qian Bo’s pouch.

Her Azurelight sword still bore traces of blood.

Luo Tian nodded straightforwardly; there was no need to hide this matter.

“This time, it’s all thanks to your help, Senior Brother. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened,”

Zhao Lin’er said, patting her chest in lingering fear.

“These are our spoils. Please, keep them safe.”

Luo Tian said nothing at first, but opened the pouches belonging to Qian Bo, Xiao Wu, and Zhou Gang, then placed them before Zhao Lin’er.

“Lin’er, there are still some cultivation materials in Junior Brother Qian’s pouch. You should keep them and cultivate well, to honor his intentions. As for the other two, there’s little of value—mostly coins. Take whichever you like.”

He knew Zhao Lin’er had delayed the others for quite a while, so he felt no urge to monopolize the gains.

Sun Huangkun, however, was a formidable foe he had slain alone, along with Zhou Gang, so he made no pretense of modesty in claiming the lion’s share of the loot.

Zhao Lin’er, who had expected little from these storage pouches, was overjoyed—moved nearly to tears. After all, Luo Tian had slain the two strongest enemies, and even helped her break through from the second to the third stage. She had not dared hope for any reward.

Now, not only had Luo Tian given her Qian Bo’s pouch, but added an extra one as well. It felt as though fortune had fallen from the sky.

Luo Tian had already glanced through the contents and found nothing of particular value, so he simply handed two of the pouches to Zhao Lin’er. With the cultivation node’s resources at his disposal, he no longer cared much for such items, least of all for inferior weapons. With the Azurelight sword in hand, he had no interest in lesser blades.

Now, it was time for Sun Huangkun’s storage pouch.

Luo Tian did not expect any great treasures, but as the chief of the bandit gang, Sun Huangkun should have carried at least something of worth.

Meanwhile, Zhao Lin’er obediently went to bury Qian Bo and the other bandits’ corpses in a secluded spot, gathering up any valuable artifacts.

Though curious about Luo Tian’s gains, she preferred to keep her distance, not even daring to peek. In her eyes, Senior Brother Luo was a treasure trove, a master capable of guiding cultivators at her level. Staying in his good graces was the wisest course.

Apart from several hundred gold coins, Luo Tian found two cultivation manuals—one was Sun Huangkun’s own "Earthen Arts," and the other was the "Fire Origin Sutra," a method for cultivating fire-attributed energy.

Just what he needed.

Luo Tian was delighted. It was like being handed a pillow just as he was about to sleep—nothing could be more timely. Whoever had originally prepared this manual had lost both their treasure and their life to Sun Huangkun, and the "Fire Origin Sutra" had barely been opened, its pages still pristine.

Unfortunately, aside from a few odd trinkets, Luo Tian found no martial techniques within Sun Huangkun’s pouch. However, a tattered notebook caught his attention, sparking his curiosity.