Is This One of Us

Boom!

Qinghe was violently slammed into the riverbed.

The tremendous force even parted the river waters.

Before she could struggle to rise, another Nascent Soul-formed hand delivered a brutal punch to her head, smashing it deep into the riverbed.

Immediately after, a massive foot stomped down on her serpentine back, crushing any attempt to resist.

Two Nascent Soul hands seized her horns and yanked her head out of the mud.

Qinghe writhed furiously, but the foot pressing down on her felt like an immovable mountain.

This was no Nascent Soul cultivator from some backwater region!

"Stop struggling, or you’ll get hit again. Answer my questions."

That infuriating male voice echoed once more.

Qinghe glared at the monkey-masked man standing casually on her snout, his posture relaxed as if he didn’t even regard her, a mighty flood dragon, as a threat.

Answer? Answer my ass!

With the commotion from their clash, Xie Lingyu must have sensed it by now!

Grandma Bai had undoubtedly stuffed him full of treasures—once he arrived, this mere Nascent Soul brat would be lying flat on the ground!

Besides, she herself carried a protective artifact from Grandma Bai, though its activation conditions were… questionable.

Qinghe had little faith in Grandma Bai’s definition of "harsh conditions."

Knowing her, it’d probably only trigger when she was half-dead.

Bai Xuanling had her reasoning—"Fighting with a turtle shell won’t teach you anything. Only pain leaves a lasting lesson."

As a flood dragon, Qinghe had her pride.

Since she wouldn’t die anyway, there was no way she’d let this bastard humiliate her like this!

Go ahead, beat me half to death if you dare!

"Answer your damn ghost-faced head! Which Central Continent sect’s idiot are you? Ever heard of the Central Continent’s Deathbringer King? That’s my backer!"

Qinghe roared, lashing her tail at the Nascent Soul foot pinning her down.

Unfortunately, it barely budged—instead, the foot stomped harder in retaliation.

How could a remote region produce a Nascent Soul cultivator of this caliber?

Normally, she could fight above her weight class, relying on her draconic resilience to shrug off spells.

But today, she’d been utterly suppressed from start to finish.

Clearly, this was a Central Continent cultivator here to seize whatever so-called "opportunity" this place held.

The masked man’s tone remained indifferent. "So, you’re from the Central Continent? ‘Deathbringer King’? Never heard of him."

"Sounds like a demonic cultivator—probably not worth knowing."

"My patience is thin. Last chance—why are you here?"

Qinghe snarled, "Screw your eggplant-faced monkey mask! Ever heard of the Tianyan Sect from the Central Continent, you walking corpse?"

The monkey-masked man paused, suspicion creeping into his voice. "You’re from Tianyan Sect?"

"Ha!" Qinghe sneered. "Scared now, you peach-brained fool? You don’t even know the Deathbringer King? Dare to mess with one of the Eighteen Immortal Sects?"

The masked man pressed, "Got proof?"

Though his tone still feigned doubt, Qinghe could feel the pressure from the Nascent Soul foot lighten slightly.

He was hesitating. Good.

Qinghe spat out a jade token.

The man caught it midair, examining the characters "Tianyan" glowing on its surface.

When he channeled spiritual energy into it, the token emitted an aura similar to the "Give Me Face" token Bai Xuanling had given her.

So this little flood dragon really was from Tianyan Sect?

Chu Xingchen coughed and smoothly shifted blame. "Why didn’t you show this earlier?"

Qinghe fumed, "Show it? You didn’t give me a chance! You ambushed me without a word—since when did you ask?!"

Chu Xingchen deflected, "Just you? No one else? Where’s Bai Xuanling?"

"Eat a watermelon, you fake idiot! Let me go now if you want to live!"

Qinghe’s head throbbed with rage.

This bastard knew Bai Xuanling’s name but pretended not to recognize her title?

He’d probably known she was Grandma Bai’s flood dragon all along—this was a targeted beating!

Grandma Bai must’ve pissed someone off again, and this coward came to take it out on her instead!

Spineless melon-headed bastard!

Chu Xingchen glanced back at Li Yingling and Li Xingtian, who had retreated far behind him, and shot them a questioning look—What now?

Li Xingtian signaled honesty: just a minor misunderstanding, since they’d only thrown a few punches and had ties to Tianyan Sect anyway.

Li Yingling narrowed her eyes, advocating denial—no admission, no fault.

After a moment, Chu Xingchen gave Li Xingtian a meaningful nod.

Just as Li Xingtian thought they’d reached an understanding, his master’s Nascent Soul hands—still gripping Qinghe’s horns—

Slammed her head back into the riverbed with full force.

Water-formed chains instantly locked her skull in place.

Chu Xingchen’s voice transmitted to his disciples: "Run!"

Li Yingling vanished in a streak of light. Li Xingtian, a beat slower, followed his senior sister’s trail.

Now he understood his master’s look—Watch and learn.

By the time Qinghe broke free and resurfaced, the three culprits had long since disappeared.

Goddammit!

Ambush me and flee?!

Which shameless Central Continent sect raised these bastards?!

Rotten grape-brained scum!

Qinghe heaved furious breaths before shifting back into her petite human form.

She shot out of the water, racing toward Xie Lingyu’s location.

Screw this "opportunity"—she was going back to Tianyan Sect!

Grandma Bai would avenge this humiliation!

As she scanned the surroundings, Qinghe realized she’d drifted far while slacking off.

But following the current upstream would lead her back.

Soon, she pinpointed the right direction.

Qinghe stormed forward, but before long, her spiritual sense detected Xie Lingyu—along with three others.

All four were heading her way.

Were those three ambushers coming to beat up Xie Lingyu next?!

Reverting to her flood dragon form, Qinghe surged toward them.

Though she addressed Xie Lingyu as "martial uncle," she was far older—she’d watched him grow from an adorable child into his current tsundere self.

She could endure her own beating, but if they touched Xie Lingyu—

Qinghe was ready to fight to the death.

In moments, she spotted Xie Lingyu and the trio—two men and a woman.

Their robes were different now, and their faces unmasked.

But their builds looked suspiciously similar!

Qinghe smirked. Think I’m stupid? Changing clothes won’t fool me!

Now that you’ve shown your faces, no matter which sect you’re from—you’re getting payback!

She shouted urgently, "Uncle-Master! Don’t be fooled! They’re from another sect here to take revenge on Grandma Bai!"

Xie Lingyu halted in place, casting a puzzled glance at Qinghe.

"What nonsense are you spouting? Why would they seek revenge against our master?"

Qinghe retorted loudly, "They’re the ones who just beat me up! Out with it—which Central Continent sect are you from?"

Chu Xingchen looked bewildered, his expression the picture of innocence. "I’m not from the Central Continent..."

"Bullshit! You think changing your voice will throw me off?! You shameless—"

Before Qinghe could finish, Chu Xingchen’s brows furrowed slightly, as if he’d been unjustly scolded and was nursing a quiet resentment.

With a frown directed at Xie Lingyu, he reached into his spatial ring and produced—the Great Tianyan Token.

Qinghe’s words died in her throat—he was one of their own?!