Xianling Xue Takes the Initiative to Lower Its Profile

Xian Lingnan’s reminder made Li Chensuang come to her senses as well. Given her higher cultivation level, the improvement wasn’t particularly noticeable.

She focused her senses and realized that her power was indeed increasing, albeit slowly.

Xu Mu popped a piece of meat into his mouth and explained casually, “It’s a sixth-grade heavenly treasure—oil chestnut leaves. When infused with fat, the medicinal effects activate. I just coated it on the surface of the meat.”

“A sixth-grade heavenly treasure, and you’re just feeding it to us like a meal?”

Li Chensuang lifted her head, gazing at Xu Mu’s flickering face through the dancing flames. “You’re being so generous—who are you trying to impress?”

Hearing this, Xian Lingnan also turned to look at Xu Mu. There were only two women here—either it was meant for her or for Li Chensuang.

“Don’t overthink it. In my house, I cook all my dishes using heavenly treasures.”

Xu Mu had to admit, Li Chensuang had hit the mark. His real intent was to win them over, thereby gaining justice points from them.

“Brother, please stop talking. If you keep this up, I’ll end up wanting to marry you too. Eating heavenly treasures like ordinary food—what’s the point of me being the chieftain of the Jiuli tribe?”

Li Chensuang said this to Xu Mu.

She wasn’t joking. It was her genuine, innermost thought. What was the point of being a chieftain? Wasn’t it to grow stronger and elevate one’s status?

If she could become stronger effortlessly just by following Xu Mu, there was no need for all that trouble. Once she became a powerhouse, the Jiuli tribe would come begging on their knees for her to return as chieftain.

Xian Lingnan picked up another piece of meat and ate it heartily. She wasn’t sure whether Xu Mu’s words were true, but one fact was undeniable: this meat boosted her power.

Bite after bite of roasted meat, the Qi within Xian Lingnan’s body steadily grew stronger.

When the meat on the stone slab in front of her was gone, she pulled out her dagger and helped herself to the cuts roasting over the fire.

“That’s enough!”

Xu Mu held her back. “If you keep eating, your stomach’s going to burst.”

He took three bottles of mineral water from his storage space and tossed one to each of the women.

Xian Lingnan clutched her round, full belly and reluctantly obeyed Xu Mu’s command. She had indeed eaten more than enough this time; her stomach was so bloated it hurt.

Li Chensuang, too, was stuffed. Food this tasty that also boosted strength was the kind of top-tier meal anyone would dream of.

She stole a glance at Xu Mu. This man’s standing in her heart had just risen a few more notches.

[Affection +10]

Xu Mu yawned. These two scheming women—each had their own agenda. After generously feeding them an entire meal, he’d only earned this many justice points.

Miss Empress, though—she was much easier to fool.

He unscrewed his bottle of water, took a sip, then extinguished the flames.

He headed toward the cave, ready to rest for a while. Beside him, Li Chensuang suddenly flinched and let out a yelp.

Even the rabbit hopping next to her jumped twice.

“Snake!”

Startled, Li Chensuang leaped onto Xu Mu’s back.

Two bolts of thunderous force struck Xu Mu’s back with terrifying power.

“Isn’t it just a spicy stick? Look at you, scared out of your wits—and you’re supposed to be the chieftain of the Jiuli tribe.”

Xu Mu chuckled as he walked over and kicked the snake far away.

Li Chensuang finally climbed down from him, a little embarrassed. “It’s just… it came out of nowhere, quiet as can be, and it caught me off guard. I got bitten by one when I was little—it left me traumatized.”

Beside them, Xian Lingnan let out a scornful laugh.

This woman was definitely pretending. At the Boundary-Breaking Realm, an ordinary snake—could it even break through her defenses?

She was just putting on an act, trying to win Xu Mu’s favor.

Thinking this, Xian Lingnan stepped closer to Xu Mu. “Xu Mu, would you twist the bottle cap open for me? I can’t do it.”

“Sister Nan, quit making me laugh. You can twist a person’s head off with ease, but you’re telling me you can’t twist open a bottle cap?”

Xu Mu couldn’t help but laugh. “Stop messing around—let’s rest for a bit.”

With that, he walked into the cave.

Li Chensuang shot Xian Lingnan a smile before following after Xu Mu.

“You! What if my hands are greasy?”

Xian Lingnan fumed with anger. Why was it that when Li Chensuang, that chubby woman, played dumb, Xu Mu would gladly help her—

But not her?

Xian Lingnan couldn’t stomach it. Since childhood, she’d always come out on top. And now, she was being humiliated like this by a Jiuli woman? She refused to accept it.

She grabbed the mineral water bottle cap and yanked it off instead of twisting.

After gulping down a few mouthfuls, she followed them into the cave.

Inside, the cave was pitch black, but with their cultivation levels, they could still see clearly.

As soon as Xu Mu entered, he released his fire-attributed Qi, clearing out the dampness and insects all around.

He pulled out a mattress and spread it flat on the ground.

“Let’s take a nap before we go—rest and recharge, since we’ve got a fight ahead.”

As he spoke, Xu Mu lay down at the edge of the mattress.

Xian Lingnan quickly stepped ahead and settled herself in the middle, deliberately separating Xu Mu and Li Chensuang.

Li Chensuang didn’t seem to mind. She simply lay down as well.

Xian Lingnan pinched Xu Mu’s arm and hissed, “Turn around!”

Xu Mu scratched his head, turned around, and looked at the woman with one black and one gold eye in front of him. “What’s up?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

Xian Linnan edged closer to Xu Mu. She had wanted to say she wanted to be friends with him, but the words felt stuck in her throat.

In the end, she could only express herself through action, burying her entire face in Xu Mu’s chest.

To her, this gesture should speak louder than a thousand words.

She breathed in lightly. She didn’t know what scent clung to Xu Mu, but she found it incredibly pleasant.

Even Xian Linnan herself didn’t fully understand why she was lowering her stance like this. Logically, it should have been Xu Mu pursuing her.

In her own mind, she figured she was just looking for a fallback option.

If she really got thrown out by Xian Linnanqi and the others, with no one to rely on, seeking refuge with Xu Mu would be her best choice.

But deep down, it all came down to one thing: She didn’t dislike Xu Mu, so she naturally wanted to be friends with him.

[Affection +10]

Suddenly, Xu Mu’s eyes snapped open. “Someone’s coming our way,” he said in a low voice.

“Damn it!”

Xian Linnan cursed under her breath. Who was interrupting her? She’d finally worked up the nerve to do something, and now it was all for nothing.

What a waste of humiliating herself!

“Don’t move. They’re almost here,” Xu Mu whispered to her.

About ten seconds later, the sound of several men talking drifted over from a distance.

“See? I told you I smelled something good! A wild roast pig!”

“Careful. If we can smell the pork, they might be nearby.”

...

One of them reached the roast first. He couldn’t help but laugh. “Whatever. This smells way too good. I’m having a bite. We’ve been traveling all day from the Wushi territory without a break.”

Hearing this, Xian Linnan rushed out of the cave in a flash.

She glared at the men before her. They were clearly Wushi clan members. “Who gave you permission to eat my food?”

“You’re the saintess... no, wait, Xian Linnan!”

A middle-aged man with a crew cut standing beside the roast widened his eyes in disbelief.

“Someone from the Wushi clan?” Xian Linnan’s face turned cold. “Talk. What are you doing here?”

“You crazy woman from the Xian family. Why should I tell you? Still think you’re the saintess?”

The man grinned. “But I have to say, I wouldn’t mind getting a taste of the former saintess.”