Chapter 150: Why Are You So Weak
Saintess Yaxi? How could someone so high above suddenly seek him out? Long Tao thought it over and over, yet could not make sense of it.
He had indeed been in the limelight these past two days, but that was entirely thanks to the exposure from the commentary seat, letting him gain some familiarity. But such hollow fame was useless in the Cultivation World, absolutely not worth catching the eye of the Hehuan Sect’s Saintess.
Could it be his looks? That was impossible too.
Though this body had inherited some of his parents’ better traits and was passable—at the very least, most people, including himself, could honestly say the young man looked quite handsome—it was nowhere near the level of being favored by a Saintess.
This was proven by the fact that he had not been taken a fancy to by True Person Liuxia. After all… on Liucai Peak under True Person Liuxia, there were several registered disciples whose talent was even worse than his, yet because they were good-looking, they had been brought into the peak as soon as they entered the sect.
Thus, he naturally did not want to attend this inexplicable invitation. He had only just, under the System’s pressure, gradually found a path to survival. He did not want any more trouble.
No matter how beautiful the Saintess was, she was not as beautiful as his own life. When it came to matters of life and death, one had to be a bit narcissistic.
“Apologies, Senior. I am of low status and truly fear sullying the Saintess’s eyes…”
Before he could finish speaking, the Golden Core Dao Protector took out a document from her robes.
“You need not worry. True Person Shi has already agreed to this meeting. You are her registered disciple, correct? Then there should be no issue.”
What the hell! He had been sold out just like that? When Long Tao saw the familiar seal on the document, he knew he could not escape. His greatest backing at the moment was the sect and Shi Manyu, this Vice Sect Master superior. Without her protection, in front of this group of Golden Core cultivators, he would be nothing but a chicken.
So he stopped wasting words and obediently agreed. If he continued to hesitate now, it would not be humility, but ignorance of favor.
After informing his family and making up an excuse that the Heavenly Pivot Pavilion had urgent business, and soothing Xiao Ying, whose face was full of suspicion, he was directly carried by that Golden Core cultivator to the guest courtyard on the Main Peak.
The lodging of the Hehuan Sect’s Saintess was naturally imposing. The place was practically a full courtyard estate.
Even more exaggerated was that, for the sake of security, the entire courtyard was an independent small pocket realm.
“Go in directly. The Saintess is waiting for you inside.”
“Senior, could you at least tell me what this is about? I’m just a small Qi-Refining cultivator. Suddenly encountering something like this truly makes my heart uneasy.”
“I have served at the Saintess’s side for many years and still dare not claim to fathom her thoughts. I truly have nothing to tell you. But it is by no means a bad thing. At most… it will simply be a wasted trip, delaying you a little.” Seeing Long Tao’s hidden worry, she added, “Rest assured. The Saintess and I are not of the Joyous Bliss Lineage. We do not engage in furnace cauldron harvesting.”
Seeing a Golden Core cultivator speak to him so politely, Long Tao felt embarrassed to continue questioning.
Besides… this was within his own sect. It was indeed impossible for anything to happen. Or rather… he was not worth the Hehuan Sect stirring up trouble here.
He let out a breath. Thinking of the Saintess’s heaven-defying beauty, he tidied his hair and clothes.
After confirming there was nothing amiss, he stepped through the courtyard gate.
The moment he entered, the view opened up before him—pavilions and waterside terraces, exquisite and refined.
The Saintess sat in a small pavilion at the center of the lake, waving at him repeatedly.
That intimate gesture only made Long Tao feel even more uncertain.
Of course, he still braced himself and walked over, wondering why there were no attendants present.
Today, the Saintess had casually tied up her long pink hair. Her clothing was very simple, yet on her it carried a unique charm—pure yet alluring, perfect from every angle.
At the same time, this was his first time observing this peerless beauty at such close distance. He had to admit… this was a woman whose appearance had almost no blind spots.
With just a casual blink, her long, curled lashes seemed to cast flirtatious glances. He dared not imagine what kind of soul-stirring sight she would be if she reached the Golden Core realm.
“Hold this sheet of paper first.”
Her smile was proper.
She did not exchange greetings, but directly handed him an ordinary white sheet. Yet behind that composure, there was clearly a trace of anticipation and excitement she could not suppress.
Long Tao suddenly recalled what Senior Brother Fang and Nan Yuchen had discussed earlier that day. Whenever this Saintess encountered a man she was interested in, she would give him a sheet of paper. But according to Senior Brother Fang, no one had ever seen any writing appear on it.
So calling him over was for this? He instantly felt relieved. Aside from being a transmigrator, he had nothing special in this world.
He definitely was not the person she was looking for. This seemed to be just going through the motions.
He took the paper and glanced at it casually. As expected, there was nothing on it.
Just as he was thinking of completing the process and returning it, the Saintess suddenly asked a very ordinary question.
“Where is your hometown?”
“Oh! Not far to the south. A place called Qinglin Town.”
A very ordinary question and a very ordinary answer. But the moment he finished speaking, characters began to appear on the once snow-white paper.
And when those two words fully formed, Long Tao nearly pissed himself in fright.
Transmigration.
Those two words felt like a heavy hammer slamming into his mind, causing his thoughts to halt.
The Saintess had already discerned the clue from his sudden change of expression.
Casting aside all restraint, she rushed forward and snatched back the paper. Her gaze swept over the two words. Then, with a flick of spiritual flame at her fingertip, she instantly burned the paper to ashes.
Eyes wide, she stared fixedly at the person she had searched for with such difficulty.
“As expected! You are also a transmigrator!”
“This… Saintess, you—”
“Yesterday, when I heard your commentary style, I already felt something was off, but I still wasn’t certain. It wasn’t until today, when I heard you say the word ‘banana,’ that I became completely sure. This world has no bananas. Aside from fellow transmigrators, no one would use that word.”
Long Tao felt a wave of regret. He had thought it was just a small slip of the tongue.
Who would have imagined it would trigger such a chain reaction? Even more outrageous—there were other transmigrators in this world?
But thinking about it, that seemed normal. Wasn’t the System’s other personality a senior transmigrator? If there were others, it was not incomprehensible.
It was just that… his feelings at this moment were truly complicated.
Having a fellow countryman was certainly comforting and a good thing. Yet in this foreign world, the only thing that made him special was his identity as a “transmigrator.” Now, even that uniqueness was gone.
“Alright, alright. Since there’s no one else here, I won’t keep pretending. I am indeed one. But… Saintess, this is far too rash, isn’t it? Just because we’re from the same homeland doesn’t mean transmigrators are necessarily friendly. Exposing your identity so hastily poses great risk for both of us.”
“I know, I know. But I’m at least at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage. Even if you weren’t a good person, a Qi-Refining cultivator wouldn’t pose any threat to me. But speaking of that…” Her tone shifted, carrying a trace of confusion.
“One reason I wasn’t sure of your identity before was—why are you so weak? I thought transmigrators would all be like me, possessing some special talent. All these years I kept probing those who seemed like protagonists. Who would’ve thought it would be someone like you… um… an ordinary person.”