Xiao Hong took a deep breath and let it out. ‘... Fuck it. There is no point. That bitch Goddess of Fortune is definitely out to get me.’

‘More importantly,’ she eyed the nervous pair of Tengs. ‘What should I do about them?’

Leaving them free was a gamble, a potential powder keg waiting to explode. So, it was definitely impossible for her to simply let them go. There was almost no doubt they would bring even more trouble on her head.

It was their duty to inform their superiors about an overpowered Immortal Cultivator suddenly popping up in their territory. Were she in their situation, she would absolutely complain to her Senior Brothers and Sisters or Elders - and she would, without the slightest hint of doubt, add a few dozen embellishments to the story to make them suffer more.

Therefore, she held no illusions that they would help her keep her presence here a secret.

Then, what should she do?

It was obvious - eliminate them.

It was the logical solution - a cold calculation for survival.

Life was precious, yes. There was no doubt about that. However, Xiao Hong valued her own life far above those of these two not-very-nice people.

She wanted to experience this wonderfully brilliant life longer. Much, much longer - preferably an Eternity. So, her life and well-being were paramount! And anything that could threaten her life or happiness should be eradicated!

And she could easily justify the whole thing, too. If she were the weaker party, her fate would definitely not be positive. By the moral standards of this world, she would be completely in the right! It was them who provoked her first! They were the first to bear malintent. It was already a great mercy on her part to let them live as long as they had!

Yet…

She decided not to.

Why?

‘I don’t want to.’

It was as simple as that.

She did not desire to take their lives. Xiao Hong knew that she had taken many lives. And would continue to, without a single doubt.

But.

If she could help it.

If there was a sliver of a possibility, she would refrain from taking lives.

These two men before her could put her in immense, life-threatening danger. But they were also duty-bound to inform their superiors of her presence. They were not guilty of much, in her view. Yes, they had attempted to take over the Yun Family, threatening their positions as the top three forces of this city.

But that was about it.

They said it themselves - they feared the Yun Family’s Main branch - so it was unlikely that they would allow much harm to the members of the Yun Family. Plus, Xiao Hong did not truly care for the Yuns. She cared for Yun Hua because of the goodwill she had shown her when she was at her weakest - even if it was quite unnecessary.

She glanced at the two Tengs who were incidentally, also staring at her, fear practically oozing out of their skin, with a slight flicker of hope that dwindled the longer she remained silent. It was as if they were awaiting their judgement of the Death God… which might as well be true.

Xiao Hong took a deep breath. This time, she was the stronger party. Overwhelmingly so. Her backing - the Purple Spirit Sect was even stronger. And that gave her options.

She could afford to be merciful.

A strange grin carved itself on her face, causing the two Tengs to quake in their boots - were they finally going to die?!

***

“Hoooof~!” Xiao Hong let out a satisfied sigh and wiped away the non-existent sweat on her forehead. Gazing upon her handiwork, a great sense of accomplishment filled her chest.

A huge smile appeared on her lips. ‘This is, perhaps, my greatest masterpiece!’

“Aaaaaaargh!!! Nooo! Please don’t do this!!”

“Heeelp! Somebody, please help!”

“Noo!”

“Let us go, you damned Demoness!”

The muffled screams of the two Tengs and several dozen gruff men sounded. Xiao Hong’s smile brightened even more as the first rays of dawn fell upon her face.

In front of her, was the entrance to a cave - one she had dug out a few hours back. Surrounding the cave entrance, etched into stone and rock, glowed a complex series of runes. Unlike the defensive formations Xiao Hong had created before, this one wasn’t protective.

This one was a… Sealing Formation.

Yep. Xiao Hong, in a stroke of sheer brilliance (in her opinion), had decided to… seal away the two Tengs and their unfortunate entourage.

Not forever. Just a few cosy months - a free spa retreat, you could call it - courtesy of Xiao Hong!

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Obviously, this little, uh, vacation spot strongly discouraged communication with the outside world - no sneaky calls to their superiors and something as heinous as summoning reinforcements was strictly forbidden, on these premises!

While the two Tengs and their friends relaxed on their ‘Dao Detox’, Xiao Hong would be left with ample time to contact her own Sect and have them haul her out of this mess. After a month or two, the Sealing Formation would collapse on its own and the two Tengs and their not-so-little minions would be free to go!

And beyond that?

Well, what were they gonna do? Throw a tantrum and demand that the Purple Spirit Sect hand her over? Pfft~! Not to mention her newfound Inner Disciple Candidate status, even if she were a mere servant of the Sect - they wouldn't dare. If they did dare, they would be smacked so hard, that they’d turn into the tenth petal (island)!

With a casual wave, a massive boulder rolled over, sealing the entrance to the cave. The muffled screams of terror - er, whoops of delight, Xiao Hong was sure - were instantly silenced. Not even the slightest whisper could be heard.

The runic patterns slowly dimmed and disappeared, leaving not the slightest trace.

Dusting off her hands, she turned around and kicked off the ground, vanishing from sight.

***

‘Hmm… Did I miss something?’ Xiao Hong wondered as she swiftly made her way back to the Yun Family Estate. ‘I’m pretty sure I added all the facilities they need to stay alive.’

The Formation itself had all the amenities required for a few months of stay. It functioned not just as a prison, but as a self-contained survival pod.

For food, she had left them enough Fasting Pills to last a whole year. For water, she had left behind a special Artefact that condensed the atmospheric moisture and even filtered it. She had even taken care to make them a small washroom! It might be a little rough on their behind, but hey, a little discomfort was a small price to pay for their transgression, right?

What was more, she had even gone out of her way to make beds for them (though, she did get bored halfway through and only made enough for a quarter of them, but whatever)!

Besides that, the Formation could even be called a paradise for Cultivating Immortality! For those below the Sky Spirit Stage, at least, it was practically a cultivator's dream getaway!

‘Eh, if I forgot about it, it’s probably not very important.’ she shrugged and threw it to the back of her mind.

Unbeknownst to Xiao Hong, her common sense was vastly different now than when she was an ordinary mortal on Earth. It had completely slipped her mind that… washrooms were also supposed to include complete plumbing systems and not just the pot.

***

A few hours later, when the sun had fully risen, Xiao Hong welcomed some unexpected guests in her courtyard at the Yun Estate.

“So, you’re saying that Miss Huang here has talent in Immortal Cultivation??” The very surprised Xiao Hong stared at a very nervous-looking young woman.

“Indeed.” Yun Cheng nodded firmly, his tone completely certain. “She has the talent for Immortal Cultivation!”

“And how did you verify it?” she cocked an eyebrow sceptically. “Only an Immortal Cultivator can determine if someone has the talent for Immortal Cultivation.”

That, or a rather high-level Martial Artist - which Yun Cheng clearly was not. But Xiao Hong did not say that - there was no way she would call her hosts weak to their faces.

“I understand that Miss Xiao is sceptical, but we can prove it to you.” Yun Cheng said seriously. He turned to his left, glancing at the young woman and spoke gently, “Miss Huang, please demonstrate what you had shown me yesterday.”

“Y-Yes, Captain!” ‘Miss Huang’ stammered out, her voice barely a whisper. She was obviously very nervous in the presence of a powerful Immortal Cultivator like Xiao Hong.

Miss Huang took a deep breath and let it out to calm herself. She stretched out her hand and extended her index finger and pointed it at the teacup. Her eyes narrowed as she stared at the cup with tremendous concentration.

Nothing seemed to happen for a moment.

Just as Xiao Hong opened her mouth to say something, the teacup shook. Then, it slowly floated up, wobbling.

‘What the fuck?! Is that a Telekinesis-type Divine Ability?!’ Xiao Hong was stunned! ‘How in the tattered underpants of the King of Hell is there another wielder of Divine Ability here?!’

She cursed inwardly with a vehemence that could have shaken the very heavens! ‘You’re a Starter Village, dammit! Stop pulling random late-game abilities out of your backwater ass!’

Crash!

The abrupt sound of porcelain snapped Xiao Hong out of her shock.

“I-I-I am sorry Great Immortal!” The young woman bowed her head, almost kowtowing in the spot. “I did not mean to-”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.” Xiao Hong waved it away casually. Instead, she looked at this young woman named ‘Huang Zhixin’ with great interest. She had never expected that the beauty she spotted would really have talent in Immortal Cultivation. What a dang coincidence!

She extended her arm across the table and asked gently, “Can you give me your wrist?”

Huang Zhixin nodded hesitantly and stretched out her arm once again.

Taking the slender wrist into her hand, Xiao Hong placed her index and middle finger over the pulse points and sent a strand of Qi into her wrist.

Immediately, a frown came over her face. ‘What the…? What’s up with this abnormal resistance?’ As soon as she had sent the strand of Qi into the other party’s wrist, it rebounded - like a ball bouncing off a wall.

‘Interesting. What if I sent a stronger pulse of Qi?’ She gathered another strand of Qi - this time it was much more powerful than before. An ordinary mortal might actually suffer injuries if she drove this Qi into their bodies.

Yet, the result was the same!

Xiao Hong’s frown deepened and she repeated the process again and again, continuously strengthening her Qi.

‘Such powerful resistance to Qi. It's almost like…’ Her eyes narrowed. She let go of Huang Zhixin’s wrist.

“Ah, Mr. Yun, could you step out for a bit? There are a few things that I need to check and, erm,” she turned to Yun Cheng and smiled apologetically, “requires a bit of privacy.”

“Eh? Ah! Yes, of course!” Yun Cheng was startled and answered somewhat awkwardly.

He hastily got to his feet and said with a respectful salute, “Ahem, I shall return to my courtyard. Please feel free to call for me, should you need my assistance.”

“Of course, and thank you, Mr. Yun. Please accept this as a token of appreciation for your hospitality.” Xiao Hong also stood up and handed over a bottle of pills.

“Ah, no, no, no. This is too precious!”

“Not at all, Mr. Yun. It is hardly worth anything compared to our friendship.”

After a few more lines of polite nonsense, Xiao Hong sent him away.

Then, the polite smile slipped off her face.

Woom!

With a single stomp of her foot a massive, transparent dome covered the courtyard. It rose, encasing the entire courtyard in an impenetrable veil, effectively cutting them off from the prying eyes of any curious outsiders.

Boom!

A massive aura, like a tidal wave of pure power, exploded with Xiao Hong as the epicentre. It surged outwards with tremendous might, flattening the surrounding grass in waves! The very air seemed to crackle as if they were in the midst of an impending thunderstorm.

A shroud of Qi materialised around her in a vibrant red cloak. It thrummed with power, ready to be fashioned into whatever form of death she wished to bring upon her opponent.

With a gaze colder than the chilliest winter, she stared at ‘Huang Zhixin’.

“Who are you?”