Chapter Three: Forcibly Filling in the Blanks

Inside the tavern, Ye Qiu was oblivious to the discussions outside about him. He quickly shut the doors, his heart still pounding. “Whew... That scared me! These youngsters, each one more pretentious than the last. I was going to let you in, but you insisted on showing off, putting on airs. Acting like you’re ready to face death head-on—oh, why bother? Isn’t being alive wonderful? Since you’re so eager to show off, and I’m not good at refusing people, I suppose I have to oblige you...”

Clearly, Ye Qiu misunderstood Yang Xuan’s intentions, while Yang Xuan misread Ye Qiu’s character.

Yang Xuan thought his sincerity would move Ye Qiu. Who knew Ye Qiu would take it as him showing off?

If he’d known, Yang Xuan wouldn’t have said what he did. Serves him right for pretending.

“Damn, Boss, that’s ruthless! I thought you’d been persuaded and were going to let them in, but then you suddenly shut the door—I’m totally thrown off…” Cao He felt confused, unable to keep up with Ye Qiu’s way of thinking.

“You don’t understand! A gentleman helps others fulfill themselves. They’re all so fired up—if I didn’t let them have their moment, people would say their words are empty. These cultivators, reputation means everything to them. They’d rather die in battle and be torn apart than lose their honor. Besides, the number one principle in the cultivation world is: better a fellow cultivator dies than oneself. Would you want to die?”

Ye Qiu spoke irritably, and Cao He shook his head, “Of course not! But doesn’t your conscience hurt doing this?”

“How much is a conscience worth? Cao the Rogue—no, Little Cao! You need to understand, only those who survive have the right to talk about conscience. If you preach to the dead, who hears you? Ghosts? Besides, do you really think this tavern can withstand those people? What a joke. It’s better to let them hold the line for a while. If things get out of hand, we run—that’s what matters most.”

“Hmm, makes sense! Damn, Boss, I’m starting to admire you more and more…”

Cao He called him an expert. He used to hear Ye Qiu talk about survival, but always thought it was a joke. Now he saw—this was the real truth.

“Enough chatter, go activate the mechanisms. Who knows if they’ll work? If they don’t, we’ll have to run…”

Those mechanisms were crafted by Ye Qiu over the years in his spare time, but he didn’t really know if they’d be effective.

From his understanding, they’d only be useful against ordinary people. Against cultivators, they probably wouldn’t do much, right?

Ye Qiu looked calm on the outside, but inside, he was extremely anxious.

Those cultivators, when they acted, fire and lightning flew everywhere. How could he withstand that?

He guessed the mechanisms wouldn’t last long. When the time came, he’d have to run.

Showing off? That was the protagonist’s job. For Ye Qiu, reputation meant nothing—survival was everything.

Didn’t he know the meaning of “develop quietly, don’t show off”?

Study well, observe closely, so if you ever transmigrate, you’ll know what to do…

“Alright…”

Cao He replied and walked to the counter, pressing a red button.

At that moment, a beam of light flashed, enveloping the entire tavern.

The sudden spectacle stunned everyone outside.

“Wow… This tavern has such a powerful protective formation? My god, judging by the aura, it’s even more terrifying than our Sacred Land’s mountain-protecting array.”

“No, this isn’t a pure formation. It’s a combination of various magical artifacts, making it even more powerful than a formation. What an incredible investment!”

The crowd was amazed. Even their Sacred Land couldn’t muster so many treasures. Yet this tavern had so many?

“Damn, I really am worthless. I actually doubted the senior’s strength earlier…”

Yang Xuan wished he could slap himself. This was definitely an expert! Look at this display—more impressive than their Sacred Land. If this isn’t an expert, what is?

What nonsense about lacking cultivation—this is what you call lacking cultivation?

When Ye Qiu closed the door just now, Yang Xuan wondered if Fuyao had made a mistake. Now he saw—Fuyao was spot on.

But if Ye Qiu was so powerful, why didn’t he help?

“I understand now…”

After pondering a while, Yang Xuan suddenly spoke loudly.

“Senior brother, what do you understand?” asked the crowd, curious.

Yang Xuan replied solemnly, “This must be a test from the senior, meant to assess our abilities. If we pass, not only can we resolve the crisis, but we might even gain his teachings…”

“Ah… That makes sense! Now that you mention it, I see it too. So the senior was pretending all along?”

“That must be it. I’ve heard that these hidden experts always act like ordinary people, occasionally making things difficult for you, but it’s really a test. Thinking back, the senior’s actions were definitely testing us…”

For a moment, everyone seemed enlightened. Even Fuyao, who was the only one to remain clear-headed, was caught up in the confusion.

“Is it really like this?” Fuyao was bewildered; it sounded so far-fetched.

“Enough! Stop talking, prepare to face the enemy. Brothers and sisters, form ranks!”

At Yang Xuan’s command, a dozen people arranged themselves, ready to resist the cultists’ assault.

Meanwhile, on the tavern’s second floor, Ye Qiu was quietly watching from the windowsill.

“Tsk tsk… Are these people really fearless? A dozen against hundreds—my god, are they always this brave?”

Cao He mused, “I don’t know, Boss, but do you really not intend to help them?”

“How? Want to go yourself?”

Ye Qiu replied grumpily; he didn’t want to watch them die, but the truth was… he had no way to save them.

Over the years, Ye Qiu hadn’t learned any cultivation techniques, spending his days reading, painting, playing chess, and practicing calligraphy.

It seemed he’d learned everything except cultivation, but this world was a realm of cultivators.

Not cultivating, but reading and writing—what’s the point?

Actually, Ye Qiu had noticed that after twenty years of reading, a cluster of energy had formed inside him.

Yet he didn’t know how to use it. Since it emerged, he could run faster and endure more pain.

Besides that, he had no clue what else it could do. No one had ever taught him how to use it.

He didn’t even know the cultivation realms of this world, making him one of the most tragic transmigrators ever.

Cao He didn’t want to annoy Ye Qiu, so he shook his head, “Forget it, better a fellow cultivator dies than oneself. I haven’t married yet—I don’t want to die for no reason…”

“Shh… Stop rambling, just watch…”

Ye Qiu shot him a glare and turned his gaze below, where the cultists had already reached the tavern’s entrance.

All were dressed in gray and white, faces covered as if hiding from the world.

From them, Ye Qiu sensed a thick, chilling aura of murderous intent.

“Wow… These guys really are ruthless cultists. That murderous air—it’s no wonder their infamous reputation spreads across the Wildlands…”

Ye Qiu sighed, feeling worried for those below. How many seconds could they last?

“Haha, Yang Xuan, who’d have thought you’d end up like this! A tiger brought low, bullied by dogs… Wait, that’s not right… Damn, you played me for a fool. We still have yesterday’s score to settle…”

A masked youth stepped out of the crowd, speaking with melodramatic swagger.

“Pfft… Ignorance is scary! He’s insulting himself and getting angry about it?”

Yang Xuan laughed despite himself. He hadn’t said a word, yet somehow it was his fault?

“Settle scores? Ha, a defeated foe dares bare his teeth at me? Gao Yuan, if you want to settle things, come forward. I fear nothing…”

Yang Xuan appeared bold, but inside he was terrified. A dozen against hundreds—how could they win?

His bravado was meant to put on a good show, hoping Ye Qiu would intervene.

But they couldn’t figure Ye Qiu out; he never followed the script, his mind too elusive to predict.

Yang Xuan could only try to act brave, hoping to pass Ye Qiu’s test.

At the upstairs windowsill, Ye Qiu watched and murmured, “Ah… This guy is really brave! People like this, who pretend, are either protagonists or cannon fodder…”

Ye Qiu had no intention of intervening, leaving Yang Xuan baffled.

“Damn, why isn’t he acting? I’m already like this, and he’s still sitting there—have I not been brave enough?”

Yang Xuan wished he could see Ye Qiu inside, wondering if he was watching and why he still wouldn’t help.

Where had things gone wrong?

Gao Yuan saw Yang Xuan’s boldness and didn’t know how to respond.

“Is he insane? Just a dozen people daring to challenge my hundreds?”

Gao Yuan had intended to charge, but suddenly hesitated.

Something wasn’t right—could there be a hidden expert inside the tavern? Otherwise, where would Yang Xuan get the confidence to challenge him?

“Senior brother, let’s attack. That guy is too arrogant! The others can’t stand it either…”

“Not so fast. Something’s off! From what I know of Yang Xuan, he only fights when he can win and runs when he can’t. He talks big, but he’s really a coward. If there’s no trick, how would he dare challenge me? There must be something going on…”

Gao Yuan’s suspicion grew stronger the more he thought about it…